ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Iraq has pledged $20 million each to Gaza and Lebanon for reconstruction, Prime Minister Mohammed Shia’ al-Sudani said in his opening speech at the Arab League summit in Baghdad on Saturday. “Iraq pledges a contribution of $20 million for the reconstruction of Gaza and another $20 million for the reconstruction of brotherly Lebanon,” he said. “We have called - and continue to call - for serious and responsible Arab action to save Gaza and reactivate UNRWA’s role in both Gaza and the West Bank,” Sudani added, referring to the United Nations mission in Palestine. Israel’s war on Gaza was one of the main topics discussed at the summit that brought together Arab leaders and senior government officials. Since the conflict began in October 2023, more than 53,000 people have been killed in Gaza, according to figures from the Gaza health ministry. The World Health Organization (WHO) warned this week that nearly half a million people in Gaza are facing starvation because of Israel’s blockade on humanitarian aid. “The plan recently announced by Israeli authorities to deliver food and other essential items across Gaza via proposed distribution sites is grossly inadequate to meet the immediate needs of over two million people,” WHO said, calling for “unimpeded humanitarian access.” On Lebanon, which has also suffered extensive damage after conflict with Israel, Sudani said, “We support the ceasefire in southern Lebanon and condemn the repeated violations of this brotherly country’s sovereignty.”
