Leaders of SCO Urge Immediate Gaza Ceasefire

2025-09-01 08:59:12

(MENAFN) Leaders of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) on Monday voiced “deep concern” over the escalating Israeli-Palestinian war and the dire humanitarian crisis in Gaza.

In a joint statement released after the 25th SCO summit in Tianjin, China, the member states “strongly condemned the actions that have led to numerous casualties among the civilian population.”

The SCO emphasized the urgent “need to achieve a comprehensive and lasting ceasefire as soon as possible, ensure the entry of humanitarian aid to Gaza, and increase efforts to ensure peace, stability, and security for residents in the region.”

According to the joint declaration, known as the Tianjin Declaration, the bloc stated that the “only way to ensure peace and stability in the Middle East is a comprehensive and just solution to the Palestinian issue.”

China hosted the two-day summit, during which SCO leaders adopted a decade-long development roadmap and pledged to strengthen economic and security cooperation.

The statement came as the death toll in Gaza reached 63,557 on Monday amid Israel’s ongoing military campaign that began in October 2023.

Gaza’s Health Ministry reported the number of wounded Palestinians has surged to 160,660 amid relentless Israeli attacks.

Since March 2, Israel has fully sealed all Gaza border crossings, effectively plunging the enclave’s 2.4 million residents into famine conditions.

A United Nations-backed food security assessment has confirmed famine in northern Gaza, warning it is likely to spread further south by the end of September.

Israeli forces resumed assaults on Gaza on March 18, killing 11,426 and injuring 48,619 people, shattering a ceasefire and prisoner exchange deal that was in place since January.

In a landmark development, the International Criminal Court last November issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, accusing them of war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.

Additionally, Israel faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice over its military actions in the Gaza Strip.

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