The Hamas militant group handed over the bodies of four Israeli hostages, said to include a mother and her two young children taken during the October 7 terror attack.
Saudi Arabian Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman has invited the leaders of Gulf Arab countries, Egypt, and Jordan for a meeting in Riyadh on Friday, Saudi state news agency SPA reported.
Arab states pledged to work on a post-war plan for the Gaza Strip’s reconstruction to counter US President Donald Trump’s proposal, which includes the forcible displacement of Palestinians in Gaza.
Trump has called for Egypt and Jordan to take in Palestinians from Gaza, a suggestion they both rejected. He has also called for redeveloping the enclave as an international beach resort.
Saudi Arabia said Friday’s meeting would be unofficial and held within “the framework of the close brotherly relations that bring together the leaders,” SPA reported.
“As for joint Arab action and the decisions issued regarding it, it will be on the agenda of the upcoming emergency Arab summit that will be held in the sisterly Arab Republic of Egypt,” SPA added.
The Saudi state news agency was referring to plans for an emergency Arab summit on March 4 to discuss the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
A United Nations human rights agency has denounced what it called the “abhorrent and cruel” manner that Hamas staged the handing over of the bodies of four hostages to Israel on Thursday.
“The parading of bodies in the manner seen this morning is abhorrent and cruel, and flies in the face of international law,” said the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights. “We urge that all returns are conducted in privacy, and with respect and care.”
Among the bodies expected to have been returned were those of Shiri Bibas and her two young sons ― Kfir and Ariel ― who had become symbols of Israel’s ordeal during the October 7 Hamas attack in 2023.
“Under international law, any handover of the remains of deceased must comply with the prohibition of cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment, ensuring respect for the dignity of the deceased and their families,” the UN agency added in a statement
Thursday, August 20, 2026
