BAGHDAD/GAZA/JERUSALEM - Arab leaders on Saturday called for an immediate halt to the war in Gaza and voiced their rejection of forced displacement of Palestinians.

In the final statement of the 34th Arab League Summit, which kicked off in the Iraqi capital Baghdad earlier in the day, the leaders of the bloc's 22 member states demanded "an immediate halt to the war in Gaza and all hostilities exacerbating civilian suffering."

The statement urged the international community, particularly influential states, to fulfill their moral and legal obligations to advocate for a cessation of bloodshed and ensure unhindered humanitarian aid to Gaza.

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They also reiterated their rejection of forced displacement of the Palestinian people, which constitutes a violation of international law, the statement added.

It called on all countries to provide political, financial, and legal support for the reconstruction and recovery plans for the Gaza Strip, welcoming Iraq's call to establish a fund for the reconstruction of Gaza.

The leaders affirmed that the Palestinian issue remains the core cause of the Arab nation and the key to regional stability, said the statement, adding that they fully support the inalienable rights of the Palestinian people, including freedom, self-determination, and the establishment of an independent, sovereign Palestinian state on the 1967 borders with East Jerusalem as its capital.

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The statement stressed that the Arab leaders condemn all illegitimate measures and practices by Israel that target the Palestinian people and deprive them of their right to freedom, life, and human dignity.

The leaders supported a call of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas to convene an international peace conference and take steps to implement the two-state solution.

In the Gaza Strip, at least 64 Palestinians were killed in Israeli attacks on Saturday, the Civil Defense in Gaza said.

Mahmoud Basal, spokesperson for the Civil Defense, told Xinhua that seven young men were killed and several others wounded when Israeli artillery shelled a group of Palestinians trying to reach their homes in the Shuja'iyya neighborhood, east of Gaza City.

Basal added that four people, including a woman and two children, were killed in an Israeli airstrike that targeted the gate of Salah al-Din School, which houses displaced families in the west of Gaza City, while a fifth person was killed in an airstrike on a residential apartment north of the city.

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At least 11 others were killed in attacks on a Palestinian gathering, while nine others were killed in an Israeli airstrike on a warehouse for distributing humanitarian aid in the city of Deir al-Balah in the central Gaza Strip, according to Basal.

The Hamas-run Gaza government condemned the attack on the warehouse, considering it "a serious and ongoing escalation of the systematic starvation policy pursued by the occupation in the Gaza Strip."

At least 13 others were killed in Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip, while 19 others were killed in Jabalia, Beit Lahia, and Beit Hanoun in the northern Gaza Strip, Basal said.

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said in a statement in the early morning of Saturday that over the past day, "the IDF has begun conducting extensive strikes and mobilizing troops to achieve operational control in areas of the Gaza Strip."

Since Israel resumed its intensified military campaign on March 18, at least 3,131 Palestinians have been killed and 8,632 others injured, bringing the overall death toll in Gaza since the war began in October 2023 to 53,272, with a total of 120,673 people injured, according to health authorities in Gaza on Saturday.

Meanwhile, indirect negotiations between Hamas and Israel resumed on Saturday in the Qatari capital Doha, according to senior Hamas official Mahmoud Mardawi.

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Mardawi said the talks are being held under Qatari and US mediation in an effort to reach a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip and finalize a hostage exchange deal, without preconditions.

A source close to Hamas told Xinhua on condition of anonymity that the talks are based on a proposal submitted by US Special Envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff, which Hamas had amended substantially.

According to the source, the guarantees provided by the United States in the current round of Gaza ceasefire talks appeared to be "more serious," including clear commitments to implementing the terms of any potential agreement.

Also on Saturday, Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz confirmed the resumption of negotiations with Hamas, saying Hamas' return to the negotiation table marks a shift from what he described as a refusal position it has taken so far.

According to Katz, the change followed the launch of Israel's newly initiated military operation codenamed "Gideon's Chariots," which aims to expand the scope of fighting in Gaza and advance key war objectives, including the release of hostages and the dismantling of Hamas.

On Friday night, the Israeli military announced that it had escalated operations in Gaza, carrying out a wave of airstrikes and deploying additional ground forces, noting that the intensified assault marks the start of the "Gideon's Chariots" operation.

Israeli public radio Kan reported that the current proposal under discussion in Doha includes the release of approximately 10 or more hostages in exchange for a limited ceasefire. Israel estimates that 20 hostages are still alive in Gaza.

Despite the renewed efforts, Hamas has voiced reservations about proceeding with the talks while the Israeli blockade on Gaza, imposed since March 2, remains in place.