AMMAN/OSLO/GAZA - The Ministerial Committee formed by the Joint Arab-Islamic Extraordinary Summit on Gaza on Saturday urged the US administration to "reconsider and reverse" its decision not to grant visas to the Palestinian delegation for the upcoming UN General Assembly (UNGA).

In a statement issued after its meeting in Amman, the committee voiced its "deep regret" at Washington's decision, and stressed that the move contradicts obligations under the UN Headquarters Agreement, which guarantees the rights of Palestine, a UN permanent observer state, to participate in UN activities, according to a post published by Jordan's Foreign Ministry on Facebook.

The decision also undermines opportunities for dialogue and diplomacy, according to the post.

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The committee warned that "weakening the Palestinian Authority (PA) will undermine peace efforts in the face of escalation, the spread of violence and continuation of the conflict," according to the post.

The committee, established on Nov 11, 2023, includes the foreign ministers of Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Qatar, Jordan, Bahrain, Türkiye, Indonesia, Nigeria, and Palestine, along with the heads of the Arab League and the Organization of Islamic Cooperation.

On Friday, the US State Department said in a statement that it is "denying and revoking visas" from members of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) and the PA ahead of the upcoming UNGA.

"The Trump Administration has been clear: it is in our national security interests to hold the PLO and PA accountable for not complying with their commitments, and for undermining the prospects for peace," it said, adding that the PA Mission to the UN will receive waivers per the UN Headquarters Agreement.

In response, the Palestinian presidency expressed "deep regret and astonishment" at the decision, urged Washington to reconsider and reverse its decision, and reaffirmed "Palestine's full commitment to international law, UN resolutions, and obligations toward peace."

Scheduled for September in New York, the 80th session of the UNGA is expected to witness growing global support for the recognition of Palestine's official statehood. 

EU foreign ministers

Also on Saturday, European Union (EU) foreign ministers met in Copenhagen and they unanimously urged the United States to reconsider its recent decision to deny entry visas to Palestinian officials.

The meeting also discussed the worsening humanitarian situation in Gaza, but the participants were deeply divided over whether to impose further sanctions against Israel.

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EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas told a press conference that while member states broadly agree on the gravity of the situation, consensus has not been reached on concrete measures.

Danish Foreign Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen, who chaired the meeting, said an increasing number of member states believe Israel is unlikely to change course without stronger pressure.

Outside the meeting venue, demonstrators gathered, urging Denmark and the EU to take stronger action over the humanitarian crisis in Gaza.

Israeli attacks

At least 57 Palestinians were killed by Israeli attacks across the Gaza Strip on Saturday, according to Palestinian sources.

In Gaza City, four people, including two children, were killed in an Israeli airstrike targeting two apartments and a gathering of Palestinians, spokesperson for Gaza's civil defense Mahmoud Basal told Xinhua.

At least seven people were killed and several others injured, including children, in an Israeli airstrike on a three-story building housing residential apartments and medical clinics in the al-Rimal neighborhood, west of the city, Basal said.

Twelve people, including five women and five children, were killed in an Israeli airstrike on tents housing displaced people in the Nasr neighborhood, northwest of the city, Basal said, noting that the airstrike destroyed many tents and set some others on fire.

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Six people were killed in Israeli attacks on the Zeitoun neighborhood, south of the city, he said.

Palestinian security sources also reported Israeli raids and bombings in the early hours on residential buildings in the Sheikh Radwan and Sabra neighborhoods in the city, amid intense overflights by Israeli helicopters and drones. Local residents said they heard sounds of massive explosions and intense gunfire.

In central Gaza, a family of five were killed in an Israeli airstrike targeting their home in the Nuseirat refugee camp, whereas three people, including a child, were killed in two separate Israeli airstrikes in the Bureij refugee camp and the city of Deir al-Balah, Basal said.

In southern Gaza, six people, including a woman, were killed in an Israeli airstrike targeting tents housing displaced persons west of Khan Younis, Basal said.

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In northern Gaza, four people were killed in an Israeli attack on a Palestinian gathering in the Jabalia area, he said.

Ten people were killed by Israeli gunfire while waiting for food outside humanitarian aid distribution centers in central and southern Gaza, he added.

Meanwhile, the Israeli military said in a statement that it struck "a key Hamas terrorist in the area of Gaza City," without providing further details on the target or the specific location of the strike.

The latest Israeli attacks came a day after the Israeli army announced the start of "preliminary operations and the initial stages" of an attack on Gaza City, saying its forces are operating with "great intensity" on the city's outskirts.

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Since Oct 7, 2023, Israel's military campaign in Gaza has killed 63,371 people and injured 159,835 others, Gaza-based health authorities said Saturday, adding that starvation and malnutrition in Gaza have caused 332 deaths, including 124 children.

On Friday, Israel's state-owned Kan TV News reported that Israel will stop the airdrop operation of humanitarian aid over Gaza City in the coming days, and the entry of ground aid via trucks to northern Gaza will also be reduced.