'Our priority is to support our Palestinian brothers,' says former Egyptian minister

Gamal Bayoumi, Egypt’s former deputy foreign affairs minister to the EU, described the Saudi-hosted meeting as a preliminary step ahead of a formal summit in Cairo next month.

Arab leaders, he said, are taking a cautious diplomatic approach to Gaza. “Our priority is to support our Palestinian brothers, not to escalate tensions, while working through the UN,” Bayoumi told Al Jazeera.

Trump’s agenda to seize control of Gaza and expel Palestinians has sparked rare unity among Arab states.

“Today’s meeting in Riyadh is about delivering a firm rejection of Trump’s absurd proposal,” Bayoumi said, urging the US president to abandon the plan and take Egypt’s position seriously to pave the way for genuine negotiations.