BAGHDAD – Leaders from across the Arab world convened in Baghdad on Saturday for the 34th Arab League Summit, with the escalating humanitarian crisis in Gaza dominating the agenda amid renewed Israeli military operations and rising regional tensions.
The summit’s top priority is addressing the deteriorating situation in Gaza, where Israeli forces resumed large-scale attacks just months after a brief ceasefire with Hamas collapsed. Arab leaders are expected to push for an immediate halt to hostilities, demand protection for Palestinian civilians, and explore a unified strategy for Gaza’s reconstruction.
The meeting follows up on the emergency summit in Cairo held in March, where Arab states endorsed a plan to rebuild Gaza without displacing its more than 2 million residents.
The summit has drawn a broad representation from Arab League member states. However, Syria’s controversial return to the fold remains a delicate issue. Though Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa did not attend in person, his government was represented by Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shibani. Al-Sharaa — formerly a Sunni militant known as Abu Mohammed al-Golani — remains a contentious figure due to his past ties with al-Qaida and a standing Iraqi warrant for terrorism-related charges.
His previous role in fighting U.S. forces in Iraq and his leadership within the Syrian opposition has fueled deep skepticism among Iraqi Shiite militias, many of whom backed former Syrian President Bashar al-Assad during the Syrian civil war.
The summit opened just days after former U.S. President Donald Trump completed a regional tour. His visit made headlines not for diplomacy in Gaza — where a ceasefire remains elusive — but for his surprise meeting with President al-Sharaa and an announcement to lift long-standing U.S. sanctions on Syria. The move stunned some Arab allies and sparked fierce debate across the region.
Behind the scenes, Iran’s Quds Force commander, Esmail Ghaani, reportedly visited Baghdad ahead of the summit. According to a senior Iraqi official who spoke on condition of anonymity, Ghaani brought messages related to Iran-U.S. nuclear negotiations and reiterated Tehran’s call for the lifting of U.S. sanctions.
Iraq, hosting the summit for the first time in years, is attempting to navigate its delicate geopolitical position between Iran and the U.S., while emerging as a neutral mediator in regional affairs. The Baghdad summit thus represents not only a forum for Arab consensus on Gaza but also a stage for Iraq’s diplomatic balancing act.
