TEHRAN, August 20. /TASS/. Iran and other countries have requested an extraordinary meeting of the Council of Foreign Ministers of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) to consider the situation in the Gaza Strip, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said.

According to a statement by the Iranian Foreign Ministry, during a telephone conversation with his Egyptian counterpart Badr Abdelatty, Araghchi said that an extraordinary meeting of the OIC foreign ministers would be held next week in the Saudi city of Jeddah. The meeting, he said, would help "coordinate positions and take practical measures" to provide assistance to the Palestinian people and counter aggression from Israel.

During the conversation, the ministers "expressed serious concern about the continuation of the genocide in Gaza, strongly condemned the illegal and criminal plan of the Zionist regime for the military occupation of the Gaza City and the forced eviction of its residents, and stressed the need to end the aggression and immediately begin the delivery of humanitarian aid to the Strip."

On August 8, Israel approved a plan proposed by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to take control of the entire territory of Gaza City and expand operations in the Palestinian enclave. On August 20, Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz approved a plan to capture the city. According to the Kan State Television and radio company, the Israeli army have already begun fighting in the suburbs of Gaza, preparing for the expansion of the maneuver. According to it, the plans for the operation to capture the city will be submitted to the Israeli cabinet for approval on August 21.