At the closing ceremony of a two-day Arab League economic summit in Kuwait, Arab leaders called for, "a halt to Israeli aggression, the immediate withdrawal of [Israeli] troops from the Gaza Strip, and an end to the blockade" of the enclave.
They also said Israel should be held legally liable for its actions during the three-week assault on the Gaza Strip, and called for the "investigation of those who committed these crimes."
The statement said that Arab countries would assist in the rebuilding of Gaza. It also urged rival Palestinian factions Hamas and Fatah to unite.
Israeli troops were expected to pull out completely of Hamas-controlled Gaza on Tuesday ahead of U.S. president-elect Barack Obama's inauguration.
According to Israeli media, an unnamed government official said on Monday that "Israel did not want to put Obama in a difficult situation once taking office and hopes to continue cooperation with the U.S. in the global fight against Islamic terrorism and weapons smuggling in the Gaza Strip."
On Monday at the summit, Saudi Arabia's King Abdullah announced that the oil-rich state would contribute $1 billion to the reconstruction of Gaza. Kuwait's Emir Sheikh Sabah al-Ahmad al-Sabah pledged an additional $34 million.
Hamas has controlled the Gaza Strip since June 2007, when it seized control of the enclave of 1.5 million after clashes with Fatah.
Israel declared a unilateral ceasefire at 2 a.m. local time (0000 GMT) on Sunday, saying it had achieved all its objectives. Several hours after Israel's announcement, Hamas also declared an immediate ceasefire, adding that it was giving Israel a week to withdraw its troops.
Israeli forces launched a military operation against Gaza on December 27, targeting Hamas infrastructure in a bid to put an end to rocket attacks by Palestinian militants on Israeli border towns. The assault left over 1,300 Palestinians dead, the majority of them civilians. Up to 50,000 people have been left homeless in the enclave. The Israeli attack is estimated to have caused nearly $2 billion worth of damage.
