Leaders from across the Arab and Islamic world have begun arriving in Saudi Arabia’s capital Riyadh for an emergency summit “in response to the unprecedented circumstances in Gaza,” the kingdom’s foreign ministry announced today in a post on X. Iran, Saudi Arabia’s historic regional rival, will join the summit, represented by President Ebrahim Raisi, in the first visit to Saudi Arabia by an Iranian head of state after years of regional hostility.

“Gaza is not an arena for words. It should be for action,” Raisi said in televised comments at Tehran airport before departing for the summit of Arab and Islamic nations in the Saudi Arabian capital, Riyadh. “Today, the unity of the Islamic countries is very important,” he added.

Israeli ground troops fighting Hamas pushed deeper into Gaza City. Local health officials and residents have reported intense bombardment and the presence of military vehicles in the vicinity of a number of hospitals.

A senior Israeli security official said that at least one strike on the Al-Shifa hospital was from a failed projectile launched by a militant group, though he did not say which one. This is the second time Israel has claimed a misfired rocket hit a hospital. The official did not confirm whether Israel had launched any strikes on hospitals.

Saudi Arabia will host a joint Islamic-Arab summit on Saturday to discuss the "exceptional circumstances taking place in Gaza." Saudi Arabia's main rival in the region, Iran, will be represented by President Ebrahim Raisi.

More Pro-Palestinian protests are planned in several European cities, including London, where hundreds of thousands are expected to gather. Yesterday, demonstrators shut down Grand Central Station in New York.

More than 1.6 million people have been displaced in Gaza, and health officials there say more than 11,000 have been killed. Israel says 1,400 people were killed in the Hamas terrorist attack Oct. 7, with 239 people still held hostage in Gaza.

NBC News’ Keir Simmons, Raf Sanchez, Erin McLaughlin, Josh Lederman, Matt Bradley, Hala Gorani, Jay Gray and Chantal Da Silva are reporting from the region