The Arab League (AL) will hold an emergency meeting of foreign ministers on Saturday, aiming to tackle the Israeli military operation in the Gaza strip, Palestinian ambassador to Egypt Barakat al-Farra told Xinhua on Wednesday.

Earlier Wednesday, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas called for an emergency meeting of representatives in the AL on the Israeli attack.

Meanwhile, Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi condemned the Israeli attack, recalling Egyptian ambassador to Israel in protest.

In a statement aired by the state TV, presidential spokesman Yasser Ali announced that Morsi directed Egypt's permanent envoy to the UN to call for an emergency session of the Security Council to discuss the Israeli attack on the Gaza strip.

Offering condolence to the Palestinian people, Morsi also called on AL chief Nabil al-Arabi to hold an emergency meeting of the Arab foreign ministers.

Israel announced Wednesday afternoon a large-scale military operation in the Gaza Strip and launched a series of airstrikes that killed several people including head of the armed wing of Islamic Hamas movement Ahmed al-Jaabari.

Egyptian Foreign Minister Mohammed Kamel Amr condemned Israeli airstrikes on Gaza, calling for an "immediate halt" of such attacks.

Meanwhile, the Freedom and Justice Party, the political arm of the Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood, strongly condemned Israel's killing of al-Jaabari, Egyptian official news agency MENA reported.

The death of al-Jaabari, the highest-ranking Hamas member killed by Israel since Operation Cast Lead in early 2009, is expected to set off a fierce surge of violence between Israel and Gaza militant groups. Endi