Gulf Arab leaders have ended a regional economic summit in Oman with calls for an end to Israeli raids on Gaza but divisions on how to address the crisis.

Qatar has called for an Arab summit to discuss the Israeli offensive, but Saudi Arabia said it saw little benefit in a meeting where leaders make weightless statements.

The Saudi government has called for an immediate end to Israel's attacks but observers said it appeared to not want to be seen endorsing a summit which may boost support for Hamas, which is backed by Iran and Syria.

"Obviously it will be difficult for them to reach a unified stance on the matter. Saudi Arabia has no interest in helping Hamas through political stances and it is aware that an Arab summit will do only that," a unnamed senior Arab diplomat told Reuters after Tuesday's meeting of Gulf Cooperation Summit (GCC) leaders in Muscat.

"For Qatar, this portrays it as a defender of Arabs. This divide is not unique to the Gulf; the Arab world is divided along these lines."

Arab foreign ministers are scheduled to discuss calling an emergency Arab summit at a meeting in Cairo on Wednesday.

Commenting on the idea, Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Saud al-Faisal said he saw "no benefit in attending an Arab summit for statements."

Officials at the GCC summit tried to steer clear from discussing the details of the Gaza crisis which had imposed itself on the agenda of an otherwise economic meeting aimed at approving a monetary union.