- Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman told Palestinian President Mahmud Abbas the Gulf kingdom continued to stand by the Palestinian people to achieve their legitimate rights to a decent life.
- UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres condemned the Hamas attack against Israel but said he was “deeply distressed” by the country’s subsequent imposition of a total siege on the Gaza Strip.
- Earlier in the day, Israeli Defence Minister Yoav Gallant said his country would impose a “complete siege”
- “The humanitarian situation in Gaza was extremely dire before these hostilities,” Guterres told reporters. “Now it will only deteriorate exponentially.”
Saudi Arabia’s de facto ruler told Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas he was working to prevent “an expansion” of conflict after the surprise Hamas attack on Israel, Saudi state media said early Tuesday.
Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman also told Abbas the Gulf kingdom continued “to stand by the Palestinian people to achieve their legitimate rights to a decent life, achieve their hopes and aspirations, and achieve just and lasting peace,” the official Saudi Press Agency reported.
Reeling from the Palestinian Islamist group’s unprecedented ground, air, and sea attacks, Israel has counted 800 dead and launched a withering barrage of strikes on Gaza that have raised the death count there to 687.
The spiraling violence kicked off amid speculation that Saudi Arabia, which has never recognized Israel, would agree to normalize ties as part of a deal in which it would obtain security guarantees from the United States as well as assistance in developing a civilian nuclear programme. However, Prince Mohammed told Fox News last month that the Palestinian issue was “very important” for Saudi Arabia, home to the holiest sites in Islam in Mecca and Medina.
Analysts say any progress towards normalization has now been dealt a heavy blow by the ongoing fighting. Prince Mohammed has also spoken about the crisis by phone with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi and Jordan’s King Abdullah II, the news agency reported.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres condemned the Hamas attack against Israel but said he was “deeply distressed” by the country’s subsequent imposition of a total siege on the Gaza Strip. “The humanitarian situation in Gaza was extremely dire before these hostilities,” Guterres told reporters. “Now it will only deteriorate exponentially.”
Earlier in the day, Israeli Defence Minister Yoav Gallant said his country would impose a “complete siege” on the long-blockaded enclave and stressed what this meant for its 2.3 million people: “No electricity, no food, no water, no gas — it’s all closed.”
Palestinians in the impoverished coastal territory braced for what many feared would be a massive Israeli ground attack aiming to defeat Hamas and liberate hostages.
Following the Islamist group’s unprecedented ground, air, and sea attacks, Israel has counted over 700 dead and launched a withering barrage of strikes on Gaza that have raised the death toll there to 560 people.
Guterres began his speech by expressing “utter condemnation of the abhorrent attacks by Hamas and others against Israeli towns and villages in the Gaza periphery.”
Israel, which has long prided itself on a high-tech military and intelligence edge in its many conflicts, has been shaken to the core by Hamas’ surprise attack. The militant group surged into Israeli towns on Saturday, storming military bases, spraying gunfire at civilians, and dragging off about 100 hostages. The conflict has only escalated since then, prompting Israel’s promise Monday to cut off supplies to the region.
The UN will continue efforts to provide aid to respond to needs in Gaza, Guterres said. “Israel must see its legitimate needs for security materialized — and Palestinians must see a clear perspective for the establishment of their own state realized,” Guterres added.
(With inputs from agencies)
