ISTANBUL: Saudi Arabia’s Foreign Minister Faisal bin Farhan on Friday discussed the developments in the ongoing Israeli war on Gaza with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken.
According to a statement by the Saudi Foreign Ministry, bin Farhan received a phone call from Blinken during which they discussed regional and international issues, notably the developments in the Gaza Strip.
They also discussed ‘security and humanitarian repercussions” in the Gaza Strip and efforts being made to address them.
The phone conversation came amid ongoing efforts by the US, Qatar and Egypt to bridge the differences between Israel and the Hamas group to reach a cease-fire in Gaza and a prisoner swap deal before the start of the month of Ramadan next week.
Israel has launched a retaliatory offensive on Gaza since a cross-border attack by Hamas on Oct. 7. The offensive has killed more than 30,800 people and injured nearly 73,000 others amid mass destruction and shortages of necessities.
Israel has also imposed a crippling b
lockade on the Palestinian enclave, leaving its population, particularly residents of northern Gaza, on the verge of starvation.
About 85% of Gazans have been displaced by the Israeli onslaught amid acute shortages of food, clean water and medicine, while 60% of the enclave’s infrastructure has been damaged or destroyed, according to the UN.
Israel is accused of genocide at the International Court of Justice, which in an interim ruling in January ordered Tel Aviv to stop genocidal acts and take measures to guarantee that humanitarian assistance is provided to civilians in Gaza.
Source: Anadolu Agency
