Blinken: Washington is working with Riyadh to deliver aid and protect civilians in Gaza
US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken said today (Saturday) that Washington is working with Saudi Arabia to ensure the protection of civilians in the Gaza Strip, the establishment of safe zones and the delivery of aid.
He added, during his meeting with his Saudi counterpart, Prince Faisal bin Farhan, in Riyadh, that the attack on Israel cannot be described, pointing out that “Hamas” does not represent the Palestinian people and their hopes.
He pointed out that his country is working with Saudi Arabia on many issues, including bringing peace to the region.
For his part, Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan stressed the necessity of a ceasefire in Gaza and addressing the humanitarian crisis.
The Saudi Foreign Minister stressed the need to work to ensure the entry of humanitarian aid into the sector, pointing to the need for a collective effort to stop the cycles of violence.
Yesterday, the Saudi Foreign Minister stressed, during a phone call with the High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Josep Borrell, the necessity of Israel’s commitment to international humanitarian law, including allowing food and relief supplies to reach Gaza, and lifting the siege on it, stressing the importance of working to find a political solution. A just and comprehensive solution to the Palestinian issue, ensuring security and stability in the region and the world.
Saudi Arabia also stressed its categorical rejection of calls for the forced displacement of the Palestinian people from Gaza, and its condemnation of the continued targeting of defenseless civilians there.
In a statement to its Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Saudi Arabia renewed its call on the international community to move quickly to stop all forms of military escalation against civilians, prevent a humanitarian catastrophe, and provide the necessary relief and medicine needs for the residents of Gaza, stressing that depriving them of these basic requirements for a decent living is a violation of international humanitarian law, and will exacerbate the depths of the situation. The crisis and suffering that this region is witnessing.
It called for lifting the siege on the brothers in Gaza, evacuating injured civilians, adhering to international laws and norms and international humanitarian law, and advancing the peace process in accordance with the Security Council and United Nations resolutions and the Arab Peace Initiative, which aims to find a just and comprehensive solution and establish an independent Palestinian state on the 1967 borders. Its capital is East Jerusalem.
Palestinians search for victims under the rubble following the ongoing Israeli raids on Gaza (Reuters)
At a Saudi request, the Organization of Islamic Cooperation announced the holding of an extraordinary meeting at the ministerial level, next Wednesday, to discuss the military escalation in the Gaza Strip and its surroundings and the worsening situation that threatens civilians and the security and stability of the region. The organization said in a statement today that, at the invitation of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, the Chairman of the Islamic Summit in its current session, and the Chairman of the Executive Committee of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, the Organization’s Executive Committee is holding an urgent extraordinary meeting at the level of open-ended ministers. The Organization of Islamic Cooperation explained that the meeting, which will be held next Wednesday at the organization’s headquarters in Jeddah, will be devoted to studying the military escalation in the Gaza Strip and its surroundings and the worsening situation that threatens civilians and the security and stability of the region.
Palestinians flee to the southern Gaza Strip after the Israeli army issued an evacuation warning (AP)
For its part, the Muslim World League expressed its rejection and condemnation in the strongest terms of calls for the forced displacement of the Palestinian people from Gaza, and the continued targeting of defenseless civilians there, warning of a horrific humanitarian catastrophe that these calls and practices will leave behind, which represent a blatant and dangerous violation of all humanitarian and international laws and norms. In the latest statistics from the Palestinian Ministry of Health, today, Saturday, at least 2,269 Palestinians were killed and 9,814 were injured as a result of Israeli attacks in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank, according to Reuters.
Paramedics bring a wounded person to Al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza (AP)
The Israeli strikes on the Gaza Strip continue at the beginning of the eighth day of the war, despite the Israeli army calling yesterday on the residents of the northern part of the Strip to evacuate and head towards the south, while it appeared prepared to launch a large-scale attack from the north.
2023-10-14 12:52:14
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