Saudi Arabia condemns Israeli attack on Gaza Strip: Foreign ministry statement

Saudi Arabia condemned and denounced the Israeli attack carried out in the Gaza Strip, a statement from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said on Saturday.

The statement said that the Kingdom stands by the Palestinian people, and called on the international community to take all efforts to end the escalation between the two countries.

It added that civilians must be protected from the violence.

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Israeli aircraft struck in Gaza and Palestinians fired rockets deep into Israel on Saturday, a day after an Israeli operation against the Palestinian Islamic Jihad movement set off a cross-border flare-up that ended more than a year of relative calm.

Islamic Jihad fired rocket salvoes as far as Israel’s commercial hub Tel Aviv, after Israel killed one of the group’s commanders in a surprise daytime air strike on a Gaza City tower on Friday.

Israel struck more Islamic Jihad militants and weapon depots hidden in residential areas on Saturday, the military said. Bombings of at least five houses sent huge clouds of smoke and debris into the air, as explosions rocked Gaza and ambulances rushed through the streets.

The Israeli strikes have killed 15 Palestinians, including at least four other Islamic Jihad militants and three civilians, among them a child, the Palestinian Health Ministry said. It added scores more had been wounded.

Palestinian militants fired at least 200 rockets at Israel - most of them intercepted, setting off air raids sirens and sending people running to bomb shelters. There were no reports of serious casualties, the Israeli ambulance service said.

Egypt said it was engaged in intensive talks to calm the situation.

With Reuters

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