Saudi Arabia pushing for Israel to accept ceasefire, more aid into Gaza: FM

Saudi Arabia is pushing for a ceasefire in Gaza and the entry of more aid into the territory amid Israel’s war on Hamas, the Kingdom’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Prince Faisal bin Farhan said in an interview with Al Arabiya.

An agreement between Hamas and Israel must include those two factors, he said.

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Prince Faisal made the statements on the sidelines of the first high-level European Union-Gulf Cooperation Council security forum held in Luxemburg.

The minister also revealed that several countries in the European Union have had talks about recognizing the State of Palestine, which he said was a positive step towards achieving peace in the region.

“We hope that this step by at least some European countries will eventually be followed by others,” he told Al Arabiya.

Tensions in the region have been high since October 7 following Hamas’ incursion into southern Israel, which prompted Israel to respond to by launching a ruthless military campaign on the Gaza Strip.

More than 34,000 Palestinians have been killed by Israel, the majority of whom are children and women, according to the Palestinian health ministry.

Israel has also prevented the entry of much needed aid into the territory, causing global outcry from international rights groups who say this has led to widespread famine across the territory and worsened the already dire humanitarian conditions.

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