(Riyadh) Gulf Arab countries warned Israel on Saturday against any new ground operations in the Gaza Strip, with Saudi Arabia denouncing an “unjustified” violation of international law and Oman accusing Israel of “war crimes”.
After announcing an intensification of its “significant strikes” on Friday evening, the Israeli army confirmed on Saturday that its forces had “entered Gaza and expanded their operations there”, after two incursions with armored vehicles over the course of two nights. previous ones.
Saudi Arabia “denounces any ground operations carried out by Israel due to threats to the lives of Palestinian civilians,” according to a Foreign Ministry statement.
“The continuation of flagrant and unjustified violations of international law against the brotherly Palestinian people […] will have serious repercussions on the stability of the region,” warns Riyadh.
“The kingdom calls on the international community to assume its responsibilities to immediately end this military operation” and “allow humanitarian and relief organizations to provide humanitarian aid” to civilians, the official statement added.
Saudi Foreign Minister Faisal bin Farhan spoke with his Jordanian, Moroccan and Egyptian counterparts on Saturday about the need to end the military escalation, according to the Saudi Foreign Ministry.
This war, triggered three weeks ago by Hamas’s attack on Israel, the deadliest in the country’s history, is the fifth and bloodiest in the Gaza Strip, controlled by the Palestinian Islamist movement Hamas, since Israel’s unilateral withdrawal from Palestinian territory in 2005.
More than 1,400 people have been killed in Israel since this attack of unprecedented scale carried out on October 7 by Hamas commandos, according to Israeli authorities.
The Hamas Health Ministry announced on Saturday that 7,703 people had been killed in the Gaza Strip since the start of the war with Israel, including more than 3,500 children. The latest report communicated on Friday showed 7,326 deaths.
“Serious consequences”
Qatari Foreign Minister Mohammed bin Abdelrahmane Al-Thani said on X, ex-Twitter, that an “Israeli ground escalation would have serious consequences for civilians and devastating humanitarian and economic impacts. »
Oman on Saturday accused Israel of committing “war crimes” in Gaza and warned against any new ground maneuvers.
According to a statement from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs relayed by Oman’s official news agency, the escalation in “Israel’s brutal war against the Gaza Strip constitutes war crimes and crimes against humanity. »
Oman also warned of the destabilizing effects of a large-scale ground invasion, while Qatar warned of the “danger of a ground escalation… for the safety of civilians and hostages in Gaza.” »
The Qatari Foreign Ministry expressed its “total rejection of the indiscriminate bombing of the Gaza Strip and attempts to forcefully displace its population,” according to an official statement.
Qatar’s foreign minister said “mediation efforts to free civilian hostages” and “end the war” were underway.
According to the latest assessment by the Israeli authorities, around 230 hostages kidnapped during the October 7 attack are being held in the Gaza Strip.
The UAE, which established diplomatic ties with Israel in 2020 under the US-brokered Abraham Accords, “condemned Israel’s ground operations” and demanded “an immediate ceasefire to ensure that civilians and civilian institutions are not targeted.”
A statement from the UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs said “the urgent priority is to end the escalation of military operations and protect civilians.”
For Kuwait, “any ground invasion of Gaza… would prove the determination of the Israeli occupation to continue committing crimes against the brotherly Palestinian people,” according to a Foreign Ministry statement.
The Gulf Cooperation Council condemned the military escalation in Gaza, denouncing a “violation of international law” and called for an immediate cessation of hostilities.