Saudi Arabia condemned any ground operations by Israel that may threaten the lives of Palestinian civilians and expose them to more dangers and inhumane conditions, the foreign ministry said on Saturday.
“The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is following with great concern the Israeli military escalation in the Gaza Strip as a result of the ground operations carried out by the Israeli army” in the Palestinian enclave, the statement said.
The Kingdom warned “of the danger of continuing to carry out these blatant and unjustified violations of international law against the brotherly Palestinian people,” saying “this has serious repercussions for the stability of the region and regional and international peace and security.”
Saudi Arabia called on the international community to assume its responsibilities to immediately stop this military operation under a UN General Assembly resolution issued on Friday, “to spare the blood of innocent people, preserve infrastructure and vital interests, respect international humanitarian law, and enable humanitarian and relief organizations to deliver urgent and necessary humanitarian aid to civilians in the Gaza Strip without obstacles.”
The statement comes after Israel’s army relentlessly hammered the territory on Saturday after fierce overnight bombardment that rescuers said destroyed hundreds of buildings three weeks into a war sparked by the deadliest attack in the country’s history.
It also comes as the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk warned on Saturday that there was the potential for thousands more civilians to die as Israel expands its ground operation in Gaza.
The UAE condemned the Israeli ground operations in the Palestinian Gaza Strip, the state news agency WAM reported, citing the country’s foreign ministry.
UAE, which became the first Gulf country to normalize relations with Israel in 2020, also “expressed its deep concern over the Israeli military escalation and exacerbation of the humanitarian crisis that threatens more loss of civilian lives.”
Qatar’s Foreign Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman said on X, formerly Twitter, that an “Israeli ground escalation would have dire consequences for civilians and devastating humanitarian and economic impacts.”
A Qatari foreign ministry statement expressed “complete rejection of the indiscriminate bombing of the Gaza Strip and the attempts to forcibly displace its people.”
Qatar’s top diplomat said “mediation efforts to release civilian hostages” and to “end the war” were ongoing.
Oman accused Israel of committing “war crimes” in Gaza and warned against any further ground manuevers.
The escalation in Israel’s “brutal war on the Gaza Strip constitutes war crimes and crimes against humanity,” said a foreign ministry statement carried by the official Oman News Agency.
Oman too warned of the destabilising effects of a large-scale land invasion, while Qatar said “a ground escalation” would risk “the safety of civilians and hostages in Gaza.”
Kuwait charged that “any ground invasion of Gaza… will prove that the Israeli occupation is determined to continue committing crimes against the brotherly Palestinian people,” according to a foreign ministry statement.
The six-member Gulf Cooperation Council condemned the military escalation in Gaza as a “violation of international law,” urging an immediate end to hostilities.
(ARAB NEWS with AFP and Reuters)
