They demanded an immediate release of all hostages and reaffirmed their support for the negotiations brokered by Egypt, Qatar and the United States dealing with ceasefire, hostages, and detainees…reports Asian Lite News
Foreign Minister of Saudi Arabia Prince Faisal bin Farhan received Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammed Mustafa in Jeddah, the foreign ministry said on Tuesday.
The pair discussed the situation in Palestine, including developments in Gaza and the West Bank, and the efforts being made to reach an immediate and sustainable ceasefire in the besieged enclave.
Earlier, the premier was received at the airport by Deputy Foreign Minister Waleed bin Abdulkarim Al-Khuraiji .
Meanwhile, Egypt, Jordan, and France have urged an immediate ceasefire in the Gaza Strip, which has been under Israeli siege and bombardment over the past six months.
In a joint article on Monday, Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi, Jordanian King Abdullah II, and French President Emmanuel Macron called for an immediate and unconditional implementation of UN Security Council Resolution 2728, which demands an immediate ceasefire in the conflict-stricken enclave, Xinhua news agency reported.
“We warn against the dangerous consequences of an Israeli offensive on Rafah, where more than 1.5 million Palestinian civilians have sought refuge. Such an offensive will only bring more deaths and suffering, heighten the risks and consequences of mass forcible displacement of the people of Gaza and threaten regional escalation,” said the leaders.
Noting that there is an urgent need for a massive increase in the provision and distribution of humanitarian assistance, the leaders urged Israel to ensure the flow of humanitarian assistance to the Palestinian population, a responsibility it has not fulfilled.
They demanded an immediate release of all hostages and reaffirmed their support for the negotiations brokered by Egypt, Qatar and the United States dealing with ceasefire, hostages, and detainees.
The massive conflict in Gaza has so far killed 33,207 Palestinians, in addition to many unreported under the rubble, and injured 75,933 others, according to the update released by Gaza’s health ministry earlier on Monday.
Meanwhile, the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) is bracing up for the Rafah operation after it wrapped up the Khan Yunis operations in southern Gaza and the 98th division of the IDF withdrew from the area.
Israel Defence Ministry sources told IANS that the withdrawal was done for ground invasion into the Rafah region.
Defence Minister of Israel Yoav Gallant, widely considered a hawk, met the senior officers of the 98th division of the IDF on Sunday and discussed the Rafah operations.
The allies of Israel, including the US and other Western powers had earlier told Israel not to enter into a ground invasion in the Rafah region as that would lead to major casualties among civilians.
Rafah region of Gaza is densely populated and has an estimated 1.3 million people. The Egyptian president, Abdel Fattah Al-Sissi had expressed his concern over a possible Rafah operation with the US Secretary of State, Antony Blinken during the latter‘s visit to Egypt in March.
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