RIYADH: Saudi Arabia slammed Israel’s call for Palestinians to leave Gaza and condemned the continued targeting of “defenseless civilians,” the foreign ministry said Friday.
The Israeli military warned all civilians of Gaza City, more than 1.1 million people, to relocate south within 24 hours.
It had amassed tanks near the border with the Gaza Strip ahead of an expected ground invasion.
“The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia affirms its categorical rejection of calls for the forced displacement of the Palestinian people from Gaza, and its condemnation of the continued targeting of defenseless civilians there,” a statement from the Foreign Ministry said.
“(The international community) must provide the needed relief and medical needs for the people of Gaza, especially since deprivation of basic necessities for a decent life violates international humanitarian law,” the statement added.
The ministry warned that not doing so would exacerbate the crisis and suffering that the region's people were suffering.
The Kingdom also called for ending the Israeli siege on Gaza, evacuating injured civilians and advancing the peace process between Palestinians and Israelis in accordance with UN Security Council resolutions and the Arab Peace Initiative.
Kuwait affirmed its categorical rejection of Israel’s calls for the forced displacement of Palestinians and the continued escalation, killings and random destruction, which is a violation of international and humanitarian law.
Kuwaiti Foreign Minister Sheikh Salem Abdullah Al-Jaber Al-Sabah said: “These calls will lead to more suffering for the Palestinian people, who are suffering from bombing and siege that led to hundreds of innocent victims.”
He called on the international community and the UN Security Council to intervene immediately to stop the “dangerous escalation and put an end to this brutal war that does not differentiate between civilian and military targets.”
He also called for an end to the targeting of civilians, and for all parties to assume their political and humanitarian responsibilities, ensure the entry of humanitarian and medical aid, and provide food and water to the Palestinian people.
The Muslim World League also rejected and condemned “in the strongest terms” Israeli calls for the forced displacement of the Palestinian people and the continued targeting of civilians in Gaza, the organization said on Friday.
