Saudi Arabia warns Israel against targeting Gaza’s Rafah

Smoke rises following Israeli strikes in Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip on May 6, 2024. (Reuters)
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Updated 06 May 2024
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Saudi Arabia warns Israel against targeting Gaza’s Rafah

  • Warning came after Israel’s military ordered tens of thousands of people in the southern Gaza city of Rafah to begin evacuating on Monday

RIYADH: Saudi Arabia warned of the dangers of Israel targeting the city of Rafah as part of its “bloody” and “systematic campaign to storm all areas of the Gaza Strip and displace its residents” on Monday.

The warning came after Israel’s military ordered tens of thousands of people in the southern Gaza city of Rafah to begin evacuating earlier on Monday, signaling that a long-promised ground invasion could be imminent.

The Foreign Ministry affirmed the Kingdom’s categorical rejection of continuous violations of international law by Israeli forces which are exacerbating the humanitarian crisis in the territory and limiting international peace efforts.

The ministry renewed the Kingdom’s call on the international community to intervene immediately to stop the Israeli genocide taking place in occupied Palestinian territories.

The UN’s human rights chief Volker Turk said on Monday that Israeli orders to relocate Palestinians from Rafah are inhumane and risked exposing them to further danger and misery. He warned that such actions can sometimes amount to a war crime.


Taif festival attracts record-breaking 370,000 visitors

The festival’s location underscores the historical and literary significance of Taif. (SPA)
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Taif festival attracts record-breaking 370,000 visitors

  • Commission CEO Abdullatif Alwasel said the event’s success reflects a strategic effort to integrate literature into daily life and expand creative spaces across Saudi Arabia

TAIF: The Saudi Literature, Publishing and Translation Commission concluded its third Writers and Readers Festival in Taif. Running until Jan. 15, the event drew over 370,000 visitors, a record-breaking figure that solidifies the festival’s standing as a cornerstone of the Kingdom’s cultural calendar.

Commission CEO Abdullatif Alwasel said the event’s success reflects a strategic effort to integrate literature into daily life and expand creative spaces across Saudi Arabia.

The festival’s location underscores the historical and literary significance of Taif, which in 2023 became the first Saudi city designated as a UNESCO Creative City of Literature.