‘Saudi stands by Palestinians,’ says Crown Prince amid escalating Israel-Gaza war

As war between Israel and Palestinian militant group Hamas escalates further, Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman told Palestinian President Mahmud Abbas that he is with them and working to prevent "an expansion" of conflict after Hamas launched a surprise attack on Israel this Saturday (October 7), Saudi state media reported on Tuesday.

Crown Prince also told Abbas the Gulf kingdom continued "to stand by the Palestinian people to achieve their legitimate rights to a decent life, achieve their hopes and aspirations, and achieve just and lasting peace", reported the official Saudi Press Agency.

This deadly clash started amid speculation that Saudi Arabia, the country that never recognised Israel, would reportedly agree to normalise their ties with Israel as part of a deal ensuring security guarantees from the United States along with assistance in developing a civilian nuclear programme for Saudi Arabia.

However, Prince Mohammed told Fox News last month that the Palestinian issue was "very important" for Saudi Arabia, home to the holiest sites in Islam in Mecca and Medina. "We need to solve that part. We need to ease the life of the Palestinians," said Prince Mohammed.

Israel experienced a surprise attack by the Palestinian militant group Hamas, which operates in the Gaza Strip, as they fired over 5,000 rockets at the country, killing and injuring thousands of people. Israel also launched a defence attack on Gaza, and amid this clash between the two, more than 1600 people have lost their lives on both sides.

Meanwhile, today, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said his country "did not start the war, but it will finish it.” “We didn’t want this war. It was forced upon us in the most brutal and savage way. Though Israel didn’t start this war, Israel will finish it,” the Prime Minister added.

He further pointed out that now Hamas will understand that they have "made a mistake of historic proportions" by attacking Israel. Netanyahu said, "Once, the Jewish people were stateless. Once, the Jewish people were defenceless. No longer. We will exact a price that will be remembered by them and Israel’s other enemies for decades to come."

Israel has also announced that they have reestablished control over the Gaza border.

Also Read: ‘Anyone who can get out, I would advise them to get out’: Israeli army to Palestinians fleeing Gaza