Saudi crown prince calls for collective response to Gaza during talks with Iranian president, other leaders

Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman on Saturday met with Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi, on the sidelines of an emergency meeting of the Arab League and the Organization of Islamic Cooperation in the capital, Riyadh, the official Saudi Press Agency reported.

During the meeting, the two sides reviewed bilateral relations and discussed regional developments, especially in the Gaza Strip.

“The crown prince affirmed the Kingdom’s condemnation and categorical rejection of this barbaric war against the brotherly Palestinian people, stressing the necessity of immediately stopping military operations and providing humanitarian corridors to relieve civilians and enabling international humanitarian organizations to perform their role,” the statement on SPA said.

Prince Mohammed called for “the release of hostages and detainees and saving innocent lives,” the statement added.

The Kingdom hosted the emergency meeting on Saturday following over one month of deadly assaults by Israeli forces on the Gaza Strip that have killed more than 11,000 people, nearly half of them children, in response to a surprise attack by Hamas on Israel on Oct. 7.

The Saudi crown prince also held talks with Turkiye’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, where he stressed that “what is happening in the occupied Palestinian territories requires a coordinated collective effort to take effective action to confront this unfortunate situation,” SPA reported.

He also stressed the need to work to lift the siege by bringing in humanitarian and relief aid and securing medical supplies for the sick and injured in Gaza.

Prince Mohammed and Erdogan also reviewed aspects of Saudi-Turkish bilateral relations in various fields and ways to develop and strengthen them.

During his meeting with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, the crown prince affirmed that the Israeli occupation authorities are responsible for the crimes committed against the Palestinian people and their livelihood, reiterating the Kingdom’s categorical rejection of the continued aggression, occupation and forced displacement of people in Gaza.

He also “affirmed that the Kingdom will continue to stand by the Palestinian people to achieve their legitimate rights to a decent life, and achieve their hopes, ambitions, and a just and lasting peace,’ SPA said.

Prince Mohammed and Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi affirmed the importance of halting the military escalation in the Gaza Strip, during their meeting, and said they categorically rejected the continued aggression, occupation and forced displacement of the people in Gaza, as well as holding Israel responsible for the crimes committed against the Palestinians.

The two sides “agreed on the need to intensify close consultation and coordination between the Kingdom and Egypt during the coming period to assert the Arab and Islamic stance on the Palestinian cause.”

Meanwhile, the crown prince also held talks with Pakistani Prime Minister Anwaar-ul-Haq Kakar to discuss ties and the situation in Gaza, where he reiterated that “the only way to achieve security, peace and stability in the region is to end the occupation, siege and settlement and for the Palestinian people to obtain their legitimate rights.”

The meetings were attended by a number of ministers and senior officials.