Saudi Crown Prince slams Israel 'aggression' ahead of Gaza summits

Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman on Friday denounced the conduct of Israeli forces fighting Hamas in Gaza, ahead of weekend summits that will focus on the unfolding violence in the Palestinian territory.

"We condemn the military aggression witnessed in the Gaza Strip, the targeting of civilians, and the continued violations of international humanitarian law by the Israeli occupation forces," Prince Mohammed Bin Salman told a summit with African leaders, his first public comments on the Israel-Hamas war. "We stress the necessity of stopping this war and forced displacement and creating conditions for the return of stability and achieving peace."

Also during the day, Qatar's Emir Sheikh Tamim Bin Hamad Al Thani met Prince Mohammed Bin Salman in Riyadh to discuss recent developments in Gaza, state media reported. "The leaders met in the presence of ministers and other senior officials from both countries to focus on efforts to stop Israel's aggression against Gaza, the allowance of aid and other ways to support security and stability in the region," Qatar's Emiri Diwan office said in a statement.

His comments at the Saudi-Africa summit came one day before the Gulf kingdom hosts two emergency meetings on the fighting in Gaza — of the Arab League and the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation.

Moussa Faki Mahamat, chairman of the African Union Commission, on Friday also condemned the "obscene violence" afflicting Palestinians. "We call for a real and practical leap to stop the immediate destruction of Gaza and the killing of thousands of its people in order to give a strong impetus to a political solution by adopting the two-state solution," he said.

Agencies