In an official statement, the Kingdom said the actions “contradict the will of the international community, violate human rights law and United Nations charters, and obstruct efforts to achieve peace and stability in the region.”
The ministry renewed Saudi Arabia’s firm denunciation of all ground operations conducted by Israeli forces, warning that such actions threaten the lives of Palestinian civilians and further aggravate the already dire humanitarian conditions in the besieged enclave.
The statement also cautioned against the continuation of “flagrant and unjustified violations,” emphasizing that they constitute a breach of international law and a direct assault on the rights of the Palestinian people.
Israel’s deadly overnight attacks on Gaza are an appalling escalation that have mostly killed civilians and must be unequivocally condemned by international governments, especially Israel’s allies. Global leaders must urgently step up pressure and demand a reinstatement of the ceasefire agreement.
Hundreds of people, including many babies and children, have been killed in the deadliest onslaught since the ceasefire was announced in January. The death toll continues to rise as more bodies are found in the rubble, and piles of limbs fill the corridors at overwhelmed hospitals.
The strikes hit Gaza in the middle of the holy month of Ramadan, at a time when many people were praying or eating their pre-dawn meals before the day of fasting begins. Other families were woken as bombs tore through homes and shelters for displaced people without warning in the middle of the night.
Palestinians in Gaza are being bombed and starved as Israel has blocked all food, medicine, fuel and other vital supplies into Gaza since 2 March, in clear violation of international law. Cases of child malnutrition are already rising as stocks run out. Islamic Relief and other aid agencies continue to distribute daily aid, but every day the siege continues it gets harder to do so.
The muted response from Israel’s allies to these repeated violations of international law, consisting merely of superficial expressions of concerns, are insufficient and make them complicit in these crimes.
We urge international governments to utilise all their political and economic leverage – including immediately ending all arms sales and suspending trade agreements – to hold Israel accountable, enforce the phased ceasefire agreement, and ensure the entry of sufficient supplies into Gaza.
People in Gaza are now increasingly afraid that a renewed ground attack is likely in the coming days. The Israeli military has also once again ordered Palestinian families to leave their homes in parts of northern and eastern Gaza and move towards the centre of the Strip, in a horrifying echo of the forced displacement orders that were issued repeatedly throughout last year and which forced families into increasingly confined areas, without adequate humanitarian assistance and under continuous bombardment.
