Emirati foreign minister discusses Gaza crisis with Israeli opposition leader

By Anadolu staff

JERUSALEM (AA) – Emirati Foreign Minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed held talks in Abu Dhabi on Thursday with Israeli opposition leader Yair Lapid.

Discussions between the two sides took up the latest regional developments, particularly the deteriorating humanitarian crisis in the Gaza Strip, the Emirati Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

Bin Zayed underlined the urgent need to find a political horizon to return to negotiations to achieve a comprehensive peace based on the two-state solution, which would contribute to reinforcing stability, achieving sustainable peace in the region, and ending the increasing violence in Gaza, it added.

The top Emirati diplomat also called for working to achieve a cease-fire in Gaza, avoid a regional spill-over, safeguard the lives of civilians and facilitate an immediate, safe, sustainable, and unhindered delivery of relief aid to Gaza’s population.

Lapid, for his part, said his talks with the Emirati foreign minister focused on the urgent need to reach a deal for the release of Israelis held captive in Gaza.

“Every country in the region can influence a deal,” Lapid’s office said in a statement.

“Israel has an interest in creating, together with the United Arab Emirates and moderate Arab countries, political and economic cooperation that can offer solutions to global problems and deal with regional threats of all kinds,” he added.

Lapid’s visit to the UAE comes amid reports of a cease-fire proposal being discussed by Israel and Hamas to end the conflict in the Gaza Strip.

The new offer includes Israel’s willingness to discuss the “restoration of sustainable calm” in Gaza after an initial release of hostages on humanitarian grounds, two Israeli officials told Axios news website.

Hamas is expected to deliver its response to the cease-fire proposal later this week.

Hamas, which is believed to be holding more than 130 Israeli hostages, demands an end to Israel’s deadly offensive on the Gaza Strip in return for any hostage deal with Tel Aviv.

Israel has waged an unrelenting offensive on the Palestinian enclave since a cross-border attack by Hamas last Oct. 7 which killed some 1,200 people.

Nearly 34,600 Palestinians have since been killed, mostly women and children, and over 77,800 others injured amid mass destruction and severe shortages of necessities.

More than six months into the Israeli war, vast swathes of Gaza lay in ruins, pushing 85% of the enclave’s population into internal displacement amid a crippling blockade of food, clean water and medicine, according to the UN.

Israel is accused of genocide at the International Court of Justice. An interim ruling in January ordered Tel Aviv to stop genocidal acts and take measures to guarantee that humanitarian assistance is provided to civilians in Gaza.

*Writing by Ahmed Asmar