Saudi Arabia slams international inaction over ‘humanitarian massacre’ in Gaza

By Ibrahim al-Khazen

JEDDAH, Saudi Arabia (AA) – Saudi Arabia on Tuesday condemned international inaction over Israel’s deadly offensive on the Gaza Strip.

"The international community stands helpless in the face of the humanitarian massacre in Gaza,'' Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan said at an extraordinary ministerial meeting of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) in the port city of Jeddah.

"There is an increasing number of countries demanding an immediate cease-fire in Gaza,” he said. “It is time to recognize the state of Palestine and accept the two-state solution.”

Tuesday’s OIC meeting was called to discuss Israel’s war on the Gaza Strip, which has killed more than 30,600 people and injured over 72,000 others since Oct. 7, 2023 following a Hamas attack.

The Israeli war has pushed 85% of Gaza’s population into internal displacement amid acute shortages of food, clean water and medicine, while 60% of the enclave's infrastructure has been damaged or destroyed, according to the UN.

Israel stands 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 Mohammad Sio