Turkish, Saudi foreign ministers discuss bilateral ties, Gaza

By Can Efesoy

Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan and his Saudi counterpart Faisal bin Farhan spoke over the phone on Sunday and discussed bilateral relations between their countries and regional developments.

The latest situation in Gaza and steps that the Gaza Contact Group can take in the future were also discussed, according to Turkish diplomatic sources.

Last fall, a contact group was formed by the regional countries along with the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) and the Arab League to push for a cease-fire in Gaza and the establishment of a state of Palestine along the pre-1967 borders with its capital in East Jerusalem.

Israel has waged a deadly military offensive on the Gaza Strip since an Oct. 7 cross-border attack by Hamas which killed some 1,200 people.

Nearly 32,800 Palestinians have since been killed and 75,300 others injured amid mass destruction and shortages of necessities. Israel has imposed a crippling blockade on the Gaza Strip, leaving its population, particularly residents of northern Gaza, on the verge of starvation.

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 (ICJ), which on Thursday asked Israel to do more to prevent famine in Gaza.