Skip to main content

Arab foreign ministers discuss Gaza in Riyadh

1 min

Several Arab foreign ministers discussed the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza at talks in Riyadh, Saudi state media reported on Friday, following a Middle East tour by U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken that stirred hopes for a long-awaited Gaza truce deal.

The Arab ministers emphasised the need to reach an immediate and complete ceasefire in Gaza © SPA

Several Arab foreign ministers discussed the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza at talks in Riyadh, Saudi state media reported on Friday, following a Middle East tour by U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken that stirred hopes for a long-awaited Gaza truce deal.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Wednesday rejected Hamas' latest terms for a ceasefire and return of hostages held in the Gaza Strip, but Blinken said there was still room for negotiation toward an agreement.

Saudi Arabia's Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan called for Thursday's meeting in Riyadh, which included the foreign ministers of Qatar, Egypt, Jordan, the United Arab Emirates along with the Secretary-General of the Executive Committee of the Palestine Liberation Organisation (PLO) Hussein al-Sheikh, Saudi state news agency SPA reported.

The Arab ministers emphasised the need to reach an immediate and complete ceasefire in Gaza and "the importance of taking irreversible steps to implement the two-state solution," SPA added, referring to Israeli recognition of a Palestinian state.

They also expressed support for the United Nations agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA) after 16 countries suspended their funding to the agency following Israeli claims that a dozen of its employees took part in the Oct. 7 attack on Israel.

The United Arab Emirates foreign minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan called for an intensification of efforts to prevent the expansion of conflict in the region during the meeting, the UAE state news agency said on Friday.

Reporting by Nayera Abdallah and Ahmed Elimam

Related

United Arab Emirates

Dubai property prices soar by 27% year-on-year

Dubai's real estate market has closed 2024 on a record-breaking note, reaching an unprecedented 180,900 transactions worth AED 522.1 billion, according to a market report issued by fäm Properties.

Egypt

Egypt’s food exports break records with $5.5 billion

Egypt's food industry has achieved unprecedented growth in 2024, with exports totaling $5.5 billion between January and November. This represents a 17% increase compared to the $4.7 billion recorded during the same period in 2023, marking an additional $813 million in revenue.

Subscribe to our newsletter

Mena banner 4

To make this website run properly and to improve your experience, we use cookies. For more detailed information, please check our Cookie Policy.

  • Necessary cookies enable core functionality. The website cannot function properly without these cookies, and can only be disabled by changing your browser preferences.