Gaza conflict dominates talks between Saudi crown prince, Palestinian president

ISTANBUL

Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman held talks in Riyadh on Monday with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas to discuss the conflict in the Gaza Strip.

Abbas briefed the crown prince on the latest Palestinian developments and efforts to end Israel’s war on the Gaza Strip and allow aid into the enclave, the Palestinian news agency Wafa reported.

He reiterated his rejection of forcible displacement of Palestinians from Gaza or the West Bank, the broadcaster said.

Abbas warned of grave consequences from a planned Israeli ground attack in Rafah, home to more than 1.4 million displaced Palestinians.

The Palestinian leader arrived in Riyadh on Sunday to participate in the World Economic Forum.

Israel has waged a brutal offensive on the Gaza Strip since a cross-border attack by Hamas on Oct. 7 last year, which Tel Aviv says killed nearly 1,200 people.

Nearly 34,500 Palestinians have since been killed, mostly women and children, and over 77,600 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 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 Ahmed Asmar