Palestinians searching for salvageable items in shelters destroyed following Israeli airstrikes in Deir el-Balah, in the central Gaza Strip, on May 17, 2025. (Credit: Eyad Baba/AFP.)
Saudi Arabia condemned on Saturday "the ongoing Israeli military escalation in Gaza against unarmed civilians, especially the strike on the European hospital in Khan Younis, which resulted in dozens of deaths and injuries."
In a statement issued by the Saudi Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the kingdom reiterated its "categorical rejection of the continuation of Israeli genocidal crimes," while demanding an "immediate cease-fire."
Saudi ministry holds "the Israeli occupation forces fully responsible for the continuous violations of all international and humanitarian norms and laws."
Released concurrently with the Arab League summit held Saturday in Baghdad, the Saudi statement underscores "the legal, humanitarian, and moral responsibility of the international community to activate mechanisms to hold accountable those responsible for these ongoing violations of humanitarian law and international resolutions."
The Wahhabi kingdom had received a visit from U.S. President Donald Trump during the week and achieved a lifting of sanctions against Syria. In the meantime, in Gaza, violence continues, and the Israeli military has launched a new ground offensive against the Palestinian enclave, even as humanitarian aid fails to reach the population, overwhelmed by more than 20 months of war.