The foreign ministers of Qatar, Egypt and Saudi Arabia have discussed the deadly Israeli air attacks on Gaza with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken in separate phone calls.
Blinken and Qatar’s Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani discussed “efforts to restore calm in Israel and the [occupied] West Bank and Gaza in light of the tragic loss of civilian life”, the state department said on Monday.
The Qatari Ministry of Foreign said in a statement that the two officials discussed “the recent Israeli attacks on worshippers at the Al Aqsa Compound and the attack on the besieged Gaza Strip.”
Al Thani stressed the “need for urgent action by the international community to stop the repeated brutal Israeli attacks against civilians in Gaza and the blessed Al Aqsa Mosque,” it added.
In his call with Egypt’s Sameh Shoukry, Blinken “reiterated his call on all parties to de-escalate tensions and bring a halt to the violence, which has claimed the lives of Israeli and Palestinian civilians, including children”, the State Department said in another statement.
Saudi state news agency SPA reported on Sunday that Blinken also had a phone call with Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud to discuss the latest developments “in Palestine and in the region”.
The state department said the two discussed “the ongoing efforts to calm tensions in Israel and the West Bank and Gaza and bring the current violence to an end”.
Source: Agencies
