to report «iusnews»; Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir Abdollahian and his Saudi counterpart Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud stressed the necessity to take regional and international action to immediately put an end to Israel's attacks against Palestinians in the besieged Gaza Strip.
Amir Abdollahian and bin Farhan held a telephone conversation on Sunday, discussing the latest developments in the besieged enclave which is under heavy raids by the Zionist regime from the ground, sea and air over the past three weeks.
The two diplomats said Gaza was in dire need of constant humanitarian aid and that the forced displacement of Palestinians by Israel needs to be countered, according to a statement released by the Iranian Foreign Ministry.
They called for collective regional and international action to immediately end Israel’s aggression Palestinian civilians.
They stressed the need for holding continuous consultations between Tehran and Riyadh.
The Saudi Press Agency reported that the two ministers discussed the escalation in the Gaza Strip and its surroundings.
It added the top Iranian and Saudi diplomats stressed the international community’s role in achieving a ceasefire and protecting civilians in the coastal territory.
Iran's foreign minister met with his Saudi counterpart in Jeddah during the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) meeting this month. Both sides emphasized the need for joint efforts by Islamic countries to end the war crimes and genocide committed by the Zionist regime in Gaza.
In a phone call with Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman (MbS) in mid-October, President Seyed Ebrahim Rayeesi lashed out at supporters of the Zionist regime for giving the Israeli leaders and military the green light to commit mass atrocities in the Gaza Strip against Palestinians.
Rayeesi slammed the far-right cabinet of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for taking revenge on Palestinians for the Zionists’ historic defeat.
“Iran and Saudi Arabia can help ensure the legal rights of Palestinians and stop the Zionist regime’s aggression and atrocities,” he stressed.
The president considered the current situation of West Asia to be the result of miscalculations of Western states, led by the United States.
MbS has told Iran's president that Saudi Arabia is "exerting maximum effort" to prevent an escalation of the conflict in the Gaza Strip and the occupied territories.
The crown prince emphasized that the Kingdom is exerting maximum effort to engage with all international and regional parties to halt the ongoing escalation, and he asserted the Kingdom's opposition to any form of civilian targeting and the loss of innocent lives.
He also expressed concern over the humanitarian situation in Gaza and stressed Saudi's support to achieve a "comprehensive and fair peace that ensures the Palestinian people's legitimate rights".
On October 7, Hamas launched a multi-pronged surprise military operation via land, sea and air. The group announced it was in response to the storming of Al-Aqsa Mosque in occupied East Jerusalem and Israeli settlers’ growing violence against Palestinians. The attacks have so far killed more than 1,400 and injured over 5,000, according to Israeli officials. Hamas also announced it is holding between at least 200 and 250 hostages.
Following the multi-front attack by Hamas, Israel carried out heavy bombardment across the Gaza Strip, killing more than 8,000 Palestinians, including at least 3,500 children and over 2,000 women, and wounding over 20,000 others, and levelling entire neighbourhoods.
Tel Aviv has ordered a "complete siege" of Gaza, saying it would halt its supply of electricity, food, water and fuel. Israel’s military has also ordered 1.1 million people living in Northern Gaza to evacuate their homes, amid signs it is set to ramp up its offensive.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said in a televised address on Saturday night the Israeli military has launched the “second stage” of its war against Gaza, warning settlers to prepare for a long struggle ahead.
“We are only at the beginning of the road. The battle within the Gaza Strip will be difficult and long,” Netanyahu cautioned.
Defense Minister Yoav Gallant also stated on Saturday that Israel has “moved on to a new phase in the war”, adding that ground operations in Gaza will continue “until new orders are given”.
The bombing, as well as enforced displacement orders by the Israeli Army, has pushed 1.5 million people out of their homes.
The Gaza Health Ministry has confirmed that the healthcare system in the besieged territory has “totally collapsed due to the Israeli war”.
The UN agencies have warned that the humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip is "catastrophic", calling for more international help as conditions deteriorate in the densely populated besieged enclave.
Iranian officials say the current status in West Asia resembled a powder keg which could spiral out of control. They caution that if diplomatic efforts to stop Israeli relentless bombardment and prevent a ground offensive on Gaza are unsuccessful, there is a risk of the conflict escalating uncontrollably, with multiple regional players joining the fight.
Gaza is one of the most densely populated places on Earth, where some 2 million people live in an area of 140 square miles. It has been almost completely cut off from the rest of the world for nearly 17 years. More than half of its population lives in poverty and is food insecure, with nearly 80% of its population relying on humanitarian assistance.
Tehran says the history of the apartheid regime is full of assassinations, massacre, torture and killing of Palestinian kids, and described Tel Aviv regime's atrocities and massacre of Palestinian women and children as indicative of the destitute of Zionists. Iranian officials say the Tel Aviv regime has been struggling for more than 70 years to exit its identity crisis which has been mixed with genocide, plunder, forced displacement and scores of other inhumane moves.
