RIYADH: Saudi Arabia on Friday condemned Israel’s planned occupation of the Gaza Strip, terming it a flagrant violation of international law and a continuation of “barbaric practices and ethnic cleansing” against the people of Palestine.
Saudi Foreign Ministry, in a statement, denounced what it called systematic displacement, inhumane policies, and war crimes by Israeli occupation forces, warning that such actions deepen regional instability and erode global peace frameworks.
Israel’s security cabinet approved on August 8 Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s plan to deploy military forces to occupy Gaza City, the first step toward Netanyahu’s previous statements on occupying all of Gaza.
A statement said the Israeli Defence Forces would prepare to take control of Gaza City while providing humanitarian aid to the civilian population outside the combat zones.
The decision marks another escalation of Israel’s 22-month offensive launched in response to Hamas’ October 7 attack.
“The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia strongly condemns the Israeli occupation authorities’ decision to occupy the Gaza Strip and denounces the continued perpetration of forced displacement and ethnic cleansing against the brotherly Palestinian people,” the statement read.
It said the actions taken by Israeli authorities show a disregard for history and international norms, stressing that the Palestinian people have a legitimate right to their land rights protected under international law and humanitarian conventions.
“Continued inaction by the international community and the UN Security Council threatens to undermine the legitimacy of the international system and emboldens war criminals,” the statement said, adding that this failure contributes to “genocide and forced displacement being carried out in plain sight.”
Israel’s ongoing military offensive has resulted in the deaths of tens of thousands of Palestinians, widespread destruction across Gaza, and has pushed the enclave’s population of around 2 million to the brink of famine.
#بيان | تندد المملكة العربية السعودية بأقوى وأشد العبارات بقرار سلطات الاحتلال الإسرائيلية احتلال قطاع غزة، وتدين بشكل قاطع إمعانها في ارتكاب جرائم التجويع و الممارسات الوحشية والتطهير العرقي ضد الشعب الفلسطيني الشقيق. pic.twitter.com/IgQkTbGaBO
— وزارة الخارجية 🇸🇦 (@KSAMOFA) August 8, 2025
In response, Saudi Arabia has called for an immediate and unified international effort to address the escalating humanitarian crisis.
Riyadh also reaffirmed that genuine peace in the region remains unattainable without a just and comprehensive resolution to the Palestinian issue.
“Saudi Arabia affirms the importance of mobilising international efforts to achieve a two-state solution, leading to the establishment of an independent Palestinian state along the 1967 borders, with East Jerusalem as its capital,” the ministry said.
