RIYADH: Saudi Arabia and Italy have “unequivocally rejected” the displacement of Palestinians in Gaza, as Israel ramped up its bombardment of Gaza City.
“The principles of non-transfer and non-expulsion must be fully upheld,” they said in a statement posted by the Saudi Foreign Ministry on social media platform X.
Earlier, the Israeli military warned that a full evacuation of Gaza City was “inevitable” as it intensified its offensive aimed at dismantling the remaining Hamas stronghold.
On Thursday, families fled from the city’s outskirts amid renewed attacks—marking yet another wave of displacement in a conflict that has already forced the majority of Gaza’s 2 million residents to flee their homes at least once.
The joint declaration by Saudi Arabia and Italy came after talks in Rome between the Kingdom’s foreign minister, Prince Faisal bin Farhan, and his Italian counterpart, Antonio Tajani.
It called for an immediate end to the war in Gaza “in line with our joint commitment to achieve a just, secure, comprehensive and sustainable peace in the Middle East.”
Both countries demanded the immediate release of all hostages, and condemned any “unilateral or violent actions in the West Bank that undermine the two-state solution.”
They added: “We call for unfettered access for humanitarian assistance and life-saving supplies throughout the Gaza Strip, as well as the release of all withheld Palestinian clearance revenues,” a reference to taxes collected by Israeli authorities on behalf of the Palestinian Authority that have yet to be handed over.
“We underscore that any postwar arrangements must be firmly linked to a clear, time-bound implementation of a political solution that ends the occupation and delivers a just and comprehensive peace,” it said.
During a press conference in Rome, Prince Faisal strongly condemned Israeli attacks in the occupied West Bank and stated that Saudi Arabia and Italy shared a common stance on the urgent need to end the war in Gaza.
Ahead of the prince’s visit, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni issued a sharp criticism of Israel following Monday’s strike on a Gaza hospital, which killed at least 20 people, including five journalists. She stated that Israel’s military campaign had “gone beyond the principle of proportionality.”
In their meeting on Thursday, the Saudi and Italian foreign ministers also explored ways to strengthen economic ties and broader cooperation between the two countries.
According to the Saudi Press Agency, Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani commended Saudi efforts to bridge the gap between the United States and Russia in pursuit of a resolution to the war in Ukraine.
