Western, Arab officials expected to meet in Riyadh over Gaza crisis

SENIOR Western and Arab officials are expected to meet this week in Riyadh to discuss the months-long war in the Gaza Strip on the sidelines of an economic forum in Saudi Arabia, according to diplomatic sources.

Foreign Ministers of Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates and Jordan will meet on Monday in Riyadh with their US, German, British, French and Italian counterparts, the sources said.

The Arab officials, joined by a Palestinian Authority representative, were to meet on Saturday to formulate a “unified Arab stance” ahead of the Monday meeting, the sources told DPA on condition of anonymity.

The Palestinian official will not attend the talks with the top Western diplomats, the sources added. Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry travelled on Saturday to Riyadh, sources at Cairo airport said.

Saudi Arabia is hosting an international economic forum in Riyadh on Sunday and Monday. The international talks come amid fears of a planned Israeli offensive in Gaza’s Rafah city and renewed efforts to broker a hostage and ceasefire deal.

A top Hamas official said on Saturday that the group is studying an Israeli counterproposal regarding such a deal.

“Hamas will examine this proposal and submit a response,” Khalil al-Hayya, the deputy head of the group’s political arm in Gaza, said in a statement posted on Telegram.

Negotiations aimed at releasing hostages held by Hamas in the Gaza Strip and securing a ceasefire in the devastated Palestinian territory have been deadlocked for months.

The Hamas-controlled health authority put the number of people killed in Gaza at 34,388 on Saturday, 32 more than the previous day. More than 77,400 people have been injured. The authority does not differentiate between civilians and combatants.

The Israeli army said on Saturday that it had carried out more airstrikes overnight against Hamas targets, including a launch pad for rockets in Khan Younis and a vehicle carrying eight Hamas fighters.

Saudi Arabia is hosting an international economic forum in Riyadh on Sunday and Monday.