Saudi Foreign Minister, American counterpart discuss humanitarian corridors to Gaza

ISTANBUL - Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan discussed with his American counterpart, Anthony Blinken, ways to halt the escalation in the Gaza Strip and establish safe humanitarian corridors for victims.

The meeting on Friday took place in Riyadh, Anadolu Agency cited reports by the official Saudi Al-Ekhbariya Channel, amid an Israeli bombing of the Gaza Strip on the sixth day of escalation.

"The two sides discussed reducing the escalation in the Palestinian territories, and establishing safe humanitarian corridors to provide medical care for the wounded as a result of the Israeli occupation airstrikes (on Gaza), as well as providing the displaced with food to cover shortages resulting from the tightened Israeli blockade on the Gaza Strip,” said the Al-Ekhbariya Channel.

The US diplomat visited Saudi Arabia as part of his tour in the region, which started in Israel on Thursday, followed by Jordan, Qatar and Bahrain.

Meanwhile, the Qatar Emir, Sheikh Tamim Hamad Al Thani, said Saturday there is a need to open safe corridors in Gaza and ensure violence does not expand regionally, in a telephone call with Iranian President Ibrahim Raisi, Anadolu cited the official Qatar News Agency (QNA).

The Emir received a call from Raisi where he emphasised "the importance of efforts to de-escalate the situation, sparing civilians from the consequences of the fighting, opening safe corridors in Gaza for relief and humanitarian efforts, and ensuring that the violence does not expand regionally.” - BERNAMA