Aerial view of Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
Aerial view of Riyadh, Saudi ArabiaiStock

Saudi King Salman on Sunday called for halting what he described the “heinous crimes” in the Gaza Strip amid the war between Israel and Hamas.

King Salman made the comments in speech ahead of the first day of the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan, which begins on Monday.

“It pains us that Ramadan comes this year amid attacks on our brothers in Palestine,” Salman, 88, said in the speech read out by Information Minister Salman al-Dosari and quoted in the Anadolu news agency.

The Saudi monarch called on the international community “to fulfill its responsibilities to stop these brutal crimes and provide safe humanitarian and relief corridors."

Israel and Saudi Arabia appeared to be on track towards normalization before Hamas’ October 7 attack against Israel and the war in Gaza which followed.

Shortly after the start of the war in Gaza, sources told Reuters that Saudi Arabia is putting the US-backed plans to normalize ties with Israel on ice.

Saudi Foreign Minister, Prince Faisal bin Farhan, later said that he believes talks on normalization between Israel and Saudi Arabia will resume immediately after the conclusion of the war in Gaza.

Prince Faisal said in late February that normalization with Israel requires both an end to the fighting in the Gaza Strip as well as the establishment of a Palestinian state.