Saudi crown prince MBS' harshest remarks on Gaza conflict and a warning to Israel since the war began

Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman has hit out at Israel and condemned its actions in Gaza as " collective genocide", in some of the harshest public criticism of the country by a Saudi official since the start of the war. MBS was speaking at a summit of Muslim and Arab leaders where the prince also criticised Israeli attacks on Lebanon and Iran.

MBS on Israel's 'genocide' in Gaza

During a gathering of leaders of Islamic nations hosted by Saudi Arabia in Riyadh on Monday, the country’s de facto leader said: “The Kingdom reiterates its condemnation and absolute refusal of the collective genocide committed by Israel against the brotherly Palestinian people.”

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Furthermore, MBS also urged Israel “to refrain from any further act of aggression” and called on countries around the world to recognise Palestinian statehood. In what could be seen as a sign of improving ties between foes Riyadh and Tehran, Prince Mohammed also warned Israel against launching attacks on the Iranian soil, reports the BBC.

In 2017, MBS had compared the Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei to Adolf Hitler. Saudi's de facto leader was joined by other leaders present in calling for a total Israeli withdrawal from the West Bank and Gaza.

Last year, the kingdom was in the process of negotiating a historic normalization agreement with Israel but recently said that was “off the table” without Palestinian statehood, a demand rejected by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

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Israel-Gaza war

More than 43,000 people have been killed in Gaza since Israel launched a counter-offensive in Gaza last year after the deadly October 7 attacks. The war in Gaza was triggered by Hamas's 7 October 2023 attack, which saw hundreds of gunmen enter southern Israel. About 1,200 people were killed and 251 others taken hostage.

On Tuesday, at least 30 people were killed in Gaza city and northern Gaza, with many more still under the rubble, according to the spokesperson for Gaza’s Civil Defense, Mahmoud Basal.

Experts say MBS gathered regional allies and old foes to exhibit his strength in unifying Islamic nations ahead of US President-elect Donald Trump assuming office, according to a CNN report.

Throughout his 2024 campaign, Trump had not specified how he would approach the Israel-Hamas war, or how his policies would differ from those of his predecessor Joe Biden. But the incoming US president would likely seek to reinstate the sanctions regimes on Tehran to “isolate Iran diplomatically” and “weaken it economically,” Brian Hook, who was Trump’s Iran envoy during his first administration, told CNN’s Becky Anderson last week.