Times of Israel photo.
Riyadh: Following US State Secretary Antony Blinken's Middle East tour for an expected truce in Gaza, Arab nations ministers met in Riyadh on Thursday and discussed the Israel-Hamas war, Reuters reported.
On Wednesday, Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had rejected Hamas' terms of ceasefire as well as the return of hostages by the armed group held in Gaza. However, Blinken was positive that there are chances for a truce.
It was Saudi Arabian Foreign Minister Prince Faizal Bin Farhan who called the Thursday meeting in Riyadh together. Saudi state's own news agency reported that the meeting hosted the foreign ministers of Qatar, Egypt, Jordan, and the United Arab Emirates along with the Secretary-General of the Executive Committee of the Palestine Liberation Organisation (PLO) Hussein al-Sheikh.
The ministers agreed and emphasised that it is inevitable the two warring parties must agree to a ceasefire in Gaza. They also agreed that a two-state solution is needed and irreversible steps must be taken to implement the same. Israel must recognise the independent state of Palestine.
UAE state news agency reported on Friday that the United Arab Emirates foreign minister, Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan, urged more efforts to prevent the crisis in the region from expanding.
Meanwhile, in Gaza, Israel opened strikes at Rafah on Friday. Rafah is the only major city which Israel has not struck so far, and the city, therefore, hosts more than a million refugees.
This attack followed US President Joe Biden's statement that Israel's response to the Hamas attack on October 7 was "over the top". Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that he had ordered his forces to "operate" in Rafah.