SAUDI ARABIA CONDEMNS ISRAELI ‘GROUND OPERATION’ IN GAZA

Riyadh: As the Israeli Army ‘expanded’ ground incursion in Gaza, Saudi Arabia’s foreign ministry condemned any ground operations by Israeli forces that may cause threats to the lives of Palestinian civilians.

“The Kingdom condemns and denounces the ground operations carried out by the Israeli army in the Gaza Strip, and warns of the danger of continuing to carry out these blatant and unjustified violations of international law against our brotherly Palestinians,” Saudi Arabia foreign ministry said in a statement.

The Israeli military reported that it has enlarged its combat operations inside the Gaza Strip following several nights of limited ground incursions.

During the Israel Defence Forces’ overnight ground operation in the Gaza Strip, there were several clashes between troops and Hamas terrorists.

Earlier today, The Israel Defence Forces issued an advisory for Gaza residents, warning them to relocate south “immediately”, saying that the window “to act” is closing as Israel continues to expand its operations in Gaza.

In a video posted on social media platform X, Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari, IDF Spokesman, has urged the residents of northern Gaza and Gaza City to temporarily relocate south and added that moving back to northern Gaza will be possible once the intense hostilities end.

Hagari said that the impending IDF operation is set to neutralize these threats of Hamas with precision and intensity.

“The impending IDF operation is set to neutralize these threats of Hamas with precision and intensity. Humanity remains haunted by the massacre unleashed by Hamas on October 7. A massacre of innocent lives,” he said, adding that Israeli men, women, children and babies were beheaded, raped and burnt alive.

Saudi Prince Turki al-Faisal, the former intelligence chief of Saudi Arabia, while referring to the ongoing Israel-Hamas conflict on Friday, referred to the historic Civil Disobedience Movement in India which brought down the British Empire as the ‘preferred’ option.

Addressing the gathering, Prince Turki said, “All military-occupied people have a right to resist their occupation, even militarily. I do not support the military option in Palestine”.

“I prefer the other option: Civil Insurrection and Disobedience. It brought down the British Empire in India and the Soviet Empire in Eastern Europe,” he added.

The conflict in Gaza escalated after the October 7 attack by Hamas, where about 2,500 terrorists breached the border into Israel from the Gaza Strip, leading to casualties and the seizure of hostages.

Israel has characterised its Gaza offensive as targeting Hamas’ infrastructure with the goal of eliminating the entire terror group while making efforts to minimize civilian casualties, The Times of Israel reported.