UPDATE 1-Saudi Arabia's current priority is a permanent Gaza ceasefire, foreign minister says

In 2024, the Saudi foreign minister said that there can be no normalisation of ties with Israel without resolving the Palestinian issue. "What we are seeing is the Israelis are crushing Gaza, the civilian population of Gaza," he said.

Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al-Saud said on Friday that the kingdom's current priority is reaching a permanent ceasefire in Gaza, when asked about the possibility of normalising ties with Israel.

He was speaking during a visit to Moscow. In 2024, the Saudi foreign minister said that there can be no normalisation of ties with Israel without resolving the Palestinian issue.

"What we are seeing is the Israelis are crushing Gaza, the civilian population of Gaza," he said. "This is completely unnecessary, completely unacceptable and has to stop." The local health ministry in Gaza says more than 57,000 Palestinians have been killed in Israel's assault on the region since an October 7 attack on Israel by the Palestinian Islamist group Hamas.

According to Israel, 1,200 people were killed in that attack and more than 250 taken hostage into Gaza.