Situation In Gaza Is 'A Catastrophe By Every Measure': Saudi Foreign Minister

The situation in the Gaza Strip obviously is "a catastrophe by every measure," Saudi Foreign Minister Faisal bin Farhan said Sunday.

His remarks came during one of the sessions of a special meeting of the World Economic Forum being hosted by Riyadh on April 28 and 29, according to a statement from the Saudi Foreign Ministry.

"The situation in Gaza obviously is a catastrophe by every measure –- humanitarian, but also a complete failing of the existing political system to deal with that crisis," said Farhan.

"We are going to look at how we can solve the bigger problem in the context of Gaza. That is a real commitment to a two-state solution that is a credible, irreversible path to a Palestinian State," he added.

Farhan further noted that "the international mechanisms of security have not worked even on something as basic as humanitarian access. The crisis is now in its seventh month. We still are in an unending discussion of whether or not enough trucks are getting into Gaza."

Israel has launched a brutal offensive on the Gaza Strip since an Oct. 7 attack by the Palestinian group Hamas, which killed nearly 1,200 people.

More than 34,400 Palestinians have since been killed and thousands injured amid mass destruction and severe shortages of necessities.

More than six months into the Israeli war, vast swathes of Gaza lay in ruins, pushing 85% of the enclave's population into internal displacement amid a crippling blockade of food, clean water and medicine, according to the UN.

Israel stands accused of genocide at the International Court of Justice. An interim ruling in January ordered Tel Aviv to stop genocidal acts and take measures to guarantee that humanitarian assistance is provided to civilians in Gaza.

*Writing by Rania Abu Shamala -