Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman reiterated the Kingdom’s call for a ceasefire in Gaza and held Israel responsible for “crimes” against civilians in the besieged enclave.

“We are before a humanitarian catastrophe that [shows] the failure of the UN Security Council and international community,” the Crown Prince said said on Saturday during his opening speech at the extraordinary joint Islamic-Arab summit.

He also called for an “immediate cessation” of military operations in Gaza and for opening humanitarian passages.

He added that “Israeli occupation authorities” bear the responsibility of the crimes committed against civilians in the Gaza Strip.

“Israel’s flagrant violations of international laws must be stopped,” MBS said, as he reaffirmed the Kingdom’s condemnation of the “brutal war” that has claimed the lives of thousands of civilians.

The Crown Prince also called for unified efforts to end the siege on the enclave.

“We must work together to end the siege on Gaza and deliver aid,” he said, adding that the “only solution” to achieve stability in the region is through “ending occupation and settlement [policies].”

“The Palestinian people must be granted their legitimate rights [which include] establishing their independent state.”

Leaders from the GCC and the wider Arab and Muslim world have gathered in Saudi Arabia for crisis talks on the escalating Israel-Gaza conflict.

The emergency meeting comes after Hamas militants’ bloody October 7 attacks that Israeli officials say left about 1,200 people dead and 239 taken hostage.

Israel’s subsequent aerial and ground offensive has killed more than 11,000 people, mostly civilians and many of them children, according to the health ministry in the Hamas-run enclave.