In a joint statement issued by the Qatari-Saudi Coordination Council, the emir of Qatar and Saudi Arabia’s crown prince have expressed their “deep concern about the humanitarian catastrophe” in the Gaza Strip, Al Jazeera reports.

Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman also stressed the need “to stop military operations in the Palestinian territories, and the need to protect civilians in accordance with international law”, the statement said.

“The two sides also stressed the importance of international pressure on Israel to stop the forced displacement of Palestinians,” it added.

The two leaders also urged the international community to “intensify efforts” to settle the Palestinian issue in accordance with the principle of the two-state solution and the Arab Peace Initiative.