Saudi Arabia has condemned Israel’s decision to block aid deliveries into the Gaza Strip, dubbing it “blackmail” as talks to extend a fragile truce in the conflict appeared at an impasse, AFP reports.

The Israeli decision “to stop the entry of humanitarian aid into the Gaza Strip, and its use as a tool of blackmail and collective punishment … is a flagrant violation of international law and a direct violation of the rules of international humanitarian law”, said a foreign ministry statement cited by the official Saudi Press Agency, also urging the international community to “stop these serious Israeli violations”.