ANKARA 

Saudi Arabia and Qatar strongly condemned renewed Israeli airstrikes that killed hundreds in the Gaza Strip on Tuesday.

In a statement, the Saudi Foreign Ministry denounced Israel’s “direct bombardment of areas populated by defenseless civilians, without the slightest regard for international humanitarian law.”

The statement stressed "the importance of an immediate halt to the killing, violence, and Israeli destruction, and the protection of Palestinian civilians from the unjust Israeli war machine."

It affirmed the need for the international community to assume its responsibilities "by intervening immediately to put an end to these crimes and alleviate the severe humanitarian suffering endured by the brotherly Palestinian people."

The Qatari Foreign Ministry denounced the Israeli assault as “a blatant challenge to international will supporting peace, including the ceasefire agreement.”

It warned that Israel’s escalatory policies “will ultimately lead to igniting the region and undermining its security and stability."

The ministry stressed the urgent need "to resume dialogue to implement the phases of the ceasefire agreement, leading to ending the war on the Gaza Strip."

The Israeli army pounded the Gaza Strip early Tuesday, killing more than 404 people, injuring hundreds, and breaking a ceasefire agreement that took effect on Jan. 19.

Images emerging from Gaza showed that the majority of the victims were civilians, including women and children, whose homes were bombed during the night.

More than 48,500 Palestinians have been killed, mostly women and children, and over 112,000 others injured in a brutal Israeli military campaign in Gaza since October 2023.

In November, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.

Israel also faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its war on the enclave.