ISTANBUL

Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan renewed his country's call on Sunday for an immediate cease-fire in the Gaza Strip and access to humanitarian aid to the besieged enclave.

Speaking during a joint press conference in Istanbul with his Turkish counterpart Hakan Fidan, bin Farhan emphasized the importance of achieving an immediate cease-fire in Gaza and delivering humanitarian aid to Palestinians suffering from dire humanitarian conditions.

The top Saudi diplomat said that Israel was "systematically obstructing" access to humanitarian aid into the enclave.

Bin Farhan also underlined the importance "of establishing a genuine and effective path to achieve a political horizon for solving the conflict in Palestine by reviving the two-state solution.”

Nearly 38,600 Palestinians have been killed and 88,900 others injured in a deadly Israeli offensive on the Gaza Strip since last Oct. 7 following a Hamas attack.

Over nine months into the Israeli onslaught, vast tracts of Gaza lie in ruins amid a crippling blockade of food, clean water and medicine.

As for relations with Türkiye, bin Farhan said Saudi Arabia is determined to explore further opportunities for economic and developmental cooperation with Ankara, noting that trade exchange between the two countries has reached $6.8 billion.