ISTANBUL

United Arab Emirates Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan and Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar met in Abu Dhabi on Sunday to discuss the “growing bilateral relations” between their two countries and efforts to revive a ceasefire agreement between Israel and the Palestinian group Hamas.

The talks also covered “the latest regional developments and their implications, particularly the worsening humanitarian crisis in the Gaza Strip,” the official Emirates News Agency (WAM) reported.

They also discussed regional and international efforts to resume the truce agreement, achieve a ceasefire, and secure the release of hostages.

The first phase of the ceasefire and prisoner exchange agreement between Israel and Hamas, brokered by Egypt and Qatar with US support, began on Jan. 19 and ended in early March.

But Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu abandoned the second phase, resuming the war in Gaza on March 18 at the urging of his government’s far-right faction, according to local media reports.

Sheikh Abdullah stressed “the priority of working towards a ceasefire and the release of hostages as well as the importance of avoiding a further escalation of the conflict in the region.”

He affirmed the UAE’s support for “all diplomatic efforts aimed at protecting civilians and enhancing the response to the humanitarian crisis in Gaza.”

Israel’s 18-year blockade has left 1.5 million of Gaza’s 2.4 million residents homeless, with the war destroying their homes and pushing the enclave into famine by sealing off humanitarian aid crossings.

Sheikh Abdullah also underscored “the urgent need to advance a serious political horizon for the resumption of negotiations to achieve a comprehensive peace based on the two-state solution. He emphasized the importance of ending extremism, rising tensions and violence in the region and called for the international community to join efforts to fulfil the aspirations of the region’s peoples for security, stability and a dignified life.”

He also reaffirmed the “UAE’s longstanding fraternal and historic stance in support of the Palestinian people” and its “unwavering commitment to supporting the Palestinian people and their right to self-determination.”

He noted that the UAE would spare no effort in extending assistance and providing the necessary humanitarian support to meet their needs.

Last weekend, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed to escalate attacks on Gaza amid efforts to implement US President Donald Trump's plan to displace Palestinians from the enclave.

Nearly 50,700 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza in a brutal Israeli onslaught since October 2023, most of them women and children.

The International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants last November for 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.