United Arab Emirates, UAE, President, Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan and US President Donald Trump on Tuesday discussed efforts for reaching a ceasefire in Gaza.
This is coming after Israel resumed its military offensive in the enclave last week.
The Israeli military resumed fighting in Gaza on March 18, shattering a fragile two-month ceasefire.
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According to Palestinian health officials, since then, almost 700 people, mostly women and children, have been killed.
The Emirati president, in his phone call with Trump, also urged making aid available for Gaza residents as well as supporting the two-state solution.
Recall that in early February, Trump presented his plan for Gaza which entailed displacing Palestinians and creating a Middle East “Riviera”.
However, the proposal was greeted with condemnations from many global leaders.
Arab states including the UAE adopted an Egyptian alternative reconstruction plan for Gaza that would cost $53 billion and avoid displacing Palestinians.
The diplomatic adviser to the UAE’s president, Anwar Gargash, said on February 26 that a Gaza reconstruction plan cannot happen without a clear path to a two-state solution for Israel and the Palestinians.
The UAE is said to be among the few Arab states that normalised ties with Israel in 2020 in US-brokered agreements under Trump.
According to Palestinian health authorities, Israel’s ground and air campaign in Gaza which resumed last week has killed a total of more than 50,000 people.
The war began on October 7, 2023 when Hamas militants stormed across the border, and Israel said the militants killed more than 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and took some 250 people into captivity in Gaza.
