Pakistan and Saudi Arabia call for a cease-fire in Gaza, saying efforts so far are insufficient

In this photo released by Prime Minister Office, visiting Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan, seventh left, meets with Pakistan's Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, center, in Islamabad, Pakistan, Tuesday, April 16, 2024. Saudi Arabia's foreign minister led a high-level delegation on a two-day visit to Pakistan, which is seeking help in overcoming one of its worst economic crises. (Prime Minister Office via AP)

In this photo released by Prime Minister Office, visiting Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan, left, listens to Pakistan's Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif during a meeting in Islamabad, Pakistan, Tuesday, April 16, 2024. Saudi Arabia's foreign minister led a high-level delegation on a two-day visit to Pakistan, which is seeking help in overcoming one of its worst economic crises. (Prime Minister Office via AP)

In this photo released by Prime Minister Office, visiting Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan, left, listens to Pakistan's Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif after their meeting, in Islamabad, Pakistan, Tuesday, April 16, 2024. The Saudi Arabia's foreign minister led a high-level delegation on a two-day visit to Pakistan, which is seeking help in overcoming one of its worst economic crises. (Prime Minister Office via AP)

In this photo released by Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Pakistani's Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar, right, greets his Saudi counterpart Prince Faisal bin Farhan upon his arrival at a military airbase in Rawalpindi, Pakistan, Monday, April 15, 2024. Saudi Arabia's foreign minister led a high-level delegation on a two-day visit to Pakistan, which is seeking help in overcoming one of its worst economic crises. (Ministry of Foreign Affairs via AP)

ISLAMABAD (AP) — Pakistan and Saudi Arabia on Tuesday called for an immediate cease-fire and uninterrupted delivery of humanitarian aid in Gaza.

Saudi Arabia’s Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan, on a visit to Islamabad, said that international efforts toward a cease-fire between Israel and the militant group Hamas have been "wholly insufficient.”

“We are now actively discussing the potential for famine in Gaza, and it means people are starving to death because humanitarian assistance is not getting to them," he said. “This is an unacceptable situation."

Without directly mentioning an Iranian attack on Israel over the weekend, he said “we are already in an unstable region, and the humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza is already inflaming the region. We do not need more conflict in our region, we do not need more confrontation in our region, so it is our position that the de-escalation must be everybody’s priority."

Tensions in the region have ramped up since the start of the latest Israel-Hamas war on Oct. 7, when Hamas and Islamic Jihad, two militant groups backed by Iran, carried out a devastating cross-border attack that killed 1,200 people in Israel and kidnapped 250 others. Israel responded with an offensive in Gaza that has caused widespread devastation and killed over 33,800 people, according to local health officials.

Pakistan's Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar described the killings in Gaza as “genocide” and said that the “world's conscience must wake up” and there should be “an immediate and unconditional cease-fire” with aid flowing into the territory.

Pakistan's Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif earlier met with Prince Faisal and called for closer cooperation with Saudi Arabia to help his cash-strapped nation with investment, a government statement said.

Sharif last week met with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in Saudi Arabia, one of Pakistan’s closest allies and a leading supplier of oil to Islamabad. According to Pakistani officials, Prince Mohammed had assured Pakistan that Saudi Arabia would invest $5 billion in Pakistan.

In July, Saudi Arabia deposited $2 billion into Pakistan’s central bank to boost its foreign exchange reserves.