Riyadh suspended normalization talks with the Israeli occupation entity, AFP reported on Saturday citing sources.

"Saudi Arabia has decided to pause discussion on possible normalization and has informed US officials," a source familiar with the matter told the news agency.

This comes amid the ongoing Israeli massacres of Palestinians in Gaza, which have so far, according to the Palestinian Health Ministry, led to over 2,200 martyrs, including 724 children, and more than 8,700 injuries with various degrees.

Read more: US State Dept urges diplomats to refrain from mentioning de-escalation

Washington reportedly urged Riyadh this week to condemn Operation Al-Aqsa Flood launched by the Palestinian Resistance on October 7 in response to the Israeli crimes against Palestinians across occupied Palestine, but Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan declined this request.

The recent operation and the Israeli aggression that followed prompted Saudi Arabia and Iran to establish direct communication channels for the first time since a Chinese-brokered initiative led to the re-establishment of diplomatic ties in April.

Earlier this week, in the first phone call between the two leaders, Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi agreed with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (MBS) jointly agreed on the necessity of ending the Israeli war crimes against occupied Palestine.

Read more: KSA puts Israeli normalization deal on ice amid war on Gaza: Reuters

Related News

'Israel' intensifies raids across West Bank, wounds Palestinians

Al-Aqsa Flood two years on, a tale of victory

On Friday, Riyadh strongly denounced the Israeli-forced displacement of Palestinians in Gaza and the aggression on "defenseless civilians".

The Kingdom "affirms its categorical rejection of calls for the forced displacement of the Palestinian people from Gaza, and its condemnation of the continued targeting of defenseless civilians there," the Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

The latest on the ongoing genocide in Gaza 

In the past few days, the Israeli aggression on Gaza was so brutal and the targeting of entire residential areas was so atrocious that it was described even by some Western media that it is unprecedented since WWII.

The Israeli entity gave on Friday over one million Palestinians in Gaza a 24-hour ultimatum to leave their homes amid warnings of a looming ground invasion of the devastated Strip. The United Nations warned that this would be "impossible" to take place, sounding the alarm on "devastating humanitarian consequences.” However, the IOF announced that the Saturday deadline will not be changed.

Earlier this week, the Israeli occupation government announced that it has imposed a complete blockade on Gaza. It also warned Egypt that any supply truck that tries to pass into the besieged Strip would be bombed.

The United Nations warned that the medical sector is on the brink of collapse. Medicines, medical equipment, and basic supplies will run out shortly.

Israeli airstrikes have also targeted hospitals, as well as medical teams working on aggression sites. Over 20 medics have been martyred so far, and 11 ambulances have been destroyed.

Tens of residential buildings were bombed to the ground while families were still inside them. The United Nations revealed that over 5,540 housing units in the Strip had been destroyed so far, while 3,750 were damaged and rendered uninhabitable.

This forced displacement policy pursued by the Israeli occupation army has left - according to the UN - over 423,000 Palestinians stranded due to the ongoing Israeli aggression targeting their homes and areas.

Israeli crimes, however, were not limited to people sheltered at home, as they expanded to include civilians fleeing the IOF war machine. Palestinian media reported on Friday that a bus carrying forcefully displaced families was targeted by an Israeli airstrike while it was on its way to safer areas. The Israeli crime resulted in the martyrdom of over 70 individuals, as per the reports.