Saudi Arabia hailed the pending Gaza truce, but insists on “complete withdrawal of the Israeli occupation forces” from the devastated Palestinian territory. Riyadh paused tentative talks on normalising ties with Israel early in the Gaza conflict and hardened its rhetoric as the war continued.

Negotiators reached a phased ceasefire deal on Wednesday in the war in Gaza between Israel and the militant group Hamas. Here is some reaction to the deal.

Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Tuesday said normalization between Israel and Saudi Arabia is ready to go, but requires following through on ending the war between Israel and Hamas in the Gaza Strip and a commitment to a pathway to a Palestinian state.