RIYADH: Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman received a phone call from Japan’s Prime Minister Fumio Kishida on Wednesday. During the call, the two sides discussed the military escalation in Gaza, and the crown prince stressed that the Kingdom considers targeting civilians in Gaza as a heinous crime and a brutal attack, Saudi Press Agency reported. Israel sealed off the Gaza Strip, stopping all entry of food, water, medicine, and fuel to its 2.3 million people following the Hamas attack on Oct. 7. Prince Mohammed bin Salman stressed the need to work to provide their protection. The crown prince also stressed the importance of strengthening efforts to stop military operations and reduce escalation to avoid its dangerous repercussions on regional and global security, peace and stability.