RIYADH: Saudi Arabia condemned any ground operations by Israel that may threaten the lives of Palestinian civilians and expose them to more dangers and inhumane conditions, the foreign ministry said on Saturday. “The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is following with great concern the Israeli military escalation in the Gaza Strip as a result of the ground operations carried out by the Israeli army” in the Palestinian enclave, the statement said. The Kingdom warned “of the danger of continuing to carry out these blatant and unjustified violations of international law against the brotherly Palestinian people,” saying “this has serious repercussions for the stability of the region and regional and international peace and security.” Saudi Arabia called on the international community to assume its responsibilities to immediately stop this military operation under a UN General Assembly resolution issued on Friday, “to spare the blood of innocent people, preserve infrastructure and vital interests, respect international humanitarian law, and enable humanitarian and relief organizations to deliver urgent and necessary humanitarian aid to civilians in the Gaza Strip without obstacles.” The statement comes after Israel’s army relentlessly hammered the territory on Saturday after fierce overnight bombardment that rescuers said destroyed hundreds of buildings three weeks into a war sparked by the deadliest attack in the country’s history. It also comes as the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk warned on Saturday that there was the potential for thousands more civilians to die as Israel expands its ground operation in Gaza. (With AFP)