RIYADH: Saudi Arabia’s foreign minister Faisal bin Farhan received a phone call from US secretary of State Antony Blinken on Saturday morning. The two discussed the situation in Gaza and the exchange deal proposed by US president Joe Biden. During the call, the minister expressed Saudi Arabia’s support for all efforts aimed at an immediate ceasefire, the complete withdrawal of the Israeli occupation forces and the provision of urgent aid to civilians. سمو وزير الخارجية الأمير #فيصل_بن_فرحان @FaisalbinFarhan يتلقى اتصالاً هاتفياً من معالي وزير خارجية الولايات المتحدة الأمريكية السيد أنتوني بلينكن pic.twitter.com/FH8ti6lr52 — وزارة الخارجية (@KSAMOFA) June 1, 2024 The US president on Friday detailed a three-phase deal proposed by Israel to Hamas militants that he says would lead to the release of the remaining hostages in Gaza and could end the grinding, nearly 8-month-old Middle East war. Biden said the first phase of the proposed deal would would last for six weeks and would include a “full and complete ceasefire,” a withdrawal of Israeli forces from all populated areas of Gaza and the release of a number of hostages, including women, the elderly and the wounded, in exchange for the release of hundreds of Palestinian prisoners. The second phase would include the release of all remaining living hostages, including male soldiers, and Israeli forces would withdraw from Gaza. The third phase calls for the start of a major reconstruction of Gaza, which faces decades of rebuilding from devastation caused by the war. – with AP