Saudi Donations to Gaza Exceed $100 Million

Trucks with Saudi aid to the Palestinian people (Asharq Al-Awsat)
Trucks with Saudi aid to the Palestinian people (Asharq Al-Awsat)
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Saudi Donations to Gaza Exceed $100 Million

Trucks with Saudi aid to the Palestinian people (Asharq Al-Awsat)
Trucks with Saudi aid to the Palestinian people (Asharq Al-Awsat)

Saudi donations to the National Campaign to support the Palestinian people in the Gaza Strip via the "Sahem" portal exceeded $102 million on its fifth day since its launch.

On Thursday, the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, King Salman bin Abdulaziz, and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman issued directives to launch a fundraising campaign on Sahem affiliated with the King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Center (KSRelief) to aid the Palestinian people in the Gaza Strip.

Conditions are worsening in the Gaza Strip under Israeli strikes. The Palestinians need support amid lack of adequate food, shelter, clean water or medicine.

More than half a million donors provided direct financial support to alleviate the suffering in Gaza and contribute to providing the people with the necessities of life.

On Oct. 15, the Saudi Ambassador to Jordan, Nayef bin Bandar al-Sudairi, presented a check for the annual contribution of $2 million from Saudi Arabia to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA).

The contribution will allow the UNRWA to continue providing vital relief services such as food, medicine, and humanitarian assistance to the Palestinian people.

UNRWA Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini lauded the Kingdom for its ongoing support. He said the Kingdom consistently stands in solidarity with the Palestinian people and supports the agency in achieving its humanitarian goals.

Lazzarini stressed the importance of solidarity and support from the international community.

He urged UN member states and the international community to lend their support to the agency's efforts in assisting the Palestinian people, who are currently facing challenging conditions.

KSrelief embodied the Saudi role in supporting reconstruction and development and providing relief worldwide, making it the most significant supporter and prominent source of relief in the Middle East and various regions.

The center provides assistance to 94 countries worldwide, implementing 2,587 humanitarian and relief projects worth more than $6 billion within just eight years of its launch. It targets vital sectors such as food, education, health, nutrition, water, environmental restoration, and shelter.

Saudi diplomacy is exerting extraordinary momentum to mobilize an Arab, regional, and international position toward stopping Israeli military operations in the Palestinian territories and ensuring the arrival of humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip.

Riyadh will host four summits within 48 hours early next week, starting with an emergency Arab League summit to discuss the situation in Gaza, two Saudi and Arab summits with Africa, and a summit of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation countries on Sunday.

The Kingdom repeatedly called on the international community, represented by the Security Council, to assume its responsibilities and stop the escalation, prevent the forced displacement of Gazans, and find a just and comprehensive political solution to the Palestinian cause.

Meanwhile, senior Humanitarian Affairs at the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, Abdul Haq al-Amiri, asserted that Saudi Arabia is in constant contact with international relief and humanitarian organizations, maintaining that the Kingdom has no political or ethnic purposes.

Saudi support and relief programs are established through many official platforms that the government founded years ago, including the King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Center.

The Kingdom focused on rationing support and aid, targeting vital and strategic aspects that benefit individuals and governments of affected countries.



Saudi Arabia to Host Multinational ‘Spears of Victory 2026’ Military Exercise

The exercise will run from January 18 to February 5. SPA
The exercise will run from January 18 to February 5. SPA
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Saudi Arabia to Host Multinational ‘Spears of Victory 2026’ Military Exercise

The exercise will run from January 18 to February 5. SPA
The exercise will run from January 18 to February 5. SPA

The Spears of Victory 2026 military exercise, led by the Royal Saudi Air Force, is set to begin on Sunday at the Air Warfare Center in the Eastern Region.

The exercise will run from January 18 to February 5, featuring broad regional and international participation and highlighting ongoing efforts to strengthen military cooperation and joint operational integration.

The exercise will integrate branches of Saudi Arabia’s armed forces, the Ministry of National Guard, the Presidency of State Security, and the Unified Military Command of the Gulf Cooperation Council, alongside military forces from several countries.

The exercise aims to enhance combat readiness, foster the exchange of expertise in planning and execution, and unify the concept of joint military action among participating forces. It will focus on addressing current and emerging threats, advancing tactical capabilities, and promoting joint operational strategies.

Participating forces will execute joint and combined tactical operations designed to simulate current and emerging threats and to unify the concept of multi-domain joint air operations in an advanced electronic warfare environment.

The Air Warfare Center is one of the region’s most advanced training facilities, providing a sophisticated environment that simulates real operational conditions and supports the development and evaluation of combat capabilities.


Saudi Arabia: King Salman Undergoes Medical Tests

Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud. SPA
Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud. SPA
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Saudi Arabia: King Salman Undergoes Medical Tests

Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud. SPA
Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud. SPA

Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud is undergoing medical tests on Friday at King Faisal Specialist Hospital in Riyadh, the Kingdom's Royal Court said.

“May Allah protect the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques and grant him continued health and well-being,” the Court added.


Saudi Arabia Provides New $90 Million Support to Yemen’s Government Budget

Mohammed Al Jaber, Saudi Arabia’s ambassador to Yemen (Photo : X) 
Mohammed Al Jaber, Saudi Arabia’s ambassador to Yemen (Photo : X) 
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Saudi Arabia Provides New $90 Million Support to Yemen’s Government Budget

Mohammed Al Jaber, Saudi Arabia’s ambassador to Yemen (Photo : X) 
Mohammed Al Jaber, Saudi Arabia’s ambassador to Yemen (Photo : X) 

Mohammed Al Jaber, Saudi Arabia’s ambassador to Yemen, announced on Thursday that the Kingdom has provided new financial support to Yemen’s government budget to cover the payment of salaries for state employees, pursuant to directives from the Saudi leadership.

In a post on the social media platform X, Al Jaber said the support comes in addition to the development projects and initiatives announced on Wednesday in several sectors.

These include the provision of petroleum products to operate power plants, aimed at improving the living conditions of the Yemeni people, as well as support for the government’s efforts to implement an economic reform program to achieve financial and economic stability.

The Saudi ambassador also stated that salaries for all military and security forces affiliated with the Supreme Military Committee will be paid by the Saudi-led Coalition to Support Legitimacy in Yemen, starting on Sunday.

Al Jaber noted that these measures are expected to have a significant impact on society and on Yemen’s economy, which he said will receive substantial support from the Kingdom in the coming period.

Meanwhile, Yemeni Prime Minister Salem bin Breik said on Thursday that the new and urgent financial support from Saudi Arabia, totaling $90 million, reflects the Kingdom’s sincere fraternal stance and its continued commitment to supporting the Yemeni people, easing their humanitarian and living hardships, strengthening economic and financial stability, and ensuring the regular payment of salaries, which the government considers its highest priority.

In a statement to the Yemeni News Agency (Saba), bin Breik affirmed that the government, in full coordination with the Central Bank of Yemen, will immediately begin taking the necessary steps to ensure the swift disbursement of salaries to eligible public sector employees through transparent and responsible mechanisms that enhance confidence in financial and monetary institutions.

The prime minister praised Saudi Arabia’s leading role, under the leadership of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, in supporting constitutional legitimacy and backing government efforts at the political, economic, and humanitarian levels. He said the support reflects the depth of fraternal relations and the shared destiny between the two countries.

Bin Breik added that the government continues to implement its economic and financial reform program, improve the efficiency of public resource management, and work with brotherly nations and international partners to improve economic conditions and restore monetary stability.