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Saudi Aid to Palestine Amounts to $6 Billion in 17 Years

KSRelief General Supervisor Abdullah Al-Rabeeah holds a meeting with UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres in New York. (SPA)
KSRelief General Supervisor Abdullah Al-Rabeeah holds a meeting with UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres in New York. (SPA)
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Saudi Aid to Palestine Amounts to $6 Billion in 17 Years

KSRelief General Supervisor Abdullah Al-Rabeeah holds a meeting with UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres in New York. (SPA)
KSRelief General Supervisor Abdullah Al-Rabeeah holds a meeting with UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres in New York. (SPA)

Dr. Abdullah Al Rabeeah, Advisor to the Royal Court and General Supervisor of King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Center (KSrelief) said that the total amount of aid provided by Saudi Arabia to the Palestinian people over the last 17 years exceeded $6 billion (23 billion Saudi riyals), in addition to the assistance offered by the National Committee for the Relief of the Palestinian People.
 
In a press statement, the Saudi official noted that the Kingdom has provided “ongoing and extensive support” to the people of Palestine, adding that between 2000 and 2018, Saudi aid and development support has exceeded $6 billion.
 
Among the Kingdom’s partners in delivering assistance in Palestine are various UN agencies, the Saudi National Committee for the Relief of the Palestinian People, and national and international NGOs, according to Rabeeah.
 
He added that Saudi Arabia has provided aid to the Palestinian people in several assistance categories, which included development aid, exceeding $4.5 billion, humanitarian aid, nearly reaching $1.1 billion, and philanthropic assistance that amounted to $17.3 million.
 
An amount of $200 million was also pledged by the Kingdom, including $50 million to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), and $150 million to support the Palestinian Waqf Program in Jerusalem.
 
Rabeeah underlined that the most important development assistance provided by the Kingdom was a $263.17 million project to build and renovate housing units in Palestinian refugee camps in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip, as well as Ain Al Hilweh and Nahr Al Bared refugee camps.
 
The Kingdom also funded a $107 million housing project in Rafah (Phase I), implemented through UNRWA, for the construction of an integrated residential city, including 752 housing units for 4,564 people, four schools, a health center, a cultural center, a mall, a mosque, paved roads, street lights and water supply facilities.
 
Phase II of the same Rafah project included 765 housing units for 4,761 people, two schools, a mosque, and electricity and water supply infrastructure.
 
Saudi Arabia’s programs to assist the Palestinians were provided either directly by the Kingdom, or in collaboration with KSrelief’s partners, including international organizations and UN agencies such as UNRWA, WFP, UNICEF, UNFPA, and UNESCO, the Saudi official said.

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Gulf

Saudi Foreign Minister Meets with French Counterpart in Riyadh

Photo by SPA
Photo by SPA
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Saudi Foreign Minister Meets with French Counterpart in Riyadh

Photo by SPA
Photo by SPA

Saudi Minister of Foreign Affairs Prince Faisal bin Farhan bin Abdullah met Thursday in Riyadh French Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs Jean-Noël Barrot, SPA reported.

During the meeting, they reviewed relations and discussed regional and international developments and their implications for security and stability.

Gulf

How Did the Jeddah Summit Support Joint Gulf Action?

The flags of Gulf countries are raised in Jeddah ahead of the summit (SPA)
The flags of Gulf countries are raised in Jeddah ahead of the summit (SPA)
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How Did the Jeddah Summit Support Joint Gulf Action?

The flags of Gulf countries are raised in Jeddah ahead of the summit (SPA)
The flags of Gulf countries are raised in Jeddah ahead of the summit (SPA)

Gulf leaders meeting in Jeddah this week urged faster progress on joint projects and deeper military integration, seeking to reinforce collective security and economic coordination amid heightened regional tensions.

In a statement after the consultative summit on Tuesday, GCC Secretary-General Jasem Albudaiwi said leaders called for accelerating completion of requirements to link all shared Gulf projects, including transport and logistics. They stressed speeding up implementation of the Gulf railway, advancing electricity interconnection, and taking prompt steps toward oil and gas pipeline and water-link projects.

The statement also pointed to studying strategic Gulf stockpiles, while emphasizing intensified military integration and faster completion of a joint early warning system against ballistic missiles.

The direct wording - repeating terms such as “accelerate” and “urgency” - reflected a push for concrete outcomes and highlighted Saudi Arabia’s initiative in convening the summit amid complex regional conditions.

28 April 2026, Saudi Arabia, Jeddah: Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman meets with Bahrain's King, Hamad bin Isa bin Salman, on the sidelines of the Gulf Cooperation Council Consultative Summit. Photo: Saudi Press Agency/APA Images via ZUMA Press Wire/dpa

Qatar’s Emir, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, said the meeting reflected Gulf unity. “Our consultative summit today in Jeddah embodies a unified Gulf position toward current developments and the need to intensify coordination and consultation,” he stated, adding that this would strengthen diplomatic efforts, safeguard regional security and stability, and support development and prosperity.

Extending Gulf leadership efforts

Abdulaziz Sager, chairman of the Gulf Research Center, told Asharq Al-Awsat that the summit was convened in response to conditions facing the Gulf region following the US-Israeli-Iranian war, aiming to coordinate GCC positions and contain its repercussions.

The goal is to enhance efforts to address this crisis and its consequences - security, economic and otherwise - to stabilize the region, safeguard GCC interests and strengthen collective security, he underlined.

Sager added that the summit builds on efforts led by Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and other Gulf leaders, within the broader vision of King Salman bin Abdulaziz to strengthen joint Gulf action, deepen economic unity, and develop defense and security systems toward more sustainable integration.

He revealed that these discussions also addressed reinforcing Gulf unity to better manage current challenges and anticipate future crises.

Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman receives the Kuwaiti Crown Prince Sheikh Sabah Khaled Al-Hamad Al-Sabah ahead of an exceptional meeting of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), In Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, April 28, 2026. Bandar Algaloud/Courtesy of Saudi Royal Court/Handout via REUTERS

Toward independent Gulf decision-making

Sager said the summit is expected to build on the GCC success in confronting Iranian missile and drone attacks, using that experience to develop a comprehensive defense strategy, which would focus on modern armament suited to evolving warfare, training, and external defense partnerships, while reinforcing self-reliance.

Leaders reaffirmed the right of GCC states to self-defense, individually or collectively, under Article 51 of the United Nations Charter, and to take all measures to protect sovereignty, security and stability. They stressed full solidarity among member states and that their security is indivisible, with any attack on one considered an attack on all, in line with the joint defense agreement.

Albudaiwi said leaders praised the “courage and high readiness” of GCC armed forces in defending against Iranian attacks, noting their ability to intercept missiles and drones with professionalism and efficiency while safeguarding national assets.

Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman receives The Emir of Qatar, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani ahead of an exceptional meeting of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), In Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, April 28, 2026. Bandar Algaloud/Courtesy of Saudi Royal Court/Handout via REUTERS

Alternative routes on the agenda

Sager noted that developing alternative corridors to secure energy supply chains will likely be a key focus in the coming period, reflected in leaders’ directives to move ahead with pipeline projects and transport infrastructure.

Political analyst Ahmed Alibrahim agreed, saying the summit statement underscored Saudi Arabia’s role in securing supply chains during the crisis and working on alternative energy routes, including through the East-West pipeline, as part of addressing risks linked to the Strait of Hormuz.

He described the statement as unusually direct. “This is one of the rare times we see a clear and explicit communiqué with firm directives, especially regarding future requirements and open-ended scenarios,” he said, citing uncertainties including potential setbacks in US-Iran negotiations or other serious developments.

For his part, political analyst Mohammed Al-Dossary believes that the importance of the GCC lies in its ability to navigate many crises, including the Iraq-Iran War and Iraq's occupation of Kuwait.

He stressed that the collective consciousness of Gulf citizens recognizes the importance of unifying the Gulf stance to overcome crises, including the current one and the implications of the Strait of Hormuz closure.

Gulf

Saudi Crown Prince Receives Written Messages from Rwanda’s President, Japanese PM

Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud. SPA
Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud. SPA
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Saudi Crown Prince Receives Written Messages from Rwanda’s President, Japanese PM

Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud. SPA
Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud. SPA

Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, Saudi Crown Prince and Prime Minister, received a written message from Rwanda’s President, Paul Kagame, expressing his country's solidarity with the Kingdom in light of the current situation in the region.

The message was received by Minister of Foreign Affairs Prince Faisal bin Farhan bin Abdullah during a meeting at the ministry's headquarters in Riyadh with his Rwandan counterpart, Olivier Nduhungirehe.

During the meeting, the two sides discussed bilateral relations and reviewed a number of issues of common interest.

The Crown Prince also received a written message from Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, concerning relations between the two countries.

The message was received by Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs Waleed Elkhereiji during a meeting at the ministry's headquarters in Riyadh with the Japanese Ambassador to the Kingdom Yasunari Morino.

During the meeting, the two officials reviewed relations between Saudi Arabia and Japan and discussed various topics of common interest.