UAE president, Trump discuss ceasefire efforts in Gaza

United Arab Emirates President Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan and US President Donald Trump discussed efforts to secure a ceasefire in Gaza in a phone call Tuesday, the Gulf country's official news agency WAM reported.

The leaders reviewed “the strategic ties between the two nations across various fields in support of shared interests,” it said.

The call also touched on the recent visit of Sheikh Tahnoon bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Ruler of Abu Dhabi and National Security Adviser, to the US, which resulted in key agreements and partnerships between the two nations.

Sheikh Mohammed and Trump also discussed “regional and international issues of mutual concern, with a focus on the situation in the Middle East and ongoing efforts to achieve a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip and maintain regional stability.”

The Emirati president emphasized the need to provide humanitarian aid to Gaza's residents amid dire conditions. He reaffirmed his country's support for a two-state solution as the foundation for a just and lasting peace in the region and its people.

He also underscored the UAE's “commitment to continuing to strengthen its cooperation with the US in pursuit of their shared developmental objectives and in support of peace and prosperity in the region and the wider world.”

The Israeli army launched a surprise aerial campaign on the Gaza Strip on March 18, killing nearly 800 people, injuring over 1,600 others and shattering a ceasefire and prisoner exchange agreement between Israel and the Palestinian group Hamas that took hold in January.

More than 50,100 Palestinians have been killed, mostly women and children, and over 113,700 injured in a brutal Israeli military onslaught on Gaza since October 2023.

The International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants last November for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.

Israel also faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its war on the enclave.