Riyadh: Amid the Israel-Hamas conflict, Prince Mohammed bin Salman of Saudia Arabia took his first phone call from Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi, Reuters reported.

Until October 7, when Iran-backed Hamas launched a massive surprise attack on Israel, leaders from both Israel and Saudi Arabia had been asserting that they were steadily progressing towards an agreement that could have brought about major changes in the Middle East.

Saudi Arabia, known as the birthplace of Islam and housing its two most sacred sites, had previously indicated that it would not let its pursuit of a US defence pact be derailed, even if Israel didn't offer substantial concessions to the Palestinians in their quest for statehood, as per earlier sources, said the Reuters report.

However, an approach that marginalized the Palestinians could risk upsetting Arabs across the region. This concern arose as Arab media outlets broadcasted images of Palestinians who lost their lives in Israeli retaliatory airstrikes, according to the report.

In the attack on October 7, Hamas operatives killed over 1,300 Israelis.

As of Friday, more than 1,500 individuals had been killed in Israel's ongoing strikes on Gaza in response.

According to the first source familiar with Riyadh's stance, discussions cannot presently proceed, and when talks resume, the issue of Israeli concessions for the Palestinians will need to hold greater prominence. This statement implies that Riyadh has not abandoned the concept.