Saudi Arabia will not establish ties with Israel without the establishment of a Palestinian state, the foreign ministry said in a statement, reaffirming that the kingdom's stance is firm and unwavering.

US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth told Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Wednesday evening that the United States regards destroying the capabilities of Hamas in Gaza and Hezbollah in Lebanon as "very important.""Destroying the capabilities of Hamas in Gaza and Hezbollah in Lebanon is very important to us. You have a long memory, and so do we," Hegseth said."We welcome the elimination of the person responsible for killing marines in Lebanon. We released ammunition that had been delayed for a long time," he added.Hegseth noted, "Regarding Gaza, insanity is doing the same thing over and over again. Therefore, other solutions are needed. Here at the Pentagon, we are prepared for all kinds of plans."Additionally, Hegseth said that the United States is "prepared to consider all options" when asked about the possibility of deploying forces to Gaza.

The notion of a US takeover of Gaza was only developed recently, two officials from the Trump administration told the Wall Street Journal on Wednesday.US President Trump reportedly ran it by aides and allies in recent days, and officials outside of Trump’s inner circle were apparently "not aware the idea was on the table during days of planning for the meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu."

Palestine Liberation Organisation (PLO) Secretary General Hussein Sheikh said on Wednesday the PLO rejected all calls for the displacement of the Palestinian people from their homeland, after U.S. President Donald Trump said Palestinians in the Gaza Strip could be resettled in neighbouring countries."The Palestinian leadership affirms its firm position that the two-state solution, in accordance with international legitimacy and international law, is the guarantee of security, stability and peace," the PLO official said on X.The PLO is internationally recognized as the official representative of the Palestinian people.

US concerns about Iran developing nuclear weapons are not a complicated issue and can be resolved given Tehran's opposition to weapons of mass destruction, Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi said on Wednesday, according to Tasnim news agency,The minister's remarks come after US President Donald Trump said Iran cannot have a nuclear weapon.

Israel's shekel was largely flat against the dollar on Wednesday, but its bonds edged slightly higher, after US President Donald Trump said his country would like to take over the Gaza Strip.The shekel was trading at 3.56 versus the dollar, a change of 0.06% from Tuesday's close by 0822 GMT. Israeli and Lebanese sovereign bonds were flat to higher, while those of Jordan and Egypt were flat to lower."Markets are treating Trump's announced intention to take over the Gaza Strip and evacuate Palestinians to neighboring countries with skepticism," said Francesco Pesole, an FX strategist with ING, adding that Trump's comments that the US could deploy troops were "risk-off, oil-positive and dollar-positive, as Arab nations should firmly oppose the move."Israel's economy has largely weathered the war, while Lebanon's defaulted dollar bonds returned around 100% last year as investors anticipated the Middle East conflict weakening armed group Hezbollah.