However, Saudi Arabia's response to Israel's attack on Gaza in October 2023 had been relatively muted. Amid the ongoing ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, a new tension has emerged that can affect Tel Aviv and Saudi Arabia's relations.

Saudi Arabia said it would not establish ties with Israel without the creation of a Palestinian state, contradicting President Donald Trump's claim that Riyadh was not demanding a Palestinian homeland when he said the U.

Trump's proposal to redevelop Gaza and oust the more than two million Palestinians living in the territory prompted a global backlash and enraged the Arab world, making it difficult for the Saudis to consider normalisation.