Saudi defense minister Prince Khalid bin Salman met US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan in Washington DC on Monday as the war between Israel and Hamas intensifies and civilian deaths mount.

The pair affirmed “the urgent need to increase humanitarian assistance for the people of Gaza,” according to a readout issued by the White House.

They emphasized the need to find a sustainable peace between the Palestinians and the Israelis, building on Saudi-US efforts over recent months.

The Israeli military began moving ground troops into Gaza over the weekend, supported by air cover, as calls for a halt to the fighting intensify. Tel Aviv has vowed to destroy Hamas after the group waged a multi-pronged attack inside Israel killing over 1,400, mostly civilians. Israel has spent weeks bombarding the heavily populated Gaza Strip leaving over 8,000 people, mostly civilians, dead.

Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and Joe Biden shared a call on the situation in the Palestinian enclave in a call last week. The crown prince called on the US to work immediately to discuss ways to stop the Israeli military operations that have claimed innocent lives.

Prince Khalid and Sullivan “affirmed the importance of deterring any state or non-state actor from seeking to expand the conflict.”

The Biden advisor welcomed Prince Khalid, who arrived in the US capital on Monday, and his accompanying delegation and discussed “ongoing efforts to strengthen the defense partnership between the United States and Saudi Arabia, which for decades has served as a cornerstone for regional stability and deterrence,” the statement said.

The pair also discussed the situation in Yemen. “Mr. Sullivan welcomed the significant de-escalation of the conflict over the past year and a half and endorsed Saudi-led efforts to bring the war to a close altogether.”