The conflict has also pushed the kingdom to engage with Iran. Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman took his first phone call from Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi as Riyadh tries to prevent a broader surge in violence across the region.
There would be a delay in the US-backed talks on normalization with Israel that was a key step for the kingdom to secure what Riyadh considers the real prize of a US defence pact in exchange.
Until Iran-backed Hamas sparked a war on October 07 by launching a devastating attack on Israel, both Israeli and Saudi leaders had been saying they were moving steadily towards a deal that could have reshaped the Middle East.
Saudi Arabia, had until the latest conflict indicated it would not allow its pursuit of a US defence pact be derailed even if Israel did not offer significant concessions to the Palestinians in the their bid for statehood.
But an approach that sidelined Palestinians would risk angering Arabs around the region, as Arab news outlets broadcast images of Palestinians killed in Israeli retaliatory airstrikes.
It is believed that talks could not be continued for now and the issue of Israeli concessions for the Palestinians would need to be a bigger priority when discussions resumed.
US National Security advisor Jake Sullivan told a White House briefing this week that the normalization effort was not on hold but said the focus was on other immediate challenges.
Reportedly, Washington had pressed Riyadh to condemn the Hamas attack but said Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan pushed back.
The regional conflict has also prompted the Saudi crown prince and Iran's president to speak for the first time after a Chinese-brokered initiative prompted the Gulf rivals to re-establish diplomatic ties in April.
A Saudi statement said the crown prince told Raisi, “The kingdom is exerting maximum effort to engage with all international and regional parties to halt the ongoing escalation".
The Saudi statement said the crown prince stated the kingdom's opposition to any form of civilian targeting and the loss of innocent lives and expressed Riyadh's unwavering stance in standing up for the Palestinian cause.
Saudi Arabia has been seeking to ease tensions elsewhere in the Middle East, including seeking to end a conflict Yemen, where Riyadh has led a military coalition in a war against the Iran-aligned Houthis.
Asked about Raisi's call with the crown prince, a senior US State Department official said Washington was in constant contact with Saudi leaders.
The official said Washington was asking partners with channels to Hamas, Hezbollah - a Lebanese armed group aligned with Tehran that fought a war with Israel in 2006 to get Hamas to stand down from its attacks, to release hostages, keep Hezbollah out (and) keep Iran out of the fray."
Gulf states, including those with Israeli ties, were worried Iran could be drawn into a conflict that would affect them.
Alex Vatanka, director of the Iran Program at the Middle East Institute in Washington, said the last week showed how the Saudi and Iranian visions for the region diverged.
"The Saudis are still convinced the region, and Saudi Arabia itself, needs to shift toward regional cooperation and economic development. Iran seems to think the priority is to take the fight to the Israelis first," he said.
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