Major stock markets in the Gulf fell in early trade on Thursday due to rising geopolitical tensions in the region, while investors await U.S. weekly jobless claims data to gauge the health of the labour market.

In the Middle East, fighting continued in the Gaza Strip between Israel and Hamas militants, with no signs yet of a concrete breakthrough in ceasefire talks in Cairo.

More than 40,500 Palestinians have been killed in the war, according to Gaza’s health ministry. The crowded enclave has been laid to waste. Most of its 2.3 million people have been displaced multiple times and face acute shortages of food and medicine, humanitarian agencies say.

Most Gulf markets ease on regional tensions

Saudi Arabia’s benchmark index fell 0.2%, also hit by a 0.7% drop in aluminium products manufacturer Al Taiseer Group and a 0.6% decrease in Saudi National Bank.

Separately, the Public Investment Fund (PIF), the kingdom’s $925 billion sovereign wealth fund, said on Wednesday it had signed a revolving credit facility for $15 billion with a group of 23 financial institutions, replacing a previous loan for the same amount agreed upon in 2021.

Dubai’s main share index dropped 0.4%, weighed down by a 0.7% fall in blue-chip developer Emaar Properties.

In Qatar, the benchmark eased 0.1%, with Qatar Islamic Bank losing 07%.

The Abu Dhabi index lost 0.3%.