Most stock markets in the Gulf ended higher on Tuesday ahead of talks between U.S. President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin aimed at ending Russia's war with Ukraine, while tensions in the region dampened investor sentiment.

Trump said he would speak with Putin to discuss a potential Russia-Ukraine cease-fire proposal, which could alleviate some geopolitical uncertainty.

Saudi Arabia's benchmark index <.TASI> dropped 0.8%, dragged down by a 1.4% fall in Saudi Aramco <2222.SE> as the oil behemoth traded ex-dividend.

Israeli air strikes on Gaza killed more than 300 people, Palestinian health authorities said, threatening a complete collapse of a two-month ceasefire as Israel vowed to use force to free its remaining hostages in the enclave.

Meanwhile, Trump has vowed to continue the U.S. assault on Yemen's Houthis unless they end their attacks on ships in the Red Sea.

Despite oil prices rebounding due to heightened geopolitical tensions in the region, these same tensions negatively impacted market sentiment, said Hassan Fawaz, Chairman and Founder of GivTrade.

"These factors could continue to influence the market's general performance."

Dubai's main share index <.DFMGI> lost 0.4%, with blue-chip developer Emaar Properties <EMAR.DU> losing 1.1% and toll operator Salik <SALIK.DU> down 1.2%.

In Abu Dhabi, the index <.FTFADGI> nudged 0.1% higher.

Oil prices rose more than 1% to their highest since the beginning of the month, supported by instability in the Middle East and China's plans for more economic stimulus.

The Qatari index <.QSI> finished 0.6% higher, led by a 4.2% rise in Qatar Gas Transport <QGTS.QA>.

Outside the Gulf, Egypt's blue-chip index <.EGX30> gained 0.5%, with Talaat Moustafa Group <TMGH.CA> increasing 1.1%.

SAUDI ARABIA

<.TASI> fell 0.8% to 11,792

Abu Dhabi

<.FTFADGI> rose 0.1% to 9,463

Dubai

<.DFMGI> dropped 0.4% to 5,149

QATAR

<.QSI> gained 0.6% to 10,461

EGYPT

<.EGX30> added 0.5% to 31,609

BAHRAIN

<.BAX> was up 0.1% at 1,970

OMAN

<.MSX30> lost 0.4% to 4,362

KUWAIT

<.BKP> rose 0.5% to 8,470

(Reporting by Ateeq Shariff in Bengaluru; Editing by Shreya Biswas)