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Jordan’s king urges intl. action to achieve immediate, durable ceasefire in Gaza

Sunday, 17 March 2024 6:19 PM [ Last Update: Sunday, 17 March 2024 6:28 PM ]

Palestinians break their fast amid the rubble of their destroyed home during the Muslim holy fasting month of Ramadan in Rafah, in the southern Gaza Strip, on March 13, 2024. (Photo by Reuters)

Jordan's King Abdullah II has called for urgent international action to secure an immediate and permanent ceasefire in the Gaza Strip, where thousands of people have fallen victim to relentless Israeli ground and air strikes and severe malnutrition is affecting thousands of children.

During a meeting with visiting German Chancellor Olaf Scholz in the Jordanian coastal city of Aqaba on Sunday, the monarch underlined the need for stepped-up efforts aimed at the protection of civilians, provision of sufficient and sustainable humanitarian aid to Gaza, and its sustainable delivery through all available means.

King Abdullah II warned of the deteriorating humanitarian conditions in Gaza, which require intensified attempts to prevent the situation from getting worse.

He also warned against the dangerous repercussions of halting funding for the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA), highlighting its impact on the Palestinian population in war-torn Gaza, the occupied West Bank, and Jordan.

The king reiterated Jordan's rejection of any bids meant to forcibly displace Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza, as well as any scenario to segregate the West Bank from Gaza.

He condemned the vicious attacks by extremist Jewish settlers against Palestinians in the West Bank, and desecrations of holy Muslim and Christian sites in al-Quds.

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The Jordanian monarch and the German chancellor also warned of the grave consequences of an Israeli attack on Rafah, where 1.4 million displaced Palestinians have sought shelter, emphasizing that the invasion of the area in southern Gaza would further exacerbate the humanitarian crisis in the coastal sliver.

Since the start of Israel's genocidal war following Operation al-Aqsa Storm by Gaza-based resistance movements on October 7, 2023, at least 31,553 Palestinians, including many women and children, have lost their lives. Another 73,546 individuals have sustained injuries as well.

The Israeli military offensive has left a trail of destruction in Gaza, leaving hospitals in ruins and displacing around half of its 2.4 million residents.

Israel has additionally enforced a comprehensive blockade on the coastal sliver, severing the supply of fuel, electricity, sustenance and water to the population of over two million Palestinians residing there.

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