Jordanian king, Egyptian president push for Gaza cease-fire

AMMAN, Jordan

King Abdullah II of Jordan met Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi in Cairo on Wednesday and the two pushed for a cease-fire in the Gaza Strip, where relentless Israeli attacks have killed more than 21,000 people in just over two months.

The two stressed their complete rejection of attempts to liquidate the Palestinian issue, and forcibly displace Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza, according to statements shared by both sides.

They called for an immediate cease-fire and uninterrupted delivery of humanitarian aid to Gaza to ease the suffering of the people.

King Abdullah and Sisi emphasized that the only solution the international community should push for is an immediate cease-fire in the besieged enclave.

The visit comes after a meeting between Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry and his Jordanian counterpart Ayman Safadi on Tuesday in Cairo.

Egypt, along with Qatar, helped mediate a weeklong cease-fire in November in which Hamas freed over 100 hostages in exchange for Israel’s release of 240 Palestinian prisoners. Hamas and other groups are still holding about 129 captives.

Hamas has repeatedly rejected any talks on an exchange deal with Israel before a complete cease-fire in the Gaza Strip and the withdrawal of Israeli forces from the coastal territory.

Israel launched a massive military campaign on the Gaza Strip after a cross-border attack by the Palestinian group Hamas on Oct. 7, killing more than 21,000 Palestinians, mostly women and children.

The onslaught has left Gaza in ruins, with 60% of the enclave's infrastructure damaged or destroyed and nearly 2 million people displaced amid acute shortages of food, clean water and medicines.

Around 1,200 Israelis are believed to have been killed in the Hamas attack.

*Writing by Mohammad Sio