Jordan, US discuss Gaza war, situation in Jerusalem

AMMAN, Jordan

Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi discussed Israel’s war in Gaza and the tense situation in Jerusalem in a phone call Sunday with his US counterpart.

Safadi “received today a phone call from US Secretary of State Antony Blinken,” said a statement from the Jordanian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

The two men discussed “efforts to achieve a cease-fire and to provide sufficient and sustainable humanitarian aid to the (Gaza) Strip.”

They also discussed the situation in Jerusalem, emphasizing the “need to respect the historical situation in it.”

Safadi stressed the “urgent need to stop the aggression immediately,” warning of the danger of worsening the humanitarian catastrophe caused by the aggression.

The contact between the two sides comes at a time of increasing international warnings about the possibility of Israel moving closer to invading the city of Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip, which is overcrowded with refugees.

Israel has waged a deadly military offensive on Gaza since a cross-border incursion by the Palestinian group Hamas on Oct. 7, 2023 which killed nearly 1,200 people.

More than 31,600 Palestinians, mostly women and children, have since been killed in the enclave, and nearly 73,700 others injured amid mass destruction and shortages of necessities.

The Israeli war has pushed 85% of Gaza’s population into internal displacement amid a crippling blockade of most food, clean water and medicine, while 60% of the enclave's infrastructure has been damaged or destroyed, according to the UN.

Israel stands accused of genocide at the International Court of Justice. An interim ruling in January ordered Tel Aviv to stop genocidal acts and take measures to guarantee that humanitarian assistance is provided to civilians in Gaza.

*Writing by Rania Abu Shamala