Jordan king hails Türkiye's efforts to end Gaza war

AMMAN, Jordan

Jordanian King Abdullah II on Thursday hailed Türkiye's efforts to end a deadly Israeli offensive on the Gaza Strip.

The Jordanian monarch met with Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan in the capital Amman for talks on efforts to halt the Gaza war and assuage the catastrophic humanitarian conditions in the enclave, the royal court said in a statement.

The king “expressed his appreciation for Türkiye’s steadfast positions and efforts to end the war," the statement said.

He underlined the importance of coordinating between Amman and Ankara to end the Israeli war in Gaza.

The monarch stressed the necessity “of pushing for an immediate cease-fire in Gaza, protecting civilians, and delivering relief and medical aid without interruption," the statement said.

He also warned of Israeli escalation in the occupied West Bank, including settler violence against Palestinians and violations at holy sites in East Jerusalem.

“Jordan rejects any attempt to separate Gaza from the West Bank as they are an extension of the Palestinian state,” Abdullah said.

The top Turkish diplomat arrived in Amman late Wednesday for his first visit to Jordan since he took his post in June 2023.

Fidan met early Thursday with his Jordanian counterpart Ayman Safadi for talks on the developments in the Palestinian territories.

Israel has launched relentless air and ground attacks on the Gaza Strip since a cross-border attack by Hamas which Tel Aviv says killed 1,200 people.

At least 24,620 Palestinians have since been killed, mostly women and children, and 61,830 injured, according to Palestinian health authorities.

The Israeli offensive has left 85% of Gaza’s population internally displaced amid acute shortages of food, clean water and medicine while 60% of the enclave’s infrastructure was damaged or destroyed, according to the UN.

*Writing by Ahmed Asmar