CORRECTS - Jordan’s king calls for unimpeded aid flow of aid to besieged Gaza amid Israeli onslaught

CORRECTS HEADLINE

By Laith Junaidi

AMMAN, Jordan (AA) – Jordan's King Abdullah II renewed Tuesday his call for an immediate cease-fire in the Gaza Strip and unimpeded aid delivery to the besieged enclave.

The monarch held talks in Amman with Swedish Foreign Minister Tobias Billstrom on the latest regional developments and the situation in the Gaza Strip, the royal court said in a statement.

Abdullah emphasized “the need to reach an immediate and permanent cease-fire in Gaza” and called on the international community “to shoulder its responsibilities toward increasing aid to Gaza and ensuring its uninterrupted flow,” the statement said.

He also called for supporting the UN agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA) “to enable it to provide its humanitarian services under its UN mandate, especially in light of the deteriorating conditions in Gaza,” it added.

The Jordanian king also warned of rising settler violence against Palestinians in the occupied West Bank.

Israel has continued its brutal offensive on the Gaza Strip despite a UN Security Council resolution demanding an immediate cease-fire in the enclave.

More than 35,600 Palestinians have been killed, the vast majority of whom have been women and children, and nearly 79,900 others injured since last October following an attack by the Palestinian group Hamas.

More than seven months into the Israeli war, vast swathes of Gaza lay in ruins amid a crippling blockade of food, clean water and medicine.

Israel is accused of genocide at the International Court of Justice, which has ordered it to ensure that its forces do not commit acts of genocide and take measures to guarantee that humanitarian assistance is provided to civilians in Gaza.

*Writing by Rania Abu Shamala