Jordanian foreign minister joins Arab-Islamic ministerial delegation to visit countries to help stop war against Gaza

By Ahmed Asmar

ANKARA (AA) - Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi is set to join an Arab-Islamic ministerial delegation to visit the capitals of the five permanent members of the UN Security Council to gather international support for the immediate halt in the Israeli war against Gaza.

The delegation is formed by the foreign ministers from Jordan, Egypt, Qatar, Türkiye, Indonesia, Nigeria and Palestine as well as the Arab League Secretary-General and the Organization of Islamic Cooperation Secretary-General.

It was established as a recommendation of Joint Arab-Islamic Summit held in Saudi Arabia last week.

In a statement cited by the official Jordanian Petra news agency, the Jordanian Foreign Ministry spokesman Sufyan Qudah said the first stop is China on Sunday.

The delegation wants to gather international consensus on an immediate and effective halt to the ongoing Israeli onslaught against Gaza and portray the suffering of the Palestinian people under the Israeli bloody onslaught.

Qudah added that the delegation will meet with foreign ministers of the visiting countries in addition to other senior officials.

Israel has killed more than 12,300 Palestinians in its air and ground attacks on the Gaza Strip since an Oct. 7 surprise offensive by Hamas. The official Israeli death toll, meanwhile, stands at about 1,200.

Thousands of buildings, including hospitals, mosques, and churches, have either been damaged or destroyed in Israel’s relentless strikes on the besieged enclave.

An Israeli blockade has also cut Gaza off from fuel, electricity, and water supplies, and reduced aid deliveries to a trickle.

Israel has rejected growing calls for a cease-fire until the release of hostages held by Hamas.