Jordan's foreign minister discusses Gaza cease-fire with German, French counterparts

By Laith Al Junaidi

AMMAN, Jordan (AA) - Jordan’s foreign minister discussed efforts to reach a cease-fire in Gaza in phone calls Tuesday with his German and French counterparts.

Ayman Safadi emphasized in a call with German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock the need for a permanent cease-fire in Gaza and the adoption of more effective mechanisms to deliver sufficient humanitarian aid across the territory, the Jordanian Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement.

He also stressed the need to implement UN Security Council Resolution 2728 adopted on Monday.

The resolution compells Israel to commit to a cease-fire in Gaza during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.

Fourteen countries of the 15-member Council voted in favor of the resolution while the US abstained.

The statement also noted that Safadi had a call with French Foreign Minister Stephane Sejourne within the context of efforts aimed at mobilizing international support for a cease-fire in Gaza and addressing the humanitarian catastrophe in the enclave.

The Jordanian minister emphasized the importance of fully delivering aid to Gaza and stressed that there is no alternative to opening all border crossings to meet the humanitarian needs of the Gaza Strip.

Israel has waged a deadly military offensive on Palestinian territories since an Oct. 7 cross-border attack by the Palestinian group Hamas which killed around 1,200 people.

More than 32,400 Palestinians have since been killed and nearly 74,800 injured amid mass destruction and shortages of necessities.

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

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

*Writing by Mohammad Sio in Istanbul