Jordan's king condemns ‘unprecedented,' ‘unjustified’ Israeli atrocities in Gaza at UN session

By Laith Al Junaidi

AMMAN, Jordan (AA) - Jordan's King Abdullah II condemned Israel's actions in Gaza on Tuesday as “unprecedented atrocities” that cannot be justified.

His remarks came during the opening session of the 79th UN General Assembly in New York.

“Over the past quarter-century, I have stood at this podium amidst regional conflicts, global upheavals and humanitarian crises that have profoundly tested our global community,” he said, according to a statement by the Royal Court.

“It often feels that there was not a moment when our world was not in turmoil. And yet, I cannot recall a time of greater peril than this,” he said.

The King noted that “For nearly a year, the sky-blue flag flying over UN shelters and schools in Gaza has been powerless to protect innocent civilians from Israeli military bombardment.”

“UN aid trucks sit motionless just miles away from starving Palestinians. Humanitarian workers who proudly wear the emblem of this institution are disparaged and targeted. And the rulings of the UN’s International Court of Justice are defied, its opinions disregarded,” he said.

“The attacks of Oct. 7 on Israeli civilians last year were condemned by countries all over the world, including Jordan, but the unprecedented scale of terror unleashed on Gaza since that day is beyond any justification,” said the Jordanian monarch. “Israel has killed more children, more journalists, more aid workers, and more medical personnel in the Gaza Strip than any other war in recent memory.”

The UN General Assembly session, gathering world leaders, is set to continue until Sept. 30.

Israel has continued its brutal offensive on Gaza since a Hamas attack last October despite a UN Security Council resolution demanding an immediate cease-fire.

Nearly 41,500 people, mostly women and children, have since been killed and around 96,100 injured, according to local health authorities.

The Israeli onslaught has displaced almost the entire population of the territory amid an ongoing blockade that has led to severe shortages of food, clean water, and medicine.​​​​​​​

Israel faces accusations of genocide for its actions in Gaza at the International Court of Justice.

*Writing by Mohammad Sio