Jordan’s king meets US secretary of state, warns against Israeli onslaught on Rafah

By Laith Junaidi

AMMAN, Jordan (AA) – Jordan's King Abdullah II warned Tuesday against any Israeli offensive in Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip during a meeting with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken.

The monarch reiterated the need for an immediate cease-fire in Gaza, the royal court said in a statement.

He emphasized “the importance of taking immediate action to stop the humanitarian crisis unfolding in the strip and protect innocent civilians,'' the statement added.

The king called for ensuring the continuous flow of humanitarian, relief, and medical aid to Gaza and warned against the potential consequences of any Israeli military operation in Rafah.

He warned that “catastrophic effects of the war in Gaza could spread to areas in the West Bank, Jerusalem, and the entire region,” the statement said.

Home to more than 1.4 million displaced Palestinians, Rafah is the last remaining area in the Gaza Strip where Israel has not yet formally announced the entry of its troops to continue the onslaught against Palestinians.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken arrived in Jordan on Tuesday on the second leg of a regional tour for talks aimed at reaching a cease-fire in the Gaza Strip.

The chief diplomat visited Saudi Arabia on Monday on the first top of his tour and he is expected to visit Israel after Jordan.

Israel has waged an unrelenting offensive on the Palestinian enclave since a cross-border attack by Hamas last Oct. 7 which killed some 1,200 people.

More than 34,500 Palestinians have since been killed, mostly women and children, and thousands of others injured amid mass destruction and severe shortages of necessities.

More than six months into the Israeli war, vast swathes of Gaza lay in ruins, pushing 85% of the enclave’s population into internal displacement amid a crippling blockade of food, clean water, and medicine, according to the UN.

Israel stands accused of genocide at the International Court of Justice. An interim ruling in January 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