By Laith Al-Jnaidi
AMMAN, Jordan (AA) - Jordanian King Abdullah II on Monday called on the international community to support the work of international humanitarian organizations in Gaza, including the UN agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA).
According to a statement by the Royal Hashemite Court, the monarch met UNRWA chief Philippe Lazzarini in Amman and reaffirmed the importance of an immediate cease-fire in the besieged Palestinian enclave, and enabling the work of humanitarian organizations to proceed without impediments.
UNRWA is the main UN agency operating in the Gaza Strip, which is under heavy bombardment since the Oct. 7 cross border offensive by Hamas. The Israeli army widened its air and ground attacks over the weekend, as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced a “second stage” of the "war with Hamas."
Nearly 9,850 people have been killed in the conflict, including at least 8,306 Palestinians and 1,538 Israelis.
The UNRWA says as many as 63 of its staffers have also been killed since then. Nearly 672,000 displaced Palestinian are sheltering in 149 UNRWA installations across the Gaza Strip, facing "increasingly desperate conditions."
Gaza's 2.3 million residents are grappling with shortages of food, water, fuel, and medicine due to Israel’s blockade of the enclave.
Over 30 aid trucks went into Gaza through the Rafah border crossing on Sunday, according to UN coordinator for peace in Middle East Tor Wennesland. "We are making progress on deliveries - more in today," he said on X. "I recognize the role of Egypt in supporting these efforts, along w/ the UN, to alleviate the suffering of people in Gaza."
*Writing by Ahmed Asmar