Top Jordanian, US diplomats discuss Gaza cease-fire

By Laith Al-Junaidi

AMMAN, Jordan (AA) - Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi and US Secretary of State Antony Blinken have discussed cease-fire efforts in the Gaza Strip and details of the proposal announced by President Joe Biden to halt the war.

In a statement, the Jordanian Foreign Ministry said that on Friday, the two officials discussed "efforts to achieve an immediate ceasefire, deliver immediate and adequate aid to the Gaza Strip, and negotiate a prisoner exchange deal through Egyptian, Qatari, and American mediation."

Safadi emphasized "the urgent need to halt the aggression against Gaza and immediately end the resulting humanitarian catastrophe, open all crossings to allow the entry of aid, enable UN organizations to distribute it, and hold Israel accountable to international law.”

Blinken informed his Jordanian counterpart of the details of the proposal announced by US President Joe Biden to finalize a hostage exchange deal, mediated by the United States, Egypt, and Qatar, according to the same statement.

Safadi indicated that his country supports the efforts made by the mediators to reach an exchange deal “as soon as possible.”

He stressed "the need to seriously consider any proposal that achieves a permanent ceasefire, ends the suffering of the Palestinian people in Gaza, ensures the return of the displaced to their homes, and calls for the withdrawal of Israeli occupation forces from Gaza."

Biden said on Friday that Israel presented the Palestinian resistance group Hamas with a three-phase deal that would end hostilities in the besieged Gaza Strip and secure the release of hostages held in the coastal enclave.

The US president appealed to Hamas to accept the deal and urged Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to stave off pressure from the members of his governing coalition who are opposed to the plan.

Nearly 36,300 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza since Israel began its onslaught nearly eight months ago. The majority of those killed have been women and children, with more than 82,000 others injured, according to local health authorities.

The Hamas-led Oct. 7 attack killed less than 1,200 people.

Vast swathes of Gaza lay in ruins amid Israel's crippling blockade of food, clean water, and medicine.

Israel is accused of genocide at the International Court of Justice, which in its latest ruling has ordered Tel Aviv to immediately halt its operation in Rafah where more than 1 million Palestinians had sought refuge from the war.

* Writing by Ikram Kouachi