UPDATE - Jordan, Egypt, France discussing cease-fire in Gaza, where Palestinians are in dire straits

CHANGES HEADLINE, DECK, UPDATES WITH JORDAN, EGYPT STATEMENTS

By Laith Al-Jnaidi

AMMAN, Jordan (AA) – Jordan announced on Saturday that a tripartite meeting between Egypt, Jordan and France has begun in Cairo to discuss the latest situation in the Gaza Strip, which is under siege and the target of Israeli aggression.

“The work of the tripartite ministerial meeting hosted by the Arab Republic of Egypt has now begun at Cairo,” the Jordanian Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

In attendance at the meeting to discuss developments in the Gaza situation are "the deputy prime minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs and Expatriate Affairs Ayman Safadi, Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry, and French Foreign Minister Stephane Sejourne."

It added the meeting will discuss the latest developments in Gaza and the efforts made to stop the war and ensure the protection of civilians and the delivery of humanitarian aid.

Meanwhile, the spokesman for the Egyptian Foreign Ministry Ahmed Abu Zeid said in a statement that “Foreign Ministers of Egypt, Jordan and France hold trilateral consultations on the crisis in Gaza.”

“Joint action needed to reach a permanent cease-fire, as well as to deal with the dire human situation endured by Palestinians in the Strip,” he added.

On Friday, the Egyptian News Agency reported that Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry will hold “trilateral discussions on Saturday with his French and Jordanian counterparts at the Tahrir Palace in Cairo to discuss regional developments, most notably the war in the Gaza Strip.”

The foreign ministers of Egypt, France, and Jordan are scheduled to hold a joint press conference at the conclusion of the tripartite meeting, according to the same source.

Israel has waged a deadly military offensive on Gaza since an Oct. 7 cross-border attack led by Hamas in which nearly 1,200 Israelis were killed.

More than 32,700 Palestinians, mostly women and children, have since been killed in Gaza, in addition to mass destruction, displacement and famine conditions.

Israel is accused of genocide at the International Court of Justice (ICJ). 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 Ikram Kouachi