MOSCOW: Jordan’s foreign minister declared on Wednesday that Israel’s military assault on Gaza has resulted in massacres and widespread starvation while systematically destroying any possibility for regional peace.
His statement followed Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz authorising plans to capture Gaza City, a densely populated urban area housing hundreds of thousands of Palestinians in the northern part of the territory.
The United Nations confirms that most of Gaza’s population has been displaced since the conflict began, with many families forced to relocate multiple times.
Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi addressed Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov during their Moscow meeting by expressing hope to discuss efforts to end the aggression on Gaza, and the massacres and starvation that it is creating.
He further emphasised the destructive impact of illegal measures that continue to undermine the two-state solution and kill all prospects for peace in the region.
Safadi acknowledged Russia’s diplomatic stance by telling Lavrov we value your clear position against the war and your demand for reaching a permanent ceasefire.
Israel maintains that its military does not target civilians and denies implementing any policy of starvation within Gaza.
The Israeli government’s expansion of military operations has provoked widespread international condemnation and sparked significant domestic protests.
Hamas’s October 2023 attack on Israel resulted in the deaths of 1,219 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on official figures.
Israel’s offensive has killed at least 62,064 Palestinians, most of them civilians, according to figures from the health ministry in Hamas-run Gaza, which the United Nations considers reliable. – AFP
