Jordan's foreign minister, top UN official discuss ways to halt Israel's genocide in Gaza

Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi held talks Tuesday in Amman with Sigrid Kaag, the UN Senior Humanitarian and Reconstruction Coordinator for Gaza, focusing on efforts to end the Israeli genocide in the besieged enclave.

The two discussed "efforts to stop the Israeli aggression in Gaza and mitigate the resulting humanitarian disaster,” said a statement from the Jordanian Foreign Ministry.

They also explored ways to enhance cooperation in delivering humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip via Jordan's King Hussein Bridge Border Crossing, which links Jordan with the occupied West Bank.

Safadi stressed the need for an effective international initiative to immediately halt the Israeli offensive and ensure the delivery of adequate and sustainable humanitarian aid to Gaza, which faces an unprecedented humanitarian crisis.

Following the meeting, he said on the social media platform X that “immediate action is needed to end the humanitarian catastrophe the Israeli aggression has brought on Gaza.”

“Numerous UN organizations have warned that little to no supplies are entering Gaza, particularly northern Gaza, where famine is the brutal reality.

“Yet Israel is maintaining the siege. This brutality should not stand. The aggression has to end. Supplies must be allowed into Gaza. UN organizations must have full access to receive and distribute aid,” Safadi wrote.

He noted that “the Israeli government has taken the Palestinian people and international law hostage,” adding that “failure by the international community to act has allowed Israel to violate international law and use starvation as a method of war.”

The blockade has led to widespread famine, especially in northern Gaza, intensifying as winter approaches. The humanitarian crisis affects all areas of the Gaza Strip, with approximately 2 million displaced residents -- most of them sheltering in tents -- enduring dire conditions.

Israel has continued a genocidal war against the Gaza Strip since a cross-border attack by the Palestinian group Hamas in October last year, killing nearly 44,000 people and injuring more than 104,000.

Israel also faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its actions in Gaza.