Friday 26 / July / 2024
Gaza: Jordan's King Abdullah II said in a post on X, formerly Twitter, that Jordan's air force personnel had air-dropped urgent medical aid to a Jordanian field hospital in Gaza early on Monday.
"This is our duty to aid our brothers and sisters injured in the war on Gaza," the king said, adding: "We will always be there for our Palestinian brethren."
Last week, Jordan announced that it had recalled its ambassador to Israel and told the Israeli ambassador to stay away in protest at the Israeli strikes in Gaza, saying the military operation has caused a humanitarian catastrophe.
UN agencies, humanitarian organisations call for 'immediate cease-fire'
The heads of 12 United Nations agencies and six humanitarian organizations have issued a joint plea for an immediate humanitarian cease-fire in Gaza, saying the situation there was "unacceptable."
"An entire population is besieged and under attack, denied access to the essentials for survival, bombed in their homes, shelters, hospitals and places of worship. This is unacceptable," the international groups said in a statement.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken kicked off difficult talks in Turkey on Monday, as part of an attempt to assuage Ankara over the bombardment of Gaza.
Turkish media showed Blinken shaking hands with Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan on Monday morning. The visit is the latest in a tour of US diplomacy in the Middle East and the first trip to Turkey since the conflict between Israel and Hamas group erupted on October 7.
The fighting threatens to have wide-ranging repercussions on US ties with Turkey — a NATO member with stakes in conflicts across the region.
Speaking from Istanbul, DW correspondent Dorian Jones said the priority for Blinken's trip is the "containment of this conflict."
He noted that Turkey could play a key role in preventing the war from spreading further, due to Ankara's currently good relations with Iran.
"Blinken will be looking for talks on how to keep Iran out of this conflict and preventing a major, regional war," Jones said.
More than 100 attacks against health care facilities have been reported, the statement said.
"Enough is Enough," wrote UN's emergency relief chief Martin Griffiths on X, formerly Twitter.
Washington's top diplomat will also need to do some smoothing over with NATO-ally Turkey.
"Blinken could face a frosty reception given that there is a lot of frustration in Ankara that Blinken had appeared to be sidelining Turkey," Jones said.
The talks come as fury at both Israel and the West spilled onto the streets of southern Turkey on Sunday, as hundreds of people at a pro-Palestinian protest marched to an air base housing US troops.
Police used tear gas and water cannon to disperse the demonstrators.
On Sunday, Blinken made a surprise visit to the West Bank to meet with Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, who joined international calls for an immediate cease-fire.
The US top diplomat travelled under tight security through the city of Ramallah in an armored motorcade.
