A handout picture released by the Jordanian Royal Palace shows Jordan s King Abdullah II (L) meeting with Egypt s President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi in Cairo on October 19, 2023. AFP
During the summit in Cairo, Egypt’s President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi and Jordan’s King Abdullah II reviewed the latest developments of the Gaza crisis, asserting that “Any attempt at forced displacement [of Palestinians] into Jordan or Egypt would be rejected.”
El-Sisi and Abdullah reiterated their rejection of the Israeli policies of “collective punishment, including siege, starvation, or displacement of people in Gaza.
They called to immediately stop the war on Gaza, protect civilians, lift the siege on the Palestinian enclave, and ensure the delivery of the much-needed humanitarian aid.
Both leaders warned that if the war does not stop and expands, it would move the region towards “a dangerous slide” that protends a plunge into a catastrophe, according to the Jordanian statement.
They also reiterated that the Baptist Hospital bombing in Gaza is a dangerous escalation, reaffirming their condemnation of this heinous crime against innocent and defenceless civilians.
E-Sisi and Abdullah reaffirmed Egypt and Jordan's stance on the Palestinian cause, which is based on the right of the Palestinians to establish their independent state on the 4th of June, 1967 borders, with East Jerusalem as its capital.
A four-way summit — scheduled for Wednesday between Egypt, Jordan, Palestine, and the US — was cancelled after the Israeli airstrikes on Gaza hospitals, which killed at least 470 people.
On Wednesday night, El-Sisi had a phone call with US President Joe Biden, where they reached an agreement for the sustained entry of humanitarian aid into the Gaza Strip through the Rafah border crossing between Egypt and Gaza.
Convoys of life-saving aid stretching for miles provided to the war-torn Gaza Strip are still being held on the Egyptian side, waiting for a safe passage, as the Palestinian side of the crossing was subject to 4 aerial bombings by the Israeli side
Following his call with El-Sisi, Biden said around 20 aid trucks will be delivered to Gaza, noting that the process will require nearly 8 hours of coordination, expecting the aid will reach Gaza by Friday.
Israel has put Gaza, home to 2.3 people, under a total blockade and stricken it with rains of airstrikes, killing over 3,500 Palestinians, including over 1,000 children, according to Palestine's Representative to the UN Riyad Mansour.
Israel has deprived the civilians in Gaza of food, water, and fuel; putting the enclave at risk of a humanitarian catastrophe.
Egypt is also preparing a peace summit on Gaza on Saturday, inviting regional and international partners to participate in a bid to de-escalate the situation and protect civilians in Gaza.
Leaders of 12 countries confirmed their attendance, reported Al Qahera News quoting sources.
Those include leaders of Qatar, Turkey, Greece, Palestine, The UAE, Bahrain, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Iraq, and Cyprus.
In addition, the secretary-general of the United Nations has also confirmed attending the event.
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