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Jordan has warned that the Middle East is on the brink of an “abyss” as diplomatic activity intensifies to prevent the war between Israel and Hamas from escalating into a regional conflict.
King Abdullah of Jordan delivered his warning – along with a call for humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip and a refusal to accept Palestinian refugees who may never return home – ahead of a summit with US President Joe Biden on Wednesday.
“The entire region is on the verge of falling into the abyss,” the king said in a statement translated by the federal government at a press conference with Chancellor Olaf Scholz in Berlin. “The threat posed by this conflict is real; The costs are too high for everyone.”
Jordan, which borders Israel and the occupied West Bank, has long feared it could be destabilized by a massive influx of Palestinians.
King Abdullah also spoke, a day after Iran warned that Islamist militias it supports could resort to “pre-emptive strikes” against Israel, and as the Israeli military engaged in a firefight with Tehran’s ally Hezbollah, the southern Lebanon-based militia .
He said accepting refugees was a “red line” for Jordan and for Egypt, which borders the Gaza Strip, the Hamas-controlled territory that Israel is attacking ahead of a widely expected ground invasion in response to the militant group’s deadly attack in bombed this month.
“No refugees to Jordan and no refugees to Egypt,” the king added. “This is a situation that needs to be addressed in Gaza and the West Bank, and the burden should not be borne on the shoulders of others.”
Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi and Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas will also be present at Wednesday’s summit in Amman, while Biden will first travel to Israel to show solidarity and try to influence the conduct of the war take.
The Pentagon said Tuesday that Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin had placed an additional 2,000 troops on the “ready to deploy” order. . . to respond quickly to the changing security environment in the Middle East.”
Biden has already deployed two aircraft carrier battle groups to the region to deter Iran and Hezbollah from escalating the war.
In another signal of international concern, UN Secretary-General António Guterres will also travel to Egypt on Wednesday, a senior UN official said.
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But the Rafah crossing between the southern Gaza Strip and Egypt – the expected transit route for refugees and humanitarian aid – remains closed despite international efforts to reopen it.
Some foreign officials said Israel, which has ordered nearly half of Gaza’s population to move to the south of the enclave, is willing to let people leave the area for Egypt but is resisting the entry of humanitarian aid.
In contrast, Egypt has said it would allow humanitarian aid into Gaza but insisted it would only allow people with dual citizenship into its territory.
Palestinian authorities said on Tuesday that Israeli air strikes killed over 70 people overnight in Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip.
“They are still looking for people under the rubble,” said Youssef al-Aqqad, director of the European Hospital in the city. “We believe we need to start making decisions about which of the injured we will treat quickly and which we will leave behind.”
He added that the bombing took place very close to his hospital.
A convoy of trucks loaded with relief supplies at the Rafah border in Egypt on Tuesday © Mahmoud Khaled/Getty ImagesAmid fears of a humanitarian crisis in Gaza and the risk of the war expanding, Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said Egypt also plans to host a summit of regional leaders on Saturday to discuss the conflict.
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said that at Washington’s request, the U.S. and Israel agreed to “develop a plan” to provide aid to Gaza residents and possibly “create areas to protect civilians from danger.”
“It is vital that aid flows to Gaza as quickly as possible,” he said.
The United States, which estimates that 500 to 600 of its nationals are trapped in the enclave, is also seeking an exit for third-country passport holders from Gaza.
Gaza has been without power for six days and water is running low after Israel cut off supplies following Hamas attacks that killed more than 1,400 Israelis on October 7.
The Israeli military says Hamas also took 199 hostages, calling a video released by the group of one of the abductees “psychological warfare, Isis playbook material.” The video shows Mia Shem, a 21-year-old Israeli-French hostage.
Palestinian health authorities say more than 2,800 people have been killed in the Israeli bombing of the Gaza Strip and that more than 1,000 people are reportedly missing in the rubble.
According to the United Nations, the more than 600,000 people who have fled to the south of the enclave are in “deteriorating conditions.”
The Israeli military said on Tuesday it was continuing operations against Hamas leaders and activists in Gaza and was active on the border with Lebanon in response to Hezbollah rocket attacks and an attempt to plant explosive devices on a border wall.
Jonathan Conricus, a spokesman for the Israel Defense Forces, said the IDF continues to “prepare for increased military operations in Gaza.”
He added: “The aim of this war is to completely destroy Hamas and its military capabilities.” . and to change the situation in southern Israel. . . for generations.”
Additional reporting by Donato Paolo Mancini, Raya Jalabi and Mai Khaled