Jordan will be hosting a meeting with the top diplomats of Arab countries and U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Saturday, amid the ongoing humanitarian catastrophe in the Gaza Strip due to Israeli attacks and blockade.
In a statement, Jordanian Foreign Ministry spokesman Sufyan Qudah said: "The Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs and Expatriate Affairs, Ayman Al-Safadi, and the foreign ministers of the United Arab Emirates, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, the State of Qatar, and the Arabic Republic of Egypt, and the Secretary of the Executive Committee of Palestine Liberation Organization will hold a coordination meeting tomorrow, Saturday, in the context of their efforts aimed at stopping the Israeli war on Gaza and the humanitarian catastrophe it is causing."
The ministers will then hold a joint meeting with Antony Blinken during which they will affirm the Arab position, calling for an immediate cease-fire and the immediate and urgent delivery of humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip, the spokesman added, emphasizing that the officials will "discuss ways to end this dangerous deterioration that threatens the security of the entire region."
Earlier, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told Blinken that Israel would not agree to a cease-fire in Gaza unless hostages held by Hamas were released, after Washington repeated its call for humanitarian pauses in the war.
The Israeli army has widened its air and ground attacks on the Gaza Strip, which has been under relentless airstrikes since the surprise offensive by Hamas on Oct. 7.
Nearly 10,800 people have been killed in the conflict, including at least 9,240 Palestinians and more than 1,538 Israelis.
