Safadi, Egyptian, UAE counterparts discuss preparations for urgent Gaza aid conference, war on Gaza

AMMAN — Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi and Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry, during a phone call on Wednesday, discussed the ongoing preparations for the emergency international conference on the urgent humanitarian response for Gaza.

The conference, jointly organised by Jordan, Egypt and the UN, will be hosted by Jordan at the Dead Sea area next Tuesday, following an invitation from His Majesty King Abdullah, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah Al Sisi and UN Secretary-General António Guterres, according to a Foreign Ministry statement.

The event will feature participation from heads of state, prime ministers and leaders of international humanitarian and relief organisations.

Safadi and Shoukry stressed the importance of this conference, which aims to establish practical steps to ensure the immediate, appropriate and sustainable delivery of emergency humanitarian and medical assistance.

They also said that the conference seeks to expedite and organise the process of providing aid, define ways to enhance the international community's response to the humanitarian disaster in Gaza and meet operational and logistical needs and various necessary forms of support.

It also aims to stress the commitment to a coordinated collective response to address the current humanitarian situation in Gaza, maintain aid lines, create conditions conducive to the safe delivery of aid and protect civilians, the two top diplomats said.

The ministers also expressed their aspiration for active participation from the invited countries and organisations, ensuring the conference's goals are met and that sufficient and sustainable humanitarian aid is provided to the Palestinian people, who are suffering an unprecedented humanitarian disaster due to the Israeli aggression on the Gaza Strip since October 7.

The conference will include three working groups that will focus on providing humanitarian aid to the besieged strip, overcoming challenges in delivering humanitarian assistance, protecting civilians and prioritising early recovery efforts.

Also on Wednesday, Safadi and UAE Foreign Minister Sheikh Abdullah Bin Zayed Al Nahyan condemned the ongoing Israeli incursions into Al Aqsa Mosque/Al Haram Al Sharif.

The most recent of these incidents was the storming of the mosque by an extremist minister in the Israeli government, members of the Knesset and other extremists, under the protection of the Israeli occupation forces, according to the ministry’s statement.

The two ministers denounced the Israeli government’s permission for the so-called flag march in occupied Jerusalem, the accompanying aggression against the Palestinians, extremist racist practices and imposing restrictions on access to Al Aqsa Mosque, as well as restricting freedom of access to Al Aqsa Mosque

Safadi and Sheikh Abdullah stressed the need for Israel to comply with its legal obligations and stop illegal and illegitimate measures that undermine the prospects for achieving a just, lasting and comprehensive peace based on the two-state solution.

They also stressed that the entire area of Al Aqsa Mosque, amounting to 144 dunums, is a place of worship exclusively for Muslims, stressing the need for Israel to respect the current historical and legal status of the Islamic and Christian holy sites in Jerusalem.

Sheikh Abdullah stressed the importance of the Hashemite custodianship over the Islamic and Christian holy sites in Jerusalem, praising its role in protecting the Arab Islamic and Christian identity of these holy sites.