Jordanian foreign minister accuses Israel of 'killing prospects for peace' in the region

Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi, on a visit to Russia, on Wednesday accused Israel of "killing the prospects for peace" in the region, as the Israeli government gave the green light to take Gaza City.

"We see the Israeli government not only killing Palestinians and killing the prospects for peace in the region, but also expanding the conflict to Lebanon and Syria," Safadi said during a meeting with his Russian counterpart, Sergey Lavrov, in Moscow.

He condemned a "completely inhumane reality created in Gaza by the Israeli aggression," stating that he wanted to discuss with Lavrov "efforts to stop" the "massacres and famine." "Peace is a strategic objective for all of us. It is the only path to stability in the region," stressed the Jordanian foreign minister.

Although Jordan does not border the Gaza Strip, it is among the countries in the region affected by the conflict between Israel and Hamas, triggered by the unprecedented attack by the Palestinian Islamist group in Israel on Oct. 7, 2023.

Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz on Wednesday ordered the recall of 60,000 reservists after giving the green light for the capture of Gaza City, amid mediation efforts toward a truce in the Palestinian territory and the release of Israeli hostages.

Since the beginning of the war, Israel has besieged more than two million Palestinians in Gaza, who are threatened with famine according to the United Nations, accusations rejected by Israel.

The Oct. 7, 2023 attack killed 1,219 people in Israel, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on official figures. The Israeli retaliatory offensive has killed at least 62,064 people in Gaza, mostly civilians, according to data from the Hamas health ministry considered reliable by the U.N.