Late on Saturday, an airstrike on the Al-Maghazi refugee camp resulted in the death of more than 30 Palestinians and left numerous others injured. Earlier, the Palestinian news agency WAFA reported that 51 Palestinians had been killed in this strike.
Israeli airstrikes have led to civilian casualties in Gaza’s conflict zone, while U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken is seeking additional aid.
Arab foreign ministers, during meetings in Amman, have urged Blinken to push for a cease-fire.
“The entire region is being engulfed in a wave of animosity that will shape future generations,” stated the Jordanian foreign minister.
Israel has also conducted an airstrike on a United Nations-administered shelter, resulting in the deaths of at least 15 people.
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken is currently in Turkey for discussions, where he will emphasize the importance of safeguarding civilian lives in Israel and the Gaza Strip, according to the State Department.
On Saturday, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan expressed his desire for Gaza to become a peaceful region within an independent Palestinian state, following the 1967 borders, with territorial integrity, and East Jerusalem as its capital.
Additionally, Ankara has announced the recall of its ambassador to Israel. Israel had previously recalled its envoys from Turkey last month after Erdogan referred to Hamas as freedom fighters and did not categorize the group as a terrorist organization, in contrast to the United States, Britain, and other Western nations.
During his visit to Amman, Jordan on Saturday, Blinken met with Arab leaders who pressed for an immediate cease-fire in Gaza, given Israel’s military actions, including striking a U.N. shelter and school, resulting in civilian casualties.
Throughout a day of diplomatic engagements, Blinken met with counterparts from Jordan, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Egypt, and Qatar. He also met with the secretary-general of the Palestine Liberation Organization’s executive committee and Lebanon’s caretaker prime minister, Najib Mikati.
Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi, after meeting with Blinken and Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry, stated that although he condemned the Hamas attacks on October 7 and acknowledged Israel’s pain, the war in Gaza must come to an end.
Safadi stressed that the entire region is being consumed by hatred, and this will leave a lasting impact on future generations.
The foreign ministers of Jordan and Egypt called for an immediate cease-fire between Israel and Hamas. However, Blinken suggested that this could be counterproductive and instead expressed support for a pause to allow the delivery of humanitarian supplies and the evacuation of civilians from Gaza.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has indicated that such a pause will only be considered if Israeli hostages are released.
Blinken voiced concerns that an immediate cease-fire might leave Hamas in a position to regroup and repeat actions similar to those on October 7, referring to Hamas’ attack on southern Israel that triggered the latest Gaza conflict.