Israel must let displaced Gazans return to their homes, Jordan minister says
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FILE PHOTO: Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi looks on during a meeting with U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, during Blinken's week-long trip aimed at calming tensions across the Middle East, in Amman, Jordan, January 7, 2024. REUTERS/Evelyn Hockstein/File Photo
AMMAN - Israel should allow displaced Palestinians in Gaza to return to their homes, Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi said on Thursday.
Speaking at a joint press conference with Turkey's Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan in Amman, Safadi also said it was essential to end the war in Gaza and avert an escalation of violence in the wider region.
"With regard to the current priorities, they are clear: ending the aggression in Gaza, letting in sufficient permanent humanitarian aid to all parts of the Strip, south and north, stopping the destruction, and working immediately for the return of displaced Gazans to their areas and homes," Safadi said.
The Israeli offensive - launched in the wake of a deadly rampage by Hamas militants in southern Israel on Oct. 7 in which Israel says 1,200 people were killed - has displaced most of Gaza's population of 2.3 million and caused the deaths of more than 24,000 people, Palestinian health officials say.
Armed groups backed by Iran have launched attacks in Lebanon, Syria, Iraq and Yemen in solidarity with the Palestinians. REUTERS