AMMAN - Jordan’s King Abdullah II participated in an airdrop of humanitarian aid to Gaza, in a move highlighting his kingdom’s role in pushing Israel to stop restricting efforts to help fend off illness, hunger and starvation in the war-torn enclave, officials said on Feb 11.

A video released by state-owned Al Mamlaka shows the monarch in military gear on board a plane in the latest mission by the Jordanian air force to drop urgent medical supplies at field hospitals that it runs in Gaza. According to official media, the latest airdrop was on Feb 6.

The air force has conducted 11 airdrops, with at least two conducted with the French and Dutch air forces, to deliver medical aid.

Princess Salma, King Abdullah’s second daughter and an air force pilot, participated in an airdrop in December.

The King, who has been vocal in calling for an end to Israel’s campaign, on Feb 8 left on a tour of major Western capitals. He was expected to meet United States President Joe Biden in Washington on Feb 12 to lobby for an immediate ceasefire.

King Abdullah will prod Washington to pressure Israel to lift hurdles on delivering more aid to Palestinians, saying the obstacles were worsening the plight of the more than two million inhabitants of the enclave who are facing a growing risk of famine, officials said.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, during a visit to Amman in January, commended Jordan’s “role and leadership in providing life-saving aid to Palestinian civilians in Gaza”.

Jordan succeeded in getting Israel to allow the World Food Programme to send deliveries to Gaza through another land route that begins from Jordan, helping to ease pressure on the main Rafah border crossing, which is limited in capacity.

Jordan, which shares a border with the West Bank, fears that the Gaza war could spread, with wider violence by armed settlers encouraged by the army triggering a large-scale Palestinian exodus to the other side of the Jordan River. REUTERS