"This is our duty to aid our brothers and sisters injured in the war on Gaza. We will always be there for our Palestinian brethren," he said.
Jordanian Government Communications Minister Muhannad Mubaidin said "a lot of complicated logistics" were required to carry out the operation to the healthcare facility in the enclave. The field hospital is located in a "difficult area that sees fierce fighting," and the government holds Israel accountable for any harm to the facility, he said.
"Israel is striking the surroundings of hospitals in Gaza and Jordan has made it clear since the beginning of the conflict that its field hospital will remain," the minister said, adding: "They [Israelis] have been notified about that." He also said that the aid was "tons of medical supplies," reiterating Jordan's call for an end to the war on Gaza and the delivery of relief aid to the besieged coastal enclave.
Jordan officials claim that its field hospital was facing an "existential" threat first due to the lack of supplies and Palestinians' inability to reach the facility as a result of the heavy bombardment. But Abdullah reaffirmed that the hospital would continue operating despite its difficulties.
Our fearless air force personnel air-dropped at midnight urgent medical aid to the Jordanian field hospital in Gaza. This is our duty to aid our brothers and sisters injured in the war on Gaza. We will always be there for our Palestinian brethren pic.twitter.com/HOWI2VL7hL
— ??????? ?? ?????? (@KingAbdullahII) November 5, 2023
Meanwhile, Israeli media quoted a military statement saying on Monday that it had "coordinated" with Jordan to air-drop vital medical supplies to a Jordanian hospital in Gaza, which has been under constant Israeli bombardment for nearly a month. "The medical staff will use the equipment for patients," the Israeli military said. (Related: WAR CRIMES: Israeli jets strike Turkish-run cancer center, severely disrupting healthcare services for Gazans.)
Last week, Jordan recalled its ambassador in Tel Aviv in protest against the "unprecedented humanitarian catastrophe" Israel has caused in Gaza. Foreign Minister Ayman Al-Safadi told envoy Rasan al-Majali to return to Amman "as an expression of Jordan's position of rejection and condemnation of the raging Israeli war on Gaza," according to a statement released by the country's foreign ministry.
The Arab nation's airdropping of supplies came as United States Secretary of State Antony Blinken arrived in Turkey as part of a high-stakes diplomatic tour of the region, following visits to Israel, the occupied West Bank, Jordan, and Iraq.
Queen Rania: Being pro-Palestinian is not tantamount to being 'antisemitic'
For Queen Rania Al Abdullah of Jordan, supporting the protection of Palestinian lives does not equate to being antisemitic or pro-terrorism as she called for a ceasefire in Israel's war against Hamas. "Let me be very, very clear. Being pro-Palestinian is not being antisemitic, being pro-Palestinian does not mean you are pro-Hamas or pro-terrorism," Rania told CNN's Becky Anderson on Sunday. "What we've seen in recent years is the charge of antisemitism being weaponized to silence any criticism of Israel." She added that she wants to absolutely and wholeheartedly condemn antisemitism and Islamophobia but she wants to remind everyone that Israel does not represent all the Jewish people around the world.
"Israel is a state and is alone responsible for its own crimes," the queen said and further questioned how many more people must die before "our global conscience awakes." "All they want to hear is apologies from Palestinians. You're being bombed, that's your fault," she said. "You're being starved, that's your fault. You dare be born in the occupied territories, that's your fault… It's been unbearable to watch the avalanche of human suffering."
She also stated that those who are against the ceasefire argue that it will help Hamas but she feels that in that argument, "they are inherently dismissing the death, in fact, even endorsing and justifying the death of thousands of civilians, and that is just morally reprehensible."
U.S. President Joe Biden reportedly discussed a "tactical pause" and possible hostage releases in a phone call with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday, reiterating his support for Israel while emphasizing that it must protect civilians, the White House said. But no apparent agreement was reached as National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby said the administration considered the parties to still be at the "beginning of this conversation."
But in a recent interview with ABC News's "World News Tonight," Netanyahu rejected the idea of a ceasefire in Gaza unless hostages are released. "There'll be no ceasefire, general ceasefire, in Gaza without the release of our hostages," Netanyahu told the host. "As far as tactical little pauses, an hour here, an hour there. We've had them before, I suppose, will check the circumstances to enable goods, humanitarian goods to come in, or our hostages, individual hostages to leave. But I don't think there's going to be a general ceasefire."
Also, Israel's Ambassador to the United Nations Gilad Erdan said on Sunday that no pause was needed because "there's no humanitarian crisis."
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