Jordan calls for joint Arab action to stop Israel 'changing map of Middle East'

Ayman Safadi sharply condemns Israeli attacks on Lebanon, Syria and Palestinian land

Jordan's Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi says Israel seeks to change the map of the region to impose Israeli hegemony over Arab world. AFP

Jordan's Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi on Thursday called for "joint Arab action" to confront Israeli threats to redraw the Middle East.

In a strongly worded speech to Arab foreign ministers in Cairo, Mr Safadi said the Israeli government "seeks to change the map of the region to impose Israeli hegemony over our Arab world". A Palestinian representative said Israel meant to eliminate her people from Jerusalem.

His warning came as Israeli attacks killed 31 people in Gaza, according to health authorities. Several died in strikes on Gaza city - where Israel says it now controls 40 per cent of the city as a new Israeli offensive gathers pace.

Hamas said it was ready to agree a ceasefire deal in which it hands over Israeli hostages, after US President Donald Trump told the group to release "all 20" surviving captives. But Israel has shown no sign of backing off.

"The Israeli government openly declares that it wants to change the map of the region. It does not care about international law, nor is it deterred by human values," Mr Safadi said in Cairo.

Mr Safadi said that Israel has destroyed Gaza and "steals" Palestinian land in the West Bank. He added that Israel has also occupied Syrian land and "exploits the pains" of a transitional phase there after the fall of Bashar Al Assad.

Israel's actions in Syria "tamper with its national fabric, violate its sovereignty, and create strife targeting its security, stability, and unity," the Jordanian minister said.

Israeli soldiers gather near the border fence with Gaza as they begin a new assault on its largest city. EPA

He said Israel "continues to occupy Lebanese lands and refuses to implement even what it committed to in previous agreements".

"This is the danger that must compel a reassessment of all our tools of joint action," he said. "The challenge is unprecedented. The threat is to our common security, to the stability of our region, to our interests, and to our future.

"We must work together according to a comprehensive strategy – political, economic, legal, and defensive – that employs all available tools to protect our future and interests, and to protect the region's right to live in just and lasting peace."

Israel says it is protecting its interests by attacking militants in Syria and Lebanon, where its troops maintain a presence. It rejects claims it is committing war crimes or genocide in Gaza, where UN experts say many people are living in famine conditions.

An investigation published on Thursday by British newspaper The Guardian, the Israeli-Palestinian online outlet +972 Magazine and the Hebrew-language news website Local Call claimed that only a quarter of Gazan detainees held by the Israeli military were combatants. Israel denied that.

Pope Leo XIV called for a "prompt resumption of negotiations" over Gaza in a meeting with Israeli President Isaac Herzog at the Vatican on Thursday. Mr Herzog told him the release of hostages is a "first and essential step".

At the Cairo meeting, UAE Minister of State Khalifa Shaheen Al Marar called for mobilising global efforts for the Israelis and Palestinians to return to the negotiating table to reach a just, comprehensive, and sustainable solution to the conflict.

"The UAE is employing its contacts and political tools to pave the way for negotiations between the two sides," he said.

Mr Al Marar called for ending the war in Gaza and delivering life-saving humanitarian aid in sufficient amounts and without obstacles into the Gaza Strip. He also called for ending illegitimate Israeli practices in the West Bank, including acts by Israeli settlers and extremists.

An Israeli minister this week ramped up pressure on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to annex most of the occupied West Bank. Mr Netanyahu himself last month expressed support for the idea of an expanded "Greater Israel".

Greater Israel refers to a biblical interpretation of the nation's territory during the time of King Solomon, which could encompass not only present-day Palestinian territories but also parts of modern Jordan, Lebanon and Syria.

Israel's war has left many Gazans living in hunger and despair. EPA

The war in Gaza has caused a humanitarian crisis across the territory. Health officials in Gaza say 370 people, including 131 children, have so far died of malnutrition and starvation caused by acute food shortages, most in recent weeks.

Israel says it is taking measures to improve the humanitarian conditions in Gaza, including increasing aid into the enclave. Israeli operations in the occupied West Bank have also worsened violence and economic malaise in the area.

Palestinian Foreign Minister Varsen Aghabekian Shahin said Israel was imposing a "tragic reality" on Jerusalem by trying to "alter the historical, religious, demographic, and legal character", news agency Wafa reported. She said Israel was accelerating efforts "aimed at eliminating the Palestinian presence in the city".

Protests in Israel calling to end the war and reach a deal to release the hostages have intensified in the past few weeks. Nonetheless, prospects for a ceasefire and a deal to release the remaining 48 Israeli hostages, 20 of whom are thought to still be alive, appear dim.