Jordanian Foreign Minister Says Israel Responsible for Mass Expulsion of Palestinians

JAKARTA - Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi said at the Munich Security Conference on Sunday that Israel was responsible for the expulsion of millions of people in Gaza, while the death toll of Palestinians due to Israeli attacks on Gaza was approaching 29,000.

Foreign Minister Safadi said his country "should not be responsible for cleaning up Israel's mess" by allowing people to enter its borders.

"What we see in Gaza is a devastating war, mass murder, destroying the livelihoods of 2 million people, pushing people to the brink of collapse, destroying hospitals, killing journalists, medics, humanitarian workers. We have to put things in the right context, " said Safadi, when asked whether Jordan would accept Palestinian refugees, according to CNN, February 19.

Foreign Minister Safadi emphasized that Palestinians, including those in the West Bank occupied by Israel, have rights enshrined in international and humanitarian law.

It is known that Israel said it planned to expand military operations to Rafah, Gaza's southernmost city on the border with Egypt. The city is filled with around 1.5 million Palestinians who have been displaced by the Hamas-Israel conflict which broke out last October 7.

On Saturday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel must enter Rafah to completely destroy Hamas, claiming there was "plenty of space" north of the city for people to flee.

Meanwhile, the Hamas group, international humanitarian institutions and officials and Palestinian residents say that there is no longer a safe place for residents to flee in the Gaza region.

On the other hand, the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) say they comply with international law, do not target civilians, accusing the Hamas group of using humans as human shields in Gaza.

On Sunday the Ministry of Health in Gaza said the death toll of Palestinians in the enclave had reached 28,985, while 68,883 others were injured, citing Xinhua.

The report added that several victims remained under the rubble amid heavy bombing and a lack of civil defense and ambulance crews.