Jordan to 'immediately' recall Israel envoy over Gaza war

Jordan on Wednesday said it would "immediately" recall its ambassador to Israel in protest at the war against Gaza trigged by the militant group's October 7 attacks.

"Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi decided to immediately recall Jordan's ambassador to Israel," the foreign ministry said in a statement that condemned "the ongoing Israeli war that is killing innocent people in Gaza and causing an unprecedented humanitarian catastrophe".

Now in its 26th day, the conflict began after Hamas militants stormed over the Gaza border killing 1,400 people, mostly civilians, Israeli officials say, prompting a devastating military response that medics in Gaza say has killed more than 8,500 people, two-thirds of them women and children.

The last time Jordan recalled its ambassador to Israel was 2019.

As Israel expanded its operations and sent in ground troops on Friday, Safadi warned it would result in "a humanitarian catastrophe of epic proportions for years to come" in a post on X, formerly Twitter.

In 1994, Jordan became the second Arab state to make peace with Israel after Egypt in 1979. Its population includes more than two million Palestinian refugees.

Since the war began, it has seen several large protests in support of Gaza with demonstrators demanding it annul the peace treaty with Israel and close the Israeli embassy.

On Tuesday, US President Joe Biden spoke with Jordan's King Abdullah II, a key US partner, with the two discussing "urgent mechanisms to stem violence, calm rhetoric and reduce regional tensions", the White House said.

Biden and King Abdullah "discussed urgent mechanisms to stem violence, calm rhetoric, and reduce regional tensions" and agreed it was "critical to ensure that Palestinians are not forcibly displaced outside of Gaza", a White House statement said.

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