The war between Israel and Hamas has exacerbated the challenges posed by climate change in Gaza, where fighting resumed after a week-long ceasefire, said the King of Jordan on Friday at the global climate conference.
King Abdullah II
The war between Israel and Hamas has exacerbated the challenges posed by climate change in Gaza, where fighting resumed after a week-long ceasefire, said the King of Jordan on Friday at the global climate conference.
"We cannot discuss climate change without taking into account the humanitarian tragedies unfolding around us," he stated before the heads of state gathered at the 28th United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP28) in Dubai.
"In Gaza, over 1.7 million Palestinians have had to leave their homes. Tens of thousands of people have been injured or killed in a region already on the front lines of climate change," added King Abdullah II. "The massive destruction caused by the war worsens environmental hazards" in terms of water access and food insecurity in the Palestinian territory, he emphasized.
The war began on October 7 when Hamas commandos infiltrated from the neighboring Gaza Strip launched an unprecedented attack into Israel. Around 1,200 people, mostly civilians, have been killed, and about 240 abducted, according to Israel. In retaliation, Israel vowed to "annihilate" Hamas, which seized power in Gaza in 2007, bombarding the Palestinian territory until a ceasefire took effect on November 24.
This ceasefire shattered on Friday, with Israel resuming airstrikes in Gaza and Hamas firing rockets into Israel. "We cannot... stand idly by as the massive destruction from an ongoing war in Gaza further threatens people and hinders progress," said King Abdullah II.
Israeli President Isaac Herzog is also participating in COP28, engaging in diplomatic efforts to secure the release of hostages held by Hamas, while Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas canceled his visit.
Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz said on Tuesday that the military would never fully withdraw from the Gaza Strip for security reasons and that a civilian-military army unit would be established in the Palestinian enclave.
Prince Faisal bin Farhan, Foreign Minister of Saudi Arabia, met on Monday with Sayyid Badr bin Hamad Al-Busaidi, FM of Oman, to review bilateral relations and discuss regional and international developments.
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said on Tuesday he called Israeli President Isaac Herzog and invited him to visit Australia, expressing his shock and dismay over the attack at the Jewish community Chanukah event on Bondi Beach last week.
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