Jordan, Egypt unwilling to take Palestinian refugees, king says

Jordan and Egypt will not accept Palestinian refugees amid the war between Israel and Hamas in Gaza, Jordanian King Abdullah II said Tuesday.

“This is a situation that has to be handled within Gaza and the West Bank,” he said in a meeting with the German chancellor, The Associated Press reported. “And you don’t have to carry this out on the shoulders of others.”

Israel’s relentless aerial bombardment campaign in Gaza has killed thousands, including over 1,000 children, Al Jazeera reported. Over a million people — half of Gaza’s population — have also been displaced as food, water and medical supplies run out.

“The whole region is on the brink,” Abdullah said. “This new cycle of violence is leading us towards the abyss.”

There is no way for Gazans to leave the small, 140 square-mile territory except for a single border crossing with Egypt in the south, but the Egyptian government has been reluctant to accept refugees — wary that there would be no way for them to return to their homes.

The Israeli military has continued to fire missiles and artillery at that border crossing in Rafah, keeping it closed for most of the recent days. Israel also reportedly fired on civilians fleeing south, including strikes Saturday which killed 70 civilians, mostly women and children.

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sissi denounced the strikes on the border crossing on Thursday, which have also prevented humanitarian aid from entering the region. He said it is in the best interest of Palestinians to stay in Gaza.

“The threat there is significant because it means the liquidation of this (Palestinian) cause,” el-Sissi said. “It’s important for its people to stay steadfast and exist on its land.”

United Nations experts have accused both the Israeli military and Hamas of committing war crimes in the conflict. Attacks on Israeli civilians at the start of the war killed at least 1,200 people last week.

Messaging has shifted from the White House in recent days, as President Biden followed his initial unqualified support for Israel with calls to consider and accommodate Gazan civilians.

In a “60 Minutes” interview Sunday, Biden said an Israeli military occupation of Gaza would be a “mistake.”

“Look, what happened in Gaza, in my view, is Hamas and the extreme elements of Hamas don’t represent all the Palestinian people,” Biden said. “And I think that … it would be a mistake … for Israel to occupy … Gaza again.”

“But going in but taking out the extremists — the Hezbollah is up north but Hamas down south — is a necessary requirement,” he added.