New York, September 21 (Petra) Minister of Foreign and Expatriates Affairs Ayman Safadi said Monday that more than two million Gazans are trapped in oppression, deprivation and suffering because the international community has failed to use the tools provided by international law against those who violate international humanitarian law.

Safadi said the people of Gaza are being deprived of their right to food and medicine not because aid is unavailable but because Israel is blocking its entry. As a result, aid supplies are expiring in warehouses while their delivery to Gaza remains obstructed, he said.

He added that Jordan had served as a gateway for international aid to Gaza before Israel blocked its entry, reaffirming that the Kingdom stands ready, as always, to work with all partners to ensure an effective humanitarian response.

Speaking Monday at a seminar in New York on humanitarian diplomacy and the preservation of international humanitarian law, Safadi stressed that the international community must activate the tools available under international law to halt escalating violations across more than 100 conflicts worldwide, particularly in Gaza.

During the seminar, which was opened by Queen Mathilde of Belgium, Safadi called for concerted international action to ensure accountability for those who violate international law.

The seminar, sponsored by Jordan, the African Union, Brazil and Canada and organised by the European Union and Ireland, addressed the risk of the international community becoming desensitised to violations of international humanitarian law.

Safadi said that Israel has destroyed 92 percent of buildings and healthcare infrastructure and that more than 700,000 Palestinians have been deprived of their right to education.

Safadi is participating Monday in an event organised by the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), titled "87 Million Lives: Keeping the Promise," which Jordan is co-sponsoring.

On Sunday, Safadi signed a memorandum of understanding with Panamanian Foreign Minister Javier Martínez-Acha Vásquez on the mutual waiver of visa requirements for holders of diplomatic passports.

He met with Foreign Minister of North Macedonia Timčo Mucunski and signed a memorandum of understanding establishing political consultations between the foreign ministries of the two countries.

//Petra// AK