Her Majesty Queen Rania described the current situation in Gaza as deeply disgraceful and appalling, characterizing the famine currently experienced by Gaza's residents as a tragedy deliberately engineered by Israel.

 

Her comments came during an interview conducted on Monday evening with the American news network CNN, led by journalist Christiane Amanpour via satellite from King Abdullah II Air Base. Prior to the interview, Queen Rania was briefed on the preparations for food and relief aid intended for Gaza residents, set to be airlifted directly to the area.

 

Reflecting on the commencement of the holy month of Ramadan, traditionally a time for family gatherings and communal meals, Queen Rania pondered the stark contrast for the people of Gaza, who endure hunger and thirst in makeshift shelters, mourning lost lives and the lifestyle they enjoyed just a few months prior.

 

She added that since the onset of the conflict, Israel has systematically severed essential lifelines for Gazans, including access to food, fuel, shelter, medicine, and water, leaving the population entirely dependent on external aid. Israel has not only rejected and delayed much of this aid but has also targeted aid convoys and individuals attempting to access scarce resources.

 

Her Majesty stressed that in Northern Gaza, people are not merely on the brink of famine; they are succumbing to starvation, with vulnerable groups such as the elderly, wounded, and children bearing the brunt. The situation has resulted in a heartbreaking rise in cases of malnutrition and dehydration, threatening to escalate across the region unless urgent action is taken.

 

“This has been a slow mass killing of children for five months,” she said, adding that children who were healthy and developing normally a few months ago are now dying before their parents' eyes. "Starvation is a slow, cruel and very painful death. Imagine that you are a mother or father, and you have to go through this, you have to watch your child suffer and you are unable to do anything to help."

 

Queen Rania emphasized the urgent need for an immediate ceasefire, underscoring Jordan's decision to initiate airdrops as a response to Israel's refusal to open land access points. However, she stressed that airdrops alone are insufficient and must not serve as an excuse for the international community to neglect their responsibility to ensure a sustainable ceasefire and open access points to Gaza.

 

She called on the international community to intervene decisively, noting that Israel's evasion of accountability has undermined the credibility of many Western countries. While acknowledging some countries' changing stances and the global solidarity witnessed, she highlighted a growing divide between people and their leaders, as people have questioned when governments would take more decisive action.

 

Addressing Israel's recent decision to build new settlements, Queen Rania underscored the urgency of holding Israel accountable for its violations of international law, warning that continued impunity only emboldens such actions and jeopardizes the prospects for a viable Palestinian state.

 

Her Majesty emphasized the importance for many to gain a deeper understanding of this conflict, urging them to grasp its complexities and recognize it as one of the greatest injustices in history. She stressed the necessity for comprehending the root cause of the issue, emphasizing that this conflict did not originate on October 7th but is the result of years of occupation, settlement expansion, human rights violations, and disregard for international law.

 

Blame was directed by Her Majesty towards the hardline Israeli leaders for perpetuating their people's constant state of fear of an unreal existential threat, leading them to believe that simply killing Palestinians and Hamas would resolve the problem.

 

The true solution to the problem, she stated, lies in ending the occupation, as Palestinians do not hate Israelis because of their identity but because of their actions towards them. She pointed out that the only way to ensure Israel's security is through a just and comprehensive peace, emphasizing that no army in the world, not even the strongest, or the most professional intelligence agencies, can guarantee that as much as a just and comprehensive peace can.