Jordan’s FM says ‘famine’ in Gaza can be avoided if all Israeli crossings opened

CAIRO, Egypt — Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi said on Saturday that “famine” in Gaza can be dealt with in a short time if Israel opened the land crossings for aid to enter.

Safadi made the comments at a press conference with his Egyptian and French counterparts in Cairo.

Israel blames the ailing humanitarian situation on aid agencies’ failure to distribute supplies, and on Hamas and armed groups who have looted trucks entering the Gaza. The agencies say their work has become far more difficult amid the fighting and a lack of security for aid convoys.

Aid currently enters the Strip after inspections by Israeli authorities at Egypt’s Rafah crossing, Israel’s Kerem Shalom crossing, and a recently opened crossing near the southern community of Be’eri.