AMMAN — In the presence of Her Majesty Queen Rania, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates Ayman Safadi on Wednesday co-chaired a high-level ministerial meeting titled “Call to Action for the Children of Palestine in the West Bank and Gaza,” held on the sidelines of the 80th UN General Assembly high-level week.

 

Safadi co-chaired the meeting alongside Belgian Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs, European Affairs and Development Cooperation Maxime Prevot and European Commissioner for Equality and Crisis Management Hadja Lahbib.

 

Opening his remarks, Safadi called on participants to observe a minute of silence for the children of Gaza. “For the children buried under the rubble of homes destroyed by Israel, for the hungry infants fading in front of helpless mothers, and for the children robbed of their dreams, I ask you to stand in silence,” he said.

 

“Israel is committing genocide in Gaza,” Safadi said, adding, “It is starving 2.3 million Palestinians and turning Gaza into a wasteland. Children’s lives are becoming horror stories, told in the trembling voice of Hind Rajab, who pleaded for help after Israel killed her entire family, firing more than 340 bullets at their car before silencing her forever.”

 

He recounted other tragedies, including the case of Israa, who watched her five-month-old daughter Zeinab die of starvation before reaching a hospital, and Mariam, 10, and her three-year-old brother, who were reportedly tortured and tied to an olive tree by settlers in the West Bank. “These stories should have moved the world to act,” he said. “Sadly, there are thousands more.”

 

Safadi noted that Israel has killed or injured more than 60,000 children in Gaza, including over 1,000 infants under the age of one. “Those not killed by bullets are dying of hunger. One child is killed every hour, with 147 children already dead from hunger and malnutrition. This is the horrific reality for Palestinian children in Gaza,” he stressed.

 

He added that in the West Bank, 212 children have been killed and 1,422 injured over the past two years. “This is a reality we cannot, and must not, allow to continue,” he said.

 

Urging collective international action to end what he described as Israel’s impunity, Safadi said: “Unless we act, Palestinian children’s dreams will keep being destroyed and their future stolen. We must move based on our shared human values, uphold international law, and make clear that Israel is not above the law.”

 

Safadi recalled that Jordan, Belgium and the EU launched the “Call to Action” initiative last year, which has since been joined by 71 countries. “This is a cry for Palestinian children’s right to live, learn, play and hope,” he said, urging all UN members to stand for justice and support Palestinians’ right to life.

 

The initiative, launched in 2024, seeks to highlight the suffering of Palestinian children, mobilise humanitarian support, and strengthen international responses in their favour.