Jordan’s Queen Rania slammed the "slow motion, mass murder" of Gaza's children, as the kingdom works to drop aid on the besieged enclave.
The queen spoke exclusively from the King Abdullah II Air Base in Jordan with CNN’s Chief International Correspondent, Christiane Amanpour, where food and relief efforts are being prepared and dispatched to the people of Gaza via airdrops.
Queen Rania discussed the siege on Gaza, condemning Israel for obstructing humanitarian aid and called for an immediate end to war, which has so far killed over 31,100 Palestinians.
“This has been a slow motion, mass murder of children, five months in the making," Queen Rania said when talking about the widespread hunger in Gaza, which she describes as a “man-made, Israeli-made disaster”.
“Children who were thriving and healthy just months ago are wasting away in front of their parents.
“It is absolutely shameful, outrageous and entirely predictable what’s happening in Gaza today, because it was deliberate.”
Jordan began sending aid drops last year with medical aid, with Queen Rania saying they could not "sit idle" as people were hungry.
Queen Rania of Jordan took centre stage at the Web Summit Qatar in Doha yesterday, bringing attention to the critical situation in Palestine and criticising the global response to Israel's genocidal assault on Gaza. In her address, she illuminated the "glaring double standard" in… pic.twitter.com/cjMbPQz4L1
— The New Arab (@The_NewArab)
Speaking about the airdrops, the Queen described them as “resorting to desperate measures in order to address a desperate situation", but said this method of delivering aid will never meet the needs of Gaza's 2.3 million population.
Her Majesty said she was “pleased” to hear of plans to open new access points to Gaza, noting the enclave's reliance on outside assistance.
“I think it’s no coincidence that we’re witnessing one of the most violent episodes of this conflict under one of the most hardline, racist governments in Israel’s history,” she said.
The US military executed a new airdrop of humanitarian aid to Palestinians in Gaza yesterday, delivering over 36,800 meals by parachute.
But the airdrop sparked criticism from Palestinians who called it inadequate and hypocritical when the US funds and supplies Israel’s military… pic.twitter.com/b729Yq0zoN
— The New Arab (@The_NewArab)
“If you want to safeguard Israel’s security, there is no better way to do it than through a just and comprehensive peace.
“Israeli leaders must stop treating the existence of Palestinians as an inconvenient truth, as a demographic challenge, as a [lawn] that needs to be mowed every now and then. Palestinians are here to stay.”
Queen Rania has been vocal in her opposition to the war on Gaza, urging Western nations to end what she calls Israel’s “deliberate effort” to deprive Palestinians of essentials.
The Queen called for a ceasefire in Gaza at the inaugural Web Summit Qatar in Doha as her husband, King Abdullah, airdropped aid over the besieged Palestinian enclave.
