JORDAN WARNS OF TENSION AS TRUCE TALKS PROGRESS

▶ Meetings move to Qatar as US says terms of deal agreed but Hamas denies any breakthrough

Jordan’s Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi warned yesterday of a potential “explosion” in regional tensions if a ceasefire in Gaza is not reached before Ramadan starts in two weeks.

His comments came amid conflicting reports that international efforts to secure a truce had made progress.

“What is happening is a crime against humanity,” said Mr Safadi after meeting Bulgarian Foreign Minister Mariya Gabriel for talks in Amman.

“The continuation of the aggression, with Ramadan around the corner, puts the whole the area in danger of the war expanding and the regional situation exploding.”

Mr Safadi called on the international community to move to end the war.

“We ask our friends in the international community for an immediate move to end this war,” Mr Safadi said.

“Four months of killing and destruction have only produced more tension.”

His warning came after weekend security talks between the US and others in Paris appeared to make progress by securing another round of discussions in Qatar.

Israel, the US, Egypt and Qatar met and agreed on “the basic contours of a hostage deal for temporary ceasefire”, White House National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan said on CNN.

Mr Sullivan made it clear that Washington wanted Israel and Hamas to reach an agreement as soon as possible.

“The United States’ position in this is clear, we would like to see this deal get done,” Mr Sullivan said.

“We would like to see the hostages returned, including

American hostages, and we would like to see a temporary ceasefire which will alleviate the suffering of the people in the Gaza Strip, innocent civilians, women and children.”

Israel’s war cabinet yesterday agreed to send a delegation to Doha this week to discuss a ceasefire and a detainee swap.

But Hamas said yesterday the reports of progress towards a

deal were untrue. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has been evading the “most important demands of the resistance to stop the aggression”, the militant group said.

Mr Netanyahu has repeatedly said the war will continue until Hamas is wiped out.

Jordan, which governed the West Bank between 1948 and 1967, has repeatedly called for a ceasefire. The kingdom has been flying limited aid into Gaza and urged the US, its main ally, to put pressure on Israel to avoid escalation.

Amman has not been at the centre of talks to end the war, which have been mediated by the US, Egypt and Qatar.

The talks seemed to be making progress on Saturday when Israeli National Security Adviser Tzachi Hanegbi said there was “probably room to move towards an agreement”.

But Israeli officials do not expect a deal to stop the army from entering Rafah, where more than a million Gazans have sought shelter.

The international community, including the US, has warned against an assault on the city, which Israel has called a Hamas stronghold.

Earlier this month, Israeli war cabinet minister Benny Gantz said troops would enter Rafah before the start of Ramadan unless Hamas frees all remaining hostages.

Jordanian researcher Hazem Ayyad, a Palestine specialist, said that the offensive could harm Israel’s negotiating position.

Increased tension during Ramadan could encourage more Palestinians in the West Bank to take up arms, putting pressure on the Israeli government and “boosting the negotiating position of the resistance”, Mr Ayyad told