Biden's Visit to Jordan Canceled Amid Gaza Hospital Shelling

The Jordanian authorities have canceled a quadrilateral summit in the capital Amman, dedicated to the situation in Gaza, which was also set to involve U.S. President Joe Biden. The meeting was scheduled for October 18. This was reported to Al Jazeera by the kingdom’s Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi.

Following this, CNN confirmed that Biden's visit to Jordan has been canceled. “Jordan has decided not to hold the quadrilateral summit that was planned for Wednesday in Amman,” said Safadi, adding that the decision to cancel the summit was made after consultations with Egypt, the U.S., and Palestine. Leaders from all these countries were to attend the meeting dedicated to a peaceful resolution of the situation in Gaza.

Previously, a representative of the Palestinian Fatah movement, led by Abbas, stated that the Palestinian leader had declined to participate in the meeting.

The cancellation of the summit comes against the backdrop of an attack on a hospital in Gaza that took place on the evening of October 17, resulting in the deaths of at least 800 people. The Israeli military has announced that it is investigating the incident, linking it to a failed rocket launch by Islamic Jihad. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stated that Israeli forces did not strike the hospital and that the responsibility for what occurred lies with “the barbaric terrorists of Gaza.” Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas has called the attack an “Israeli war crime” and declared three days of mourning.