Jordan king: We will take in sick Gaza children

Jordan king: We will take in sick Gaza children

Jordan will ‘take 2,000 children that are either cancer children or in a very ill state’ from Gaza, King Abdullah II announced yesterday during a joint press conference with US President Donald Trump. Trump has said he intends to… pic.twitter.com/l8IxRaUqZ3

— Middle East Monitor (@MiddleEastMnt) February 12, 2025

Jordan’s King Abdullah has announced that his country will receive 2,000 sick Palestinian children from Gaza, as US President Donald Trump continues to pressure Amman and other Arab states to take in Gaza’s entire population as part of his displacement and redevelopment plan.

In a meeting with US President Trump in the Oval Office in front of reporters on Tuesday, Jordanian King Abdullah II started off by telling Trump that “I truly believe, with all the challenges that we have in the Middle East, that I finally see somebody that can take us across the finish line to bring stability, peace and prosperity to all of us in the region.”

After Trump thanked him, Abdullah said “I think the point is how do we make this work. Obviously, we have to look at the best interests of the United States, of the people of the region, especially my people of Jordan.”

The Jordanian King then stated that “I think one of the things we can do right away is take 2,000 children that are either cancer children or are in [a] very ill state to Jordan as quickly as possible and then wait for, I think, the Egyptians to present their plan on how we can work with the President to work on other challenges”.

The American President responded positively, calling it “really a beautiful gesture. That’s so beautiful. That’s music to my ears.”

While some have since criticised the Jordanian Royal’s move as a form of capitulation to Trump and his pressure, there are many analysts who have praised it as a diplomatic move which succeeded in deflecting attention away from the Hashemite Kingdom while placating the US President. That is particularly at a time when Trump has been threatening to cut off financial aid to Jordan and Egypt if they continue rejecting the expulsion of Palestinians from Gaza.

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