King of Jordan says Israel-Hamas conflict in Gaza has a heavy climate impact

The King of Jordan stated on Friday that the ongoing conflict is exacerbating the impact of climate change in the Gaza Strip, coinciding with the resumption of hostilities between Israel and Hamas following a week-long ceasefire.

Speaking at the UN's COP28 climate talks, King Abdullah II said that “we cannot talk about climate change in isolation from the humanitarian tragedies unfolding around us," Insider Paper reports.

“In Gaza, over 1.7 million Palestinians have been displaced from their homes. Tens of thousands have been injured or killed in a region already on the front lines of climate change,” he told the audience of world leaders.

“The massive destruction of war makes the environmental threats of water scarcity and food insecurity even more severe," he said, adding, “in Gaza our people are living with little clean water and the bare minimum of food supplies, as climate threats magnify the devastation of war.”

The ongoing Gaza conflict has become a significant topic of discussion at COP28, with global delegations aiming to formulate a new agreement to address climate change.

The violence reignited after Hamas terrorists killed approximately 1,200 people Israelis, predominantly civilians, and abducted around 240 the October 7 attack.

At the COP28 negotiations, Iran's delegation exited in objection to Israel's participation. Ali Akbar Mehrabian, the head of the delegation, criticized Israel's involvement as conflicting with the conference's objectives, as reported by the IRNA news agency.

Meanwhile, Israeli President Isaac Herzog is engaged in discussions regarding the release of hostages at the conference. Concurrently, Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas has withdrawn from a scheduled visit.