The New Nation - Internet Edition

AFP, Amman

Jordan's King Abdullah II warned on Sunday of a "humanitarian crisis" in the Hamas-run Gaza Strip, urging the international community to help end Israel's blockade of the area, the palace said.

"The world should take swift measures to end the suffering of the Palestinians in Gaza," a palace statement quoted the king as telling EU ambassadors at a meeting.

"If the blockade continues, it would create a humanitarian crisis of destructive results." According to the statement, the king on Sunday ordered the urgent dispatch of food aid and medical supplies to Gaza amid growing concern over the humanitarian situation in the impoverished territory.

"The international community should do its utmost to end this crisis," said the king, whose country is allied with Israel through a 1994 peace treaty.