Jordan's King Abdullah meets UK PM Starmer in London to discuss Gaza ceasefire, aid

King Abdullah of Jordan met UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer on Tuesday and discussed Israel's deadly war on Gaza and the deteriorating humanitarian situation in the besieged territory, in a first meeting between the two leaders.

The UK premier greeted the Jordanian monarch in Downing Street, where they shook hands, posed for photographs and spoke briefly with journalists before heading inside number 10.

In a post on X, Starmer said the two leaders had agreed that securing an immediate ceasefire in Gaza and increasing aid into the war-hit territory was "an immediate priority".

"The Prime Minister updated the King on his Government’s decision to lift the pause on funding to the UN Relief and Works Agency, adding that he remained deeply concerned by the trajectory of the Israel-Gaza conflict," a Downing Street spokesperson said.

The spokesperson added that they discussed "the need to restore hope and the viability of peace on both sides", in reference to the decades-long conflict between the Palestinian territories and Israel.

The Palestinian territory has been subject to over nine months of indiscriminate Israeli war offensive, killing at least 39,145 Palestinians since October 7.

A humanitarian crisis has taken hold in the Gaza Strip as a result - with food, medicine, adequate shelter and basic necessities increasingly scarce.

Starmer's push on securing a ceasefire comes as an Israeli delegation is expected on Thursday in Qatar, which has played a key mediator role in negotiating an agreement with Hamas.

Ceasefire negotiations have taken place frequently over the nine months as Israel’s war on Gaza persisted, but have yielded little to no results.

In November, however, a week-long truce saw a pause in fighting and the release of Palestinian prisoners in exchange for Israeli captives.

Over the months, NGOs have repeatedly accused Israel of deliberately hindering aid deliveries to the besieged territory – further exacerbating suffering in Gaza, where malnutrition, food insecurity levels and diseases are rife.

Starmer said that it was "very good" to have had "this early opportunity to this discussion of vital issues of common concern", referring to his meeting with King Abdullah.

"We’ve got a long and shared history. We have an excellent cooperation that I think we can build and progress on," he added.

He also expressed looking "forward to continuing the UK and Jordan’s strong and long-standing security partnership" as well as "the opportunities to further technology, energy and education ties".

London and Amman enjoy friendly relations and strong military ties, with the UK Foreign Office describing Jordan as one of the country’s "most trusted allies in the Middle East".

Jordan was formerly a British protectorate under the name of the Emirate of Transjordan, before achieving independence in 1946. King Abdullah - born to an English mother - and his son Crown Prince Hussein have both been educated in the UK.

Throughout the war in Gaza, Amman has criticised Israel's conduct in the Gaza Strip, while Jordanians have frequently taken to the streets to protest the military offensive in the Palestinian territory, and have urged Amman to break diplomatic ties with Israel. The country's protesters, however, have been subject to several crackdowns and arrests.