BEIRUT, October 19. /TASS/. Jordan's King Abdullah II and Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi believe that the current round of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict may turn into a catastrophe for the entire Middle East, the Jordanian news agency Petra reported.

According to the report, the two leaders held talks in Cairo where they said that "the continuation of the war, the expansion and the exacerbation of its consequences will lead to the entire region being in a dangerous situation that could turn into a catastrophe for it."

According to the news agency, the leaders called for an immediate cessation of hostilities, the adoption of measures to protect the civilian population in the Gaza Strip, the lifting of the siege and the delivery of humanitarian aid to the enclave. They also stated it is necessary to respect the legitimate rights of the Palestinian people to establish their own state, with East Jerusalem as its capital.

Abdullah II and El-Sisi also strongly condemned the shelling of a hospital in Gaza, calling it a "heinous crime against innocent and defenseless people".

The situation in the Middle East sharply escalated following an incursion of Hamas militants from the Gaza Strip into Israel on October 7. Hamas regards the attack as a response to Israeli actions against the Al-Aqsa Mosque on Jerusalem's Temple Mount. Israel has declared a complete siege of the Gaza Strip and has started delivering strikes on that area and parts of Lebanon and Syria. Clashes are also taking place in the West Bank.