“What is the mandate of security forces inside Gaza? And we hope that it is peacekeeping, because if it's peace enforcing, nobody will want to touch that,” King Abdullah said in an exclusive interview with BBC Panorama.

According to the Trump administration’s 20-point peace plan, Arab states and international partners are expected to commit stabilisation forces to Gaza. These troops would train and support vetted Palestinian police units and coordinate with Jordan and Egypt, both of which have long-standing experience in regional security affairs.

"Peacekeeping is that you're sitting there supporting the local police force, the Palestinians, which Jordan and Egypt are willing to train in large numbers, but that takes time. If we're running around Gaza on patrol with weapons, that's not a situation that any country would like to get involved in."

The King's comments reflect concern from the US and other nations about being dragged into a continuing conflict between Hamas and Israel, or Hamas and other Palestinian groups.

King Abdullah said he would not send Jordanian forces into Gaza because his country was "too close politically" to the situation. More than half of Jordan's population is of Palestinian descent, and over decades, the country has taken in 2.3 million Palestinian refugees fleeing earlier wars with Israel – the largest number in the region.

Asked if he trusted Hamas to keep its promise to give up any political role in Gaza, he replied, "I don't know them, but those that are working extremely close to them – Qatar and Egypt – feel very, very optimistic that they will abide by that.

"If we don't solve this problem, if we don't find a future for Israelis and Palestinians and a relationship between the Arab and Muslim world and Israel, we're doomed."

The main mediation efforts during the war have been carried out by Qatar and Egypt working with the United States.

The Jordanians have been part of an international effort trying to deliver aid to Gaza and evacuate sick and wounded children. The King has flown over the territory on three missions, parachuting aid supplies.

"Looking over the back ramp was just shocking," he said. "The devastation of that part of Gaza was just a shock to me.

"I've seen it myself, and how we, as the international community, are allowing this to happen is mind-boggling."

The King asked for President Trump's support to evacuate 2,000 seriously ill Palestinian children from Gaza. In a White House meeting with the Jordanian monarch in February, Trump called it a "beautiful gesture".

Since then, 253 children have been evacuated to Jordan. In all, more than 5,000 have been medically evacuated, most to Egypt, the United Arab Emirates and Qatar. More than 15,000 Gazans are still awaiting evacuation, including about 3,000 children, according to the World Health Organization.

Source: BBC