United States President Joe Biden, in a meeting at the white House earlier Tuesday with His Majesty King Abdullah II and Crown Prince Hussein, emphasized the importance of the partnership between Jordan and the United States.

Biden’s meeting with His Majesty discussed the ongoing aggression against the Gaza Strip by the Israeli Occupation. “The past four months, as the war has raged, the Palestinian people have also suffered unimaginable pain and loss,” Biden said.

“Every innocent life [lost] in Gaza is a tragedy,” he added, “the United States is working on a hostage deal between [the Israeli Occupation] and Hamas, which would bring immediate and sustained period of calm into Gaza for at least six weeks, which we could then take the time to build something more enduring.”

Biden stated that he has made calls with the Egyptian and Qatari heads of state to push the issue of a ceasefire forward, clarifying that the “key elements of the deal are on the table, but there are “gaps that remain.”

Joe Biden and His Majesty discussed the situation in Rafah, and highlighted that the forthcoming “Israeli” operation in the border area should not proceed “without a credible plan for ensuring the safety of more than one million people sheltering there.”

He reiterated his rejection of any forced displacement of Palestinians from Gaza.

His Majesty King Abdullah II stressed that “the potential threat of Palestinian displacement beyond the borders of Gaza and the West Bank is something we view with extreme concern and cannot be allowed.”

“We need a lasting ceasefire now. This war must end,” His Majesty said.

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The King added that nearly 100,000 people have been killed, injured, or are missing—the vast majority are women and children, warning that an Israeli attack on Rafah “is certain to produce another humanitarian catastrophe.”