Israel-Hamas war rages as Palestinian death toll in Gaza rises from attacks

Queen Rania al Abdullah of Jordan, who is of Palestinian descent, on Wednesday gave her response to the Israeli-Hamas conflict in a social media post, saying: “It isn’t self-defense if you are an occupying force.”    

Rania posted her message as an Instagram story, a format that disappears after 24 hours. Jordanian state-owned media AlMamlaka TV republished the post.

Included in the queen’s Instagram story was a post from Palestinian journalist Motaz Azaiza, which shows aerial footage of destruction in Gaza following Israel’s bombardment.

The queen, who has 10 million Instagram followers, also shared a video from the news website “Eye on Palestine,” which appears to show Palestinian children injured following Israeli airstrikes.

CNN has reached out to Rania’s office for comment.

More context: Israel withdrew its troops from Gaza in 2005, but its blockade on the enclave effectively allows the country to control access to the land, air, and sea of the strip.

The blockade includes tight restrictions on the movement of residents in and out of Gaza and the movement of goods in and out.    

Current conflict: Israel’s continued airstrikes in Gaza have hit hundreds of targets and neighborhoods, deepening the humanitarian crisis. The Israeli airstrikes are in response to Saturday’s attacks when Hamas members broke through the heavily fortified border fence into Israeli territory. Hamas gunmen killed more than 1,200 people, including civilians and soldiers, and also took hostages.

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and Jordanian King Abdullah II met on Wednesday to discuss recent events and how to stop the escalation in Gaza, Jordan’s Royal Hashemite Court posted on social media Wednesday.

“Jordan is making intense efforts to discuss urgent international action to stop the escalation, protect the Palestinians, and prevent their displacement,” King Abdullah II said. “The dangerous escalation and acts of violence and aggression currently taking place in the Palestinian Territories are proof that confirms, once again, that our region will never be secure nor stable without achieving just and comprehensive peace on the basis of the two-state solution.”   

The two-state solution is a decades-old plan to establish a Palestinian state next to Israel.

This week, thousands took to the streets of Amman, Jordan, in a protest supporting the people of Gaza.