King Abdullah II of Jordon made the remarks to Secretary of State Antony Blinken, who is on a Middle East tour aiming to ensure the Israel-Hamas war does not spread.
The war that began on October 7 with an unprecedented attack against Israel by Gaza-based Hamas militants triggered relentless retaliatory bombardment by Israel, leaving Gazans desperately in need of humanitarian aid.
King Abdullah warned Blinken against "the catastrophic repercussions of continuation of the aggression against Gaza, underlining the necessity of ending the tragic humanitarian crisis" there, a statement from the royal palace said.
The king reiterated "the important role of the United States in bringing pressure for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, protection of civilians, and guaranteeing delivery" of medical and humanitarian aid.
Washington has twice exercised its veto at the United Nations Security Council over ceasefire calls, drawing outrage in the Arab world, and Blinken has bypassed Congress to rush weapons to Israel.
He and other US officials have, however, become increasingly vocal about the need for Israel to protect civilians in Gaza, where the Hamas-run health ministry says 22,835 people have been killed since October 7.
The war began with Hamas's attack on Israel which resulted in the deaths of around 1,140 people, according to an AFP tally based on the latest official Israeli figures.
Militants also took around 250 people hostage, 132 of whom remain captive, Israel says.
Blinken, who is seeking to get more aid into besieged Gaza, visited the World Food Programme's regional coordination warehouse near the Jordanian capital.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken visits a World Food Programme warehouse in Amman on January 7, 2024
Inside the warehouse, stocked with pallets of canned food aid, the senior UN official in Jordan, Sheri Ritsema-Anderson, described the situation in Gaza as unlike anything she had seen during 15 years in the Middle East.It is "catastrophic," she told reporters.
Blinken said "it is imperative that we maximise assistance to people in need", by getting the aid in and distributing it effectively."We'll be working on that as well in the days to come," he said at the warehouse.
King Abdullah, whose country signed a peace treaty with Israel in 1994, also reaffirmed the need for a two-state solution to the Israel-Palestinian question and underlined Jordan's "total rejection" of any forced displacement of Palestinians from Gaza and the occupied West Bank.
Blinken studies a map at the World Food Programme warehouse stocked with canned food for Gaza.
Washington also insists on a two-state solution, something rejected by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, some of whose cabinet members have called for Palestinian inhabitants of Gaza to leave.
Regional tensions have soared since Tuesday when a strike in a Beirut stronghold of the Iran-backed Hezbollah movement, a Hamas ally, killed Hamas's deputy leader Saleh al-Aruri. A US Defense Department official has told AFP that Israel carried out the strike.
Blinken arrived in Jordan from Turkey and Greece, where he said there is "real concern" over the Israel-Lebanon border, which even before the Aruri strike had seen regular exchanges of fire largely between Lebanon's Iran-backed Hezbollah movement, and Israeli forces.
"We want to do everything possible to make sure that we don't see escalation there" and to avoid an "endless cycle of violence", Blinken said.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken boards his plane in Amman, Jordan on his way to Qatar, the next stop on his Middle East tour seeking to avoid a wider conflagration in the Middle East
The European Union's foreign policy chief Josep Borrell carried a similar message on a visit to Beirut Saturday.
"It is imperative to avoid regional escalation in the Middle East. It is absolutely necessary to avoid Lebanon being dragged into a regional conflict," Borrell said.
Blinken was also travelling on Sunday to the Gulf emirate of Qatar and to Abu Dhabi, capital of the United Arab Emirates.
He was addressing a joint press conference with visiting German counterpart Annalena Baerbock.
The ministers had earlier discussed the deteriorating situation in Gaza, the possibility of a ceasefire, the full and sustainable introduction of aid, and maritime security in the Red Sea.
They discussed ways to deal with the situation in a way that preserved the unity of the Gaza Strip and the West Bank.
Shoukry said the continued Israeli occupation of the Palestinian territories was one of the main causes of instability.
He said the focus must be on a ceasefire and the delivery of aid to civilians, and added: “We condemn the targeting of journalists in Gaza, in light of the international silence regarding this issue.”
Shoukry said that Egypt and Germany were on the same page regarding peace in the Middle East, which could not be achieved without a two-state solution.
Baerbock spoke of her opposition to any attempts to displace the Palestinians, and added: “Gaza and the West Bank belong to the Palestinians, and they should not be expelled from their country.
“More Israeli crossings must be opened to deliver more aid that people need in Gaza without any obstacles.”
Baerbock said that the aid was insufficient for about 2 million Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, and added: “We can work together to prevent disruption of its access.”
She stressed that the current situation could not continue in Gaza, and that “we must work together to reach peace.”
Egypt played a pivotal role in delivering humanitarian aid to Gaza, she added.
Shoukry welcomed Baerbock and praised cooperation between the two countries in various fields, along with their close coordination in regional and international matters and issues of common interest.
