Jordanian Military Warns King's Half-Brother to Stop Actions Undermining Stability

A general view taken from Jabal Al Qala district shows a Jordanian flag fluttering above the Jordanian capital Amman. (AFP)
A general view taken from Jabal Al Qala district shows a Jordanian flag fluttering above the Jordanian capital Amman. (AFP)
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Jordanian Military Warns King's Half-Brother to Stop Actions Undermining Stability

A general view taken from Jabal Al Qala district shows a Jordanian flag fluttering above the Jordanian capital Amman. (AFP)
A general view taken from Jabal Al Qala district shows a Jordanian flag fluttering above the Jordanian capital Amman. (AFP)

Jordan’s military has told King Abdullah’s half-brother Prince Hamza bin Hussein to halt actions targeting “security and stability” in what people familiar with the matter said could be related to a plot to destabilize the country.

In a statement published by the state news agency, the military said the warning to Prince Hamza was part of a broader, ongoing security investigation in which a former minister, a junior member of the royal family and unnamed others were detained.

Prince Hamza said in a video recording he was under house arrest and had been told to stay at home and not contact anyone.

Earlier, army chief Yusef Huneity denied reports the prince had been arrested but said he was told to “stop activities that are being exploited to target Jordan’s security and stability”.

King Abdullah dismissed Prince Hamza as heir to the throne in 2004.

The move against Prince Hamza represents the first such incident involving a close member of the royal family since King Abdullah came to the throne.

The state news agency said Bassem Awadallah, a US-educated long-time confidant of the king who later became minister of finance, and Sharif Hassan Ben Zaid, a member of the royal family, were detained along with other unnamed figures.

It gave no details.

The Saudi royal court voiced its full support for King Abdullah and all decisions taken by him to maintain security and stability. Egypt, Lebanon, Bahrain, Iraq, Kuwait and Qatar also stood by him. The US State Department said the king was a “key partner” and had its full backing.

Arrests of top officials and royal family members are rare in Jordan, seen as one of the Arab world’s most stable countries.

Awadallah was a driving force behind economic reforms before he resigned as chief of the royal court in 2008. He stepped down after coming under public criticism over alleged interference in controversial political and economic issues.



Israeli Missile Hits Gaza Children Collecting Water

A Palestinian woman reacts as a young man carries the body of her child killed in an Israeli strike, in front of Gaza City's Maamadani (Baptist) hospital on July 13, 2025. (Photo by Omar AL-QATTAA / AFP)
A Palestinian woman reacts as a young man carries the body of her child killed in an Israeli strike, in front of Gaza City's Maamadani (Baptist) hospital on July 13, 2025. (Photo by Omar AL-QATTAA / AFP)
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Israeli Missile Hits Gaza Children Collecting Water

A Palestinian woman reacts as a young man carries the body of her child killed in an Israeli strike, in front of Gaza City's Maamadani (Baptist) hospital on July 13, 2025. (Photo by Omar AL-QATTAA / AFP)
A Palestinian woman reacts as a young man carries the body of her child killed in an Israeli strike, in front of Gaza City's Maamadani (Baptist) hospital on July 13, 2025. (Photo by Omar AL-QATTAA / AFP)

At least eight Palestinians, most of them children, were killed and more than a dozen were wounded in central Gaza when they went to collect water on Sunday, local officials said.

The Israeli military said the missile had intended to hit an Islamic Jihad militant in the area but that a malfunction had caused it to fall "dozens of meters from the target".

"The IDF regrets any harm to uninvolved civilians," it said in a statement, adding that the incident was under review.

The strike hit a water distribution point in Nuseirat refugee camp, killing six children and injuring 17 others, said Ahmed Abu Saifan, an emergency physician at Al-Awda Hospital.

Water shortages in Gaza have worsened sharply in recent weeks, with fuel shortages causing desalination and sanitation facilities to close, making people dependent on collection centers where they can fill up their plastic containers.

Hours later, 12 people were killed by an Israeli strike on a market in Gaza City, including a prominent hospital consultant, Ahmad Qandil, Palestinian media reported. The Israeli military did not immediately comment on the attack.

Gaza's health ministry said on Sunday that more than 58,000 people had been killed since the start of the war between Israel and Hamas in October 2023, with 139 people added to the death toll over the past 24 hours.

Negotiations aimed at securing a ceasefire appeared to be deadlocked, with the two sides divided over the extent of an eventual Israeli withdrawal from the Palestinian enclave, Palestinian and Israeli sources said at the weekend.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was set to convene ministers late on Sunday to discuss the latest developments in the talks, an Israeli official said.

The indirect talks over a US proposal for a 60-day ceasefire are being held in Doha, but optimism that surfaced last week of a looming deal has largely faded, with both sides accusing each other of intransigence.

Netanyahu in a video he posted on Telegram on Sunday said Israel would not back down from its core demands - releasing all the hostages still in Gaza, destroying Hamas and ensuring Gaza will never again be a threat to Israel.