Jordan’s foreign ministry confirmed seven staff members were wounded by the Israeli shelling of the facility WASHINGTON D.C.: The US expressed deep concern on Thursday that Jordanian medics were wounded in shelling near their field hospital in Gaza. Jordan’s foreign ministry confirmed seven staff members were wounded by the Israeli shelling of the facility. White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan on Thursday called Jordan a critical ally and said its “essential role in the conflict must be protected.” He continued: “We are deeply concerned that Jordanian medical personnel in Gaza were wounded in an attack near their field hospital, and we are profoundly grateful to medical professionals providing critical care to Palestinians in Gaza.” Representatives for the Israeli Defense Forces could not be immediately reached for comment. Sullivan did not say who was responsible for the shelling in his post on X, formerly Twitter. “Israel’s exposing the hospital and its staff to danger during its bombing of our Palestinian brothers is an unacceptable and condemnable crime and represents a clear violation of international law,” Sufyan Al-Qudah, spokesman for Jordan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said in a statement. “The government is awaiting the results of the investigation initiated by the Armed Forces-Arab Army to take the necessary legal and political steps against this heinous crime,” he added. Jordan on Wednesday said it would carry out an investigation into the shelling near the Jordanian field hospital, the Jordan News Agency (Petra) reported. Jordanian Minister of Foreign Affairs Ayman Safadi slammed the attack as a “continuation of Israel’s war crimes” and said Amman would take necessary next steps after the results of the investigation. “A thorough investigation will be conducted to determine all of the circumstances surrounding the bombing, why it occurred, how it occurred, the weapon used, and the causes of the injuries to which our sons were subjected,” Safadi said in a statement posted on Petra. The attack near the Jordanian fielf hospital has drawn condemnation from several Arab states including Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Qatar, Egypt and Kuwait. * With Reuters