Amman - King Abdullah II of Jordan conferred Wednesday with the UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon and stressed the need for the world community to give "immediate priority" to stopping the Israeli offensive on the Gaza Strip, according to a royal court statement.

"The world community should give immediate priority to halting the Israeli aggression on Gaza and enabling the inhabitants of the territory to face the humanitarian crisis which it caused," the statement quoted the monarch as telling the UN chief, who arrived earlier in the day on the second leg of his regional tour.

The monarch warned that "the Israeli aggression has reached dimensions that are rejected politically, legally and ethically and cannot be justified or overlooked".

"Israel should be forced to implement the UN Security Council Resolution 1860, to cease fire, lift the blockade and open all crossing points to humanitarian and medical aid and the evacuation of the wounded," the king said.

He also expressed Jordan's readiness "to extend all facilities and stage a partnership with the UN institutions to ensure the delivery of aid materials" to the people of Gaza.

Ban flew in from Cairo where he held similar talks with Egyptian President Hosny Mubarak and was scheduled to visit Israel. dpa