US Secretary of State Antony Blinken speaks to the media as he tours Amkor Technology in Manila on 19 March 2024. (Evelyn Hockstein / Pool / AFP)
- US Secretary of
State Antony Blinken is visiting the Middle East for the sixth time since the
start of Israel’s war with Hamas. - Blinken hopes to secure a temporary pause in fighting and the release of
hostages held by Hamas. - Weeks of tough
negotiations have yet to forge an agreement between Israel and Hamas that
Washington hopes will help alleviate the humanitarian crisis gripping Gaza.
US
Secretary of State Antony Blinken returns to the Middle East on Wednesday for
his sixth visit since the start of Israel’s war with Hamas to push for a deal
to secure a temporary pause in fighting and the release of hostages held by
Hamas.
Blinken
will meet Saudi leaders in Jeddah and Egyptian leaders in Cairo to discuss
talks brokered by Egypt and Qatar on an agreement as well as efforts to get
more aid into Gaza, State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller said in a
statement.
Talks
on a ceasefire are resuming this week in Qatar, but weeks of tough negotiations
have yet to forge an agreement between Israel and Hamas that Washington hopes
will help alleviate the humanitarian crisis gripping Gaza.
Blinken
said he would also pursue conversations on arrangements for governance,
security and redevelopment of post-conflict Gaza.
At a news conference at previous stop in Manila, Blinken said:
We’ve been doing a lot of work since January, particularly with our Arab partners, and we’ll be pursuing those conversations, as well as discussing what is the right architecture for lasting regional peace.
The
war was triggered when Hamas fighters crossed into Israel on a rampage on 7
October, killing 1 200 people and capturing 253 hostages, according to Israeli
tallies.
Nearly
32 000 people have been killed in Israel’s retaliatory onslaught, according to
Palestinian health officials in Hamas-run Gaza, with thousands more feared lost
under the rubble.
Blinken
is not scheduled to visit Israel on this trip, despite multiple visits to the US
ally on his previous regional swings since 7 October.
READ | Blinken to push for Gaza truce as hunger monitor says mass death imminent without immediate ceasefire
Tensions
have heightened between US President Joe Biden’s administration and the
government of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who on Tuesday
rebuffed Biden’s plea to call off a planned ground assault in the southern Gaza
city of Rafah, where more than a million displaced Palestinians are sheltering.