WASHINGTON (Reuters) – U.S. Secretary of State antony blinken The State Department announced Saturday that it will visit Saudi Arabia on Monday and Tuesday to meet with regional partners and discuss efforts to achieve a ceasefire in Gaza and the release of Israeli hostages.
“The Prime Minister will discuss the recent increase in humanitarian assistance being provided to Gaza and emphasize the importance of ensuring that increase is sustained,” State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said in a statement.
“The Secretary also emphasized the importance of preventing escalation of the conflict and continued efforts to achieve lasting peace and security in the region, including a path to an independent Palestinian state with guaranteed security for Israel. We're going to talk about it.”
Blinken has no plans to visit Israel on this trip. The war began in Gaza after Hamas fighters invaded Israel on October 7, killing 1,200 people and taking 253 hostages, according to Israeli tallies.
Palestinian health officials in the Hamas-run Gaza Strip say nearly 32,000 people have been killed in Israel's retaliatory onslaught, with thousands more feared to be trapped under rubble.
Miller said that during his two-day visit, Blinken will attend a Gulf Cooperation Council ministerial meeting and work to advance regional security coordination.
Blinken also attended the World Economic Forum's Special Conference on Global Cooperation, Growth, and Energy for Development, where he spoke with U.S. partners “to ensure continued progress on climate change mitigation and the global energy transition.” Miller added that adjustments will be made.
(Reporting by Lucia Muticani and Eric Beach; Editing by David Gregorio and Deepa Babington)
