US Secretary of State Antony Blinken arrived in Saudi Arabia on Monday as part of his ongoing tour of the Middle East, aiming to negotiate a new ceasefire in the Israel-Hamas conflict amidst continued fighting in Gaza.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken arrived in Saudi Arabia on Monday for another Middle East crisis tour, hoping to secure a new truce in the Israel-Hamas war as Gaza saw no let-up in fighting.
On his fifth trip to the region since Hamas’ October 7 attack that triggered the war, Blinken landed in Riyadh and was later expected to visit Israel, Egypt, and Qatar.
Ahead of the trip, he stressed the need for “urgently addressing humanitarian needs in Gaza,” after aid groups have repeatedly sounded the alarm over the devastating impact nearly four months of war have had on the besieged territory.
After talks in January with de facto Saudi ruler, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Blinken said he still saw a “clear interest” in pursuing normalization.
US State Department spokesperson Mathew Miller issued a statement indicating that the Secretary and Crown Prince engaged in discussions “on regional coordination to achieve an enduring end to the crisis in Gaza,” in addition to deliberation to reducing regional tensions, including “a cessation of Houthi attacks undermining both freedom of navigation in the Red Sea and progress on the Yemen peace process.”
No Agreement Yet
Blinken was expected to discuss a proposed truce thrashed out during a meeting of top US, Israeli, Egyptian, and Qatari officials that took place in Paris in January.
The diplomatic push has become more urgent with a surge in attacks across the region by Iran-backed groups in solidarity with Hamas, triggering counterattacks by the United States.
The proposed truce would pause fighting for an initial six weeks as Hamas frees hostages in exchange for Palestinian prisoners held by Israel, according to a Hamas source.
Hamas has said no agreement has yet been reached, while some Israeli officials have expressed opposition to any perceived concessions.
Gazans have faced dire humanitarian conditions, and the UN agency for Palestinian refugees, UNRWA, said on social media platform X that “there is very limited access to clean water and sanitation amid relentless bombardment.”
UNRWA itself is facing a major controversy after accusations that 12 staff members were involved in Hamas’ October 7 attack.
More than a dozen countries, led by the United States, suspended their funding for the agency after the claims surfaced.
Before departing for the region, Blinken said the humanitarian crisis would be one of his focuses.
“Urgently addressing humanitarian needs in Gaza and advancing stability in the Middle East are priorities we share with Saudi Arabia,” Blinken told Saudi Minister of Foreign Affairs Faisal bin Farhan.
The Gulf state had been mulling establishing formal relations with Israel before the war.
Khalil Wakim, with AFP
