Blinken to visit Israel and Jordan on new Middle East trip
- US secretary of state making seventh Middle Eastern trip since Hamas attacked Israel on October 7
- Egypt, Qatar and the United States have been trying to mediate a new truce between Israel and Hamas
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US Secretary of State Antony Blinken will visit Israel and Jordan this week, the State Department announced, after the US and Israeli leaders discussed hostage-release talks.
Blinken will travel to both countries, a State Department official confirmed as the top US diplomat refuelled on Sunday in Ireland on his way to a previously announced stop in Saudi Arabia.
Egypt, Qatar and the United States have been trying to mediate a new truce between Israel and Hamas for months, as public pressure mounts for a deal.
Biden also reiterated concerns about Israel launching an operation in Rafah, the southern Gaza city where more than one million Palestinians have taken shelter.
The State Department did not immediately announce details of the two stops.
In a statement announcing the earlier Saudi stop, State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said Blinken will work on ceasefire efforts but added: “It is Hamas that is standing between the Palestinian people and a ceasefire”.
It’s the top US diplomat’s seventh Middle Eastern trip since Hamas attacked Israel on October 7.
Additional reporting by Bloomberg
