US Secretary of State Antony Blinken is scheduled to visit Saudi Arabia and Egypt this week to engage in discussions regarding initiatives aimed at securing a ceasefire in Gaza and enhancing humanitarian assistance to the Palestinian territory, a State Department spokesperson said on Tuesday.
Blinken will hold talks with Saudi leaders in Jeddah on Wednesday before traveling to Cairo on Thursday for talks with Egyptian authorities, spokesman Matthew Miller said from the Philippines, where Blinken is touring.
This will be Blinken’s sixth trip to the Middle East since the start of the war between Israel and Hamas on October 7.
“The Secretary will discuss efforts to reach an immediate ceasefire agreement that secures the release of all remaining hostages, intensified international efforts to increase humanitarian assistance to Gaza, and coordination on post-conflict planning for Gaza, including ensuring Hamas can no longer govern or repeat the attacks of October 7,” Miller said in a statement.
Blinken will also discuss “a political path for the Palestinian people with security assurances with Israel, and an architecture for lasting peace and security in the region.”
And he will raise the imperative issue of ending attacks by Yemen’s Houthi rebels on commercial ships, to restore stability and security in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden, Miller added.
