By Mohammad Sio
ISTANBUL (AA) - US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Monday that measurable progress in the aid situation in the Gaza Strip has been noted in recent weeks, but more is needed.
Blinken's remarks came during his participation in a ministerial meeting of the Gulf Cooperation Council to enhance coordination in the field of regional security in the Saudi capital Riyadh.
He also stressed that the most effective way to alleviate the humanitarian situation in the Palestinian enclave is to reach a cease-fire.
Blinken pointed out that he will discuss the freedom of navigation in the Red Sea with the council.
The top US diplomat arrived in Saudi Arabia on Monday to discuss a cease-fire in the Gaza Strip.
Israel has waged a brutal offensive on the Gaza Strip since a cross-border attack by the Palestinian group Hamas on Oct. 7 last year, which Tel Aviv says killed nearly 1,200 people.
More than 34,400 Palestinians have since been killed, mostly women and children, and nearly 77,600 others injured amid mass destruction and severe shortages of necessities.
More than six months into the Israeli war, vast swathes of Gaza lay in ruins, pushing 85% of the enclave’s population into internal displacement amid a crippling blockade of food, clean water, and medicine, according to the UN.
Israel stands accused of genocide at the International Court of Justice. An interim ruling in January ordered Tel Aviv to stop genocidal acts and take measures to guarantee that humanitarian assistance is provided to civilians in Gaza.
* Writing by Mohammad Sio in Istanbul