US Secretary of State Blinken arrives in Saudi Arabia for Gaza cease-fire talks

By Anadolu staff

ISTANBUL (AA) – US Secretary of State Antony Blinken arrived in Saudi Arabia on Wednesday, in his latest regional tour that also includes Egypt and Israel.

Blinken "will discuss with Saudi leaders the latest developments in Gaza and the situation in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden," the US Embassy in Riyadh said on X, without providing further details.

The US Department of State said Blinken will visit Egypt after Saudi Arabia for talks with the Egyptian leadership.

The chief diplomat will arrive in Israel on Friday as part of his tour.

Blinken ''will discuss efforts to reach an immediate cease-fire 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,” it said in a statement.

The State Department said Blinken’s talks will include “ensuring Hamas can no longer govern or repeat the attacks of Oct. 7, a political path for the Palestinian people with security assurances with Israel, and an architecture for lasting peace and security in the region.”

He will also discuss “the imperative of ending Houthi attacks on commercial ships and restoring stability and security to the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden,'' it added.

​​​​​​​Israel has waged a deadly military offensive on the Gaza Strip since an Oct. 7 cross-border attack led by Hamas in which some 1,200 Israelis were killed.

Nearly 32,000 Palestinians, mostly women and children, have since been killed in Gaza, and more than 74,000 injured amid mass destruction and shortages of necessities.

The Israeli war has pushed 85% of Gaza’s population into internal displacement amid a crippling blockade of most food, clean water, and medicine, while 60% of the enclave's infrastructure has been damaged or destroyed, according to the UN.

Israel is accused of genocide at the International Court of Justice, which in January issued an interim ruling ordering Tel Aviv to ensure its forces do not commit acts of genocide, and guarantee that humanitarian assistance is provided to civilians in Gaza.

*Writing by Mohammad Sio in Istanbul