U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken departs for the Middle East , the State Department said, as Washington is pushing for a new round of ceasefire negotiations to end the Gaza war following the death of Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar.
It is Blinkens 11th visit since Hamas’s attack last year on Israel that triggered the Gaza war.
Lately Israel has intensified its military campaign in Gaza and in Lebanon against Iran’s non state ally Hezbollah.
Blinken will discuss with regional leaders the importance of ending the Gaza war, ways to chart a post-conflict plan for the Gaza, as well as how to reach a diplomatic solution to the conflict between Israel and Hezbollah, the State Department said in a statement.
Antony Blinken’s trip will start with Israel, the State Department said, but did not provide the other exact destinations.
“Throughout the region, Secretary Blinken will discuss the importance of bringing the war in Gaza to an end, securing the release of all hostages, and alleviating the suffering of the Palestinian people,” the State Department said in a statement.
“He will continue discussions on post-conflict period planning and emphasize the need to chart a new path forward that enables Palestinians to rebuild their lives,” the communique said.
Blinken will also underscore that additional food, medicine, and other humanitarian aid must be delivered to civilians in Gaza, the State Department said.
U.S. President Joe Biden, Vice President Kamala Harris, the Democratic candidate in the Nov. 5 presidential election, and several other Western leaders have said they all would like the year-long Gaza war to end after Israel last week killed Sinwar, a mastermind of the Oct. 7 attack.
But Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has already said the war will continue, and analysts say he may prefer to wait out the end of Biden’s term, which ends in January, and take his chances with the next president, whether Harris or her Republican rival Donald Trump, with whom Netanyahu has had close ties.
