U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken held a meeting with Jordanian King Abdullah in Amman on September 13, during his most extensive tour of the Middle East's second stop, Reuters reports. This visit came as Israel prepared for a significant ground offensive in Gaza. Blinken took the opportunity to call on the people of Gaza City to evacuate southwards.
This demand, criticized by the United Nations as having "devastating humanitarian consequences," follows his discussions with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu the previous day. President Joe Biden had dispatched his top diplomat to the region in response to the serious escalation in violence.
Blinken's Middle East tour expanded to include visits to all the Gulf Arab nations, as well as Egypt, making it his most extensive regional trip since taking office in January 2021. On the same day, he planned to visit three more countries: Qatar, Bahrain, and Saudi Arabia, where he would spend the night.
“Across each of these engagements, we’ll continue pressing countries to help prevent the conflict from spreading, and to use their leverage with Hamas to immediately and unconditionally release the hostages,” Blinken emphasized during a press conference in Tel Aviv.
Washington reported that at least 25 Americans were killed in the Hamas attacks, with more believed to be held as hostages in Gaza. U.S. Deputy Special Envoy for Hostage Affairs, Steve Gillen, accompanied Blinken to Israel and would stay to support efforts to secure their release.
The situation in Gaza escalated into a humanitarian crisis as the death toll increased, and essential supplies dwindled following Israel's blockade of the enclave. Israel insisted that there would be no humanitarian relief until all hostages were released. However, a ground invasion of the Gaza Strip, home to 2.3mn people and now under Israeli siege, presented significant risks given that Hamas was holding numerous hostages taken during the assault.
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