US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken said - today, Monday - that the United States has observed tangible progress regarding the humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip during the past few weeks, while Qatari Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdul Rahman Al Thani called for an immediate ceasefire.

Speaking in Riyadh during the opening of a meeting between the United States and the Gulf Cooperation Council, Blinken said that the most effective way to alleviate the humanitarian crisis in Gaza is to reach a ceasefire, adding that Washington is continuing its efforts to prevent the expansion of the scope of the war in Gaza.

He explained that today's meeting in Riyadh is an opportunity to strengthen efforts to achieve stability and prevent the expansion of conflict in the region.

He added that humanitarian aid to Gaza will be the focus in the coming days, and there is tangible progress on it, but we need more.

Regarding the Houthi attacks, Blinken explained that they undermine security in the region and freedom of navigation in the Red Sea must be protected.

For his part, Qatari Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdul Rahman Al Thani said that efforts must be made to resolve all conflicts through peaceful means and spare the region from the dangers of war. He added that the most prominent challenge to achieving peace is the failure of the international community to resolve the Palestinian issue.

The Secretary-General of the Gulf Cooperation Council, Jassem Mohammed Al-Budaiwi, called for an immediate ceasefire in the Gaza Strip.

A round of discussions

US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken arrived - today, Monday - in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, the first leg of his tour in the Middle East aimed at enhancing the chances of reaching a truce between Israel and the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) and the entry of more humanitarian aid into the Gaza Strip.

Blinken met in Riyadh with several counterparts from the Gulf countries and Europe to discuss plans for the reconstruction of the Gaza Strip after the war, according to what a US State Department official said.

Blinken is scheduled to move from Riyadh to Jordan and Israel on a tour that will continue until Wednesday, which was announced after a phone conversation between President Joe Biden and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, which dealt with the ongoing negotiations to stop an expected Israeli attack on the city of Rafah in southern Gaza in exchange for the release of detainees.

The White House explained that Biden, in his call with Netanyahu, affirmed Washington's "firm" commitment to Israel's security, stressed the need to make progress in delivering and increasing aid in coordination with humanitarian organizations, and they discussed preparations to open northern crossings starting this week.

For months, Egypt, Qatar, and the United States have been trying to mediate a new truce between Israel and Hamas, with mounting popular pressure to reach an agreement.

It is noteworthy that a Hamas delegation headed today, Monday, to the Egyptian capital, Cairo, to hold talks with the aim of a ceasefire in Gaza. The delegation will discuss a ceasefire proposal submitted by the movement to Qatar and Egypt.

State Department spokesman Matthew Miller had said in a previous statement regarding his visit to Saudi Arabia that Blinken’s efforts would focus on reaching a ceasefire in Gaza, claiming that “Hamas is the one standing as an obstacle between the Palestinian people and the ceasefire.”

On December 1, a temporary truce between Hamas and Israel ended, concluded with Qatari-Egyptian-American mediation, and lasted 7 days, during which prisoners were exchanged and limited humanitarian aid was brought into the Strip, which is inhabited by about 2.3 million Palestinians.

Source: Al Jazeera + agencies