US Secretary of State Antony Blinken met Saudi Arabia’s Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan in Riyadh on Saturday to discuss the military escalation in Gaza.
Mr Blinken is on a regional tour in the hope of stopping the conflict from becoming a devastating war in countries such as Lebanon and Syria.
He had just completed a visit to Israel, Jordan, Qatar and Bahrain before stopping off in Saudi Arabia late on Friday.
He is expected to land in the UAE later on Saturday.
“We are working with Saudi Arabia on many issues, including bringing peace to the region, and ensuring the protection of civilians in Gaza,” Mr Blinken said following the meeting with Prince Faisal.
He highlighted efforts to establish “safe areas” in Gaza as well as “a corridor so that humanitarian assistance can reach people who need it”.
“None of us want to see suffering by civilians on any side, whether it's in Israel, whether it's in Gaza, whether it's anywhere else, and we're working together to do our best to protect them,” he said.
Prince Faisal called for a ceasefire and addressed the humanitarian crisis.
“It's a disturbing situation. It's a very difficult situation. And, you know, the primary sufferer of this situation are civilians and civilian populations on both sides are being affected,” he said.
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US Secretary of State Antony Blinken speaks to members of the media before leaving Cairo, en route to Jordan. AP -
Egypt's President Abdel Fattah El Sisi, right, meets with Mr Blinken, centre, in Cairo. AFP -
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken meets Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in Riyadh. AFP -
Mr Blinken shakes hands with a Saudi official before boarding a plane leaving Riyadh. AP -
Mr Blinken toured six Arab capitals to build pressure on Hamas. AP -
President Sheikh Mohamed and Mr Blinken at Shati Palace, Abu Dhabi. Ryan Carter / UAE Presidential Court -
Sheikh Mohamed and Mr Blinken. Ryan Carter / UAE Presidential Court -
From left: Sheikh Tahnoon bin Zayed, Deputy Ruler of Abu Dhabi and UAE National Security Adviser; Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed, UAE Minister of Foreign Affairs; Sheikh Khaled bin Mohamed bin Zayed, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and chairman of Abu Dhabi Executive Council; Dr Anwar bin Mohamed Gargash, diplomatic advisor to the UAE President; and Reem bint Ibrahim Al Hashimi, UAE Minister of State for International Co-operation. Ryan Carter / UAE Presidential Court -
Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan meets Mr Blinken, in Riyadh. AFP -
Mr Blinken arrives in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, after a one-day tour of Jordan, Qatar, and Bahrain. AFP -
Mr Blinken is received by Bahrain's Foreign Minister Abdullatif bin Rashid and US Ambassador to Bahrain Steven Brody, in Manama. AFP -
The US Secretary of State meets Bahrain's Prime Minister Crown Prince Salman Bin Hamad, in Manama. Reuters -
Mr Blinken and Qatar's Prime Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani after their meeting in Doha. AFP -
Qatari Emir Sheikh Tamim holds talks with Mr Blinken, in Doha. Reuters -
King Abdullah of Jordan receives the US Secretary of State, in Amman. EPA -
Mr Blinken meets Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, in Amman. AFP -
With Tom Sullivan, US deputy chief of staff for policy, as they depart Tel Aviv, en route to Jordan. AP -
Mr Blinken speaks with survivors of a Hamas attack on a rave party, in Tel Aviv. AP -
Visiting the donation centre for victims of the Hamas attacks, in Tel Aviv. Reuters -
Mr Blinken and Israel’s President Isaac Herzog during a media briefing at the Kirya, in Tel Aviv. AFP -
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Mr Blinken during a meeting at the Kirya. EPA
Prince Faisal said the “priority now needs to be to stop further civilian suffering, and here we need to find a way to quickly de-escalate the situation to quickly bring back peace, at least stopping the guns, and then working towards addressing also the humanitarian challenges.”
He said the kingdom “denounces the targeting of civilians in any form by any side”.
Last Saturday, Hamas launched a large-scale attack on Israel which killed 1,300 people, sparking a retaliatory bombing campaign that has killed at least 2,270 in the Gaza Strip ahead of a possible Israeli ground invasion of the territory.
