Blinken heads back to Middle East in latest ceasefire push

US Secretary of State will be in the region for a week-long trip

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken will stress the importance of getting aid into Gaza, the State Department said. AP

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US Secretary of State Antony Blinken is heading back to the Middle East this week and is expected to travel to Israel in yet another diplomatic push for a ceasefire in Gaza.

This will be Mr Blinken’s 11th trip to the region since October 7 last year, when Hamas militants stormed southern Israel, killing 1,200 people and kidnapping another 250. It is his first trip since Israel killed Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar.

“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,” State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said.

Mr Blinken's trip comes as the humanitarian situation in Gaza reaches a critical level. Israel has allowed for far less humanitarian aid entering Gaza in October than in previous months, prompting Mr Blinken and Secretary of Defence Lloyd Austin to send their counterparts a strongly worded letter threatening a suspension of military aid if Israel does not ameliorate the situation in the next 30 days.

Mr Blinken will bring a message of the importance of desperately needed aid reaching Gaza, Mr Miller said.

“He will underscore that additional food, medicine and other humanitarian aid must be delivered to civilians in Gaza,” he added.

Washington believes the death of Mr Sinwar, the presumed mastermind of the October 7 attacks, presents an opportunity for a ceasefire. Mr Blinken will attempt to make progress on negotiations, which have faltered repeatedly.

“He will continue discussions on post-conflict period planning and emphasise the need to chart a new path forward that enables Palestinians to rebuild their lives and realise their aspirations free from Hamas’s tyranny,” Mr Miller said.

The trip comes as President Joe Biden’s special envoy Amos Hochstein is in Beirut working on a diplomatic solution to Israel’s war with Hezbollah in Lebanon.