US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken has announced that he is leaving Israel for Jordan to meet with King Abdullah II and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, after which he plans to visit several key Middle Eastern countries, calling for pressure on Hamas, which rules the Gaza Strip, to release Israeli hostages.
"From here I am leaving for Jordan, where I will meet with His Majesty King Abdullah and President Abbas of the Palestinian Authority. In the coming days, we will meet with the leaders of Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Egypt and Qatar," said Blinken.
He noted that the United States would persuade those countries to prevent the escalation of the conflict over the Gaza Strip and use its influence over Hamas to "immediately and unconditionally release the hostages."
