U.S. top diplomat Antony Blinken on Friday sought to begin discussions with Israel's Arab neighbors on the future of Gaza, even as Israel resumed its assault on the Palestinian enclave aimed at annihilating Hamas, Reuters reports.
Discussions with Arab foreign ministers covered the current state of the Israeli-Hamas war and the work being done to deliver more humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip, Blinken told reporters before boarding a flight back to Washington.
He said they also talked about "what happens the day after in Gaza and how we can get on the path to a just, lasting and secure peace for Israelis and Palestinians, in fact for everyone in the region."
Arab states had previously pushed back on U.S. attempts to discuss a post-Hamas future for Gaza, arguing for an immediate ceasefire instead, but U.S. officials hoped this week's pause in fighting may have paved the way for talks, a senior State Department official said before the meeting.
That pause broke down on Friday, however, and Blinken did not provide details on how the discussion went.
