Washington:
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken will visit Israel and Jordan through Wednesday, the State Department announced, after US and Israeli leaders discussed hostage release talks.
Blinken will travel to both countries, a State Department official confirmed as the top U.S. diplomat refueled in Ireland on Sunday en route to a previously announced stop in Saudi Arabia.
The trip was announced after President Joe Biden and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu spoke by phone about ongoing talks to halt Israel's offensive in the Gaza Strip in exchange for the release of hostages.
Egypt, Qatar and the United States have been trying for months to broker a new ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, as public pressure for an agreement grows.
Biden also reiterated his concerns about Israel launching an operation in Rafah, the southern Gaza city where more than a million Palestinians have taken refuge.
The State Department did not immediately reveal details about the two stops.
In a statement announcing the earlier Saudi stop, State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said Blinken will work on ceasefire efforts, but added: “It is Hamas that is interfering between the Palestinian people and a ceasefire state.”
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