Blinken Heads to Middle East to 'Solidify' Gaza Ceasefire

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken is scheduled to head to the Middle East on Monday amid Gaza ceasefire.

"The United States has engaged in intensive diplomacy to bring an end to the hostilities and reduce tensions," Blinken wrote on Twitter.

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Blinken will visit Israel, the West Bank, Egypt and Jordan to discuss the truce and reduce the risks of further violence in Gaza, according to a statement issued by the State Department.

In Jerusalem, the secretary of state will meet with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and other senior Israeli officials. Then, he will visit Ramallah to sit down with Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas and Palestinian leaders.

Following his visit to Ramallah, he will head to Cairo for a meeting with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El Sisi. Moreover, he will end his tour in Amman, Jordan, to meet with His Majesty King Abdullah II.

On his part, U.S President Joe Biden said in a statement he asked the secretary of state to travel to the Middle East as a follow-up to his administration's "quiet, intensive diplomacy to bring about a cease-fire between Israel and Hamas."

"During his trip, Secretary Blinken will continue our administration's efforts to rebuild ties to, and support for, the Palestinian people and leaders, after years of neglect," Biden revealed.

"He will engage other key partners in the region, including on the coordinated international effort to ensure immediate assistance reaches Gaza in a way that benefits the people there and not Hamas, and on reducing the risk of further conflict in the coming months," the U.S. President affirmed.