Blinken heads to the Middle East as U.S. looks to kick start Gaza ceasefire talks

By Humeyra Pamuk

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken will depart for the Middle East on Monday, the State Department said, as Washington is pushing to kickstart ceasefire negotiations to end the Gaza war following the death of Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar.

The top U.S. diplomat's latest trip to the region, his eleventh since the Oct. 7, 2023 attack on Israel by the Palestinian militant group Hamas that triggered the Gaza war, comes even as Israel has intensified its military campaign in Gaza and in Lebanon against Iran-aligned militia Hezbollah.

Blinken will discuss with regional leaders the importance of ending the Gaza war, ways to chart a post-conflict plan for the Palestinian enclave, as well as how to reach a diplomatic solution to the conflict between Israel and Hezbollah, the State Department said in a statement.

The top diplomat's trip will start with Israel, the State Department said, but did not provide the other exact destinations.

"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," the State Department said in a statement.

"He will continue discussions on post-conflict period planning and emphasize the need to chart a new path forward that enables Palestinians to rebuild their lives," it said.

U.S. President Joe Biden, Vice President Kamala Harris, the Democratic candidate in the Nov. 5 presidential election, and several other Western leaders have said they all would like the year-long Gaza war to end after Israel last week killed Sinwar, a mastermind of the Oct. 7 attack.

But Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has already said the war will continue, and analysts say he may prefer to wait out the end of Biden's term, which ends in January, and take his chances with the next president, whether Harris or her Republican rival Donald Trump, with whom Netanyahu has had close ties.

Blinken will also underscore that additional food, medicine, and other humanitarian aid must be delivered to civilians in Gaza, the State Department said.

Israel has stepped up its military campaign in Gaza in recent days. As the fighting has continued, health officials have reported shortages of food, fuel and medical supplies to treat patients in the three remaining hospitals still partially operating in the area.

The Oct. 7 attack by Hamas killed around 1,200 people, with another 253 taken back to Gaza as hostages, according to Israeli tallies. Israel's subsequent war has devastated Gaza, killing more than 42,500 Palestinians, with another 10,000 uncounted dead thought to lie under the rubble, Gaza health authorities say.

(Reporting by Humeyra Pamuk; Editing by Michael Perry)