The war between Israel and Hamas, the Gaza crisis, Blinken’s visit to the Middle East

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken will meet with Arab officials, including several foreign ministers and Lebanon’s interim prime minister, at a summit in the Jordanian capital, Amman, on Saturday, to discuss the conflict in Israel and Gaza.

Blinken is scheduled to meet with the foreign ministers of Jordan, Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Egypt and Qatar, in addition to the secretary of the Executive Committee of the Palestine Liberation Organization, according to a statement by the Jordanian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

On Saturday morning, Blinken met with Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati to discuss weeks-long tensions between the Iran-backed Lebanese paramilitary group Hezbollah and Israel on the Israel-Lebanon border, according to US State Department spokesman Matthew Miller.

The Jordanian Foreign Ministry said that the summit would focus on ending the war and addressing “the humanitarian catastrophe it caused.”

Blinken also met with Qatari Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani.

Neither spoke during the short photo opportunity at the beginning of their meeting.

Qatar played the role of the main negotiator in discussions with Hamas amid the conflict in Israel and Gaza. The United States credited the Qataris for their help in securing the release of the four hostages held by the group, as well as the partial opening of the Rafah Gate between Gaza and Egypt.