(VOVWORLD) -US Secretary of State Antony Blinken arrived in Doha on Thursday to engage in discussions with Qatar, the mediator for the conflict between Hamas and Israel in the Gaza Strip.
 US Secretary of State Antony Blinken. File photo: Xinhua/VNA
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During his trip, the latest diplomatic effort to prevent further escalation of tensions in the region, Secretary of State Blinken once again called on the parties to soon reach a consensus on ending fighting in the Mediterranean coastal territory.
At a press conference in Doha with Qatari Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, Blinken said this is a moment to work to end this conflict, to bring – make sure all the hostages are home, and to build a better future for people in Gaza. He added “in order to do that, to make sure that we have the appropriate plans in place. And we did have a productive discussion on that.”
Blinken announced an additional 135 million USD in humanitarian assistance – water, sanitation, maternal health – for Palestinians in Gaza, in the West Bank, as well as in the region. Since October 7th of last year, humanitarian assistance by the United States now totals more than 1.2 billion USD.
The visit to the Qatar, which hosts Palestinian militant group Hamas's political office and has led mediation for a Gaza truce alongside the United States and Egypt, follows talks in Israel and Saudi Arabia on Blinken's 11th visit to the region since the start of the conflict.