During the Blinken meeting. Emir of Qatar calls for immediate ceasefire in Gaza

Emir of Qatar meets US Secretary of State (Amiri Diwan)

The Emir of the State of Qatar, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, stressed the need to work on an immediate ceasefire, protect civilians in the Gaza Strip, bring humanitarian aid in an adequate and sustainable manner to all areas of the Strip, and work to reduce escalation in order to ensure stability and security in the region.

The Emir of Qatar's remarks came during his meeting today with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, who arrived in Doha earlier today from Jordan as part of his fourth tour to the region since the start of the Israeli war on Gaza on the seventh of last October.

During the meeting, they reviewed relations between Qatar and the United States, and ways to develop them, in addition to discussing a number of regional and international issues of common interest, especially the latest developments in the Gaza Strip and the occupied Palestinian territories.

In a related development, US State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said that the State of Qatar is an important partner in the ongoing efforts to release hostages in the Gaza Strip, and Miller added, in a tweet on the X platform, that Secretary Antony Blinken is in Qatar to continue the decisive efforts, based on the strong relationship between Washington and Doha.

Emir of Qatar (right) discusses with Blinken the latest developments in Gaza (Amiri Diwan)

A senior U.S. State Department official said Blinken would discuss efforts in Doha to "free more than 100 hostages believed to be still held" by the Islamist group Hamas in the Gaza Strip.

The US Secretary of State began his tour of the region by visiting Turkey and then Greece, and then arrived in Jordan, where he agreed with officials in Amman to reject the forced displacement of Palestinians, and the return of the displaced to their homes in the Gaza Strip, which has been subjected to an Israeli war that has been going on for more than 3 months, and has so far resulted in the death and loss of 29,722 Palestinians.

Source : Al Jazeera + Qatar News Agency (QNA)