Antony Blinken meets with Jordanian leaders to push Gaza cease-fire, humanitarian aid

April 30 (UPI) -- U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken met with Jordan's top leaders Tuesday in Amman, where he is working to secure more humanitarian aid for the Gaza Strip and a cease-fire in the war between Israel and Hamas.

"Since Oct. 7 and the conflict between Israel and Hamas, we've put a focus on trying to make sure that those so desperately in need in Gaza get the humanitarian assistance they require," Blinken told reporters at the Jordanian Hashemite Charity Organization.

"The United States remains the largest provider of humanitarian assistance and assistance in general to the Palestinian people, but we're determined that people get the assistance that they need," Blinken added. "And we're doing that in parallel with seeking to secure the cease-fire and the release of hostages."

Earlier Tuesday, Blinken met with King Abdullah II of Jordan to discuss Israel's new cease-fire deal and emphasized that Hamas would be required to accept the proposal on the table, according to State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller.

The two leaders also talked about their joint efforts to expedite aid to Gaza from Jordan through land routes, as well as regional peace through an independent Palestinian state with security guarantees for Israel.

"Today, I met with met with King Abdullah II in Amman to express gratitude for Jordan's leadership amid ongoing regional challenges," Blinken wrote Tuesday in a post on X. "We discussed our joint efforts to accelerate the delivery of food, medical supplies and other lifesaving aid to Palestinians in Gaza."

While Blinken met with a number of leaders in Jordan, he also met with Gazans who described their suffering.

"Here today in Jordan, I had an opportunity to meet with Gazan women who were able to get out of Gaza and are now here in Jordan. I heard their stories. I heard the suffering that they endured and that their friends and family continue to endure every day," Blinken said.

"I also met with the king, King Abdullah, as well as Foreign Minister [Ayman] Safadi, and among other things we focused on the coordination of providing assistance to Gaza's and the critical role that Jordan is playing in doing that," Blinken added.

"And I also had an opportunity to meet with the senior U.N. envoy Sigrid Haag and an entire team of humanitarians from different agencies that are working and coordinating their efforts every single day, and especially to hear from them the progress that's been made, but also the work that remains to be done."

On Monday, Blinken met with Middle East regional leaders in Saudi Arabia, where he again called for a cease-fire and the release of hostages.

"We strongly support Israel to ensure whatever happened on Oct. 7 never happens again," Blinken said at the World Economic Forum. "At the same time, we are determined to do everything we can to bring an end to the terrible human suffering that we are seeing every single day in Gaza."

"In this moment, the only thing standing in the way of the people of Gaza and a cease-fire is Hamas. They have to decide and have to decide quickly."