US working 'very aggressively' to get more aid into Gaza: Antony Blinken in Ankara

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken Monday expressed the United States’ commitment to increase the amount of aid reaching civilians in the Gaza Strip, emphasizing their proactive efforts in this regard.

Blinken engaged in a 2.5-hour one-on-one discussion in Ankara with Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan, with the primary focus being on finding ways to alleviate the humanitarian impact of the Israel-Hamas conflict.

“We are working, as I said, very aggressively on getting more humanitarian assistance into Gaza and we have very concrete ways of doing that,” Blinken told reporters before boarding a plane for Japan.

“I think we will see in the days ahead that the assistance can expand in significant ways,” he said without providing details.

Blinken was visiting Turkey following a whirlwind tour of the Middle East during which he heard a chorus of Arab calls for an immediate ceasefire.

The top US diplomat said a “pause could help” ensure more aid reaches civilians.

“We know the deep concern here (in Turkey) for the terrible toll… in Gaza and its civilians, a concern that we share, that we are working on every single day. We engage the Israelis on the steps that they can take to minimise civilian casualties,” Blinken said.

With AFP inputs