US Secretary of State Antony Blinken (Photo: AFP/VNA)

Blinken reiterated the US’s longstanding position that a Palestinian state must stand alongside Israel, with both living in peace and security.

Abbas further called for convening an international peace conference to end the Israeli occupation of the land of the state of Palestine, with East Jerusalem as its capital, and achieve peace and security for all.

A trilateral meeting of Jordan’s King Abdullah II, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, and Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas on Wednesday reiterated the need to maintain pressure to end Israeli aggression in Gaza and protect unarmed civilians. Jordan and Egypt reject all Israeli plans to separate the Gaza Strip from the West Bank, and clearly stated that these two entities are the foundation of the future Palestinian State.

On Wednesday the World Health Organization cancelled another planned medical aid mission to Gaza over security concerns, the sixth cancellation in two weeks.

Houthi rebels in Yemen carried out one of their largest missile and drone attacks to date on US warships in the Red Sea. They said they will continue to attack Israeli ships, or ships coming to or from Israeli ports through the Red Sea and Arabian Sea, as long as Israel's military campaign in Gaza continues.