US Secretary of State Antony Blinken plans to visit the Middle East this week to discuss the situation in the Gaza Strip with Middle Eastern officials.

It will be his third trip to the region since the conflict between Israel and the Palestinian Islamic group Hamas began on October 7.

On Monday, a senior state department official told NHK and other media outlets that the secretary will travel to Israel, the West Bank and the United Arab Emirates.

Blinken is expected to head to the region from Brussels, where he is attending a NATO foreign ministerial conference.

In meetings with senior government officials in the Middle East, Blinken is expected to stress the need to sustain the increased flow of humanitarian assistance in Gaza and secure the release of all hostages.

He is also likely to emphasize that an independent Palestinian state needs to be established to secure the Gaza Strip's future.

The administration of US President Joe Biden is committed to a two-state solution.