WASHINGTON, November 28. /TASS/. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken during his upcoming trip to the Middle East will discuss efforts to free hostages of the radical Palestinian movement Hamas, as well as the threat of widening conflict, US State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said in a statement.

According to the document, this week Blinken will visit Brussels, where he will participate in the NATO Foreign Ministers Meeting and the first foreign ministers meeting of the NATO-Ukraine Council, as well as Skopje, where he will participate in a meeting of the OSCE Council of Foreign Ministers.

In addition, according to the statement, Blinken will visit Israel and the West Bank, where he will discuss "Israel's right to defend itself" and "efforts to secure the release of remaining hostages, protect civilian life during Israel’s operations in Gaza, and accelerate humanitarian assistance to civilians in Gaza." In addition, he will discuss "tangible steps to further the creation of a future Palestinian state, and the need to prevent the conflict from widening." Blinken will also travel to Dubai to attend the 28th UN Climate Conference (COP28).