DUBAI, April 29. /TASS/. The US has seen noticeable progress in the humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip over the past few weeks, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said.

"We have seen measurable progress in the last few weeks, including the opening of new crossings and increased volume of aid delivery to Gaza and within Gaza, and the building of the US maritime corridor, which will open in the coming weeks," Blinken said, addressing a meeting of the Gulf Cooperation Council in Riyadh. "But it is not enough. We still need to get more aid in and around Gaza," he added.

Blinken also urged better deconfliction with humanitarian assistance workers, and greater efficiency in the distribution of aid among the affected residents of the enclave. "And, finally we have to make sure that we’re focusing not just on inputs, but on impact," he said in a speech broadcast by Saudi TV channel Al Ekhbariya.

Blinken arrived in Saudi Arabia on Monday, the first stopover on his tour of the region. The top diplomat will also visit Israel and Jordan this week to discuss the situation in the Gaza Strip.

Tensions flared up again in the Middle East on October 7, 2023, when militants from the Gaza Strip-based radical Palestinian movement Hamas staged a surprise attack on Israeli territory from Gaza, killing residents of Israeli border settlements and taking over 240 hostages, including women, children and the elderly. Hamas described its attack as a response to the aggressive actions of Israeli authorities against the Al-Aqsa Mosque on the Temple Mount in Jerusalem’s Old City. In response, Israel declared a total blockade of the Gaza Strip, home to 2.3 million Palestinians before the crisis, and has been delivering air strikes on Gaza as well as some parts of Lebanon and Syria. Clashes have also been reported on the West Bank.