Despite the lack of obvious results, Blinken claims that the Middle East trip has progressed

As he left after a flurry of meetings with leaders regarding the Israel-Hamas conflict, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken claimed to have made progress toward the objectives he set for his quick trip to the Middle East.

Since Blinken's last visit to the area, which took place a few days after the fatal Hamas attack on Israel on October 7, the ground situation has changed.

However, a senior administration official stated on Friday that the trip's stakes were equally high given that Israel is about to begin a new phase of its offensive in Gaza.

The offensive has been increasingly condemned around the world, inciting anti-American sentiment and posing a risk to sour relations between the US and its allies. As this is going on, worries about a regional conflict are intensifying and the number of civilian deaths in the Gaza Strip is rising.

Blinken prioritized the need to safeguard civilians and expand humanitarian aid into Gaza, press for the release of Hamas hostages, and stop the conflict from spreading to other parts of the region during his meetings in Israel, Jordan, the West Bank, Iraq, and Turkey.

Additionally, rather than calling for a ceasefire, he frequently backed the notion of a "humanitarian pause."