Gaza war: Blinken meets Arab FMs in Jordan

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken began meetings with Arab foreign ministers in Jordan on Saturday, seeking to mitigate the nearly month-long Gaza war after Israel ignored his calls for a humanitarian pause.

Blinken began the day in Amman by holding talks with Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman al-Thani of Qatar, a mediator in the conflict.

He is also scheduled to meet the foreign ministers of Jordan, Egypt, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.

The talks come amid mounting Arab anger over the civilian death toll from war, and increasing fears that the conflict could spread.

Israeli troops have encircled Gaza's largest city on the 29th day of its war on the enclave, which has so far killed more than 9,500 Palestinians - mostly women and children.

A key focus of Blinken's Israel visit on Friday was to convince Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to enact "humanitarian pauses", which the United States believes could help secure the release of the hostages thought to be in Hamas captivity and allow aid to be distributed to Gaza's beleaguered population.

Netanyahu said later, however, that he would not agree to a "temporary truce".

Saturday's six-nation talks in Amman are also likely to touch on the question of Gaza's future beyond the war.

The United States has renewed calls for the creation of a Palestinian state, but few expect success now after decades of failure.

In Tel Aviv, Blinken said the two-state solution - a Palestinian state that sits alongside Israel - was "best viable path - indeed, the only path" to peace and security for both communities.

Netanyahu has spent decades vehemently opposing that vision. 

The United States has also urged the Palestinian Authority, which ceded power to Hamas in Gaza more than 15 years ago, to retake control.

A representative of the Palestinian Authority led by president Mahmud Abbas will also attend the meeting in Amman.