Blinken in Middle East: US secretary of state meets regional leaders

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken met Qatar's Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani on Friday in Doha and lauded the Qatari government for seeking to broker the release of hostages in the Gaza Strip and working to prevent the conflict there from spreading to other regional fronts.

Blinken, speaking in Doha, said efforts to get humanitarian aid into Gaza have been "complicated by the fact that Hamas continues to use innocent civilians as human shields and is reportedly blocking those Palestinians from moving to southern Gaza out of harm's way".

"We know the humanitarian situation is urgent. We're actively engaged with partners, including Qatar, to get aid to those who need it," he said.