It’s now 3 months into the Israel-Hamas conflict, and US Secretary of State Antony Blinken is in the Middle East once again, this time in an attempt to stop the war from spreading to other nations. It’s Blinken’s fourth visit to the region since the 7 October attack by Hamas, and it comes after the assassination of a Hamas leader in neighbouring Lebanon on 2 January. Iran-backed Houthi militants have also continued to attack international ships passing through the nearby Red Sea. The death toll in Gaza has surpassed 22,000 people according to the Hamas-run health ministry, and the UN warns that famine in Gaza is “around the corner”… Blinken says regional leaders are committed to preventing the conflict from spreading, as well as playing a “positive, productive” role to build a stable peace once the conflict ends. Blinken’s trip will take him to Israel and the West Bank on Tuesday and Wednesday, local time.