Palestine president Mahmoud Abbas to meet Blinken, Jordan king in Amman

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas will be heading to Jordan on Thursday afternoon to meet with top Jordanian and US officials as Israel continues to relentlessly bombard the Gaza Strip.

Abbas will meet with King Abdullah II on Thursday and US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Friday morning, senior Palestinian official Hussein al-Sheikh said of the meetings.

News of the meeting comes as Blinken travelled to Israel on Thursday to meet with officials, before heading to Jordan.

Sources told The New Arab's Arabic-language sister site Al-Araby Al-Jadeed that Blinken was likely meeting Abbas in Amman instead of Ramallah, where the Palestinian Authority is based, due to "security reasons".

Since 2007, Gaza has been ruled by Hamas and is not governed by the Palestinian Authority that Abbas leads.

The State Department had announced Blinken's trip to the Israel and Jordan on Tuesday, in a statement which gave staunch support to Israel.

It said that during the trip, Blinken would "reaffirm the United States’ solidarity with the government and people of Israel".

"He will also discuss measures to bolster Israel’s security and underscore the United States’ unwavering support for Israel’s right to defend itself," the statement said.

Washington has also moved to provide Israel with unprecedented military support, moving warships, aircraft and special operations forces to the region.

Jordan was rocked by large-scale protests on Tuesday in support of Palestine, as Israel continues a fierce and indiscriminate bombing campaign against the Gaza Strip that began Saturday after a surprise attack on Israel by Hamas.

At least 1,354 Palestinians have been killed by the Israeli attack, while the Hamas assault on Israel killed an estimated 1,300 Israelis.

King Abdullah II said on Sunday that peace in the Middle East would not be possible without a Palestinian state.

After a meeting at Arab League headquarters in Cairo, Arab foreign ministers on Wednesday denounced Israel's siege of Gaza following Hamas attack on Israel, demanding that aid be "immediately" allowed to enter the besieged enclave.

Israel has imposed a complete siege on the Gaza Strip, cutting off the water supply, food, electricity and other essential supplies.

The Arab League also warned of "the catastrophic humanitarian and security consequences and their exacerbation".

It said it would work with the international community to "take urgent, effective action… to safeguard the security and stability of the region".