As Secretary of State Antony Blinken met with Arab leaders yesterday, kick-starting talks on a post-war Gaza, he said Washington opposes any idea of displacing Palestinians from the territory.

"Palestinian civilians must be able to return home as soon as conditions allow. They cannot, they must not, be pressed to leave Gaza," he told reporters after meeting his Qatari counterparts in Doha.

Blinken is expected to meet with United Arab Emirates President Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan this morning after arriving in Abu Dhabi last night.

He is then expected to arrive in Saudi Arabia for a meeting with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman before departing for Tel Aviv.