RIYADH, Apr. 29 (Reuters) - French Foreign Minister Stephane Sejourne said on Monday that talks on a ceasefire in Gaza were progressing as he joined U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken in Saudi Arabia on a diplomatic push to ease the war between Israel and Hamas.

Sejourne is expected to hold talks in Riyadh with ministers of Arab and other Western countries as well as Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas.

"Things are moving forward but you always have to be careful in these discussions and negotiations. The situation in Gaza is catastrophic and we need a ceasefire," Sejourne told Reuters on the sidelines of a World Economic Forum meeting.

"We will discuss the hostages, humanitarian situation and the ceasefire. Things are progressing, but we must always remain prudent in these discussions and negotiations," he said.

The trip comes as Egypt was expected to host leaders of the Palestinian group Hamas to discuss prospects for a ceasefire agreement with Israel.

Blinken arrived in Saudi Arabia on Monday, the first stop in a broader trip to the Middle East.

In Riyadh, he is expected to meet senior Saudi leaders and also hold a wider meeting with counterparts from five Arab states – Qatar, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Jordan – to discuss what governance of the Gaza Strip might look like after the Israel-Hamas war ends, according to a senior State Department official.

Blinken is also expected to bring together Arab and European countries and discuss how Europe can help the rebuilding effort of the Gaza Strip, which has been reduced to a wasteland in a six-month-long Israeli bombardment.

Hamas fighters attacked Israel on Oct. 7, killing 1,200 people and seizing 253 hostages, according to Israeli tallies.

Israel retaliated by imposing a total siege on Gaza, then launching an air and ground assault that has killed more than 34,000 Palestinians, according to health authorities i

Photo from Reuters