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US Secretary of State Antony Blinken arrived in Tel Aviv on Thursday where he is expected to meet with Israeli leaders to discuss extending Israel's temporary ceasefire with Hamas militants and increasing humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip.
This is Mr. Blinken's third visit to the region since the deadly Hamas attack on Israel on October 7. The top US diplomat is also expected to visit the occupied West Bank, where he is likely to meet Palestinian Authority leader Mahmoud Abbas, a Palestinian official said.
The top US diplomat is also expected to discuss Israel's impending offensive in southern Gaza.
The United States is urging Israel to be much more careful to protect Palestinian civilians and limit damage to infrastructure in any offensive in the south, senior US officials said.
"Over the next few days, we will focus on doing what we can to extend the pause in order to continue the release of more hostages and the delivery of more humanitarian aid," Mr Blinken told a news conference in Brussels on Wednesday.
The ceasefire has brought the first pause in Gaza in seven weeks, during which Israel bombed the territory heavily in response to a violent attack by Hamas militants that killed around 1,200 people and took 240 hostages.
Israel has vowed to destroy Hamas, which rules Gaza. Health authorities in Gaza say Israel's bombardment of the small, densely populated territory has so far killed more than 15,000 people, about 40% of them children. The figures cannot be independently confirmed.
Since the start of the war, Mr. Blinken has held talks with senior Israeli and Arab leaders to try to stem the spread of the conflict, push for the release of hostages and ease aid to Gaza, where a humanitarian disaster is unfolding.
During the press conference in Brussels, Secretary Blinken said that he will continue to discuss with regional partners regarding the future of Gaza after the conflict. The United States has stated that it does not want Gaza to be occupied or remain under curfew, and it does not want the Palestinians to be permanently displaced or the territory of Gaza to shrink. /VOA
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