US Secretary of State Antony Blinken told Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Tuesday that his forces must avoid inflicting further harm on civilians in Gaza, the State Department said.
Blinken has been visiting countries across the Middle East to calm regional tension over the conflict, now into its fourth month, and talk to Israeli leaders about their handling of the war.
State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said Blinken had reaffirmed US support for Israel’s attempts to stop any repeat of the Hamas attack of October 7, which sparked the conflict.
Miller said Blinken then “stressed the importance of avoiding further civilian harm and protecting civilian infrastructure in Gaza”.
The Hamas attack resulted in about 1,140 deaths in Israel, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on official figures, and some 250 people taken hostage.
Israel responded to the deadliest attack in its history with a bombardment by land, sea and air of Gaza that has killed at least 23,210 people, mostly women and children, according to the Hamas-run territory’s health ministry.
Miller said Blinken and Netanyahu discussed attempts to free the remaining hostages from the October 7 attack, which Israel says number 132, though 25 of them are believed to have been killed.
And they also talked about the importance of getting more aid to the people of Gaza.
“The secretary reiterated the need to ensure lasting, sustainable peace for Israel and the region, including by the realisation of a Palestinian state,” said Miller.
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