On his second tour in the Middle East within a few weeks, Blinken will meet on Friday morning with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and attend a meeting of his security cabinet, according to what Agence France-Presse reported.
When Blinken left Washington for the Middle East, he said that he would discuss taking concrete steps to reduce harm to civilians in Gaza, according to Reuters.
At the same time, the White House said that any cessation of fighting should be specific in time and place, and stressed that it would not prevent Israel from defending itself.
Calls from world leaders for a truce or ceasefire have increased in light of the increasing number of deaths among Palestinian civilians, in addition to the severe shortages of food, water, medicine and fuel.
Israel rejects these calls and says it is targeting Hamas fighters, whom it accuses of deliberately hiding among residents and civilian buildings. The White House also rejected calls for a ceasefire.
Gaza health authorities say that at least 9,061 people have been killed in Gaza since Israel launched its attack on the Strip, which has a population of 2.4 million, in response to a Hamas attack on southern Israel.
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