US President Meets Israeli Leader to Push for Protection of Gaza Civilians
The United States (US) top diplomat Antony Blinken has arrived in Israel for talks with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
The visit was his second visit since Hamas’s attacks on 7 October.
Before his departure, the secretary of state said he would seek “concrete steps” from Israel to minimize harm to Palestinians in Gaza.
Israel’s military says it has “completed the encirclement of Gaza city” and has been attacking outposts, headquarters and other Hamas infrastructure.
Israel announced the deaths of four more soldiers fighting in the ground offensive, bringing the reported toll to 23.
Israel began its operation after Hamas killed more than 1,400 people in Israel and kidnapped more than 200 others.
The Hamas-run health ministry in Gaza says more than 9,000 people have been killed in the strip since 7 October.
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US Secretary of State Antony Blinken came to Tel Aviv to tell Israeli leaders they needed to do more to minimise civilian casualties in Gaza – and Israeli leaders were ready with a response.
Standing before press cameras in the historic home of Israeli founding father David Ben-Gurion, President Isaac Herzog shook Blinken’s hand and held up flyers that he said provided a warning to Palestinians in Gaza that they were in an area that was targeted for an impending Israeli attack.
“The shelters in northern Gaza and the Gaza district are not safe,” the flyer read. “Hamas and the terror organisations operate from within the shelters, hospitals and schools in this area. Therefore, your presence in this is not safe!”
Blinken responded by reiterating that while Israel has a right to self defence, “how Israel does this matters”.
As the two men spoke, protesters could be heard shouting on a loudspeaker from a nearby street – families of Israelis who had been taken hostage in Gaza. It was a stark reminder of the human toll the conflict has taken, and the anger that is simmering among some in the Israeli population.
“Our heart goes out to them,” Herzog said.
The US secretary of state has spent much of the day meeting with the Israeli war cabinet – a closed-door morning gathering that was only scheduled for one hour but had run well into the afternoon.
