Blinken Holds Talks With Netanyahu, Re-Affirms Commitment

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has held talks in Israel with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu over the escalating conflict with Hamas.

It’s the top US diplomat’s second trip to Israel in just a week.

During the meeting, Mr Blinken received an update on the situation on the ground, the State Department said.

He reaffirmed his support for Israel to defend itself from Hamas and the willingness of the US to aid the country, the department added.

They also discussed US coordination with the UN and regional partners to help provide humanitarian aid to civilians.

The meeting comes as the humanitarian crisis in Gaza is reaching a critical point, with water, food and medical supplies running low.

More than 2,700 Palestinians have been killed and 9,700 wounded in Gaza in Israel’s retaliatory strikes since the Hamas attacks.

Hamas is a Palestinian militant group which has ruled the Gaza Strip since 2007. It is designated a terrorist organisation by the US and other western governments.

More than 1,400 people were killed in Israel when Hamas militants crossed into Israel from the Gaza Strip to attack civilians and soldiers.

At least 30 Americans are among the dead while 13 are still unaccounted for, according to the latest numbers from the US State Department.

The missing are thought to have been abducted by Hamas and Mr Blinken discussed with Israeli President Isaac Herzog how they might secure the release of nearly 200 people taken.

The US has chartered a ship and several flights to evacuate Americans out of Israel to safe nearby locations this week, according to US officials.

Last week, Mr Blinken held meetings in Tel Aviv before making several other stops in the region, including to Jordan, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.

During his tour of Arab countries, Mr Blinken pledged his support for the Israeli government, while arguing that Israel must affirm “shared values for human life and human dignity”.

President Joe Biden, meanwhile, told CBS News in an interview on Sunday that Hamas should be eliminated.

The president warned, however, that an Israeli occupation of Gaza would be a “big mistake” and said there should be a “path to a Palestinian state”.

Mr Biden is also said to be weighing a trip to Israel in the coming days.