U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken is heading to Israel and Jordan Thursday as Israel intensifies its retaliatory assault on Hamas targets in Gaza.
Blinken then continues to Japan next week for the G7 Foreign Ministers' meeting in Tokyo, followed by visits to South Korea and India.
It is Blinken's second trip to Israel since the deadly Hamas attack on October 7. The United States has been providing support to Israel for its war against Hamas militants and facilitating humanitarian aid to Palestinians in Gaza.
The Hamas-run Gaza health ministry has said that Israel's airstrikes have killed more than 8,500 people, bringing widespread outrage in the region and around the world.
The U.S. has called on Israel to respect international humanitarian law while defending its citizens and combating Hamas attacks.
In a phone call with Israeli President Isaac Herzog Tuesday, Blinken "emphasized the need to take feasible precautions to minimize harm to civilians," according to the U.S. State Department.
Both also discussed the continuing efforts to bring home more than 200 hostages taken by Hamas, and the urgent need to increase "the pace and volume of humanitarian assistance" that is entering Gaza for distribution to Palestinian civilians.
In a separate phone call Tuesday night, U.S. President Joe Biden and Jordan's King Abdullah II stated a shared commitment to facilitating the increased, sustained delivery of life-saving humanitarian assistance to civilians in Gaza and the resumption of essential services.
They also agreed that it is critical to ensure that Palestinians are not forcibly displaced outside of Gaza, according to the White House.
While in Tel Aviv on Friday, Blinken will meet with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and other members of the Israeli government.
Blinken has told U.S. senators that the Palestinian Authority should regain control of the Gaza Strip from Hamas, which has ruled the territory since 2007.
"At some point, what would make the most sense would be for an effective and revitalized Palestinian Authority to have governance and ultimately security responsibility for Gaza," said Blinken as he testified before the U.S. Senate Committee on Appropriations.
