New Delhi: After more than three months of the deadliest Gaza war to date, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken called on Israel on Tuesday to "avoid further civilian harm" in the besieged Palestinian territory, reported news agency AFP.
During a meeting with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Tel Aviv, Secretary of State Antony Blinken reaffirmed US "support for Israel's right to prevent the terrorist attacks of October 7 from being repeated", according to State Department spokesman Matthew Miller.
However, Blinken also emphasized "the importance of avoiding further civilian harm and protecting civilian infrastructure in Gaza", where local health officials report that more than 23,000 people have died in the ongoing war, reported AFP.
Miller said that Blinken "reiterated the need to ensure lasting, sustainable peace for Israel and the region, including by the realisation of a Palestinian state".
The army said its forces had killed 40 militants over the past 24 hours in "expanded ground operations including air strikes" in Khan Yunis, and that troops had seized AK-47 assault rifles, rocket launchers and other weapons, reported AFP.
The war in Gaza was triggered by an unprecedented attack on Israel launched by Hamas on October 7, which resulted in the deaths of around 1,140 people, most of them civilians, according to an AFP tally based on official Israeli figures.
The militants also took around 250 hostages, 132 of whom remain in captivity, according to Israel, including at least 24 believed to have been killed.
In response to the attack, Israel is carrying out a relentless bombardment and ground invasion that have killed at least 22,722 people, most of them women and children, according to the Hamas-run Gaza health ministry.
Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed that Israel would continue its campaign to "eliminate Hamas, return our hostages, and ensure that Gaza will no longer be a threat to Israel".
The civilians in the Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip have borne the major impact of the conflict, with widespread destruction leading to mass displacement and a deepening humanitarian crisis.
In light of extensive damage, UN humanitarian chief Martin Griffiths stated on Friday that "Gaza has simply become uninhabitable," reported AFP.
The World Health Organization reported that the majority of Gaza's 36 hospitals have been put out of action due to the ongoing conflict, leaving the remaining medical facilities grappling with severe shortages.