US Secretary of State Antony Blinken arrived in the Israeli-occupied West Bank city of Ramallah on Thursday for a meeting with Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas, AFP journalists saw.
Blinken arrived in an armoured convoy at the headquarters of the Palestinian Authority, which has partial administrative control in the West Bank, shortly after meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Jerusalem.
Blinken tells Netanyahu 'imperative' to protect Gaza civilians
Visiting US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, meeting Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu Thursday, emphasised the need to protect civilians in southern Gaza, where many have fled, the State Department said.
Blinken "stressed the imperative of accounting for humanitarian and civilian protection needs in southern Gaza before any military operations there", State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said in a statement, adding he "urged Israel to take every possible measure to avoid civilian harm".