Blinken travels to Israel to demonstrate US support

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has come to Israel to show his support after the recent violent attacks by Hamas.

Mr Blinken is going to try to free hostages taken by Hamas. Some of the hostages are from America.

He will also ask people to be calm and try to find a safe way for the civilians in Gaza to go, in case Israel decides to attack on the ground.

More than 1,200 Israelis were killed in the attack, and over 1,100 Palestinians died in air strikes on Gaza.

Around 22 Americans have also been reported to have died in Israel.

Hamas, a group considered as terrorists by the US, captured around 150 individuals when its fighters broke through the border fence in multiple areas in the Gaza Strip on Saturday. This attack from across the border is the most severe that Israel has experienced in a long time.
Mr Blinken is going to meet with Israeli President Isaac Herzog on Thursday morning and later in the day with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

On Friday, he will meet with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and Jordan’s King Abdullah in the city of Amman in Jordan.

Joe Biden, the President of the United States, recently said that he had told Mr. Netanyahu, the leader of Israel, that they need to follow the rules of war when responding to the attacks from Hamas.

But he said Israel had the right and the responsibility to react, and described the attacks as a very evil act.

Israel has said that they will not remove the complete blockage on Gaza, which includes stopping the flow of food, fuel, and other necessary items, until the hostages are released.

Israel has promised to destroy Hamas and has started a strong bombing attack on the small area where 2. 3 million people live.

A US state department official, whose name was not mentioned, said that there are about 600,000 Palestinian Americans in Gaza, and some of them want to leave. Reuters reported this information.

Aid organizations have been asking to create safe areas for people in Gaza to reduce their hardship.