Baku, November 3, AZERTAC

ecretary of State Antony Blinken arrived in Israel Friday to press the Israeli government on its ongoing offensive in Gaza amid growing international condemnation and a steadily mounting civilian death toll, CNN reported.

The top US diplomat, who traveled twice to Israel last month in the wake of the deadly Hamas attack, is meeting with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the war cabinet in Tel Aviv as the US government continues to attempt balancing support for Israel’s defense with an increasingly public call for them to protect civilians.

In remarks to the press before departing Washington, DC, Thursday, Blinken said he planned to talk to the Israeli government about “the ongoing campaign against the Hamas terrorist organization” and “steps that need to be taken to protect civilians.”

According to a diplomatic source, Blinken was expected to push Israel for a “pause” in airstrikes on Gaza to “allow for mediation,” though a timeline for such a pause remains unclear. Blinken and other administration officials have repeatedly voiced their support for “humanitarian pauses.”

Speaking alongside Israeli President Isaac Herzog, Blinken reiterated that the way Israel conducts its operations matters.

Herzog sought to emphasize that Israel is following international humanitarian law. He showed Blinken a leaflet -– 1.2 million of which he said had been sent to citizens of Gaza warning them to leave before military operations –- and said Israel had “carried out six million text messages and four million phone calls to the citizens of Gaza according to the rules of international law, where we alerted the citizens in advance.”

As protesters could be heard outside the meeting demanding the release of hostages, the top US diplomat said they “are determined to do everything we can to bring them back safely, to bring them back to be with their families and loved ones.”

Privately, officials across the US government have warned their Israeli counterparts about the impact of such images – and the importance of allowing humanitarian aid in – on their ability to pursue their strategic aims as international condemnation grows wider and louder.

The continued flow of that humanitarian aid and ongoing departure of civilians will be another key focus of his conversations in Israel, Blinken said Thursday.

Civilians, including American citizens, were able to leave Gaza via the Rafah Gate to Egypt starting on Wednesday, and officials said departures were expected to continue over the coming days.

Still, it was a painstaking, weeks-long process to get to that point, one that required significant high-level US pressure on the parties involved.

A steady stream of trucks carrying assistance have been able to enter in the past week, but US officials including Blinken have stressed that it is not nearly enough. Israeli officials have also limited the entrance of fuel into Gaza, arguing that Hamas has stolen large quantities and withheld it from civilians.

Aid and medical workers have stressed the dire need for the fuel to keep hospitals running, and the matter is expected to be raised by Blinken in his meetings Friday. The source familiar told CNN that the issue has been raised at senior levels.

Blinken’s third priority for his stop in Israel is to discuss “the day after” – “how we can set the conditions for a durable, sustainable peace; durable, sustainable security for Israelis and Palestinians alike,” he said Thursday.

The top US diplomat has said repeatedly that there cannot be a return to the “status quo” with Hamas, and Israeli officials have said they intend to eliminate the group from Gaza.

In congressional testimony on Monday, Blinken said that Israel cannot run or control Gaza, noting, “That’s not their intent, it’s not what they want to do, and it’s not something that would be supported.”