Blinken: Palestinian civilians bearing the brunt of conflict

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Thursday that Palestinian civilians have continued to bear the brunt of the conflict in recent days. 

Blinken was speaking to reporters before leaving Washington for a visit to Israel and the wider region. 

"We will be talking about concrete steps that can and should be taken to minimise harm to men, women children in Gaza," he said. "This is something the United States is committed to."

"When I see a Palestinian child, a boy, a girl pulled from the rubble of a collapsed building that hits me in the gut ... So this is something that we have an obligation to respond to, and we will."

He said he would be working to prevent escalation on various fronts, including in South Lebanon and the occupied West Bank.

"We will be talking about how we can set conditions for a durable sustainable peace, durable sustainable security for Israelis and Palestinians alike," Blinken added.