US secretary of state to head back to Israel after regional tour

CAIRO (AA) - US Secretary of State Antony Blinken will return to Israel on Monday, a senior official said on Sunday, extending his Middle East tour by a day, as Israeli bombardment of the Gaza Strip continues relentlessly.

State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller confirmed the visit to reporters traveling with Blinken, according to Haaretz newspaper.

The top US diplomat arrived in Israel on Thursday and has since visited Jordan, Qatar, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and Egypt.

He embarked on the tour to prevent fighting from spiraling into a wider conflict, which began after a surprise Hamas offensive in Israel last week.

Hamas initiated Operation Al-Aqsa Flood against Israel – a multi-pronged surprise attack including a barrage of rocket launches and infiltrations into Israel via land, sea, and air.

It said the operation was in retaliation for the storming of Al-Aqsa Mosque in occupied East Jerusalem and Israeli settlers’ growing violence against Palestinians.

The Israeli military then launched Operation Swords of Iron against Hamas targets within the Gaza Strip.

Israel's response has extended into cutting water and electricity supplies to Gaza, further worsening living conditions in an area that has endured a crippling siege since 2007, as well as ordering more than 1 million Gazans in the northern strip to evacuate to the southern strip.

At least 2,450 Palestinians have been killed in Israeli air raids, while the number of Israelis killed in Hamas’s military operation stands at 1,300.​​​​​​​

An estimated 1 million Gazans have been displaced, according to the UN agency supporting Palestinian refugees.​​​​​​​