Shafaq News/ The U.S. State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller said the United States would encourage Israel to protect civilians during its aggression in Gaza.

On the American pressures on Israel to protect Gaza civilians, Miller said this issue would be a subject of discussion during U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken's trip to the region.

"That's certainly something that we will talk about" in Israel, Miller told CNN.

"We have seen them (Israelis) take a number of steps to try to minimize" civilian harm, Miller said, "and we will encourage them to continue to do more."

So far, Israel has killed more than 22,000 Palestinians, most are children and women, destroyed most of Gaza's infrastructure, and halted hospitals from work.

U.S. Secretary Blinken began his fourth visit to the Middle East; his tour includes Türkiye, Greece, Jordan, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Israel, the West Bank, and Egypt from January 4-11, 2024.

According to a statement, “the Secretary will underscore the importance of protecting civilian lives in Israel and the West Bank and Gaza; securing the release of all remaining hostages; our shared commitment to facilitating the increased, sustained delivery of life-saving humanitarian assistance to civilians in Gaza and the resumption of essential services; and ensuring that Palestinians are not forcibly displaced from Gaza.”

Blinken will also discuss the Houthi attacks on commercial shipping in the Red Sea and avoid escalation in Lebanon.