US Secretary of State Antony Blinken discussed “ongoing efforts to minimize civilian harm” and increase the delivery of humanitarian assistance in Gaza during a meeting with Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, the US State Department said.

Blinken met with Abbas in the occupied West Bank on Wednesday during a week-long trip to the Middle East, aimed at easing regional tensions.

According to a statement from State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller, the United Nations has appointed Sigrid Kaag as senior humanitarian and reconstruction coordinator for Gaza as a part of those efforts to reduce civilian harm.

Rising death toll: Israeli attacks on Gaza have killed at least 23,210 Palestinians since October 7 and injured another 59,167, according to the Hamas-run Ministry of Health — more than 1% of the enclave’s total pre-war population of 2.27 million people.

In December, US intelligence revealed nearly half of the air-to-ground munitions that Israel has used in Gaza have been unguided, as US President Joe Biden said support for Israel's military campaign would erode due to "indiscriminate bombing."

It has prompted warnings from global leaders for Israel to shift its military strategy and limit civilian casualties.

/CNN