The visit Friday came as fears grew that the conflict could widen, with Israel warning that it was on high alert for attacks on its border with Lebanon.
Philadelphia's 30th Street Station was brought to a standstill Thursday as a massive demonstration took over the transportation terminalU.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken met Israel's prime minister on Friday to press American calls for a humanitarian pause in the fighting inIsraeli troops tightened their encirclement of Gaza City, the focus of their campaign to crush the enclave's ruling Hamas militants who launched a brutal attack on Israeli communities that started the war.
More than 9,000 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza so far, mostly women and minors, and more and than 32,000 people have been wounded, the Gaza Health Ministry said, without providing a breakdown between civilians and fighters. Israel has not openly responded to Biden's suggestion. But Netanyahu, who has previously ruled out a cease-fire, said Thursday: "We are advancing. ... Nothing will stop us." He vowed to destroy Hamas rule in the Gaza Strip.
Blinken is also expected to press Israel to rein in violence against Palestinians in the occupied West Bank committed by Jewish settlers. Israel and the U.S. seem to have no clear plan for what would come next if Hamas rule in Gaza is brought down - a key question on Blinken's agenda during the visit, according to the State Department.Meanwhile, military officials said Israeli forces have now completely encircled Gaza City, a densely packed cluster of neighborhoods that Israel says is the center of Hamas military infrastructure and includes a vast network of underground tunnels, bunkers and command centers.
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