BAKU, Azerbaijan, May 13. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken had a telephone conversation with Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Galant, the US State Department said in a statement, Trend reports.
According to the information, in a telephone conversation with the Israeli Defense Minister, Blinken stressed the importance of ensuring the safety of civilians in the event of a large-scale ground operation in Rafah, located south of the Gaza Strip.
"The Secretary of State emphasized the urgent need to protect civilians and humanitarian workers in Gaza and called on the Secretary of State to ensure that aid reaches Gaza," the statement says.
At the same time, Blinken once again noted that while the United States is “committed to the security of Israel and the shared goal of defeating Hamas,” Washington is nevertheless “opposed to a major military ground operation in Rafah, where more than a million people have taken refuge.”