US says 'now is the time' to end Gaza war

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Wednesday "now is the time" to end the Gaza war, and urged Israel to avoid further escalation with Iran.

Blinken's visit to the region, is 11th since the Gaza war began, comes amid continued US efforts to end the war and limit its regional fallout.

The Gaza war began with Hamas's October 7, 2023 attack on Israel, which resulted in the deaths of 1,206 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally of Israeli official figures.

Israel's retaliatory offensive has killed 42,792 people in Gaza, also mostly civilians, according to figures from the Hamas-run territory's health ministry which the UN considers reliable. Blinken said Israel had "achieved most of its strategic objectives" in Gaza and should now aim for lasting success.

"Now is the time to turn those successes into enduring, strategic success," he said after meetings with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and other top officials. Addressing Israel's pledge to retaliate for Iran's October 1 attack, he said: "It's also very important that Israel respond in ways that do not create greater escalation."

After Israel, Blinken visited Saudi Arabia, renewing his bid to broker a normalisation of diplomatic ties between the two countries.