Blinken, Abbas talk Israel-Hamas war; Gaza Health Ministry puts death toll at 23,357

Jan. 10 (UPI) -- U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken held talks with Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas Wednesday as they discussed the impacts of Israel's war with Hamas.

Blinken wrote on X that they discussed "ongoing efforts to minimize civilian harm" in Gaza as well as plans to accelerate the delivery of humanitarian aid.

The talks came as the Palestinian Ministry of Health reported 147 people had been killed and 243 injured in the past 24 hours, bringing the death toll from Israel's combat operations in Gaza triggered by Hamas' Oct. 7 attack on Israel to 23,357, while 59,410 people in Gaza have been injured in the fighting.

Blinken also expressed efforts to "end extremist violence" and work toward an independent Palestinian state.

State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said those talks included "administrative reforms, which, if implemented, would benefit the Palestinian people" in a readout of their discussion.

The statement added that Blinken underscored the U.S. position that Palestinian tax revenues collected by Israel should be "consistently conveyed to the Palestinian Authority in accordance with prior agreements."

During the meeting, the Palestinian news agency, WAFA, reported that Abbas stressed the importance of preventing Israeli attacks on hospitals and shelter centers, as the Gaza Health Ministry claimed Israel targeted the Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital on Wednesday.

Abbas also said the Palestinian Authority "will not allow" Palestinians in Gaza to be removed from the region, citing comments by Israeli ministers Bezalel Smotrich And Itamar Ben Gvir that called for the "voluntary" emigration" of Palestinians from the Gaza strip.

The U.S. State Department had previously condemned those comments as "inflammatory" and "irresponsible."

In a Tel Aviv news conference Tuesday Blinken said Palestinians displaced by the war must be permitted to return to their Gaza homes. He said Israel has agreed to allow a U.N.-led assessment mission into northern Gaza, which the U.N. currently considers uninhabitable.

Blinken said there must be a roadmap to Palestinian statehood, stressing that if Israel wants its Arab neighbors to make hard decision to ensure lasting peace, Israel must also be ready to make them.