The United States will make "significant contributions" to rebuilding Gaza which will be announced later Tuesday, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in Jerusalem. Blinken said the US would "work to ensure that Hamas does not benefit" from the aid. Blinken said the losses on both sides in the conflict between Israel and Hamas were "profound." "Casualties are often reduced to numbers. But behind every number is a human being — a daughter, a son, a father, a mother, a grandparent, a best friend. And as the Talmud teaches, to lose a life is to lose the whole world, whether that life is Palestinian or Israeli," Blinken said. Israeli strikes during the recent conflict killed at least 232 Palestinians, including 65 children, according to the Hamas-run health ministry in Gaza. At least 12 people in Israel, including two children, were killed by Palestinian militant fire from Gaza, according to Israel's military and the emergency service. Blinken was speaking alongside Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Tuesday following discussions on the first day of his first official tour of the region. He said the two had a detailed discussion about Israel's security needs, including the Iron Dome defense system. Netanyahu urged the US not to return to the Iran nuclear deal known as the JCPOA. He said the deal would allow Iran to develop nuclear weapons, and said Israel reserved the right to defend itself. Responding to that, Blinken said only that Washington would "continue to consult" with Israel as negotiations went on in Vienna. Blinken spoke about the right of Israelis and Palestinians, but did not specifically mention the two-state solution or suggest that comprehensive peace negotiations were imminent. — CNN
