US state secretary to visit Israel for second time since start of Gaza conflict

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken will visit Israel on November 3.

The trip’s aim is to partake in the meetings with members of the Israeli government amidst the ongoing Israel-Hamas conflict, Reuters informs, citing the US State Department.

This will be the second visit of the head of the State Department to Israel since the beginning of that country's war with the Palestinian radical movement Hamas.

Palestinian health officials said earlier that at least 50 Palestinians were killed when Israeli airstrikes hit a refugee camp in northern Gaza on Tuesday, as Israeli ground forces battled Hamas gunmen based in a sprawling tunnel network.

"Secretary Blinken will travel to Israel on Friday for meetings with members of the Israeli government, and then will make other stops in the region," State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller said.

Earlier this month, Blinken visited Israel, Jordan, Qatar, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Egypt.