WEST BANK: The United Nations’ agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA) has said that 313 Palestinians, including 80 children have been killed in West Bank since the Israel-Hamas escalation began on Oct 7.

In a post on X, it said that Israeli forces have injured almost 4,000 Palestinians in the area, including 593 children.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has headed back to the Middle East Thursday on his fourth trip since the Israel-Hamas conflict began, expecting tough talks as he presses for immediate new aid for battered Gaza and regional de-escalation.

According to AFP, the top American diplomat will visit both Israel and the West Bank, home of the Palestinian Authority, and five Arab countries — Egypt, Jordan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates — the State Department said.

Blinken departed on late Thursday bound first for Turkiye an uneasy US ally that is the home of key Hamas leaders despite being one of the few Muslim-majority countries to recognise Israel followed by Greece. He will discuss “immediate measures to increase substantially humanitarian assistance to Gaza”.

“We don’t expect every conversation on this trip to be easy. There are obviously tough issues facing the region and difficult choices ahead,” State Department spokesman Matthew Miller told reporters.

“But the secretary believes it is the responsibility of the United States of America to lead diplomatic efforts to tackle those challenges head on,” he said.