US Secretary of State, Anthony Blinken, on Thursday, in a phone call with Israeli Minister, Benny Gantz, stressed the importance of reducing the escalation in the West Bank and the need to deliver humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip.

In a statement by US State Department spokesman Matthew Miller, he confirmed that Blinken and Gantz discussed efforts to implement and accelerate the transfer of necessary humanitarian aid to Gaza.

The two ministers also stressed continued efforts to prevent the expansion of the conflict and secure the release of hostages in Gaza, including American citizens.

Blinken stressed "the urgent need for strict steps to reduce the escalation in the West Bank, including confronting the increasing levels of extremist settler violence."

At the end of the statement, the US Minister stressed the United States’ commitment to working towards a two-state solution.

In the West Bank, which has been occupied by Israel for 56 years, 490,000 settlers live among three million Palestinians. The United Nations considers these settlements illegal under international law.

Since the start of the war between Israel and Hamas on October 7, the United Nations Office for Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) has recorded more than six “incidents” (from livestock theft to physical violence) daily between settlers and Palestinians, compared to three incidents in the previous months.

Jaber Dababsi, a 35-year-old Palestinian farmer and activist from the village of Khallet al-Dabaa, told AFP: “They are using the war as an excuse to expel us from our homes and seize our lands.”

European and American diplomats have repeatedly condemned the increase in violence by Israeli settlers against Palestinian civilians since the war began on October 7 after the unprecedented attack launched by Hamas in Israel.