US Secretary of State Antony Blinken heads on his second crisis trip to the Middle East as he renews support for Israel but also seeks subtly to encourage the US ally to limit civilian deaths that have outraged much of the world.

According to AFP, Blinken will spend the day Friday in Israel — his fourth visit since the October 7 assault, including a trip to accompany President Joe Biden — and also head to Jordan and potentially other stops before a previously scheduled trip to Asia.

In a step long awaited by the Biden administration, the first US citizens were able to leave Gaza on Wednesday after painstaking diplomacy — including a visit by Blinken to Qatar, which has relations with Hamas — to open the Rafah crossing from Gaza into Egypt.

Blinken previously said 400 US citizens and 600 of their family members were seeking to leave the Gaza Strip.