US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has affirmed his country's solidarity with Israel in his talks with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Blinken visited Israel on Thursday in the wake of the Palestinian Islamic group Hamas' massive attacks on the country over the weekend.

At the beginning of his meeting with the Israeli leader, Blinken told him, "We're here, we're not going anywhere," as the two shook hands.

In a joint news conference after the talks, Netanyahu said, "Thank you, America, for standing with Israel, today, tomorrow and always.

Blinken condemned Hamas and warned that any countries or forces which tried to strike Israel by taking advantage of the confusion should not attack. Experts say Blinken's statement of U.S. support for Israel is an apparent check on the Lebanon-based Shia militant group Hezbollah.

Blinken called for measures to be taken to avoid harming civilians in the Gaza Strip to the extent possible.

He did not mention setting up a humanitarian corridor for civilians to evacuate Gaza and for delivering necessary goods. Gaza is effectively controlled by Hamas and is now blockaded by Israel.

Blinken is also scheduled to meet Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas on Friday.