The US secretary of state, Antony Blinken, said Palestinian civilians "must be protected" during a speech to the UN security council on Tuesday. Speaking at the UN headquarters in New York, Blinken said: "A civilian is a civilian is a civilian." He accused Hamas of using Palestinians as human shields and said Israel must take precautions to minimise civilian casualties. He also called on the international community to send humanitarian aid to Gaza Hamas and Israel at war: what we know on day 18 Israel and Hamas at war – live updates