Israel Hamas War | Israel Palestine Conflict News Live Updates: Palestinians reported heavy Israeli airstrikes in southern Gaza on Tuesday, where they were ordered to seek refuge by the Israeli side, reported news agency Associated Press.The threat of an Israeli ground invasion of the blockaded Gaza Strip "doesn't scare us and we are ready for it", Abu Obeideh, the spokesman of Hamas's military wing, said Monday.In a televised statement, he said Ezzedine al-Qassam Brigades were holding 200 people captive since a massive onslaught on Israel's south on October 7, with about 50 others held by other "resistance factions and in other places"."The threat of the occupation (Israel) to launch a ground offensive against our people doesn't scare us and we are ready for it," Abu Obeideh said ahead of an expected Israeli invasion more than a week into war.More than 1,400 people have been killed in Israel in the violence that began with the early morning Hamas attack, according to Israeli officials.Army spokesman Daniel Hagari said earlier Monday Israel had been able to confirm and notify the relatives of 199 people held captives in Gaza.According to Abu Obeideh, "we will release the foreign prisoners when conditions are ripe".He said at least 22 hostages taken from Israel had been killed in Israeli air strikes on Gaza.Overall, more than 2,750 people have been killed in Israeli strikes on the narrow Palestinian enclave since October 7, according to Hamas officials.On the other end, U.S. President Joe Biden is set to make a high-stakes visit to Israel on Wednesday as the country prepares to escalate an offensive against Hamas militants.Biden's visit will mark a significant show of U.S. support for its top Middle East ally after Hamas gunmen killed 1,300 people during a rampage through southern Israeli towns on Oct. 7, the deadliest single day in Israel's 75-year history.Israel has responded by tightening its blockade on Hamas-ruled Gaza, including by restricting the entry of fuel, and bombarding the area with air strikes that have killed thousands of Palestinians and displaced hundreds of thousands more.U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken concluded hours of talks with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Tel Aviv early on Tuesday by saying that Biden would visit Israel."The president will hear from Israel what it needs to defend its people as we continue to work with Congress to meet those needs," Blinken told reporters.Biden would meet with Netanyahu, reaffirm Washington's commitment to Israel's security, and receive a comprehensive brief on its war aims and strategy, Blinken said."(The) president will hear from Israel how it will conduct its operations in a way that minimizes civilian casualties and enables humanitarian assistance to flow to civilians in Gaza in a way that does not benefit Hamas," Blinken added.Blinken also said he and Netanyahu had agreed to develop a plan to get humanitarian aid to Gaza civilians. He did not provide details.After visiting Israel, Biden would travel to Jordan to meet with King Abdullah, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi and Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, U.S. national security spokesperson John Kirby said.Gaza authorities say more than 2,800 people have been killed in Israeli attacks since Oct. 7, around a quarter of them children, and more than 10,000 wounded are in hospitals desperately short of supplies.Israeli officials say that as well as the casualties Hamas inflicted, the Iran-backed group also took some 199 captives back into Gaza.A top Hamas leader said on Monday the group "has what it needs" to free all Palestinians in Israel's jails, indicating it may try to use the Israelis it kidnapped on Oct. 7 as bargaining chips to secure the release of Palestinian prisoners.Soon after Hamas official Khaled Meshaal made the remarks on the captives, who include Israelis and non-Israelis, the group's armed wing separately said the non-Israelis were "guests" who would be released "when circumstances allow."Hamas released a video on Monday in which a French-Israeli woman captive was shown having her injured arm treated by an unidentified medical worker. She identified herself as 21-year-old Mia Schem and asked to be returned to her family as quickly as possible.Biden's trip is a rare and risky choice, showing American backing for Netanyahu as the U.S. tries to avert a broader regional war involving Iran, its Lebanese ally Hezbollah and Syria. It comes as Israel is preparing a ground offensive in Gaza expected to intensify the enclave's humanitarian crisis.