Transcripts For MSNBCW Jose 20240703

And streets completely torn apart. The desperate population pushed to the brink as basic services fail. And later, the search for the missing, President Biden set to speak today to the families of americans taken hostage by hamas as he denounces the terror attack. This is not even human behavior, it is pure barbarism. And were going to do everything in our power to get them home if we can find them. On what is happening on the ground, joining us now, ellison barber, along the israelgaza border. What are you seeing . Reporter hey, lester, hey, jose, you can probably hear a little bit where we are. There are helicopters that have been circling overhead, gaza just back in the direction behind us. You see we have seen throughout the last hour or so, a number of smoke plumes popping up and you can hear the Bombardment Taking place inside gaza. It is like a lull of thunder, but just one after another after another. We have been here for the last couple of hours and have just watched some of this activity from afar. We havent seen or heard any sort of rockets coming out of gaza into this direction. We know the City Center Of Ashkelon is about three miles from here. That was hit by a barrage of missiles this morning. A number of those intercepted by Israeli Defense forces by the iron dome. But so far the bombardment, the sounds that were hearing, it is taking place inside of gaza. Yesterday, jose, i had the chance to speak with a spokesperson for israels Defense Forces and asked him about the fact that there are so many civilians stuck inside gaza with no way out. I asked him if they were open to discussions about some sort of humanitarian corridor, either into egyptian territory, through the south or something that would lead into israeli territory, so civilians can get to safety. We know the last 24 hours from what our producer inside of gaza has told us is that people there said the idf flew over and dropped leaflets, warning them to evacuate, but, again, they actually cannot get out of that area. When i asked a spokesperson for the idf about civilians, this is some of what he had to say in terms of whether or not they would be allowed out. Listen. One of the first things that hamas did is attack the main crossing with israel in the north of the gaza strip, they attacked it, they blew item,. This is a situation of hamas making. Hamas war is a war on civilians. They are responsible for their population and while we take these precautions, we have to remember that they started this war and we have to finish it. Reporter so right now youre looking with us at a large plume of smoke that just developed inside of gaza. Listening to the israeli spokesperson there, he said at one point, hamas is responsible for their civilian population. The reality is thats not how International Law works when it comes to war. War has rules that have been ratified by the geneva convention. We heard secretary Antony Blinken in his Press Conference yesterday with israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu talk about how democracies like israel have to be better than a terrorist organization like hamas. And the truth is there is a responsibility on both sides in warfare to limit Civilian Casualties. Whether or not some sort of humanitarian corridor could ultimately be established we dont know right now. Said he couldnt discuss diplomatic discussions when i asked if israel would support some sort of exit safe passage into egypt, thats something the u. N. Has called for, but so far we havent seen that happen. And what we know right now as we watch these plumes of smoke as we hear the Bombardment Inside Gaza is that you have 2 million roughly civilians trapped inside that area, according to the u. N. , Hundreds Of Thousands displaced, over 200,000 currently sheltering in u. N. Operated schools and hospitals, all while the electricity is out, while the one place where they have fuel inside of gaza has run out of fuel, something that the u. N. Says could lead to hospitals inside gaza becoming morgues because they will not be able to supply their generators and maintain power to patients who need it. All of this, jose, expected to possibly get a lot worse because israel has not launched a Ground Assault into gaza just yet. But we do expect that to happen at any point. When i asked idf is that Ground Assault imminent, he said we have been very clear we are ready to do what we need to do. Jose . Ellison barber, thank you so very much. We are also keeping a close eye on doha, qatar, where Secretary Of State Antony Blinken is scheduled to speak soon. There you see the podiums that have been set up. Well bring you those remarks as soon as they begin. But with us now to continue our conference is yakov kotz, former editor in chief of the Jerusalem Post and Senior Fellow at the jewish people policy institute. Thank you for being with us. What do you think that the the people inside israel today, how would you help us understand what israel right now is feeling as were looking at six hours maybe left of this deadline they have given the folks in gaza, what is the mood there . The mood in israel, jose, is one of great anxiety. It was just less than a week ago, over 1,000 people were butchered in their homes, children, babies, women, men, elderly, holocaust survivors, hundreds taken to gaza, 40 babies found dead in one of these communities along the border. And we know this Ground Incursion is happening. Israeli forces have been building up and amassing along the border and theyre getting ready for it. And this has israelis concerned what that means, what will happen to the soldiers as they go in, what surprises are waiting for them that have been put there, booby trapped tunnels, antita missiles, whatever other weapons they receive from iran, what is waiting for them there. There is a lot of anxiety and there is also a feeling that israel has no choice. This is a war over our homes. They came into our homes a killed us in our homes, and therefore we have no choice but to go in the, to push them back, and to destroy as much of hamas as possible. And, as you know, better than anybody else, gaza is a one of the worlds most densely populated areas, more than 2 million civilians in there. How does Something Like that what do you think the end result of this is going to be . Look, the end result needs to be that hamas has its capabilities degraded, has most of its members killed or captured, and has almost all of its infrastructure destroyed. We can never, ever have a situation that hamas has the capabilities to launch an attack the likes of which they launched on october 7th. With that said, the incursion is complicated, it is a densely populated area there are many civilians, 2 Million People in gaza in a place the size of philadelphia, lets say, it is very complicated, but this is why israel has been waiting ts is why israel asked pple from the north to move to the south, we have to keep in mind, jose, you cant have it both ways in the world. The world says, yes, israel has the right selfdefense, but dont know in, youll kill civilians, so when they drop leaflets and says go south, the u. N. Says no, youre displacing civilians. Which is it . Israel has no choice, it has to defend itself. It is not revenge, it is not vengeance it called defending the state of israel. And we were just showing and these are the video of those leaflets that are being dropped on to Northern Gaza, and, you know, when you look at the map of where gaza is, and you see there iso much of the territory there that faces israel, but then to the left of your screen, if youre listening to us at home, were showing a pf the area, to theeft of it is egypt. And im just wondering, where is the solidarity, where is the where is this Massive Mission going on from arab countries, egypt and other places, to help with this conflict, to help with the civilians that are there . I mean, there is a good chunk of land there that is bordering with egypt, where is that solidarity, where is that movement, where is that mission . Jose, it is an excellent question. They have a border that is about 25, 30 kilometers long. If they want egypt to open its bord, i love hearing from people saying israels siege is linked to gaza. Let egypt give them the electricity and the water, let egypt open the border so people can flee. Why is egypt not doi it . Because egypt doesnt want hamas coming into egypt. So, this who concept as if everything that happens in gaza is israels fault this whole concept as if this is an israeli siege on gaza, this is a problem if egypt wants it could deal with, it doesnt want to, and israel here has no choice but to act in selfdefense and to protect its people. And i know you have a Daughter Serving in the idf in Southern Israel. How are you doing on that . Look, you know, my daughter is serving in the south. Shes there. You know, the sabbath is about to begin, and, you know, some fathers before the sabbath give their children the blessing before the sabbath, or when the sabbath begins. I gave it to her this friday over facetime because obviously were not together and one of the passages that we say is you should be blessed with peace. And, of course, thats something on my mind. But im proud of her. Im proud of her, her friends, my nephew who is serving up north and all the Hundreds Of Thousands of israelis. My story is not unique. It is the story of all israel today who have loved ones or they themselves are fighting. Like i said before, this is a fight for our homes, it was a fight forced upon us that we were compelled into, that we did not want. We tried everything we could to avoid, but now we have no choice but to launch this offensive to keep this country safe. You know, this conflict and these conflicts go back thousands of years in many cases. Im wondering is there do you see any way forward for that blessed with Peace Feeling that you gave and you shared with your daughter for the region . I hope. You know, jose, one of the things i think back to often is the Yom Kippur War of 1973, 50 years ago. We were surprised by egypt and syria, they hit us hard, we fought back, we retained our territory, we defeated them in that war and we all remember how it was just five, six years later when we signed the Camp David Accords and made peace with egypt. What that tells me, and i see this in the other agreements that we have made over the years, whether the Abraham Accords with United Arab Emirates and morocco and bahrain or the peace treaty with jordan is when the way to make peace is make peace through strength. Israel has an opportunity today to show strength to its enemies and adversaries. What lessons do they take from that . Thats going to be up to them. What they have to recognize is that israel is not going anywhere. We are a powerful country that will do everything it can to defend itself. They should get right conclusion that theyre better off with peace with us. As many other arab countries have already reached that conclusion. So, there is hope. But right now that hope needs to be set aside because there is a war that needs to be fought. Thank you, thank you so much for being with us this morning. The u. S. Is ready to send more aid to fight hamas. Why one of our next guests believes the Ground Assault is inevitable and could be long and very deadly. Were back in 60 secondses. Youre watching special coverage of the israelhamas war on msnbc. L coverage of the israelhamas war on msnbc. Theres challenges, and i love overcoming challenges. When better money habits® content first started coming out, it expanded what i could do for Special Olympics athletes with developmental needs. Thousands of Bank Of America employees like scott spend countless hours volunteering to teach people how to reach their financial goals. It felt good. It felt like i could take on the whole world. 14 past the hour. Right now, Secretary Of Defense lloyd austin is heading to brussels after spending the morning in israel to meet with Israeli Defense officials. Also stress that even as the u. S. Continues supporting ukraine, the u. S. Will be able to extend aid to israel. We will stand with israel, even as we stand with ukraine. The United States can walk and chew gum at the same time. And u. S. Security assistance to israel will flow in at the speed of war. Joining us now from the pentagon, nbcs courtney kube. Great seeing you. So what is the latest on the secretarys trip and then the u. S. Plans to continue supplying israel with all kinds of armor. There were a couple of main messages secretary austin wanted to convey during this very brief stop in israel today. And by the way, last minute stop. He was scheduled to be in brussels for a ukraine meeting, for a nato meeting and head on back. This was an unplanned, unexpected stop. Among those messages was just continued u. S. Support and solidarity for israel, but also he is also conveying the same message from other u. S. Officials recently and that is to anyone who might be considering supporting hamas, do not do it. We keep hearing that same phrase. Anyone who wants to support them, dont. Thats a big reason that the u. S. Has sent the Carrier Strike group to the eastern mediterranean. It is really to deter anyone who might be looking to help support hamas there. But then that opens up another big question that we have been asking for days now, jose, including on this program, and that is there any real consideration for u. S. Boots on the ground . We know there are some u. S. Military, very small number who are in israel right now. Theyre helping with the israelis with some of their planning, coordination, theyre providing intelligence. But we arent talking at this point still about any u. S. Boots on the ground and what we might think of it, jose, thats things like for active operations. We heard a little bit more about that in fact from the nfcs john kirby earlier today. Heres what he had to say. There are no plans or intentions to do that. So there are no active Planning Efforts under way to do that. Israelis made it clear that they would not welcome that in any event. That was john kirby, again, at the white house yesterday, not today. But, of course, that is the same message were hearing from u. S. Defense officials as well, that at this point, they are supporting israel with intelligence sharing, they have moved these Military Assets into the area, show of support, show of strength, and then they are flowing resources in. So the first shipment of aid and ammunition went to israel earlier this week. We heard from the israeli Minister Of Defense today standing right next to Secretary Of Defense lloyd often in tel aviv, he said the second aircraft is arriving today with more advanced munitions. We dont have a whole lot of fidelity at this point still about what those munitions include. But the things that we do know include interceptors for the iron dome. So that is the air Defense System that is really been so critical to israel for years, frankly, but really proved to be invaluable last weekend when this assault unfolded, stopping hundreds if not thousands of rockets from impacting population centers. In addition to that, we heard from a Senior Defense official just yesterday that the u. S. Is also sending these small diameter bombs, known as dpicms. A lot of people refer to them as cluster bombs. Theyre also sending jdam kits, conversion kits, which will allow the israelis to strike Underneath Targets underneath the ground, jose. Courtney kube in washington, thank you very much. Joining us now is retired colonel Peter Mansour at the ohio state university, who spent 26 years in the army, including Commanding A Brigade in iraq and the Executive Officer to general david petraeus. Thank you very much for being with us. Im just wondering, your thoughts on what the secretary austin said when he asked he was asked to compare his time leading the fight against isis to what he has seen from hamas. Listen to what he had to say. Encountering isis, i felt as if we were staring evil in the eye. It was truly evil. And what we have seen from hamas, it takes that evil to another level. Colonel, what do you make of that assessment . Well, the tactics, techniques and procedures of the two groups are similar. I wouldnt say hamas is any more evil than isis, isis was as bad as they get. But their motivations are different. Isis was very much motivated by religion. Hamas is motivated by nationalism. But, yes, they are both evil groups that Target Noncombatants and violate the law of war and they should be condemned full stop. Yeah, and part of that hamas ideology is the destruction of the state of israel and the elimination of jews writ large. And im just wondering, colonel, what you have that as the Guiding Force behind any group, how do you deal with that when, for example, were talking about the idf is looking to rescue more than 100 hostages that hamas is holding. How challenging of a mission is it for israel . Israel has a tall order ahead of it. Its stated goal is to destroy hamas. I do not think that is possible without not only a lengthy invasion with lots of Civilian Casualties, but a lengthy occupation to make sure that hamas does not rise from the ashes, rescuing the hostages isnt going to happen, theyre spread out all over the place in underground tunnels. You might get one or two or several rescued, but to get all 120 or more is just not in the cards, so, what the israeli leaders need to do now besides planning this invasion is to figure out the end state. What sort of political resolution is possible at the end of all of this fighting. Thats certainly a key question. Im wondering, as a student of history that you are, when wars are carried out, and i think, you know, the invasion of ukraine certainly has seen parts of russia targeting entire cities to essentially leveling them. But if you look at the nature of war in history, im thinking, you know, london was bombed during world war ii, dresden was bombed. In 1942 malta was bombed incessantly, part of war is its ugly nature, from a to z, including some very difficult, horrendous situations. Is this what you think were going to see in gaza . You know, we already have some more recent models to use, fallujah in 2004, a third of the city was destroyed and mosul with the destruction of the Islamic State in which most cities were essentially leveled. This could be the future for the northern part of gaza, which is what the israelis seem to be targeting. You cant fight in an urban area without lots of damage to the infrastructure. And lots of Civilian Casualties unless you can get them to leave the area as we did in fallujah in 2004. The Israeli Government asked the palestinians in Northern Gaza to leave. But this is a tall order. It is 1. 1 Million People. And they really have Nowhere To Go and hamas is forcing them to stay in many cases, because they want to see israel Kill Noncombatants and civilians and thereby maybe turn Public Opinion against the israeli invasion. Colonel, thank you so very much for being with us this morning. If we could go back to the live shot we have of gaza city, at 6 22 p. M. , their time, were seeing in our screens two very large plumes of black smoke coming out of that city. This is something that we have been seeing just constantly and just a reminder that the israelis are giving the people in Northern Gaza until midnight tonight and that would be just about five and a half hours from now to leave that area as this bombing continues. Up next, chaos in congress. Delaying any approval for aid to israel or anything else. The latest as House Republicans scramble yet again to find a speaker after Steve Scalise drops out of the race. Youre watching special coverage of the israelhamas war on msnbc. Of the israelhamas war on msnbc. This is american infrastructure, a prime target for cyberattacks. But the same aipowered security that protects all of google also defends these services for everyone who lives here. 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We need to elect a speaker. I wish we were not in this situation. It is pretty obvious scalise doesnt have the votes. If were here until sunday, monday, tuesday of next week and dont have someone, we need another option here. The dysfunction leaving Congress Unable to approve Emergency Aid to israel among other things after it was attacked by hamas. Joining us now is ryan nobles. So, ryan, what is going on now . Reporter well, jose, we have Just A Little Bit of movement that emerged from this closed door meeting where House Republicans are huddled trying to come up with a path forward on this effort to select a new speaker and were told by multiple members that just left the room that the group decided to take a break. They tabled any potential changes or resolutions to the rules to try to elect a new speaker. And theyre going to reconvene at 1 00 with the goal of having some sort of internal election for the next nominee for the Republican Party for Speaker Of The House. We should also point out at this point there is no official candidate for that post. It is widely believed that congressman jim jordan of ohio, who lost out on that first internal contest to Steve Scalise, who is widely expected to mount a second run for the nomination is expected to get in, but at this point, hes not told the rest of the conference yet that is his plan so what happened Behind Closed Doors here morning was more of an organizational meeting, a talk about the path forward. They agreed to take a step away and if there are candidates interested, theyre going to inform the conference before 1 00. And then thats at 1 00 when they plan to at least begin the process of voting on the next nominee. Of course, jose, it is important to keep mind when we have these conversations, they could have this nominating contest, but unless one of these particular candidates has the 217 votes you need on the actual floor of the house, this question of who the next Speaker Of The House remains an open one. So, there is no indication right now were anywhere near close to finding a candidate who has those 217 votes and if it is jordan, for instance, there are at least five or six, maybe even more member republican members who said yet they are not yet ready to support his candidacy. Ryan nobles on capitol hill, thank you very much. Appreciate it. Up next, the United Nations is warning of a possible humanitarian disaster as israel orders the entire population of Northern Gaza to evacuate south. Well talk to a veteran journalist on the ground in israel about what she is hearing about conditions in gaza. Youre watching special coverage of the israelhamas war only on msnbc. 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And then this is probably the worst one, though the smoke is not as tall, thats ashkelon, thats a major city here in Southern Israel. And one of those missiles hit the town. Were starting to hear the sirens go on, this ambulance, police, going to the scene. One missile hit ashkelon right now. And were very close to gaza strip. And what is very important here is there is a Power Station right here and, of course, the damage could have been worse with this missiles. But fortunately it didnt get hit. As i said, were very close to gaza strip. The land in the horizon, that is gaza. And thats about four miles away from where we are. Thats the epicenter of this war. And people who live in that area, Northern Gaza, are being told to evacuate as soon as possible and thats the probably the greatest indication the israeli army is ready to start the invasion on land, jose . Julio, thank you for that report. Right now there are new developments at the Israel Southern Lebanese border as the idf says there was an explosion at a Security Fence there. Matt bradley joins us now from the lebanonisrael border. What are you seeing . Reporter yeah, jose, we have been having a Front Row Seat now to some of the cross border exchanges going on. Im down by the town of metulah, in the northern most town of all of israel and they just got orders to evacuate. We have seen some idf soldiers racing around trying to enforce that order. But as that has been going on, we have been seeing matt, im sorry to matt, im so sorry matt, im sorry to interrupt. Im sorry, the Secretary Of State is holding a News Conference right now. Lets go to that and well get back to you in a minute. [ speaking in a global language ] [ speaking in a global language ] so, the translation is not available to us right now. As you can see, the Secretary Of State does have translator in his ear and hes listening to it. Were going to try and get to the Secretary Of State and his statement as soon as he gives it. We can keep this on. I want to know, matt, is everything okay where you are . You were just about saying there was something going on, and, matt, im sorry if i have to interrupt you again, i want to know how youre doing. Reporter totally understood, jose. My team and i are just fine. We are just taking it all in here on the southern lebanese border, looking over into israel, and, again, this is the northern most israeli town of metulah, at the extreme northern of israel, extreme south of lebanon. This is a place pretty hard to get to normally without permission from the lebanese government and from the United Nations. This is a place that is patrolled by the United Nations. I want to show you what is going on behind me. We saw some of this the rockets fired, it looked like out of lebanon and into israel and one of them appears to have been intercepted, either by the iron dome or some other Antiair Device they have been using and that is sparking this fire which is raging for the last couple of minutes and expanding. We have been Heaing Artillery and gunfire for the past several hours standing here. This is still, again, this is a this is a place where the Violence Scale is really just very small compared to what were seeing around gaza or israel, where some of my colleagues are. But it just contains the seed of what could become an explosive international war. And when i say international, were seeing what looks like a war between israel and gaza, this would drag in if hezbollah, the predominant dominant military force here in Southern Lebanon if they do decide to enter into the conflict. That would drag in yet another country. It would bring in another militant group and one that is probably more powerful than hamas. Hamas has really, you know, struck extremely hard against the israelis. But hezbollah is a force that enjoys so much more support from iran, even than hamas, and actually has more weapons and it is a military theorist, it has been bloodied in its fighting for the better part of the last decade in neighboring syria, fighting against suni Islamist Groups and, you know, that makes it much more ready, much more organized, much more better prepared its officers and rank and file are able to move around the country, they enjoy Freedom Of Movement throughout the world, unlike hamas figures in gaza strip. So, if hezbollah were to get dragged into the war and thats a distinct possibility that would be a disaster for the entire region. We saw yesterday that the Foreign Minister of iran arrived in beirut, he gave a Press Conference, he discussed he had been asked by western leaders or told by western leaders, begged by western leaders not to drag hezbollah or their other proxy groups into the war. He didnt give an answer. And we have been speaking, people who are somewhat adjacent to hezbollah as well as one Member Of Parliament who is a member of hezbollah, i asked him specifically, what he thought about the fact that joe biden had parked a naval ship right off the coast here, he actually laughed. A moment of bravado and said he wasnt afraid at all of the americans. So that just goes to show the State Of Play in Southern Lebanon. Lets go right back to doha, with the Secretary Of State. The United States on broad range of issues that are crucial to both of our countries. And to this region. Working together on evacuating americans, afghans and others from afghanistan, to cooperating very closely and responding to humanitarian emergencies like the devastating earthquakes in syria. Were meeting today at what is a difficult but also consequent ial time for the region in the wake of hamas appalling attack killing more than 1300 israelis, at least 27 american citizens, and people from more than 30 countries. The United States and qatar share the goal of preventing this conflict from spreading. We discussed in detail our efforts to prevent any actor, state or nonstate, from creating a new front in this conflict. Were also working intensively together to secure the release of hostages, including american citizens, being held by hamas in gaza. Im grateful for the urgency that qatar is bringing to this effort. I had an opportunity to meet yesterday with the families of some of those being held hostage by hamas. Their anguish is profound. Theyre desperate to bring their loved ones home. And we are working urgently on that effort. Were doing that with qatar and were doing that with allies and partners across the region. As israel continues to respond to hamas devastating attack, the United States will ensure it has what it needs to defend its people. Secretary of defense austin was in israel today, doing just that, working closely with the israelis to make sure were providing them with what they need and well be able to do that on an ongoing basis. At the same time, were in constant communication with israeli officials and Multilateral International organizations, humanitarian organizations including the United Nations agencies, including the icrc, to get aid to civilians in gaza. As i said yesterday in tel aviv, israel has the right, indeed it has the obligation to defend its people and fight to ensure to make sure hamas can never repeat what its done. We continue to discuss with israel the importance of taking every possible precaution to avoid arming harming civilians. Many are suffering through no fault of their own and the Palestinian Civilians lost their lives. We mourn the loss of every innocent life. Israeli, palestinian, jew, christian, muslim, civilians of every faith and every nationality have been killed. Lets not lose sight of why this is happening. Israel is conducting operations in gaza because hamas carried out Terrorist Attacks that killed in the most horrific ways 1300 of its people. Hamas terrorists slaughtered, raped, mutilated, tortured, burned innocent civilians. From babies to the elderly. Men, women, boys and girls. Now, efforts to get humanitarian aid into gaza are complicated by the fact that hamas continues to use innocent civilians as human shields. And is reportedly blocking roads and palestinians from moving to Southern Gaza out of harms way. We know the humanitarian situation is urgent. Were actively engaged with partners including qatar to get aid to those who need it. Your excellency, thank you again for todays very, very good discussions and for all the work that our countries have done together. Thank you. [ speaking in a global language ] looks like hes going to be taking some questions. I think we have the translation, but he certainly is listening to it right now. Lets see if he does answer any questions. Or address any issues that may be brought up at this Press Conference that the Secretary Of State is holding in doha at 6 47 p. M. Were going to keep monitoring this and, of course, let you know what is said here. But i just want to let know that right now President Biden is talking virtually with the families of americans who are being held hostage by hamas in gaza. Theyre among the estimated 100 to 150 people taken hostage nearly a week ago. I want to bring in independent journalist noga tarapulski. It is great seeing you. I thank you for being with us this morning. Thank you. What is the situation in gaza right now on the ground there . The situation for the 2 million residents of gaza is desperate. They are pawns right now. Theyre victims in the most terrible eruption of violence imaginable. And it is hard to theyre almost like sitting ducks. It is a disastrous situation. Israel has been, you know, sort of savaged in the International Media for having warned 1 million gazans, half the population of gaza, everyone who lives in the n north, to evacua ahead of a possible military operation. And hamas told them dont evacuate, the israelis are trying to recreate the catastrophe that saw Palestinian Refugees having to leave what then became israel in 1948. And the fact of the matter is they have Nowhere To Go. The border to egypt is close, on the other side is the sea. And israel is very, very wounded right now wants to eliminate the leadership and the entire governing structure of hamas. So, the people who live in gaza are in a terrible situation. Noga, lets listen in real quick with your permission to the Secretary Of State. With such a situation matters and to that end we discussed with the israelis, urged the israelis to use every possible precaution to avoid harm to civilians. It is also important to remember the fundamental issue that makes this so complicated. As i said again a moment the fu. Hamas uses civilians as human shields, puts them in places where they will be in danger, puts them in places where theyre used, in effect, to try to protect hamas officials or their equipment or infrastructure. Civilians, of course, should not be the target of operation. They are not the target of israeli operations. They are very deliberately the target of hamas operations. I mentioned, as well, that were very actively engaged with u. N. Relief agencies, the icrc, others, to address the people of gaza, to protect them from harm and to make sure that they have the ability to get what they need. We need to ensure, for example, that there are safe areas in gaza. Civilians. Were working through the details on that. Thats a priority for us. Were discussing this with the Israeli Government. There is the Secretary Of State talking specifically about the civilians that are in gaza. Were talking, as you were telling us, i mean, more than 2 Million People that have really im just wondering, why is it that gaza has been forgotten . Its not just now, and its not, you know, 2006, its the civilians, the population of gaza is always forgotten. Yeah. You know, someone i was talking to last night said gaza is the problem for its terrible. Gaza is this small, very densely packed Palestinian Territory which way back, when israel signed a Peace Accord We Jipt in the 1980s, if im not mistaken, israel wanted to include part of the sinai desert, and egypt didnt want an extra 2 million palestinians on their territory. The Palestinian Authority that is internationally recognized, the ruler has never been able to defeat hamas, this extremist movement, that basically perpetrated a coup detat in gaza a few years ago, well, 15 years ago now. And israel just wants to block it off. And so, the citizens who live there are forgotten basically by the whole world. The arab world, other than, like, qatar and iran, who fund hamas, have done nothing for the people of gaza. Yeah. And the question is, as we see the Secretary Of State there in qatar, my question is, what about efforts to help the people there through the egyptian area . Where are the governments of qatar . Where are the arab allies, the people who care for and are concerned about the civilians there . Where is their activity . Where is their movement . I wish i could provide you with a humane answer. To my knowledge, the United States and secretary blinken in particular are working hard to secure safe passage for u. S. Citizens who are sill trapped in gaza, and there are quite a few. And that would be through the egyptian border at rafa. But other than that, to my knowledge, at least i dont know of any of the International Stakeholders or forces who right now are trying to find a solution for the civilians in gaza. With your permission, this Press Conference, theres someone asking a question. No. Thats fine. See if we can listen in to that. How does that order square with that standard you mentioned and also International Law . Does the United States support this relocation . Prime minister netanyahu, did you give your blessing for this . Thank you. Thank you. Please. Your question about hamas political office, right now actually this office, since this has started, is a way of communicating and communicating and bringing peace and calm to the region, not to investigate anymore. And this is the purpose of that office as long as we are keeping the Communication Open right now and focusing on putting an end to this conflict. That is our main focus. Actually, now our key focus for us is sharing this object sieve how to put an end to this conflict, how to deescalate, how to find a humanitarian corridor and get the hostages back first. The first part of your question, let me start by saying we mentioned this before, and im going to repeat it i really thank qatar for the work that theyre doing to try to help secure the release of hostages. This is something that we deeply appreciate. I know that other countries do, as well, and its something that were actively pursuing. Ive always been making it clear in all of my conversations throughout this trip that there can be no more Business As Usual with hamas. Burning babies, burning families to death, taking little children as hostages these are unconscionable acts, brutality. Every country in our judgment needs to condemn these actions, taking little children as hostages. These are unconscionable acts of brutality. Every country, in your judgment, needs to condemn these actions, needs to hold them accountable. And we will continue to make that clear. When it comes to providing for civilians in gaza, both ensuring that they can be out of harms way and that they can have access to the support they need, the humanitarian assistance, the food, the medicine, the water, our focus now is on helping to create safe zones. And were doing that with the leading international organizations. Were doing that engaged with israel. And were working with other countries to that end. So, thats where our focus is. We think this is the best way to make sure that civilians who are caught in a Cross Fire Of Hamas doing are safe and receive the assistance they need. Thank you. A question from bloomberg. Mr. Secretary, i know the situation is highly charged and very fluid, but are you worried about the medium and longterm consequences to whats unfolding in gaza . Are you worried that israel may be simply retaliating in a fury because of the horrendous nature of these attacks and might not have an midfield or longterm plan . Secondly, im wondering how worried are you about iran and hezbollah have already made threats if attacks on civilians or an israeli blockade of israel continues. What would the u. S. Response be if hezbollah ramps up attacks, for instance, in response to a Ground Invasion . And shaikh mohammed, the u. S. And israel are both struggling with this tragic and fluid Hostage Situation the secretary was talking about and have looked for qatar to help navigate it. Can you tell us about your engagements with hamas . Are you anticipating getting back these people alive, given some have died . And there has been a rise in protests across the arab world as israels retaliation continues. Whats your view of how israel is conducting its Military Response . And are you worried about the potential are you also worried about the potential for midfield yum and longterm consequences of whats happening . Thank you. Thank you very much. The first part of the question, no country, no country can tolerate having a Terrorist Group slaughter its people in the most unconscionable way and live like that. What israels doing is not retaliation. What israel is doing is defending the lives of its people and, as i said, trying to make sure that this cannot happen again. And i think any country faced with what israel has suffered would likely do the same thing. Imagine if this had happened in the United States. So, thats what has happened. Of course its important to think about the days after and where this goes. That is part of israels thinking as well as our own and many other peoples in the region. One thing is for sure, we cant go back to the status quo that allowed this to happen in the first place. So, that has to be part of it, and it is. But the immediate focus, again, is making sure that israelis are protected