Blinken said President Biden will focus on securing the release of hostages taken by hamas while underscoring the need to minimise civilian casualities in gaza in the announcement that camejust after 3am injerusalem. On wednesday President Biden will visit israel. He is coming here at a critical moment for israel. Forthe here at a critical moment for israel. For the region and for the world. And he is coming here to do the following. First, the president will reaffirm the United States � s solidarity with israel and our ironclad commitment to its security. President biden will again make clear as he has done unequivocally since hamass slaughter of more than moo people slaughter of more than m00 people including at least 30 americans at that israel has the right and, indeed, the duty to defend its people from hamas and other terrorists and to prevent future attacks. The president will hear from israel of what it means to defend its people as we continue to work with congress to meet those needs. Second, President Biden will underscore our Crystal Clear message to any actor, state or nonstate, trying to take advantage of this crisis to attack israel. Do not. To that end, he has deployed two Aircraft Carrier groups and other military assets to the region. Third. The president will continue to co ordinate closely with our israeli partners to secure the release of hostages taken by hamas including men, women, small children, Holocaust Survivors and american citizens. As an indispensable humanitarian effort. Fourth, President Biden will receive a comprehensive brief on israels moorings and strategies. Fifth, the president will hear from israel how it will conduct its operations in a way that minimises civilian casualties and enables humanitarian assistance to flow to civilians in gaza in a way that does not benefit hamas. To that end, today, and at our request, the United States and israel have agreed to develop a plan that will enable humanitarian aid from donor nations and multilateral organisations to reach civilians in gaza, and them alone, including the possibility of creating areas to help keep civilians out of harms way. It is critical that aid begin flowing into gaza as soon as possible. We share israels concern that hamas may seize or destroy aid entering gaza or otherwise prevented from reaching the people who need it. If hamas in any way blocks humanitarian assistance from reaching civilians including by seizing the aid itself, we will be the first to condemn it and we will work to prevent it from happening again. We welcome the government of israels commitment to work on this plan. The president looks forward to discussing it further when he is here on wednesday. The president s trip will include a stop in amman where hell meet with King Abdullah ofjordan, egypytian president al sisi, and Palestinian Authority president abbas. President biden met earlier on monday with his National Security council in the oval office. Spokespersonjohn kirby, told reporters after blinken� s announcement that the us is not dictating directions to the israelis, when asked about the timing of an expected Ground Offensive around the president s visit. Now the announcement comes as hundreds of thousands of palestinians are trying to escape gaza at this hour amid a near total israeli blockade. Israels siege has plunged gaza into a deepening humanitarian crisis, cutting off fuel, food and electricity supplies. The un says hospitals are close to complete collapse, threatening thousands of lives. People hoping to flee across the rafah Border Crossing in the south of gaza are are still unable to escape because egypt wont open the border. This, despite diplomatic pressure for the evacuation of foreign nationals. On the egyptian side of the crossing, a convoy of humanitarian aid waits blocked from delivering vital supplies as the crisis inside gaza deepens. And on monday, an air strike hit the Rafah Crossing On the egyptian side. There are no reported casualties at this time. Israeli airstrikes have killed more than 2,750 people in gaza over the past week, according to Palestinian Health officials as israel targets members of hamas. Hamas has continued their strikes on israel, with Air Raid Sirens triggered injerusalem and tel aviv. The group is designated as a Terror Organisation by many western governments and is responsible for last weeks attack that killed more than m00 people in southern israel. Israel now says the number of people they believe are being held hostage in gaza is up to 199. Hamas has released a Video Showing one of the people it took hostage during the assault on israel that triggered the war. The video shows a young woman speaking hebrew who identifies herself as 21 year old mia shem. It includes footage of the same woman receiving treatment foran arm injury. In it, the woman says she is from Central Israel and appeals for her release. A spokesman for the family said they agreed these pictures could be shown. Our international Editorjeremy Bowen has the latest from southern israel. Anotherwar, of words, has started over who is responsible for the suffering of Palestinian Civilians in gaza. Israel is dropping the bombs. It says blame hamas for killing and kidnapping and, says israel, hiding behind civilians. Gazans crowded into un schools after israel told them to move south towards the egyptian border. They are supposed to be protected by the laws of war. America has felt it necessary to deliver repeated reminders of that to israel, along with military aid. This grandmother blames israel, then speaks of tragedy, hunger, death, fear, horror and destruction. In rafah, at the closed border with egypt, palestinians with foreign passports are hoping to get out, to escape the pressure israel has imposed on civilians, amid reports of another air strike in the area tonight. You cannot ask people to move out of harms way without assisting them to do it, to go to places of their choice, where they want to be safe and with the humanitarian aid that they need to make that journey safely. And right now, the movement that has happened has not had those provisions. Antony blinken, us Secretary Of State, returned to israel after a rapid tour of americas arab allies. The us is giving israel all the military aid it wants. But it is trying to stop the war spreading. As for benjamin netanyahu, in Parliament Today he is under great pressure. Some of his Many Political enemies say he was so preoccupied with staying Prime Minister that he neglected israels security. Ehud olmert, Prime Minister when israel went to war in lebanon in 2006, was scathing about mr neta nyahus performance. And he did it. Therefore he holds the ultimate responsibility for the weakening of our resolve in dealing with hamas. And it was a military failure, no doubt about it. An Intelligence Failure of the highest order, no question about it. In tel aviv, Tech Companies are working with Intelligence Agencies to try to locate the hostages in gaza. Some whove served in the israeli military� s cyber units dont want to be identified. They have built an algorithm that searches postings from gaza for faces and places. We upload photos of the missing person that we get from mostly the families but other sources as well. And also with collaboration with army units and huge lists of people that we have identified, and we try to understand from day one what happened to them. Are they killed, injured, kidnapped in gaza . Just trying to get answers for the family. We can see here, this is the same people in different position, 0k . And we try to find more and more data to understand if they are alive or, as i mentioned, death. They believe the hostage in that image is alive. Their information goes to families and to the army. In israel, there is unity about fighting hamas. The argument is about why hamas could break through israels defences, and how to deliver israelis and palestinians from another generation of bloodshed. Jeremy bowen, bbc news, southern israel. Im joined now by elise labbott, ceo and founder of zivvy media, a digital platform engaging the gen z audience. She has covered the Israeli Palestinian conflcit and us Foreign Policy for years. It is great to have you on especially as we have seen a flurry of diplomatic news so i want to start with the announcement that President Biden will head to israel. What do you make of that . It is do you make of that . It is obviously do you make of that . It is obviously to do you make of that . It is obviously to show do you make of that . It 3 obviously to show support for israel, unequivocal support that the us is standing by its ally. It is also a message to iran, hezbollah, do not even think of getting involved because the us has israels back. I would also say that as he is going tojordan and meeting with King Abdullah and the egyptian president and mumbled a bus that is about the humanitarian situation in gaza and i think what President Biden is trying to do right now is hug the israelis close and show the us is on their side, to have that leverage on how this Ground Offensive is undertaken and to try and have leveraged over the israelis as they do this to be mindful of they do this to be mindful of the humanitarian situation in gaza and keep an eye on the day after, remind them that israel was working towards a full integration into the region and preserving space for Diplomatic Solutions to the crisis is the best way to do that. Solutions to the crisis is the best way to do that. Also seen Antony Blinken best way to do that. Also seen Antony Blinken shuttling Antony Blinken shuttling between middle east capital trying to work with leaders specifically on this issue of balancing and battling hamas on one side but also ensuring that civilians in gaza are protected and he has been talking about the need for both. From what you have seen, what do you think he has been able to achieve . Think he has been able to achieve . ,. ,. ,. , achieve . They are negotiating heavily with achieve . They are negotiating heavily with the achieve . They are negotiating heavily with the egyptians heavily with the egyptians about opening the border. The egyptians have concerns. They do not want a lot of refugees crossing the border and they do not want to see a lot of palestinians going back into the sinai because that evokes an issue of what they call the forced palestinians from their land. There is psychological effect to that. Thirdly, they want to get aid in but the us has been saying to the egyptians you need to open up the border so we can let foreign citizens out and the egyptians are saying, listen, yes it is important for those citizens to get out that it is also important for aid to get in. So right now egypt is using the border is leveraged. I in. So right now egypt is using the border is leveraged. I want to also ask the border is leveraged. I want to also ask you the border is leveraged. I want to also ask you about the border is leveraged. I want to also ask you about the the border is leveraged. I want to also ask you about the fact. To also ask you about the fact that we have seen hamas militants release a Hostage Video of one person taken hostage, nearly 200 people are being held hostage at the moment we have the Secretary Of State say that will be one of the topics that President Biden will address. The topics that President Biden willaddress. How the topics that President Biden will address. How much has that shaped what israel and the United States are trying to do here . I United States are trying to do here . ~ ,. , ,. , here . I think it shapes it a lot. Because here . I think it shapes it a lot. Because of here . I think it shapes it a lot. Because of what here . I think it shapes it a| lot. Because of what israel here . I think it shapes it a i lot. Because of what israel is trying to undertake, hamas has these hostages hidden somewhere and it will be very hard to find them if the israelis have a rough idea of where they are, deepin a rough idea of where they are, deep in gaza where hamas could be hiding and israel does not want to do anything to hurt these hostages. Two dozen of them are americans and obviously that is a consideration. I would say however that i do not think it is as much of a consideration for the israelis now is going after hamas. They obviously do not want to lose their citizens and we have seen over the years how israel when there was a soldier shot they spent five years soldier taken hostage they spent five years negotiating for him. But for israel, they need to know if they want to negotiate with thomas and qatar and egypt are involved, they have good relations with hamas and are talking to them about getting hostages released. Do they make that bargain . Do they let hamas prisoners out of israeli jails . It is a tricky situation. You wrote a piece in politico about the us and its role in Middle East Policy and interestingly i think you said it is time for a new kind of Peace Process where the us is not the sole broker. Indeed, we see President Biden meeting with the king ofjordan and the egyptian president and the president of the Palestinian Authority. What role do you think they will take . ,. , role do you think they will take . ,. ,. , take . They have a role in pushing take . They have a role in pushing and take . They have a role in pushing and reminding i take . They have a role in. Pushing and reminding the egyptians but really the jordanians and King Abdullah have been continually reminding the United States and israel about, we have seen the Abraham Accords where israel forms relations with arab states including the gulf states and Thatis Including The Gulf States and that is great and could help the region grow with tourism and commerce and better relations between people of the region. But you cannot move forward on that until there is a solution to the occupation and to the palestinians get their own state. So what i am talking about and what i think President Biden is also trying to do right now you are going back to basics. That is the core quartet, King Abdullah, president lcc and michael tobias. That is really who it was originally. We have other players such as the uae and bahrain and saudi arabia which the us has been trying to make a big relationship with. I think they will have a bigger part in original pres process. They will have a bigger role in trying to top with reconstruction of gaza. We know that there will need to be a lot of work to rebuild gaza and i think they are going to want the arabs to really have a hand on this. It cannotjust be that the arab states want kosher hotels and tourists, israeli tourists coming in and getting tourism dollars. They need to step up and show some responsibility. They said they want peace with israel, having the bigger part in the Peace Process is what they need to be doing. Process is what they need to be doinu. ~. , process is what they need to be doina. ~. ,. ,. , doing. We only have about 20 seconds left, doing. We only have about 20 seconds left, do doing. We only have about 20 seconds left, do you doing. We only have about 20 seconds left, do you think doing. We only have about 20j seconds left, do you think the us is disengaging with the middle east, would President Biden going to israel . Lilo. Middle east, would President Biden going to israel . No, us president s biden going to israel . No, us president s have biden going to israel . No, us| president s have unsuccessfully president s have u nsuccessfully tried president s have unsuccessfully tried to disengage from the middle east, perbet to china, war in ukraine. They was come back. It is important reason for the us and they will continue to remain engaged. It could be bigger players playing more of a part along with us but the us is always going to be indispensable in the region. Elise labbott, great to have you want. Thank you forjoining us tonight. As weve been hearing, the situation on the ground in gaza is getting worse by the day. The un is warning that more help is needed to support the hundreds of thousands of palestinians whove moved from the north of the territory, to the south. But there are also those who are refusing to leave their homes, saying theres little help for them if they do move. Our former gaza correspondent, jon donnison