conditions for a durable, sustainable peace. durable, sustainable security for israelis and palestinians alike. we're focused on the day of. we also need to be focused on the day avenue. so in conversations we'll be having through the course of this weekend i expect you'll see a focus there and particularly how we can get over time to two states for two peoples which in our judgment remains the best guarantor and maybe the only guarantor of a secure jewish and democratic israel and palestinians with the state they're entitled to. so these will be the things that we're focused on. these are challenging times. these are intensely difficult issues. but i'm convinced that american diplomacy can make a difference in moving everyone to a better place. that's what we're working to do. i'll take questions. >> thank you, mr. secretary. do you assess that israel has shown restraint up to this point in their offensive in gaza, and what are the concrete steps you'll be pushing them on? and are you confident you'll be able to get them to make any movement on this given the maximalist positions we've seen from israeli -- >> well, as we've said, and it's important, israel has the right and the obligation to defend itself and, again, to try to make sure that what happened never happens again. no country, no country, not the united states, not anyone else that i can think of would tolerate the slaughter of its civilians. so we stand behind that. we stand behind the proposition. but as democracies the united states, israel, other democracies have a responsibility to do everything possible to protect civilians who may be caught in harm's way. and this again is a crossfire quite literally of hamas's making. the fact that it cynically and monstrously, deliberately has people -- men, women, and children as human shields puts its command posts, puts its leadership, puts its fighters, puts its weapons, puts its munitions underneath hospitals or even inside them, schools, mosques, makes this incredibly challenging. but we have to rise to that responsibility. and so we will be talking about concrete steps that can and should be taken to minimize harm to men, women and children in gaza. and this is something that the united states is committed to. i'm not going to get into the details here. but it's very much on the agenda. when i see a palestinian child, a boy, a girl, pulled from the rubble of a collapsed building, that hits me in the gut as much as seeing a child in israel or anywhere else. so this is something that we have an obligation to respond to, and we will. >> i wonder if you got your assessment of the current reecing of the spillover in the conflict. today hezbollah said it attacked 19 posts along israel's border with lebanon. the houthi said the other day they're entering the conflict. while you're in the region, how do you expect to be able to get other countries in the region involved in sort of the day after plan that you're talking about when, you know, there's rising opposition, rising protests against israel from bahrain and jordanians? >> so we're determined to prevent escalation on any of these fronts, whether it's lebanon, northern israel, southern lebanon. whether it's the west bank. whether it's anywhere else in the region. and the president's been very clear in what he said publicly. we've been very clear in what we shared privately. we've been very clear in some of the actions we're taking that we are determined to deter any escalation. so with our partners as well we're making sure that message gets through. it's not in anyone's interest, not in anyone's interest for this to escalate. and i think some of the other parties involved actually recognize that. but we're going to work on that every single day. >> -- it's happening, though, if strikes are already taking place? >> what we've seen so far are discrete attacks. we've responded as necessary, including on our forces. our forces who are in the region in syria and iraq to prevent the resurgence of isil which should be in everyonetion interest, and you saw the actions we took in response to that. but to prevent the spread of escalation, the prevent of the spread of this conflict, we're taking steps to make sure that happens. with regard to what comes next, i think understandably, people are very focused on the day of, not just the day after. but we do have to have conversations now about how we can best set the conditions for a durable, sustainable peace, durable sustainable security for israelis and palestinians alike. so i expect that those are conversations that we'll have an opportunity to pursue over the next couple of days. but this is a long-term effort, but we have to make sure that we're focused on it now. thanks. thanks, everyone. >> we've been listening to secretary of state antony blinken from joint base andrews. the secretary of state along with other key officials in the biden administration on the way to the middle east to very important meetings not only with israeli officials but other partners in the region. as the secretary of state is ready to board the plane, we should point out he reiterated his support for israel, the u.s.'s stance that israel has a right to defend itself against what he described as a monstrous hamas. but he did say that how israel does this matters. he says that steps need to be taken to protect civilians because he said that civilians are bearing the brunt of this action. notably, the secretary of state saying that seeing children pulled from the rubble hits him in the gut. he also talked about focusing on getting humanitarian aid into gaza while getting foreign nationals and u.s. citizens out. and notably he not only talked about discussions regarding the current situation in gaza but also the future, the secretary of state saying we need to be focused on the day after, referring of course to a two-state solution, saying he believes that may be the best and only way to secure peace, not only for israel but for palestinians as well. >> right. interesting to see him looking ahead in this moment as well to what potentially could come next. so as they are now en route to israel we want to take you to our global coverage. we've got this covered from a variety of angles for you. we have cnn's melissa bell in cairo, cnn's jeremy diamond in israel, and cnn's natasha bertrand also here. she's joining us now. natasha, we'll talk to you first, we just heard from the secretary of state there as he's getting ready to board the plane with a large group of american diplomats headed to israel. what are your main takeaways? >> reporter: yeah, jessica, he said that in his conversations with the israelis they are going to be discussing concrete steps that they can be taking to minimize harm to civilians. and that is really going to be a key part of all of his discussions there. he wants to get an update from the israelis on their military operation, on the objectives inside gaza, but importantly he wants to reiterate to them that they need to be taking all steps possible to protect civilians there. now, he also said that a key part of their conversations is going to be getting sustained aid into gaza. right now the number of trucks going in is around 50 to 60 a day, but he has said he wants that number to get up to 100 trucks a day and for it to be sustained. that's also going to be a key part of these discussions. but really interestingly here, he seems to be very focused on not only what is going on right now but what the end game is, what happens if and when hamas is eliminated. that is israel's stated goal. who is going to govern the gaza strip and how is a durable and sustainable peace going to be achieved? he said that is going to be a topic of discussion as well because he said what he wants to see, what the u.s. wants to see is two states for two people and he said that remains the best guarantor of a secure jewish and democratic israel and palestinians for the state that they are entitled to. so there's going to be i allot on the agenda for him, a lot of tough conversations he's going to have with israelis about protecting civilians. but as you mentioned, he did reiterate multiple times that the u.s. believes that israel has the right to defend itself against hamas. >> yeah, the u.s. multiple times calling for a pause in the action to help get those hostages out, to help get humanitarian aid into gaza. so far, though, no signs of israel being open to that. let's get an update now on the situation with those folks that are trying to leave gaza. melissa bell is in cairo for us. she's been monitoring the situation at the rafah crossing. so melissa, given these remarks from secretary of state antony blinken, what have you been hearing about what's happening on the ground as we learn that some americans have been able to get out? >> reporter: that's right. we've seen a few dozen americans, boris, now able to get to the egyptian side of the rafah crossing. of course that is hugely important. and what we understand is going to happen is that's going to continue. in fact, the latest list that was published, nearly 600 names of those who are meant to be allowed out today, included 400 americans. f remember this is fairly chaotic, not just the opacity with which it is decided who on any day can get out, and this is a question for israel, hamas and egypt to consider on a case-by-case basis. there's a whole vetting procedure. but then on the other side the chaos of trying to get families or those whose names might be on the list that day to make them even aware their name is on the list that day. remember that just yesterday we saw another sort of internet and communications blackout. very difficult to reach anyone inside if the family's outside, to reach their loved ones. still, several dozen now have made their way out, and i think it's significant that what they bring with them are tales of what's been going on inside. and that's going to continue over the coming days. as for the aid that secretary blinken was just mentioning there, there are a few trucks going through the rafah crossing each day. what we've understood from the time that we've spent up there is that part of the difficulty, what is slowing down the process are the israeli checks on the other side. that is unlikely to change. secretary blinken making it clear they're going to bring pressure to bear that more trucks get in. but just to be clear, the number of trucks that have got nen since this conflict began is still fewer trucks that would've gone in on any day before it did. that gives you an idea of the huge lack of humanitarian aid and the needs that are inside. there's going to be such a huge shortfall to make up for. and in the meantime you're talking about lack of water, lack of food, no sanitation, fairly chaotic conditions, and that is even before you deal with the wounded. the other handful of people who've been allowed out through the rafah crossing are some of the most wounded palestinians, and as we understand it there have been several dozen more today and that also is likely to continue over the coming days. boris? >> melissa bell for us in egypt. let's go now into israel, where jeremy diamond is standing by. and jeremy, again we just heard from the secretary of state tony blinken. he mentioned repeatedly, and he and the administration have said repeatedly that israel has a right to defend itself, but we also hear him saying it matters how they do it and that they are going to be talking about that as well as they head to israel this afternoon. what more can you tell us from your vanity ng point? >> reporter: yeah, there's no question that a big part of the secretary's visit here will be talking to israelis about the mounting toll of civilian casualties. now, it's clear that both israel and the united states have some distrust in the numbers coming out of the palestinian ministry of health, which of course is controlled by hamas. but nonetheless, the images that we are seeing in some of these strikes are undeniable, and in particular over the last couple of days much of the world has really been struck by those images of the enormous craters in the jabalya refugee camp where israel says it was targeting in one case a senior hamas commander, in another case terrorist infrastructure underneath residential buildings. but in both cases what we saw was a number of civilian casualties including women and children. but another focus of this visit of course will be the state of israel's ground offensive. and over the last day we have heard from the chief of staff of israel's military that israeli forces are inside of gaza city, operating in what he described as very significant areas within that city. the day before we heard that israeli forces were at the gates of that city, which is hamas's stronghold here in northern gaza. but what's also become clear, particularly to us from our vantage point here with gaza just over my shoulder, is the fact that even as israeli forces move in on gaza city, which is south of here, there is still very, very intense fighting ongoing between israeli forces and hamas militants in the northern part of the gaza strip including the city right behind me, beit hanoun, which is the northeasternmost city in gaza city. all throughout the day we have been hearing artillery fire, mortar rounds going off inside the gaza strip, as well as ongoing gun battles between forces. we've been hearing small arms fire and machine guns throughout the day. and that tells us what you need to know about the danger that those tunnels that hamas has underground present to israeli forces entering the gaza strip. we know that last night, overnight israeli forces in the north were indeed ambushed by hamas fighters, most likely using those underground tunnels. so it's clear that even as israeli forces move in on gaza city they are still dealing with some very intense fighting here in the north and facing the very real danger that hamas fighters could pop up behind them. >> all right. jeremy diamond for us in israel. our thanks to you and melissa bell and natasha bertrand. we'll check in with you guys throughout the next several hours. >> let's dig deeper on tony blinken's visit to the region with tom nides, former u.s. ambassador to israel. ambassador, thank you very much for being with us. i do want to for the sake of transparency let our viewers know about your personal connection to cnn. the ambassador is married to our colleague cnn executive vice president virginia mosley. now that that's out of the way, ambassador, moments ago we heard from secretary of state antony blinken saying that he wants to discuss concrete steps with the israelis on protecting civilians. the white house has called for a pause to fighting, something that israel does not appear to be open to. would you advise president biden to push prime minister benjamin netanyahu harder on the issue of either a ceasefire or a pause, however he'd like to describe it? >> well, first of all, thank you for having me, boris. i think first and foremost as the secretary pointed out israel has an obligation to eliminate the threat of hamas to the people of israel. make no mistake. and america supports that. and as the secretary just said, it's how it's done is very important. so at the same time we support israel in a very aggressive way to eliminate this risk, also we are -- you know, we're all human beings. none of us -- this fight isn't between the palestinian people, the fight is with hamas. and obviously, as tony sailed, as the secretary said, it breaks all of our hearts to see any young child die or any old person die or anyone die who's basically innocent. hamas wants this to happen. their desire here is to have more and more palestinian deaths and obviously israeli deaths to create martyrism. and i think the secretary's voice as a credible voice as someone who supports the state of israel and also works with israel clg the prime minister to make sure how they do it and be focused on the humanitarian crisis is exceptionally important on this visit. >> to your point about people being upset over the images of children being pulled out of the rubble, echoing what the secretary of state said, the administration is facing mounting pressure on the domestic front even from supporters over civilian deaths. i actually want to share with you video captured at a fund-raiser last night. this is a protester heckling the president demanding a ceasefire. >> mr. president, if you care about jew, people, as a rabbi i need you to call for a ceasefire right now. >> we've seen other demonstrations echoing that sentiment. ambassador, at what point do you think public pressure might become politically untenable for the white house? >> listen, i think we've got to step back here a second and understand what happened here. hamas did -- the brutality of what hamas did to the jewish people no one including the united states of america would let their family members, their friends, children being ripped from the parents, grabbing 240 innocent people and dragging them into gaza and sticking them in tunnels, no one, no one including the americans or israel would ever allow this to be tolerated. so israel has an obligation, a very clear obligation to eliminate the threat of hamas. number two, there's no question israel also has an obligation to make sure as best as humanly possible in a war to protect innocent people. that is the secretary's -- message he will give. that's what president biden said last night. and i think it's important for you to understand as well what the secretary said on the tarmac just a minute ago at andrews is we've got to use this opportunity to also be clear. we need a vision of not only to get a two-state solution now, to get a saudi deal done, to make sure we're thinking about the next coming weeks. and that's going to be exceptionally important for all of us as we think about the future of not only israel but the future of gaza and securing the palestinian people. >> ambassador, it is difficult to envision a two-state solution when hamas, perhaps the most influential party -- certainly the most influential party in gaza, arguably the most influential palestinian entity, hamas leaders have said that they will not stop conducting terrorist attacks until israel no longer exists. how is a two-state solution possible when an organization like hamas leads the palestinian people? >> first of all, to be clear, hamas does not lead the palestinian people. hamas doesn't speak for the palestinian people. president abbas, who is -- >> they effectively do -- respectfully, ambassador, they do lead the palestinian people in gaza. i mean, they hold power -- >> i think it would be interesting to see what actually the palestinian people in gaza feel about what they're being put through right now. what they're being put through is something hamas is doing. do you think the hamas leadership are sitting around talking about a two-state solution? do you think hamas are talking about moving poor palestinians from northern gaza to southern gaza? no, what hamas is trying to do -- and boris, you know this as well as i do. what they're trying to do is create a regional war against the state of israel. >> sure. >> in the meantime, the secretary of state, the president of the united states, and most of the arab leaders, we need to be focusing on the day after. hamas does not speak for the palestinian people. we need to work with the leadership around the region to come up with a clear path of an opportunity for everyone to try to see the steps forward here. >> it is difficult to envision that day after without whether it's hamas or a different entity having hold over a population that feels like it's been occupied for decades, though. there's going to be some kind of anti-israel group that takes power in that vac