Elected, it will be a bloodbath for the whole. The least of it will be a bloodbath for the country. The press write say democrats jumped on those remarks as a donald trump was incitin violceno doubt his words were oe top as they often are, but his bloodbath context was clearly the u happy monday. I have two items at the top before i turn over to Jake Sullivan. We mark womens history month, alongside the Vice President and the second gentleman signed■ a historic executive order that will direct the most comprehensive sets of executive actions ever taken to expand and improve research on Womens Health. Directives will ensure that Womens Health is integrated and prioritized across the federal government and will galvanize new research on a wide range opi midlife health, the president and the first lady announced more than 20 new actions and commitments that includes the launch of a new nih effort that will direct the investment of 200 million towards this■thesee first ladys recent announcement that the advanced Research Projects agency forspread for ws committing 100 million towards transforming■opment in Womens Health. The president called on congress to invest 12 billion in new funding for Womens Health research and he laid out his bold vision for transforming Womens Health research. Whats todays announcement he is announcement he is keeping that promise. They will convene a roundtable in President Bidens efforts to supportealth. This will be moderated by the usa today anchor and features courtney rucker, recording artists, licensed psychologists, and publicanalyse abuse and mental administration. This is the third of his Administration Since the start of his administration, biden has tackled the Mental Health crisis. Hey had atal Health Strategy designed to strengthen system capacity, connect more people to care, and create healthier environments. To support this work and how we transform as a health in the United States, the biden hertha minnis patient launched 988 hoin expanded community Mental Health centers, establish new centers of excellence to promote Mental Health. The bidenhertha administration has and will continue the Bidenharris Administration will continue the substance usesuppot bidens proposed fiscal year 2025. With that i will turn over to our National Security advisor Jake Sullivan who has an update on the middle east region. Jake sullivan thank you. Thank you everybody. I have a few opening comments and that i can take your question. President biden spoke with the Prime Minister netanyahu, the two leaders disss development in israel and gaza and they spoke about the state of israels military operations. The president emphasized his commitment to ensuring the term security of israel and he affirmed that israel has the right to go after the perpetrators of the■ worst massacre of the jewish people since the holocaust. Israel has made significant progress against hamas and broken a significant number of s including senior commanders, hamas number three was put in an operation last week. The top leaders are in hiding, deep in the hamas tunnel network. Justice will come for them to and we hoping to ensure that. More innocent civilians have died in this conflict in this military operation than in all the wars in gaza combined. Including thousands ofhumanitars descending across gaza. Anarchy reigns in areas of israels military has cleared. The first u. S. President to make a wartime visi israel, he said both privately and publicly that the United States has learned a vital lesson over the course of several wars. Without an integrated humanitarian plan and political plan. The president has repeatedly made the military operations need to be connected to a clear strategic endgame. The president told the Prime Minister again today that we share the goal of defeating bela coherent and sustainable strategy to make that happen. Now, instead■z reevaluating where things stand in the campaign and what adjustments are needed to achieve more longterm success, instead of a focus on stabilizing the areas of gaza that israel has cleared so that hamas does not regenerate and retake territory that israel has already cleared, the Israeli Government is now talking about launching a Major Military operation in rafah. The Prime Minister spoke at length about it today. That president explained why he is so deeply concerned about the prospect of israel conducting Major Military operations in rafah and in gaza city. First, more than one Million People have taken refuge in rafah. They went froma city, to other areas and then rafah. They have nowhere else to go. The other major cities have been destroyed. Israel has not presented us with a world with a plan for how or where they would safely move those civilians or let alone basic things like sanitation. Second, rafah is a primary entry point for humanitarian assistance in thea area from egypt and israel. This shuts that down or at least puts in a great risk. Right at the moment when it is most sorely needed. Third, roth is on the border with egypt which has voiced its deep alarm over a Major Military operation there. It has raised its possible relationship with israel with future military operations. The president has rejected the strawman that raising questions about rafah isout defeating ham. That is nonsense. Hamas should not be allowed a safe haven in rough oruld lead o more innocent civilian deaths in a more dire humanitarian crisis. Isolate israel internationally. The key goals israel was to achieve can be done by other means. On the call today President Biden asked the Prime Minister to send a senior team composed of military and humanitarian days to hear u. S. Concerns about israels current planning and layout an alternative approach that would target he hamas elements in rafah and secure the egyptgaza border without a major ground invasion. E minister agreed he would send a team. He has his own point of view on the operation when he agreed he would send a team to washington to have this diswe look forwarde discussions. The president and Prime Minister discussed the ongoing negotiations for an immediate ceasefire for several weeks in return for releasing hostages currently being held by hamas in gaza. We look to build on that ceasefire into something more enduring and using the space created by hostility is to serve humanitarian assistance at any so far the steel has been worse than we have hope we will press hamas could have ended this crisis tomorrow if they chose to do so. As ive said before, far too little of the energy and pressure to end this conflict has been applied to hamas. We will keep pointing that out. Ime minister agreed to stay in close touch in the days and weeks ahead on all of these issues and their teams are in daily contact on every crisis as well as the other threats that israel faces around the region. That shared threats of the United States and israel and others of our allies and partners face om its boxy wars across the middle east. I would be happy to take your questions. You mened the deal has been elusive. I understand hamas put a proposal forward. Is that we are still working with and is not still alive . Is but a proposal on the table after israel worked with egypt and the United States had indicated a willingness to move forward on a six week ceas■ fire in return for the release of a number of hostages. Leading to further information and hamas not given us anything. If hamas just handed over the elderly women and wounded tomorrow there wou qlde a six week ceasefire. They have added a series of other conditions as well. The Israeli Government has responded by saying they cannote conditions going too far but that is for negotiations. As we speak today in pain from israel, qatar, and egypt to arrive at an outcome over the next fewwe believe that those discussions are live and a deal as possible, we should be able toc< to get hostages home and alleviate the suffering of the civilians in gaza and from our perspective,ted states will keep pushing on that and the president had the opportunity to discuss that with the Prime Minister today. Does the president feel this was an appropriate time for us to locate to delegate talks . With this rich the Prime Minister in ways it had not previously . We are partners. We have had many discussions between our military, intelligence, diplomats, we have not had the opportunity to have after comprehensive integrated strategic discussion about how to achieve two things. One is the ultimate defeat of hamas and two, the protection of civilians and stabilization of gaza in a way that will lead to the longterm security of israel as well as the production of innocent human Life Protection of innocent human life in gaza. We have arrived at a point where each side has been making clear to the other its perspective and now we need to get down to brass tacks and have the chance for th side on an integrated basis, everyone sitting around the same table talking through the way forward. From the u. S. Perspectis not a g hamas, anytime i hear an argument that says if you do not smash into rafah, you cannot defeat hamasthere are ways for o prevail in this conflict and secure its longterm future and end the Terror Threat from gaza and into rafah. It will have a back and forth and we will let you know how that unfolds as we go forward. Can you describe the reports that there have been that you characterize with the tone w alt saying an invasion of rafah his head redline is his red line . For me, i think that is declaration of our policy and we have made that clear. With respect to the call, i am not the best person to give an or tone, i confirm it did not end abruptly, it is in a totally normal way. I would sayhat it is businesslike, each of them recognized that we are a critical moment in this conflict and they share a Common Objective that is for israel to prevail over hamas. They have a different perspective on this operation and they went into some detail on tto elaborate each of their respective views in a full flooded we wait of they always donister talk. That call is much like a previous call. They each agree to have the aby to get together and the two would stay in touch as we go forward. The deadline for israel to comply with National Security memorandum it is coming up on sunday. As israel responded in writing . They have to provide edible assurances that they will abide by their international obligations. Obligations have freely respectl humanitarian law. It includes not arbitrarily impeding the flow of humanitarian assistance where they can control that. I cannot tell you today or confirm that they have provided that. As you have had■a days before they had to do so. We anticipate that they will. On march 1, President Biden said that he was going let israel facilitate more trucks to get more people to help that they need. Today, and the call, did he make that clear . Before today, the result of the president that can this was a priority for him team working that in a detailed level operationally on the ground and in israel has resultedening of e have seen since the president gave the state of the union and working to flow more convoys to the north along the beach road■ as well. In addition to other steps like the landing of the first ship through a maritime corridor on the beach of gaza and active war Going Forward to get that set up off the coast of gaza as well. We have taken steps, the need for israel to do everything in its power and even more than it has already done to address the humanitarian crisis and obviously we have seen you on reports which the director of u. S. Id spoke to quite eloquently, an alarming report about possible impending famine if everyone does not do their responsibility to ensure that we address that. Is our first and foremost,ore ir food to starving people in northern gaza. It is incumbent on us and the rest of the in community to step up as well. They are the largest all hands on deck effort. Is given the alarming report that famine is imminent, there must be conditions in military aid . Was not[ enough, the action that matters is flowing dashboards are not enough, the action that matters is flowing minute hearingood, water, medicine or people are in need of it and elaborated. We have seen some steps forward and we nee sustained and we need to see them built on. Ultimately, our judgment comes down not to pledges or promises or worries, comedown to action and we will continue to press on israel and see the kind of action. We will take responsibility to do our part and that is the temporary people have been killed in a hospital attack. U. S. And israel that they are reducing civilian deaths . Attack, israel states it was going after senior hamas commanders and hamas militants and it is clear that hamas fired back at israel from that hospital. Second, we have seen hamas over the course of this conflict use civilian facilities including hospitalto store weapons for command and control and house fighters. That places an added burden on israel. Few militaries have to deal with. Encouraged insurgency and a terrorist group using the shield of civilians to protect themselves during a fight rather th m fields of battle. Third, and tells her that im concerned it tells us something else. Israel cleared hamas and hamas came back into shifa. It raises questions so that hamas cannot retake territory and acting israels objectives to a sustainable strategy that is the final thing we need to focus on right now rather than have israel go smash into rafah. That is what the president talk to the Prime Minister about today. During the call, did the president recall military aid to israel if moves into rafah . The president do not make threats. When he said today was i want you to i am for the defeat of hamas, i believe that they are an evil terroristjust israeli but american blood on their hands. I believe that to get to that you need a strategy that works. Thattrategy should not involve a Major Military operation that was thousands of lives, civilian, innocent lives at risk. There is a better way, and your team to washington and let us talk about it. I will leave it at that. Schumers election, what did he say about the Prime Minister raised his concerns about a variety of things that have come out in the American Press not talk specifiy about anyone of them because i want the Prime Minister to speak for himself and protect the discretion of the call. I will say that from President Bidens perspective this is not a question of politics, it is not a question oflic statements. It is a question of policy and strategy. That is what he focused on and that is what he is focused on in the call. The timing of the meeting in washington, is that the coming days and weeks . Did israel commit to not invading rafah until that was cleared . We have every expectation they will not proceed with the monetary operation until we have the conversation and they talked about as soon as the end of this week, it could be at the beginning of next week. Each side needs to prepare within that timeframe. On a longer timeframe. Not a longer timeframe. I will not put words in their mouths. You can ask them. I think you will find they will indicate that they no ahead wite sit down and talk about it. Vladimir putin in a press conference spoke about a possible prisoner swap. Agreed to Exchange Prisoners in the west on condition that they never come back to russia again. Is there any plans in place . We have spoken to russian officials over the course of months and years with respect to american detainees who are unjustly being in russia. We have not heard a russian official raise n as part of a prisoner swap. If this is something they were interested in, it sounds like it would come quite late, too late that from them before. Having the supporter netanyahu of the majority of the israeli people for his politics including going into rafah. Is there more the to speak to te israeli people directly so that they do not support this idea of going into rafah . Inherent in the questio of ir just you have the Prime Ministers speaking on American Television about his concerns about americans interfering in israeli politics and your question is should americans be speaking to israeli politics . We do not do nearly as much as they speakthat is not a construf answer to your question, an observation. Again, as we have said perspects not about politics, this is about policy and strategy. And so, the president is not focused on what is popular and what is not popular and how do you shape Public Opinion . He is interested in how we get to the right rtsthe right resulg defeat of hamas, a two state solution, that has a secure and a palestinian state that indicates the aspirations of palestinian people. A broader normalization all of their neighbors. We need to drive to that outcome and while it is true that m