Likely a prelude to a new stage of conflict with incredibly high stakes for israel, the palestinians and for the United States and the world. Air strikes in gaza have intensified today ahead of a possible Ground Invasion intended to crush hamas. Nbcs ellison barber captured this video of a steady stream of tanks about two miles from the border with gaza. U. S. Secretary of state Antony Blinken was in israel today reiterating the yaunts decades long and steadfast commitment to israel. Here is what he had to say about the conflict ahead. On the humanitarian situation in gaza, i think its first important to remember fundamental issue that makes this complicated. Hamas continues to use civilians as Human Shields, something thats not new, something that theyve always done, intentionally putting civilians in harms way to try to protect themselves or protect their infrastructure or protect their weapons. So thats one of the basic facts that israel has to deal with. Of course, civilians should not be used in any way as the targets of military operations. They are not the target of israels operations. The stakes of the fight against hamas are underscored by the tragedy that strails have suffered. Secretary of state blinken said officials showed him photos and video of People Killed in the Terrorist Attack by hamas. Take a listen to his reaction to what he saw. Its beyond what anyone would ever want to imagine, much less actually see and, god forbid, experience. A baby, an infant riddled with bullets. Soldiers beheaded, young people burned alive in their cars or their hideaway rooms. I could go on, but its simply depravity in the worst imaginable way. It almost defies comprehension. President joe biden in ris remarks in this hour yesterday also referenced seeing images of murdered children. These images, along with firsthand accounts and trens being developed in the aftermath of saturdays deadly Terror Attack are right now informing u. S. Foreign policy, both the Secretary Of State and u. S. President have referred these images in the last 24 hours. Earlier today the Israeli Government released some of them. We have made a decision as a program to broadcast one of the images to you. These images are possible to unsee once you see them. It will break your heart. We do not take the decision to show one of these images to you lightly. Well give you a second to look away if you want to or leave the room if you choose. Okay. This is one of the images the Secretary Of State was referring to that he saw, that he was reacting to in those remarks. What we just showed you is just a glimpse of the real horror that all israelis are dealing with right now and trying so hard to come to grips with, even as the crisis is still very much unfolding. A steadily mounting death toll now includes 27 americans, 1300 israelis, and 1400 People Killed in gaza. Its where we start the hour with my colleague Msnbcs Ali Velshi in ashkelon, israeli former ambassador and member of the knesset, michael oren is back with us. Also the times of Senior Analyst javy gore. Javy, ill start with you. I thought after listening to the president and the Secretary Of State talk in such detail about what he had seen it was important that our viewers see what theyve seen. Obviously you are seeing a lot more than we just saw, and i just wonder i wonder what level of trauma the country is in. Thats a very good question. Were still in saturday, saturday hour after hour israelis all over the country, families received messages from people trapped in their bombshells for hour while gunmen were outside, Setting Fires trying to smoke them out. We watched it. We felt the helplessness, we felt the inability, the broken promise, the inability to rescue them. Nobody has managed to leave that experience. Bodies were scattered at the Music Festival and theyre still being found. The stories keep coming. We have been in five days of neverending horror, and it has changed us. The country that came out of this this week is a different country from what it was last week. How has it changed you . There were a lot of assumptions that we have, that we could live with the status quo, that we could live with an organization like hamas on our border because it could be deterred, it was essentially rational. Thats no longer the case. We no longer believe that. The jewish experience of the 20th century, to be cold or academic, was the experience that in the Eastern Hemisphere of the earth at least, that the jews stopped dying the day israel was founded, and we take care of our own and dont come to the world for help and certainly dont let people be butchered in the streets. Jews still remember 30 years ago. What happened on saturday was Something Like 25 kinnish i have pagroms. Its been burned into our memories. Theres a new solidarity, a new vow that Israeli Society has made to itself. This is deep, deep in our dn arjts. We are now going to face hamas, but we in general are going to face these threats. Were not going to live with containable threats because theyre not containable, and theyre not deterrable. This is going to be a different middle east and were going to make sure of it. What does that look like . In the short term it looks like the destruction of hamas. Hamas, as Secretary Blinken noted, its only strategy for survival, its literal only game plan right now is to hide in a Massive Network of bunkers and tunnels under gazas Civilian Population. Hamas is forcing us we have a completely legitimate war aim which is to destroy hamas. Hamas is forcing us to reach through Gaza Civilian Population to do so. Thats a crime against humanity, being committed against Gaza Civilian Population, committed by hamas, not israel. There is a crime of war against humanity. They have actual definition. If you feel something bad, it doesnt become a war crime. What hamas is doing now is a war crime on a scale that is massive. When the United States decided that the nazi regime would be decimated and destroyed to the last individual nazi, nobody thought that the civilian death toll on the path to destroying hitlers regime was americas fault. This is not a regime allowed to survive. This is not a regime we can tolerate surviving. It is literally hiding. There are hospitals in gaza that lost electricity. Not a single bunker of hamas lost electricity. They have fuel and generators, they dont send those fuels and generators to the hospital. We are going to save gaza from hamas and make sure hamas never threatens us again. Mr. Ambassador, we talk a lot about our domestic politics, but the stakes feel higher. It was notable that u. S. Secretary of state Antony Blinken said basically what haviv just said, that hamas uses civilians as Human Shields, quote, to hide their weapons amid them, to hide themselves amid them. That is not what israel does. Israel doesnt even target civilians. That that needed to be said was notable to me. Tell me your thoughts and reactions to the days events and the Secretary Of States visit. Thank you, nicolle. Let me reit late what haviv said. The pain, the agony, the shock, were still deeply within it. If i had to think of some maybe agonizing Silver Lining to this whole experience, pardon the oxymoron, is that we came in as a deeply divided situation. For better or for worse, hamas has reunited us, reminded us who we are as a nation, as a people, and i think even as a family. You can disagree when it comes to life and death and defending our families. Were going to stick together and defend this country in the best way we know how and the most moral way we know how. As the air force is preparing for perhaps an infantry and armored incursion into gaza, the air force is dispensing leaflets, sending sms signals, using nonexplosive missiles that hit the top of buildings and let the inhabitants of those buildings flee an area of intended combat. Thats crucial. Were going to do the utmost to avoid civilian casualties. Again, as Secretary Blinken has said, and many other officials have said, were dealing with an enemy that will use its population as a human shield and use the israeli hostages and american hostages which is going to be morally, to say nothing of logistically complex. We were very deeply moved by the president s message of two nights ago. I have been in the field of u. S. Israel relationships both as a historian and practipracti. I cannot recall a speech so impassioned, so from the heart, a man who experienced personal loss of a wife and two children, who connected that pain to our pain, who unequivocally supported the state of israels right to defend itself and categorically condemned terror. Frankly, the call went far beyond what i ever thought a president at this stage in American History was capable of doing. He pledged American Power at a time when virtually the only issue that receives bipartisan support in congress is the opposition to further middle east military entanglements. Thats what we call in washington a very, very heavy lift. Moving naval assets into the middle east and saying basically to iran, to hezbollah, dont get involved. That message was extremely important to us. It was reiterated by the Secretary Of State today during his visit. We also got the message that the United States expects us to act, according to the world, the rule of law as the United States does. I think what the secretary was saying, between the lines, help us to help you. The more caution you exercise amid the Civilian Population, well be able to help you more. Ending hamas, Eliminating Hamas is clearly one of the goals of whatever the response is. If you know the leaders that carried out the attack, isnt that also to eliminate the leadership of hamas . It may not all be geographically located where everyone is expecting the first moves. Can you speak to what the retaliation will look like and how wide it will range . The retaliation that weve already received. We had a preemptive retaliation by hamas. A big question, nicolle, if we and when we enter gaza on the ground, the question is whats going to happen with hezbollah to the north . Whether is ral la, the head of hezbollah will watch this incursion and continue sipping tea in beirut, or will he unleash a Military Power many times that of hamas. Hamas may be 15,000 rockets. Hbdz has 115,000 rockets. It has a Military Force which has been fighting in syria for a decade, very experienced. Israel will be faced with at least a twofront war. It could be more, if there are upheavals in the west bank, even among radical elements of israels arab population. Its going to be tremendously challenging for us, and costly. I think haviv would agree with me, we have no choice now. We actually have to pursue this. We want to uproot hamas from the gaza strip. It is very important that we engage in an intimate discussion with our american allies, our arab allies. Its not too early to do that. We dont want to be at the end of this operation holding the keys to gaza. We will need an International Effort to build the strip, develop the strip, promote an alternative leadership, a peaceful leadership for gaza. Gaza has tremendous potential. It could be, as we say, the riviera of the mediterranean. Not under the leadership of hamas terrorist organization. Hmentsaviv and michael, i know most of you care the most for these people. Ali velshis extraordinary reporting since hes been on the ground. Ali. Reporter were 2 1 2 miles from gaza. We just saw an interception while the ambassador was speaking. So we moved a little bit. I will say its otherwise relatively quiet here. Thats going to become relevant for what i tell you in a second. This might be the calm before the storm. Typically at this time of night there are several interceptions. Were certainly hearing the jets going over to gaza, and were hearing the thuds. Were that close, you feel the Concussive Boom over here. The tricky part is these hostages. There are about 150 Family Members who believe Family Members are being held hostage. They cant confirm whether theyre dead or alive. One of those women who is believed to have been taken is vivian silver, 74 years old, a canadian who has been living for decades in a kibbutz on the border of gaza. Shes a Peace Activist and reconciliation activist. She works with palestinian women. Theres Certain Health care you cant get in gaza, so people have to come across and get health care in israel. She will pick them up at the border and take them for that health care. Her family believes shes been taken by hamas. I spoke to her son today, jonathan, and asked him to describe what his mother was about. She was obsessed with peace, you know. Violence was always wrong in her mind. So she would say now, even though our communities are wiped out, she would say we dont need more dead babies. We need to stop the violence now. I call on everybody, the Israeli Government, hamas, canada, everybody to put pressure on both sides to negotiate and to get the captives out. Reporter he mentioned canada, of course, because shes canadian. His point is everybody should be putting their emphasis on the negotiation, the release of the hostages. Even though the troops are amassed ready for a Ground Incursion, perhaps that could be used as leverage to get the negotiation under way. He believes if theyre able to negotiate for the release of the hostages, that may set the table for further negotiations so this doesnt go forward as a ground war. The thing a number of israelis have told me, as determined as they are to see the destruction of hamas that my other friends are talking about here, they are worried that this is not going to be easy. A Ground Incursion will result in many deaths of Israeli Soldiers as well as, of course, the palestinians living on the other side who are civilians, not just the hamas soldiers. Theres a lot going on right now. The families of the hostages are angry, too, but they want the priority put on getting their Family Members released before the war begins the ground war begins, if thats possible. Ali, do they feel like the line and the access to information from the government, both about what is known about their loved ones who have been taken hostage and about what is planned militarily that may impact where their loved ones are taken. Do they feel like the lines of communication are open . They dont. In fairness to the Israeli Government, everywhere where you and i have reported on, thats always an issue, families of people taken captive never feel like theyre getting good information flow, including in the United States when american hostages are being held by other governments or terrorist organizations. That said, there has been criticism, and tb idf has acknowledged that a lot of things went wrong in the last few days. There was a massive Intelligence Failure that allowed this to happen. There was a slow Military Response around gaza. The military, people have said, yeah, theres something wrong. We have to look at that closely. For the moment, however, the government is conveying the message that the Ground Incursion is imminent. Theyre ready to go. Youve seen Richard Engels reporting. The question is, there hasnt been an active discussion with the families about what does this incursion, this invasion of gaza, this ground war in gaza mean as it relates to your Family Members who are held hostage. That doesnt mean theyre not thinking about it. Thats not an ongoing dialogue between the families and the government or the military right now. So much worry and pain and trauma. Ali velshi, with what youve just reported, please dont take this as mother henning, please stay safe. Haviv gur, we will continue to call on you. Mr. Ambassador, we need you to stick around a little longer. You have said and you have written that this war is unlike anything israel has ever confronted before. The events of the last several days have impacted everyone in israels daily life, every aspect of it. Well talk about what its like there right now, as well as families still searching for loved ones. With one of americas closest allies suffering such a tremendous loss, it should be surprising, shocking, when an x american president and possible president ial nominee again comes right out and criticizes israel and its leader and praises the terrorists, but were talking about donald trump, of course. So we shouldnt be surprised. Its also very dangerous. Well talk about it. Later in the broadcast, a closer look at how the massacre unfolded throug