Israel mobilizes along its border with Gaza while Blinken is in Tel Aviv

Deputy Prime Minister Benjamin Blinken meets Jordan’s King Abdullah III: The Israeli-Israeli Interaction in the Gaza Strip

Later Thursday, Blinken will travel to Amman to meet Jordan’s King Abdullah. Abbas will be meeting Blinken in Amman on Friday. Abbas will be urged to condemn the violence by Blinken. Such a declaration would put Abbas in a difficult position, but Blinken will tell the Palestinian leader that it is important to distinguish himself from Hamas, an organization that the U.S. and Israel have declared a terrorist organization. A senior U.S. official said Palestinian Authority officials have privately told U.S. leaders that they are horrified at the violence against Israeli civilians.

The diplomatic push comes as Israel and Gaza experience the most dramatic escalations in violence in recent memory, with concerns the chaos could spread to the occupied West Bank and different countries across the Middle East.

Blinken also will try to secure the freedom of hostages kidnapped by Hamas from last weekend’s incursion into Israel. An estimated 150 people are being held captive by Hamas, including an unknown number of Americans.

They overran the police and military positions. More than 200 people were killed at a dance music festival near Israel’s border with Gaza. At least 100 hostages were taken to the Gaza Strip, according to Israeli officials.

Palestinian civilians are left with nowhere to go because of the closed borders of the Gaza Strip. Gaza has 2.3 million people and around one-tenth of them are internally displaced. Many have sought shelter in U.N.-run schools.

President Biden is urging Israel publicly and privately to get humanitarian supplies into Gaza. The U.S. is asking Israel to “introduce some sort of respect for humanitarian concerns into their equations,” a senior U.S. official said.

Israel and Egypt imposed a blockade on Gaza after the Hamas militant group took control of the territory in 2007. Egypt was sending in some aid through its border with Gaza but has stopped these deliveries since Tuesday due to Israel’s airstrikes of the Gaza side of the border crossing.

Israelis held funerals for those killed in Saturday’s attack, when militants from the Gaza Strip infiltrated Israel, attacking communities along the country’s southern border.

Hamas, the EU, and the U.S.: Why Iran is involved in the multipronged Gaza attack? The Iranian side of the puzzle

Hamas is not going to negotiate while the Gaza is being attacked, but it will try to use the hostages to get some Palestinians out of Israeli prisons.

Hamas’ military wing, Ezzedin al-Qassam Brigades, threatened to execute a civilian hostage every time civilians in Gaza die in their homes from Israeli airstrikes that come without warning. No executions have been carried out in the public eye.

The move stops short of a full refreezing of Iranian funds in Qatari banks, which is what was called for in the deal between Iran and the US in exchange for the release of five Americans. The official who outlined the understanding between the U.S. and Qatar was not authorized to comment and spoke on condition of anonymity.

U.S. officials have strenuously pushed back against the criticism, noting that the money had yet to be spent by Iran and can only be used for humanitarian needs.

The White House has said it has yet to uncover information that Iran was directly involved in the multipronged Hamas operation — the biggest attack on Israel in decades. Iran is a military and financial sponsor of Hamas. U.S. intelligence does not show a direct role by Iran, and neither have officials pointed blame at Tehran.

U.S. and Qatar agree to prevent disbursal of recently unfrozen Iranian funds: a report on the Hamas attack on Gaza

The State Department said it expects to facilitate the departure of thousands of U.S. citizens per week from Israel. The overall security situation, availability and reliability of commercial transportation, and U.S. citizen demand will all influence the duration of this departure assistance. citizens in need of emergency assistance can fill out the crisis intake form at travel.state.gov

Following Thursday’s visit by Secretary of State Antony Blinken, a U.S. official confirmed that Secretary of Defence Lloyd Austin would visit on Friday.

Austin is expected to meet with Netanyahu and Gallant to determine what more aid is necessary in the war with Hamas, according to a US official.

U.S. officials estimate 160,000-170,000 Americans are in Israel, as residents, tourists or in some other capacity. An estimated 500 to 600 American citizens are in Gaza, including people who have been working as humanitarian workers or visiting relatives. Since Saturday’s Hamas attacks, Israel sealed its crossing in the Gaza Strip. And Gaza’s sole crossing point with Egypt was forced to close after Israeli airstrikes hit nearby.

Tel Aviv’s Ben Gurion airport has some commercial flights, and some ground routes are open to leave Israel. The White House is concerned that the options may not be affordable for some Americans who want to leave Israel.

Blinken said Americans would continue pushing regional countries for a safe passage in and out of Gaza, which could help the hundreds of American civilians trapped in the blockaded enclave.

Source: U.S. and Qatar agree to prevent disbursal of recently unfrozen Iranian funds

The Vice-President’s Meeting with House Selectmen on Hamas-Israel Security and the Determination of Israel’s Security Needs

Israeli defense officials have yet to order a ground invasion of the area, but have been planning for it. The military called a lot of people into action.

There was an announcement on Thursday that the Vice President, who arrived in Las Vegas on Air Force Two, met with senior administration officials to discuss how to safeguard the U.S. after the Hamas attacks on Israel.

Biden administration officials have been speaking with lawmakers about the contours of a supplemental aid package as it continues to determine Israel’s needs.

The White House has started preparing a larger package that would include funding for Ukraine, Taiwan, border security and Israel aid according to an official familiar with the matter. A person has been granted anonymity to talk about private conversations, but there are no final decisions on a package.

The White House has indicated that it will send the new request to lawmakers next week, when both chambers are back in Washington. The legislative affairs staff is going to brief the senators about “ongoing national security needs” on Friday, according to an official who said the meeting was private.