Blinken said President Biden will focus on securing the release of hostages taken by hamas while underscoring the need to minimise civilian casualties in gaza. On wednesday, President Biden will visit israel. 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 aid begin flowing into gaza as soon as possible. We share concern that hamas may seize and destroy aid entering gaza or may otherwise prevent from reaching who need it. If hamas in any way block humanitarian assistance from reaching civilians including by seizing the aid itself, will be the first to condemn and work to prevent it from happening again. We welcome the government of israels movement to this plan. The president looks forward to discussing it further. Commitment. The president s trip will include a stop in amman where hell meet with King Abdullah ofjordan, egyptian president el sisi, and Palestinian Authority president abbas. President biden met earlier on monday with his National Security team in the oval office. Spokesperson john 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. The announcement comes as hundreds of thousands of palestinians are trying to escape gaza 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 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 air strikes have killed more than 2,750 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 1,400 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. Earlier, i spoke to elise labbott, ceo and founder of zivvy media, a digital platform engaging the gen z audience. She has covered the Israeli Palestinian conflcit. Is to have anyone. I want to stop with thiS Announcement that President Biden will be heading to israel this weekend. What do you make of that . It is 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 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 leverage over the israelis as they do this to be mindful of the humanitarian situation in gaza and keep an eye on the day after, remind him 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. Also seen Antony Blinken shuttling between middle east capitals 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 . They are negotiating 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 but it is also important for aid to get in. So right now egypt is using the border as leverage. I want 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 heard the Secretary Of State say that will be one of the topics that President Biden will address. How much has that shaped what israel and the United States are trying to do here . I think it shapes it a 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, deep in gaza where hamas could be hiding them 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 as 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 taken hostage, they spent five years negotiating for him. But for israel, they need to know if they want to negotiate with 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 its interesting, 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 . 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 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, until 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 Of Egypt 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 a regional Peace 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. Do you think the us no longer is disengaging with the middle east . ,. , , is disengaging with the middle east . ,. , , , east . No. He was president try to Disengage East . No. He was president try to disengage from east . No. He was president try to disengage from the east . No. He was president try to disengage from the middle l to disengage from the middle east, either to china, to disengage from the middle east, eitherto china, deal with the war in ukraine. The middle east always comes back to grab and the us, very important region for the United States and they will continue to remain engaged. There could be bigger players playing more of a part along with the yes but the us is always going to be indispensable in the region. Always great to have you won. Thank you forjoining us. 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 has more. Much of the north of gaza looks unlivable. This is jabalia. Once one of the worlds most densely populated neighbourhoods, and where those whove survived are clinging on. Not far away, abu jalil is one of them, trying to squeeze the last drops out of gaza citys water system, cut off for days. We will not leave, he says, we cant. Even if they destroy our homes, where will we go, with a family of five or six . Multiple families are now packed into apartments after their homes were destroyed, but they say its not safe to move south. The bombing is happening without warning, says this man, and if i leave with 50 members of my family, where are we going to get food and water . And this is where people are being told to go. Amid the destruction in southern gaza, the homeless and the hungry who fled the north in their hundreds of thousands are trying to survive. We have nothing that we need to live, says this man, who fled south. We are living in a dump, and if we move, well die. Amid the detritus, and with too few toilets, many are fearful about the spread of disease. Theres food, but not enough. All this will feed less than 2,000 people, says amir. Just a fraction of those in need. There are long queues to get bread, but its being rationed. Weve been waiting here since six in the morning, he tells us, just to get food to feed the kids. We will run out of flour, the baker says, in two days maximum. Clean water is also in short supply. And all the while the hospitals in the south, like in the rest of gaza, are overwhelmed with patients, from the old to the very young. Ten days . Four days . Born amid the chaos less than a week ago, what kind of life lies ahead of her . Jon donnison, bbc news. Earlier, my colleague Caitriona Perry spoke with dr natalia kanem, executive director of the United Nations population fund, about the effect this humanitarian crisis is having on some of the most vulnerable pregnant women. Thank you forjoining us. We are seeing images coming out of gaza of small babies in Intensive Care Units in hospitals that are under Evacuation Orders or almost out of fuel and supplies. What is the latest situation underground as you are aware of it . ,. ,. ,. , it . Terrible humanitarian catastrophe it . Terrible humanitarian catastrophe in it . Terrible humanitarian catastrophe in the it . Terrible humanitarian l catastrophe in the making. It . Terrible humanitarian catastrophe in the making. The big concern, especially for unfpa that works with pregnant women is opening the humanitarian access corridors and ensuring the people who are really in distress that may be in hospital are protected and they are safe and they dont have to move. Have to move. What is the situation have to move. What is the situation like have to move. What is the situation like at have to move. What is the situation like at the have to move. What is the l situation like at the moment for pregnant women in gaza . Working within gaza, we know there are well over 50,000 women who are pregnant. About 5500 of them are expected to deliver in the next coming days. Weeks, months. About 160 deliveries a day. At this point, the uncertainty around where to deliver is what women are reporting to us. We have had some pretty gripping understandings about the race against that when you asked to move and are heavily pregnant, you are not sure if there is going to be a complication. The woman that already hospitalised and whose newborns may need a Nikki Bennett an incubator, it is a minute to minute guess about whether the fuel holds up, whether the energy that allows the incubator will be available and you can imagine if you need a cesarean section at this hour how dire the circumstances are. At this hour how dire the circumstances are. Also the Situation Circumstances are. Also the situation regarding circumstances are. Also the situation regarding the circumstances are. Also the situation regarding the lack| circumstances are. Also the i situation regarding the lack of clean water. How will that be impacting women and children whether they are at the point of delivery or not . Whether they are at the point of delivery or not . This is why the united of delivery or not . This is why the United Nations of delivery or not . This is why the United Nations secretary. The United NationsSecretary General has been so clear about rescinding this movement and evacuation order. The point being for health and hygiene, food, water, the inability to have a reliable supply of medication, nothing is as precarious as a woman carrying her child, walking and inferior, not understanding what is going to happen to her next. One of the important provisions of international communitarian law is Health Facilities be spared. For us as midwives are trying their best, even using hot lies to communicate with mothers trying to be able to give guidance by remote. When you reach a hospital or Health Facility that has to be a safe haven. Unfortunately, nine or ten days out, this applies in these hospitals are exhausted. Unfpa along with other communitarian arms including the Red Cross Have Dignity Kids at the ready at the border with egypt. We hope the good offices of all concerned will result in an opening of that corridor so that supplies can come in. For people who are trapped in the north as well, for women with disabilities, Orwomen North as well, for women with disabilities, or women who have had high Blood Pressure complications, they need that medication by drip. They are not going to be able to move. We assessed the Health Facilities be protected zones. Is it surprising to you that it has taken so long and still no humanitarian aid order has been established . What i have to believe in and we have to offer hope to people who are caught up in a crisis not of their own making is that the dialogue process, the Peace Process, with she is the fervent wish of everyone that has caught up in this situation right now, they respected. I am surprised because as a sufficient physician myself, as a leader of a Reproductive Health group, unfpa, we know that pregnancy is actually a sacred time for the mother and the unborn child, so i really do expect that all actions will be taken to protect people who are just lit by minute trying to reeves, trying to get through a crisis. I will also say that from a perspective from the movement of people, there are times and circumstances where the sacrosanct quality of a woman in labour must be respected and this is one of those times. Thank you very much forjoining us. Around the world and across the uk, this is bbc news. Lets look at some other stories making news. A us federaljudge has impose