>> i don't know what -- i won't speak to what impressions moscow might be getting but we have not lost focus in any sense on our need to support ukraine. it's why you have seen the president give an oval office address about our support for ukraine and we will stay focused on it. we think we have the ability to work on more than one thing. you hear the secretary often say we have to walk and chew gum at the same time. that is true with the issues. >> who is compiling the list of evacuees at rafah gate and which is the criteria to determine what injuries are eligible. >> because of the sensitive nature of this i'm not able to get into -- all of this has been as i said extremely difficult process when you think of the parties involved and i find the not productive to speak to the underlying details here. >> israel and egypt expressed security concerns and no third party is doing -- >> we have worked with the government of egypt and israel to attempt to ensure an orderly flow through the rafah crossing. obviously they have agreed to this transit of people throughout, and they agreed to the transit of people through rafah some number of weeks ago and it has taken this long to make it a reality. i won't get into details, other than to say we feel we have the system to get the orderly flow of u.s. citizens and other foreign nationals. with all things related to the situation, we'll repeat the caution i started with, this remains to be a very fluid situation and we'll continue to work on it and not rest until gotten our people out. >> do you have assurances all the 400 or so americans and all of their family members will be able to leave? >> again, for some of the operational security reasons i outlined at the beginning of the briefly, i don't want to get into those details. >> what do you expect from the speech on friday, attorney general of hezbollah, and might change the course of the war or maybe turn for a large scale war. what do you expect from the speech? >> i would not want to speculate what he might say in advance. >> are you -- any fear or worry -- >> we will monitor what he has to say. hostile to israel thinking of entering the conflict should think again. >> the president and the secretary have made a point of saying there should be a path to a two-state solution. i noticed you had a bit of a revised version of that you would work for the establishment of the palestinian state reflects aspirations of gaza and the west bank. given the israeli government, against the policy to contemplate the two-state solution, many palestinians think it's not possible, because the settler activity means it's no longer viable, what is the purpose now of like flagging a two-state solution? >> the purpose is we believe it is ultimately only solution for durable lasting peace and it's something that we have pushed with the leadership of the israeli government, the leadership of the palestinian authorities, something we have made clear we continue to support and will reiterate it on this trip when people talk about the end of this conflict and what different options are for post conflict scenario, i think it's important and secretary believes it's important we lay out kind of our first principles here and one of our important first principles is the establishment of a two-state solution. >> and something has to happen with the governance of gaza when and if this is over, do you think the israeli government is more open now to talking about this? >> so, i again don't want to get ahead of, i don't want to get ahead of conversations that still need to take place. i will say we have made very clear that two things are true. number one, hamas cannot continue to govern and administer gaza and use it as a launching pad for terrorist attacks against israel. number two, gaza cannot be occupied by israel. what the alternative is between those two polls is a matter we will discuss here in the united states government, with the palestinian people and leadership and matter we will discuss with partners in the region. >> i would follow up on this, the secretary, when he was asked yesterday on the head, about this, he said we are discussing temporary measures that involve arab countries and international agencies. what did he mean by that? >> he meant exactly that. if you mean will i provide you more details, no. we will continue to have discussions, we will keep them private with our partners, with international agencies, i'm not going to provide any further details. >> my second question is on, foreign nationals departed gaza. yesterday also the secretary has that that hamas is impeding the departures of the american citizens and you said you didn't make any concession. why did they change their mind? leverage from other countries? >> i will say a few things. number one, is that is correct. hamas was impeding the american nationals and other foreign nationals, and sometimes they were actively preventing them from approaching the gate and they have now agreed to no longer stand in the way. so without getting into the details of how this might have come, i will note for the record the secretary discussed the matter with the prime minister and foreign minister of qatar on monday, we made clear anyone in the region who can help bring any influence to bear with hamas, that they do so. and we are appreciative to -- appreciative to the work the government of qatar has done as they have done with securing the release of hostages and attempting the release of hostages, i'll leave it there. >> on the americans leaving rafah, what's the rate limiting step on the pace of departures. hamas determining how many or a security consideration? >> i don't, because of the security, the operational security concerns i said at the beginning, i don't think it's useful to get into any details. what i will say, if there's any american citizen in gaza who has not yet registered with the state department and they want to leave, they should register as soon as possible. those american citizens in gaza who have already registered with the state department, watch the email and get them a time and specific instructions how to leave. but as it pertains to the number and when for a number of reasons, i don't think it's helpful for me to talk about that publicly. i would be happy to do so at the end of the process. but while it's ongoing, i think it would be counterproductive. >> and president biden expected to see american citizens leaving in the coming days and you said you are working on the immediate family members of some 600. expectation they'll be allowed to depart at the same pace or different tracts? >> we are working to have all of these things happen together. american citizens and family members move. it is always our policy to keep families together, that's what we are trying to make happen. >> matt, thank you. what entity overseas humanitarian aid to gaza and the u.n. agency controlled by hamas, and i have a follow-up. >> so i would reject that interpretation of unra, it is united nations agency that provides humanitarian assistance to innocent civilians in gaza and the west bank. >> follow up, when the u.s. sends the funds to the unra, u.n. agency, who oversees to make sure it's not used for guns and munitions. >> we have strict monitoring programs in place for the assistance we provide. we look into this regularly, we inspect, we audit, we do everything possible to ensure there is no diversion of funds or any of the humanitarian assistance that we provide to unra or any of the other agencies and international relieve organizations working in the area. >> thank you, matt. the foreign minister of iran, next to him, foreign minister of turkey said today if an immediate ceasefire doesn't take place in gaza, and attacks by u.s. continue, then the consequences will be harsh. i want your comment. >> so, we have made very clear that we do not seek conflict with iran. do not want to see the conflict widen in any way. as the secretary has made clear, we will defend u.s. interests and personnel in the region. we have taken steps to do so and as the secretary of defense made clear on the hill yesterday, if we need to take additional steps, we will do so at the time and place of our choosing. >> another question, i see that the head of the foreign affairs committee of turkey, he said according to reuters, that turkey was in no hurry, even if nato and u.s. want speedy for sweden. you want as soon as possible, and he answered to you, i'm sure. >> i haven't seen those specific comments and stick with my typical practice of not reacting to comments unless i have seen the place and the context they were delivered. we have made clear we want to see sweden asession into nato as soon as possible. the secretary has had conversations with his counterpart about that and make it happen. >> what the iranian prime minister said. if the war goes out of the control, u.s. will be responsible for what will happen next, and also he said that. there will be another surprise move by the resistance. >> john: matt miller at the state department talking about the release of americans from gaza through the rafah border crossing. he would not say how many, sandra, got out today but do know according to tony blinken, 400 american citizens and families, a total of about 1,000 people. typically 100 to 120 live in gaza full-time but a lot there visiting. don't know how many got out, but at least some got out. >> sandra: and maybe some clarity from john kirby, audio only, a gaggle aboard air force one, expect to get all americans out of gaza, ceasefire is not the answer right now. we are going to turn the sound from kirby as well, that was happening while matt miller was briefing at the state department. >> john: looking forward to that. >> sandra: meanwhile, state confirming americans are among the foreign nationals that departed gaza through the rafah crossing earlier today, they expect more u.s. citizens to leave gaza in the coming days. >> john: the state department is communicating directly orlando the past 24 hours. and the latest fire from lebanon into israel in the important part of the country. >> sandra: first let's get to lucas tomlinson, he's live in sderot, israel. >> three israeli army divisions are operating inside gaza attacking from three different directions, with the goal of cutting off gaza city from the rest of the strip. one of the divisions pushing in from the east has the goal of pushing hamas all the way to the sea. israel's defense minister spoke to his forces not far from where i'm standing. >> i want to bring great appreciation to the performance of the forces. we are hitting the terrorists at all levels from those who fight in the field to the level of commanders. unfortunately, there is also a price on our side as happens in every battle. >> israeli forces have been inside gaza since friday night, turning up the volume as they approach the gates of gaza city. these advances have not come without a cost. 16 soldiers have been killed in action since the gaza operation started, 11 yesterday alone. mechanized forces, tanks, bulldozers and mine clearing vehicles, backed by artillery and airstrikes overhead. idf has destroyed targets in gaza, it won't stop until hamas is completely annihilated. israeli forces say the airstrike in the jabalia camp was justified. hamas claims more than 50 civilians were killed and 150 were wounded. now coming back to you live outside gaza, we have seen a number of israeli forces moving closer to the strip. gun trucks, and also heard israeli f-15s, and f-16s orbiting overhead, and a lot of artillery pounding hamas positions inside the gaza strip. so far it's all outgoing, no incoming. >> sandra: lucas, thank you. >> john: from trey yingst, he's been able to confirm independently that five americans got out from gaza, aid workers, all of them, so not people who were there visiting, people there working. also the israeli defense forces just a few minutes ago confirmed they did strike the jabalia refugee camp a second time, apparently they took out a hamas command and control complex and that hamas terrorists were eliminated in that strike. now this. >> idf says mortars from lebanon were fired into israel and the military responded by shelling a terror cell there. growing concern hezbollah will enter the conflict in full force at some point. steve is live in northern israel. so, steve, scrimmages, some rocket, some missile fire, but so far none of the big attacks from hezbollah that we were expecting might happen when israel went into gaza on the ground. >> exactly right, john. it has not happened yet and certainly much of the world watching and hoping it does not happen at all. one thing that is happening, though, escalation, at least as far as the kind of weapons being used. israeli forces intercepted a surface to air missile overnight from hezbollah in lebanon. it's likely the missile was targeted at an israeli drone. israeli drones have been very effective in the border fighting, killing several dozen hezbollah fighters. and hezbollah is not the force it was in 2006, back then it relied on unguided rockets firing off en mass. with a lot of help from iran, their weapons are more sophisticated, guided missiles that could strike the israeli infrastructure. a more dangerous foe than 2006. and another attack on u.s. forces in the region, the 28th attack in just the past two weeks. this attack at a u.s. base in syria. a drone attack. all coming from militias aligned with iran. back to you. >> john: steve with us along the lebanese line. thank you. >> sandra: idf says israeli airstrike killed a senior hamas commander. medics in the area say many civilians were also killed or injured. idf saying hamas had a network of underground tunnels there. israel defense forces spokesperson. what update can you give on this? >> yes, good afternoon. and thank you for having me. this was a pinpointed strike against the hamas commander that has been controlling and commanding the anti-tank warfare unit in the gaza strip, which they have been employing towards the tanks, toward people, towards our soldiers. one of those did result in some deaths that we experienced. he was a senior commander and is confirmed dead, along with a number of other terrorists that were with him. this is -- was a coordinated strike, part of our ground operations in the gaza strip. that was a successful, successful mission. >> sandra: major, br does this put things generally speaking with the war. where does it stand at this hour? >> we are moving forward with our objectives in the gaza strip as we have said, laid out over the last few weeks, we have coordinated forces, we are able to activate all of our assets. right now we are talking ground assets, combined with air, combined with air, armor, in the gaza strip fighting in close range with hamas terrorists. they are fleeing, i can tell you, into underground bun kers. we see them inside of medical clinics, inside of schools. they good in, you open the doors, you can't find anybody, walk a few feet in, pull up a hatch and they are underneath the ground. they are so embedded in the civilian structures we have been saying. we have managed to eliminate a number of the terrorists and take overcome pounds used to launch the october 7th attacks. we are making significant progress in the gaza strip right now. >> sandra: as far as what is needed to continue the fight, obviously just got an update from the state department, our continued aid is going into gaza, and heard about more trucks entering. we know there are americans sill there, the u.s. is trying to get out. what would you say is needed at this point, what's your message to all those that are helping israel in this fight? >> first of all, we are very thankful that there are a number of foreigners that are able to leave the gaza strip. it's happening, i do want to remind everybody that 240 of the people in the gaza strip are also foreigners there, israelis and foreign nationals. those are the hostages to answer your question. their lives are still at enormous risk. they are being held under conditions, including 9-month-old babies. it's still a very, very raw wound and frightening thing for the families. what needs to take place in order for this to be successful, let the idf continue with our goals and understand this is the most important thing, understand that every moment along the way there are painful moments that this hamas began this terror campaign in israel, we never wanted this, we didn't seek it, didn't want it, they brought war on us and now we have war to wage on them until they are eliminated. justification for this is that hamas has begged and acted on the terror instruction on the state of israel. that notion has to be kept in everybody's mind as we see the painful images and move forward in the difficult weeks to come. >> sandra: and we know there are many difficult weeks, possibly months to come as predicted by those inside this fight. a moment ago from our state department, confirmed by a spokesperson there that u.s. secretary of state antony blinken will be visiting, travelling to israel and jordan on friday. what do you hope from that visit? >> on the military level i can tell you the cooperation with the united states is historic. go down in the history books truly amazing alliance, on a military level, sharing information, munitions and support in general, the united states standing shoulder to shoulder in this time that is really a test for all the countries of the world, do you support israel or not, because this is to a large degree existential threat for the state of israel and i'm sure the secretary of state and israeli counterparts will be in a very productive meeting from a military perspective. i can tell you we are fully focused, separate from the political realm, moving forward with the mission on the ground. >> sandra: got it. major, thank you for your time today. thanks for coming on. all right. >> thank you. >> i think it's important for americans to understand that even before this conflict we are dealing with an adversary that just in the past couple years has tried to kill a former u.s. national security adviser on u.s. soil, tried to kidnap and then kill an american journalist smack in the middle of new york city, conducted a cyber -- attempted a cyber attack against a children's hospital and tried to interfere in the last presidential election as director ratcliffe and i called out at a press conference in the fall of 2020. on top of being the leading -- >> sandra: the new warning from fbi director christopher wray who called out hezbollah specifically at a hearing on capitol hill, wray said it's important for americans to understand iran is a threat to the u.s. and was before the conflict. >> iranian foreign minister has threatened, and warnings iran could do a terror attack at home. tehran has plotted assassinations and attacks here in the united states. 2013, iranian american admitted he worked with the military to try to kill the saudi arabia ambassador to the united states bombing a popular restaurant in d.c. where the ambassador was dining. and two years ago, two men were sentenced on conducting surveillance on officials, and targeted a jewish group in chicago. and last year, a plot to assassinate john bolton and other top trump administration officials. just last week, at the united nations, here is the iranian foreign minister threatening officials of the biden administration. >> i say frankly to the american statesmen who are now managing the genocide in palestine that we do not welcome to expansion of the war in the region. but i warn if the genocide in gaza continues they will not be spared from this fire. >> and there have been increasing warnings that iran could be trying to sneak agents into our country over the southern bor