Joe Biden is heading to Israel, Jordan as the IDF prepares an invasion of Gaza:President Abdel Fattah El Sisi will meet his US counterpart in Amman tomorrow as global leaders try to find a way to get aid into Gaza and prevent the conflict from spilling over into a regional war. The two leaders will be joined by Jordan’s King Abdullah and Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas on Wednesday, the White House said yesterday.

The statement came in the wake of a phone conversation between El Sisi and Biden last night, during which the two leaders discussed the deteriorating humanitarian situation in Gaza and agreed on the need to protect civilians, according to readouts from Ittihadiya and the White House. The two agreed on the importance of containing the war, according to Ittihadiya, but neither statement raised the possibility of a ceasefire.

WILL THE RAFAH CROSSING OPEN TODAY?

Maybe? An unconfirmed report from Al Arabiya says the border crossing will open at 9am CLT, State broadcaster Al Qahera News reported this morning that aid trucks had begun to move from Al Arish towards Rafah, and CNN says that aid convoys in Egypt are moving toward the border. Neither broadcaster has said when the border might open. A UN spokesperson denied an earlier report overnight by CNN that five fuel trucks had crossed. More than 100 vehicles were waiting to enter Gaza this morning, according to Al Arabiya.

Reports early yesterday morning had suggested the crossing could open Monday, but the gates remained shut all day. Egypt has refused to allow citizens of western countries to evacuate until Israel and the US agree to allow aid in. It has also strongly rejected suggestions from Israeli politicians that it agree to resettle hundreds of thousands of Palestinian refugees in the Sinai. Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry blamed Israel yesterday for not agreeing to let aid in

There are signs that US pressure on Israel to ease the siege could be working: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has agreed to “develop a plan” with the US to allow aid into Gaza without helping Hamas, Blinken said early this morning following nine hours of negotiations, according to Reuters. Blinken was in Israel for the second time in less than a week after failing to secure an agreement to open the Rafah border crossing to foreign national and aid deliveries during talks with El Sisi on Sunday.

Remember: Israel has imposed a total blockade on Gaza for over a week and is refusing to allow food, water, fuel and aid to enter, triggering what the UN has termed a “humanitarian catastrophe.”

BIDEN’S VISIT IN CONTEXT-

He’s trying to dial down tensions with the Arab world… Following a visit to Israel, Biden “will reiterate that Hamas does not stand for the Palestinian people’s right to dignity and self-determination and discuss the humanitarian needs of civilians in Gaza” during his conversation with the Arab leaders, the statement said. Ittihadiya has not confirmed El Sisi’s travel plans.

…but the trip is all about showing “unwavering support for Israel,” the New York Times quotes Secretary of State Antony Blinken as having said. The report did note that Biden will address with Israeli leaders both hostages held by Hamas and “humanitarian aid to Palestinians in Gaza.” The US president has been a strong backer of Israel’s military operation and yesterday called for the Islamist group to be eliminated.

STILL NO GROUND INVASION-

Yesterday saw more extreme rhetoric from Israeli leaders, but the thousands of troops massed on the Gaza border remained in place ahead of a much-telegraphed invasion. Israel will “wipe out” the “bloodthirsty monsters,” Netanyahu told minister s in his emergency cabinet yesterday, though held off on sending in the army.

There’s plenty of speculation about why Israel is continuing to hold off the offensive, ranging from fears of a Hezbollah attack from the north to bad weather. There are op-eds aplenty warning Israel of the dangers of an invasion from media outlets inside and outside the country as well as from the heart of foreign policy-making in Washington.

The death toll: The number of Palestinians killed in Israel’s attack continued to climb yesterday following what witnesses said was one of the most intense nights of bombing in the 10-day war. Almost 2.8k people have now died in Gaza and more than 9.9k are wounded, the Palestinian Health Ministry said last night.

DIPLOMACY-

Progress in the hostage situation? Iran, one of Hamas’ chief backers, said yesterday that the group is willing to release the nearly 200 hostages if Israel agrees to end its bombing campaign. Hamas has “stated that they are ready to take necessary measures to release the citizens and civilians held by resistance groups, but their point was that such measures require preparations that are impossible under daily bombardment by the Zionists against various parts of Gaza,” the country’s foreign ministry spokesperson Nasser Kanaani said.

Some hostages to be released? Non-Israeli captives will be released “when circumstances allow,” Reuters reported Hamas as saying yesterday, soon after one of its senior figures suggested that it could agree to a prisoner exchange with Israel.

Putin is weighing in on the conflict: Among the leaders El Sisi spoke to yesterday was Russian president Vladimir Putin, who engaged in a day of rapid-fire diplomacy after remaining on the sidelines for much of the 10-day conflict. Putin — who has joined with Chinese officials to criticize Israel’s military campaign and explicitly back a Palestinian state — had phone conversations with Netanyahu and the presidents of Iran, Syria and Palestine.

Putin x El Sisi x Netanyahu: El Sisi and Putin both emphasized the importance of the Palestinians being allowed their own state and agreed on the urgent need for aid to be let into Gaza, according to readouts from Ittihadiya and the Kremlin. In a separate conversation with Netanyahu, the Russian president offered to mediate an end to the conflict, while the Israeli prime minister said that Israel won’t end its attack against Hamas until it’s destroyed.

ALSO-

  • El Sisi also held talks with French Foreign Minister Catherine Colonna in Cairo yesterday and spoke on the phone with the prime ministers of Canada and Italy.
  • Shoukry spoke with his counterparts from China and Syria.
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