U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken announced Joe Biden intends to visit Israel Wednesday to show support amid the ongoing conflict with Hamas.

Blinken said the visit will come “at a critical moment for Israel, for the region, and for the world.”

A White House official said Biden’s visit is to reaffirm “United States solidarity with Israel and our ironclad commitment to its security,” Fox News reports.

Via Fox News:

Blinken also added that Biden will speak to Israeli leaders about how to minimize civilian casualties in the densely populated Gaza Strip, which has been bombarded with Israeli airstrikes.

“The president will hear from Israel how it will conduct its operations in a way that minimizes civilian casualties and enables humanitarian assistance to flow to civilians in Gaza in a way that does not benefit Hamas,” he explained.

Israel has urged 1 million residents in Gaza to evacuate the northern end.

The visit coincides with Biden’s pledge to support Israel. The administration has already promised military support, sending U.S. carriers and aid to the region.

The announcement of Biden’s Israel visit follows the U.S. military preparing for the potential deployment of approximately 2,000 troops to Israel.

U.S. Military To Potentially Send 2,000 Troops To Israel

Joe Biden will also visit Jordan Wednesday to meet with Palestinian President Abbas and Egyptian President El-Sisi.

The Associated Press reports:

Blinken made the announcement early Tuesday after more than seven hours of talks with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and other top Israeli officials.

“He is coming here at a critical moment for Israel, for the region and for the world,” Blinken said.

Shortly after in Washington, White House National Security Council spokesman John Kirby announced that Biden would also go to Jordan to meet with King Abdullah II, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sissi and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas.

“We’ve been crystal clear about the need for humanitarian aid to be able to continue to flow into Gaza,” Kirby said. “That has been a consistent call by President Biden and certainly by this entire administration.”

Truckloads of aid idled Monday at Egypt’s border with Gaza, barred from entry, as residents and humanitarian groups pleaded for water, food and fuel for dying generators, saying the tiny Palestinian territory sealed off by Israel after last week’s rampage by Hamas was near total collapse.

The White House issued this statement Monday evening:

President Joseph R. Biden, Jr. will travel to Israel on Wednesday, October 18, to demonstrate his steadfast support for Israel in the face of Hamas’s brutal terrorist attack and to consult on next steps.

President Biden will then travel to Amman, Jordan, where he will meet with his Majesty King Abdullah, Egyptian President Sisi, and Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas. He 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.

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