Vatican:

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken expressed strong solidarity but also urged restraint to protect Palestinian civilians as the Israeli bombardment of Gaza continues. Following his arrival in Tel Aviv on Thursday, the senior US ambassador greeted Prime Minister of Israel Benjamin Netanyahu and informed him “We’re here. We’re not going anywhere.”

Prime Minister Netanyahu praised Blinken's visit as a tangible example of America's unequivocal support for Israel. Blinken said that he was "not just the secretary of state, but also a Jew" when speaking to journalists as he described the Holocaust-survival stories of his own family. The diplomat said he could understand on a personal level, the harrowing echoes that Hamas' massacres carry for Israeli Jews, as well as Jews everywhere, before urging the defense of Gaza's civilian population.

At a joint press conference with Netanyahu, Blinken said, “We regret the death of every innocent person, citizens of every creed and nation, thus it is crucial to take all reasonable precautions to prevent injuring civilians.” His visit came after Hamas, the militant organization in control of Gaza, attacked Israel on Saturday. Over the past six days, Hamas has killed over 1,300 Israelis and kidnapped hundreds more.

Israeli army spokesman Richard Hecht said the IDF is preparing to launch a ground assault in the conflict with Hamas. Fears have increased for the majority of Gaza's 2.3 million citizens, who are now living through the fifth war in 15 years in the long-isolated region. Israel has also cut off water, food, and power supplies. Despite all the anger and frustration, US President Joe Biden warned Israel on Wednesday to operate by the rules of war.

When reporters have pressed the White House and the State Department, asking 'how can civilians in Gaza be protected from these bombardments when they are already dying by the hundreds'... they have gotten evasive answers, that it was Hamas's fault for using civilians as human shields.

Concerned about the supercharged cycle of violence and horror, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called for the release of all prisoners and the lifting of the siege while emphasizing that civilians must be protected at all times.

Fabrizio Carboni, the regional director for the International Committee of the Red Cross, said the suffering caused by this increase is reprehensible and that hospitals without electricity risk turning into mortuaries.

Israel Katz, Israel's energy minister, said until the prisoners are let free, Gaza would remain completely under blockade. Israeli forces, tanks, and heavy armor have been sent to the southern desert regions around Gaza, where Hamas launched its historic attack on October 7.

Military spokesman Richard Hecht said that Israeli troops have subsequently stormed through the southern cities, killing roughly 1,500 fighters while uncovering shockingly large numbers of dead civilians.

The threat posed by the Lebanon-based Hezbollah military group, which is supported by Iran, complicates the conflict that Israel is currently engaged in in the south.

Israel has gathered tanks along the border after many skirmishes with Hezbollah in recent days, including cross-border rockets and shelling. As a sign of support and as a warning to Israel's other adversaries, the United States has sent an aircraft carrier battle group to the eastern Mediterranean.

Meanwhile, the US government has started evacuating its citizens from Israel through charter flights. John Kirby, a White House National Security Council spokesman, said the US government will provide charter flights to assist US citizens who have not been able to provide commercial transit out of the country.