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There are signs that Biden's trip may be aimed at developing a common understanding between the US and Israel on how to continue the war in Gaza.
The US president will discuss the war, humanitarian aid, Iran's warnings and the possibility of the conflict spreading. Hours after an Israeli air strike hit Gaza's Al-Ahli Arab Hospital on Wednesday morning, killing at least 500 people according to health authorities, United States President Joe Biden will land in Israel.
The hospital housed thousands of patients and other civilians seeking refuge from Israel's relentless bombardment of the Gaza Strip since the October 7 attack by the Palestinian armed group Hamas in southern Israel.
Biden's trip to the closest ally in the Middle East was planned before Tuesday's deadly hospital attack and is a high-risk visit as Israel continues to pound Gaza ahead of an imminent ground offensive.
Israel's attack on the hospital has already had diplomatic consequences for Biden. Jordan, which was also due to host Biden for a summit with the country's King Abdullah II, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi and Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, has canceled the meetings. Biden is no longer welcome in Amman at the moment.
Biden said, in a post on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, that he was "outraged and deeply saddened" by the attack on Al-Ahli Arab Hospital, but did not criticize Israel.
So what can he achieve during his trip to Israel? What is the background of Biden's visit to Israel?
By Tuesday, more than 3,000 Palestinians, a third of them children, had died in Israeli bombardment since October 7, and that was before the attack on Al-Ahli Arab Hospital. Biden's trip comes after his top diplomat, Secretary of State Antony Blinken, met with Arab leaders last week, most of whom refused to condemn Hamas for its attacks that killed 1,400 people in Israel, including several foreigners. .
Biden is expected to land in Tel Aviv at 10 a.m. local time on Wednesday, where he will meet with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and other senior officials.
According to the US leader, he will receive a comprehensive briefing on Israel's war goals and strategy and reaffirm commitment to Israel's security.
Blinken first announced Biden's visit at the end of more than seven hours of talks with Netanyahu and other officials Monday night, during which he said the Israeli prime minister agreed to come up with a plan to get humanitarian aid to Gaza civilians. .
Israel has imposed a total blockade on Gaza, trapping its 2.3 million residents in the besieged enclave without water, food, fuel and electricity.
Can Biden help with humanitarian aid?
Blinken said the plan is "to enable the flow of humanitarian aid to civilians in Gaza in a way that does not benefit Hamas," which launched one of the deadliest attacks on Israel in decades.
However, while it is unclear what impact Israel's airstrikes have had on Hamas, the bombing has obliterated block after block of residential buildings in the besieged enclave. Schools and hospitals have not been spared either, adding to Gaza's humanitarian crisis.
Although Blinken talked about a deal on humanitarian aid, he did not reveal any concrete details and there is no sign that safe corridors could be set up soon.
On Sunday, he declared that the crucial Rafah crossing - the only route out of Gaza not controlled by Israel - would soon be opened to foreign nationals. However, the crossing remains closed, including to dozens of trucks filled with humanitarian aid from several countries that have piled up on the border with Egypt. Instead, Israel has bombed the crossing four times since then.
If Biden can help advance plans to get humanitarian aid to the 2.3 million Palestinians in Gaza, it could determine how his visit is viewed outside Israel.
What does it mean for war?
Biden and other officials in his administration have repeatedly emphasized Israel's right to "defend" itself and supported its stated goal of destroying the Palestinian militant group Hamas.
Biden has so far not explicitly called on Israel to show restraint or stop bombing civilians, ambulances and first responders, or allow civilians to regain access to food and water, although he has warned Israel to don't go in for an invasion of Gaza.
Israel's top military spokesman, Daniel Hagari, told reporters on Tuesday that Israel has "all kinds of end games" and the future of Gaza will be a "global issue".
But Israel appears ready to launch a ground offensive in the enclave soon. Many analysts believe this could be delayed at least until Biden leaves Israel to avoid embarrassing the US president.
However, there are signs that Biden's trip may be aimed at developing a common understanding between the US and Israel on how to proceed with the war in Gaza.
US Central Command chief General Michael "Erik" Kurilla arrived in Tel Aviv on Tuesday and is expected to meet with senior Israeli military officials.
What about Iran's warnings?
Iran has warned for days that new fronts in the war could open, and Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian said explicitly on Monday night that Israel could expect "preemptive" action "in the next few hours" if it continues on its path. current.
Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said on Tuesday that the bombing of Gaza must stop immediately and that Washington must be held responsible for the current situation./ Analysis by Al Jazzera
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