US President Joe Biden to visit Israel, Jordan tomorrow

US President Joe Biden will head to Israel and Jordan on Wednesday to hold talks with Arab leaders as Israel prepares to launch a military operation against Hamas.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, who concluded his Tel Aviv visit on Tuesday, said Biden would meet Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

"(The) president will hear from Israel how it will conduct its operations in a way that minimises civilian casualties and enables humanitarian assistance to flow to civilians in Gaza in a way that does not benefit Hamas," Blinken said, adding they will also "consult on next steps".

He added that during his talks with Netanyahu, the Israeli leader had agreed to develop a plan to get humanitarian aid to Gaza civilians. He did not provide details.

Following his stop in Israel, Biden will head to Amman, to meet Jordan's King Abdullah II,  Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sision on the same day.

US National Security Council spokesman John Kirby told reporters that Biden "will reaffirm that Hamas does not defend the right of the Palestinian people to dignity and self-determination, and will again examine the humanitarian needs of all civilians in Gaza."

Since the worst escalation of violence in years between Israelis and Palestinians began nine days ago, at least 2,750 people have been killed in the Gaza Strip, with another 9,700 people injured.

 An attack by Hamas near the Gaza border on October 7 left more than 1,300 people dead.

An estimated one million people fled south from the northern Gaza Strip ahead of the expected Israeli ground invasion.