Good morning to you. It is Sunday, November the 5th. I'm Ali Valshi. We begin this morning with breaking news out of the Middle East.

The United States, Secretary of State, Anthony Blinken, made an unannounced visit to the occupied West Bank this morning to meet with the Palestinian Authority

President Mahmoud Abbas. According to Abbas's spokesperson, the president told Blinken,

there should be an immediate ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, and that humanitarian aid must

be allowed into Gaza. State Department officials say Secretary Blinken made it clear in this meeting that the U.S.

has a, quote, commitment to the delivery of life-saving humanitarian assistance and resumption of

essential services in Gaza and made clear that Palestinians must not be forcibly displaced, end quote.

Blinkin's visit came right after another Israeli airstrike on a refugee camp in central Gaza early

this morning, which killed at least 47 people and wounded dozens more, according to the

health ministry in Gaza.

This brings the death toll in Gaza up to more than 9,700 since October the 7th, 4,800 of those dead

are believed to be children, though NBC is unable to independently verify those numbers.

The attack came as Israel said it would press on with its offensive in Gaza, despite appeals

from the United States and other nations for a pause in fighting to get desperately

needed aid to civilians there. This visit is the latest stop on Blinkin's tour in the region

pleading for peace and progress after meeting with Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu

on Friday and with multiple Arab leaders yesterday. Joining me now from Ashdode, Israel,

just a few miles north of the Gaza border,

is NBC's Josh Letterman.

Also with us is NBC News White House correspondent,

Aaron Gilchrist, who's near the president's home

in Rojoboth, Delaware.

...