The Biden administration has spen reform itself and show it's ready to govern Gaza# after the war.

Secretary of State Antony Blinken## carried that message to the authority's# President Mahmoud Abbas in the West Bank.

William Brangham reports.

WILLIAM BRANGHAM: The meeting# between Blinken and Abbas was## ostensibly about what happens in Gaza# once I But, behind the scenes, there was also talk# of how the elderly president can regain the## legitimacy his government needs to lead a# possible unified Palestinian state.

Right## now, the Palestinian Authority# governs parts of the West Bank,## but it's widely distrusted and seen# as ineffective by many Palestinians.

In one sign of that distrust, protesters clashed# with police in the West Bank city of Ramallah,## condemning Abbas for even# welcoming Blinken's visit.

JAMAL JUMA, Palestinian Activist: It's a# shame to receive a Blinken, who' the organizers of the genocide in Gaza Strip.

He# should leave immediately.

He WILLIAM BRANGHAM: Secretary Blinken on a stop in## Bahrain expressed optimism that th ANTONY BLINKEN, U.S. Secretary of State:# I don't want to speak for President Abbas,## but I think what I take away fr that he is committed to that and is# very WILLIAM BRANGHAM: Today, Israeli Prime# Minister Netanyahu explicitly said,## once Hamas is defeated, Israel wants out of Gaza.

BENJAMIN NETANYAHU, Israeli Prime# Minister: Israel has no intention## of permanently o Hamas terrorists, not the Palestinian population.

WILLIAM BRANGHAM: In Gaza, this was once the main# highway connecting the central part of th to the south, the Salah al-Din Road.

Residents# say Israeli troops left this trail of devastation.

In Deir al Balah in Central Gaza,# this building produced eggs that fed## people throughout the strip.

Now it's# rubble.

Dozens of people are believed## to have been killed in the blast and# even more trapped under the debris.

MAHMOUD, Relative of Deceased# (through translator): Some people## Here they are.

The bodies are still here, and we# can't get them out because of a lack of resources.

WILLIAM BRANGHAM: Tamer Mohammed is# still looking for his loved ones.

He## hopes to find any remnant of them# so he can bury them with dignity.

TAMER MOHAMMED, Relative of Deceased# (through translator): We took out five## martyrs and only half of him came out.

His# other half is still under the rubble.

WILLIAM BRANGHAM: In the south, which Israel# indicated would be the safest place for Gazans## to evacuate to, families pick up the pieces after# another night of bombardment.

One of the latest## Israeli airstrikes in the south pounded this# residential building on the outskirts of Rafah.

Hareb Nawfal is in shock as they count just how# many of his loved ones died in the attack.

He said## there was no advanced warning before the crowded# building was struck.

His is a pain all too common.

HAREB NAWFAL, Relative of Deceased# (through translator): This is a massacre,## a building of five floors, 14 to o.

Who should we complain to?

Where is the# cease-fire?

They are lying.

They are criminals.

WILLIAM BRANGHAM: As international# negotiations continue elsewhere,## here in Gaza, each day brings more# tears, more grief, more death.

For the "PBS NewsHour," I'm William Brangham.