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Israel Gears Up for Next Stage of War Against Hamas in Gaza; CNN Sees Six U.N. Fuel Trucks Cross from Egypt into Gaza at Rafah; Blinken in Israel for Meetings With Israeli Leaders, Defense Minister. Aired 10-10:30a ET

Aired October 16, 2023 - 10:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

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[10:00:08]

A huge question though is, where will they go?

JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: All right, the breaking news over just the last several minutes, new Israeli airstrikes in Northern Gaza. You can see smoke rising over that part of the region.

Now, if you look at Gaza, this is where the airstrikes have been taking place. But here, down to the Rafah crossing, an extreme southern border between Gaza and Egypt, our cameraman has seen critical aid now crossing from Egypt into Gaza, six U.N. fuel trucks entering at that border. That's a major development.

Southern Gaza is also where Israel has told more than 1 million Palestinians to move from Northern Gaza into Southern Gaza. This is where Israel says they will be safer, Kate.

KATE BOLDUAN, CNN ANCHOR: And this is happening as U.S. Secretary of State Tony Blinken is back in Israel today. He's been in the region, traveling all throughout the region for days now. We're standing by to see if Blinken will speak to reporters this hour, a critical update potentially coming from him, given the news that you just reported, John.

The IDF offered this also the sobering update on the hostages taken by Hamas terrorists. They now believe 199 people are being held hostage by Hamas and Gaza. They've also said over the weekend that some may have been killed in transit, if you will, during the trip from Israel into Gaza.

Sara Sidner is right now in Haifa, Israel, where U.S. evacuations are under way. Hey, Sara.

SARA SIDNER, CNN ANCHOR: Hey, Kate and John. It's good to see you guys there safe and sound. We are safe and sound at the moment here in Haifa, Israel, where we have just watched in the last two hours a huge ship taking away Americans out of the danger zone and into Cyprus. We'll get to that in just a minute.

But, first, I want to go to our Jeremy Diamond who has been tracking the whereabouts and the conversations that Antony Blinken has been having. The Secretary of State here for the second time in just a week as Israel prepares for a potential ground war with Gaza and as this war rages on.

What can you tell us, Jeremy, about the plans here, what Secretary Blinken is doing back here, again, why it was so important for him to show up in this country a second time in such a short amount of time?

JEREMY DIAMOND, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Sara, just to give you a sense of how the situation on the ground is right now, the secretary of-- even the reporters traveling with the secretary of state really haven't had a clear sense of exactly who he's been meeting with and when, although we did just get a readout from the secretary of state spokesman that he did indeed meet with the Israeli prime minister as well as the president of Israel, Isaac Herzog.

And in these readouts, we don't have a ton of details, but it's clear what the focus of these discussions is. It is the release of those hostages being held in Gaza, and it is, of course, the situation regarding humanitarian aid being able to flow into Gaza and having Americans who are trapped in Gaza be able to exit southward and into Egypt.

So, over the last several days, there has been a lot of finger pointing, a lot of conflicting information concerning when or whether that Rafah crossing between Gaza and Egypt might indeed open. The Egyptian officials have blamed the Israelis at times and there's been a lot of conflicting information, U.S. embassy officials telling Americans inside of Gaza to head for that crossing, expecting it to open. But as of yet, we have not seen any evidence that that crossing has indeed opened.

So, the question is whether at the end of this day, as the secretary of state concludes a series of meetings with Israeli officials, whether we will be in a place where humanitarian aid will start flowing into Gaza and whether those Americans and perhaps other civilians will be able to exit Gaza and into Egypt.

Amid all of this, we also have the Israeli prime minister inviting President Joe Biden to come visit Israel. The president so far not confirming whether or not he intends to visit Israel, but we do know that today he was scheduled to take a trip to Colorado. He canceled that trip at the last minute, staying at the White House instead for what they are describing as national security meetings, whether that is a prelude to a presidential visit here to Israel. We do not yet know.

But, of course, the situation on the ground remains extremely fluid. We just had sirens nearby here in Jerusalem, rockets being fired in Central Israel and all of this, again, amid preparations by Israel for a potential ground invasion.

[10:05:06]

Sara? SIDNER: Jerry Diamond, you've been so great on this story. Thank you so much for breaking that down for us, another important meeting between the U.S. secretary of state and many of the leadership here in Israel.

I do want to mention why I'm here and why I'm where I am in Haifa. We are about 85 miles from the Lebanon border, where there have been rockets that have come over but far, far, far fewer than what has come out of Gaza shot by Hamas. Here, rockets coming over the border because of Hezbollah, a sworn enemy of Israel's.

But for the most part it has been quiet here in the north but what has also happened is that the United States has been getting so many inquiries from Americans who can't simply get out of Israel during wartime, many of them with children who are concerned about their safety, both mentally and physically.

Finally, the United States was able to charter an enormous ship that left from this port a couple of hours ago. And on it were American families who had been stuck here for days as the war raged on, unable to leave because there aren't enough flights. Those flights are very sparse and almost all of them are completely packed leaving Israel.

So, this was one way to try to get hundreds of Americans out of Israel. They just took this. They are currently in the water on a ten- hour travel time to Cyprus, which is where they will get off and be able to book their flights back to the United States.

We spoke to several families about why they came many of them live here in Israel. They are American citizens who have chosen to live here in Israel. Some of them have been helping troops on the border with Lebanon, taking them supplies, trying to do their part for the war effort. But many just said, look, it is time for us to get our kids to safety and to calm the nerves of our family members who have been watching all this from the United States. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ARIELLA, MOTHER LEAVING ISRAEL WITH FAMILY: For U.S. citizens and the U.S. embassy made it pretty easy to have a way and if for some reason the borders are closed, we'll swim back.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SIDNER: All right. So, you heard that. She also said, look, we are coming back. And all of them said the same thing. We will be back in Israel. We consider this our home as well. No matter how long it takes, we will be back here to this country, a country that they love as much as the United States.

I want to toss it now to my colleague and friend, Becky Anderson, who is in Tel Aviv, I think, for us at this hour.

Becky, I know you've been taking a lot of incoming today. BECKY ANDERSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL ANCHOR: Yes. I mean, you join us just after sirens blaring here, and as I understand it from my colleagues in Jerusalem again, evacuation signals from this hotel or certainly signals to get into the stairwells and into their shelters once again, booming through this hotel.

Everything is fine now and they told us that we can continue. But I think that just speaks to the enormity of what's going on here and the fact that it does seem that Hamas still has capabilities out of Gaza at this point.

We are, of course, learning new details on preparations for the next stage of this war but clearly not privy to exactly what the IDF's military plans are.

Let me bring you bang up to-date on some news this hour because I think this is incredibly important. Let me explain why. As we understand it, six U.N. fuel trucks have now crossed from Egypt into Southern Gaza through what is known as the Rafah border crossing. Anybody who is keeping up minute by minute on what's going on here will know just how important that crossing is.

As more than half a million people reportedly have fled Northern Gaza anticipating the next massive assault potentially by the IDF on that part of the enclave. There are real concerns about supplies, water, electricity, food in Southern Gaza for this enormous evacuation of people fleeing this conflict.

So, the idea that the UN has now got trucks in through a border that has been a lot of diplomacy, a lot of talk about whether it's open, conflicting reports about whether Egypt has allowed their side of the border to be open, whether Hamas is keeping the Gaza side closed, it does appear, and this is from a cameraman employed by CNN on the ground, that he's seen these fuel trucks coming through.

Why is fuel so important? Well, there is no water at in Southern Gaza.

[10:10:01]

The Israelis have said they're going to turn that back on after this total siege, but people need fuel to run their generators in order to get that water running again. At present, people are resorting to brackish water. So, that's really important.

There's an enormous amount of aid sitting on the Egypt side, including fuel that needs to get in through that border crossing. What the Egyptians don't want to do is see a flood of people leaving Gaza through that crossing, and that is where the complication has been. Guys?

SIDNER: Yes, it makes them very vulnerable. The population there, the civilians in Gaza just trying to get out because neither Egypt, of course, and Israel is not opening its borders as well. So, there is a real danger for men, women, and children, especially children in Gaza.

Thank you so much, Becky, for that. We appreciate all of your reporting and your time there. Kate?

BOLDUAN: Thanks so much. We'll get back to you very soon, Sara. We're also learning new details on how extensive and meticulously this terror attack by Hamas was planned. The images of maps and pamphlets with killing instructions found in the hands of Hamas terrorists, reports that some 2,000 terrorists took part in that Saturday morning attack.

And Israel's national security adviser, now the first government official to hold a news briefing since the war began, said that he, quote, clearly made a mistake when he assessed before the war that Hamas was deterred.

Now, what role Iran has played in this attack still remains unclear. Here is the very latest on that from President Biden last night to 60 Minutes.

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JOE BIDEN, U.S. PRESIDENT: I don't want to get into classified information, but to be very blunt with you, there is no clear evidence of that.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: At this point, no evidence that Iran is behind any of this?

BIDEN: Correct. Now, Iran constantly support Hamas and Hezbollah, I don't mean that. But in terms of where they, did they have foreknowledge that they helped plan the attack, there's no evidence of that at this point.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BOLDUAN: And joining us now for more on this is White House and National Security Correspondent for The New York Times, David Sanger. You've done so much reporting and such deep sources, especially with regard to Iran. That's what President Biden is saying about Iran's involvement. What more are you hearing? And what does it mean if Iran has their fingerprints on this because of its history with Hamas, but really didn't know anything about the actual attack?

DAVID SANGER, CNN POLITICAL AND NATIONAL SECURITY ANALYST: That's a really good question, Kate, and hard to answer, because, obviously, Iran has been supporting Hamas and Hezbollah and providing them with technology and probably providing them with detailed intelligence.

But if they were directly involved in this attack that killed 1,300 or more Israelis, it could well be a cause for direct conflict between Israel and Iran. Because the evidence isn't there yet, that isn't on the table right now.

But there are U.S. officials I've talked to who are concerned about a couple of Iran-related scenarios. One of them is if there is an attack in the north from Hezbollah, that is, in some way, Iran-supported.

And, you know, we're at the moment right now where the Israelis have been so taken by surprise by the attack nine days ago in the south that they're sort of, you know, on a hair trigger for anything that would happen in the north and could well overreact.

And it's a little bit like the way Americans were concerned after 9/11, that there would be follow-on attacks. That's why the warning to Iran had been so strong.

BOLDUAN: Iran's president, I mean, he spoke out yesterday warning that if there isn't an immediate end to what the way they described it as a situation in Gaza and services and resources aren't immediately restored into Gaza, that this crisis risks expanding. That's clearly one of the reasons why the aircraft carrier groups, the United States moved in, Biden moved into the Eastern Med. But how real is that concern among U.S. officials that you're talking to about an expansion? And is that what Iran wants?

SANGER: You know, I don't think they want a direct confrontation with the United States at every moment where there's been a chance for them to have a direct confrontation with the United States. They haven't done it.

Think about when President Trump arranged for or ordered the assassination of General Soleimani back in 2020. We thought the Iranians would directly retaliate against American forces in the Middle East and they in the Middle East, and they didn't do so

[10:15:02]

But I don't think they have any hesitation about seeing Hezbollah do that and open a second front.

And I think that's the big risk area for the United States here. Those aircraft carrier groups that you described have been positioned in such a way that their missiles could directly reach the Hezbollah operations at Lebanon and so forth. And so that's the nature of the U.S. concern.

I don't think there's any scenario I've heard of in which the U.S. would enter this conflict sending troops, but I could imagine several scenarios in which they would lend the firepower from those aircraft carrier groups.

BOLDUAN: Which is significant in and of itself. I was just thinking the way this is talked--

SANGER: Put out directly into it, yes.

BOLDUAN: Exactly. The way this is talked about, the words used are so important up until now and going forward. The way that President Biden has started to talk about this whole thing, that what happened to Israel is akin to the Holocaust, and he's comparing Hamas to ISIS, the choice to speak of it in that way.

I heard Dan Senor say this morning that once Biden lays down markers like that, they have to really be prepared for the tough road ahead. What are you hearing from folks that maybe Biden is trying to prepare people for in talking about it in this way?

SANGER: Well, I think he's doing two things. On the one hand, he is comparing it to the Holocaust. And Secretary Blinken is as well. And, of course, Secretary Blinken's stepfather was a Holocaust survivor, a point that he's made at several points along the way. They've all noted that this is the greatest loss of life for Israel in a single incident since the Holocaust. And, of course, Israel's formation was all built out of preventing a Holocaust from ever happening again.

On the other hand, if you listen carefully to President Biden and to Secretary Blinken, you've heard two other things. You've heard President Biden say they shouldn't seek to occupy the Gaza. That is to say, before you go in, think how you're going to get out and how the Gaza would be governed in the absence of Hamas. And that's a really hard problem that I don't think the Israelis have the time or bandwidth to go deal with right now, but is going to come there successful.

And the second thing is Secretary Blinken saying how you do this is important, because he knows the narrative will change as soon as we see images of Palestinian civilians getting bombed or killed in this invasion and that's going to happen.

BOLDUAN: Yes. David it's good to see you thank you. John?

BERMAN: All right. These two U.S. aircraft carrier groups that will soon be in the Mediterranean, what exactly will they be doing how will they be used?

And the breaking news getting information again that six U.N. fuel trucks have now crossed from Egypt in Degas at the Rafah crossing, what is the significance of that, how might that impact what seems to be an impending ground invasion from Israel into Gaza?

Our live special coverage continues right after this.

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[10:20:00]

SIDNER: There's a dire warning now from the Palestinian authority. Now, to be clear, the Palestinian authority is internationally recognized as the government of the Palestinian people in the West Bank, but in Gaza, it is Hamas that rules.

But the Palestinian authority now speaking out, saying Gaza is on the brink of a real famine. More than half a million people in the region are displaced now after Israeli airstrikes and officials say no aid is coming to them.

Just this morning, CNN witnessed six U.N. fuel trucks that have been able to cross into Gaza from Egypt.

CNN's Salma Abdelaziz is live in London. You have been watching what has been happening in Gaza from afar, getting videos, talking to people who are there. What can you tell us the situation is at this point in Gaza as Israeli troops have amassed a border and are preparing a ground war?

SALMA ABDELAZIZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Sarh, about a week into this complete siege, this complete lockdown of Gaza rights groups are warning of an absolute catastrophe. They say that the enclave could soon run out of food, soon run out of water, soon run out of the basics, the medical supplies. And all this chaos and carnage, the dead are piling up. The latest death toll is 2,800 people killed, a quarter of them, apparently children, according to Palestinian health officials.

I have some graphic footage to show you. I do want to warn our viewers about this, Sara, but it begins to illustrate what is happening on the ground. What you're going to see here is images of mass graves, one big mass grave to take all of these dead, again, 2,800 killed so far.

And just over a week of this offensive, people fleeing south so quickly, they don't even have time, have chance, really, to identify the bodies of those dead.

[10:25:03]

And, again, as you mentioned, all of this only the beginning as those troops, hundreds of thousands of them, Israeli troops, amassing on that border preparing for potential ground incursion.

SIDNER: That, Salma, is absolutely difficult to look at. It really turns your stomach to think of a number of families that that is going to affect.

Salma Abdelaziz, you've been doing a really excellent job giving us a look inside Gaza. As you know, we are not inside of Gaza at the moment. We do have some CNN employees there who are giving us information coming out. I appreciate all that you've been doing throughout the week. John?

BERMAN: All right. Thanks so much, Sara.

With me now is CNN Military Analyst, Colonel Cedric Leighton. Colonel, the USS Gerald Ford carrier group is already in the Mediterranean. We got word over the last 24 hours of the U.S. is sending the Dwight D. Eisenhower carrier group, two carrier groups in the Mediterranean. What are the parameters of what these U.S. forces will be doing?

COL. CEDRIC LEIGHTON (RET.), CNN MILITARY ANALYST: Well, that really depends on a lot of factors, John. Good morning to you.

The basic idea is that they are going to be able to project American force wherever they're directed to do so. So, what does that actually mean concretely? It could be anything from helping with humanitarian operations all the way to ensuring that no other power gets involved in the conflict between Hamas and Israel.

So, that would involve flying combat air patrols, for example, off the Israeli and Gaza coast. It could involve taking a look and seeing what kinds of intelligence activities are going on in the Lebanon-Israel- Gaza area. So, all of these things are part of some of the missions that these aircraft carrier groups could do, but they are very much part of the power projection effort that the U.S. has at its disposal.

BERMAN: Cedric, over the weekend, President Biden said that he would advise Israel not to occupy Gaza. This, of course, is the Gaza Strip. It's just 25 miles long. This is the line where Israel has suggested that the people here evacuate south, move south here. But if they were not going to occupy the north here, what would Israeli forces do there?

LEIGHTON: So, this could mean a temporary move into the area if it's a, you know, done in a way that we think it could happen. They would go in, they would take out Hamas, they would hopefully free the hostages.

And, of course, all of these things are somewhat idealized scenarios. They're kind of the planners look at this. Whenever you get into a combat situation, all of those plans don't quite go out the window, but they're certainly modified by the way in which the enemy or the adversary reacts.

So, in this particular case, it could be a very tough slog through a very difficult urban terrain that we've discussed before, you know, narrow alleyways, you know, an intense area with lots of tunnels and buildings that have been damaged but can also serve as lookout posts for ambushes and things like that. So, it's going to be a very difficult terrain if the Israelis do go in there.

But what President Biden is basically telling them, do what you need to do, but then get out. And that might be easier said than done, but it's certainly good advice based on some of the other things that have happened in Israel's past and also, frankly, in America's past.

BERMAN: Getting in sometimes easier than getting out.

I also want to talk what's happening along the Israel-Lebanon border. It's right here. Israel has now said that people within two kilometers of this border, about 28 villages, they should evacuate. By the way, we can put Sara Sidner, I can show you where Sarah is on the map right here. Sara is in Haifa, not far from the border right now in Gaza. Why do you think Israel is telling people to move? What does that signify?

LEIGHTON: Well, of course, Israel is worried about what Hezbollah is doing in Lebanon. Hezbollah, the party of God, as it's known in Arabic, is an Iranian proxy. And they are basically testing Israel a bit right now. They seem to be firing around sympathetic with Hamas into Northern Israel.

And so the volume of the artillery fire and the rocket fire from Southern Lebanon has increased in the last few hours. And what the Israeli authorities are doing, John, is they're telling people to move out of that border zone because right now it's more dangerous than it usually is. And so for protective purposes, they're moving people out of there and they're hoping that it will subside because that's what they really have to worry about when it comes to a possible two-front war.

BERMAN: Look, yes, thank you for that explanation. Important to note here, Hezbollah, which operates in Lebanon, is not Hamas, which is in Gaza, but it supports Hamas, and Hezbollah in Lebanon is seen as, frankly, much more powerful than Hamas.

[10:30:07]

Cedric Leighton, thank you so much. Kate?