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IDF Says, 320 Targets Hit in Gaza Overnight; Israeli Troops Clash With Hamas Fighters Inside Gaza; Nine GOP Reps Join Speaker Race After Rep. Jim Jordan (R-OH) Withdraws. Aired 10-10:30a ET

Aired October 23, 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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[10:00:00]

KATE BOLDUAN, CNN ANCHOR: Hello everyone, I'm Kate Bolduan with John Berman in New York. Sara Sidner is in Jerusalem today.

This morning, Israel is ramping up attacks on Gaza from the air and on the ground. The IDF says that they've carried out at least 320 aerial strikes coupled with raids as they enter the, quote/unquote, "Next phase of this war to take out Hamas." Here is some of the video this morning of the aftermath of some of the strikes in Gaza.

Now, throughout Gaza, the humanitarian crisis, as we know, is dire. Some help is on the way with aid trucks coming in from Egypt. This morning, our crews spotted a third convoy headed to Gaza carrying food, water and medical supplies.

JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: Overnight, the IDF updated its count of how many people have believed kidnapped in the terror attacks on October 7th, as many as 222 could be being held hostage inside Gaza right now. This would be their 17th day in captivity, presumably somewhere within the Gaza Strip.

This morning, a U.S. official tells CNN that there are still ten Americans unaccounted for. It is not clear if all or hostages or not. The U.S. does not know the condition of any American hostages at this point.

Let's get right to the ground. Our friend, Sara Sidner, is in Jerusalem this morning. Sara, give us the latest.

SARA SIDNER, CNN ANCHOR: Hey, John and Kate. The IDF has said it launched a series of strategic raids along the contact line with Gaza overnight. It comes as Israel vows to ramp up bombardments ahead of that possible ground incursion, which could be coming quite soon.

I want to let you know what has been happening here. Things have been relatively quiet in Jerusalem in the past. But in the West Bank, there has been some definite unrest. Over the weekend, there were protests. We also have been hearing of many, many raids that have been going on and dozens of arrests by the Israeli Defense Forces, arresting Palestinians. There have also been, since October 7th, about 90 Palestinians who have been killed by the Israeli military or settlers in the West Bank. So, things are not quiet across this part of Israel and the Palestinian territories.

I do want to mention what is going on in Gaza, as you touched upon. It really is a humanitarian catastrophe. And we know that there are about 34 trucks that did finally get in to Gaza over the weekend. And that is just simply about 3 to 4 percent of what normally comes in when there is no war going on, but the blockade is still in place.

One of the things that really strikes you is, of course, the number of people who have been killed. The Palestinian Health Ministry saying about 5,000-plus people have now been killed in Gaza, but also those who are caring for those who have been injured, which is in past 10,000 people, the doctors, the nurses, who are in these hospitals, some of which have been operating without any power.

I want to let you hear from a Palestinian Red Crescent director general, who talked to us about just what those doctors and nurses are going through as they have to live in this humanitarian crisis and do their work without much help.

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MARWAN JILANI, DIRECTOR GENERAL, PALESTINIAN RED CRESCENT SOCIETY: A few days ago, we didn't have food for our medical teams in the north. So, we had to bring in our colleagues, risk their lives, moving from Khan Yunis in the south to Gaza City, some bread in order for us to feed the medical teams, who, by the way, have been for the past two weeks working around the hour.

They don't have shifts. There are no extra teams in order for some of them to take a rest. And, of course, the number of injuries are huge.

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[10:05:00]

SIDNER: So that was Marwan Jilani, who is the director general of the Palestinian Red Crescent Society, who says, you know, it is not just a humanitarian crisis at this point. He was involved in trying to get aid from Egypt through that Rafah border into Gaza. He says, really, it is now a humanitarian catastrophe, and there has got to be a humanitarian corridor that is allowed, as Israel continues its bombardment on Gaza.

I want to get now to CNN International Diplomatic Editor Nic Robertson. He is on the border with Gaza in Sderot, in Israel.

You have been watching just an incredible amount of bombardments that have been happening over the last 24 hours, and you've been seeing a huge mass of Israeli military who have come to the border. Can you give us some sense of what things look like today and what you've been seeing and hearing?

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMATIC EDITOR: Yes, a big number of military strikes, very sustained late yesterday in the early hours of this morning, quieter through the day. There has been an occasional incoming rocket from Gaza into this location here, and an occasional Israeli missile strike going into Gaza as well. There was a plume of smoke rising up behind me a short time ago.

And though that troop buildup along the border there, multiple pressures on the Israeli prime minister and the military as they figure out what to do next, pressure from international partners who say pause to allow humanitarian aid in. Of course, that's a concern for Prime Minister Netanyahu. He feels that that will help support Hamas on the ground. That's something that they're trying to stop, obviously, and a pressure from within Israel, from Israelis who want to see Hamas set back because they are very concerned about those horrendous attacks just over two weeks ago.

But when you talk to troops along the frontline, you hear from them, well, we've been told to be ready, we've been told to stand down, we've been told to be ready. But it does seem when you look at all those troops along close to the border with Gaza, then an incursion is coming precisely when we don't know.

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ROBERTSON (voice over): Bristling with battle-ready troops farmers' fields north of Gaza churn with the controlled fury of a nation readying for an incursion to strike Hamas, yet they are waiting with no explanation why.

It feels like the early rush for battle readiness has passed. The troops are deployed standing by. The question is how long can they be kept out here.

According to former IDF General Israel Ziv, as long as is needed. There are military gains.

ISRAEL ZIV, FORMER GENERAL, IDF: We are now improving our intelligence and our capacity of targets.

ROBERTSON: But the political calculation here is more complicated.

RON BEN YISHAI, MILITARY ANALYST: I think both in Washington and in Jerusalem they understand that the legitimization window is closing quickly.

ROBERTSON: Civilian losses in Gaza are growing, more than third of them children, according to Palestinian health officials. Lengthy negotiations have led to two American hostages released. There's a tiny amount of humanitarian aid has crossed into Gaza that Israel fears ends up in Hamas' hands.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's calculus of when to send in ground troops has never been so fraught under pressure from the White House for more hostage releases.

YISHAI: Netanyahu is in real problem. He cannot say no to Biden but he cannot say yes to the humanitarian aid that drifts into Northern Gaza.

ROBERTSON: But he is also under pressure at home too, military and others hawkish for a decisive blow against Hamas.

ZIV: We are finishing preparing the ground force because we've changed plans. We are going for heavy maneuvering.

ROBERTSON: Netanyahu's dilemma compounded by his dependence on American weapons.

YISHAI: The pressure from Washington is real. It's real and strong. And the prime minister says many times to his ministers, listen, we are getting from the United States more than you know.

[10:10:00]

ROBERTSON: Where less than a week ago, these fields were teeming with tanks, troops making last minute repairs. Today, there are just tracks in the sand.

There's a soldiers jacket here, bread in a bag on the table. The question is where have all the tanks gone forward for an incursion or back to base for a pause?

Close to the frontline in Gaza these days, more questions than answers, an incursion still highly probable, but when?

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ROBERTSON (on camera): And those soldiers on the front lines there waiting to find out, it seems today, they'll be asking the same question and perhaps no answer by nightfall again. Sara?

SIDNER: Yes. I mean, you have, and we have been hearing that it is not a matter of if, but when, we will be seeing it. We don't have to wait too long, according to some of the sources in the IDF.

Nic Robertson, thank you so much for all of your reporting there on the border with Gaza. John?

BERMAN: Obviously, Nic just talking about the anticipation and anxiety of what appears to be this approaching ground action in the Gaza. That anxiety felt particularly, I think, in a more salient way by people with family on the frontlines.

Linda and Bruce Mildwurf are from North Carolina. Their daughter joined the IDF after high school. We're not naming her or showing her pictures to protect her safety, and Linda and Bruce are with me now. Thank you so much for being with us.

Obviously, any parent of a child serving in a military anywhere is both proud and has some trepidation in day-to-day circumstances, but this isn't even day-to-day. What have the last two weeks been like for you?

LINDA MILDWURF, DAUGHTER SERVING IN IDF: Miserable. They have been sleepless. They have been full of sadness and grief. and shock and anger and worry. We worry all the time, not just for our daughter, but for all of these soldiers. And it's a -- our daughter, drafted through Guardian Zafar (ph), which is an organization that connects us to lots of other soldiers. So, we think about them and we worry a lot and we cry a lot.

BERMAN: What have you heard from her?

BRUCE MILDWURF, DAUGHTER SERVING IN IDF: We sleep very, she has been very good about reaching out and connecting, even if it's a quick text or if we call, she tries to pick up. And, you know, she can talk for a few minutes, great. If not, she says, I can't talk, but wanted to pick up. So, she knows that without that, we would have lost our minds by now.

How is she doing? How has she done over the last two weeks?

L. MILDWURF: She has blown us away. She is a strength that we honestly didn't know, and I'm not sure if she knew that she had. She will have a lot to process after, but there isn't time to process.

In real-time, things are moving and going so fast that she has an enormous amount of grief from friends that have died. They're trying to process. They're terrified. These are kids. These are kids that are on the frontlines. There are kids that are put right in the line of fire. And so there's a lot that she's dealing with and a lot she cannot deal with in real-time.

B. MILDWURF: And we recognize that right now in Israel no one is safe and that's tough for us to process.

L. MILDWURF: And no one is okay.

BERMAN: She knows people that were killed.

L. MILDWURF: She does.

B. MILDWURF: Several in her unit were killed.

BERMAN: Now, you have a son.

B. MILDWURF: And she went to at least one of the funerals.

BERMAN: So, she's been going to funerals as she is preparing for what could be ground activity into Gaza.

I was just going to say your son is a college student in Israel who came home, I think, I imagine for the holidays. And I think he's still in the United States. What are your feelings and his feelings about going back to Israel?

L. MILDWURF: He wants to get back. He is a college student in Tartulia (ph) and feels a lot of emotions. He feels guilty that he's here lying in a comfortable bed when he knows lots of soldiers that in their situation he wants to contribute. He feels it's his country, and if nothing else, the humanitarian efforts.

And we -- Ben and he also recognizes that we need to wait a little longer before we make that decision, so that -- as we see where things evolve.

[10:15:10]

B. MILDWURF: We are fully supportive of him going back, because that's what he wants.

L. MILDWURF: He will be back. He will be back soon. We will all be back.

BERMAN: Bruce, I got to let you both go now, but you're a T.V. guy, so just let me ask you. Have you guys been glued to the T.V.? Do you want more information, or do you try to keep it tuned out as much as possible?

B. MILDWURF: For the first week-and-a-half, I was off social media completely. I did not watch the news. And since then, albeit slowly, getting back in.

Linda is a little different. She is all-consuming, wants to know everything, and I guess, you know, opposite to track.

BERMAN: Well, we're wishing you --

L. MILDWURF: It is so hard to see the news, what's happening.

BERMAN: It's got to be hard. It's got to be so hard watching every day, knowing that your daughter is there right in the middle of it. Our best to you, our best to your daughter, and safety for everyone on the ground there. Linda and Bruce Mildwruf, thank you both so much. Kate?

BOLDUAN: Coming up for us, House Republicans are still a mess by their own admission over the paralysis that they've created over the speaker of the House. The nine Republicans now trying to win the gavel will speak to their colleagues today. How can anyone win enough of their fellow Republicans over at this point to get that seat and that position? We have more coming up.

Plus, as Israel prepares for the next phase of the war against Hamas, the Biden administration is asking Israel to delay a ground incursion. What that means for Israel and for the hopes of getting more hostages out.

And later, the push to get more aid into Gaza for the civilians there, the U.N. relief agency now saying that fuel is as urgently needed as food and water for the people there.

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[10:20:00]

BERMAN: Later today, House Republicans beefed behind closed doors to begin again the process of nominating someone to become speaker of the House after Jim Jordan's failed attempts. Nine candidates have now thrown their hats into the ring. It's unclear if any will be able to gather the 217 votes they would need to win on the House floor. CNN's Chief Congressional Correspondent Manu Raju is on Capitol Hill. So, where the heck are we, Manu?

MANU RAJU, CNN CHIEF CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes. Look, it's really unclear whether any of those nine candidates can actually get elected speaker, or will they be met with the same fate that we have seen from the two past speaker candidates, Steve Scalise, and then Jim Jordan on Friday, unable to get the votes from this badly divided Republican conference, still reeling from the historic and unprecedented ouster of Kevin McCarthy as speaker of the House at the hands of his own colleagues just almost three weeks ago tomorrow. Can they be resolved this week or will it go into the next week?

And so many huge issues are waiting in action. Nothing can get done in the House until Republicans can resolve this leadership crisis that they have been battling about internally for now weeks.

Now, these nine candidates will take their case behind closed doors to Republicans tonight. It's 6:30 P.M. Eastern. They'll make their case, give a pitch, and they'll answer some questions. Then tomorrow will be the vote, the leadership election. That will be actually a nominating contest. It requires just half of the House Republican conference. Whoever gets a majority of that vote will become the nominee for speaker. But a majority of the 221 Republican Conference is not 217 votes on the House floor, which is what this person, the ultimate nominee, will need. Meaning they cannot lose more than four Republicans on the floor. So how this ends is anyone's guess.

There's some expectation that Tom Emmer, the Republican whip, maybe be the favor heading into tomorrow. But it is a secret ballot election, so it's hard to handicap. One thing is clear, getting 217 votes will be a tall order for any of the nine.

BERMAN: Yes, and nine is a lot going in to tomorrow morning to begin with. Manu Raju on Capitol Hill, keep us posted, Manu.

BOLDUAN: A tall order. That's an understatement at this point to get anything done right now.

Joining us now, CNN Political Director David Chalian. Okay, David, this puts them all squarely back at square one, no question of that. So what can the nine who would like to be speaker, who are vying for this now, I'm trying to figure out what they can learn from the last three weeks.

DAVID CHALIAN, CNN POLITICAL DIRECTOR: Well, I think one thing that they can learn is that they need to get their ducks in a row before they get to the floor. This is not January, as Jim Jordan just learned, where there is a permission slip from the conference to gut it out and go 15 rounds. We saw with Jim Jordan after three rounds here, the conference regrouped and actually voted for him to step down as speaker designate, right? They no longer wanted him to be the nominee after those three failed rounds. So, I would say that's one lesson to be learned here is getting your vote counting right, that you know you have a path to 217 on the floor.

BERMAN: If anyone has a path to 217 on the floor, which isn't clear in any way right now.

[10:25:00]

So, my question, David, is at what point will there be a solution that does involve some Democratic votes? There was a chance for that last week, and Republicans balked at doing that. Do you think they are moving closer to that inevitability now? I'll keep talking if you need more of a drink of water. But if you're ready to answer, go ahead.

CHALIAN: John, I appreciate it. I have no sense that they are any closer now. Excuse me. I do --

BOLDUAN: Take another sip of water. Here's the thing. I'm going to continue talking now. Because when you're talking, we've heard over and over again from a variety of Republicans that there could hit a point where they could be open to working with Democrats. And you've asked this many times, what is that point?

BERMAN: Because it wasn't last week. For a second, it looked like they might empower Patrick McHenry, who is the speaker pro tempore, give him more power for a while. They said no to that last week. How long can they keep saying no to that, David?

CHALIAN: Well, I think they really would prefer not to have to go down that route. And so I don't know the answer to how long. But it seems to me we could be in this for a bit here, even with a looming deadline of government funding, even with the pressure to get aid out the door to Israel or Ukraine, although getting that aid out the door, even if the House was functional, seems to be a rocky road ahead as well.

I would note, guys, I spoke to the head of the Democratic Campaign Committee last week and asked specifically, what would the Democrats need? What kind of concessions would they need in order to really come to the table on some kind of path forward here? And one of the things that she said was we would need bipartisan legislation, where the Republicans wouldn't just bring up bills that just had the support of a majority of their majority. And I just thought, well, that's not how the House really works.

So, I don't mean to be cynical here. It just seems to me this is going to be a very tough bridge to come together here for any kind of bipartisan path forward.

BOLDUAN: Yes. And you've noted it. John, you did it in last hour in your conversation with Ron Brownstein. Only two of the nine people who want to be speaker now, only two of the nine voted to certify the 2020 election.

CHALIAN: Yes. And to me, that could be a death knell for them, I mean, potentially. I mean, we've seen Donald Trump and his allies already sort of come out against Tom Emmer, one of the two who voted to certify Joe Biden's legitimate election in 2020.

It's amazing that we're even talking about the seven of the men running for the position voted to contest and not certify the election results even after the insurrection on January 6th. And so that just shows you in the numbers where the conference is likely.

And the two that did vote to certify guys, let's see. I know Emmer may be the frontrunner here with McCarthy's nomination, but let's see how much of a litmus test that is. I think that's something we're going to learn here.

BERMAN: Yes, we could know that within the next 24 hours. David Chalian, CNN political director, occasional CNN News Central anchor, as always, great to have you with us.

CHALIAN: Thanks, guys. I appreciate it.

BOLDUAN: Thank you, David.

Coming up for us, the Israeli military is increasing airstrikes on Hamas targets in Gaza and also says it is still preparing for the next phase of this war. What the U.S. secretary of defense is now warning about how real the threat is this crisis could escalate to a broader, bigger conflict in the region.

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