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Seven-Hour Humanitarian Pause in the Gaza Strip; ISIS Claims Control of Huge Iraqi Dam; Age Plays in Opinion in the Israel-Hamas Conflict; Ebola Patients in the U.S.

Aired August 03, 2014 - 19:00   ET

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

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

POPPY HARLOW, CNN ANCHOR: Good evening, everyone. 7:00 Eastern here on the East Coast. You're in the CNN NEWSROOM. I'm Poppy Harlow joining you from New York.

JIM SCIUTTO, CNN ANCHOR: And I'm Jim Sciutto in Washington.

HARLOW: And we begin with this breaking news from Israel. A temporary truce may be hours away. The Israel Defense Forces say there will be a seven-hour humanitarian pause starting at 3:00 a.m. Eastern time in Gaza, except for the area of Rafah that has experienced a lot of fighting and it is right by the southern border. But if Hamas starts to fire, the IDF says Israel will quote, "reply with fire".

Meanwhile, the U.S. is using its strongest language yet to condemn today's deadly shelling near another United Nations school being used as a shelter for some 3,000 people in Gaza. We know at least nine Palestinians were killed there. As I said this is being used as a shelter for thousands of Palestinians right in southern Gaza.

Here is part of the State Department's response. Quote, "The United States is appalled by today's disgraceful shelling outside a UNRWA school in Rafah. The coordinates of the school, like all U.N. facilities in Gaza, have been repeatedly communicated to the Israeli Defense Forces. It also said Israel must do more to meet its own standards and avoid civilian casualties.

SCIUTTO: Well, the Israeli Defense Forces say they targeted three Palestinian Islamic jihad members riding on a motorcycle who were in the vicinity of the school. An IDF tells CNN militants have made a special effort to fire from U.N. facilities in recent weeks.

We want to go now to our senior international correspondent Matthew Chance. He's in Jerusalem. So Matthew, we had this announcement of this cease-fire starting tomorrow. Seven hours but it has a limitation. It's not going to operate in areas of the south in Rafah where Israel has been conducting the bulk of their anti-tunnel operations. That's also where the cease-fire on Friday broke down. I mean does this latest cease-fire attempt have legs, do you think?

MATTHEW CHANCE, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes. It's also the place where that latest attack on the U.N. shelter that you just mentioned that was so severely criticized in the U.S. took place as well. So it seems that that area of the southern Gaza Strip of Rafah will not be part of this humanitarian pause as the Israeli Defense officials that enacted this are calling it.

And we assume then, that the military operations there which have been intensive and extremely deadly will continue. For the rest of the Gaza Strip, though, this is going to be welcome relief in what has been a growing humanitarian catastrophe according to the United Nations base there. Spread of disease; the lack of water, electricity -- this is an opportunity, according to the Israeli military, for those humanitarian needs to be met on the condition, of course, that Hamas does not fire at Israeli forces and into Israel during that period. If that happens, Israel says it will fire back.

So it will depend to a large extent, this humanitarian pause, on the compliance of the militant group Hamas -- Jim.

SCIUTTO: Matthew, thank you very much, in Jerusalem. I want to bring in Yousef Munayyer for his views on this truce. One thing -- key weakness of the attempted truce on Friday was that it allowed military operations by Israel inside Gaza. We heard the Hamas leader Khaled Mashal saying, "Listen, Israeli forces were operating there, so we responded." This one would seem to have that same weakness here. What do you think the chances are of this cease-fire holding?

YOUSEF MUNAYYER, EXEC. DIRECTOR, PALESTINE CENTER: Well, it doesn't look very good, honestly. A cease-fire requires that both sides cease fire. And so if they are still operating militarily inside the Gaza Strip and firing the way that they did particularly today in Rafah with heavy artillery at all of the civilian houses, this is certainly not a cease-fire at all.

A cease-fire means that there has to be an end to fire. And usually, you know, unilaterally declared fires are not going to stand for very long. They have to be agreed with to by both parties with clearly defined terms, with clearly defined zero hours as well and with enough time before those zero hours so that everybody can get word of it and so on and so that everybody can abide by it.

So this approach to unilateral cease-fires, you know, it would be great if it did work, of course, because the civilian population particularly in the Gaza Strip, is facing a humanitarian catastrophe. But it doesn't look like it's going to work or be reliable if the Israelis are going to continue operating inside the Gaza Strip.

SCIUTTO: But to be fair, Yousef, you need a pause to begin talking because when you have this carnage every minute of every day it is simply hard for the two sides to sit down and talk about how they're going to talk, to talk about how they're going to find a way out. So certainly there must be some value in something of a cease-fire even if it doesn't cover the entire territory.

MUNAYYER: Well, certainly, if in fact, people inside the Gaza Strip somewhere are able to get access to humanitarian aid and supplies and have some sort of relief from the horrific attack that are befalling them then yes, absolutely. That would be great. But in terms of whether or not this can actually move the situation forward, it's unlikely to do so if the parties are going to continue to be exchanging fire in certain parts of the Gaza Strip.

What we need here is direct and immediate international intervention to bring this to an end. And I don't think it can be left to the parties themselves because you have this massive imbalance of power between one party and the other. And of course the Israelis being that stronger party can constantly use their position of power to have their way in the Gaza Strip. And that's not a formula for a successful cease-fire. You need intervention and you need an end to these attacks in Gaza.

SCIUTTO: Yousef Munayyer, thank you very much from the Palestine Center in Washington.

I want to bring in our Bob Baer as well -- he's CNN national security analyst, also a former CIA and had in his role in the CIA contact with Hamas, studied them very closely. Bob, at the risk of sounding like a pessimist here, but is this not the complete breakdown of the process here? Even for a cease-fire, it's unilateral. The two sides weren't talking even about a seven-hour cease-fire just to allow some aid to move around the Gaza Strip to some of those stricken families. I mean what prospects does this give for something that's going to be a more lasting way out of this conflict?

BOB BAER, CNN NATIONAL SECURITY ANALYST: You know, Jim, I agree with you. There's none. I mean there aren't the elements of a real, lasting truce here. It's both sides are -- it is like two boxers, they're just going to will slug it out until they both go down or one of them goes down completely.

And you know, I've got to add that the longer this goes on, the wider impact it's going to have across the Middle East. Don't forget we have, you know -- if you like, fellow travelers fighting in Libya, in Syria, in Iraq. I have never seen the Middle East this bad in 35 years dealing with it. And this has a huge effect on these regimes. And the fact that countries like Saudi Arabia are staying out of it as is the United States. And we do need humanitarian assistance in there really fast or, you know, it could turn into something much bigger.

SCIUTTO: You know, Poppy, Bob makes a great point. It is almost hard to keep focused, right, because --

HARLOW: Yes.

SCIUTTO: We'll talk about Syria, where the death toll continues to mount every day even in bigger terms than in Gaza. You have Iraq going on. You have tensions in Afghanistan. And now this --

HARLOW: Absolutely. And before we let Bob go, if you're still with us, I do have another question for Bob. We talked about this yesterday. I think it's really critical when you look at Hamas' ability to continue to operate here. It has lost the support of states across the Middle East, except for Qatar. And there are reports from Salman (ph) and some sources and experts saying it is losing its ability in terms of its supply chain.

How much of a risk does that pose to Hamas and do you get the sense that they are just willing to go all out here. You already have over 1,800 civilian casualties all out until they literally run out?

BAER: Well, Poppy, I think you are absolutely right. This is sort of their last hurrah. The Egyptians are really going after these tunnels where they have been supplied before. The Iranians have cut way back on supplying Hamas with weapons. They have been using sophisticated weapons, these last two weeks -- anti-tank weapons, mortars, various explosives. They are running out.

So they're going to get what they can now and they're not inclined to stop now and give up these weapons. This may be their last chance. So they intend to fight to the finish as well as Israel.

HARLOW: Yes. And you heard that from Khaled Mashal and frankly you heard that also Benjamin Netanyahu in his address publicly yesterday.

Appreciate the expertise, the insight of Yousef Munayyer and also Bob Baer, thank you.

All right. Straight ahead here on the NEWSROOM, we're going to talk about what Jim just brought up; really important here -- another big battle ground. ISIS may have faded from the headlines but it is a war to conquer Iraq and it is still very much going on. Today another significant move there on the part of ISIS. How big a terror threat is it right now and could its power grab in Iraq lead to militants to take on a bigger target.

We'll dig in next.

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SCIUTTO: Welcome back. I'm Jim Sciutto in Washington.

With much of the world's focus on the newly ignited conflict between Israel and the Palestinians in Gaza, the militant group on a violent march through Iraq has been making major gains. Here on the so-called triangle border shared by Iraq, Syria, and Turkey, fighters from that group that calls itself ISIS posted a message today claiming that they reached that crucial three-way border. And very importantly, they say they now control Iraq's biggest hydroelectric dam.

Our military analyst Rick Francona is here and so is our national security analyst Bob Baer. Rick if I could start with you, let's start with the gains inside Iraq because they have been significant from ISIS in the last 24, 48 hours capturing this dam, which supplies most of the electricity to Mosul. But also pushing back some of the Kurdish fighters who have been having the most success really against ISIS and creating this one oasis of security in the north of Iraq. How significant are these gains and what does it show about ISIS strength inside Iraq?

LT. COL. RICK FRANCONA, CNN MILITARY ANALYST: Well, we thought that ISIS would start losing strength. And just the opposite is happening. They're gaining strength. People are siding with them now. And I think it's a temporary thing but we're seeing them grow in strength. They've taken the dam in Mosul. They're moving on the dam at Adetha.

And they set up the trappings of a state. I mean they are starting to issue license plates. And they believe that this is now a country. And this is dangerous because what they do inside that state is going to have a big effect on how we have to deal with this threat. And I think it's going to be a threat in the future. So I don't see any signs of stopping right now. They are continuing to move. Why they are going after the Kurds is a little puzzling. It's a fight they don't need.

SCIUTTO: Well, listen and just to remind our viewers, this is happening as you have several hundred U.S. military advisers on the ground now in Iraq. The first steps of USA to help the Iraqi forces respond.

Bob, I want to bring you in because the other thing that's happening with ISIS is gains outside of Iraq. I mean you have them now up to the border with Turkey. That's a U.S. ally and NATO member. You have Saudi Arabia deploying some 30,000 extra troops along its boarder to keep ISIS at bay. And then you have some fighters from Syria bleed into Lebanon today in another attack. I mean ISIS is becoming -- it already, you know, straddles two countries, Syria and Iraq but this is becoming a true regional threat, isn't it?

BAER: Well, Jim, I don't -- you know, I will be an alarmist. I used to get paid to do that and I will right now. But taking this dam at Mosul is very disturbing because if they have let the water out, and they are capable of doing this, it would flood numerous Shia cities in the south, Karbalah, Nashaf and the rest of them.

And as Rick said, you know, they are beating the Kurds frankly surprised me. This happened at Sinjar (ph) it's a major point for the Kurds. In fact they defeated and turned them back.

You know, these guys are on the move. And the people I talked to in Mosul say they are starting to move assets towards Baghdad airport -- that they are within the 16 kilometer cone where they can get at airplanes for surface-to-air missiles. This is all, you know, sort of iffy, the intelligence. But it's what we have here is an al Qaeda state that exists in fact. And they are acting like a state. They are posing a threat to the entire region.

SCIUTTO: Issuing license plates. Rick Francona, has the U.S. response so far been up to it?

FRANCONA: Well, we've kind of -- I think we're not really paying much attention over there. Our focus, as you said, has been riveted on what's going on in Gaza. And 300 people on the ground. They issued their initial assessment and it was not good. The Iraqi army is not capable of conducting these operations.

And you see what's happening. Every time they meet ISIS they go back and forth. And with the fire power that the Iraqi army can bring to bear and the air power and they are still not able to dislodge these guys, this is a disaster. And it's going to get worse as they move further south.

They are coming down to Tigris Valley. They've pretty much taken Tikrit but there's still some fighting there. But now they are moving on Samarra. And that will galvanize the Shia. That's a holy city for the Shia. And they seem to be intent on getting down there.

As Bob said, if they go after the airport, and they are moving south of it already, they are not stopping. It is amazing to me how fast they are able to move and how effective these guys can be.

SCIUTTO: Bob, we've talked a lot in a number of segments today about just the incredible divisions in the region right now. All the competing interests, whether we're talking about Israel and Gaza or the crisis in Syria and Iraq. When you have ISIS threatening such a broad variety of country who are frankly scared by it, whether it's Turkey or Iraq or Syria or the Saudis, or the Jordanians, could ISIS be the thing, the threat that unifies these various countries in the region to push back in some way or are they just too divided to even consider that?

BAER: Well Jim, this is what has the Saudis scared, of course, is that ISIS will succeed in Iraq, will set up a state. They have already not only issued license plates, but they have also lowered the price of food. They've shown themselves to be a more effective state than Maliki's Iraq. And if they succeed there, it will be a model for the Gulf Arabs -- a populist movement.

Again ISIS is the most radical end of the Muslim Brotherhood. And the Muslim Brotherhood exists in Saudi Arabia and the UAE and the rest of the Gulf. And this will be encouragement to them and this is what has the Arab regimes truly terrified at this point. That's why they are moving troops. You know, the future is wide open.

SCIUTTO: For sure. It's really hard to overstate the danger there. Thanks very much, Rick Francona and Bob Baer bringing us up to date on Iraq.

Stunning developments in the case of a triple homicide suspect featured on the new CNN program "THE HUNT". The Shasta County California Sheriff's Office has confirmed to CNN that the suspect featured on the show has been found dead.

We'll have reaction from CNN's John Walsh right after this.

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HARLOW: Just in: stunning developments to report tonight don't regarding CNN's new show "THE HUNT WITH JOHN WALSH". If you've been following this program, you may recall the show's first episode featuring a man by the name of Shane Miller. Now, he allegedly shot and killed his wife Sandy and their two daughters, ages five and eight in their Shingletown, California home on May 7th of last year.

The next day, Miller vanished and an arrest warrant was issued by U.S. Marshals. Here's a little bit more background on how the alleged crime unfolded. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: 911. Your emergency? Hello?

TOM BOSENKO, SHASTA COUNTY CALIFORNIA POLICE: On the evening of May 7th, 2013, our dispatchers received a 911 call from the Miller residence. On the phone, there was no conversation but they could hear what sounded like a person crying on the phone and then the dispatcher referred to hearing some loud bangs. Our dispatchers knew there was something very wrong at the scene.

Upon arrival, the officers found Mrs. Sandy Miller murdered by gunshots. But what made it even more tragic, we're seeing two young children dead.

ERIC ROBANSKE, SHINGLETOWN RIDGE RIDER NEWS: The cause of death was multiple gunshot wounds to all victims.

BOSENKO: It was very difficult even for the officers to handle.

ROBANSKE: The ammunition that was used was specifically a ballistic style bullet that was designed to do great harm. And induce a lot of trauma.

BOSENKO: As you can imagine, it would be a very, very bloody scene. One of the young children was nearest to a phone. We surmised it was a young child that had been on 911 crying on the phone and the loud bangs later turned out to be gunshots, killing one of the children.

Shane Miller became our main suspect almost immediately. We do know that Mr. Miller was not at the scene when we arrived. One of his vehicles was missing.

This would turn into a very extensive manhunt for Mr. Miller.

JOHN WALSH, CNN HOST: Who would have the insane sociopathic ability to murder the woman who loved you and then to turn the gun on two small beautiful little girls? It is unacceptable.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HARLOW: Well, tonight we have news about the whereabouts of Shane Miller. According to the Shasta County Sheriff's Department, the remains of Shane Miller have been found in a creek in California. Local law enforcement telling us here at CNN the remains were found not far from where Miller's truck was last located in Petrolia last year.

On Friday, a hiker stumbled upon human remains and they were recovered yesterday and sent for testing. Today those results came back and authorities tell us they are 100 percent sure it is Shane Miller.

Joining us now on the phone is the host of "THE HUNT", John Walsh. John, thank you for being with us, I want, first of all, your reaction to this. When you look at the police report just coming out, you know, Shane Miller's wife, 34 years old; Two daughters also killed, ages 8 and 5. Your reaction to this news?

WALSH: Poppy, a great relief. I know firsthand that the two towns that he functioned in, Petrolia and Shingletown, California were terrified of this man. When he went on the run, it was probably northern California's biggest man hunt. And they found a bunker where he had over 100 weapons, 50 assault rifles and he had amassed 100,000 rounds of ammunition.

So the people in that area not only wanted justice for Sandy, for the mother. And I'll say it again, these are the guys I hate the most, the people who prey upon children. But who could shoot their five- year-old and eight-year-old daughter to death? These families and these two towns are breathing a big sigh of relief tonight that Shane Miller is off the streets.

HARLOW: You know, John, of course the question comes to mind is have you been in touch at all with local police about this? I mean did they reach out to you after the hiker came to them? And also, do you have any details on when or how he was killed?

WALSH: Well, the Shasta County sheriffs and Humboldt County sheriffs never gave up looking for Shane Miller. But the big search, of course, was called off. They had no clues. He's been out there over a year. So the Shasta County sheriffs and the U.S. Marshals who were part of this manhunt reached out to us and said we have identified him by dental records. It's definitely Shane Miller. The body is pretty decomposed but he had ID on it.

And again, it's just wonderful. He was the first guy that I profiled on "THE HUNT". He was one of the reasons I came back, you know, after 25 years of "America's Most Wanted". We had caught over 1,200 bad guys and recovered 61 missing children. And it was a great run. I thought maybe it's time to wrap that up.

You know, I decided to come back on CNN. And this guy was one of the reasons. He is just a horrible, violent guy. Cops say he cold- bloodedly killed his wife when she tried to get away from him and go to a shelter for abused women. And I say to women all over the country, you've got to get away from these guys before they hurt you.

And those two little girls, if you listen to that 911 call, one of those girls were begging for help. And he, you know, allegedly murdered all of them. So it was a great way to get a very dangerous guy into the public's eye -- anonymous tip. I always thank people -- I say thank you for helping law enforcement to fight back.

HARLOW: And of course the images we're seeing -- good, I'm glad we have these images up, I believe, of his two daughters who were murdered -- Shelby 8 years old and Shasta, and then their mother Sandy Miller, just 34 years old.

Let me -- before I let you go, John, this has been quite a week in terms of what has aired on the hunt and what has happened. Another suspect, an entire hour focused on him. Charles Moser, a suspected child molester was killed right here in New York City, in lower Manhattan, in a shoot-out with NYPD earlier this week. Does it surprise you that both of these things have happened this week. What's the reaction to that as well?

WALSH: Well, Moser was on the run for two years. Not a clue on him. And again, it was a anonymous tips. I tell people we don't need to know your name. We just need to know where this guy is. I have to give a real shoutout to those three hero cops. They tried to bring him in alive. We got great tips. They tracked him down. He shot three cops like the coward that he was. And all three of them are great. An NYPD detective and two U.S. marshals and they shot him and they had to shoot him in self-defense.

But that's another guy that I don't think law enforcement would have caught unless it was for the great, wonderful tipsters that have called in and said, "hey, this guy needs to be brought to justice." It's been quite a week. And I think lots of people are relieved that both of these guys are off the streets.

HARLOW: John Walsh, we appreciate you calling in. By the way, welcome to CNN. Folks, you're going to want to stay right here locked on CNN. Because tonight, only here on CNN at 9:00 p.m., survivalists David Berger crossed the line when he opened fire on police.

Now the hunt is on. A brand-new episode of "The Hunt with John Walsh," tonight 9:00 Eastern, 6:00 Pacific, right here on CNN.

Also straight ahead in the "Newsroom," there is a sharp division of opinion about Israel's war with Hamas. It turns out your age could play a very big role in how you view this crisis. We're going to speak with four young adults, straight ahead after the break to get their take. Stick with us, guys. We'll be with you in just a moment.

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SCIUTTO: And welcome back. In America, your views on the Israel- Hamas conflict may be influenced by how old you are. According to a Pew Research Center poll, the majority of Americans over age 65 blame Hamas for the recent round of violence. But for the under 30 crowd, the millennials, nearly one-third blame Israel.

So we want to go deeper than the polls and numbers. We got a panel of millennials here to talk about this generation and how it views the increasingly bloody conflict in the Middle East, which Poppy as you and I know, involves a lot of child victims as well.

HARLOW: Yes, absolutely. It's so important to have their voices especially concerning the social media element to all of this. So let's bring them in, joining us to discuss Colin Christiansen, a Ph.d. student in jurisprudence and social policies at the University of California, Berkeley, also Esther Castillejo, who is a journalism and international studies major at Loyola University in Chicago. Also, a CNN summer intern.

We also got Shelby Clayton, a University of Georgia senior and advertising major. And we got Chadwick Smith, a sophomore at Ohio's College of Wooster, who is double majoring in history and Africana study. Colin, to you first, lets talk about this. Do you feel like the youth voice has been in focus enough in this conflict?

COLIN CHRISTIANSEN, PH.D. STUDENT, UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA-BERKELEY: Well, unfortunately I don't think it has been. I think the Pew data is clear that our generation is divided and perhaps more likely to view Israel's aggression with more skepticism if not negativity.

Unfortunately the decisions that are being made in this conflict are made by a generation much older than our own. So I think if our voice is to be focused I think we really need to band together and reinvigorate our own ideologies on this issue.

Because I think what we've got now is an otherwise political confrontation that has turned into a humanitarian crisis. I think that's something that my generation can really band together very strongly behind to influence the older generations that really have the decision-making power in the situation.

HARLOW: You know, that's an interesting point. Shelby, I want to get to you on this. We heard Martha Pease, earlier in the show, who is a branding expert, talking about the fact that given the images that are really all across the media of all of the civilians, especially child deaths in Gaza as a result of this conflict, she believes that in some ways, Gaza is winning the perception - Hamas is winning the perception war on this.

What is your take given what you are seeing across social media, some images that we won't even show on television and what you are seeing in mainstream media. Is there a perception war that is being won?

SHELBY CLAYTON, SENIOR, UNIVERSITY OF GEORGIA: Well, I think when you look at social media, it has such a huge influence and impact on our society as well as our generation Y. So when I see the images especially with the dead bodies and especially on TV you sort of just get the image that you just negatively disconnect from what is being shown.

And I think it is important to realize that our generation is really, when you look at older generation in the past, such as baby boomers and the generations before, there is a disconnect, more of a disconnect to what's going on in Gaza and Israel. When you look at Gaza and Israel, students and millennials my age, there is a different perspective as well and experience that they are going through versus American millennial who is able to practice their religion freedom in peace.

So those images are very, very gruesome and very graphic but at the end of the day, I mean, the power of social media, especially Twitter and the power of a tweet can go very far.

HARLOW: And Jim, to you, all evening you and I have been going back and forth sharing tweets that we're getting from people on all sides of this.

SCIUTTO: No question. But let me start by saying, Poppy, I'm a little intimidated because everybody is a double major here. I'm just going to say one major is enough for me but you know - HARLOW: Me too.

SCIUTTO: I'll do my best with the next question.

I'll ask you, Ester, in your generation, this is not far off from my generation, which is about six generations ahead of you. Do you have anger about what's happening in the political world, international politics, dissatisfaction. But also a lot of people disaffected by politics. You know, kind of given up on it. Doesn't see how it can really make a difference. I wonder, Ester, where do you think your generation's influence is? If you're not happy with the way this conflict is going, if you're not happy, for instance, with U.S. involvement, where do you see your influence? Does it factor into who you vote for? Is it what you write? Is it what you tweet about? What you post on Facebook about? How do you make a difference?

ESTHER CASTILLEJO, SENIOR, LOYOLA UNIVERSITY, CHICAGO: Sadly, Jim, I don't - as Colin said, I don't think we can have an impact right now. Mostly because the people who are making these decisions, the newsmakers in this conflict are not from our generation. Our generation is divided.

Mostly because of social media, there is a disconnect between older generations and us. And that doesn't mean we are anti-Jewish or anti- Israel. It just means we are not as supportive of violent means to solve a conflict. We are more - as I perceive and as I have seen in my Facebook feed and Twitter, we are more of a pacifist-nonviolent generation. And that is clearly I think what we are seeing in regards to our impact in this conflict. A generation that doesn't want violence anymore.

SCIUTTO: Let me say, although you may be younger than the decision makers, trust me, the decision makers want your vote. So don't discount your influence. Please do stay with us. We're going to come back to the panel after this break with the question, is it possible for Israelis and Palestinians to wait for a new generation of leaders? Will they have to wait for that before they have any chance for peace? We're going to tackle that with this panel right after this break.

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HARLOW: All right. Welcome back, everyone. We are joined again by our panel on the Middle East crisis. A group of college students with us now talking about how millennials view the conflict between Israel and Hamas. We got students from across the nation. California, Georgia, Ohio and Illinois.

I want to start by reading this quote. It really stood out to me as I was reading Tom Friedman's op-ed in the "New York Times" this morning. He writes in part, "This is a generation of Arab, Palestinian and Israeli leaders who are experts at building tunnels and walls. None of them ever took the course on bridges and gates." He goes on to write, "how much creativity lately has gone into war making around here and how little into peace making."

Chadwick, this certainly stood out to me the most of what I read this morning. What is your reaction to what Tom Friedman wrote in terms of the effort going into war making and the technology on both sides, versus into peace making?

CHADWICK SMITH, SOPHOMORE, THE COLLEGE OF WOOSTER: Yes, I think as leaders - well, first, with the United States' involvement in this conflict, there are a surprising amount of larger groups of black and brown youth and brown leaders involved in this conflict. And we're going to be more involved and we're going to be - like my co-person said, peace.

Our generation is all about peace. So we're really going to be fighting for peace now. Like I think that just goes along with the younger generations. We are going to be more involved with peace efforts and wanting peace in the Middle East really.

HARLOW: Do you think - do you have faith that the older generations right now, chadwick, in power can accomplish this, or do you think that it is going to take, you know, years until those in your generation are empowered to get there?

SMITH: I would hope the older generations would want peace. But as you get older, you get more stubborn. But I think once the younger generations come in and start becoming political leaders in the Middle East, they really will want the peace efforts to increase.

CLAYTON: Hey Poppy. Can I add on to that?

HARLOW: Sure.

CLAYTON: Also, when we talk about leadership as well in the words of Nelson Mandela with his efforts in apartheid. He said in order to make peace through your enemy, you're going to have to work with your enemy and then he will be your partner. And I think if we have and adopt that philosophy worldwide, we are able to make a difference that way, whether it's with this generation currently in power who have a more conservative view, or whether it will have to wait until we get into the younger generation. But I think that philosophy on making peace in general is just going to come from a collective effort.

HARLOW: Yes, Jim, let's hope we don't have to wait until the older generations, right?

SCIUTTO: But Shelby, you make a fantastic point bringing up South Africa. That was a conflict people that people thought was just as intractable as Israel and the Palestinians or even Northern Ireland began. Hundreds of years of history there. And people found a way.

Colin, I wanted to ask you a question. We talked about the politics and the conflict on the ground in the Middle East. But this is also a supremely political disagreement here in the U.S. about which side you support. And I just wonder, do you and your classmates, when you are making decisions about who you vote for, do you factor in - is it a major factor for you how your representative, senator or governor stands on this issue?

CHRISTIANSEN: Well, unfortunately, I think the issue of whether or not we support the Israelis actions or two-state solution or any of those other alternatives, I think that's an issue that's generally swept to the side in our domestic elections, particularly within our foreign relations discussions.

But I think what is particularly important to understand, there is much more nuance distinction that we need to identify about our generation. Though the American generation Y individuals may be more tolerant of cultural, religious or political differences, our Israeli counterparts are serving mandatory terms in the IDF. Though we may be more tolerant of these differences, our Israeli generation Y counterparts are during the same formative years serving in the military that fundamentally functions to define the in groups and out groups and instill these feelings of nationalism and define people like Hamas as these enemies to national security. So I think there is a certain level of their culture that we need to respect and we really try and unpack the generation dimensions both domestically and foreign and abroad.

SCIUTTO: Poppy, fantastic point.

CASTILLEJO: (INAUDIBLE) with Colin here.

SCIUTTO: Please go ahead, Esther. I was going to say, that Poppy and to you as well, it's a fantastic point because in Israel, the vast majority of young people serve in the armed forces as a matter of course. The wars that the U.S. has fought in Afghanistan and Iraq, a very small portion of the young population, your age group, actually were called on to fight because it's a volunteer army. But please go ahead, Esther. I want to hear what you have to say.

CASTILLEJO: I have to agree with Colin here and be a little skeptical on how this conflict can really be solved in one generation. I honestly don't think so. Not only because as I said before, we are a generation more focused on peace and nonviolence in the U.S., in the western hemisphere.

We are detached from that conflict partly. It's our foreign policy that really impacts the world there but our peers, our fellow millennials in Israel, our fellow millennials in Gaza who are actually living this conflict, who grow up, who are growing up in the middle of this battle and who have actually studied it and can actually - and actually have context, historical context on this entire issue, maybe they are not as into non-violence.

Maybe they are not as into a peaceful way of dealing with this issue. Maybe they do support the current policies that their governments are following, that the groups leading that area, are carrying right now. So it's really easy to think that we can change the world, but the real question is can the new younger generations there change the world and do they want to?

HARLOW: Yes. You know what, you guys, Jim, I have a lot of hope hearing from the four of you, a lot of hope for what is ahead. Your insight is valuable, it is important. We are so glad you could join us on CNN tonight. Keep the discussion going. Thank you all for coming in. Colin Christiansen, Esther Castillejo, Shelby Clayton and Chadwick Smith. The best of luck. I have no doubt we're going to see some of you guys in Congress. No question about that.

SCIUTTO: Please note, I would like to transplant that conversation to the floor of the united nations. We would probably make more progress. Thanks very much for joining us.

Earlier, Poppy and I asked you to tweet us with your views on how you think the fighting in the Middle East is connected to you and the U.S. and I tell you, both Poppy and I had very strong reactions and strong opinions. We just wanted to read you a few of these tweets.

I will start with a couple here. (INAUDIBLE) tweets "Yes, it keeps tensions brewing in the Middle East and warmongering in the U.S.A. to sell military equipment and war." Very strong view there. Penny Stone, "it is connected in a large scheme of things to the U.S., bombs have not solved anything."

HARLOW: Also, we got this tweet from Elizabeth, tweeting "the Israel- Hamas fight makes Americans less safe. It is a breeding ground for hatred and continued violence." And then we got this from (INAUDIBLE), who tweeted "Yes, we are already divided on the war on terror. Now Middle East politics, safety of our overseas assets at risk."

Thank you. Continue tweeting us your thoughts on all of this. There are a lot of opinions on both sides. It's important that you let everyone know about them. So thank you guys for those.

Also this right here in the United States, the news that two patients with Ebola were brought to the United States has really surprised some people. It's begun an important discussion bringing that deadly disease to our country for the first time. But we're going to dig into what is reality and what is myth here. That's straight ahead.

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SCIUTTO: We want to give you an update now on the two American Ebola patients. CNN has just learned the specially equipped plane to pick up the second Ebola patient has just departed from Georgia en route to Liberia. Nancy Writebol is due to arrive back in the U.S. sometime on Tuesday and she will also be taken to Emory University Hospital in Atlanta for treatment.

We want to bring in Dr. Sherry Fink now. Dr. Fink, to my knowledge, it's the first time an Ebola patient has been in the U.S., are there ethical concerns with moving an infected patient into the country from so far away?

DR. SHERRY FINK, MEDICAL JOURNALIST: Well, I think certainly we were all surprised by this. Some people were shocked. I have heard people saying "Oh, that's so selfish of them." But obviously, our public health officials here felt that any sort of concerns were outweighed by the benefits of, you know, having these Americans have the right to come back home for treatment. And I think that they thought that the risks were very, very small given the expertise of the facilities here.

I think when it comes to ethics, there are even some benefits we might get from this. You know, I have worked in a lot of emergencies and I think that we want our public health officials here, we want our medical officials to be able to treat things at a time when we might have an outbreak of who knows what. So even that practice that they're going to get from this could be very helpful.

HARLOW: And something that's so important to know, over 700 deaths so far in just those three West African nations, could go much higher. WHO saying it's going to take months to contain it. There is no cure. There is no vaccine. There is no treatment at this point in time. When you look at the R&D dollars it takes to get there, a lot of folks would say it is not profitable so we may not see this come from big pharmaceutical companies. They are working on it. What is that, what do we know about that in terms of a treatment coming?

FINK: Yes, so we need - that's exactly as you said. When there are far-off diseases that affect a few people, maybe we are not investing enough in it. So there is research going on but we need more and this shows us, this demonstrates we are all human. The world is connected and we do need money, research going into this and we need the very basic health infrastructure in these countries.

I mean I just talked to a doctor who came back from treating Ebola and he said there wasn't even running water at some of the facilities. We need to pump that up so that, you know, stop the outbreaks before they spread.

HARLOW: Yes, it gives you the sense of the devastation. Appreciate the expertise all evening for us. Thank you so much, Dr. Sherry Fink.

SCIUTTO: I'm Jim Sciutto, in Washington.

HARLOW: And I'm Poppy Harlow in New York. "THE HUNT" starts right now.