Return to Transcripts main page
CNN Newsroom
Rocket Barrage Fired From Gaza Toward Israel; Ukrainian Village Copes After Devastating Strike; Former U.S. House Speaker Denies He's Leaving Congress; Nagorno-Karabakh Evacuees Describe Chaos; IDF Declares "State of War Alert"; Hamas Claims 5,000 Rockets Fired In "Al-Aqsa Storm"; Simone Biles Becomes Most Decorated Gymnast Ever. Aired 3-4a ET
Aired October 07, 2023 - 03:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[03:00:00]
(MUSIC PLAYING)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (voice-over): This is CNN breaking news.
LAILA HARRAK, CNN ANCHOR AND CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Hello and welcome to our viewers joining us from the U.S. and all around the world. I'm Laila Harrak.
We begin with breaking news this hour. The Israeli military has declared a state of war alert and is mobilizing its forces in response to an unprecedented attack today against Israel.
It began unfolding at about 6:30 this morning, with wave after wave of rockets from Gaza. Hamas has claimed it has fired 5,000 rockets. Israeli officials say that there were multiple injuries, some of them serious, and at least one fatality.
Some airports have temporarily closed, although the international airport remains open for now. The Israeli military also says a number of militants have infiltrated Israel, from Gaza.
Hamas military commander calling in a recorded message for a general uprising against Israel, saying, quote, "If you have a gun, get it out."
Israelis living near Gaza are warned to stay close to their shelters. CNN's Hadas Gold joins us now.
I see you are back in the staircase so I gather the alarms have gone off again.
HADAS GOLD, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: I'm not sure you can hear them in the background. We can hear them now. The sirens have been going off, off and on, for the past few hours, meaning that we in Jerusalem need to go into a protected space.
Our closest protected space to our studio is this stairwell, where we stay until the sirens are over. I have not in my time here experienced so many sirens. We have been hearing the interceptions or impacts overhead from these rockets here in Jerusalem.
Jerusalem is normally kept out of these conflicts because of its proximity to the holy sites, to the Al-Aqsa mosque and to Temple Mount but not this time. Even in 2021, when we had that 11 day war between the Hamas militants and Israel, Jerusalem had a few sirens and a few rockets but after that it was kept out of the conflict.
This time Jerusalem is very much involved. There have been sirens going off across all of Israel since 6:30. Other than the north, it is mostly Tel Aviv area and then south, constant air raid sirens.
We do not have a specific number of the number of rockets fired. But a few hours ago Hamas claimed they had fired at least 5,000. What is really unprecedented it, appears to be a coordinated effort not just to fire off these rockets but also infiltration.
Israeli military and the police have confirmed there have been militants who have infiltrated southern Israel and communities in southern Israel from the Gaza Strip. We've see videos of militants on the back of pickup trucks, on the streets of cities in southern Israel, firing toward the streets.
We do know that the Israeli police and military are responding to this. They are telling all Israeli civilians in southern Israel to stay inside, stay in the shelters and lock their doors.
Israeli civilians elsewhere in the country are being advised to stay close to the shelters. Because as we've been experiencing, there have been regular air raid sirens going off.
Now Hamas is calling this operation they, are calling it the Al-Aqsa Storm. They're calling all Palestinians to pick up a gun, pick up an axe, pick up their car and essentially attack Israel.
They are saying it is directly connected to what's been happening at the Al-Aqsa mosque compound, also known as the Temple Mount to Jews.
Typically in the past when we have had these sorts of conflicts, there has been some sort of trigger. Police have raided the Al Aqsa mosque compound and made arrests. There have been clashes and major arrests of a major militant.
None of what happened this past week, there was some tensions, there were groups of Jews that went to visit the compound, when they were allowed there during visiting hours. There have been the typical tensions. There were some protests along the separation fence between Gaza and Israel.
And of course we have this ongoing, highly tense situation in the occupied West Bank with regular Israeli military incursions in to Palestinian tows, going after militants. A high number of deaths, four Palestinians as well as an increasing number of Palestinian attacks toward Israelis.
But there wasn't a trigger point. I think that is why it feels as though Israel was caught off guard. We have made a lot of comparisons to what happened 50 years ago in the Yom Kippur war, which was almost exactly 50 years ago to the day when Israel was caught off guard by that war.
This feels something similar. This feels unprecedented. The Israeli military is saying that they are in a state of war. They are mobilizing all of their reserves. We do not know exactly how many soldiers will be mobilized.
The police commissioner has said that there are 21 fronts going on as we speak. The biggest concern right now for the Israeli security establishment is these infiltrations. That is so difficult to go after, house by house, car by car, to try to figure out what is going on.
[03:05:00]
GOLD: We do know and we have seen the reports that Israeli soldiers or civilians captured. We have not confirmed that just, yet. We are following and working to confirm. Those
Obviously if that is true, if that has happened, that will be another incredible major escalation, to have an Israeli soldier of civilian captured or killed and brought into Gaza. We will follow those and bring you more information on that as we receive it.
HARRAK: Have we heard from prime minister Netanyahu or anyone from the leadership?
GOLD: We heard from the prime minister that they are receiving updating reports. There will be a cabinet meeting today. We know that all of the top ministers, including the national security minister, the defense minister, have all been briefed and are meeting on. This
It is possible we've gotten a comment in the last few minutes; my phone is vibrating nonstop. But this is obviously a situation that we have not been in, to have the IDF declare essentially a state of war alert, to have the Israeli home front command tell all Israeli citizens, from Tel Aviv central area and down, to stay close to your, shelters.
Do not go outside right now. That is unprecedented. And the parallels between what is happening now to the Yom Kippur war, it's also a holiday today. It's the end of the holiday. It's also Saturday, it's Shabbat. So the parallels you just cannot ignore.
There is also a major fear that the north may get involved, that Hezbollah or Hamas or other Palestinian militant groups in Lebanon will try to get involved in this as well and obviously escalate this even. Further
And military response, we should expect massive, major military response, especially when we hear the Israeli military are calling up their reserves.
HARRAK: I was going to ask about that.
For international viewers, can you put this into context for us?
What does it mean when Israel calls up its reservists?
GOLD: That means that they are expecting or planning a massive response. Normally they can operate without having to call up their reserves. Calling out the reserves is calling up non active duty, people who are in their 30s or 40s, to come up and serve.
That gives you an indication that they are planning a massive, massive response toward the Gaza Strip and also probably preparing for other fronts, in the north with Hezbollah and other Palestinian militant groups in the northern border.
Potentially other fronts as well, they are getting themselves prepared. We should expect a very intense air response to what is happening in Gaza, airstrikes in the Gaza Strip. If we compare to the response, you have to go back a decade, if not more, and compare to the type of Israeli military operation that we should see in response to this.
HARRAK: How extraordinary is it, in terms of preparedness, to have these concerted attacks happening in multiple places, different ways and for Israel to be caught off guard in this way?
GOLD: Yes, I think there'll be major questions for the Israeli security establishment, especially for these infiltrations.
How did this happen?
Where did these militants come from?
Because launching rockets is one thing but having multiple militants -- the police say there are 21 fronts; we do not know how many of those are militants -- but having multiple groups of Palestinian militants in Israel itself, ready to go when the rockets started, that is a huge hole for the security establishment.
Now Palestinians from Gaza can come into Israel. There are thousands that have work permits that come in across the border every single day.
The question is, were they already in Israel, waiting?
Did they find some sort of hole in the fence, how did they get across?
I should also note in terms of injuries from reporting that we are hearing from the Israelis, we know of at least one fatality. But there are reports of several others. And we are getting reports from at least one hospital, in the south of Israel, of at least 80 injuries.
We do not know how many of these deaths or injuries yet are from rockets or shrapnel or if they are from the militants that are on the streets.
HARRAK: Hadas Gold reporting from Jerusalem, please stay safe, thank you.
We are also keeping an eye on new developments in Ukraine, which is reporting new strikes on its grain infrastructure. It says Russia struck grain facilities in the Odessa region for the second straight day on Saturday.
The attacks also damaged apartment buildings and left four people wounded. But across the border, Russia says that its air defenses shot down a Ukrainian drone near Moscow without causing damage or casualties.
That comes a day after Russian missile attacks on Kharkiv, where two people were killed and at least 30 wounded.
After a devastating attack on the village of Hroza, at least 52 people were killed on Thursday, which prompted the United Nations to send its human rights investigators there.
[03:10:00]
HARRAK: A U.N. human rights coordinator said that the strike amounted to a war crime. Let's get you more on these latest developments. Barbie Nadeau is in Rome.
Barbie, what have you been able to learn about these Russian strikes in the Kharkiv region?
BARBIE NADEAU, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, they are just devastating, these are the types of injuries and fatalities that we have not seen since the beginning of the war in terms of one single strike.
The U.N. commissioner had a lot to say about it, looking at this as a war crime in a war that is completely filled with these kinds of atrocities. Here's what she had to say.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ELIZABETH THROSSELL, SPOKESPERSON, U.N. OFFICE OTHE THE HIGH COMMISSIONER FOR HUMAN RIGHTS: At this stage it's obviously very difficult to establish with absolute certainty what happened.
But given the location, given the fact that the cafe was struck, the indications are that it was a Russian missile. But must underscore, as we said previously, that this needs to be looked at further.
But the absolutely clear thing is that there was horrible loss of life. And of course, that is to be deplored in all circumstances.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
NADEAU: And this is coming as the world is accepting some hesitancy in terms of the support for Ukraine. We see that in the U.S., here across Europe as well. Countries are having a little bit of battle fatigue when it comes to continuing support.
That is really troubling, because this is a crucial moment in the war when Ukraine needs the certain military hardware and financial support more than ever.
HARRAK: Right, just as the U.N. has deployed a field team to document what exactly happened there.
NADEAU: Yes, that's absolutely right. That becomes very important especially when this war ends. Eventually, they're going to be looking back at the war crimes that were committed and that is something that is going to be -- we see this in wars across the world. But this is going to be especially important, this particular battle.
HARRAK: All right, Barbie Nadeau reporting, thank you so much.
CNN's Fred Pleitgen spoke with some residents who lost loved ones in the strike on Hroza. He has this report about the fallout from the attack and in the one in Kharkiv.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice- over): Another massive missile attack in Eastern Ukraine. Two killed, dozens wounded when the city of Kharkiv was hit early Friday. The Ukrainians say this was the work of the same type of missile that killed more than 50 in a village close by just a day earlier.
Anatoliy Androsovych tells me pretty much every family in Hroza lost someone. His brother and his brother's wife also among the dead.
I just heard the explosion, looked at the dust and realized my brother, Nikola (ph), was there he says. They identified the bodies. Their son went to pick them up. We will bury them tomorrow.
The plot for their burial already marked at the local cemetery, close to the fresh grave of the soldier whose wake the victims were attending at a local cafe when the missile struck.
At the attack site, crews already clearing the debris.
The authorities here quickly realized that they weren't going to find any more survivors underneath debris. And you can see here this has now gone from being a search and rescue to being a recovery operations with the teams here searching for human remains.
Amidst the belongings of those killed littering an adjacent playground, police officers catalog what they believe are parts of the powerful Iskander missile that annihilate the building. Nearly a third of Hroza's residents lost their lives here. Those who are left shocked and grieving.
73-year-old Valentina Kozienko lives right next to the site.
"I knew all of them," she says. "They are all from here, all from our village" -- Fred Pleitgen, CNN, Hroza, Ukraine.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HARRAK: The U.S. Congress cannot approve any future military aid for Ukraine, as long as the House remains without a speaker. The dramatic ouster of Kevin McCarthy on, Tuesday, has stalled all House business and thrown Washington into chaos.
Two Republican lawmakers have announced bids to become the next leader, Jim Jordan and Steve Scalise. Republicans are hopeful that they can settle on a single candidate behind closed doors before taking a full vote on the floor.
But many doubt there will be a new speaker by the end of next week. The former speaker is denying reports that he was considering leaving Congress altogether, after a new leader is chosen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
QUESTION: You're not resigning?
REP. KEVIN MCCARTHY (R-CA): No, I'm not resigning.
QUESTION: So you'll stay the entire term?
MCCARTHY: I'm staying. So don't worry. I've got a lot to do.
QUESTION: Thinking about running for re-election?
MCCARTHY: Yes.
QUESTION: Yes, you will run or yes, you --
(CROSSTALK)
[03:15:00]
MCCARTHY: Yes. We're going to keep the majority. I'm going to help the people I got there and we're going to expand it further.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HARRAK: McCarthy has not endorsed a candidate to replace him. The House is expected to hold a floor vote when it reconvenes next Wednesday.
Still ahead, refugees from Nagorno-Karabakh are in shock and disbelief after losing their homeland. They speak with CNN about their traumatic experiences, next.
(MUSIC PLAYING)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(MUSIC PLAYING)
HARRAK: Let's get back to our breaking news this hour. The Israeli military has declared a state of war alert after a surprise attack from Gaza. Hamas militants are claiming to have fired some 5,000 rockets, targeting airports and military positions. Israeli officials say at least one person has, died and several people
have been wounded. Israel's military also says it is mobilizing soldiers, claiming that a number of militants from Gaza have entered Israeli territory.
[03:20:00]
HARRAK: In a post on social media, Israeli president Isaac Herzog said Israel is facing a very difficult moment.
Next week, the world court will hear Armenia's demand for an emergency order that would require the withdrawal of Azerbaijan's military from civilian areas in Nagorno-Karabakh.
The International Court of Justice is expected to hear the case on Thursday in The Hague; 120,000 ethnic Armenians once lived in the enclave but most fled after Azerbaijan seized control last month.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
HARRAK (voice-over): That's led to scenes like this, the largest city in the region practically deserted. On Thursday, the European Parliament condemned what it called ethnic cleansing in Nagorno- Karabakh and called for sanctions against Azerbaijan.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HARRAK: After leaving behind everything they knew, refugees from Nagorno-Karabakh are now wondering what is next. Many are still in shock and disbelief, coping with the fact that they are unlikely to ever see their homes again.
Some shared their experiences with CNN's Matthew Chance. And I have to warn you, what you're about to see may be disturbing.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MATTHEW CHANCE, CNN CHIEF GLOBAL AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): This is where the most desperate from Nagorno-Karabakh are surviving, abandoning their livelihoods and homes for the safety of these refugee beds. Entire families have come, like the Banians (ph), who say their remote village was bombarded relentlessly by Azeri guns, forcing them to flee.
"It was so painful to leave, especially for my children," Anaida (ph) tells me. "We were farmers. We have everything. But it was a massive war and we had no choice," she says.
ARMEN AVAKLAN, BRUNTSK 2020 NGO: These people are the most vulnerable. They would be on the street or in their car if they weren't here.
CHANCE (voice-over): This emergency charity's cofounder from Boston has witnessed the physical and emotional impact of the evacuation firsthand.
CHANCE: Try and give us a sense of the trauma that people have endured?
AVAKLAN: It's mass exodus. These people, some of the people that are here, they -- third, a fourth day, they are still in shock. They don't know where they. There are families here that are still saying, I'm waiting for the bus to take me back home.
CHANCE: Well, the road from Nagorno-Karabakh is very long. It's very mountainous and at times it's very winding as well. It's also very empty.
At early settlements across the border in Azerbaijan that we've managed to have a glimpse of, because all 120,000 people who once lived there have now evacuated those settlements, they've come to Armenia, where they are living in hotels and refugee centers or with family.
In border towns like Goris, where local authorities are distributing basic supplies to evacuees, some have spent a lifetime fighting for a homeland that is now lost.
CHANCE: Azerbaijani government says that if you live in Nagorno- Karabakh or one of those villages, they will protect your rights.
Do you believe them?
"They will never protect us. They are lying," Susanna (ph) insists. "I will never forgive them for what they did to us," she adds.
There are some with far more than emotional scars. We visited one hospital filled with victims of a makeshift gas station blast in Nagorno-Karabakh, where people have been frantically gathering fuel.
CHANCE: As the doctor described the carnage, you can hear the screams of agony from the wards.
OK, can we go and see that now?
Can we go see it now?
CHANCE (voice-over): In almost every room here, there's a horrific story of pain and loss. Twenty-five-year-old Viktor (ph) asked us to hide the burns on his face.
"It was like hell," he told me, "and now I don't want anyone to see."
His friend, Mikhail (ph), says he lost five members of his family in the chaotic evacuation from Nagorno-Karabakh.
"But no one seems to care," he told me.
[03:25:00]
CHANCE (voice-over): "When it comes to us, I think the world must be blind" -- Matthew Chance, CNN, (INAUDIBLE).
(END VIDEOTAPE) HARRAK: The early morning calm in Israel shattered. Just ahead, Hamas calling for an uprising as a militant group launches wave upon wave of rockets on Israeli targets. We will also have the Israeli reaction.
(MUSIC PLAYING)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(MUSIC PLAYING)
HARRAK: Israel is mobilizing its military, including its reserves, following this morning's surprise rocket attack from Gaza.
[03:30:00]
HARRAK: The security cabinet is expected to meet in the coming hours. When the attacks began, many people were still sleeping. Hundreds of rockets being fired into Israel, a barrage that lasted for hours.
Israeli officials say that there were multiple injuries, some of them serious, and at least one fatality. Some airports have temporarily closed, although the international airport remains open for now.
Israeli military also warns that a number of militants have infiltrated Israel from Gaza. CNN's Hadas Gold is covering this fast developing story for you from Jerusalem.
Remind our viewers where we are at right now.
GOLD: Well, it has been about four hours now of just ongoing barrage of rockets. I think we have to be now in the thousands of rockets being fired from Gaza toward Israel. Here in Jerusalem, we have received multiple air raid sirens going off at a regular interval.
That means that there are incoming rockets. We ourselves, sitting in the studios in Jerusalem, have heard what might be interceptions or impacts from rockets in and around Jerusalem.
That is unusual because Jerusalem is usually kept out of these rocket conflicts. What is really unprecedented that is happening this morning is these infiltrations. That is I think where the real danger is. The Israeli military has confirmed that there have been infiltrations from Palestinian militants, likely from Gaza, into communities in southern Israel.
We have seen videos of militants on the backs of pickup trucks, on the streets, shooting at the streets, shooting in civilian neighborhoods. We do not have confirmed reports of how many infiltrations there have been and how they arrived, whether they were already in Israel laying in wait.
This was clearly coordinated, this happened, the rockets happening at the same time as these infiltrations. There have been at least 100 reported injuries, at least according to two hospitals in Israel. We know of at least one fatality. But there are likely to be more. The Israeli military have declared a state of war alert. They have
called up reservists. We have just heard from the defense minister saying that the Hamas terrorist organization has made a grave mistake this morning, launching a war against the state of Israel, saying the state of Israel will win this war.
The Hamas militant group has named this operation the Al-Aqsa Storm. They claim they fired thousands of rockets. They're calling up all Palestinians, saying that if you have a gun, get it; get out with trucks, cars, axes, telling everyone to come out.
They are connecting this operation directly to the Al-Aqsa mosque compound, also known as Temple Mount, one of the holiest places here in Jerusalem for both Muslims and Jews.
What is unusual is that there hasn't been a clear trigger point. There has not been an Israeli police raid on the compound this past week. There has been no capturing of a senior militant person that we have seen, that would typically trigger this sort of massive action.
But now we should expect a massive Israeli military response, toward the militants in Gaza. And we should keep our eyes on the north to see if Hezbollah or the other Palestinian militant groups up there get involved as well.
HARRAK: Hadas Gold, thank you so much for your continued coverage of this breaking story in Jerusalem, thank you so much.
Joining me now is retired IDF brigadier general Yossi Kuperwasser.
Sir, thank you for joining us. Just want to get your reaction in terms of these unprecedented events that we have been seeing unfold in these last hours.
What does it tell you, as a security expert, that armed men were able to infiltrate into Israel proper, that there are coordinated attacks?
Is this an intelligence failure?
BRIG. GEN. YOSSI KUPERWASSER (RET.), ISRAEL DEFENSE FORCES: Well, it seems as an intelligence failure. Thank you for asking about that because we have to be clear on. That
It is more than just an intelligence failure, it is the failure of the entire security infrastructure in Israel facing Gaza. We were under the impression that Hamas is deterred. Hamas makes ruling of Gaza its first priority.
That Hamas is going to focus on improving the living standards in Gaza and things like that. And we totally ignore the fact that Hamas is a terrorist organization, committed to its terror identity, committed to its jihadic identity.
And it's using the time in between the rounds of atrocities in order to pool its capabilities, to surprise us and to charge us with heavy prices. And that is what we are seeing here this morning in Israel. We see that this is what was the most important goal. And they used
the time when we were hesitant from taking action in order to prevent them from arming themselves in order to do exactly that and get prepared for this eventuality that we are witnessing this morning.
[03:35:00]
(CROSSTALK)
KUPERWASSER: The message is clear we, have to first care of what is happening right now, especially the infiltrations of Hamas personnel into our territories and then take a massive -- your correspondent said -- take a massive operation in order to get Hamas out of its control of Gaza, because there is no point in repeating the same mistake we did (INAUDIBLE).
HARRAK: What do you think is the possible objective of this operation?
KUPERWASSER: (INAUDIBLE). The reason for holding this operation from Hamas is to kill as many Israelis, take hostages and (INAUDIBLE) and the forces to release the terrorists in Israeli jails.
That is the purpose of the operation from the Hamas point of view. Our goal should be to get rid of Hamas control Gaza, make sure that they are not going to be able to re-arm themselves after this round after this war at least, not round (INAUDIBLE) war declared on Israel by Hamas.
And we should make sure this is not going to be possible to repeat such an operation in the future. We did not take these measures in the past. Again and again we told Hamas and we ended the war with allowing Hamas to rearm itself without any interruption. Now we have to look for a different goal.
HARRAK: Sir, there are unconfirmed reports that possibly these armed men who have infiltrated Israel might have captured Israeli citizens, unconfirmed reports.
If that were to be the case, how does that complicate Israel's response?
KUPERWASSER: Well, I don't -- I can't confirm (INAUDIBLE) the reports. But I have seen them, of course. But regardless, I don't think it will have any impact on the way Israel will operate. This is not going to stop us from taking the necessary steps to change the situation in Gaza entirely.
HARRAK: So we understand obviously that Hamas is leading these attacks.
Do we know if other groups are involved as well?
KUPERWASSER: Well, the Islamic Jihad is involved as, well and both of them are working very closely with Iran, that provides them with the arms, the technologies, the ideas (ph) how to operate with the guidance, with financial, aid All of that is coming from, I guess, close relationship with the
Iranians. We know that the leadership of Hamas, together with the leadership of Hezbollah, were meeting recently with the leadership of Iran in Lebanon and in Iran. So I am sure that the Iranians are involved with Hamas leadership calls on the Palestinians in the West Bank to join in as well.
They call on Israeli Arabs to join (INAUDIBLE). Rockets are falling on the heads of Israeli Arabs. I hope they realize who's on their side and who is against them.
And, of course, they hope that the Hezbollah will take some actions as well. We shall have to be prepared to face any such eventuality. And hope will we will be able to deter them by taking harsh measures against Hamas in Gaza, so that we disencourage other elements from joining. In
HARRAK: Some difficult moments there, Yossi Kuperwasser, sir, thank you for joining us.
KUPERWASSER: Thank you.
HARRAK: We will take a short break and be right back.
(MUSIC PLAYING)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[03:40:00]
(JOINED IN PROGRESS)
HARRAK: -- its military including its reserves following this morning's surprise rocket attack from Gaza.
The security cabinet is expected to meet in the coming hours. The attacks began as many people were still sleeping. Hundreds of rockets being fired into Israel, a barrage that lasted for hours.
Israeli officials say that there were multiple injuries, some of them serious, and at least one fatality. Some airports have temporarily closed, although the international airport remains open for now. The Israeli military also warns that a number of militants have infiltrated Israel from Gaza. Let's bring in CNN's Sam Kiley, standing by in London.
Good morning, Sam. You've been covering this region now for some time.
Have you ever seen anything like what we have seen unfold this morning?
And what will the next hours and days mean for the residents of Gaza?
SAM KILEY, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, I think that this is the absolutely crucial question. First of all the issue is that the Israelis, not since the Yom Kippur war, have experienced such a catastrophic intelligence failure. They had absolutely no idea that Hamas was planning such a complex. Attack
We are very much at the early stages and a lot of the reporting needs confirmation. But there are Israeli media reports, of significant infiltration in the town of Sderot (ph), with social media images seeming to support that.
That is a very significant development. That means Hamas militants have been able to get out of Gaza and into Israel proper, not just -- and we have confirmation -- of these smaller kibbutzes right on the fence, two at least have been infiltrated according to local residents by Hamas operatives.
And there are other military supporters. But Sderot is much further away from Gaza, indicates if this is confirmed, a very serious escalation in this complex operation by Hamas who've used the cover of what they claim is 5,000 rockets being fired out of the Gaza Strip into or toward Israeli territory.
Of course many of those do not get through because of the Iron Dome defensive capabilities, the anti missile systems that the Israelis have.
[03:45:00]
KILEY: But they clearly used that as a cover for this infiltration operation. Now the Israelis have now declared not quite a state of war but something close to it. An alert status calling in a very significant number of reserves.
Bibi Netanyahu, the prime minister, will be under extreme pressure to go in hard against Gaza. But that could be complicated if the militants have managed to take hostages back into Gaza territory.
So there is everything to play for and Muhammad Al-Deif, the leader of Hamas, the military leader of Hamas, inside the Gaza Strip, has called upon the Arab world effectively, to rise up.
He says if you have a gun, a club, an ax, rise up and use it. Now is the time to use. It that is an exhortation to people, Palestinians on the West Bank, ethnic Palestinian or Israeli citizens within the body of Israel proper, to use the weapons.
And there are a very large number of weapons in the Palestinian communities inside Israel already, mostly in the hands of criminal gangs. But there is a huge number of weapons available to them, to rise up against the Israelis. If that were to happen, you could see a very dangerous chain reaction.
HARRAK: Indeed. Sam Kiley reporting in London, thank you so much, Sam.
We are going to shift our attention now. Narges Mohammadi, the winner of this year's Nobel Peace Prize, may not yet be aware that she has been recognized for her years of human rights activism in her native Iran.
That is because the 51-year-old woman is currently serving a lengthy prison sentence in Iran's infamous Evin prison. It has been eight years since she last saw her family, who now live in Paris. After Friday's announcement, French president Macron lauded her for her courage for standing up to the authorities.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
EMMANUEL MACRON, PRESIDENT OF FRANCE (through translator): I think it is a very strong choice for a freedom fighter, who has always faced up to the reality and cruelty of this regime, including enduring several years in prison and terrible sentences.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HARRAK: Well, in Paris, her teenage daughter says that she is extremely proud of her mother for fighting for women's rights in Iran, even at the cost of her own freedom. She had this message for her mom.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
KIANA RAHMANI, NARGES MOHAMMADI'S DAUGHTER (through translator): Don't worry about the fact that you are not here. We are keeping strong for you. There is no problem. Go on with your fight. We will stand by you no matter what. You will always be our beloved mother.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HARRAK: Iran's foreign ministry condemned the Nobel committee's decision.
A spokesperson said, "The Nobel Peace Prize committee has awarded a prize to a person convicted of repeated violations of laws and committing criminal acts. We condemned this action and consider it as biased and politically motivated."
Reactions on the streets of Tehran were mixed.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (through translator): As a woman in the society, I very much agree with this. In my opinion, in this society, where women do not have any rights, this award can at least be a relief for us, that there is at least somebody who cares about us.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): It was certainly political, I would say, in my opinion. And I don't know why this award was given to this lady. Otherwise, we have had many peace ambassadors.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HARRAK: Ahead on CNN NEWSROOM, she is tumbling her way right into the history books. U.S. gymnast Simone Biles sets another record. Her unprecedented new medal count is next.
(MUSIC PLAYING)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK) [03:50:00]
(MUSIC PLAYING)
HARRAK: Israel is mobilizing its military, including its reserves, following this morning's surprising rocket attack from Gaza.
In response, Israel's defense minister said, quote, "Israel will win this war," as the military declared Operation Swords of Iron.
In the meantime, Hamas now claims it has captured Israeli soldiers and the IDF is not commenting at the moment.
The attacks began as many people were still sleeping, hundreds of rockets being fired into Israel, a barrage that lasted for hours. Israeli officials say there were multiple injuries, some of them serious, and at least one fatality.
Some airports have temporarily closed, although the international airport remains open for. Now the Israeli military also warns that a number of militants have infiltrated Israel from Gaza.
Finally this hour, she struck gold yet again. The sensational American gymnast Simone Biles has won another all-around title at the world championships. That makes Biles the most decorated gymnast, male or female, of all time. CNN's Patrick Snell has the details.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
PATRICK SNELL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: On Friday, the Belgian city of Antwerp, the 26 -year old Simone Biles making her own very special piece of history by winning the women's individual all-around gold medal at the World Artistic Gymnastics championships.
This for the sixth time in her already storied career. Simone, to get things started, not doing the Biles II but a nearly perfect vault, 15.100 the score. And that puts her at the top of the leaderboard after one rotation. From there, she simply never looked back.
Absolutely majestic. An uncharacteristic stumble though on the floor but not a consequence as it was not part of a major move, the American nailing these. Still finishing a half point better in the floor exercise than her closest competitor.
Biles' performance all the more remarkable, having taking breaks from the sport after both the Rio and the Tokyo Olympics. Now she is the most decorated gymnast in competition history.
[03:55:00]
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SIMONE BILES, U.S. GYMNAST: I don't know, I think I'm always shocked. You guys are so good with the stats. I'm just here along for the ride, to contribute to the U.S. and just have fun. OK, I was emotional because it was my first worlds here 10 years ago
and then now my sixth one. So it is crazy. But I swear I do have something in my eye that's been bothering me for like four hours and I cannot get it out. So while I was looking up there, it was like a combination of both.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SNELL (voice-over): By winning gold, Biles also becoming the most decorated female or male gymnast ever, surpassing the Belarusian Vitaly Scherbo's record of 33 overall medals across both the Olympics and the worlds. Biles extending her own record with her 27th world championship medal, 21 of them gold.
SNELL: Simone will have a chance to add to her medal haul this weekend as she competes in women's vault and uneven bars finals on Saturday and the balance beam and floor exercise finals on Sunday. For now, though, it's back to you.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HARRAK: That wraps up this hour of CNN NEWSROOM. I'm Laila Harrak. Kim Brunhuber picks up the coverage after a quick break.
