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Israel Says, At Least 300 Israelis Killed in Hamas Attack; IDF Confirms Significant Number Of Israelis Captured; U.S. Officials Say, New Aid For Israel Could Be Announced Sunday. Aired 3-4a ET

Aired October 08, 2023 - 03:00   ET

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

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[03:00:39]

LAILA HARRAK, CNN HOST: Hello and welcome to our viewers joining us from the United States and all around the world. I'm Laila Harrak.

It is 10:00 A.M. in Israel where Israel's war against Hamas is now into its second day. The death toll on both sides has been staggering. At least 300 Israeli deaths are now confirmed and Palestinian authorities say more than 250 people in Gaza have been killed. Thousands more have been wounded and Israel confirms many of its citizens have been abducted.

Well, the IDF says up to 1,000 Hamas militants poured across the border and into nearby Israeli towns. And disturbing video shows civilians being rounded up in one of them, presumably to be taken to Gaza as hostages.

Well, joining me now, live from Tel Aviv, Israel, is Lieutenant Colonel Richard Hecht. He is the international spokesperson for the Israel Defense Forces. Sir, good day.

First, I'd like to ask you, can you give us an update on the latest situation on the ground? Are battles still under way within Israel?

LT. COL. RICHARD HECHT, INTERNATIONAL SPEAKER, ISRAEL DEFENSE FORCES: So, yes, we have still -- hi, Laila, thanks for having us on. We're still in the fight. As you said, Hamas unleashed war on the state of Israel. We still -- as we speak, there's fighting in seven locations, seven communities and one military installation around the Gaza strip, and our soldiers are fighting there, Special Forces. We're sending them, mobilizing a lot of infantry and Special Forces down to deal with this situation on the ground. Dire times here in Israel, Laila.

HARRAK: Dire times in Israel. The prime minister has declared war. What is the military objective? And what does victory look like?

HECHT: So, we -- first of all, the people that started the war are Hamas. We declared that we're in a state of war. Today, the cabinet is going to meet. The IDF is going to put options on the table. Our goals at this point are to, first of all, stabilize the defense, protect the border, take care of the communities, take care of the terrorists, try and understand the numbers of people that were kidnapped into Gaza, children, grandmothers, families, and also make sure that the safety is returned to the communities around the Gaza strip.

And you can see right now we are also severely responding to Hamas within the Gaza strip, also in Hamas infrastructure, and also taking care of 29 or more less, rounded by the number 30, open breaches into Israel from the air and also from the ground, but, again, to take control of the situation on the ground, and then we'll focus on the future plans.

Our goals will be probably decided today, tomorrow, by the government. We're doing this in a composed way. But we will respond severely to this inhumane attack, Laila.

HARRAK: Has it been determined how many people are being held hostage in Gaza proper? And also, how does that complicate your military operation if you have a significant, a substantial amount of hostages in the area?

HECHT: So, it's in the number of dozens. Because life here is very sacred, we're making sure that we come out and understand the numbers exactly. For example, this morning, we declared that we have 26 soldiers dead. The numbers are probably significantly more. But we'll only come out with the numbers after the family knows.

The hostages is a very complicated situation. And we will handle it. The IDF will do what we know how to do hopefully and it's going to be a long one.

HARRAK: So, do you anticipate an incursion then a ground operation? And also, this is, as you know better than anyone else, a densely populated area. Does that weigh at all into the determination of how the military proceeds, for instance, I mean, Gazans have nowhere to go, basically.

[03:05:04]

HECHT: Well, so Gaza could have been in place if they didn't start this attack. Hamas started this attack. Hamas has the Palestinians in Gaza taken hostage. They're not fighting the Palestinian people in the country. They are enemies came in and attacked children, families, et cetera, not only military targets.

We will, today, start evacuating the communities, the Israeli communities right around the Gaza strip in a steady (INAUDIBLE) and once we finish our -- restoring safety and security to the communities. And then when we're striking severely inside the Gaza strip, we'll do everything we can to minimize the collateral damage and evict people that are not involved and tell them to move north, south, et cetera.

Sadly, Hamas attacked the main crossing into Israel. Before this happened, we had thousands of thousands of workers coming into Israel, bringing in a good living to Gaza. They destroyed the Erez crossing. And they also - that was one of their main breach points. That's how they got into Israel with pickup trucks. I mean, again, the visuals were like (INAUDIBLE). That's what we're seeing here, pickup trucks going into communities and creating carnage. HARRAK: And I want to ask you this latest development in terms of the situation along the border with Lebanon. What can you tell us about that?

HECHT: So, the IDF is looking at all arenas right now. We've ramped up our defenses also in Judean-Samaria to make sure that this doesn't erupt. And also in the northern border, there was a few mortar fires this morning in the Har Dov area that got fired towards Israel. Hezbollah took responsibility. We responded. It's still under the threshold. I hope Hezbollah does not make a mistake to come after the call of Mohammed (INAUDIBLE) from joining this, because if it does, it will be a colossal mistake for them.

HARRAK: Do you think there is a real risk in the hours and days ahead for this conflict to even widen further?

HECHT: It's early days. We're at the beginning of this, Laila. It's hard to say. I mean, we're ready for the convergence of arenas, something we're ready for.

HARRAK: All right. Thank you so very much, Lieutenant Colonel Richard Hecht, great to have you with us. Thank you for sharing your perspectives with us.

HECHT: Thank you, Laila.

HARRAK: For more, let's go over now to CNN's Becky Anderson, who also joins us now live from Tel Aviv. Becky, how do things look right now where you are?

BECKY ANDERSON, CNN HOST: Yes, it's interesting. I was just listening to that interview and I think it very much underscores just how a little more than, what, 24 hours after what was a brazen surprise attack by Hamas on Israel by air, land, and sea. We are now in completely uncharted territory, and that is what is so frightening here.

The Israeli prime minister, as you rightly pointed out, has declared a war. He has said that Israel will win and that the enemy, and I quote, will pay an unprecedented price.

What that war will look like and what that price might be, particularly in terms of lives lost, will only become apparent in the hours to come. Israel has already conducted some 500 targeted attacks on Gaza. It has warned residents to get out of their homes, quite where Israeli forces believe those residents will go is another question. Of course, you rightly pointed out, this is an incredibly densely populated area. And Israel has said that it will stop supplying electricity, fuel and goods.

So, you can see where the Israelis are going. It is not clear as of yet. And the IDF spokesman there not specifically answering your direct question, which was, will there be a ground incursion. But that's clearly now what we may be looking at. Nic Robertson has been reporting from the road that leads down to Gaza around Ashkelon that that they are seeing -- he is seeing troop movements down that road, and we've got video to suggest as such.

So, it really is now a question of hanging on, waiting to see what the Israeli authorities here suggest to the IDF that their movements might be next.

[03:10:00]

Look, let's just go back. In terms of numbers, 300 Israelis killed and upwards of some 2,000 injured, and let's be quite clear, similar numbers in terms of those killed and injured on the part of the Palestinians. But what's really, really Important here, and I'm not suggesting that any one life is more important than anybody else's here, and we have that make that absolutely clear, but it is the deaths of the Israeli soldiers and those who have been captured which will really be at the heart of just how big and unprecedented the Israeli response to this will be.

26 Israeli soldiers killed. Again, the IDF spokesman confirming that those numbers may go higher. We already know that those numbers include one commander and dozens, he said, dozens of Israelis captured, rounded up in the areas on the border in Israel and now held in various points around Gaza as hostages, which, of course, completely complicates the IDF, the Israeli Defense Forces' next moves when they consider how they go about, once again, securing that border and doing whatever it is, however they describe what they're going to do next in Gaza.

The nature of this incursion was, Laila, absolutely remarkable. It was by air, by sea and by land. And I just want to bring up some videos of what happened on the Israeli side. There was, for example, a music festival going on in the desert on the Israeli side. That music festival was going on all night. And as reported by those who were there, and let's just bring up some of those images, they heard the bombing around 6:30 in the morning. And then, frankly, Gaza militants started coming at them.

Now, I wanted to run this video a little bit later, because I do want to warn you this video is disturbing. So, I was just describing that those concertgoers had been at this concert, they heard bombing, then these Gaza militants came in and started attacking. And you see images of people fleeing in their droves from that concert.

Now, before we bring up that video again, I want to explain exactly what you're seeing now. I've got to warn you that it is disturbing. The reason CNN is showing it is because the families of those involved on the Israeli side want it to be shown. This video shows a woman and her boyfriend, music-goers at a festival, being rounded up by Gaza militants and taken off. Whereabouts unknown, but we have to assume that they have been taken into Gaza.

And we have seen dozens of videos of men, women, children being rounded up by Hamas militants in various locations around the Israeli border and taken back into what is now a completely sort of open border. And I say that, completely open, because this is one of the most secured borders by Israel of all borders in the world. I think the IDF spokesman said there are 26 areas where that has now been breached. And they're working on trying to get those breaches closed.

But that is the extent of which this Hamas operation, which must have been in planning for months, begs the question, how did this happen. How did one of the most surveilled areas in the world, not just by Israeli intelligence, but by intelligence, for example, from the U.S. and other capitals, how was that intelligence missed? How were Israeli intelligence authorities caught flatfooted? And that does beg the question, what happens next? Laila?

HARRAK: It does. That's going to be my follow-up question. A lot of soul searching, I imagine.

ANDERSON: Yes, absolutely. I think, you know, what we're seeing now is real fears of an escalation in violence. We're getting reports of clashes in the West Bank, and the IDF confirming now that it has hit three areas in Lebanon where there have been strikes from across the border.

And we've had a statement from the United Nations interim forces in Lebanon.

[03:15:02]

They released this statement, quote, we're in contact with authorities on both sides of the blue line to contain the situation and avoid a more serious escalation. Our peacekeepers remain in their positions and on task. They continue to work some from the shelters of their homes.

The IDF says it is currently striking an area in Lebanon after Hezbollah targeted three Israeli sites in an area known as the Shebaa Farms using missiles and artillery. And here's the rub, and you will know this and those who are keen observers of what is going on here will know this, that there have been real concerns about that border with Lebanon for some time, and perhaps one of the reasons that some will suggest that the Israelis have had their eye off ball when it comes to that Gazan border.

Because there is -- as far as intelligence is concerned, there is the group there, Hezbollah, which has something like 100,000, 150,000 rockets available to them. And if we are seeing the beginning of that fight on that border, then that will be a real, real concern, both to authorities here and to officials in capitals around the world.

Look, there has been a huge outpouring, which you've been reporting on, of support for Israel around the world. Washington, Joe Biden, suggesting they will do whatever it takes to ensure the ironclad security of Israel.

But you're also seeing, for example, the statement from Qatar, who could play a real mediation role in all of this, if indeed there is an opportunity for mediation any time soon. They did that back in 2021 alongside the Egyptians, who have contacts with Hamas.

Of course, they've said, this stands squarely in the crosshairs of the Israeli authorities. And they are blaming the Israeli authorities for what has happened. Clearly, that is not the perspective of Israeli authorities who say this was an incursion, a deadly incursion by Hamas militants, and their response, not just commensurate, as they would normally suggest, but now their response will be unprecedented. Laila?

HARRAK: CNN's Becky Anderson reporting from Tel Aviv, so good to have you, thank you for joining us.

And Washington could announce new assistance for Israel as early as Sunday. That's according to U.S. officials who say the two countries are already talking about what kind of aid Israel needs. Military aid was the subject of a phone call between President Joe Biden and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Saturday.

And Kayla Tausche has more.

KAYLA TAUSCHE, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: The White House is working around the clock to understand the scope of Israel's needs as it responds to these attacks, which the U.S. is calling appalling and unprecedented.

A senior administration official says the focus of the U.S. is in assisting to keep the violence contained at this stage and that there are conversations happening up and down the military chain to deliver direct support to Israel, which I'm told by sources, Prime Minister Netanyahu directly asked President Biden for in a phone call that the two leaders held on Saturday.

Officials have acknowledged that the lack of a speaker of the House of Representatives in the U.S. and a permanent U.S. ambassador to Israel are unique challenges at this moment, as the U.S. tries to get support in a timely and fulsome manner to Israel. But President Biden says that support from the U.S. is rock solid and unwavering.

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JOE BIDEN, U.S. PRESIDENT: The United States stands with Israel. We will not ever fail to have their back. We'll make sure that they have the help their citizens need and they can continue to defend themselves.

In the street, in their homes, innocent people murdered, wounded, entire families taken hostage by Hamas just days after they mark the holiest days in the Jewish calendar. It's unconscionable.

When I spoke with Prime Minister Netanyahu this morning, I told him the United States stands with the people of Israel in the face of these terrorist assaults. Israel has the right to defend itself and its people, full stop.

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TAUSCHE: Well, Biden did not specify the target of that particular message, U.S. officials have been clear in Iran's role as a longtime sponsor of Hamas. But when asked whether they believed that Iran was behind the Hamas attacks in recent days, the U.S. said that they could not yet draw that conclusion. Kayla Tausche, CNN, the White House.

HARRAK: And still ahead, much more on the fighting in Israel and Gaza. We'll hear from an Israeli man who says his family was taken hostage by Hamas.

Stay with us.

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[03:23:47]

HARRAK: The Palestinian Health Ministry says over 250 have been killed in Gaza where Israel has been carrying out retaliatory strikes against Hamas. Israeli forces say they have hit more than 400 targets in the area, including a compound belonging to the Hamas intelligence chief. It is also still fighting militants who stormed Israeli communities near Gaza.

Daniel Levy is the president of the U.S./Middle East Project, a non- profit policy institute focusing on Palestine and Israel, and he joins me now from London. So good to have you with us.

I want to get your reaction. I mean, it's been more than 24 hours now. We've already heard from the U.S., their response is one of unwavering support.

DANIEL LEVY, PRESIDENT, U.S./MIDDLE EAST PROJECT: Yes, Laila. And that doesn't surprise anyone, I don't think. But it also doesn't get us anywhere because the Israel, of 28 hours ago, had the unwavering support of the U.S., and what that unwavering support unfortunately translates into is the encouragement of Israeli's hubris, which is precisely, I think, what led to the staggering intelligence failure and strategic surprise of yesterday.

[03:25:03]

Because what the American support does is it helps Israel avoid the hard choices, and those hard choices have to include, of course, making sure the horrendous scenes of yesterday are not repeated and the horrendous scenes that we're going to see unfold in Gaza in the coming days, one imagines, do not take place.

But the way to avoid those is not to say, we'll give you more military support, we'll give you more international support, we'll prevent any action at the U.N. It means a long, hard look at what's going on and a recognition that only a political outcome that rolls back the occupation, that ends the daily reality whereby, yesterday morning, half an hour before this broke out, Israelis led a very normal life. Every single day of the year, Palestinians live a life where their most basic freedoms that we take for granted are denied every day. It's occupation, it's oppression, it's what many human rights groups across the world are calling an apartheid regime.

And unless you unravel that, there will always be insecurity. I say this with great pain. But there can be no regime like this which feels secure.

HARRAK: Now, for the moment, both parties are on a war footing. The prime minister declared a war on Hamas. What is the current sentiment, do we know, within Israeli society? I mean, is there widespread support for potentially a protracted armed conflict with possibly some unintended consequences?

LEVY: Well, it's a very good question, Laila. And I think there're two things which point in opposite directions going on, from all the calls and what I'm hearing and reading, which is, on the one hand, yes, that Zionist Israeli Jewish society is rallying around this moment of unprecedented chipping away at their sense of security.

The psychological impact is significant, and that in large measure is probably the intention of the resistance movements. So, the protest, as people will be familiar, will remember, every Saturday night, huge protests. Some reservists were refusing to serve in reaction to the attempted judicial overhaul by the Netanyahu coalition.

So, on the one hand, society's mobilized in that way but the other thing that's going on is the polarization, which preceded this is deepening because people are asking, how the hell did this happen. Has the government been focused elsewhere on its judicial overhaul?

And I think the real question is, will people also ask the most pertinent question of all, which is, can we get security if we don't have a different approach to the Palestinians? Because let me put you in the room of conversations that folks like myself have literally every week with officials and policymakers. And those conversations go something like this. Situation is terrible, getting worse, what can we do? And then you run through the options. And everyone acknowledges that there is an insecurity and instability to maintaining this kind of aggressive occupation.

And so they say, well, Israel is going to have to do something to get out of the extremism of its current policies. Okay, how does that happen? Are you going to hold Israel accountable? Are you going to change Israel's cost benefit equation? Are you going to allow the U.N. to do something, the International Criminal Court to do something just to shift Israel's perception that it can get away with this forever? Are you going to ban settlement products? Are you going to change your military sales to Israel? And the official, if it's a western official, basically looks at you and says, no, no, I can't. And then you look at that official, and if they're an honest person, you say, well, you know what you're telling me here, you know where this goes next.

And you get that grimaced expression, because this is where it goes next. The lessons to the Palestinians is the only option you have, all the political, diplomatic avenues are closed to you. So, Palestinians are going to turn to resistance, and the resistance movements will strengthen. Unfortunately, that's the reality.

HARRAK: Daniel, I want to get a final thought from you in a few words. It's going to be difficult, but we're in a very difficult situation right now because dozens of people are potentially -- have been taken hostage in Gaza. And we don't know anything about their well-being.

[03:30:01]

And there are airstrikes taking place as well. Is there anyone who can help de-escalate at some point, probably not in the next couple of days, but is there any interlocutor that you can think of that could help at least negotiate a ceasefire?

LEVY: Look, there are precedents as you know, Laila. And so I think those channels are being attempted at the moment. I think you're right to say that in the very short-term those are unlikely to move forward. But there are people who speak to both sides.

Unfortunately, America and the Europeans have ruled themselves out of that equation because they don't maintain connections to the Hamas side. But there are regional actors, the next-door neighbors in Egypt, the U.N. maintains channels. The fact that there are prisoners of war/hostages being held means that there is that opening. So, those channels will be activated. I don't think that's where it's going.

HARRAK: All right, Daniel.

LEVY: So in that respect, you could have something, but if we just go back to the status quo, it's not enough.

HARRAK: Daniel, thank you very much for sharing your perspectives with us. Thank you for this conversation, Daniel Levy.

And Israel says its military took aim at the Hamas intelligence chief, and they released a video to back that claim. That's ahead.

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HARRAK: Welcome back to our viewers in the United States and Canada and all around the world. I'm Laila Harrak and you're watching CNN newsroom.

[03:35:00]

A quick look now at the latest developments in the fighting between Israel and Hamas. The IDF says it went after the Hamas intelligence chief, targeting his compound in Gaza. Israel released this footage of the attack, saying the strikes in Gaza are continuing. Well, military officials also say fighting is still under way in eight areas in the south where Hamas fighters are still present.

For more, Nada Bashir joins us now live from London. Nada, take us through how the international community is reacting.

NADA BASHIR, CNN REPORTER: Well, look, Laila, from the outset of these escalating tensions and violence on both sides of the conflict, we have heard condemnation from world leaders, particularly here in Europe. The European Commission president, Ursula von der Leyen, as well as the E.U.'s foreign affairs chief, Josep Borrell, both expressing condemnation at the violence and calling for restraint, calling for this not to go to an escalated stage further.

But, of course, on the regional side of things as well, this has really raised alarm bells. We've seen key players, including Jordan, Egypt and Saudi Arabia, all calling for restraint, and also offering their hand in being able to mediate some sort of de-escalation of tensions between the Israelis and Palestinians. We have also have from the Turkish government, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, calling for the utmost restraint, saying that Turkey stands ready to provide support when it comes to mediation.

But, of course, there have been some remarks from regional leaders who have placed responsibility on both Israel and the international community for failing to uphold the rights of the Palestinians, characterizing this latest attack by Hamas as a response, a reaction to that failure, as well as crimes against the Palestinian people and their rights.

Take a listen to the statement from the Saudi Foreign Ministry issued yesterday saying, the kingdom is repeating its previous repetitive warnings of the dangers of the situation blowing up as a result of the continuing occupation and depriving the Palestinian people of their legitimate rights. That is a sentiment which has been echoed not only by Qatar and Kuwait but also the Arab League.

Meanwhile in Egypt, an important player in this conflict, as it has been for decades now, we've heard from the foreign minister, Sameh Shoukry, who said that he is working with international partners with influence in order to try and quell the rising tensions on both sides.

But, of course, we also have heard from Iran, which has expressed solidarity with not only the Palestinian people but with Hamas. This statement issued yesterday from Major General Rahim Safavi saying, we congratulate the Palestinian fighters and will stand by their side until the liberation of Palestine and Holy Jerusalem, according to state media.

And, of course, there has also been expressions of solidarity from Lebanese group, Hezbollah, backed by Iran. And, of course, just in the last few hours, of course, this morning we have heard from U.N. Peacekeepers saying they have observed an exchange of fire on the border between Lebanon and Israel. So, that is, of course, another point of concern for regional leaders around a potential escalation of this conflict.

HARRAK: Nada Bashir reporting, thank you very much, Nada, for your continued coverage.

HARRAK: And I'd like to welcome now Liz Throssell. She's the spokesperson for the Office of the U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights, and she joins me now from Geneva. Thank you very much you're your time.

Can I get your attention to what can only be described as a historic crisis?

LIZ THROSSELL, SPOKESPERSON, OFFICE OF THE U.N. HIGH COMMISSIONER FOR HUMAN RIGHTS: Well, deep alarm, deep shock. That's what the U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Turk, said yesterday. And given that events have continued, we have seen the numbers of people killed and injured, both Israelis and Palestinians. I think that shock and that alarm is even deeper today.

I mean, we are very concerned that civilians have been caught up in this. Civilians have been killed, been injured. And so we're calling on all sides to respect international humanitarian law. And that basically means taking precautions, ensuring that civilians are not caught up, not targeted or they're not disproportionately harmed or civilian buildings are not hit when strikes are carried out.

HARRAK: Well, a lot of civilians are caught up and they are in the crossfire. And let's start with the capture of Israeli civilians that are now in -- believed to be in Gaza. That could potentially be used as human shields or bargaining chips. You know, what can be done to resolve that situation?

THROSSELL: This is deeply worrying and distressing. That almost goes without saying. We are calling on the Palestinian armed groups who are holding civilians, who weren't taking part in hostilities when captured, to immediately release them.

[03:40:02]

We also would say that, for all who are detained, who have been captured or otherwise deprived of their liberty in the occupied Palestinian territory and in Israel, the most important thing is that they are treated humanely and their dignity is respected.

HARRAK: But besides calls, can anything concretely be done? I mean, does the U.N. have channels of communication with, for instance, Hamas?

THROSSELL: There are different parts of U.N., as I'm sure you know. I think that is something for the political and diplomatic side. But I think even that civilians are being caught up, and we've heard these distressing stories, it really is very important that all is done to ensure that they are released, those that were not taking part in the hostilities, that they are released immediately and safely.

HARRAK: And we understand that there is no power in Gaza and that probably supplies are also not coming into the enclave. I mean, in terms of a potential humanitarian crisis, I mean, the situation was already dire.

THROSSELL: It was indeed. And this is making it all the more worrying.

I think what is important to highlight is that we've been talking about this sudden escalation that surprised people. But I think if you look back earlier this year in February at the High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Turk. He called on all sides to step back from what he called the illogic of escalation.

He said that these failed attempts using violence had only brought misery, had only violated the human rights of both Palestinians and Israelis. And I think that's very important to stress at this point. Clearly, the humanitarian situation is very worrying in Gaza, which one of the most densely populated places on earth.

HARRAK: It seems overall that the international community is pretty much powerless, except for calls, and you can make all the calls, but they're falling on deaf ears. So, what's the way forward?

THROSSELL: I think, as you've been discussing, it will involve many signs. It will involve efforts, diplomatically and politically. I think the thing that has to be at the forefront of everybody's mind is the impact this is having, this has had and this continues to have ask will have on civilians, both Israeli and Palestinian.

HARRAK: And I just want to ask you, I mean, we're getting reports obviously that there have been some strikes towards Lebanon. How precarious is the regional situation if this would spill over to a place like Lebanon, this conflict?

THROSSELL: Well, I think there are obviously deep concerns, precisely given the situation in the Middle East. I think that's also why the Security Council will be meeting later today in New York.

HARRAK: All right. Liz Throssell, thank you so much for joining us. I greatly appreciate you giving some of your time.

And we'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[03:46:12]

HARRAK: Let's have a quick update on the latest in Israel. Its military has released a video, it says, shows an air strike on the Gaza compound of the intelligence chief for Hamas. So far, there's no word on his fate. Israeli officials say strikes in Gaza will continue.

And Israel also says fighting is ongoing in eight areas in Southern Israel. Hamas recently said its fighters are still present there.

CNN's Nic Robertson is just a few miles from the Gaza border and has the latest.

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMATIC EDITOR: What we're witnessing here, the first time that we've seen it tonight, is Israeli heavy armor being transported in towards Gaza. That's the road to Gaza, about 2.5 miles, 3 kilometers that way, and these are Israeli battle tanks. I've counted at least five. There are more trucks transporting them coming around the corner.

The night has been very active beyond that checkpoint there. That is the area where the Israeli Defense Forces have been contesting with Hamas militants who are still inside Israel. Where we are, this is the area that Israel controls proper. Beyond that, it is still an active military zone. These tanks are being moved into that zone. We've heard helicopter gunships attacking positions on the ground. We've seen Special Forces moving in and out of the area around here. And we've seen a lot of missiles fired, coming out of Gaza, by Hamas militants and others potentially, fired out of Gaza and intercepted by Iron Dome Defensive Missile Systems. The Iron Dome has been firing up from over here, the intercepts literally happening overhead. And that has happened on multiple occasions.

We've been hearing as well Israeli jets flying towards Gaza and then we've heard explosions, heavy explosions at times, flashes on the horizon through the night. So, this is a very dynamic and fluid situation.

But this is the first time we are seeing heavy Israeli battle armor moving towards Gaza, perhaps the first steps of future deployments.

Nic Robertson, Zikim, Israel.

HARRAK: And Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is offering his support to Israel's counterattacks against Hamas. He says Israel has every right to fight back, and he's calling for a united front against terrorism wherever it comes from.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY, UKRAINIAN PRESIDENT: Israel has every right to protect itself from terror, so does every other state. And it is very important for the whole world to respond to terror in a united and principled fashion. No support for terrorists. Wherever they aim their missiles, whomever they attack, terrorists must lose.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HARRAK: And we'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[03:52:50]

HARRAK: Israel says it has launched strikes into Lebanon after the Lebanese group, Hezbollah, targeted three Israeli-controlled sites near the border. Israeli forces have also carried out more strikes in Gaza, retaliating against Hamas for its surprise attack on Saturday. The IDF says it has struck more than 400 targets, including a compound belonging to the Hamas intelligence chief.

An American originally from New Jersey who has now lived in Tel Aviv for years described to CNN's Jake Tapper what it was like when they realized they were under attack. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ARI GOLDBERG, AMERICAN LIVING IN TEL AVIV: I've been here for nine years, and it's by far the worst situation I've ever seen in my life. Just this morning, I'm sure, as you heard, it was a Jewish holiday. I'm an Orthodox Jew, so I didn't have my phone on me. I went to synagogue this morning to go pray. And we're in the middle of dancing, and all of a sudden air raid siren came up -- or, sorry, rocket siren.

And someone shouted siren, everybody to the floor. We all crowded down on the floor. There were a bunch of little kids that were borderline crying, they were hysterical. And then one of the fathers next to me is, okay, guys, let's start singing, let's sing together, like try to cheer up the kids a little bit, just to try to help them a little bit.

Only then, since (INAUDIBLE) busting out our phones (INAUDIBLE) to really understand what was going on, and then people started telling us, they had told us there's like a situation down south and there's like a war starting.

So, we went home just to be near bomb shelters. And then later in the afternoon, a friend of mine came knocking on the door frantically and told me they called them up for reserves, they called everybody up for the reserves.

So, I got in my car, drove him over to his base. On the way, I saw tons of road blockings, of checkpoints where they're searching every single car, looking for terrorists. I saw thousands of reservists lined up, trying to go back to base. It was horrible.

And then I got home only late tonight after being stuck in all the traffic. And I checked Twitter. Unfortunately, a lot of the stuff you see on the news is not the worst of it.

[03:55:00]

On Twitter, a lot of it's not censored. And if you look at it, there're videos going around of people harassing in Gaza, a kidnapped little boy who must be like five-years-old --

JAKE TAPPER, CNN ANCHOR: Yes, I saw that.

GOLDBERG: -- parading around of an almost naked woman who -- her corpse, like she's covered in blood and clearly dead and they're parading her around and celebrating and giving out candy and fireworks, the pictures also of old -- elderly people at bus stops -- sorry, I'm getting very emotional.

TAPPER: Understandably so. Elderly people who were shot at a bus stop, yes. I mean, the images are absolutely horrific.

GOLDBERG: It's hard.

TAPPER: Young people who were at a peace festival who were kidnapped and shot.

GOLDBERG: Horrible.

TAPPER: I've heard people compare this to Israel's 9/11. And I think people don't -- people watching around the world maybe don't understand because Israel is at war quite a bit relative to other countries. But this -- I think this -- targeting of civilians so specifically is what is shocking and the kidnapping of so many hundreds of civilians.

GOLDBERG: No, it's horrible. I mean, I didn't really get to read so much, but the headlines, I saw kind of compared it to a typical war that happens in Israel. But this is by far beyond worse than anything that's happened in recent history. It's beyond -- likes there's no words to describe it. (END VIDEOTAPE)

HARRAK: A number of countries around the world are lighting up some of their famous landmarks in support of Israel. In Berlin, the Israeli flag is now projected on the iconic Brandenburg Gate. Chancellor Olaf Scholz posted on social media in solidarity with Israel. Italy also showing its support. The Israeli flag projected onto the official residence of the prime minister. And in New York City, the Freedom Tower lit up in the blue and white of the Israeli flag.

And that wraps up this hour of CNN Newsroom. I'm Laila Harrak.

Kim Brunhuber picks up our coverage after a quick break. Stick around.

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