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Hamas Attack Leaves At Least 350 Israeli Deaths; Gaza Attacks Claimed 256 Palestinians Lives; "Significant number" of Israelis Captured, According to IDF; Israel Attacks Gaza Following Terrorist Attack by Hamas; IDF: 8 Locations in Israel Still in Combat; Large Number of Hostages Held by Hamas, According to IDF Spokesman; In Retaliation, Israel Bombards Lebanon with Artillery Fire; Interview with Australian Strategic Policy Institute Senior Analyst and Military Analyst Malcolm Davis; Approximately 1,000 Hamas Troops Entered Israel, According to IDF; U.S. Support for Israel; World Reacts to Hamas Attacks; Israel May Receive New Aid on Sunday, According to U.S. Officials; Restraint Urged by Saudi Arabia, Jordan, and Egypt; Israel Assured of E.U.'s Unwavering Support; Heinous Attacks Carried Out by Hamas Against Israeli Condemned by UK; Israel Targets Hamas Intelligence Chief; Netanyahu: Israel "Embarking On a Long and Difficult War". Aired 4-5a ET

Aired October 08, 2023 - 04:00   ET

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

[04:00:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ANNOUNCER: This is CNN Breaking News.

KIM BRUNHUBER, CNN ANCHOR AND CORRESPONDENT: Hello and welcome to all of you watching us here in the United States, Canada and all around the world. I'm Kim Brunhuber. I want to get to our breaking news this hour.

At least 350 Israeli deaths are confirmed, and thousands more have been wounded over the past 24 hours as intense fighting rages between Israel and Hamas. Retaliatory Israeli airstrikes against Hamas targets in Gaza reportedly have killed more than 250 people, according to Palestinian authorities. The IDF says, up to 1,000 Hamas militants poured across the border early Saturday and invaded nearby Israeli towns. Disturbing video shows civilians being rounded up and one of them presumably to be taken to Gaza as hostages. Now, a short time ago, Hamas claimed its fighters were still in Southern Israel. Here's the Israeli prime minister on Saturday.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BENJAMIN NETANYAHU, ISRAELI PRIME MINISTER (through translator): What happened today has never been seen in Israel, and we will make sure that does not happen again. The entire government is behind this decision. The IDF will immediately use all its strength to destroy Hamas' capabilities. We will destroy them and we will take mighty vengeance for this black day that they have forced on the State of Israel and its citizens.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BRUNHUBER: CNN's International Diplomatic Editor Nic Robertson is in Israel with more on the horrific events of Saturday.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMATIC EDITOR (voiceover): In the early hours of Saturday, Israelis woke to a sudden assault from Gaza militants. The surprise attack, claimed by the Palestinian militant group Hamas, a complex and massive operation, marking a steep escalation of hostilities. The attack began with a huge barrage of missiles fired from Gaza, thousands of rockets, some making direct hits on targets across Southern Israel.

Under the cover of the missiles, a large-scale infiltration began as Hamas militants crossed by land, sea and air, even using paragliders to cross into Israel. Videos from border crossing stations show Hamas fighters storming into Israeli territory. A few miles away in the border town of Sderot, Hamas was seen driving and opening fire at civilians. The gunmen tore through the streets, leaving a trail of casualties behind. The full extent of the casualties is unclear.

But hundreds have been killed and more than a thousand injured on both sides. A spokesman for the Israeli defense force gave a frank assessment of the situation.

LT. COL. RICHARD HECHT, INTERNATIONAL IDF SPOKESPERSON: A very severe morning here in Israel. A combined offensive by Hamas, ground, air, and sea. The numbers still are not clear. We're not going to talk about the numbers as we speak, but the numbers are substantial. A very severe morning. We are very much now focused on saving forces to these locations where there is ongoing fighting as we speak.

ROBERTSON (voiceover): During the raid, some fighters also took Israelis as hostages, the Israeli military said. Videos geolocated by CNN show militants taking civilians captive in Southern Israel and Gaza. A woman is seen forced into the custody of Hamas. Israel quickly retaliated hitting multiple targets along the Gaza Strip. In Gaza City, two high-rise buildings collapsed after an airstrike. The unrest continuing late into the night with both sides trading rocket fire.

As we touched down at Ben Gurion International Airport outside Tel Aviv, air traffic was halted as sirens wailed and travelers took cover.

ROBERTSON: We literally just got off the plane here at Ben Gurion Airport. The sirens have gone off. People are taking cover -- we got off the bus, people are taking cover and you can hear the intersect missiles banging in the air. Nothing incoming here, but everyone is taking cover. They have got down. A lot of concern about what's going to happen here this night.

ROBERTSON (voiceover): Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has been unwavering in his message that Israel is at war with Hamas. Now, Israel rushes to regroup with its allies. Despite the intelligence failure that appeared to lead to the attack, it is clear that the true force of the Israeli government's response is yet to come.

Nic Robertson, CNN, Ashkelon, Israel.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

[04:05:00]

BRUNHUBER: All right. For more, let's go over to CNN's Becky Anderson who joins us live from Tel Aviv. So, Becky, what's the latest on what we're learning about the attack and the ongoing aftermath?

BECKY ANDERSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL NEWS ANCHOR: Yes. I mean, I think it would be fair to say that we're on -- in completely unchartered territory here. And you can see that just from the reporting that you just showed from Nic there. The Israeli prime minister, as we've been suggesting, has declared war at this point. And he says, Israel will win. And I quote him here he says, "The enemy will pay an unprecedented price."

What that war will look like and just what that price might be in terms of lives on both sides, of course, is as yet unclear. But I think in the hours to come at this problem (ph), I know in the hours to come at this point, it will become more apparent. Israel has continued to target Gaza, 500 strikes or more, as we understand it. Warning residents to get out of their homes quite where they think they'll go and what is a very, very densely populated area. It is unclear at this point, but it has also said that it is going to stop electricity, fuel and goods being supplied into Gaza.

So, the siege that Hamas speaks to so often, that Palestinians speak to so often, will be swinging as far as the Israelis are concerned here. Look, in terms of numbers, and I think, you know, it's really important to point this out, and this where I say we're in completely unchartered territory at this point. More than 350 Israelis killed, and upwards of 2,000 injured, same sort of numbers on the part of the Palestinians. And we're looking at 250 killed in Hamas -- in Gaza, and more than a thousand injured. These lives lost and people injured is just absolutely awful.

And then you drill down and you say, what has changed here, because sadly we see -- you know, we've seen loss of life in Gaza in the past. But what has changed here is the death of Israeli soldiers. More than 26 at this point, confirmed just the last hour as 26, but we are looking at higher numbers as far as the IDF spokesman is concerned. And the rounding up of Israeli citizens, dozens rounded up, according to the IDF.

The Hamas militants are saying they have more than 50 Israelis held captive in Gaza, now dotted around Gaza at various places as hostages, of course. Make -- what happens next, as far as the Israelis are concerned, really, really complicated, really, really difficult. You can see from the Israelis workout what they do next. It really complicates the IDF's next moves.

The nature of this incursion has been absolutely remarkable, reported by Nic there as by land, sea and air. There are images that I want you to see now, and I have to warn you there are -- what you are about to see is disturbing. But takes good example of just how brazen this attack was. And remember, this is the most surveilled and held on to border, the Israeli/Gaza border. The Israelis have had this locked down in the past to the extent that, you know, Gazans can only come in and out at the behest of the Israelis.

And what you saw here was, for example, a music festival going on in the desert on the Israeli side. As reported by those who were there at 6:30 in the morning, they heard bombings and then suddenly they were attacked by militants, Gazan militants. And you are looking at here is a man and woman being taken hostage by Gazan militants, whereabouts unknown. But the family of these people have said that they want CNN to show these images even though they are disturbing because they hope that it will help get this woman and man released out of Gaza, which is where seemingly they are being held at the moment.

But it just speaks to the enormity of what has happened here and what happens next frankly, Kim. That is the great unanswered question at this point.

BRUNHUBER: Yes, listen, the loss of life appalling, the picture of those kidnapping is shocking. You touched on this really difficult path forward. So, that is the question, what does happen next?

[04:10:00]

ANDERSON: Yes, well, as far as the Israelis are concerned, they are talking about this being an unprecedented period for them. Have a listen to what the defense minister said earlier.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

YOAV GALLANT, ISREALI MINISTER OF DEFENSE (through translator): This phenomenon will not continue. We will change reality on the ground in Gaza for the next 50 years. What was before will be no more. We will operate at full force. I ask Israel citizens to remain determined and to support our security forces.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ANDERSON: And those Israeli citizens who he is asking to remain vigilant and suggesting that Israel's next moves are being considered at this point. I mean, the shock here by Israelis that we have spoken to about a lack -- failure of intelligence and the, sort of, a lack -- a sense of a lack of security. I mean, people being rounded up on the Israeli side of the border and taken hostage into Gaza is something that, you know, most Israelis you would speak to here say that they could never have conceived.

And the real issue now is whether this resulted in escalation, not just in Gaza, but around the region. We're hearing clash, deadly clashes reported in the West Bank. And now we know that on the border to the north, Hezbollah claiming responsibility for attacks across the border. UNIFIL, the United Nations Interim Forces in Lebanon have released a statement saying, 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, they say, from shelters for their safety.

The IDF says it's currently striking an area in Lebanon after Hezbollah hit three Israeli site in an area known as the Shebaa Farms using missiles and artillery. And just to close it out here, you know, the idea of an escalation, not just here but across the borders -- I mean, Hezbollah military analyst will tell that you that Hezbollah has at its means, something like 100,000 to 150,000 missiles.

So, the idea that there is involvement, potential involvement to the north here by Hezbollah will be a real concern to Israeli forces, who some are suggesting had been very focused on the possibility of an escalation to the north. And that may be why it is that Israeli forces were found so, sort of, flatfooted when it came to intelligence in Gaza. Kim.

BRUNHUBER: All right. We'll get an update from you in about 20 minutes. Benny -- Becky Anderson in Tel Aviv, thank you so much.

We want to turn now to Malcolm Davis in Adelaide, Australia. He's a senior analyst of defense strategy and capability at the Australian Strategic Policy Institute.

Thanks so much for being with us. So, we heard there from Becky about Israel's response so far. So, I want to ask you, where is this going? For Israel, what's their goal here?

MALCOLM DAVIS, SENIOR ANALYST, AUSTRALIAN STRATEGIC POLICY INSTITUTE AND MILITARY ANALYST: Well, their goal has to be to defeat -- decisively defeat Hamas in Gaza, and to rescue and free as many as possible of the hostages that the Hamas people have grabbed. At the same time, they have to recognized that it's not going to be easy. The Gaza operation environment is incredibly dense and urban, and essentially would be house to house, street to street fighting.

So, the Israeli Defense Forces have their work cut out for them in this regard, but I don't see any alternative for the Israelis other than going into Gaza and decisively defeating Hamas and essentially destroying them.

BRUNHUBER: Yes. You talked about rescuing hostages. We know that the Israeli Special Forces have huge capabilities. But we heard from a former CIA official that said, essentially, they won't be able to rescue them safely. Do you share that view or do you think that they can actually extract them?

DAVIS: We might get a few, but unfortunately, I think the CIA person, and I listened to his comments earlier, I think he is correct. You know, I think that probably what has happened is those hostages have now been spread throughout Gaza as far away from Israeli lines of advance as possible. And so, it's going to be, you know, very difficult to get to those people, to identify where they are, and then rescue them, sadly.

BRUNHUBER: You talk about Gaza being this hugely densely populated area, 2 million people or more, just a nightmare from the military point of view. How does the Israeli military they go in there without inflicting huge civilian casualties?

[04:15:00]

DAVIS: Well, you know, urban ground warfare is the toughest warfare you can possibly imagine because of those reasons. It's, you know, narrow streets, confusing layout of streets, civilians mixed in with combatants. The buildings are such that it's ideal for, you know, a defense in depth by Hamas.

So, what IDF have to do is, basically, go house to house and clean out Hamas from each individual building along the line of advance into Gaza. And there's only -- looking at the map earlier, there's only a few lines of advance into Gaza from Israel proper. So, it's going to be an incredibly tough operation. Obviously, it would be supported from the air but then the Israelis have to take all necessary precautions to avoid civilian casualties, unlike Hamas who really don't care about avoiding civilian casualties.

BRUNHUBER: Yes, exactly.

DAVIS: So, I think that it's a challenge there.

BRUNHUBER: Yes, and Hamas, obviously, they knew what the military consequences of this would be. How prepared are they, do you think? What do you think their capabilities are? Do we even know given the scope of the operation that we just saw? It took almost everyone by surprise.

DAVIS: I think that's a good point. I mean, sort of, the Israeli intelligence has clearly failed abysmally to identify the preparations for this attack. So, do we understand exactly what Hamas have got? Maybe, you know, countries like Iran have provided them with additional capabilities that the Israelis don't know about.

So, I think that it is a challenge, to a degree. They're going in blind. I mean, they have technological means that can help them identify targets and potentially get an insight into what they're -- the enemy's came abilities are. But it's a much more opaque and complex battle space the Israelis are going into than, you know, armored warfare on the Golan Heights, for example.

BRUNHUBER: Yes. And finally, we heard there from Becky, you know, mortar attacks fired from Hezbollah. What do you think the likelihood is that this could spiral into a wider regional war?

DAVIS: Well, I hate to say it but I think the likelihood is quite high. We're already seeing attacks from Hezbollah or across the border into Northern Israel. I think that there's every indication that Hezbollah does intend to enter the war properly once the IDF goes into the west -- into Gaza. So, you could see, ironically, a three-front war with the Israelis fighting in the south in Gaza, fighting Hezbollah in the north, and potentially Palestinian forces in the West Bank. And Hezbollah has large numbers of surface-to-surface missiles that are very advanced, far more advanced than what Hamas have got. And they could do serious damage and inflict, serious casualties on the Israeli people. And the other dimension that we need to be aware of is, of course, the Iranian dimension because Iran supports both Hamas and Hezbollah. And so, the potential for this war to go beyond Hezbollah to include Iran, I think, is quite real.

BRUNHUBER: Yes, just a warring prospect there. Appreciate your analysis, Malcolm Davis. Thanks so much for speaking with us.

DAVIS: Thank you.

BRUNHUBER: Well, the U.S. sends a strong message of support for Israel, which could mean more military hardware after the surprise attack by Hamas, that is ahead.

Plus, a strong reaction around the world, including from Ukrainian President Zelenskyy, after the Hamas incursion.

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[04:20:00]

BRUNHUBER: Israel has continued to carry out strikes in Gaza a day after Hamas militants launched a surprise attack from that area.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BRUNHUBER: Israeli forces say, they've hit more than 400 targets, including 10 towers and a compound belonging to the Hamas intelligence chief. The Palestinian health ministry says, more than 300 people have been killed in the area. For its part, Israel says, at least 350 of its citizens have died in the attack launched by Hamas. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is pledging to eliminate the militants. Saying, his country faces a long and difficult war.

Now, 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 Biden and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Saturday.

Kayla Tausche has more.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

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 officials 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.

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 of days in the Jewish calendar is unconscionable. You know, when I spoke to 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.

[04:25:00]

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 believe 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.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BRUNHUBER: GOP presidential candidates aren't holding back as they react to the Hamas assault on Israel. Florida Governor Ron DeSantis posted, both Israel not only has the right to defend themselves against Hamas, they have the responsibility to defend themselves with overwhelming force. Nikki Haley said, Hamas declared war on Israel on a Jewish holiday. And called the militant group a, "Blood thirsty terrorist organization backed by Iran and determined to kill as many innocent lives as possible.

Mike Pence said, "This is what happens when you have a president like joe Biden who spends the last two and a half years projecting weakness on the world stage." Former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie said, "Biden's appeasement of Israel's enemies has invited this war on Israel." And political newcomer, Vivek Ramaswamy, posted, "America's broken foreign policy establishment knew that they were funding Hamas and went ahead with it any way."

Now, for more reaction to the Hamas attacks, we're joined by Nada Bashir from London. So, Nada, there's been an outpouring of international support for Israel, but of course not from all countries. So, first let's start with the regional reaction.

NADA BASHIR, CNN REPORTER: Well, look, across the region, Kim, in this latest escalation and violence, this attack by Hamas has really raised alarm bells. We've heard from key players in the conflict including Jordan, Egypt and Saudi Arabia all calling for the utmost restraint on both sides of the conflict, and calling for de-escalation of violence and tensions. And of course, we've also heard from the Turkish government, again, reiterating that call for a de-escalation and violence. But the Turkish foreign ministry has also said that it stands ready to support in any mediation efforts in order to bring an end or de-escalation to that violence.

But of course, as you mentioned there, there hasn't been unified support and solidarity for Israel. In fact, we have heard from some regional players who have pointed the finger of responsibility on both Israel and the International Community for failing to uphold the rights of the Palestinian people. Of course, it is important to underscore the context here, many across the occupied territories and in Gaza facing daily hardships and oppression. This -- of course, this has been seen by some as an example of how and why Hamas is taking this action.

We've heard from Saudi foreign ministry, they've said in a statement, 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. And this is a sentiment which has been echoed by the likes of the Arab League, as well as Qatar. We have seen rallies and protests now in solidarity with the Palestinian people being held in Kuwait and Yemen as well. Kim.

BRUNHUBER: All right. So, that is the regional reaction. And Nada, you've been monitoring the wider international reaction. What are you seeing there?

BASHIR: Well, look, we know that a U.N. security council meeting has been called. It is set to be held and focusing on this latest flare-up of violence. We've heard from a spokesperson for the U.N. secretary- general who has condemned the violence, again, calling for de- escalation. That has been echoed across the board in Europe, E.U. leaders, including the European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, and the E.U.'s foreign affairs chief and U.S., all are -- both reiterating, reaffirming the European Union's unequivocal and unwavering support for Israel in solidarity with the Israeli people in the face of this latest attack. And that has certainly been echoed here in the United Kingdom from the British foreign secretary. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JAMES CLEVERLY, BRITISH FOREIGN SECRETARY: The U.K. completely condemns these terrorist acts against Israel, and we support Israel's right to self-defense. And of course, we will be working closely with the Israeli government. We're already in contact with them and we will continue to do so, both to protect British nationals in Israel and to try and bring peace as quickly as possible.

There is travel advise on the FCDA website. People should follow that if they are planning to travel to Israel, and they should follow the advice of the Israeli defense force if they are already in Israel.

(END VIDEO CLIP) BASHIR: And Kim, despite the fact that there has been tension in the past few months, particularly since the beginning of the invasion of Ukraine by Russia, between Ukraine and Israel over the supply of weapon. We have also heard a message of solidarity and condemnation of the violence by Hamas from Ukraine's own President, Volodymyr Zelenskyy. Take a listen.

[04:30:00]

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY, UKRAINIAN PRESIDENT (through translator): 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 the united and principled fashion. No support for terrorists. Wherever they aim their missiles and whomever they attack, terrorists must lose.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BASHIR: And of course, there has been an outpouring of concern and outrage from human rights groups as well. It is important to know we've heard from rights watchdog Amnesty International, calling for restraint on both sides but also calling for both sides to avoid the targeting of civilian lives.

BRUNHUBER: All right. Appreciate all of that, Nada Bashir in London. Thanks so much.

Still ahead, much more on the fighting in Israel and Gaza. Why the Israeli prime minister says, his country faces a long and difficult war. Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BRUNHUBER: Welcome back to all of you watching us here in the United States, Canada, and around the world. I'm Kim Brunhuber. This is "CNN Newsroom."

Israeli Defense Forces are still fighting Hamas militants in southern cities a day after the group launched a surprise attack from Gaza. Israel says, at least 350 of its citizens have been killed since the assault began on Saturday. The country has responded by launching a wave of strikes in Gaza. It says, hundreds of Hamas targets have been hit, including a compound belonging to the group's intelligence chief. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says, Israel is now facing a long and difficult war. Here he is.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

NETANYAHU (through translator): What happened today has never been seen in Israel, and I will make sure that it does not happen again. The entire government is behind this decision.

[04:35:00] The IDF will immediately use all its strength to destroy Hamas's capabilities. And we will take mighty vengeance for this black day that they have forced on the state of Israel and its citizens. All of the places which Hamas is deployed, hiding and operating in, that wicked city, we will turn it into an island of ruins. I am telling Gaza's people to leave those places now because we will take action everywhere.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BRUNHUBER: All right. Let's go to CNN's Becky Anderson who joins us live from Tel Aviv. So, we just heard from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu there. I mean, he is governing over a divided nation. He has been calling for unity. Are you seeing that happen? Take us through the political response so far.

ANDERSON: Yes, he is in coalition with the most right-wing government in Israel's history. And we -- it's been months now that the people of Israel, many people in Israel, have been calling for change. We are certainly able to report some movement on the part of opposition leaders, Yair Lapid and Benny Gantz, in the past 24 hours telling Netanyahu that they will -- and I'll quote them here, "Put it -- put aside differences and suggest they form an emergency narrow professional government together to manage the difficult and complex operation ahead of us," they say.

Reports though do suggest that Yair Lapid has demanded the far-right leaders in that coalition government, Bezalel Smotrich and Itamar Ben- Gvir be removed, I can't stand that up but that's certainly what reports are suggesting. It's not clear how this, sort of, unity emergency government is landing with Benjamin Netanyahu at present.

But certainly, here there is real concern from the people of Israel that there was a huge failure, seemingly, of intelligence and today, Sunday, more than 24 hours after what was a brazen attack by land, sea and air. An incursion into Israeli territory. They feel that their security is not being handled by an Israeli government who are set up with a mandate, of course, to do that. So, where that suggestion from the opposition leaders will land, Kim, at present as I say is as yet unclear. But that may be one move that we see in the hours to come.

BRUNHUBER: Yes, a lot of political uncertainty right now. So, I want to take advantage of your knowledge of the region here, Becky. What do you think the wider implications of all of this might be? The potential for escalation, the possibly roadway to de-escalation, but also what this might mean going forward for normalization of relations between Israel and its neighbors?

ANDERSON: Yes, and all of that is wrapped up together. So, let's take -- let's break it down. I mean, the idea of normalization is about, as the far as the U.S., Israel, and the Saudis are concerned, these are all about de-escalation of violence and conflict in this region.

What we are seeing at present and what sadly we may see in the hours to come is a significant escalation at this point. And this has been months now, months and months. You know, watchers of this space have been demanding action on de-escalation, demanding that this far-right government that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu leads at present, you know, ensures that it makes efforts to de-escalate action on the ground that has quite frankly seen this conflict get worse and worse, particularly over the last couple of years.

So, the idea of de-escalation at present is not something that, frankly, anybody is feeling particularly optimistic about. I've been reporting this morning on activity on the northern border, Hezbollah, and this is a militant organization associated with Iran in Lebanon, which analysts say, has something like100,000 to 150,000 missiles at its disposal. Lobbing strikes, lobbing missiles into the Shebaa Farms area in Northern Israel. That could be a real escalation in things here if a lid is not kept on it. And we're seeing escalation across the West Bank, for example, with reports of clashes.

When we look at the wider story, and you're right to point that out, I think on the Saudi-Israel normalization track which many had said with, sort of, months in the offing (ph). And I personally think that was a pretty optimistic take on where things stood.

[04:40:00]

But certainly, the -- what the Saudis have been saying is they want to see action on the Palestinian file before they officially normalize relations with Israel. My sources have been telling me in Washington that the Biden administration has been pushing very hard with the prime minister here to effectively blow up this coalition, bring in, get rid of the very far-right wing who, let's remember, there are ministers in the far-right wing of this government who have denied the very existence of the Palestinian people.

So, the report suggesting sources telling me that the Biden administration has really been eager to see a change in this coalition government in order to provide some sort of solution for the Palestinians were this Israeli-Saudi normalization plan to come off.

So, you know, that looks -- it looks pretty dire at present, what we know to have a change in this government, you know, the plans for normalization don't look great. I will, though, say there is a school of thought that suggests that with an ambassador to the Palestinian people effectively here from Saudi, this is perhaps the first time in a very long time that the International Community and the Israelis have got a partner, you could argue, to speak to when it comes to the Palestinian file, the Palestinian authority here seeing it's incredibly inefficient, and of course, we know where Hamas stands as an organization. Kim

BRUNHUBER: All right. I really appreciate your analysis, Becky Anderson in Tel Aviv. Thanks so much.

Israel says, its warplanes took aim at the Hamas intelligence chief and military officials released a video to back that up, that is ahead. Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[04:45:00]

BRUNHUBER: All right. I want to get you up to speed with the latest developments in Israel. The IDF says it went after the Hamas intelligence chief, targeting his compound in Gaza. And Israel released this footage of the attack, saying the strikes in Gaza are continuing. Military officials also say, fighting is still under way in eight areas in the south where Hamas fighters are still present. Israel now says its death toll has reached at least 350 people, with more than 1800 injured. Hamas says it has captured dozens of Israelis, including some at a festival near the Gaza border yesterday. One woman described what happened when the militants closed in.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (through translator): Suddenly out of nowhere, shots are coming in. They started shooting in every direction. And I took the car keys and just drove and started moving forward to get out of the shots. And at some point, they overtook us. We were overtaken by the shooters. They started shooting at our vehicles. We got out of the vehicles. I didn't keep driving. We took cover.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BRUNHUBER: The former head of Mossad, Israel's intelligence service, tells CNN there was no warning sign before Saturday's attack. He calls it a total surprise.

CNN's Tom Foreman has more now on how it all unfolded.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TOM FOREMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: This extraordinary series of attacks began at 6:30 in the morning when Israel was asleep with this massive barrage of rockets flowing out of Gaza. Note, this would be the level at which their most rudimentary rockets would hit, about six miles or so. Then you reach out to maybe 25 miles. And their most advanced rockets, the ones that would most seem to rely on probably on some technology beyond them, Iran as many intelligence people would say, would reach up here to Tel Aviv, that is about 45 miles from here.

Whatever the placement of them was though, there were an awful lot of them. We don't have an exact count, but it appears to be in the thousands. That would matter because that would make it easier to overwhelm Israel's missile defense system, the Iron Dome system, and make sure that some got through even if many were stopped.

More importantly, by doing this, all indications are that laid the groundwork for what came next, at 7:40, an hour and 10 minutes later, thar's when armed soldiers, fighters, started coming out of Gaza into Israel. Some by knocking by walls and barriers here, some coming in by air with powered parachutes, some by boats going around here. This was something, again, that indicated it was a very planned attack, and soon you saw people with rocket launchers and rifles running in the streets.

They even went and engaged military bases, where you would think they would expect the most opposition, gives an idea of their degree of planning and confidence as they went in to attack the Israelis. And of course, we've seen those videos of the towns that have been raided near that area where we had reports of people being taken hostage and other people being killed.

All of it speaks to this very notion we've been hearing about from the beginning that this represents a level of planning and execution that is far deeper than what has typically been seen before.

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BRUNHUBER: Meanwhile, heartbreaking stories are emerging from the conflict. A couple who is attending a festival in Southern Israel near the Gaza border was kidnapped by Hamas militants during the unprecedented attack. We want to warn you, the video that you're about to see can be disturbing, but the families of the couple wanted to release it in the hopes that it will help secure their release.

Now, the woman is taken away there on the back of a motorcycle as she pleads for help. Her boyfriend is apprehended by several men. Now, CNN hasn't been able to independently verify the video, but here's what the kidnapped woman's roommate told CNN's Erin Burnett.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

AMIR MOADI, SAYS HIS ROOMMATE WAS ABDUCTED IN GAZA: It's very difficult when you see someone that is so close to you and you know her so much being treated like this, it's very difficult to see it. It's make you, like, shock and ask what did she do to get this -- like, why they should, like, acted like this to her.

When I spoke to his father -- to her father this morning, so -- I tried to tell him not to see it, but I didn't -- like, I didn't manage. He saw it already and it was shocking. When you hear about parents to see their children kidnapped like this, treated like this, it's very, very difficult.

This is the first time in our lifetime in Israel, as young people we experience like this, like, we had a lot of operations, but a surprise attack like this, we never have in this magnitude and this scale, it's, like, crazy for us. I can say that when I heard about all of my friends that are missing from the party, we all got, like, super trying to get a lot of details about them.

[04:50:00]

To ask people put on some groups on Facebook and WhatsApp to get as much as we can about them, and we still don't know about many of them. We're talking about a lot of people, about 500 and more that is still missing and we don't know what is going on with them.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BRUNHUBER: All right. Still ahead, resilience in the face of violence as fighting rages in Israel and Gaza. We'll tell you why some civilians are refusing to leave their homes. Stay with us. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BRUNHUBER: Israel says, it 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 struck more than 400 targets, including a compound belonging to the Hamas intelligence chief. Israel also says its forces are still fighting Hamas militants in several areas to the south of the country.

Now, before we go, we want to renew a message of determination and hope after these deadly attacks. It's also a message of appreciation for support, and it's coming from Former Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett who spoke earlier with CNN's Erin Burnett. Here he is.

[04:55:00]

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

NAFTALI BENNETT, FORMER ISRAELI PRIME MINISTER: It's been a very tough day for the State of Israel for the citizens of Israeli. The numbers of murdered Israelis is huge. Right now, what's been made public is 250, but it's higher than that. And we've got lots of kidnapped citizens and soldiers. We have babies that have been kidnapped into Gaza. We have 88-year-old woman with -- it seems like she has dementia, kidnapped into Gaza. So, it's been one of the hardest days in Israel's history and -- but Israel is strong. And we're striking back and we will win. But I have to admit, it's been a tough day.

What I do want to say though is how much we appreciate America standing behind Israel so clearly. President Biden standing up very clearly and saying that, you're with us. And that means a lot. We're going to do the job. We don't need -- we never asked for American soldiers to do the job for us and defend us. We'll defend ourselves, that's fine. But still, knowing that the good people of the United States of America stand behind the good people of Israel means the world to us. So, for that I want to thank you.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BRUNHUBER: All right. That wraps this hour of "CNN Newsroom." I'm Kim Brunhuber. I'll be back in just a moment with more news. Please do stay with us.

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