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CNN Coverage of the Ongoing War Between Israel and Hamas; Death Toll Now at 700, Hostages at 100; U.S. to Give Full Support to Israel; U.S. Security Council Members Condemns Hamas Terror Group; Hamas Says It Launched Missile Attack On Southern Israel; US Looking Into Possible Iranian Link To Attack; Hamas Has Launched Thousands Of Rockets Against Israel. Aired 2-3a ET

Aired October 09, 2023 - 02:00   ET

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

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(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ROSEMARY CHURCH, CNN HOST: Hello and welcome to our viewers joining us here in the United States and all around the world. I'm Rosemary Church. We are continuing our coverage of breaking news out of the Middle East where fighting is ongoing between Israel and Hamas two days after the militant group's large-scale surprise attack.

The Israeli military says it has severely degraded the capabilities of Hamas as it keeps up strikes on Gaza. And on the ground, Israeli troops are still battling Hamas militants inside Israel. Overnight, Hamas also claiming to have launched a missile attack on the southern Israeli city of Ashkelon. Militants say 100 rockets were fired in response to Israeli defense forces targeting their safe houses.

Israeli police say the rocket attack made a direct hit on an apartment building. This all comes as Hamas claims to now be holding more than 100 hostages in Gaza, including high-ranking Israeli officers. Inside Israel, the death toll from Hamas's attack has now climbed past 700. At least 260 were killed at a music festival. And we are getting new details and images from that day, and we want to warn our viewers, you may find this next video disturbing.

Dashcam footage from one car shows militants shooting and killing people at point blank range before looting their belongings. The video has no audio, but sheds light on the terror that unfolded Saturday at the festival site near the Israel-Gaza border.

So, we do want to go now to Israel to get a first-hand account of the fight against Hamas. Major Libby Weiss is a spokesperson for the Israel Defense Forces. She joins us now from Tel Aviv. Appreciate you being with us. So, what is the latest you have on overnight airstrikes from both sides and of course fighting on the ground?

MAJOR LUBBY WEISS, IDF SPOKESPERSON: Thank you for having me. The battle that you have described is truly ongoing as we speak. We know that Hamas terrorists are still fighting Israeli soldiers in a handful of civilian communities in Israel along the Gaza border. And of course, this is going to be a long operation and we are now

really in the early stages of beginning to mourn a horrific massacre that we experienced two days ago, what is the biggest massacre of Israelis since the establishment of the country. So, it is a very tense and certainly dynamic time right now and the fighting continues here within Israel as we speak.

CHURCH: And Israel doesn't yet have full control of the border areas, but when might that happen, do you think?

WEISS: Well, of course, it is a top priority for us. We know that, of course, there are civilians who are there. We know of civilians who are currently still being held hostage by Hamas within those communities. So, this is, of course, the main mission of the military right now and our main focus.

CHURCH: Yeah, you mentioned those hostages because Hamas is now claiming that they have more than 100 hostages. We don't know if that is the actual number, but how difficult will it be to bring them all home safely? And is a ground incursion inevitable into Gaza, do you think?

WEISS: Well, of course, bringing them home safely is a top priority. So many of us here in Israel are directly impacted. And when we see the images of the elderly, of children, of entire families who have been kidnapped, we are all devastated. So of course, it is a top, top priority to bring them back alive and at this stage every option is on the table for the military and then we will assess the situation as it develops and determine what comes next.

CHURCH: And talk to us about the capabilities of Hamas because we've never seen this level of sophistication and coordinated attacks, land, air and sea. Just extraordinary. And on top of that, the fact that it was done with the intelligence within Israel not getting any indication that that was playing out.

[02:05:05]

I mean, that is alarming isn't it, not just for it happening two days ago, but what this means for future attacks. So, talk to us about that and how that's being explained to the people of Israel, how intelligence in Israel didn't pick up on this.

WEISS: Well, we've been monitoring Hamas's development in the last decade. And of course, it's something that we have been expressing and echoing in every opportunity, which is that we understand that Hamas, their entire mission, their entire reason for existence is to wipe Israel off the map.

And they are very open about that and their investment over time of millions and millions of dollars into their weapons systems, into their military capabilities is something that we have certainly been drawing attention or trying to draw attention to globally for the world to understand that.

In terms of the surprise of it or the military preparedness, right now our main focus is on the battle as it unfolds right now. Of course, later on there will be plenty of time where we will of course have to address those questions. But when we see Hamas's development and we hear what they have said, we see the amount of money that they have invested in their military capabilities, we understand very clearly that this was their goal.

This was never a small terror organization doing something in a kind of a small grade home -- made at home sort of scenario. We're talking about a very, very advanced military with a purpose for committing terror.

CHURCH: And what about the families of the hostages? Because some of them are saying they're not getting any information from Israeli authorities telling them what may happen or what is happening to their loved ones. What's happening with that communication?

WEISS: Well, the military has now started overseeing all of the communication with those families, both of civilians and of military personnel. And it's a tragic situation, I think, for all of us who are living here first and foremost as people, you know, we are devastated by what we're seeing and the stories that we're hearing and everybody is trying to do the maximum possible to deliver accurate information that we know is vetted and to try to provide resources and information as we receive it and as we know that it's true.

CHURCH: IDF spokesperson Major Libby Weiss, thank you so much for talking with us. Appreciate it.

WEISS: Thank you.

CHURCH: And CNN's Nada Bashir is following developments. She joins us live from London. Good morning to you again, Nada. So, what is the latest and what likely comes next because that is the big question everyone's asking.

NADA BASHIR, CNN REPORTER: I'd say that is certainly the focus, what is the next phase of this response to Saturday's attack by Hamas. We heard from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaking over the weekend, categorizing this initial response as the first phase and what continues to be the priority for the Israel Defense Forces on the ground, is securing those areas on the parameters of the Gaza Strip which were infiltrated by Hamas fighters on Saturday.

We heard just over an hour ago from the IDF's international spokesperson giving an update on the situation on the ground saying some seven to eight areas are still not under control by the IDF. They are still engaging in firefights on the ground with Hamas fighters and we heard from the IDF spokesperson saying that this is taking longer than they had hoped and anticipated. They had hoped to be in a better position this morning but that simply isn't the case.

And what we've seen overnight and as reported by our teams on the ground in southern Israel is continued rocket fire from within Gaza into Israeli territory, many of them intercepted by Israel's Iron Dome defense system, but of course some making landfall, hitting targets including an apartment building in Ashkelon. In response, we have seen strikes in Gaza carried out by the IDF. The

IDF says they are targeting Hamas positions including a Hamas command center there. But of course, there is rising concern for situation on the ground in Gaza. We have to remember of course that this is a tiny enclave, densely populated that has been under a land, air and sea blockade enforced by the Israeli government since 2007.

So of course, there is huge concern for the civilian death toll that could amount as a result of these strikes. And of course, we have to underscore the fact that Hamas fighters have taken Israeli citizens and soldiers' captive and held them hostage in Gaza. So, there is concern that these civilians and soldiers from Israel could be caught in the crossfire. Now in terms of what comes next, it is anticipated that the military response by the IDF will be stepped up.

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We will continue to see strikes in Gaza, but what really many are looking out for is the potential for a ground incursion in Gaza. Now, of course, there has been no confirmation of this by the IDF or the Israeli government, no indication at this current point in time that is imminent, but it is anticipated, given the fact that there are Israeli citizens held hostage on the ground in Gaza, that a significant ground presence by the IDF will be necessary in order to extricate these hostages.

But of course, we have seen in the past threats of a grand incursion. We know that reservists have been called up and it is anticipated that this could well be the next move and it has become a question of when, rather than if this will take place. Now, of course, there is a huge concern for the escalation of this conflict. We know that Israel will inflict a severe response to this attack by Hamas.

They are still very much focused on securing those border regions, but we have heard calls from regional leaders for tensions to be de- escalated immediately for fear that this war could escalate beyond anything anyone has seen before.

CHURCH: And Nada, what has been the international reaction so far?

BASHIR: Well, we have heard across the board expressions of condemnation of Saturday's violence and the continued violence that we are seeing on the ground in Israel by Hamas, but we have also heard expressions of solidarity from world leaders with the Israeli people, not least across Europe. Here in the United Kingdom, we've seen the Israeli flag being flown across cities in Europe, and of course there has been staunch support as expected by the United States.

We've heard from President Biden who has been in close contact with Israeli authorities, including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, pledging further military support for the IDF. He says that support is on the way and that the U.S. will continue to stand by Israel. But of course, in the region, there have been real calls for these tensions, for this violence to be de-escalated.

We've heard from the Turkish government calling for an end to violence, but also saying that Turkey stands ready to support in any efforts to mediate some sort of peace deal, to mediate a de-escalation of those tensions. We know of course that Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, all key players in this conflict and they have been for decades now, all calling for an end to the violence, condemning the attacks that we've seen by Hamas and calling for tensions to be de-escalated.

But we heard from the Saudi Foreign Ministry over the weekend highlighting that they, in their view, hold the international community and Israel partly responsible for their failure to uphold the rights and freedoms of the Palestinian people, which they see as a potential cause for this attack by Hamas.

CHURCH: Nada Bashir, joining us live from London. Many thanks for that report. Appreciate it.

Well, as we've been reporting, Hamas says it is holding more than 100 hostages in Gaza, including high-ranking Israeli officers. Families of those captives say they're desperate and are pleading for their safe return. CNN's Becky Anderson spoke with some of them.

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BECKY ANDERSON, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The unspeakable anguish of a father describing the moment he saw a video posted on social media of his daughter pleading for her life. It was Nora, frightened and threatened he says. I'm so sorry.

UNKNOWN: It's okay.

ANDERSON: I'm so, so sorry.

UNKNOWN: It's okay.

ANDERSON: I'm so sorry. You don't want to believe it even though you can clearly see it's your daughter. He now wants this video to be seen widely. Twenty-five-year-old Nora Argamani seen here on the back of a motorcycle being driven away. Her boyfriend, Avianatan Orr (ph) is seen here with two men holding his hands behind his back. A dark plume of smoke can be seen in the background.

They'd been among the more than 1,000 people partying at an all-night music festival in southern Israel, near the Gaza border, when it was raided by armed Hamas militants early on Saturday morning. Her father says Nora and Avianatan (ph) were kidnapped. Their whereabouts unknown, but are assumed to be held in Gaza.

I'm so sad at this moment. She's my only daughter. And Yakov's (ph) pain mirrored by so many others. Parents, family members, wives, husbands, filled with horror and despair, thinking about the fate of their loved ones. In this video that's been circulating widely online, a woman is seen in the back of a truck as a militant puts a scarf over her head. CNN has not been able to independently verify it.

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But Yoni Asher, a resident of the Sharon region, told CNN his wife and two daughters aged five and three were visiting their grandmother near the Gaza border. He lost contact with them on Saturday morning and suspected they may have been abducted. Later that day, his suspicions confirmed when he saw the video. The woman was his wife. He told CNN he wants the video to be shown in the hopes of getting them home safely.

YONI ASJER, FAMILY WAS ABDUTED BY HAMAS: There was no doubt in my mind, I recognize them surely, my wife, my two daughters, my two little daughters that were on this cart. So, I know for sure that they were taken.

ANDERSON (voice-over): The Israel Defense Forces told CNN it's taking pains to establish the exact number of hostages taken, emphasizing the complicated nature of the situation. So far, they estimate there are dozens, possibly more, in captivity. Yakov has a message to whoever is holding his daughter. You have casualties just like we do. This is an opportunity to connect between the two nations, to reach an honest peace.

For now, Yaakov sits at home and waits for news, taking comfort from his family and Nora's friends. She's a very special kid, so loving, so giving. I miss her so much. It's only been two and a half days. I cannot believe she is gone, he says. She made this house so alive. I felt like this house is empty without her. Becky Anderson, CNN, Tel Aviv.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CHURCH: Just horrifying. And still to come, our breaking news coverage continues on the deadly fighting between Israel and Hamas. I'll speak with a political scientist about the conflict.

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CHURCH: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has vowed, quote, "mighty vengeance" on Hamas as troops continue to fight on the ground more than two days after a highly coordinated surprise assault. Netanyahu has warned Israel is now preparing for a long and difficult war as the death toll rises into the hundreds on both sides. And this video obtained by Reuters appears to show IDF soldiers patrolling a city. on the Israel-Gaza border.

A spokesperson for the Israeli Defense Forces told CNN they are not in full control of all border areas yet. He says the military is working to secure the border while hunting down any remaining Hamas operatives inside Israel. But a source told CNN that members of Congress were told Sunday evening that four American deaths have been confirmed in Israel and the toll is expected to rise.

Earlier, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken told CNN that Washington is working overtime to verify reports of missing and dead Americans. That follows comments from the Israeli Minister of Strategic Affairs who told CNN that Americans are among the scores of hostages being held in Gaza. U.S. President Joe Biden has pledged his full support to Israel in the

wake of the attacks. He told Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during a call Sunday that additional assistance from the U.S. is on its way. Sources tell CNN that Israel is requesting precision guided bombs, more Iron Dome interceptors and other items from the U.S. And President Biden has promised to ramp up support for Israel in the coming days.

U.S. officials say the purpose of these military deployments is to deter any expansion of the fighting beyond Israel's borders. CNN's Oren Lieberman has more now from Washington.

OREN LIEBERMAN, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: The U.S. is sending a carrier strike group, the USS Gerald Ford carrier strike group, to the eastern Mediterranean Sea as it watches the beginnings of a war unfold and Israel promising to carry out a widespread, prolonged campaign in Gaza.

The purpose of this carrier strike group, which includes the carrier itself as well as a guided missile cruiser and several guided missile destroyers, is not to get involved in this fighting or take part in any way in Israel's campaign against Gaza. Instead, it is a message to others in the region outside of Israel.

President Joe Biden said on Saturday, warning other actors in the region without specifically naming whom, but telling them not to get involved or trying to exploit this opportunity without naming them. That was clearly a message to Iranian-backed Hezbollah in Lebanon and Iranian-backed militias in Syria, a message of deterrence to them.

Not only that carrier strike group heading from the Western Med to the Eastern Med, but also several more fighter jets heading to the region as a message of deterrence to Iran. Those fighters won't go to Israel, but the other areas where U.S. fighters are based, again, as a warning to Iran not to try to carry out any more aggression or take advantage of the situation.

Israel, we've also learned from a U.S. official and an Israeli official, has requested certain arms from the United States. In particular, precision guided munitions as well as Iron Dome interceptors and those are the two munitions the U.S. -- Israel has used at this point. Israel has carried out airstrikes in Gaza using precision guided munitions so, it makes sense that they're requesting more of that.

And then Israel's Iron Dome has been incredibly busy intercepting barrages of rocket attacks from Gaza pretty much since the moments this began with an opening salvo of rocket fire. So, Iron Dome has played a critical role there and Israel looking more -- for more of the Iron Dome interceptor missiles.

Israel, of course, has its own stocks in it and it uses those, but there's also an understanding that Israel can tap into U.S. stocks, some of which are in Israel in the event of an emergency. And certainly, this qualifies as one.

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Meanwhile, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and his Israeli counterpart, Defense Minister Yoav Galant spoke for a second consecutive day on Sunday. It seems they'll be keeping up a pretty steady cadence of communications just to make sure that the U.S. is giving Israel what it has, what it wants, and what it needs. President Joe Biden and many in the Biden administration promising full support for Israel. Oren Lieberman, CNN in Washington.

CHURCH: In New York, competing rallies by supporters of Israelis and Palestinians. The pro-Palestine rally got underway Sunday afternoon near Times Square. Organizers described it as a way to stand with the people of Palestine and their right to quote, "resist apartheid, occupation and oppression." New York's governor condemned the event calling it abhorrent and morally repugnant.

While New York's mayor said people have the right to protest even though he strongly disagreed with it claiming it celebrated a horrific incident. Nearby, counter protesters showed their support for Israel and the hundreds killed during Hamas' attack on the country.

Well, the U.N. Security Council took no action Sunday following an emergency meeting over the fierce fighting between Israel and Hamas. Israel's ambassador to the U.N. called Saturday's assault ruthless terror attacks, likening them to Israel's 9/11. CNN's Richard Roth has more now from the United Nations.

RICHARD ROTH, CNN SENIOR U.N. CORRESPONDENT: The U.N. Security Council failed to agree on a statement following Hamas attacks against Israel, which have killed hundreds of people. However, the U.S. deputy ambassador Robert Wood told reporters the U.S. was not really expecting that and was pleased that several members of the council did speak out about Hamas' attacks.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ROBERT WOOD, DEPUTY U.S. AMBASSADOR TO THE UNITED NATIONS: When you say protecting civilians, we are very much concerned about the impact of this invasion by Hamas, not just on civilians right in that immediate area, but in the region. This conflict could grow, and we don't want to see that happen. And obviously our thoughts are with all civilians that are hurt. But what we need to focus on is this ongoing terrorist violence being committed by Hamas.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROTH: Earlier in the day, the Israeli ambassador said Hamas was guilty of war crimes while the Palestinian envoy to the United Nations said that only now does the world and history care when Israelis are killed. The United Arab Emirates, the sole Arab country currently on the Security Council thought some progress had been made, but the ambassador thought there'd be many more meetings ahead.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LANA NUSSEIBEH, UAE AMBASSADOR TO THE UNITED NATIONS: I think the situation is stark and the council members are highly concerned, but we understand that right now we're in a very dynamic situation and a complex situation and in a state of flux. And that all council members have to use both their international but also their bilateral channels to try and call for calm and de-escalation.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROTH: The Security Council received a remote briefing from the U.N. Special Envoy for the Middle East. Every month the Security Council holds a session on the Palestinian question. Things may be changing now on the agenda. Richard Roth, CNN, United Nations.

CHURCH: Still to come, the U.S. is planning to accelerate support for Israel as the country grapples with the unprecedented deadly attack by Hamas militants. We'll have details after the break.

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[02:31:50]

ROSEMARY CHURCH, CNN NEWSROOM ANCHOR: An Israeli military official says Israeli troops are still fighting against Hamas on the ground inside Israel. This coming two days after the militant group launched a large-scale surprise attack that has killed hundreds. The Israeli military is also keeping up its strikes on Gaza saying it has severely degraded the capabilities of Hamas.

Overnight Hamas also claimed to have launched a missile attack on the southern Israeli city of Ashkelon. Militants say one hundred rockets were fired at Israeli defense forces, targeting their safe houses. Well joining me now is Reuben Hazan, a professor of political science at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. Appreciate you being with us at this difficult time.

REUVEN HAZAN, POLITICAL SCIENCE PROFESSOR: Hello, Rosemary.

CHURCH: So, in the midst of this surprise attack by Hamas, a lot of comparisons are being made to the 1973 Yom Kippur War, when Israel was taken by surprise by attacks from Egypt and Syria, how much did that 50 year anniversary likely play into this very sophisticated and coordinated attack by Hamas do you think?

HAZAN: Oh, I don't think that this had anything to do with it. Let's remember, we commemorate Yom Kippur according to the Jewish calendar which was well over two weeks ago. So while it might fall closer on the regular calendar, for us this has already passed. I think that what Hamas is doing is much more related to what has happened in Israel over the last year and not to what happened 50 years ago.

You have to remember that ever since the elections which were in November of '22, a new government was formed in December and in January they announced that they were going to begin to dismantle Israel's judicial branch.

And ever since then Israelis have been protesting in the streets, the country has ripped itself apart, some of the reserve troops have not shown up, and this was a weakness, an internal weakness that was perceived by Hamas and you can leave it up to our neighbors to take advantage of the fact that we are internally divided over what our government can legitimately do or not do just because they have a slim majority in parliament and Hamas used that internal division much more than the 50th anniversary of the Yom Kippur War.

CHURCH: And do you think that that distraction, that disunity in the country, perhaps played into the fact that Israel, which is known for its intelligence, didn't pick up at all on any of these sophisticated attacks from land, air and sea? How is that possible, do you think? Is it just that distraction, and what does it say about the future? I mean it must be incredibly alarming if attacks like this on this sophisticated scale could be carried out again without intelligence picking up on it.

[02:35:00]

HAZAN: Well, that's a major question and we will have to look into this. But this is not the time. We are still under attack. There are still terrorists that are hunting down civilians inside Israel proper. We have to clear Israel out first and then we have to go from the defensive to the offensive. And when this conflict ends, and it's not going to be a short one, we will have to ask ourselves what happened.

And here, this is where I would agree with your earlier question, we will see parallels to the 50-year-old anniversary of the Yom Kippur War where we were caught completely by surprise, we had to retreat on multiple fronts. The difference between then and now is that we retreated largely in uninhabited areas, and now we are fighting inside of villages and Kibbutzim and Israeli cities even where Hamas has managed to infiltrate a thousand or so terrorists, who have killed almost a thousand Israelis, and these are just the unofficial numbers that we have.

The numbers are likely to go much higher. So yes, this is going to have to be addressed. Israel's intelligence and military failure, let's use that word, failure, up until now is going to have to be addressed. But right now, we're circling the wagons and we're trying to clear Israel of terrorists and then we will take the battle to them.

CHURCH: And once that is done, or even just before that's done, the US of course and other nations will be eager to find some resolution to this war to try to prevent any escalation and expansion into the rest of the region, including of course the risk of Hezbollah and Lebanon being drawn into this. How and when could a cease-fire effort or something like that get underway do you think?

HAZAN: Well here we're at a quandary because this type of attack which we have never seen has put the Israeli population back together in one cohesive unit and what they're demanding is that their government strike back, that the relationship we've had with Hamas since Israel withdrew unilaterally from Gaza in 2006 and then Hamas took over within a year, the relationship we've had with them is that if they show us calm we will show them calm. And what we've learned is that while we show them calm, what they're

doing is that they are arming and preparing to attack our civilian population and butcher women and children. The fact that Hamas now holds, and again these are unofficial numbers, over a hundred Israeli hostages ranging from an 85-year-old woman to a two-year-old child shows that the government is incapable of doing what it really needs, which is to go after them.

But this is going to be a long conflict and until we realize that these people's lives can be saved or not we might be forced into some sort of negotiation, rather than an all out confrontation with Hamas. And as you correctly stated, the most important thing right now is that the conflict not spill over onto other fronts. Hezbollah in the north is the most dangerous one.

And I think this is why the United States is sending a carrier force, including some vessels that are capable of intercepting long range missiles because they want to send a message not to Hezbollah but to Iran that if they force Hezbollah to join this conflict, then this is a conflict that Iran itself will be held to blame and that they might be facing a Middle East that is now quite different where certain Arab nations are not condemning Israel and the United States that over the last year might have seemed to be at odds with Israel, but when it comes to butchering innocent civilians, the United States and Israel stand side by side.

CHURCH: Reuven Hazan, we thank you for your analysis and perspective. Appreciate it. Well US officials tell CNN they have not linked Iran to the attacks on Israel this weekend but they're still trying to determine if it played any role. CNN's MJ Lee has more now from the White House.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MJ LEE, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: US officials tell CNN that at this moment in time there is still no smoking gun that makes a directs connection between Iran and Hamas' attack in Israel over the weekend, though officials of course point out that there is a history of Iran funding and aiding Hamas.

As one US official put to it CNN, they said of course Iran is in the picture and they have been supporting Hamas and Hezbollah for a number of years and it does appear that US officials are also more openly pointing to the possibility and the likelihood that it will soon be found that Iran had played a direct role in helping to plan and execute this deadly attack.

[02:40:16]

Now, we are aware also of an administration briefing that was held with lawmakers to share information about what the administration knows so far, and one of the things that was shared tonight with lawmakers is that four Americans at least have been confirmed dead in Israel. Officials also warning that that number could rise in the coming days. This of course all unfolding as the US is continuing to determine what

additional assistance could be offered to Israel in the coming days. There have been military assets that have quickly mobilized into the region and one key point of discuss in the coming days is going to be whether there could be additional assistance that is offered to Israel, but of course one complicating factor right now is that Congress is in a state of paralysis with not a permanent House Speaker in the role, so it's unclear right now.

And administration officials say they are very much in a unique situation because they don't know exactly what a non-permanent House Speaker, what actions they might be able to take, even if there was consensus around a new assistance package for Israel. MJ Lee, CNN, the White House.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CHURCH: The families of Israeli hostages are desperate for information about their loved ones. Earlier I spoke with Ruby Chen, he is the father of Itay Chen, a jewel citizen of the US and Israel who's serving in the Israel Defense Forces. He was near the Gaza border Saturday when Hamas militants attacked, and is now missing in action. And I asked Ruby what Israeli officials were telling him.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

RUBY CHEN, FATHER OF ITAY CHEN, MISSING IDF SOLDIER: What we have been updated is from the IDF, Israeli Defense Forces, the commander there is in charge of notifying the different first relatives of those that are missing in action, so that is the exact definition, and what does that mean? It means that since Saturday morning, no one has been able to identify him. No one has seen him in the hospitals and he's also not one of the deceased. Meaning he and his team have basically vanished, meaning missing in action.

CHURCH: And what would you like to share with us about your son, Itay?

CHEN: Yeah, so he is a wonderful kid. As I said, he's born and raised on US culture. Very big basketball fan. He grew up adoring Kobe Bryant, which was a bit difficult for me as I'm a New York Knicks fan, but you know, that's how kids are.

They always are rebellious. His younger brother, Alon, actually is supposed to celebrate his Bar Mitzvah, which is the Jewish ceremony from becoming a -- turning from kid into a man, and this is supposed to happen this Saturday. We're all praying and hoping that we will be able to celebrate this together with our family and with Itay.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: Ruby Chen talking to me earlier, and we'll be right back with much more of our breaking news coverage. Do stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[02:46:52] CHURCH: Welcome back everyone. Well among the Israelis Hamas has kidnapped are young people who were celebrating a Jewish holiday at a music festival near the Gaza border, but the Hamas gunmen who stormed the site didn't just take hostages, they also murdered hundreds of festival goers. And we caution you, the images of the aftermath we're about to show you are graphic as CNN's Clarissa Ward saw when she visited the site.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CLARISSA WARD, CNN CHIEF INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): What happened just off this quiet border road was a massacre. The bodies of the perpetrators still remain while the fate of many victims is unknown. Organizers of the Supernova Music Festival say that thousands of young revelers had gathered to celebrate the end of the holidays. Just after six AM, Hamas militants launched a bloody attack.

WARD: So we're just now on the approach to the Kibbutz where that dance party was taking place, you can see there's vehicles all around here that have been shot up. We see the bodies of at least one or two Hamas fighters. I think there are more down this way.

WARD (voice-over): Many of the victims spent hours in hiding, waiting to be rescued and calling their loved ones.

WARD: Many of them are still missing. Many of them are dead. It's been very difficult to try to get a precise number.

WARD (voice-over): Now a volunteer group that handles human remains says that at least 260 bodies have been found at the festival site. The government here took a bold step releasing an image of scores of body bags in a tent where investigators were tasked with identifying them.

WARD: So you can see over here the body of at least one other person. I don't think you want to get too close to it, it's pretty graphic.

WARD (voice-over): Active fighting continued along this stretch of the border throughout the day, as Israeli military forces poured in.

WARD: So we're seeing a bunch of tanks being brought down this way, we've also been hearing a steady stream of booms, apparently rockets, landing in the distance in that direction. And certainly a feeling that people are on high alert. We tried to push further down that way, we were told in no uncertain terms we needed to turn around.

WARD (voice-over): Clarissa Ward, CNN, Raheem, Israel.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[02:53:10]

CHURCH: Iran's president has congratulated Palestinians after Hamas' large scale surprise attack on Israel over the weekend. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

EBRAHIM RAISI, IRANIAN PRESIDENT (through translator): It is a manifestation of resistance in standing up against the fake Zionist regime. Palestinian people, Palestinian soldiers, all Palestinian groups, and the Islamic Ummah really should be congratulated for this victory.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: The Biden administration says it's yet to find evidence directly linking Iran's involvement in the attack on Israel, but many in the US say Iran's history of aiding Hamas would mean it's likely the country that helped train and finance attack efforts. Israel's ambassador to the US says about four thousand rockets have been fired at Israel. CNN's Tom Foreman has more on this.

TOM FOREMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: As Hamas has been showering rockets down on Israel from here all the way up to Tel-Aviv in this region, military experts have been looking closely and asking a key question, how many rockets do they actually have? The truth is nobody seems to know, except maybe Hamas itself. Many estimates have been between six and 10 thousand, although there are plenty of experts who say that that number may be way too low, that it's just a guess.

Where did they get them from? 10 years ago there was still a lot of smuggling in through Egypt and Sudan of major supplies that they needed for building, and now most intelligence agents think it's mainly homegrown in the sense that it's actually being built in this roughly six mile by 25 mile area. That they're actually building them here in clandestine rocket and missile factories.

Now that doesn't actually mean that they're doing it alone, because by all accounts these are getting to be more powerful, longer range, and more accurate, and a lot of that, many intelligence people think is being fuelled by information from the Syrians and from the Iranians and maybe even still supplies coming in that way from time to time.

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So, as we look at these rockets moving out here, the second question that is asked is which ones are they relying on the most? What do they have the most of? That moves into a different question. This area down here, what would be considered short-range for them, not short-range in a global sense, but in terms of what they have, these short-range rockets that maybe go from six to eight to 10 or 12 miles, something like that.

These are mainly sort of point and shoot, they're not terribly accurate. They're easily built, very cheaply. They have presumably the most of this according to most intelligence people. Thousands of these. More like maybe 1600 to two thousand of these depending on whose estimate you look at, these are what they would consider mid- range, so you're getting up to 25 miles or so.

And then when you get up here to the top range, the most accurate ones, the ones that could reach all the way up to say Tel-Aviv with any degree of accuracy. They may only have tens of these or maybe a hundred, still a lot of damage packed in that. But most of them are down here. And when you think about the areas where the fighting is happening on the ground, that would speak to those thousands at the lowest level because everything down here is within the range of those very cheap, easy to build, small, kind of wild rockets out there.

That would, in a sense, prepare the battlefield for these militants, although we point out this is not a battlefield, this is in many cases neighborhoods where just civilians are living, and that's who's being attacked and taken away all under the cover of the rocket fire coming out from Hamas which has been, from the beginning, one of their chief tools for attacking Israel.

CHURCH: And thanks so much for your company, I'm Rosemary Church. Max Foster will be back with more of our coverage after a short break. Do stay with us.

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