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Israel's War with Hamas Escalates: Hostages Held, Airstrikes Intensify; Israeli Defense Minister Orders 'Complete Siege' of Gaza; Hamas Incursion Shocking in Its Scale; Families Impacted by Dozens of Kidnappings in Israel. Aired 12-1a ET

Aired October 10, 2023 - 00:00   ET

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

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JOHN VAUSE, CNN ANCHOR AND CORRESPONDENT: Hello and welcome to our viewers in the United States and around the world. I'm John Vause at the CNN Center in Atlanta with CNN's breaking news coverage of Israel's war with Hamas. And there's been no let-up in Israeli airstrikes which continue to pound Gaza. More than a thousand targets have now been hit, according to the IDF, all of them linked to Hamas, the Gaza-based militant group which carried out a surprise attack over the weekend, the deadliest on Israeli soil in 50 years.

And this is just the beginning of an Israeli response which Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has warned will resonate for generations.

(BEGIN VIDEO TAPE)

VAUSE: As explosions lit up the night sky over Gaza, the Israeli defense minister ordered a complete siege, cutting off electricity and water from Israel, as well as food, fuel and other supplies. Rocket fire from Gaza has continued overnight, mostly targeting southern Israel. Right now, dozens of hostages are being held by Hamas somewhere in Gaza, with a spokesperson for the military wing of Hamas warning a civilian hostage will be publicly executed in response to Israeli airstrikes on Palestinian homes. The death toll on both sides has soared to more than 1,500, including at least 900 killed in Israel, where officials are still finding bodies after the surprise attack by Hamas, which came from the air, land and sea. Here's Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BENJAMIN NETANYAHU, ISRAELI PRIME MINISTER: The savage attacks that Hamas perpetrated against innocent Israelis are mind-boggling. Slaughtering families in their homes, massacring hundreds of young people at an outdoor festival, kidnapping scores of women, children and elderly, even Holocaust survivors. Hamas terrorists bound, burned and executed children. They are savages. Hamas is ISIS. And just as the forces of civilization is united to defeat ISIS, the forces of civilization must support Israel in defeating Hamas.

(END VIDEO CLIP) VAUSE: CNN's Nada Bashir is following developments. She joins us now live from London. So Nada, the death toll among Palestinians is surging, also amid all those Israeli airstrikes. One reason why the Israeli death toll continues to rise is because they're finding more victims after that weekend attack by Hamas. So, what's the latest numbers we have? Where is this all heading?

NADIA BASHIR, CNN REPORTER: You're absolutely right, John. The death toll is continuing to rise and will continue to rise as this war goes on. Of course, we are expecting an intensification, particularly focused on Gaza, as Israel prepares its response. We've heard from the IDF, they have said they do not want Hamas to have any military capabilities after this response from Israel. We've heard from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowing to completely destroy Hamas in Gaza.

And of course, as you mentioned, we are still hearing about the victims of that attack on Saturday on a music festival. And of course, there are still questions around those who are still missing, who are believed to have been taken hostage. Now, according to Israel's ambassador to the United Nations, it is believed that between 100 to 150 Israeli citizens have been taken hostage in Gaza. And for the loved ones and families of those still missing, it is an anxious wait to hear of their fate. Take a look.

(BEGIN VIDEO TAPE)

BASHIR: This was Israel's Nova music festival in the early hours of Saturday morning. But in the distance, rockets seemingly intercepted in the dawn sky. The festival then brought to an abrupt, terrifying end as Hamas gunmen launched a deadly rampage, killing hundreds and taking dozens hostage.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

RICARDA LOUK, MOTHER OF FESTIVAL ATTENDEE: They were just shooting at them and taking them by force. They were waiting. My daughter tried to get to her car and they had militant people standing by the cars and were shooting. So, people couldn't reach their cars even to go away. And that's when they took her.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BASHIR: Twenty-one year-old Adi Mayzel was also among those targeted in the ambush. Her mother hoped she could still be alive, held captive in Gaza. But fears time is quickly running out.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

AHUVA MAYZEL, MOTHER OF FESTIVAL ATTENDEE: I'm a mother who is looking for her daughter. She's missing. I think, I believe she's hurt. She's bleeding somewhere. And like me, there are more hundreds, families that are looking for their beloved. I'm a mother. I want to protect my kid. That's all I want to do. And I'm sure that all mothers in the other side, in Gaza, in everywhere, that they are not me, are thinking the same thing. [14:05:09]

BASHIR: Dashcam footage geolocated by CNN shows Hamas gunmen at the site, shooting and killing people at point-blank range. The site of Saturday's massacre now stands eerily quiet. Child cars line nearby streets. Hamas claims it has captured more than 100 Israeli citizens, though no exact figure yet from the Israel Defense Forces. The result, dozens of families left in anguish, all hoping against hope for a miracle.

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MIRAV LESHEM GONEN, MOTHER OF MISSING WOMEN: She called and said, Mom, they are shooting at us. The car is hit. We are all wounded. I don't know how you feel, but the nightmare of a parent sitting and hearing her child saying, Mom, come and help me, and we cannot do a thing, nothing, only to be with her on the phone and say to her, Romi, I love you. Romi, hide.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BASHIR: But as their anxious wait continues, questions are also beginning to mount as to how an attack of this scale was allowed to take place.

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URI DAVID, FATHER OF MISSING WOMAN: What is happening is unbelievable. Simply unbelievable. I join, we join in the grieving of all the families. We demand answers. Not all the answers will be happy ones.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

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BASHIR: Now, John, of course, we have heard from regional voices. We've heard from international rights groups and human rights organizations who have said that while this attack was deplorable and deeply unprecedented, this did not happen in a vacuum. This has come after decades of what Hamas and other Palestinians view to be occupation of Palestinian territories. This comes after decades of violations of Palestinian rights and decades of what Israeli rights groups and U.N. human rights experts have characterized as policies and practices which amount to apartheid.

But of course, there is deep concern over the civilian population, both Israeli civilians and Palestinian civilians across the board, rights groups, the United Nations and international allies calling for an end to the violence, calling for civilians to be spared.

VAUSE: Nadia Bashir in London. Thank you. Joining us now from Tel Aviv is Lieutenant Colonel Jonathan Conricus, international spokesperson for the Israel Defense Forces. Colonel, thank you for being with us.

LT. COL. JONATHAN CONRICUS, IDC INTERNATIONAL SPOKESPERSON: Thank you for having me. VAUSE: So just some facts just off the top in terms of the immediate

area around Gaza. Have Israeli forces restored security there? Are you confident the area is now 100 percent under Israeli control?

CONRICUS: Yes, the area is under our control, but in war, nothing ever is 100 percent. But we have regained control over all of the communities that were overrun and taken temporarily by terrorists. We have been able to clear and evacuate many of these communities in order to allow the civilians there to be in a safer place in central Israel so that the IDF can enjoy a much larger freedom of action. And we have taken a lot of engineering steps in order to close back the fence and the barrier that was breached in several locations. And we are now patrolling it, guarding it with various means.

VAUSE: What's the latest in terms of rocket fire from Gaza? Is Hamas firing these missiles still indiscriminately into southern and central Israel?

CONRICUS: Yes, indeed, they are. Unsurprisingly, rockets continue to rain down on Israeli communities over the night. The last hours, it has been mostly rockets towards communities in the south. There has not been sorry. There has not been any fire towards central Israel this night. But Israelis in southern Israel are in shelters and, of course, subject to indiscriminate war crime, which is the firing of rockets at them.

VAUSE: Do you have the latest numbers on Israeli airstrikes inside Gaza? Last report we had more than 800 targets were hit, which the IDF said were all sites linked to Hamas. Can you update that number?

CONRICUS: Yes, we're nearing, let's add approximately 1,000 to the figure just that you just said, and over the last 24 hours, the IDF has struck many Hamas targets all across the Gaza Strip. We are focusing our efforts on the military components of Hamas. The aim is to degrade their military capabilities and achieve an end state at the end of this war where Hamas will not be able to threaten or kill or terrorize a single Israeli civilian.

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VAUSE: When it comes to the airstrikes on targets inside Gaza, what determines if a target is in fact linked to Hamas, if it is a military target as opposed to a civilian target?

CONRICUS: All of our targeting is done based on updated, real-time intelligence that has been gathered, assessed, analyzed and vetted over a long period of time. There is a rigorous process of vetting the intelligence and making sure that it is indeed a legitimate military target. The problem, the challenge that Hamas poses is that there is not even one single building in Gaza with a Hamas sign on it. They don't advertise that they use civilian infrastructure.

So, for the unknowing eye, you'll see a building collapse and you might be mistaken in calling it a civilian building, when in fact it is a building used by Hamas for research and development, command and control, any other topic that Hamas needs office space or otherwise space for. And we go through a long process of collecting the intelligence, vetting it before any target is struck.

VAUSE: Very quickly, while we still have you, the situation to the north of Israel, there had been some militant groups, Islamic Jihad and Hezbollah, both backed by Iran, claiming responsibility for earlier attacks there. Has that situation quietened down? What is the expectation? What's the latest from the northern part of Israel?

CONRICUS: Situation is volatile. We are vigilant. We have added tens of thousands of additional troops along the border, reservists as well as regular units in anticipation of a Hezbollah attack. We have strongly urged them to think twice before they embark on any such attack against Israel. So far, the last few hours, the situation has been quiet and let's hope it remains like that.

VAUSE: Lieutenant Colonel Jonathan Conricus, thank you, sir. We appreciate your time. Thank you. The UN Secretary General is condemning the attacks by Hamas, calling on the militant group to end its assault and release all hostages. He stressed only a negotiated peace can bring stability to the region.

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ANTONIO GUTERRES, UN SECRETARY GENERAL: I recognize the legitimate grievances of the Palestinian people, but nothing can justify these acts of terror and the killing, maiming and abduction of civilians. Israel must see its legitimate needs for security materialized and Palestinians must see a clear perspective for the establishment of their own state realized.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VAUSE: Guterres went on to say he was distressed by Israel's announcement of a complete siege of Gaza. He urged all sides to allow the UN access to deliver humanitarian assistance to Palestinian civilians who are trapped in Gaza. Still to come here on CNN, more of our breaking news coverage of the fighting in the Middle East, including Israel's next steps in its offense against Hamas. Also, the US is rushing to provide air defense and munitions to Israel as the country responds to the deadly weekend attack by Hamas. Details in a moment.

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VAUSE: It's just gone 16 minutes past seven in Gaza on a Tuesday morning. Many Palestinians now waking to another day of airstrikes, fear and concern. Overnight, CNN teams in Southern Israel could hear heavy explosions coming from the border with Gaza. Strikes like this one are part of an offensive. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vows will be quote, like never before. Nearly 700 people have already been killed in Gaza, including at least 140 children. That's according to the Palestinian Health Service. Thousands more have been injured. Tens of thousands have been displaced. Joining me now from Jerusalem is Yaakov Katz, Senior Fellow for the Jewish People Policy Institute. Yaakov, glad you're safe. It's good to see you. YAAKOV KATZ, SR. FELLOW, THE JEWISH PEOPLE POLICY INSTITUTES: Thank

you, John.

VAUSE: The Israeli Prime Minister gave an indication of what happens next, at least in terms of the military response in Gaza. Here he is.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

NETANYAHU: We have begun, and I emphasize, we have only begun to strike at Hamas. What we will do to our enemies in the coming days will resonate with them for generations.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VAUSE: Israeli ground forces briefly entered Gaza back in 2014. It would seem there is a much wider, much more extensive ground operation on the horizon. Is it a question of when, not if?

KATZ: I think it's a question of when, John. Israel is facing very bad options, but one of those options is the only viable one, right? On the one hand, Israel could continue to strike at Gaza from the air. That's pretty much what we've gotten used to in recent years where there've been these rounds on average about every 24 months or so. We would hit them, they would hit us back and forth, and it would last a few days only from the air, only rockets, an occasional tunnel that they would try to cross through, but that would be it.

In this case, Israel has to go into Gaza because it has to push back Hamas, right? The line of contact, for people who understand military terms, is currently inside Israeli territory. Israel has to go into Gaza to create a new line of contact inside Gaza because the fence, the barrier is completely breached. So it has to push back Hamas and prevent more infiltrations that can cause more massacres by these barbaric terrorists as we saw on Saturday.

The second reason is that if Israel does not go in, what lesson do our other enemies learn from that? Hezbollah is watching on the fence in Lebanon. Iran is watching in Tehran. Everyone is watching to see what Israel does. It has to show strength today after this terrible attack on Saturday and Sunday.

VAUSE: You mentioned this, over the years, Israel's objective with Hamas in Gaza has mostly been containment. Back in December 2008 to January 2009, 150 Palestinians and 13 Israelis were killed. Almost four years later, another flare up in the violence, 160 Palestinians and six Israelis were killed. Then in 2014, more than 2,000 Palestinians and 71 Israelis were killed. I mean, this list goes on and on, but these operations were described to me at the time as cutting the grass, making sure the grass doesn't get out of control.

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Containment clearly hasn't worked. But the reason why it was a preferred policy is because a ground war in Gaza is seen as unwinnable and precisely what Hamas wants. KATZ: Look, again, these options are really bad. You know, I hear all these slogans, topple Hamas, collapse Hamas. It sounds good, especially when the blood is boiling. And Israel, after what happened on Saturday, a thousand Israelis massacred people in their homes, children, men, women, elderly taken to the Gaza Strip and held hostage today by this ISIS like organization, terrorist group. But on the other hand, what does that mean to topple Hamas?

Israel is going to go into Gaza, take over the entire place. I don't know that that's the option. What we are talking about is a complete degrading of Hamas capabilities. Israel does have to go in. There's only so much you can do from the air, John. You have to go house to house. You have to capture their people. You have to kill their terrorists. You have to destroy their infrastructure. You have to take away these sophisticated Iranian arms. They are supported by Iran. All of this is needed. You can only do so much from the air and it's going to be painful for both sides. But this was a war that was forced and compelled upon Israel.

VAUSE: For Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, regardless of what party you belong to or where your support is, he was always seen as Mr. Security, the guy who could ensure Israel's security. What's happened to that reputation now? Where does he stand politically?

KATZ: I mean, obviously, the country has rallied around the flag, not necessarily the prime minister. Yeah, I don't see, you know, I've been asked about Israel, Israelis rallying behind him. I see Israelis rallying behind the flag, as you said, behind the state and this dire need and state of emergency that we're in. He was Mr. Security. That is definitely no longer the case. Where he is in his state of mind, is he thinking about the political day after? He probably is somewhere. But right now, I'm sure he understands this is a fight for Israel's survival.

VAUSE: Right.

KATZ: Israel is at an existential point right now, not just because of Hamas, because of what we see happening in Lebanon. That border is tense and volatile. There were clashes. There was overnight a lieutenant colonel, a deputy brigade commander was killed in clashes already with some of those Hezbollah infiltrators. My own brother is stationed right now along that border as part of those tens of thousands of soldiers who were deployed there. Reservists called up on Saturday, left his wife and young daughter to go serve and defend the country up there because a war might come there. And that war, John, and you know this, they have 150,000 rockets and missiles that cover the entire state of Israel.

They can strike anywhere with precision and much larger warheads than Hamas. So the devastation we've seen from Gaza that pales in comparison to what we would see from Hezbollah. We have to prevent that war. This is a moment of when Israel needs to show strength to the world and to this region, because otherwise the future of this country is on the line.

VAUSE: Very quickly, right now, there are more than 100 Israelis being held hostage in Gaza. Maybe some of the Americans as well. We don't know. In the past, Israel has paid a huge price in prisoner exchanges. In 2011, more than a thousand mostly Palestinian prisons were released from Israeli jails in return for Gilad Shalit, an IDF soldier who had been held by Hamas for about five years. If Hamas is banking on that same calculation, that exchange rate, if you like, that seems to be a bad bet this time.

KATZ: Look, it's going to be it's going to be rough. What's happening with the hostages is going to be rough because they're going to use this. They're going to manipulate in a cynical way during the conflict. They're going to they're going to take them out and maybe execute them while Israel is attacking. They're going to do this to rip at our soul. It's going to be heart wrenching. Israelis will need to be resilient and strong because this is going to be it's not just going to be tough on the battlefield. It's going to be tough with the rockets. It's going to be tough with what the images we are going to continue to see.

What we saw on Saturday, John, teaches us Hamas today is not what we thought it was. Hamas is a terrorist group of animals who are willing to cut off people's head to take children, to murder children in front of their parents, to murder parents in front of their children. This is what we're facing. And therefore, this is a moment where Israel needs to be strong in a way that we have never imagined we would have to be in 2023.

VAUSE: Stay safe, my friend. Good talking with you. Yakov Katz, in Jerusalem.

KATZ: Thank you.

VAUSE: At least 11 Americans were killed in the surprise mass attack in Israel. U.S. President Biden said Americans could be among the civilian hostages being held in Gaza. These are live images just moments ago there from the Gaza Strip, where it has gone 24 minutes past 7. U.S. officials remain concerned about the number of Americans who remain unaccounted for. National Security Council spokesman John Kirby became visibly upset during an interview with CNN about the brutality of the attacks carried out by Hamas.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOHN KIRBY, NATIONAL SECURITY COUNCIL'S COORDINATOR FOR STRATEGIC COMMUNICATIONS: I -- like -- it -- Sorry, it's very, excuse me, -- very difficult to look at these images, Jake, and that the human cost. And these are human beings. They're family members, they're friends, they're loved ones, cousins, brothers, sisters. Yeah, it's difficult. And I apologize.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

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VAUSE: The U.S. is ramping up military support, as Israel warns this response to Hamas will be like no other. A senior U.S. official says Washington is surging air defenses and munitions to Israel, trying to determine what other weapons and equipment from the United States' inventories can be made available and be made available quickly.

The official also says there's ongoing discussion about Israel's air defense needs, but declined to specify the weapons Israelis have requested. Still to come, Israel's Prime Minister says recent attacks on Hamas strongholds are just the beginning. Details of the devastating impact on civilians in Gaza in a moment.

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VAUSE: We're now on our breaking news coverage of Israel's war with Hamas. In addition to the hundreds of dead on each side, the Israeli ambassador to the United Nations estimates up to 150 hostages are being held in Gaza by Hamas. Some were taken at a musical festival over the weekend. Others are soldiers. Some are children.

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Hamas spokesperson announced on Monday, in a video message, they will not negotiate hostage release while under Israeli fire.

Nine million Palestinians live in Gaza, one of the most densely- populated areas on Earth, now being pummeled by Israeli airstrikes. Add to that, Israel's defense minister has ordered a complete siege of Gaza, cutting off electricity and water supplies from Israel, as well as preventing delivery of humanitarian assistance.

CNN's Ben Wedeman has more on what Palestinians there are enduring. And a warning: some of the images in Ben's report are graphic.

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BEN WEDEMAN, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Moments after an Israeli airstrike on Gaza's Jabalia refugee camp, desperate calls for help. The dead, the dying, and the injured covered in dust and blood.

Israel's wrath is now unleashed upon Gaza.

"The Israelis," say Ahmed Shamala (ph), "hit the building without warning. They didn't ask us to evacuate. They didn't say anything. Suddenly, we heard the airstrike, and we ran to the building and found it had completely collapsed."

Around 75,000 people in Gaza have already been displaced, according to the U.N. Relief and Works Agency, which deals with Palestinian refugees.

In this cramped strip of land along the Mediterranean, two million Palestinians are now in the crosshairs of an enemy bent on revenge for Hamas's surprise attack, which left hundreds of Israeli's dead and thousands wounded, and dozens now in Hamas captivity.

By evening, the death toll in Gaza was approaching 700, with almost 4,000 wounded, according to the Palestinian health ministry.

Monday evening, the spokesman for Hamas issued a grim warning. They'll start executing their civilian hostages, and broadcasting those executions, if Israel targets people in Gaza without warning.

Gaza and Israel have gone to war many times before since Hamas took control. This will not be yet another brief outbreak of attack and counterattack before a return to the status quo.

Israel is massing troops and armor on the outskirts of Gaza, preparing, in all likelihood, for a ground invasion on a scale not seen before.

And now Israel's defense minister, Yoav Gallant, has ordered what he called a complete siege of Gaza, cutting off all food, fuel, and electricity.

That in a place where, according to the World Food Programme, 63 percent of the population was food-insecure before this war began.

So much has happened since Saturday morning in Israel and Gaza, and it's only the beginning.

Ben Wedeman, CNN, Jerusalem.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

VAUSE: Joining me now from Washington, Dr. Eric Bordenkircher, a fellow at the UCLA Center for Middle East Development. Thank you for being with us, sir.

DR. ERIC BORDENKIRCHER, FELLOW, UCLA CENTER FOR MIDDLE EAST DEVELOPMENT: My pleasure.

VAUSE: Clearly, Hamas can't win a war against Israel in the traditional sense, right? so when this is done, Israel will still be there. So what does winning or victory look like to Hamas?

BORDENKIRCHER: I think they're trying to win in the court of public opinion. But obviously, that doesn't go very far when you're talking about the world of nation-states here.

So I think their efforts are futile. And I think, at the end of the day, it shows the kind of demonstration of failure of leadership within the Palestinian community that's been going on for decades, and we're seeing it's most egregious here where, at the end of the day, the civilians pay the price.

VAUSE: There's also this question of timing. You know, why now? Because it was just, what, a few weeks ago when the Israeli prime minister made this prediction at the U.N. General Assembly.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BENJAMIN NETANYAHU, ISRAELI PRIME MINISTER: There is no question. The Abraham Accords heralded the dawn of a new age of peace. But I believe that we are at the cusp of an even more dramatic breakthrough: an historic peace between Israel and Saudi Arabia.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VAUSE: So is that peace deal, if not in the deep freeze, with Saudi Arabia, is it at least on hold? And if so, is that to the benefit of Hamas? Is this one of the reasons why they decided to carry out this surprise attack now?

BORDENKIRCHER: I would think that this is a motivating factor here. But I think it is a -- I think, once again, I think it's a futile action on their part, because the Middle East is moving on.

[00:35:10]

I think the Saudis are interested in Saudi interests here. The Palestinian situation does not resonate particularly amongst the leadership like it once did.

You have people, like, in Lebanon who have become, you know, fed up with the Palestinian situation and want to move on beyond this. And this is, in a lot of ways, holding it back.

And Hamas, I believe, sees this attempt to kind of thwart these attempts at normalization. And think, in the short term, this will slow the process down.

But I think we're seeing inevitably that there is going to be some kind of integration here, particularly kind of at the high end of relationships with governments between Israel and the Saudis.

VAUSE: You know, right now Hamas seems pretty isolated around the world. It seems to have one friend left, and that would be Iran.

And to what extent Iran was directly involved in this attack remains kind of an open question.

In a statement to CNN on Monday, Iran's mission to the United Nations said, "We emphatically stand in unflinching support of Palestine. However, we are not involved in Palestine's response," added, "It is taken solely by Palestine itself."

I mean, kind of carefully worded. So even if Iran was not directly involved in this coordinated attack by air, land, and sea, how much operational capability has Hamas been given by Iran in recent years?

BORDENKIRCHER: I mean, it's probably limited in comparison to what you see in regards to the capabilities of the Iranian-backed militias in Iraq, and Syria, particularly Hezbollah in Lebanon.

But nonetheless, there's arms, there is training. There is, you know, at a very minimal level there is inspiration there, in that they have this kind of one -- one external outside actor that they're willing -- that's willing to support them.

And in the kind of Middle East, having that external actor gives these you could say smaller groups, these non-state actor's life, continual life. Because they feel that they're always going to -- you know, their external actors, external supporters are always going to be there for them.

You see this in Lebanon. You see this in Syria. And you see this in Iraq and Yemen, as well.

VAUSE: And just as we're talking there, Dr. Bordenkircher, we're looking at live images from Gaza City at 7:30 a.m. Tuesday morning. We see some of the devastation there.

Very quickly, how much devastation will Gaza ensure before this is over?

BORDENKIRCHER: How much devastation is what you said?

VAUSE: Yes. Will Gaza be -- endure before this is over?

BORDENKIRCHER: I mean, I think -- you know, kind of what I said at the beginning here.

The Palestinians, particularly the Hamas leadership, is failing our people. They -- you know, the people, the civilians are the ones that are going to suffer at the end of the day.

The -- Hamas, the Iranians have -- they're more interested in a cause than in their people. And at the end of the day, there's an indifference. They're willing to see their people suffer.

You see that with the protests in Iran, and see how they're suppressed.

Hezbollah has put the Lebanese population in danger at times, due to ISIS bombings. And there's a possibility it could put them in danger here now as we've seen some kind of developments along the Northern border with Israel.

So at the end of the day, it's the Palestinian civilians that are going to pay the price. And I think part of the problems with this is that Hamas has sold a bill of goods to these people, a bill of goods that is maximalistic. And you know, maximum outcomes.

And I think we saw this with Arafat. We're seeing it now. Is that, you know, there's an expectation amongst the population that they're going to get a lot back, when you know, probably in a day, they can only expect, you know, so much.

VAUSE: Yes.

BORDENKIRCHER: So it's very kind of -- I mean, indifferent is too light a word here. Here's -- they don't care about the population at the end of the day. Because they're the ones that are going to suffer the most.

VAUSE: Yes. There's -- this is always -- often been the case, especially with the Palestinian leadership and the civilians who suffer.

Dr. Eric Bordenkircher, thanks so much for being with us, sir. We appreciate your time.

BORDENKIRCHER: My pleasure. Thank you.

VAUSE: The Hamas attack on Israel was unprecedented in scale and strategy. Coming up, we'll look at how the attack happened, and where. You're watching CNN.

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[00:43:20]

VAUSE: With Israeli ground forces massing on Gaza's outskirts, and with unrelenting airstrikes, Israel is preparing for a military response like no other.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

(EXPLOSIONS)

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VAUSE: Just in the past few days, more than 1,000 Hamas targets have been hit by Israeli airstrikes, according to the IDF.

On the ground, the results are devastating. Palestinian residents say buildings have been hit without warning, and Hamas has threatened to kill hostages in response to Israeli strikes, without warning, on Palestinian homes.

Israel is now putting Gaza under siege, cutting off food, and fuel, and electricity supplies.

The sheer scale of Hamas's incursion into Israel Saturday morning by land, air and sea, saw militant fighters breach barriers, invade numerous Israeli towns, murdering hundreds of civilians and taking hostages.

CNN's Clare Sebastian shows us how this incursion unfolded.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CLARE SEBASTIAN, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: One of the bloodiest weekends in Israel's recent history began at dawn on Saturday and on this border, separating the 25-mile Gaza Strip from the rest of Israel.

Well, here are some of the locations where Hamas militants broke through, identified by a CNN analysis of close to a dozen Hamas propaganda videos.

They range from up in the North, by the Erez Crossing up there. You can see this video here, released by the armed wing of Hamas on Saturday, showing militants storming that border post.

And then down as far South, as well, as close to Sufa, near the Egyptian border. [00:45:02]

The IDF even reported an attack by sea, militants landing on the beach up here at Zikim.

The worst violence so far, well that was here near Re'im, a kibbutz, or agricultural community. It was an outdoor music festival. You can see some of the aftermath here.

As of Sunday morning, at least 260 bodies have been found, according to Israeli authorities.

That's kind of a broader picture of indiscriminate killing and hostage taking, as militants advanced several miles into Israeli territory. The IDF having to evacuate more than 20 border communities.

Well, this has not just been on land. Rockets have been fired, multiple rockets from Gaza towards the coastal towns of Ashdod and

Ashkelon.

Hamas is also claiming to have fired rockets towards Ben Gurion Airport, which is just outside Tel Aviv. And sirens have even been heard in Jerusalem.

Well, now the focus shifts back to Gaza and that promised mighty vengeance from Israel. The moment in this video -- you'll see it in a minute -- of an Israeli airstrike on Gaza.

Hundreds have been reported dead after Israeli strikes pounded the strip, leveling, in some cases, entire apartment blocks.

Now there's already no way out of this territory for civilians, and Israel has now promised to cut off both food, fuel, and electricity.

But the concern now is also for the broader region and potential spillover. Hezbollah has already claimed that it targeted several Israeli positions up here near the Northern border on Sunday morning, Israel firing back.

Two Israeli tourists were also shot dead Sunday in the Egyptian city of Alexandria.

Now Iran, which supports Hamas and Hezbollah, denies any involvement. And the U.S. says it has no direct information linking Iran to the Hamas attacks.

Now this is also thrown into U.S. diplomatic efforts to bring Saudi Arabia and Israel closer together. The U.S. now turning to more practical measures, it says as a deterrent to prevent further attacks. Deploying an aircraft carrier strike group right there to the Eastern Mediterranean.

Clare Sebastian, CNN, London.

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VAUSE: With that, a short break. You're watching CNN. Back in a moment.

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[00:51:23]

VAUSE: Dozens of Israelis -- men, women, and children -- are missing, believed captured by Hamas. And earlier, CNN's Anderson Cooper spoke with one woman who was taken, and then released by Hamas but not before her neighbor was murdered.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

AVITAL ALAJEM, CAPTURED BY HAMAS: We were hidding (sic) in the closet -- hiding in the closet, and then the terrorist came, and they bombed the door. The bullets -- and they all entered into Haim Katzman's (ph) buddy. So I was saved thanks to him.

And then they pulled me out of the closet. They told me to cover myself, so I just took three skirts and put them on me. One on my legs, one on my shoulders, and one on my head. And then they took me to my living room.

ANDERSON COOPER, CNN ANCHOR: Wait -- Wait, I'm -- so wait. So the person you were with in the closet was shot?

ALAJEM: He was murdered. Yes.

COOPER: And you were shot, as well?

ALAJEM: I wasn't. I wasn't. I was saved, because he was next to the door, and they shot him. And they saved me. I don't know why. They just took me out of there, and I was saved. He absorbed all the bullets into his body. And when I went out, I saw him dead.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VAUSE: Avital says she was taken to the Gaza border and then released by Hamas without explanation.

Right now, Israel seems to be a country in collective shock, especially the relatives of the hostages and those who are missing. They've been sharing some heart-wrenching stories of the last time they spoke with each other and how they learned of their fate.

CNN's Brian Todd has our report. And again, a warning: some of the images in his report are disturbing.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): This is 25-year-old Noa Argamani, screaming, "Don't kill me" as she's taken away on a motorcycle. The camera plans to show her boyfriend, Avinatan Or, being led by a hostage takers. Their fate is not known.

Her father, Yakov, described seeing the video for the first time. YAKOV ARGAMANI, DAUGHTER AND HER BOYFRIEND CAPTURED (through

translator): It was Noa, frightened and threatened. You don't want to believe it, even though you can clearly see it's your daughter.

TODD (voice-over): Yifat Zailer told CNN this video is of her cousin and her cousin's two babies, nine months old and three years old, being kidnapped.

YIFAT ZAILER, COUSIN AND COUSIN'S CHILDREN CAPTURED: You can see her in the video and in the photos, holding her two beautiful babies. We are in a nightmare. The baby needs to be fed.

TODD (voice-over): The families of the hostages wanted these images to be shown.

Yoni Asher is looking for his wife and young daughters, after seeing them in this video, a scarf placed on his wife's head as they're taken away on a cart. He describes the last moment he spoke with his wife.

YONI ASHER, WIFE, DAUGHTERS, MOTHER-IN-LAW CAPTURED: She told me that the terrorists of Hamas entered the house, and later on, the conversation was disconnected.

TODD (voice-over): Ilan Troen, a professor emeritus at Brandeis University in Massachusetts says his daughter Deborah and her husband, Shlomi, were killed shielding their 16-year-old son, Roten, as they were raked with gunfire. He describes hearing his daughter being killed in real time.

ILAN TROEN, DAUGHTER AND SON-IN-LAW KILLED: We were on the phone with Deborah as she was killed. We were on the phone the entire day with our son, our grandson, Roten, as he lay, first under her body, and then found a place to escape under a blanket in a laundry.

[00:55:02]

TODD (voice-over): He says his grandson survived the attack.

Ricarda Louk says she found out her daughter had been abducted, also on social media. The video shows her daughter, Shani, unconscious in the back of a pick-up truck, being paraded around by armed militants.

RICARDA LOUK, DAUGHTER CAPTURED: It looks very bad, but I still have hope. I hope that they don't take bodies for negotiations. I hope that she's still alive somewhere.

TODD (voice-over): Hamas is now threatening to execute civilian hostages and broadcast those executions if Israel targets people in Gaza without warning. Israeli rescue operations could be dangerous.

PETER BERGEN, CNN NATIONAL SECURITY ANALYST: The hostage takers could kill the hostage. There can be an accident in which the rescuers kill a hostage. So that typically, a very dangerous moment for a hostage is a rescue.

TODD: The government of Qatar has been in talks with Hamas about the hostages, according to a senior U.S. official and a person familiar with the discussions who spoke to CNN.

They say the U.S. has been coordinating with the Qataris on this.

Analyst peter Bergen believes the Qataris can be effective as a mediator, pointing out they recently played a key role in the release of several Americans being held in Iran.

Brian Todd, CNN, Washington.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

VAUSE: Thank you for watching. I'm John Vause. More of our breaking news coverage here on CNN NEWSROOM after a very short break.

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