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Israel Airstrikes Pound Gaza After Deadly Hamas Attacks; Hamas Threatens To Kill Hostages As Israel Pummels Gaza; Israeli P.M. Calls Militants Savages, Says "Hamas Is ISIS." IDF: Israel Pounds Gaza With More Than 200 Airstrikes; Families Wait For News Of Missing Loved Ones; Israeli Jewelry Designer Among Missing After Hamas Attack. Aired 2-3a ET
Aired October 10, 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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[02:00:23]
ANNOUNCER: This is CNN Breaking News.
ROSEMARY CHURCH, CNN INTERNATIONAL ANCHOR: Hello, and welcome to our viewers joining us here in the United States and all around the world as we continue our breaking news coverage of Israel at war. I'm Rosemary Church. Israel is warning its punishing strikes against Hamas and its strongholds in Gaza are just the beginning as it ratchets up its response to the militant group's unprecedented surprise attack over the weekend.
Israeli airstrikes have been pummeling parts of Gaza aimed at degrading its military capabilities. And now the Israeli Defense Minister has ordered the complete siege of Gaza, halting the supply of food, fuel and electricity. Rockets are also being launched from Gaza as Hamas threatens to begin killing civilian hostages and broadcasting it if Israel targets people in Gaza without warning.
The death toll on both sides continues to climb including at least 900 people killed in Israel, following the assault by Hamas. And nearly 700 killed in Gaza after Israeli airstrikes there. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is promising his country will go after the militant group like never before, saying their horrendous acts have not been seen since the time of ISIS.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BENJAMIN NETANYAHU, PRIME MINISTER OF ISRAEL: 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 civilizations united to defeat ISIS, the forces of civilization must support Israel in defeating Hamas.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHURCH: The head of the United Nations is calling on Hamas release its hostages and cease all attacks so the U.N. can deliver humanitarian aid to Gaza. The Israeli ambassador to the U.N. estimates up to 150 hostages have been captured by Hamas fighters. Some of them were taken at a music festival over the weekend.
Others are soldiers and some are children. A Hamas spokesperson announced on Monday in a video message they will not negotiate hostage release while coming under Israeli fire.
And CNN's Nada Bashir is following developments for us. She joins us now live from London. Good morning to you, Nada. So, Israel plans a complete siege of the Gaza Strip as it continues to bombard the Palestinian territory. What will be the likely consequences of this and what could it mean for the hostages being held in Gaza right now?
NADA BASHIR, CNN INTERNATIONAL REPORTER: Well, look, whereas me that announcement by the Israeli Defense Minister has certainly raised alarm bells. And it is important to look at the context here. When we talk about the Gaza Strip, we are talking about a very small, densely populated area that has been under a land, sea and air blockade enforced by Israel since 2007. More than two million Palestinians live in this area.
And of course, many of them are refugees. And there is concern around the impact of this decision will have as well, of course as the impact of Israeli airstrikes on civilian life. We have heard those repeated warnings from humanitarian groups, including, as you mentioned there, the U.N. Secretary General Antonio Guterres who spoke yesterday and while he deplored the attacks carried out on Saturday by Hamas against Israel.
He also warned of the civilian toll on the humanitarian impact of this latest decision taken by the Israeli government. Take a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ANTONIO GUTERRES, U.N. SECRETARY GENERAL: I am deeply distressed by today's announcement that Israel will initiate a complete seize of the Gaza Strip. Nursing allowed in, no electricity, food or fuel. Humanitarian situation in Gaza was extremely dire before the hostilities. Now it will only deteriorate exponentially.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BASHIR: And we heard from the Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaking yesterday he said that the IDF will go on the offense against Hamas in Gaza like never seen before. We have seen those continued airstrikes carried out by the IDF on targets in Gaza. The IDF claims they are targeting Hamas positions. Hamas targets they say they've already carried out hundreds of strokes.
[02:05:03]
But given the situation in Gaza, given the fact that this is an area that is still under blockade and is densely populated by a majority civilian population of Palestinians. There is concern of course for the humanitarian toll. We've heard the warning from the IDF telling Palestinians in Gaza to leave their homes to flee these areas and evacuate. But this has really raised questions as to where these Palestinians can go.
The U.N.'s Palestine refugee agency says more than 137,000 Palestinians in Gaza have so far been displaced, many of them taking shelter in U.N. schools. But many of these schools according to the U.N. are already at capacity. And there is of course, also deep concern for the Israeli citizens who have been taken hostage and held in Gaza. Not only concern that they will be caught up in the crossfire, but also concern around their fate at the hands of the Hams captors.
We have of course heard their stock warnings from Hamas that unless these airstrikes carried out by the IDF against civilians in Gaza stop, they will begin to execute Israeli hostages, they will not engage in any negotiations on the hostage situation while Gaza is still under fire. But of course, the real questions now that we are looking at is what happens next? What is the next phase of this situation on the ground?
And what -- we do see these airstrikes continuing the results of questions around the potential for an idea of ground incursion of it hasn't been confirmed by the Israeli government but what we have begun to see on the ground is a buildup of tanks and artillery units around the Gaza Strip as well as hundreds of thousands of reservists being called up. So, of course, there is real concern that this could escalate into a full-scale ground incursion.
CHURCH: That is the big worry. Nada Bashir joining us live from London. Many thanks. And as we've been discussing, Israel's defense minister has given the order for a complete siege of Gaza cutting off all utilities and aid to the region.
CNN's Ben Wedeman has more on what Palestinians they are enduring, but we must warn you some of the images you're about to see are graphic.
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BEN WEDEMAN, CNN SENIOR INTENATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voiceover): Moments after an Israeli airstrike on Gaza is 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, Achmed 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' surprise attack which left hundreds of Israelis dead and thousands wounded and dozens now in Hamas captivity. By evening, the death toll in Gaza was approaching 700 with almost 4000 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. 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 counter attack before we 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 Program, 63 percent of the population was food insecure before this war began. So much has happened since Saturday morning in Israel in Gaza and it's only the beginning.
Ben Wedeman, CNN, Jerusalem.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
CHURCH: We want to get the very latest information now from the Israel Defense Forces. And joining me now from Tel Aviv is IDF spokesman, major Libby Weiss.
[02:10:05]
LIBBY WEISS, IDF SPOKESMAN: Thank you for having me.
CHURCH: So, it has been three days since the terror attacks began. What is the latest on the airstrikes and of course, returning rocket fire? And are there any remaining breaches along the border?
WEISS: Well, as you mentioned, we are now in the third day of this national tragedy following the Hamas massacre on Saturday morning. The situation is a -- very dynamic one that is changing constantly. We right now are at more than 900 Israeli casualties from the attack on Saturday. Thousands of injured and of course, the dozens of hostages who are kidnapped into the Gaza Strip.
The situation along the border with Gaza in those civilian communities appears to be more controlled than in previous days. But, of course, the IDF is working constantly to make sure that there are no Hamas terrorists still operating within Israeli territory.
CHURCH: And of course, Israel faces a hostage crisis right now, doesn't it? With the public calling on the government to get those hostages safely returned home but how can that happen if Israel is ordering a complete siege of Gaza, while Hamas threatens to kill the hostages? If Israel continues to bombard the Palestinian territory without warning, how can you reconcile that?
WEISS: Well, first and foremost, everyone in this country, military, non-military, we are all devastated by this hostage situation. Our thoughts are with the families and with the innocent civilians who were kidnapped and who knows what is happening to them right now in Gaza. We are thinking about them constantly. The situation is a very, very complex one. But the IDF strikes are on Hamas military targets.
That is the purpose of those strikes. The situation is complex one much because of what Hamas has done in the Gaza strip over the last decade, and what they continue to do. But the situation is a -- certainly a very, very challenging one. And our focus and thoughts are always with those hostages with those civilians, children, women, the elderly. People who have nothing to do with this kind of conflict and in our thoughts are with them constantly.
CHURCH: The idea of submission is to ensure Hamas has no military capabilities at the end of this war. So again, what does that potentially mean for hostages?
WEISS: Again, these are issues that we are all dealing with right now and of course having to balance in our -- in our approach. But I think it makes a lot of sense and seems reasonable, in fact, that by the end of this, Hamas will have no military capability. This is not a reality in which we can live with. I would not be able to imagine that anywhere in the world would be able to live with this kind of reality.
Hamas is a terror organization that committed a massacre of historic proportions against Israeli civilians. And of course, as the military our responsibility is to make sure that this never happens again.
CHURCH: We are learning that an IDF officer died after being injured near Israel's northern border with Lebanon after an encounter with militants who apparently entered Israel from the North. That is a big concern if this perhaps indicates Hezbollah may be planning to join the fight. What can you tell us about that incident?
WEISS: Well, of course, we've been monitoring the situation along our northern border very, very closely. We do understand that there was an infiltration by members of the terror organization in the Palestinian Islamic Jihad into Israel. We are monitoring that situation very, very closely. And again, we send a clear message to any other terror organization and certainly to the states that harbor them and support them to not engage in this conflict, to not test us at this time. And we are we are monitoring that situation very, very closely at this time.
CHURCH: IDF spokesperson major Libby Weiss in Tel Aviv. Thank you so much for joining us. Appreciate it.
WEISS: Thank you.
CHURCH: And coming up. Israeli survivors are sharing their stories with the world. We'll hear from one woman who endured terror, tragedy and unexpected freedom. That's just ahead.
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[02:18:06] CHURCH: Ordinary Palestinians are waking up to another day of fear and worry amid Israeli airstrikes as the country lashes out in retaliation to a surprise assault over the weekend. Overnight CNN teams in southern Israel could hear heavy explosions coming from the border with Gaza. Strikes like this one, a part of an offensive. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vows will be "like never before."
Nearly 700 people have been killed in Gaza including at least 140 children according to the Palestinian health ministry. Thousands more have been injured.
Joining me now is Maha Yahya. The director of the Malcolm H. Kerr Carnegie Middle East Center in Beirut. Appreciate you talking with us.
MAHA YAHYA, DIRECTOR, MALCOLM H. KERR CARNEGIE MIDDLE EAST CENTER: Thank you, Rosemary.
CHURCH: So, the IDF says its goal is to ensure Hamas has no military capabilities at the end of this war. And Israel is calling for a complete siege of Gaza as it masses troops at the border perhaps in preparation for a ground incursion. We don't know that yet. But what does all this potentially mean for the hostages given Hamas is threatening to kill them if Israel continues bombardments without any warnings?
YAHYA: Well, I think -- I mean, this -- the atrocities that have been committed over the past few days are most devastating, but we need to remember that this did not start on October 7, 2023. This is a much longer conflict. My concern here is that both sides have lost perspective. And that at the end of the day, when the dust settles, it will be both Palestinians and Israelis who have suffered will have suffered the most. For the hostages being under siege in Gaza for those -- in Gaza.
[02:20:00]
This complete siege spells disaster for them. But it also spells complete catastrophe as you heard from Ben Wedeman a few minutes ago. It spells complete catastrophe for Palestinians, women and children who have been under siege for the last 20 years. And now there's a complete blockade, including water, electricity and food. This is a collective punishment on a scale we have not seen before.
If a ground incursion occurs, this I think, will be a significant game changer for the region. Already what happened on Saturday, what was a game changer for the region and the ground incursion will push in the direction of a lot more violence and we've seen so far.
CHURCH: And this was a monumental intelligence failure on the part of Israel. How did Israeli intelligence miss this surprise attack highly coordinated from air, land and sea and involving so many amounts of militants? It's extraordinary that nothing leaked out.
YAHYA: It is extraordinary indeed. And I mean, what we can tell so far is that even though there were hence some indications, intelligence agencies did not take them seriously. In the sense they was -- there was an understanding that Hamas was not willing to provoke an all-out conflict. Conflict which really has no end in sight. What Hamas with its incursion on Saturday is basically as I said earlier, changed the rules of the game.
The status quo had become completely untenable. Palestinians were being massacred on an -- on an almost daily basis or attacked or on almost daily basis. There was no political underside, the two-state solution was dead. It's -- there's an apartheid system in place. So basically, change the role of the games but with no political end in sight. And I think this is the real disaster that's in the works.
I think, from the Israeli perspective, they didn't believe or they didn't see -- they really bought into the narrative that such an action would not be taken by Hamas militants. It's also as a more concerted effort. I mean, I think the reports are indicating this is not just Hamas brainpower or tactical understandings that was better planning, that was behind this but it also involved Iran, Hezbollah and other groups in the region.
(CROSSTALK)
CHURCH: And as the violence increases -- as the as the violence increases, how concerned should the international community be by the threat of this conflict expanding beyond Israel's borders? Given we already know an IDF officer died near Israel's northern border with Lebanon after an encounter with militants who had entered from the north? We don't know what that may signal, of course, but when is the right time to try to negotiate a settlement involving a temporary ceasefire to prevent this expanding or is it too premature at this juncture?
YAHYA: I think now is the time. I think that -- I believe that the international community should understand Israel's pain but not condone its collective punishment of Palestinians. A ground incursion into Gaza is going to up the stakes significantly. Not only in terms of the toll it's going to take on civilians, but the political toll because this will force other parties in the region to reconsider what until now has really been a tactical back and forth.
So far, the -- what Hezbollah and the Israelis have been doing is a tiny tactical -- I don't want to call it a dance but, you know, crowd incursion -- a small incursion here, they respond with some bombing here, but it's all managed somehow, this kind of exchange. I still do not believe that either party wants this to become a regional conflict that will then drag other parties into it and could become even more of an international conflict should Iran get involved.
The real concern here is if they're going to go ahead at least on the other side, the Bahamas side, if, you know, this notion of unification of all the theatres of war, which Iran and its allies have been propagating over the past year, year and a half, comes to fruition. And this means we're going to see more conflict in Lebanon and Syria, possibly involving troops from Iraq, maybe from Yemen, we don't know.
But the possibilities are quite large, and it's a very slippery slope. So, I would say the international community needs to intervene and intervene now. Understand Israel's pain but not condone a full-fledged assault.
[02:25:12]
CHURCH: Maha Yahya in Beirut joining us there from Lebanon. Many thanks for your analysis and perspective. Appreciate it.
YAHYA: Thank you, Rosemary. Thank you.
CHURCH: And still to come. A victim who survived that deadly attack at a festival in Israel speaks out. We have her harrowing story next.
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CHURCH: With increasing ferocity, Israel is pounding what it says are Hamas targets across Gaza warning that this is just the beginning. All night Israel has been carrying out airstrikes on more than 200 targets on the territory from where Hamas launched its violent incursion on Saturday. Palestinians say some strikes have hit residential buildings and Hamas is threatening to kill hostages it seized if the attacks continue without warning.
Outside Gaza, Israeli tanks are amassing along the border raising speculation that a massive ground incursion may be ahead.
[02:30:05]
Israel says it's putting Gaza under siege, cutting off food, fuel and electricity.
Well, at least 260 bodies were found at the site of a music festival that came under attack near the Gaza border on Saturday. CNN's Jeremy Diamond spoke to one woman who managed to survive. But first, a warning, some of the images you're about to see are disturbing.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JEREMY DIAMOND, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: (FOREIGN LANGUAGE).
MICHAL OHANA, 27-YEAR-OLD VICTIM (TRANALATED): I really don't know. It's a miracle. It's a miracle, miracle, because people who were next to me did not get out alive.
DIAMOND (voice-over): With a bullet in her leg and shrapnel in her stomach, 27-year-old Michal Ohana considers herself one of the lucky ones. But, when rocket sirens sounded at the Nova music festival in southern Israel and Hamas militants began killing and kidnapping hundreds of festival goers, Michal's fate was far from sealed.
OHANA (TRANSLATED): It was just shooting range shooting, whoever that could run ran, and then others got killed.
DIAMOND (voice-over): After bullets pierced the windows of the car she and her boyfriend were trying to escape in, Michal soon found refuge in a small shed, crammed in with at least 50 other people.
OHANA (TRANSLATED): There were already people who were injured, some their legs, some on their backside, some on their heads. I had a scarf on me, and somebody next to me was bleeding. So, I gave her a tourniquet on her leg.
DIAMOND (voice-over): Minutes later, shots rang out.
OHANA (TRANSLATED): There was silence for a few minutes, and the police woman who was there with us simply screened, "Whoever wanted to be alive needs to leave now". Those who could leave, left. Those who couldn't, I don't know what happened with them.
DIAMOND (voice-over): Michal and her boyfriend took off running, but Michal panicked. As her legs buckled, her boyfriend dragged her across the ground and managed to shove her into the window of a passing vehicle. But, at every turn, more Hamas fighters.
OHANA (TRANSLATED): They just went with white pickup trucks. On each pickup truck, there are at least 20 terrorists with Kalashnikov grenade guns, shotguns, machine guns. I've never seen anything like this in my life.
DIAMOND (voice-over): Seemingly encircled, Michal once again jumped out of the car and began running before finding an abandoned Army tank on the side of the road. The bullets reached her there too. Hiding under the tank, Michal was shot in the leg, and shrapnel from a grenade pierced her stomach.
OHANA (TRANSLATED): And in that time, we didn't see -- we couldn't see anything. And they were taken, some people were taken.
DIAMOND (voice-over): For six more hours, Michal laid lying underneath that tank until Israeli soldiers rescued her and evacuated her to Hadassah Hospital where she was one of more than 60 victims treated.
OHANA: I do wish my son and I think I am going to die.
DIAMOND: You thought you were going to die.
OHANA: Yes.
DIAMOND (voice-over): Jeremy Diamond, CNN, Jerusalem.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
CHURCH: Lion Yanai's sister is among those taken hostage by Hamas terrorists. He joins me now from Israel. Thank you so much for talking with us at this difficult time for you and your family.
LION YANAI, BROTHER OF MISSING WOMAN: Thank you. Good morning.
CHURCH: What can you tell us about the circumstances surrounding the capture of your sister?
YANAI: Well, my sister, she had the like -- she is the jewelry designer. She had a stand in the inter-music festival, in the peaceful music festival. Then that happened. She was one of the -- she ran away with her friends. She managed to call my father and my parents managed to call her and she told them that she is being shot at, and that there are many people running away and she is losing her battery. And the last time we heard about her -- from her, it was at half past eight in the morning.
Later on, me and my friends and family, we discovered that she ran away with friends. They split up during the time because there were shots from all directions, and they had to split up. And the last time she split up from someone, that's the last time we know where she was. He got saved and he called us and gave us all the information regarding this what happened, and that's it. That's the last contact that we know about my sister, my baby sister. And --
CHURCH: And how difficult has it been to get information about your sister? Have Israeli authorities been keeping you abreast of what's happening here with the hostages?
YANAI: Well, we went to the authorities, will give them everything we had. We tried to be as helpful as we could. They were also preventive and let's take all the information and start to do something with it, but we didn't get response since.
[02:35:00]
And -- but, we and my friends tried to look there, search the internet and find as many clues as we can, and we find the two movies that shows that there were a few terrorist, showing sister with few terrorists in defense (ph). And that's actually the last thing we know about her. Since then, we have no more information about her.
CHURCH: It is such a nightmare for you and your family. I know. What would you like to tell us about your sister Moran?
YANAI: Well, she was a very happy person, a loving person. She always say I love to help other people. She loved to help animals. She was working in a rescue, as a volunteer, of course. She always say no, very peaceful, very peaceful person, a very loving person, lots of friends, lots of family. Everybody loves her. She is a great person indeed, which makes it even harder.
CHURCH: Of course. And how much faith do you have that your government and the IDF will be able to bring your sister and all the other hostages out of Gaza safely?
YANAI: Well, I trust them. I hope they will manage to bring them back home alive. I think that we are demanding from -- I am asking and demanding from the international community to help us bring back all these people, all these innocent people that were captured and took as prisoner, to bring them back as safe as possible, as soon as possible. And that's the only thing that I'm focusing on right now, trying to tell the story and trying to make people understand and help us bringing them back home and I -- because we're worrying. But, we're not losing faith. We want to bring them back, and we doing all these actions to help as much as we can to do that.
CHURCH: I think for all of us watching, it's hard to understand how you and your family can hold it together in the midst of this. It is a nightmare, clearly. How do you do that?
YANAI: Because we're not -- because we saw her in the movie. We know that the last time we heard about that she is alive. We still got hope. Not all of us are so optimistic. But, my parents are living a rough time, all the imagination, all the thoughts and everything. And time goes by as it's become even harder. But, we still have faith that she will come back to us hopefully soon. And we're still trying to make actions to help bring them back. That's all we have. There is no point to being crushed, or we just want to do as the best we can.
CHURCH: Well, we hope she comes back home to you very soon and safely too.
YANAI: Thanks.
CHURCH: Lion Yanai, thank you so much for talking with us and sharing --
YANAI: Thank you very much.
CHURCH: -- your sister's story with us and our viewers. And we'll be right back.
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[02:40:00]
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CHURCH: Dozens of Israelis, men, women and children, are missing, believed to have been captured by Hamas terrorists. All those kidnappings come with their own individual stories of trauma and terror. Earlier, CNN's Anderson Cooper spoke with one woman who was abducted immediately after militants murdered her neighbor.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
AVITAL ALAJEM, CAPTURED BY HAMAS: We were hitting in the closet -- hiding in the closet. And then, the terrorists came and they bombed the door. The bullets and -- they all entered into high (inaudible). So, I was saved, thanks to him. And then, they called 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, HOST, AC360: Wait. Wait. I'm -- so wait. So, the person you were with in the closet was shot.
ALAJEM: He was murdered. Yes.
COPPER: 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 VIDEOTAPE)
CHURCH: She says she was taken to the Gaza border and then released by Hamas without explanation.
Well, the U.S. is ramping up military support as Israel responds to Hamas's unprecedented attacks. A senior U.S. official says Washington is surging air defenses and munitions to the country and trying to determine what other weapons and equipment from U.S. inventories can be made available quickly. Washington is also offering planning and intelligence support as part of the effort to rescue hostages taken by Hamas.
CNN's Kayla Tausche has been following the developments and has more now from the White House.
KAYLA TAUSCHE, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: The White House illuminated in blue and white in solidarity with Israel, and President Biden set to deliver remarks to the American people on the evolving situation there, as the White House works around the clock to assess the impact on the ground and on American families and communities. 11 Americans confirmed among the hundreds killed in violence in recent days, and the White House also working to confirm how many if any Americans are among the hostages taken by Hamas.
[02:45:00]
Today, a rare and remarkable joint statement from the Quint allies, the U.S., the United Kingdom, France, Germany and Italy, saying that they have unequivocal condemnation for Hamas, and saying that their countries will offer support to Israel as it seeks to defend itself. To that end, the National Security Council here in the U.S. telling reporters that the U.S. has existing authority and funding to assist Israel and its ability to defend itself, but that the U.S. would go back to Congress to ask for more if needed. NSC Spokesman John Kirby also saying it is not the U.S.'s intention to put American boots on the ground, and also saying that there is so far no smoking gun in his words to directly tie Iran to these attacks.
All that to say, it is a fluid and evolving situation, and the White House acknowledges that new information is being obtained every single minute. Kayla Tausche, CNN, the White House.
CHURCH: Still to come, the unimaginable angst of families whose loved ones were captured by Hamas. Despite so much uncertainty, many cling to hope for their rescue or release. We're back with that in just a moment.
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[02:50:00]
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CHURCH: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is promising his country will go after Hamas like never before, following the militant group's deadly attack over the weekend. Israeli airstrikes have been pounding parts of Gaza, with Netanyahu saying that the targeting of Hamas strongholds is just the beginning. The Israeli Defense Minister has ordered the complete siege of Gaza, and will halt the supply of food, fuel and electricity. Rockets are also being launched from Gaza, and a spokesperson for Hamas's armed wing warns it would begin killing civilian hostages and broadcasted live if Israel targets people in Gaza without warning.
Well, loved ones of those killed or abducted by Hamas sharing heart- wrenching stories of the last time they spoke with them and how they learned of their fate. CNN's Brian Todd has that report, and we want to warn you, some of the images you're about to see are disturbing.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: This is 25-year-old Noa Argamani screaming, don't kill me, as she is taken away on a motorcycle. The camera pans to show her boyfriend Avinaton or being led by hostage takers. Their fate is not known. Her father Yakov describes seeing the video for the first time.
YAKOV ARGAMANI, DAUGHTER AND HER BOYFRIEND CAPTURED (TRANSLATED): 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, COUSINS CAPTURED: You can see 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 did 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: he 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 Rotem as they were raked with gunfire. He describes hearing his daughter being killed in real time.
ILAN TROEN, DAYGHTER 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 Rotem, as he lay first under her body and then find a place to escape under a blanket in a laundry.
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 pickup truck, being paraded around by armed militants.
RICARDA LOUK, DAUGHTER CAPTURES: It looks very bad, but I still have hope. I hope that they don't take bodies for negotiations. And I hope that she is 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, typically, a very dangerous moment for a hostage is a rescue.
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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 Qatar is 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.
CHURCH: As we mentioned earlier, the Biden administration is showing its solidarity with Israel by lighting up the White House in the blue and white colors of the Israeli flag. U.S. National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby says the U.S. will continue to stand with the Israeli people in this moment of crisis.
[02:55:00]
And in London, the Houses of Parliament were also illuminated in blue and white. British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak expressed his support for Israel and Jewish communities across the United Kingdom.
I want to thank you for your company this hour. I'm Rosemary Church. I'll be back with more CNN Newsroom after a short break. You stay with us.
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