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Death Toll In Israel Raised To 1400; Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-NY) Answer Questions About The Bipartisan Senate Delegation In Tel Aviv; Israel Warns Next Stages For Ground Operations; Rep. Adam Smith (D-WA) Answers Questions Regarding Americans In Israel; Civilians In Gaza Moving Towards Southern Border. Aired 5-6p ET

Aired October 15, 2023 - 17:00   ET

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

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[17:00:51]

JIM ACOSTA, CNN HOST: You're live in the "CNN Newsroom." I'm Jim Acosta in Washington alongside my colleague Erin Burnett in Tel Aviv with our continuing coverage of Israel at war. Several major new developments to tell you about this evening.

Today, Israeli Defense Forces raising the death toll from the attacks carried out by Hamas to more than 1,400. Israeli armored vehicles are now staging near the border with Gaza in anticipation of what Israel calls significant ground operations. That invasion expected to happen at any moment.

The IDF confirms Hamas still has more than 150 hostages eight days after their attack. Meanwhile, Israeli airstrikes continue to pound parts of northern Gaza. The IDF says it killed a Hamas commander as it shelled 250 targets today. Tens of thousands in Gaza are still scrambling to find safe passage to the south. But the Rafah border crossing into Egypt remains closed at this hour. Refugees waiting for authorities to open the gates for days now.

Today, U.S. Secretary of State Tony Blinken promised that the border will open as the U.S. appoints a new special envoy to coordinate aid into the Gaza enclave. But let me go first back to my colleague, Erin Burnett, live on the ground in Tel Aviv. Erin, I understand you were able to catch up with a bipartisan U.S. senate delegation. that was on the ground in Tel Aviv with you. What did they encounter and what did you find out?

ERIN BURNETT, CNN HOST: All right, well, Jim, yes, absolutely. It was bipartisan. Senator Romney was here, Senator Schumer, Senator Cassidy, Senator Kelly, Senator Rosen. So, it was a bipartisan group. They met with the prime minister here, Benjamin Netanyahu. And they said, one of them told me they were shown pictures. Obviously, we've only shared one at this point with our viewers, but today we're shown pictures of a group of children that they say were burned alive.

This sort of -- they had no words to describe what they were actually confronted with and what they saw today. But they did have those meetings today. And in addition, as you mentioned, the Secretary of State is going to be coming here to Israel again tomorrow in sort of a desperate effort for diplomacy throughout this region to try to get some of the other players involved.

I had a chance after this meeting to speak to Senator Schumer, of course the majority leader in the Senate, to have a conversation with him about what happened here and what's next in that U.S. carrier strike group. And here is what we just talked about just a few moments ago, Jim.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BURNETT: Leader Schumer, thank you so much for your time. In Tel Aviv tonight, obviously, you've been meeting throughout the day with the Prime Minister Netanyahu and others. What did you learn here?

SEN. CHUCK SCHUMER (D-NY): Well, first, we came with a simple message to the Israeli people. We have your back. We feel your pain. We ache. And America will stick with you in this most difficult time. We had three missions. One, to let Israel know we're for them. Two, to find out what Israel's needs are. We had extensive discussions of the military, diplomatic, intelligence and humanitarian need that Israel had.

But third, we wanted to show that this was bipartisan. So, I went with two Democrats and two Republicans --

BURNETT: Senator Cassidy, Senator Romney, yourself, Senator Kelly, right? All --

SCHUMER: Yes, and Senator Rosen.

BURNETT: And Senator Rosen.

SCHUMER: And in this time of such partisanship, this is one area where the Congress is united. And I believe we're going to pass, very soon, we're going to put together a very strong package. We will pass it soon. We're not going to wait for the House. We're hopeful that if we pass a strong package with big bipartisan majorities, it'll put pressure on the House to act one way or another, however the heck they figure it out.

BURNETT: So, Secretary Blinken's coming tomorrow, coming back, right?

SCHUMER: Yes.

BURNETT: So, no one had known that this is happening. Obviously, he's coming from other places in the Middle East, just met with the Saudi Crown Prince. What is his goal? Do you know? Is he trying to have Netanyahu delay this or?

SCHUMER: No, I think his goal is to try and keep the tripartite negotiations that were going on between Saudi Arabia, Israel and America on track.

[17:05:00] Many suspect that Hamas and even Iran did this dastardly, horrible terrorist action to make sure that didn't happen. And he feels very strongly, as do most of us, that we should keep it on track. And the viciousness of Hamas. I mean, in one instance, cutting the throats of little children, having their parents watch.

Hamas is trying to say, we're going to intimidate you from doing the things you want to do, including this tripartite pact. And I think what Secretary Blinken is saying and Israel is saying, we are saying, you're not going to intimidate us. We're going to move forward.

BURNETT: John Kirby today confirmed that there are American hostages in Gaza. He did not -- he said there's no plans, there's no intention for U.S. troops to be involved, but he wouldn't rule it out. So, I'm not going to rule anything out. Do you think that that should be on the table if --

SCHUMER: Israel has never asked for troops. They have always asked for aid. They have always asked for help.

BURNETT: But I mean for the American hostages.

SCHUMER: No, what -- right now, our country, and we met with -- I've talked to Secretary Blinken about this. We met with some of the families of American hostages.

BURNETT: Yes.

SCHUMER: And the best way to go is to pursue some serious diplomatic channels to put pressure on Hamas through other countries. I can't mention the countries because --

BURNETT: Yes.

SCHUMER: -- it might mess the whole thing up. But that's the plan.

BURNETT: So, as you were on your way here, there was the announcement that there's a second carrier strike group coming from the United States, an incredibly high military posture right off the coast of Israel. You've obviously got the war in Ukraine going on as well. When you take a step back, Senator, do you think the U.S. is closer to war itself than it has been in a long time?

SCHUMER: No, I think sending the two carriers here will make us less likely to have a war, because it's a strong message to Hezbollah in Lebanon and to Iran. Don't mess around here because we've got a lot of might in the area.

BURNETT: What is the status right now of U.S. knowledge of Iran's involvement right now in ongoing conflict, as well as the act itself?

SCHUMER: It's still -- sorry. It's still unclear whether Iran knew all the details and pushed Hamas to do this at this time. But one thing's totally clear. There'd be no Hamas without Iran. So, Iran will be culpable one way or the other. BURNETT: Here in Tel Aviv, you had to take shelter from rockets.

That's the daily life here as they come in. Does that give you a different sense, a more palpable sense?

SCHUMER: Yes. When you're here, you see it. Look, I asked five or six random people, the driver of our car, two people in the hotel, several waitresses at restaurants we were at. Every single one of them has a relative or close friend who died. It's unbelievable. Look, I think about 9/11 every day --

BURNETT: Yes.

SCHUMER: -- and I'll think about this every day, and I'm sure every Israeli will for the rest of their lives. But they are strong people, they are resolute people. Hamas's desire to intimidate them with the most vicious, brutal kind of terrorism is not going to succeed.

BURNETT: Senator Schumer, Leader Schumer, thank you. I appreciate it.

SCHUMER: Thank you, Erin.

BURNETT: Good to see you.

SCHUMER: Good to see you. Thank you.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BURNETT: And I want to go now to CNN International diplomatic editor Nic Robertson. He is live in Sderot, Israel, and that is, of course, south of here, just about a mile east of the Gaza border. And now, Nic, Israel's forces have been staging ground for operations for several days, right? We have all witnessed the incredible buildup, the pace of the buildup. What is the situation there where you are at this hour?

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMATIC EDITOR: Jets overhead, not unusual. Missiles being fired into Gaza. We've heard several of those. About an hour ago, we had a round of incoming missiles coming from -- coming from Gaza into here. The Iron Dome intercepted them really low over our heads.

(EXPLOSION)

That was another missile landing in Gaza. We heard the jet there. That's the missile. But we've been down along the border area today to see some of the training that's going on and we were with a unit that was tanks, it was infantry, it was mechanical engineers, combat mechanical engineers who were getting ready training together literally lining up their vehicles in a field and practicing for moving off together when they get that order to go into Gaza.

Another unit of troops we saw training were in this mock-up big concrete Palestinian town. It had mosques, it had stores. It had civilian housing. And these troops were going through combat training, training to fight in a combat environment. So, what we're seeing here is not only the deployment of the troops close to the border, but what looks in essence like some of the last-minute training that they're doing before they're going in.

We talked to some of the commanders who will be some of the first to go into Gaza. And I said, look, we know that the IDF has told civilians to head south. We know that Hamas has told them not to.

[17:10:00]

We know that in the past, you know, there will be, when you go in, as soldiers found in the 2014 incursion into Gaza, that Hamas is hiding out behind civilians. Can you do this without civilian casualties? And the commander said to me, look, we're a professional force. We're

fighting terrorists, not civilians. But in essence, if Hamas does that, it's going to make our job very difficult.

And this is what we're hearing from the spokesman here as well. I was asking them the same question. And they said quite distinctly, look, we're asking the civilians to leave. Hamas is telling them to stay. If the civilians are there, that is Hamas's responsibility, not our responsibility.

So, I think everyone here is getting ready for the potential of crossing into Gaza and also the difficulty and knowledge of what they may find when they get in there. But as you heard from that missile strike there, again, it's a very, very active night again tonight, Erin.

BURNETT: I mean, it's been days, right? We hear this day after day after day. At some point, the distinction between the next steps and the current steps becomes cloudier, Nic. You heard the Majority Leader Schumer say that he thought the Secretary of State, Antony Blinken's return trip to Israel scheduled for tomorrow to meet with the Prime Minister here was about keeping peace talks on track, the normalization of relations with Saudi Arabia and Israel talks on track.

Obviously, those at this point are not to state the obvious. Is that what you think it's about? I mean, he's saying it's not about the U.S. trying to have Netanyahu pull back or slow down or stall, anything like that. What do you see?

ROBERTSON: Look, I think the importance of keeping the Saudi discussion on track is a big one for the Saudis, for Israel, for the United States. And I think it's interesting that on this trip, Secretary Blinken has been twice to see Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. He is trying to play a bigger diplomatic role in the region.

He undoubtedly will be pressuring the Egyptian president to take a more conciliatory and softer role about the possibility of opening that Rafah border crossing to allow Palestinians out of Gaza into there. Yes, it's a contentious issue. Yes, there's a lot of historical baggage for Palestinians with that. But I think there will be a lot of that in there. And I think, let's not forget the hostages.

You know, behind the scenes here, efforts will be made, a lot of efforts will be made to try to get those hostages released. And we can believe that some leaders, like Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in Saudi Arabia and others in the region, will be making their best efforts to help that happen.

So, I think Secretary Blinken, being in the region, it signals not only to Iran, not only to Hezbollah, that the United States is here, it's behind Israel, but it tries to sort of keep that diplomatic, behind the scenes movement on all fronts, on broader stability, on the long-term goals of the United States, Israel, and Saudi Arabia, and on the possibility of hostages.

It tries to keep all those alive, but of course, as you and I both know. and Senator Schumer was hearing (ph) from people, there is a will here to settle the score and really reduce the risk from Hamas at the moment.

BURNETT: There is. It's an overwhelming will, as we know at this point, for sure. And of course, it comes as the U.S. has those two carrier strike groups in the region now as well. Nic Robertson, thank you very much.

And still to come, the White House is not ruling out sending U.S. troops to help free Americans held hostage by Hamas in Gaza. More on that as we talk about this escalating conflict with Congressman Adam Smith with Jim, next.

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[17:17:39]

ACOSTA: This just in to CNN. The American death toll in Israel has risen to 30 -- 30 Americans who have died since this war began. The State Department is also aware of 13 American nationals who are unaccounted for after last week's terror attack. This comes as the U.S. is bolstering its defenses in the region by sending a second aircraft carrier, the USS Dwight Eisenhower and more fighter jets. And this also comes as the White House says it's not ruling out sending troops to help free Americans held hostage by Hamas.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOHN KIRBY, NATIONAL SECURITY COUNCIL COMMUNICATIONS COORDINATOR: There's no plans or intentions to put U.S. troops on the ground to fight in this fight between Israel and Hamas.

SHANNON BREAM, FOX NEWS HOST: To retrieve Americans?

KIRBY: We are actively trying to find out exactly where they are. I mean, Shannon, we don't even know how many exactly. We saw a small handful we know, but there could be more than we know. What I won't do is rule anything in or out when it comes to getting our hostages home. We're working on this literally by the hour.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ACOSTA: And joining us out to discuss is Democratic Congressman Adam Smith of Washington State. He's the ranking member on the House Armed Services Committee. Congressman, great to see you. Appreciate you coming on. Let me ask you, I mean, just what John Kirby was being asked a few moments ago, what do you think? Should the U.S. be contemplating this idea of sending troops into Gaza to help free Americans being held hostage there? Presumably those would be special forces type troops. But what are your thoughts?

REP. ADAM SMITH (D-WA): We got two things about that. First of all, if we had a situation where we knew where our hostages were and we felt that there was, you know, a plausible plan for our special forces to go in and get them out, we would do it. It's just highly unlikely given how Hamas has built the system of tunnels and hiding places throughout Gaza. I forget the name of the Israeli soldier, but they held an Israeli soldier for years without Israel being able to know where he was and rescue him.

So, if that situation presented itself and we felt, yes, our troops could go in and get out an American, clearly, we would do that. It's just under the circumstances, it seems highly unlikely that we would have that degree of intelligence and confidence that we could do that successfully.

ACOSTA: And Congressman, we're showing our viewers some live pictures of Gaza. It's 12:19 in the morning over there. It is eerily quiet. It looks very similar to what we were showing our viewers yesterday.

[17:20:00]

What is your sense as to what is happening right now? And I suppose there was some expectation that this was going to start at some point this weekend and it hasn't. Do you know what might be behind that? What are your thoughts?

SMITH: Well, I think there is deep concern by Israel and by the U.S. as well for the humanitarian crisis that is unfolding in Gaza and for the civilians that are in harm's way. And this is part of Hamas's plan. They put civilians in harm's way. They take supplies away from humanitarian aid for civilians and keep it for themselves. They want the civilians. They're blocking civilians who are trying to leave.

So. Israel, the U.S., and a lot of people in the region are trying to figure out how can we, you know, deal with the threat from Hamas and protect civilians. They're trying to open up humanitarian corridors. Certainly, the one in Egypt is being talked about. They are, you know, still hopeful that they could potentially have one into Israel. But how can we do that safely and what will Hamas do to block it?

Look, I mean, and I know this is an incredibly emotional issue. People are suffering horribly on both sides of this fight. But there was one thing I hope people will keep in mind. Hamas literally does not care about human rights or civilians or about protecting life. Israel at least cares. You know, they don't always do everything we would like them to do, but they are fighting a determined enemy, and an enemy that's determined to wipe Israel off the face of the map.

It's a very difficult situation, but I think what's happening is people are trying to wrestle with that conflict. How do you stop Hamas while minimizing the incredible humanitarian catastrophe that's going on in Gaza right now? ACOSTA: And I guess, what are your thoughts on the second aircraft

carrier being sent to the region, I suppose to deter folks like Hezbollah and Iran, I guess, presumably, from sticking their fingers in this. Should they take this as a serious threat of the use of force by the United States?

SMITH: Yes, absolutely. That's the second big thing that's going on, is to try to stop the conflict from spreading. As has been well reported, there is concern about what Hezbollah may do from Lebanon and there is concern about what Iran might unleash in terms of other militia groups that they have in places like Syria and Iraq. And in some cases, those groups could threaten U.S. military personnel.

We have troops in Syria and in Iraq. If they are targeted by Iran, we will absolutely defend them. And it's all part of the effort to deter this conflict from spreading.

ACOSTA: And the Secretary of State, Tony Blinken, promised today that the crossing, the Rafah crossing between Gaza and Egypt will be open. What do you know about why this is becoming a problem? American citizens in Gaza say they're still stranded at the border. What's being done to get them out? And what is going on with this crossing? Is this the Egyptians? Is this Hamas? What's happening?

SMITH: Well, I think it's a number of different groups. Hamas is, as I said, trying to prevent people from leaving. That, you know, helps, you know, slow down the process. And then, you know, both Israel and Egypt want to make sure that their security is protected within this corridor. In, you know, Israel's case, they're worried about weapons and supplies getting in to strengthen Hamas within Gaza. Egypt is worried about Hamas's militants or other extremists coming out of Gaza and into Egypt.

And, you know, I think both Egypt and Israel are aware of the fact that they're going to have to take some degree of risk. There's no guarantee that if you open up this corridor that either of those bad things that I just outlined might not happen to Egypt and Israel. But it's a risk they're going to have to take if we're going to contain the humanitarian crisis that the people in Gaza are facing right now.

ACOSTA: All right. Congressman Adam Smith, thanks very much for your time. Lots to keep our eyes on this evening. We appreciate it.

SMITH: Thanks, Jim.

ACOSTA: All right. And coming up next, a closer look at the deteriorating conditions in Gaza as tens of thousands of Palestinians try to flee, possibly a larger number than that. Our special coverage continues. Stay with us.

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[17:28:40]

BURNETT: Breaking news out of Gaza right now. Civilians are rushing toward the southern border after they were given another safe window to move this morning.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PETER LERNER, IDF SPOKESMAN: We're seeing a strong flow of people going south, which is actually a good thing.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BURNETT: Gaza is facing a full-blown humanitarian crisis as Israel says it is gearing up for what they clearly call the next stage of what already is, and we have all seen, a war with Hamas. This includes widespread airstrikes; significant ground operations could be added within Gaza in the next stage. Here's CNN's Scott McLean.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SCOTT MCLEAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): This is the frantic scene outside a hospital in the city of Deir al Balah. A constant wail of sirens and a steady stream of children carried desperately inside. Some bandaged, some seeming alert, others not moving at all.

UNKNOWN: Is this a target? Is this a real target for Israel? This toddler?

MCLEAN (voice-over): On Sunday, people in that same city gathered to pray over bodies, wrapped in white and loaded onto a flatbed truck.

[17:30:00]

Deir al Balah, located south of the evacuation line declared by Israel and Gaza, was hit again on Sunday. Afterwards, heavy machines shift the slabs of concrete hoping, perhaps in vain, to find survivors.

UNKNOWN (through translator): They're all women, all children, children, children.

MCLEAN: Across Gaza, Israel says it hit more than 100 military targets overnight and more on Sunday. In the aftermath of each, people rush to frantically find victims, never far from danger. This video from Gaza City shows the sheer chaos as distraught men, women, and children try to figure out what to do and where to go next.

UNKNOWN (voice-over): It is, as you can see, destruction. Destruction. They are destroying us.

MCLEAN: Even hospitals like this children's hospital have been told to evacuate from Northern Gaza. But with newborn babies and children on ventilators, doctors say they can't.

UNKNOWN (Through translator): Where will these children go? They're on ventilators and it's not possible to move them.

MCLEAN: The World Health Organization said it strongly condemns Israel's repeated orders for the evacuation of 22 hospitals treating more than 2,000 inpatients in Northern Gaza, saying forcing the evacuation of patients south could be tantamount to a death sentence. Across Gaza, aid groups say that food and fuel are running desperately low. The U.N. says most people already lack access to water. Foreign aid is being sent by the plane load and the truck load to Egypt in hopes of getting it into Gaza. But Egypt and Palestinians on the ground say the roads near the border are too badly damaged from airstrikes for trucks to pass.

On Sunday, CNN asked the IDF whether it was coordinating with aid groups to ensure that supplies get in.

LT. COL. PETER LERNER, IDF SPOKESMAN: The IDF and the defense ministry are engaged with the international community to try and facilitate various different things. I think we need to leave. I speak on behalf of the IDF. So, we are deeply involved in the combat. We are the warriors. We need to leave the diplomacy for the diplomats.

MCLEAN: In just eight days, the death toll in Gaza has already surpassed the number of people killed in the 2014 conflict, which lasted 51 days. And with an Israeli ground invasion looming and supplies running low, there is little hope that things will soon get better for the people of Gaza.

Scott McLean, CNN.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BURNETT: All right, Scott McLean joining us there. And those pictures are heartbreaking, Jim.

ACOSTA: Yeah.

BURNETT: You know, no matter how you look at this, some of those scenes are impossible not to touch you.

ACOSTA: Absolutely. When that doctor was saying just a few moments ago, Erin, that we have children on ventilators, how do we move them if, you know, there's an incursion that's happening? It's just absolutely devastating. And the footage of all that rubble, it is just heartbreaking to watch. Erin, thanks so much.

And joining me now is Ben Wedeman, who is on the ground in South Lebanon. But Ben, you've spent years reporting on what's going on inside Gaza. And we were just watching, uh, Scott McLean's piece a few moments ago. And, you know, there are doctors in hospital saying, you know, we can't shut down these hospitals and move these kids. They're on ventilators. That is, I guess, the level of desperation that they're at right now and it's just going to get worse as time goes on once this incursion happens.

BEN WEDEMAN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yeah, Jim, keep in mind, as Scott mentioned in that report, that the number of dead so far, just a week into this conflict, is more than died in the 2014 war, which I covered, and that war also involved an Israeli ground incursion into Gaza. So, if this is the fatality, the death toll at this point, I don't even want to imagine what the death toll is going to be when Israeli troops come in. Now, the U.N. says that around 600,000 people have left the northern part of Gaza to the south. That leaves about 500,000 people still in Gaza, many of them unable to move because of illness or they don't have the wherewithal to actually get to the southern part of Gaza. So, they are going to be in the city which -- in Gaza City, which we assume is going to be the epicenter of Israel's efforts, if and when, I think just when, it invades Gaza.

And of course, for instance, Gaza City is composed of a lot of things, some of it is sort of modern neighborhoods, now perhaps in rubble.

[17:35:00]

Others are like the Shati refugee camp, which is right on the beach, on the sea. And that refugee camp has alleys that are perhaps a meter and a half wide. This is the poorest people in the most compact, the most densely populated part of Gaza. And of course, that's also where many of Hamas's leadership are.

So, you can imagine the death toll when Israeli troops enter that area. Not only death toll among Palestinians, there's going to be a lot of resistance by the Palestinians as well. So, I think we are looking at in the aft -- when sort of the dust settles in the south, when somehow the American citizens get out and perhaps some of the supplies get in, but when this invasion comes, it's going to be a bloodbath. Jim?

ACOSTA: Yeah, absolutely. And it already is in so many ways. Ben Wedeman in Southern Lebanon for us. Ben, thank you very much. For more information about how you can help humanitarian efforts in Israel and Gaza, go to cnn.com/impact or use your mobile device to scan the QR code on your screen right now.

Just ahead, we will speak live with the spokesperson for the Israeli Defense Forces who will be joining Erin in just a few moments as Israel prepares for what it calls the next stages of the war. Our special coverage continues in just a moment.

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[17:40:25]

ACOSTA: Welcome back to our special coverage of Israel at War. You're looking at live pictures right now of Gaza. Again, eerily quiet at 12:39 a.m. local time. And I want to bring back my colleague, Erin Burnett, to talk about what may be coming next. Erin, you know, this looks very similar to what we saw 24 hours ago, and I suppose this entire region is just on the edge of its seat at this point.

I wonder if the question has to be raised, you know, how much longer can the Israelis wait if they're going to go through something like this because, obviously, as images start flooding in to people's living rooms around the world of what is now taking place in Gaza, those images we just saw a few moments ago from Scott McLean, we talked about it with Ben Wedeman, I mean, obviously, you know, this is going to become a much more complicated proposition for the Israelis as this goes on.

BURNETT: It certainly is and you're already in a situation where Israel says it's turning the water back on to Gaza and Hamas says they're not, and Israel says Hamas is firing on them and not allowing them to do it. And when you're in a situation where that's the conversation you're having, that's not the situation they want to be in, right, just to state the obvious.

But when you talk about the timing, Jim, you know, last night, there was an incredible storm here. Your weather would have said it was clear. It was a monsoon. I mean, it was -- our tents were blowing. It was extremely severe thunderstorms.

I mentioned it because the weather forecast right now where we are is for similar storms really over the evening hours now all the way through tomorrow. Very, very heavy storms that the meteorological service says, you know, could impact aircraft as well as marine vessels.

So, things like that when all of a sudden, you're talking about a ground invasion and 360,000 troops on the Gaza border matter. And by the way, the forecast is for half an inch or maybe a little bit more of rain around Gaza. A lot of that is desert. So, these sorts of things all of a sudden may start to matter.

But today, Jim, it was 250 targets in Gaza. The IDF says that they struck, and they do say they took out another Hamas commander. So, they have said several of those have been taken out in the past few days. And these, of course, are in the onslaught of strikes. I mean, 250 in a day, right?

ACOSTA: Yeah.

BURNETT: That they have been carrying on before the technical ground invasion, if there is one, even starts.

ACOSTA: Yeah. I mean, the ground incursion hasn't started, but the strikes continue, these airstrikes, and the devastating continue. We were looking at that footage a short time ago from Scott McLean. It looks like an earthquake struck there in Gaza. It's just devastating, what's taking place.

BURNETT: Yeah, it is absolutely devastating. And there's only going to be more of it because, you know, you talk about, again, convoys being it, how many people are being moved. A lot of people are moving, but you got 1.1 million people. So, you could have a lot. You could have hundreds of thousands of people and still, it's the vast minority of people moving, right? I mean --

ACOSTA: Right.

BURNETT: -- what we're about to see is going to be hard to watch.

ACOSTA: Absolutely. Erin, thanks so much. We're going to keep checking back with you. You've got a lot to bring to the program over the coming hours. But first, I want to go to Priscilla Alvarez. She's over at the White House for us as the Biden administration is informing the public that the death toll of number of Americans who have died is now up to 30 since the attack carried out by Hamas. But Priscilla, what's the latest over there?

PRISCILLA ALVAREZ, CNN WHITE HOUSE REPORTER: Well, the latest over here is that talks are very much ongoing and diplomacy is ongoing as you -- as evidenced by Secretary of State Antony Blinken's visit throughout the region and talking to his counterparts. But those conversations are also happening here at the White House.

Just yesterday, President Biden spoke with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, and we're now learning that in that call, the prime minister invited President Biden to come to Israel. Now -- and the two sides are discussing that possibility. Now, it's not clear how active these discussions are or when they may happen. And when asked by CNN, the White House said that they have no new travel to announce.

But all this to say, Jim, that this diplomacy is very much ongoing as the focus has been from the administration not to have this conflict widen or spread any further. And there are a number of pressing issues that Blinken and Biden will be working through the next few days.

ACOSTA: All right. And Priscilla, as you and I both know, covering the White House, I covered it a little while ago, but they're not going to -- the folks over at the White House are not going to confirm the president's travel and his movements and so on.

So, the fact that the prime minister is inviting the president over there, I think definitely raises the very real prospect that we may see the president heading over there when it's safe, when they feel like they can do it.

[17:45:02]

We saw the president doing that, visiting Ukraine as that war has been going on there. So, that's a very interesting development. Priscilla Alvarez over at the White House, thank you very much. More on the breaking news when we come back. Be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BURNETT: Lieutenant Colonel Jonathan Conricus of the Israeli Defense Forces joins me now. I'm here in Tel Aviv on this Sunday night. And here, now, it is officially Monday morning.

And Colonel, I appreciate your time very much. I want to ask you about a couple of the new developments this hour, early in the morning here where you and I both are. We understand that you had about 250 strikes on Gaza today.

[17:50:00]

I want to ask you about those, but specifically about one of them. The commander of the Hamas Southern District, you say, was killed. How many Hamas commanders have you killed in the military operation so far?

LT. COL. JONATHAN CONRICUS, ISRAEL DEFENSE FORCES SPOKESPERSON: Thank you for having me. We are hunting Hamas commanders. Everybody from the butcher of Khan Younis, Yahya Sinwar, the political leader, and everybody down from him are dead men walking. And we will -- they will receive their day of justice for the attack that they launched against Israel.

We've been able to kill quite a few. We've been able to kill Hamas commanders, some of them senior, some of them tactical commanders, and that is a priority in our targeting campaign as we speak.

BURNETT: When you look at the situation of -- and I know you and I have spoken about how you've been trying to use intelligence to find out exactly the name of every Hamas member and commander who was involved in the attacks on Israel, do you know how many of them you have been able to kill, even as a general sense? Have you gotten half of them? Have you gotten a quarter of them or are you truly not sure?

CONRICUS: No, there are many more left. We've killed, I think, around 10 seniors. That is a ballpark figure. And there are many, many more left. What makes it difficult is the fact that they're hiding underground. They're hiding in tunnels that they've built underneath Gaza in which the civilians are not allowed to use. That's where Hamas is hiding. And that is also why the next stage of military activities, I think, we'll find a better solution to the fact that they're hiding underground.

BURNETT: Colonel, could you tell us where the -- what you understand about the hostage situation right now? I know that you and your colleagues have told me that at least the belief was that they were being held underground, as well in scattered locations. Do you know where any of them are? Do you know if any of them for sure? Can you say if they're all alive or if you know some of them are dead? Do you know?

CONRICUS: The only thing I can say about this very sensitive topic is that we presume that some of them either were not taken alive or perhaps died on the way. But it is very sensitive. Most things are left -- best left unsaid, I would say. I can only say and reiterate that our purpose is and our priority is to bring them back home.

BURNETT: I want to ask you about where we are right now. You've been talking about the next stages. Two hundred and fifty strikes on Gaza today, as you pointed out, right? So, this has been ongoing. But this next stage, you know, we've been told to expect at any moment, right?

And the weather forecast tonight is for severe storms. You and I both saw the storm here last night. That was severe. And there could be many more like that over the next day, according to the forecast. Does that impact at all Israel's decision of when to go in?

CONRICUS: Weather does. Weather is a factor. And when you conduct military operations, you take in to account a multitude of factors. Weather is one of them. And we also take in to account the state of readiness, our level of supplies, the access to good intelligence and about the enemy, their locations, our capacity, the enemy's capacity, and of course, also the much spoken about humanitarian situation.

So, everything is taken into consideration when we choose our timing. Of course, international diplomacy as well.

BURNETT: On the humanitarian situation, I know there was a lot of stress about the water and the water being turned on. Now, we're hearing from inside Gaza that, well, whether -- even if Israel turns the water on because Israel stopped the power, the water can't be distributed. So, the power needs to go back on. Is that going to happen?

CONRICUS: I don't know what's going to happen and when it's going to happen. What I can say is that we do know that Hamas has stockpiles of fuel that they're saving for their military activities to run their command centers and to generate electricity for themselves, for their military purposes. And it's a clear indication of their priorities, that they're not using that fuel in order to, for instance, supply water to Gaza.

Important to emphasize, even before the war started, Israel supplied only about 9% of the water in Gaza.

[17:55:04]

The rest was produced by pumping water from the ground. So, electricity is important and Hamas still has an ability to generate electricity, but they prioritize differently and they prefer to fight against Israel instead of providing water to their civilians.

BURNETT: Colonel Conricus, thank you very much. I appreciate your time. And our coverage continues with more breaking news right after --

CONRICUS: Thank you.

BURNETT: -- this break.

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[18:00:03]

ACOSTA: Good evening. I'm Jim Acosta in Washington with our continuing coverage of Israel at war.