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Hundreds Believed Dead In Gaza Hospital Blast; Protests Erupt After Deadly Gaza Hospital Blast; Israel's Hunt For Hamas Terror Group Leader Yahya Sinwar; Protests Erupt after Deadly Gaza Hospital Blast; Jordan Scrambles after 20 Republicans Voted Against Him; Israeli Hospital Operating Out of Underground Parking Deck. Aired 1-2a ET

Aired October 18, 2023 - 01:00   ET

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

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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: CNN Breaking News.

JOHN VAUSE, CNN ANCHOR: Hello and welcome our viewers in the United States and around the world. I'm John Vause at the CNN Center in Atlanta where it's just gone 1:00 am. And at this hour U.S. President Joe Biden is on his way to Israel. A high stakes visit which has been made even more complicated, a scene of chaos and devastation unfold in the aftermath of an explosion at a hospital in Gaza. And a warning, the images you're about to see a hard to watch.

According to Palestinian officials, hundreds of people at the hospital were killed by an Israeli airstrike. The Israel Defense Forces though denies that insisting the explosion was caused by a rocket that was misfired by the militant group Islamic Jihad. Sources tell CNN the U.S. is currently analyzing intelligence provided by the Israelis.

According to the World Health Organization, the hospital was treating not just the wounded Palestinians, but also had been shot of a thousands of people are forced to leave their homes. Global condemnation has been swift. The U.N. human rights chief calls it horrific and unacceptable. President Biden says he's outraged and deeply saddened. And here's the Palestinian ambassador to the United Nations.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

RIYAD MANSOUR, PALESTINIAN AMBASSADOR TO THE UN: We condemn this action in the strongest possible terms, and we hold Israel responsible for this massacre this crime.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VAUSE: Protests have erupted in the West Bank and across the Middle East. Demonstrators marched to the streets in the U.S. Embassy north of Beirut in Lebanon. Hundreds in Baghdad chanted anti-Israeli slogans as security forces kept them away from the heavily fortified green zone. And protesters gathered outside the French and British embassies in

Iran's capital, Tehran. Israel says it's planning to release evidence that it was not the cause of the hospital blast. Earlier I spoke with Israel Defense Forces spokesperson Lieutenant Colonel Jonathan Conricus, I asked why is it taking so long.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LT. COL. JONATHAN CONRICUS, IDF INTERNATIONAL SPOKESPERSON: It's a complex environment. And we took our time to go through our own information systems, and then verify what the enemy have done, put the pieces together, get it approved by the senior levels in the IDF and then presented to the world.

We just released a few moments ago, the information the first packet of information, which is aerial footage, showing the scene of the hospital from above, and evidence that clearly supports the fact that it could not have been an Israeli bomb. Because there was no collateral or significant damage to the buildings around it, no crater, and nothing that is similar to other locations where Israeli bombs have struck.

And once you'll get the material, you'll be able to see it and you'll be able to have proper analysts have a look at it. But the bottom line is that we stand by the information that we released. This was a misfired rocket by the Islamic Jihad, not an Israeli strike.

VAUSE: Regardless of the evidence that you put out there, those who believe you will believe you and those who don't will not it doesn't seem to get you change opinion. In the West Bank, it's unlikely to change your opinion in Gaza who's responsible for this?

CONRICUS: I am not sure that they are the target audience. The important thing here is, I think, for the majority of the world to know and understand that we, A, do not target any sensitive facility, definitely not hospitals. And if something happens by mistake, then we own up to the mistake.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VAUSE: Live now to London, where journalist Elliott Gotkine is standing by with more on this. So clearly the target audience for this evidence is this, which the IDF plans on releasing in the coming hours is the United States and other Western leaders and Western countries who support Israel right now.

But regardless of whether or not they can prove they didn't do it, or you know, what they believe, this will have an impact on what will this have an impact rather on what Israel does and how it conducts this war moving forward?

ELLIOTT GOTKINE, JOURNALIST: It could do John and just to say that in the last 10 minutes or so the IDF has released that first packet of what it says it's proof that it did not bomb the hospital in the Gaza Strip last night that has resulted in possibly hundreds of people being killed. It shows footage from a drone, both the kind of before and after. And also examples of previous craters collateral damage that has been the result of aerial bombardment from the Israelis in the past to show that this time round was not from Israeli bombs. So that first piece of information is out already.

To answer your question John, as you say, Israel, we've been expecting now for several days now was expected to launch a kind of ground incursion of some sort.

[01:05:10]

That may now be complicated don't just by the visit of President Biden, but by the rising number of casualties, civilian casualties that we're seeing in the Gaza Strip, whether or not they were a result in this example of Israeli airstrikes.

So it could complicate matters there, it could complicate matters in the north as well because Iran's proxy of Hezbollah in southern Lebanon with him -- that there have already been skirmishes, rockets fired an anti-tank missiles fired towards Israel, and Israel retaliating. This could now be used as a pretext by Hezbollah to really open up that Northern Front. And that could complicate matters for Israel in the Gaza Strip as well.

Also diplomatically it's complicating matters, potentially, because we've seen condemnations from Egypt, for example, and Jordan, both of whom have peace treaties, with Israel condemning Israel, blaming Israel for this strike on for this blast at this hospital.

And we've also seen the United Arab Emirates blaming Israel for this blast at the hospital and the Saudis with whom Israel was hoping to normalize relations, also condemning Israel. So diplomatically, the picture could also be complicated, but ultimately, Israel seems to be remaining steadfast in its plan, which is to try to destroy Hamas and its capabilities of ever launching a terrorist attack of the kind that it launched on October the seventh, John.

VAUSE: Elliott, thank you. Elliott Gotkine there live for us in London with the latest. Appreciate it.

Joining us now from Washington is Khaled Elgindy, a senior fellow at the Middle East Institute. Khaled, thank you for being with us.

OK, so Hamas along with other Palestinian officials say Israel is clearly to blame for the strike on the hospital. Not so soon as the IDF. Listen to this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REAR ADM. DANIEL HAGARI, SPOKESPERSON, ISRAELI DEFENSE FORCES: Intelligence from few sources that we have in our hands indicates that the Islamic Jihad is responsible for the failed rocket launch, which hit the hospital in Gaza.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VAUSE: Well, it's important find out who did this, but whether it was an Israeli strike or misfired Islamic Jihad missile. At this point, there's no undoing the outrage and the anger which this has already caused when Palestinians and many Arab nations who, you know, it no doubt that Israel is to blame. They did this either intentionally or by misadventure. And now that's out there, this will have long term repercussions.

KHALED ELGINDY, SENIOR FELLOW, MIDDLE EAST INSTITUTE: This is a turning point, I think in in the in the war. The, you know, of course, you can never say with absolute certainty at this stage. But the evidence seems pretty, I think, compelling that this was an Israeli airstrike. The Israelis have said that they would be targeting hospitals and ordered them to be evacuated, which is something Palestinian medical personnel have resisted.

But more importantly, the Islamic Jihad or Hamas or any other Palestinian group, it's highly unrealistic that they would have access to such a sophisticated missile that was capable of killing 600 people instantly. But as you said, whether this was a deliberate attack by Israeli forces, on clearly civilian targets, or it's just simply reckless disregard for civilian life. The repercussions I think are very severe.

VAUSE: Well, the U.S. President Joe Biden will visit Israel in the coming hours before the strike on the Gaza hospital. National Security Spokesman John Kirby outlined what the President was hoping to achieve. Here he is.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOHN KIRBY, U.S. NATIONAL SECURITY COUNCIL SPOKESPERSON: The President believes that this is exactly the right time to go to Israel and to go to Jordan, to speak to other leaders in the region, about the humanitarian assistance that we want to make sure gets into Gaza, about Israeli plans and intentions going forward, how this is unfolding on the ground, and absolutely, to continue to talk to regional partners about those hostages and getting and see if we can getting them home back to the families where they belong.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VAUSE: Well, that trip to Jordan is now on hold, the president of the Palestinian Authority Mahmoud Abbas who condemned Hamas for their attack about 11 days ago, no longer meet with Biden. Israel's are looking isolated, at the very least. So who would say benefits most from the hospital attack here?

ELGINDY: Well, I'm not sure. I'm not sure looking at it through a strictly PR lens is the right approach. I think we those of us in the analyst community had expected to see a gradual ratcheting up of the scale of the violence by the Israeli military in the absence of any statements or red lines or urging for restraint by Western powers, including and especially the United States.

So, I see this as sort of a natural outcome of what has been essentially an American and European blank check for Israel to do essentially whatever it wanted militarily. [01:10:07]

VAUSE: I know us through the lens of PR seems cold and trivial in some respects. But this is very much a war about PR about winning support around the world. And quite often, Israel has received a lot of combination when those civilian debt or numbers continue to rise like they are now and loses support from, you know, watching it or at least gets reined in by Washington, which is sort of what seems to be is heading now after the strike on the hospital. Would you say?

ELGINDY: It's possible. I mean, it's too early to tell the responses so far from the Biden administration are has been, you know, let's wait and see we're horrified at the way they called it an explosion. And the let's see who's determined to be responsible, and we'll look into this.

But I don't anticipate that we'll see any real change in the almost unanimous voice coming from Congress of support unconditional support for Israel. Regardless of any fact finding or investigation that may happen.

VAUSE: Well all countries around the world have condemned the explosion of the hospital among the Canada, Egypt and Qatar. With the Financial Times reporting the blast also drew condemnation from Muslim countries including Turkey and Saudi Arabia that blame Israel, Jordan's King Abdullah said the bombing, which he pinned on Israel was a massacre and a war crime.

So assuming the Israeli military offensive continues, as is, I guess, how much harder will it be now for the U.S. president and his Secretary of State to try and prevent this conflict from escalating into a much wider regional confrontation? And what would that escalation look like?

ELGINDY: Yes, I think this is the where the rubber meets the road, so to speak. I think this is where there's real risk of escalation because there is such outrage in the Arab world. And we've already seen a spike in the in the rhetoric coming out of Hezbollah and its allies in the region.

So, I think that risk is much greater now. I wouldn't -- it would not be surprising to see a retaliatory strike by Hezbollah, for example, that escalates things, and could spiral out of control. And obviously, that's a concern for the United States. That's been the priority so far, is to try to contain this war to just the Gaza and to keep it from spreading, but that definitely becomes harder now.

VAUSE: Khaled Elgindy from the Middle East Institute, thanks for being with us. So we appreciate your time taking your insight.

ELGINDY: Thank you.

VAUSE: It's really airstrikes also powered other parts of Gaza on Tuesday. The Palestinian Interior Ministry says at least 49 people were killed. Dozens more injured. Strikes have Rafah near the border with Egypt and Khan Younis. CNN's inside jealousies has more and a warning the images in her report are graphic.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SALMA ABDELAZIZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voiceover): This city should be the way out of the war zone. But it too was caught in the crosshairs of Israel's relentless aerosol. You're looking at the aftermath of airstrikes on Rafah. Thousands have flocked here in recent days, seeking safe passage, only to find more death.

My children, Oh God, please find my children, this man pleads. They are under the rubble. Oh God, please pull them out.

It is unclear if his children survived. Israeli bombardment has killed dozens here in recent days, according to Palestinian officials. The city which sits on the Egyptian border is home to Gaza is only possible humanitarian corridor, a corridor that is now inoperable and unsafe, the WHO says because of Israeli bombardment.

And at the border crossing footage shows smoke billowing from multiple air strikes nearby on Tuesday. Desperate families gather here for hours a day. Praying authorities will allow their exit. So far a diplomatic standoff keeping this crucial corridor shut. Cairo is reluctant to take in refugees that says it wants to see aid allowed into the Enclave.

Israel's government has imposed a complete siege of Gaza after Hamas terror attacks killed some 1,400 people. It says it aims to wipe out Hamas.

CONRICUS: We continue to operate and strike Hamas targets as we have defined before and we try to do that according to the law of armed conflict and of course to minimize civilian casualties.

ABDELAZIZ: Intensive efforts by the U.S. and the U.N. are yet to resolve the logjam leaving countless people like this Michigan residents stuck.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: With the war I can sleep, a lot bomb. There's people here. There's people here live. It's not right.

ABDELAZIZ: On the Egyptian side of the border, life-saving aid is piling up.

[01:15:02]

And with more than 10,000 wounded Palestinians and the health care system on the brink, every hour counts.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: That's why it's critical to get there. This is for people like pregnant women we know that there are 84,000 pregnant women and many of them a delivering every day. Babies don't care about bombs they come when they come.

ABDELAZIZ: Gaza is in a stranglehold rights groups say under siege and under attack with innocent civilians desperate to escape a growing hellscape. Salma Abdelaziz, CNN, London. (END VIDEOTAPE)

VAUSE: We will take a short break, when we come back, the IDF and Hezbollah in the north continue to exchange fire along Israel's border with Lebanon. And now Israeli forces bracing for the possibility of this conflict spreading across the region.

Gaza, who is Yahya Sinwar and what do we know about it. Those details next.

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VAUSE: Welcome back to the north of Israel, the IDF continues to exchange fire with Hezbollah militants just across the border in Lebanon. That's raising concerns about possible second front for Israel which could also trigger confrontations across the region.

[01:20:02]

More now from CNN's Matthew Chance.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MATTHEW CHANCE, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voiceover): This is the mayhem on Israel's northern border. Not yet a full scale war with Hezbollah in Lebanon, but it's on the brink. So far exchanges have been limited. Hezbollah firing several anti-tank missiles like this one across the valley towards Israeli positions.

Israeli officials focused on destroying Hamas in the south. So they will also target Hezbollah if the Iranian backed militia further into this.

Make sure we win every confrontation, Israel's military commander tells troops on a visit to the north. Hezbollah makes this mistake and strikes, as he says, it will be destroyed.

The Israeli military says it's already killed four people trying to infiltrate its northern border from Lebanon to plant explosives. Although Israeli officials keen to avoid the second frontier, say the point of escalation has not yet been reached.

Iran which supports Hezbollah says it won't stand by forever as Israel pounds the Gaza Strip. We're not looking for an expansion of the war, says the Iranian foreign minister. But you can't tell Hezbollah to show their strength, while allowing Israel to commit whatever crimes you like against civilians.

It's hardly an assurance and Israeli forces are evacuating border villages and bolstering northern defenses. Acknowledging they face a powerful threat from a Lebanese militia with a vast arsenal of missiles but ready to fight if necessary, they say on two fronts. Matthew Chance, CNN, Northern Israel.

(END VIDEOTAPE) VAUSE: Long before the surprise a mass attack on Israel 11 days ago. The IDF was hunting for Yahya Sinwar the leadoff of us in Gaza. And now it seems that hunt has extra urgency. CNN's Sam Kiley has our report.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SAM KILEY, CNN SENIOR INTENRATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voiceover): Israel once this man dead, Yahya al Sinwar, the leader of Hamas in Gaza.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: In the face of evil in the end, Yahya Sinwar, that man is in our sights (INAUDIBLE) and we'll get to them.

KILEY: He was first convicted in 1988 for the murder of two Israeli soldiers and for Palestinians suspected of collaboration with Israel. And he spent two decades in an Israeli prison studying his enemy, the founder of Hamas Internal Security Force, he had hunted alleged collaborators with zeal and was among the movements biggest prizes with over 1,000 Palestinian prisoners were released in 2011 for Gilad Shalit, an Israeli soldier held hostage in Gaza for five years.

He said, there is no doubt that this is a nationalistic moment, power exelons, it is one of the big strategic monuments in the history of our cause. He quickly became head of Hamas's military wing, and on election to the Gaza leadership in 2017, effectively abolished its civilian branch, ostracized by Egypt over its support for political Islam, he repaired friendships with Cairo, and built regional relationships that entrenched Hamas power.

MOUIN RABBNI, INSITUTE OF PALESTINE STUDIES: It really needed to have also good relations with the key Arab state that also shares the only Arab border with the Gaza Strip, and with Iran that could supply Hamas with military and logistical support.

KILEY: Iran has poured military support into Hamas under him, and Qatar has been a major backer of civilian projects. He was soon in Israel's crosshairs quite literally. The IDF tried to kill him in May 2021. 10 days later, he laid out his strategy, he said, if the world doesn't take action to stop it, meaning Israel, there will be a religious war in the region.

And he soon appeared in Gaza alongside Egypt's intelligent chief Abbas Kamel. The U.S. is now relying on Egypt and Qatar as key players to try to secure the safe release of Hamas's 200 captives. Their main point of contact is likely Sinwar, unless Israel fulfills its promise to kill him. Sam Kiley, CNN.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

VAUSE: Protests over the deadly strike on Gaza hospital are erupting across the region. In a moment, a closer look at the outpouring of anger and what Arab governments are saying.

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[01:28:23] VAUSE: Welcome back, you're watching CNN Newsroom. Just gone 28 minutes past the hour here in Atlanta. I'm John Vause, The latest down from Gaza and a deadly blast at the hospital, which is believed to have killed hundreds of Palestinians. And a warning to our viewers the images you're about to see are hard to watch.

Medics here seem to be working to help the wounded. According to Palestinian health ministry the hospital was only treating patients but was also a shelter for thousands of Palestinians who've been forced from their homes.

Just who is to blame for the explosion remains unclear. Palestinian officials say the hospital was hit by an Israeli airstrike. But the Israel Defense Forces categorically denies any involvement, blaming Islamic Jihad. A student in Gaza explain what it's like to live there right now.

(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)

DUNIA ABU-RAHIMA, STUDENT IN GAZA: In the whole Gaza Strip, there is no place is safe. There's no place safe. We hear the bombs. We see them. We feel the pressure after the bombs goes down.

(END AUDIO CLIP)

VAUSE: U.S. President Joe Biden is out on his way to Israel for a high stakes visit. In his statement he said he's outraged and deeply saddened by the hostile blast in Gaza. He went on to say the U.S. is continuing to gather information about exactly what happened.

[01:29:45]

In the meantime, several Arab countries have harshly condemned Israel for the blast. Thousands of protesters across the region have been filling the streets chanting anti-Israeli slogans. CNN's Nada Bashir reports from Amman.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

NADA BASHIR, CNN REPORTER (on camera): Well, look, from the outset of this wall we have seen pro has taken place in solidarity with the Palestinian people across the globe not just in the Middle East but here in this region we saw last night a real outpouring of both outrage and condemnation following that attack on the al-Ahli Hospital inside the Gaza Strip. So far Hamas says at least 500 people were killed in that attack.

They have pointed the finger of responsibility at Israel although the Israeli government has denied, categorically denied, any involvement in this attack have placed responsibility on the Islamic Jihad group inside Gaza.

But of course, there is a real focused on the civilian toll, and the impact this has had. Hundreds of lives lost, killed in this devastating and horrifying attack. We have seen the videos. There's terrible images of bodies lined up

outside of the hospital. That is really what sparked these protests that we saw last night. Here in Amman, huge crowds gathering in the city around the Israeli and some protesters even attempting to storm the Israeli embassy at one point.

And of course it is important to note that we have seen protests in support of Palestinian taking place on an almost daily basis here in Jordan.

We also saw demonstrations and protests in Lebanon, in Tunisia, in Iraq, even in the occupied West Bank in Ramallah where there were even some clashes between protesters and Israeli police's security forces.

And this isn't going to end here. We continue to see these airstrikes on Gaza by the IDF as we continue to see the civilian death toll mounting in the besieged Gaza Strip which is of course, under complete siege -- no food, no water, no electricity, no fuel is getting in.

That solidarity with the Palestinian people is only going to grow and I cannot overstate the prevalence of significance that the Palestinians hold in these Arab nations, a long held prime place of prevalence for many and of course, it certainly does for these protesters taking to the street.

Now, the question is whether or not this translates from popular opinion to policy by Arab leaders and we've already seen the summit which was scheduled to take place today in Amman between King Abdullah of Jordan, President el-Sisi of Egypt and President Mahmoud Abbas of the Palestinian Authority, as well of course, U.S. President Joe Biden.

That summit has now been canceled with Jordanian foreign minister condemning yesterday's attack. But of course it remains to be seen what further action is taken by the Arab leaders.

Nada Bashir, CNN -- in Amman.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

VAUSE: Live now to Jerusalem and Yaakov Katz, a senior columnist and former editor for the "Jerusalem Post". It's good to see you.

YAAKOV KATZ, SENIOR COLUMNIST "JERUSALEM POST": Thank you John.

VAUSE: So even with the jury still out, Israel has been widely condemned and blamed for the explosion at the hospital in Gaza, even by Arab countries with friendly relations with Jerusalem.

Does that concern the Israeli government here or are they only concerned by what the U.S. actually believes?

KATZ: Look at the end of the day, I mean you said it correctly, right? Israel needs the U.S. for a number of reasons. A, for the diplomatic support, and what happens around the U.N. Security Council table but also let's not forget, Israel's military is heavily reliant on American-based military platforms -- F-15s, F-16s, F-35s, Apache helicopters and more. If America, for example were to get really upset with Israel and decides to shut off the flow of spare parts or more munitions to Israel, the IDF would be in trouble. So you know, they need to keep up that support in the U.S.

But what we're facing here is a huge challenge, right. On the one hand, Israel is saying and they're providing evidence it was not us. Israel did not bomb that hospital, it was a failed Islamic jihad rocket.

And while that might be true, and I tend to rely and believe much more the IDF than a terrorist organization, those are the details for the world. This is a tragedy and humanitarian disaster and that is going to shift public opinion and maybe change the pressure that Joe Biden is already under to get this conflict over with already.

VAUSE: So with that in mind, whether or not the angered, the protest, the outrage are all justified, whether it was Israel or Islamic jihad, the reality is, an extraordinary number of Palestinian civilians are being killed. And yes, Hamas is using civilians as human shields but they're dying in Israeli airstrikes.

And in past conflicts with Hamas, that is when there's some kind of ceasefire. The international pressure has grown, the U.S. has stepped in. Is that where we're heading now? Because it doesn't seem that way.

KATZ: Look, Israel has said that they're going into the Gaza Strip. They have amassed a huge number of forces along the border and they have been training over the last weekend preparing for this large- scale ground offensive that everybody's been waiting to see happen. It was expected to happen a few days ago.

[01:34:47]

KATZ: When President Biden announced that he's coming to the region, it became obvious Israel is not going in at least until he leaves. He's arriving in just a couple of hours to Tel Aviv.

So could it happen tonight? Could it happen tomorrow? I think what we'll find out is after this meeting today between Netanyahu and Biden what exactly is the room of maneuverability that America is giving Israel. I think that Biden has said very clearly, he stands with Israel but Israel is going to have a window. How big that window is. Is it a week, is it two weeks?

Israel does need to go in to degrade Hamas' capabilities. The IDF is pushing very hard for that. And it needs to go in to push back Hamas, right. Let's not forget who is responsible for all of this.

Israel does all it can to try to minimize civilian casualties. And like you said, John, they use, they want their civilians to die so there will be pressure on Israel. That's part of this whole conflict right now.

VAUSE: It is however not the first time this hospital in Gaza has been hit by an Israeli airstrike. According to the Anglican Communion, which owns and operates the facility, an earlier strike on the Al-Ahli Arab Hospital happened 7:30 pm, Saturday, 14th of October. Four hospital staff were injured in the blasts and are receiving treatment for their wounds.

And also, here is the reaction from the World Health Organization to Tuesday's explosion.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE, WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION: It is absolutely clear to all sides of this conflict where the health facilities are. It is absolutely clear. Health care is not a target. It should never be a target of anyone in conflict. That isn't trying (ph) in international humanitarian law. And we're seeing this breached again and again, and again over the last week. And it has to stop. It must stop.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VAUSE: In the past, health facilities have been targeted in Gaza because Hamas uses the buildings as command control centers which is a war crime; or shelter for senior leadership, also a war crime.

It seems the only time either side wants to talk want to talk about respecting international law though is when it's to their own benefit.

KATZ: This is a huge problem with the way Hamas embeds itself into civilian infrastructure in the Gaza strip. The IDF goes above and beyond to avoid trying to hit civilians. It does not target hospitals. It does not target civilians intentionally.

But we know that in a war there are mistakes and there are problems. And it's a very challenging urban environment. With that said, the people who are responsible for what's happening right now to the civilians in Gaza, in my view, is definitely Hamasa and definitely Islamic Jihad if it was their rocket that hit this hospital.

But you're right, in the public perception around the world the overall responsible entity here is the state of Israel. That's how people perceive this. And this will chip away at Israel's legitimacy to continue to operate.

So that window, I'm afraid, of how much time does Israel have to go in on the ground and take and degrade more of Hamas capabilities, that window is slowly closing. And Israel needs to take advantage of this opportunity now.

VAUSE: Just very quickly, (INAUDIBLE) at the very beginning of this, there's this horrendous attack carried out by Hamas on innocent civilians, murdering women and children, cutting heads off.

Yes, it was despicable, it was deplorable. There was this outpouring of sympathy for Israel. But what always happens in these conflicts is that slowly (INAUDIBLE) Israeli airstrikes and a devastating (INAUDIBLE) with Gaza, and the deaths among Palestinians, it does change world opinion. Surely the Israelis are aware of this. There has to be a better way of

taking control of Hamas. They're doing the same thing, over and over again and having world opinion turned against you.

KATZ: John, this is one of the great challenges of these conflicts. And you and I have spoken about many of them over the years. But you are right. It changes very quickly and I can only wonder why does it always change for Israel?

There are other conflicts around the world. When it was ISIS, when it was al-Qaeda no one was asking these questions. No one was turning the tables so quickly on America or on Europe when they were fighting for their survival.

But when it comes to Israel for some reason the world so quickly turns on Israel and away from its legitimacy. Israel has to fight, what we saw on October 7th was an attempt to annihilate us, to go into our homes and to kill our people.

Israel's in a fight for it survival. The entire region, all our enemies are watching right now. Israel has to project strength, has to defend its civilians, has to defeat this enemy of Hamas that is not ISIS. It is worse than ISIS today.

VAUSE: Yaakov, thanks for being with us. I hope you and your family stay safe. We'll see you again soon.

KATZ: Thank you, John.

VAUSE: With that, we'll take a short break.

When we come back, two dear friends together again, Vladimir Putin and Xi Jinping face to face on the sidelines of a global summit in Beijing. But beyond the photo opportunity and the forced smiles, what are these two old friends really talking about?

[01:39:21]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

VAUSE: State media in China reports President Xi Jinping has met with Russian President Vladimir Putin on the sidelines of a global infrastructure summit in Beijing. Both leaders made public remarks during the opening banquet but the real focus is on the reaction by these two leaders to the conflicts in the Middle East and Ukraine.

CNN Beijing bureau chief Steven Jiang joins us now live with the very latest on all of this.

So what are we looking for here? What are we expecting? What have we got so far?

STEVEN JIANG, CNN BEIJING BUREAU CHIEF: Yes, John.

I think the strongman leaders' meeting should be wrapping up soon, if not already. But in the opening remarks delivered by Xi Jinping in their bilateral meeting as seen in state media, he made a point of saying this was their 42nd meeting since 2013 and how bilateral ties have grown so much, in the past decade especially when it comes to bilateral trade soaring to new highs and on track to hit their goal of 200 billion U.S. dollars annually.

Now, this is not surprising, especially in the past few years as Beijing has been increasingly providing Moscow with an economic lifeline because obviously Russia very much under severe western sanctions.

That's also why analysts say China increasingly holds this upper hand in this relationship. So it's very much a choice that they haven't exerted more pressure for Putin to end this bloody war in Ukraine.

If anything, they have become a lot more in sync, a lot more coordinated on many policy fronts not just economically but also politically, militarily and in terms of global messaging.

That includes their responses to the latest crisis in the Middle East. Both sides very much focused on the Palestinian cause while barely mentioning the Israeli casualties and not naming Hamas in all of their statements and condemnations.

Because strategically speaking, many experts have also pointed out this crisis could be beneficial to both Russia and China. Because it could potentially divert U.S. attention and resources away from Ukraine as well as the Indo-Pacific region where tensions have been rising between Beijing and Washington over Taiwan and the South China Sea.

So that's because at the end of the day, you know, these two men even though Putin is increasingly a pariah in the eyes of the West, he's the most prominent guest of Xi Jinping here in Beijing. They are really bonded by their shared grievances against the U.S. and their desire to shape a new world order without being led by the U.S.

That is why, John, Xi Jinping in his keynote speech in that opening ceremony of the Belt-and-Road forum taking a swipe at the U.S. without naming Washington, saying his program is not about ideological confrontation, not about geopolitical rivalry or so-called bloc (ph) politics, John.

[01:44:59]

VAUSE: Sounds interesting, Steven thank you. Steven Jiang in Beijing. Appreciate that. Thank you, sir.

Well, now to the chaos in the U.S. Congress -- Congress rather -- two weeks after Republicans ousted Kevin McCarthy as speaker. The only candidate right now for the job is Trump-supporting, conservative Republican Jim Jordan. He scheduled a second vote for the coming hours after losing the first vote on Tuesday by 20 Republican lawmakers who did not support him.

CNN's Manu Raju has more now reporting in from Washington.

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MANU RAJU, CNN CHIEF CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: For more now than two weeks now, the House has been paralyzed amid GOP infighting that initially led to the ouster of Kevin McCarthy as speaker, the first time ever voted out by his colleagues. And since then, Republicans have been unable to get behind anyone to lead the House and reopen the chamber.

Remember the House cannot act until a speaker is elected. No legislation can move forward, everything essentially paralyzed. And Republicans have been unable to get behind a candidate.

And when Jim Jordan put his name up for the first ballot on Tuesday, he lost 20 Republicans, in a party line vote that ultimately, he could only afford to lose three Republicans in that particular vote. A significant deficit that he is now working behind the scenes to try to make up.

Next vote scheduled for 11:00 a.m. on Wednesday. Can he close the deficit? The concern amongst some Jordan allies is that perhaps the opposition may grow. Some Republicans who were only with him on the first ballot may not be there with him on the second ballot.

And this all is coming as concerns are growing in the ranks. Republicans on the Senate and the House side both saying this dysfunction needs to end and raising serious concern about how it reflects on Republicans.

REP. KEVIN CRAMER (R-ND): It's problematic obviously. it's hard to function when you're dysfunctional and we need the house to function.

In this case, the disrespect for the majority isn't what's problematic to me. And I think that a lot of people look at it and go, my God, that's chaotic. I don't think it helps the brand.

What's alarming to me is it's such a small group, such small minority of the majority wags the dog. When the tail is wagging the dog, I think it can look a little rudderless. Things don't have to be unanimous to be united. And right now, there are neither.

RAJU: Now, of Jordan does look at the votes on Wednesday to become elected Speaker of the House, then there will be questions about what will happen next. Talks will intensify about perhaps a bipartisan solution. Democrats are floating the idea of some sort of bipartisan deal, potentially even empowering Patrick McHenry, who is the Interim Speaker of the House. He does not have legislative power, but there is some discussion about trying to give him more authority. We'll see how that plays out.

Also there could be other candidates who could emerge. Other Republicans could put their hat in the ring to be the next speaker of the house. But they could run into the same problem as Jim Jordan, unable to win over this badly divided Republican conference.

Many members simply are angry still about everything that transpired with Kevin McCarthy and made the hard-liners who pushed out Kevin McCarthy want another hard right conservative to be leading the conference. Something that does not go over well with some swing district Republicans.

All of this raising major concerns about whether the House can get out of this state of paralysis, whether it can reopen. Unclear if that can happen and when that can happen, or if this will persist in the days ahead.

Manu Raju, CNN -- Capitol Hill.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

VAUSE: When we return, back to Israel and the extraordinary lengths taken by one hospital to avoid being hit by incoming rocket fire in Gaza.

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VAUSE: Welcome back, everyone. It's gone 52 minutes past the hour.

In the past 11 days Israel has been continually hit by thousands of rockets and missiles fired by Hamas and other militant groups in Gaza. An ongoing deadly threat which has forced one hospital to relocate underground.

CNN Sara Sidner toured the site in Tel Aviv.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SARA SIDNER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: A doctor checks in on a patient. Just an ordinary day in the hospital except there is nothing ordinary about where this is taking place.

RONNI GAMZU, CEO, TEL AVIV SOURASKY MEDICAL CENTER: This is the bunker underground hospital. This is a functioning hospital in the highest level. Every service, every technology, everything that they need we provide them and everything has been supplied here.

SIDNER: It has the look and the feel of a regular hospital with all the things that you would expect. Except for when you turn the corner and you can really see this is an underground parking garage, at least it was.

Vehicle parking spaces are now for patient beds. Driveways for pushcart. This is how Tel Aviv's Sourasky Medical Center is preparing to treat patients in wartime.

So it's as perfectly normal as usual in the most abnormal scenario.

GAMZU: Exactly. This is the right phrase to put it.

SIDNER: This is the result of 14 years of planning for war.

GAMZU: We planned this underground hospital 14 years ago, more or less after the Second Lebanon War. Tel Aviv, was for the first time, got missile attacks.

SIDNER: That was then before Hamas stormed across by land, air and sea on Shabbat killing, kidnapping and maiming men, women and children.

Several floors above the hospital, 60 hospital beds are now filled with victims from the Hamas attack.

TOMER ZADIK, SURVIVED NOVA MUSIC FESTIVAL ATTACK: I went to a party, with my friends and it was a music festival. And at 6:30 something like that, alarms started.

SIDNER: He and his friends managed to jump in their car, but then --

ZADIK: There was a squad of terrorists that happened (INAUDIBLE) shooting without conscience.

SIDNER: Shooting at you, just indiscriminate?

ZADIK: Yes, just shooting without conscience.

[01:54:56]

SIDNER: His car among those abandoned on the side of the road. He ran and hid for the next five hours. Blood pouring from his arm where a bullet smashed through his skin and bones.

ZADIK: There is no one in this world who wants peace more than I do. Trust me, I've been (INAUDIBLE).

I don't want this -- none of us wanted this to happen.

SIDNER: Do you still think that peace is possible?

ZADIK: I used to believe in peace all the time but right now after seeing what I saw. Yitzhak Rabin, who was the prime minister of Israel said something very important --

SIDNER: Yitzhak Rabin?

ZADIK: -- Yes. He said that peace you don't make with friends, you make with enemies. But even enemies need to be human beings.

SIDNER: No matter who you are, this hospital will treat you deep below the earth crust. It has already moved a whole of section to the hospital to get the staff and patient prepared for life below during war.

What do you think about being in a parking garage?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: He's enjoying every minute of this.

SIDNER: Does this feel different this time?

GAMZU: It feels different because we know that it's not like kind of a limited operation. It's a war time.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

VAUSE: Our thanks to CNN's Sara Sidner for that report.

Hundreds of mourners attended a vigil at Plainfield, Illinois Tuesday for a six-year-old Palestinian American boy stabbed to death in a suspected hate crime. The boy's uncle says he was overwhelmed by the huge show of support from the community.

Meantime, the mayor of Plainfield said that the six-year-old Wadea Al- Fayoume was, in his words, one of our own. Police say the suspect was the family's landlord. He's now facing numerous charges, including murder. And he said he'd been influenced by anti-Palestinian sentiments on conservative talk radio in the days after the Hamas terror attacks in Israel.

Thank you for watching. I'm John Vause.

Please stay with us.

CNN NEWSROOM continues with my friend and colleague Rosemary Church after a very short.

I'll see you right back here tomorrow.

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