Return to Transcripts main page

CNN Newsroom

Video Shoes Rocket Fired From Gaza Exploding Over Gaza City; Egypt Agrees To Open Gaza Crossing For Up To 20 Aid Trucks; Protests Erupt after Deadly Gaza Hospital Blast; Putin, Xi Forge Own Path on Middle East Crisis; Jordan Loses Second Vote amid Growing Republican Opposition. Aired 1-2a ET

Aired October 19, 2023 - 01:00   ET

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

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[01:00:03]

JOHN VAUSE, CNN ANCHOR: Hello, welcome our viewers here in the United States and around the world. I'm John Hawes at the CNN Center in Atlanta with our ongoing coverage of Israel at War. It is 1:00 a.m. here in Atlanta, 8:00 a.m. in Gaza City with a mosque controlled Ministry of Health now reports 471 people have been killed in Tuesday's deadly hospital blast.

Israel was quick to deny responsibility. And after reviewing both U.S. and IDF intelligence, the U.S. President agrees, publicly backing Israel's claim that an errant rocket fired by the Palestinian Islamic group -- Islamic Jihad caused the explosion.

And there is a new video which appears to show a rocket fire from Gaza exploding high above Gaza City, where the hospital is located just before the blast at that medical facility. And on the ground this was the moment of the explosion outside the hospital.

U.S. National Security Council released a statement reading in part, U.S. government assesses that Israel was not responsible for an explosion that killed hundreds of civilians based on available reporting, including intelligence, missile activity at open source video and images of the incident. That assessment came as the U.S. President arrived in Israel Wednesday. Early on Air Force One, he was asked for his message to those who do not trust us intelligence.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOE BIDEN, U.S. PRESIDENT: I can understand why this circumstance they wouldn't understand that. I'm not suggesting that Hamas deliberately did it either. I said Oh, thank god Allah on a shoestring was not the first time a Hamas has launched something that malfunction.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VAUSE: President Biden is are planning a primetime address from the White House Thursday night, updating the situation in both Israel as well as the war in Ukraine. CNN has been conducting its own independent analysis of that

horrifying hospital blast in Gaza. Two sides blaming each other for the explosion, which killed almost 500 people. CNN is now looking into a video of the incident which was recorded by a news camera which was rolling at the time of the explosion. CNN's Alex Marquardt has details.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ALEX MARQUARDT, CNN SENIOR NATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT (voiceover): The explosion rocked northern Gaza and lit up the night sky, another angle appearing to show according to a CNN analysis, a rocket fired from inside Gaza, it explodes in the air, and seconds later, a blast is seen at the Al-Ahli Baptist Hospital. CNN has not determined definitively that the rocket and the explosion are related but in Tel Aviv today, President Joe Biden said U.S. intelligence matches Israel's version of what happened.

BIDEN: Based on the information we've seen to date. It appears as a result of an errant rocket fired by a terrorist group in Gaza.

MARQUARDT: Biden didn't name the group but Israel says it's Palestinian Islamic Jihad, which is allied with Hamas and linked to Iran. The American assessment less than 24 hours after the deadly strike was based on what the White House now says is intelligence, missile activity and open source video and images of the incident. The statement adding that some Palestinian militants in Gaza themselves believe it was carried out by Islamic Jihad.

SETH JONES, DIRECTOR, CSIS INTERNATIONAL SECURITY PROGRAM: The U.S. now to weigh in, and the U.S. president to weigh in on this. This does strongly suggest this was likely not the Israelis.

MARQUARDT: The Israeli military published recordings it claims or audio intercepts of Hamas militants, acknowledging the rocket came from inside Gaza.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's from us?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It looks like it.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Who says who?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: They are saying that the shrapnel from the missile is local shrapnel and not like Israel shrapnel.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: They shot it coming from the cemetery behind the Ali-Ma'amadini (ph) Hospital. and it misfired and fell on them.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There's cemetery behind it?

MARQUARDT: CNN cannot independently verify them. It's part of a vigorous Israeli effort to prove it wasn't their rocket, arguing the damage from the strike was far lighter than the bombs. They usually dropped from the air, assaults that have left buildings across Gaza flattened and huge craters in the ground. At the hospital today, charred vehicles littered the parking lot,

which is pockmarked and has a small crater. Sources tell CNN that Israel shared its intelligence with the U.S. and taken together the U.S. now believes that the body of evidence paints a solid picture.

JONES: You have to piece it together with other sources of information, not just from that ally, because that may be biased.

MARQUARDT: But the public outcry and blame of Israel were swift and fierce. Biden summit in Jordan with Arab leaders was canceled as crowds in the streets grew.

BIDEN: I couldn't understand why this circumstance they wouldn't. I can understand that. And I would not notice I don't say things like that, unless I have faith in source.

MARQUARDT: The theory now threatening to deepen the crisis even before Israel launches a possible invasion of Gaza.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

[01:05:05]

VAUSE: Whoever is responsible for the hospital blasts it doesn't change the tragic outcome. Hundreds dead many more hurt. And families let just search through debris and rubble at the hospital, hoping to find the missing. CNN's Salma Abdelaziz has more now from Gaza City and a warning her report contains some disturbing images.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SALMA ABDELAZIZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voiceover): A gruesome scene. Gazans searching for pieces of their loved ones. We're looking for feet, toes, anything, this man says. Just give me some space to look. The blast so powerful. My father, I just want to see him. He says, Oh God, he was sitting right here. Leaving little of its victims behind.

There was an old man where that wheelchair is, the man says. We tried to pick up his body. The corpses here were all mangled. These are the grounds of al-Ahli hospital. Countless innocents were camped out here certain it was safe.

We suddenly felt there was a fire and chunks of things were falling on us. It was dark. We were looking for each other. The survivor says, I can't explain it. I can't describe it. It was a massacre.

In the night, the refuge was ripped apart by a powerful explosion. The place of healing turned into a place of carnage. Hundreds killed, where they hope to be saved. Condemnation and accusation came pouring in before the dead could be counted.

Israel denied responsibility. Blaming a Palestinian militant group and adding the lack of structural damage ruled out the possibility of an airstrike. The IDF released audio allegedly capturing two Hamas operatives discussing the misfiring of an Islamic Jihad rocket onto a Gaza hospital. REAR ADM. DANIEL HAGARI, ISRAEL DEFENSE FORCES SPOKESPERSON: 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.

ABDELAZIZ: But Palestinian officials and Arab leaders rejected Israel's denial, accusing its military of intentionally targeting the medical facility. CNN cannot verify what caused the explosion. Fury across the region sparked demonstrations across several Arab states as fears of a wider conflict grow.

President Biden landing in Israel during this watershed moment, both Jordan and the Palestinian Authority canceled planned meats prior to his arrival.

BIDEN: I was deeply saddened and outraged by the explosion at the hospital in Gaza yesterday. And based on what I've seen, it appears as though it was done by the other team, not you.

ABDELAZIZ: Hours after the attack and surrounded by the dead, Gaza's health ministry blamed Israel and said the facility was hit by IDF rockets days prior as a warning.

DR. YOUSEF ABU-AL RISH, GAZA'S DEPUTY HEALHT MINISTER (through translator): The next morning the Israeli military called the hospital chief and said we have warned you with two rockets. So why have you not evacuated the hospital immediately.

ABDELAZIZ: Gaza's hospital system was on the brink even before this attack. The humanitarian crisis is now spiraling out of control, rights groups say. About 2 million people, half of them children are trapped in an urban war zone.

A complete siege imposed by Israel after a Hamas terror attack killed 1,400 People sealed borders and cut off food, water fuel the basics.

There will be a time for investigations and perhaps clearer answers. But that does little for those suffering and mourning in Gaza. Now, Salma Abdelaziz, CNN, London.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

VAUSE: U.S. President says he also reached an agreement between Israel and Egypt to allow humanitarian assistance to Gaza. Biden says initially 20 trucks will pass through the Rafah crossing, possibly as soon as Friday. But the Egyptians want security guarantees for workers are repairing the Rafah crossing and as well as nearby roads. And earlier I asked IDF spokesperson Lieutenant Colonel Jonathan Conricus if Israel will agree to that condition.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP

LT. COL. JONATHAN CONRICUS, ISRAEL DEFENSE FORCES SPOKESPERSON: What we can do to facilitate Egyptian aid to be provided to Gaza as long as it doesn't get into the hands of Hamas. That's the only condition that Israel set. And you know, there's a very troubling history here with Hamas, stealing supplies, stealing food, stealing fuel, documented just a few days ago that Hamas stole fuel from an Unma (ph) compound, which could have served for at least six days of fuelling the generators that pump water for the population. Hamas stole that fuel.

So we are of course very, very concerned about the fact that Hamas will views this as well as long as that doesn't happen then yes, the Israeli cabinet has approved it at the request of President Biden and then it shall happen.

[01:10:10]

VAUSE: Yes, the light is still on in Hamas bunkers in Gaza, it seems not anywhere else for the most part. In terms of what is allowed into Gaza, though, the Israeli prime minister and the Cabinet from what I've seen, had mentioned any food, water and medical supplies, but right now there's no electricity in Gaza. Fuel for generators is running low, especially in hospitals. So will fuel be allowed in?

CONRICUS: Yes, it seems as if the only thing that they're not running low on is rockets. We'll have to look. I am aware of the same details that you reported. And I don't have additional information regarding fuel. I know that there are deliberations about it. But what the Israeli cabinet has approved is indeed the details that you said.

VAUSE: And what is the latest on rocket fire coming from Gaza? It seems there was a lull of that 12 hours at one point, but it has since resumed.

CONRICUS: Yes, I mean, they fire at what appears to be almost set times. They fire long distance rockets towards Central Israel, southern Israel. It appears as if they are conserving, managing their supply of rockets, firing for effect in order to terrorize Israeli civilians. I am happy to say that there have not been any significant casualties. The Iron Dome is intercepting and doing it exceedingly well. But there are rockets fired by Hamas and the other terrorists.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VAUSE: A U.N. Security Council draft resolution calling for humanitarian pauses in the fight in Gaza to allow aid delivery has been vetoed by the US. The resolution condemned the Hamas terror attack in Israel and urges the release of hostages being held in Gaza calls on all parties to comply with international law.

12 council members approved the draft but the U.K. and Russia abstained. U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. Linda Thomas Greenfield says resolutions are important, but American on the ground diplomacy needs to play out first. She was also critical that the draft failed to mention Israel's right to self-defense.

When we come back, a glimmer of hope that humanitarian aid could finally arrive in Gaza. But the question is, will it be enough? No not at the moment given the dire needs in the Palestinian enclave. More on that in a moment.

Also, we'll talk to a regional director from the World Health Organization about the desperate medical crisis unfolding and getting worse by the hour in Gaza.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[01:16:26]

VAUSE: 16 minutes past the hour. Welcome back. The visit by the U.S. President Joe Biden to Israel is offering some hope that humanitarian assistance could soon be allowed into Gaza after meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. President Biden said there was an agreement for limited aid to cross over from Egypt and literally just 20 trucks be allowed to cross the border.

More than 2,000 trucks filled with desperately needed supplies have been waiting on the Egyptian side and CNN's Becky Anderson has more now reporting in from Tel Aviv.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BECKY ANDERSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL ACNHOR (voiceover): This is where international aid should be flowing into Gaza. But it's been eerily quiet, vital life sustaining humanitarian aid has been piling up, stuck in no man's land on the wrong side of the border, while agencies sound the alarm on an accelerating humanitarian crisis.

Now there are signs of a breakthrough. On Wednesday, hours after a deadly blast at a hospital in Gaza, U.S. President Joe Biden landed on his wartime visit to Israel. Hours later, he delivered these remarks.

BIDEN: Asked the Israeli cabinet I met with for some time this morning to agree to the delivery of life saving humanitarian assistance to civilians in Gaza based on an understanding that there will be inspections and at the age of go to civilians, not to Hamas, is the degree the humanitarian assistance can begin to move from Egypt to Gaza.

ANDERSON: But in a statement Wednesday, Israel said it will not allow any aid into Gaza from its own territory until all hostages held by Hamas are released. Following the announcement I asked the Jordanian Foreign Minister for his reaction.

AYMAN SAFADI, JORDANIAN FOREIGN MINISTER: We're all working for a ceasefire that would allow the delivery of humanitarian supplies to Gaza. So, talk of ceasefire is continuing, talk of allowing supplies is continuing, talk of a decision to end the war is continuing. So we're all working towards that and any step in that direction is definitely a welcome step.

ANDERSON: President Biden now says he's working with the U.N. to get aid trucks moving as quickly as possible. But even when that flow of aid can begin its route has been badly damaged by Israeli airstrikes.

UNDENTIFIED MALE: Well currently, there's a long miles long convoy of humanitarian assistance between our region Rafah with trucks on the side of the road awaiting the possibility of entering Gaza. The Rafah crossing over the last days has been bombed four times. DR. TOM POTOKAR, CHIEF SURGEON, INTL. COMMITTEE OF THE RED CROSS: There's a lot of infrastructure that has been destroyed obviously the lack of fuel, the lack of water, the lack of food is going to compound the situation. The difficulties with moving around due to security but also just to blockages from rubble, et cetera and unexploded munitions.

ANDERSON: The Gaza citizens, the deadly waiting game means lifelines are fast running out. The Palestinian health ministry says hospitals are collapsing without fuel. And the World Food Program warns that shops in Gaza will run out of food in mere days accurate.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): There is no water. There is no water at all. Medicines for children, food, drinking. There are no supplies at all in the Gaza Strip. It's not just me. All of the Gaza Strip suffering, all of the families in Gaza are suffering.

ANDERSON: Becky Anderson, CNN, Tel Aviv.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

[01:20:07]

VAUSE: With us now from Cairo is Dr. Richard Brennan, Regional Emergency director for the World Health Organization. Thank you for being with us.

DR. RICHARD BRENNAN, REGIONAL EMERGENCY DIRECTOR, W.H.O.: Thank you. Thanks for the opportunity.

VAUSE: OK. So, well, the U.S. president torqued up this agreement to allow very limited assistance across from Egypt into Gaza, or damage to the Rafah crossing means it will be at least Friday, they say before a convoy of trucks are allowed in just 20 at first. If the Hamas takes it, it'll be the last convoy the route roads need to be repaired. The Egyptians want security guarantees for those repair workers. It seems there are so many ways this deal can be undone before it even begins. Are you concerned it could be a non-starter?

BRENNAN: Well, we hope it's not a non-starter. But as you say, there's a lot of complexities to getting this aid operation going. We've got to get those first 20 trucks across, roads need to be repaired as you indicated. One of the conditions that we'd agreed on with the Egyptian government was that the supplies will be taken to the border by the Egyptian Red Crescent, not by the United Nations, and then transferred over two colleagues from the Palestinian Red Crescent, who would then go on with the distributions in Gaza.

And that's the challenge. There are major disruptions to the infrastructure, as you've indicated with the roads. We've got to make sure that, you know, the both parties to the conflict, respect the convoys as they distribute a throughout Gaza. You know, we've got to get up to North Gaza to hospitals, to these schools and collective centers where thousands of people are congregated.

And so we need those security guarantees. Certain supplies can be delivered when they're needed most.

VAUSE: 4,000 dead, almost, more than 12,000 wounded, more than 1 million displaced. 20 trucks to the mafia, they're in this is just insignificant, right?

BRENNAN: Yes. Well, it's a start. I guess that's the absolute best we could say. Now, we under understand the, as you're probably aware that the head of the UN's humanitarian organization has been in town here speaking with the president of Egypt, we hope to get up to 100 trucks a day.

So we've got to rapidly scale up that assistance. We as WHO and other U.N. agencies were bringing in as much aid as we can, but ultimate political decision makers that have got to give us that access. So we continue to do our best on the advocacy level. But you're absolutely right, we have to scale up massively.

And we've got to remember, John, this is not a sprint. This is just the start. This is a marathon, an absolute marathon. In a way hearing figures now there's only people only have three liters of clean water per person per day. Absolute minimum. You usually need 15 liters. That's to cover things like drinking, cooking. Just very, very, very basic hygiene. This isn't flushing toilets, or having showers or anything like that.

VAUSE: You know, hospitals in Gaza are not just treating thousands of wounded. Boards of hospitals are overflowing, mostly our home to thousands of Palestinians with nowhere else to go. I want you to listen Dr. Hussam Abu Safiya, head of Pediatrics at the Kamal Adwan Hospital in northern Gaza. Here he is.

(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)

DR. HUSSAM ABU SAFIYA, HEAD OF PEDIATRICS AT GAZA'S KAMAL ADWAN HOSPITAL (through translator): Situations in our hospitals are now very, very bad. No water, no electricity, no medication, no medical supplies. I am sorry. I cannot speaking with you because we have weak internets in our hospital, and we are in emergency and all time working on those this because the situation's very. very, very bad.

(END AUDIO CLIP)

VAUSE: His hospital did not evacuate in from Northern Gaza to the south despite Israeli orders to leave. Here's our reporting from Time magazine on Monday, put the story, there are seven newborns in the ICU hooked up to ventilators, he said. We cannot evacuate. That would mean death for them and other patients under our care. Patients keep arriving with severed limbs, severe burns, other life threatening injuries. It's frightening.

This seems like a living hell for medical workers right now beyond the lack of electricity, drilling medical supplies. They're caught in the middle of an active war zone.

BRENNAN: Yes, I mean, it's catastrophic. There's no better word for it than that. The hospitals and the clinics have really been depleted. Right now for hospital to complete non-functional hospitals across Gaza, around two-thirds of clinics are non-functioning.

[01:25:03]

Even the hospitals that are operating, as you've indicated, lack of water, lack of fuel, lack of medicines, completely overworked staff, huge patient loads, huge numbers of trauma patients with very complex injuries. Women are continuing to have babies. We've got those babies in the incubators. Patients with other medical conditions are still needing treatment for their high blood pressure, their heart disease, their kidney dialysis.

So the extra load on the health workers is just enormous. And to think that you can evacuate a hospital has critically ill patients over broken roads in an insecure environment down to the south where hospitals are over already overwhelmed. You've got nowhere to take these patients.

It's just a completely unrealistic expectation. And we really do have to take our hats off to these because there's I've seen these guys work under incredibly difficult circumstances, what they're doing for their people is absolutely heroic.

VAUSE: We're just going to say 12,000 wounded over 12 days in Gaza, 1,000 on average every day. This has got to be unprecedented. Thank you for your time, sir.

BRENNAN: Thank you. Thanks very much.

VAUSE: If you'd like to help out with humanitarian relief efforts for Gaza and Israel, please head to cnn.com/impact. There you will find a list of vetted organizations already in operation on the ground in Gaza as well as Israel. That's at cnn.com/impact.

We will take a short break. When we come back, the deadly hospital blasts in Gaza figures international outrage and protests across erupting against Israel across the Middle East and beyond. That's just how it is our special coverage project.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[01:30:13]

VAUSE: Welcome back everyone.

I'm John Vause in Atlanta. It's just gone 30 minutes past the hour. You're watching CNN NEWSROOM.

Back now to our continuing coverage of the war in Israel. U.S. President Joe Biden has publicly supported Israel's claims that a rocket misfired by the militant group Islamic Jihad was the cause of a deadly blast at a hospital in Gaza City. Hamas officials in Gaza say an Israeli airstrike hit the hospital, killing 471 people.

President Biden, who just returned to the U.S. from Israel last hour, now planning a primetime address Thursday to make the case for continued funding to both Israel as well as Ukraine. Before arriving in Washington, Biden was asked about what he would say to those who still believe that it is really airstrike is to blame for the hospital explosion.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOE BIDEN, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I can understand why, in this circumstance, they wouldn't believe. I can understand that. But I would not, if you would notice, I don't say things like that unless I have faith in the source from which I've gotten it.

I don't know all the detail, but I do know the people at the Defense Department, whom I respect, and the intelligence community, whom I respect. It is highly improbable that Israel did that.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VAUSE: In the immediate aftermath of the blast, protests erupted across the Middle East and beyond. Thousands in Beirut gathered outside the Israeli embassy, some attempting to storm the gates. Lebanon was not alone. Protesters across the region vented their anger.

And CNN's Jomana Karadsheh has more details in this report, again, which contains some disturbing images.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JOMANA KARADSHEH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: From the West Bank, to Baghdad, Beirut, Tunis, Tehran, Istanbul, Amman, and other cities across the region. Thousands took to the streets saying enough is enough.

Images out of Gaza's Al Ahli Baptist hospital were just too much to bear. A place of healing, a place to shelter from the indiscriminate violence was no sanctuary for those trapped in this hell on earth.

Palestinian officials say it was an Israeli strike to blame for this catastrophic loss of life. Israel strongly denied the accusation and said the blast was caused by failed rockets fired by the Palestinian militant group Islamic Jihad.

Israel's statements rang hollow for those who've been watching bombs rain down on Gaza and its civilian casualties rising day after day. Israel's friends and foes across the region swiftly blamed it and condemned what they say was a massacre, a war crime.

Jordan, one of America's closest allies in the region, a country home to millions of Palestinians, canceled a summit of Arab leaders with the U.S. President it was hosting on Wednesday.

Thousands poured into the streets and security forces used tear gas to push back the protesters who tried to reach the Israeli embassy in Amman. Their rage also directed at the U.S.

Protesters wave their shoes in the air for President Joe Biden they said, as they chanted "Americans get out". Jordan's crown prince Al Hussein posting this Instagram story, Israel

is responsible for this, quote, "massacre". "The western world can no longer claim morality if they continue with these double standards," he wrote.

For days, Jordan's King Abdullah has been warning, the situation in the region may soon get out of control.

KING ABDULLAH II, JORDAN: The whole region is at the brink of falling into the abyss that this new cycle of death and destruction is pushing us towards. The threat of this war expanding is real. The cost this will bring on all of us is too much to bear.

KARADSHEH: And that threat is getting more real by the day as Iran and its proxies who span Iraq, Syria and Lebanon signaling they will not sit back if the bloodshed persists.

Every painful scene out of Gaza is making it harder to contain the anger, pushing the Middle East closer and closer to the brink.

Jomana Karadsheh, CNN -- London.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

VAUSE: The two besties, authoritarian leaders of Russia and China, seem to be making the most of the bloodshed in Israel as well as Gaza. Vladimir Putin is in Beijing this week for Xi Jinping's Belt-and-Road Summit.

But it's the crisis in the Middle East which seems to give a new reason to chastise the United States and its western allies as a way of creating a new world order in their own image.

Here is CNN's Will Ripley.

[01:34:54]

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

WILL RIPLEY, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Russian President Vladimir Putin, an accused war criminal in the West, a guest of honor in Beijing. Chinese President Xi Jinping feasting with a fellow strongman, triumphantly toasting their vision of a new world order, a world prioritizing Palestinians over western-backed Israel, pitting the Putin-Xi world against the U.S.-led free world.

Russia and China refusing to strongly condemn the Hamas attack. Putin placing blame on the U.S. for the conflict, not Hamas gunmen, who also took Russian lives.

Both Beijing and Moscow criticizing Israel's actions, condemning Tuesday's deadly hospital blast. The Palestinians say hundreds died.

Russia calling it an act of dehumanization, urging Israel to prove its innocence. China says Israel played a part in provoking Palestinian rage. Decades of diplomacy without a two-state solution. WANG YI, CHINESE FOREIGN MINISTER (through translator): Israel has the

right to establish a state. Palestine has the right to establish a state as well.

RIPLEY: China's heavily censored social media overflowing with pro- Palestinian posts and plenty of anger aimed at Israel and the U.S.

One user writes "The only way to get peace in the Middle East is for the Jews to move to America and build a nation there."

President Xi welcomed Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas in June, part of Beijing's bid for a bigger role in Mideast diplomacy and its desire to reshape the U.S.-led world order.

Building on the historic deal it brokered this year, restoring ties between Iran and Saudi Arabia. China says it's sending a special envoy to the Middle East to help with the political settlement.

China and Russia now calling for a ceasefire in Gaza, positioning themselves as possible peacemakers, both ignoring the irony of Putin's own brutal war spilling blood on the battlefields of Ukraine.

Far from the front lines, the leaders and representatives of some 140 nations are expected here in the Chinese capital; leaders of key western allies noticeably absent.

A perfectly timed distraction from Putin's problems at home, parading himself before flocks of friendly state media outlets, Putin's heaping praise on China's powerful leader and Russia's loyal patron, Xi Jinping.

VLADIMIR PUTIN, RUSSIAN PRESIDENT (through translator): He makes long term plans for the future. It's what differentiates the true world leaders from what we call temps. Temps only show off on the world stage for about five minutes before becoming lost to world history.

RIPLEY: Putin and Xi possibly leaders for life. Predicting a global power shift, the decline of democracy, the rise of strongman rule.

Will Ripley, CNN -- Beijing.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

VAUSE: Well he lost on Tuesday by 20 votes, then again on Wednesday by 22. So why is U.S. Republican Congressman Jim Jordan vowing to push on with his bid to be elected House Speaker? Are those chickens finally coming home?

[01:38:01]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

VAUSE: Coming up to 41 minutes past the hour. Welcome back.

We now go to the ongoing chaos in the U.S. Congress where there is still no House Speaker two weeks after Republicans ousted Kevin McCarthy. The lights are on, but is anyone home?

On Wednesday, conservative Republican Congressman Jim Jordan lost a second round of voting as more Republicans voted against him.

CNN's Manu Raju has our report from Washington.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MANU RAJU, CNN CHIEF CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: House Republicans plunging deeper into turmoil after Jim Jordan for a second time failed to get the votes he needed to be elected Speaker, coming more than two weeks after that unprecedented vote to oust Kevin McCarthy from the Speakership, something that continues to linger and badly divide the House Republican Conference, unable to get past the divisions and unite behind a single candidate.

In fact Jordan, on his first ballot just on Tuesday, lost 20 Republicans. Then on the second ballot lost 22 Republicans. He can only afford to lose four Republicans on a party line vote. He is going in the direction that he can't afford.

In fact, Republicans tell me that if he has a third ballot vote on Thursday, expect even more Republican opposition to grow, in a pushed by those same Republicans to get him out of the Speaker's race and find a new candidate.

Then the question will be, what is next? Will they try to move forward on a resolution to empower interim Speaker Patrick McHenry. That is a leading option among more moderate members, including some Democrats. Although Democrats at the moment have not said explicitly whether they will vote for that resolution that is now being drafted by Congressman David Joyce.

I asked Hakeem Jeffries, the Democratic leader if they would get behind it. He said they are still weighing their options. He said their first task is to stop Jim Jordan's efforts to become the Speaker.

Would you vote for the Joyce resolution if it comes out?

REP. HAKEEM JEFFRIES (D-NY), HOUSE MINORITY LEADER: We haven't had that discussion yet in the caucus because Jim Jordan is still the Speaker nominee. And our goal is to prevent him, a clear and present danger to our democracy and the poster child for MAGA extremism, from becoming the Speaker.

The Republicans have to end this saga, as opposed to us having another futile effort to elevate an insurrectionist to lead the House of Representatives.

RAJU: But even as frustration is building in the ranks, there is still some encouragement from a number of Jordan's supporters saying he should stay in the race.

REP. WARREN DAVIDSON (R-OH): I think he's got plenty in the tank. I think it's less about ballots than having time to heal, time to collaborate and talk, and that's kind of why the pace has been different.

Sometimes wounds take a little bit of time to heal. And part of the challenge here is we've got -- people are still reeling from the motion to vacate.

RAJU: This all comes as some of the opponents to Jim Jordan actually received some death threats, credible death threats. That was the words of Congresswoman Mariannette Miller-Meeks of Iowa. She initially supported Jordan in the first ballot, opposed him on the second ballot but then she reported after that second ballot vote to getting credible death threats, something that Jordan's office condemned in the aftermath of learning about this.

But Mariannette Miller-Meeks said that she will not be bullied by those threats and is indicating she will still oppose him on the third ballot.

Manu Raju, CNN -- Capitol Hill.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

VAUSE: And joining us now is Scott Jennings, CNN senior political commentator, columnist for "U.S.A. Today" and former special assistant to U.S. President George W. Bush. Scott, thank you for being with us.

SCOTT JENNINGS, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Of course. Thank you.

VAUSE: Ok. So, after two rounds of voting, the trend line is not looking great for Jim Jordan and by that, I mean it's bad. After 20 Republican lawmakers voted against him on Tuesday, on Wednesday 22 Republicans were opposed to him being Speaker.

And according to "New York Times", opposition to Jordan has grown because of the outrage among some Republican lawmakers over the bully tactics used by Jordan supporters to pressure them into voting for him.

[01:44:55]

VAUSE: The tactics included posting the holdouts' names and office phone numbers to social media. And in some cases running robocalls in their districts.

Now, at least one congresswoman, who pulled her support for Jordan, says she received credible death threats on Wednesday.

Maybe the problem here isn't just the fact that there are deep divisions within the GOP. Maybe if those deep divisions become canyons when the guy running for Speaker is one of the most polarizing human beings on the planet.

JENNINGS: Yes, this is a tactic of the modern American Right, really to try to bulldoze their way to what they want, even when it's clear they don't have the votes. I mean that's ultimately what this is about, a failure to accept outcomes. As you pointed out, Congressman Jordan is 20 votes short on the first

one, 22 votes short on the second one. He's going the wrong direction, and having people call up and threaten folks, and try to, you know, bully them politically or even physically, is really no way to win friends.

And so it's one thing -- I think Congressman Jordan is finding out -- It's one thing to sort of be a conservative rabble rouser or a talking head, and it's quite another thing to try to put together a governing coalition, which is what the Speaker of the House has to do.

So I don't think it's going well. I don't think he can recover these votes, and I really think the Republican conference is going to have to look for a new path after tomorrow.

VAUSE: Well, don't panic, because there is in fact a Plan B. Listen to this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. MIKE LAWLER (R-NY): If the votes are not there at the moment for someone to be Speaker, I think it's imperative that we empower Patrick McHenry to serve, at least for the time being in that Speaker role so that he can get the House moving again on critical issues, including obviously, needed additional financial support for Israel.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VAUSE: McHenry is the current temporary speaker, he doesn't have a lot of authority to get stuff done. They want to expand his power. Sounds like a good plan. What's the down side? Is it allowable under House rules?

JENNINGS: Well, look, the real question is, is it allowable under the Constitution? Our constitution does not mention a speaker pro tempore. And there are some people saying they should give Patrick McHenry these temporary powers.

By the way, I like Patrick McHenry, he's a very close ally and one of the best friends of Kevin McCarthy. It seems kind of weird to me that after all of this, you would replace McCarthy with his best friend. But that may be where they're headed.

I think if they want to empower him, they just ought to make him the Speaker. Instead of kind of playing this game of semantics about his title and resolution versus making him the Speaker.

I really don't think we ought a fool around that way. I think if you want Patrick McHenry to run the House, make him the Speaker of the House, follow the constitution. That's what they ought to do.

VAUSE: Because there's not a lot of time here, right? Because you know, funding bills for Israel, funding bills for Ukraine, the business of government, a possible looming shutdown of the federal government. All these things are on the horizon, and we're doing this? JENNINGS: Yes. The real issue is the government funding. We have about

30 days and we'll be right back where we were a couple of weeks ago with the Congress needing to fund the government.

The Senate is moving on this and they are getting their ducks in a huddle over there. But the U.S. House, as you pointed out cannot do any legislative business unless it has a Speaker of the House. Or in the case of McHenry, someone who is empowered, I guess, to be the Speaker.

There's just not a lot of time left and there's a lot of big questions, and really, since all this happened, we had the war in the Middle East breakout, which of course, a lot of people in the United States want the United States to support Israel.

So, there are big issues on the horizon. Not a ton of time. Congress isn't known for moving at warp speed, so the sooner the House can figure this, out the better. Because I think the American people look at this dysfunction and say, what do you guys do all day, just sit around and say each other's names out loud? That doesn't seem like a very productive thing to do. But that's what they see on their TV right now.

VAUSE: Yes. And just as a reminder, the chaos or clown show, however you see it, is the direct result of eight far-right MAGA Republicans who were outraged at the former Speaker Kevin McCarthy who worked with Democrats twice to pass a funding bill which avoided an unprecedented default by the U.S. government and potential global financial Armageddon.

Here's Republican Congressman Mike Waltz.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. MIKE WALTZ (R-FL): My question to those who started all of this, the eight who started all of this, what was your plan? Clearly, you didn't have one.

Now we're in total chaos, and now people are talking about handing our majority over to the Democrats. And that's unacceptable.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VAUSE: That's Mike Waltz. So wasn't this this plan? That chaos is in fact the outcome?

JENNINGS: I don't really know if they had a plan. I think, you know, they obviously wanted to launch a coup, but traditionally, when you launch a coup, you have sort of a desired outcome, like we'll get rid of X and put in Y. But they obviously had no plan to put in Y. they don't know, I mean at one point Matt Gaetz who was the ringleader of the eight that worked with the Democrats to get rid of McCarthy, said he was for Scalise. That didn't pan out.

Now he says he's for Jordan. I mean they obviously had no way to move forward. And there is a lot of bad blood in the conference over the way McCarthy was thrown out in the first place.

[01:49:52]

JENNINGS: Remember, McCarthy had the support of 96 percent of the Republican conference, and he's out. Steve Scalise had the support of most of the Republican conference. He did not move forward.

So Jordan, who has now gone through two failed ballots, he was like the third most popular guy. And for some reason, he gets to continue to try to proceed down this path.

I think there's a lot of people who think it's just fundamentally unfair that we're getting rid of people that got more votes to try to placate a guy who got fewer votes.

VAUSE: Scott, thank you for explaining that. We appreciate you being with us, something that we've been watching. Thank you, sir.

JENNINGS: Thank you.

VAUSE: When we come back, back to our top story. The situation in Gaza and calls for a cease-fire from Jewish protesters at the U.S. Capitol.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[01:54:47]

VAUSE: A few protesters staged a sit-in at the U.S. Capitol Wednesday, calling for a cease-fire in Gaza until after the immediate delivery of humanitarian assistance. Police say about 300 protesters were arrested. A similar demonstration was held outside the White House.

Liverpool football star player Mohamed Salah has made an emotional appeal on social media to allow humanitarian assistance into Gaza.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MOHAMED SALAH, FOOTBALL PLAYER: All lives are sacred and must be protected. Hamas carnage needs to stop. Families are being torn apart.

What's clear now is that humanitarian aid to Gaza must be allowed immediately. The people there are in terrible conditions. The scenes at the hospital last night were horrifying. The people of Gaza need food, water, and medical supplies urgently.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VAUSE: Salah, who also plays for Egypt's national team he went on to say there's been too much violence and brutality, and the recent escalation has been quote, "unbearable to witness".

Israelis continue to mourn those killed during that brutal Hamas terror attack two weeks ago. In Tel Aviv, many gathered Wednesday night for a candlelit vigil honoring the 1,400 victims.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) TAMAR SELLA, ISRAEL RESIDENT (through translator): There's a terrible feeling in the air. It was a terrible tragedy that happened. So this is the little thing we can do.

It's about showing respect, helping, and contributing.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VAUSE: For information on how to contribute to humanitarian relief efforts for both Gaza and Israel, please go to CNN.com/impact and there, you will find a list of vetted organizations already responding on the ground in Israel and Gaza. That's at CNN.com/impact.

I'm John Vause.

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

See you back here tomorrow.

[01:56:34]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)