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Hamas Frees American Woman And Her Daughter; IDF: Preparing For Next Stages Of War Against Hamas; U.N.: "Increasingly Dire" Conditions At U.N. Shelters; More Pro-Palestinians Protests Erupt As Anger Rises; Trump Given $5,000 Fine For Violating GAG Order In NY Fraud Case, Told Another Violation Could Mean Jail; Ashkelon: Life Under Fire. Aired 3- 4a ET

Aired October 21, 2023 - 03:00   ET

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

[03:00:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LYNDA KINKADE, CNN ANCHOR: Hello, and welcome to our viewers here in the United States and all around the world. I'm Lynda Kinkade with CNN's continuing coverage of Israel at war.

We've just received word from the U.S. embassy in Israel that the Rafah Border Crossing between Egypt and Gaza is expected to open this hour. We don't know how long it could stay open. The border has been closed for weeks with neither people nor goods passing through. The U.S. embassy in Israel is warning a situation could become chaotic if too many people try to cross the border at once.

Well, after being held hostage for two weeks in Gaza, an American woman and her teenage daughter are free following their surprise release late Friday. 17-year-old Natalie Raanan who had just graduated high school and her mother Judith, from Illinois visiting family at a kibbutz close to Gaza when they were taken hostage by Hamas two weeks ago. U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken welcomed their release but said the U.S. won't be satisfied until all the hostages are free. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ANTONY BLINKEN, U.S. SECRETARY OF STATE: We share in the relief that their families, friends, and loved ones are feeling. But there are still 10 additional Americans who remain unaccounted for in this conflict. We know that some of them are being held hostage by Hamas, along with an estimated 200 other hostages held in Gaza.

They include men, women, young boys, young girls, and elderly people, from many nations. Every single one of them should be released.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KINKADE: Well, Israel says the release of the two American women was the result of military pressure on Hamas. A statement from a mass claimed it was done for humanitarian reasons. CNN's Katie Polglase joins us from London. Good to have you with us, Katie. So, you're covering all the developments for us. I want to start with the news that the Rafah Border Crossing between Gaza and Egypt may open this hour. This is really essentially the last hope -- the only hope for people in Gaza who want to flee that humanitarian crisis, who want to flee the airstrikes by Israel. What are you learning about the possibility of it opening this hour?

KATIE POLGLASE, CNN INVESTIGATIVE PRODUCER: Good morning, Lynda. Yes, it's definitely one we're going to be watching very, very closely. And we have been waiting for days really now with these announcements that it may open this crossing. Each day, it may open, it may open, Biden is saying yesterday 24 to 48 hours, and then it would be opening. And now we have this news that the U.S. embassy in Israel has received an alert that it will be opening this hour.

They're expecting chaos. They say it is an unpredictable situation. And that really is a very honest warning that they don't know what's going to happen when it opens.

There are a lot of people waiting, building up at the border desperate to get out as you mentioned. And on the other side, there is this queue, this convoy of humanitarian aid that has been waiting to get in. That is so desperately needed to get in for days now as well.

And so, what happens when this border opens? There is widely expected to be quite a lot of rushing people trying to get across, trucks trying to pass as well. And so, I think the security situation on the ground is definitely going to be one to watch. But really, if this does open, this is going to be crucial in terms of slightly alleviating the horrendous situation that is currently on the ground in Gaza.

[03:05:04]

It is a dire humanitarian crisis that is unfolding. These trucks, just 20 of them that have been agreed between Biden and the Egyptian president as well with the agreement of the Israelis, that is what is being allowed in, allegedly. But again, this is not necessarily enough. The World Health Organization has said they need far, far more to get in to help alleviate what is going on inside Gaza right now. But really, in the next hour, hopefully, we should see something moving.

KINKADE: Yes, hopefully. But as we know -- as we have been reporting, the people in Gaza have been without clean drinking water, food, fuel, electricity, for the last couple of weeks. Certainly, supply is dwindling.

I want to ask you also about the release of the mother and teenage daughter from Chicago, now free. Obviously, a huge relief to their families. Can you explain how this negotiation -- how this release came about?

POLGLASE: Absolutely, Lynda. It is extraordinary and perhaps some welcome news, given the dire grim news we've been reporting in the past few days and weeks. These two, this mother and daughter were released.

Now, we understand that there are again -- once again, differing narratives from the Israelis and from Hamas as to why this happened. Israel is saying that Hamas effectively succumbed to the pressure from intense military strikes on Hamas targets in Gaza. Now, Hamas is saying that actually, this was based on humanitarian grounds. That they wanted to release them because the mother, Judith, was in ill health.

But clearly an extraordinary move while there are still many other hostages still in Gaza. And for the family, really, that is some of the most welcome news of all. 14 days they have been waiting, trying, hoping, praying to find that this family would be reunited. Have a listen to what the daughter, Natalie's father, had to say.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

URI RAANAN, DAUGHTER, EX-WIFE FREED BY HAMAS: I've been waiting for this moment for a long time -- for two weeks. I haven't been sleeping for two weeks. Tonight, I'm going to sleep good.

I spoke with my daughter earlier today. She sounds very good. She looks very good. She was very happy. And she's waiting to come home.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

POLGLASE: Now, it is worth noting that they are not the only ones. There are 200 hostages still in Gaza. That's according to the Israeli Defense Forces. And the American administration are saying it is their top priority to get them back. That includes 10 American hostages, but many others as well.

And it's worth noting. Amongst that number, over 20 are children. These are under 18-year-olds that are being held in Hamas territory.

Now, again, it's unclear what is going to happen to them, what their condition is. We're talking about the humanitarian situation in Gaza, that will be affecting them as well. We don't know if they have water. We don't know if they have suitable medical help or supplies.

All of this remains unknown. But we do know that there has been some mediation -- some successful mediation by Qatar as well that negotiated the release of these two hostages. Maybe that will help release the others as well, Lynda.

KINKADE: Yes. Certainly, no doubt giving some hope to other families waiting for news of their family members in captivity. Good to have you with us, Katie Polglase from London. Thank you. Well, the IDF says it's preparing for the next stages of the war against Hamas.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

KINKADE (voiceover): Take a look at these pitches. Tanks lined up near the border with Gaza, with the prospect of a ground incursion is looming. In a news conference, the IDF spokesperson said the current priority is for the return of all hostages. In Gaza itself, the Archives hospital says Israel has demanded the immediate evacuation of the building ahead of a possible airstrike at some point overnight. Asked for comment, the IDF said it requested residents in the northern area of Gaza to evacuate in order to mitigate civilian harm. The World Health Organization says such a demand would be impossible to carry out given the hospital currently houses around 12,000 displaced people, plus hundreds of patients.

As Israel prepares for the potential ground incursion into Gaza, the U.S. and its allies are urging the country to be strategic and clear about its goals. U.S. and Western officials have told CNN there should be a particular emphasis on avoiding civilian casualties.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KINKADE: I spoke with IDF spokesperson Peter Lerner last hour, and I asked him if Israel was still planning to go ahead with a ground incursion into Gaza amid the growing protests calling for the IDF to stand down. Here's how he responded.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LT. COL. PETER LERNER, IDF SPOKESPERSON: The expectation by people objecting to Israel's military operation that we raise a white flag and surrender to terrorism is an unrealistic one, but I'd say it's also indecent. We have the right to defend ourselves. And we have the obligation to make sure it can never happen again. That is the responsibility of any sovereign state. And it's -- the responsibility to enforce that is the military and that is what we intend to do.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

[03:10:03]

KINKADE: Well, CNN's Brian Todd takes a closer look at the hundreds of thousands of Israeli forces preparing for a ground invasion of Gaza.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voiceover): Meeting with soldiers in recent days, Israel's defense minister said "Gaza will never return to what it was," an ominous signal of what's to come when Israel launches its expected ground invasion of Gaza.

MAJ. JOHN SPENCER (RET) U.S. ARMY: One of the biggest forces in the world has prepared for entering a contested environment like this is the idea. But of course, there is no bloodless war. They'll take a lot of casualties. And I think they know that.

TODD (voiceover): With more than 300,000 soldiers and reservists getting ready for combat, military analysts expect the Israelis to launch the invasion on multiple fronts.

COL. CEDRIC LEIGHTON, FORMER AIR FORCE INTELLIGENCE OFFICER: This is Gaza City. And what we can expect is for the Israeli forces to most likely go in this way and this way. Probably, the preponderance of force will be in this direction into Gaza City.

TODD (voiceover): Inside Gaza experts say, this will be urban combat, possibly even tougher than what was seen in this footage from Israel's 2014 invasion of Gaza. Block to block, building to building, and vicious. The Israelis facing an enemy that knows every corner.

SPENCER: May have challenges that the defenders had time to prepare. And that no matter what, you have to move forward and basically wait until the defenders shoot you.

LEIGHTON: Look how narrow this alleyway is. Look how this soldier has to point up to see if there are any fighters above him in these areas. This is a perfect place for these fighters to be situated for them to rain down fire.

TODD (voiceover): Often caught in the crossfire, Palestinian civilians. Experts say Hamas does not shy away from using civilians as human shields in a combat environment.

GEN. WESLEY CLARK, CNN MILITARY ANALYST: Hamas wanted all those people to stay. It's blown up, put in barricades, it's destroyed transit areas and other things in an effort to fix them in place.

TODD (voiceover): To ambush the Israelis, analysts say Hamas will use sophisticated IEDs, snipers hidden on upper floors of buildings. Another Hamas asset the Israelis will have to navigate, hundreds of miles of tunnels known as the Gaza Metro.

HAREL CHOREV, TEL AVIV UNIVERSITY: With command controls, and communication rooms, and supply rooms, and peers for launching rockets.

TODD (voiceover): And there's the added complication of the hostages Hamas is holding. While two hostages have just been released, there are likely up to 200 more still inside Gaza, many of whom analysts say could be held in the tunnels.

TODD: Does that mean that they'll go into the tunnels, the Israelis, to try to get them or is it just too dangerous?

LEIGHTON: It's very dangerous. But in certain circumstances, the Israelis will probably feel the need to go into these tunnels.

TODD: And the dangers don't end even in the areas that the Israelis will have secured. Former CIA Director David Petraeus told CNN that in the areas they capture, the Israelis will then have to conduct counterinsurgency operations because Hamas and its allies will try to come back.

Brian Todd, CNN, Washington.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KINKADE: I want to look back at the terror attack that caused Israel to declare war. Nir Oz is a settlement in southern Israel new Gaza that was hit when Hamas launched its surprise terror attack 14 days ago. Journalists were not able to go inside the kibbutz for security reasons until now.

CNN's Anderson Cooper went there. Signs of the attack is still all around. That's why there's this warning that some of the video is tough to watch.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ANDERSON COOPER, CNN ANCHOR (voiceover): Nir Oz was one of the first kibbutz being attacked on October 7 by Hamas gunmen. Security cameras recorded some of them entering armed with automatic weapons and RPGs. When we visited Nir Oz this week, the carnage was clear. No family, no home here was untouched by terror.

People's possessions are strewn all around, left behind by men who looted and killed for more than seven hours. The silence now sounds sickening. A breeze blows through broken windows, flies buzz in the debris.

The residents who survived are gone. Only some cats have returned. Every home It seems has been defiled. Family photos remain on the fridge. The people who lived here hid in their safe room. Lucky for them the door held strong.

COOPER: You can tell. Gunmen tried to pry this door open. This handle is nearly been pulled off from tugging it. They weren't able to. The lock held.

It looks like they tried to pry open the door as well. You can fit your hand through here. They can just maybe look in, but they couldn't actually break through this door.

COOPER (voiceover): Around the back, we checked the window of the safe room. Inside, the bed and sheets are soaked with blood. One member of the family who hid here was wounded, but he and they survived.

[03:15:10]

But according to the IDF, about a quarter of the 400 people who lived in Nir Oz are dead or missing.

COOPER: In another house in this kibbutz, gunmen broke and murdered a woman named Bracha Levinson. They not only killed her, they got access to her Facebook account, and they live-streamed an image of her lying in a pool of blood on the ground so that her friends and family could see.

COOPER (voiceover): This is Bracha Levinson. She was 74 years old. Her neighbors Adina and David Moshe were also in their 70s. They'd lived in Nir Oz for more than 50 years.

We found their home completely torched. Dishes were still in the dishwasher. They hid in their safe room when the gunman came. Her granddaughter Anat says Adina messaged her family they were OK. ANAT MOSHE SHOSHANY, GRANDMOTHER KIDNAPPED BY HAMAS: My grandmother was a very, very strong. She didn't want us to be panicked. They were on --

COOPER: They're worried about you in that -- (INAUDIBLE)

SOSHANY: Yes. She's this kind of woman. She always take care of us.

COOPER (voiceover): But inside the safe room, there was reason to panic, a pool of dried blood evidence of what happened. David Moshe was shot and killed here holding onto the door handle to prevent the gunman from getting in.

SHOSHANY: He was a hero. And he was shot. So, there are three gunshots on the door that's succeeded to break through the door.

COOPER (voiceover): Their attackers dragged Adina Moshe out through the safe room window. She later appeared in this video posted online sandwiched between gunmen on a motorbike in Gaza. Some of the missing have been found. The bodies of 80-year-old Carmela Dan and her 13- year-old granddaughter Noya were identified this week. Her former son- in-law Ofer Calderon is still missing as her two of his children Sahar and Erez.

This video shows Erez being dragged away by gunmen, one of whom appears to have blood on his hand. We geolocated where the video was shot.

COOPER: This is the last known location of Erez Calderon. He was 12 years old. He was kidnapped by Hamas gunmen. And he was videotaped as they were dragging him away in this direction.

This is the fence to the kibbutz. And Gaza is only about a mile and a half away. You can see an explosion that's just taking place in Gaza off in the distance. So, the gunman didn't have far to take him in order to get him back into Gaza.

COOPER (voiceover): There's a video of Shiri Bibas being kidnapped as well, clutching her two children Ariel and Kfir. Her husband is missing too. We talked to her cousin last week.

YIFAT ZALLER, COUSIN KIDNAPPED: I want my family back. I want my family. I try to be strong so I can speak clearly but I'm devastated -- I'm devastated.

COOPER (voiceover): All the families of Nir Oz are devastated. David Moshe was buried there this week. His granddaughter Anat wanted us to see a video that was played at his funeral from the celebration at the kibbutz earlier this year.

That's David singing. He's been joined by other members of the kibbutz.

SHOSHANY: He is singing this sentence. This is what this all means. I will fix all that breaks. That's the message. And you should -- you're allowed to be freed and you're allowed to be sad but tomorrow we can rebuild and recover.

COOPER (voiceover): Anderson Cooper, CNN, Nir Oz.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KINKADE: We're going to take a quick break. We'll be right back with much more news.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[03:23:08]

KINKADE: Welcome back. I'm Lynda Kinkade.

More than 4100 people have now been killed in Israeli air strikes on Gaza. That's according to the Palestinian Health Ministry. And that is after the Hamas terror attacks in Israel that killed at least 1400 people.

We're now a new warning from the United Nations which says more than half a million people taking refuge in U.N. shelters in Gaza are under increasingly dire conditions. For more on the humanitarian crisis people are facing, I want to welcome Sari Bashi, the program director at Human Rights Watch. Sari joins us from the West Bank. We appreciate your time today.

SARI BASHI, PROGRAM DIRECTOR, HUMAN RIGHTS WATCH: Thank you.

KINKADE: So, you've taught International Humanitarian law At Yale Law School, you've led an Israel human rights group promoting freedom of movement for the Palestinians in Gaza, and now you're leading research for Human Rights Watch. How would you describe what's happening in Gaza right now?

BASHI: What's happening in Gaza right now is unprecedented. All of this is unprecedented. The Hamas-led attacks on Israeli civilians on October 7 were the worst civilian massacre in Israeli history. And the Israeli response in terms of airstrikes and deliberately depriving people in Gaza of vital supplies, like food, water, fuel, and electricity, are also unprecedented.

For the last week and a half, no supplies have entered Gaza. The Israeli military turned off the water and electricity, which they ordinarily supply to Gaza. There are 1.4 million people who are displaced.

People don't have enough water to drink. The sewage is running in the streets because there's no electricity or fuel to pump -- to power the treatment -- the pumping stations, and people are also running out of food. It's never been this bad.

[03:25:01]

KINKADE: So, the U.S. president has promised $100 million in humanitarian assistance to Gaza and the West Bank, but just a few days ago, the U.S. vetoed a United Nations Security Council resolution that would have called for a humanitarian pause in the conflict to let aid in. What do you make of that?

BASHI: So, first of all, the U.S. president came here and supposedly brokered a deal for humanitarian access. That is painfully, painfully under an ambitious. President Biden's big accomplishment was getting the Israeli government in theory to allow 20 trucks of goods to enter via the Egyptian crossing. That hasn't happened yet.

But the United States can ask of Israel three very simple things, turn back the water, turn it on. Turn back the electricity, turn it on, there's no security risk to doing that. It can be done immediately. And allow access through the Israeli crossings with Gaza for the hundred -- the minimum of hundred trucks per day that humanitarian workers say are necessary.

In every previous conflict, the Israeli government has found ways to open the crossings with Gaza and allow humanitarian supplies in. What's different about this particular escalation is that the Israeli government has openly said it is going to deprive civilians in Gaza of vital necessities like food and water in retaliation for the actions of fighters. Gaza is about the size of the city of Philadelphia, there's 2.2 million people, nearly half of whom are children. That's collective punishment. When the Israeli military denies vital supplies to children to punish them for the acts of adult fighters, its collective punishment and it's a war crime.

KINKADE: And we are hearing that this hour the border crossing from Gaza and Egypt, the Rafah Crossing will open to allow some of those aid trucks to go in. But you're saying this kind -- we don't -- we don't know how long that border crossing will be open if indeed it does open. You're saying these eight trucks need to be coming in every single day.

BASHI: They need to be coming every single day. They need to be coming in from the Israeli crossings. And before we even get to the logistical issues of getting eight trucks in, Israel supplies water to Gaza. It has turned off the taps. That's the clean water that people in Gaza need.

The U.S. government needs to say very clearly to Israel, restore water supply, restore electricity supply, and also to allow fuel in. Because the Israeli government has said it will not even allow fuel on the Egyptian border. And that's what the water system needs. That's what hospitals need.

Hospitals are running out of fuel for their generators. They're struggling to treat more than 13,000 injured people in addition to regular medical needs. This doesn't have to be as horrible as it is. If the same principle that out -- that guided the United States in its rightful outrage of the Israeli -- of the Hamas, targeting of Israeli civilians holds true, the U.S. needs to say that Israel cannot target civilians in Gaza by depriving them of vital supplies.

KINKADE: Israel has asked people in the "Hospital in Gaza to evacuate because they could be an airstrike soon." I spoke to an Israeli Defense Force spokesperson earlier and asked about that. He said they're not specifically targeting the hospital, but that the hospital is likely to be impacted by a strike nearby. In the eyes of humanitarian law, is that allowed? Is that legally something that Israel could do without -- I mean, how would you describe it?

BASHI: Under International Humanitarian Law, hospitals have special protections, and warring parties have obligations to protect civilians, as does Israel, in particular as the occupying power in Gaza. The problem with the evacuation orders that the Israeli government is issuing is that there's nowhere to go, and there's no safe place to get there. So, ordinarily, warring parties are encouraged to give warnings to civilians where those warnings allow civilians to keep themselves safe.

But if you tell people to evacuate and there's nowhere to go, and no way to evacuate the 400 plus critically ill patients who don't have a safe place to go to, that's not an effective warning. And the people who remain in the hospital retain their protections under international law. And the Israeli government needs to ensure that it does not strip civilians of the protections they have because they cannot or will not -- or will not obey an impossible evacuation order.

KINKADE: Sari Bashi from Human Rights Watch, we appreciate your time. Thank you so much for joining us.

BASHI: Thank you.

KINKADE: Well, as we just mentioned, we are getting word that trucks are now crossing from the Egyptian side of the Rafah Border into Gaza. Now, this border has been closed for days with neither people nor goods passing through.

[03:30:00]

The trucks carrying humanitarian aid supplies have been lining up on the Egyptian side ready to drive into Gaza where the needs are, of course, immense. As we've been discussing people there without clean drinking water, food, electricity, fuel, medical supplies. Visitors and foreigners, of course, have also been waiting to get out of Gaza into Egypt and back to their home nations.

U.S. President Joe Biden announced earlier this week that Egypt's president said he would allow some aid to get through. But the U.S. embassy in Israel is warning the situation could become chaotic if too many people try to cross the border all at once. We will keep an eye on those pitches as they develop.

But for now, after a quick break, we're going to hear from the Prime Minister of the Palestinian Authority who sat down with CNN. What he fears could become an existential threat to Palestinians?

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KINKADE: Welcome back. I'm Lynda Kinkade. You are watching CNN NEWSROOM.

The first trucks carrying humanitarian aid have now crossed into Gaza from Egypt. A convoy with 20 trucks just entered the Palestinian enclave moments ago. The crossing is now closed.

And two out of 201 hostages held by Hamas are now free. The U.S. is welcoming the release of a mother and daughter from Illinois who'd been held captive by Hamas in Gaza for two weeks. A family member says they could return home to the U.S. as early as next week.

Protesters are out in full force against Israel's recent attacks on Gaza. Take a look at the scene in Sydney, Australia, one of many global cities where we've seen a show of solidarity with the Palestinians. New York and London have also seen big crowds in recent days calling for an end to the violence.

[03:35:14]

As demonstrations pick up around the world, in the Middle East, protests are intensifying over Israel's bombardment of Gaza in the wake of the Hamas terror attack on the country two weeks ago. And the cries of support for the Palestinians caught in the crossfire is reaching a fever pitch. CNN's Nada Bashir has more from Amman, Jordan. We want to caution our viewers that some of the videos may be disturbing.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

NADA BASHIR, CNN REPORTER: In downtown Amman, worshipers gathered for Friday prayers. But it's not just the call to prayer that has drawn these crowds today but a call to action in solidarity with the Palestinian people. This protest is a pledge, they chant, that the people of Jordan will not leave Gaza alone. Thousands of men, women, and children, entire families draped in the traditional Palestinian scarf, a symbol for many of Palestinian resistance.

BASHIR: Well, you can hear how loud the crowds are here. For yet another day in Amman, thousands of people who are taken to the streets protesting against Israel's continued aerial bombardment of the Gaza Strip, protesting in solidarity with the Palestinian people.

BASHIR (voiceover): We're doing this for our families who are dying in Gaza because we are unable to do anything. So, the least we can do is stand here in solidarity with them to support them so that they know that we are with them with our hearts and everything.

There is palpable outrage here in Jordan over Israel's ongoing bombardment of the besieged Gaza Strip and deep-seated anger directed towards Israel and Israel's Western allies. Many here even calling on the Jordanian government to close down the U.S. and Israeli embassies in Amman. For days now, protests have taken place not only across Jordan but also across the wider region.

In Cairo, with the state has long clamped down on mass demonstrations, hundreds gathered in Tahrir Square. Hours earlier, the Rafah Border Crossing between Egypt and Gaza, U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres was forced to cut his visit short after protests erupted there. Gaza has faced relentless Israeli airstrikes for almost two weeks now. And protests across the Arab world and the wider region are at a boiling point. Iraq, Tunisia, Yemen, and Turkey, and even further afield. And with Gaza on the brink of a humanitarian catastrophe, this protest movement is only growing stronger. Nada Bashir, CNN, in Amman, Jordan.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KINKADE: The Palestinian Authority Prime Minister has likened the current situation in Gaza to Nakba, the word Palestinians using reference to the creation of modern-day Israel, a word that translates to catastrophe or disaster. Mohammad Shtayyeh says Palestinians are now facing an existential threat. And he believes that things could get even worse. He spoke with our Becky Anderson from Ramallah, in the West Bank.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MOHAMMAD SHTAYYEH, PALESTINIAN AUTHORITY PRIME MINISTER: Palestinians in 1948 were pushed out of their homes and were forcefully transferred to the neighboring countries. Now, for Israel, to push again for a forceful transfer of more than a million Palestinians from Gaza, out of Gaza, out of Palestine into Egypt is something that has been designed to end the question of the Palestinian right to return of the Palestinian refugees, which was a final status issue on the negotiations. So, that is a concern for Egypt because Egypt is not ready to be part of a conspiracy to end this Palestinian issue that's called the refugees, and also for Jordan.

If that is going to have been in Egypt, then who will prevent the Israelis from pushing us here in the West Bank to be forcefully transferred to Jordan? And that is where the issue of transfer is such a concern because it is a national security issue for Egypt. It's a national security issue for Jordan. But it is an existential issue for us, the Palestinians.

[03:40:01]

BECKY ANDERSON, CNN ANCHOR: What's Israel's plan? If it does destroy Hamas, who will govern Gaza? Is there a world in which the PA takes over?

SHTAYYEH: We will not go to gas on an Israeli tank. The solution for Gaza is not going to take us anywhere. A solution in the West Bank alone is not going to take us anywhere. So, what we want is a comprehensive solution that ends the occupation.

ANDERSON: There has been a surge in violence in the West Bank amid this Gaza conflict since October 7, more than 80 Palestinians have been killed in either settler violence or by Israeli security. How would you describe the situation here today?

SHTAYYEH: Very inflammatory, very dangerous. And as you rightly said, what you see in the West Bank is incursions into Al-Aqsa Mosque, home demolitions, and settler terrorism, this Israeli government has changed rules of engagement. Ben Gvir has been distributing machine guns to settlers. They have been channeling violence against us. So, there is a mood of anger. Palestinians are demonstrating in support of our people in Gaza. Our -- the people who are in the streets today are average Palestinians because they know who is killed in Gaza are average Palestinians, kids, and children and women.

ANDERSON: The IDF has been conducting raids. Specifically in the Nur Shams Refugee Camp. They say they are targeting Hamas operations. They say this is counterterror raids. How extensive are Hamas's operations in this area?

SHTAYYEH: I don't say that they are not. But I'm saying that this situation can be all under control by the Palestinian Authority if the Palestinian Authority is allowed to function. And they -- and we have not been allowed to function. The Israelis -- when you have people killed in the refugee camp of Jenin, people react.

A funeral generates a funeral. And blood generates blood. And very unfortunately that Israel is the main cause for all what has been happening here and there.

ANDERSON: Prime Minister, we are hearing calls on the streets for Mahmoud Abbas, the president to resign. What do you make of those calls?

SHTAYYEH: Look. People are angry. Mahmoud Abbas has been elected by the general public. We have --

ANDERSON: but there hasn't been an election in 16 years.

SHTAYYEH: Correct. Yes. But we have been -- he issued -- President Abbas issued that decree calling for general elections on the 22nd of May 2021. And it was the Israelis who did not allow us. At a time when Israel had five elections in four years, Palestinians were not allowed to have their own elections.

ANDERSON: But to many Palestinians, the Palestinian authorities' central message that liberation can be achieved through diplomacy has failed. Has it failed? Can diplomacy still succeed? Is there -- is there still room for a political solution? Because we are witnessing at present a vacuum into which Hamas has taken terror, not diplomacy as a tool.

SHTAYYEH: Good question. If the situation is deteriorating every single day because of the Israeli measures, then people are looking the other way. But if you ask the Palestinian public, do you want peace? They will say yes. Do you want two states? They will say yes. Do you want to end the occupation? They will say yes.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KINKADE: Well, a quick reminder of our breaking news this hour. The Rafah Border Crossing opened briefly. But it is now closed after allowing the first eight trucks to cross into Gaza. 20 truckloads of aid crossed that border.

Well, after a short break, we're going to bring you some other headlines we're watching this hour. Stay with CNN.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[03:47:04]

KINKADE: Welcome back. I want to cover some other headlines we're following this hour. Former U.S. President Donald Trump was given a $5,000 fine Friday for violating a gag order in his New York fraud trial. Trump's campaign website was found to have a picture of a social media post attacking the judge's clerk. The judge warned Trump that he could go to jail for violating the order.

Attorney Kenneth Chesebro admitted that he helped Trump with its 2020 fake electors plot in Georgia. Chesebro pleaded guilty to a felony count of conspiracy and agreed to testify in future cases.

U.S. House Republicans have no clear path forward after Jim Jordan failed to get enough Republican votes to win the House speakership on his third floor vote. Jordan also lost a secret Party caucus ballot held behind closed doors. Several Republicans jumped into the race after the party rejected Jordan, but it's unclear if any of them can get the 217 votes needed to win.

The speaker vacuum was triggered by a bloc of hardline conservatives. And without a speaker, the House is effectively frozen. It's an increasingly perilous situation amid conflicts abroad and the government funding deadline next month.

We're going to get back to our coverage of the war in Israel after a short break. Stay with us. You're watching CNN.

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[03:52:18]

KINKADE: Well, the first trucks carrying humanitarian aid have now crossed into Gaza from Egypt. A convoy with 20 trucks just entered the Palestinian enclave moments ago, and the crossing is now closed. Hamas says the trucks were loaded with medicines, medical supplies, as well as some canned food. U.S. President Joe Biden announced that the Egyptian President agreed to let through 20 trucks initially.

Well, the Israel Defense Forces warning about a hotspot for Hamas in the West Bank, the Nur Shams Refugee Camp in the City of Tukaram. Israeli forces said they've left the area after more than 12 people were killed in a raid, 20 were arrested. They say it was part of an operation to get more information on hostages taken by Hamas. The Palestinian Ministry of Health says 13 people were killed, including five children.

In another part of the region, the Israeli city of Ashkelon is believed to be the most heavily bombarded in the Jewish state, in the south of Tel Aviv, just north of Gaza. As we hear from Jeremy Diamond, living your life under rocket fire can leave your nerves raw, even when running mundane errands.

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UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Go inside. Go inside. Go inside.

DIAMOND (voiceover): This is life in Ashkelon, the most fired-upon city in Israel since Hamas launched its first rockets 12 days ago. Here, fear still gripped some. Others carry on, ignoring the siren's wails.

SHLOMO COHEN, ASHKELON RESIDENT (through a translator): When we're outside, we're very careful. And when we are inside, God is protecting us. Every missile has an address. We don't need to be afraid.

DIAMOND (voiceover): In a city where 90 percent of businesses have closed, this supermarket is a lifeline.

DIAMOND: There's a lot of businesses that are close.

ADINA MORDECHAL, SUPERMARKET CASHIER: They're close.

DIAMOND: But the supermarket --

MORDECHAL: The market is -- it's working because people have to eat. They have to drink.

DIAMOND: So, you come, what, once a week or --

ETI GILBOA, ASHKELON RESIDENT: Once a week is enough. And they -- we are very afraid. And the send now rocket. I was lying on the -- on the road and to put my hands on my --

DIAMOND: Head?

GILBOA: Head.

DIAMOND (voiceover): Getting to a bomb shelter isn't an option for everyone here, prompting the city to help evacuate thousands.

HEZI HALEVI, ASHKELON CEO: We still have around 35,000 people that actually live without shelters. So, each and every rocket, it means direct risk for them. So, we are trying to find a solution for them.

[03:55:01]

DIAMOND (voiceover): More than 1200 rockets have targeted Ashkelon. And while most are intercepted by the Iron Dome, about 200 have made direct hits, displacing families from their homes, causing casualties, and shuttering businesses like this bakery.

DOR MACHLUF, BAKERY OWNER (through a translator): When we got here, everything was in pieces. The door was out of place. There was a smell of gunpowder. A lot of nails and shrapnel were spread out. Everything was destroyed. We are starting to put things right.

DIAMOND (voiceover): In the basement of an unassuming building, Ashkelon CEO takes us into the city's emergency operation center where officials try and shorten response times, tracking incoming rockets headed for the city.

HALEVI: Rescue teams, police ambulances, everything is going from here.

DIAMOND: So, before the rocket even lands --

HALEVI: You know --

DIAMOND: We can see where it would land.

HALEVI: We -- yes, we have some estimation where it's going to be landed.

DIAMOND (voiceover): Until then, the first responders wait and pray. Jeremy Diamond, CNN, Ashkelon.

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KINKADE: Well, if you wish to help with the humanitarian relief efforts for Gaza and Israel, CNN can help. You can go to cnn.com/impact. There you'll find a list of vetted organizations responding on the ground. That's it. cnn.com/impact.

I'm Lynda Kinkade, thanks so much for joining me. Isa Soares has more of our coverage of the Israel-Hamas war after a short break, including the latest we know about the Rafah Border Crossing that was briefly open to allow 20 trucks full of medical aid and some food to enter Gaza this last hour.

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