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CNN Follows Developments In Israel; Manhunt Underway Now In Maine After Two Mass Shootings; Israel Says It Will Conduct More Raids Into Gaza; Police Manhunt Ongoing After Gunman Kills 18 In Maine; Maine Congressman Flips Stance On Assualt Weapons Ban; Israel: Ground Incursions Into Gaza To Continue; Biden: "No Confidence" In Death Tolls From Gaza Officials; Pentagon: 900 US Troops Deploying To Middle East; US Strikers Facilities Linked To Iran In Eastern Syria; Humanitarian Aid Enters Gaza from Egypt, But No Fuel; Gaza Humanitarian Situation Reaching Critical Point; Report: China's Fmr. Premier Li Keqiang Is Dead At 68; Hurricane Otis Kills At Least 27 In Acapulco As A Cat. 5 Storm; Zelenskyy Sees "End Of War" After New Defense Packages. Aired 2-3a ET

Aired October 27, 2023 - 02:00   ET

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

[02:00:00]

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KIM BRUNHUBER, CNN ANCHOR: Welcome to all of you watching us here in the United States, Canada and all around the world. I'm Kim Brunhuber. This hour on CNN Newsroom, we're following developments in Israel as the IDF launches raids in Gaza and the humanitarian crisis worsens. But first to the U.S., where there is a manhunt underway right now in Maine after two mass shootings. Law enforcement surrounded the suspect's last known address for hours Thursday night as several communities remain on lockdown and residents are on edge.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNKNOWN: Nerves are rattled right now. Keeping an eye on the woods.

UNKNOWN: I don't feel safe here anymore.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BRUNHUBER: It's been more than 31 hours since police responded to active shooter calls at multiple locations in the town of Lewiston, Maine. We now know that a gunman killed at least 18 people and wounded 13 others first at a bowling alley and then a restaurant. Hours later, authorities found the suspect's car at a boat launch in a nearby town, but the suspect is still on the loose.

Police are searching for this man, 40-year-old Robert Card. He's considered armed and dangerous. He's charged with multiple counts of murder. Now schools will again be closed on Friday while the suspect is on the loose. Hundreds of local, state and federal agents are involved in the search and investigation into Wednesday's massacre. Now, the Gun Violence Archive, which tracks shootings, says the

rampage is the deadliest mass shooting of the year in the U.S. More now on how the shootings unfolded from CNN's Omar Jimenez.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

OMAR JIMENEZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): A multi-agency manhunt is underway for the suspect in two mass shootings in Maine.

JANET MILLS, MAINE GOVERNOR: I'm profoundly saddened to stand before you today to report that 18 people lost their lives and 13 people, injured in last night's attacks.

JIMENEZ (voice-over): Both incidents happened Wednesday night in the town of Lewiston.

POLICE: We got multiple victims -- multiple victims. I need every unit you can find.

JIMENEZ: State police say the first call came in at 6:56 P.M. reporting a man shooting at the Just-in-Time Recreation, which includes a bowling alley. Then, at 7:08 P.M., the communication center received multiple 911 calls about an active shooter inside Schemengee's Bar and Grille, about a 10-minute drive away from the bowling alley.

UNKNOWN: Respond to the town of Lewiston for two active shooter locations. Again, the town of Lewiston active shooter incidents. All available units to Lewiston.

JIMENEZ (voice-over): At 8:06, police released photos of the shooter to the media.

WILLIAM ROSS, COLONEL, MAINE STATE POLICE: The victims at the Just In Time establishment, seven people are deceased there, one female and six males. Victims at the Schemengee's Billiards, eight are deceased. Seven males inside the establishment, one male outside of the establishment.

JIMENEZ (voice-over): Three other victims were pronounced dead at local hospitals. One man at the bowling alley during the shooting says he hid inside a bowling machine.

UNKNOWN: Out of nowhere, he just came in and there was a loud pop. I just booked it down the lane and I slid basically into where the pins are and climbed up in the machine and was on top of the machines for about 10 minutes until the cops got there. Megan Hutchinson tells CNN that she was inside the bowling alley with her 10-year-old daughter Zoe who was grazed by one of the bullets. She was injured but not hospitalized.

ZOEY LEVESQUE, WOUNDED IN SHOOTING: She's like shocked and I get something that you think would never happen. I never thought I'd grow up and get a bullet in my leg. Why? Like, why do people do this?

JIMENEZ (voice-over): At 9:26 P.M., Lewiston Police received the call identifying the shooter as 40-year-old Robert Card, a former Army reservist. By 9:56 P.M., investigators found Card's white Subaru hatchback near a boat launch in the nearby community of Lisbon, among where authorities are now actively searching for him.

RYAN MCGEE, LISBON POLICE DEPARTMENT: We've had everything from people calling about, you know, noises in the basement, noises in the woods, suspicious people, gunshots all night long since the incident in Lewiston. We have our whole department working.

JIMENEZ (voice-over): Now, an entire community is under lockdown being told the shelter in place.

CORY, LISBON RESIDENT: It's very unnerving right now. Seeing the cops coming around here that makes me feel a million times better. In the situation like this, I wish I had a firearm. Omar Jimenez, CNN, Lewiston, Maine.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

[02:05:00]

BRUNHUBER: Now, one of the victims who was killed at the bowling alley was 53-year-old Tricia Asselin, who called 911 when the shooting started. Her sister describes the chaotic situation and she says Trisha is a hero. Here she is.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BOBBI NICHOLS, SISTER OF TRICIA ASSELIN WHO WAS KILLED IN LEWISTON SHOOTING: We were bowling. My sister, Tricia, she works at the bowling alley and she had the night off. So, we had bowling leagues and we were bowling and we heard a big bang. And my sister was bowling on another lane than I was. So, we were a little bit apart there.

And then we heard a loud noise. And I wasn't sure what it was till I heard another shot. And I knew. And I seen that I couldn't see her. And everybody was running. And I got caught in people trampling and running out.

And we just kept running. And there was shots fired outside the building after. And we just kept running and running and running and it was dark out. There was very little lighting there.

I just ran to as far as I could go, till there was a fence and there was some trees and a bunch of us were just hiding behind the trees wondering what was going on. And when the cops showed up, there was all kinds of cops, tons and tons of cops and guns and rescue.

And we were coming out of the woods and we were telling the cops, don't shoot. And they were telling us to keep walking and walking and walking. And I kept asking, where's my sister? Where's my sister? She's in there. And I just wanted to be with my sister.

(END VIDEO CLIP) BRUNHUBER: At least one person who was treated for a gunshot wound has been released from hospital. As we heard, their families and friends of those killed in the massacre are trying to process the tragedy while mourning the loss of their loved ones. CNN's Jason Carroll has some of the victim's stories.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MILLS: This city did not deserve this terrible assault on its citizens, on its peace of mind, on its sense of security. No city does, no state, no people.

JASON CARROLL, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The magnitude of what happened last night coming into focus as authorities removed the bodies of some of those who perished in the shooting at the Schemengee's Bar and Grille restaurant. Police say of those who were killed, eight died at the bar, including Leroy Walker's son, Joseph. His father says his son died when he tried to stop the shooter.

LEROY WALKER, SON KILLED IN SHOOTING: My son actually -- because he's manager of the bar and everything else, picked up a butcher knife and went after the gunman to try to stop him from killing other people. And that's when he shot my son to death, trying to save some more lives that he ended up losing his life.

CARROLL: Forty-year-old Brian MacFarlane, also identified as one of the victims. His sister says he was deaf and he was there for a regular Wednesday night gathering of members of the deaf community and a cornhole tournament. His sister, who was also deaf, says their loss is deeply felt from her family and the community.

KERI BROOKS, BROTHER KILLED IN SHOOTING (through translator): I want people to know how big this has impacted the deaf community that you know we've lost four community members, not only just Brian. But we've lost 3 other friends as well from this tragic incident in this community. It's a huge loss.

CARROLL: Minutes away from the bar, more victims and more tragedy. Police say seven were killed at Just-In-Time recreation center, a bowling alley in Lewiston, including 53-year-old Tricia Asselin. Her brother says she was calling 911 when she was killed. He told CNN she wasn't going to run. She was going to try and help. J

Just-In-Time recreation released a statement which sums up the feelings of many in the community. "There are no words to fix this or make it better. We are praying for everyone who has been affected by this horrific tragedy. We love you all and hold you close in our hearts."

An unidentified employee of Bates College was one of 13 people injured during the mass shootings. In a statement, Bates president says that the employee is expected to make a full recovery, adding, "No matter how many times something like this happens, I find myself at a loss for words, and this time it happened so close to home." Some of the injured are being treated at Central Maine Health Care Hospital in Lewiston. [02:10:00]

MILLS: This is a dark day for Maine. I know it's hard for us to think about healing when our hearts are broken. But I want every person in Maine to know that we will heal together.

CARROLL: Jason Carroll, CNN, New York.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BRUNHUBER: One humanitarian group says Gaza could face disease outbreaks because of a lack of clean water. Its representative will speak to us from Gaza when we come back. Plus, the IDF announces the next phase of its war with Hamas ahead of the anticipated ground invasion of Gaza. A load of details when we come back. Stay with us.

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BRUNHUBER: All right, I want to bring you up to date on Israel's war against Hamas. Now, nearly three weeks old, Israel announced the next phase of its military operations on Thursday, saying it will conduct more limited raids into Gaza in preparation for its ground offensive.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DANIEL HAGARI, REAR ADMIRAL, SPOKESPERSON, ISRAEL DEFENSE FORCES (through translator): In Gaza, we continue attacking from the air and from the sea, eliminating senior Hamas terrorists and infrastructure.

[02:15:00]

The IDF forces continue today raiding into the Gaza Strip, the raids are to eliminate terrorists to prepare the grounds to make sure the explosives are not waiting for us. The raids are going to continue tonight and the next days.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BRUNHUBER: Israeli intelligence claims scores of senior Hamas leaders have been killed since the October 7th massacre of 1400 people in southern Israel. The IDF said an airstrike on Thursday killed a senior Hamas leader who was involved in planning the attacks.

All right, let's turn now to CNN's Jim Bittermann tracking the story for us live from Paris. So, Jim, first, bring us up to speed on the latest.

JIM BITTERMAN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, I think we heard it right there from the defense authorities in Israel that they basically are carrying out these limited raids into Gaza to eliminate terrorists, but also to soften the ground a bit for the major invasion we are expecting and they are saying is going to follow

Basically, they're trying to get rid of any kind of explosive devices that there might be left behind to kill terrorists and to see about surveillance capabilities of Hamas and getting rid of that kind of thing so that there's no intelligence gathering that can be had by the Hamas members as the raid begins.

So, we're going to be the limited kind of actions for a while but we don't know exactly how long and all of it of course building up to but everybody expects to a major invasion with all the equipment that's been gathered out there.

BRUNHUBER: Yeah, exactly. And then in the meantime Jim, my intense diplomatic efforts are ongoing, including some by the French president, though he doesn't seem to have achieved his goals. What more can you tell us?

BITTERMAN: Yes, I think that's exactly right. He didn't seem to get much traction. He just did a whirlwind trip in the Middle East, seeing leaders in Palestinian territories and in Jordan and in Egypt. And he's basically pitching a kind of a multilateral coalition of nations to fight terrorism along the order of the coalition that was put together to fight.

I think that coalition included some Arab countries. The Arab league, for example, are committed to the fighting against ISIS. But with Hamas, it's going to be a different story and he didn't seem to get very much positive feedback from any of the nation's here.

The French are also very concerned about the humanitarian situation in Gaza. They are sending a troop carrier, helicopter carrier that said also equipped with some hospital beds out to the Middle East and be on standby in case there's any kind of an evacuation.

The French have got a fairly large stake in what's going on. They've lost 35 French citizens in the attacks on October 7th, and there's still nine of them missing, and they're presumed to be among the hostages. Kim.

BRUNHUBER: All right. Thanks so much, Jim Bittermann in Paris. Well, ever since Israel declared war on Hamas, its forces in northern Israel have been coming under sporadic fire from militants in neighboring Lebanon.

The IDF says its fighter jets struck a Hezbollah military compound in an observation post on Wednesday in southern Lebanon. As a precaution against a second front opening in northern Israel, the government's urging Israelis to evacuate from the region.

CNN's Jim Sciutto spoke to one Israeli soldier about the difficulty of asking people to leave their homes indefinitely.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JIM SCIUTTO, CNN CHIEF U.S. SECURITY ANALYST: Do you believe people will be able to come back to a town like Mutula again, or is it just too close to Lebanon, to Hezbollah?

UNKNOWN: I know that we will do everything to make them feel protected, to make them feel safe and to protect them if it's necessary in our life, in the price of our life. When I came here three weeks ago, I saw someone who packed his last luggage with tears in his eyes and I asked him why and he told me I don't know if I will return here. This might be the last time that I will see my own house.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BRUNHUBER: United Hatzalah is Israel's volunteer rescue service ready to spring into action when alerted until an ambulance arrives. On October 7th, they heeded the call and some paid the ultimate price. We want to warn you, some of what you're about to hear is disturbing.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNKNOWN (through translator): Police, save me, there are terrorists in the city.

SCIUTTO: Frantic callers knew what was going on immediately.

UNKNOWN (through translator): There is an infiltration of terrorists. They shot at my car.

SCIUTTO (voice-over): Caller after caller understood and pleaded for help.

UNKNOWN (through translator): I have here a gunshot injury, shot in the head. I need help. I'm alone here.

SCIUTTO (voice-over): It was a deliberate terrorist attack. Calls rang out in this busy Jerusalem call center at the headquarters of United Hatzalah or United Rescue.

[02:20:00]

The all-volunteer First Responders Group is nearly 7000 strong across Israel, using high-tech tracking and communications tools to reach emergencies as fast as possible, treating patients free of charge and getting to them quicker than, say, the National Ambulance Service here.

ELI BEER, FOUNDER OF UNITED HATZALAH: I was here at 7:15 in the morning. We say that everyone just go out where any protection gear you have, take your medical equipment with you, take your gun if you have one.

SCIUTTO (voice-over): Founder Eli Beer says the morning of October 7th, more than 1000 team members did just that.

BEER: Everyone was out. No matter if the Jews or Arabs or Christian, they were all out saving lives.

SCIUTTO (voice-over): Videos taken by the group that day show Hatzalah volunteers who rushed into regions under attack. In the first 14 days of war, United Hatzalah says it dispatched at least 300 response vehicles, including helicopters, ambulances, and the specially equipped ambucycles that can weave between traffic with supplies.

More than 3000 people have been treated, according to United Hatzalah. But not all of them could be saved. Two of their own were murdered that day. One, a medic with an elite unit of the Israeli army, was killed in action. The other, 23-year-old Awad Darawasha (ph), was working at the Nova Music Festival as a medic.

BEER: Everyone was running away. He stayed with this young girl who was bleeding, trying to stop her bleeding because she had three or four bullets in her, and he was trying to save her, and then the terrorist came and caught him, and they realized she was an Arab, and he was wearing this vest with an Israeli flag on it. Took us a couple days to find out where he is, because they threw him in a ditch. He was unrecognizable. He was such a beautiful young boy.

SCIUTTO (voice-over): The terrorists tortured Dr. Tarek Abu Arar, a Bedouin who was driving into danger to try to help anyone who needed it. He was ambushed by terrorists when he stopped to help what he thought was a patient in need.

BEER: And when he came, he started treating people. He took out his equipment, and they captured him. And they hung him. They tied him to a pole, a light pole, and he was there for nine hours tied into the back. They shot his leg, he was injured. We actually found him hours later, and he was, thank God, he's okay.

SCIUTTO (voice-over): Beer started United Hatzalah as a teenager 35 years ago. He has responded to countless scenes of horror and gore and grotesque scenes of terrorism. But he says nothing, nothing could have prepared him for what he saw in the aftermath of October 7th.

BEER: I'm doing this for so many years and I've been to the worst bomb attacks and terror attacks and car accidents in my life. If you put all these attacks together for 35 years and all the gruesome stuff I saw, it comes nothing compared to one day, October 7th, the day I saw the south of Israel.

I never imagined in my life I'll ever see a holocaust. I never imagined I could see a holocaust. I used to see the holocaust in the museum in black and white. I saw it in color. I saw people that were torn apart to pieces. They killed. They literally wanted to torture them and humiliate their bodies. Things that I saw that I will never ever forget.

I still -- smelling the smell of the flesh, of the burnt flesh. A lot of the victims were burned. And I don't know why they did this, but they started burning people. Maybe they shouldn't be recognized. They were just going around shooting and killing people, after that just torturing their bodies.

And they came back home with pictures of Jews murdered. That's why they came. They wanted to humiliate the Jews in the world. Say, look what we did to the Jews. They wanted to cause another Holocaust here in Israel.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BRUNHUBER: Authorities in Maine are still searching for the suspect in Wednesday night's mass shootings. Coming up, the challenges they face in the massive, urgent manhunt for Robert Card. Stay with us. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[02:25:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BRUNHUBER: All right, back to our top story. A massive manhunt underway in Maine to find the man accused of killing 18 people in two mass shootings Wednesday. On Thursday, police and FBI agents were outside suspect Robert Card's last known address. He's a certified firearms instructor and a member of the U. S. Army Reserve. Officials say he recently threatened to carry out a shooting at a National Guard facility and reported mental health issues. Card's neighbor was surprised to hear all this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DAVE LETARTE, NEIGHBOR: He just didn't seem like that kind of individual. Like I said, people have problems, but you don't expect them to go off the deep end like that. Like I said, when I saw it on the news last night, I was shocked. I was shocked.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BRUNHUBER: Officials are telling residents in the nearby areas to stay inside and lock their doors. Law enforcement experts say Card's training and outdoor experience are making it more difficult to locate him.

Retired FBI Special Agent Bobby Chacon said the terrain in a place like Maine complicates the task of tracking down and locating a suspect. And he spoke earlier with my colleague, Paula Newton, about the challenges facing law enforcement.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BOBBY CHACON, RETIRED FBI SPECIAL AGENT: I'm somewhat puzzled by that question sometimes because it takes a long time to catch somebody the police don't have, particularly in an area like this that's more rural than say New York City or Los Angeles.

People have, there's a lot of room and there's a lot of rugged terrain and forested areas that they can just disappear into. I guess sometimes, you know, art does imitate life, but we don't have the ability to track everybody everywhere all the time.

And, you know, this, Lewiston, I'm sure doesn't have a large police department. And so, you know, he did this, he planned it, he drove from one place to another, and then he disappeared into the night. It's not unusual to go this long in this kind of area and not come up with somebody who wants to stay hidden.

And it will depend on how long he was planning this. Did he liquidate? Did he have cash in supply stash somewhere, water, food, things like that? You know, that's going to come to light in the coming days. But right now, they have to be focused on where he is and taking him into custody or neutralizing him before he hurts anyone else.

[02:30:00]

PAULA NEWTON, CNN ANCHOR: And I take your point. I mean this certainly was planned and that he has some expertise. I do want to tap into two areas of your expertise and one is the psychology of a person who does not surrender. In some of these situations, most times in fact, we see that they immediately commit suicide. What could be motivating him, do you think, in this situation?

CHACON: You are right. Most of these times they either end in suicide at the scene or at least suicide by cop where they shoot it out with the police knowing they are probably going to get killed. It is hard to say because we are dealing with a very irrational person that is in the midst of a psychotic break with reality.

So, it's very hard to say, not knowing him. I am hoping that they've leaned into the people that treated him, we heard he was treated for some mental health issues recently. He was institutionalized for a couple of weeks over the summer. Those doctors are probably the ones that have the biggest insight into his mindset of what he is doing and what he wants to accomplish with this thing.

But it is hard for laymen like us, not medical professional, psychological professionals, to really get inside his mind and to know what he is thinking. Because every person is a little different when they take these kinds of actions.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KIM BRUNHUBER, CNN NEWSROOM ANCHOR: Law enforcement officials are expected to return on Friday to Card's last known address in Bowdoin, Maine. Authorities are also digging into his background, searching for clues to help locate him. CNN's Pamela Brown has more.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

PAMELA BROWN, CNN CHIEF INVESTIGATIVE CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Swarms of federal and local officers converge as the manhunt for Robert Card intensifies.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Mr. Card is considered armed and dangerous.

BROWN (voice-over): His background giving a few potential clues about the shooting that left at least 18 dead and more than a dozen injured. His army records show the 40 year old was a petroleum supply specialist in the reserves, but never served in combat. A former army reservist who served with Card telling CNN that he is a skilled marksman, an outdoorsman who was among the best shooters in his unit.

While he was training in upstate New York over the summer, Card reported hearing voices, and threatened to shoot up a national guard base according to law enforcement sources. The national guard saying he was, quote, "Behaving erratically", and he was transported to a hospital of the US military academy for medical evaluation and stayed for two weeks. His family telling CNN he did not have a long history of mental health issues, quote, "This is something that was an acute episode.

This is not who he is." His sister in law said, quote, "This is a good family." On his Twitter page, Card liked right wing posts including by Tucker Carlson, Donald Trump Jr., Republican members of Congress and multiple posts criticizing President Biden on the economy. His social media also shows photos of him fishing. Card's vehicle was found at a boat ramp less than 20 miles from the shooting scene, and public records show he also owned a boat. The coast guard is also part of the search.

According to another former soldier who served with Card, he had extensive training, including land navigation, quote, "So he would be very comfortable in the woods." The shooting was in Lewiston, Card's most recent address is in a rural area of a nearby town called Bowdoin, according to public records, which also show that his family owns a series of properties nearby.

Law enforcement sources say Card recently split up with a longtime girlfriend, and they are pursuing a theory that he allegedly targeted the bowling alley and bar because he used to go there with her and was supposed to be at the bar that night.

COL. WILLIAM ROSS, MAINE STATE POLICE: Based on our investigation, we believe this is someone that should not be approached.

BROWN (voice-over): Card's brother telling CNN they're trying to reach him, urging him to surrender, quote, "We have helped law enforcement in any way possible, and the police have been given anything that we can offer to facilitate their efforts."

BROWN: The brother of the suspect also telling me this is many people's worst nightmare. Indeed, it is. And one of the big outstanding questions is why Robert Card was able to leave that mental health clinic after expressing thoughts of wanting to harm fellow soldiers, and able to gain access again to his legally possed multiple weapons.

We know that Maine does not have a red flag law, which allows family members to petition the court to have weapons taken away from another family member in crisis. Pamela Brown, CNN, Washington.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BRUNHUBER: The congressman from Maine has flipped his position on the assault weapons ban one day after the mass shooting there. Democratic Representative Jared Golden says he now supports the ban. Golden is from Lewiston, where the mass shooting occurred, and says he feels like he let his community down. Here he is.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. JARED GOLDEN (D-ME): The time has now come for me to take responsibility for this failure, which is why I now call on the United States Congress to ban assault rifles, like the one used by the sick perpetrator of this mass killing in my hometown.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

[02:35:10]

BRUNHUBER: The rampage in Maine is now the deadliest shooting in the United States this year. According to the gun violence archive, the US has seen more than five hundred mass shootings so far this year. The agency defines a mass shooting as one where at least four people are shot or killed in a single event. Now while the US as a whole sees hundreds of incidents of gun violence, this is unusual for Maine.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SUSAN COLLINS, U.S. SENATE REPUBLICAN: Maine, as I point out, has one of the highest rates of gun ownership in the country, and has a long heritage of responsible gun ownership. It had also had a very low rate of gun violence. What makes this crime so heinous is, in a typical year, Maine might have 22 murders, and last night we almost approached the number for the entire year.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BRUNHUBER: Alright, still to come, trucks carrying humanitarian aid enter Gaza, but Israel continues to block much-needed fuel for hospitals. We will have details next. Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BRUNHUBER: Alright, now the latest in Israel's war with Hamas. Israel says it has no intention of stopping ground incursions into Gaza, like that when you see here. On Thursday, the IDF released a video of its raid into Northern Gaza, saying its troops later pulled back into Israel.

Meanwhile, President Joe Biden says he is not buying the death tolls released by Gaza's health ministry, but he also acknowledged that innocent civilians are being killed. The ministry, which is controlled by Hamas, later released thousands of names of people who's deaths have been reportedly confirmed, and CNN can't independently verify the death toll in Gaza.

[02:40:07]

Now, in response to the heightened tensions across the Middle East, the US military has announced its deploying about nine hundred additional troops to the region. The Pentagon was quick to dispel concerns that those troops might be heading into a war zone. Listen to this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BRIG. GEN. PATRICK RYDER, PENTAGON PRESS SECRETARY: While I won't talk specific deployment locations for these forces, I can confirm that they are not going to Israel and that, again, they are intended to support regional deterrence efforts and further bolster US force protection capabilities.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BRUNHUBER: US intelligence is deeply concerned that Iranian-backed militias may be planning attacks against American forces in the Middle East. The US has already gone to considerable lengths to shore up its defensive posture by deploying two carrier groups, fighter jets and batteries of highly advanced anti missile systems.

The US says it has conducted airstrikes against facilities in Eastern Syria that are linked to Iran. It's not clear if there were any casualties. The strikes followed a series of attacks on US forces in the region in which Washington says Tehran was involved. CNN's Oren Liebermann has details.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

OREN LIEBERMANN , CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: The US carried out airstrikes in Eastern Syria against two facilities used by Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, and affiliated groups, in a series of attacks which we've seen over the course of the past week and a half or so, against US forces in Iraq and Syria.

The Pentagon says two F16 fighter jets used precision guided munitions to target these facilities, an ammo storage facility and a weapon storage facility. Officials say these facilities were used and assisted in this series of attacks we have seen. Since October 17th, the Pentagon says we've seen 19 attacks, drone attacks and rocket attacks against US forces in these countries resulting in more than 20 minor injuries and one US civilian contractor who was killed as a result of a false alarm, because of a belief of another one of these attacks.

Given the situation, the US felt it had to respond. But the US and defense secretary Lloyd Austin were very clear in this warning, describing these as self-defense strikes that were narrowly targeted to protect US forces but also to send a message that there would be more strikes if the attacks on US forces continue. And I'll read you a post of Austin's statement here. First, attributing these to Iran, pinning this on Iran. Iran wants to hide its hand and deny its role in these attacks against our forces.

We will not let them. If attacks by Iran's proxies against US forces continue, we will not hesitate to take further necessary measures to protect our people. And then, these narrowly tailored strikes in self- defense were intended solely to protect and defend US personnel in Iraq and Syria. We have already seen the US bolster its force presence in the region because of a worry of escalation on the part of Iran's proxies, and that would be Hezbollah in Lebanon as well as these Iranian proxies in Iraq and Syria.

The US, deploying and in the process of deploying nine hundred troops to the region, including a THAAD air defense battery and pagery air defense systems. And that's on top of everything we have already seen the US move to the region, two carrier strike groups, an amphibious ready group, all as a warning to Iran to stay out of this fight. The question now, of course, is did these airstrikes and these targets

on facilities used by Iran's IRGC and affiliated groups, did that get the message and has deterrence been restored or does this continue? The US trying very hard to make sure the conflict in Gaza does not spread to the wider region, even as we have seen anti-US and anti- Israel protests across the Middle East. Oren Liebermann, CNN, at the Pentagon.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BRUNHUBER: The Palestinian Red Crescent says 12 aid trucks entered Gaza through the Rafah border crossing with Egypt on Thursday. They're carrying water, food and medical supplies, but no fuel. Israel has been blocking deliveries of fuel altogether, saying that Hamas would only divert it for military use. The hospital staff say they desperately need fuel to power generators. Let's listen to this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DR. ATEF AL-KAHLOUT, DIRECTOR OF THE INDONESIAN HOTEL, GAZA (through translator): You know the importance of fuel. There is a huge shortage. We count the days, even the hours, in order to be able to continue our work. The hospital consumes approximately two thousand litres of fuel daily. Recently the hospital stopped functioning, and if it weren't for God's mercy, and the actions of the technical staff of engineers, a catastrophe would have befallen.

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BRUNHUBER: Alright, to talk about the humanitarian crisis in Gaza right now, we are bringing in Laila Barhoum, she is the policy advocacy and communications manager for Oxfam based in Iraq. Thank you so much for being here with us. So I want to start with what we just saw there. Certainly, limited options for hospitals trying to stay open in Gaza right now.

LAILA BARHOUM, OXFAM POLICY, ADVOCACY AND COMMUNICATIONS MANNER IN IRAQ: Yeah, the devastating images of the hospitals being crowded and are not able to be full the capacity is really devastating. We are seeing that doctors are struggling with a number of high injuries coming into the hospitals, the needed operations that need to take place and all that is dependent on electricity, on fuel and access to medical equipment and supplies.

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We have to always remember that hospitals also is taken as shelter for people who are displaced, who have lost their houses, and this is where the situation is getting worse, because they have to rush in and make sure that they use the resources. The situation came to the point that I don't think Gaza have seen before, and this is something that needs immediate intervention otherwise innocent lives will continue to be lost for injuries, for the lack of medical attention.

BRUNHUBER: Now the IDF says this is all just sort of a smokescreen by Hamas, that Hamas actually has lots of fuel. They are just kind of hiding it. What do you say to that?

BARHOUM: I mean there is no way that we cannot say that fuel is not needed now, it's needed as much as before it was, before the current cycle of conflict. Fuel was one of the things that used to come into Gaza before this cycle. It was needed, and it was something that Gaza depended on from the international community support.

So, we are talking about something that used to go inside Gaza before the cycle. There are systems in place. There are UN agencies who are there to monitor the situation, to make sure that fuel is going to where it should be going, which is for civilian purposes. And this is where the messages are coming strongly, is the needs are there and fuel is needed to make sure to treat it. Institutions are there to monitor the situation.

BRUNHUBER: Beyond the fuel situation, what is the status for most in Gaza right now?

BARHOUM: Maybe I can start with the fact that many people in Gaza are emotionally still scared, frightened, emotionally tired even and physically tired. They are struggling every day to stay, incapable to provide for their own needs. The mass displacement is something that is continuing.

Shelters are overcrowded and by shelters we mean schools and families are hosting each other. Every day we see more families losing their houses and families are struggling to provide food and water for their needs, now ration their resources, prioritizing children. People are always asking when this is going to be ending. Is there going to be any cease-fire?

And the answer is still not clear yet for them. Day-by-day they need to make sure there is bread and there's access to clean water, and these are commodities that are running out from the market. And it's dire more than before. And for Gaza situation to use this water and to this extent or full meaning is something that we have doing now more than before.

BRUNHUBER: Now as I mentioned before, some trucks carrying aid have made it through the border to Gaza. Is that making any difference right now?

BARHOUM: I mean any access to it is very much needed. But we are talking about a situation where Gaza had more than 80 percent of its population being dependent on aid even before this period of conflict. And now what we are seeing is almost 2 percent of what is needed to enter Gaza. Before the cycle of conflict, Gaza used to get at least a hundred trucks of aid and food and water.

And now we aren't even seeing a drop in the ocean that is not much going to cover the needs. We are now talking about the total population who are needed for humanitarian assistance and needs, and now we are talking also about the fact that aid is not sustainable. It's not fixed. It needs to be accurate to the needs but also it needs to be regular. There needs to be protection for citizens to be able to access this aid. This is not enough. It wasn't enough before. It's not enough now.

BRUNHUBER: Now many people in Gaza have more immediate fears. Things like being possibly killed by an IDF strike, for example. But there are longer term fears as well. Lack of clean water. Many aid agencies, like yours, are warning of a growing public health crisis, dehydration, disease and so on.

BARHOUM: Yeah, indeed there are many factors contributing to a health crisis here. We are talking about lack of food and electricity which means that sewage is not treated. It's being dumped untreated in the water and in the sea. We are talking about lack of access to clean water for hygiene.

Already families and schools families and hosted families are talking about the fact they cannot use water for hygiene purposes. A number of waterborne disease might be spreading. Corona, for example, might be a concern for families. And because they need to ration water, you want to drink it, you want to use it for a hygiene, of course, the priority will always be for surviving.

And now we are talking about wastewater treatment plans are not able to function but water is not pumped out. This is a whole collapsing of the whole system and there is water all over the street, there is no way for people to receive services like before. The focus now has been staying alive, but also staying, not to be killed from disease at the same time.

BRUNHUBER: Yeah, the needs are acute and desperate, certainly. I really appreciate your insights, Laila Barhoum. Thank you so much. Alright, still to come, catastrophic damage in Mexico after a powerful category five storm slammed into Acapulco. The aftermath from hurricane Otis when we come back. Stay with us.

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BRUNHUBER: We have learned that China's former premier Li Keqiang has died. According to Chinese state media, Li suffered a sudden heart attack early Friday morning. Li served as China's number two leader until last October, overseeing his country's economy for more than a decade. He was once viewed as a reform minded contender for the country's top leadership role.

Li was 68 years old. Operations at Acapulco airport remain suspended after hurricane Otis slammed into the popular resort area. At least 27 people are dead and four others are missing after the powerful storm slammed into Mexico's pacific coast. CNN's Gustavo Valdes reports.

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GUSTAVO VALDES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: This is typically what people come to Acapulco for, the nice beach, the nice surf. But right now it does not take long to see what happened after Otis came back. You see all the debris. It's plants, it's palm trees, it's metal, it's brick. This is the front of those fancy hotels where people spend hundreds of dollars to come and enjoy some time off. It's completely ruined. Not only the front, look up. Look at what happened to this building. You cannot even see any proof that anybody could have been living there.

[02:55:05]

We have reports that people were actually in these buildings when the hurricane came, but you can see the danger they were in because of the damage that buildings like this have suffered after Otis. And this is something that we're seeing, not only on this nice, expensive areas, the resort areas. The more poor parts of the city are also suffering, the people are telling us they are not getting help, they are not getting water, they are not getting food.

We saw looting in some streets. In some stores people were coming out, in most cases they were just taking food, water, something to drink. There were some that took advantage of the situation, and they walked away with big screen TVs. But mostly people were telling us, they just needed something to get by.

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BRUNHUBER: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says he can see the end of the war in his country. Now this comes after new American and Danish defense support measures were announced on Thursday. The US secretary of state says his country's security assistance package includes $150 million worth of arms and equipment.

President Zelenskyy says Denmark's offering is over $500 million worth of tanks, drones, and ammunition. Alright, I am Kim Brunhuber. I will have the latest on our breaking news out of Maine and the Middle East in just a moment. Please do stay with us.

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