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Israeli Defense Forces Says Its Warplanes Hit 150 Underground Targets Overnight; Israel Says Forces Still In Gaza Amid Expanded Ground Operation; World Health Organization: Health Workers, Patients And Civilians In Gaza Spent Night "In Darkness And Fear"; Body Of Maine Shooter Found Inside Box Trailer, Officials: Maine Shooter Left Behind Note To A Loved One; White House Still Working To Free Hostages In Gaza; Violence And Growing Tension In The West Bank; Looting In Parts Of Acapulco Witnessed By CNN Crew. Aired 12-1p ET

Aired October 28, 2023 - 12:00   ET

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

[11:59:51]

MELISSA BELL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: The Egyptian fear simply that allowing the Palestinian refugees to make their way to the Sinai Dessert, as Israel hopes they will, would be isn't on started. They do not want that to happen not just for humanitarian reasons, for political as well.

So, on all sides great reluctance to see that crossing open and yet a greater and greater need to get the aid in and to get the people out with every hour that passes, Sara.

SARA SIDNER, CNN HOST: Melissa Bell, thank you so much for your reporting there from Cairo. And that's it for this hour.

ANNOUNCER: This is "CNN BREAKING NEWS".

FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: Hello again, everyone. Thank you so much for joining us. I'm Fredricka Whitfield in Atlanta, alongside Sara Sidner in Tel Aviv.

I'll get to you again, Sara in a moment as we start a new hour, we're following this "BREAKING NEWS".

Israel's defense minister announcing a short time ago that the IDF has moved to a new phase in the war against Hamas. Israeli soldiers are now operating inside of the Gaza Strip.

Overnight, the IDF's armored vehicles and tanks were on the move. But at this point, it remains unclear if this is actually the beginning of Israel's anticipated major ground assault in Gaza.

And ahead of those troops entering the enclave, overnight, Israel unleashed an onslaught of sustained aerial bombardment that rocked Gaza. Buildings were reduced to rubble. And today, the IDF renewed its warning for civilians in northern Gaza to evacuate.

Doctors there say they treated hundreds of wounded overnight, but they were also there have been many killed in the airstrikes.

The IDF says the airstrikes targeted 150 underground Hamas combat spaces and terror tunnels. Israeli officials claimed they killed one key Hamas operative, who, it says, helped carry out the deadly October 7th terror attacks in Israel.

And we're also watching new military activity unfold along Israel's border with Lebanon.

The IDF and militant group, Hezbollah continuing to exchange fire on that front.

CNN's Sara Sidner picks up our coverage on the ground there in Israel. Sara.

SIDNER: Fred, thank you. Yes. I mean, it has been a -- overnight, it's been a bombardment like we have not seen. We have seen just a fierce air attack from Israel over Gaza.

We also know, as you mentioned, Fred, that there are troops now on the ground in Gaza. Although, it is not the main offensive that everyone thought it might be -- the ground offensive that everyone thought may happen. It is a much smaller group of people, soldiers -- Israeli soldiers that are in Gaza.

We have been seeing the airstrikes feeling the rumble like thunder over our heads here in Tel Aviv from those airstrikes in Gaza and seeing rockets come over from Gaza, from Hamas into Israel.

You are seeing those shots there of the Iron Dome, intercepting rockets one after the other. About a half dozen rockets have come over Tel Aviv in the last 30 minutes.

Now, let's go now to our Jeremy Diamond. He is live in Sderot, Israel. Sderot is very, very close. As close as you can get really to Gaza, the border there.

Jeremy, Israeli soldiers are on the move. We've been seeing some of the video of the trucks going in. But the IDF also renewing its message to Gaza citizens to evacuate. What are you seeing and hearing right now on the border? And I think we are getting -- OK, there is another rocket that is coming in, or IDF --

Sorry, one moment, I just need to turn around to see. All right. So, we just saw another -- you might hear a boom in a minute. We just saw another Iron Dome interception, just over my shoulder here.

And we see those quite often. So, I just wanted to check to see where it was to make sure that we're in a fairly safe place.

All right. Now to you, Jeremy on that border, which is extremely close to Gaza, what are you hearing and seeing there?

JEREMY DIAMOND, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Yes. Sara, moments ago, we were on a position overlooking the Gaza Strip. And what we were able to see over the last couple of hours was the continuation of this expanded ground operation and those intensified airstrikes and artillery strikes on to the Gaza Strip.

We are now 24 hours after Israeli forces launched that expanded ground operation. And the barrage hitting Gaza remains fierce and it remains intense.

You can see some of the video that we shot moments ago, seeing not only explosions in Gaza, but also barrages of rockets being fired by Hamas militants, we would suppose towards Israeli towns and cities, as you are seeing, those arriving towards your location, Sara. We have been seeing the outgoing coming from the Gaza Strip.

And also, Sara, moments ago, we heard from the chief of staff of Israel's armed forces, who is making clear that this expanded ground operation is not something that is simply going to last 24 hours.

[12:05:05]

But it is a new phase of this military campaign that Israel has been waging against Hamas over the last three weeks. He says that the best soldiers are now operating inside of Gaza. And he says that important and complex operations are being carried out by those soldiers inside the Gaza Strip. And he makes clear that the objectives of this war require a ground operation, he said, and also acknowledging the fact that it will likely lead to IDF casualties, saying that every victory comes at a price.

Now, overnight, as we were hearing the most intense bombardment of the Gaza Strip that we have heard in the three weeks of war, we now have learned that the IDF struck over 150 underground targets inside of Gaza, which explains the intensity of the bombardment that we heard last night.

But again, these operations are very, very much still ongoing. These are not the targeted raids that we saw on the two previous nights where tanks went into Gaza. But then, the next morning, Sara, the IDF announced that those tanks had returned across the border.

Instead, we are now 24 hours since this expanded ground operation launched. And we can still hear not only artillery fire, tank fire, but also small arms fire indicating that there is fighting on the ground in Gaza, likely involving infantry troops, as well.

SIDNER: And Jeremy, you know, as you're speaking, we heard those telltale sounds of the Iron Dome hitting and intercepting the rockets.

It is -- we're seeing the pictures coming from your area, because Gaza is just beyond where you are, seeing those rockets come over. And then, not too long, after you see them go out, we see them here in Tel Aviv. And of course, you've been in Ashkelon.

What are you seeing as far as any damaged in Sderot? Or has it sort of -- had the rockets sort of flown over and towards where we are, if you will?

DIAMOND: It depends on the day. Today, since we've been here in Sderot, we have not had any sirens. In Ashkelon, I can tell you that just a couple of days ago, there were two impacts that were made. And so, it's important to keep in mind that while the Iron Dome does intercept, the overwhelming majority of those rockets, some of them do still make it through.

Ashkelon, in fact, is the city that has seen the most rocket fire of any city in Israel. But what we have really been watching over these last several days, as Israel has intensified its bombardment inside of Gaza is we have seen those casualties inside of Gaza really start to rise in a dramatic way.

More than 7,000 people have been killed. And of those 7,000 people, more than 3,000 of them are believed to be children, according to the Palestinian Ministry of Health, and that is the results, of course, of this bombardment. And of, of course, the fact that we know Hamas is very much operating within civilian areas.

And, you know, just yesterday, the IDF claims that Hamas is operating from underground facilities underneath Gaza largest hospital, al-Shifa hospital, inside of Gaza. Where not only are critically injured people being treated, but also where thousands have been seeking shelter.

Now, the IDF, the only evidence that they provided for that was this alleged intercepted conversation between two Gazans. They said they had additional intelligence that was shared with the U.S. and other countries. But, of course, we can't independently verify those claims, and Palestinians have denied it.

But certainly, one of the main challenges of this operation being carried out by the Israelis now is the fact that there are those miles and miles of underground facilities that Hamas maintains not only where they are hiding many of these hostages, but also where they are hiding their fighters, where they carry out these various rocket attacks. And the fact that this underground city exists underneath the very real city above ground where civilians are as well inevitably leads to risk.

IDF forces insists that they take measures to try and avoid civilian casualties. But we know, of course, that the toll of civilian casualties has simply been too high from just a human perspective as you watch what is happening on the ground in Gaza over these last several weeks.

SIDNER: Yes. And it's actually harder and harder to know exactly, because there has been a communications blackout from the bombardment, according to Jawwal, which is the telecom provider there. They just have completely lost communications. And so, it is even harder now to see what exactly the damage is to human life and to the infrastructure there in Gaza, at this point.

We have seen so much damage, and I know you're hearing some jets overhead as well.

Jeremy Diamond, thank you so much for all of your reporting today and in the past three weeks.

Let's turn now to retired Army Brigadier General Peters Zwack. He is a global fellow at the Wilson Center's Kennan Institute. General, welcome.

[12:10:00]

Thank you for joining us on this Saturday. As you look at what is happening with the movements of Israeli forces into Gaza. And you hear that the Israeli military has a small number of soldiers that have remained in Gaza on the ground.

What is your view that's happening right now, that's happening here, the plan that you see unfolding?

BRIG. GEN. PETER ZWACK (RET), WILSON CENTER GLOBAL FELLOW, KENNAN INSTITUTE: The Israelis -- thank you for having me, Fredricka. This is -- they've been watching and they have a lot of us were wondering why didn't they go in the first week?

I believe in large part, OK, you have the -- all the diplomacy going on. But they've been studying methodically, the ground. They understand history and how difficult urban fighting is. They had to bring up a massive call up, and they had to kind of prepare a lot of their troops to do any major assault.

Now, what I think is happening is that they have probably over the last several weeks, been fighting a shadow war already on the nibbling on the margins of the Hamas defense going underneath. They've been pinpointing the tunnels, they've been trying to find where the hostages are, identifying targets, and then, at a certain point, they're calling in airstrikes.

Now, these are not aimed at the Palestinian population. But unfortunately, in the cynicism of Hamas, they have co-located their forces among the population, which makes this a real Gordian knot for the Israelis that they're trying to work through.

So, I would call these probes on the ground. Probes with some heavy armor kind of backing it up to not rushing in Palmel (PH), because they know that heavy forces going into --you know, you study Grozny in Chechnya, what happened to the Russians?

No. There -- this is kind of methodical. With everything else going on, and so, they're probing, its reconnaissance in force. It's shaping the operation. Airpower hitting what they are doing, special operations on the ground. And that is a certain point, they will -- they will go the tragedy, of course, is that Hamas insists, or is going to continue to use the civilians as a shield, and this is what makes urban fighting soporific.

SIDNER: I do want to ask you, because there is a terrible human toll. Mothers and babies, pregnant women, grandparents, have been killed in large numbers there in Gaza, so far. And there is talk of what a prolonged siege might look like in Gaza, and particular in Gaza City, because the Israeli military has told people to leave, go from the north to the south. But even the south is getting hit by airstrikes.

What would this look like if they decided to do a full-scale war from the ground and the sky? ZWACK: Sara, this is a really, really hard question. I think first of all, they would work to seal off the city. Yet, they are -- they are struggling with creating conduits out for the Palestinians still remain up in northern Gaza.

So, but they've got to seal it off, you know, the debate over -- the things that are going in and fuel, unfortunately, Hamas is also using lots of fuel for its tunnels and generators and all that. So, how do you manage that?

A siege is hardest, as you saw on Leningrad and places like that, on the civilian population. So, while the presence of Hamas has a chokehold on that population, it's also wears out.

Meanwhile, in that siege, we call it sat, I would have to believe that the IDF will be turning up the pressure on the ground, and just, you know, just block by block, basement by basement, tunnel by tunnel, trying to ferret out these guys.

And also remember, we have the hostages there, which also makes this so devilishly complicated. But to sit and siege them -- besieged them with a lot of civilians on the top, still in there. I don't think it will work in that environment, for some of the reasons I've tried to suggest before.

SIDNER: Yes. I think you use the term devilish -- devilishly complicated, and I think that is a term that really sort of gives you the idea of just how hard this is go going to be for the Israeli military, but even worse for the civilians who are caught in the middle of all this.

[12:15:05]

Brigadier General Zwack, thank you so much for your analysis.

ZWACK: Thank you, Sara.

SIDNER: All right. Let's turn now to CNN's Nada Bashir, who is following the latest on what people in Gaza are seeing amid this barrage? There has been a blackout for some time certainly overnight, where communications were just impossible, according to the Jawwal, the telecommunications provider there, because of the bombardments. What are you hearing now?

NADA BASHIR, CNN INTERNATIONAL REPORTER: Yes. Absolutely, Sara.

We saw these terrifying scenes last night of intense bombardment. What was a bit more concerning was the silence. The lack of video coming out, the lack of messages from medics and rights groups on the ground from people civilians, inside Gaza, our teams inside Gaza.

And as we've woken up this morning and seen still, limited video being released from inside Gaza, limited communications, what we have seen is a mounting civilian death toll, complete devastation.

That is the reality on the ground in Gaza. Israel says it is targeting Hamas positions. But as we have seen for the last three weeks, Sara, that civilian death toll is mounting by the hour.

And, of course, we know that more than 7,000 Palestinians inside Gaza have been killed. But as -- that is just the number of people that have been identified. There are so many buried beneath the rubble of residential buildings, areas across Gaza, including the south where they have been told to evacuate, who are still beneath the rubble trapped there because of Israel's continued aerial bombardment, and that is only intensifying.

And the concern now is that as that intensifies, we could begin to see more civilian areas coming under attack -- under attack, and in particular, hospitals, where many tens of thousands of Palestinians inside Gaza have now taken shelter. Thousands of them. Many around the al-Shifa hospital, the largest hospital inside Gaza, hoping that this is a safe area.

But as we have heard those warnings, it may not be for long. Take a look.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BASHIR (voice over): A flash of light over the chilling imposed darkness that engulfed Gaza every night. A glaring promise of more death and destruction, the ongoing siege and a communications blackout, plunging Gaza into eerie silence.

What little video has emerged so far, paints a picture of the devastation wrought by Israel's relentless bombardment. Scenes of incomprehensible loss, shrouded bodies, the latest amongst thousands of victims.

Israel says it is targeting Hamas, now also expanding its ground operations. A retaliation, they say, to the Hamas terror attacks of October 7th, which left at least 1,400 dead and more than 200 others held hostage inside Gaza.

But in the besieged strip of land, the number of Palestinians killed also rises with each and every airstrike.

The situation is dire. Our homes were destroyed in the airstrikes. Six of our family members were killed. What can we do? We are all living through this.

This was the scene on Friday at the al-Shifa hospital, the largest in Gaza. Now, not only a lifeline to thousands of patients, but a sanctuary to tens of thousands, including children displaced by the war.

We're not even asking for food, we're not asking for water, we're asking for safety, for security. Our men, women, our children, they've all been killed.

Many have come in the hope that hospitals will remain a safe haven, but their safe haven is now being characterized by Israel with no verifiable evidence as a potential target.

REAR ADM. DANIEL HAGARI, ISRAEL DEFENSE FORCES: The red buildings, as I mentioned, are building that Hamas is using.

BASHIR (voice over): It is a claim rejected by Palestinian officials in Gaza, who accused Israel of falsifying intelligence, and say the hospital is only used to treat patients. But the consequence of such allegations is feared by many.

Any suggestion that this hospital could be viewed as a legitimate target by Israel, for doctors who know the hospital well, is a warning of unimaginable bloodshed.

DR. MADS GILBERT, NORWEGIAN EMERGENCY PHYSICIAN WORKING IN GAZA: I've been walking in all parts of Shifa. In the basement, in the different clinics, in the different buildings. I've been there night and day, peace time, war time, all over. I have never seen anything that could look like or function as some command center.

BASHIR (voice over): On and on, Israel's airstrikes lay waste to this already ravaged enclave.

[12:20:00]

Artillery shelling now adding to the devastation. The people of Gaza gripped by a constant cycle of mourning still struggling to comprehend this endless nightmare. Death now woven into the very fabric of their lives.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BASHIR (on camera): And look, Sara, it is important to underscore that as these airstrikes intensify, the humanitarian situation is rapidly deteriorating. We've been hearing from families on the ground inside Gaza, who have told us that they are rationing food, that they have no more safe, clean drinking water available.

And, of course, as we all know, the warnings from the hospitals and the medical teams on the ground is that unless more fuel is bought into Gaza soon, we could begin to see even more hospitals closing their doors to patients, and as we know, thousands and thousands inside Gaza are desperately dependent on these hospitals and on that urgent medical care, particularly, as there is no sign of these airstrikes letting up anytime soon. Sara.

SIDNER: Yes. And the families who are not living in Gaza, with family members there, cannot get in touch with them. And there is just an extreme amount of fear outside of Gaza with them as well.

Nada Bashir, thank you so much for the story, giving us an idea of what's happening inside of Gaza. We'll have much more of our live coverage. Fredricka Whitfield will be just back in a moment.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[12:25:22]

WHITFIELD: All right. Welcome back. We're learning new details about the investigation to that mass shooting in Maine, Wednesday that killed 18 people and injured 13.

We now know the shooter's body was found yesterday inside a box trailer at a recycling center parking lot in the town of Lisbon. Investigators say 40-year-old Robert Card died of an apparent self- inflicted gunshot wound, ending a two-day manhunt in southern Maine.

The rampage in Lewiston was the deadliest mass shooting in the U.S. this year, and the deadliest since the Uvalde, Texas school massacre.

I'm joined now by CNN crime and justice correspondent Shimon Prokupecz, who is live for us in Lewiston.

So, Shimon, what more do we learn, last hour?

SHIMON PROKUPECZ, CNN'S CRIME AND JUSTICE REPORTER: Yes, police certainly releasing a lot more information now that the shooter is dead. They said they were able to release more information on the investigation.

We know that he was found last night at 7:45 inside this trailer at the recycling plant in the area where they've been searching for the past few days.

What we learned is that police found a total of three guns; a long gun in his car, and then, two additional guns that were on him, or in the trailer, when they found him.

We also learned that they are looking as part of the motive here as to what was going on in this individual's life that may have led to this. They say there is a mental health component to that. They were looking at that, that he thought people may have been speaking badly about him at these locations that he attacked, that he was hearing voices. And so, that is something that they are looking into.

And what's helping them try to unravel all of this is the shooter's family. They say that they have been very cooperative and helping them.

We also learned as we've been reporting the last several days, but now on the record confirmation that they found a note. When they searched the shooters home, they found a note that he'd left. The police describing it as a paper-style note. And in that note, he left information for a family member, indicating to police that he did not expect to survive.

Here is police talking a little bit about that.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MICHAEL SAUSCHUCK, DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC SAFETY COMMISSIONER, MAINE: What it is, is it's a note to a loved one. And he is saying that this is the passcode for my phone. This is the bank account numbers. And I wouldn't describe it as a explicit suicide note. But the tone and tenor was that the individual was not going to be around and wanted to make sure that this loved one had access to his phone and whatever was in his phone. (END VIDEO CLIP)

PROKUPECZ: Also, his bank account -- he left information about his bank account in that note. And so now, investigators are looking through all of that. They're going to look through his phone to try and paint a better picture of what was going on in his life.

The other thing obviously, now is the grieving part, many of the people in this community and surrounding areas all around Maine here have been forced to stay home. And finally last night, were allowed to leave their homes. And so, the next days will be all about the grieving and the mourning as many of these people will now be able to get together and share their memories, and share the pain that they have suffered in the last few days.

The investigation here is going to continue. We're outside the bar here, Schemengees, where one of the incidents occur. And investigators are still here, going over the crime scene, collecting evidence, and that's expected to go on for several more days as a vigil is planned here in town tomorrow night.

WHITFIELD: All right. Shimon Prokupecz in Lewiston, Maine. Thank you so much.

All right. The intensifying ground and air operations by Israel now complicating Washington's ongoing efforts to arrange humanitarian aid for Gaza. And the act of negotiations to release the hostages held by Hamas.

We'll have much more right after this.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SIDNER: As Israel is stepping up its ground operations in Gaza, the families of the Israeli hostages being held by Hamas there are now demanding answers and a face to face meeting with Israeli leaders. They want to know how the military campaign may impact the lives of their loved ones. And adjust release statements, those family members say we expect the Prime Minister and Defense Minister to meet with us today, look us in the eye and give a clear answer to the question, does the escalation of military activity in Gaza endanger the well- being of the 200 plus hostages? We are tired of slogans. Our loved ones time is running out.

Alex Plitsas, he's a former senior adviser on the White House hostage policy review team. We will get to his analysis in just a moment. But let's first start with CNN's Kevin Liptak, who is with the President in Delaware. Kevin, I know the White House has been saying for the last few days that there are still active conversations trying to get humanitarian aid there a pause in the airstrikes and on ground war, but also to try to get the release of the hostages. What have you heard today?

KEVIN LIPTAK, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE REPORTER: Well, American officials have a hard time saying exactly how this escalation is going to affect those efforts beyond saying simply that it will make them more complicated. And that's part of the reason you've heard the White House President Biden, other top administration officials making these calls over the last several days for what they call a humanitarian pause, some sort of a break in the bombing that would allow the hostages to be released, potentially allow aid to go in, allow civilians, including Americans who are stuck in Gaza to get out.

[12:35:32]

And in fact, yesterday there had seemed to be an intensification in these talks on the hostages. Talks brokered by the government of Qatar to potentially release a large number of these hostages. But this is a complicated effort, because one, the American government doesn't believe that these hostages are all being held in the same place. They don't necessarily know their conditions. And the demands of Hamas had sort of been shifting over the last several days.

And so those efforts had been intensifying. The U.S. says they are not dead. They are still in hour by hour talks to try and get these hostages released. But certainly as this bombardment intensifies, it does make that effort much more complicated. And you have seen the American government in quite intensive discussions with the Israelis as they planned their response to the terror attacks of two weeks ago, certainly very staunchly supportive of Israel in public.

But behind the scenes asking some very tough questions of the Israelis about what their intentions are for this ground invasion, potential ground invasion, what they hoped to accomplish from this ground invasion and offering their own advice. And in fact, there had been an American, three-star Marine general in Israel consulting with the Israelis. We do now understand that he has left Israel.

And certainly the U.S. is making clear that it is not dictating to Israel how it conducts these operations. A Marine spokesman saying yesterday saying that what is has or will unfold in Gaza is purely an Israeli decision. Sara?

SIDNER: Well, Kevin Liptak, thank you so much for your reporting there in Delaware. Alex, I'd like to start with you now, how might this military operation which includes being on the ground, although not an extensive ground war, but expanded military operation on the ground? How might that impact the lives of the hostages being held in Gaza and the civilians in Gaza where we know that thousands of people have been killed?

ALEX PLITSAS, SENIOR NON-RESIDENT FELLOW, ATLANTIC COUNCIL: Fredricka, thanks so much for having me. So that's a great question and both of those in that sense. I'll kind of take them separately. For the hostages, I mean, Hamas took them, they are responsible for their safety while they're holding them. Israel has asked that civilians move south of Wadi, Gaza about halfway up the Gaza Strip, so that's about 1.1 million people. And so Hamas would be responsible for moving the hostages out of that area, in terms of their safety and security.

We know that Hamas has somewhere between 50 and 100 tunnel complexes underground, so where all of those hostages are and who might be holding them is not completely known. We did hear from the two women who were released that said they were in a group of 25 at one point and then split up. So there could be multiple groups kind of all over the place throughout Gaza, which is what makes this such a complicated problem set.

And the second question you asked about the civilian populace, and what's Special Operation Association of America and we are currently, you know, helping as we did in Afghanistan, as well as in Ukraine, along with partners from save our allies to help move, you know, citizens that are trapped inside Gaza to safe locations. So some of the NGO workers I'm working with on the ground there are reporting some pretty, you know, terrible conditions running out of water, you know, the typical health conditions that you would find with poor sanitation.

And also having to treat burns with basically iodine and saline only, no antibiotics or post care. So the situation remains, you know, incredibly unstable. The humanitarian situation is getting worse. And it's really unsustainable in the long run.

SIDNER: Yes, we are watching some of the pictures that were obtained out of Gaza this morning, which has been very difficult because there have been communications that have been completely cut off, according Jawwal, which is the telecommunications provider there from the bombardments, which were extremely fierce and plentiful, if you will, overnight.

When you look at what has happened, do you see any scenario where the military operation can go forward in the rescue of hostages at this point, because the families are demanding answers from their government here in Israel. The Israeli families are saying we want to know if this is going to endanger our loved ones there.

PLITSAS: Right. So that's a great question. The military operation in order to achieve the goals that Prime Minister Netanyahu laid out of demilitarizing Hamas will require a ground incursion into Gaza. You'll have to go house to house, building the building to find the weapons because otherwise you can't achieve that goal from the air. It's simply impossible. So it really depends on whether Hamas is intending to keep those hostages safe as bargaining chips to be able to try to end the conflict, whatever it is they're trying to do with it or whether they're going to keep them in harm's way where they could be harmed as a result of the operation.

[12:40:11]

So I think the Israelis like anyone else will do whatever they can to avoid, you know, doing anything that would hurt the hostages. But it's really incumbent upon Hamas, since they're in possession of them to move them to locations outside of the area where Israel has said that they are going to be conducting military operations. And they're engaging in negotiations in Qatar.

Our ambassador there, Timmy Davis is amongst the best in the professional diplomatic corps along with Roger Carstens, who's the Special Presidential Envoy for Hostage Affairs. They're doing incredible work. So, you know, the goal is that Hamas will keep to their word and that they want to keep them safe, and that they will move them to a safe location. So the question about whether or not they'll be safe is really more for Hamas than Israel.

SIDNER: Alex Plitsas, thank you so much for your analysis on this extremely difficult time there in Gaza for the civilians and for those hostages who are likely in tunnels underground. We'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[12:45:09]

SIDNER: While the world is watching the humanitarian crisis unfold from the bombardments in Gaza violence has ramped up in the West Bank since the October 7th Hamas attack on Israel. It's a place that has long seen battles between Israeli security forces and Palestinians and settlers and Palestinians. Settlers who international law same have built on Palestinian land illegally. Life in the West Bank is as precarious as ever. And I want to warn you, there's some disturbing violence in the story.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SIDNER (voice-over): Armed and on high alert, Yossi Dagan oversees 40 Jewish settlements in the West Bank. Since Hamas's terror attack on Israel, he considers them Nazis.

YOSSI DAGAN, GOVERNOR, SHOMRON REGION (through translator): We are standing against a Nazi enemy, as cruel as the cavemen from 3,000 years ago that carried out a massacre on our brothers in the South.

SIDNER (voice-over): Jewish settler presence here has always been fraught, deemed illegal by international law. The events of October 7th have put these settlements on a war footing.

CNN gained rare access to one of the hundreds of settlements dotted throughout the Palestinian territories. Armed patrols are now every day occurrences in Kiryat Netafim. Fortified perimeters segregate the Jewish communities from Palestinian.

Local husbands, fathers, and son volunteers keep the unwanted out at all times. Natan Douek has stopped going to work and called his local draft office in the days after the attack.

NATAN DOUEK, RESIDENT: We need to protect ourselves, because we're surrounded by people who don't necessarily like us. I didn't feel like I have to go fight, but definitely defend my home.

He's had enough.

SIDNER (voice-over): And the situation is no child's play. He says their world was turned upside-down on October 7th.

DOUEK: That day, October the 7th, was shabbat. At the end of shabbat we say a prayer and -- sorry. SIDNER: It's OK.

DOUEK: Some of it is --

SIDNER: Just a prayer.

DOUEK: You know, asking God to help us and to keep our children safe and to keep our soldiers safe. And some of these words I just cannot say them because, you know, we weren't safe on October 7th.

SIDNER (voice-over): Palestinians say they weren't safe from some settlers long before October 7th, and it's only gotten more violent since.

Hanan Ashrawi is a Palestinian activist and a former Palestinian Liberation Organization official in the West Bank.

HANAN ASHRAWI, PALESTINIAN ACTIVIST, FORMER PALESTINIAN LIBERATION ORG. OFFICIAL: They tell you they're afraid. Why are you committing a war crime? Why are you living on Palestinian land illegally? Just because Israel tells you can? This is occupied territory.

SIDNER (voice-over): She says the Palestinian territories are shrinking beyond recognition because of all the illegal settlements.

And then, there is the growing settler Palestinian violence. Much of the violence has been caught on camera. Here, Jewish settlers throw rocks and fire guns at Palestinian homes.

In another incident, after a confrontation, a Jewish settler shoots an apparently unarmed Palestinian in the stomach. We asked Yossi Dagan about this incident.

SIDNER: How do you defend the Palestinians who have been killed by settlers?

DAGAN (through translator): Am I supposed to explain to CNN why terrorists that tried to killed civilians or soldiers were shot by security forces, the police, or the army? With all due respect, I don't really understand the question.

SIDNER (voice-over): But we clarified in English and Hebrew, showing him the video.

DAGAN (through translator): What you are showing me now is an edited, tendentious video of attempts at terrorists to hurt and kill Jews that are protecting themselves. This happens a lot, and unfortunately, there aren't two equal sides.

SIDNER (voice-over): The video you're seeing is not edited. But Palestinians agree with one thing, he says. The sides are not equal. They are the overwhelming victims in this, they say.

ASHRAWI: They're on the rampage. They gave them weapons, and they encouraged them. And they gave them support and protection by the Israeli occupation army. SIDNER (voice-over): Ashrawi is referring to Itamar Ben-Gvir, Israel's hardline national security minister. Days after Hamas's attack, he announced the purchase of 10,000 guns to arm civilian security teams. He himself began passing them out.

Gun ownership used to be heavily restricted in Israel, but those laws have changed, and now settlers are getting a huge amount of weapons.

[12:50:04]

Back in settlement Kiryat Netafim, Liat Har-Tov takes us to the home where she raised her five children. She says here they have had a peaceful coexistence with their Palestinian neighbors.

LIAT HAR-TOV, RESIDENT, KIRYAT NETAFIM: I lived here for 24 years. I never feared.

SIDNER (on camera): And now?

HAR-TOV: Something is cracked. I think every mother in Israel these days feels the same. Something is not the same anymore.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SIDNER: And that's something is October 7th. Our live special coverage from the region continues just after this.

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[12:55:03]

WHITFIELD: All right, welcome back. Looting is being reported in some parts of Acapulco in the aftermath of Hurricane Otis. Here's some aerial views of the damage. Otis hit the Mexican coast last week as a category five, killing 27 people. And now President Biden said in a statement, the United States stands by Mexico, our neighbor and our friend at this difficult time. CNN's Gustavo Valdes is in Acapulco, and here's what he saw.

GUSTAVO VALDES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: We've made it to Acapulco, but just barely, because once you get into the seated, there's some big traffic jam that is preventing us from advancing, but the story you can see is behind me. All these people, the residents, the people you don't usually associate with a tourist town are trying to go and find whatever they can to get by because so far we have not seen any help from the government. We have not seen a centralized location where people might be distributing water or food.

And you can see people we're hearing reports of looting. We saw it on Thursday. Now we're seeing all these people. And this is the problem, the cars just come from wherever they came but let's see we can talk to this guy, this gentleman over here.

(Speaking in Foreign Language). What do you have here?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (Speaking in Foreign Language). VALDES: (Speaking in Foreign Language).

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (Speaking in Foreign Language).

VALDES: There's no food, there's nothing. (Speaking in Foreign Language). What do you have?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (Speaking in Foreign Language).

VALDES: Food and water and some toilet paper and some dishes. They aren't meeting that they went into a store and they got what they need because they can't find it anywhere. So you see everybody is complaining. They're asking, they need help. They need help. So that destruction is one thing in the tourist part. Now the residency just begging for help.

Gustavo Valdes, CNN, Acapulco.

WHITFIELD: Wow. Needing help and needing the basics. Thank you, Gustavo. We'll be right back.

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