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Israel's Netanyahu Says "Second Stage" Of Hamas War Has Begun; Former Vice President Mike Pence Suspends Campaign For President; W.H.O. Says It Is "Out If Touch" With Staff And Health Facilities In Gaza; Netanyahu Says 2nd Stage Of War Has Begun With Goal Of Destroying Military And Hamas Government; Jordanian FM Speaks After Expanded Israeli Ground Operations. Aired 3-4p ET

Aired October 28, 2023 - 15:00   ET

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

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[15:01:08]

JIM ACOSTA, CNN HOST: You're live in the CNN Newsroom. I'm Jim Acosta in Washington and welcome to our continuing breaking news coverage of Israel at war. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is saying the second stage of its war of the ground war has begun the goal to destroy the military and government he says of Hamas.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BENJAMIN NETANYAHU, ISRAELI PRIME MINISTER (through translator): Our fighters have one goal, to destroy this enemy and to make sure the existence in our country. Never again. Never again is now.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ACOSTA: At this hour the conflict is escalating.

This is new CNN video from a CNN producer in Gaza capturing rockets being fired into Israel.

And CNN Sara Sidner and her team captured this video rocket barrage over Tel Aviv earlier today. Israel's Iron Dome defense system intercepted those incoming rockets. Civilians in northern Gaza say they endured the heaviest bombardment of the conflict last night. Israel says its warplanes struck 150 underground targets the sophisticated Hamas tunnels that run for miles. CNN's Nic Robertson joins us live from Sderot, Israel. Nic, what are you seeing right now?

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMATIC EDITOR: Relentless Jim, absolutely relentless barrages of artillery fire aircraft strikes, and tank fire from right behind us here. It is very, very heavy tonight, perhaps even heavier than last night. So it's continual fire going into northern Gaza.

This really is a continuation of what's been going on throughout the day. It's really barely paused and led up. We've been able to get to positions and overlook the border with Gaza to see where the IDF forces are. We've been able to watch the tanks maneuver around.

You're seeing right now, what you're seeing behind me a rockets being fired out. John has pointed the camera there, rockets being fired out of Gaza right now we've counted at least half a dozen. They're not being intercepted near here, which potentially means they're headed towards the center of Israel, that potentially could mean Tel Aviv. That's that one is bursting in the sky. It appears there.

But these look like rockets being fired out of Gaza. And we've seen that Sara was reporting that earlier on from inside Tel Aviv, but we've been along the border and been able to see the tanks maneuvering in position here the gun battles. This really is as the prime minister says a deepening, a strengthening of a war a long war, as he describes it.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ROBERTSON (voiceover): Racing along the border with Gaza, Israeli merch for tanks, an incursion force on the move. Part of the IDF intensification of operations preparing the way for an expected large scale ground offensive.

ROBERTSON (on camera): That dirt track down there where you can see the dust coming up. That's the road that runs along the Israeli side of the border. We've been able to hear intense gunfire for the IDF shooting into Gaza, tank rounds as well fired from there right into Gaza.

ROBERTSON (voiceover): Machine gun fire erupts as unseen soldiers battle for control of the fields that separate the border from the crowded Gaza towns.

[15:05:02]

Inside the towns smoke rising from intensified strikes, where the IDF says Hamas hides in underground tunnels and among civilians. Israel's defense minister announcing a new phase in the war.

YOAV GALLATAN, ISRAELI DEFENSE MINISTER (through translator): We attacked above the ground and below the ground. The instructions to the forces are clear, the action will continue until a new order.

ROBERTSON: The tempo of battle rising noticeably Friday night, power, phone and internet services cut in the north of the densely populated Palestinian enclave. Hospitals already short of medicine, water and other essentials at times appearing overrun with casualties.

On Saturday, in apparent desperation with deteriorating humanitarian conditions, some garden stormed a UN compound looting food.

PHILLIPPE LAZZARIRI, UNRWA COMMISIONER GENERAL: As we speak, people in Gaza are dying. They are not only dying from bombs and strike. Soon, many more will die from the consequences of siege imposed on the Gaza Strip.

ROBERTSON: With nightfall, Saturday, the IDF keeping up the pressure on Hamas, the pace of strikes, unrelenting as the ground offensive continues. Israel's Prime Minister promising more to come.

NETANYAHU (through translator): The war in Gaza will be long we are going to fight in the air ground and sea. We are going to fight.

ROBERTSON: So far, only a tiny fraction of Israel's fighting force of more than half a million troops have crossed the battle lines into Gaza. What comes next could ignite tensions way beyond Israel's borders.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ROBERTSON: And the Prime Minister laying this out essentially as an existential fight for Israel victory absolutely necessary when he said never again is now, that's what he meant. And interestingly, Israel's defense minister this evening saying that he believes that this increased military pressure on Hamas will actually lead them to more readily negotiate over the release of hostages. On that front, no developments so far today, Jim.

ACOSTA: And Nic, what do you think he meant by that?

ROBERTSON: I think that he meant that this is Israel taking the initiative. Hamas has seized the initiative by taking so many hostages. They believe that they can hold up the potential for ground offensive. They've sort of dribbled out, if you will, a couple of hostages, and then another two hostages that even initially Israel resisted taking back because they saw it as a propaganda play by Hamas talks in Doha on Friday really not reaching a positive conclusion, it appears over the release of a larger number of hostages, and Israel really seeing this as an effort by Hamas just to play for time.

And this is something that they say they are not prepared to do, partly because they have a job to do to they say to get rid of Hamas, and partly because they recognize the longer they leave an incursion, the greater the international pressure for humanitarian relief for a humanitarian pause. And for Israel to stop his bombardment, the greater the pressure on that will grow and incursion kind of draws a new line and moves forward from there.

ACOSTA: All right, Nic Robertson, thank you very much. Appreciate it. Joining me now is retired General Wesley Clark, a CNN military analyst and former NATO Supreme Allied Commander and Juliette Kayyem, CNN senior national security analyst and former official at the Department of Homeland Security.

General Clark, your sense as to what we heard from the Prime Minister today, this latest escalation, is this a part of this widely expected ground operation that we've been anticipating? Or is this a sneak preview of coming attractions? What do you think?

GEN. WESLEY CLARK (RET.), CNN MILITARY ANALYST: I think this is the next phase. This is the start of the ground operation. Now whether it's going to be you know, 300,000 troops squeezing in from every direction, whether it's going to be a penetration a slice in to seize what is considered key or decisive terrain inside Gaza. We don't know that yet. But what we know is the Israelis are in. They're working against time.

And by all accounts, they see this as an existential threat. So they're going to stay on and continue to push.

ACOSTA: And Juliette, what did you think of when the defense minister said that this assault on Hamas is going to help hostage negotiations? I asked Nic about that. What do you think of that comment?

JULIETTE KAYYEM, CNN SENIOR NATIONAL SECURITY ANALYST: I have the same sort of skepticism as I think maybe your question raised in the sense that it is hard to see how that is true.

[15:10:08]

And I think you're -- we're interviewing the hostages families, I think they find it hard to believe it is true. The reason why Hamas kept, me as a counterterrorism effort, Hamas keeps the hostages alive in a way to delay Israel from coming in as forcefully as they are right now.

Now that now that hasn't succeeded, the benefit of keeping the hostages safe, is decreases in terms of Hamas's motivation. I'm not saying it's right or wrong at this stage. I just don't know how the defense minister can say that with authorities.

The challenge for Israel right now is a counterterrorism effort is going in to Gaza, going to under the stated goal of ending Hamas, going to increase the likelihood that more people join Hamas. So they're just in this -- in the cycle until when.

I mean, this is the defense minister said the words until there's a new order, that terminology, what does that mean? And unless we know what that means, Hamas has motivation now is to fight and increase its numbers.

ACOSTA: And general, what do you think about what Nic was saying a few moments ago that, that the Israelis may feel the longer they wait to conduct this ground incursion and go into Gaza, the harder it becomes, and so they had to get going?

CLARK: I think that's exactly right. I think they gave it time. They waited to see whether there really anything was going to come from hostage negotiations. They know they've been through this before. They know this is a game, drag out, delay, get world opinion against Israel. So let's get in and get it done.

Now, in the defense of what the Israelis said, it's possible this operation will uncover intelligence. It'll stir up communications, it'll make the Hamas leadership talk to each other. They're going to get tips, they may be able to go in on the ground and rescues hostages in a special operation, in addition to what's going on.

So, there are reasons to believe that there was the defense minister said about going after the hostages and doing this simultaneous not necessarily in conflict. ACOSTA: And Juliette, Israel saying they're hitting these underground targets going after the tunnel network, I suppose. What does that mean in terms of trying to get these hostages out? And what does it mean in terms of taking out Hamas?

KAYYEM: Yes, I appreciate what General Clark said. I think that is a possibility. I think the challenge for Netanyahu now is, you know, less than -- just a few weeks ago, Israel suffered its, you know, worse intelligence and operational failure imaginable. This is a, you know, Netanyahu is not only the military leader of Israel. He's also the political leader of Israel. And he is facing a lot of criticisms about how could this happen? How could that many people have planned and attack in Israel, without us -- without Israel knowing what the intelligence was or having a response capacity?

So what Netanyahu, I suspect is hoping is that Israel has been able to rebuild its intelligence apparatus in a short period since the attack by Hamas, and be able to save hostages get more intelligence about Hamas, kill the leadership.

But I think the question remains is what is the defense minister mean by saying we're in there until there's a new order? And that's the question -- it's worth asking. I don't think it's is anti-Israel to ask just we have the same challenge in Afghanistan. What is that new order? And are their partners willing to take on that responsibility.

Before -- it should be noted before the attack by Hamas, Hamas was in polling that is done by Palestinians because they are a population. Hamas was exceptionally unpopular. And so Israel needs to thread that needle and ensure that the Palestinians who may not want to join forces with Hamas have an alternative. And that's the question I think the White House is also asking.

ACOSTA: Yes, general, do we know what a post Hamas Gaza looks like?

CLARK: Probably is some form of Palestinian Authority restored over Gaza. But you can't expect the Palestinian Authority to jump right now and say, Oh, that's it. We'll go in there. We will work with these Israelis. Too much tension in the region right now.

So, everybody's asking what's next? There will be something that's an extra. And one thing, Jim, it's really important to emphasize what Juliette said. The Palestinians are not represented by Hamas. That is not the Palestinian leadership. Hamas is a terrorist organization that imposed itself on the people of Gaza.

[15:15:05]

And more clear that we can make this and the more clear that the Israelis can make this to the world, the better they can conduct the operation. As far as these hostages are concerned, could I just say one more thing, I don't see leadership as willing to just stay there and be annihilated.

So keeping these hostages alive is their last ticket to escape. It's not only that they're valuable in slowing down the Israeli operation when it comes right down to it. There are some of that Hamas leadership that's left that's going to say, as long as we've got these hostages, we've got an exit strategy. And so there's reason to believe that it's highly in the interest of Hamas to protect the hostages even during this fierce fighting.

ACOSTA: Yes. And Juliette, I mean, I suppose, based on what the general just said there, if Hamas is thinking that that they keep the hostages alive, and then perhaps they're still in the game. There is hope that these hostages can be freed.

KAYYEM: Yes.

ACOSTA: But it depends to some extent, does it not on what Netanyahu does? What the IDF does?

KAYYEM: Right.

ACSOTA: Is it shock and awe that that's going to make it difficult, but if they do these quick penetrating strikes, perhaps with special forces, that sort of thing based on Intel, maybe they've got a chance.

KAYYEM: Yes, I think this -- and I think the Israeli ambiguity about what in fact they're doing and for how long it is, General Clark, was saying even the sort of minimal numbers that are going in at this stage from -- on the Israeli side is reflective, I think of a purposeful ambiguity because of the hostages.

And I think the challenge for Israel right now is with the humanitarian crisis in Gaza that we're seeing the how does it -- what, how do we as supporters of stopping humanitarian crises? How do we ensure that people are not victimized, who are not members of Hamas, civilians. And then the second and most important is, how do we also ensure that this does not radicalize populations that were not radicalized before?

This is the quintessential question of counterterrorism efforts is if you go after terrorists, and you do not think about civilian losses, people will be angry if they lose their son, their father, their daughter, and that anger tends to be manipulated by terror groups to continue the targeting. This is not deep analysis. It is just something that we need to keep talking about because of the humanitarian crisis.

ACOSTA: Right. Yes, I mean, that is the pattern we've seen over the last 20 years. It's the question that's been talked about so many times in this country after 9/11. General Clark, Juliette Kayyem, thank you very much to both of you. Really appreciate it.

And we are following more breaking news as our former Vice President Mike Pence is suspending his campaign for president what led to that decision. That's next.

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[15:22:04] ACOSTA: Breaking news former Vice President Mike Pence says just suspended his campaign for presidency. CNN's Kristen Holmes joins me now from Las Vegas. Talk about a very big surprise coming out of that conference. I'm guessing nobody saw that coming.

KRISTEN HOLMES, CNN CORRESPONDENT Yes, Jim, this was a huge surprise. I talked to some of the event planners who said they had no idea that this was coming. I saw some of Pence's top aides here wondered why they had come to this event. But obviously now that is clear.

Now one thing you're really watching here is why, we're talking about why he decided to drop out. And part of that reason is the fact that he hadn't qualified yet for that third Republican debate and sources tell our colleague Jeff Zeleny, that this was a principal reason behind the decision to drop out of this race.

But I did speak to another Pence advisor who also said that Pence just saw the writing on the wall saw that there really wasn't room for him a lane that he thought that was there in this primary just didn't exist. So take a listen to what Pence had to say.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MIKE PENCE, FORMER U.S. VICE PRESIDENT: Traveling across the country over the past six months. I came here to say it's become clear to me. This is not my time.

So after much prayer and deliberation, I have decided to suspend my campaign for president effective today.

Now I'm leaving this campaign but let me promise you, I will never leave the fight for conservative values. And I will never stop fighting to elect principled Republican leaders to every office in the land. So help me God.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HOLMES: And, Jim, I really think you and I are two people who are best position to be reporting on this because we have firsthand watched Pence's rise and fall within the Republican Party. We were standing outside of Trump Tower, when that announcement came that Pence was going to be vice president and it was clear why Trump picked him. He needed somebody who was more establishment, somebody who could put other conservatives (INAUDIBLE), somebody who really helped with the evangelical community, he helped bolster him in the Republican Party.

Now, of course, Pence was also by his side, all through that four years in the White House and the relationship became fractured when Pence decided not to obey Trump's demands not to overturn the election that said certified that election and that's something that we've seen him have to face on the campaign trail.

We're really looking at Donald Trump's Republican Party. Pence was questioned about this, as Donald Trump called him weak. He was called weak by voters in various town halls who asked him why it was that he just certified the election. I myself spoke to voters who said they didn't understand why he didn't try harder to overturn the election results.

But he just think, again, it is a very significant moment here.

[15:25:00]

When you look at the evolution of the Republican Party from Pence being brought in to be the core establishment, Republican person in the 2016 unconventional ticket of Donald Trump to where we are now whereas Mike Pence has no lane and no room in the Republican Party.

ACOSTA: Yes, Kristen Holmes, no doubt about it. I mean, when they were chanting hang Mike Pence on January 6, it was very clear at that point that this was not going to be Mike Pence's Republican Party. I want to bring in Jeff Zeleny, who is in Des Moines, Iowa with us as well. Kristen, you stand by and stay with us if you can.

Jeff, your sense of things, as Kristen was just saying a few moments ago, what a turn of events for the former vice president he just could not catch on inside Donald Trump's for both Republican Party is not going to happen.

JEFF ZELENY, CNN CHIEF NATIONAL AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT: He couldn't Jim and it certainly was not for a lack of handshakes that he gave here in Iowa and stops that he made. For the last several months, he has been campaigning aggressively trying to find that lane, trying to find a way in the Republican Party. And the reality is his audiences were small. They were generally respectful. But there simply was not the opening for him.

So, I'm told by his advisers that he wanted to end his campaign, suspend his campaign and announced this in a public forum. And today's event in Las Vegas was one of the last best chances to do that. He was not likely to qualify for that third debate in Miami because he simply had not reached the number of donors. So he's spent the last week I'm told, calling around to a lot of donors. He had some fundraising success, but not the broad base that he needed.

So the question is, what does this do to the race? Several of his rivals have come out and praised him. Of course, the former president has not, but some of his rivals, of course, will be looking for an endorsement if he gives one. So that's the central question right now. We've asked his advisors if he plans to do so.

And he only said in his speech that he plans to stay involved and help elect principled Republican leaders. So that would be an indication that he might plan to weigh in with an endorsement. The question is, would any of that actually matter?

I'm told he was planning to come to Iowa next week in the coming weeks to campaign because this, of course, is the place that opens the presidential nominating contest early next year, he needed to do well here, but he simply was not getting the support and traction on the ground. He was having a hard time raising money.

And again, not making the debate stage, which his advisors thought he would struggle to do. Certainly would be the end. So he wanted to end this on his own terms and a public speech. And that's what we saw earlier today in Las Vegas, Jim.

ACOSTA: Yes. Jeff Zeleny, no question about it. Better to get out early for Mike Pence than to keep waiting, especially if you're one of those Republicans who wants to stop Trump. At some point these non- Trump Republican candidates are going to have to coalesce behind somebody like Nikki Haley, like a Chris Christie, if anybody's going to have a chance to take out Trump in these upcoming primaries. Also

with us right now is former adviser to former Vice President Mike Pence, Olivia Troye. And Olivia, I mean, I was just mentioning with Kristen Holmes a few moments ago, this turn of events, just a Shakespearean turn of events, really, for Mike Pence throughout all of this. I remember being inside the White House, when they would have those cabinet meetings and it was always Mike Pence, who has sort of the, you know, those moments going around the Cabinet Room praising the president, you know, you remember praising the Dear Leader those kinds of moments that would take place inside the White House.

And juxtaposing that with what took place on January 6, we have some video. Not that we need to remind our viewers but to show it one more time is what was happening.

And Olivia so I guess one of my questions has always been regarding this this run from Mike Pence. Why did he ever think he had a chance given what took place on January 6?

OLIVIA TROYE, FORMER ADVISER TO MIKE PENCE: Yes, I look, I always find those images so jarring and I'm never going to get over seeing that and feel a sense of normalcy, because it's just so disturbing to me still today that that ever happened to Mike Pence.

But you know, I think he thought that there would be an opportunity to really court conservatives and Republicans into his lane. And I think that we've seen that him dropping out. It's just another sign of where the Republican Party is. It is Trump's party.

And, Jim, to be honest with you, when I saw that headline hit that he had dropped out. I was sad. I was sad for the Republican Party. And I was also sad for the country. Because regardless of how you feel about Mike Pence's politics, this is one step closer, that Trump gets closer to that Oval Office again.

And so I think it's important for Mike Pence to really come out and start speaking truthfully about the danger that Trump is and I hope that he will play a role in building that coalition against Trump and just a joke.

[15:30:00]

I see that firsthand when he talked about being, you know, engaging and remain in the fight to principle conservatives, I think that's the biggest thing that he can do right now is really just start being more forceful.

ACOSTA: And Olivia, just to follow up on that, do you think there's a chance really, for any of these candidates at this point to stop Trump. Can the rest of the Republican Party that does not want Trump as the nominee, do they have the time? And do they have the numbers really to stop him at this point?

TROYE: Well, clearly, what we've seen is that they don't have the numbers. He is so far ahead of the rest of them. But I do think maybe it's time for them to sit down and figure out who has the best chance of winning, who could potentially gain on him, and really, actually work together again since. And look, I think Mike Pence should be out there. He should be talking to Liz Cheney right now and saying, OK, let's work together. What can we all do to work together?

And because this is going to be a fight, whether, you know, I don't know whether Trump will be in jail or not, we're still waiting to see what's going to happen. But right now, he is likely going to be the nominee. And I think it's up to all of us to really take this seriously and realize what is coming for our country and no one knows better than Mike Pence of what that means.

ACOSTA: Yes. No question about it. Guys, thanks to all of you for jumping on the breaking news so quickly, Kirsten, Jeff Zeleny, Olivia Troye, thanks to all of you really, really appreciate it. And Jeff, it looks like it's getting cold in Iowa. Special thanks to you for that as well.

ZELENY: It is.

ACOSTA: Thank you. I know it is. I know it's that time of year. Thanks, Jeff. Appreciate it.

Other breaking news to tell you about this afternoon, the United Auto Workers have reached a tentative new contract with Stellantis, the company that owns Jeep and Chrysler, we don't know more until union leaders get to see all the details and sign off on the deal which could happen later today. But the UAW reached a deal with Ford management yesterday. But they won't be official until union members back the deal and voting no word yet on how the talks are going with General Motors. But obviously some progress is being reached.

And all of this and of course, we'll stay on top of that, keep you posted if there are any other developments that happened this afternoon. Perhaps General Motors will be next. We'll stay on top of that bring it to you when it happens. We'll be right back.

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[15:36:22]

ACOSTA: The World Health Organization says health workers, patients and civilians in Gaza spent the night in darkness and in fear. We want to warn you the following videos you're going to watch here in just a second are disturbing. According to the WHO, Gaza hospitals are operating at quote, maximum capacity. The communications blackout also posing a severe challenge as ambulances struggle to reach the wound. CNN's Jomana Karadsheh is live for us in Beirut, Lebanon. Jomana, what can you tell us about the situation on the ground? What we know? JOMANA KARADSHEH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Jim, by all accounts, it is a catastrophic situation. But we don't actually know the extent of how much it has deteriorated in the past 24 hours because you've got the most intense bombardment of Gaza since the start of the war taking place in almost total darkness because of this near total communications blackout.

You have a few people inside Gaza who have international phone lines who are able to get some information and some video and pictures out to the world. And even they are saying now that the internet signal is getting weaker and weaker. So we don't -- we're not really getting up to date information.

But the picture that the information we have been getting paints is a very, very grim one. Jim, after that night of intense bombardment, we've heard from the health services saying that they were nearly, they were paralyzed pretty much, they're not able to move those emergency workers, the first responders, the ambulances, they're not able to communicate with each other get to where they're needed the most.

People are not able to call their 911 service. And people inside Gaza not only cut off from the outside world, they can't communicate with their loved ones. They don't know if they are dead or alive. And even before this latest intensification and escalation, the humanitarian situation inside Gaza was horrific and heartbreaking.

And Jim, we have to warn our viewers that our report they're about to see is graphic and they may find it upsetting.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KARADSHEH (voice-over): It's hard to believe this was Gaza just a few weeks ago. Little Nor (ph) dressed in his finest dancing with his brother at a wedding. His mother Wesal still can't believe her boy is gone.

He was holding my hand as I took him to make him a sandwich, she says. He didn't get to eat it. Shrapnel cut through his neck. He's now in heaven. God give me strength to deal with this.

The airstrikes that took six-year-old Nor (ph) and other relatives left her with injuries all over her body. And the unbearable pain so many Palestinian mothers are having to endure.

There's a void in my heart. I can't even cry, she says. I really want to cry. But the tears are not coming out. Why can't I get it out? I want to cry for my little boy.

Recovering at hospital she just wants to get back to her three other children now homeless, sheltering at a school. Hell is raining down on Gaza. Israel says it's going after Hamas and doing what it can to spare the innocent. But it is the innocent who are paying the heaviest price.

In the few hospitals still barely standing, pictures are too graphic for us to show. But faces here tell of the horrors they've survived at this living nightmare they can't escape.

[15:40:05]

Three-year-old Judy (ph) hasn't uttered a word and 16 days. She won't eat or drink, her father says, still in shock with a piece of shrapnel lodged in her head.

What did these children do? We have nothing to do with the resistance, he says. They're just targeting Palestinians. They're killing children because they're Palestinian. To them, we're not humans.

They don't know if she'll be able to walk again. Judy (ph) is one of the lucky ones, if one can call them that. She still has her father by her side.

Lady Arwa (ph) keeps asking for her mom. She's too young to understand her, he says. Arwa (ph) lost her mother, her brother and her sister too. She shows the camera her ouch.

Every corner of every hospital, so many heart wrenching stories of loss so hard to comprehend. Dari (ph) only wakes up to cry, her aunt says, in a room with her seven-year-old brother Kenan (ph). The two were the only ones to survive an airstrike that killed their mother, father, brother and dozens of their extended family. Kenan (ph) doesn't say much these days.

He asked me if we have internet here. He says I want to call mommy and daddy, his aunt says.

Doctors in these overwhelmed hospitals say every day brings a constant stream of children with no parents are flooded injured. They just don't have enough to treat. With the little they have, they do what they can. How do you begin to deal with so many back going through so much?

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ACOSTA: And that was Jomana Karadsheh reporting. And this is a live look at Gaza plunged in darkness. More ahead, we'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[15:46:08]

ACOSTA: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is saying the IDF is now on the second stage of the war that staging ground near the border once teeming with tanks now largely empty as their forces expand their operation into Gaza. Let's go straight to CNN Jeremy Diamond. Jeremy, what do you know about this next phase? What's happening?

JEREMY DIAMOND, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Jim, this really was a moment to hear the Israeli prime minister, his defense minister, as well as a new member of this emergency government, Benny Gantz, declaring that this new phase of this campaign is effectively an existential war for the State of Israel. That is the way that they framed it, calling it Israel's second war of independence. And making very clear that even though we may not have seen an overwhelming ground force enter Gaza on all sides, and simply are being told that this is an expansion of ground operations, they are making very clear that this ground operation is going to continue to expand.

And today what we saw and heard near the border with Gaza is that ground operation very much continuing and very much intensifying. All indications are that these troops are not coming back into Israeli territory anytime soon. And instead, that they will be pursuing this operation and continue to fight for -- fight this war, which the Israeli prime minister today said would be long and warned, it could also potentially be costly. Jim?

ACOSTA: All right. Jeremy Diamond, thank you very much for that. Please keep it posted if anything develops on your end. We appreciate it.

Benjamin Netanyahu says the second stage of the war has begun as we just said a few moments ago with the goal of destroying the military and government of Hamas the regional impacts as fears grow, that this conflict will expand. That's our next topic in just a few moments.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[15:52:07]

ACOSTA: Jordan sponsored a non-binding resolution before the United Nations yesterday calling for an immediate truce in Gaza. My colleague, Jim Sciutto, interviewed the Jordanian Foreign Minister on his thoughts now that the Israeli military is on the ground in Gaza.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JIM SCIUTTO, CNN ANCHOR: You said prior to these ground operations today that in an Israeli ground offensive there would be a human catastrophe. Now that operations have begun, I wonder what is your reaction?

AYMAN SAFADI, JORDANIAN FOREIGN MINISTER: Thank you, Jim. I said actually after the operation started last night, I'm sorry. So it's being played out on your screen, that this is just going to bring a humanitarian catastrophe of epic proportions. We all stand by that because we know as in your words, devastating air campaign yesterday, ground wars is just going to make it impossible. The number of death, the number of casualties, it's just going to sink us deeper into this abyss.

And then what, another war to be added to the many words we've had in the region, that saved no one. Our position, sir, is we need to stop this war. We need to go back to a piece that will save Palestinian, Israeli and other lives.

SCIUTTO: When you have expressed that position, both in public and privately to U.S. diplomats, have they listened to your opposition to this military campaign? What's been their response? SAFADI: Look, we're in constant contact with the U.S. As you know, we're allies and we're friends and we're in continuous discussion. They have their views. We have our views. But I think by the end of the day we all want the same thing.

We want peace. We want an end of death and end of suffering and end of killing. How we get there is something that we're all discussing. Our position is very clear, this war will not get us there. Jim, imagine the amount of dehumanization that is happening. Imagine the amount of hatred that's coming out of this misery that we see unfolding in Gaza. That is not going to bring peace or security to the Israelis or to the Palestinians, or to any of us in the region.

So I think on the broader objective, I think people will have to be insane enough to support what we're saying, which is, let's go for peace, let's save lives. More killing is not going to help anybody and this is a conversation that we're having with all our friends and partners in the region and beyond. And this is where I hope all our efforts will converge.

SCIUTTO: Jordan, of course, yourself included quickly condemned the October 7th Hamas attacks on Israel. And Jordan itself has been the victim of horrible terror attacks by ISIS and other groups. I wonder, what would you see as an acceptable military response from Israel to the October 7th attacks?

[15:55:05]

SAFADI: Sir, we condemn obviously the killing of Israeli civilians on October 7th. We condemn the killing of Palestinian innocent since then. We see that we should not be squeezed between two pains. We realize the pain that that is there. But if we continue to operate within this space, we're just going to cause more pain for more people.

How many lives are going to have to die before we say this is not the path that we need to do. Those that are lost on both sides are lost. There's nothing we can do to bring them back. But we can save lives. We can stop others being killed. And this is really what our message, every life matters, Muslim life, Jewish life, Christian life, that is where we stand, and we just don't see that this war is going to bring security to anybody. It's not going to, as I said, bring back those who were gone.

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ACOSTA: Our thanks to Jim for that. In the meantime, the families of hostages just met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to call for a comprehensive deal to return all hostages. We'll have more on all of that just ahead.

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