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CNN International: IDF Strikes Intensifies; Israel Expands Ground Operations In What Netanyahu Calls The Second Stage Of The War; Rockets Fired From Gaza To Israel; Gaza Hospitals Filled To Capacity; Interview With Bloomberg Editor And Foreign Affairs Columnist Bobby Ghosh; Israeli Artillery Bombardment Continues On Gaza; Israel's New Phase Of War; Israel Tanks And Vehicles Move On Gaza; Gaza Faces Water, Food, Fuel And Medicine Shortages; Posters Of Kidnapped Israelis Vandalized; Israeli PM On Second Stage Of War Against Hamas; Release Of Hostages A National Priority For Israel; Qatar Is Key For Hostage Negotiations; Children Increasingly At Risk in Gaza; Mass Shooting Suspect In Maine Found Dead; New Details About Mass Shooting Suspect; Actor Matthew Perry Dead At 54. Aired 9-10p ET
Aired October 28, 2023 - 21:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[21:00:00]
JOHN VAUSE, CNN ANCHOR: Hello and welcome to our viewers all around the world. I'm John Vause at the CNN Center in Atlanta.
And we begin in Gaza, another night of airstrikes and artillery fire as Israel's escalating offensive against Hamas ramps up. Gaza virtually cut off now from the outside world, in the dark and in desperate need of help.
Israel also expanding ground operations in what Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu calls the second stage of the war. He says it will not be quick, but it will be decisive.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BENJAMIN NETANYAHU, ISRAELI PRIME MINISTER (through translator): The war inside the Strip is going to be long, and we are ready for it. This is our second independence war. We are going to fight for the homeland, and we won't withdraw. We are going to fight on the ground, at sea, and in the air. We will destroy our enemy above and below the ground. We are going to fight and win.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: And Hamas continues to fire back as well. This is video from a CNN producer in Gaza, images of rockets being fired towards Israel, most landing in Southern and Central Israel.
Inside Gaza, hospitals are filled to capacity, unable to accept any more patients. Aid group say an already dire situation is now getting worse is what little food, fuel and medicine is now being used up and is running critically low.
There's also activity around Israel's northern border with Lebanon. An Israeli military spokesperson says Israeli fighter jets targeted Hezbollah terror infrastructure.
Let's bring in Bobby Ghosh. She's editor and foreign affairs columnist for Bloomberg. Bobby, thanks for being with us.
Anytime.
VAUSE: In previous conflicts with Hamas, it's always been international pressure to some degree, as well as mostly the U.S., but over its high civilian death toll, which has convinced the Israelis, maybe not for a ceasefire, but at least for a humanitarian pause. That doesn't seem to be likely this time around. The Israelis -- is there anything or anyone that could convince the Israelis that now is the time to pause this operation?
BOBBY GHOSH, EDITOR AND FOREIGN AFFAIRS COLUMNIST, BLOOMBERG: Well, Joe Biden was the only person on the planet I can think of who might be able to pull that off. And he did for a few days. But if this is, as Netanyahu says, stage two, and if there is a stage three to come soon thereafter, then it would appear that Joe Biden has not been successful beyond the point. If the United States can't restrain Israel, then nobody can.
And you have to understand, of course, that this is different from previous incursions, mostly because the nature of the events on the 7th of October, the terrorist attack on Southern Israel was on a much larger scale. Lots of Israelis want to see retribution, wants their government to strike Hamas very hard. So, the government is under quite a lot of pressure from within. And it has to balance that out against the pressure from without.
And it would appear that a decision has been made to at least ratchet up the attacks on Gaza. We'll see over the next few hours and days whether this represents finally the total ground invasion that we were thinking of and that we've been expecting or whether this is in the nature of a -- sort of an escalation that will lead to, again, sort of calming down over the next few days.
VAUSE: This ongoing rocket fire by Hamas and other militant groups coming out of Gaza, that's not doing the Palestinians any favors right now, is it?
GHOSH: No, it isn't. And it tells you about -- it tells you a great deal about Hamas. Hamas knows, and this is consistent with their behavior over decades, that they're perfectly happy to use Palestinians as cannon fodder. They know full well that these rockets will invite a disproportionate, enormous retaliation. And they know that civilians, their own people, their own countrymen, will die in the thousands. But they're prepared to do this.
It also tells us something about the planning involved, in those attacks on the 7th of October. Hamas clearly knew that there would be a retaliation from Israel on a larger scale than before, and they've been stocking up. I mean, we've had reports suggesting that this operation was planned for a year, maybe more than a year. They've clearly been stocking up on rockets. They've fired hundreds of them so far. The fact that they're still able to set off these barrages suggests that they've had caches squirreled away for a long time.
[21:05:00]
VAUSE: I think they fired 3,000 in the first couple of hours on -- you know, three weeks ago. But, Bobby, we also heard from Benjamin Netanyahu talking about this being Israel's second war of independence, a war of survival. That's very stark terms, and in some ways, I don't want to diminish what's happening in Gaza right now, but if there is a much bigger threat facing Israel, you know, a dormant threat at the moment, is what's up north with Hezbollah, with thousands of rockets pointing towards Israel.
It just seems that, you know, there is a much bigger threat to the north. And describing the Hamas operation in these terms seems a bit out of whack.
GHOSH: Well, it does seem a little out of whack. This is a politician who has a long career history of wild exaggeration, and I suppose this is another example of it.
It is clearly a much larger operation than before because, as I said, the nature of the terrorist attack and the casualties that it inflected were much greater than before. So, we knew Israel would strike back harder than it has over the last 20 odd years. But to characterize this as some sort of an existential fight for Israel, and the notion that this is a second independence fight, I wonder who that is directed at.
I can't imagine that most Israelis, certainly, none of the Israelis that I've been speaking to over several weeks now, thinks of it in that manner, even those who are in favor of a ground invasion don't seem to think of it in that way.
So, yes, I think this is Benjamin Netanyahu does doing what Benjamin Netanyahu does, which is overstating the facts and trying to draw on emotions rather than cold reality.
VAUSE: One of the concerns after October 7 was a similar reaction as what happened in the U.S. after 9/11, that there would be an overreaction. Do you think Israel is heading down that road?
GHOSH: Well, when it happened in the U.S., I don't recall President Bush declaring this as a second war of independence for the United States or framing it in those existential terms.
But the United States made, and this is well documented now, some big mistakes in going into Afghanistan without having a plan for what would happen afterwards, then going -- being distracted and going into Iraq, again, without a proper plan for what would happen afterwards. Those are some of the mistakes that Israel seemed to be making.
And the Biden administration has been pressing -- the Israelis have been pressing Netanyahu very hard to show a plan, to show some sense that they are not repeating the same mistakes. We've heard the president use this analogy, don't make the same mistakes that we did. It doesn't appear that Netanyahu is any mood to listen. VAUSE: Yes. And I guess the question is, what comes the day after tomorrow with regards to Gaza once this is all done by the Israelis?
GHOSH: Yes, of course. Now, he's -- the way Netanyahu's framing is that it may not be tomorrow or the day after, it may be months, years. That will not reassure many Israelis, I don't think.
Remember, this is a country where every family has -- virtually every family has members in the military, a long, hard campaign in Gaza against an enemy that has shown that it is capable of sort of great brutality. I'm not sure a lot of Israelis would be looking forward to a long fight. They want retribution, but if this is going to go on for a very long time.
We've seen how in this country support for what was described as the war on terror, the global war on terror, over a period of time declined, and that might happen in Israel too.
VAUSE: Very quickly, historically, Egypt never really wanted Gaza, the Israelis never wanted Gaza, Yasser Arafat and the Palestinian Authority really didn't want Gaza either. Who wants Gaza and what could be the administration there to replace Hamas once it's dismantled and destroyed as Netanyahu is setting the goals of this operation?
GHOSH: Well, at this point, I think the Palestinian Authority would be very happy to take over. But the fact is that it is a deeply corrupt and inept organization. It's -- it has shown in the West Bank where it does run things that is incapable of providing good, reliable, clean government. So, I'm not sure the people of Gaza, would be -- you know, although they may not like Hamas very much, I'm not sure they would think of the Palestinian Authority as a big step up.
So, that's a big challenge. And perhaps it would take something of the order of an international Arab-led transitional government. We've seen that happen in other countries, East Timor, Namibia, under the aegis of the United Nations, a transitional government while, you know, Gaza will require extensive repairs, the people will need, enormous help to rebuild their lives, and they will need some help in finding, new leadership.
VAUSE: Bobby, thank you for being with us. We really appreciate it. Bobby Ghosh there. Some good insights. Thank you for your time, sir.
GHOSH: Anytime.
VAUSE: With us this hour now from Little Rock, Arkansas is CNN military analyst and former NATO Supreme Allied Commander, General Wesley Clark. it's good to see you, sir. Thank you for taking the time.
GEN. WESLEY CLARK, CNN MILITARY ANALYST, FORMER NATO SUPREME ALLIED COMMANDER AND FOUNDER, RENEW AMERICA TOGETHER: Thank you, John.
[21:10:00] VAUSE: So, along with the increased number of airstrikes and the artillery fire we believe which is also hitting Gaza, Israeli forces launched these limited ground operations. But CNN reporting from Gaza says it does not appear as though any major ground offensive aimed at seizing and holding significant amounts of the territory is yet underway. In a fresh call for Gazans to move south, the IDF spoke of an impending operation.
Sir, what's your take on what's happening right now as far as these ground operations by the Israelis? What's your expectation here on timing for a full invasion? And if Israel wants to dismantle Hamas infrastructure, destroy the leadership, how much territory do they need to hold?
CLARK: It seems there are Israeli troops inside Gaza. We know that we can't tell exactly where they are. We know there's fighting in this zone before they get into Gaza, that's a sort of buffer zone, where we've heard machine gun fire and tank rounds going off and so forth, but they seem to be inside Gaza. They don't seem to be withdrawing.
Now, how much they're going to do at this point inside Gaza? We don't know. But operation like this would, if it is launched, with the intent to finish the job, move in and seize key terrain, whatever that is, it might be a power plant, it might be a plaza under which the tunnels all come together. We don't know that here at this point.
But they would then expand outward. Close off an area and completely clear it. Now, how that -- how they deal with the people there, that's a problem. And so, they've got to take it step by step. They've got to try to encourage the Gazans to leave Northern Gaza. That's what they're trying to do. Get out of the way. Let them deal with the tunnels and the Hamas people.
And then, from there, they might expand it further, and step by step gradually move through Gaza. But we haven't seen enough yet to know exactly what the pattern of their operation would be or what the military objective would be to accomplish the political objective given by the prime minister of destroying Hamas.
VAUSE: Do you agree with the Israeli defense minister who says any kind of ground incursion, any kind of ground offensive in Gaza will actually help with the release of more than 200 hostages being held by Hamas and other militant groups?
CLARK: It could do that. And I'll tell you why. We know from past experience in the region that when Israeli citizens are held hostage, sometimes they're held for a year, sometimes two years. One time they turned the bodies back of two dead Israeli soldiers have been held for two years. It's a strategy. It's a game. It's an effort to extract the maximum concessions from Israel and also to make Israel look as bad as possible in world affairs.
This ground incursion will stir things up. It'll get the Hamas chain of command talking, information will be collected. And because of the movement, the information that's collected, there's a greater chance that Israel will have more information about the hostages. In addition, the ground incursion, as it moves forward, is going to give Hamas a choice because it is, according to the prime minister, going to destroy Hamas. Keeping those hostages alive and safe is the best exit strategy for Hamas if its leadership wants to survive. So, there's a certain logic in what the Israeli defense minister saying.
VAUSE: There are military risks for the IDF in this Gaza offensive, this ground offensive, but beyond that, there are also concerns of this, you know, wider conflict across the region, from a diplomatic point of view. How much does that weigh on the IDF when they go in and also, you know, in terms of the political echelon of making decisions here?
CLARK: Well, I think the IDF has to consider this, they've still got troops in the West Bank and there's trouble in the West Bank, they've got troops in the north enough to block a limited incursion by Hezbollah. The United States has two aircraft carriers or soon to have the second aircraft carrier offshore, that's a warning to Iran.
And basically, you have to believe that Iran and its proxies, they want to pose, they want to posture, they want to take credit and raise funds and get people to join their group but they don't want to risk its destruction.
And so, from the Israeli perspective, they're focused on Gaza. From the United States perspective, we're concerned about the prospect of a wider regional conflict. But for the Israelis, it's 100 percent, they're going in. This is an existential threat. They can't permit Hamas to continue to exist. And they think this is not only the right way to do it, but it's the right way to get their hostages back.
[21:15:00]
VAUSE: Israel has also been hitting Hezbollah targets. In Lebanon, Hezbollah is an Iranian-backed terror group. Just a day earlier, Hezbollah Deputy Chief Naim Qassem met with a delegation from the Iranian parliament. Qassem warned that the Americans and Israelis do not know what the coming days will hold for them, should the aggression continue.
You know, given that was a very explicit warning, which came from the U.S. president to Iran and its proxies to stay out of this fight, how credible are those words coming from Hezbollah? How much weight does that carry? And what does this mean about those two aircraft carriers, which the U.S. will soon have in the region? You know, what message is that sending if in light of this?
CLARK: Well, I think that the threat is credible. We know that Hezbollah has a lot of ordinance up there. It can do a lot of damage if it fires those rockets. They could ground assault and possibly take some Israeli settlements. Iran has theater range ballistic missiles that could join into this. Yes, there's clearly a threat there.
But the fact that it's publicized like this, this is -- they're taking credit. They're trying to align themselves with Hamas. They're trying to bring in funding, get support and get leadership and hegemonial status in the region. That's the purpose of the Iranian position. It's not to -- they know it's not going to have any impact on Israel. Israel is going into Gaza.
VAUSE: General Wesley Clark, as always, sir, great to have you with us. We appreciate your insight, sir. Thank you.
CLARK: Thank you.
VAUSE: Live to you in Sderot, Israel now is CNN's Nic Robertson, is on the outside looking in. So, Nic, from where you are, what does this next phase of Israel's war in Gaza look like?
NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMATIC EDITOR: Certainly, a lot different to their previous phase. We've had missiles before, artillery strikes before. Now, we're hearing helicopter gunships. Now, we're hearing tank fire. Now, we're seeing a whole range of other missiles being fired into Gaza.
And what we've been hearing as the night has gone further on here, it is more and more and more gunfire, which gives the impression that those troops on the ground getting closer to points of direct confrontation, a battle with elements of Hamas on the ground or other groups that are there
So, it really does feel that this transition from an air only to now the ground forces as well, and we're told there would be elements from sea as well included here, this is taking shape and changing in front of our eyes. And we've got a chance earlier on today to get to a vantage point and look along the border itself and to see exactly what the troops are doing along there.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ROBERTSON (voiceover): Racing along the border with Gaza, Israeli Merkava tanks, an incursion force on the move.
Part of the IDF's intensification of operations preparing the way for an expected large-scale ground offensive.
ROBERTSON: 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 from 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.
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 GALLANT, ISRAELI DEFENSE MINISTER (through translator): Last night, the ground in Gaza shook. We attack terror operatives of all ranks in every location. ROBERTSON (voiceover): 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 Gazans stormed a U.N. compound, looting food.
[21:20:00]
PHILIPPE LAZZARINI, UNWRA COMMISSIONER-GENERAL: 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 (voiceover): 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 and win.
ROBERTSON (voiceover): 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 VIDEO CLIP)
ROBERTSON (on camera): And to those questions you were -- and conversation you were having with General Wesley Clark there before, John, I think it's how this next phase goes. Is it a huge rush of troops that go in? Is that -- does that become a strong signal to Hezbollah and other groups in the region to -- essentially to escalate and start large-scale attacks on Israel or is Israel able to manage this escalation into a bigger ground incursion but carefully protecting their own troops lives, protecting civilians live and still achieving their goals?
The scale of what's yet to come, really, we don't know how big that's going to be, but all the indications are, it is going to be big. John.
V VAUSE: Yes. Nic, thank you. Nic Robertson there, live for us in Sderot, and big like never before. Thanks, Nic.
We'll take a short break. When we come back, their goal was to raise awareness about those taken hostage by Hamas. They say what happened next was distressing and completely unexpected. Details in a moment.
And what Israel's Prime Minister says will be the end game in this war on Hamas. That's all after a very short break. You're watching CNN.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
VAUSE: Relatives of hostages held by Hamas are becoming increasingly anxious by Israel's escalating military offensive in Gaza. After meeting with some family members Saturday, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he was committed to doing everything to bring them home.
In Tel Aviv though, there was anxiety and frustration with many holding photos of their loved ones being held in Gaza that it candles and called for their safe return.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MALKI SHEM-TOV, FATHER OF HOSTAGE TAKEN BY HAMAS: We are very worried about our dearest that they are there and we don't know that if the whole military operation take all these hostages under consideration that nobody will be injured.
[21:25:00]
So, we were very clear about that all the hostages will come back home with any kind of negotiation that done or will be done, that we want all back and we don't care what they will give for that.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: On this Shabbat day in Israel, many family members wrote messages on a long banner and spoke about a sense of urgency.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SHAI WENKERT, FATHER OF HOSTAGE TAKEN BY HAMAS: No, I can't wait anymore. I need my son back home. And I need the mission. It was happened in the prime minister and also the defense minister on their shift. They have to solve it. Solve it now. We have to do a lot of pressure. Probably on Qatar. This is the main goal that we need to do and we need answers now. Not today, now. I'm telling you, we can't wait anymore.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: And in the past few hours, Israel's defense minister has tried to reassure the country the military can both destroy Hamas and free almost 230 hostages in Gaza.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GALLANT (through translator): We are making any effort in order to return the abductees. To us, to our country, it's a very complicated effort. It's dealing with reality that we didn't know in the past. We are ready to do anything that's possible. This is not a secondary mission, this is a national priority.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: Key to the hostage negotiations is the country of Qatar, which along with Egypt has been trying to broker a deal for their freedom. One official from Qatar told CNN's Becky Anderson, despite the escalation of Israel's military offensive in Gaza, those negotiations, he hopes, will continue.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MAJED AL ANSARI, SPOKESPERSON, QATARI MINISTRY OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS: We were working around the clock. The task force responsible for this was working around the clock to make sure that we are able to reach a deal, and we were very hopeful that that might happen.
Obviously, this escalation makes it considerably more difficult. But as you heard today, even during this escalation, Prime Minister Netanyahu is mentioning talk of mediation on the release and the prisoner exchange deal. You had the Hamas spokesperson, just minutes ago, saying that they are willing to conduct the prisoner exchange deal.
So, although the situation on the ground is becoming more and more and more difficult from a logistical perspective and from a political perspective, but we are still hopeful that the efforts that we are leading will be able to reach a situation where we have a release of more hostages.
BECKY ANDERSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL ANCHOR: So, let me be quite clear. The talks, the mediation to effort the release of civilian hostages, possibly a prisoner exchange at this point, have not collapsed, correct?
AL ANSARI: No. I believe they are still going. The task force is still working on it. And as I said, it's becoming more and more difficult with the current escalation. This escalation that is happening right now, you know, one of the most terrible escalations that have happened in the region for a really long time is making it certainly more difficult.
As I said, on the logistical side of it, they're just moving people during a landing incursion and the increased bombardment. But also, from a political side, of course, you know, mediation only works when you have calming periods. Under this kind of conflict, this kind of confrontation between both sides, it becomes more difficult, but it's still ongoing and we can't give up.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: Family and friends in the U.S. who have tried to tell the stories of the Hamas hostages say the response they've received from some people reflects a very worrisome trend. CNN's Camila Bernal reports now from Los Angeles.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ADVA REICHMAN, SUPPORTER, 'KIDNAPPED IN ISRAEL' PROJECT: So, we can start on one side and come back on the next.
CAMILA BERNAL, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voiceover): The goal is to raise awareness to those kidnapped in Israel by showing their faces, names, and ages. REICHMAN: This is a 12-year-old boy who was supposed to have his celebration with his family and instead, they can't even say happy birthday. They don't know if he's alive. They don't know how they are --
BERNAL (voiceover): But after (INAUDIBLE) puts these up, sometimes in minutes, they're ripped off.
REICHMAN: To see them taken down was another hit, to see faces of innocent civilians who were taken from their homes, they don't have a voice right now. And what we're trying to do is give them one and they're being silenced.
BERNAL (voiceover): And in some cases, it's personal.
NITZAN MINTZ, CREATOR, 'KIDNAPPED IN ISRAEL' PROJECT: It's not only that I've seen the people tear down the posters on videos. I actually witness it with my own eyes. I struggled myself walking in the streets of Manhattan and Brooklyn, and people were so, so hateful towards me. People curse me. People threatens me on social media, threatening my life.
BERNAL (voiceover): Nitzan Mitz and her partner created the posters. The Israeli citizens were in New York for an art program. But after the Hamas terrorist attack in Israel that killed 1,400, they felt they had to do something. So, they stopped their program and started the "Kidnapped from Israel:" project.
[21:30:00]
MINTZ: And then, after we uploaded it to our social media, people just downloaded it. So, for us, it like a miracle.
BERNAL (voiceover): A miracle and a curse.
MINTZ: The antisemitism is rising above any nightmare I ever thought.
BERNAL (voiceover): She feels it in New York and Adva feels it in California.
REICHMAN: We are not foreign to antisemitism. This is not a new concept. I've known this. I've experienced this. I've held this for years, but the louder they get, the louder we have to get. It just hurts.
BERNAL (voiceover): But it's not stopping them.
REICHMAN: Let's put another one here.
BERNAL (voiceover): Even when the posters are taken down, they come back and do it again.
REICHMAN: Judaism and Israel is about human life, and we value and cherish human life. So, until they're back, you're going to see these posters.
BERNAL (voiceover): Camila Bernal, CNN, Los Angeles.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: Coming up here on CNN, our continued coverage of Israel's war with Hamas. A report from Tel Aviv about that expanding ground operation in just a moment.
Also, we'll take you to Egypt where the country's president has issued a stark warning about the risk to the Middle East if this current conflict escalates. This government's still working to get more humanitarian aid into Gaza.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
VAUSE: Right now, it's 3:30 in the morning in Gaza, an enclave which remains under siege and under fire. Conditions there are now terrifying for civilians. But Israel says it is now fighting for its survival. Airstrikes have continued and it's expanding its ground operation with tanks and artillery.
The Israeli prime minister has vowed to destroy Hamas after the militants killed 1,400 people and took hostages on October 7th.
Here's more now from the Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
NETANYAHU (through translator): Our heroic fighters have one supreme goal, to destroy this murderous enemy and ensure the existence of our country. We always said, never again. Never again is now.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: The prime minister went on to describe the stepped-up operations in the war with Hamas as a second war of independence. For more now, CNN's Rafael Romo filed this report from Tel Aviv.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
[21:35:00]
RAFAEL ROMO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu spoke at length about what comes next during the televised address to his country a few hours ago in a joint appearance with his defense minister, Yoav Gallant, and former defense minister, Benny Gantz. Netanyahu said that the second stage of a war against Hamas has begun.
The goal of this phase, he said, is destroying the group's armed wing and government and returning home all the hostages held in Gaza. Netanyahu said, "The war inside Gaza is going to be long. This is our second independence war. We're going to save our country."
We were in Ashkelon Thursday and noticed airstrikes on Gaza have intensified. We have also noticed just hours ago here in Tel Aviv how Hamas is still launching rocket attacks from Gaza. At least one of those rockets got through on Friday and hit a residential building, leaving several people injured.
Netanyahu also spoke about the situation of the hostages, confirming he spoke with their families and vowed to them that he would exhaust all options to return their loved ones home. And during the same media briefing, Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant said, the intensifying assault will increase the chances Hamas will return hostages. It is holding in Gaza.
Regarding a ceasefire, there are several countries demanding one, including the UAE and Norway, as well as organizations like the U.N. And the World Health Organization, all asking for at least a pause in the hostilities to allow for humanitarian aid to get into Gaza.
Meanwhile, Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas has called on the leaders of Arab nations to convene an emergency Arab League summit in response to Israel's operation in Gaza.
Rafael Romo, CNN, Tel Aviv, Israel.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: Even before the Israeli Prime Minister announced a new phase in the war with Hamas, many were concerned the conflict would escalate across the region, possibly drawing in Iran.
The IDF report trading fire with the Iranian-backed Hezbollah across the border in Lebanon. And sheer militants have been blamed for a string of attacks on U.S. forces in the region. The Pentagon, in turn, has launched its own airstrikes. Iran's foreign minister recently spoke with CNN's Bianna Golodryga. She asked him why he has not condemned the murder and kidnapping of civilians by Hamas.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BIANNA GOLODRYGA, CNN SENIOR GLOBAL AFFAIRS ANALYST: I do want to go back to the brutality in this attack perpetrated by Hamas because it horrified the world. And yet, your office the day after said this, "The resistance has so far achieved brilliant victories during this operation. And this is a bright spot in the history of the Palestinian people struggle against the Zionist."
You yourself called the attack a historic victory. How on earth can you call the butchering of innocent civilians a bright spot?
HOSSEIN AMIR-ABDOLLAHIAN, IRANIAN FOREIGN MINISTER (through translator): Let me ask you a question. Has Israel occupied Palestine or the other way around? The Palestinians occupying Israel, which one is the occupy? In response to occupation, 75 years of humiliation.
GOLODRYGA: We could go back and talk about 75 years, but I'm talking to you specifically about this attack, which precipitated the war that we have now seen.
AMIR-ABDOLLAHIAN (through translator): I'm asking you, specifically, what -- for the prevalent and extensive attacks against Gaza and killing of 7,000 women and children, why are you not seeing both sides, the occupying side. The Islamic Republic of Iran, they carried out the operation. Yes, you know, we don't approve of the killing of the civilians.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: CNN's Melissa Bell reports now from Cairo on growing concern and anger across the region.
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MELISSA BELL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: A great deal of anger expressed in the Arab and Muslim world after the start of that Israeli ground operation in Gaza. Condemnation on the part of Egypt, Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Jordan, but also very strong words from the Turkish president speaking to a large rally in Istanbul in favor of the Palestinian cause, words very strongly opposed to what is happening in Gaza, describing Israel as an occupying force and repeating his claim that Hamas are not terrorists, but in fact, freedom fighters, words so strong that Israel has recalled its diplomatic staff from Turkey.
There's also been, in the words that we've been hearing from many representatives of governments across the Arab world today, fears of the destabilization of the region. And that was very much at the heart of what the Egyptian president had to say on Saturday in the wake of a drone attack on two Red Sea resort towns inside Egypt that took place on Friday night. Egyptian authorities have said they don't know where the drones came from. They landed very close to the Israeli border.
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For their part, Israelis believe they may have come from Yemen Houthi rebels. This is what the Egyptian president had to say in response.
ABDEL FATTAH EL-SISI, EGYPTIAN PRESIDENT (through translator): Yesterday, drones entered Egypt and were brought down. Regardless of where they came from, I've previously warned that the expansion of the conflict is not in the interest of the region. The region will become a ticking time bomb that harms us all.
This is why I'm saying, please, Egypt is a sovereign country, and I hope we all respect its sovereignty and status. What I'm saying now is not to brag, but Egypt is a very strong country that shall not be touched.
BELL: Abdel Fattah El-Sisi there expressing his fear that the longer this goes on, the further it might spread. A lot of attention also, of course, on the Rafah Crossing, too little aid going in, say, regional leaders, and for the time being, no civilians coming out at all.
Melissa Bell, CNN, Cairo.
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VAUSE: We'll take a short break. When we come back, a dire warning from Save the Children Foundation about the worsening conditions in Gaza. And a close-knit community in Maine now relieved after the suspect in a mass shooting is found dead.
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VAUSE: A top concern for many demonstrators is the fate of Gaza's children, whose lives are growing more precarious by the day. Jomana Karadsheh reports on the anguish of families who either lost loved ones or are caring for children whose lives will never be the same again. A warning for our viewers that the video about to be shown is graphic and is upsetting.
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JOMANA KARADSHEH, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voiceover): It's hard to believe this was Gaza just a few weeks ago. Little Noor (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 Noor (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.
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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, those pictures are too graphic for us to show. But faces here tell of the horrors they've survived and this living nightmare they can't escape.
Three-year-old Judy hasn't uttered a word in 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 is one of the lucky ones, if one can call them that. She still has her father by her side.
Baby Arwa (ph) keeps asking for her mom. She's too young to understand, her uncle says. Arwa's (ph) lost her mother, her brother, and her sister, too. She shows the camera her ouchie.
In every corner of every hospital, so many heart-wrenching stories of loss so hard to comprehend. Doreen (ph) only wakes up to cry, her aunt says. In a room with her seven-year-old brother, Kinan (ph). The two were the only ones to survive an airstrike that killed their mother, father, brother, and dozens of their extended family. Kinan (ph) doesn't say much these days.
He asks 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, a flood of injured they just don't have enough to treat. With the little they have, they do what they can. But how do you begin to deal with so many going through so much.
Jomana Karadsheh, CNN, Beirut.
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VAUSE: With us now live is Janti Soeripto, the U.S. president and CEO of Save the Children. Janti, thanks for being with us. The images we just saw are pretty awful, very hard to watch.
According to officials in Hamas -- in the Hamas controlled health ministry in Gaza, almost 8,000 people are being killed there in Gaza in the past three weeks. That's since the offensive began. Almost 3,000 of them are children. Firstly, do you have any reason to doubt those numbers? The U.S. President Joe Biden said he doesn't believe them. At this point, does the price stump actually matter given that everyone agrees children are among those who are dead?
JANTI SOERIPTO, PRESIDENT AND CEO, SAVE THE CHILDREN: Well, thank you, John. That's right. Look, we are beside ourselves, frankly, with concerns. We know that there are two -- over 2 million people in Gaza. We know that half of them are children under the age of 18. So, that makes it about 1 million children.
So, these numbers seem not too far off to us, frankly. And if you think about it, it's a super densely populated area, a lot of the people are now sheltering in the south, roughly a third of the available space. So -- and then if you hear about the level of destruction, I wouldn't be surprised if that number is well over 3,000 children killed.
VAUSE: I think I saw a number of dead children. There are those who have also been wounded. They said about 20,000 people have been wounded again. That's from the Gaza controlled health ministry. That's a total number of wounded. But for the kids with no hospitals, with very little medical care right now, they're not getting treated.
So, a child who's been wounded during this conflict, without receiving adequate medical care, at this point, if they do live, what's their future looking like? It seems pretty grim.
SOERIPTO: It is utterly grim. We are literally watching a humanitarian catastrophe already here and in the making and it's going to get a lot worse. It is unconscionable, frankly, because everybody's seeing what's going on. We've all lost -- U.N. agencies, Save the Children, we've lost contact with our colleagues there. We have 24 colleagues, at least we had, with their families still trying to go out and even bring support to the few local supplies that we still have to people when it's, you know, sort of safe to do so.
But since, today we have lost all contact with them. So, we don't know where they are. We don't know if they're safe. We don't know what's happening on the ground. And we hear that from other agencies too. So, it is astounding that we're standing by and watching this happen in real-time.
VAUSE: There have been a number of conflicts over the years since Gaza took -- since Hamas took control of Gaza back in 2006. You know, there have been many wars, nothing like this. This seems to be into a league of all of its own. From your point of view, how much worse have the last 19, 20 days been compared to those previous conflicts?
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SOERIPTO: Yes, I mean, certainly 2014, there was certainly another flare up, but this is much, much worse. And also, we're not. through the end of it. The end is nowhere in sight.
We've been calling with hundreds of other organizations for a ceasefire, or at minimum for a few humanitarian pauses to make sure -- and we can get much needed supplies in, medicines, water, food, fuel, in order to help people, to help children, also get wounded children treatment.
You're right, they're now in hospitals where there is no fuel. There is no way to do surgery. You can't sterilize your equipment. The incubators won't run anymore. There's over a hundred neonates in incubators. I mean, it is unbelievable that this humanitarian catastrophe is still happening in front of us.
VAUSE: There's also been these horrific stories of doctors having to perform surgeries and operations without anesthesia in the dark. What have you heard?
SOERIPTO: Yes. We've heard that absolutely, without anesthesia by the light of the iPhone. Of course, electricity is also faltering. Our staff was telling us, when we still had contact, that instead of in the way we now do responses, instead of figuring out how to get supplies to people, we're trying to figure out how much our staff can carry on their back, because they don't have cars, to bring supplies to people. So, how much can they carry so that they can walk there with whatever they can handle in order to continue to deliver some aid where possible.
VAUSE: Wow. When was the last time you heard from your people?
SOERIPTO: Yesterday.
VAUSE: Were they -- and as far as you know, at this point, they could be -- well, you don't know, they could be alive, dead or wounded?
SOERIPTO: We don't know. No, seriously, we have no idea. We know all of them were safe and accounted for yesterday. We also know that all of them have lost a relative, a friend, a connection, somebody they knew. We have 11 local partners there with staff. We don't know what's happened to them. We haven't been able to contact them either.
VAUSE: And they're all local stuff, right or are they expats --
SOERIPTO: All local stuff. All local guns, yes.
VAUSE: So, they can't leave?
SOERIPTO: They can't leave.
VAUSE: I guess the children in Gaza have one thing in common with children in Israel, it's this shared trauma from these ongoing conflicts. The rockets go out of Gaza, the airstrikes come down from the Israelis, and it just doesn't seem to end, and that's how they've grown up over years.
SOERIPTO: Yes, it's astounding. And we know also from other conflicts, of course, in the world, you know, the long-term impact on children's mental health, you know, ability to be emotionally present is -- could be -- you know, last a lifetime if not addressed at all for all children in that region at this moment. Don't forget, there's also still an unknown number of children being held hostage in the same Gaza Strip.
VAUSE: There's some pretty awful things being said on social media about the current state of Gaza and what civilians are going through, people saying let them suffer, they deserve it, there's no distinguishing between civilians and children, and Hamas, which carried out the October 7 attack, which was abhorrent and disgusting and vile on every single level you could possibly imagine, but then you've got these people who are being caught in the middle. What do you say to those who do not make that distinction between children of Gaza, who weren't even alive when Hamas took power going through this, as compared to, you know, what's happening with the militant group?
SOERIPTO: Yes. You know, Save the Children was built in -- it was founded in 1919 on the back of the ravages of the First World War. And again, then also children were suffering, and bearing the brunt children on all sides. and that's why Save the Children was set up because our founder felt that all wars were waged against children and children should never suffer the consequences and they were certainly not at fault, and that sadly still remains the case here.
And I would ask people to just dig into their humanity and think about their own children, the children in their life and then put yourself in the shoes of a parent who's going through this, worrying for their children, you know, and try to dig into that humanity and try to understand that we must have a humanitarian pause.
VAUSE: Yes. If you try and think of this in terms of your own kids, it just is -- it's impossible. On both sides, by the way, both sides. SOERIPTO: Yes, absolutely.
VAUSE: Janti, thank you so much for being with us. I wish you all the very best. I hope you hear from your people on the ground in Gaza very soon. I hope they're all well and alive. And thank you for doing what you do.
SOERIPTO: Thank you. Thank you for having me.
VAUSE: You're welcome.
Things (ph) for break, when we come back, the manhunt for a mass shooter in the U.S. State of Maine is over. We'll have what investigators are saying about the man they believe killed 18 people during a shooting rampage.
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VAUSE: Breaking news here, just coming in to CNN. According to the Los Angeles Times, citing law enforcement sources, actor Matthew Perry has been found dead at his home. He is best known for his role as Chandler on the popular 1990 sitcom "Friends."
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DAVID SCHWIMMER, ACTOR: Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa. Hey. Now remember what we talked about. You got to be strong.
MATTHEW PERRY, ACTOR: Yes. Yes.
SCHWIMMER: Now, one more time. Hey, don't you want a washboard stomach and rock-hard pecs?
PERRY: No, I want a flabby gut and saggy man breasts.
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VAUSE: He also starred in a number of films including "The Whole Nine Yards"" and "Fools Rush In." Sources told the "Times" Perry was found in his hot tub, there was no sign of foul play. L.A. police would not confirm reports to CNN. We'll bring you more details on this story when we get them. Again, the Los Angeles Times report says actor Matthew Perry dead at the age of 54.
We're learning more now about the suspect behind this week's shooting rampage, which left 18 people in Maine dead. The body of Robert Card was discovered Friday night. Police say he died from an apparent self- inflicted gunshot wound. He also left a note behind indicating he did not expect to be found alive. CNN's Shimon Prokupecz has details.
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SHIMON PROKUPECZ, CNN SENIOR CRIME AND JUSTICE CORRESPONDENT: Police releasing more information today, the most information they've released since this happened. They say they were able to do that because the investigation is now essentially over. There will be no one to prosecute. And so, they're releasing new information.
They say that they found the body on Friday night at 7:45 p.m. after a call from the recycling plant, a recycling plant manager in Lisbon who told them they needed to go check this area, these trailers, there were 50 some trailers in this one area. And so, police did that. They was offered this tip in this community that they went ahead and checked the trailer and they found the shooter dead from an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound.
They say they also found two guns inside the trailer. They also confirmed they found a long rifle in his car, which he abandoned and then fled they believe on foot to this recycling plant. They also have released more information about the investigation. A note they say that they found at his home. They're releasing more details about that. Saying that he left information for a loved one. That detailed bank accounts and the passcode for his cell phone so that a family, a loved one can get inside that phone. They say they're looking at all of that. They're going to be going over all of that information as part of the investigation.
And the other thing that they're looking at here is his mental health, the shooter's mental health. They are reviewing information about that. They say that he was going through some difficulty, thinking that he was hearing voices, some other mental health issues. And one of the things that they're looking at is the reason for why he targeted these locations is because he thought people perhaps were speaking badly about him. And so, that perhaps is some of the motivation here.
All of this happening as police here continue to investigate the crime scenes and collect evidence. And then in the coming days, we're going to start seeing vigils here where people are going to be able to get together and the families and the people who live in these communities get together and share some of their pain and the memories of those who died.
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VAUSE: Thank you for watching "CNN Newsroom" with me, John Vause. Please stay with us. My friend and colleague Paula Newton picks up after a very short break. She'll have a lot more. Our ongoing coverage of Israel war with Hamas. You're watching CNN.
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