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Israel Admits Strike on Ambulance near Gaza Hospital; U.S. Expects IDF Airstrikes to Subside as Its Troops Advance; Israeli Prime Minister Rejects Cease-Fire Unless All Hostages Freed; U.S. Pushes for "Humanitarian Pause" in Gaza; Refugees in Pakistan Pushed into Life under Taliban Rule; White House Wants a Single Aid Bill for Both Ukraine and Israel; Civilians Leave Gaza as More Wait and Hope; Humanitarian Crisis Growing inside Gaza; U.S. Secretary of State Meets with Lebanon's Caretaker PM in Jordan; Some Arab Americans Reconsidering 2024 Political Choices. Aired 2-3a ET
Aired November 04, 2023 - 02:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
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ANNA COREN, CNN ANCHOR AND CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Welcome to all of our viewers watching in the United States and around the world. I am Anna Coren with our continuing coverage of the Israel-Hamas war.
We begin in Gaza with a horrific scene outside the largest hospital in Gaza City. This video was obtained by CNN and is extremely graphic.
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COREN (voice-over): The Israeli military admits it was behind this airstrike just outside the Al-Shifa Hospital, using an ambulance and killing at least 15 people, according to Hamas run health authorities.
The ambulance was said to be a part of a convoy carrying patients to southern Gaza. The IDF claims the ambulance was being used by Hamas, which is said to have used emergency vehicles to transport fighters and weapons in the past.
With Israeli forces now reportedly encircling Gaza City, U.S. officials say they expect the air campaign to subside, as IDF soldiers advance into the dense urban environment. Eleni Giokos is following developments from, for us, I should say, from Abu Dhabi.
Let's start with that Israeli airstrike on the ambulance convoy.
What do we know?
ELENI GIOKOS, CNN ANCHOR AND CORRESPONDENT: What we do know is the IDF says they were targeting Hamas operatives. From the other perspective, from the Palestinian Red Crescent, they are saying this was a convoy carrying injured patients that were heading to the south from the north. The international organization, as well, the International Committee
of the Red Cross also saying that they were aware of this convoy, that even though they weren't involved in this convoy, that no ambulance or hospital should be targeted.
And I want to give you a reaction from the U.N. secretary-general, Antonio Guterres, a short while ago, saying he is "horrified by the Israeli strike on the ambulance convoy, saying that the images of bodies strewn on the streets outside the hospital are absolutely harrowing.
Now for nearly one month, civilians in Gaza, including children and women, have been besieged, denied aid, killed and bombed out of their homes."
So this is a significant response coming through from the United Nations. Of course there has been a lot of concern in terms of the intensity of Israeli airstrikes into Gaza and the civilian death toll. It is over 9,000 at this point in time.
And of course, Antony Blinken, the U.N. secretary of state in Israel yesterday speaking with Benjamin Netanyahu, appealing for some kind of a pause in order to get aid into the Gaza Strip, for mediation talks.
Of course, Benjamin Netanyahu pushing back, saying that is only a possibility if all hostages are released. But I want you to take a listen to what Blinken said about the civilian impact. And he spoke really emotionally about it. I want you to listen in.
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ANTONY BLINKEN, U.S. SECRETARY OF STATE: I have seen images, too, of Palestinian children, young boys and girls pulled from the wreckage of buildings. When I see that, when I look into their eyes, through the TV screen, I see my own children.
How can we not?
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GIOKOS: Yes. A significant bite there, Anna. And, of course, he also said that Hamas is using civilians as human shields. That being said, the death toll in Gaza is becoming untenable.
And there are a lot of questions now that Israeli -- Israelis are facing and of course, the U.S. are facing in terms of proportionality in response to the terror attack on October 7th.
In terms of the strike on the ambulance, we understand from the Hamas led ministry of health, saying that 50 people were killed, around 60 people are injured and the aftermath of this is going to be very much scrutinized.
The other question becomes in terms of getting aid into Gaza, this is one of the other important points here, we know that not enough has been going in on a good day. Before October 7th you'd have 458 trucks getting into the Gaza Strip.
Since October 7th, according to the Palestinian Red Crescent, they're saying only 374 trucks have entered Gaza.
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GIOKOS: We are hearing harrowing accounts from doctors and hospitals across the Gaza Strip, saying they are running out of medicine. They are embarking on surgeries without any anesthetics.
And basically some of the hospitals have run out of fuel to keep the generators on. Of course, fuel is becoming a very hot topic. The big concern from the IDF is that it is going to end up in Hamas' hands.
And the other perspective here is that hospitals cannot offer any assistance to the injured and keep the lights on and keep vital equipment going without access to fuel.
And we are hearing these reports not only coming through from the ministry of health that is led by Hamas but also from doctors and international organizations, saying that the situation in Gaza is becoming absolutely catastrophic.
COREN: Getting back to what Antony Blinken just said, children are children no matter where they are in the world. Really appreciate that update. Eleni Giokos joining us from Abu Dhabi, thank you as always.
Palestinians in Gaza are mourning the death of Palestine TV correspondent, Mohammed Abu Hatab, who was killed in southern Gaza on Thursday, along with 11 members of his family.
As the civilian death toll steadily grows, the United Nations is sounding the alarm. CNN's Salma Abdelaziz reports on the humanitarian crisis in the enclave. A warning: some may find the images in her report disturbing.
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SALMA ABDELAZIZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): It is every journalist's worst nightmare. While live on air, this reporter found out his colleague was killed. In his utter despair, he rips off his flak jacket.
"There is no protection at all, no international law, nothing," he says. "The safety gear, this helmet, it does nothing to keep us safe. These are just slogans. No journalist is protected at all."
Correspondent Mohammad Abu Hatab and 11 of his family members were killed in an alleged Israeli airstrike, Palestinian TV reported.
He is among at least 33 journalists killed since the start of the conflict on October 7th, the Committee to Protect Journalists says, making it the deadliest period for the news media since the group began tracking in 1992, it said.
ABDELAZIZ: Abu Hatab was killed in southern Gaza, the part of the Strip the Israeli military tells civilians to flee toward but continues to strike daily.
Many families, too afraid or unable to evacuate, remain here in the north of the Strip where Gaza City is encircled by Israeli troops, the IDF says, and some 300,000 to 100,000 civilians are trapped, the U.N. estimates.
They are stuck in a hellscape. Relentless airstrikes and an intensifying ground assault have leveled neighborhoods and left over 1,000 children missing under the rubble, humanitarian organizations say. Their parents keep digging for them.
"My four children," this father cries. "Why God, why didn't you let me die? Why?"
And there is nowhere to turn for refuge. U.N. shelters, where nearby Israeli firepower has claimed lives, are no longer safe. Now many Gazans live on the streets of a war zone.
"We are humans, we are not terrorists," he says. "Look, we have our children around us. Not even the U.N. shelters can protect us. Only God can protect us."
And with Israeli troops closing in, their plight seems increasingly more precarious -- Salma Abdelaziz, CNN, London.
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COREN: Military analyst Malcolm Davis is with the Australian Strategic Policy Institute and joins us now from Canberra.
Malcolm, good to see you. I would like to get your assessment of this war thus far.
How close is Israel to achieving its objective of destroying Hamas, which some say is impossible?
MALCOLM DAVIS, SENIOR ANALYST, AUSTRALIAN STRATEGIC POLICY INSTITUTE: Look, I don't think it's close to destroying Hamas. I think Israel is making steady but slow progress in terms of advancing carefully into Gaza.
Clearly they've got to the point now where they encircle Gaza City and they are controlling much of north Gaza. But they are not anywhere near destroying Hamas, Hamas still has a large fighting force. A lot of them probably have relocated to the south, using that tunnel network.
And the obvious key question in everyone's minds is, at what point does the war escalate horizontally?
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DAVIS: In other words, spread regionally to include other combatants such as Hezbollah and Iran and various Palestinian militant groups. So I think we are well away from being able to declare, for example, mission accomplished.
COREN: I want to talk to you about a potential escalation in the region. But first, the U.S. is expecting Israel to shift tactics, reducing the scale in its air campaign and focusing more on tactical ground operations.
Do you agree with this assessment.
And tell us about the challenges involved in that.
DAVIS: I think that would make a lot of sense. I think what the Israeli Defense Force needs to do now is go in and consolidate and exploit their advantages on the ground to actually pursue Hamas deeper into Gaza.
And that could also involve going into the tunnel network -- the Gaza metro, as it's called. And I think probably reducing the number of airstrikes, increasing the amount of air surveillance but reducing the kinetic strikes probably makes a great deal of sense.
And I think that certainly the United States and others will put pressure on Israel to do that. And I think it is a shift that Israel probably could comply with.
COREN: Will we see less civilian casualties in the next phase of this war, do you believe?
DAVIS: I think it is probably going to continue, unfortunately. The nature of the environment is that Gaza is a densely populated small area with large numbers of civilians. Hamas has refused to allow many of those civilians to evacuate to the south.
So they are trapped and Hamas is using them as human shields. They are locating their operating bases and their logistic bases underneath civilian areas, such as refugee camps and hospitals.
So there is that risk that civilians will continue to suffer. But the Israelis have to advance. They have to try and fight, street by street. They have to deal with the sorts of threats they will face from Hamas, such as IEDs and mines and booby traps and the ability of Hamas to use dense urban environments as a defensive position.
And unfortunately civilians are just collocated in that area. So it is almost impossible to discriminate.
COREN: We heard for the first time since this war began from Hezbollah's leader, Hassan Nasrallah. There was a lot of talk about a second front potentially opening up on the Israel-Lebanon border. But in his address he didn't seem to indicate that that was his intention, at least not publicly.
Do you buy that?
DAVIS: I think he is leaving his options open. I think the address, from what I saw, basically didn't commit him either way, it didn't commit him to enter the war anytime soon but nor did it commit him to stay out.
I think that what you are seeing with Hezbollah is a continued intensity of activity along the Israel-Lebanon border, against Israel, with Hezbollah launching attacks on an almost daily basis.
Nasrallah, can, I think, ramp up the rate and the intensity of those attacks when it chooses, when he chooses to do so. But also he has to listen to what Tehran wants. And if Tehran is saying to him, essentially, enter the war, Hezbollah must enter the war, then I think he will do it.
Because ultimately Hezbollah is dependent on Iran for its continued power and influence. So I don't think we are necessarily out of the woods yet in terms of this war escalating horizontally and becoming a major regional war.
COREN: Malcolm Davis, we appreciate your insight and perspective, thank you so much.
DAVIS: Thank you.
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COREN: Still to come, the U.S. is pushing for a humanitarian pause in Gaza, sending a clear message with the secretary of state's latest trip to Israel. We will tell you what the Israeli prime minister had to say.
Plus Afghan refugees in Pakistan are forced to go back to their ancestral homeland and face life under the brutal Taliban regime.
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COREN: U.S. secretary of state Antony Blinken is now in Jordan, where the foreign minister is expected to tell him that the, quote, "Israeli war on Gaza must stop." It follows a visit to Israel, where Blinken met with prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu and other top officials on Friday.
Mr. Netanyahu says he will not agree to a cease-fire in Gaza unless Hamas releases all of its hostages. Sources tell CNN Israeli officials have been frustrated with Hamas releasing only one or two at a time.
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BENJAMIN NETANYAHU, PRIME MINISTER OF ISRAEL (through translator): I clarify that we, Israel, is going with all its force and refuse to any cease-fire which does not include bringing back our hostages.
(END VIDEO CLIP) COREN: More now on Blinken's Middle East trip from CNN's Becky Anderson.
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BECKY ANDERSON, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): U.S. secretary of State Antony Blinken arriving in Tel Aviv on Friday with a forceful message. America's top diplomat reinforced Washington's support for Israel's right to defend itself after the brutal October 7th Hamas attacks. But he also said this.
ANTONY BLINKEN, U.S. SECRETARY OF STATE: How Israel does this matters and it is very important that when it comes to the protection of civilians who are caught in the crossfire of Hamas' making, that everything be done to protect them and bring assistance to those who desperately need it.
ANDERSON: In his meeting with Israel's war cabinet, Blinken pushed for a humanitarian pause to help get the hostages released, some of whom are American citizens.
BLINKEN: A number of legitimate questions were raised in our discussions today, including how to use any period of pause to maximize --
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BLINKEN: -- the flow of humanitarian assistance, how to connect a pause to the release of hostages, how to ensure that Hamas doesn't use these pauses or arrangements to its own advantage.
ANDERSON: But after meeting with Blinken, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu insisted his government opposes any temporary cease-fire unless Hamas frees all the hostages.
And sources tell CNN the defense minister directly told Blinken there will be no pause without their release. Those directly involved in the Qatar-led talks say negotiators need a, quote, period of calm to facilitate the hostage release.
MAJED AL-ANSARI, SPOKESPERSON, QATAR MINISTRY OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS: Obviously, when there is bombardment, constant bombardment on the sector, you can't even expect for the hostages to be safely from one place to another.
So the best situation for us, the best scenario would be a period of calm, a considerable period of calm that would allow for the hostages to be taken out of Gaza but at the same time would allow for humanitarian aid to go in.
ANDERSON: Blinken has left Israel and the fate of the hostages remains far from certain -- Becky Anderson, CNN, Doha.
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COREN: Michael Oren, Israel's former ambassador to the U.S., spoke to CNN's John King earlier and gave his perspective on Mr. Netanyahu's response to the U.S. secretary of state.
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JOHN KING, CNN ANCHOR: What do you take away from the fact that prime minister Netanyahu appeared to say no to secretary of state Blinken after he visited today?
MICHAEL OREN, FORMER ISRAELI AMBASSADOR TO THE U.S.: Not surprising because among the Israeli population, the notion of a humanitarian pause is very unpopular. Keep in mind, we have the families of 140 hostages who have been taken by Hamas.
The humanitarian system, if you will, in Gaza, is their only leverage to get back from Hamas some indication of the whereabouts of their loved ones, even whether their loved ones are in captivity.
Many of these families don't even know whether their loved ones, if they are missing, have the Red Cross visit the hostages, nothing. Israel will have no leverage.
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COREN: Turning now to Pakistan, where hundreds of thousands of Afghan refugees face a grim choice: leave or be deported. Pakistan has ordered them out of the country, which means many will have to live under the brutal rule of the Taliban.
Some of those refugees have been in Pakistan for decades. And for many, Pakistan is the only home they have ever had.
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COREN (voice-over): On the side of a dusty road in Quetta, northwestern Pakistan, is a truck piled high with the belongings of an Afghan family.
The matriarch slowly climbs up a rickety ladder. The trepidation, perhaps a sign of the life that awaits across the border.
Last month, the Pakistan government announced it would expel what it calls, quote, "illegal Afghan refugees," giving up to 1.7 million people just 29 days to leave voluntarily before being tracked down, detained and forcibly removed.
That warning set off chaotic scenes on the 1st of November, the official deadline for the mass deportations of those without documentation. Lorries backed up for as far as the eye can see, a human procession of anxiety, helplessness and desperation.
"I am 22 years old. I was born in Quetta," says Abdel Mohamed (ph).
"My father lived here for 40 years. This is the only home I know. The police harass us, threaten us with jail.
"What is the point?
"It is better we leave with our honor intact."
According to the Pakistan government, over 198,000 Afghans have returned thus far, the exodus taking place at two major border crossings, Torkham, the gateway to eastern Afghanistan, and Chaman to the south.
The cities of Karachi, Peshawar and Quetta, home to the largest number of Afghans living in Pakistan, estimated to be around 4.4 million. But already the government has begun demolishing refugee camps, making clear that Afghans are not wanted.
And there are reports refugees with legitimate documents are being harassed by authorities to leave.
For decades, Afghans have fled across the border seeking safety and sanctuary in Pakistan, starting with the Soviet invasion in the late 1970s, the first Taliban takeover in the mid-1990s, the U.S. invasion in 2001 before the return of the Taliban just two years ago.
But a series of suicide bombings inside Pakistan this year has placed Afghan refugees firmly in the government's sights.
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COREN (voice-over): It claims more than half of the 24 attacks were committed by Afghan nationals, the most recent bombings in September claiming more than 60 lives.
Human rights groups say refugees are making a political scapegoat. They claim it is inhumane to send people back to a country suffering an economic and humanitarian crisis, where almost 60 percent of the population is solely dependent on aid to survive.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: So our worry is that people who are returning now will join an already dire humanitarian situation and, therefore, they will become dependent upon humanitarian assistance as well and swell the numbers.
COREN (voice-over): There are also grave concerns for women and girls returning to Taliban-controlled Afghanistan, where education and work for females is now banned.
But it was only jubilant scenes on the Afghan side of the border as the Taliban welcomed home the refugees. The Taliban have set up temporary camps. But with winter fast approaching, these people will need more than just a tent.
"I am extremely worried for us," says father of five Ubed Ula (ph), who has lived in Pakistan for 35 years.
"But I request that the government give other refugees more time. Do not send them back, it's winter. This is cruel."
For too many of these Afghans, cruelty seems all they have ever known from this life.
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COREN: Now to Nepal, where a strong earthquake has killed at least 129 people and injured 140. And officials expect the death toll to rise.
The U.S. Geological Survey reports the quake was a magnitude 5.6, with the epicenter in the western region of the country. People felt the tremors as far away as the capital of Kathmandu, about 500 kilometers or 300 miles from the center,
Nepal's prime minister visited the area near the epicenter and spoke with a number of victims. And India's prime minister is expressing his condolences to the earthquake victims.
We will take a short break. For our viewers in North America, I'll have more news in a moment. For international viewers, "AFRICAN VOICES: CHANGEMAKERS" is next.
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COREN: Scared me.
Welcome back to all of our viewers watching in the United States and Canada. I am Anna Coren and you are watching CNN NEWSROOM.
The U.S. Congress is at odds over aid funding to Israel. The Republican-controlled House passed a $14 billion aid bill on Thursday. But it appears to be dead on arrival in the Democratic-controlled Senate. That is because it doesn't include funding for Ukraine and includes spending cuts Democrats reject.
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COREN: Ron Brownstein is a CNN senior political analyst and senior editor with "The Atlantic." He joins us now from Los Angeles.
Ron, great to have you with us. Let's start with the Republican aid bill to Israel that passed the House. We know it won't make the Senate because of GOP demands and funding cuts to the IRS.
Where does this leave U.S. aid for Israel?
RON BROWNSTEIN, CNN SR. POLITICAL ANALYST: It's going to be a torturous process to get to the finish line but I still believe they probably will get to the finish line. This bill that the House passed was not a serious attempt at legislating. It was kind of an indication of where the chamber is going under the new speaker, Mike Johnson.
It really comes from the far right flank of the Republican Party, despite his kind of mild-mannered Clark Kent demeanor. And he put forward what they call the U.S. messaging bill, really a
bill that was designed to unify Republican members and excite Republican voters, FOX viewers, not a serious vision of where this might end.
I suspect that there will ultimately be aid for Israel and Ukraine. But there may have to be a third piece involved, which involves immigration reform and spending on the border. And it is going to be complex to get there but it still seems more likely than not that they will.
COREN: Well, President Biden wants aid for Israel to be linked to funding for the Ukraine war but we know the resistance within the GOP. And that seems like an uphill battle.
BROWNSTEIN: It does, it does. You know, there was polling out this weekend that was really interesting by one of the universities that do national polling in the U.S. And it found that basically around the same share of Americans overall, just 50 percent in each case, supported more aid to Israel and more aid to Ukraine.
But the partisan split was dramatic. Republicans by 2:1 supported aid to Israel and Democrats were about evenly split. On the other hand, Democrats supported aid to Ukraine about 3:1 and most Republicans opposed it.
So it is complicated to get there and it may not be possible to get there just by joining the two issues. It may require Biden to also make concessions, which, by the way, the White House may be inclined to do, to Republicans, on changing some of the rules about asylum and other ways trying to secure the southern border.
It is possible that a three-cornered agreement about Israel, Ukraine and dealing with the border, packaged broadly as enhancing U.S. security against threats around the world, might be the way out of this impasse.
COREN: Ron, we know that U.S. secretary of state Antony Blinken has just been in Israel for a whirlwind trip, appealing for a humanitarian pause to the fighting in Gaza, to allow aid in.
That, as we just heard, has been rebuffed by Benjamin Netanyahu. He says it's contingent upon the release of hostages.
Is Israel listening to the United States?
What should we read into this?
BROWNSTEIN: Well, we obviously don't know how much of this was choreographed. The U.S. had to ask and understanding that Israel was going to say no. And that may indeed be the case in this specific instance.
But the reality is, is that this is an uneasy partnership between any Democratic president and Netanyahu, who has been as closely aligned with the Republican Party really as any world leader. He came here to speak to Congress opposing Barack Obama's Iran deal;
appeared with Mitt Romney in the last weeks of the 2012 campaign. In a variety of ways, Democrats have never had an easy relationship with him, going back to Bill Clinton. I think Biden is giving Israel more leeway --
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BROWNSTEIN: -- than perhaps Obama might but not as much leeway as a Republican president would.
It is one of the striking things about the way this is unfolding politically in the U.S., is you have had this genuine expression of anguish from so many Muslim American activists out of the belief that Biden is being too supportive of Israel and letting them go too far in accumulating civilian casualties as part of their campaign.
When the reality is that Donald Trump certainly would be even, I think, more -- less likely to constrain Netanyahu in any way. Plus he is talking about significant restraints on immigration, restoring a Muslim ban, for example.
As a Republican member of Congress who (INAUDIBLE) legislation yesterday to expel all Palestinians in the U.S. So the politics of this get very complicated. I think Biden is going to try to put some limits on what Netanyahu does.
But he is going further, I think, in allowing him to prosecute this war the way he wants than we might have seen from Barack Obama.
COREN: Ron, finally, we're hearing from some Democrats who were calling on President Biden to push for a cease-fire, something he has yet to do. And they are warning of political ramifications for Biden in 2024.
Does this hold weight?
BROWNSTEIN: Well, you know, kind of goes to my previous comments. There is a risk; you have genuine expressions of anguish from Muslim American voters and from some younger voters, who view this as a disproportionate response by Israel.
I think Biden is not going to give them a blank check, an unlimited check; he is going to push back more than you would see from Donald Trump or any other Republican president.
But as I say, he is going to let it go further than I think Barack Obama might have. I think the real question about the political impact in '24 is what comes next. Unless they are still fighting in Gaza City in the fall of 2024, I think Joe Biden is going to put enormous pressure on Netanyahu to restore some kind of peace negotiation.
Some kind of discussion toward a two state solution with the Palestinians. It may not lead anywhere, as our previous examples over the last three decades have also kind of failed to reach the finish line. But I think that outcome, in which the fighting is over and the talking has begun and perhaps the negotiations between Israel and Saudi Arabia are back on track, is his best opportunity to minimize any political domestic cost for his support of the war as it has unfolded so far.
COREN: Ron Brownstein, always great to speak with you, thank you so much.
BROWNSTEIN: Thanks for having me.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COREN: An appeals court has issued a temporary freeze on a gag order that kept Donald Trump from speaking out about his federal election subversion case. The former president can now publicly criticize possible witnesses in the criminal case. Paula Reid has more.
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PAULA REID, CNN CHIEF LEGAL AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT: In just over two weeks, a three-judge panel here in Washington will hear arguments about whether or not this gag order is constitutional. And while that is pending, the former president is not subject to these specific restrictions.
Now Judge Tanya Chutkan, the judge overseeing the election subversion case here in Washington, the case filed by special counsel Jack Smith, she imposed these restrictions at the request of prosecutors.
Most defendants know they are not supposed to attack witnesses or go after the prosecutor but the special counsel's office asked for a broader set of restrictions on Trump after he made a series of statements appearing to attack the judge, witnesses and prosecutors.
Now his lawyers have argued that these restrictions are unconstitutional, that they violate his First Amendment but Judge Chutkan has said that Trump's First Amendment rights must yield to the orderly administration of justice.
She points to the fact that she has a trial to put on and these restrictions are essential to protecting people, she says, who are just trying to do their jobs.
Now this case will be heard before two judges appointed by former President Barack Obama and one judge appointed by President Joe Biden. Again, that argument will happen later this month. It's unclear when we could get an answer.
But this question about whether you can restrict the speech of a presidential candidate who is a criminal defendant across multiple jurisdictions, this is something that the courts just have never contemplated before and it could possibly wind up at the Supreme Court -- Paula Reid, CNN, Washington.
(END VIDEOTAPE) COREN: Stay with CNN. Much more after the break.
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COREN: Welcome back.
A senior U.S. official said efforts to get foreign nationals safely out of Gaza have been hindered by Hamas and by multiple logistical challenges. The source tells CNN that Hamas, which controls Gaza, would not permit anyone to depart unless some wounded Palestinians were allowed to leave, as well.
But about a third were listed as Hamas members. Other complicating factors were caused by issues with the Rafah crossing itself, which the U.S. says is not used to handling large numbers of civilians.
A breakthrough was finally reached Tuesday to allow foreign passport holders and a group of critically injured civilians to depart through the Rafah border crossing. The first group departing on Wednesday.
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COREN: Thom White is the director of affairs in Gaza for the United Nations Relief and Works Agency. He joins us live from Gaza.
Tom, great to have you with us. For weeks we have been talking about the dire situation in Gaza. Please describe to us the scale of the crisis that you are dealing with right now.
THOMAS WHITE, DIRECTOR, UNRWA AFFAIRS GAZA: Thanks, Anna.
Essentially civilians are continuing to bear the brunt of this conflict. There are two real big issues for people here.
Where did they seek shelter?
We are hearing unconfirmed reports that, last night, a government school in the north, in the north of Gaza, was hit in an airstrike and we are hearing about dozens of casualties, some reports up to 50 casualties in that school.
For UNRWA, in the shelters that we are operating, once again, you know, in the last few days, we've had four of those shelters that have been hit and numerous people killed and injured.
So for a lot of people in Gaza, right now it's basically find somewhere that they are safe from the conflict, from these airstrikes.
COREN: Tom, how much aid is getting in and tell us about your supplies of water, food, medicine. [02:45:00]
WHITE: Anna, our supplies are critically low. The reality is that most of the aid that we're pushing out right now is stocks that we already had in Gaza. For example, we were already running a food operation for 1.2 million people prior to the conflict. So we've been drawing down on those stocks.
We are starting to see some aid coming in. It is a very complicated process where all the trucks are screened by the Israelis before they can move in. So the short answer is we are not getting enough aid into Gaza right now. I'd also add that humanitarian aid is not going to fill the gap if the public sector and the private sector collapse here.
To give you an example, you know, all of the sewage pumps out of cities in Gaza, it's done by municipalities. If they run out of fuel, for example, the -- well, the sewage is already starting to flow in the streets.
So it's humanitarian aid. We need to make sure the municipal services continue. And we also need to be working alongside the private sector.
COREN: Tom, you mentioned the shortage of fuel and we've heard plenty of reports about that. We know that hospitals, major hospitals are at breaking point, have had to reduce their operational capacity.
What will happen if you run out of fuel?
WHITE: Very simply, in the next couple of days, we will run out of fuel and that means we will stop delivering fuel to desalination plants, providing clean drinking water. It means that hospitals will continue -- and they've already started this -- closing down some of their critical care services.
For us, it's fueling all of our trucks, our logistic operation here will come to a halt. For example, we are pushing out to the community about 370 tons a day of wheat flour. That will all come to a close. So food, water, medical care.
COREN: Tom, we understand that 700,000 Palestinians in Gaza are taking refuge in 150 shelters run by your organization. And as you mentioned, some of those shelters have been hit in Israeli air strikes. You are obviously running over capacity by multiples. How are you coping?
WHITE: It's exceptionally tough for our teams who are working in these shelters. They know what they need to do. They know what the people need. But we just physically don't have those stocks at hand.
The shelters are very overcrowded. We'd always planned that these shelters could accommodate 1,500 people. We're now averaging over 4,000 people.
So for example, sanitation in those shelters is dire. And with the stocks that we're getting in, we're making choices. You know, people in Rafah, for example, the other day got the bread and a can of cheese. That's at the point the people really short of food and water.
COREN: Tom White, we are so grateful for the work you are doing there in Gaza. No doubt, this is taking an enormous toll on you and all the staff. We thank you for bringing this story of the Gazans to the world, thank you.
WHITE: (INAUDIBLE).
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COREN: Stay with CNN, we will be right back.
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COREN: U.S. secretary of state Antony Blinken is in Jordan right now following his meetings Friday with Israeli leaders. Among the officials Blinken is meeting with in Jordan is the caretaker prime minister of Lebanon.
This is the secretary's third trip to the Middle East since the war broke out. There is a great deal of concern that Iranian-backed militants may try to expand the war into Lebanon.
Despite being nearly a year away, the U.S. presidential election is on the mind of Arab American voters, especially as tensions escalate in the Middle East. And that voting bloc, once fairly reliable for President Biden, might be looking for other alternatives after the events of October 7th. CNN's Dianne Gallagher explains why.
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EMAN HAMMOUD, MICHIGAN IMMIGRATION ATTORNEY: He can't ignore this.
DIANNE GALLAGHER, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): It's not statement Eman Hammoud ever thought she'd make.
E. HAMMOUD: I voted for Biden.
GALLAGHER: And are you going to vote for him again in 2024?
E. HAMMOUD: I mean if you would've asked me a month ago, I would've said absolutely 100 percent, no doubt about it. But honestly the past few weeks have changed everything and I don't know anymore.
GALLAGHER: The Michigan immigration attorney is one of the growing number of Muslim and Arab Americans who say they're reconsidering their support for President Joe Biden due to his response to the humanitarian crisis and rising death toll in Gaza.
ABBAS ALAWIEH, DEMOCRATIC STRATEGIST: The Democratic Party risks losing a generation of young voters and multiple generations of Arab American and Muslim voters.
GALLAGHER: Perhaps nowhere is a sentiment more pronounced than here in Dearborn, which has been called the Arab capital of North America.
We sat down with Democrats who helped elect Biden.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I did vote for Joe Biden in 2020.
GALLAGHER: Do you plan to vote for him in 2024?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I do not.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I will gladly turn in an empty ballot.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: If an election was to be held today and President Biden's on the ballot and we have to go out and vote today, I can't promise you that he will get five votes from Arab Americans in the city of Dearborn.
GALLAGHER: Adam Abusalah, a Palestinian American, worked in the 2020 campaign as a Biden fellow doing outreach to the Arab community.
ADAM ABUSALAH, FORMER BIDEN FELLOW: I man that I went out and knocked on doors for, I feel guilty and I regret what I did on the Biden campaign. But we thought that he was someone who could lead with humanity and compassion and we were wrong
GALLAGHER: Some are prepared to boycott Biden even if it means potentially handing the election to the current Republican front runner, former President Donald Trump.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We're no longer going to consider the lesser of two evils.
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GALLAGHER (voice-over): The White House has both privately and publicly pointed to recent reach outs with the Arab, Palestinian and Muslim communities, as well as a call for humanitarian calls.
KIRBY: We had aid out and to continue to continue to get people out safety
GALLAGHER: And announcing an effort to combat Islamophobia.
KIRBY: That kind of hate has no place.
GALLAGHER: Efforts dismissed by the people we spoke with as damage control, adding the only way to maybe save their votes is by calling for an immediate cease-fire.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Enough is enough, we need a cease-fire.
GALLAGHER: Michigan is second only to California in residents who identify as Middle Eastern or North African, according to the U.S. Census. In 2020, Biden won the state by nearly 155,000 votes. Engage, a national organization dedicated to getting the Muslim vote, says 145,000 Muslim Michiganders voted in 2020.
Dearborn Mayor Abdullah Hammoud says Democrats can no longer take his communities vote for granted.
MAYOR ABDULLAH HAMMOUD (D-MI), DEARBORN: We're not here to prostitute ourselves, to the lowest bidder, in order for us to be recognized for our humanity and to actually be seen.
GALLAGHER: The Biden campaign sent CNN a statement, saying, in part, "President Biden knows the importance of earning the trust of every community, of upholding the sacred dignity and rights of all Americans.
"President Biden continues to work closely and proudly with leaders in the Muslim and Palestinian communities in America, to listen to them, stand up for them and fight back against hate."
But the people I spoke to in this community say, if Democrats think they will forget by next November, that they are wrong. This is not political for them; it is personal. These are their friends and family members they are talking about, not just something they are watching on television.
Their congresswoman, Rashida Tlaib, posting on Friday night a video, where she echoes their sentiments, writing at the end, "Biden, support a cease-fire now or don't count on us in 2024" -- Dianne Gallagher, CNN, Dearborn, Michigan.
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COREN: That wraps this hour of CNN NEWSROOM, I am Anna Coren. We'll be back after this short break. Please stay with us.
