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CNN's Continuing Coverage on Israel-Hamas War. Aired 3-4a ET

Aired November 06, 2023 - 03:00   ET

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

[03:00:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ROSEMARY CHURCH, CNN ANCHOR: Hello and welcome to all our viewers in the United States, Canada, and around the world. I'm Rosemary Church with CNN's continuing coverage of the Israel-Hamas war.

Well, CNN is just now getting Israeli reaction to a deadly blast at the Al Maghazi refugee camp in Gaza, more than 24 hours after we first reported it. And in just a moment, we will speak with a spokesperson with the Israel Defense Forces. But first, Nada Bashir gives us more details on what happened. as described by those who lived through it. A warning though, her report includes graphic images.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

NADA BASHIR, CNN REPORTER (voice-over): At this hospital in central Gaza, another day of seemingly unending horror. Bodies, some tiny, arriving in their dozens. No one is spared the devastation of this war. Journalist Mohammed Alaloul seen here at Gaza's Al-Aqsa hospital, not to report on this latest attack, but to identify his children amongst the dead.

MOHAMMED ALALOUL, JOURNALIST (through translator): I saw my son, Kanan, my daughter, Rahaf, and my sons, Ahmed and Qayas. I saw my three siblings killed. I saw friends who were at my house, all killed.

BASHIR (voice-over): Hospital officials tell CNN this latest disaster was caused by yet another Israeli airstrike among the numerous bodies of countless women and children.

UNKNOWN (through translator): 52 killed and more than 70 injured. Most of those killed and injured are children, women and elderly and still a large number buried under the rubble.

BASHIR (voice-over): In the now-shattered Al Maghazi refugee camp. Once home to tens of thousands of Palestinians, residents searched desperately for any sign of survivors, many digging frantically with their bare hands.

This residential community is located in one of the zones deemed safe to evacuate to by the Israeli military. But Israel's airstrikes have proven unrelenting.

UNKNOWN (through translator): All of a sudden, I saw the entire house upside down. I can't see. I don't even know where I am.

BASHIR (voice-over): Homes which are crowded on Saturday with entire families have now been reduced to blackened rubble. This crater, a reminder of the force with which Israel continues to bombard the besieged Gaza Strip.

UNKNOWN (through translator): I saw all my sisters screaming, then I saw my father. When I found myself alive, I looked to see who was still alive. We turned on the torch and my siblings were alive, but I did not find my father. I finally found him next to me. I moved him, I moved his hands, I moved his face. He did not respond.

BASHIR (voice-over): Gaza's hospitals are overwhelmed. The shortages mean it is virtually impossible to adequately treat those wounded. But hospitals like Al Aqsa are also struggling to keep up with the mounting death toll. The bodies of those killed lay outside, awaiting identification. A gut wrenching image. now an all too familiar reality here in Gaza.

Nada Bashir, CNN, in Jerusalem.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CHURCH: Joining me now from Tel Aviv, Israel is IDF spokesperson, Lieutenant Colonel Peter Lerner. Appreciate you being with us.

LT. COL. PETER LERNER, IDF SPOKESPERSON: Good morning, Rosemary.

CHURCH: So Colonel, on Saturday night, there was an explosion at the Al Maghazi refugee camp in central Gaza that local health officials say resulted in the deaths of dozens of civilians, including many women and children. Was there a target in or near the camp that the IDF struck that night?

LERNER: Rosemary, looking at the images, you know, any decent human being cannot be heartbroken by the huge challenge that the people of Gaza are facing in these days, these days of a war. But nevertheless, it is a war that was forced upon us by Hamas that decided to strategically open up a front in the most devastating attack Israel has ever experienced. Regarding the strike on Al Maghazi, we are conducting activities in the south of Gaza, which are precision-based, based on intelligence. I can't share at this time the specifics of this incident, but is indeed heartbreaking the images that we are seeing.

[03:04:59]

We are going to extreme efforts in order to limit the civilian casualties of this war. Unfortunately, it is a war, nevertheless, and these are the images of warfare.

CHURCH: So Israel was behind this attack, is what you're saying, but what was achieved?

LERNER: No, I never said that. I said that we are conducting strikes also in the South against specific targets. When there are strikes in the South, it is against specific targets. I can't confirm that regarding this incident. This is the nature of warfare in modern age, and specifically in urban areas where the terrorist organizations like Hamas, and specifically this terrorist organization that has become a terrorist entity, an entity with a terrorist army, a terrorist entity with aerial capabilities, an entity with subterranean capabilities. All of their efforts are to put hospitals in harm's way.

All of their efforts are to utilize fuel that could go to hospitals for their subterranean tunnels. All of their efforts are to exert maximum casualties, maximum deaths on Israelis, but also on their own people. And this is the challenge we are facing. We are, I'd say, committed, but also determined to limit the civilian casualties. But it is a huge challenge for any military.

CHURCH: Colonel, with all due respect, thousands of people have died in Gaza as a result of these Israeli attacks across the territory. I mean, that is a total overarching, would you not say, but This explosion took place more than 24 hours ago. Why is it taking so long to give more detail on what was behind this?

LERNER: Rosemary, we're focused on destroying and dismantling Hamas. That is our mission. That is what we're doing. This terrorist organization, and that is, and while we are, you know, as spokespeople, being very forthcoming and making ourselves available, we won't always have all of the information and within the, perhaps, the timeframe that you would expect it to. Indeed, it is a huge challenge, but the war is moving forward and we are conducting huge efforts in order to take the war to Hamas.

And of course, we are going to see, unfortunately, we are going to see images like this in the coming days because Hamas have distinctly put their activities, their infrastructure, they've put them specifically in the civilian arena. So, while there's no, you know, clear prescription, less than perhaps turning the other cheek and hoping Hamas won't wield that sword of death again against our heads, there really is no alternative. And while we're looking at how to minimize a civilian impact, there is going to be a civilian impact.

We are trying now in these days to broaden the scope of humanitarian aid that comes in through Rafah. We are continuing to encourage people to move south from the north, where most of our activities, the ground activities are expanding and increasing. And we've seen over the last, and you've reported it extensively the last 24 hours, we're continuing to conduct our activities precisely because we have to change the paradigm. Hamas have to be banished from the realm of existence. That is the only end state that can be acceptable for everyone. And I would say for the safety and security for all people in the region, Israelis and Palestinians alike.

CHURCH: So I just want to clarify, are you saying that you don't know if Israel was behind the Al-Maghazi refugee camp being hit? That you're still investigating that? Is that what you're saying?

LERNER: I'm saying that I can't confirm that at this stage.

CHURCH: Right, so you're still looking into this and you will get back to us on details with that. I want to move on now and just play part of an interview with Amnesty International's head, Agnes Callamard. Let's just listen to what she told CNN's Becky Anderson. We'll bring that up.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

AGNES CALLAMARD, SECRETARY GENERAL, AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL: Every war should follow rules. At the moment, those rules have been obliterated. We're not just talking about a few violations here. We're talking about a litany of violations. It started with what happened in October 7, with this horrific attack on Israeli citizens and since then, the Israeli governments have waged a campaign of violations of international law.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: A litany of violations. Amnesty International's Agnes Callamard, they're telling CNN that Israel is waging a campaign of violations of international law. What is your response to that?

[03:09:53]

LERNER: It looks like Amnesty would like us just to roll over and give Hamas and wave a white flag of surrender to Hamas. Amnesty, like other organizations, need to be part of the solution for the well-being and the human rights of all people in this region. The IDF is charged with destroying and dismantling Hamas. We are determined to do so.

And the international community and the international organizations and humanitarian organizations need to realize that the source of everything evil in this region is not the Israel Defense Forces protecting and conducting self-defense. But Hamas, a terrorist organization that has no regard for human rights whatsoever, they couldn't care less what Amnesty is saying. Actually, they probably amplify what Amnesty is saying just so that they can get more ability to propagate and advance their message.

So while I respect Amnesty and what they're saying, there needs to be a very, very clear message. that it's not only about the impacts of war, and this is a war, and this is perhaps what they don't understand. It is a war that has a very clear outcome, a paradigm change with the relations that will benefit all of the people of the region. That is what needs to happen. Amnesty needs to get with the program.

CHURCH: Israel wants to destroy Hamas. The world understands that, but at the moment, it's killing civilians, women and children. I mean, that is what the world is seeing these horrendous images of young bodies being pulled out from debris. And that is a problem that Israel is dealing with now and will in the future, because these actions for the world are creating the next generation of those who will fight back Israel. I mean, this is what's happening. This is the dilemma, isn't it?

LERNER: The dilemma is huge, and part of the dilemma specifically the inaction or limited action that Israel has conducted for the last 16 years by letting Hamas take the powers of government, utilize all of those powers to build a terrorist army, to build a terrorist air force, to build a terrorist institution, to build this huge monster that came into our bedrooms, butchered babies there and abducted others, 1,400 people men, women, children, abducted. The baby was nine months old. The youngest baby was nine months old, is now 10 months old, being held captive by Hamas.

Any talk by anybody that has any criticism that doesn't start with the sentence, these people need to be let go now. They need to be brought home now, just falls on empty ears in Israel, because that is what we are charged to do, to make sure that the hostages come home and they are being held hostage. They need to be brought home and the situation needs to change.

And of course, there are prices for war. There is no sterile situation in warfare, Rosemary. And it has been since the dawn of war, the price that civilians pay has always been huge. We have to try and minimize that, but we still need to achieve our directive. We need to achieve the end goal that Hamas no longer exists here.

As this organization has been created --

CHURCH: As some may say that's a goal that's unachievable, but let's just move on because as communications are down again in the besiege territory, a local operator says there was a complete interruption Sunday of its telecom and network services. Aid agencies say they lost contact with their workers as Gaza faces its third communications blackout. They're asking that service be restored immediately. What is your response to that? Will that happen?

LERNER: I don't know to say. I mean, I've seen those reports as well. I can't comment beyond that. Of course, there is an active war zone and a lot is happening on the ground. So we'll have to see how it develops over the next coming hours and the next few days. I'm aware, for instance, that over 100 trucks are expected to be brought in from Rafah today, bringing medical supplies, food supplies, water into the south of Gaza. And this is the type of reality. that we're going to be facing for the next coming, at least for the coming days, until Hamas either raise a white flag or they are banished.

This situation is one that Israel can never accept ever again, and that is why we always have to, we're not fighting because of October 7th, Rosemary. We're fighting to make sure October 7th can never happen again.

CHURCH: And Colonel, we're also reporting that the IDF says its soldiers have now reached Gaza's coast in an effort to cut off the northern part of the enclave. Is the next stage for IDF troops to go into Gaza City? And once that's done, where to next?

[03:15:02]

LERNER: So obviously I won't comment on specifics. Indeed, we announced that our forces have reached the coast, which means effectively that there is a -- the north and south have been cut off from one another and that is under Israeli IDF control, which indeed means that we are pushing forward towards Gaza City. We've encircled Gaza City two days ago already, and we are moving forward, because Gaza City is the fortress of Hamas' terrorist activities. That is where they've established all of their powers of government and execution of activities, of terrorist activities.

And that is why we are focusing very much on that. And that's why for the last three weeks, we've been telling people, the civilians of Gaza, in the principle of distinction between non-combatants and terrorists to leave the North, because that is where Hamas is set up.

So that is where we are moving forward. We are very determined that Hamas be pursued and they feel as a leadership that they are hunted. We are determined that our goal at the end and while there's question if it can be achieved, we're determined to achieve that goal. We won't, you know, there is no alternative for Israel.

There is absolutely no alternative for Israel in a reality where this organization launched such a brutal war on Israel and expects, what? What were they trying to gain for the people of Gaza in their massacre, in their atrocities? What were they trying to gain for their cause? They failed the people of Gaza miserably. Israel is now determined to restore the safety and security to its people, to our people, and to make sure that they can never hold that threat against us again.

CHURCH: Lieutenant Colonel Peter Lerner, thank you so much for joining us. I Appreciate it.

LERNER: Good day.

CHURCH: And for more, we want to go to journalist Elliot Gotkine, who joins us live from London. Elliot, you just heard what the IDF position is on the key developments, as we understand them to be. What does this say to you about where the conflict is heading? And what were you reading between the lines there?

ELLIOT GOTKINE, JOURNALIST: Rosemary, I think what's clear from what Peter Lerner, the IDF spokesman, was just saying is that there is no let up in Israel's onslaught against Hamas. He said, among other things, for example, that until such time as Hamas is banished from the realm of existence, in his words, you know, that this fight will continue. He says there is no alternative.

And I suppose, certainly when we see those scenes of destruction and death inside the Gaza Strip, the spokesman saying, reiterating Israel's position, that it does its utmost to limit civilian casualties. But at the same time, in his words, we are going to see images like these in the coming days. There will be more images like these.

In terms of Gaza City, which the IDF, we know, has now, according to the IDF, has encircled and has now bisected the Gaza Strip, saying that essentially there's now a northern Gaza and a southern Gaza. He didn't give any specifics in terms of the IDF going into Gaza City, but he did describe it as a fortress of Hamas terrorist activities. And the expectation is, he said that, you know, the fight is moving forward.

The expectation will be that those ground forces will be going into Gaza City at some point, perhaps in the coming days. A couple of other things that he said, for example, that today, another more than 100 trucks of humanitarian aid due to go into the Gaza Strip from the Rafah crossing with Egypt.

And also, I think one of the things that he said, which was interesting, is that, you know, this isn't about October the 7th in the sense that it's not revenge, although he didn't use that word. It's not revenge, it's about preventing it from happening again.

And also saying almost like a tacit acceptance that the policy that Israel had towards Hamas up until October the 7th, one of containment, one of letting Hamas remain in power, was clearly an erroneous one and something that, you know, cannot be allowed to happen in future and really reiterating Israel's position that there is no alternative to this war, this war that Israel says was thrust upon it with that terrorist attack of Hamas on October the 7th, which left more than 1,400 people killed.

And I suppose just finally, again, the position which hasn't changed from Israel is that there can be no ceasefire until such time as those hostages are released. Indeed, Peter Lerner, the IDF spokesman, saying that any calls for a ceasefire or a let up in fighting simply fall on deaf ears inside of Israel unless that call starts with a demand that all of those 240 or so hostages, men, women, children, babies, the elderly are released. Rosemary?

CHURCH: All right, Elliot Gotkine, joining us live from London with that report, I appreciate it.

[03:20:02]

Well, Donald Trump spent his weekend on the campaign trail in Florida, but in just a matter of hours, the former president will be in a New York courtroom testifying in a civil fraud trial that could end up costing him many of his businesses. That's just ahead.

Plus, despite a mountain of legal troubles, including criminal charges and civil lawsuits, new polling has Trump leading Joe Biden in some key swing states ahead of next year's presidential election. We'll take a look at all of that on the other side of the break, do stay with us.

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CHURCH: Welcome back everyone. In just a matter of hours, former U.S. President Donald Trump is expected to take the stand in his civil fraud trial in New York. It'll be a high stakes day of testimony that could determine the fate of his New York business endeavors.

Trump could ultimately be forced to sell off his properties after a judge ruled that he and his company committed fraud for years while building his real estate empire. Despite his array of legal troubles and with a year to go before the election, Trump seems to be holding an edge over President Biden in several key swing states.

[03:25:02]

New polling has him leading in some states where Biden won the vote in 2020. Harry Enten ran through the numbers earlier with my colleague Jim Acosta.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

HARRY ENTEN, CNN SR. DATA REPORTER: Let's talk about the Sun Belt swing states first. Arizona, Georgia, Nevada. Look, Joe Biden won all of those in 2020. Now, he won them by small margins, but he won all of them. Look at where we are today among likely voters. Arizona, plus five for Trump. Georgia, plus five for Trump. Nevada, plus 11 for Donald Trump. There wasn't a single poll that CNN Standards to put on air throughout the entire 2020 campaign where Joe Biden trailed Donald Trump in Nevada.

And look at that, he trails by 11 points in this particular poll. Perhaps it's a little bit of an outlier, perhaps not, but the fact is, when you look throughout the some-fouled states, these are much better poll numbers for Donald Trump than we saw throughout the entire 2020 campaign. It's just so much different, Jim.

JIM ACOSTA, CNN ANCHOR: Yeah Harry, I mean when I saw that Nevada number, the same thought flashed in my mind that maybe that is a bit of an outlier. But you know, when you look at what's happening in the Great Lakes states, places like Michigan, Wisconsin, what are we seeing up in that region?

ENTEN: Yeah, you know, when you showed the earlier numbers you were looking among registered voters. I'm looking among likely voters here. And with the exception of Wisconsin, Donald Trump is doing better in all Michigan and Pennsylvania than he was back in 2020. You gotta tie in Michigan, but look at Pennsylvania. Plus five for Donald Trump. That is a clear advantage at this point for Donald Trump.

And the fact is, he can't lose all of these states and win the presidency. You know, on that first slide, we had Arizona, Georgia, and Nevada. If he's losing in those and losing in Pennsylvania, adios, amigos, good bye, see you later, President Biden cannot win. And the fact is, these are far worse poll numbers than for Joe Biden. And he saw it throughout the entire 2020 campaign. There's just no other way around it. These numbers stink for the president.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: The U.S. Secretary of State is on a whirlwind diplomatic tour through the Middle East. We will have details on his surprise visit to Iraq and what he's hoping to achieve on his current stop in Turkey.

Plus Vienna's Jewish community reels from an arson attack reminiscent of a dark past as Europe struggles with rising anti-Semitic incidents since the start of the Israel-Hamas war.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK) [03:30:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ROSEMARY CHURCH, CNN ANCHOR: U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken is meeting with Turkish officials in Ankara right now to discuss Israel's war with Hamas as he wraps up the Middle East leg of a whirlwind diplomatic tour. Blinken made an unannounced visit to Iraq where he met with the country's Prime Minister Mohammed Shia' al-Sudani, called for a ceasefire and the reopening of border crossings to keep the humanitarian crisis from worsening.

And our Jennifer Hansler is traveling with Secretary Blinken.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JENNIFER HANSLER, CNN STATE DEPARTMENT REPORTER: Secretary of State Antony Blinken is here in Ankara for a meeting with his British counterpart on their approach to the war in Gaza. He is expected to push the foreign minister on the need for humanitarian assistance to get into Gaza to respond to the crisis on the ground, as well as to ensure that the conflict does not spread to a wider region.

And this has been a through line for his trip throughout the region. We saw him on Friday meet with Israeli officials, including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Tel Aviv. He pressed him to do everything he can to protect civilians and to institute what the U.S. is calling humanitarian pauses to be able to get assistance into Gaza. Just hours after that meeting happened, Netanyahu publicly rejected the idea of any sort of ceasefire or even a pause in the fighting until Hamas releases those hostages.

On Saturday, Blinken met with his Arab counterpart in Amman. We saw a wide rift in how they are responding to the war. These foreign ministers have strongly condemned what is happening in Gaza. But Blinken said they have agreed to use their influence to stop the spread of this conflict. And this is something he pushed again yesterday in meetings in Ramallah with the head of the Palestinian Authority, Mahmoud Abbas, and the prime minister of Iraq.

It is something that the U.S. is incredibly concerned about. They do not want to see this conflict grow any further and Blinken spoke to this last night. Take a listen.

ANTONY BLINKEN, U.S. SECRETARY OF STATE: We're working very hard to make sure that the conflict in Gaza does not escalate, does not spread to other places, whether it's here, whether it's elsewhere in the region. This is the very vital and urgent work of American diplomacy. And that's what we've been engaged in as well throughout this trip.

HANSLER: So the secretary will be discussing this with his Turkish counterpart here in Ankara. Turkey does play host to some of Hamas's leaders. It is unclear if Blinken will explicitly ask them to expel this leadership, but we have heard him say that things cannot return to the status quo with the group after October 7th. So there is a lot at stake for this last stop in his whirlwind trip. Jennifer Hansler, CNN, Ankara.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CHURCH: The U.S. military says a guided-missile submarine has arrived in the Middle East, sharing a This picture, which appears to show the sub in the Suez Canal passing under the Al-Salam Bridge. Since announcements like this are so rare, it seems to send a clear message that the U.S. does not want the Israel-Hamas war to expand. Usually these submarines operate in secret. This one joins two U.S. carrier strike groups that are already in the Mediterranean.

Well, reports of anti-Semitic incidents have soared around the world amid the escalating conflict between Israel and Hamas. In Austria, the Jewish community has been targeted in an incident that is a disturbing echo of the past. CNN's Frederik Pleitgen has the story.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN SR. INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Valuable (inaudible) and prayer books reduced to ashes. After an arson attack on this ceremonial hall on the Jewish part of Vienna's main cemetery.

The last time this very hall was set on fire was almost to the day 85 years ago by the Nazis on Kristallnacht, Chief Rabbi Yaron Engelmeier tells me.

(on-camera): How big is the damage, not just in terms of obviously the room itself, but spiritually for you, for the Jewish community here?

JARON ENGELMAYER, CHIEF RABBI OF THE IKG VIENNA: I think it takes us back to times where the books were burned and it is an attack on the spiritual values of the religion and of humanity which happened here.

[03:35:06]

PLEITGEN (voice-over): A swastika on the outer wall leaves few questions about the anti-Semitic nature of the attack.

ENGELMAYER: It should worry us, all of the people in the free world, about what's going on in the streets right now and anti-Semitic attacks are just the top of what's going on.

PLEITGEN (voice-over): Since Hamas' October 7th attack on southern Israel, murdering more than 1,400 people and kidnapping hundreds. And Israel's military response in Gaza, which has also caused many casualties, anti-Semitic incidents have skyrocketed by about 300 percent in Austria, the head of Vienna's Jewish community tells me.

OSKAR DEUTSCH, HEAD OF THE JEWISH COMMUNITY IN VIENNA: We are anxious. People are thinking about their life. The first thinking is, is Jewish life possible in Austria? The second thinking is -- is Jewish life possible in Europe or in the world.

PLEITGEN (voice-over): With pro-Palestinian anti-Israel demos sweeping across the continent, Jewish groups say anti-Semitism is not only getting more prevalent, but uglier from plastering stars of David on Jewish homes in Paris, to a Molotov cocktail attack on one of the main synagogues in Berlin, and near daily assaults and insults in various European countries.

Today, just hours after the cemetery attack, Vienna's Jewish community hosted Israelis whose relatives were killed or kidnapped by Hamas on October 7th.

In Tal Yeshurun's family, four murdered, seven kidnapped. Tal lives in Europe, but while he's publicly advocating for the hostages in everyday life, he feels he has to hide his Jewish identity.

TAL YESHURUN, RELATIVE OF OCTOBER 7 VICTIMS: Not to be associated with anything written in Hebrew, not to speak Hebrew, not to go to places where it's considered Jewish, like a synagogue or things like that.

PLEITGEN (voice-over): While many European leaders have come out strongly against the rising tide of anti-Semitism, the head of the European Jewish Association says it's not enough.

RABBI MENACHEM MARGOLIN, CHAIRMAN, EUROPEAN JEWISH ASSOCIATION: We know exactly when we are in danger and we are now in danger. European leaders, we need you right now to act. Never again is now, not tomorrow, not next week, is now.

PLEITGEN (voice-over): But as much as there is fear, there's also a sense of defiance. Rabbi Engelmayer himself painting over the Nazi slurs on the cemetery wall, eager to show his Jewish community will not be intimidated by anti-Semitic attacks.

Fred Pleitgen, CNN, Vienna.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CHURCH: Massive pro-Palestinian protests are being held in the United States, even on the president's doorstep. After the break, we will examine whether Mr. Biden's continued support for Israel puts him at risk in the 2024 election.

And CNN talks to a group of Jewish high school students to get their take on the war between Israel and Hamas and whether they believe it can be resolved. That's after the break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[03:40:00]

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(VIDEO PLAYING)

CHURCH: Pro-Palestinian rallies drew thousands of people in cities around the world over the weekend. In Washington D.C., crowds waved signs that Red stopped the massacre and let Gaza live. Some pushed up against the White House gates and covered them with red handprints. During the rally, speakers slammed the Biden administration for failing to call for a ceasefire in Gaza. Some marchers said they would not vote for him again.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNKNOWN: My message to President Biden is I voted for you and I regret it.

UNKNOWN: Will you vote for him in 2024?

UNKNOWN: Absolutely not.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: Calls from some quarters for a ceasefire in Gaza are putting pressure on the U.S. president to change his strategy with Israel. Earlier, I spoke to CNN's senior political analyst and senior editor for "The Atlantic," Ron Brownstein. He says Mr. Biden should hope that the conflict is over before the 2024 election, but the Democrats don't have any other options.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

RON BROWNSTEIN, CNN SR. POLITICAL ANALYST: This is an issue that generally does divide Democrats. And we saw in a national poll by (inaudible) University this past week. 50 percent of Democrats supported military aid to Israel, a very different than the three- quarters of Democrats who support aid to Ukraine. This is dividing the Democratic coalition. The Democratic coalition does not have a lot of a trust in BB Netanyahu was identified very closely with the Republican Party in the U.S. for a matter of decades.

And I think the president, you know, does genuinely have competing interests in his coalition. I think what he has to hope for is that however long this fighting goes on, it will be over long before the 2024 election. And that he, I think we can be assured, is going to put enormous pressure on Israel at that point to begin something that looks like or a new negotiation for a two-state solution, because that is probably his only path toward even reducing the tensions he's seeing inside his own coalition.

CHURCH: Yeah, let's talk about that, because at what point does President Biden's support for Israel's war impact policy, and of course, the pressure that he does need to apply on Prime Minister Netanyahu to show restraint and find that political solution, that two-state solution to this complex issue because the longer this drags on, the more damaging it is certainly for President Biden and indeed for Israel too because the world is turning against Israel.

BROWNSTEIN: Well look, I mean, I think Israel expected that when this began and I think they are fully expecting that they will go beyond in essence the tolerance of world public opinion if that's what it takes in order to fulfill the military mission of degrading and weakening Hamas.

Look, I think President Biden is giving Israel more leeway than, say, President Obama might, but not nearly as much as President Trump would. And that is, of course, the conundrum here for all of those forces inside the Democratic coalition that are saying they would never support Biden in '24 as a result of what he's doing, Muslim American activists, Arab American activists.

[03:44:52]

I mean, the reality is if the choice is with Trump, it will be Biden or Trump who would Trump would A, probably give Netanyahu more leeway to use force in Gaza than Biden has done and B, Trump has already explicitly declared that he will impose a broad range of severe and overtly discriminatory immigration policies, including a renewed Muslim ban. Stephen Miller, the architect of his immigration strategy in the White House has recently been posting on social media pictures of pro-Palestinian demonstrations and declaring in his post, ICE will be busy in 2025, implying broad-scale deportation.

So it's understandable that the groups in the Democratic coalition are trying to pressure President Biden because they think he is not listening to their concerns. But in the end, that is the choice they will face, whether they will ultimately take actions in the summer and fall of 2024 that would make that world more likely.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: Rob Brownstein talking to me earlier.

And college campuses have become flashpoints for demonstrations and protests surrounding the Israel-Hamas war. And in some cases, ugly incidents of hate. But it's not just college students. The war is a hot button issue with younger students as well. CNN's Athena Jones spoke to five Jewish high school students about how it's impacting their lives.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ATHENA JONES, CNN U.S. NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): It's a situation that hits close to home.

FRANCES GELLER, U.S. HIGH SCHOOL STUDENT: We're such a tight-knit community. This is like our family.

NOAH IVES-KURTZER, U.S. HIGH SCHOOL STUDENT: It's this shock that's like consistent and you can't escape it.

RIVKA TAMIR, U.S. HIGH SCHOOL STUDENT: I started reaching out to people to check up. And it was hours later and I was still checking up on people and there were still more people to reach out to and talk to and people that I was really worried about.

JONES (on-camera): What have the last few weeks been like being here in America observing what's going on in Israel and Gaza?

ADIN LINDEN, U.S. HIGH SCHOOL STUDENT: I think it's been this sort of balancing act of worrying about. like when's the other shoe gonna drop here in America and caring for and like making sure to be a good support system for like my friends and family in Israel.

JONES (on-camera): Waiting for the other shoe to drop? How do you mean?

LINDEN: I feel like right now in America, we're in kind of this grace period with Israel where Israel was attacked and the general feeling towards Israel is still fairly positive. That feeling's gonna shift and that pity is not gonna be there anymore and I think that that's when bad things are gonna start happening in America to Jews.

DANIEL PUSTLINIK, U.S. HIGH SCHOOL STUDENT: I disagree with the fact that the majority of American sentiment is one of pro-Israel or pity or sympathy. I think now that, you know, Israel has been bombing Gaza and there have been attempts to get the hostages back and all that the military operations are going on, I think there's been a huge uptick in anti-Semitism.

JONES (voice-over): They say the political response to the war has been upsetting, especially what they're seeing on social media.

TAMIR: It's a very, I think, inherent Jewish value in times of grief to sit in your pain and sit in your discomfort in fast or in prayer in community and acknowledge what's going on and that's our way of dealing with grief and processing. And I think to have such raw pain be turned into something political is very, very difficult to deal with.

IVES-KURTZER: It's an impossible situation when you've been attacked by this terror group that's also governing and hiding behind its own people. I can't watch innocent Palestinians die, but it's like you poke a bear and Hamas poked a bear and then went and hid behind a bunch of little cubs.

LINDEN: It's hard for me to hear free Gaza, free Palestine, because that's Hamas is hurting Gazan citizens just as much as it's hurting Israeli citizens. Like being pro-Palestine or pro-Gaza should not mean being pro-Hamas.

JONES (on-camera): How do you think this ends?

TAMIR: When you're working on the amount of precedent that there is with Israel, with Gaza, with the Palestinians, with Hamas, I don't foresee this ending in a way that will feel very final.

IVES-KURTZER: Israel has lost the innocent civilians in Gaza have lost. Nobody can win a war like this. And so what does the end look like? it looks like loss.

JONES (on-camera): Where do you find the hope in a situation like this?

PUSTLINIK: I have no hope that this conflict will be resolved in the next century, like not at all. I think this will be an almost immutable fact of the Middle East, Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

GELLER: This is where I turn to religion and prayer, God, you know, really the core of Judaism, and that's helping me get through this.

JONES (voice-over): Frances Geller was planning to spend a gap year in Israel before going to college. That plan is now uncertain.

GELLER: I truly believe that perseverance is in our DNA. We've been around for all this time. They try to get rid of us. They won't. And how can you not believe that that's who we are? Hopefulness and fighting, it's undeniable.

JONES (voice-over): Athena Jones, CNN, New York.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CHURCH: And we'll be right back.

[03:50:10]

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CHURCH: Welcome back everyone. Well, from Arizona in the West to New York in the East is going to feel a lot like summer for the next couple of days as CNN meteorologist Allison Chinchar explains dozens of record high temperatures are in the works.

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ALLISON CHINCHAR, CNN METEOROLOGIST: The calendar may say November but it certainly won't feel like it this week. We're looking at 60 record highs possible all the way from Arizona to New York Monday through Wednesday and some of these cities may even break those records multiple days in a row.

Now that heat starts in the southwest and then begins to spread off to the east by the middle of this week. But notice very quickly that colder settles right back in. So this isn't exactly going to be a very long lived warming trend for many people.

Take St. Louis, for example, going from a high of 83 on Wednesday, dropping down to a high of only 61 on Thursday. Denver, very similar trend. You're looking at a high of 75 on Tuesday dropping back to Ohio only 48 on Thursday, with a few possible snow showers mixed in the morning.

[03:55:04]

Now it's not just snow, but also rain for several locations as we start to see that next setup begin to take place. So by Wednesday night and Thursday morning you're starting to see that changeover from rain to snow for cities like Denver, but also some rain showers from Texas all the way into the Northeast.

So cities like New York, Memphis and even Dallas looking at the chance for rain on Thursday in Dallas. It's not just the rain, but you'll also see that temperature drop as well, going from 84 on Wednesday, dropping back down to a high of only 68 the very next day.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CHURCH: Alison Chinchar, many thanks.

Well, it was a record setting finish Sunday at this year's New York City Marathon. Tamirat Tola of Ethiopia pulled away from the field and set a new course record. Tola won the men's race with a time of two hours, four minutes and 58 seconds, beating the previous fastest time set in 2011.

In the women's race, it was a sprint to the finish line. Hellen Obiri of Kenya crossed first, wrapping up the marathon in two hours, 27 minutes and 23 seconds. It's another big win for Obiri, who won the Boston marathon earlier this year. Well done to both of them.

Well, Buffalo Bills player Damar Hamlin has set up a youth scholarship program named after the Cincinnati medical team who saved his life. He had dinner over the weekend with 10 members of the University of Cincinnati medical staff. It was 10 months ago when Hamlin went into cardiac arrest during an NFL game against the Cincinnati Bengals. At the dinner, Hamlin surprised the medical workers with a scholarship named after each of them to support local students.

And thank you so much for your company. I'm Rosemary Church. "CNN Newsroom" continues next with Max Foster.

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