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Israel's Ground Assault on Gaza Intensifies; 59 Aid Trucks Wait to Cross Into Gaza; Netanyahu Says Second Stage of War Has Begun; How Matthew Perry Wished to Be Remembered. Aired 6-6:30a ET

Aired October 30, 2023 - 06:00   ET

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

COY WIRE, CNN SPORTS: -- the first woman to score points in Division 1 HBCU game. She kicked not one, not two, but a perfect three for three on her extra point attempts in a 40 to 14 win over Arkansas, Pine Bluff.

[06:00:15]

Leilani is just a freshman. She's from Ventura, California. She also plays on JSU's soccer team. She was added to the roster, Kasie, about a month ago. And she is taking full advantage, making history.

Her mom said, Kasie -- get this -- they had no idea. She had no idea that she was going to be kicking in that game. And there she was, doing her thing.

KASIE HUNT, CNN ANCHOR: That's amazing, Coy Wire. I love it.

And obviously, the Chiefs lost because Taylor didn't show up. Right?

WIRE: That's exactly right. You got it.

HUNT: Thanks very much, Coy.

And thanks to all of you for joining us. I'm Kasie hunt. Don't go anywhere. CNN THIS MORNING starts right now.

POPPY HARLOW, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning, morning. Glad you're with us. I'm Poppy Harlow with Phil Mattingly. It is 6 a.m. here in New York, 12 noon in Israel.

And new this morning, Israel's ground attack on Gaza is intensifying. And overnight, Israeli forces say they killed dozens of terrorists who were barricaded in tunnels and buildings. The IDF releasing this video of ground operations, which have been shrouded in secrecy.

PHIL MATTINGLY, CNN ANCHOR: We've also seen another round of heavy airstrikes pummeling Gaza. This morning, Palestinian officials say the death toll has nearly reached 8,000 since the war broke out.

As the ground operation ramps up, the White House now warning there's an elevated risk of war spreading in the Middle East.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) JAKE SULLIVAN, U.S. NATIONAL SECURITY ADVISOR: We are vigilant, because we are seeing elevated threats against our forces throughout the region and an elevated risk of this conflict spreading to other parts of the region.

We are doing everything in our power to deter and prevent that, but I'm not going to predict what the future brings, other than to say that, if we are attacked, we will respond.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HARLOW: A -- a rapid response force of U.S. Marines deployed to the region is moving closer to Israel as concerns about a wider conflict grow.

A U.S. official tells CNN the warship carrying the troops will pass through the Suez Canal.

Meanwhile, in Gaza, United Nations aid workers say civil order is breaking down. Hunger and desperation continues to grow, and crowds of looters ransacked humanitarian supplies from warehouses.

Yesterday, President Biden called Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and also called Egypt's president to stress the need for more humanitarian assistance. Much more to protect the civilian lives.

Let's begin our coverage this hour with Rafael Romo, who joins us live in Tel Aviv.

And you know the desperation there to just try to get the aid in. At the same time, what more are we learning about Israel's ground operations?

RAFAEL ROMO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Poppy and Phil, good morning to you.

Just about an hour ago, we heard straight from the Israel Defense Forces about how they are going forward against Hamas targets. IDF spokesman Daniel Hagari said that they're expanding their ground operation here in against how they're going against Hamas, describing how the Islamist, militants are being located by troops on the ground in centralized compounds.

The location of those compounds is then sent to aircraft that subsequently strike those sites. Hagari said this is how they have targeted dozens of terrorists that the Israeli military had previously said that over last few days, they have targeted over 600 terror targets, including weapon depots and dozens of antitank missile launching positions, as well as hideouts and staging grounds used by Hamas.

A big concern here in the Middle East, Poppy and Phil, is that this conflict may boil over. Earlier today, the Israeli military said that its aircraft struck military -- military infrastructure in Syria and the territory in response to launches toward Israel coming from the country. And the national security adviser, Jake Sullivan, said in an interview

on Sunday that the U.S. sees an elevated risk of a spillover conflict in the region as Iranian proxies continue targeting American troops stationed here in the Middle East.

And also, Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi said Sunday that Israel has crossed the red lines in Gaza, which may force everyone to take action. We don't really know exactly what he meant by that, but it is definitely not a good sign for those who hope for peace here in the Middle East.

And finally, you were mentioning at the beginning that the head of the main U.N. agency in Gaza, saying that the fabric of society in Gaza is starting to break down, warning of a breakdown in civil order, as looting has already happened at logistic and aid warehouses in Gaza.

[06:05:05]

A very volatile mix, indeed, here in the Middle East, Poppy, Phil.

MATTINGLY: All right. Rafael Romo, live for us in Tel Aviv, thank you.

HARLOW: So talking about all that aid that is needed, we learned that on Sunday, Gaza received ten more trucks of aid, food, and medical supplies. And that brings the total number of trucks received to 94. That is not a lot at all. It is desperately needed.

Fuel also not allowed to enter still.

Now the United Nations is warning of signs that, quote, "Civil order is starting to break down in Gaza." Thousands of civilians have taken basic items like flour and hygiene supplies from warehouses.

And Melissa Bell has reporting this morning from Cairo.

Melissa, good morning to you. I mean, 100 aid trucks a day are supposed to be going into Gaza. So when you have 94 total since this conflict broke out, that is hugely concerning.

MELISSA BELL, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Poppy, it is nowhere near enough. And what you're talking about is now for more than three weeks, that lack of basic supplies getting in, now having a catastrophic impact on the civilians of Gaza.

Now you mentioned that figure. We've just been hearing that an extra 24 trucks have gone in. That takes the total to 218. Still, though, Poppy, nowhere near enough.

Still no fuel and basic supplies now in such short supply. And the people so desperate that it is to looting, as you just heard, that they turned. And aid agencies have been warning for some time that the next step in this was the breakdown in any kind of social order, the tearing apart of the fabric of society.

And these are the first steps, they say, in that process. And when you add to that the fact that people are having to go in and take flour and wheat, basic hygiene supplies, just to survive, it paints a very grim picture.

That is even before you take into account the effects of the bombings day and night.

So far, we're approaching, according to the Palestinian health ministry's figures, 8,000 killed. Of those, 116 healthcare workers.

And again, last night, Poppy, was one of the major hospitals in Gaza hit by Israeli strikes. The Al Quds Hospital, the second biggest. Now, this is not just a hospital in which the wounded were being treated. There are, according to the Palestinian Red Cross, 12,000 people sheltering inside to try and seek refuge from that bombing.

It was, you know, the night the director of the hospital says deliberately calling it a war crime. We reached out to the IDF to try and get some response. For the time being, we haven't heard.

But you have to remember, Poppy, that it is that kind of bombing of the very places where people are seeking shelter that's making the situation so much more desperate than it was already.

HARLOW: And Melissa, exactly to that point about civilians being killed in these strikes, you sat down with the International Criminal Court to talk about this issue. What did he say?

BELL: That's right. He'd been up yesterday to the Rafah Crossing. He was able to get no further.

But it was an important visit, he explained, because this is about reminding everybody involved that international laws stand. And whether or not Israel is a signatory -- and it isn't -- he believes that ultimately, through the forensic investigation of all the evidence, there will be prosecutions.

Well, essentially his message as he came here, Poppy, was to both sides. The Hamas militants involved in the hostage taking, the IDF soldiers involved now in the bombing, and the siege of Gaza, that there will be no impunity.

And the personal responsibility will prevail.

I asked him specifically about the aid situation inside the Gaza Strip. This is what he had to say.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KARIN KHAN, PROSECUTOR, INTERNATIONAL CRIMINAL COURT: It's a requirement of the Geneva Conventions to allow humanitarian assistance to civilians. It can be a crime. It is a crime under the Rome Statute to deny that. And I think that's, again, a matter that needs urgent consideration by -- by Israel to make sure that food and medicine go to children and women and men.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BELL: This is an investigation that began back in 2014. Things have, of course, gotten so much worse. But he was there to say we are watching and we are counting; and we will keep track of everything that is happening inside and around Gaza -- Poppy.

HARLOW: Important to hear from him. Melissa, thank you for that reporting. We'll get back to you soon -- Phil.

MATTINGLY: These are horrifying videos. If you didn't see them on Sunday, you should watch them now.

An airport in Southern Russia was supposed to shut down after an anti- Israeli, very anti-Semitic mob broke in and charged the tarmac when their flight from Tel Aviv arrived on Sunday. Watch.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

(SHOUTING)

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MATTINGLY: You're looking at the scene at an airport in Dagestan, a region that is mostly Muslim.

Now, videos show a large crowd storming the airport, making it onto the runway. You can see some of the people waving Palestinian flags. Images verified by CNN also show people within the crowd holding anti- Semitic signs.

[06:10:10]

The Dagestan Health Ministry says at least ten people were injured, two critically. Authorities have closed the airport until Tuesday and are investigating how to ensure it is safe going forward.

Israel says it is working with Russian authorities to secure the wellbeing of Jews and Israelis at the site. And the White House called on Russia to protect Israelis and Jews after the incident.

HARLOW: We have much more on the war in Israel ahead.

We're also learning about missed warning signs, possibly critical signs ahead of that deadly shooting rampage in Maine. CNN has learned police were sent to the gunman's home weeks ago after concerns that he would snap and commit a mass shooting.

MATTINGLY: And the investigation continues into the death of Matthew Perry as fans around the world pay tribute to one of their favorite friends.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DAVID SCHWIMMER, ACTOR: Turn, turn, turn.

MATTHEW PERRY, ACTOR: I don't think we can turn anymore.

SCHWIMMER: Pivot, pivot, pivot.

PERRY: Shut up, shut up, shut up!

(END VIDEO CLIP)

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HARLOW: Welcome back. New this morning, CNN has obtained video of Hamas launching a weaponized drone from Gaza during the October 7th terror attack.

Look at that. In the video, you see the drone take off. CNN geolocated the launch site in the video to a residential building in Southern Gaza. The drone is seen rising from the building, moving toward the Gaza-Israel border.

[06:15:09]

A second video shows the drone lose power, lose that propulsion, crash to the ground. What's unclear is what caused that crash. It's also not clear whether it dropped munitions before crashing.

Meantime, heavy bombing continues in Gaza as Israel expands its offensive, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu saying that the second stage of this war on Hamas has begun.

This as Israel Defense Forces say they have struck over 450 targets in the last 24 hours.

With us now, CNN military analyst, retired Air Force Colonel Cedric Leighton. Morning. What's the second phase mean? Is this the definition of an incursion?

COL. CEDRIC LEIGHTON, CNN MILITARY ANALYST: Well, yes, it is, Poppy. And so when you look at some of the main things that we're going on here, let's take a look at the map here in Gaza.

Basically, what you've got is activities going on in the northern part and in the central part of Gaza. All of these areas are impact points, damaged buildings, craters. All of this is being affected by this.

So think of it first as an air campaign. That was the first phase. The second phase, ground incursions with all these troops coming in in areas like right in here.

And that -- that is basically what we're seeing right now.

MATTINGLY: And I think parallel to the planning for this next phase has been efforts by U.S. and its allies to try and stop the spillover, to try to keep the region at least somewhat contained.

Can you walk through where that actually stands right now, given what seems to be an accelerating, at least, rhetorical threats coming from many in the region.

LEIGHTON: Yes. For sure. You know, when you look at one of the big things that we're doing here from the United States perspective, is from the 26th MU (ph), the amphibious ready group, 2,000 Marines on the U.S.S. Bataan.

This is an amphibious assault ship. Its capabilities are a crisis response, humanitarian assistance and Special Ops capabilities that are integrated with other Special Operations forces.

So that's one aspect of -- of what's going on.

But when you look at the broader Middle East, you have all of these countries right here. Iran basically poised with its proxies all around Israel in these areas right here.

That really what is happening, where Israel has to deal with Gaza, but it's got all these other things to worry about. And what Iran says and does will influence what happens throughout the Middle Eastern region.

HARLOW: We heard the national security adviser yesterday, Jake Sullivan, warning about an elevated risk across the region, saying, Look, if the U.S., you know, is attacked, then the U.S. will respond.

And we've already seen the attacks by Iranian proxies on bases where U.S. forces are. What about what we saw happen at the airport in Dagestan yesterday?

We'll play the video as you talk through this with people, but basically Russian authorities say that this was an -- that many were waving pro-Palestinian flags. They were running to attack in the airport, which is by the way, still closed, toward a plane that had landed from Tel Aviv.

LEIGHTON: Yes. Exactly, Poppy. So this airport right here is in a town called Makhachkala, and it's right near the Caspian Sea. And this region in Dagestan is predominantly Islamic in terms of ethnicity and religion.

And this area is, in essence, one of the more restive regions of Russia. And because of this, any type of activity here, any type of pogrom-like, in other words, anti-Jewish, anti-Semitic violence that occurs here could influence and inflame everything that's going on in this very volatile region could upend things that the Russian state control of this region could actually be affected by this.

But it could also impact behaviors throughout the entire Middle East. And that is why this is so dangerous. And that particular video out of Dagestan really shows how volatile the situation has become.

HARLOW: Yes.

MATTINGLY: No question. Cedric Leighton, thank you.

LEIGHTON: You bet.

MATTINGLY: Well, authorities are working to determine the cause of Matthew Perry's death as the world says farewell to the beloved actor and friend.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) SCHWIMMER: I don't want to be single, OK? I just -- I just want to be married again.

PERRY: And I just want a million dollars.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MATT LEBLANC, ACTOR: We'll flip for it. Ducks or clowns?

PERRY: We're going to flip for the baby?

LEBLANC: You got a better idea?

Ducks is heads, because ducks have heads.

PERRY: What kind of scary-ass clowns came to your birthday?

Do we dare?

LEBLANC: We dare.

PERRY: Ahh.

LEBLANC: Ahh!

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MATTINGLY: That was, of course, Matthew Perry in his iconic portrayal of Chandler Bing in the hit sitcom "Friends." Perry was found dead Saturday at his Los Angeles home. The cause of his death remains unknown at this point.

And according to records from the Los Angeles County medical examiner office, his death will require additional investigative steps.

Though Perry is best known for his role as Chandler, he told our next guest that he didn't want to only be remembered for that role. Last year, Perry wrote a memoir detailing his struggles with addiction and talked about it in a remarkably revealing way in the podcast "Q with Tom Power."

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PERRY: I would like to be remembered as somebody who lived well, loved well, was a seeker, and his paramount thing is that he wants to help people. That's -- that's what I want.

The best thing about me, bar none, is if somebody comes up to me and says, I can't stop drinking, can you help me? I can can say yes and follow up and do it.

When I die, I don't want "Friends" to be the first thing that's mentioned. I want that to be the first thing that's mentioned. And I'm going to live the rest of my life proving that.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

[06:25:03]

MATTINGLY: Matthew Perry was 54.

Joining us now, the host of the podcast, "Q with Tom Power," Tom Power.

Tom, thanks so much for joining us.

What was so striking to me yesterday is, for all of the things that you could share about Matthew Perry on social media, friends, family, everyone, a million different clips, I saw that clip more than anything else. How do you feel about that?

TOM POWER, HOST, "Q WITH TOM POWER": It was -- it was sort of a culmination of everything that he wanted. I remembered that moment when I was at home, and I found out that Matthew had passed on, and that moment came to me.

You know, that was -- that was a moment towards the end of our conversation, when we started taking some audience questions. And one of the audience questions was how would you like to be remembered?

And it really caught me off-guard, because we had spent a lot of time talking about his struggles with addiction, his troubles over the years, and a little bit about his experience and the way that he looked back on "Friends" and sort of complicated feelings he has around that.

And I remembered him saying to me, Tom, you know, this is how I want to be remembered. I want to be remembered as someone who was trying to help people, trying to help people kick the addictions that they're going through, and not necessarily through "Friends."

And he even said to the audience, anyone here is struggling in this theater, I want to help you. So I mean, of course, the first thing I thoughts about was -- was how he wanted to be remembered. And it's been -- it's been heartening to see that that's the clip that's been shared.

HARLOW: You know, along those lines, he told "The L.A. Times," essentially, you know, I want to be remembered as someone who, running into me was a good thing, not a bad thing. And I wonder what you make of that, since you had this really special time with him, you know, a year ago.

POWER: I think the troubles that he went through in terms of his addiction and -- and the various things that he went through in his life, the vibe I got from him was that that gave him a deep compassion and a deep empathy for others.

And from the moment I walked backstage, and we were in -- we were in the smallest little green room you could ever imagine in the back of this theater in Toronto. He was so kind to the people around him. He was so kind to the people who were working there.

And when we got onstage, and it was a big, packed, full house. And it was full of people who had grown up watching "Friends" or people who had discovered "Friends" during the pandemic, and it had really helped -- really helped them get through a really rough time in their lives.

You can look out and see the kindness that he felt for them, the compassion he felt for him and the empathy that was coming out of him. And you could tell that the -- the things that he went through in his life, coming from this intense fame, the things he had gone through in his life only brought him closer to the people around him.

HARLOW: Yes. Well, what an experience you had. And Tom, I'm glad you gave him that platform to share all of that. Thank you, Tom Power, for being with us this morning.

POWER: My -- my pleasure.

HARLOW: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu facing a lot of backlash for a now-deleted social media post blaming intelligence officials for the October 7th Hamas attack, just as families of hostages still being held by Hamas are asking Benjamin Netanyahu to trade all of Israel's Palestinian prisoners for all of their loved ones being held by Hamas.

And right now, you're looking at live pictures. This is smoke rising over Gaza. Back.

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