outside the parks except for a couple of these men arrested for downloading child important at work. experts we spoking with tell us it doesn't matter where these crimes took place, the threat is still there. >> the full investigation tonight at 8:00 eastern only on cnn. i'm jake tapper. right now i turn you over to wolf blitzer live from the situation room. live from jerusalem. live from jerusalem. mr. blitzer. -- captions by vitac -- www.vitac.com happening now, this is the situation room special report brink of war. on the run, thousands of palestinians flee for their lives as israeli missiles rain down on gaza and the civilian death toll climbs. ducking for cover. our cnn crew caught in the frightening and confusing incident at the border checkpoint as the number of hamas rocket attacks nears 1,000

coming into israel. plus, extreme weather danger. you're looking at a live picture of washington as nearly one-third of the country faces severe thunderstorms, flooding and dramatic drops in temperature. so what is the weather phenomenon that's causing it all? we want to welcome our viewers in the united states and around the world. i'm wolf blitzer in jerusalem. you're in "the situation room." >> we're following the breaking news, and it is significant. egypt is now calling for a halt to the fighting starting tomorrow morning offering to broker help maintain a cease-fire just as it did during the last armed conflict between israel and hamas some two years ago. we've just learned the prime minister of israel benjamin netanyahu has ordered the israeli security cabinet to meet first thing tuesday morning and review the egyptian proposal which senior israeli officials say they are taking very, very

seriously. the two sides are one week into this latest deadly air war where hamas tiring haphazard rockets into israel. israel responding with precision air strikes that have also killed at light of 185 people in gaza topping the number in the last war according to israeli officials. we're covering all angles of this significant story this hour. our correspondents are standing by across the region. our guests include the united states ambassador to israel. first, the latest on the fighting. tonight, a steady pounding on both sides of the border. i was waiting in a sealed border checkpoint with our crew when we had to duck for cover. >> just heard shots. we're not exactly sure what's going on. you can see one israeli soldier over there collapsed. did we get the all clear?

>> a young israeli woman soldier clearly was traumatized. she fell to the ground and started to cry. you don't often see that. later she told me it's been really, really hard especially on these young 18, 19-year-old soldier who's come on the border and hear rockets going off. israel says about 1,000 rockets have been fired from gaza some of them intercepted by the dome defense system while we were in the border city. another rocket made it through, damaging cars and this man's neighborhood. >> i heard very strong boom around here. everything shook. things fell. i peeked from the door and saw the dust going this way. i understood it was very, very close by. >> reporter: hamas is showing off another weapon in its arsenal claiming this video is of drones built by its military wing. israel says it shot down a drone spotted along its coastline.

israeli forces massed at the gaza border and striking from the air. hammering what israel calls terror targets about 1500 strikes so far. the palestinian death toll is rising. their funeral for a father and son. u.n. officials say 70% of the dead in gaza are civilians including more than 30 children and two women were killed when an israeli air strike hit a center for the disabled. a u.n. agency says 17,000 refugees now are taking shelter in 20 schools in gaza. cnn diana magnay is in a kibbutz near the border. ben wedeman is joining us from gaza city. ben, have you gotten any reaction from hamas to this proposal for a cease-fire which the egyptian foreign ministry formally put out as i-reported earlier? a senior official says the

israelis are taking it very seriously and will have a special meeting of their security cabinet, that the prime minister is convening first thing tuesday morning. any reaction at all from hamas in gaza where you are? >> reporter: we've heard, wolf from fauscy bar human, a spokesman for the movement who says there will be no cease fire as far as hamas and the other groups and organizations here in gaza are concerned unless their conditions are met. their conditions are an end to the israeli offensive and operations in the west bank, release of all those who had -- who have been rounded up in that israeli operation in the west bank who were part of the gi lad deal from 2011. so until those conditions are met, hamas says there will be no cease fire. however, there is a lot of pressure from ordinary people here in gaza foreign.

as you mentioned the death toll is now almost 190. life has been completely disrupted. more than 1,300 people wounded. here in gaza, they're ready for a cease-fire, but maybe hamas isn't. wolf? >> because if you read carefully as i have and i'm sure you have, as well, ben, the egyptian cease fire proposal which the foreign ministry in cairo made public, they say all of these issues could be discussed down the road but the immediate need is to stop the israeli air strikes and stop the hamas rocket attacks on israel. stop that and then discuss some of this other stuff. what you're hearing from a hamas person in gaza is they're not going to accept an immediate cease fire in place and discuss other issues down the road. they want israel, for example to, release the palestinian prisoners and other demands they put forward before they accept any cease-fire.

is that right? >> yeah, that's correct. but that may not be the final word. that may have been his initial reaction to the news. but we do know that despite the chilled relations between cairo and hamas within the last year since the overthrow of mohamed morsi, assisi the president was the head of military intelligence before he came to power. he's a man with a lot of connections and he could easily twist some arms here in gaza to make this thing work. i don't think the egyptians would have put it out on the table so publicly unless they thought it had a very good chance of working. wolf? >> i'm going to be speaking later this hour where osama hamdan, one of the chief speaks mans of hamas. we'll get his reaction to the cease fire proposal. ben, stand by for a moment.

diana magnay is in escalon not far from the gaza border. it's come under rocket attacking from hamas. what are you hearing over there, diana? i know the israelis are taking this egyptian cease fire proposal very seriously because a senior israeli official told me so. >> yes, well, i think the most important thing to tell you, wolf, is that even before we heard about this proposal, i was remarking with my team how quiet it was compared to the last few nights or in fact the last week of this campaign when every evening we've had volleys of rockets going overhead. today as dusk fell, we were overlooking the border awaiting the same thing, there was nothing. there has been no rockets coming this way. we will thought has some sort of consensus been reached between parties within gaza? now we have this proposal for a

cease-fire. it's difficult to gauge really how israelis will react. if there is the possibility that egypt can be broker a deal between both sides and both sides do decide to stop firing at each other. i would imagine that a lot of people in israel will go, what does that achieve? we did exactly what we did this time two years ago. there was a cease-fire, then hamas built up its rockets and the same thing happened. and certainly the sentiment from people here in the south, wolf, and i'm sure you've spoken to them too is they want to see the israeli government be very hard on hamas because they experience these rocket attacks not just during an operation like this but pretty much consistently. it's a fact of daily life. i would imagine for the people in tel aviv in jerusalem, they just want normal life to continue. i think you'll get a very mixed reaction. all of that is what will benjamin netanyahu will be having to take into account as

he looks very carefully at this whole, wolf. >> together with his security cabinet. i was with you earlier today along the border with gaza. i can confirm everything you're saying. stand by. we'll get back to you in a few moments, as well. let's get israeli reaction to the breaking news we're following. michael lorn is the form ser israeli ambassador to the united states and is joining us now from tel aviv. it looks like the israeli cabinet will meet tomorrow, taking this egyptian proposal seriously. is this the break through a lot of folks, israelis and palestinians, ambassador, have been looking for? >> well, it's an unusual development insofar as in previous rounds of fighting between israel and hamas, usually a mediator, egyptians in 2012, it was secretary of state clinton, had to shuttle back and forth for hours hammering out the details of an agreement in order to get the cease-fire. now the egyptians are saying

there's going to be a cease-fire and then they'll sit down and hammer out the details of an agreement. hamas as you heard earlier is saying it wants these prisoners released. it wants israel to lift its maritime blockade of the gaza strip and wants the border crossings open to egypt with they're closed right now. israel has demands. it wants hamas to be effectively demilitarized of its missile arsenal. it wants no return to the status quo that existed before where there was a cease-fire that enabled hamas to build up its missile arsenal with even bigger missiles and longer range missiles. i can't seek for the entire israeli public but i think the average in the street is going to object to any cease-fire that really just brings israel back to what existed in the last year and a half. which leads me to think that there may be more to this cease

fire than just a pure cease fire, that there's been some indicationing that hamas will be relieve of its missile arsenal perhaps by egyptian or even palestinian inspectors from the west bank. egypt certainly has a role, has an interest in increasing the influence and the prestige of mahmoud abbas and the palestinian authority in the west bank and getting mahmoud abbas involved in controlling the situation in gazaings. >> well, we know that the new egyptian president alcee see is someone very different than the man he replaced mohamed morsi who brokered the last cease fire. israel has a pretty good relationship with this new egyptian president. i suspect that is in part with benjamin netanyahu is now taking the cease-fire proposal very seriously, convening a special meeting of the israeli security cabinet first thing tuesday

morning. you know netanyahu, the prime minister of israel, well. walk us through what his thinking is but do it relatively briefly. >> it's just very simple. it's not going back to the status quo that existed between november of 2012, that is the last cease fire and last week. and when that cease fire broke down. and that a cease-fire enabled hamas to build up its rocket arsenal. prime minister netanyahu will present to his cabinet a cease-fire which he will say to them is going to result in a defacto demillerrization of gaza similar to the way the chemical weapons were removed from bashar assad's regime in syria. >> do you think that's something hamas would be realistically inclined to accept? >> well, i listened to the speech of the leader of hamas tonight, and it was anything but

a victory speech. usually hamas declares some great victory over the enemy. tonight he virtually apologized through his people. he didn't want this war. sorry for putting you through so much suffer. hamas is isolated in the region and it has presided over a ruinous economy. hamas could the alsoen incentivized here i believe with the possibility of easing the israeli blockade of opening border crossings between israel and gaza and between egypt and be gaza and maybe some nice international aid package for the people of gaza not only to rebuild from their war damage but to resuscitate the gazan economy which has been so morbid over the past few years. perhaps the qataris will play a role in providing funds. >> they've got the monies. they've been involved behind the scenes, as well. michael, stand by.

we'll get back to you, as well. coming up, we're live here in jerusalem following the breaking news. a cease-fire proposal put forward by the egyptians, the israelis welcoming it. and in effect, taking it very, very seriously. the leadership of hamas. we're still waiting for a formal reaction. who are the men calling the shots in the air war against israel? would they it be open to a cease-fire. >> reporter: what does hamas make of egypt's new cease fire proposal? how seriously is hamas taking this plan? i'll speak with a top hamas spokesman standing by live. stay with us. we're continuing our breaking news on our special report live from jerusalem. (vo) friday night has always been all fun and games, here at the harrison household. but one dark, stormy evening... she needed a good meal and a good family.

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we're coming to you live from jerusalem where we're following the breaking news. egypt now calling for a cease-fire to halt the fighting starting tomorrow morning. offering to broker, help maintain a cease-fire just as it did during the last armed conflict between israel and hamas some two years ago. we've just learned that prime minister benjamin netanyahu has ordered his israeli security cabinet to meet tuesday morning to review the egyptian proposal wila senior israeli official has told me, the israeli government is taking very seriously. let's get the reaction from hamas, the hamas spokesman osama hamdan is joining us once again from hey route. are you taking the egyptian cease fire proposal very

seriously? >> well, i have to say clearly, it's not a real proposal. some ideas. there is ideas which was introduced by the egyptians for the israeli side because everyone knows that egyptian has hosted the negotiations 2012 and there was a cease-fire. israel violated first. now we are still talking about the violation and what may happen. we believe that the ideas are still ideas unless the israelis show a clear position towards those ideas and unless as the israelis say they are ready to deal with them in a serious way. we don't have till now any information about the israeli position or any reaction from the israeli side except what netanyahu have done. he called for a meeting for the security cabinet to discuss the issue. >> well, let me go through the egyptian proposal because as you know, the egyptian foreign

ministry publicly released the document they put forward to hamas to your leadership in gaza as well as to the israelis. and it's beak a four-point proposal. very simple. point number one which you will accept is that israel shall cease all hostilities against the gaza strip by land sea and air refrain from conducting ground incursions against gaza or targeting civilians. that's something you definitely want israel to stop launching air strikes into gaza. here's what they want from you, this is the egyptian proposal. i want your specific reaction. all palestinian factions in gaza considerable cease all hostilities -- i'm reading this for our viewers so they know what the egyptian proposal wants hamas to do. all palestinian factions in gaza shall cease all hostilities from the gaza strip against israel via land, sea and underground and commit to refrain from

firing all types of rockets and from attacks on the borders or targeting civilians. if israel stops firing it on hamas and the palestinian people in gaza, will you stop launching rockets against israel? >> well, i have to answer in two points, if you don't mind. first, the egyptians did not send that initiative to us. it was not sent to the palestinian side, nothing, not the palestinian organizations, not hamas. so it was released in the media and we don't talk about such issues in the media. this is the first point. so the till now we consider that there is no official egyptian initiative. there is official done by the united states and the mediators, the turks and the qataris. second point, what we have said from the first day is we did not start the attack. the israelis violated the cease-fire. they started attacking the

palestinians. so the resistance movement reacted against that. we will did the reaction. so what we were asking for in the last eight, nine days that the israelis must stop their attack and must stop their attack against west bank which is not clear in the egyptian declared paper. i insist we did not receive that officially yet. they did mention the fact which was under huge collective punishments from four weeks to now. they have to mention now. the egyptians have to answer a big question. the prisoners exchange agreement was violated also by the israelis and 60% were rearrested by the israelis. we were talking about rearresting this em also. the palestinian legislative council were arrested just for effect story created by netanya netanyahu. we want answers. i want to say clearly, we ask

from the first day that israel must stop attacking the palestinians, stop the violation of the palestinian or the cease-fire agreement and also stop the collective punishments against west bank. those ideas are not in the egyptian paper. >> i was going to -- i'm sorry for interrupting, mr. hamdan. they say if the israelis stop firing on gaza and hamas and the other palestinian factions islamic jihad stop fire ong israel, then the egyptian proposal goes on to say border crossings for gaza which the people in the gaza want, crossings shall be be opened and movement of goods and persons shall be be facilitated once the security situation becomes greater. there would be goods through israel to gaza and back through israel as well as through egypt.

other issues including security issues shall be discussed down the road by the two sides. so some of these -- there's no mention, by the way, of some of the other specific issues that you're talking about like the israel's retaking some of these palestinians prisoners. presumably that could be discussed because the egyptian proposal says within 48 hours of the cease fire they will welcome a high level israeli delegation to cairo and high level hamas delegation to cairo to work out the other details. does that sound acceptable? >> well, john, this is a silly idea. it's a joke. it's not politics. really it's a joke. we have tried that with the israelis. sign the agreement and you will have a state in five years. we were supposed to have a fight 1998, and we are still now in 2014 and still under the occupation. they can't say that stop firing, the israelis will stop firing with the upper hand, they can

fire whenever they want. you have to stop that. we will see if we can open the borders and give you the right to live without the israeli attacks. the idea here is simple. you have to stop -- you have to make an end for the occupation. you have to make a clear guarantee for the palestinians that they will not suffer an israeli attack anymore. they will not suffer any more from the israeli bombs or not suffer any more from the israeli threats. this is the idea. we can't live all the day under the threat of the israelis. what is written in this paper is not really initiative. it's not really an idea. what they are trying to do is to corner the palestinians and to help the israelis more. i don't believe that this is a political thing to be done. it's close to be a joke. >> close to be a joke you say. let me ask you this question because it's a sensitive issue. >> yeah, you know. >> cease fire at the end of

2012, hold on a second, at the end of 2012, it was then mohamed morsi who is now in jail in egypt. i know you trusted mohamed morsi as the leadership of hamas, do you trust the new president of egypt, abdel fatah alcee see to probing broker an honest cease fire between hamas and israel? >> well, let me say that we did not trust only mr. ha mad morsi has a president. we trusted in 2008, 2009 and he was the broker. and we accepted his mediation. so simply the idea if any mediator has the a good mediation will accept that. when you are talking about the egyptian mediation i'm telling you clearly we did not receive this declared paper from the egyptians through the channels

between us and the egyptians which means it's an judiciaryiative. it's not a political initiative discussed by the palestinian side. i don't know if it was also discussed by the israelis. i have no idea. so if you want to trust the mediator, he has to do his work as he's supposed to be as a neutral and mediator which is not clear in this situation. >> osama hamdan, the spokesman for hamas joining us tonight. we'll continue to stay in touch with you and check back with you tomorrow. we'll see if anything happens following the israeli security cabinet meeting first thing tuesday morning. osama hamdan, you were with us friday night and with us tonight. we'll continue this conversation. i know you're not very happy with the egyptian proposal. you call it in a joke in con trat the israelis say they're taking it very seriously. >> it's good to have make some

jokes in some situation. >> it's an awful situation. >> why not to be -- >> too many palestinians unfortunately are being killed right now. too many are being injured. it would be good to see -- >> it would be good to stop the fighting >> it's a very all of situation. this is the idea. it's a very awful situation. someone is trying to play games, not to be a mediator to solve the real problem. >> i hear what you're saying osama hamdan. we'll check back with you tomorrow following the israeli security cabinet meeting. we'll see what the reaction from hamas is. so far that reaction negative. we'll have much more on the breaking news. the flus ambassador tore israel, daniel shapiro will get the u.s. reaction. he's in tel aviv. much more on the breaking news. this is a situation room special report.

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tells me the israeli government is taking very seriously. we just heard a hamas spokesman on the other hand call the egyptian cease fire proposal in the words of osama hamdan, a joke. let's talk about it with daniel shapiro joining us live from tel aviv. mr. ambassador thanks for joining us. i know we have a delay in our satellite between you and me. but tell us what the u.s. reaction is. i assume the u.s. is familiar with the egyptian proposal, the israelis say they're taking it seriously. so far, the hamas group, mr. hamdan is saying it's a joke. what does the united states believe? >> well, wolf, i think i'll let my colleagues in washington give our first official response to what the egyptian foreign ministry published. let me tell you this. since the beginning of this conflict, the united states has taken the position, number one, this has been caused by the actions of a terrorist organization, hamas, firing

rockets and missiles against civilian populations in israel which we've condemned. number two is, israel had the right of self defense and we supported that right of self-defense. number three, it's caused hardship and suffering for civilians on both sides. israelis have had to run repeatedly to bomb shelters. certainly there have been tragic casualties among palestinians in gaza which we deeply regret, as well. what was needed was a diplomatic effort that would allow, bring about an end to the rocket fire which would an deescalation and return to the calm that prevailed since 2012. all along, secretary of state kerry said to all the parties, to prime minister netanyahu, to the egyptians, palestinian authority other parties that the united states was available to work with those party who's could help construct such an arrangement. obviously, egypt has a historic role in helping broker cease

fires and ends to conflicts between israel and hamas and other terrorist organizations in gaza. so we know that egypt has a strong leadership role to play. of course, secretary kerry has been in close touch with his egyptian colleagues, as well. he'll see how this develops. our goal from the beginning has been to a deescalation and a better outcome for the civilian populations of both sides. >> that's clearly what the egyptians have in mind, as well. i was surprised to hear the hamas spokesman call the proposal a joke saying formally it hasn't even been presented to the hamas leadership in gaza. they don't seem to be taking it very seriously right now. but you know, i understand what you're saying. what about the secretary of state? there's been a lot of speculation he could get directly involved, go to egypt,

go to qatar, maybe come here to israel. what are you hearing about his direct involvement in this? >> well, i can tell you that from the beginning of this conflict, i think kerry was in china at the time, subsequently he was in afghanistan lately and currently, he's been in vienna for the iran nuclear talks. throughout that period, he's been been actively eb engaged and spoken repeated little with prime minister nettenia shoe, counterparts in qatar, jordan, turkey, president an abbas of the palestinian authority making clear that the united states is supporting it israel's right of self-defense and working to de-escalate the conflict with those parties. secretary kerry as you know very well is always willing to go where he's needed to make a difference in our diplomatic efforts. but make no mistake, he's been deeply engaged on this working the telephones and meeting with

colleagues in vienna, as well throughout this period. and obviously, we're hopeful that the days and hours to come will lead to that end of the rocket fire and the deescalation and the return to the calm we've been calling for. >> that would be good to stop the fighting and air strikes from israel into gaza which have caused a lot of injuries among palestinians, a lot of innocent civilians and as you point out, the chilling effect here in israel. rockets and missiles coming into israel. no deaths in israel. one final quell because you're an experienced diplomat. i just want to get your sense. the israelis have now gone into what i would describe as a silent mode. usually they're very talkative. they're not afraid to make their points. once they said that the israeli cabinet was going to meet in the special session tomorrow morning to consider the egyptian cease fire proposal wilthey're taking

seriously this he canceled the chief spokesman for the prime minister benjamin netanyahu mark regular gov was supposed to be a guest here tonight, lieutenant colonel peter lerner, a chief spokesman for the israel defense forces. the fact they're going on radio silence in advance of that cabinet meeting tomorrow morning, what does that say to you, mr. ambassador? >>. >> i think it says to me there is a serious diplomatic initiative under way. that's something we welcome and provided our support for and that the israeli government obviously is taking it seriously and needs to have internal consultations and that's a time when they will understandably may not want to speak as fully in flick until certain decisions have been made. so i certainly understand that. they'll i'm sure look at any proposal that's put forward and as i said, our goal is to help

support them and others to achieve an end to their rocket fire and the des escalation. and to look ahead. obviously, there's some history to these conflicts. after operation cast lead, the united states and many other countries worked to try to help stabilize the situation in gaza to improve the situation on the ground for the populations improve the flow of goods, also to work on removing weapons that come into the hands of hamas and anterrorist organizations. there were similar efforts that followed operation pillar of defense in 2012. i'm sure it the israeli government will not only be looking at the current situation and how to achieve that will deescalation to come but how to try to prevent recurrence of this kind of i think in the future. >> daniel shapiro, thanks very much for joining us. we'll stay in close touch with you. we're also, by the way, later going to getting reaction from the palestinian authority side.

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homeland. >> it's more frightening than anything i think i've seen as attorney general. >> this spring, a florida man sided with jihadists blowing himself up in syria. he was one of what u.s. officials say are some 7,000 foreign fighters in syria, of that about 3,000 coming from europe and around 100 are americans. the justice department's top national security official john carlin tells cnn in an exclusive interview the government is actively monitoring american who have gone overseas. >> and make sure that we are able to observe disrupt them before they can come back to the united states or europe to cause harm. >> reporter: adding to their worry, those that are harder to keep track of. >> a major concern of ours are those people who come from other parts of the world who can travel freely within say the european union and who have the ability to come to the united states without visas. >> reporter: american officials

say there is another clear and present danger, bombmakers in yemen teaming up with terrorists in syria. a deadly combination. >> for those thinking about of traing abroad to join with terrorist groups, i would like them to know don't do it. you're going to end up in jail or dead. it's not a step that you should take. >> reporter: and then there's isis, a terrorist group that split from al qaeda. busy commandeering iraq and syria, at least for now. >> i think it's a matter of time before they start looking outward and start looking at the west and at the united states in particular. >> reporter: in response to a new capability by terrorists officials are stepping up security measures overseas and for some passengers here in the u.s. >> pamela brown, thanks very much. coming up live from here in jerusalem, we're following the breaking news. storm israel's security cabinet will discuss a proposal for a cease-fire. our special report coming up at the top of the hour.

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. back to the breaking news on israel and hamas in a moment. but there is severe weather unfolding in the united states right now. our meteorologist chad myers is standing by. chad, what's going on? >> big storms, one just moved through washington, d.c., one just north of baltimore, one to new york city. the storms putting down very

heavy rainfall. yes, there could be wind damage with it. i'm more concerned about late night and overnight flooding as these storms are going to go all night long. there are watches and also warnings in effect. if you get a storm over your house, stay inside. it will go away in 15 minutes. these are pretty fast movers. but flood watches are out, flood warnings are out. an awful lot of rain coming down. part of very cold air coming down from the north. not a polar vortex, we won't use that term. just nice cold air coming in for this time of summer. wolf? >> chad, thanks very much. coming up, we're live from jerusalem. we'll have the very latest on the breaking news about a proposed cease-fire.

happening now, in the "situation room," a special report. brink of war. urgent new moves sets off warfare between israel and hamas. the u.s. may be getting involved as the death toll reaches a historic level. >> we don't know what's going on. >> another tense day near the israel/gaza border. we took cover from incoming fire. stand by for my reporting from the relentless attacks. and in a serious scare in the air. we're learning more about why a

jet was forced to make an emergency landing, stranding passengers for hours on a remote island. we want to welcome our viewers in the united states and around the world. i'm wolf blitzer live from jerusalem. you're in "the situation room." >> announcer: this is cnn breaking news. >> let's get right to the breaking news here in the middle east. the israeli prime minister benjamin nett anyahu is having emergency talks about a possible cease-fire with palestinian militants as the fighting raging. there's a new truce initiative and john kerry, secretary of state, may head to the region soon to lay the ground work to 0 an end to the fighting that has taken a devastating toll. officials in gaza now say 185 palestinians have been killed by israeli air strikes, more than those who actually died during the last military encounter between israel and hamas at the end of 2012. our correspondents are standing

by and we'll hear from both sides of this conflict. first, though, more of the latest developments tonight. >> you hear it? oh, my god. >> go, go, go, go! >> panic filled moments like this playing out over and over again for people in israel and in gaza. we were at the heavily armed border at a sealed-off checkpoint when soldiers even took cover and so did we. we just heard shots. we're not exactly sure what's going on. israel now says about 1,000 rockets have been fired from gaza. some of them have landed in and around the border city. they're collected and examined at the local police station. >> there are a number of different rockets abandoned over the last 24, 48 hours striking in the heart of israel. they've been fired by the hamass, aimed at women and children and families. >> soon after that interview, sirens blared. a rocket streaked overhead.

and the iron dome defense system intercepted it, showering the area with shrapnel. when you're this close to the border, you only have about 15 seconds to take shelter or risk being hit and possibly killed. we're here at a hill overlook the israeli town of sterote. you can see it, a beautiful little town. but it's vulnerable, vulnerable to rockets coming from right over here. that's not israel. that's gaza. in gaza, israel now says it has struck about 1500 what it calls terror targets. but the u.n. says 70% of those killed aren't hamas fighters. they're civilians, including more than 30 children and two women killed when an israeli air strike hit a center for the disabled. and a father and son whose bodies were carried through the streets of gaza. another funeral as the fighting goes on. senior israeli officials say they're taking a new egyptian cease-fire proposal very

seriously. but when i talked to a hamas spokesman just a while ago, he dismissed the egyptian cease-fire plan. in his word, as a joke. let's bring in our senior international correspondent ben we'd 0 ama -- wedeman. he's in hamas. what are you hearing from the spokesman of hamas in beirut? he says the egyptians haven't even delivered the proposal formally to the hamas leadership. >> reporter: yes. well, we did get initial reaction from the spokesman for the hamas movement who simply rejected it and said that hamas has its own conditions that must be met first before there is a cease-fire. and of course initially when news came out that there might be a cease-fire, many gazans were quite happy. they're exhausted after eight days of these almost constant air strikes on gaza because if there's not a cease-fire, the future is going to look grim.

it's the scene repeated hundreds of time in gaza over the last week. a house blown to bits in an israeli air raid. its contents blasted into the road. no one was hurt this time here in northern gaza. the house next it door was hit 20 minutes ago. they received a three-minute warning. the problem is, okay, the house next door might be a target, but this one wasn't, and half of it is destroyed. the neighbor says there was no unusual activity in the house and like many here he doesn't understand why he and his family are being punished. my son isn't even here, he tells me. he's working in libya. only his wife is here. is she fighting israel? this is tyranny. when we left that house, we saw another one being hit.

near gaza city, this 20-year-old prays at the grave of his father and 17 others who were killed in an israeli air striking saturday evening. the bloodiest single strike since israel launched its offensive against gaza. he recalls he had a strange premonition the first day of the wa war. i looked at my father's face. he looked strange, he recalls. i went to my room, closed the door. i knew he would die. i put my head on the pillow and cried for my father and all the other people who would die. there may be more to it than that, however. his father was a leader in hamas' military wing. and in the compound where the extended family lives, we found what looked like reinforced

tunnels. while the war rages on with no end in sight, men in jabaliya for what passes for ordinary life here. lining up at a united nations center to receive their rations, flour, rice, cooking oil and sugar, rations like these make the difference between survival and starvation in this impoverished sliver of land, stuck between poverty and war with no way out. on the bright side, however, it's been relatively quiet this evening. the quietest evening we've seen yet. wolf? >> may be an encouraging sign, even if the rhetoric from hamas continues to be negative as far as this egyptian cease-fire proposal is concerned. ben, thanks very much. the fate of the new cease-fire proposal depends in part on leaders of hamas and if it they can get past of their initial rejection of this new proposal.

let's get more on the hamas leadership. brian todd has been working this part of the story for us. brian, what are you finding out? >> wolf, hamas' leadership is under immense pressure tonight, but at the same time flexing their muscles. we have seen one part of the image that hamass is trying to project, showing off that military sophistication it's using to take on israel, trying to show the world it's more than just a simple militant group. this is video of an aerial drone, one of several hamas says it is sending on missions inside israel. experts say the pictures symbolize hamas' ambition. ambition they say driven by fractured leadership beset with internal rivalries and divided by military wings that sometimes don't communicate. >> we don't target the civilians. i don't like to shed any drop of blood. >> reporter: that's hamas' top political leader and often its public face. in a 2012 interview with

christiane amanpour. a former teacher, he operates mostly are from qatar and is known as the external deal maker getting money and weapons from players like iran. >> despite his george clooney type looks he's very much a dangerous man because he aids and abets hamas' very destructive policies and strategies. >> reporter: hamas' two other top political leaders are believed to be operating in gaza and living in e-0 jiegypt. one of them just spoke to the media. they've called themselves the resistance, the u.s. and israel call them terrorists. but tonight experts wonder if they're still calling the shots. >> it's very much believed that the political leadership, wing, inside gaza and externally with counseling with restraint. the military wing had other ideas. >> reporter: that military wing is led by a shadowy figure who has survived multiple sasses nation attempts.

he was injured years ago and is believed to have handed some of the operational role to other top hamas leaders. his forte unconventional attacks on israel, such as the ones this month. >> that could be naval commando infiltrations inside israel we've seen over the past few days. it could be these kidnapping or offensive type operations through attack tunnels underneath the gaza border inside israel. >> and it's that kind of tactic which analysts say may have made him one of iz reeld's chief targets in this operation, possibly a more high value target than any of hamas' political leaders right now if there's not going to be a cease-fire imminent, wolf. >> and if there's a real split as there apparently is among that hamas leadership, a cease-fire acceptance poornt of hamas becomes more difficult and complicated. brian todd, thanks very much. joining us now is the chief palestinian negotiator. he's joining us on the phone

from jericho on the west bank. thanks, as usual. we're getting relatively positive reaction from the ra israeli government. they say they're taking the egyptian proposal very seriously. i spoke to a hamas spokesman in beirut. he says the egyptian proposal is a joke. what is the palestinian authority leadership and you are among that leadership think of this egyptian proposal that the foreign ministry in cairo made public? >> we welcome it. strong lly welcome it. i had the conversation with the egyptian foreign minister, and he also had a conversation. he shared with us the exact intention of the egyptian proposal. they would specify hopefully in the next few hours, zero hour for a cease-fire, and then they will begin speaking to the palestinian leadership and palestinian factions. so now just about 40 minutes ago

the minister spoke to the arab ministers convening now in cairo, and i think the majority or all of the arab foreign ministers have welcomed the initiative. you know, wolf, that if there is any possibility for a cease-fire, if there is any possibility to come to agreement it will have to be an egyptian proposal. that's the political geography and that's what's needed today. so i believe it's premature to jump to conclusion about what hamas says because i know that some other leaders in hamas have said, we are not closing any doors for any initiative for a cease-fire. so let's hope, let's work, see what mr. john kerry will be doing in cairo. i'm sure that he will put all of his efforts so the egyptians, countries like the arab league tonight, the arab world will put their backing to the egyptian

proposal, fully ensuring this proposal. i'm really hopeful we will see some real, real serious possible cease-fire in the next 12 to 24 hours. >> that would be great if the deaths in gaza could stop, the injuries, the rockets coming into israel. a cease-fire would be excellent news. but i want you to listen to what asama hamdan told me within the past hour, listen to this. >> this is a silly idea. it's a joke. it's not politics. it's a joke. >> he says it's a joke, a silly idea. and he also says that hamas has not even formally received the egyptian proposals in a document. why would he say that? >> i'm sure that once he receives the official egyptian offer and proposal, they will. because to say it's a joke

before even he reads it, he said he hasn't received it, the egyptians plan to bring hamas leaders within the next few hours to cairo to discuss this with them. as i said, they shared this with us. they share this with the arab leaders. i'm sure they're sharing this with the europeans, the americans, the russians, everyone. so if there is any sign of hope to stop this cycle of violence, to stop the killing fields out there, to stop the killing of women and destruction of gaza, what we need to do now is to exert every possible effort in order to ensure that egypt will succeed. that's what wre need now. what we need is the deescalation and i think the only game in town 0 is this egyptian effort. we fully back this effort and i'm sure that many leaders of hamas once they read the proposal and share it with the

egyptians they'll be fully on board. and i was told by some hamass leaders they would not close the door in the face of any effort to bringing about a cease-fire. >> that's encouraging news. let's continue this conversation. we'll talk to you again tomorrow, see what the israeli cabinet decides, see what john kerry's plans are, see how the egyptian proposal is going with the palestinians in gaza, the hamas leadership. the chief palestinian negotiator. coming up, we're live here in jerusalem. much more on the breaking news, troops still poised on the gaza border for a possible ground invasion. we're looking at the israeli military strategy as the efforts toward a cease-fire unfolds. later, airline passengers feared they would die when their plane made an emergency landing on an isolated island. we're learning more about that nightmare. stay with us. you're in "the situation room" live from jerusalem.

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we're back live from jerusalem. even as there are new moves to a possible cease-fire, israeli forces remain poised for a possible ground invasion of gaza. our pentagon correspondent barbara starr takes us inside isra israel's military strategy. >> reporter: wolf, the question now is, with all the talk of a potential cease-fire, how much of hamas' capability will israel try to destroy, and what strategy will they use before a potential agreement may go into effect? israeli tanks and ground forces massing, firing into gaza from the israeli side of the border.

this is just a fraction of the 3,000 tanks and nearly 1,000 artillery pieces in the israeli arsenal. overwhelming firepower if prime minister benjamin netanyahu orders a ground invasion. on cbs' "face the nation," he didn't rule it out. >> we use whatever means are necessary to defend our people. >> reporter: so far, 40,000 reservists have been called up, but israel knows the human toll of a ground war potentially catastrophic. >> how long can both sides hold out and whether both sides will now turn to some type of diplomatic option. israel i know would like 0 to avoid a ground invasion of gaza, that would probably cost a great number of israeli lives, certainly a greater number of palestinian lives. >> reporter: ground action so far remains limited. >> it looks to me like the israelis are trying not to have to go in there on the ground. it's densely populated. there are going to be a lot of civilian casualties. no way to avoid it.

>> reporter: but israel shows no let-up in its punishing air strikes in gaza that have resulted in dozens of civilian deaths according to palestinian authorities. with more than 100 fighter jets, israel could keep it up indefinitely, but the question remains, could an israeli strategy of air strikes and limited ground action change the situation? >> the israelis have hit 1400 targets and they have yet to stop hamas from firing rockets. >> the u.s. decision remains it wants to see deescalation of this crisis, but if we are coming up towards a potential cease-fire, one of the things the u.s. is watching very carefully is to 0 see whether israel escalates, gets more aggressive with its attacks in the final hours, what may be the final hours, of this crisis if there were to be a cease-fire agreement. wolf? >> barbara starr, thanks very much. as i reported, the israelis are

taking this egyptian cease-fire proposal very seriously in advance of their special israeli special security cabinet meeting. they've gone basically on radio silence. we've had two israeli guests who were booked to be on this program here in "the situation room," but the chief spokesman for benjamin netanyahu and the spokesman for the idf, the israel defense forces, were supposed to be here but now they've decided they won't say anything in advance of the israeli cabinet meeting. so they asked not to come in tonight. hopefully they'll be back tomorrow. just ahead, a plane takes dramatic action as passengers fear for their lives. stay with us. you're in "the situation room." we're live from jerusalem.

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we're coming to you live from jerusalem where we're following developments in the skirmishes between israel and hamas. we're also following a frightening ordeal that unfolded high over the pacific ocean. cnn's tom foreman has details. >> reporter: the evening flight from honolulu to guam took over late too soar over some of the most desolate waters on the planet. passengers say a strong odor filled the jet. >> we could smell chemical smell like burned wire or heated wire,

burned insulation, something like 0 that. it was worafting through the cabin. >> reporter: some say the stench nearly gagged them, and the crew made the dramatic decision to divert to the tiny island of midway, riding out turbulence and at one point suddenly dropping 40 feet. >> i think after the 40-foot drop it got really silent in the cabin. people pray. we all prayed. >> reporter: a nail biting hour later, touchdown. >> nice to step out. >> reporter: the airline now says the problem was an equipment cooling fan not necessary for flight. >> there's a regular one and a backup fan. so if the primary one fails, the backup will kick in automatically. >> reporter: but keith wolz inninger who flies these kind of planes says especially after so much open water, caution is critical. >> if you're not sure what the problem is, the first rule is to divert, get the airplane on the

ground and worry about it later. >> reporter: the passengers spent seven hours on the island with few services, mostly hanging out no a gymnasium. when another plane finally arrived, cheering for the endz of their long, nerve-racking journey. >> a potentially deadly conclusion narrowly averted. wolf? >> tom foreman, thanks very much. that's it for me. i'm wolf blitzer live in jerusal jerusalem. cross fire starts right now. >> wolf, thank you for that. stay safe in jerusalem. meanwhi meanwhile, here in america, two republican wannabe presidential kandz dats are calling each other names. >> but they both have something the obama white house desperately lacks, real ideas. the debate starts now. >> announcer: tonight, political war hits washington. rick perry versus rand paul on iraq. >> it's a