analysis that she claims were the basis of this decision. >> well, she is standing by live, we'll talk to her. but very quickly you know the obama administration with the support of house republicans and democrats continues to provide about $3 billion a year, and now supporting another $250 million or so to help israel deal with the iron dome anti-missile system that worked so well over the past few years. you can't say the administration is totally anti-israel, helping israel militarily, with this kind of financial assistance. >> well, you can say that, are they honoring the treaty commitments that have passed with overwhelming bipartisan support? yes, but at the same time the administration goes out of its way repeatedly to criticize, attack, hector the nation of israel. it is just a couple of months ago that john kerry said that

israel could become an apartied states, which is vicious, those comments will be repeated by hamas and iran, and they will say this is not us speaking, this is the secretary of the united states. that is not acceptable. if you look at this conflict right now it is a false moral equivalency, hamas, who are terrorists murdering innocent women and children, and israel, those are not equivalent. they're fundamentally different. >> senator cruz, thank you very much for joining us. i know you have strong views on this subject and you're willing to share them with our viewers. we appreciate it. senator ted cruz from texas. thank you very much, we'll continue this conversation down the road. just ahead, the top state department spokesperson, at least one of the top state

department spokeswomen responds to senator cruz. marie harf is standing by live. nineteen years ago, we thought, "wow, how is there no way to tell the good from the bad?" so we gave people the power of the review. and now angie's list is revolutionizing local service again. you can easily buy and schedule services from top-rated providers. conveniently stay up to date on progress. and effortlessly turn your photos into finished projects with our snapfix app. visit angieslist.com today.

♪

. all right, you just heard senator ted cruz go after the obama administration. let's get the reaction from marie harf, who is the state department spokesperson. marie, thank you for joining us. go ahead and tell us what you

think about what we all heard about senator cruz. he said that this was all political and the faa was a tool of the president to squeeze israel into making concessions for a cease-fire. >> well, wolf, as i said yesterday, and i'll repeat it again. that is just a ridiculous, and quite frankly, a tale. it is not based in reality. the faa makes decisions based solely on the security of americans and american pilots and citizens on these flights. and when they had new information last night that indicated they could lift this notice they did. and i would point out we do have a notice to airmen around parts of ukraine and many places in the world. there is a whole list of them on the website, i would encourage him to take a look before he talks about how quote, unprecedented this was. >> he also says if it were strictly a professional decision by the experts at the faa you could prove that. you could make these people

available, instead of he says, you talking for them instead of letting them speak for themselves. so which you say? >> to which i say look, the faa has very good press people who can speak for themselves. i responded to a question i was asked at a press briefing and wanted to make very clear it was not a state department decision, or a political decision in any way, shape or form here. the faa has very serious responsibilities that i know they take very seriously. and that is why they make these decisions. and i would make one more point, wolf, in what senator ted cruz said about our relationship. it is an unbreakable relationship. the rockets, it was the obama administration that helped develop and fund that system. this administration that is today, saving israeli lives. so again, interesting tale he is spending but not based in reality. >> so let's talk a little bit about the nature of what is

going on right now. secretary of state john kerry as you know right now, the prime minister of israel, and when they met, he asked kerry, please, intervene with the faa and ask for the ban to be lifted. we now know the faa ban was lifted. did secretary kerry try to influence the faa? >> that is not how it works, he did discuss it when they brought it up. but this was a decision based solely on the new intelligence they had gotten from the intelligence committee. and there were mitigation efforts that the israeli government itself had taken. so the faa felt comfortable lifting the ban. so that is the only decision that went into this decision-making process. the secretary agrees with prime minister netanyahu that we want a normal life to return to israel. that is why he is in cairo, shuttling back and forth trying to get a cease-fire here because

we don't want israeli citizens to live under the threats that we've seen with rockets not only landing at the airport prompting this notice, but affecting the israeli citizens all across the country. so the secretary is very committed to this. that is why he is on the ground right now. >> how close is he? and the partners he is working with to achieve a cease-fire between the israelis and the ham hamas? >> well, wolf, this is still very complicated. he has been shuttling back and forth, talking with different departments, the qataris, the turks, others, but he is going to be making decisions very soon about whether the parties are actually interested in coming to a cease-fire here. his time on the ground is not infinite. he has other business to tend to, as well. so i think we'll see over the next 24 to 36 hours whether there is a clear path forward

here. but really we at the end of the day, all you have to do is look at the scenes coming out of the ground today to know we need a cease-fire as soon as we possibly can. that it is so important for the citizens of israel and of course, for the palestinians, as well. >> so can i assume, you say 36 hours? the secretary is at least going to stay in the region and is in cairo for another 36 hours, is that right? >> i have learned not to make any assumptions on how long john kerry will stay overseas in any one area. of course he is there at least until tomorrow and will work on the steps to see what is next. he has been working very hard with the secretary general and has been very involved. significant gaps do remain. no matter where he is, whether he is in washington and cairo and jerusalem he has been very engaged with this for sometime, making phone calls and trying to push the parties back to a cease-fire here which is where we need to get.

we recognize the egyptians and the qataris, they are working together but they don't talk. as we know they're a terrorist organization. there are a lot of complicated issues here. we knew it would not be solved overnight. it is a we do need to give it as much time as we think. >> well, all of us want to see a cease-fire and see the killing and dying stop in gaza and here in israel, as well. marie harf, the state department spokesperson. marie, thank you very much for joining us. >> thank you, wolf. just ahead, a united nations

shelter hit with a deadly strike as both sides trade the blame. our reporter was on the ground in gaza. we're going live there to see what is going on. also we'll get palestinian reaction, the chief negotiator. he will join us live, we'll get his take as far as a cease-fire is concerned. really... so our business can be on at&t's network for $175 dollars a month? yup. all five of you for $175. our clients need a lot of attention. there's unlimited talk and text. we're working deals all day. you get 10 gigabytes of data to share. what about expansion potential? add a line anytime for 15 bucks a month. low dues... great terms... let's close. introducing at&t mobile share value plans... ...with our best-ever pricing for business.

purina dog chow light & healthy is a deliciously tender and crunchy kibble blend. with 20% fewer calories than purina dog chow. isn't it time you discovered the lighter side of dog chow. purina dog chow light & healthy. at every ford dealership, you'll find the works! it's a complete checkup of the services your vehicle needs. so prepare your car for any road trip by taking it to an expert ford technician. because no matter your destination good maintenance helps you save at the pump. get our multi-point inspection with a synthetic blend oil change, tire rotation, brake inspection and more for $29.95 or less. get a complete vehicle checkup only at your ford dealer. and i'm here to tell homeowners that are 62 and older about a great way to live a better retirement. it's called a reverse mortgage.

[ male announcer ] call right now to receive your free dvd and booklet with no obligation. it answers questions like how a reverse mortgage works, how much you qualify for, the ways to receive your money, and more. plus, when you call now, you'll get this magnifier with l.e.d. light absolutely free. when you call the experts at one reverse mortgage today, you'll learn the benefits of a government-insured reverse mortgage. it will eliminate your monthly mortgage payments and give you tax-free cash from the equity in your home. and here's the best part -- you still own your home. take control of your retirement today. ♪ ♪

having a perfectly nice day, when out of nowhere a pick-up truck slams into your brand new car. one second it wasn't there and the next second... boom! you've had your first accident. now you have to make your first claim. so you talk to your insurance company and... boom! you're blindsided for a second time. they won't give you enough money to replace your brand new car. don't those people know you're already shaken up? liberty mutual's new car replacement will pay for the entire value of your car plus depreciation. call and for drivers with accident forgiveness, liberty mutual won't raise your rates due to your first accident.

switch to liberty mutual insurance and you could save up to $423 dollars. call liberty mutual for a free quote today at see car insurance in a whole new light. liberty mutual insurance. we're back live from jerusalem with more on the breaking news. at least 18 people killed in a strike on the united nations shelter in northern gaza. the u.n. secretary general says he is appalled by the latest violence. our correspondent is on scene joining us live from gaza. so what did you see, ian? what happened? >> reporter: well, wolf, it was

just pandemonium. people were running everywhere we saw. a lot of family members there, too, looking for the loved ones. we were there and we have this look at what happened. >> reporter: a conveyer belt of the injured and the dead. a father carries his daughter in, another, his child out. not much this father can do but comfort his little girl. she begs for him to stay close. evacuating their homes to a u.n.-run school should have meant they were safe. instead, for this girl, she lies bleeding, shrapnel in the shoulder. this boy scans the faces overhead, trying to make sense of what happened. an x-ray reveals shrapnel lodged in his leg.

the youngest i saw, killed. a baby barely a year old, the mortician wraps her as if he is gently putting her to bed. here, there are pock marked walls showing the spread of shrapnel. hamas blames israel, israel says it could have been a hamas rocket. the u.n. said it twice asked the israeli military for permission to evacuate the civilians. >> we had spent much of the day trying to organize a cause so that civilians could be evacuated. civilians including the staff, and that never came. >> reporter: and this is the result. over a dozen people dead and hundreds injured. a lot of the chaos is surrounded with not knowing. people don't know the status of their relatives. if they're injured or killed. in

for others, they know exactly where their loved ones are. the morgue. >> well, wolf, this really is a big mystery here in gaza. what happened? there's so many different questions that need to be answered. the idf released a statement that said between 10:00 a.m. local and 2:00 p.m. that there was a window for people to leave. and this contradicts what the united nations was saying that they weren't given any window. and then if you look at the strike, there's a lot of questions about what actually did hit that compound. you had hamas saying it was israel. israel says they're investigating what actually happened, but there is some speculation that that could have been a hamas rocket. so really a lot of questions in the hours and days to come, wolf. >> ian lee on the ground for us

in gaza, thanks very much. let's bring in the chief palestinian negotiator saeb erakat who is joining us on the phone from jericho. any progress towards a cease-fire? everyone knows it is essential to stop the killing on both sides. >> absolutely. i can tell you that there are, of course, now secretary kerry who is still in cairo and abdullah ii of jordan today and mr. ban ki-moon is still in the region also. i know that the qataris and others are playing a role. and i don't have anything concrete to tell you, wolf, but all i can tell you is the continuation of this -- the only facts on the ground is that more than 800 palestinians mostly women and children have been killed. the number of 5,000 people

injured. devastated infrastructure. now things are getting out of hand so far in clashes between palestinian demonstrators and israeli army. we have more than 400 people injured. 200 of them, two people killed. if things continue i'm afraid we'll have a major explosion in the west bank. i would urge everyone to do whatever they can to create the balance between the humanitarian cease-fire and lifting the siege from gaza because it's slipping through our fingers like sand tonight. >> i got the same sense. i spoke to dr. yousef barguti. you know him. he suggested that hamas and the palestinian authority were now on the same page when it comes to a cease-fire. is that right? >> no -- yes, he's right. he's right in terms that we want

cease-fire that would ensure that the status quo because gaza needs not to be under siege. gaza needs every bit of help in order to reconstruct, to heal, to rebuild, to take the wounded out. so it's a tension that we in the palestinian authority now have made a statement that it should be unparalleled that the lifting of the cease-fire. and i don't think this should be a problem for israel. why should it be a problem for israel if saudi arabia, jordan, norway, japan, everyone wants to send humanitarian aid to gaza, why shouldn't all passages be open? why can't israel just say we're going to open the passages, we're going to lift the siege. and that's what it takes. i believe a cease-fire matched with lifting the siege is a workable solution, is a workable ingredient. how is israel harmed?

because now the suffering is 1.6 million people who have no more life, no more homes, no more structure and when the israelis ask them to evacuate, where do you go? you know gaza. there are no schools now. they lift their homes, israelis telling them to leave their homes. they went to schools. now they're asking them to leave the school. where will they go? >> i'm sorry, saeb. would palestinians accept the cease-fire if it included, let's say, international monitors to come in and to see if they could demilitarize the gaza strip? >> well, i think this is -- as we spoke to mr. kerry yesterday, i think at this stage what you need to do is you get the children out, you put the fire out, then you discuss things because the gaza situation must be handled, the end of

occupation, and that's where these things will be discussed. this particular moment, the fire is eating up everything. we must extinguish this fire. and that should be the focus. i don't think it's a problem for israel to announce that it will open its passages and it will lift the siege. matched with the human cease-fire. >> saeb erakat. we're with you. let's hope that there is a cease-fire and hopes that it comes very soon. i know you and president abbas are working as hard as you can to achieve that. i'll continue this conversation tomorrow night. more news right after this. ow w? fine barbecue, good times and zero heart burn. and that's why i take prilosec otc each morning for my frequent heart burn because it gives me zero heart burn. prilosec otc the number one dr. recomended frequent heart burn medicine for nine straight years.

you can beat zero herat burn prilosec otc one pill each morning 24hrs, zero heart burn

body language can tell you all sorts of things. like someone is having a stroke. know the sudden signs. learn f.a.s.t. face drooping arm weakness speech difficulty time to call 911 and get them to a hospital immediately. learn the body language and spot a stroke f.a.s.t.

that's why i always choose the fastest intern.r slow. the fastest printer. the fastest lunch. turkey club. the fastest pencil sharpener. the fastest elevator. the fastest speed dial. the fastest office plant. so why wouldn't i choose the fastest wifi? i would. switch to comcast business internet and get the fastest wifi included. comcast business. built for business.

this note, we invited hamas spokesman to join us once again tonight. he couldn't make it. we'll try to get him tomorrow night. thanks very much for watching. i'm wolf blitzer in "the situation room." erin burnett "outfront" starts right now. next breaking news, another plane, this one with 116 on board vanishes from radar. what caused it to crash. and could anyone have survived? plus the investigation into the shootdown of flight 17. the united states says there's new evidence that russia plans to deliver more missiles to the rebels in ukraine. and a rocket hits a shelter in gaza killing at least 16. the number could be much, much higher than that. many of the wounded are children. the israeli ambassador to the united states joins me. let's go "outfront."