intelligence committee that oversees the cia so critical and so broken right now. >> dana bash, thank you so much. this is it for the lead. i'm jake tapper. you can follow me on twitter @jake tapper. i turn you over now to wolf blitzer live from jerusalem in "the situation room." "the situation room." mr. blitzer? -- captions by vitac -- www.vitac.com happening now, breaking news. cease-fire shattered. deadly fighting between israel and hamas resume as the truce crumbles within hours. president obama says he blames hamas. soldier captured. israel launches an intense search it says palestinian militants abducted one of their troops following a suicide attack. next phase, newsmakers from both sides analyze the crisis for us this hour. and look at how the next deadly chapters are likely to unfold. 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, deadly new fighting after the sudden collapse of what was supposed to be a 72-hour humanitarian cease-fire between israel and hamas. the u.s. blames the palestinian militants for what firms are calling outrageous violations of the truce. we're following the capture of an israeli soldier. ha darl golden was abducted after a suicide bombing that killed two other soldiers. however, hamas denies it's holding lieutenant goldin. we're covering all angles with our correspondents, our guests and global resources. our chief national security correspondent jim sciutto begins our coverage. what is the latest. >> the secretary of state john kerry spent the day on the telephone trying to revive this cease-fire deal. the egyptians who were to host talks this weekend in cairo saying that invitations are still open but on the ground with an israeli soldier taken captive in the opening moments of the cease-fire, the prospect

for talks are very dim. the fleeting calm over gaza lasted barely 90 minutes. soon after the planned 72-hour cease-fire began, the fighting returned in a hail of explosions. both sides blamed the other. >> we've had attack nz ob our troops inside gaza. we've had mortars on the border and rockets into sosh israel. this clearly is hamas violating this u.n.-sponsored cease-fire. >> the side who violated the cease-fire was the israelis. they bombed the houses when the people came back after one hour and a half. >> israel says that while its soldiers were working to destroy hamas tunnels in southern gaza, so-called defensive operations allowed under the cease-fire agreement, a militant detonated a suicide bomb, killing two of their soldiers and leading to the capture of 2nd lieutenant

hadar goldin. in an interview with cnn, hamas flatly denied the capture. >> does hamas claim responsibility for this capture of the israeli soldier? >> certainly not. it appears that the capture of the soldier is an israeli story and now there is nothing from the resistance saying that there was a capture. >> still, the israeli response was immediate and severe. israeli shells near the location of the attack killed some 40 palestinians and wounded more than 200. >> on the ground, all sides quickly declared the cease-fire over. today, president obama raised the possibility that hamas itself did not order the operation, though he still held the group responsible for the activity of all palestinian militant factions. >> when they sign on to a cease-fire, they're claiming to speak for all the palestinian factions. and if they don't have control

of them and moments after a cease-fire is signed you have israeli soldiers being killed and captured, it's hard for the israelis to feel confident that a cease-fire can actually be honored. >> the president identified a serious concern there. hamas hey not have control over the various militants factions operating insided gaza and there are many of them, but wolf, just in the last few moments, we're getting additional denials from some of those militant factions that they have this soldier. of the recently islamic jihad telling cnn it is not holding him. the palestinian islamic jihad, as well telling cnn it does not have him in addition to the hamas spokesman earlier today who i know you're going to speak to very shortly here. those are just denials at this point. nothing confirmed but there are many factions there right now. the real question right now, if these factions are telling truth, who is holding this israeli soldier?

still an open question. >> jim sciutto, don't go far away. thanks very much. let's go to gaza right now where health officials say dozens of people have been killed in renewed israeli strikes. john vauss is in gaza city for us. what are you seeing? what's the latest there? >> well, wolf, ever since that cease-fire collapsed, they're been the renewed sound of israeli artillery. they seem to be targeting the area east of gaza city. we have heard that all day long. it seems the focus of the renewed violence is around the town of rafah. i went down there today and residents and witnesses told me the area had been pounded by israeli artillery as well as tank fire. that was an israeli response after one of their soldiers was captured and according to hamas officials that response killed at least 636 palestinians in rafah alone, left hundreds more wounded and once again, thousands of palestinians are on the move trying to get out of

harm's way. >> they couldn't stop killing each other for more than two hours. by midmorning friday, the cease-fire was shattered and the war picked up. where it left off. with heavy fighting around the border town of rafah, many headed to this u.n. school. they told us there was a cease-fire this woman told me. we returned home and they targeted us again. israel warned people here by text messages or robocalls to either stay indoors or find somewhere safe. many of the people say their phones stopped working. they decided to come here to this u.n. school because they thought it would be safe. they heard the israeli explosions, the sound of artillery and saw the jets overhead and thought they should come here because this would be much safer than staying at home. others decided to leave in overloaded cars they sped north away from rafah, reluctant to stop and talk even for a few

moments. they will target us. the planes, thanks and missiles this area is being targeted, he says, we must go to con eunice. and this is why they're leaving. a hospital doctors are standing in blood, treating the wounded. >> fracture injury, open wound, cut, amputated the lower limb. >> and pugh tated leg? >> yeah, legs. >> like everywhere else in gaza, supplies are running low, a three-day cease-fire would have been a chance to restock, maybe rest. but not now. and once again, palestinianss in gaza like this woman and her six children are trying to find somewhere, anywhere that are is

safe. they killed 45 members of my family, she says. they've destroyed our homes, my aunt and uncle, all of them killed. >> hamas also continues to fire rockets here wolf, we're told at 38 since that cease-fire came to end. for a day that started with a glimmer of hope, it now seems this conflict is escalating. palestinian militants are holding an israeli soldier. the israelis are warning of a crushing response. >> yeah. i suspect it's going to get much more intense in the coming hours and day. john vause, thanks very much. let's talk about all of this with mark regev, spokesman for benjamin netanyahu. are you sure it's hamas holding this captured israeli soldier? >> our statements were clear. we said terrorists have kidnapped him and are holding him. that is our working assumption. now, if it's hamas or one of the

allied groups to hamas, makes no difference. hamas rules gaza with an even fist. it's not a democracy. it's not a coalition government. no one can do anything without hamas giving a green light. hamas can't subcontract out terrorism and they're they're not responsible. hamas is responsible for all hostile activities emanating from gaza. they are accountable. it must be made clear, we were told as we were negotiating this cease-fire that was suppose the to start this morning that there had been assurances that hamas had said that this is for all the palestinian factions and for them to come out and say, well it wasn't us, it was someone else, that's simply mendacious. >> all these other factions now are denying they have this israeli soldier, as well. >> once again the palestinian system is either mendacious or dysfunctional or a combination of them both. it's clear we've got an israeli soldier who's been kidnap and it's clear we're looking for him

and hopefully we'll find him. >> osama hamdan the spokesman for hamas says it was israel that first violated the truce. he says you're using this story of this captured israeli soldier as an excuse. >> it's -- i don't know what to say. it's not serious. cease-fire kicked in at 8:00 a.m. this morning. we honored the cease-fire. we ceased all offensive operations against terrorist targets in gaza. our soldiers were in a defensive mode with orders only to return fire if fired upon. hamas out of the blue target add israeli force allowed to be in gaza according to the cease-fire agreement, killed two servicemen, kidnapped this young officer, injured other people. wraev even mort tan shells be on the frontier. hamas is clearly responsible. i've seen it said, some people are saying the cease-fire fell apart. that's not true. hamas destroyed the cease-fire. that's what happened.

>> he specifically says is, osama hamdan israel moved thanks inside palestinian land which was a violation of the cease-fire. >> on the contrary. any movement that might have happened happened before 8:00 and that was allowed under the cease-fire. the cease-fire kicked in at 8:00 a.m. and i challenge anyone to show a single israeli violation of the cease-fire after 8:00 a.m. this morning. i know because when we give an order to our forces and that is spread out. we know that order is enforced. hamas had enough time the cease-fire was what announced ten hour before it kicked in before that negotiations had been going on for days. so hamas can't claim it didn't know. hamas can't claim oh, this came as a surprise. hamas was mendacious. they gave assurances to the united nations and to others and they broke their commitments and they have to be held accountable for that. >> are israeli troops going house to house in that rafah area searching for this missing

lieutenant? >> whenever you have a kidnapping like this, are it the operational behavior pattern is clear. you try to seal off the area of the kidnapping. as you say, you go house to house or maybe tunnel to tunnel in the immediate area to try to locate the kidnapped individual. why? because if they manage to get him out of the area into another part of gaza, your chances of fighting him are lowered. so there's a very intensive military operation under way to try to find him. >> are you prepared to negotiate for his release? in other words, release palestinian prisoners in exchange for this young lieutenant? >> the focus now is to try to find him and that's where the effort is. what will happen after that, i don't know. i hope we find him. >> any chance a cease-fire can be restored? >> look, it's very difficult. i want to phrase the secretary-general of the united nations and, of course, secretary kerry. there was a lot of effort. this cease-fire that started this morning was worked on for days. endless phone calls, endless

meetings, endless consultations. slowly but surely secretary kerry and ban ki-moon, the secretary-general of the united nations put together this package, painstakingly talking to the different parties who deal with hamas and so forth. in the end we had a package and then hamas just rips it up and throws it out. and let's be clear here. the package was designed first and foremost to give the people of gaza humanitarian relief that they badly need. and who destroyed the package? who is preventing the an leaviation of the of humanitarian situation in gaza? hamas, the same organization that says it speaks for palestinians. well, the truth is i think it's been proven and demonstrated beyond a shadow of a doubt, hamas doesn't give a hoot. it has deliberately prevented humanitarian support coming to the people of gaza. >> mark regular again, thank you for joining us. up next, we'll get the other

side of the story. my interview with osama hamdan. we'll discuss what's going on. plus, more on the capture of that israeli soldier. i'll talk to the man who helped broker the release of another israeli soldier held by hamas for five years. we're live here in jerusalem. this is a "situation room" special report.

we never thought we'd be farming wind out here. it's not just building jobs here, it's helping our community. siemens location here has just received a major order of wind turbines. it puts a huge smile on my face. cause i'm like, 'this is what we do.' the fact that iowa is leading the way in wind energy, i'm so proud, like, it's just amazing.

then you'll know how uncomfortable it can be. [ crickets chirping ] but did you know that the lack of saliva can also lead to tooth decay and bad breath? [ exhales deeply ] [ male announcer ] well there is biotene. specially formulated with moisturizers and lubricants,

biotene can provide soothing relief and it helps keep your mouth healthy, too. [ applause ] biotene -- for people who suffer from dry mouth. biotene -- your studied day and night for her driver's test. secretly inside, you hoped she wouldn't pass. the thought of your baby girl driving around all by herself was... you just weren't ready. but she did pass. 'cause she's your baby girl. and now you're proud. a bundle of nerves proud. but proud. get a discount when you add a newly-licensed teen to your liberty mutual insurance policy.

call to learn about our whole range of life event discounts. newlywed discount. new college graduate and retiree discounts. you could even get a discount when you add a car. call liberty mutual for a free quote today at see car insurance in a whole new light. liberty mutual insurance. we're live here in jerusalem following the breaking news fighting between israel and hamas once again raging with the quick collapse of what was supposed to be a three-day or

72-hour humanitarian cease-fire. also, the capture of an israeli soldier 2nd lieutenant hadar goldin abducted by palestinian militants according to the idf, israel defense forces. tom foreman is working the story for us. what are you finding out? >> wolf, this is where the israeli military says that that soldier went missing, kidnapped they say even though no group including an hamas has claimed any responsibility. rafah is home to 70,000 palestinians and the site of the main crossing to egypt. we're hearing conflicting accounts about what happened here and when. first, let's look at the israeli version which we've heard a bit from your earlier guest. israel says as part of the cease-fire, it was understood that they would continue destroying the vast network of tunnels used by hamas to move goods, weapons and fighters. israel says it was doing just that when a suicide bomber emerged from a tunnel, detonated his bomb. two israeli soldiers were killed and the third was dragged back

into the tunnel by opposing fighters. this is the israeli version. they say at the same time, rockets were being fired from rafah into israel in violation of the cease-fire. now, hamas officials tell a very different story. i'm sure we'll hear more from your next guest. they say five hours ahead of the cease-fire, israeli troops pushed a mile and a half into palestinian territory, somewhere down in here. that there was no agreement for the tunnel deconstruction to continue and yes, hamas fighters engaged those israeli fighters but say it was before the cease-fire began. furthermore, this he make references to an attack on rafah by israeli forces that killed 40 people and left 250 others wounded with missiles there. the main thing that both sides agree on above all else wolf is that each side blames the other for violating the terms of the cease-fire and provoking the violence that occurred down

there in rafah. the united nations is saying sadly, it's impossible right now to know who is telling the truth but the cease-fire is decidedly a casualty. wolf? >> tom foreman, thanks very much. let's get palestinian reaction right now. hamas spokesman osama hamdan is joining us from doha. >> we've lost wolf blitzer via live linking from jerusalem. just while we wait to get that link up again, reminding viewers we're speaking now with a spokesman for hamas, osama hamdan in doha, qatar. thank you again for joining us. i just want to clear up some confusion. we spoke earlier in the day. you denied hamas captured hadar goldin, the israeli soldier captured in southern gaza. can you confirm that? do you continue to deny that hamas was not involved in any capture after israeli soldier?

>> well, as i said to you early morning, this is the israeli story to now. we don't have any story from the -- your people in the field. they did not say anything about capturing an israeli soldier or officer during the combat at 7:00 a.m. early morning one hour before the cease-fire start. >> so wolf, i believe we have wolf blitzer now back. wolf, you hear osama hamdan continues that denial from earlier in the day. i know you have questions for him, as well. >> i do. mr. hamdan, who does -- who do you believe has that missing israeli soldier? is it another palestinian group like islamic jihad? >> well, i believe there is only the israeli story. they are talking about missing soldier or a missing officer. but there is no one claiming or saying that he was captured by him. so it's not the only

possibility. he may be killed. he may be injured. he may be removed. he may be hidden by the israeli forces to cover what they have done in rafah. all those possibilities are available. so unless the palestinian side confirmed that this soldier was captured by him, you can't only buy the israeli story. you have to be aware of buying the story because there is a lot of lies that have been said by the israelis in that war. they claim that the palestinians have kidnapped three settlers and everyone knows now it is a lie. and who knows what will happen with this soldier issue after that in. >> you probably have heard the president of the united states in his news conference earlier today at the white house. he basically accepted completely the israeli version of what happened and strongly condemned hamas. and he says hamas is responsible for gaza and is responsible for the release of this soldier. he says you must release had

soldier right away. what do you say to president obama? >> well, this is sad, mr. president. i expect that you may talk about the 70 palestinians who were killed in rafah today and this soldier was participating in killing them. before being missed, 40 palestinians in rafah were killed by the officers and the soldiers horn working with him. i expect from the united states president to be more fair, more balanced, especially when he's in the situation. i expected him to say there of the a missing soldier but there was also 70 civilians in rafah who were killed by the israeli soldiers by the bullets which i was provided by the united states and we are sorry for that. >> he did say, if you listen closely to what he said, he said hamas is responsible in part for the deaths of those palestinians because hamas deliberately

places its weapons, its rocket launchers in heavily populated areas of gaza to which you say to the president ---ing >> well, i'm saying that it's totally wrong, mr. president. in fact, i wish if you can, force israeli to withdraw from the occupied land. your secretary of state, mr. kerry, have worked hard for nine months to to create a peace agreement between the palestinians and the israelis and the failure was because of the israelis. you know that and you know that the israelis are not willing to have peace. if they are not at least force them to the draw from the palestinian occupied lands, give the palestinians guarantees that there will be in no israeli attack against them and then you can ask the palestinians why they are doing that. the second point, mr. president,

israelis claim there was rockets in some schools. and they bombed the schools and they killed 19 palestinians. most of them they were children. and the united nations a few days ago said that the israeli -- the israelis were lying about that. and there was no militants in those schools. please, president obama, be balanced and hear from both sides before having the israeli story. you are not supposed to read only from the israeli pages. >> you say, mr. hamdan, that you supported the cease-fire. you wanted the cease-fire. you were encouraged by what you heard from ban ki-moon and secretary of state john kerry. did you fully understand that one of the terms of the cease-fire is that israel would be allowed to continue to destroy those hamas tunnels going from gaza into israel? did you fully appreciate that that was one of the conditions can of israel's going along with the cease pire?

>> i actually knew that was not one of the conditions. the condition was the militants will stay wherever they are. there will be no militant actions from both sides. our answer was clear. they can stay wherever they are, but any militant action will be -- will create a reaction. that was the agreement. the israelis in fact, did not bomb tunis. they were invading rafah. they went through rafah for 2 1/2 kilometers, more than 1.5 miles. that was the situation. and inside the palestinian lands with those forces and it happened one hour before the cease-fire came on in. so the situation was not a violation for the cease-fire from the palestinian side. i believe the israelis, they thought they can be come in and they can stay there and then

they may start an operation without any reaction from the resistance. in fact, it was a kind of underestimating what is going on the ground and they felt for a while that they can do that and they can win that. i believe now they know what may happen if they violated the cease-fire another time. >> we're out of time, mr. hamdan. i just want to hear once again, you're saying that hamas does not have control of this missing israeli soldier. is that right? >> we are saying that we don't have any information about that issue. we can't confirm, we can't deny unless we have solid information. this is a real position. if that soldier was captured by any other organization, we don't have any information. so unless we have our own information, we can't say yes or

no. and i believe everyone has to respect this position because we are honest and we are saying what we know exactly. >> osama hamdan's spokesman for hamas joining from us doha, qatar. thanks very much. how might israel negotiate the release of its captured soldier? i'll talk to the mon who helped broker the release of another soldier held by hamas for five years. plus, u.s. health officials are now preparing to bring two americans with ebola back from africa for treatment in the united states. we're learning new details of the extraordinary medical mission. this is the situation room special report. when folks think about what they get from alaska, they think salmon and energy. but the energy bp produces up here

creates something else as well: jobs all over america. engineering and innovation jobs. advanced safety systems & technology. shipping and manufacturing. across the united states, bp supports more than a quarter million jobs. when we set up operation in one part of the country, people in other parts go to work. broker the release of another this is the situation room itme. think the tree we carved our names in is still here? probably dead... how much fun is this?

what? what a beautiful sunset... if you like sunsets. whether you're sweet or salty... you'll love nature valley sweet and salty bars.

it can help your business save money. false. the truth is when you compare our fastest internet to the fastest dsl from the phone company, comcast business gives you more for your money. why pay more for less? call today for a low price on speeds up to 150mbps. and find out more about our two-year price guarantee. comcast business. built for business.

>> the here in jerusalem following breaking news. israel reporting one of its soldiers, 2nd lieutenant hadar goldin has been captured by palestinian militants following a suicide bomb attack that killed two other israeli soldier. let's get more. joining us is gershon baskin, an unofficial israeli negotiator who helped broker the release of gilad shalit held by hamas for five years in gaza. he's also the founder of the israel palestinian center for research and information. thanks very much for joining us. you believe this is a game-changer. the capture of this israeli soldier. tell us why? >> israel's about to wind down this war and figure out its end game with the 72-hour cease-fire. that was the hope that once it completed its mission of finding and destroying the tunnels that went from gaza into israel, they would be able to withdraw and deal with the remaining rocket fire as it fell on israel with

the iron dome and with military action against the shooters of the rockets. right now, israel is forced to stay in gaza until they find the soldier and bring him home dead or alive. that's going to require them to increase the military operations that they're already engaged in around the city of rafah in the south part of the west bank. this is why i think it's a game-changer, we'll see escalation and a lot more violence. civilian casualties and probably more israeli casualties, as well. >> you just heard the hamas spokesman deny knowing anything about where this missing israeli soldier is. what do you make of that? >> well, he was very careful in his words saying he didn't say they did it or didn't do it. he said he had no information which is not a surprise to me because i think that the military wing of hamas which is functioning basically underground in gaza doesn't have a lot of communication with osama hamdan or with other

spokespeople of the palestinian hamas leadership which are out of touch with the people that are on ground doing the military bats of hamas against israel. >> you worked very hard behind the scenes to broker that deal for the release of gilad shalit, that israeli soldier who was held for five years. israel released more than 1,000 palestinian prisoners in exchange for gilad shalit. do you see a similar scenario playing out this time? >> no, i don't think there will be another gilad shalit negotiation as in the past. i think the mood has changed in israel entirely with regard to prisoner exchanges. the situation is quite different because we have some 40,000 or 50,000 israeli soldiers in gaza right now and they're not going to leave without the soldier. i don't think there's a negotiation on the table in the making at all. i think that israel will refuse to negotiate with hamas on this deal and use the military means they have to try and find the

soldier. >> gershon baskin, thanks very much for joining us. ceo of the israeli olympian center for research and information. up next, president obama speaks blunt lit about u.s. actions in the wake of 9/11. plus we have new details of the mission to bring two americans with ebola back to the united states for treatment. we're live in jerusalem. and this is the situation room special report. the cadillac summer collection is here. ♪ ♪

during the cadillac summer's best event, lease this all new 2014 cts for around $459 a month or purchase with 0% apr and make this the summer of style. it's about getting to the finish line. in life, it's how you get there that matters most. it's important to know the difference. like when i found out i had a blood clot in my leg. my doctor said that it could travel to my lungs and become an even bigger problem. and that i had to take action. so he talked to me about xarelto®. [ male announcer ] xarelto® is the first oral prescription blood thinner proven to treat and help prevent dvt and pe that doesn't require regular blood monitoring or changes to your diet. [ brian ] for a prior dvt i took warfarin, which required routine blood testing and dietary restrictions. not this time. ♪ while i was taking xarelto®, i still had to stop racing, but i didn't have to deal with that blood monitoring routine. ♪

you made great time. i found another way. [ male announcer ] don't stop taking xarelto®, rivaroxaban, unless your doctor tells you to. while taking xarelto®, you may bruise more easily and it may take longer for bleeding to stop. xarelto® may increase your risk of bleeding if you take certain medicines. xarelto® can cause serious bleeding, and in rare cases, may be fatal. get help right away if you develop unexpected bleeding, unusual bruising, or tingling. if you have had spinal anesthesia while on xarelto®, watch for back pain or any nerve or muscle related signs or symptoms. do not take xarelto® if you have an artificial heart valve or abnormal bleeding. tell your doctor before all planned medical or dental procedures. before starting xarelto®, tell your doctor about any conditions such as kidney, liver, or bleeding problems. xarelto® is proven to reduce the risk of dvt and pe. with xarelto® there is no regular blood monitoring and no known dietary restrictions. treatment with xarelto® was the right move for me. [ male announcer ] ask your doctor about xarelto® today.

for more information including savings options, download the xarelto® patient center app, call 1-888-xarelto, or visit teamxarelto.com.

download the xarelto® patient center app, could help your business didavoid hours of delaynd test caused by slow internet from the phone company? that's enough time to record a memo. idea for sales giveaway. return a call. sign a contract. pick a tie. take a break with mr. duck. practice up for the business trip. fly to florida. win an award. close a deal. hire an intern. and still have time to spare. go to comcastbusiness.com/ checkyourspeed if we can't offer faster speeds - or save you money - we'll give you $150. comcast business. built for business. the wake of 9/11. we're live here in jerusalem toing the breaking news the collapse of the cease-fire between israel and hamas. president obama spoke about it

just a little while ago back in washington. our white house correspondent michelle kaczynski was there. she has details. tell viewers what the president said. >> we heard criticism from the white house this week of israel. now a surprising, but on the breaking of this cease-fire, the white house comes down firmly on the side of israel. the president saying that they unequivocally condemn hamas for killing israeli soldiers minutes after the cease-fire went into effect and said israel is entirely right to the want to dismantle the tunnels from gaza addsing there is a way of doing that to reduce blood shed at the same time and acknowledging palestinians also have a right to live their lives. >> those are costs that are avoidable if we're able to get a cease-fire that preserves israel's sbalt to defend itself and gives it the capacity to have an aassurance that they're not going to be constantly

threatened by rocket fire in the future and conversely, you know, an agreement that recognizes the palestinian need to be able to make a living and the average palestinian's capacity to live a decent life. >> so how does a cease-fire happen now? well, the president acknowledged it will be hard. he said there's a volatile mix of anger and despair. but that the u.s. will keep trying, wolf. >> he also spoke very bluntly, michele, about that controversial u.s. actions immediately after 9/11. specifically what's called those enhanced interrogation techniques. tell us what he said. >> i mean these are the strongest words we've heard so far on those techniques after september 11th. listen. >> in the immediate aftermath of 9/11, we did some things that were wrong. we did a whole lot of things

that were right, but we tortured some folks. we did some things that were con rather to our values. i understand why it happened. >> and then he took it a step further. he said he believes any like minded person, any fair minded person would also feel that those methods were torture that they crossed a line and that the u.s. should take responsibility for them so that they don't happen again. he said he sees there was a reason for this he explained this was this sense of horror after the attacks and enormous pressures put on the national security team to deal with them. he also came down in full support of cia director john brennan even as this report is about to be released from the senate that is very critical of cia techniques, wolf. >> you're certainly right on that. thanks very much. coming up at the top of the hour, the situation room special report of the broken truce. the captured israeli soldier and this deepening crisis here in

the middle east. up next, we have other breaking news. dr. sanjay gupta's been to the hospital where two americans infected with the ebola virus will be brought for treatment. hey. i'm ted and this is rudy.

say "hi" rudy. [ barks ] [ chuckles ] i'd do anything to keep this guy happy and healthy. that's why i'm so excited about these new milk-bone brushing chews. whoa, i'm not the only one. it's a brilliant new way to take care of his teeth. clinically proven as effective as brushing. ok, here you go. have you ever seen a dog brush his own teeth?

the twist and nub design cleans all the way down to the gum line, even reaching the back teeth. they taste like a treat, but they clean like a toothbrush. nothing says you care like a milk-bone brushing chew. [ barks ]

we're live here in jerusalem but we're also watching a number of breaking developments in the ebola epidemic. the first of two american ebola patients probably will arrive in the united states tomorrow afternoon. here's cnn's pamela brown. >> the high stakes return of ebola health care workers is underway. this gold stream jet equipped

with an isolation pod touching down for refuel early on friday before continuing on to liberia. that's where the two continue to fight for survival. they're said to be in serious condition but evaluated to be safe for travel. >> we've been informed there will be in fact two patients ultimately coming to emory. the first will come in the next several days and then a second patient will be coming a few days after that. >> emory is one of four facilities in the u.s. with a highly specialized isolation unit to treat people with serious infectious diseases. the head of the centers for disease control tells us that the u.s. can treat the infected health care workers and contain any spread. >> what we'll ensure is that there is no risk of spread during the transportation process and then we'll be

supporting emory in their isolating the patients. >> americans are fleeing the epidemic after the u.s. government warned about nonessential travel. like this man who cut short his research trip. he talked to cnn from the airport where he had just gone through intense screening. >> as soon as you get into the arrivals area you are prompted to fill out a form asking if you've been showing any symptoms of e boll la. after you fill out the form, a gentleman with a mask and gloves w looks at the form. >> the incubation period is 21 days and the process heavily relies on the honor system. it will take at least three month to contain the epidemic in west africa and in that time some 10,000 people will have

traveled from those countries into the u.s. it will be up to the passengers to report to their health care provider if they're feeling any symptoms. but again we expect both of the ebola stricken americans to be on u.s. soil within the next few days with at least one of them here by tomorrow afternoon we're learning. >> pamela brown with that report. thanks very much. let's get a little more on the precautions to keep the ebola virus from spreading to the u.s. our chief medical correspondent dr. sanjay gupta is with us. you visited the top official today. give us a sense of what is going on here from your perspective. >> reporter: well, this doctor, dr. bruce rib near is going to be the doctor in charges. you know, he got a call basically saying can emory accept two patients with the ebola patient. he's never received a call like that before because ebola has

never been in the western hemisphere, never been in the united states. we had a long discussion about all sorts of different things, his own concerns, what are the fears within the department. they pretty much say that they're ready and they're doing preparation. the unit is in lockdown right now. but i asked some specific questions about the why, why is this happening. >> people in atlanta are really concerned and they're mainly concerned by saying we get it, we know that the risk is small. but it would be smaller if these patients did not come here. if you don't have anything magical to provide, why take the risk at all? >> i think you've been in that part of the world and you know the level of care that can be delivered. these are americans who went over there to supply a humanitarian mission of medical care for these individuals. and our feeling is that they deserve the best medical care to

try and resolve this infection that they can get. >> reporter: the best way that i think we can characterize it is it's the same type of care, it's the support of care providing fluids, providing blood products. it's just the implementation of it is so much more rigorous here. they are many more resources. that's what they think a place like this has to offer versus where those patients are now. >> let's hope that those patients are going to be okay. emory hospital is one of the best in the united states. thanks very much for that. coming up, a "the situation room" special report, the collapse of the latest truce, the missing israeli soldier. is there any hope for reviving peace talks at all? we've got full coverage. business, with startup ny. we've created tax free zones throughout the state. and startup ny companies will be investing hundreds of millions of dollars in jobs and infrastructure. thanks to startup ny,

businesses can operate tax free for 10 years. no property tax. no business tax. and no sales tax. which means more growth for your business, and more jobs. it's not just business as usual. see how new york can help your business grow, at startup.ny.gov and cialis for daily use helps you be ready anytime the moment is right. cialis is also the only daily ed tablet approved to treat symptoms of bph, like needing to go frequently. tell your doctor about all your medical conditions and medicines, and ask if your heart is healthy enough for sex. do not take cialis if you take nitrates for chest pain, as it may cause an unsafe drop in blood pressure. do not drink alcohol in excess. side effects may include headache, upset stomach, delayed backache or muscle ache. to avoid long term injury, get medical help right away for an erection lasting more than four hours. if you have any sudden decrease or loss in hearing or vision, or any allergic reactions like rash, hives, swelling of the lips, tongue or throat, or difficulty breathing or swallowing, stop taking cialis and get medical help right away. ask your doctor about cialis for daily use and a free 30-tablet trial.

happening now, a "the situation room" special report, breaking news tonight. the u.s. joins israel in blaming hamas for shattering the saes-fire. israel says one of its soldiers has been captured. could be the darkest moment yet. we're going to get live reaction from both sides. the fighting raging and the death toll climbs. plus a stunning statement by president obama, his strogest criticism yet of america easter roar fighting tactics after 9/11. >> but he tortured some folks. >> we want to welcome our vubers in the united states and around

the world. i'm wolf blitzer in jerusalem. you're in "the situation room." the breaking news tonight, president obama demanding the quick and unconditional release of a captured israeli soldier to preserve any chance of ending the fighting and the bloodshed in gaza. he directly accused of hamas of abducting the soldier and destroying the last chance at a truce. hamas leaders are disputing that. this conflict taking more dangerous turns. we have our correspondents, our kn news makers standing by. first, more on the broken truce, the captured soldier and what could happen next. and the ugly haze of war, a new saes-fire shattered after only 90 minutes in a new round of

fighting and blame. >> this clearly is hamas violating the us sponsored saes-fire. >> hamas says those who broke the saes-fire went to the israeli side. >> this fell apart in or around the southern city. israel says its forces were in the area destroying a hamas tunnel like this one in compliance of the terms of the truce when they were suddenly attacked. >> when they came out of the grouped, a suicide bomber blew himself up killing two soldiers and within the gunfight there, they went back down in the hole and abducted one of our boys. >> the idf immediately launched a haus to haus search for the soldier. he's a 23-year-old named hadar goldin. one hamas official raised doubts about whether his group is holding goldin. >> we don't have any story from

our people in the field. they did not say anything about capturing an iz rally soldier or official. >> hamas claims that the israelis made the first move. local officials say more than 60 people were killed and hundreds wounded. the united nations says it has no independent means to verify exactly what happened. but the united states is backing israel's version of events. >> we have and i have unequivocally condemned hamas and the palestinian factions that were responsible for killing two israeli soldiers and abducting a third almost minutes after a saes-fire had been announced. >> middle east experts believe that one thing is clear, with the collapse of another saes-fire and the apparent capture of an israeli soldier, this deadly conflict is likely to drag on even longer with devastating consequences for the

region and the world. tonight another palestinian militant group in gaza also denying capturing that israeli soldier. let's go live to ga do now. you went to rafa in southern gaza -- >> just another air strike just in the distance. story wolf, if i can interrupt, there was an air strike. this is the secondary strike we've had in the last few minutes. just before that there appeared to be two drone strikes, missiles fired from drones in that same area as well. this is a part of gaza which the israelis have been hammering much of the day. there does seem to be an uptick in activity tonight. we can hear a lot of drones ahead. they seem to be concentrating their fire power on that area.

in particular, that's where they're looking at as well. they've also been focusing on the rafa area. but rafa has also take an pounding by israeli artillery and tanks. was down there earlier today. i spoke with some of the residents who say it just went on and on. warned by the israelis to stay inside. we went down there. many of the streets were deserted. many decided it was best to get out. they're warning palestinians not to drive on that road from rafa in the south. it seems that one of the reasons why the israelis hit rafa so hard, it was a deliberate strategy to prevent the militants from getting the captured israeli soldier out of the area. if that worked, at this point we just don't know. since the saes-fire collapsed, hamas has renewed its attacks on

israel firing 38 rockets once the truce came to an end. wolf? >> that truce did not last very long, 90 minutes to be precise. we're going to come right back to you. wu i want to go to our chief national security correspondent jim sciutto. you have new details about the israeli soldier's capture. what are you learning? >> i've got new details on the circumstances on what the soldier was captured and the others killed. i'm told that an element from an elite brigade of the israeli armed forces in these anti-tunnel operations, they entered a house in southern gaza, near rafa, a house that they believed had an entrance to one of these teunnels. that's when the suicide bomber popped out, detonated his explosives, killed the two

israeli soldiers and then three or four other soldiers emerged from the tunnel, militants, grabbed the third soldier to abduct him. it is believed that this third soldier was injured at least because of his proximity to the explosion when the first suicide bomber set off his explosives. but not known if he survived. it gives you more detail as to how this played out in the early moments of the cease-fire. you and i know they were allowed to continue under this cease-fire agreement. >> that's what the secretary of state john kerry said specifically when he made that statement in new delhi last night. he said israel could continue the destruction of the tunnels even during a cease-fire. don't go too far away. let's go to sara right now, in southern israel.

what are you seeing right now, sara? >> reporter: we are hearing, mostly, very, very big booms. sometimes what it sounds like air strikes, a lot of f-15s flying over and what sound like artillery over and over and over again. give you an idea of where it's happening. it is very dark here on the hill looking down behind me on my right. you'll notice how dark it is. and you know the power has been out. on my left you can see the laths twinkling. that the israel. all of the sounds are coming far to my right. you're hearing it over and over again, those deep sounds of artillery going off. and every now and then that was one of them -- every now and then you will hear an f-15 flying overhead and the sound of an air strike. wolf? >> i know you're hearing occasionally anybody who is in israel nowadays, you occasionally hear the iron dome

interception going up to intercept an incoming rocket or missile and blow it up in the sky before it can cause serious damage on earth. the u.s. senate unanimously approved another $225 million dollars for israel to help build or get more of the iron dome anti-missile systems. when you're there, you're talking in southern israel, some of the towns down there. what do they say to you about the iron dome and they know that the united states have been funding and helped israel develop that anti-missile system. what do the folks say to you about that? >> reporter: you know, it's really interesting. because when you do talk to people about it -- we were just talking about it when the sirens went off and everyone went open tried to take cover. basically what you're hearing is there is no way that there would be this few amount of people injured and killed if it was not for the iron dome. it has saved us. those are the words of folks

that are just in the streets, in the restaurants. and in some places, you know, at night time when people want to come out and eat, some of them will come out and sit outside. the sirens go off and they go inside. it's almost like a regular day because they feel confident that the iron dome is going to work. you can hear it going off. it sounds like a missile itself going off and hitting the rocket coming over. and everyone knows the difference, the sound that the iron dome makes once it knocks out a rocket. it has given people a bit of a peace of mind, if you will. there have been injuriesance deaths from the rockets and the mortars. and the mortars have been coming over quite a bit today. >> there were several dozen of those rockets and mortars. on this day there was supposed to be a cease-fire. it didn't last very long. thanks very much. let's bring in the spokesman for

the i dx f, lieutenant colonel peter learner. on that iron dome, i assume you, like all israelis, must be grateful to the united states for helping fund and develop that anti-missile system. >> absolutely. it's great technology. when we put our minds together, we have great solution. that has kept the israeli lives safe almost 600 times when the rockets were to strike the populated areas. they're just safe. and today, nine times rockets were intercepted and these rockets were supposed to strike populated areas. >> let's talk about this missing israeli soldier, hadar goldin. what's the latest you have on where he might be? >> we don't know. in the immediate aftermath we did carry out some search in the area, into the tunnel. according to our procedures, we have extensive, i'd say a

checklist of things that we need to do in order to try and intercept in a hot pursuit about what's going op. unfortunately we haven't caught up with him yet. but we're using all of our intelligence capabilities, boots on the ground, an extensive activities on the ground in order to try and find where he is. >> the spokesman for the prime minister netanyahu told me that he believes that terrorists did take the israeli soldier but it's unclear which group. what's the latest information you have. >> we've seen reports of the islamic palestinian saying they have nothing to do with it. i got back to what we were speaking of earlier today. hamas has the abduction, they openly declare it's something they want, they strive to do, have tried to do it throughout the operation several times, even to try to abduct body

parts. i'm pretty confident they're behind this. >> you told me earlier today that was absolutely certain that hamas is responsible. >> i think we can say with confidence that they are involved, definitely behind this and ultimately they are responsible for what goes on in gaza. this is a grave situation. we've seen over the recent days and several attempts by their activities, their terrorists squads, they militants to try and abduct. we know they've had extensive training in order to carry out these types of attacks. they have iranian trainers and they've gone and brought home two gaza people that are doing the training in order to carry out such attacks against israelis. it's something we took into account when going into the mission. this is a scenario that is possible and we're operating according to our premeditated

plan of action in order to deal with it. >> you heard my interview with the spokesman for hamas denying that hamas really knows if there's any israeli soldier missing with, basically can't confirm or deny. but he also says that israel is responsible for vie lath the cease-fire first, that you mofds into palestinian territory in gaza and that's what caused the collapse of the cease-fire. >> that's outrageous. we were 90 minutes into the cease-fire. israel was holding its fire on all fronts from our forces in the north to our forces in the south. we were carrying out the mission we were intended to do in accordance to the agreement, searching for the tunnels, trying to decommission them and then they attacked us. they used, abused, exploited the cease-fire to carry out this attack. they attacked us.

they killed two soldiers and abducted a young officer, hadar goldin that we don't know where he is now. they are responsible for his well-being. we're operating in order to bring him back. >> do you have hard evidence that you're able to present that will confirm your side of the story? >> you know, don't feel the need to present evidence against this terrorist organization. we know it happened at 9:30. i received the report in my office when i was sitting in tel-aviv at 9:40. this is what's going on. that is when the organization woke up and everything was poised to try and bring him back. >> i had heard that israel was sharing some information, sensitive information with the u.s. on this specific issue. is that in part convinced the secretary of state, john kerry, the president of the united states that israel's information was accurate. >> we convey and discuss our concerns with our allies and i

can imagine that the relevant authorities conveyed the relevant information. >> peter learner, thanks very much for joining us, the spokesman for the idf. let's get a palestinian perspective. the chief palestinian negotiator is joining us on the phone right now from jericho on the west bank. you were so hopeful last night when we spoke, you were so upbeat that the cease-fire had been achieved, it was going to work. what is your analysis? what happened? why did it collapse? >> well i told you yesterday that it was a major thing that we were able to achieve what we achieved. and then, you know, what happened, things went out of hand, you know, between 6:00 to 8:00 a.m., the israeli army destroyed palestinian homes, at

8:25 they destroyed another 20 homes. five palestinians were killed, and now 150 palestinians were killed today. and we, what do we do? what do we do? >> i think as palestinians we will be sending our delegation to cairo tomorrow to reconfirm the cease-fire. we need to cease-fire to work. i hope that the secretary kerry and others will convince the israelis to resume the negotiation and to reconfirm the cease-fire. because, you know, we can, you know, finger point, we can do this, do that. at the same time, look at gaza. gaza is totally in rubble. there's a palestinian child that's being killed every three hours, wolf. that is the honest truth. there are more than 1600

palestinians killed so far, 8,500 wounded. gaza is in total rubble. you should hear what i'm hearing from my colleague in gaza. so i think the only way is to give the cease-fire another chance. the palestinian delegation will go to cairo tomorrow and the israeli delegation should go to cairo and we should have the egyptians take a shot to see how to solve all of these problems in tel-aviv, the human suffering in gaza, in terms of water, medical supplies. it's a total disaster area in gaza. >> yeah, it looks like. we show our pictures to the viewers. every night the reporters in gaza show all of the horrible images. you've been negotiating with the israelis. you know the israelis for 20

years plus. you know what the attitude is here. do you think it's realistic to think there can be a cease-fire as long as that israeli soldier is being held by someone in gaza? >> well that's -- they should go to cairo and raise all the issues. because they have captured god knows how many palestinian fighters. i don't know. and all of the issues would be on the table. go between the two sides in order to broker a permanent cease-fire and in order to address lifting the siege, providing supplies and dealing with this captured soldier if he's captured. i don't know the story. i can't verify from anyone. everyone i talked to denies they have a soldier. so now, the choices, will the killing machines and destruction continue? and now we have a total eruption

tonight the outer banks, two palestinians were killed, dozens were wounded. we don't want things to get out of hand. the only thing we can do, realistically speaking, is to cease. if we can revisit the cease-fire tomorrow, this is the only way to deal with it. what's happening now is escalation conflicting and what we need is to employ the mechanism of -- >> do you believe there's a real split between the political wing of hamas and the military wing of hamas? >> i don't think so, because when i was meeting with others, i think there were -- i mean i heard this before, but i told things that i cannot go into the details now. i don't think it's appropriate for me to discuss what i think.

when we got the word that they're on board and jihad and other factions gave me their word that they would be on board, and everybody was on board. and secretary kerry was informed and this why the announcement came. i think the loophole was two sentences. one sentence that the israeli insisted that they continue with their operation to destroy tunnels which meant they would destroy homes. there would be friction. and the other side, the palestinians preserved all rights of defense. this was the point yesterday, this was a loophole. i believe we should revisit the cease-fire and there should be a total unconditional cease-fire and that's what's needed now. >> because the israelis, as you know, they got what they wanted in that deal. the secretary of state john kerry said that israel could go ahead and continue destroying

the tunnels with or without a cease-fire, including during that 72-hour proposed cease-fire. the spokesman for hamas said that was unacceptable to him and hamas. was there confusion there what israel could do offensively and defensively as part of this deal? >> i think this was the point. the point was the israelis insisted that they continue to destroy the tunnel. and our side insisted that they have the right to defense. and that's why when they entered that home, palestinians were defending themselves. that's why things got out of hand. it was a major loophole in the cease-fire. israelis insisted to continue destroying the homes which meant they would destroy homes, go anywhere they want. and we insisted that we have -- that's why it did not last for

more than 90 minutes. >> let's continue this conversation. in 24-hours we're going to have a special saturday "the situation room." we'll talk to you then. still ahead, we'll have more on the captured israeli soldier. could this in fact be a game changer in the conflict. and later, president obama blunt new remarks about u.s. torture and america's tore roar fighting tactics after 9/11. what's really behind his latest comments? more of our special report in a moment. >> that's on top of about 300,000 new jobs in june. what does it mean to have an unlimited mileage warranty on a certified pre-owned mercedes-benz? what does it mean to drive as far as you want...

for up to three years... and be covered? it means your odometer... is there to record... the memories. during the mercedes-benz certified pre-owned sales event now through september 2nd, you'll get complimentary pre-paid maintenance and may qualify for a two-month payment credit. only at your authorized mercedes-benz dealer.

♪ go! go! wow! go power...oats! go! made from oats cheerios! cheerios! go, go, go! go power oats! go! cheerios! go power! go...power! yayyyy!

> well. >> welcome back.

we're reporting live from jerusalem tonight. no one claimed responsibility for the attack but it is certainly not the first time an israeli soldier has been seized. our brian todd is joining us now with more on this part of the story. brian, what are you learning? >> some observers tonight calling this the most dangerous moment in the conflict, a cease-fire broken, more killed and now the abduction of an israeli soldier. hamas says it doesn't know about the capture. the fear on both sides that the next shoot drop could make what's come before look tame. while destroying tunnels in gaza, israeli officials say 23-year-old lieutenant hadar goldin was captured by palestinian militants. an israeli official tells cnn that the idf is exhausting every means to find lieutenant goldin. the soldier's father is counting on that. >> translator: we're certain that the army will not stop under any circumstance.

>> israeli combat veterans tell us that include going house to house. >> there is also intelligence gathering that is taking place now, both with the many hamas terrorists that have been captured as well as with the intelligent assets that have been in place within gaza for a long time. >> idf soldiers say palestinian militants moving through tunnelance battlefield areas are equipped with kidnapping kids, needles, anesthetics, stretchers to be able to snatch an israeli soldier quickly. >> that can unfortunately include having to face the conflicts of opening fire. >> how much of a game changer is goldin's capture in this fighting? >> this could be a game changer because hamas looked like it was coming out of this without any

kind of achievements and that could change thing now. >> hamas may have another gilad shalit. that israeli soldier was abducted in 2006. he was held for more than five years then released in exchange for more than 1,000 palestinian prisoner pps one analyst says this time the israelis may not want to let hamas have that bargaining chip. >> their concern is gilad shalit led to this. and if they trade more prisoners for this israeli soldier, it will encourage hamas to do this again. >> another game changing result of this soldier's disappearance, the israeli military very angry and wanting to punish. analysts say even though they're working intensely to rescue them, the idf won't let his apparent capture hold them back from turning up the pressure on hamas. it could get very nasty in the next few days. >> you're hearing from israeli

sources new concerns about the fate of this soldier, is that right? >> sources telling us they're concerned that lieutenant goldin may be quickly moved far away, possibly smuggled into egypt. we're told that the idf moved quickly to bloke off the streets, trying to contain it and keep him from being moved far away. but that situation very dicey in that part of the gaza strip right now, wolf. >> thanks very much, brian todd. joining us one against our chief national security correspondent jim schu-to-and elise la vit. apparently people have forgotten that america is the most powerful country on earth, still does not control everything around the world. you hear that and your reaction when you hear the president of the united states say that is what? >> i think it fits in with their broader foreign policy strategy as they've articulated it in

recent weeks. you remember the president's speech several weeks ago and a briefing that reporters gave afterwards with the famous line with the theory in effect, don't do dumb stuff, although they used a different word than stuff. it is partly a reaction to reigning in the aspirations of the bush administration, wars of choice in iraq which of course you know president obama opposed very strongly, reigning in expectations in effect and saying that the u.s. will act when its interests are directly threatened. but won't go as far in effect as the previous administration did because that got us more in trouble than it gained us anything. that's what he was saying today as well. listen, we can't solve all of the world's problems and i think the administration believes that when the president says that that he is speak in line with what the american public believes and wants. the trouble is, wolf, and you

know this as well as i do, that when you travel abroad and you speak to europeans or even folks in the middle east, they will often say, well where is america? it's one of those things where you're damned if you do, damned if you don't. i spent years in the middle east where you would hear that america was acting too much. but the administration's point of view that they have this right now. >> and elise, we heard the president give a strong defense of his secondary of state john kerry, called the criticism really unfair. those were the president's words. we've seen some point ed criticism of the secretary earlier from some israelis. what's going on here? >> well, wolf, as you know, you've been talking to u.s. officials. the criticism op john kerry and the israeli press -- we're not talking about columnists here. we're talking about quotes from israeli officials calling secretary kerry's peace plan a

strategic attack, a friend of hamas, really kind of hit the u.s. below the belt. in the fact they say with all of the support that the u.s. has given israel over the years, the iron dome is protecting the israeli people, at the united nations, the u.s. is standing alone. and john kerry, while sometimes may not have the exact best plan or may not be the most artful diplomat, he's really working his tail off on behalf of the israeli people and their security as well as the palestinians. they say israel doesn't have a lot of friends right now. they have the united states and john kerry and they would like to see a little more appreciation there. >> certainly they appreciate what the president of the united states and secretary of state said today, almost completely accepting israel's version of what happened in the hamas being accuse of breaking the cease-fire. who potentially -- you've spent a lot of time thinking about this -- could be a real mediator

in dealing with the sensitive issues in the middle east? >> it doesn't appear that any one party can really deliver the israelis or the palestinians. on the u.s. side you saw a defense by president obama of israel's actions. we know that president obama and prime minister netanyahu has a frosty relationship. and he doesn't have a lot of influence at this point. on the hamas side, you don't have the same egyptian government. the relationship after the crackdown of the mus lem brotherhood by this president is also very difficult. they see things much more in line with the israeli point of view. and then you have cutter who is, you know, considered a friend of hamas, certainly gives them money, but their influence obviously seems to be limited. a lot of people seem to think that cutter could put more pressure on hamas, perhaps this

maybe wouldn't have happened. they wouldn't have taken the israeli soldier if the cutter government were to put more pressure. it doesn't seem as if one nation can step in and really mediate this. that's why secretary kerry has been working with the egyptians, the turkish government, trying to piece together this strange bed fellow coalition to see if they can get some action going, wolf. >> jim, you heard the president also up the on a sensitive issue, namely that there are different factions within hamas and that maybe the military faction isn't on the same page as the political faction. what are you hearing? >> this is a huge problem. it raises an immediate challenge. the immediate challenge is if there are those divisions, leadership cannot control them, who do you negotiate with for the release of the israeli soldier. but longer term and more of a concern, who do you negotiate with for a more enduring

cease-fire and hopefully some sort of longer term agreement for peace to an end to the hostilities in gaza. if hamas doesn't control the groups in gaza, that's a real problem going forward. >> just ahead we're going to continue our special coverage. president obama's surprise remarks about torture tactics conducted by the united states. why is he being so suddenly blunt right now. and new fears that russia won't stop in ukraine. u.s. troops may be called on to protect nato nations. new information come in. we'll be right back. this is the first power plant in the country to combine solar and natural gas at the same location. during the day, we generate as much electricity as we can using solar.

at night and when it's cloudy, we use more natural gas. this ensures we can produce clean electricity whenever our customers need it. ♪ say "hi" rudy. [ barks ] [ chuckles ] i'd do anything to keep this guy happy and healthy. that's why i'm so excited about these new milk-bone brushing chews. whoa, i'm not the only one. it's a brilliant new way to take care of his teeth. clinically proven as effective as brushing. ok, here you go. have you ever seen a dog brush his own teeth? the twist and nub design cleans all the way down to the gum line, even reaching the back teeth. they taste like a treat, but they clean like a toothbrush. nothing says you care like a milk-bone brushing chew. [ barks ] nothing says you care like a milk-bone brushing chew. 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.

your studied day and night for her driver's test. secretly inside, you hoped she wouldn't pass. the thought of your baby girl driving around all by herself was... you just weren't ready. but she did pass. 'cause she's your baby girl. and now you're proud. a bundle of nerves proud. but proud. get a discount when you add a newly-licensed teen to your liberty mutual insurance policy. call to learn about our whole range of life event discounts. newlywed discount. new college graduate and retiree discounts. you could even get a discount when you add a car. call liberty mutual for a free quote today at see car insurance in a whole new light. liberty mutual insurance.

we're showing you live pictures from gaza right now. i want to go to john voss. he's in gaza city for us. i understand there's been a lot of military activity in the last ten minutes. what happened? >> reporter: yeah, wolf, since we last spoke there have been maybe five air strikes. we've counted, concentrating on the same area, the eastern part of gaza. we're hearing from palestinian officials that the targets of the air strikes appear to be houser. they've told us they know of at least four people that have been killed so far. but five air strikes in that area. pretty sure that death toll will rise as they get more information. they continue to hammer away at

the same part of gaza to the east. we're also hearing some more information coming to us from the south of gaza, the rougher area where that israeli soldier was captured. palestinian officials telling us that 23 people have been killed there in the last two hours. that bring the death toll in rafa alone to 95 since that cease-fire collapse ds. >> we'll get back to you. thank so much. we're going to stay on top of the breaking news here in the middle east but i want to go back to washington for a moment. president obama making waves with an important statement at his news conference, using his strongest language yet on the subject of americans using torture after 9/11. tell our viewers what the president said. >> reporter: we have heard president obama call water boarding torture one before but this is the first time we've heard him state this so bluntly. i mean he said we tortured some

folks. we did some things that were contrary to our values. >> when we engaged in some of these enhanced interrogation techniques, techniques that i believe an-i think any fair-minded person would believe were torture, we crossed a line. and that needs to be -- that needs to be understood and accepted. >> reporter: so she also said he understood why this happened, referring to these enormous pressures that were put on the national security team after the attacks, wolf. >> michelle kaczynski at the house. he may be one of the only israeli leaders still holding out hope. my exclusive interview with the former president of israel coming up.

but the energy bp produces up here creates something else as well: jobs all over america. engineering and innovation jobs. advanced safety systems & technology. shipping and manufacturing. across the united states, bp supports more than a quarter million jobs. when we set up operation in one part of the country, people in other parts go to work. that's not a coincidence. it's one more part of our commitment to america.

remind me to tell her happy anniversary. [ cortana ] next time you talk to caroline, i'll remind you. [ siri ] oh no, i cannot do that. oh, and remind me to get roses when i'm near any flower shop. sure thing. remind you when you get to flower shop. i can't do that either.

cortana, it's gonna be a great night. [ beep ] oh wow! thanks for the traffic alert. i better get going. now that is a smart phone. ♪ oh, wait ♪ it's 'cause you make me smile ♪

we're live in jerusalem with the process of peace is fading. one prominent israeli leader still optimistic. i sat down with the former president of israel for his first interview since stepping down in the past couple of weeks as president of israel. listen to what he says now what is necessary to try to find an end to this conflict. >> when you see the pictures of what's happening in gaza right now, the enormous number of civilian, children, elderly, women who have been killed over the past -- this is now week four of this war, the criticism of israel is that it's reacted disproportionately. you say --

>> i don't know in that case which what a proportion. imagine you sit a child on your knees and somebody is shooting at your child and yourself. what is the proportion? not to shoot back? i mean, they put before us an impossible question, but we cannot escape it. we wish we wouldn't have to do it. we have nothing against the people. we don't like to see anybody being killed. it's not our purpose. but if they put it in the homes with the children and there they plant the rockets and the different weapons they collected, what can we do? >> as tensions continue to rise in the region, so does the concern of extremists on both sides. i've been here now for three weeks. almost every day i look at the papers. there's a story on the front page, three jews arrested in mob

beating of palestinians. how worried are you, mr. president, about apparently some growing intolerance, extremism, revenge among israeli jews towards >> it's terrible. no excuse. 300,000 troops that are going in shouting as many are upset, shouting about iranians. nothing like it. i don't like and i shouldn't forgive. they will put in prison. no way of excuses about it. not only because of them, because of us. it's not us. it's not israel. it's not israel i want to. or my friends want to. we're not going to submit to emotions or evil emotions.

it's not the reason and the purpose for which israel was built. and there is no way of compromise. and the way to do is send that cannot be from a moral position, doesn't understand their strength and the depth of israel. >> press says there is only one way to bring warring parties together, step by step, building trust along the way. >> everybody know what's the end result of these negotiations is going to be. israel, palestinian, basically along the 1967 lines with some mutually agreed adjustments, right? >> well, i wouldn't like to use your words, but i say equal state solution. and i think even if palestinians are not talking now about the borders, but about the size of the land. and they agreed to exchange

land. so there is more or less an agreement. >> reporter: at age 90, shimon peres has spent a lifetime in israeli politics, serving in the highest offices, including prime minister. and he knows what it takes to reach a peace deal. as foreign minister, he won a nobel peace prize, along with then prime minister yitzhak rabin and yasser arafat for reaching a 1993 agreement, the oslo accords. after decades of progress and setbacks peres tells me he is hopeful about the future. >> hopeful and optimistic. >> reporter: and the possibility of a lasting peace. >> but there is no real solution for the palestinian for us without having real peace. i think the fight in the middle east is more about the future than about the past. >> shimon peres speaking with me

yesterday. we discussed what is going on here in the middle east. just ahead, nato's new fears about russian aggression. stand by for details of what has officials so concerned right now. if you wear a denture, touch it with your tongue.

if your denture moves, it can irritate your gums. try fixodent plus gum care. it helps stop denture movement and prevents gum irritation. fixodent. and forget it.

and prevents gum irritation. 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. we're live here in jerusalem, but we're also following this breaking news story. new fighting in ukraine comes amid fears russia may be trying to expand its reach. here is our pentagon correspondent barbara starr. >> reporter: cnn has learned the u.s. military is backing a nato proposal for u.s. and european troops to be able to respond

within 48 hours of any russian military aggression against nato members. the move meant to send a stern warning to russia. but also reflecting a fundamental worry that in the future, nato and the u.s. cannot dismiss the threat that russia could decide to move beyond ukraine into nato's eastern flank. >> we need to be absolutely sure that they understand that they can't apply this sort of pressure to a nato nation. >> reporter: the deputy military commander of nato tells cnn that air, land, and maritime forces would be on higher alert. all a response to the nearly 15,000 russian troops now within what one u.s. official calls spitting distance of the ukraine border and the continued flow of heavy weapons into ukraine. >> our business is to be ready for the worst. >> reporter: currently, nato forces, including u.s. troops, have up to 30 days to respond to a threat. if finalized, the new two-day window will be part of a new

military headquarters in europe for quick response. >> this is not an aggressive response. it's absolutely defensive in nature. >> reporter: but ukraine is not a member of nato. there is no obligation to defend it. the president today said there are limits. >> we have done everything that we can to support the ukrainian government and to deter russia from moving further into ukraine. but short of going to war, there are going to be some constraints in terms of what we can do. >> reporter: what the u.s. is doing right now is u.s. intelligence is watching that ukraine-russia border region around the clock for any additional russian military moves. wolf? >> barbara starr at the pentagon, thanks very much for that. that's it for me. thanks very much for watching. this programing note. there will be a special saturday

"situation room" tomorrow. special report live from jerusalem, 5:00 p.m. eastern. we'll see you here tomorrow. until then, thanks very much for watching. the news continues next on cnn. breaking news. a ceasefire officially dead. israel says one of its soldiers is in the hands of hamas tonight. the spokesman for hamas is "outfront" next. plus, a humanitarian crisis in gaza about to get even worse. no sign of a ceasefire in sight. tonight we're live in gaza city. and two americans infected with ebola about to return home. the first could be on u.s. soil as early as tomorrow. let's go "outfront." good evening, everyone. i'm don lemon in tonight for erin burnett. "outfront" tonight, breaking news. deadly new fighting after of a ceasefire shattered between gaza and