. good morning. i'm poppy harlow with phil mattingly in new york. erin burnett is live in tel aviv, israel. that is where president biden is headed tomorrow tore a high-stakes visit. the humanitarian crisis in gaza is escalating. and the president is under growing pressure to help get desperately needed aid, food, walter, other aid to the millions of civilians stuck in this war zone. this morning we are continuing to see israel strike gaza. some airstrikes were right near the border crossing between gaza and egypt. that crossing remains closed as israel's blockade continues and this is new video of smoke rising near the border wall there. it is the same border crossing where vital humanitarian aid has been piling up. the world health organization is now warning that water is running out for hundreds of thousands of palestinians.

>> satellite images show 30-foot bomb craters blocking the roadway nearing the crossing. another top priority for president biden, securing the release of hostages. hamas has released its first hostage video of an israeli french woman abducted during the surprise attack. the israeli military is calling it an attempt of, quote, psychological warfare. here is what the woman's mother said this morning. >> i didn't know she's dead or alive until yesterday. all i knew is that she's might be kidnapped. and i'm begging the world to bring my baby back home. she only went to a party, to a festival party, to have some fun. and now she's in gaza.

>> to erin burnett live in tel aviv. erin, i am struck how many different dynamics are at play. all the variables. now a presidential visit on top of hostages, a looming ground incursion, the worst terror attack we have seen in decades. what is the state of play on the ground there? >> reporter: well, it's a watch and wait. it is a population expecting something to happen. frankly, wanting something to happen. when i say that, obviously, you heard matthew chance talk to shareholders who say they want a second front, to work with hezbollah, too. i don't mean that. i mean people dealing with want whatever it is to happen so they see what comes next and they can start to move on. it's more in that reality. there is a great fear of a ground incursion, although the expectation one my be inevitable. you heard about the idf commander hecht saying that is what the world is focused on. what they do may be something

different. that also comes as mark, who is a close counselor to prime minister benjamin netanyahu for decades, said something similar to us a few moments ago. here's that. is there a way for you to defeat them without putting thousands and thousands of idf troops in gaza? >> so, we might have to. >> reporter: hard to say whether they are creating room or not. in the context of president biden coming over here, that is the great focus. and i want to go to clarissa ward in ashkelon. you know, our stringer, you know, someone working for cnn trying to gather information from gaza, reports seeing airstrikes, very specific word, indicating israeli airstrikes near the rafah border not long ago. hugely significant in the context of the world palestinian americans and palestinians gathering at the border.

i know you heard brooms where y booms as well. what are you able to tell us? >> reporter: we have been talking to hospitals and various people on the ground in southern gaza, including our local journalists there, and basically what we are hearing is that there have been at least six airstrikes in the area right near that rafah border crossing with egypt in the south. we are hearing at least 60 people have been killed in those airstrikes, apparently they hit the homes of six different families. again, there is the expectation that that death toll might rise, but it also raises real questions because, of course, israeli forces had been asking ordinary gazzans in northern gaza to evacuate that part of the enclave and move into the south. according to the u.n., 600,000 people have moved to the south. and so having this lev of

bombardment and ferocity of strikes in the south raises real questions about the ability of ordinary gazans to find anywhere that offers any hint of safe refuge. meanwhile, just moments ago we then heard a barrage of rockets coming into ashkelon. let me play you some of that sound for a second. >> reporter: i will say that those rockets are getting closer and closer by the day. most are in interpreted by the iron dome, but two did make landfall not too far from us this time. it doesn't appear that they hit any particular house or anything like that. we don't have any reports of casualties or injuries. of course, it is worth saying yet again that where is the iron

dome exists in israel and intercepts the vast majority of those rockets and missiles, there is no iron dome in gaza. which is why or one of many reasons why you are seeing that death toll continuing to soar. nearly 3,000 palestinians now killed in gaza, erin. >> reporter: and so interesting what you were just saying about six targets in the south. obviously, we, don't know what that is. we don't have a comment from the idf. some context here. i was with unit yesterday going out to gather the weapons that hamas left behind in the attack. they are finding the bodies of the dead hamas fighters. those bodies are -- they are worried about them being booby-trapped but they were wearing go pro cameras and they are trying to i.d. every fighter. when you get a i.d., you get a name. when you get a name you get a family and a hope and a place and that's what they are doing. i know it begs the question as

to what the strikes are, whether they are related to something like that or not. we simply don't know right now. we do know that with every strike, civilians can die and hostages can die. and we have that one hostage video. i know we can get more you have spoken to some of these hostage families who are just -- they have a rage even at their own government because they are not getting answers about their family members who are held in gaza. >> reporter: that's right. some of them have now been holding vigil for their loved ones outside the military headquarters in tel aviv for four days now, erin. they are very angry at israel's -- or the israeli government's handling of this crisis. they are very concerned about the escalating violence and tension. a lot of them really with ould to see a deal made, negotiations, some kind of a prisoner release. but i spoke to one former mossad officer who was involved with hostage negotiations in the past, and he said this time he

does not see that israel is interested in negotiating some kind of a prisoner swap. he says when we have done that in the past, that is what has resulted in hamas' leadership being let out of jail and able to return and plan attacks like the ones we saw last saturday. he said there is no appetite for that at the moment. the preference would be to go into gaza, to uproot hamas and then to try to rescue as many of those hostages as possible in sort of operations on the ground. now, of course, as you know, erin, rescuing hostages in active operations like that is incredibly risky. those words likely to strike fear in the hearts of many mi desperate to get their loved ones home and see an end to the violence. >> reporter: right, right. when the choice presents itself to decapitate hamas or save

hostages' lives, that is a choice israel faces. thank you very much. back to you. >> what a choice that is, indeed. thank you. president biden's trip comes as israel weighs the potential gaming kaing escalation in this war on hamas. >> israeli forces are expected to begin a ground operation any day now. an idf spokesman saying he doesn't expect any delays over president biden's planned visit. >> the president's visit to israel, does it complicate or delay that ground incursion in any way? >> not as far as i understand. i think the president also said that hamas needs to be destroyed and that is exactly our military aim. >> joining trust the white house is jun occur by, the national security council coordinator for strategic communications. trying to get some specifics. would the president go over on

this trip if he thought israel would launch the counteroffensive while there? >> what the operations are on the ground, that's not dictating the president's desire to go at this critical moment here in the conflict between israel and hamas. we will let the sisraelis speak to their operations. we are not going to do that from washington, d.c. the president believes this is exactly the right time to go to israel and to go to jordan to speak to other leaders in the region about the humanitarian assistance that we want to make sure gets into gaza, about israeli plans and intentions going forward, how it's unfolding on the ground and absolutely to continue to talk to region partners about the hostages and getting -- see if we get them home back to their families. >> what can the families of their loved ones being held by hamas, the hostages, can those families expect from the president on this trip? and also the innocent

palestinian civilians trying to escape, including one of our colleagues and so many others. what can they expect? >> they ought to know that their loved ones and civilian life at large are going to be very, very high on the president's agenda on this trip. and will be represented in virtually every conversation that he has with israeli officials, including the prime minister, as well as president ceecee of egypt, and king abdullah of jordan. innocent life, we want to get the hostages home. that will be seven top on his agenda. >> john i understand there is intensive work op humanitarian aid proposals between the secretary of state and counterparts, over 7 1/2 hours. how much of that has been either delivered or presented to the other leaders, president biden will be meeting with in the second leg of his trip? >> secretary blinken held a

marathon meeting yesterday for some search hours plus with israeli officials and made good progress towards a framework to get humanitarian assistance in and to also work towards safe passage out of gaza. now, as you and i are speaking, phil, that aid hasn't started yet. we hope that happens very, very, very soon and certainly that conversation didn't just happen in a vacuum. obviously, it was a result of secretary blinken's shuttle diplomacy throughout the region with arab partners as well to find a way to break this logjam and get food, water and medicine to people who desperately need it. >> to that point, the u.s. gives i egypt more than $1 billion in aid every year. it's one thing to get the rafah crossing open. it's another to get aid in that way. >> that's right. >> will that change because the president is having this meeting

with el sisi? >> we are optimistic. we made some significant progress towards an arrangement to get humanitarian assistance in. we have to watch this continuously very, very closely as we have been. we thought it was going to be open and it didn't open. so we want to make sure it actually opens. your point is a good one. it's not just about opening the gate and letting stuff in for a few hours. we have to make sure there is a framework in place that humanitarian can be sustainable, some maintenance level to that the food, water medicine that gets in doesn't run out again. there is a lot of work left to do here. >> admiral, congressman mccaul, chairman of the house foreign affairs committee, said something last night. take a listen. >> my committee, the foreign affairs committee, is a committee that is responsible for either declaring war or an

authorized use of military force. so i'm currently preparing a draft of that in the event it is called upon and is necessary. but most importantly, supported by the american people. >> john, is the add morgues having conversations with lawmakers about drafting that at this point? >> i don't believe that's an active part of the conversation now. it's important for people to remember the additional military forces that are being prepared or are on their way to the region is really go sending a signal of deterrence. we don't want to see the conflict escalate and widen. there are no plans to put u.s. boots on the ground in israel. everything we are doing is sending a strong signal of deterrence. >> let me ask you about the hostages and israel's position according to the national security council head not to negotiate. to quote, israel will not hold notions with an enemy we vowed to wipe from the face of the earth. does the u.s. support that position in that strategy given

we know israel has negotiated for hostages in the past? >> that's for israel to decide. it's a sovereign decision they have to make. what i can tell you is that we are working literally by the hour to develop options to get our hostages home and to work on that and working very closely with partners in the region, partners who have communications, open communication was hamas. we are focused on making sure that we get our american citizens home to where they belong, with their families. again we don't have a whole lot of granular information about where they are, how they are kept, what condition they are and we believe it's a small number. we are working on this very, very hard. >> what i'm trying to get at, does the u.s. believe with the position like that from israel at this point you can successfully get them out? >> i want to be careful what we say publicly, poppy. when you are dealing with a situation like this, the less you say probably out there the

better in terms of your chances of success. all i can tell you -- i can't speak for the israelis. i can speak for president biden and this administration. we know there are americans in the hostage pool. we want to get them home and we are working on this literally by the hour in coordination and consultation with partners in the region. >> i know there have been clear and i am told public and private messages to iran or iranian intermediaries to stay out, don't, as the president and top officials say, get involved in what's happening right now. there has been an uptick in escalation of the rhetoric from iranian officials saying they are running out of patience, talking about what is happening. have you seen any warnings or any signs that iran is starting to engage in a way they hadn't before? >> outside of the rhetoric, phil, no, we haven't. and we are going to watch this very, very closely. again the president's signal was very, very clear and he backed it up with the addition of some military forces in the region. we do not want to see this

conflict escalate. we don't want to see it widen and we have significant national security interests in the region and we nmean to protect those interests. >> admiral john kirby, national security council. the president leaving later this evening. appreciate your time. thank you. >> you bet. president biden gets ready to head to israel. a big gop rifle is making harsh claims. christiane amanpour and david axlerod join us next to discuss.

the middle east comes at a crucial time. a new cnn poll shows a mixed

reaction over how much trust americans have in the president to make the right decisions in israel with 46% feeling positive. joining us to discuss is christiane amanpour and cnn senior political commentator david axlerod. christiane, to start with the trip itself, it's a risk without question. it was a surprise for many people. what's your read on what the end game is here? >> well, look, i think you heard what john kirby was saying. you just put up a poll. so let's talk about the polls from israel. you know, more than half the israeli people listen to president biden's speech when he made that speech in defense and support of israel ace right to its own self-defense. it turns out it appears that israelis are craving leadership right now. they do not trust their own government, according to the most credible israeli polls. and so president biden knowing that the really only influence that a u.s. president can have in the israel/palestinian story,

particularly with the israelis, is if he has the confidence of the israeli people. so presumably president biden is thinking, well, we are going to shore up that confidence with the israeli people, so that whatever happens, whenever i say or do anything, they will know i have and they will trust me to have the best interests of israelis at hand. so i think that is a big issue. and then the other issue, of course, is to ensure that these horrendous humanitarian disastrous pictures from inside gaza do not inflame those people around the, you know, in the wider middle east to pressure their own leaders to get more involved, avoiding a wider war and not only that, of course, to relieve pressure on the civilians inside gaza who are being made to pay for this terrible atrocity that hamas committed. >> david, how does president biden on this trip walk the line between fully standing side by

side and supporting israel while also reiterate whag secretary blinken said a number of times, which is how israel does this matters, while also getting egypt to play ball and opening the crossing while also focusing on the hostages and trying to get them out with israel that says at this point they are not going to negotiate with hamas. >> poppy, i think the answer to your question was contained within it. this is a really complicated matrix for the president. he wants to show solidarity with the israelis. he has done that very well so far. wants to send a strong message of solidarity. at the same time, privately counseling discretion because the story as it unfolds out of gaza is going to shape a global opinion. it's going to potentially, as christiane mentioned, inflame other actors to get involved and may cause modern arab states that were moving towards israel

to move away from israel. there are a lot of implications here. on top of that, you have got american hostages. so as important as what he says publicly when he hits the ground in israel will be what he says privately to the israeli leaders and what he says to the arab leaders he is meeting with in jordan who can be helpful in getting humanitarian aid in and getting hostages out. >> christiane, to the point of hinls, you spoke to the israeli opposition leader about that issue. what did he tell you? >> well, i did. and, you know, as david says and as you know, america has hostages, america has dead in israel, britain as well. there are reports that at least two british people may be amongst the hostages and some are dead. so this is a very, very live issue, including, obviously, for the israelis who have lost many, many inside israel. so i asked him what is the priority for this ground

invasion, this major offensive you are playing? to get the hostages or to decapitate hamas? in other words, is there a number one? he said there is no priority per se. both. we have to do both. and this is, obviously, going to be really difficult. let's just play this part of this sound bite from my interview where he clearly puts the blame for all the humanitarian crisis in gaza right on hamas' shoulders. >> israelis and palestinians in gaza alike are the victims of hamas. so every question you might have about humanitarian issues you should direct the hamas. this is not our wrongdoing. everybody around in both sides of the border, in israel and gaza, the victims of hamas. this is why we must go in there and make sure hamas is eliminated once and for all. we will not have hamas on our border anymore. >> is your first priority the hinls? now you say there are 199.

what is your first priority when you go in? >> well, i wish we could have a first priority. we have to deal with both issues at same time. the first thing we want is our babies back home and we are going to do everything in our power to bring them back home. >> so of course you have been reporting about the first hostage video being released and this will be psychological warfare and everybody is prepared for it. on the wider war issue, the u.s., you heard john kirby say they have no evidence that beyond rhetoric right now iran is planning to get involved or, indeed, that hezbollah is planning to get involved. if you wouldn't mind, i just want to read you something very instructive from the head of hezbollah after the 2006 war which they fought to a draw with israel, which i covered. he said afterwards on television, we didn't think even one percent that the capture of

the troops, the israeli troops, would lead to war of this magnitude. if you ask me, if i'd known july 11 the operation would lead to such a war, would i do it? i say no, absolutely not that. is remarkable thing for the leader of hezbollah to say in 20 # 06. one assumes there is no evidence of this right now for any greater involvement beyond skirmishes at the northern border. >> that's really interesting. david, before you go, you have given counsel to presidents, making the hardest of decisions before. if you were counseling president biden on this decision as he takes off tonight, what would you say? >> i would say this is -- there is a -- there is danger all around here, and, you know, what you say publicly is important. what you say privately maybe more important. and, you know, the deeper you get in, the more you are

co-author of the story. so make sure that the story is one that you shape and that you don't merely co-sign. >> you think it was a mistake to make the trip? >> no. no, i do not. i don't think it's a mistake to make the trip. i think for a variety of reasons, some kind of prosaically political, which is, you know, he is a central actor here and he ought to behave like a central actor. secondly, this is a critical moment, and i think to show the seriousness of our support and our concerns, the president's presence will be meaningful. >> kwau. enormously consequential. christiane amanpour, david axlerod, thank you. we were just talking about the hostages, that number, that count at this point is 199 hostages being held by hamas. that's according to israel.

at least 14 of them americans. we are going to be joined by a family member of two women who are still unaccounted for. you see them right there. that's straight ahead. you're probably not easily persuaded to switch mobile providers for your business. but what if we told you it's possible that

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the fact that someone who lives next door to us and is a part of our community is a hostage in israel makes the devastation and the pain and the grief that all jews around the world are feeling that much more real. >> that is rabbi hecht of chicago speaking about two members members of his synagogue who are missing in israel presumed hostages of hamas. judith and natalie are among 14 u.s. citizens still remaining unaccounted for. a mother and daughter who you see right there. they were visiting family members at a kibbutz in southern israel just over a mile away from the gaza border when hamas attacked. relatives say the two tried to hide in the shelter before eyewitnesses saw them being abducted. more than a week since hamas' attack. the u.s. officials says cnn -- tells cnn that nothing is known about the condition of the american hostages at this point. so joining us now from israel

the cousin of judith and her daughter natalie. thank you very much for being here. we will get to -- thank you for joining us. am i correct that you have ten family members as well that you believe have been kidnapped by hamas? >> yes. besides natalie and judith, we have ten other family members who have been kidnapped by hamas. yeah. we have been -- it has been ten days since the -- this horrible attack, and we didn't even have time until now to mourn our dead friends because all around the clock we just work on getting as much information as we can and

helping from our -- from where we stand, as much as we can, to get any information and to speak to anyone who is willing to hear us and help us put the pressure on hamas to release our innocent family and at least give a sign of life and release the uninvolved innocent civilians. >> we see on your shirt, obviously, you have a photo of both of them. i know judith has been like a big sister you to. she was so tied to israel where she lived earlier in her life. she wanted to bring her daughter she graduated from high school there for this celebration. what more do you want people to know about them? >> so, yeah. so, judith, my cousin, is

exactly like a big sister to me. we are a very close family. and our parents were really, really close and made sure that we grow up knowing each other and brought natalie to israel to celebrate my aunt's 86th birthday. and we had a great birthday. it was great meeting everybody after a long time, as they live in illinois and we don't get to meet that often. so every time we do meet, it's a celebration regardless if it's a birthday or not. i can say that judith is an amazing mother. very funny, strong, unique person. and natalie just recently graduated from high school.

she is just an american teenager excited to start her life. she loves animals. we got that in common. and we love them. we want them back. >> and i know your aunt, who, thank goodness, was safe, was with them when the kibbutz was attacked and you have described her in all of this as a real hero. >> yes. my aunt is a real hero. and they weren't in the same house when the attack started. natalie and judith were staying in kibbutz guesthouse while tammy was in her own home. when the alarms started at 6:10 a.m., tammy got into the shelter, closed the door. it seemed like an unimaginable

reality, but that we already got used to, that there are missiles coming, and family started to checking in to see if everyone was all right. we were reassured everyone entered the shelter waiting toing for the security team of the kibbutz to report. this is a daily reality for this area. and as the day continued, we were faced with the terrifying realization that terrorists were attacking inside the kibbutz. inside the families' homes, slaughtering everyone they can and kidnapping women, children, elderly. it's really hard to even think about it. my grandmother is a holocaust survivor, and i remember hearing

stories from her. and you couldn't even imagine that it's a and en you see the m the kibbutz from my family's home and you see that and it really looks -- it looks the same. and this is so terrible. you know, we haven't even had time to, up until now, to realize that the horrific event that has happened. so only at 16 hours later, after the event started, tammy was rescued by the idf and she said, i need to go see my daughter. i need to go to her house. and the soldiers said you can't go anywhere. we are under fire and you have

to -- you have to come with us. and she said -- she said to the soldiers, do you want to see me go to my daughter? and just started walking to see where they are. and the soldiers to accept the situation and went under fire surrounding tammy, arriving to the home, to the house of the guesthouse, just to find that the doors were broken and they weren't there. it was at 10:30 at night still under fire. at that point -- yes, sorry. >> no. thank you for sharing all of this. and we'll continue to show their picture, of course, and hoping for their very safe return. appreciate your time this morning. >> so, if i can say --

>> hold on. >> on behalf of my family -- >> go ahead. >> on behalf of my family, i plead everyone with any sense of decency, any sense of humanity, with those who have influence over hamas, including the u.n., the government of qatar and turkey, to demand the immediate release of all the innocent civilian hostages without any conditions. we are talking about an innocent american teenage girl and her mother. so bring back my family, please. >> thank you. thank you for sharing that about them and for your urgent plea. >> thank you. thank you for having me. you're looking at new airstrikes this morning near the gaza/egypt border crossing which is closed as israel's blockade continues. the latest from israel next.

the house of representatives, it's in that building right there, it is set to vote ok a speaker today. jim jordan is by cnn's count still short of the 217 votes he

needs to win the gavel. he has porflipped a number of k hold-outs, getting closer to the magic number. he still has a math problem. he can only afford to lose three, four votes. we count five, including don bacon of nebraska. >> i am trying to express where a bunch of us are at. we have been walked on and everybody says, okay, you've got to forget that. you've got to be with the team. where were they at when they did this to kevin? >> cnn's lauren fox joins us from capitol hill. all right, lauren, we're about three hours and 15 minutes before this kicks off. does jim jordan become the 56th speaker of the house today? >> reporter: yeah, let's lay out some factors, phil. first of all, day 14. two weeks now without an acting speaker who can bring legislation to the floor of the house of representatives. and jim jordan is going to take this fight to the floor today, try to grind it out despite the fact that there are at least ten

republican leaning nos or hard no votes that cnn has kept track of. that doesn't include the dozens that we have not heard from at this moment. so there could be very well a math problem for jor goes to th today. one thing to keep an eye on, whether or not jordan can get 200 votes to start with. that is the floor that kevin mccarthy started with back in january when he was able to finally win that speakership after 15 rounds of votes. the other thing to keep an eye on, do republicans have patience to go that many rounds for jim jordan? they were willing to do it for kevin mccarthy, but are they going to be willing if jim jordan time after time cannot get the votes? as you noted, right now the margin is even slimmer for jordan than it would typically be. one republican absence this afternoon, that means jordan can only afford to lose three republican votes on the house floor. is he going to be able to pull this off?

probably not in the first ballot. is he able to get there eventually? that is the question today, phil. if it finance and there is no speaker, he can continue this it's into the next few days. how long are his republican colleagues patient with him, another majo this morning. >> the last speaker only took 15 rounds. so lots of time. lauren fox, appreciate you. thank you. >> it is going to be a really busy day in washington. with us cnn political con em tater scott jennings. if he pulls this off, 15, 20, i don't know, whatever it's going to be, the question is how does he lead then. i thought this was interesting what his fellow republican ken buck said. let's listen. >> well, i think that jim at some point if he is going to lead this conference during the presidential election cycle and particularly a presidential election year with primaries and caucuses around the country, is going to have to be strong and say donald trump didn't win the

election and we need to move forward, hopefully, you know, for republicans we get a republican candidate in the white house. >> is he on an island-ish, with a couple of others on that island with that sentiment? >> yeah. he is on an island. you think jim jordan is going to win the speakership and all of a sudden go out and preach that message from ken buck, i mean, i got some bridges i'll sell you somewhere. the reality is he is one of donald trump's biggest supporters. adult is supporting him for speaker to put him in as speaker with would more closely align the republican conference and the house with donald trump than it was under mccarthy it was it was pretty well aligned under mccarthy. so i think that that's a wish casting by representative buck. i have talked to a few members this morning and one person says he thinks jordan may get there. he is an enthusiastic jordan backer. a couple of folks are with jordan that were with scalise before, say, not sure he is

going to make it on the first ballot. one thing i determined today is that it's very much in doubt and in question and it's going to make for some exciting viewership. legislative procedure, unless you are phil, is not terribly exciting. >> i love it. >> but the outcome is very much in doubt and there is going to be a kworquorum call. we are in for an interesting day at the capitol. >> if i told you that jim jordan was potentially three and a half to four hours away from becoming the next speaker of the house a couple of months ago, what would you have said? >> yeah, i mean, we live in a magical world where anything can help, reality tv show host can become president and jim jordan can become speaker of the house. it really is a remarkable turn for a guy who has been known more as a talking head and bomb thrower than someone who wanted governing responsibility.

i have heard from people he is telling republicans, i don't think it's good idea to shut down the government. you can already see he is trying to pivot away from the idea that this sort of shut it all down mentality towards, hey, a maybe we need to do the responsible thing here, keep the government open and show people that we're responsible governing party. so as he gets into the mindset of possibly being speaker, there is some governing influence creeping in there. >> do you talk to mitch mcconnell, you talk to >> i haven't talked to him about jim jordan specifically. i don't think they know each other all that well. i do think that he wants to have a good working relationship with the house republican majority, because he had a good one with kevin mccarthy. you know what he said about mccarthy when he left. he really thought that they connected on a lot of issues. i know that's what he desires here, because the house republican majority is the only leg of the stool that republicans control. we're in the minority in the

senate. don't control the white house. that majority and the person who is the speaker has a ton of responsibility to push republican priorities down the field. making sure that the senate republicans and the house republicans are in some kind of strategic alignment from time to time is very, very critical to the senator. >> on some level, do senators just want this to be over with? they will take anybody? >> sometimes you don't have to be the best man standing, you just have to be the last man standing. i think we will see if that works out for jim jordan today. there's a fear that republicans don't get this worked out and they don't have time to do what needs to be done to keep the government open. i think there's a great desire among a lot of people that we have to put forward the idea that the party can be trusted to govern the country. biden is faltering. to put forward an idea we can govern the country is a critical messaging issue for a lot of senior republicans. >> scott jenkins, appreciate you. president biden will travel to tel aviv.

he will meet with israeli officials, including prime minister benjamin netanyahu. hamas just reacted to the president's visit. what they said, next.

this is new video just in to cnn. it shows the hamas military wing firing rockets from gaza into ashkelon. >> they are accusing biden of falling for the israeli narrative. at least 2,800 gazans have died. more than half a million are fleeing, even as israel prepares for a potential ground incursion there. over 44 hospitals in gaza have been attacked. the world health organization

say 84,000 pregnant women require aid. this as the water crisis is escalating. civilians are suffering from dehydration and water-borne illnesses. >> in israel, more than one week after those unprecedented attacks by hamas, officials are working day and night to identify the victims so that they can be laid to rest. our next guest is trying to console the families of fallen israeli soldiers. joining us is an officer and reservist with the israel force. thank you, major, for joining us. it's impossible work. i wonder what you are saying to the families as you notify them one by one.

>> there's nothing left to say, actually. you can stand with them a minute after they are receiving notification that their son or daughter were killed. they now realize that life has changed and will never be the same. i'm sitting right now in my car. in front of me is the military -- i just finished a military service with the family who just now finished seven days of mourning. we were standing together in front of their son, brave. the mom raised her head in front of me and asked me, what is going to be now? how my life is going to go on

now? how can i still wake up in the morning and go to work? what will i do with my other children? how come life is going on when i just lost my biggest love, my son? i grow with him so many years. he was beloved one. you know, sometimes i have nothing to say to her. i can hug her. i can say that i'm with her. i can say that the idea will be here with her throughout the years. still, in my head, i know that from now on, nothing will be the same. everything is changing. those parents, all the parents that lost their sons and daughters, they life is ruined. now they need to start living it again from scratch. they need to be able to walk up

in the morning, to go to work, to make sure that other siblings are okay, to make sure that some of them were married, the widows need to be able to go to work, to be with their sons and daughters that are left at the house. it's so hard to think about what is going to be next while they are still here waiting for friends and more family to come and hug them. there's nothing to say. i can only be there for them and hug them. it doesn't end. in the last ten days, i was at some many funerals. i met so many parents, so many siblings. people that lost their loved ones, and what can i say? it doesn't end. you know that -- i think it was

after the number five, i think, funeral that i went to, i decided that i stop counting how many funeral more i need to go. i said to myself, from now on i will remember each one of the soldiers by their name and by the stories that their friends and family are telling me about them. because there's so many funerals to go to, that if i need to remember all of them, the only way for me to remember it is if i will take from each one of them the first name and the story that the family told me about them. how they used to smile. how they used to love their family. how they used to love their friends in the army. you know, so many friends, so many soldiers cannot come to the funeral because they are in the field. they are in the battle. the most thing that they wanted

to do right now is to be here in the cemetery with the family. they wanted to hug them. they wanted to tell them how their son was their best friend for three years, how they used to sleep next to him, eat with him. doing everything for three years. and now they are not here to tell the story. >> i can't imagine -- >> i'm feeling -- >> i can't imagine the personal toll but also the importance of the work you do. we appreciate it. thank you so much for your time. >> thank you. just a number of hours, the president will take a trip to tel aviv. the second part of the trip is to jordan. >> very critical trip. we will follow it all day. we will see the president tomorrow morning landing in tel aviv. thank you for joining us