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hello and welcome to our viewers joining us here in the united states and all around the world as we continue our breaking news coverage of israel at war. i'm rosemary church at cnn headquarters in atlanta. >> and i'm becky anderson in tel aviv. it is 10:00 a.m. here and in gaza city where the hamas controlled ministry of health reports 471 people have been killed in tuesday's horrific hospital blast. and the u.s. now echoing israel's claim that the explosion was the result of an errant rocket fired by palestinian islamic jihad. new video appears to show a rocket fired from gaza exploding high above gaza city where the hospital is located.

just before the blast at that medical facility. on the ground, this was the moment of the explosion outside the hospital. look. cnn has not determined if these events are related. president biden says he believes u.s. intelligence. >> i don't say things like that unless i have faith in the source in which i have gotten the people at the defense department my respect. >> well that was joe biden on air force one on the flight back from tel aviv here of course for some seven hours. cnn's sam kylie has more on that blast. i have to warn you, this report has some disturbing images. >> reporter: a blast of

immediate strategic impact. jordan canceled a summit with the u.s., egypt, and the palestinian authority as news of mass casualty in gaza emerged. now with the hamas controlled gaza health ministry said the death toll is over 470 from an explosion in the courtyard of this church run hospital. there are protests around the world. and in this war, the truth is unlikely to emerge quickly. the u.s. based on its own analysis of the evidence including secret intelligence has supported israel's version of events. >> based on the information we have seen today, it appears to be the result of an errant rocket fired by a terrorist group in gaza. >> reporter: israel blames hamas and the islamic jihad. other palestinian groups say israel did it.

cnn has geo located details of the scene. weapons experts agree the explosion is not likely caused by an air dropped bomb or guided missile. >> i would rule out a heavy air drop bomb. the type of crater that i have seen on the imagery so far isn't large enough to be the type of bomb that we have seen dropped in the region on many occasions. >> could it have been a hellfire type missile? >> i'm doubtful about that. >> reporter: preliminary cnn analysis of the crater suggests that the projectile hit the courtyard outside the hospital from somewhere to the southwest. the israel defense forces say they believe the disaster was caused by the misfire of a missile fired from the southwest of the hospital. >> could this have been a rocket fired from gaza territory that went wrong? >> it could very well have been

a rocket fired from gaza territory. we will only know that when the remnants are definitively identified and compared to other munitions fired in the area. >> reporter: a cnn u.n. weapons expert agreed. many blamed israel and its allies. >> people who fled considered the hospital as a safe shelter for them. they didn't find any other place to go. but they struck people with those israeli and american rockets. this is a war crime. it is a big crime killing children and women. >> reporter: and independent investigation would need to be done on the ground to determine the cause of the blast which is impossible under the current israeli bombardment and unlikely under hamas. you worked in gaza before, chris. have you investigated rocket misfires in the past? >> yes. i have tried to in the past most certainly. but on the few occasions this

has happened, the local authorities did not give me free access to the area. or were unhappy i was trying to investigate something that had clearly gone wrong from their point of view. >> reporter: amid the ongoing bloodshed, entrenched supporters from either side are more likely to believe what they want now, regardless. sam kiley, cnn. let's get you live to london where we are following developments. elliot, that's what we know about the hospital blast. it has set up a contentious visit for president biden. the humanitarian situation, meantime, is getting worse. in all of this, there are 2.2 million palestinians in gaza. some half a million as we understand it have driven

south. we hear anecdotedly, so many of those are actually going back north because they have nothing there in the south. no infrastructure. these are people with kids and families and they just decided, many people, that it is better to be in northern gaza at this point. we haven't yet seen a ground. where are we at? what are the key take aways from this point? >> we are still waiting for humanitarian assistance to be allowed through the crossing of the border between the gaza strip and egypt. one of the things president biden did achieve on his visit to israel, of course, a truncated visit given the cancellation of this summit that was due to take place in oman that was captured in the wake of that blast at the hospital. one of the things that biden did achieve is getting the israelis to agree to a humanitarian assistance going into the gaza strip. not from israel, but from the

egyptian side. the only caveats to that, israel said fuel cannot go in. it is happy for food, water, medicines to go through, but it doesn't want fuel going in. in the past, fuel has simply been stolen by hamas and other militant groups to fuel their own war machine. for now, there are 20 humanitarian aid trucks waiting to get in. the world health organization seems optimistic they will get in. but there seem to be damage to the roads on the side. on the gaza side of that rafa. as a result, that is holding things up. the world health organization is hopeful there will be up to 100 trucks a day to provide humanitarian assistance to the area where the situation is pretty dire. the other thing that biden achieved or at least set out to do, and expectations were managed before he even touched down, was to show israel that u

i suppose he did that literally. of course, to send a message to israel's foes. principally iran in the south of lebanon. that it should not get involved. should not try to exploit israel's war with trying to open up another front. as we heard from the idf spokesman earlier today, things are getting progressively worse in the north. they are still simmering for now. they haven't boiled over into a full blown front. but they are simmering with seemingly daily attacks into israel firing anti-tank missiles and the like attempted infiltration with israel firing back. casualties mounting on both sides. becky? >> elliot reporting. 20 trucks better than none. but if they are not likely through until friday, we are

looking at people running out of supplies. let's be absolutely clear. this is the opening of the rafah crossing for these 20 trucks in the first instance. israel has absolutely refused to allow anyone through its borders. remember, this is under total siege at the moment. that would be of course, aid that would otherwise reach the north. as far as the humanitarian situation is concerned, are very, very, very difficult. israel and egypt have pledged to allow some aid through at that border crossing at rafah. whichever amount of aid that ends up being, it just can't possibly come soon enough. this is where international aid should be flowing into gaza. it has been eeriely quiet.

vital life sustaining humanitarian aid has been piling up. stuck in no man's land on the wrong side of the border while agencies sound the alarm on an accelerating humanitarian crisis. now there are signs of a breakthrough. on wednesday, hours after a deadly blast at a hospital in gaza, u.s. president joe biden landed on its wartime visit to israel. he delivered these remarks. >> i asked the israeli cabinet i met with to agree for the life saving humanitarian assistance to gaza. based on the understanding there will be inspections. that the aid should go to civilians, not to hamas. it is agreed the humanitarian assistance can begin to move from egypt to gaza. >> reporter: in this statement wednesday, israel said it will not allow any aid into gaza from its own territory until all hostages held by hamas are

released. i asked the jordanian foreign minister for his reaction. >> we are all working for a cease fire that would allow the delivery of the humanitarian supplies to gaza. so talk of cease fire is continuing allowing supplies is continuing. any step in that direction is definitely a step. >> reporter: president biden is working with the u.n. to get aid trucks moving as quickly as possible. but even when that flow of aid can begin, its route has been badly damagedly air strikes. >> there is a miles long convoy of humanitarian assistance with the trucks on the side of the road, awaiting the possibility of entering gaza. the crossing has been bombed

four times. >> there's a lot of infrastructure that has been destroyed. obviously, the lack of fuel, water, and food is going to compound the situation. the difficulties with moving around to security, but also blockages from rubble, et cetera, unexploded munitions. >> reporter: for gaza sit citizens, the lifeline is running out. hospitals are collapsing without fuel. and the world food program warns that shops in gaza will run out of food in mere days. >> there is no water. there is no water at all. medicines for children, food, drinking. there are no supplies at all in the gaza strip. it is not just me. all of the gaza strip is suffering. all of the families in gaza are suffering. >> reporter: i cannot

underscore enough how dire that situation is. let me just show you something here. this is a little boy at the u.n. run school at a refugee camp in gaza where people requester sheltering. a school, a police that should be safe. a facility that so often, people run to, to get shelter. he is pointing at bloodstains on the wall after the school was hit by a reported israeli air strike. at least six people were killed according to the u.n. relief and works agency for palestinian refugees. the u.n. agency which is on the ground in gaza. for more on the dire situation there, we are joined by adnan, a media adviser for that u.n. agency. the organization has lost 14 of its staff members in gaza since the fighting began. i must start by saying i'm so

sorry for the loss of your team members. can you just give us a sense of the situation under which you are working right now? >> on the palestinian side. the city, an operations center in the rafah area. because of the danger. we are here, we have around us. became a shelter. >> how are you coping? >> excuse me?

>> how are you copeing with the 10,000 palestinians who have sought shelter at the u.n. facility there? >> yes. it is very difficult actually. what we are doing here. one million. half a million. a liter of water. and some health care. the most important thing, this in terms of what we offer, then, we arelimited in that. because we have so many, we cannot do more that we can

provide shelter to displaced. we are talking one million. so what we have is not enough. there is not enough water. the system collapsed. >> understood. let me ask you. the idea of confirms to cnn, the striker jets have taken out the head of the military branch of one of the resistance in and around rafah and early this morning local time, we spoke to witnesses saying strikes continue. do they? are they hearing strikes in the

area? are you safe at this point? >> had been in our attack. they had been injured. it is not that you have been targeted directly. but if you are a target. you will be killed. you will be injured. artillery and attacks. it is the most densely populated area in the world. >> i want to drill down on what

is going on there. because as we know, israel, the u.s., and egypt have now agreed to open that rafah border to 20 trucks of aid in the first instance to get in. israel insisting that none of that aid gets through to hamas. what is your sense of how important that aid will be? this is 20 trucks in the first instance. and how do authorities ensure that it doesn't get to hamas? >> i know that very well. they said the same. they said the same.

we have everything. we are talking now about the humanitarian catastrophe. it is not a political thing. if we are talking about water, food, and medicine. we are not talking about military comparison. i don't think that anyone coming in. they know that very well. they know exactly when we get something, we will dispute it. we have half a million people. will take any of the assistance coming into gaza. it will be not enough.

we need thousands of trucks. people who is have left everything behind. they have nothing to do. they are just looking to survive. this is the only goal for everyone in gaza. it is good to have you. very difficult work. i know it always is for the u.n. agency there on the ground. appreciate your time. thank you. still ahead, it is feared that hostages held by hamas could be hidden in tunnels in gaza. we will hear from an expert in hostage recovery on what the conditions may be like and what it may take to get them released. that is after this.

an israeli ground incursion into gaza will have to deal with what the idf call it is gaza metro. a vast network of tunnels beneath gaza and could be the location of nearly 200 hostages the idf believes to be in hamas captivity. international partners are trying to broken a hostage

exchange. but israel says it will not send humanitarian aid to gaza until all hostages are released. christopher joins me now from new york. he is the senior vice president for global operations. until last month, he served as the director of hostage recovery for the u.s. government. e appreciate you talking with us. >> happy to be here. >> so, israel believes 199 hostages are being held in gaza, hamas says they have more than 200. perhaps 250 hostages. however many they are holding, that is a lot of people who need food, water, and other basic necessities. what conditions would they be living under right now and do you assume they are all being held in the underground tunnel system in various locations? >> so, traditionally speaking, hamas has treated their hostages well.

they are currency for hamas. if you reflect back to one of their more infamous cases where they took an israeli soldier, held him over five years. but then, traded him years later for over 100 palestinian prisoners. so it is in their interest to treat the hostages well. secondly, because there is international hostages who have dual citizenship from places like the united states, the u.k., france and others, there is an international call to ensure they are being treated well. the assumption would be they are treating them well. hamas like other groups who have demonstrated a capacity and almost profession in hostage taking over the years, have this down to a science. and although they are not rational actor ins many other ways, they will act in a rational way this way.

because it is transactional. >> given all those complexities, how will it be possible to secure their release as the united states and qatar work on this diplomatic mission involving hostages from more than 40 countries including an unknown number of americans? >> yes, so i would say there's a couple of things going on contemporaneously. number one, both israel, the united states, that has surged intelligence resources to assist and other international partners. they are looking to fully identify each hostage, looking through the initial video feed from each of the captures, some of which was taken on, other cell phone. some of it was broadcast by hamas. all of that data is being exploited. they are trying to fully identify each hostage. but they are also trying to identify hamas members an

illuminate the network we call it to try to find out who they are connected to. what their historic bed down locations are to try to find out where the hostages may be taken. but again as i said, this is an active war zone. it's a massive amount of hostages. there's nothing like it in the modern era that we can point to. >> now we have seen various reports that suggest hamas is offering to release the hostages. perhaps the women and children, if israel stops bombing gaza. how real is an offer like that from an organization like hamas and how do you negotiate that when israel is calling for the total destruction of hamas? >> so going through legitimate partners like the qataris who have a powerful voice both inside gaza with hamas. and, have legitimacy throughout the middle east, nay also have demonstrated real good faith with the united states over the

last few years. they have been leading the charge to assist the united states with the taliban and very delicate negotiations. as well as with the iranians and more recent negotiations. they have demonstrated a desire and propensity to be involved in conflict resolution. that is why they are looking to get involved, hamas cannot ignore their involvement and it is a reasonable request to release women and children and it is a reasonable request to release any foreign nationals who might have a dual passport. and there have been indications by hamas they are willing to do that. also anybody that is wounded and traditionally, in any conflict, all of these things would have been done. if hamas want to be taken seriously, they had to move forward with these actions. if not, they will not be considered a viable partner and

negotiation. >> christopher, thank you so much for joining us. >> thank you for having me. and still to come, the deadly hospital blast in gaza triggers international outrage despite u.s. intelligence assessing it was not responsible. our coverage continues after a short break.

and we continue to cover this conflict between israel and hamas, let me get you the

latest on that deadly hospital blast in gaza. the u.s. now says intelligence suggests that israel is not responsible for the explosion as officials in gaza have claimed. israel has laid out everyday that it says shows a misfire by the militant group that caused the blast. but that blast is sadly just one part of this desperate situation. another hospital near gaza city with nearby explosions. the blast targeted residential buildings in the main street and israel ordered them to evacuate the hospital on saturday. these scenes are only exacerbating anger across the middle east. we have more details in this report which includes some graphic and disturbing images.

>> reporter: from the west bank to baghdad, they root to iran. istanbul. beirut. oman. and other cities across the region. thousands took to the streets saying enough is enough. images out of gaza's hospital were just too much to bear. a place of healing. a place to shelter from the indiscriminant violence was no sanctuary for those trapped in this hell on earth. palestinian officials said it was an israeli strike to blame for this catastrophic loss of life. israel strongly denied the accusation and said the blast was caused by failed rockets. israel's statements rang hollow for those watching bombs rain down on gaza. and its civilian casualties

rising day after day. israel's friends and foes swiftly blamed it and condemned what they said was a massacre, a war crime. jordan one of america's closest allies in the region. a country home to millions of palestinians canceled a summit of arab leaders it was hosting on wednesday. as thousands poured into the streets and security forces used tear gas to push back the protesters who tried to reach the israeli embassy in oman. their rage also aimed at the u.s. they chanted americans get out. jordan's crown prince posting this instagram story. israel is responsible for this quote massacre. the western world can no longer claim morality if they continue these double standards, he wrote. for days jordan's king has been

warning the situation in the region may get out of control. >> the whole region is on the brink of the abyss. this new cycle of death and destruction is puttingrd toward. the threat of this war expanding is real. the cost this will bring on all of us is too much to bear. >> reporter: and that threat is getting more real by the day. as iran and its proxies who span iraq, syria, and lebanon saying they will not sit back if the bloodshed persists. every painful scene out of gaza is making it harder to contain the anger pushing the middle east closer and closer to the brink. cnn, london. joining me now from dubai is abdul, a professor of political science. it is good to have you. you and i taught regularly. i want to start by playing just

a little of president biden speaking from tel aviv yesterday. to have a listen. >> justice must be done. but i caution this while you feel that rage. don't be consumed by it. after 9/11, we were enraged in the united states. while we sought justice and got justice, we also made mistakes. >> as close to a call for restraint without actually using the word i have to say. no calls for deescalation. we know there was no cease fire agreed while the american president was here. it was very difficult to work out what his objectives were on this trip. what they achieved was the opening of the rafah border crossing for some 20 aid trucks to get through. which of course is important.

given what is the catastrophic situation there. but i wonder, how would you assess the impact to the u.s. president's trip to israel given the real concern now about what the next phase of this war on hamas will look like? >> thanks for having me becky. i think the president didn't look one bit as a peacemaker. the speech he gave is a testimony to that. he came across very much as a war maker. as a warmonger. he fully, totally, completely sided with israel. and i think he has dragged america into this. he is making this a biden war. he is making this not an israeli war, but an american

war. and for that reason, you know, they canceled the summit and america is just giving the green light, full support, moral, political, whatever support there is america can bring to israel to continue with this genocide. >> is this a personal position? are you genuinely feel that is how that trip went down across the region? >> if you look at the region, that clip of yours, people are mighty angry. 4million arabs are today more angry than ever. you see that during this demonstration we saw in oman and cairo, and beirut. all over the place. i think there is an anger and much of that anger directed against israel. but most of it also, many of it

is also directed today against america. anti-american is at an all time high over here. and i think america is dragging us with this total complete support for israeli war. i think it is driving the whole middle east into a new cycle of escalation, conflict, and turmoil. this is bad news for america. i don't think this is my personal opinion but everybody else's opinion. >> yeah. that certainly is the call of condemnation we hear around the region. the calls for deescalation, for a stop to this military action. as calls grow in the first instance for a cease fire. this is what jordan's foreign minister told me yesterday. >> the growing perception on the street as they see this ironclad support for israel and this war. it is a growing perception. that is a place we don't want

to get to. a place we should all work to prevent getting into. that is why the guns must go silent. common sense must come back. reason, rationalism must come back and we figure out a way out of this darkness. the risk of this war expanding into the west bank are real. we have to stop that before it is too late for all of us. >> echoing your words there, talk to me about the uae's position, specifically, the uae was at least israel's most important regional ally. what role, if any, does the uae and saudi arabia reportedly close to normalizing ties before this conflict. what role do these two countries play in deescalating things at this point?

>> very important capital there. coordinating their efforts. and their policies with jordan. there is a common arab position. i have never seen arab government as united today as they are. as being on the same page. uae is part of the arab world. we had a meeting where the uae was there and came with the strongest condemnation you could ever have heard of israel. though they have normalized relationships with israel. this is just beyond us. unleashing its uncontrolled firework and forces. and i think this monster needs to be controlled and nobody can control it more than america. and america is not doing its job.

>> do you see the end of the normalization of ties with arab nations at this point? >> no. i think egypt has been normalizing the relationship with israel and it has gone through several of these episodes. so did jordan. so now the united arab emirates. this will put a break. it is not going to reverse the process. the process is there. and the stray teachic decision. i don't see a reverse of normalizing relationships. but i see that the political leg is shaken. and i think that it is wobbly. and israel has to do something to strengthen it. if that continues, i do not rule out that israel is being kicked out. the same thing might happen in

egypt. jordan. people are very angry. government and people throughout the middle east. this has taken us back to square zero, becky. we thought this region was into deescalation. conversation, we are going back to conflict. we are going back to tension. and things could get out of hand. it will be really bad in the days to come. >> thank you very much indeed. your insight and analysis extremely important at this important. i'm becky anderson. we'll be back with more after this short break.

welcome back everyone. british prime minister rishi sunak arrived in tel aviv a short time ago where he will meet with israel's president

and prime minister. he also posted on social media that he will meet with leaders of the wider region during his trip. he wrote that the u.k. is working to ensure hamas' terrorism does not lead to further escalation and all efforts must be made to prevent further loss of innocent lives. meantime, liverpool football star mohammed sala has made an emotional appeal to allow humanitarian assistance into gaza. >> all lives are sacred and must be protected. families are being torn apart. what's clear now is that humanitarian aid to gaza must be allowed immediately. the people there are in terrible conditions. the scenes at the hospital last night were horrifying. the people of gaza need food, water, and medical supplies

urgently. >> sala who also plays for egypt's national team went onto say there has been too much violence and brutality. and that the recent escalation has been unbearable to witness. israelis are continuing to mourn those killed during that brutal hamas terror attack nearly two weeks ago, many gathered in tel aviv wednesday night for a candle light vigil honoring the 1400 victims. >> there is a terrible feeling in the air. it was a terrible tragedy that happened. so this is a little thing we can do. it is about showing respect. helping. and contributing. >> if you would like to help, head to cnn.com/impact and you will find a list of vetted organizations responding on the ground. that's at cnn.com/impact. after failing to win a

second vote, u.s. republican congressman jim jordan vows to stay in the race to be speaker of the house of representatives. we'll have details after the break.

as the biden administration grapples with wars in ukraine and gaza and a potential government shutdown next month, the u.s. house of representatives remains in limbo unable to do any work until they elect a new speaker. two weeks after republicans ousted kevin mccarthy. on wednesday, conservative republican congressman jim jordan lost a second round of voting as more republicans voted against him. despite the loss, joy dan is vowing to stay in the race. a third round of voting is expected in the coming hours. well meantime, some republicans are pushing a resolution that would grant more power to interim speaker patrick mchenry until a speaker is elected. earlier, i spoke with cnn political anist ron brownstein. and we discussed jim jordan's chances of winning the speakership. take a listen. >> jim jordan i think faces very long odds of ever being speaker of the house. his strategy was to bring this to the floor, force his

opponents to vote publicly against him. and then try to turn the full fire hose force of the maga trump movement and all of its allies and conservative media against them and try to break their will. and eventually grind them down into supporting him. but the pressure he has applied has if anything only solidified the opposition against him. and you have had members, republican members publicly complaining about death threats or threatening messages to their families. a reminder of how much our politics has changed in the trump era and how much the threat of violence has become woven in to our politics in the trump era. but one in which i think is going to create a further head wind for jim jordan. and deepen the suspicion of him among some member of the caucus. >> thank you for your company this hour. i'm rosemary church. stay with cnn. our coverage continues with max

foster and bianca in london and becky anderson in tel aviv.