could get some sort of a break from the trauma. and the parents refused to leave their children. so, they would never go within 300 feet of them now because they're so afraid. martin says he came up with a way to fill their days from 8:00 a.m. to 11:00 p.m. there's a schedule posted because they cannot go to work, they cannot go to school, they are not home. they are literally staying in this hotel, and they can't do anything with normal life, anything. because while their volunteer security forces did fight hamas militants off alone and saved every single life in this kibbutz, a true miracle, the town is riddled with bullets and in the middle of an active war zone. they are alive. they are shattered but grateful. and just for a second, i want to show you the tooth brushes again because we keep hearing about tooth brushes here. you may remember amir katz, who is ready to get the call to invade along the gaza border. >> they're cooking food for us,

they're giving us everything we want. if i want, like, ten tooth brush, if i want -- it's unbelievable to see the unity that our nation has. >> after amir said that, another idf soldier mentioned tooth brushes to me. and we have come to see tooth brushes as a mundane sign of human dignity. you can go without a shower for days. but tooth brushing is different. tooth brushes have come to symbolize strength and fortitude in israel. and it is worth remembering that in gaza, where there is toilet water or no water for many, many lack even that basic dignity. thanks so much for watching. thanks so much for watching. anderson cooper 360 begins now. -- captions by vitac -- www.vitac.com it is 3:00 a.m. in israel, the early hours of freedom for an american mother and daughter held hostage for nearly two weeks by hamas. just a moment ago the american embassy in jerusalem released

this photo of them speaking with president biden. they appear to be smiling n. a new photo posted by the white house on social media, the president ended the conversation in the oval office, he is broadly smiling. judith and natalie were captured at a kibbutz where they were visiting judith's mother, natalie's grandmother. in a moment, all we have been learning about how their freedom was secured, why it happened now, and what it might signal is up to a pivotal moment in this crisis, with israeli troops poised to move into gaza where so many other hostages are being held. secretary blinken spoke briefly to that concern. >> we share in the relief that the families, friends, and loved ones are feeling. but there are still ten additional americans who remain unaccounted for in this conflict. we know that some of them are being held hostage by hamas along with an estimated 200 other hostages held in gaza.

they include men, women, young boys, young girls, elderly people from many nations. every single one of them should be released. >> to that point, the idf today said the majority of the hostages are still alive and gave details on some of their ages. more than 20 are younger than the age of 18. between 10 and 20 are older than the age of 60. the number missing the between 100 and 200. that's according to the idf. at the white house, in addition to speaking with the renan's, president biden also spoke with prime minister netanyahu. the two discussed the ongoing efforts to secure the release of hostages, end quote, as well as humanitarian assistance plans agreed on during the president's visit here. trucks loaded with humanitarian aid continue to be stalled at gaza's southern border crossing

with egypt, which secretary blinken said today would open soon. a lot to get to ahead. matthew chance starts us off tonight with new reporting on why israeli officials believe hamas released these haostages today. what have you learned, matthew? >> reporter: anderson, thanks very much. israeli officials i've spoken to are not giving us the detail behind the actual negotiations or any deal that may have been cut with hamas to get these two u.s. citizens out of custody. but what they are saying is that it was the sustained military pressure that israel has been putting on gaza over the course of the past week or so, bombing, you know, various aspects, various parts of gaza, and really forcing hamas, it says, to think again about what it did. it's that sustained pressure, they say, that resulted in the release of these two u.s. hostages. and they're also doubling down, saying that that military pressure will intensify.

so, it's a sense in which anyone out there thinks that the much-anticipated israeli land incursion, land invasion, into gaza may be put back because of this. israeli officials are saying that's not the case. they're going to be pressing ahead and intensifying their military campaign. in terms of how the hostages came out, well, we know, from the qataris, that they've been negotiating with hamas, and talking to israel as well. israel is saying it does not speak directly to hamas. that's obviously being done through the qataris and other players in the region as well. the united states, of course, say they had an important role in the release of these two hostages as well. but, you know, in terms of the status of the other hostages on the ground inside gaza, well, i mean, at least from the israeli point of view, they're not giving us any further details on

what they don't know, anderson. >> so, we don't really know much about the nuts and bolts of how they were released. they were offered up at a border crossing. is that right? >> reporter: yeah, i mean, how they were released physically is they were handed over to the red cross. the red cross then transferred them to israeli custody. there's that first image that was given to us by the israeli government, actually the hostage coordination team put out that first image of the two u.s. hostages being escorted by israeli forces, you know, to a location, we're told, in central israel, where they're obviously going to be receiving medical checkups and they're going to be debriefed, see what information they can give about the other hostages, if any, that they can talk about. and then ultimately, of course, remember these people were

visiting israel from the united states. ultimately they've spoken to the family already. ultimately they're going to be heading back to the united states in the days ahead, anderson. >> what a home coming that will be. matthew chance, thank you. hamas issued a statement shortly after they freed the renans. they claim to be working with remediators to release hostages, quote, as and when security circumstances permit. cnn's alex marquardt has more on how that proes is is unfolding. he joining us from washington. what do national security officials believe hamas got for itself by releasing these hostages? >> reporter: well hamas believes that they were able to indicate to israel, to the u.s., to the world, that they are willing to engage, that they are willing to release these hostages. so, hamas believes that they ingendered some good will. in concrete terms, anderson,

there's no indication that hamas got anything. the white house declined to answer the question when they were asked. so, it is possible they could hope that there's some pressure put on israel to now get those other 200 out because they have shown that they are willing to engage. we have heard from a hamas spokesperson, who is now in israeli custody, in fact, who has said that they would be willing to free the foreign hostages if there were a brief ceasefire in order to get aid into gaza. and then, anderson, aside from the foreign hostages, there's always going to be the question of whether hamas will ask for palestinian prisoners in exchange for the israeli prisoners who are held by hamas currently. anderson? >> obviously in the past, that is the biggest reason that hamas has taken hostages. they held on to him for years and negotiated the release of more than 1,000, i believe, palestinian prisoners. i talked to an idf spokesperson a couple hours ago who raised the idea that hamas released

americans in particular to, kind of, either weaken american support for israel or, kind of, fan the flames of those who might look at that and say, oh, you know, now let's negotiate more. >> yeah. and when we've heard from hamas, they have put a particular focus on the foreign hostages. and in fact, when these two americans were released today, they said that they want to send a message to americans, what they call the fascist biden administration was lying. there is, obviously, the chance, anderson, that they could be trying to offload, if you will, the foreign hostages in order to, again, ingender some good will or perhaps some leniency when it comes to those other countries that could then apply that pressure to israel. as matthew was indicated, the israelis have shown absolutely no indication that they are going to let up on that pressure, that this is going to

change their campaign in any way. they are full steam ahead. the u.s. says they are not getting in the way of that military campaign. they've been very wary about trying to dictate or influence israel because they say that israel's fully justified in what they're about to do. but anderson, you're absolutely right, that 2011 deal, one israel prisoner exchanged for more than 1,000 palestinian prisoners. so, there is precedent for this, and hamas certainly hasn't forgotten that. anderson? >> yeah. and just to be clear, if hamas wanted to release hostages, they could release the hostages. they are the ones who took the hostages. they kidnapped these people, men, women, and children. and they are holding them, islamic jihad, and other actors in gaza. appreciate it. coming up next for the white housw development, president biden tonight was asked about the timing of an israeli ground incursion into gaza. he gave a one-word answer. kayla tausche joins us more with

that. talk more about the question and the answer. >> reporter: well, anderson, there had been the suggestion that the u.s. would support delaying israel's ground invasion into gaza, as the work continued behind the scenes to free more hostages generally. but in particular, american hostages. and tonight when president biden was boarding "air force one," he was asked specifically about that reporting and whether he would support such a delay. and he said in one word, yes. that is a significant development because it's something that we had suspected the u.s. was discussing with the israelis behind the scenes, that president biden had discussed with the war cabinet when he was on the ground in israel earlier this week. and that one-word answer tonight just confirms that that is the u.s. position, and that is something that they have been discussing. >> what more are you learning about president biden's conversation with the freed hostages? >> well, he said this evening that the call went well. he spoke directly to those freed

hostages, judith and natalie. he spoke to their family members earlier in the day, and he began the day with a morning call eastern time with prime minister benjamin netanyahu to talk about hostage relief efforts in a general sense. but president biden, in a statement, saying he was overjoyed that they were at least offering the full support of the u.s. government as they recover from a terrible ordeal. the white house releasing photos of president biden, as you can see there, speaking to them on the phone. and then you see the other photo from the u.s. embassy in jerusalem of the two freed hostages themselves speaking to the president on the other line, holding the phone up to their face. clearly a moment of triumph for both sides. and certainly their family members are overjoyed, too, to have them back eventually. >> and is the white house saying anything about the extent of u.s. involvement in getting the hostages released? >> that is something where they are not providing any details. that was a question that was

asked specifically of nsc spokesperson john kirby earlier this evening. he said the u.s. is involved at all levels but declined to talk about how the u.s. and qatari government were able to secure a deal from hamas to free these two hostages, citing the sensitivity around the continued negotiations for the estimated ten americans still held in hamas captivity. i spoke to a man from kibbutz hala where judith and natalie were captured. they were visiting there. his name is amir tbonn. he met judith and natalie -- he, his wife, and two young daughters woke up to the sound of incoming mortar fire, then machine guns, and men speaking arabic around them. they spent the next ten hours or so in their safe room in the dark with no electricity, no food, very little water.

ten hours with two little girls, the youngest just a year and a half old. i talked with him about that, but we began with the two hostages freed today. >> the two american hostages who were released today, judith and natalie, were visiting your kibbutz for a celebration before the attack. i'm wondering, when you heard they had been released, what did you think? >> i was very happy because i knew they had come to our community for a celebration marking 70 years to the foundation of our small community, our kibbutz, nahal oz, which is located close to the border with gaza. and we were all very, very worried after we didn't know what had happened to them for a few days, since the massacre and the tragedy on october 7th. and when i first heard the two american citizens, a mother and her daughter, had been released, i began to hope that it would be them. i know they're a grandmother in this family very well.

she's a neighbor and a friend and admired woman in our community. and i was just very, very happy to learn that indeed, they are now safe skpout of harm's way. but it's important to remember we still have about 200 other people who are still in the hands of hamas, and it's a very dire situation. >> i just spoke to a spokesperson for the idf. he raised the possibility that they released two americans specifically perhaps for some propaganda value, thinking that that might weaken support for israel in the united states. do you think it's just a coincidence it happened to be two americans? >> i don't think it's a coincidence. i think it's because the united states administration, led by president biden and secretary blinken, has done a great effort to release the secure american citizens and to ensure we'll see

a diplomatic break through to open the door for the possibility of more hostage deals of this kind that would lead to others being released. there's a lot of criticism here in israel about the fact that we're not getting clear messaging from our own government about this very painful issue of the hostages. and i do want to thank president biden and secretary blinken for at least putting the hard work to see these two women released. and i hope this is not the last step. i hope this is just the beginning of a larger effort because we have women and children there, held by a terror organization. and we all saw the cruelty, the barbarity, just unbelievable violence of hamas. we have to get these citizens, first and foremost women and children, but all israeli citizens out of their hands. >> i was just in near oz yesterday. some 400 people used to live there. they believe now about a quarter of them are either dead or

missing. it's stunning. >> yeah. that's a kibbutz about 20 minutes from our community. the names are similar, so everybody asks me, you know. but in nahal, we have a smaller tragedy. but still, you know, my own neighbor, who was a very brave man, who went out to fight the terrorists, was killed. and other members of the community are kidnapped. and this community you mentioned, near oz, you know, what they went through is unspeakable. and there are many, many, many people still there in gaza in the hands of hamas. we're all so relieved and happy to have two of the hostages returned back home, but we need to open the door for more of this. it's the only way they can get out. and i know the administration is working on it and speaking with qatar and other potential mediators. it's very important. we have our own commitment to these israeli citizens, to bring them back home. >> what was your neighbor's name who was killed?

>> elon furentino, a civilian but the man responsible for all the ties with the military and actions to protect our community. and that morning, when most of us went into our homes and locked ourselves in the safe rooms with our young children, he went out to try to stop them. one man against 100 terrorists. he didn't have a chance, but he went out to fight and bought us some time. he left behind three young daughters, wonderful girls. it's very sad. and, you know, we're trying now to put the pieces together and return somehow to being the community we used to. but we're never going to forget what we lost on that day. >> you, your wife, your two small kids, as you said, you hid in your safe room eight or nine hours, i understand.

your mother and father raced down from tel aviv in their jeep to rescue you. your father is a retired major general, senior commander of israeli paratroopers. did you know he was on his way? did you know he was determined to get there? >> yeah, he told us in the morning, after we had called him to tell them there were terrorists outside our window, he's coming to try to rescue us. and i have to say, anderson, our story became famous all over the world. you know, president biden heard about it because he met my father and i when he was in tel aviv this week on a very important and impressive visit to support israel. but there were hundreds of stories of courage by ordinary israelis on that day. people went out to try to fight with whatever they had to save their families, to save others. it was the biggest failure in the history of any israeli government, and we are going to make sure that anybody involved

in this, starting from the highest ranks, will no longer have any impact on our lives when the moment comes to deal with it. but it was also one of the most beautiful moments of the israeli people, of those who went out to fight and went out to help others. and i'm very proud of what my parents did and of many, many other people who contributed on that day to try to save lives. >> i've read about it, but i just -- i do want to ask you about it. when your father actually got to you, got to your safe room, what was that moment like? and what was it that he said to you? >> he knocked on our window of the safe room. he knocked on the window of the safe room, which you cannot see through. it's completely dark. there's an iron disk there that makes it completely dark inside. he said, i'm here. my young daughter, three and a half years old, said, grandpa is here. and itasy exciting moment. we started crying. we opened the door to the house

after more than ten hours, completely locked in the dark. he came in, soldiers came in, and soon neighbors began to come in because our house became, like, the front command of this group of special forces that released our community. when the neighbors came in, on the one hand, it was a moment of joy because we were happy to see and hug everyone, but it was a moment of great sadness because we began to understand the magnitude of the disaster. one neighbor was killed and another was injured and a third one was missing. and we went through this emotional roller coaster of being happy to be alive and to see people that we were so worried for. but also to learn of what our community had just lost. and we're still coping with that part. >> amir, thank you so much for taking the time to talk to us. i'm so sorry for what happened to your community and to your friends in that community, who

died. i appreciate you speaking with us. >> thank you for having me, and i appreciate, again, the support of the united states at this very important moment for our country. former head of the ma sad's hostages and m.i.a. unit. what do you think hamas' motivation was for releasing these two american hostages? our matthew chance reported the official in the israeli prime minister's office said it was the result of sustained israeli military pressure. is part of this also propaganda? >> the hamas declared the military released these two hostages, that they wanted to prove to the fascist president of the united states -- this is their words -- that they're not as cruel, and the propaganda about them is not true. this is saying, after killing two other members of this family

and abducting another eight of this family. so, they tried to prove, as they say, that they are humane. and we spoke about this in the last couple of days. they're appointing their propaganda, first of all, at these people that are watching us tonight and believing them. they want to strengthen the many, many people in the western world that don't understand that hamas is a barbaric, murderous organization. this is one thing. the other thing is that hamas is really under great pressure, and it is trying every trick in the book. and they will try many more, as we go along, to stop the israeli maneuver into the gaza strip. they are trying to postpone this. they are trying to ease the

pressure on them. and they will use anything they can in order to get a ceasefire. they don't understand the israeli resolve this time is different, completely different, than the paradigm that ruled us in the past, where we -- every time that we could, we went into a ceasefire and we fed the devil, believing that this devil will change its nature. and at the end of the day, we'll stop thinking about the annihilation of israel. >> you know, they also said in their statement -- i don't have it in front of me, so i don't have the exact quote, but words to the effect other releases could be possible once the security situation -- or essentially once it becomes possible. hamas could release all the hostages right now. there are hostages who have been wounded who are have really severe wounds. we saw a video of who, according

to that video they released, had to have surgery and is on medication and has an arm wound. there are severely ill and wounded people who were taken hostage. they could release them all. they could release them into the streets of gaza and tell gaza residents, don't touch these people. let them get to the border. it seems incredibly ma nip la t manipulative of them to be acting as if there's some other actor in this stopping them from releasing hostages. >> as i just said, they're trying to get a ceasefire. they said this, i think, on the second day or the third day of this event. they had said, we will release everyone. we want all our prisoners. in this case, we will release all our prisoners and release all your hostages. this has been one of the topics

of this whole event, releasing sinwar has dedicated his life to releasing his friends from prison while he was dedicating himself and his organization to murder as many or destroy as much of he can of israel. it's a very emotional description he just gave you. this is the enemy. this enemy is a murderous enemy, and it is our -- it's not that we wanted to. we have no other alternative. the only alternative we have in order to continue living in israel is at the end of the day, get rid of this organization. and they will try every trick in the book, including using all the cards they have. and the cards they have are the hostages, in order to stop us, to slow us, understanding that

as days go by, we have less and less time for this land maneuver in the gaza strip, which i predict will happen in the next couple of days. it's not going to be postponed forever. >> thank you for your time tonight. just a moment ago, we learned that the father of released hostage natalie rah unanimous will be speaking to reporters shortly in suburban chicago. cnn will bring that you when he does. what clarissa ward saw when she reached the rafah border, the latest on when humanitarian aid could be move into the south of gaza, and growing anger that it has not yet. also more from my visit to kibbutz near oz, which sustained brutal losses on the 7th.

we saw more demonstrations today across the middle east, protesting the worsening humanitarian conditions the in gaza, some of them directly confronting cnn about israel's actions and the way they believe the story is being portrayed by western media. clarissa ward was near the rafah border crossing today and heard from some of the protesters. she joins us now. what's the scene like at the border crossing? >> reporter: anderson, there was a lot of frustration today because i think hopes had been reasonably high that we would start to see some of that aid start to trickle through. there were about 455 trucks of aid that went into gaza before

the war. for the last two weeks, there have been no trucks. even those 20 trucks, it would really just be a drop in the ocean. and all of this happening as the violence continues, the bombardment continues, and the anger continues to rise. take a look. for days, they have been waiting. more than 200 trucks full of aid, desperately needed in gaza, but stuck on the egyptian side of the rafah border crossing. u.n. secretary general antonio gutierrez hoped to be here for a much-needed diplomatic win. >> as quickly as possible. >> reporter: instead, he found himself in the midst of a protest. his remarks drowned out by the crowd. >> people are chanting over and over again, with our blood, with our souls, we will defend palestine. there's a huge amount of anger, a huge amount of emotion. much of it directed at the west.

[ crowd chanting ] >> reporter: and much also at western media, who people here fear have favored israeli voices over palestinians. a protester starts shouting at me. we invite her to do an interview with us. >> a thousand plus palestinian babies die, you don't feel the same. you don't feel the same as when i tell you one of your own has died. but these are our own. and it is unfair and egypt will -- all western channels are talking for israel. the united nations is standing for israel. all these international institutions are standing for israel. who's there for the palestinians? and don't call it a war. the jargon is even more infuriating. it's not a war. it is not equal footing. it is not a war. >> for many, it is deeply personal. a palestinian man holds up his i.d. >> i can't contact my family. >> reporter: your family is on the other side? >> i have seven sister, and my

father, my mother, grandmother, uncles, all my family is there. i can't contact with them. >> reporter: are they okay? >> i don't know if they are okay or not. >> reporter: as egyptian soldiers stand by, the demonstrators get more animated. protests are normally illegal here, but today the egyptian president called on people to take to the streets. >> so, this is rapidly becoming a very chaotic scene now. they're trying to get the secretary general out of here. we were ordered back onto the buses and escorted out through it crowd. -- held back, the u.n. says, by complications, how to establish a continuous humid corridor.

when you saw the anger of sthos protesters at israel and the u.s., but also at the international community for failing to stop the situation, what's your response? >> i think what's important to say is that we are doing everything we can, engaging with all the parties to ensure that sooner rather than later we are able to have not only a first convoy but continued aid. >> but no timeline? >> i think it should be as quickly as possible and with as many as possible trucks to cross in the first few days. >> reporter: but that is little comfort to the people of gaza, for whomever day, every hour, is vital. >> you talked about complications keeping aid from

entering gaza. where is the complication? what is the holdup? >> reporter: well, it depends a little bit on who you talk to. according to the u.n., there's two major holdups. number one is this issue of verification. the israelis have insisted that they need to be able to somehow verify that none of these trucks of aid going in will have any kind of weaponry. but setting up a system to do that, who would be the one to verify? where would they do it? how can it be done in an expedited manner? all of that is clearly complex? the second thing is also important. the u.n. says this can't just be a one-off thing with 20 trucks. that doesn't work. it's a drop in the ocean. it needs to be a continuous, sustained humanitarian corridor. and their worry or concern is that if that is not articulated from the get-go and they just send 20 trucks in, it could potentially be dangerous for the truck drivers, for their workers, because you could literally have a, kind of, situation where people would be mobbing the trucks.

the desperation is so intense, anderson, as you can imagine, that they need to make it clear from the get-go this is not a one-off thing. this is going to be a continuous thing. there's also issues, apparently, about the roads on the other side, on the gazan side, because some of them have been hit by strikes t. egyptians saying today that they have largely fedexed those roads. but still, president biden says 24 to 48 hours, the secretary general says we have to end this impasse. everybody watching and waiting very keenly, no one more so than, of course, the people of gaza, anderson. >> has there been any change in the situation for americans trapped in gaza? i mean, are they still waiting at that border crossing? >> reporter: no, there is -- they are. and it's been, well, nearly two weeks now exactly. >> how is that possible? >> reporter: more than 250 americans. because they can't come to some kind of consensus about letting

people out. what you're seeing here is honestly a real failure of diplomacy so far. despite the effort of all sides, despite everyone coming together and sitting down and trying to hammer this out, there's a lot of finger pointing. the egyptians blame israelis, the israelis blame hamas, hamas blames israeli, the americans blame whoever they blame. so, you have a lot of people pointing fingers, and a lot of people saying that they want to do the right thing. and everyone saying that they want to make this happen. but there's all these conditionalities attached. and everyone has their different conditionality. and the end result is the border doesn't open, the people suffer, the americans are stuck, and there's no consensus about how to move forward. although there is more optimism that hopefully in the next day or two this could be resolved. and we are talking about a matter of days now, anderson. that fuel, which is another point of contention, that fuel is running out in a few days. that fuel is powering

generators. the israels really want to allow medicine, water, food. fuel is slightly more controversial. but it's desperately needed, anderson. >> clarissa ward, thank you. cnn also encountered protesters on the west bank today, where clashes have occurred between israeli forces and palestinians. sara sidner has that. [ crowd chanting ] >> reporter: friday, after prayers in the west bank, palestinians take to the streets, enraged and heart broken over the hundreds of deadly air strikes israel has dropped over gaza. some are carrying hamas flags. their rage targeted at the israeli military responsible for the air strikes, one of their bases just yards away. a shot is fired from the distance, but the sensitivities of this war fester close to the surface. protester rage turns on us, the media, for coverage some of the protesters see as biased towards israel, their occupier.

>> this is, kind of, where the clashes have happened. so -- all right. >> genocide supporter. you are a genocide supporter! >> reporter: the rage and sorrow is palpable here. they lash out, feeling left with no support. they're not just fighting over gaza. they are also enraged over what israel is calling wide scale counterterrorism operations in the west bank over the past 13 days. so far the palestinian health ministry in ramallah says 81 palestinians have been killed by the israeli military or jewish settlers. 850 palestinians have been arrested in the west bank since october 7th. that's according to the palestinian prisoners club. that was the day that israel says started their all-out war, when hamas took israeli intelligence by surprise and murdering hundreds of civilians and soldiers in israel and kidnapping dozens. but the anger in these streets

is clearly aimed at israel, in support of hamas. hanaan, a former palestinian liberation organization official, activist, and professor, explains why some palestinians support hamas. >> hamas is one military group that resulted. most palestinians want to get rid of the occupation and want to resist in every possible way, and as international law allows us to do. but if you go to international organizations, you're punished. if you go to court, you cannot have due process. you cannot have accountability for israel. if you protest non-violently and so on, you are shot at, you are imprisoned. so, they left only one -- maybe one avenue, actually, which is armed resistance.

>> protests in support of the palestinian cause have spread to israel's closest neighbors. the largest ones erupted after a devastating blast at a hospital in gaza on wednesday. hamas blamed israel, but israel denied responsibility, showing what they say is evidence it was a misfired rocket from islamic jihad. cnn cannot independently verify what caused that explosion. then hamas' leadership called for more protest in solidarity with the palestinians after friday prayers. there have been enormous protests against israel, that have ended in fiery confrontations. in jordan, where about 3 million palestinians live, large-scale protests erupted there as well. and friday, in egypt, which shares a border with gaza, thousands flocked to to the weir square to stand with gaza, awe

site known worldwide for the protests in 2011 that ousted their decades-long president during what became known as the arab spring. >> sara sidner joins us now. are there specific asks that protesters in jordan and lebanon and egypt want to see happen? >> reporter: basically they want to see the occupation end. first and foremost they want to see the blockade end to let in all the humanitarian aid that can be let in. but ultimately this is about this long and existential conundrum that palestinians and israelis find themselves in, with palestinians feeling that israel has basically made it impossible for them to have an official state and for israelis who feel they have an existential threat all around them, not just from their palestinian neighbors but from

neighboring countries as well. the one thing that really sticks out to me, anderson, in speaking to the palestinians in ramallah and the west bank as well as settlers in the west bank as well, is when asked whether or not they think there is any possibility of a peace accord going forward, of a two-state solution going forward, those i have spoken to feel like that ship has sailed, that peace in that way is no longer possible. and i haven't heard that starkly said like that by many different people in a long, long time. anderson? >> sara sidner, thanks. just a few minutes ago, president biden made what seemed to be an important statement on the timing of an israeli ground invasion into gaza on the tarmac at joint base andrews. a reporter asked the president, quote, should israel delay the ground invasion until they can get more hostages out. the president's reply was, yes. the white house is attempting to clarify those comments.

i want to go back to kayla tausche, who joins us now by phone. what are you hearing, kayla? >> reporter: anderson, the white house communications director has put out a new statement saying the president was far away. he didn't hear the full question. the question sounded like, would you like to see more hostages released. he wasn't commenting on anything else. certainly the white house is sensitive to the idea that the president would be weighing in on israeli military strategy. i spoke just a few moments ago to a senior administration official about the president's comments because of how significant it was and said that the president and the u.s. do not want to be directing the israelis. the timeline is theirs. it's their planning and their thinking, although president biden, in this official's words, asked some very hard questions of prime minister netanyahu and his war cabinet when they were together in israel earlier this week. that being said, there are conversations and very sensitive conversations happening behind

the scenes to try to free the remainder of the american and hostages of other nationalities as well. there had been some reporting that western governments were putting pressure on the israelis to delay the ground invasion so that some of those hostage conversations, those recovery conversations, could continue. that was what sparked the genesis of the question to the president this evening, to which he answered, yes. but clearly, the white house does not want to go so far as to say that publicly, which is why the white house communications director says the president did not hear the question. >> all right, kayla tausche, appreciate that. joining me now is fareed zakaria. what do you make of this latest development from the white house clarifying the president's comments? >> well, it may be an unintentional slip, you know, as some people sometimes say in washington, a gaffe is when somebody actucidently tells the truth.

i think the president and the administration have been counseling the israelis to be more thoughtful, more deliberate, more careful, think through what they want to do before the ground invasion. i'm sure it wasn't tied in the president's mind specifically to the issue of hostages. but the administration has been counseling the israeli government to think hard about the ground invasion. kayla pointed out, the white house said the president has been asking hard questions. i think there is a lot of concern and apprehension that if israel goes in in a big way into gaza, they will -- first of all, they might find themselves in for a long, painful, complicated occupation. but also that it will inflame even more sentiment in the arab world. outside you already see now saudi arabia. the crown prince has just come out in favor of a palestinian

state on the 1967 lines. to the best of my knowledge, he's never said this before. so, you see the pressure that is being felt in arab countries. this is a leader who had, you know, two weeks ago been trying busily to normalize relations with israel. so, you're seeing the diplomatic and political price that is being paid. and i think the white house has been counseling israel, really think this through. >> just in terms of the war itself, the ground invasion, if that is what is to come -- and that is what many people are expecting given the troops on the border and the pounding going on in gaza over the last hour, some very significant -- literally you can feel it in the ground here in tel aviv. that's how significant some of these blasts have been.

just another one right now. is there a plan for success? i mean, if success, however israel defines it, the defeat of hamas, the elimination of hamas' capabilities of launching terror attacks into israel, however they define success, what happens then? i mean, who steps into the vacuum? the u.s., you know, had a debathification campaign in iraq to eliminate the power of the bath party of saddam hussein's party. and a lot of those folks ended up in the insurgency. >> you said it exactly right. the issue is what if you destroy hamas? hamas is the authority in gaza. what replaces it? does israel want to govern gaza again? if not, is there some plan for an international mission? i doubt very much that you could get countries like saudi arabia or egypt to agree to rule over palestinians against their will. and remember, hamas or islamic

jihad or these various palestinian groups will launch an insurgency against anyone trying to occupy gaza. so, it feels like military victory, you can imagine, the israeli army is extraordinarily competent, and extraordinarily lethal. and it has overwhelming force. but what happens then? you know, israel invaded lebanon. and militarily, you could argue that it all went well. you'll remember this, anderson. in the '80s. but it created a political nightmare, which then led to horrific human rights abuses. so, it's just worth remembering that in these kind of situations, unless you have a kind of political idea of where this is going to go, just going in and beating up bad guys, satisfying as that will seem, is not enough. i also wonder whether this

israeli government, which essentially caught napping on what was the greatest strategic failure of an israeli government in its history, if this government feels it has to do something big and bold and dramatic to show that it is taking vengeance, in some ways is it overcompensating for its own mistakes? >> fareed zakaria, thank you. appreciate it. coming up next, what happened at kibbutz near oz, and why, as difficult as it is to see or even think about, it is important. there are so many families looking for loved ones, not wanting them to be forgotten.

it's been just about two weeks since the terror attacks of october 7th, and we're still learning new information and getting a fuller picture of exactly what happened on that horrible, horrible morning. in the community of near oz very close to the gaza border, a kibbutz of about 400 people, journalists weren't allowed to go until just yesterday. i went. i spent much of the day there. i want you to see what me and my

team saw there on the ground because so many families there have dead or loved ones still missing. >> reporter: near oz was one of the first kibbutzim attacked on october 7th by hamas gunmen. security cameras recorded some of them entering, armed with automatic weapons and rpgs. when we visited near oz this week, the carnage was clear. no family, no home here was untouched by terror. people's possessions are streen all around, left behind by men who looted and killed for more than seven hours. the silence now sounds sickening. a breeze blows through broken windows. flies buzz in the debris. the residents who survived are gone. only some cats have returned. every home, it seems, has been defiled. family photos remain on the fridge. the people who lived here hid in their safe room.

lucky for them, the door held strong. you can tell, gunmen tried to pry this door open. this handle has nearly been pulled off from tugging it. they weren't able. the lock held. it looks like they tried to pry open the door as well. you can fit your hand through here. they can just maybe look in, but they couldn't actually break through this door. around back, we checked the window of the safe room. inside, the bed and sheets are soaked with blood. one member of the family who hid here was wounded, but he and they survived. but according to the idf, about a quarter of the 400 people who lived in near oz are dead or missing. in another house in this kibbutz, gunmen broke in and murdered a woman named braka levinson. they got access to her facebook account and live streamed an image of her lying in a pool of blood on the ground so that her

friends and family could see. >> this is braka levinson. she was 74 years old. her neighbors, adina and david, were also in their 70s. they had lived in near oz for more than 50 years. we found their home completely torched. dishes were still in the dishwasher. they hid in their safe room when the gunmen came. her granddaughter says adina mess messaged their family they were okay. >> my grandmother was very, very strong. she didn't want us to be panicked. >> your grandma was worried about you in that moment. >> yeah. she's this kind of woman. she always take care of us. >> but inside the safe room, there was reason to panic. the pool of dried bld evidence of what happened. david mow shi was shot and killed holding onto this door handle to prevent the gunmen from coming in. >> he was a hero.

he was shot. so, there are three gunshots on the door. >> their attackers dragged adina out through the safe room window. she later appeared in this video, posted online, sandwiched between gunmen on a motorbike in gaza. some of the missing have been found. the bodies of 80-year-old carmela dan and her 13-year-old granddaughter were identified this week. her former son-in-law is still missing, as are two of his children, sahar and ares. we geolocated with where the video was shot. >> this is the last known location of ares. he was 12 years old. he was kidnapped by hamas gunmen, and he was videotaped as

they were dragging him away in this direction. this is the fence to the kibbutz. and gaza is only about a mile and a half away. you can see an explosion that's just taken place in gaza off in the distance. so, the gunmen didn't have far to take him in order to get him back into gaza. there's video of -- being kidnapped as well, clutching her two children, ariel and kfar. her husband is missing too. we talked to her cousin last week. >> i want my family back. i want my family back. i try to be strong and speak clearly, but i'm devastated. i'm devastated. >> reporter: all of the families of near oz are devastated. david -- was buried there this week. his granddaughter wanted us to see a video that was played at his funeral. it's from a celebration at the

kibbutz earlier this year. ♪ that's david singing. he's then joined by other members of the kibbutz. >> this is what the song means, time will fix all that breaks. you're allowed to be afraid, and you're allowed to be sad. but tomorrow we can rebuild and recover. [ singing in a non-english language ] zbll we'll be right back.