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a warm welcome to this hour's coverage of israel at war. i'm richard quest live from abu dhabi and you're most welcome if you're watching in the united states or indeed from wherever you're a watching around the world. it is 10:00 on sunday morning in gaza. and idf helicopters have already been seen flying along the israeli coastline in ashkelon earlier today. the city is only 20 kilometers from gaza, where the idf says hamas is holding 230 hostages. now, in gaza, we are waiting to see the latest images of damage from overnight, and of course, receive the reports on possible

casualties. overnight, the reports of near total communications blackout, internet, telephone, mobile phones and the like, is believed to be, that has now eased up, but it was an extremely dangerous and busy night. israel says it's been targeting hamas tunnels and underground spaces. and again, warning people to go south. this is the israeli prime minister. >> our heroic fighters have one supreme goal, to destroy this murderous enemy and ensure the existence of our country. we always said, never gagain. never again is now. >> inside gaza itself, hospitals are overwhelmed and basic needs are scarce. the palestinian president -- the

president of the palestinian authority, which controls the west bank, offered his dire assessment. >> our people in the gaza strip are facing a war of engineside and massacres committed by the israeli occupation forces in full view of the entire world. >> cnn's scott mclean's with me from london to bring us up to date. now, last hour, the head of the wfb, the world of representatives, said that their communications were slowly being extraordinary, they had km communications back again and more aid was going to be going in. what can you tell me from overnight? >> we haven't heard from all of the communications companies inside of gaza, but we have heard from two who said they are working to repair the infrastructure that was damaged, and slowly by surely, they are restoring internet connectivity, land lines, cell service, et cetera. and that seems to be the case. but before, on friday, you had

international aid groups, the u.n., the w.h.o among them saying that they had lost contact with their staff on the ground. you also have now this debate going on with the star link satellite internet company, run by elon musk, who said that he will provide connectivity through starlink to internationally recognized aid groups, but that set off a serious controversy. the response coming from the israeli communications minister, who said that israel will fight that. and i'll just read what he tweeted. hamas will use it for terrorist activities. there's no doubt about it. we know it, musk knows it, hamas is isis. perhaps musk will be willing to condition it with the release of our abducted babies, sons, daughters, elderly people, all of them. by then my office will cut any ties with starlink. elon musk, by the way, responded saying, look, he's not naive. he knows that they would ensure that any use of starlink would be done only by actual

humanitarian aid groups. and he also says that there have been no attempts to connect thus far, and even went one step further saying the u.s. and the israelis can carry out their own security checks before anyone inside of gaza is allowed to connect to starlink right now. but at the moment, it seems, richard, that the internet, the cell service is gradually coming back, so perhaps this may not be needed. >> right. do we have any indication of what's of yet from the -- from gaza on overnight? damage, casualty, deaths? >> reporter: so we have new numbers from the idf says that there were 450 targets hit overnight. we are also trying to sort out exactly to what extent israeli troops are actually on the ground. we know that there are tanks going in. the israelis also say that troops on the ground are helping to direct air strikes inside of gaza.

we also heard yesterday from a journalist in central gaza who says that the artillery strikes, in his words, did not stop. he also said that there was gunfire in the east along the perimeter wall there. obviously, this is only exacerbating the humanitarian situation. we have new video from the afp yesterday, showing people ransacking a u.n. warehouse, carrying out bags of food. there is obviously a lot of desperation right there or happening right there, and none of this seems to be phasing at all the israeli leadership, who are sort of framing all of this in binary terms. you had the defense minister yesterday saying, it is us or them. you had the prime minister netanyahu saying that gaza is a fortress of evil, and dismissing anyone who accuses the idf of war crimes of being hypocritical liars. both, also, warned that this would not be a short war. that they are in it for the long haul. israel has also been trying to reiterate its calls for people to move south, with more

urgency. though it's not clear whether that message is really getting through. it's also important to make very clear, richard, that look, just because you move south of this arbitrary line that the israelis have drawn on a map does not mean that you are safe. there continues to be strikes in central gaza and in southern dp gaza, as well. and as the palestinian red crescent would point out, nowhere is safe for gazans right now. >> scott mclean in london, thank you. for those on the outside looking in, concerns are growing of the safety and well-being of so inside gaza. this near-total blackout on communications meant that aid groups have no idea where their personnel are or if they are indeed still alive. a cnn producer in gaza has told us that he's been unable to reach his relatives and the only way he could tell us that by using a phone with a foreign sim card, which enables limited communications. as we've been reporting, as i just told you a second ago,

cellular and internet do appear to have been partially restored. a palestinian director and representative from the world food program joins me now from jerusalem. at a press conference yesterday, israel's spokesman said on monday, the humanitarian efforts to gaza led by israegypt and th u.s. will be expanding. do you know anymore about this? will you be able to hope more in through the rafah crossing. >> today, 40 trucks are expected to be crossing. however, we have to also know that that's not enough compared to the soaring needs at the moment in gaza. we need more than that.

just to be able to reach 1 million people, we need 40 trucks a day. if we're going to be supporting 2 million people, we need 100 trucks of food. but you know that the trucks that are going in includes other commodities as well that are essentially needed on the ground. >> what about fuel? is that going in? any fuel? >> not to my knowledge. those trucks are food, water, and medical supplies. >> it's clearly insufficient by a large measure. and as israel continues its bombardment and the ground offensive, do you worry it will become more difficult, even to bring the stuff in from the south? >> i think you mentioned it earlier and on this report, yesterday was a major challenge for all of us, because of the blackout that happened with

telecommunication. so even yesterday, we couldn't coordinate on the ground to facilitate for the trucks to go in. luc luckily, today, it's gradually coming back. but after 36 of no communication on the ground with our staff, with our partners, even just to plan for the crossing and shipment of the trucks was a major challenge. and that is something that shows how vulnerable the whole situation is, if something as simple as communication is not provided for us to be able to operate. >> but the clarify, you do have some form of communication with your people in gaza at the moment? >> today, yes, this morning, yes. was in the last 36 hours, it has been a major challenge. we were not able to account for all of our staff and their fami families. >> on the food trucks, what sort of food is going in? >> so richard, as you know, there is no gas, there is no

fuel at the moment. so we are basically avoid going into, and also the clean water is a challenge. we are avoiding going into things that require cooking. most of the parcels include ready-to-eat food, canned food, so they can actually be easy for them to be carried, but also to be eaten without the need for heating up or fire for warming them up. so it's things that can be consumed easily by the people. >> right, but the wfp has had an operation in gaza for a long time. and i think you were saying, you know, normally, however many trucks would go into gaza versus what you believe the expected need now is. >> so what happened in the last couple of days was online trucks. that represents only 2% of what

would have been entering into gaza prior to this escalation. so definitely, we need more to be able to reach the number of people that we've been trying to support. during this conflict, we've reached around 365,000 people in shelters and outside shelters. however, that has been dramadramopping down dramatically in the last few days, and yesterday we were not able to reach anyone because of lack of communication with the bakeries or are the partners on the ground, even for coordinate, allowing food into the shelters. >> israel says itshezbollah's t lebanon on saturday, the latest in a series of cross-border crashes since the crisis began. an idf spokesman said the missiles hit after fire into

lebanon. its top general says its troops are maintaining a high level of readiness to prevent possible future military moves by hezbollah. saudi arabia, jegypt and th uae are condemning israel's latest moves saying they threaten to destabilize the entire region. egypt's president says some unidentified drones were brought down in egypt on friday and is warning the conflict should not spread. >> translator: yesterday drones entered egypt and were brought down. regardless of where they came, i was previously warned that spread should not happen. egypt is a sovereign country and i hope we all respect its sovereignty and status. what i'm saying now is not to brag, but egypt is a very strong country that shall not be touched. >> president biden says that

washington's ready to take further action to defend u.s. forces in the middle east. the pentagon says it hit iran-backed targets in syria on friday with air strikes. and that was in response to attacks by those groups on u.s. forces in the region. cnn's brianna golodryga spoke with jose emir who denied his country's involvement in the attacks. >> i want to talk about your time in new york. you spoke at the u.n., and i want to quote what you said for our viewers. you said, i say, frankly, to the american statesman, we do not welcome expansion of the war in the region, but i warn, if genocide in gaza continues, they will not be spared from this sapphire. is that a threat? is iran prepared, really, to go to war against the united states?

z >> translator: i don't want this war to spread out. >> with all due respect, your actions don't seem to match your words. you say you're playing a constructive role in protecting peace, but according to the pentagon, groups connected to iran have targeted groups in the regions at least 15 times, injuring at least 20 u.s. military personnel, a u.s. carrier strike group shot down 15 drones, four cruise missiles fired by iran backed houthi militants in yemen that were aimed towards israel. president biden said this yesterday -- >> translator: any attack that is carried out in the region, if they are targeted by any group, you know linking into iran without offering any piece of proof is totally wrong. you see, two weeks ago i was in

iraq, also in syria and lebanon. i could see up close and personal that the people of the region, they are very sensitive about the developments in the palestine. they are angry. they are not receiving orders from us. they act according to their own interests. also, what happened, what was carried out by hamas, it was totally palestinian. they decided to take responsibility for that. >> you can hear the full interview on "gps," which is at 10:00 a.m. on sunday and 1:00 a.m. eastern time in the united states. as we continue, i'll update you with other news in the world. the life and career of the actor matthew perry, widely known for his role on "friends." what we know so far after perry was found dead at his home.

the actor matthew perry has

died at the age of 54. warner brothers television has confirmed his death on saturday. meanwhile, the "los angeles times" has quoted law enforcement as saying that the "friends" star was found dead in a hot tub at his los angeles home. "the times" says the source did not cite the cause of death, but apparently there is no sign of foul play. perry appeared in countless tv shows and is perhaps best known for playining the rolele of char bing on n "friendsds". >> youou want to quit?t? > i want to quit t the e gym. >> you do realize yoyou won'n'te access t to our r new full-serv swswedish spa?a? i want to quit the gym! >> the sitcom ran for ten seasons. he appeared in every episode.

the actor's battle with alcohol and drugs, specifically painkiller was well documented. he wrote about his addiction in his memoir saying he went to rehab more than 60 times. entertainment reporter billy bush spoke to us earlier. >> instantly, i thought, oh, no, how horrible. and then i started thinking about what a difficult life he led. he struggled so much off-camera. for a guy who was so effortless on camera, his timing and his, you know, his good nature, always just upbeat and quick, and then you realize, it's the exact opposite when he's not. he just struggled, struggled, struggled so hard with painkillers and addiction. and i think we're hearing, there's no foul play, but immediately, you think, what -- wea wear and tear that poor heart of his took over these years. so while i'm crushed and sad and i've just sent over to lisa

kudrow, with whom i'm friends, to be with -- you know, send her my condolences, the cast is really tight. there is a part of me that, that's like, ah, i'm not overly surprised, because i thought something was off with him, and that he had -- he had hurt for too long. >> now, in a statement, warner brothers television said it is devastated by the passing of our dear friend, matthew perry, an incredibly gifted actor and an indelible part of the warner brothers television group family. and other tributes to perry from hollywood. in a post on "x," the actress mira sorvino called him a sweet, troubled soul. may you find peace and happiness in heaven, making everyone laugh with your singular wit. and maggie wheeler who played perry's on-again, off-again girlfriend on "friends," what a loss. the joy you brought to so many

in your too-short lifetime will live on. iv "variety"'s emily longaretroa talked to us earlier about the mark he's made, especially on the small screen. >> he has had such an impact on an actor and a comedian, of course, "friends" is the thing that everybody thinks of, pause, of course, nobody could be chandler bing. "friends" wouldn't be "friends" without that group of cast, and it's hard to think of a world that exists now. tv is very different today, sitcom doesn't exist today. and it doesn't exist where people are tuning in every single week to watch a certain group of friends gather together and 20 million people turning on their tvs and welcoming him into their living room. it's an important thing to note, as well. he was, of course on film. he was a really, really tv actor. and the thing that comes along with being a tv star, you really are welcomed into people's homes. people fell in love with him. of course, they fell in love

with chandler bing, but also with his character, joe in "the west wing." the many, many things he popped up in, "the odd couple" revival. the list goes on and on. that goes back to what an incredible actor he was, with such amazing comedic timing. it's really, really, it goes really to show that the most famous lines of "friends" were a lot of his, and that's because of his cadence in delivering those lines of, "could i be more excited?" that is what matthew perry brought to chandler. that wasn't written in. he created that. and that's something that is a really, really nice thing to think about. still to come on cnn -- >> this will lead to something on the regional perspective that we can't afford. this is why from our perspective in qatar, this is the dividend for peace that we have to pay. >> lines of communication are

still open, at least for the hostages will be in doha. a high-level update on those negotiations.

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yes! [ cheers ] yeah! woho! running up and down that field looks tough. it's a pitch. get way more into what you're into when you stream on the xfinity 10g network. our coverage continues. you're most welcome. i'm richard quest in abu dhabi. this is cnn's coverage of israel at war. let me bring you up to date with the latest details that we have for you. there were explosions throughout gaza as israel upped its strikes

overnight. a statement released a few moments ago by the idf said it struck more than 450 targets over the past day. among them, they claim, the command centers, observation posts, and missile launch sites. israel says its combined combat forces have struck terrorist cells. these are live pictures os of g. israel's prime minister, benjamin netanyahu, invoked the bible, enemy of israelites in his speech on saturday. >> they are longing to recompense the murders for the horrific acts they perpetrated on our children, our women, our parents, and our friends. they are committed to eradicating this evil from the world for our existence and i add, for the good of all humanity. the entire people, the leadership of the people, embrace them and believe in

them. remember. we remember and we fight. >> as the military action continues, i spoke to marcum davis, a military analyst on israel's ground operations in gaza. >> i think that we are in the final stages of preparation for that large-scale ground invasion, which could occur in coming hours and days. >> when you say ground invasion, what -- once the main body of troops goes in, what do they do? >> what they have to do is essentially fight house by house, street by street, against very well-prepared hamas defenses. and essentially, neutralize adversary booby-traps, ieds, mines, deal with snipers, and essentially they have to push

hamas back increasingly into an encirclement whereby they can be destroyed with devastating fire. remember, the goal of the israeli defense forces is not to, you know, as they have done in the past, mow the lawn and essentially impose some cost on them. the goal here is to decisive lee defeat and destroy hamas. so that means they do have to seek out hamas, engage them directly, control the terrain, deny them access to logistics, and that's going to be a very challenging campaign, indeed. >> the tunnels of which we've heard so much about, hundreds of kilometers of tunnels under dp gaza. in my weekend reading of numerous israeli officers, who say the last thing you want to do is fight in a tunnel, because you can obviously be caught on both sides, and it's just very much more difficult, but you've got no choice here, if that's the way hamas is going to move

around gaza. >> well, they can certainly destroy the tunnels from above. that's a possibility, but will might be circumstances, tactical requirements might mandate that they actually go into the tunnels themselves, and yes, that would be a hellish place to fight in the sense of the tunnels could be rigged with booby-traps and ieds. they're very dark, very narrow. so there would not be a lot of room to move about, and it would be very ease to come under concentrated fire from the enemy. so i think that the tunnels are probably the worst possible place for the israelis to go, but they may have no choice, if they want to hunt down hamas and destroy them, they may have to take the fight into tunnels. >> one thing i've learned over the years when it comes to military activity, really, success is all predicated on logistics. it doesn't matter how good your strategic plan is, if your supply lines and your logistics fail, then you're in deep

trouble. now, in this case, once the apc and tanks have gone in and once the troops go in, would you expect them to go in, come out, go in, come out? or would you expect israel to have to set up resupply lines, robust resupply lines? >> well, as the old saying goes, amateurs talk tactics, professionals talk logistics. and i think that what you will see is israelis continuing to supply forces, but whether it's armored forces like tanks and armored vehicles like infantry, wherever they go, they can't bring them out. that would lose momentum at the tackical level. so they have to keep them in and keep them advancing. and that means the logistics have to be secure and advance with the fighting forces. >> the u.n. secretary general

visited doha where he expressed thanks to the prime minister to advance talks to free hostages held by hamas. the spokesman for foreign affairs was speaking to becky anderson and said he's still hopeful. >> the talks as they just mentioned were going with all parties. we were working around the clock, the task force responsible for this was working around the clock to make sure that we are able to reach a deal and that we are very hopeful that that might happen. obviously, this escalation makes it considerably more difficult, but as you heard today, even during this, prime minister netanyahu was mentioning talk of mediation and the prisoner exchange deal. you have the hamas spokesperson just minutes ago saying that they are willing to conduct a prisoner exchange deal. so although the situation on the ground is becoming more and more and more difficult from a logistical perspective and from a political perspective, we are still hopeful that they will be

able to reach a situation where we have a release of more hostages. >> so let me be quite clear. the talks and the mediation to effort the release of civilian hostages, possibly a prisoner exchange at this point, have not collapsed, correct? >> no, i believe they are still going. the task force is still working on it. as i said, it's becoming more and more difficult with the current escalation. this escalation that is happening right now, one of the most terrible escalations that have happened in the region for a really long time, is making it certainly more difficult. as i said, on the logistical side of it, just moving people during a landing incursion and the increased bombardment. but also from a political side, of course, mediation only works when you have common periods, under this kind of conflict, this kind of confrontation between both sides, it becomes more difficult, but it is still ongoing and we can't give up. we can't give up on this. nobody can afford to give up on this and leave it to the military people to decide what

happens in the future. >> what can you provide us in terms of the details of these talks? >> well, obviously, becky, i can't get into the details of this, because our main concern now is getting the hostages to their families and making sure that this mediation succeeds, and that would be very difficult, you know, right now, with a lot of the details. but as you heard today from prime minister netanyahu and from the spokesperson of hamas, we are talking around the idea of more hostages coming out, we're talking around the idea of a prisoner exchange. we are optimistic that the talks are heading more towards all civilian hostages, but obviously, it's a fluid situation on the ground. we still don't know what will happen. >> do we know how many civilian hostages there are held in gaza at present? >> i'm not sure, to be honest, anybody knows. we have our number. we're discussing the lists we get from various countries about the foreign citizens who are

held hostage. we have the numbers from the israeli side, from the palestinian side. but these numbers are not necessarily always the same. but the important thing here is that both sides acknowledge that the civilian hostages need to go out immediately. and both sides, and hamas has said that they are willing that the civilian hostages go out. so we have to work towards that as soon as possible. >> we know that hamas has been pressing for at least the release of palestinian women and teenagers held in israeli prisons. we heard benjamin netanyahu say today that that had been discussed in the war cabinet. can i press you on whether you believe that that exchange could be for women and children being held in gaza by hamas? and if so, are we talking around 50, 60 people here? >> obviously, becky, we've been talking day one about our priorities in. it is our main goal and our end goal to release all the hostages and get them back to their families. but obviously, when you

prioritize it, you start with the women and children, the foreign civilians, and then you go to the rest of the hostages. and obviously, if we were going to prioritize, start with the women and children, but i believe that right now, the discussions encompassing the idea of civilian hostages altogether. and obviously, priorities will be made when you have the discussions on the ground. >> as i understand it, one of the problems is hamas doesn't actually hold at present all the civilian hostages, and indeed, military hostages. and this would be soldiers and israelis of reservist age. hamas doesn't actually hold all of those hostages themselves. is that correct? >> it's a complicated situation on the ground, becky. there are a multitude of players in dpauz. it's not -- this is not an army-to-army conflict. this is a very difficult humanitarian situation, very difficult when it comes to the parties who are involved in this. so it's understandable -- the situation with the hostages is not organized. it's a chaotic situation right now, especially with the current bombardment and the line

incursion. >> what i understood, as well, as far as the parameters of this deal are concerned, is that hamas have been pressing for a cease fire. we know yesterday, there was a vote overwhelmingly by members for a humanitarian pause, at least. which would help, obviously, in the hostages. we haven't seen that pause by the israelis. you have said this becomes very difficult when this is an active war situation. do you believe that without a pause, whether it's a humanitarian pause or a temporary cease fire, do you believe that you will be succsuccess ful or not? >> becky, we are trying all fronts, all possibilities, all scenarios that might end up with hostages going back home and de-escalation taking place in gaza. obviously, when there is bombardment, constant bombardment on the sector, welcomen't even expect for the hostages to be safely moved one place to another.

so the best situation for us, the best scenario for us would be a period of calm, a significant period of calm that would allow for the hostages to be taken out of gaza, but at the same time with humanitarian aid to go in. >> that is important, as well. as i understand it, again, it was fuel for hostages on the hamas side, at least aid coming in through that rafah border crossing. do you believe that you will be success to feel that degree? can you -- can you genuinely say, with your hand in your heart at this point, that there is a possibility of significantly more aid and fuel coming in through rafah, as part of this deal? >> becky, you know the situation as we all do. it's difficult on the ground. talks between two sides that have zero trust in each other are always difficult. emotions are running high in this case. you know, it's not rational thing. it's more a reaction air policies when it comes to what's happening on the ground. understandably, it's not going to be easy for me to tell you that i'm optimistic that something will happen tomorrow.

the thing is, we can't give up. we can't offered to give up. the region can't afford to give up. the world can't afford to give up. >> the u.s. and qatar have agreed to review the hamas file. that file being qatar, at the behest of the united states, back in 2012, opening an office and hosting hamas leaders here. can you give me the detail of that review? i mean, what more can you tell me at this point? is this the end of hamas in doha, once these hostage negotiations are over? >> i can tell you, becky, since 2006, we were approached by various sides to open this channel of communication. and since then, along with 2012, this channel has been very instrumental in countless de-escalations that took place, including one that happened on the 28th of september this year. so just days before this recent escalation. and therefore, as long as this channel is useful in creating peace, we have to have it. we can't afford to lose it. it is now useful, during this

escalation, it is the only way that we are mediating for the release of these hostages and for them to get back home to their families. and as long as our family, as we said in the preference with secretary blinken. as long as it's a channel that makes piece and allows us to bring about the escalation, it will stay there. >> you've been heavily criticized by the israeli foreign minister, at the u.n. security council, accusing qatar of financing hamas. ironically, the national security adviser has been, you know, very positive, the israeli national security adviser has been very positive about the role that qatar is playing. what's been your response? what's your response to the foreign minister's outright criticism? >> we are absolutely appalled by these accusations towards qatar, especially when they come from the israeli side and they've been working with us on this mediation right now, and on many de-escalations in the past. this is not the first time that we engage them as mediators. and it's not the first time that

they engage us as mediators. and countless times before, they made the request to mediate for the escalation with hamas. it's a communication channel they know about, they're working with us on, and the aid that goes, goes through the israeli side, and therefore we find this very surprising and categorically deny these accusations. and i believe that the contradicting statements by different israeli officials makes it very clear that this issue is part of only political rhetoric and political polarization, and it's not able the reality of the relationship that we have. >> finally, i have to ask you, tonight, the israeli prime minister was asked time and again in the press conference whether it was a contradiction in suggesting that these two objectives, the dismantlement of hamas, both politically and militarily in gaza, and the release of the hostages, whether those two can run at the same

time. the a contradiction? you sound as if you still have some mechoptimism? >> we are working with all possible scenarios. we might be working that the mediation has to go through while this bombardment is going at the same time. but if you ask me what would be the optimum scenario where we can reach, the best results as mediators, i will tell you that will need a period of calm, which is something that is not realized right now. there is a resolution by the u.n. general assembly yesterday, by more than 120 countries to have a humanitarian truth, it's something that the international community should be pushing for, should be working towards. and in the talks today between our prime minister and the secretary general of the united nations, this was discussed, the need to operationalize the resolution that was taken yesterday to make sure that we have a humanitarian truth. that we allow to lessen the suffering of the many 2.2 million palestinians in gaza, to

get the hostages home, and to create a cans for peace within the prospect of our mediation. >> i know if we continue to see this escalation, this is a conflict that will spill outside of gaza. this region doesn't need another conflict. >> becky, every day that goes by means more civilians dying, means more carnage, means more radicalization of youth, and means more anger in the arab, muslim, and in the international community. we have seen this as it goes along. and this will have repercussions not only in the palestinian/israeli conflict, but repercussions as a whole. if you just look at the map of this region right now, how many fragile countries we have. what kind of political turmoil do you have. the number of refugees right now. this region can't take a new war with a regional perspective towards. it. >> including iran, for example? >> and other players in the region.

we've seen escalations in south lebanon, in syria and the west bank, and this will lead to something on the regional perspective that we can't afford. this is why from our perspective in qatar, this is the dividend for peace that we have to pay, which is finding ways of having the difficult discussions with the difficult sides and making sure that everybody understands that great leaders are not those who just react to conflict on the ground, but those who make the difficult decisions that are not always popular to go towards peace.

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debatete. this i is cnn.

return to the middle east, palestinians and unorthodox jews in israel are fighting a similar battle to avoid the draft.

conscription to military service is compulsory for the majority of israeli citizens. cnn's sara sidner reports from jerusalem. >> mother abill cannot stomach the thought of her son serving in the israeli military. up until now, he hasn't had to, but that could change. the satiles are palestinians who hold israeli citizenship and as citizens, the law could soon demand that her son serve the state of israel in civil service or in the military. >> this would mean that i would have to erase all the principles, values, and thoughts that i have raised my son on. this would suggest that we become part of the occupation, she says. her worst fear is that her son would have to fight against his own people in the occupied territories where clashes between palestinian protesters and the israeli military are common place. the israeli defense force says there are over 5,000 arabs serves. by some account, that is 3% of

israel's military. but many of israel's arab citizens are absolutely set against mandatory service, saying the state has discriminated against them, taken their land, and is now trying to take their identities, too. >> it's absurd now that we want to take more than what we've already taken. i don't see myself, only in the state of israel, on the contrary, i see the state of israel owing me. >> this year there was a law that uh as unconstitutional unorthodox jews, and called on some the get rid of a policy that exempts arabs as well. >> reporter: the fight by the unorthodox to avoid the draft has managed to tear apart israel's coalition government. that is largely because secular jews have bitterly complained they're shouldering the entire responsibility of the state, while the ultra orthodox are

allow to study and live off state subsidies. for the majority of israelis when they turn 18, men are required tone list for three years and women for two. >> i think what they do is an incredible thing. at the same time, i also am in the belief that what the people do is also a super important element to the safety of the country. >> reporter: many of israel's arab citizens have their reasons for not wanting to serve. in nazareth, they protested through the arts, saying the draft is a tool israel will use to further erode their identities as palestinians. it turns out arabs and ultraorthodox jews, two minority groups who would normally never mix, are both fighting are similar battle to avoid serving the state of israel's military apparatus, albeit for very different reasons. sara sidner, cnn, jerusalem. i'm richard quest in abu

dhabi. i'll be back. there's more news right after this short break.

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