that, you know, we've lost four community members, not only just brian, but we've lost three other friends as well from this tragedy. and this community, it is a huge loss. >> another tournament participant, 39-year-old pay lon brewer ross leaves behind a daughter who had just turned two. and joshua steal was therer to the tournament as well. >> we have been successful in mitigating covid. >> he was a interpreter and his employer pine tree society said he was a husband and father of four and a tireless advocate for the deaf community. a few miles away from the bar at the bowling alley, more victims and more reports of heroic acts. like that of michael deslaur ii, his father said his son and his son's friend since childhood tried to protect women and

children. he said they made sure their wives and several young children were undercover when they charged the shooter. both men were killed. trisha ashland worked part-time at the bowling alley and tried to call 911 when she was killed. 18 lives now gone. leroy walker said his way forward is through faith and forgiveness. >> i can't hate this person. i have been taught different than that. i hope, anyways. and i believe that i have to feel that way. you can't run around this world hating people. if you do, these kind of things will happen more and more. >> jason carroll, cnn, new york. >> thanks so much, jason. ♪

hello, again, everyone, thank you for joining me, i'm fredricka whitfield. and we're monitoring the developments in the war against hamas. a short time ago they updated the number of hostages held in gaza. they now say there are 239 people who are being held captive from the hamas terror attack three weeks ago. with the safety of those hostages a top priority, today israeli forces continued their advancement into gaza amid a new expanded phase of this war. [ sound of gunfire ] >> gunfire and explosions were heard across gaza today. the idf said air strikes hit more than 450 hamas targets in just the last day, including command centers, observation posts and missile launch sites. there are also -- they are also, rather, seeing dramatic developments at gaza's second

largest hospital. the palestinian red crescent said nearby shelling caused extensive damage, even as 12,000 gaza civilians are currently sheltering there. and today president biden spoke with israeli prime minister benjamin netanyahu and egyptian president el sisi about the need to provide humanitarian assistance. their conversations come as u.s. national security adviser jake sullivan warned there is an elevated risk of the conflict expanding into other parts of the region. sources tell cnn that the u.n. security council will hold an emergency meeting tomorrow about israel's ongoing ground invasion. meantime, more humanitarian aid is slowly making its way into gaza. today another ten aid trucks were able to pass through the rafah border crossing. let's go now to cnn's jeremy diamond live in ashkelon,

israel. what more do we know about israel's military advance inside of gaza? >> reporter: well, fred, more than 48 hours after israel launched this expanded ground operation inside of the gaza strip, fighting is still ongoing between hamas militants and israeli troops in the northern part of the gaza strip. what has become clear over the last day is that israeli pforce are proceeding cautiously. they are not bulldozing into town after town, but rather they appear to be focusing on trying to take out some of the hardened hamas positions at the entrance to some of the towns and cities in the northern part of the gaza strip recognizing the fact that if hamas planned the terrorist attacks more than three weeks ago with such careful planning and sophistication in order to surprise the israeli military, they also prepared for the entrance of ground forces inside of gaza. and so while the last two nights we heard very intense aerial

bombardments of the gaza strip, the most intense since the three weeks of war, tonight we've been hearing less intense aerial bombardment. still air strikes taking place but the focus is on tank fire and ground battles between israeli forces and hamas militants inside of the gaza strip. more than 450 targets have been targeted by israeli forces over the last day. and as we prepare to head into this -- the fourth day of operations inside of the gaza strip by these israeli forces, we're also learning of the toll that this war is taking on palestinians inside of the gaza. nearly 8,000 have now been killed according to the palestinian ministry of health. and about three quarters of those are believed to be vulnerable populations according to the palestinian ministry of health, including the elderly and women and children.

and at the same time we're learning of more humanitarian aid starting to make its way into the southern part of the gaza strip. israeli forces continuing to encourage civilians to leave northern gaza and head tor south. but even in the south, israel has continued to conduct some air strikes but they are in sifting that more food and water will be allowed into the southern part of the gaza strip. telecommunications services appear to start to be restored in parts of gaza after they were shut off in the earl y hours of the israeli ground offensive in gaza but still a tenuous situation and this ground operation that we've been watching over the last 48 hours only set to expand from here. fred. >> jeremy diamond in ashkelon, israel. thank you so much. as israel launches hundreds of air strikes, it said are aimed at hamas, civilians say they are being caught in the middle. scott mcclain has more on the impact of the air strikes on

gaza. >> reporter: there isn't much left the ballal mosque in gaza it was frattened by an overnight air strike. people inside of the neighboring apartment blocks weren't spared either. roofs were ripped right off and everything now covered in a pale shade of gray. more than a dozen were killed and more injured according to the local hospital where outside the bodies of those killed are wrapped in white sheets and marked with their names. both the idf and the israeli prime minister have renewed calls for civilians to urgently evacuate northern gaza. the apartment buildings next to the mosque were filled with people who had heeded those warnings. believing central gaza would be safer. there were no warnings at all this survivor said. we've seen the entire thing collapsing on it. we didn't know where the hit was. we started running to get ow children out. it is a miracle they survived.

this man said there were no warnings. it was a strong air strike, people pulled us from underneath the rubble and took us to the hospital. cnn has reached out to the idf for comment. israel said that overnight some 450 terror targets were hit and say that some strikes were directed by troops now on the ground inside of gaza. this was the aftermath of one of those strikes on a family home in southern gaza. the desperate hope to find survivors and instead they found at least one body. by day break, the urgency has gone. a pile of rubble is all that is left. hospitals already at the breaking point are only getting more overwhelmed. and on saturday doctors operated on this boy on the floor. palestinian red crescent now said that israeli authorities called the hospital in gaza city

twice with a clear and direct theft that the hospital must be evacuated at once, otherwise they hold full responsibility for for the lives of everyone inside. that amounts to hundreds of patients and thousands more people taking shelter. israel said it called more than twice since the war began and said that hamas is shielding themselves inside of hospitals. foreign aid is entering gaza at a trickle. the desperation apparent in this video of people ransacking a u.n. warehouse carrying out bags of food. maybe a temporary lifeline for those people, but the u.n. calls it a worrying sign that civil order is starting to break down. it is a situation in gaza that only gets worse. scott mcclain, cnn, london. >> thanks, scott. coming up, in the "cnn newsroom," hollywood is saying good-bye to a long time friend, matthew perry. what the friends creators are

saying about his sudden passing, next.

today fans and friends of matthew perry are paying tribute to the actor who died yesterday at the age of 54. his career including numerous ttv shows and movies but his role as ch chandler bing on the hit show "friends" that made him a house hold name. >> okay, chandler, there is only one banana nut muffin left. >> i ordered mine first. >> but i'm so much faster. >> give it to me. >> no. >> give it to me. >> okay. you could have it. [ laughter ] >> there you go. enjoy your coffee. >> that was there when i got here. >> the l.a. times said perry was found unresponsive in his hot

tub. his body is now at the los angeles county medical examiner office and an autopsy is pending. let's bring in camilla bernal who has been covering this story. what have you learned? >> reporter: hey, fred. so lapd is saying through sources that no foul play is suspected here. but this is obviously now in the hands of the lapd. they are the ones in a are investigating his death. the 911 call yesterday came in at 4:07 p.m. for a water rescue and at 4:10 they got to his house and characterized it as a death investigation. as you mentioned, the l.a. times reporting that he was found unresponsive in the bathtub. but no cause of death has been reported at the moment and normally a complete autopsy and toxicology report could take several weeks. now, the family did release a statement saying that they were heartbroken and i want to read part of that statement where they said, matthew brought so much joy to the world both as an actor and as a friend.

you all meant so much to him and we appreciate the tremendous outpouring of love. this is someone who wanted to be remembered as a person who helped others. and it is part of the reason why he shared his struggles with addiction. he made it so public through his memoir that was released in november of 2022 and he was candity on interviews. he was emotional and said that he was doing this in part to be relatable, to help other people who were going through the same struggles. he also said that he wanted to be remembered as someone who lived well and loved well and also as a seeker. many of us remember his acting career. he started out with small roles and then got more prominent roles but really it was chandler and "friends" that made him famous. this as cast that was close on screen and off screen and we still have not heard from the cast members but we're hearing from so many others here in hollywood saying this is a huge

loss for the industry who said they are heartbroken and shocked because no one was expecting his death at just 54. so people are mourning his loss and remembering the many moments that he left behind on tv and on "friends" as he made us laugh with his very funny and very sarcastic caharacter that so may of us could watch today thanks to the replays an the movies an other shows that he was on, fred. >> camilla bernal, thank you so much. let's bring if entertainment reporter elizabeth wagmiester. this is tough, now you've got the creators who have come out with a statement. about matthew perry and they're heartbroken. >> they are. this was a very tight knit group. the cast, of course, but also the creators. it is a rare victory in television to even get on the air let alone to be on for ten seasons.

and to be one of the most successful shows. so this really was a family and the creators are they are saying they are heartbroken in their statement they say that once they met matthew perry there was nobody else who could play chandler bing. they knew that it was him and only him and i think that millions of viewers around the world would agree with that having watched the show and being long time fans of the show. now the creators have released a statement today, but the main cast has not said anything yet. we have not heard from lisa kudrow, courteney cox, jennifer anniston, and david blanc and schwimer and we'll hear from them in a joint statement. but we've heard from other cast members. morgan fairchild who played his on screen mom released a statement as did maggie wheeler who played janice on the show. >> and we still don't know the cause of death, but people feel a real connection with him

because he has talked openly about his struggles with addiction. he did so in his recent memoir and billy bush host and managing editor of "extra" spoke last night and take a listen to what he said. >> instantly i thought, oh, no, how horrible and then i started thinking about what a difficult life he led. he str ugled 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 is the exact opposite when he's not. and he just struggled, struggled so hard with painkillers and addiction and i think we're hearing there is no foul play. but immediately you think what -- wear an tear this poor heart of his took. >> and elizabeth, i mean, he was very open about his struggles

with variations of substance abuse since he was a teenage kid. when he talked about it openly. why did he feel that he needed to share that with people and how he might be able to make a difference for others? >> this is one of the most heartbreaking pieces of how matthew perry's story ultimately came to an end. it was just a year ago, and fred almost a year ago to the date, matthew perry's memoir was released on november 1st of the last year and we're almost at november. he released this memoir because he wanted to help people. and he really did just that. he helped so many people. we're seeing a lot of outreach and outpouring from hollywood. viola davis has released a statement and she referenced how many people he helped through his book. and he did not hold anything back. he spoke in detail about

whawhat he went through and when he looks back at friends, he could tell what he was on, whether he was abusing alcohol or abusing pills based on his weight in the show. >> and while, you know, he has all allowed people have dialogue and get help because of his personal story, what resonates too is the character that he helped bring to life on "friends", talk to us about how that resonated and connected with people? >> absolutely. you are absolutely right. that he -- his legacy is going to be for helping people. but also for the work and the character on this show. "friends" is one of the most highly views showed around the world. there are kids and teenagers just watching friends for the first time today because they're watching it streaming on max. so his character, his talent is going to be around for years and years to come.

and when you watch him, of course that whole cast was incredible. but he was heart and soul of the show. i remember a few years ago, i was covering a panel with the creators, ones who released that heartbreaking statement today and they shared a story which i'll let you in on a little tidbit. they said in the script, monica who is plays by courteney cox and chandler were supposed to be a one-night stand. this was not written as a couple but people loved this couple and gravitated toward them so much. obviously very much in part to matthew perry's character that they realized this couple had to be there to stay. >> so, what do you suppose, how are his fellow cast members handling this? when they do decide, you know, to share you know their thoughts on how their feeling, do you believe it will be collectively through a kind of statement

thing or do you think they'll present themselves about how touched they are by matthew perry and how devastating they are about his passing? >> i think they absolutely are devastated. these are real friends. and it is not just somebody that they worked with for a moment in time. this was like a family. and we know that the family of the cast of "friends" was there to help matthew perry. so for all of us at home, where we had no idea what was going on until he came forward with this in his memoir, they knew all along that there is a story that jennifer anniston went to his trailer and said we all smell the alcohol and know what is going on and what is going on here, let us help you. so put themselves in their shoes and they were trying to help him for all of these years. we don't know the cause of death but he was not in the best of health and open about hi

struggles and to be gone at young age of 54 is sudden and it is shocking and i can only imagine how devastated they are. >> very stunning. elizabeth wagmiester, thank you so much. >> thank you. all right, the white house said president biden stressed the need for humanitarian assistance in gaza and protecting civilians during a call today with israeli prime minister benjamin netanyahu. more on that straight ahead.

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great! solid! -greek salad? exactly! don't delay the game with verizon or t-mobile 5g home internet. catch it on the xfinity 10g network. welcome back. president biden spoke with israeli prime minister netanyahu today. it is the first call between the two leaders since israel expanded its war against hamas. this comes as some lawmakers in biden's own party are criticizing the united states's position in this conflict. >> we have to recognize that our

credibility and our authority on the moral stage is -- is greatly diminished if we do not also call out these -- this siege that israel is launching on gaza as violations of international law. the president and the united states is absolutely responsible because we also have been the largest military backer of aid to israel. we need to be able to question where u.s. taxpayer dollars are going. >> cnn's kevin liptack is in delaware. and jake sullivan refused to say they support the way that israel is going about this war. so what does that mean? yeah. >> this is all indicative that the line that president biden has been walking throughout the

conflict demonstrating this staunch supreme to support itse questions about how they are approaching this and what their object objectives of an expanded ground objective and what they hope to achieve and you did hear some of that in jake sullivan's interview today. he said that even though hamas is using civilians as human shields that this does not negate the responsibility of israel to protect civilian lives as it goes about this expanded ground invasion. to uphold international humanitarian law. and you did see some of that behind the scenes earlier today over the past several days, i should say as well, as the u.s. i'm told applied pressure on israel to restore connectivity in gaza after cell connections went out and after the internet was out. that was an important priority for the united states as they work with israel in this conflict going forward,

fredricka. >> kevin thank you so much for that. and while the republican field of presidential candidates continued to shrunk, the front-runner just held a rally and hear what t he has to o say about the e dwindling numberer challengnger when wewe come bac.

just moments ago, donald trump wrapped up a campaign rally in iowa. today's event comes one day after his former vice president mike pence dropped out of the 2024 republican presidential race. trump's campaign event also happened as the former president is mired in multiple legal battles and is taking heat for his criticism of netanyahu who is in the midst of war with hamas. jeff zeleny is at that trump rally, so jeff, what is trump focussing on today there? >> reporter: well, fredricka. >> the former president just

finished his remarks here and largely similar recitation to what he does through really what have been about eight consecutive rallies throughout the month of october in iowa. trying to make the case that he has a commanding lead in this race, but clearly going after his rivals as well. interesting though, the crowd barely responded when he delivered some mocking criticism of florida governor ron desantis and former south carolina governor nikki haley. >> it is like a wounded bird falling from the sky. oh, there he is. it is ron desanctimonious. he's falling from the sky. it is a beautiful thing to watch because i got him elected. does anyone know who burt bren is. ly never run against our president. he's one of the greatest presidents we've ever had. i will not run against our president under any circumstances. >> reporter: so even though mr. trump has a commanding lead in

this race, it is clear which candidates are now on his mind and that tells you about the state of the race here. with a little more than two months before the iowa caucus open this republican presidential nominee contest. the crowd did respond and applaud and cheer when the former president went after joe biden. talking about inflation, talking about his handling of immigration at the border and events around the world. but it was interesting, fredricka, on the republican rivals, the crowd was largely silent. some told me it is out of respect for them and some are still shopping around potentially to other candidates as well. but the former president, i would say to use one of his words, a low energy speech here today and in sioux city after a weekend of campaigning for him. and we also talked about his indictments. and saying they're not coming after me, they're coming after you. that of course has been a familiar refrain we've heard from him throughout the course of this campaign here, fred. >> did he have much to say about the fact that his former vice

president is dropping out? >> reporter: in fact he didn't mention that at all. because we're seeing this republican field reshaping at least a bit. but the former president made zero reference to mike pence who was serving alongside of him for four years and now running against him. but he did talk about him briefly yesterday in las vegas and that is a choice and an interesting one to me. >> jeff zeleny, thank you so much. we'll be right back.

small communities near the gaza border are arming themselves to ensure the october 7th attacks don't happen again. rafael romo spoke with a father and daughter who say they used to be advocates for peace with the palestinians but now they haven't so sure. >> this is the shelter. >> reporter: for several long and agonizing hours, andy and his family hunkered down in their home shelter built to protect them from air missile attacks. [ sound of gunfire ] afraid and knowing that atrocities were being committed by hoards of attacking terrorists. the emergency door meant to be life saving for families, can be deadly when holding it closed against militants. >> and the shot with the ak-47 --

>> they shot through the door. >> yes. so people got killed because they hold the handle like this. >> reporter: a problem that he has since solved with a two by four. >> you put it like this. and the hamas cannot come inside. >> reporter: the idf said the response to the attacks was a military failure. >> it is a military failure. that we will have to look into. but it is a military failure that will create the possibility for a much better future. >> reporter: now communities are taking the future into their own hands. sewer said they protected their jewish settlement of about 700 people located a few kilometers from the border with gaza after police and soldiers in his community were called to the front lines. >> so that was it. five men in charge of security for this community? >> yeah. >> with pistols? >> with pistols. we cannot do nothing against ak-47. but that is what we had.

>> reporter: the entire family survived the hamas terrorist attacks of october 7th but the emotional wounds are extensive. >> i don't know if i can deal with this situation any more. >> reporter: his 27-year-old daughter said she always believed peaceful coexistence was possible. >> i will always talk about peace and to be okay with them, to live with them. but after that event, that maybe there is no people there that want peace with us. >> reporter: guya has friends who were killed by hamas, she can't begin to understand the hatred behind the brutal attacks but she also finds no hope in trading an eye for an eye. >> this is not our culture. this is not what my parents taught me. to be happy that palestinians

are -- never, never. >> reporter: missiles being fired by hamas above their heads doesn't help. and this is a situation the families who live here nearby the border with gaza face on a daily basis. sometimes hour-by-hour. this is a way that it has been and at the end of the war all of the deserts communities around the gaza, the kibbutz thats have been burned and ruined, they will flourish begin and there will be the sound of israeli kids playing in the backyards. >> and the terrorist attacks have shattered any hope they have for peace. >> you could make a distinction in your mind between the palestinian people and hamas? >> i was one of people that said that we want to -- not all arabs are bad. they want to live with us. now i'm not so sure about it. >> reporter: do you want so still live here? do you want so tay after

everything that -- i >> i'm going to die here. i have a lovely plot in the cemetery. >> for some jewish families who live along the border with gaza, the october 7th terrorist attacks mark a before and an after. >> reporter: but they say the hard lessons they learned that tragic day about protecting themselves will only make them stronger and ensure their survival. rafael romo, cnn at the israeli border with gaza. >> and nearly 8,000 people have now been killed inside gaza. that is according to the palestinian health ministry drawing on sources inside of the hamas controlled enclave. the region has been pummelled by israeli air strikes after hamas killed more than 1400 israelis and kidnapped more than 200 on october 7th. the main united nations relief agency inside of gaza today saying recently looting of the aid supply are evident of

growing hunger and desperation and this morning jake tapper pressed white house national security adviser jake sullivan on israel's decision to send troops inside of the gaza strip. >> we could go back however many years people want, if whether they want to start in the hasha might kingdom or 1948 or 68 or 73 or 2000, or 2008, if we want to start on october 7th, we would start on october 7th and as far as the idf is concerned, the government of the country next door invaded, killed 1400 of their citizens and went back and they have a right to take out that government. that is how the idf sees it. and i get that the biden administration is on board. my question is, is the idf going out -- going about this the right way? do you think they are going about this the right way?

>> what we believe is that every hour, every day of this military operation, the idf, the israeli government should be taking every possible means available to them to distinguish between -- >> are they. >> -- terrorists who are targets and christians who are not. i'm and time going to react to every strike i'm going to say that is our principle and that is our advice to them and that is what we're communicating and we continue to do that at the hig highest levels. the president will speak with the prime mitates's position on this issue. it is clear and it is straightforward and we believe that it is rooted in the fundamental laws of war. >> cnn jamana karachi has more for civilians inside of gaza. >> it is hard to believe this was gaza just a few weeks ago.

little nur, his mother still can't believe her boy is gone. [ speaking in global language ] he was holding my hand as i took him to make him a sandwich. he didn't get to eat it. shrapnel cut through his neck. he's now in heaven. god give me strength to deal with this. the air strikes that took 6-year-old noor and other relatives left her with wounds all over her body and tun bearable pain other palestinian mothers are having to endure. there's a void in my heart. i can't even cry, she says. i really want to cry. but the tears are not coming out. why can't i get it out. i want to cry for my little boy. recovering at hospital, she just wants to get back to her three other children, now homeless,

sheltering at a school. hell is raining down on gaza. israel says it's going after hamas and doing what it can to spare the innocent, but it is the innocent who are paying the heaviest price. and the few hospitals still barely standing, pictures are too graphic for us to show, but faces here tell of the horrors they survived and this living nightmare they can't escape. 3-year-old judy hasn't uttered a word in 16 days. she won't eat or drink. still in shock with a piece of shrapnel lodged in her hand. what did these children do? we have nothing to do with the resistance, he says. they're just targeting palestinians. they're killing children because they're palestinian. to them, we're not humans. they don't know if she'll be able to walk again. judy is unof the lucky ones, if

one can call them that. she still has her father by her side. baby arwa keeps asking for her mom. she's too young to understand, her uncle says. arwa's lost her mother, her brother, and her sister, too. she shows the camera her ouchy. in every corner of every hospital, so many heart-wrenching stories of loss so hard to comprehend. dorene only wakes up to cry, in a room with her 7-year-old brother, the two were the only to survive an air strike that killed their mother, father, brother, and sister that killed many of their extended family. he asks me if we have internet here. he says, i want to call mommy and daddy. doctors in these overwhelmed hospitals say every day brings a constant stream of children with no treat.

with the little they have, day do what they can, but how do you begin to deal with so many going through so much. jomana karadsheh, cnn, beirut.

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investigation is required in "friends" star matthew perry's death. let's bring in camilla bernal who's joining us now from los angeles. so what do they mean? >> so the online record now chose "deferred" as the cause of de death. so if there is no conclusion when they have an autopsy, that means that additional studies are completed. and what this essentially means is that we'll likely have to wait more time, for more time as they continue these investigative steps and studies. we do know that the "l.a. times" is reporting this as an accident. they said his body was found unresponsive in his hot tub. but of course, we are waiting for the l.a. police department to give us details on their investigation and their findings of exactly what happened. so we'll both have to wait for the l.a. county medical examiner's office, which appears to be saying that they need just more work in terms of their

investigation here to let us know exactly what the cause of death was. and usually to get a complete autopsy and toxicology report, it takes a couple of weeks here. so we will likely be waiting a few more days, maybe weeks before we get answers to exactly what happened after this 911 call was made yesterday at around 4:07 p.m. it was for a water rescue and then it was lapd who responded at 4:10, and indicated that this was now a death investigation. so there's a lot of steps here, a lot of questions to be answered, and we continue to press lapd and of course, continue to ask the medical examiner's office to give us updates on exactly what is happening here. but at the moment, his death is being labeled as deferred, which again means that more investigation here is needed, fred. >> all right. camilla bernal, thank you so much, in los angeles. and thank you so much for -- all right.

thanks so much for joining me today. i'm fredricka whitfield. the "cnn newsroom" continues with jim acosta and wolf blitzer right now. good evening. you are live in the "cnn newsroom." i'm jim acosta in washington. my colleague, wolf blitzer is live for us in tel aviv, israel. tonight, in gaza, the sun goes down and the sky lights up. as israel continues its areal bombardment of gaza, the idf says i a