♪ this is "nightline." >> byron: tonight, staging ground. >> this area is a war zone. we are now in a war zone. >> byron: israel's ground force buildup just 20 miles down the road from the site of the music

festival massacre. a suspected hamas terrorist discovered still hiding today. >> he's being blind folded and led away. >> byron: the siege worsening in gaza. civilians trapped without water or power. >> today was very hard. there were a lot of bombings around us. >> byron: americans among them. and how israel missed hamas training in plain sight. campus conflict. more than 30 student group reps at harvard sparking outrage with a letter blaming israel for the massacre. >> it feels that if you say something against israel now, you're a baby killer. >> byron: condemned by their peers. >> when civilians are being murdered and women are being raped and kids and holocaust survivors are being kidnapped and held hostage, the last thing you do is blame the victim. >> byron: authorities around the world blame for wa hamas is calling a day of rage.

ugh, this guy again... pops! ay son! ya got a little somethin' on yuh face. needed a quick shave. quick shave? respect the process! it ain't my dad's razor, dad, it's from gillettelabs. gillette...labs? gillette's ultimate shaving experience. this green bar releases trapped hairs from my face. gamechanga! while the flexdisc contours to it. lookin' smooth. feelin' even smoother. how 'bout hookin' me up with some gillettelabs? check your texts. you're the best. nah, you're the best. the best a man can get keeps getting bettuh. the next generation of shaving is gillettelabs.

you didn't choose your hairline. hot flashes, the flu, or that thing when your knee just gives out for no reason. you didn't choose your bad back or this. or... that. you didn't choose depression, melanoma, or lactose intolerance. but with kaiser permanente you can choose your doctor who works with other best-in-class specialists to care for all that is you. ♪ >> byron: good evening. thank you for joining us. just miles from that music festival where at least 260 people were murdered last weekend, israeli soldiers converging for the likely ground invasion into gaza.

secretary of state antony blinken goes to israel with a message -- america has your back. it's a snapshot of a music festival frozen in time. after it came under attack by hamas last saturday. abandoned cars. tents and half-empty bottles slun across a popup bar. nearly a week after the terror attack took israel and the world by surprise. the death and the carnage being revealed more and more each day. the stillness suddenly broken by a suspected hamas terrorist. my colleague, matt gutman, on the scene. >> there's a militant right under there kneeling, hands on his chest -- >> byron: detained after allegedly brandishing a knife. >> we are now in a war zone. we are now looking for all the terrorists that's now hiding. we do they don't want to go and fight,

they want to hide. we will find each and every one of them and then we'll do the rest. >> byron: less than 20 miles away, the site of israel's military buildup with tanks and missiles being prepared. >> this is a staging area for mobile missile batteries chugging toward the front line over there. we're about 15 miles from the border with gaza, but each one of the missiles in these carriers is capable of wreaking incredible destruction. the soldiers here tell me they are itching to get into the fight and they've been getting closer to the border every single day. >> byron: the escalating tension here is far from over. with the world on edge, secretary of state anten arrived in tel aviv to meet with prime minister netanyahu. >> just as isis was crushed, so too will hamas be crushed. >> byron: the death toll on both sides rising. at least 1,200 israelis and at least 1,400 palestinians in gaza and at least 27 americans among the lives lost.

in washington, the white house saying plans are under way to help get out americans trapped in the region. >> beginning tomorrow, united states government will arrange charter flights to provide transportation from israel to sites in europe. >> byron: my colleague, david muir in israel pressing secretary blinken about the u.s. government's efforts to free americans held hostage by hamas. >> these families are enduring an excruciating wait. what can you tell them about what's happening right now to try to get these hostages out ali alive? >> i met with the families of a number of americans who have been either murdered by hamas or are likely in the hands of hamas. and to the families who may have loved ones in the hands of hamas what i told them is this. we are doing everything we can, looking at every possible option to bring their loved ones back to them. >> david: does that include u.s. military, special forces? >> i'm not going to get into the specifics of what we're looking at. >> byron: over the border in gaza -- urgent cries for bodies

found in rubble in the aftermath of another israeli air strike. gaza on the brink of calamity. israel cutting off crucial water and electricity for days. the red cross saying without that power, hospitals are at risk of turning into morgues. >> my feeling is that the palestinian health system has the rest of the week before it collapses. all supplies are running short. >> byron: despite warnings from the israeli government to flee, most of the 2 million palestinians in gaza have no means of getting out. this man saying, "they killed our children and killed us. we don't know where to go." families left homeless taking shelter in hospitals. and in hotels like this one in northwest gaza. children finding a brief moment of respite on the lobby floor. we've been getting regular updates from 21-year-old college student tahla herzalla.

>> today was very hard. there were a lot of bombings around us. one of them was about 150 meters from my house. >> byron: a body carried in the street. this is one of the funerals, she says, that we see every single day. as the crisis continues with no foreseeable end, there is still looming questions about how an intelligence failure of this magnitude could have happened on israel's watch? >> they very cleverly took out guard towers that were watching or jammed them, using electronic warfare. they drove up, set explosives, did a breach. >> byron: seen in video, hamas was training for its deadly incursion in plain sight. an official from the terrorist group appearing on russian television, claiming hamas spent two years planning the assault. >> i'm astounded at their operational security. this was a very large, complex

operation. so air, land, sea. and no one leaked a word. >> byron: a senior u.s. official telling abc news they're looking into whether egypt warned the israelis of the possibility of an attack days before it happened. the chief of israel's defense force saying today they failed we'll investigate their breach, but for now they're in a time of war. >> i'm a mother whose kid was kidnapped. and i'm helpless. but i have hope. >> byron: she's one of the israelis desperate to free her loved ones from hamas. up to 150 people are still believed to be hostages. my colleague britt clennett met the woman in a hotel where she's waiting for news. friday she sent her 12-year-old daughter, noa, to sleep at her mother's house. >> friday evening we had a meal together. i told her, "you want to maybe go sleep at granny's?"

she did. saturday morning there was a bombarding, red color alert. she's autistic. >> high functioning? >> yes, high-functioning autism. >> byron: early saturday morning, noa called for help. >> you can't start to imagine. especially my girl. she's -- >> i'm so sorry. >> byron: quoeping with the uncertainty has been excruciating for her. >> the thing i want to imagine and i choose to imagine, first, she's alive transfer second, there's women around her.

arab women around her. >> because they will care for her? >> yes. >> byron: back in america tonight, el al, the national airline of israel, is preparing to fly tomorrow night on shabbat, a sacred day of rest for jews, breaking their decades-long policy. >> here it says, i'm for you, which means i'll play for you bajfk airport, they're giving israeli soldiers called for duty a heartfelt sendoff. >> every day we come and send them off with anything that they need. food, water, drinks, toiletries. >> byron: they gave the soldiers letters from young jews, pitching in with support via artistic talent and prayers. >> we want them to know we're praying for them. every soldier has somebody who's praying to for them. as a collective, all the soldiers get a prayer. when we come back, a letter

sowing division at the nation's most elite ivy league university. why some students say they don't feel safe there. my a1c was up here; now, it's down with rybelsus®. his a1c? it's down with rybelsus®. my doctor told me rybelsus® lowered a1c better than a leading branded pill and that people taking rybelsus® lost more weight. i got to my a1c goal and lost some weight too.

rybelsus® isn't for people with type 1 diabetes. don't take rybelsus® if you or your family ever had medullary thyroid cancer, or have multiple endocrine neoplasia syndrome type 2, or if allergic to it. stop rybelsus® and get medical help right away if you get a lump or swelling in your neck, severe stomach pain, or an allergic reaction. serious side effects may include pancreatitis. gallbladder problems may occur. tell your provider about vision problems or changes. taking rybelsus® with a sulfonylurea or insulin increases low blood sugar risk. side effects like nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea may lead to dehydration, which may worsen kidney problems. need to get your a1c down? you may pay as little as $10 per prescription.

loving this pay bump in our allowance. wonder where mom and dad got the extra money? maybe they won the lottery?

maybe they inherited a fortune? maybe buried treasure? maybe it fell off a truck? maybe they switched to xfinity mobile on the most reliable 5g network. for a limited time, buy one line of unlimited, get one free for a year. now i can buy that electric scooter! i'm starting a private-equity fund that specializes in midcap. you do you. switch to xfinity mobile today. [announcer]: and the kick is no good. their epic losing streak continues. [dragonman]: a kick in the teeth would hurt less.

but they'd probably miss that too. let's show 'em that someone here knows how to kick it... ...with fireball. (♪) fireball. ignite the night, with fireball. ♪ harvard university, known for its intellectual discourse, now divided over a letter seeming to blame israel itself for the horrific massacre of innocent civilians by hamas. here's abc's selene yeah wang making her "nightline" debut. >> i know jewish students feel unsafe, and they feel uncomfortable, and they feel betrayed. >> reporter: ax cross the hallowed campus of harvard

university, tension, division, frustration. >> it feels that if you say something against israel now, you're supporting -- you're a baby killer. >> reporter: after a ghastly terrorist attack on israel that triggered a war with hamas this week, the reverberations of the crisis are being felt and heard loudly back on american soil. police departments from coast to coast are on heightened alert after a former hamas chief reportedly calling for a day of rage on friday. the nypd ramping up security, canceling vacations, putting all officers on duty. columbia university closing campus to the public ahead of a planned event. just one day after police said an israel i was beaten outside of the library. >> we know incidents in the middle east, violence, tends to spark acts of hate here at home. we've seen a 400%-plus increase in incidents this week, verses

this week last year. >> reporter: some say harvard university becoming a microcosm for the fears and pain unleashed across the country. saturday, more than 30 student groups on campus sparked outrage after releasing a letter that said the israeli regime is, quote, entirely responsible for all unfolding violence. the statement went on to say the conflict did not occur in a vacuum, blaming the conditions palestinians have been forced to live in for decades. the university is ramping up security, including here outside of harvard halal, the center of jewish life on campus. it's been hard to get people to speak on camera because they tell me they don't feel safe speaking out. what was your reaction? >> appalled when i saw that letter. when people are -- when civilians are being murdered, women are being raped, kids and holocaust survivors are being kidnapped and held hostage, the last thing you do, the absolute last thing is blame the victim. >> reporter: jacob miller is the president of harvard hillel.

he says lack of support from some students and what some saw at the school's tepid response are hurtful. >> jews are aching. i know jewish students feel unsafe, uncomfortable, they feel betrayed. how are we going to heal as a campus? how are we going to move on? >> reporter: the palestinian solidarity committee put out a statement saying in part, psc staunchly opposes all violence against all innocent life and laments all human suffering. palestinian students i spoke with said they're scared to speak up on campus or even mourn their lost loved ones, which is why they aren't showing their faces. >> i can't be alone. because i feel like i'm dying. imagine feeling like the place that you're from is going to get wiped off the map. >> i think that if i show my face or say something against israel at this time, i just -- the attacks are just -- will be overwhelming. >> how are your family members doing?

>> i got a message from my grandmother letting me know that ten members of our family have been killed. >> reporter: some students say they were completely blindsided when their organization signed the letter. >> i do know there's a lot of people who didn't really know about it. didn't read it. now they're kind of caught in the middle. >> reporter: harvard's leadership came under fire for not immediately issuing a response to the letter and then releasing a statement some say was not strong enough. a day later, harvard president claudine gay ultimately writing, "i condemn the terrorist atrocities perpetrated by hamas, distancing the university from the student signatories. >> something that's caused a lot of controversy lately has been the letter signed by more than 30 student groups. >> i think that the outrage that has -- that that statement has sparked is intentional. it's intentional to intimidate palestinians and their allies into silence about speaking truth to power. >> we feel that we can just get canceled because we said something against israel.

this doesn't even make sense. like, we are in ac keep dein harvard. we're supposed to be able to speak about what is happening and even debate about it. >> reporter: while no acts of violence have been reported on harvard's campus this week, the animosity is palpable. >> this is disgusting. this is sickening. >> reporter: driving around campus today, a so-called doxing truck displaying names and faces of students allegedly linked to the letter. >> i don't feel safe going to campus. we have friends who have received death threats, who are getting constant calls from unknown numbers. >> i don't think doxing is appropriate under any circumstances. i think people need to be accountable for their words. these student organizations signed an op-ed that was not in their name? they should write publicly and say, this was not in my name. >> reporter: already several ceos are asking for all the tunes involved in the letter at harvard to be identified so they can be "blacklisted" for future

jobs. another vocal critic of the letter is former treasury sdraer and past harvard president larry summers speaking on "bloomberg news." >> a statement by 30 student groups blaming all violence on israel was a moral absurdity. >> reporter: tweeting a request for cooler heads to prevail, saying in part, many in these groups never saw the statement before it went out. in some cases, those approving did not understand exactly what they were approving. probably some were naive and foolish. this is not a time where it is constructive to vilify individuals, and i am sorry that is happening. harvard isn't the only school struggling with pressure to take a stand. wall street ceo mark rowan is calling for leaders at university of pennsylvania to resign and donors to close checkbooks over an alleged failure to condemn anti-semitism and hate. and an nyu law school student lost a job offer at a top law firm after saying israel bore full responsibility for the loss

of life. late this evening harvard's president gay releasing a new video statement saying the school rejects terrorism, hate, harassment, and intimidation of people based on their beliefs. >> our university embraces a commitment to free expression. that commitment extends even to views that many of us find objectionable, even outrageous. we do not punish or sanction people for expressing such views. but that is a far cry from endorsing them. >> let's be clear. this is not politics. the wholesale slaughter of over 1,000 people, innocent people -- grandmothers and the disabled -- that is not politics. this is about evil. evil in its purest, most undeniable form. >> byron: our thanks to

when we come back, a vigil to light this dark moment. dr. g? it's actually the buildup of plaque bacteria which can cause cavities. most toothpastes quit working in minutes. but crest pro-health's antibacterial fluoride protects all day. it stops cavities before they start. crest. she found it. the feeling of finding the psoriasis treatment she's been looking for. sotyktu is the first-of-its-kind, once-daily pill for moderate-to-severe plaque psoriasis for the chance at clear or almost clear skin. it's like the feeling of finding your back... is back. or finding psoriasis can't deny the splendor of these thighs. once-daily sotyktu is proven to get more people clearer skin than the leading pill. don't take if you're allergic to sotyktu; serious reactions can occur. sotyktu can lower your ability to fight infections including tb. serious infections, cancers including lymphoma, muscle problems, and changes in certain labs have occurred. tell your doctor if you have an infection, liver or kidney problems, high triglycerides,

or had a vaccine or plan to. sotyktu is a tyk2 inhibitor. tyk2 is part of the jak family. it's not known if sotyktu has the same risks as jak inhibitors. find what plaque psoriasis has been hiding. ask your dermatologist about sotyktu for clearer skin. so clearly you. sotyktu. ♪ ask your dermatologist about sotyktu for clearer skin. (vo) purina cares here.

are the tradeoffs of treating worth it? ubrelvy is another option, it quickly eliminates migraine pain. do not take with strong cyp3a4 inhibitors. allergic reactions to ubrelvy can happen. most common side effects were nausea and sleepiness. ask about ubrelvy. why do dermatologists worldwide recommend

la roche-posay? effective skincare like la roche-posay double repair face moisturizer delivers double-action to help repair skin's barrier and provide 48-hour hydration for healthy-looking skin. la roche-posay. as the world keeps changing, so does covid-19. that's why this season's covid-19 shots have been updated. they're one of the best ways to help protect yourself against covid-19. learn more and schedule at vaccines.gov

♪ finally tonight, in tel aviv, lights for those lost. a candlelight vigil for the israelis slain in last weekend's incursion by hamas. the lights in a circle around a fountain with the date october 7th shining in the dark night. the candles for the vigil each representing a victim in the attacks. it has been a difficult week, and there's little doubt there are difficult days to come.

comfort nor context can change what's happened, but there can be value in both. since world war ii, there have been hundreds of massacres worldwide. at least three attempts at genocide. thi these have not been acts of the animal kingdom, but rather, the human race. scripture puts it this way. "there is a time for everything, a season for every activity under the heavens. a time for war, a time for peace." until then, that's "nightline" for this evening. thanks for the company, america. we'll see you tomorrow.