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it is sunday, october 15th. i'm alex witt. >> and i'm ali velshi. we are continuing to keep a close eye on the israel gaza border after israel issued fresh warnings over the past 24 hours that suggest that it is preparing to launch the next phase of the war. according to three senior israeli officials we spoke with, israel's ground invasion will begin soon, and tens of thousands of soldiers have been ordered to capture gaza city with the ultimate goal of destroying hamas, the group that governs gaza and was responsible for last week's attack. overnight, nbc news crews captured tanks moving on the israel side of the border and reported hearing jones and fighter jets overhead. israeli troops also continue to surround gaza as the country's leaders escalated talks about its impending invasion.

in a new statement released yesterday, the israeli defense forces, or idf, says it is preparing for an expansion of combat that will include, quote, an integrated and coordinated attack from the air, sea, and land. israeli prime minister benjamin netanyahu visited some of those soldiers along the border yesterday and was heard asking them, quote, are you ready for the next stage? >> forces are also right now evacuating sderot, one of the israeli towns along the border attack by hamas last week. it's another sign that the israeli military is gearing up for its operation. and in this last hour, national security adviser jake sullivan said in an interview that he's been informed by israeli officials that water pipes have been turned back on in southern gaza. that is a small bit of relief as the humanitarian crisis worsens inside of gaza. earlier, israel offered northern gazans another three hour window safe passage to allow them to flee with the south. but with gaza closed off and

safe shelters overwhelmed, civilians are now running out of places to go. rockets are continuing to parts of gaza, destroying buildings and turning some neighborhoods into nothing more than piles of rubble. the united nations estimates said about half of gaza's 2 million residents have been displaced in just the past eight days. and one hospital in southern gaza has already taken in 35,000 people, while continuing to treat patients injured by the ongoing attacks. and as of this morning, at least 2300 people have been killed in gaza, and additional 1300 have been killed in israel. meanwhile, the effort to get u.s. citizens out of gaza appears to hit an impasse. the crossing that is along the border with egypt, it remains closed as a tentative deal to allow americans to pass through. with significant obstacles late last night. >> joining us now on the ground in tel aviv is nbc news foreign correspondent kelly go via. and also with us, mayor and editor in chief of the

jerusalem post. kelly, let's start with you. what do we know now about israel's preparations for the next phase of the war and the efforts to get americans out of the reach. >> israeli defense forces have been talking throughout the morning about preparations for a ground offensive. one idf spokesperson told us that the military is ready as soon as the political order is given, as soon as the government says go in, they are ready to go. there are other indications that, you know, they are still prepping for the war. they're still prepping for the grand objective of what they hope to accomplish. but they have said that what they want to do is to eliminate hamas all the way to the very top. and to that end, overnight, airstrikes continued in gaza. the israelis say that they killed a top commander for hamas, who they say was part of,

was responsible for the attack on one of the kibbutzim in the south, near the kibbutz. at the same time, airstrikes are hitting gaza, again, today. hamas is also managing to fire rockets toward israel. the sirens have sounded a couple of times here today. we've heard a couple of loud booms, intercepts, most of them, one rocket did fall in the tel aviv area. so, you know, rockets going in both directions this morning. in addition to that, the israeli military has decided to evacuate a town in the south. it's called sderot. many people have already left sderot because it is so close to, i think, a mile of the gaza border. israeli defense forces say it's time for more people now to move out of that area. keeping in mind that a lot of

towns and neighborhoods in that region, in that military zone, essentially, were evacuated earlier in the week. there are evacuees staying all throughout israel, taken out of their homes, and just living off the kindness of people who have taken them in since saturday's attack. 300 people killed overnight in gaza, according to gazan health officials, because of those airstrikes. and it difficult situation, as you guys have mentioned, on the ground. it's good to hear that the water and maybe back on and the south. people are saying, who have evacuated, they're saying, look, we've left our homes, we left everything behind in the north. and we now don't have shelter, we don't have a place to sleep. we don't know where to go. aid agencies did warn that that was going to happen, if you have a mass movement of people in such a short period of time without any humanitarian aid able to get into the country,

that you may end up with people without shelter. there simply haven't been enough time nor enough resources to set up any camps or shelter to take care of all of these people. alex, ali? >> i want to ask you two questions. first of all, and perhaps most importantly, how confident leadership, idf, or political leadership, that any hamas militants that were inside of israel have either been captured, killed, we moved in some fashion? that's the first part of the question. and secondarily, just give me a sense of what life is like in israel now eight days after the city? after this attack? >> i was listening to the intro. i thought i was in a parallel universe, as though the events of last week have never happened at all. we are talking about a massacre of 1300 civilians, children, infants, elderly, massacred in the most horrific, horrific of ways. and this country is still

reeling. there are still families who don't know whether their loved ones are alive, being held in gaza, or if their body is lying somewhere in a field in southern israel. it's a country that is very much in trauma and very much in mourning. that is the atmosphere that we are in at the moment. as for the situation on the ground, we understand that about 1500 hamas terrorists have been eliminated when israel invaded the police that we -- have heard reports of individual terrace popping up here and there in southern israel, quickly being elevated by security forces. it's possible that there are others hiding out, just waiting for the opportunity to murder even more civilians. but we understand the ruling majority of those terrorists who entered israel were either eliminated or back in gaza holding the hostages that they took with him. >> you know, avi, ali and i have been sitting here talking about the horrors having to live with this. can you just give me a sense of the emotional fragility of israelis right now?

even a practical approach to continuing life under these horrific circumstances of what happened this last week. >> it is extraordinarily difficult. a couple the devastation and the shock of having lost 1300 people in one day in a surprise attack that took place in israel, with the fact that 300,000 israelis have been mobilized for the reserves. these are men, women, husbands, wives, parents who have disappeared, devastating not only for the families, but the economy. the economy has essentially ground to a standstill. but we are resilient people. so, even if we have to go forward with a ground offensive, which looks likely as the stage, israel will prevail. even if we are forced to open up a second front in the north that has ongoing bombardment, we will prevail. this is a country that wants nothing more than peace, nothing more than life. and that's what guide us every single day. >> avi, ali velshi here. i mean this in the best way.

when you heard the intro, and you felt you were living in an alternate universe, just a few minutes ago, we introduced -- i had just gotten off a plane, i've been in israel all week we've been talking to families, people who they believe have been taken hostage. we are showing the images of gaza, where this story is at the moment, because the attack on gaza is gonna multiply into a ground invasion. what is the parallel universe part? >> well, i don't agree with that premise. i don't think that gaza is where the story is at the moment. i think it's part of the story. and the other part of the story is taking place in israel, where families are still burying their loved ones. or just the other day, i attended a funeral of a 23-year-old young man who was killed after a gun fight with terrorists. and there were three other fresh graves in the same area. that is still the story that many israelis are living with at the moment. so, focusing on the gaza story -- only >> i've been watching our coverage. with all due respect, we've been covering all of those things. have you seen our interviews

with the families of people who have been held hostage, who escaped from the kibbutzim, the people who we've talked to who were at the super nova festival. i totally agree with you. there are many parts of the story that i feel like we've been doing that. do you not? >> i absolutely agree that you've been doing that. but i have been part of that coverage, and i have been honored to have that opportunity. i was saying the intro to this section made us feel as though there is a very disproportionate part focused being put on one part of the story ignoring the other entirely. >> i appreciate that entirely. >> all right, nbc's kelly cobiella, avi mayer, like you so much. joining us right now, former united states ambassador to syria, iraq, afghanistan, lebanon, kuwait, and pakistan. mister ambassador, thank you so much for joining us. one of the most pressing concerns right now from an american standpoint is getting u.s. citizens out of the region, especially those that are stuck in gaza, numbering a couple of hundred as part of the

estimates. the united states, israel, egypt, they appear to reach an impasse in terms of getting americans outside of gaza via the rafah border crossing. but what do you think the united states can do to help actually get them out? or is it just a waiting game at this point? i mean, we've been talking about the logistics of it. how do even manage that? the logistics of it. how do even >> it is going to b, really big challenge, alex. there is no doubt about it. in part not just the logistics at the border, but conversations with egypt, which of course blinken has been having. they're gonna have to navigate through gaza and through hamas. and whether hamas will even begin to consider this is a very open question. i would be worried that by identifying americans and that population that hamas will target them. >> ryan, let's talk about the

role that america can play at this point. 29 americans have been confirmed killed as a result of this war. and i can citizens are among those held hostage inside gaza. as you said, hamas has not traditionally been a willing negotiator. so, what role should the united states play and with who right now? >> i think the administration is doing a very good job on this thus far. secretary blinken's visit to israel, which he made it completely clear where the united states stands. it stands with israel against this horrific, barbaric attack, set of attacks on israel. they also said that it is israel's right to defend itself and respond to this. how it's done is also important. i think we're also gonna see a very delicate, balancing act proceed here that we do support israel. we do understand the enormity of this experience.

but they have to work this in a way that minimizes damage, collateral damage to civilians in gaza. >> ambassador, in addition to the impending invasion by israel of gaza, we have certainly seen some escalation in the north along israel's border with lebanon. how do you see this changing the dynamic overall in the region? and how real are the fears that this conflict could expand, do you think, do you think hezbollah wants to be involved, or even capable of escalating tensions with israel than further right now? >> i think hezbollah certainly has the capability of escalating. they have an arsenal. we don't know how big it is. it's substantial. and they have used them in the past. i think the real question, though, it's not so much for hezbollah or even hamas, it is to the east. iran, iran is supporting both groups. and i think our warning that

was typified by the dispatch of a strikeforce to the mediterranean, it was a warning to iran, as much as it is to any other protagonist. be careful. >> let's talk about that a little bit more, about the role that iran may have played in the lead up to this attack. iran denied having direct responsibility for it, but it's a strange denial and that perhaps they offered the training and the resources and the blueprint for it, and then they said, do whatever you want to do. from your extensive experience, ryan, in the middle east, what is your assessment, not just of iran's role, but what is to be done about that? unfortunately, we are in a weaker position with iran than we were several years ago when we were in the deal with them, which allowed for a certain amount of openness of relation between america and iran. who are not there right now. >> no, we are not. and, again, we're gonna have to see how tehran responds to all of this.

it's not terribly irrelevant, whether we've got a smoking gun tying iran directly to the horrors of october 7th. they have been backing hamas for years now. they are a source of armament, supplies, and so forth. so, whether iran was aware of the exact specifics of this operation in advance, or assisted in any way with the planning, i think, is irrelevant. the backing of iran's fair and to hezbollah. and trust me, on this one, iran is not taking these steps and arming these militias as a way of creating a space for peace between israel and palestinians. they have no interest in that. it is all about escalation. it is all about putting pressure on israel. it's all about killing israelis. >> given your extensive experience in the region, it's very easy to trust what you are saying. our thanks to you, ryan crocker,

former united states ambassador to syria, iraq, afghanistan, lebanon, kuwait, and pakistan. >> our coverage of the israeli hamas war continues, next, with a founding member of the democratic national assembly of palestine. this is msnbc. ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ [car door slam] [camera shutter sfx] introducing ned's plaque psoriasis. [camera shutter sfx] he thinks his flaky, red patches are all people see. otezla is the #1 prescribed pill to treat plaque psoriasis. [ned?] it can help you get clearer skin and reduce itching and flaking. with no routine blood tests required. doctors have been prescribing it for nearly a decade. otezla is also approved to treat psoriatic arthritis. don't use otezla if you're allergic to it. serious allergic reactions can happen. otezla may cause severe diarrhea, nausea, or vomiting. some people taking otezla had depression, suicidal thoughts, or weight loss. upper respiratory tract infection

and headache may occur. [crowd gasp] ♪♪ with clearer skin, movie night is a groovy night. [ting] ♪♪ live in the moment. ask your doctor about otezla. here's why you should switch from chrome to duckduckgo. duckduckgo is a browser you download to your mobile and desktop devices. unlike chrome, the duckduckgo browser has privacy built-in. it comes with a private alternative to google search, which doesn■t spy on your searches, and it blocks cookies and creepy ads. and there's no catch. it's free. we make money from ads, but they don't follow you around. >> our next guest is noor oudeh, join the millions of people taking back their privacy by downloading duckduckgo on mobile and desktop today.

distinguished palestinian ellis who reached an historic milestone in 2012, when she became palestine's first female government spokesperson. she is also a founding member of the democratic national assembly on palestine and served as al jazeera senior correspondent in the west bank from 2006 to 2011. noor, the last time you've been on the air, the last time you and i talked, it was when we could go, when we were first learning about what has happened. tell me where you are on this right now? everything that you have observed and what you are watching this morning? >> ali, thank you for having me back. and i can tell you that the

feeling of really being under attack is what has taken hold of all palestinians, not just those under bombardment in gaza, but even here. and i'll give you an example. today, two of my friends lost between them more than 30 of their loved ones, of their immediate family. and it is, what do you tell someone who's lost 17 siblings in one night while sleeping in their home? what do you tell someone whose family was obliterated in the house they took refuge in upon the orders of the israeli army? this is an ongoing pain, an ongoing story. and you are covering that so extensively. and for palestinians, there is simply no time to process, to process all that loss and all that pain. and that is up to us, the individuals, imagine the situations of doctors and medical professionals on the ground, who are having to cope

with an influx of the injured, severely injured, and the dead, with 22 hospitals being ordered to leave the patients behind, evacuate the hospitals, and taking a very noble position of staying put and not leaving those patients behind. it is miserable. miserable doesn't even begin to describe it. people telling all of us that they are running out of bread, they are running out of water. i heard the news that, you know, the israeli government has announced that it is partially putting back the tab on in southern gaza, that has yet to be corroborated. and there's about 1 million people still living in the northern sector of gaza. they have nowhere to go, no water, and no food, and no medicine to count on either. >> may i ask you about the israeli president, isaac herzog, justifying the military actions that you are describing, suggesting that palestinian

people bear the responsibility for the actions of hamas. here's what he said. he said, it is not true this rhetoric about civilians not being aware, not involved. it's absolutely not true. they could have risen up. they could have fought against that evil regime which took over gaza in a coup d'état. what are your thoughts on that? >> well, you know, it has been heart-wrenching to watch and to listen to the dehumanization of palestinians over the past seven days especially. and to hear that from such a top official, i would hope that the prosecutor of the international criminal court's taking note. he's been deaf blind and mute on palestine. but he has an open investigation into possible war crimes that israel has already committed since 2014. and these kinds of statements are not just repulsive in there, you know, animosity towards civilians, who deserve protection under international

law, regardless their politics, regardless their gender or breed or color. but also, i think it signals the kind of political will that exists in israel. we heard from the israeli defense minister talking to israeli soldiers on the border with gaza, telling them, we will eliminate everything. that's the kind of intent that we are hearing. and i think we should take the israelis at their word. the figures in gaza certainly seemed to corroborate that kind, those kinds of statements. medical authorities tell us that given the numbers, on average, israeli airstrikes are killing one palestinian every five minutes. that is two palestinian children every ten minutes given the ratio because about half of those killed, at least half are women and children. and the number is rising, and it's by nowhere comprehensive because people can't, they simply can't keep up with the number of buildings that have been brought down.

they can't retrieve the bodies of the injured because they have no equipment. and it is simply not safe to operate. >> nour, alex with here. one quick question for you, that is, given that there's been no real movement on the peace process for years now. how has this contributed to the current crisis, this level of stagnation, has it only served to foment the emotions inside of gaza? >> i think that's an excellent question because, yes, the debt and reality that palestinians have lived certainly has pushed this predominantly young population to the brink of despair, not just in gaza, but even in the west bank, where we have seen, you know, groups forming, new groups forming in protest against all existing palestinian factions because they feel that they've been let down. and there have been many reports in american media and international media, talking to these young men, asking them

why do you think that picking up arms is the right way to go? and they said, well, all our friends have been killed, or imprisoned by israel, without doing anything. so, why not pick up arms? that didn't reality, appeasing a right-wing government that is, you know, doesn't even enjoy the support of much of its own public because of domestic politics. here is a government that doesn't recognize the palestinians, has made it a point to say that its goal is to crush hopes for palestinian freedom. and just paying lip service to the palestinians for self determination. definitely, that is where we are now. >> all right, nour odeh, like you so much for your insights. >> coming up next, we discuss the hostage crisis unfolding in gaza. you're watching msnbc. ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ conquer financial reports. conquer 2000-word essays.

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missiles falling on gaza, the fate of the kidnap remains unclear. when i was in israel, i had the opportunity to speak with a 75 year old mother -- believed to be one of the hostages taken by hamas. vivian has worked as a peace and reconciliation activist who is living on a kibbutz which is right on the border with gaza. here's what her son had to say to me. >> how much she means to me, to my kids, and to so, so many people, all over the world. and we're all waiting for her. >> how are your kids? >> they kept their childhood

intact. it's not really a healthy home right now because the parents of the occupied. >> there are so many families around the world to know the agonizing feeling of having a loved one taken hostage. james foley, known as jim to his family and friends, he was a freelance journalist and biographer who specializes in covering conflict. he began reporting in iraq, afghanistan, libya, and then finally in syria. in a member 2012, jim was kidnapped in northern syria by the islamist state terrorists. they demanded more than $100 million for his release. nearly two years after his disappearance, james foley was murdered. his ex execution, his beheading was filmed and upload to youtube under the title, a message to america. jim was 40 years old. jim's mother diane foley has since made it her mission to advocate for the freedom of all captive and wrongfully detained americans around around the

world. diane joins us now. she's president and founder of the james foley legacy foundation. and, diane, i always think to myself, you and i may speak about something else. but unfortunately, we don't. so, thank you for being with us. given all that you have been through, just it brings it back for you every time, doesn't it? every time this happens, it makes you think of jeff. >> this is particularly horrifying this time because of the disregard, really, for innocence and so many brave journalists out there risking their lives, and they might not know what's going on. it is truly horrifying. >> the families of the hostages with whom i spoke really wanted israel to focus on the release of their hostages before anything else. however, we are watching the heavy assault on gaza. and those families are very worried that that compromises their loved ones. what do you make of that? >> i do wish all sides could

prioritize the return of hostages and protection of the innocent because there is no way that they should be horrified and killed at this time. it's just, it doesn't help anybody. there's innocence on both sides. it is just inhumane. and human rights violations every time i look at the news, it is just horrifying that we, human beings, can be brought. that our hatred can bring us so wrong. >> when i spoke to yonatan, that young man whose mother, he believes, is held hostage. he doesn't have confirmation, by the way. you just have -- she was 74 years old. she's a piece activist.

she's a reconciliation activist. he wonders whether is accessible negotiation with hamas over the hostages could set the ground for further discussions. he sees that that way. he sees if you can get the hostages out, maybe you can succeed further in concert conversations. most people we talk to, they say they can't talk to hamas. they're not unreasonable partner on the other side. you had a similar situation. i.s.i.s. was not a reasonable partner with which to negotiate. >> yes. but they want something. so, i agree with him. i feel we must try to talk, we must try to find a channel. so that we can speak to other human beings. i totally agree with that. if we don't, we don't see the humanity in one another, then then all innocence is lost. so, i totally agree that we must be able to talk to one another no matter what. you must put aside our feelings

and think about all the innocence, depending on our ability to speak to one another. >> look, there are few people in the world, blandly, they said we don't have many people like you to talk to. but there are few who can understand how fraught that is. there are a lot of people who say you can't negotiate with people who did what they did last week. how do you get past that? how somebody like -- you have duty to do that with jim? how did you get past the idea that you're going to talk to people who have committed evil in your eyes, you have stolen your family member? >> i think we need to recognize the human beings that we're all capable of hatred and good, great good. and, so i think we need to appeal to the goodness in one another, and to try to find ways that we can relate to why they are in this mode, why they

are hating. i know it's difficult, it's very challenging. but war is about humanity. we need to see that there are human beings on each side. and we need to appeal somehow do that humanity to resolve this. otherwise, more and more life would be lost. >> diane, on my best day, i cannot muster up the humanity that you can. thank you. and one day, you and i will talk about other things. diane foley, founder and president of the james w fully legacy. >> diane, it's alex witt. i was listening to a conversation. i have admiration, the strength to continue to exhibit in the face of untold tragedy in your life. you have my admiration. so, thank you very much. >> thank you for covering all of this that we might know what's going on.

>> thankfully, thank you. >> meantime, the israeli military has declared its border with lebanon a closed military zone. however, we are in lebanon. we're gonna take you there next. ♪ ♪ ♪ the security business... our job is to help people feel safe. not only our customers but those who matter most to them. just like our company does for us. we have great benefits from principal. so i know i'm taken care of. and (pause) not just me. but the ones who matter most to me. ( ♪♪ ) it's different in a child. but the ones who matter most to me. because your child is still growing. charlie: i had 14 rounds of chemo. there's thousands and thousands of kids all over the world who need help. girl: it is my first time having cancer. and it's the very worst.

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israel and hamas intensifies and gaza, tension is certainly growing on israel's northern border with lebanon. the idf has exchanged fire with hezbollah, the iran-backed paramilitary group. hezbollah testing dispensability for attacks on at least five israeli military

outposts in which at least one israeli was killed. lebanon state news agency also reported to a lebanese dillion deaths, due to israeli shelling a quarter villages. just today, israel has declared its northern border with a lebanon a closed military zone, creating it four kilometer buffer zone after hezbollah said it's going to prepare and be ready to join its ally, hamas, in the war against israel when the time is right. iran also indicated its willingness to step in if the war continues to escalate. the iranian foreign minister said in an interview with al jazeera, quote, if stopping the aggression against got that is not succeed, iran cannot remain a spectator if america and israel do not stop this policy, the scope of the war cannot be stopped. joining us now from lebanon is nbc news foreign correspondent matt bradley. some chilling words there from iran. but here's the question. obviously, there's a very long history, matt, tensions between lebanon and israel. it's not totally uncommon for them to exchange fire.

but explain for our viewers why this time feels different. does it feel like there is an escalation in progress? >> well, it's a really good question, alex. when talking about violence, it is really unfortunate and terrible to say that violence is typical, or violence is ordinary. but along this border, sadly, that's what we can say. and this is what you are seeing right behind me, just over that bridge line, there are rules of engagement between hezbollah on the side of the border here in lebanon and israelis. and so far, we have seen this extending out for more than a week, which is troubling. but rules of engagement haven't yet been broken. again, we had to say that violence is typical or within the norm, or human death is within the norm. but that's exactly what we are seeing. this tit-for-tat back and forth, we see this every once in a while. but this is the thing. on this border, it can go from silence to full blown out war in a matter of hours, which is exactly what happened back in 2006, when hezbollah and israel

engaged in a more than a month-long war that killed more than 1500 people on the side of the border, most of them civilians, and hundreds of israeli soldiers on the other side of the border behind me. so, yes, this is not really broken out. we are still seeing restraint on both sides. but the question is, who decides when that goes above the levels of restraint? who decides when there is going to be escalation? you mentioned those comments from iranian foreign minister. he's been making rounds in beirut. he went to damascus. he went to qatar. so, clearly, there's meetings going on. he's meeting with hassan nasrallah, who is the head of hezbollah. there are decisions being made, conversations being had. and the fact that hamas and hezbollah are both backed by tehran, and while both of them say that they are the ones solely who make the decisions on behalf of the respected militant groups and political organizations, it's clear from those comments from the iranian foreign minister, that there is an interest in using hezbollah as a deterrent on some level to

prevent the israelis from going into the gaza strip, and entirely just remembering hamas, co-belligerents two hezbollah and allies in the past. alex? >> what a power kid you're sitting on there, matt bradley, thank you joining us. >> that is the topic so well with hezbollah and hamas. still add, we're getting from an american citizen living in tel aviv, who is dedicated her career job people build empathy and resilience. stay with us. ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ma, ma, ma— ( clears throat )

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i am alex witt along with ali velshi. our coverage continues on the war between israel and hamas. joining me right now is rachel casner, an american citizen living currently in israel. rachel moved to tel aviv for years ago after going to college here in new york, and obtained israeli citizenship two years ago. rachel's jewish. she practices recognizing the sabbath. she is also the granddaughter of holocaust survivors. rachel, let me just say, since

our conservation last weekend, not a day has gone by without thinking of you. it's been an extraordinary week for you. hearing your perspective on the initial attack last saturday and throughout this week, talk about life right now, what it's been like in tel aviv? what's it looking like this weekend? what have you seen? >> first of all, alex and ali, thank you so much for having me. i, really really appreciate the coverage that so much u.s. media has been giving to this unfolding situation. and i just think it's so important that the u.s. checks for american citizens on the ground because there are so many of us that are impacted by this war. i can tell you that the past week has been -- i don't believe that there are words to describe what it's been like. i can tell you that every day, every few hours, we have learned about someone else that we know who has been killed either at the massacre on

saturday or in the follow-up, or in the follow-up, as a soldier. so, it's just been a very, very, very, very heavy week unfolding, learning about who the hostages are, waiting to hear if there is any news about them. really, that's the number one thing that's been on many, many, many of our heads, when are we going to get our children back, the elderly that were taken, the entire families that were taken, the american citizens and so many other citizens from other countries around the world, when will hamas leadership bring those hostages back because we know as soon as they do, this war will begin to de-escalate. and until they don't, we're just gonna see escalation here, which is disrupting all of our daily lives. i can tell you, personally, myself, having been able to focus on anything else other than the war, everybody is kind of in a fight or flight mode, go, go, go, what can we do?

how can we volunteer? how can we raise money? how can we support the troops? how can we support the victims of the families that were affected? so, it's just been really, really, really intense. everybody is asking the questions, do you see our friends, how are you? nobody wants to answer that. we do want to share that we care about each other. but it's just been an incredibly devastating week here on the ground for everyone alike. >> 300,000 military reservists, as you know, have been called up, some of whom are your friends, rachel. have you been able to speak with them? do you have any idea what they are experiencing? >> i have been able to speak with a few of them. there are either, they are either in the south border or in the north. we have elie very limited communications, we can go days without communicating, just a day or two. they are preparing, they are preparing. we don't know when this ground invasion it is gonna start. we don't know if they're gonna

join him in a more forceful way. it's just what we can learn from the news, what we can hear about what's happening in gaza, we are waiting to hear about the hostages and then waiting to see what's gonna happen with the ground invasion. but i can tell you there are american citizens that have come here to serve in the reserves. there are plain fools of people that have come back to defend the state of israel at this time in this hour. many of my friends, i'm thankful to them. i'm thinking of them and their safety every moment. >> rachel, in your first response, you said that you believe once hostages are returned, that this war will de-escalate. is that aspirational? is that a hope of yours? is there any indication that that is actually reality? >> again, i'm not a military analyst. i'm an american citizen living on the ground. the only way to survive this kind of trauma, alex, is to have hope. the only way to survive this

kind of trauma is to have hope. and i just, i just can't let myself go thinking that this is going to get worse. i have to believe that if they are willing to protect their citizens, that hamas will give us back our people, and that we can prevent more innocent death on both sides. >> amen to that. let me ask you very quickly. what are you doing to take care of yourself, rachel? >> that's a good question, thank you, alex. my husband is taking very good care of me. my friends are calling me. i turn my phone off for sabbath this weekend and spent time with friends. we were interrupted by the sirens, again, rockets aimed at tel aviv. so, we're not able to sleep at home. so, we slept at friends who have a bomb shelter in their apartment. but being together with people, doing prayers as best as we could, me and my husband, i mean, these are the things that

community, community and tradition that keep us going. and, again, just hearing support from people all over the world, regardless of religion, greed, race, that they are supporting, standing up to hamas, standing up to terrorism, standing up against violence. that has definitely been comforting in these days. and i'm just praying for an end to this conflict as soon as possible. >> we are all joining you. i remember last weekend, i said to you, i wish i could give you a hug. i still wish that. but one day, perhaps. there you go, let's get it that way. all right, rachel kastner, thank you very much. we'll talk to you again. >> thank, you alex. >> a little hug here and there, it's a good way to help everybody get through. our coverage on the israel and hamas for continues right after this. this [alarm] >> instructor: veer right. [ringing] >> instructor: and slow down. >> tech: so when he got a cracked windshield, he turned to safelite. we're the experts at replacing glass

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you're probably not easily persuaded to switch mobile providers for your business. but what if we told you it's possible that comcast business mobile can save you up to 75% a year on your wireless bill versus the big three carriers? it's true. plus, when you buy your first line of mobile, you get a second line free. there are no term contracts or line activation fees. and you can bring your own device. oh, and all on the most reliable 5g mobile network nationwide. wireless that works for you. it's not just possible. it's happening. here's why you should switch from chrome to duckduckgo. duckduckgo is a browser you download to your mobile and desktop devices. unlike chrome, the duckduckgo browser has privacy built-in. it comes with a

private alternative to google search, which doesn■t spy on your searches, and it blocks cookies and creepy ads. and there's no catch. it's free. we make money from ads, but they don't follow you around. >> in the wake of the hamas join the millions of people taking back their privacy by downloading duckduckgo on mobile and desktop today. terror attack on israel, prime minister netanyahu is called for more than 300,000 reservists worldwide to active duty. thousands of men and women, many of whom are jewish american we're living normal lives a week ago. now they're on their way back to israel to serve their nation, if they haven't arrived yet. msnbc -- 's from the airport were a number of flights carrying israeli reservists have been leaving. good morning to you, marissa. you've been at the airport, you're talking to people traveling back to israel. talk to me about how difficult it is to be getting into the

region and what you are hearing from the people whose loved ones just left. >> right, you probably know this from firsthand experience, just how difficult it has been to get in and out of the region. it's something that we've been reporting on. just to give you a small glimpse of that, the people that we spoke to in line that we are waiting to board that 11:30 pm flight from miami to tel aviv have been saying that they've been trying to get on a flight for the past week. many of them said they didn't know until late friday night or early saturday morning that they were in fact going to be making it on last night's flight. so this has been very difficult. i know that the israeli airline that were standing in front of right now had to make special exceptions in order to get people in and out. they flew for the first time in over 40 years in order to help accommodate and make that happen. we've spoken to a number of people in different situations when it comes to saying goodbye to loved ones who have decided to go and serve with idf overseas. we spoke -- for still take you to a mother

and father that said goodbye, and they said goodbye to their son at the airport. that was one week ago. over one week ago. he made the decision, as soon as he heard the news, he made the decision for five minutes and then he was boarding a flight just hours later, even before they knew the full scope of things. i want to take you to the mother describing her last words as she dropped her son off at the airport, not knowing when she would see him again. >> i gave him a little box, with a bug inside and it says loved bud. this is something that he gave me a long time ago. so, i'm sorry. when we had to drive him to the airport, i looked around the house and i didn't know what you grab to give him, just to have something little from me. so i took my little love bug and i gave it to him, and he hugged me, and he said mom i promise i'm going to bring the love bug back.

he promised me to bring it back, and i hope he is going to keep his promise. >> ali, we were at their house. we've spoken to a number of people at the airport last night, we saw some soldiers boarding the plane. those parents were speaking about their son, who is an example of someone who instantly volunteered. we saw soldiers yesterday, we talked to their families, and these were soldiers who had been called up as well. so we're seeing volunteers, people who have been called up, those reservists. i want to take you to a father, -- right now we are seeing abroad -- and right now he describes as soon as he was dropping his son off at the airport, not knowing when he would see him again. he was describing feelings of being numb right now. take a listen to this. >> what am i going to be doing? if we come back home safe? i'm already streaming the news. you can't help what it is, because is it a nightmare?

we don't have the luxury. the numb became the suffering. that's a luxury we don't have right now. am i trying deep inside? yes. but we don't have the time. we don't have the time for that right now, unfortunately. we don't. >> so, quickly i will say the range of emotions is wide and i will also add that there weren't just soldiers on that flight, there were people trying to get home, stranded israelis trying to get home. americans looking to join their israeli family members who have been going through this. some of them, isolated overseas. and then finally, some volunteers looking to bring aid. alex? >> rosa, thanks for your great reporting. marissa prefer us in miami. >> that's going to do it for us. thanks for watching, i'll be back at the anchor desk later today at one pm eastern. >> up next, zenit -- of the war between israel and hamas. war between israel an hamas.