father who also kept his family laughing. and max hathaway stayed back to play pool after his pregnant wife and toddler had left the bar. nbc's -- spoke with one of the families. >> elizabeth steele lost her husband, josh. >> first and foremost, he was an amazing dad to his four kids. >> we spoke to the family through a friend and asl interpreter. >> what do you want people to know about your husband? but >> i think those people who already know my husband, they were lucky. he was amazing. for those who did not know him, they lost out. >> josh seal, seen here with his wife and family, and as we said, he was playing in a cornhole tournament when the gunman burst in wednesday night. a very good day to all of you

from msnbc world headquarters here in new york. welcome, everyone, to alex witt reports. it's one pm eastern, eight pm as night falls on gaza and israel. we begin this hour with breaking news on israel's intensifying offensive in gaza, with new video showing fires burning on the gaza side of the southern border with israel. here is what we know, new at this hour. there are new warnings that the intense bombardment of gaza in the last 24 hours is only the beginning. the idf says, all civilians remaining in gaza should move south. elon musk says that his spacex starlink will help humanitarian groups that lost phone and internet service, and there is growing concern among u n agencies for the welfare of palestinians. [sound of gunfire] this is what the intensifying israeli offensive in gaza sounds like from the israeli side. and then take a look at this.

[sound of artillery] you saw and heard there a hamas rocket landing on the beach in ashkelon on the israeli side of the gaza border. idf and israeli government officials say their troops hit andra 50 targets overnight. u.n. officials are concerned about lack of food, drinking water, and now phone and internet service. >> the bombing of the telecommunications infrastructure places the civilian population in grave danger. ambulances and civil defense teams are no longer able to locate the injured or thousands of people estimated to be still under the rubble. and civilians are no longer able to proceed updated information on where they can access humanitarian relief and where they may be in less danger. >> here's what armed services committee member congressman seth moulton told me about this

injustice last hour. >> that is really israel's risk here. so, when they're shutting down internet and phone service, that might be effective for helping them to get the terrorists, right? to cut their communications off. but if they're alienating the rest of the population in the process, then they might win the short war, they could lose a long war. >> families in tel aviv with loved ones being held hostage are concerned about the military action, worried about the safety of the hostages during the israeli military offensive. but here is what one congressman on the floor and affairs committee says about the targeting so far. >> from the reports i've heard this morning that with the tanks that are in gaza and went in, they're going after and pinpointing where those targets are. -- tunnels are -- munitions are being held and they're going to destroy them. in fact, i'm told i think it had been reported nationally that there has been over 50 or so tunnels that have been

destroyed already. >> and here are the latest numbers reported from the war, the palestinian health authority says more than 7000 are dead in gaza, including almost 3600 children and more than 100 are dead in the occupied west bank. 1900 wounded there. idf says, 1400 are dead in israel, another 5400 have been wounded. we have reporters in israel, lebanon, falling all the new developments for you at this hour. we are going to go first to nbc correspondent, jay gray, who's in the israel, lebanon border. jay, another welcome to you. so, what's happening there as night falls? >> yeah, alex, and we've heard explosions throughout the day. we know that there have been skirmishes between israeli forces as well as hezbollah fighters along the border in lebanon. of course, that escalating event after what happened in the last 24 hours in gaza, where things escalated dramatically. the most intensive event in advance by idf troops since this war began and we have just heard from the idf saying officially now that this war has entered the next stage,

that they have fighters on the ground in gaza maintaining a defensive line there and they say that this next part of the mission requires force and it requires force on the ground. and that is what we are seeing. they go on to say that it will include targeted air strikes. we know that last night, we saw the israeli navy off the coast and making several strikes just on land there. intelligence is one of the things they are looking for. you talked about some of the targets, 150 targets underground in gaza last night . they are taking out control units. they tell us, as well as anti tank areas and they are clearly moving in and pushing further into gaza than they have been throughout this war. it is something that they have been preparing for, saying it was going to happen and no confirmation that that is where we are at this point, alex. >> okay, jay gray, thank you for that. we moving now to nbc's matt bradley comes across the border in tire, lebanon.

so, that, another welcome to you. you have the u.s. embassy increasing their warnings for americans to leave lebanon immediately, as the tensions are rising between iranian-backed hezbollah and israel. so, what say you about that? because you were mentioning that the verbiage is different, it seems more profound, more immediate. >> yeah, that is right. i mean, we've seen a mild uptick in that language and, you know, this is like a watering bureaucratic differences, in terms of the distinction between what we saw five days ago and what we saw yesterday. i am not sure if that means that anything more is happening, but they did say, essentially, that those last week who wish to leave lebanon should do so now. now the language is, those who are in lebanon who are american citizens, leave now. i don't think that makes that much of a difference. the point is, the u.s. embassy is saying, if you are an american citizen in lebanon, you need to leave. as i mentioned to the, less our, you know, this is about basically flights. the u.s. embassy here, the

state department, they want to be responsible and cannot be responsible for u.s. citizens who come clamoring to the door of the u.s. embassy when all of the flights out of the airport in beirut are canceled. if there is a war here, and this is what everyone thinks, they go back to 2006, nearly 20 years ago when there was a full on war that lasted for more than a month between hezbollah here in southern lebanon and the israelis just over that ridge line over there, there was a mad dash to try to get out of this country to move north, to go to syria, which is the time. wasn't nearly as embattled as it is now. so, there's actually less sort of ways of getting out of this country now than there were 20 years ago and the u.s. embassy wants to prepare. lots of american citizens, dual passport holders, lebanese people who have american passports to get out of the country now before things really get bad. >> can you give me the latest on the developing conflict and the potential, matt, for a second full on front in this war?

>> yeah, it's a great question because the fact is, when we talk about a second front, that's almost a misnomer at this point because now we're talking about third and fourth fronts. we've already seen in the past couple of days, not just a second front here with hezbollah and israel, but also, you know, iranian-backed groups in iraq hitting american targets in that country. american, the american military striking iranian-backed groups in syria. we are seeing the iranian-backed houthi rebels in yemen firing missiles and drones at what could've been israeli targets in israel. matt that was intercepted by a u.s. warship in the red sea. so, we are already seeing with these movements all around the entire region, so if you zoom out from this border where i am now, you are seeing a seam opening up across the entire middle east. not just on this border, not just between gaza and israel, but across the entire region and i want to bring up one other thing that's very interesting. we saw, you know, iran has been trying to cultivate these ties

with all of these different groups. they call it the axis of resistance with all of these militant groups and nations like -- syria and iran itself. but now we also saw that moscow played host to hamas, another group that is backed by iran, and iran representatives just a couple of days ago. that is an interesting development and it shows that vladimir putin may be trying to claim kinship with the iranian -led axis of resistance. two groups, two alliances that suit themselves as estranged and isolated from a u.s.-led unipolar world. they are trying to stake a claim as representing a kind of defiance against the u.s.-led alliance, against the u.s.-led world of which israel very much is a part. so, we're starting to see this fish are not just opening in the middle east, but also across the entire world and certain countries like iran and russia, trying to take advantage of that. it is a very interesting strategic development. geostrategic development. >> but can you give us a sense of a long term goal with this

new posturing? what would be the strategy from around to do that? >> well, yeah, we've already seen this. this is iran's long term goal was to cultivate this sort of axis of resistance. so, when you look at a group like hezbollah, this is a shia paramilitary political party. it's managed to have sustained conflicts against israel, as i mentioned, back in 2006. hamas is mostly suiting. they don't necessarily get a longer have less shared sort of communal ties with iran, which is a shia political power and religious power. but the fact is, they have common calls in that and the iranians have managed to cultivate hamas and cultivate hezbollah. this is a decades long, billions and billions of dollars of project and so far, it looks like it's paying off for them. >> okay, it is a sobering conversation we have just had. matt bradley, but i think nonetheless, my friend. joining me now is former nato supreme allied commander, our friend admiral james tvs. all right, what do you make of the conversation i was just having there with matt?

his assessment of where things stand right now, these bedfellows, potentially estranged -- peoples assessment? but it seems like there are a lot of people joining forces, a lot of groups joining forces now. >> i wouldn't want to overstate it. i think that what we have at the moment is a significant profound tactical clash between israel and hamas. i think there's a 10% possibility that that could expand if hezbollah entered the fray, but i think that's unlikely. vladimir putin is a distant side light to all of this, frankly, insignificant. he's got his own problems and challenges. the thing to watch is iran and whether or not iran decides to really enter this conflict. i don't think they will because they don't have the resources for a war with the united states, which it might lead to. they don't even have the

resources to conduct a full on war with israel. they could attempt to do it through their proxy to the north, hezbollah. i just don't see it, alex. could it happen? perhaps. i'm saying it's a 10% chance at the moment of a big expansion. i will conclude with this. there is a reason there are two aircraft carriers, nuclear aircraft carriers, each of them with 80 combat aircraft on them. 2000 marines afloat, more coming in, air defense. the u.s. is sending a signal to iran, don't do this, as the president has said many times. i think in the end, iran will heed that because they don't have a good hand of [sound of artillery] cards to take on, a combination of the u.s. and israel. >> okay, and to that end, for those who are not yet aware, this week, the u.s. launched air strikes, in fact, against iran linked targets in syria. was a retaliation, sir, or ateast, what?

20 drone attacks on american tary bases in the region over the last 11 days. take a listen to some of what the pentagon spokesperson said about the strikes this week. >> we have u.s. forces in iraq and syria for one reason, and one reason only, and that's to support the ongoing mission to defeat i.s.i.s., our forces are in iraq at the invitation of the government iraq to assist their security forces on that important mission. and so, as we have said from the very start, we will maintain the inherent right of self-defense and we will take all necessary measures to protect our forces and our interests overseas. so, these strikes were very surgical, very targeted to send a clear message that we will protect our forces. >> and secretary of defense, lloyd austin, on the heels of, that said that the attacks are separate from the conflict between israel and hamas. but since iran supports hamas, what is the inteedessage to iran? say don't do it is what the united states is saying.

but do these strikes increa or lower the chance of a broader regional conflict? could there be something that happens accidentally? and then we have a further mess to deal with? >> absolutely and i have said this before. what worries me is this letter of escalation, which is to say iran is backing hamas, they are backing hezbollah. let's say they start encouraging hezbollah to launch more missiles, let's say they come after u.s. troops, a missile here, a missile there. pretty soon, you've got a real the stage of the u.s. are at responding, i think, proportionately, j under international law, in accordance with the laws of war. the idea is that that would then deter iran. but alex, what if iran decided to up the ante? another two dozen strikes, more u.s. soldiers killed in syria,

in iraq, and then the u.s. response with a lot of combat power, you are absolutely right to worry about that letter of escalation going forward. look, the ball is in iran's court here. the united states is not looking to get into a war with iran, but if iran chooses to attack u.s. forces, they should be prepared to face significant consequences. as if this wasn't the only place to keep a hot eye on, as you know, this was extraordinary, chinese fighter jets came within, ready for, ten feet of a u.s. air force bomber over the south china sea, while they were flying. it nearly caused a collision between these two planes. video of this incident was released yesterday. it was the same day the china's foreign minister met secretary of state blinken and national security adviser, jake sullivan, in washington. what do you make, sir, of these very dangerous provocations by china against united states planes while they are flying?

>> and as usual there is good news and bad news here. the good news is the chinese foreign minister is in washington. he is meeting with our secretary of state, tony blinken. what are they doing? they are planning a summit between president xi jinping and president biden. that is almost locked in, about three weeks from now, in san francisco. the good news is, on a very macro level, there is growing positive, slight upbeat in relations between the nations. alex, the bad news you are showing it right here, there are these confrontations and miscalculations that unit is just a moment ago. what i worry about, who is flying that fighter jet? that is not tony blinken up there with 30 years of diplomatic experience. that is the chinese version of goosen that break. they have young, inexperienced pilot. so do we.

the chances of a miscalculation and an opening of the letter of escalation very real, very concerning. let's hope cooler heads prevail both in washington and in beijing. >> always a pleasure to speak with you, sir. thank you so much. we are awaiting the news conference with israeli prime minister, benjamin netanyahu. we will bring that u.s. into gets underway. what happens to a father-daughter relationship when she takes the stand? on that day we know that you and many will be waiting onward for what she said in a manhattan courtroom. look for the push alerts on your phone and k she drops any bombshells. next some insight from people who know what might be said. t might be said. everyday products, designed smarter. genius! like 2.5% cash back on purchases of $5,000 or more, so sam can make smart ideas, a brilliant reality! chase for business. make more of what's yours. when your gut is out of balance, your body gives you signs. so if you're frustrated with occasional bloating... ( ♪♪ )

...gas... ...or abdominal discomfort... help stop the frustration and start taking align every day. align probiotic was specifically designed by gastroenterologists. to help relieve your occasional digestive upsets. so you can enjoy life. ( ♪♪ ) when you feel the signs, it's time to try align. new today, a fresh assessment from former trump lawyer,

michael, cohen on what a sight to see his former boss, for the first time in five years, standing trial for fraud in india courtroom this week. >> i fell not saying. it was so weird. here i am sitting directly across from donald trump. i fell absolutely nothing. i looked at him and sentiments of, boy, what a sad looking, pathetic, deflated, individual. i'm >> joining me now, suzanne craig. it mosquito-borne for the new york times. denise of alice, criminal defense attorney and msnbc legal analyst. welcome to you both. suzanne, you first. you were in the courtroom for was a pretty dramatic week. donald trump coming face to face with his former lawyer. did donald trump seem as deflated as michael cohen was describing him there? how would you describe his presence in the courtroom? >> i think that it really differed from day today. he was animated at times. not as much at others.

the dramatic moment had to have been after he got hit with another sanction for violating the gag order. he stormed out of the courtroom. he was serious. that all centers around some remarks that he made that the judge felt were directed at the judges clerk. the clerk sits next to the judge. they often confer. the clerk is really under donald trump skin. he has made public statements already about the clerk that got him sanctioned in the first instance. and then on one of the days this week, outside of the court, he made another comment that the judge felt was directed right heads clerk. he got another sanction. he just exploded and stormed out of the courtroom. it was pretty unexpected. i thought the secret service was carrying to figure out what was going on. >> another new development. that was judge engoron ruling

the donald trump's daughter, ivanka, has to take the stand this friday. though she does have time to appeal. ittrump sons don junior and eric our defenders in the case. th are scheduled to testify wednesday and thursday revely suzanne, ivanka was earlier dismissed of the defendant. te me the justification for calling her to the stand. if her appeal fails, will ivanka be in the courtroom on friday? >> right. there was a lot of legal wrangling on this on friday. obviously, her lawyers are trying to get her out of having to travel to new york to testify. as you mentioned, the appellate court in new york has already said she is not a defendant in the case. went forward and she was dropped. the judge that just because she's not a defendant or the mean that she may not have information relevant to the case. i have to say, we are going to see what happens if she does come. she is scheduled for friday. i have a feeling there is going to be a lot of theater about her being there. i think once she gets into the

courtroom there will be a lot of, i don't remember. i wasn't there for that. they think that is probably where it is going to land. she is still potentially appealing, it may not happen friday. we are still heading to her being in new york to testify on friday. >> interestingly, danny, trump lawyers, ivanka trump's lawyers, means that new york doesn't have dirt diction, the d agent have jurisdiction over her. what does that mean? >> the state of new york, like any other state, has to have jurisdiction over someone before they hailed him into court, which is the traditional language. in this case trump's lawyers, mr. trump's lawyers argue that she is neither a party nor does she live in the state of new york. therefore, new york cannot have jurisdiction over her. >> hang on, but if she has information, what does a matter where she lives? >> a witness may have information in russia, a witness may have information in south carolina. if we are in federal court, a totally different ballgame. federal court subpoenas mean a

whole lot more than a new york state subpoena. if you want to get someone in louisiana to come into new york state trial, you are going to need them, generally, to be a party in the case or you're going to need to have jurisdiction over them. if they don't live in new york state, it is difficult. in this case, for example, the a.g. tried to and run around. they served the subpoena on the company that ivanka trump is affiliated with. you can serve a subpoena, in some circumstances, on a company. hey company, you go gleb your employee and you bring him or her into court. that is one of the other avenues that they try. >> those companies are all tied into the trump organization. that is what you're saying there? let me ask you what kind of information they believe she could provide relative to this case? >> all inside information about communications with her father. undoubtedly some of the questioning, if they get her into court, the a.g. is gonna be flying blind. i imagine she hasn't given them all of the information if there have been depositions

information out there is probably only known to them. to some degree she is going to be a hostile witness. they may not get as much of a wall in terms of, what did your father tell you about inflating the value the properties and deflating them when it served your interest? she may, ultimately, be a lot like michael cohen as a witness. a lot of flash but, for substance? i don't know that the a.g. really needed micro. and they had plenty of documents. plenty of other evidence. michael cohen was really a mixed bag. in the end he was probably awash. >> i know michael cohen is gonna beyond with reverend sharpton at five pm today we can listen to that interview i'm sure therwill be something revolutionary from at one. the timeline for ia shaping up. donald tmpakes the stand again nomb 6th. that will be after his three children provide stony. what do you think his defense is going to be? the uslay, delay, delay, it has run out of time. can trump reverse the seemingly damning trajectory south bar?

>> damning, is an understatement. this trial is the big game that's been decided. the summary judgment, the judge authority ruled that he is liable on the fraud count. what we have now is what comes down to it is a lot of testimony, a lot of theater, for what ultimately will be a decision on gm it is. that is where we are heading. the case it really hasn't been one perry mason moment in this. there is so much evidence and comments this week the judge referred to the fact that this is just a courtroom full of evidence. he now have to decide the money amount. the witness we should all be watching is the one that should come after donald trump. an expert that will come on and talk about damages and speak to, potentially, what it should be. there is already a receiver in place over the trump

organization. ultimately the assets that he owns in new york may have to be sold to pay the fine which could go up into the hundreds of millions of dollars. the number they are talking about is 250 million. that is sort of where it is. the other interesting thing, i was watching this week, michael cohen, he is a very important witness in terms of the news media. there were big crowds down there. he is not a critical witness in this case just because i do think it is a case of building blocks. the people who are watching him are the people over at the new york attorney's office in manhattan. they have a case coming the hush money payments where he is a critical witness. they were in court this week watching, and asked for donald trump's lawyers, in that case. he is going to be crucial in that case. this, for the, was a chance to see how he does on the stand.

a chance to understand what kind of witness he was. it was interesting to see them in the courtroom. absolutely. as you are saying that danny cevallos was nodding here in agreement. listen, i have to wrap up you got. thank you both. i know i will see you again. the reason i have to wrap as we are awaiting a news conference israeli prime minister, benjamin netanyahu. which we will bring you want to comes underway. , i've got symptom relief. ♪ ♪ control of my crohn's means everything to me. ♪ ♪ control is everything to me. ♪ feel significant symptom relief at 4 weeks with skyrizi, including less abdominal pain and fewer bowel movements. skyrizi is the first il-23 inhibitor that can deliver remission and visibly improve damage of the intestinal lining. and the majority of people experienced long-lasting remission at one year. serious allergic reactions and an increased risk of infections or a lower ability to fight them may occur. tell your doctor if you have an infection or symptoms, had a vaccine or plan to.

liver problems may occur in crohn's disease. ♪ now's the time to ask your gastroenterologist how you can take control of your crohn's with skyrizi. ♪ ♪ control is everything to me. ♪ ♪ learn how abbvie could help you save.

here's why you should switch fo to duckduckgo on all your devie duckduckgo comes with a built-n engine like google, but it's pi and doesn't spy on your searchs and duckduckgo lets you browse like chrome, but it blocks cooi and creepy ads that follow youa from google and other companie. and there's no catch. it's fre. we make money from ads, but they don't follow you aroud join the millions of people taking back their privacy by downloading duckduckgo on all your devices today. the power goes out and we still have wifi join the millions of people takto do our homework.acy and that's a good thing? great in my book! who are you?

no power? no problem. introducing storm-ready wifi. now you can stay reliably connected through power outages with unlimited cellular data and up to 4 hours of battery back-up to keep you online. only from xfinity. we are back with more on the home of the xfinity 10g network. breaking news out of israel. we are awaiting a news conference with prime minister benjamin netanyahu. you can see the podium set up. there it comes as the idf is preparing to expand its ground operations in gaza. right now, israeli tanks and infantry are slowly moving around the israel gaza border. this comes just hours after warplanes bombed dozens of hamas tunnels and underground bunkers. joining me right now is peter baker, msnbc political analyst and chief white house correspondent for the new york times. welcome my friend.

the white house is not saying very much about israel ramping up its offensive. instead, they were fearing all of the question to israeli officials. what do you hear from your sources on how the white house is reacting to last night strikes? >> the white house, of course, is maintaining the presidential position of no daylight between he and israel. they staunchly support israel's right to defend itself. quietly, of, course they have been urging the israeli government to take things cautiously. be careful about what they do. are you sure you know what is gonna happen next? have you thought about other options here? i think what they would prefer is to see a limited ground incursion, special operation, airstrikes, the kind of thing you have seen leading up to the current day and a more limited version of retaliation, at least before any kind of large-scale ground invasion. it may be that the israelis feel that they have successfully prepared the battlefield for a larger incursion. certainly, the presence of those tanks in the movement

seemed indicate that may be underway. we will learn more from prime minister's netanyahu's press conference in. and the americans are watching this interpretation. the other thing they worry about, particularly, it's the whitening of the war. not just in gaza, as if that were not enough, but perhaps hezbollah in lebanon. the iranian proxies in syria, iraq, and other places in the region. you saw the american government to tell american citizens and lebanon to think about ways to get out of there. that is obviously preparation for the possibility of a wider war. >> president biden, as you know, is facing pressure from the public, members of his party to call for a cease-fire. just last night, hundreds of protesters here in new york city shut down grand central station, making their positions on that very clear. how concerned is the white house about this with 2024 right around the corner? >> they wouldn't talk about it right now in the context of 2024 but, obviously, it is going to be an issue that will be a challenge. a new challenge for the

president on top of the once he already has, at least politically. the people who are most upset right now who are in grand central station, as you showed the pictures from last night and other places, they tend to be on the left. the people who have supported president biden in the past now find themselves cornered with him. they think is pro is your stance is too much and think that he is standing by and why the israelis are over -- hitting too many civilians in their view. that is obviously a political concern down the road. we are year way from the election. we will see what happens if the choices to between joe biden don trump. the people on the left might not be happy with president biden. but they won't like president trump anymore. it is a concern for the white house, in the long run. this is fracturing, some, extent the democratic coalition. most democrats in congress, most democrats in public office, agree with the president on his support for israel. you do see the activists out there with a lot of energy. ee the>> for sure. but it brings to mind this prospect.

if you had the president of the united states telling israel what to do, what about in the reverse? how would people react if you had benjamin netanyahu saying, here is what you have to do? that certainly has to be part of the calculus of treading lightly, if you will. stepping with caution relative to everything in this war right now from the united states perspective? >> absolutely. no question. we hear from the white house that they are not in the business or lecturing or dictating actions. israel israel is making its own decision for its own national security. its advice is simply advice of a friend, not any kind of dictate. they've said it repeatedly. if we have been attacked this way, as we were on 9/11, anyone calls for a cease-fire just three weeks after that, there would not be a lot of patience for that among a lot of americans. there is not a lot of patients right now among the israelis for any kind of political strike. it does not mean that they necessarily want a full scale ground invasion in israel. there is obviously a great deal

of resolve among many israelis across the ideological lines that they need to take action to do what they can to destroy hamas. hamas is no longer a tolerable threat along the border given the terrorist attack to october seven that left at least 1400 dead and 200 hostages. >> peter, don't go anywhere. i want to bring in, right, now elisa labbott. a contributing editor and ponded for a political magazine. elise, as we irate benjamin netanyahu with this press conference. what do you expect him to? say what do you think he will be addressing? >> i think he's going to say, this is the next phase of the ground strikes and i don't think you will use the word invasion. i think you will use the next word, military campaign. we don't know if this is a full-on ground invasion with tens of thousands of troops amassed of the border going in.

he will definitely speak about the next phase. i will say that the language coming out of israel yesterday was a little bit, i, think concerning to the united states and certainly to some officials i talked to. you have some officials, even on msnbc, saying payback has begun. vengeance has begun. this is supposed to be a campaign that the u.s. is supporting, sending weapons for, about defeating the enemy, eliminating the threat. i just wanna build on something that peter said. president biden is under a lot of pressure from the last. and, also, when we talk about 2024 there is this useful. you have seen how this has rocked college campuses. but humanitarian situation and what is happening to the palestinians right now is a very big concern. i do think that the delay has been in part because of the hostages. has been in part because of what president biden and his advisers have been talking to the israelis about.

not repeating the mistakes that the u.s. had during 9/11, or other times, in terms of thinking carefully. being strategic. we are seeing these tactical operational strikes to shape the battlefield, if you will. i think the u.s. would prefer that this is how the israelis fight the campaign in total. do small, tactical, surgical strikes to destroy what they need to destroy and not launched this big ground invasion. i will also say, it is true that there is not a lot of appetite for president biden telling the israelis not -- at the same time, the u.s. and congress is voting to give more weapons, more support israel, to launch his campaign. if the u.s. is looking for aid to get in, if the u.s. is looking for foreign citizens to get out, i think president biden needs to say to prime minister netanyahu, yes, we are going to give you leeway to

fight the campaign. but there are certain things that we need, as well. it is a compromise. >> elise, don't go anywhere. we are about seven minutes past the schedule time for this press conference. i'm gonna have you and peter weigh in on that. in the interim as we wait for benjamin netanyahu, i did have a couple more questions unrelated for you, peter. it goes to what is happening with california governor, gavin newsom, who has been in china. he has been in and out of leaders that includes president xi jinping. we all know that china has a complicated relationship with the u.s.. can you give me a sense of the optics of this? first of all, did newsome have to get approval from the state department, and, or the white house before heading to china? >> no, governors are able to travel overseas for their own purposes all the time. i'm sure, i don't know for a fact, but i'm guessing that he'll east coordinated with the state department. at least in a couple of levels. one is the foreign policy level. see jinping would see gavin newsom.

he had actually seen a number of american officials over this for instance chuck schumer recently, as well. that speaks to a possible in relations. it looks like you can take from that, perhaps, the chinese really do want to tone down some of the friction that we have seen. maybe not the right medics orbit ease some of the friction that we've seen in the last year between the united states and china. that may suggest that xi jinping may show up in san francisco for the apex summit in a few weeks where he may meet with president biden. there's a lot of anticipation at the white house around that. we had won, in the form of, stir here in washington this week. the second level of interest here is the domestic politics. our domestic politics. why is gavin newsome of all people going there? he says he's going there to talk about climate and cortical are. a big passion of. here's the other question is, he looks presidential. if that is the idea. if he wants to run for president 2028, maybe as a standby in this next year or something would happen then he can show this trip as a way of making himself out to be a

statement on the world stage. he has experience beyond our shores. i think you have those two layers there to this trip. >> okay. peter and elise, our thank you both to stay right. they're what we are gonna do take a short break right now, pay a few, bills weaver benjamin union to go to that podium. stay right where you. are we will be right back with what is gonna happen right there in israel.

to duckduckgo on all your devie duckduckgo comes with a built-n engine like google, but it's pi and doesn't spy on your searchs and duckduckgo lets you browse like chrome, but it blocks cooi

and creepy ads that follow youa from google and other companie. and there's no catch. it's fre. we make money from ads, but they don't follow you aroud join the millions of people taking back their privacy by downloading duckduckgo on all your devices today. 42 path, we are back with the breaking news out of israel. we are awaiting a news conference with prime minister benjamin netanyahu. with scheduled start 12 minutes ago. we are keeping a very close eye on things. it comes as the idf is preparing to expand its ground operations in gaza. let's go right now to nbc's josh lederman he is in israel. josh, tell me what you are seeing. what i think that like the last couple of hours. when are you hearing, as well? >> we have been seeing and hearing a constant bombardment of the gaza strip by the

israeli military. it is interesting to note that, in the past, after heavy nights of air strikes like we saw last night, typically they will be a lull at least the morning after. we truly did not see that at all today. hour after hour we were hearing those air strikes. tanks, artillery fire, into the gaza strip throughout the day. on his compact from about five miles north of the border with the gaza strip where it was constant. you could hear clearly no letup in israel's military operation as the idf says that while they have completed this one phase of the war they are barreling forward and not plan any cessation of the strikes that they have been carrying out. that really sets the stage for the comments the prime minister benjamin anya who will be making any moment now. ithaca future is truly hanging in the balance. it is difficult to know which way the prime minister is going to want to go given how quickly

evolving is really public opinion is about this. we were just talking about the emotional response we've heard from some israeli leaders, including mark regev the adviser to netanyahu. talking about payback. talking about hamas feeling the wrath of israel. what we have seen is the initial response for many israelis in the immediate aftermath in the hamas terror tack was emotionally driven, they wanted to see israel going full bore. the sentiment, frankly, the buzz followed 9/11. the situation has changed. new polling of the recent newspaper found 65% of israelis wanted a quick invasion after the terror tack that has actually dropped off. now it is about 49% of the israeli public according to the police actually wants israel to hold off a little bit. delay, see if there are more hostages who can get out first. there is a core consistency here that wants to see netanyahu going here strong,

including his far-right base. the prime minister is already facing al-qaeda criticism about the fact that his government allow this attack to happen. they didn't catch it first and they weren't able to stop this. there's going to be some impetus from the prime minister to show that he is not weak, that he is going to give to hamas the kind of punishment that many israelis want to see. e perfect timing there for wrapping up. owner thank you so much, josh lederman, in ashdod, israel. we will ask you to stick around as we listen to israeli prime minister, benjamin netanyahu. taking place at the podium. he will be joined by the defense minister, as well as minister benny gantz. they are located in tel aviv. we will have analysis of what they say. we should have a translation. we are expecting this to be in hebrew. let's play now. >> >> translator: the goal of this war is to completely

eliminate -- and to bring back the ground operation in any both in the war cabinet and in a political and security cabinet. we did this in a very educated man or taking into all of the consideration other responsibility to guarantee the fate of this country and the safety of our troops. the troops that are fighting an enemy territory right now know that the people, as well as the leadership of this country, are behind them. over the past few days i met with troops in their bases, both in the south and in the north. we have a wonderful army. we have exceptional soldiers. real heroes, both jews and non-jews. secular and religious. from the left wing and the right-wing. they are all united and filled with a common spirit than i've never seen before.

they are willing to fight, full force against an enemy that there is no other enemy as cruel as them. they want to retaliate for the horrific acts that these people conducted against our children, parents, sisters, brothers, and friends. they are committed to completely eliminate this evil from the world. let me add, for the benefit of all of humanity, the entire people and all of israeli leadership, we all embrace them and believe them. you must remember what i malik has done two uses our holy bible. we do remember and we are finding. brave troops incumbents who are now in gaza or around gaza in all of the regions of israel. joining this chain of jewish heroes. a shame this started 3000 easier from joshua bin noon to the heroes of 90 48, the

six-day war, the 73 october war, and all of the wars in this country. our hero troops have one supreme, maine, goal. to completely defeat the murders enemy and to guarantee our existence in this country. we have always said, never again. never again is now. today i also met with the families of the captives, the hostages buried parents. my heart is broken. i reiterated and said to them that every state until this point and from now on we will exhaust every opportunity to bring back our abducted rather than sisters to the warm embrace of their families. their abduction is a crime against humanity. anybody who dares accuse our troops of conducting war crimes are people who are completely hypocritical. liars who do not have an

inkling of morality. the idf is the most moral and ethical military in the world. it is doing everything you can in order to prevent harming those who were an involved. once again, i call upon those non conventions in the gaza strip to go further south. the cynicism of our enemy knows no boundaries. it is conducting war crimes as it uses the residents of gaza as human shields and hospitals as headquarters for their terrorism activities. many people in the world know very well what we have argued all of these ears. israel is fighting not only its own warm. rather, this is the war of humanity in its entirety the human fight against barbarism. our allies in the western world and our partners in the arab world all understand today that if israel doesn't when they will be next in this conquest

tour of this axis of evil. since the beginning of the campaign we have managed to formulate extensive international support which includes leadership in the u.s. in europe led by president biden the prime minister britain, the chancellor of germany. the leaders of netherlands, cyprus, france, and many. others many came here at a time of war and they conveyed him a clear message. we not only support you, we also pray in yearn for your victory. we will congratulate you for such a victory. we stand alone but it is always better to stand together. we also one -- plea to continue. we would like to clarify that there is one thing that we must recognize. there are moments in which a worm in phases to auctions to

exist or to seize. right now this is the kind of test we're facing. i have no doubt how it will end. we will come out triumphant. we will triumph. in the first weeks of the war there were massive airstrikes against the enemy. an increased force over the past few days in order to help our forces enter from the ground in the safest manner. we have eliminated countless murderers. we've eradicated the infrastructure of terrorism. it is only the beginning of the road. our fight inside the gaza strip will be long and difficult. we are prepared for that. this is our second war of independence. we will fight for the protection of our homeland. we will fight on the ground, in the air, in the sea. we will eliminate the enemy above the ground and beneath the ground. we will fight. and we will win. this will be the triumph of

good over evil, light over darkness. life over death. in this war we stand together, firmly, united more than ever. certain of our just way. this is the mission of our lives. this is the mission of my life. on behalf of you. on behalf of all of us, i pray for the safe and peaceful return of the hostages. may god stand up with us, may brings elevation and victory to our troops. you together we will fight, together we will win. all right, we heard benjamin nina who there. clearly, we have other taking the podium. let's continue listening, everyone. >> >> translator: citizens of israel, idf troops enough fighting in the air, on the

scene, and on the ground. outside of the gaza strip and inside the gaza strip. first and foremost, the bereaved families as well as those who have lost their loved ones during combat over the past few weeks, and the families of the hostages and captives, not a moment go by without my thinking about you. not a moment goes by the, when i consider the approval of our operational plans and the activities of our forces, i always take this into account. over the past 24 hours, we have moved on to the next phase. the power of the fire with which we struck the enemy made the ground tremble on the gaza strip. it is different than anything else that hamas has experienced since its establishment today. the idea forces are maneuvering in the relevant places.

they are hitting hard on the systems of hamas. as we speak, both above ground and underground from the air, from the land, and from the sea. hamas is receiving some very severe blows. it has never known such blows before. today i visited the assault forces and the supporting forces, both in the intel and in the air. i saw how they are providing all of the fire support and intel support to any force maneuvering inside the gaza strip. this activity leads to leak fullness, precision, and tremendous power that takes into account everything that the forces are doing. i would like to say to you, i have absolute trust in the general stuff. the idea of officers and

commanders. combat troops and all branches. the head of the eye essay and his people. the head of the buzzsawed of people. together the's security establishment will reach the achievement. i'm confident that these people, a troops on the ground all the way to the general staff leaders to between. even at this point in time at the idf is prepared in all regions. north, center, already in combat in the south. we do not wish to expand the war but we are prepared in case this happens. the air force is investing only a small part of its power in force in combat in gaza. it is fully prepared for any other mission it might receive. alongside this important more effort we are also conducting other important efforts. the most important ones are the

confrontation lines, civilian home front, and taking care of civilians and everything they do. whether it is reservist in the front lines or whether the confrontation line communities or those who have been evacuated from their homes we are addressing these issues as well as a complimentary effort. i would like to say a few word about the captives. we are exerting every effort in order to bring back the hostages. to bring them back home, back to this country. it is a very complicated effort. we are dealing with a reality that we hadn't dealt with in the past. but, we are willing to do whatever it takes in order to bring them. it is not a secondary mission. it is a mission of utmost importance. we are fully committed to this. we know who we are dealing with here. we know this is a murderous organization that murdered children intentionally. raped women and who broadcast,

live streamed, the images of these murders to their family members. that us not delude ourselves. our enemies are not looking for humanitarian solutions. all they want to do is to take the pressure of war and the effort to bring back your loved ones is an important and central one for us. as the military pressure increases, as the fire pressure increases, as we hamas harder, this will increase the chance to bring them to a situation that they will agree to reach solutions that will make it possible for us to reach your loved ones. possibour dear friends, our beld people. before i finish i would like to say that this is not going to be a short war. it is going to be a long one. we are going to have to be patient.

we are going to have to rise above all the challenges and -- first and foremost for the security forces. it is a war over our home, it is the more of no choice. it is either us or them. i am fully committed to lead the security establishment on behalf of the state of victory over hamas >> translator: israeli society has experienced a terrible disaster. one of the biggest ones it has ever experienced. in the wake of that catastrophe we stand together and fight together. we are managing this war with determination and responsibility. we want the reality in the south of israel to fundamentally change.

once again we wish to achieve the edict, never again. we are operating on all fronts. so that our enemies on all fronts will understand this message. in addition, we are exerting every possible effort to bring back all of the captives and hostages in gaza. bringing them back home. i would like to emphasize, every possible effort. it is our moral duty as israelis, as jews, as a country, as its leadership. the ground campaign, in addition to the additional efforts, can advance us and help bring these hostages back home. all of us, the prime minister, the minister of defense, the more management cabinet, the extended cabinet, and all of the commanders understand the

tren