. >>> joining us, the former israeli prime minister ehud olmert. it's been a week since that truly heinous hamas terror attack on the people of israel. what's your assessment of how the government and military have handled the response? >> i think the real response hasn't started yet, wolf. it's about i don't think there will be one message on ground right away. it needs to be done in a very careful manner in order to target -- [ no audio ] >> i think our connection is not good right now. we'll try and strengthen it and get back to the former israeli prime minister. let's take a quick break. >>> there are growing signs right now that israeli troops are about to move on gaza. we are watching this very closely. we're also trying to reestablish our connection with the former israeli prime minister ehud olmert. we'll get that reconnection going. our interview with him is coming up. there are important developments we're following right now, including anderson cooper, who has gone inside that music festival that was attacked by hamas. it's a very, very

i'm joined now by the former israeli prime minister, ehud olmert.ing on. it is good to see you and thank you for coming om— it is good to see you and thank you for coming on._ do i it is good to see you and thank you l for coming on._ do you for coming on. good evening. do you have enough — for coming on. good evening. do you have enough confidence _ for coming on. good evening. do you have enough confidence in _ for coming on. good evening. do you have enough confidence in the - have enough confidence in the israeli government to restore morale and israel but this operation they are planning? i’m and israel but this operation they are planning?— are planning? i'm not sure that i have full trust _ are planning? i'm not sure that i have full trust in _ are planning? i'm not sure that i have full trust in the _ are planning? i'm not sure that i have full trust in the israeli - are planning? i'm not sure that i have full trust in the israeli to i have full trust in the israeli to restore different to the country but i very much trust the spirit of isra

as he said about ehud olmert during the second lebanon war: prime minister. he is responsible and at fault. when the expenses become too high and heavy , he has to step aside. our cost is the widespread destruction of residential complexes. the crisis-stricken netanyahu has not only suffered a military and intelligence failure , but also failed to manage the economic and social consequences of the war well. for this reason, the anger of the israelis has greatly increased and anger has been piled on anger. netanyahu, who clings to every thorn and thorn with the risk of drowning, and this barr talks about a ground attack. the bloomberg reporter says that the us government is afraid that the israelis will not have a plan after the ground attack on the gaza strip because the ground attack has its own military, political and strategic consequences. in the meantime, foreign policy magazine believes that israel has set very high goals for itself , which are very difficult to achieve. because hamas cannot be destroyed. foreign policy raises this issue in the title of

ehud olmert, prime minister when israel went to war in lebanon in 2006, was scathing about mr neta nyahu'srmance. and he did it. therefore he holds the ultimate responsibility for the weakening of our resolve in dealing with hamas. and it was a military failure, no doubt about it. an intelligence failure of the highest order, no question about it. in tel aviv, tech companies are working with intelligence agencies to try to locate the hostages in gaza. some who've served in the israeli military�*s cyber units don't want to be identified. they have built an algorithm that searches postings from gaza for faces and places. we upload photos of the missing person that we get from mostly the families but other sources as well. and also with collaboration with army units and huge lists of people that we have identified, and we try to understand from day one what happened to them. are they killed, injured, kidnapped in gaza? just trying to get answers for the family. we can see here, this is the same people in different position, 0k? and we try to find more and more data to understand if they are a

in december 2008, january 2009, by decision of prime minister ehud olmert, one of the largest operations was carried out - cast lead. it began after israel came out of gas. more than 80 rockets and mortar shells were fired. three regular israeli brigades and more than 10,000 reservists entered gaza. they were opposed by 15,000 hamas fighters. according to the un, during 3 weeks of fighting in the gaza strip, about one and a half thousand palestinians were killed, half of whom were civilians. about 4,000 houses were completely destroyed by the gas. on the israeli side, 10 soldiers were killed. during the operation. failed to achieve a complete cessation of rocket attacks by the palestinians militants, but their intensity has decreased significantly. the bloodiest military operation was the frontier defense or indestructible rock, carried out in july august 2014. as before, its goal was declared to be the destruction of hamas infrastructure. israel deployed large forces of infantry, engineering troops, tank units, and an air force of over 82,000 reservists. they were opposed by up to 40,00

ehud olmert, prime minister when israel went to war in lebanon in 2006, was scathing about mr neta nyahu'sfore he holds the ultimate responsibility for the weakening of our resolve in dealing with hamas. and it was a military failure, no doubt about it. an intelligence failure of the highest order, no question about it. in tel aviv, tech companies are working with intelligence agencies to try to locate the hostages in gaza. some who've served in the israeli military�*s cyber units don't want to be identified. they have built an algorithm that searches postings from gaza for faces and places. we upload photos of the missing person that we get from mostly the families but other sources as well. and also with collaboration with army units and huge lists of people that we have identified, and we try to understand from day one what happened to them. are they killed, injured, kidnapped in gaza? just trying to get answers for the family. we can see here, this is the same people in different position, 0k? and we try to find more and more data to understand if they are alive or, as i mentioned, dea

ehud olmert, prime minister when israel last fought hezbollah, in 2006, was scathing about mr netanyahu for mishandling relations with the palestinians, for weakening the rivals of hamas, and said israel should have two objectives. one is to fight hamas. the other is to recognise the palestinian authority and try and uplift the palestinian authority and start negotiating with them and say, there is a horizon of peace after war. in israel, there is unity about fighting hamas. the argument is about why hamas could break through israel's defences, and how to deliver israelis and palestinians from another generation of bloodshed. jeremy bowen, bbc news, southern israel. very earlier i spoke to our correspondent rushdi abu alouf, who is in the city of khan younis, in the southern area of the gaza strip who gave me the latest on the rafah airstrike. yeah, i have seen fresh footage. cctv camera from inside the palestinian terminal of rafah crossing. there is some damage to the external hole of the crossing, but also there is damage to the road that lead from the palestinian side to the egyptia

ehud olmert, prime minister when israel last fought hezbollah, in 2006, was scathing about mr netanyahundling relations with the palestinians, for weakening the rivals of hamas, and said israel should have two objectives. one is to fight hamas. the other is to recognise the palestinian authority and try and uplift the palestinian authority and start negotiating with them and say, there is a horizon of peace after war. in israel, there is unity about fighting hamas. the argument is about why hamas could break through israel's defences, and how to deliver israelis and palestinians from another generation of bloodshed. jeremy bowen, bbc news, southern israel. as we've been hearing, the un is warning more help is needed to support the hundreds of thousands of palestinians who have moved from the north of the territory to the south. but there are those who are refusing to leave their homes, saying there's little support and aid for them if they do. our former gaza correspondent jon donnison has been assessing the dilemma. this is jabalia. once one of the world's most densely populated neighb

former israeli prime minister ehud olmert joins me on what netanyahu wants, will be a long war.alist and historian gore shop gorenberg. also ahead -- >>> standing my group.

we had three israeli prime ministers, netanyahu, ehud barak, ehud olmert, all shake the hand of yasseren on his hands, we shook his hand in the hope that he wanted peace too. what is clear is hamas doesn't want peace. what israel wants is peace. the only way palestinian people will achieve peace with israel and the ability to live their lives the way they want with self-determination is to get rid of hamas. that's the answer to peace. the consideration is how do we do that? and it means going in, wiping them out, yes, there will be collateral damage, and that is unavoidable and regrettable, but with hamas, the palestinian people will not have peace. >> you talk about collateral damage. how much of a role does hostages being held by hamas play in the planning for an israeli ground invasion of gaza? >> it is certainly part of the equation. and, you know, it is i think one of the reasons why, although i assure you the people in gaza don't think the israeli army has been restraining this far, it has been restraining because of the hostage situation. but, you know, if the palestinian people

the expertise on ehud olmert, ehud barak have criticised him , and i barak have criticised him, and iments and thoughts of many israelis. absolutely. many, many, many israelis . i mean, many israelis. absolutely. many, many, many israelis. i mean, i mean, the two main casualties on the political side, as i said, bibi netanyahu , but also the bibi netanyahu, but also the peace movement in israel, we actually suffer a massive setback with no recover from for quite some time. >> and would hamas have been sophisticated enough to think this through looking at, of course, the unrest, the political unrest that was in israel before they launched their attack? >> i don't think so. i think it's more opportunistic. it's actually of iran pulling actually more of iran pulling the strings is much worried about the rapprochement and the region. but as we discussed before , hamas charter is to before, hamas charter is to actually kill jews worldwide and very anti—semitic . and it's just very anti—semitic. and it's just a terrorist organisation. it's not really political calculation i >> thank you for