well, it turns out not all of peter lerner's e-mails were lost when her computer crashed. lerner is the former i.r.s. official at the center of investigations over whether the agency targeted conservative groups for special scrutiny. e-mails she sent on her blackberry surfaced today. chip reid now on what's in them. >> reporter: congressional republicans have long argued that former i.r.s. official peter lerner was hostile to conservatives. now, they believe they have a smoke fun gun. in 2012, lerner, who was in england at the time received an e-mail from a friend who said, "you should hear the whacko wing of the g.o.p. the u.s. is through. the right wing radio shows are scary to listen to." learner responded. "great, maybe we are through if there are that many..." her friend continued and i'm talking about the hosts of the shows. the callers are rabid. sowhich lerner responded, "so we don't need to worry about alien terrorists. it's our own crazyies that will take us down." what do these e-mails tell you about peter lerner? >> i think these e-mails show clearly a political

let's talk now to peter lerner, a spokesperson for the israeli defense forces and he joins me from our jerusalem studio. thank you for being with us. how does israel justify shelling a u.n. school? >> we don't. he don't shoot. we don't target u.n. facilities. absolutely not. >> but mr. lerner, you clearly have and we have heard from the united nations in the past hour. bbc has been told they informed you 17 times what the location of the school was and who was there. >> lucy, over the last hours we have had extensive fighting in that area. we had mortars that were fired from right near the school. and indeed there was an exchange of fire. we're currently looking into the tragic result. this is, you know, clearly we have seen the foot annual. it it is heart breaking. we have an ongoing working relationship with unrwa and the united nations. and in order to coordinate activities and keep their mission ongoing for the needs and requirements for the people in gaza at this time. >> unrwa just called what you have done a violation of international law. they say the violation of international

spokesman peter lerner says it needs to do all it can to protect its civilians this is an unfortunate situation israel had no intention no wish to go and attack gaza but hamas put us in this corner where you know all civilians are unable to move their children today. could not be allowed to go to kindergarten children could not go to summer camp they had to stay in the safe room that's an acceptable we're not willing to let this go and that's why the military has been charged to protect the state of israel hamas is responsible hamas is accountable we are responsible for safeguarding the state of israel that is our mission and that is what we will do and of course we are keeping a close watch on all the latest updates coming out of gaza and israel on air and online at r.t. dot com we'll bring you the latest as we get it. another story we've been following this week relations between germany and america have suffered another blow germany kicked out the cia the cia chief in berlin after officials on mass to alleged u.s. spies working for state security anger over the snooping is widespre

. >> let's bring back wolf blitzer in jerusalem joined by the israeliy defense spokesman peter lerner. >> thanks much. lieutenant, let me ask you the questions that were asked of me, that incident overnight, israeli troops went in on the ground into gaza four israeli soldiers injured. was that isolated or can we expect more of that from the israeli military? >> we use our special forces to do special missions. the site that we attacked is deeply involved with the long range rockets that have been showering tel aviv, north of tel aviv, jerusalem, so we thought it was necessary to utilize special forces for a special mission. they made their mission, they were able to succeed in their mission, there was impact and the conflict with terrorists there on the site. we have few scratches and grazes but nothing substantial. >> on the israeli. >> the israeli side. palestinians, we had air support on site as well. the palestinian terrorists, they paid a heavier price. >> was this an isolated incident or more israeli as they say boots on the ground? >> we can expect these activities taking place

connecticut colonel peter lerner, thank you so much.o the other side of this conflict, ghazi ha mad is joining us on the phone from gaza. you're looking at live pictures from gaza right now. mr. ha mad, i want to ask you, hamas has said your fighters are better prepared to take on israel this time. how are they better prepared? >> look, i can see' now we are just defending ourselves. we are fighting against occupation. we tried to protect ourselves. we are not tourist people that we want just -- and you have to know that he israel started this aggression against this when they starteded to arrest people and punish people and you know that gaza is under siege. therefore, seven years they closed -- prevent entrance of building materials, raw materials. >> i understand that the situation is terrible in gaza, sir. let's talk specifically about ending the violence going on right now. hamas's position against a cease-fire unless these larger issues are met, that's a death sentence for your people, sir. >> well, this is not true. we are not --

joining us now, the spokesman for the idf, the israel defense forces, lieutenant colonel peter lerner. colonel, what's your understanding about an effort of a cease-fire between israel and hamas right now? >> well, basically, wolf, it just goes to show what we've seen over the last three weeks now. every time there's been a substantial suggestion of cease-fire on the ground, hamas have fired rockets and indeed throughout the course of the day even after they declared that they were carrying out a cease-fire they fired more rockets at our citizens. so this just goes to show why we need to be persistent and take these tunnels out of the equation, take the rockets out of the equation, and safeguard the state of israel. yesterday i spoke to some of the commanders in the field and indeed i have visited the tunnels just recently over the weekend. what you see is a huge strategic decision on behalf of hamas to infiltrate israel. some three kilometers-long tunnel, 28,000 elements of cement. each tunnel like this -- we've exposed 31 -- costs about $1 million. so this is $31 million that could

for more i'm joined from jerusalem by israeli defense forces spokesman lieutenant colonel peter lerner. great to have you with us. reports out of gaza are that the aleast five people were killed and 60 wounded at the al aqsa hospital in gaza when israeli shells hit nearby. we have pictures of heavy damage from the shelling, and our reporter, nick shifrin, in gaza just told us that the idf has said that anti-tank missiles were stored in the immediate vis isn't of that hospital and that that's what you were targeting. what can you tell us? >> nick's got it right. actually, this situation where hamas, this terrorist organization, places its munitions and offensive capabilities, its rockets in the vis isn't of civilian areas, in the vicinity of internationally recognized secure and safe -- supposed safe sites is a thing that they do. indeed, we are targeting anti-tank missiles that were in a close vicinity in a storage place in the close vicinity of the hospital. it's unfortunate, but this is what this organization does. they have no regard for human life, and that is what they're doing. >

four slightly injured and all got back to their base but he did indicate to me lieutenant colonel peter lerner, spokesman for the idf israel defense forces that more of these operations were likely. listen to this. >> we're preparing that possibility. it's not something we wanted to do but in the past five or six days we have built up the forces and indeed there is a substantial force on the borders with gaza and if the order is given, we are prepared for that type of activity. >> he was referring to a more robust invasion of gaza. i don't suspect they'll try to go in all and reoccupy gaza. they withdrew from gaza in 2005. i suspect they'll try to destroy as much of hamas' rocket and missile and other military capabilities as they can. this one northern town of gaza they air lifted these leaflets telling civilians get out as quickly as possible because more air strikes are going to go into this one town in northern gaza. lot of the people are not able to leave. they're staying put because it's congested heavily concentrated area, there's limited places where people can go. >> wolf, we know isr

. >> i'm joined now by peter lerner, a spokesman for the is he army joining me from jerusalem.thank you for joining us. there is no sign these rocket attacks are going to stop coming from gaza. when will your soldiers move on the ground into gaza? >> thank you very much. the situation here is grave. today, we had rockets launched at the capital. this is unacceptable and unbearable. the military is charged in defending the state of israel and what we are currently doing is a mission, primarily air force, attacking those assets that belong to the terrorist organization, hamas, and trying to deplete their rocket capabilities. we are confident we will succeed. >> are you going to be able to do that? we have a delay here. >> as for the ground force mobilization, i can say what we are doing currently is building are forced on the border so that they are poised and prepared in accordance with the directive. it's a huge challenge. we do not want to go into gaza. last week, we spoke openly and publicly and we were suggesting to hamas that calm would be met with calm. unfortunately, they

chip reid with peter lerner's e-mails. the former i.r.s. fors calls republicans crazyies and worse. cordes on house republicans suing the president. >> no president of either party should ever abuse their power. >> brown: and his rebuke. >> stop being mad all the time. >> brown: and bill plante on america's forgotten heroes. >> it needs to be a beautiful place for people to understand the sacrifices made and the impacts on families.

army spokesman peter lerner. >> reporter: and the try for peace continues. with the u.n. secretary-general visiting the middle east, hoping to accomplish what other efforts have not-- getting the two sides to start talking and stop shooting. jim. >> axelrod: barry petersen reporting for us tonight from tel aviv. thank you, barry. later, the wildfires sweeping across parts of washington state. and the jazz trumpeter who performed until he was 102. when the "cbs evening news" continues. ♪ well roundup has a sharp-shootin' wand ♪ ♪ i'm sendin' them weeds to the great beyond ♪ ♪ roundup yeha! [ whip cracks ] ♪ ♪ no need to pump, just point and shoot ♪ ♪ hit 'em in the leaves, and it kills to the root ♪ ♪ 'round fences, trees, even mulched beds ♪ ♪ 'cause the only good weed is a weed that's dead ♪ ♪ roundup yeha! [ whip cracks ] [ male announcer ] roundup... [ whip cracks ] with a one-touch wand. [ male announcer ] roundup... [ whip cracks ] thank ythank you for defendiyour sacrifice. and thank you for your bravery. thank you colonel. thank you daddy. military families are uni

chip reid with peter lerner's e- mails. the former i.r.s. fors calls republicans crazies and worse. cordes on house republicans suing the president. >> no president of either party should ever abuse their power. >> brown: and his rebuke. >> stop being mad all the time. >> brown: and bill plante on america's forgotten heroes. >> it needs to be a beautiful place for people to understand the sacrifices made and the impacts on families. captioning sponsored by cbs

chip reid with peter lerner's e- mails. the former i.r.s. fors calls republicans crazies and worse. nancy cordes on house republicans suing the president. >> no president of either party should ever abuse their power. >> brown: and his rebuke. >> stop being mad all the time. >> brown: and bill plante on america's forgotten heroes. >> it needs to be a beautiful place for people to understand the sacrifices made and the impacts on families. captioning sponsored by cbs this is the "cbs evening news" with scott pelley. good evening, scott is off tonight, i am james brown. and this is our western edition. >> the deadly ebola outbreak has now touched americans who put their lives on the line every day as peace corps workers. two of them in liberia have been exposed to the disease, now blamed for 672 deaths there, and in guinea and sierra leone. the peace corps said it is pulling more than 300 volunteers out of those countries temporarily. dr. jon lapook has more on the worst ebola outbreak on record. >> reporter: the peace corps said the two volunteers had contact with a person who later

indeed that four children were killed on a beach in gaza as a result of an israeli strike i asked peter lerner from the i.d.f. if he could explain the youngsters death. i was just getting updated on this incident and i have seen some of the footage coming out of it indeed it does look tragic and we will have to look into the circumstances of what it was i don't have any answers at the moment you are hitting these people you may not have nothing against them but it's such a densely populated area there must be a better way to do this you've been fighting with hamas for such a long time now hamas hasn't changed what it's doing you haven't changed what you're doing is running the other way other than the carnage to get through this you know the i.d.f. is devoted and we are charged with defending the state of israel and in the reality of a huge bombardment where over a thousand four hundred rockets have been launched at the state of israel it's a reality nobody would agree to and nobody would commit and that is we are the responsible force to try and defend and stop that from happening the governm

let's not talk to peter lerner from the israeli defense force and get your perspective as well now if ever through the years israel carries out these operations and kills a hundreds of civilians in the process which is how this is a proportionate response to the threats posed to his row i would what is the alternative to just let them us terrorists continue that parents of aggression of rockets you know in the last as you as paula pointed out in the last twenty four hours we've had one hundred thirty rockets that have targeted our civilians it's unacceptable unbearable and indeed nobody would like that so what we did last week we sent a clear message to hamas serious ranma dental and her friends that you know calm will be met with calm what do thomas do they responded with aggression this is an unfortunate situation israel had no intention no wish to go and attack gaza but hamas. peterson the school no where you know our civilians are unable to move their children today. could not be allowed to go to kindergarten children could not go to summer camp they had to stay in the safe room t

right back to our top story now the ongoing israeli gaza conflict we've got peter lerner on the line he's from the i.d.f. let's talk to him briefly should we so mr learn a thanks for being with us you live on r.t. international we appreciate your time. wanted to put to have significantly more palestinians than and that israelis have been injured or killed in this operation mainly civilians what is your view on that what's the israeli view on this as you see so many civilians death has gone past two hundred now in gaza in the idea for peroration is ongoing in order to restore safety and security for the state of israel hamas decided to have an onslaught against against the state of israel and indeed even when we held our stations yesterday for six hours they continued to bombard israel. indiscriminately and we were left basically with no alternative. but it isn't kind of fighting like for like is it i'm sure you're taking no pleasure in this at all not for me and my suggesting that but you've got and i and most of your. residence in israel got somewhere to hide to that's not the case.

let's bring in colonel peter lerner, spokesman for the defense forces. thank you for joining us.t happened on that beach? >> we have opened our investigation in order to understand exactly the circumstances. clearly it's a tragedy and we have to get to the bottom of the occurrences. >> do you know if there was a legitimate hamas target that the israelis were going for? have they just made a mistake? was it a patrol boat, ship, air? >> from the preliminary information that i have to date, there was a hamas target that we were following. but the outcome is clearly a tragedy. we have to see what exactly were the circumstances that led to this. >> the spokesman for the prime minister says an israeli general has been ordered to investigate this tragedy. >> we have a policy to investigate all civilian deaths. civilian deaths in this conflict are a tragedy. israel has voiced that over the last ten days. it's not something that we want. it does not serve our military objectives. hamas celebrate israeli deaths. >> the hamas spokesman in beirut that we spoke to in the last hour says they a

peter lerner is joining us right now.ed any casualties of israelis so far, colonel? >> no. actually i'm happy to report that we invest in life. indeed, in the iron dome project seems to be a strategic project when actually gives us the lee way and gives us the capability to make cool-headed decisions of what we need to do. and indeed, if what has been reported and what you just reported about, a proximately 150 rockets launched at israel in the last 24 hours, that's only a small fraction of what gaza and what hamas terrorist organizations have. they have about 10,000 rockets, all poised and prepared to attack us. this is what really concerns us. we have to operate. we have to -- our mission is to deal with this rocket threat and to strike strongly against hamas and this terrorist organization. a reality we cannot bear. we actually tried to send a clear message last week. we can calm things down. hamas, please calm things down on your side. what did they choose to do? they choose aggression. they chose to attack us. they c

let's get the latest from colonel peter lerner is joining us from jerusalem.uick question on the hamas rocket attack. was it directly aimed at the nuclear facilities? is that what we're hearing? >> good evening, wolf. israel over the course of the day has been exposed to about 90 rockets launched at several locations throughout the country. the farthest they have reached is almost -- they are trying to make a statement there. if they have the range to reach there, they can reach the midst of the town. they could reach anywhere in the immediate vicinity basically putting over 3 million israelis under direct threat of hamas rockets. >> i raised the questions of damona, how close did the rocket get? >> there were some rockets that were launched in the direction of the city. they were intercepted by the iron dome and back to normal. >> how close are you to moving ground forces into gaza? we know that israel is continuing its air strikes. what about moving carriers into gaza? is that about to happen? >> the israeli defense forces on the border with gaza today have

peter lerner will join us in our next hour. thanks very much for joining us. i'll also speak up next with a member of the palestinian parliament, dr. mustafa barghouti. we'll get his take on what's going on. a very different i'm sure. this is the situation room special report. (vo) friday night has always been all fun and games, here at the harrison household. but one dark, stormy evening... she needed a good meal and a good family. so we gave her purina cat chow complete. it's great because it has the four cornerstones of nutrition. everything a cat needs for the first step to a healthy, happy life. purina cat chow complete. share your rescue story and join us in building better lives. one rescue at a time. we're changing the way we do business, with startup ny. we've created tax free zones throughout the state. and startup ny companies will be investing hundreds of millions of dollars in jobs and infrastructure. thanks to startup ny, businesses can operate tax free for 10 years. no property tax. no business tax. and no sales tax. which means more growth for

let's bring in a spokesman for the idf with colonel peter lerner. you heard your name mentioned.l statement on what happened, what else have you found out about this attack on the u.n. shelter? >> clearly, this morning we woke up with these tragic photographs. the footage is just heart wrecking. they are currently investigating the situation. we still don't have a clear cut answer except the indeed the area there was combat in the immediate vicinity near the school. terrorists launching mortars at the idea of forces and in exchange of fire. this is the reality we are facing. we can't conclude at this time that it was idf, but indeed, we have to make sure and see what exactly what's happened. over the course of the last 48 hours, we have seen several attempts by hamas to pin to israel and to attribute to israel attacks they have carried out and struck the hospital and the incident in the beach camp with people injured and killed. they tried to pin that to israel when we have nothing to do with it. >> but if the united nations presents evidence to you, shrapnel from this specific a

> reporter: i was on the phone call along with other journalists along with lieutenant colonel peter lerner who was with the defense forces. they promised they were going to do an investigation. they have done so. let me read exactly what he said to reporters on the phone. he said, a single errant israeli mortar landed in the courtyard in that school. the footage they have shows the courtyard was empty at the time. it is extremely unlikely anybody was killed by that mortar fire but he added there could be injuries from the shrapnel and he also said they did not target the operations in the gaza strip. we reject the claim that people were killed by the idf mortar on the school premises. a very hard line there, israel saying they did not kill anyone. they do have video. we have seen that video from above, the mortar coming from the ground into that courtyard and it's very hard for us to determine because it's so high up exactly what happened there, but israel saying they did not kill anyone with a mow tar that did strike inside of that school. >> we can only hope that is indeed the case. sara

>> i just got off the phone with lieutenant colonel peter lerner for the defense forces. i want to read you exactly what he said. here's what he said when he was talking to myself and a journalist on thephone a few mumts ago, as far as the attack, a single errant israeli mortar land in the courtyard in the school. he also added they have footage of what happen and the footage shows the courtyard was empty at the time. it is extremely unlikely, he said, that anybody was killed by that mortar fire. however, he said, there could have been injuries from the shrapnel from that mortar fire. it was not targeted. the school was not targeted by israel. however, he said, there was some rocket fire coming from near the school, according to the idf. they say they will show event l eventually some pictures of exactly that. i do not think what we're showing on our screen right now is that video. so to be clear, they're going to be showing some video shortly that gives a real look at exactly what happened there according to their video from planes hovering above. ana? >> thanks. atika h

listen to the spokesman for the defense forces lieutenant colonel peter lerner. what about tanks, armored personnel carriers, formal invasion of gaza as has occurred in the past? >> we're preparing that possibility. it's not something we've wanted do. but in the past five or six days we have bolted up the forces and inside there's a substantial force and if the order is given we are prepared for that type of activity. >> reporter: and lerner also makes it clear that israelis are going to continue to pound other targets including one town in northern gaza. overnight israelis have been dropping leaflets, telling residents and civilians, get out, get out as quickly as you can. a lot of those people unfortunately can't get out. they're stuck there. lerner makes it clear they're going out and engaging in these kinds of air strikes. i pressed him as to when they might take place and he said it could be within hours. the word "hours" very significant. so the israelis very clear they're going to step up their attack. they keep going into the populated areas but israel's

. >> lieutenant colonel peter lerner thank you for joining me. >>> we'll take a closer look at what hamas-rung people what is happening in the gaza strip. (son) oh no... can you fix it, dad? yeah, i can fix that. (dad) i wanted a car that could handle anything. i fixed it! (dad) that's why i got a subaru legacy. (vo) symmetrical all-wheel drive plus 36 mpg. i gotta break more toys. (vo) introducing the all-new subaru legacy. it's not just a sedan. it's a subaru. when salesman alan ames books his room at laquinta.com, he gets a ready for you alert the second his room is ready. so he knows exactly when he can check in and power up before his big meeting. and when alan gets all powered up, ya know what happens? i think the numbers speak for themselves. i'm sold! he's a selling machine! put it there. and there, and there, and there. la quinta inns & suites is ready for you, so you'll be ready for business. the ready for you alert, only a laquinta.com! la quinta! >>> new anger in russia aimed at president obama, a leading russian lawmaker tweeted u.s. president obama will make history not as a pea

israeli military spokesperson peter lerner said israel is the parent for escalation. >> we have witnessed a huge barrage of rockets being launched from the gaza strip by hamas. we are currently taking the necessary precautions to be prepared for escalation. we're forces on the ground. we have fortified in order to protect and safeguard civilians of israel. today, we have about one million israelis that are under potential of fire. the bombings "exceed all red lines" and vowed to respond with broader rocket fire. if israel invades gaza, it would the the third major assault on the coastal territory in six years. 1400irst in 2008 left over dead, most of them civilians. >> the threat comes amidst heavy unrest in the west bank and air town inside israel will stop halloween the killings of a palestinian teenager and three israeli teenagers. the israeli teens were abducted while the checking of the west bank settlement where they live. their bodies were found last week after more than two weeks of israeli raids that saw over 200 palestinians arrested in over a dozen killed. israeleport says cond

>> reporter: he flatly said -- lieutenant colonel peter lerner, israel defense forces, flatly blamed hamas. he said there are numerous missiles launched inside gaza but then just fell, never made it into israel, went off, fell inside gaza, and caused significant damage, and he said that's what occurred this time, as well. hamas totally denies that. they say there were israeli drones flying, that eye-witnesses heard israeli drones and the strike came from an israeli drone. there will be a full-scale investigation, brooke. we'll see what the investigators come up with. i'm sure the u.n. and other international observers in gaza will be taking a close look. they'll see the remnants of any missile or rocket and try to determine where it came from. but there's clearly a difference between what hamas is saying and what the israelis are saying. >> let's talk about the tunnels and as we learn and see the pictures of you climbing through these -- looks like they're not very tall at all, serve dual purposes, to get food and water for the people of gaza, and also weapons into hamas. what were t

because i spoke to lieutenant colonel peter lerner, and he says they're investigating the israeli militaryan awful incident, a lot of civilians killed. they were seeking refuge there. he's raising the possibility the israeli military, this could have been a hamas rocket. you're a member of the inner security cabinet. what have you heard about this incident? >> well, you know what? unlike mustafa barghouti, we don't have the privilege of knowing everything about it. this is the exact difference between a functional democracy and somebody who's just dealing with propaganda and trying to gain pr points. as far as we know, there's one thing we do know. from this area, they were shooting at israeli soldiers. and they used schools as they did before, as a storage for rockets and also as a basis to fire at the israeli soldiers. the secretary-general of the u.n., not an israeli, he says when hamas is using schools as storage for rockets and firing at soldiers from schools, then he's the one to be blamed for all the killings that happened as circumstances of this. >> so you're investigating it? >>

i spoke with lieutenant colonel peter lerner a little while ago.id they think they are about half way through but need another week or so to get the job done in destroying the tunnels. a ve a. >> i heard your interview with the former israeli ambassador a little while ago. he was talking about stopping down hamas completely and ending hamas. that seems like a very, very high price to pay and talking about some sort of occupation whether with israeli forces or u.n. forces. what is your sense about where this thing is going? how much wider is it going to get? >> if you listen to the israelis or michael oren and prime minister benjamin netanyahu, they keep making the point that as far as israel is concerned hamas is like al qaeda or i.s.i.s. or. the military arm of hamas is what they are trying to do. if you listen to other military analysts they say that is not going to happen, that hamas is simply too ingrained in gaza right now. the u.s. is trying to work it out together with turkey, qatar, egypt, others to see if they can get some long-term deal t

israeli military spokesman peter lerner: >> this is a gradual increase in the pressure on this organization. it has been over the last three weeks taking a new step every day and indeed we are striking and we are determined to strike this organization and relieve us from this threat. >> ifill: there were also multiple reports of ceasefire agreements today; all eventually squashed. at one point, the palestinian liberation organization announced it had offered a temporary truce, and said it was speaking for hamas. >> ( translated ): following consultations with our brothers in hamas and islamic jihad, the palestinian authority declares its readiness to an immediate ceasefire and a humanitarian ceasefire for 24 hours. >> ifill: hamas later denied that. then, israel's channel two television reported the two sides agreed in principle to an egypt-brokered ceasefire, only to retract it moments later. iran got involved too-- the supreme leader ayatollah ali khamenei put out a call to muslims around the world to help palestinian fighters. >> ( translated ): we call on the world, and especially the i

. >> woodruff: israeli defense force spokesman peter lerner said his country's forces acted only in responsea mortar shell launched at them from near the school. >> there is a challenge on the ground where this terrorist organization is exploiting the reality on the ground, exploiting the civilian environment and exploiting the people of gaza themselves. we're up against a huge challenge and clearly that can be tragic results that we have seen. >> woodruff: still, the shelling of the u.n. school drew widespread condemnation, including from the white house. and in new york, the u.n. deputy secretary general expressed shock. >> for me this is a moment where you really have to say,enough is enough" and you have to search for the right words to convince those who have the power to stop this. >> woodruff: mosques were again an israeli target and five were reduced to rubble. in daylight, the destruction was clear. korans littered the ground, the building's minaret was resting on a nearby apartment building. >> ( translated ): people come here to pray and do their duty five times a day. now we have

the idf, the spokesperson for idf, that's colonel peter lerner has stated that over the last 48 hours, the israeli military has noted a number of instances in which the israeli army is being blamed for these attacks that they say they had nothing to do with. in other words, they are implying, this is a direct strategy on the part of hamas to either lure israel into attacking civilian areas or that hamas is actually attacking them themselves and blaming israel. of course, i've got no way to either verify or deny that for you, don. >> the u.s. today, martin, condemned the bombings that killed civilians, but also agreed to resupply israel with weapons. are u.s.-made weapons being used right now in israel's attack on gaza? >> well, they are. i don't think that comes as any surprise to anyone. in fact, the usa is helping to provide the very important missiles that are used to protect israelis. that's the iron dome defensive shield that has been highly effective in this particular conflict. the fact that the united states has admitted that it's got a billion dollar stockpile of weaponry, a

joining us here in jerusalem, the spokesman for the israel defense force, peter lerner. to accept a cease-fire. is that what you are hearing in. >> the military is preparing itself for further escalation. our job at this time is to continue combatting hamas and taking the seriousness that is required to stop the rockets from fall on places like here in jerusalem. we will carry out the mission that the government puts on our shoulders, and we will do that to our best capability. >> as of right now, the military and you're a spokesman for the idf, it's not preparing for a cease-fire, but preparing to continue an operation, whether through the air and maybe through the ground. >> rockets are still coming through. as we speak there are different parts of the country unfire, an unbearable situation, a situation where we have to continue this operation until some sort of arrangement is met and our military goals are met as well. >> there's a report that the israeli newspaper suggesting that a lot of -- the city of allat has evacuated. >> there was no incursion. there seems the

. >> peter lerner, lieutenant colonel, thank you for joining us.tor joining us from qatar whe. what can you tell us about the cease-fire that may be in the works starting tomorrow morning? >> i know that secretary-general is working very hard on this. he wants a humanitarian cease-fire for hours and i know that the idea is being looked at by everyone and i hope he will manage to pull this tomorrow morning. >> we spoke in the last hour with someone you know well who was joining us from ramallah, a palestinian parliamentarian. he says hamas accepted that humanitarian cease-fire going in effect tomorrow morning until 3:00 p.m. local time. israel has not yet responded. have you heard anything along those lines to back up what we heard? >> i believe that he's a credible man and he may have been in touch with hamas and heard it directly. i know that we were meeting with the secretary-general and he said i introduced the idea and then we fully back it and i hope it will be honored tomorrow morning by both sides. >> they both agree to this -- this would be

benjamin netanyahu mark regular gov was supposed to be a guest here tonight, lieutenant colonel peter lernerief spokesman for the israel defense forces. the fact they're going on radio silence in advance of that cabinet meeting tomorrow morning, what does that say to you, mr. ambassador? >>. >> i think it says to me there is a serious diplomatic initiative under way. that's something we welcome and provided our support for and that the israeli government obviously is taking it seriously and needs to have internal consultations and that's a time when they will understandably may not want to speak as fully in flick until certain decisions have been made. so i certainly understand that. they'll i'm sure look at any proposal that's put forward and as i said, our goal is to help support them and others to achieve an end to their rocket fire and the des escalation. and to look ahead. obviously, there's some history to these conflicts. after operation cast lead, the united states and many other countries worked to try to help stabilize the situation in gaza to improve the situation on the ground fo

earlier today, i spoke with lieutenant colonel peter lerner, the spokesman for the israel defense forces about this incident at that u.n. shelter in gaza. here's what he told me. >> the idf does not target u.n. facilities. we knew there were rockets in u.n. schools. we are having an ongoing relationship working relationship with the united nations. operating within the context of the conflict. and beyond. we do not target u.n. we actually appeal to them three days ago together with the red cross to evacuate this area because we understand there is extensive hamas terrorist infrastructure in this area and that they will abuse it and they will put the people at risk like they go have been doing over the last five or six days. >> later this hour, i'll get additional reaction from the spokesman for the israeli prime minister benjamin netanyahu. in it the t also the hamas spokesman will be joining us, as well. the first u.s. flight to tel aviv was scheduled to leave just a few minutes ago after the faa in washington lifted its nearly two-day ban on american carriers flying into tel aviv. many

listen to the exchange i had in the last hour with the idf spokesperson lieutenant colonel peter lerner> reporter: lerner said israeli intelligence heard about the explosive donkey. when they heard about it, they shot the donkey and all the explosives on the donkey exploded. that was that. he says this happened before. i have not heard about explosive donkeys before. victor, christi. >> wolf, some people would take that as an indication that hamas doesn't have the power to overcome israel. is there any indication why hamas is not going to back down or at what point they might? >> reporter: they clearly are out gunned. the israelis are a very sophisticated modern military. hamas has some sophisticated rockets and missiles that can hit all of israel. they have some capabilities, but when it comes to the fire power, they are no match r the isra israe israelis. the egyptians wanted the authority. they wanted hamas to accept the cease-fire that the israelis put forward by the egyptian government. at this stage, hamas, apparently, some of the military and political leaders, they think they wi

. >> reporter: that was the spokesperson for israeli force, peter lerner.we understand from the idea they are now looking to have staging areas inside the, inside the gaza border area, possibly to expand operations so that they actually have urban combat inside the cities of gaza. that hasn't happened yet, but clearly they're mobilizing for action soon, fredricka. >> keep us posted. atika shubert, thank you so much. >>> and learning more about those who died on malaysian airlines flight 17. straight ahead, stories of the brothers, sisters, mothers and fathers onboard. [ male announcer ] every day, your mouth is building up layer upon layer of bacteria, so destroy these layers with listerine®. its unique formula penetrates these layers deeper than any other mouthwash. for a cleaner, healthier mouth, #1 dentist recommended listerine®. power to your mouth™. amam rich. #1 dentist recommended listerine®. my social circle includes captains of industry, former secretaries of state, oil tycoons, and ambassadors of countries known for their fine cheeses. yes i am ri

. >>> they are investigating lois lerner's missing e-mails. peter doocy is covering this in washington. what are we expecting from today's hearing? >> now the focus is the investigation of the investigation into lois lerner's missing e-mails. jim jordan republican from ohio is leading today's look sat what happened to lois lerner's hard drive and the possibility raised in recent federal court hearings. those e-mails aren't actually gone for good. she says finally someone in the administration admits the destruction of two years of e-mails is fishy. democrats and republicans alike are upset with the lack of urgency the obama administration is bringing. the justice department says no need to worry. the quote, the irs investigation was launched by the department without hesitation and immediately after ms. learner publically acknowledged the potential misconduct that has been conducted with the utmost integrity ever since and department officials have regularly characterized the investigation as a top priority. the doj is going to send deputy attorney

suggesting that the miss lerner wanted to hide what her office could have been doing. peter doocy live in washington with the details. >> reporter: hi, eric. right now lawyers for the government are in front of a federal judge explaining how many hours the doj lawyer assigned to investigate the irs targeting scandal actually worked on it. the reason judicial is watch is taking this to court, that the doj lawyer, made 12 donations to obama for america between 2008 and 2012. if you add up all her donations to obama and dnc from 2004 to 2012, $6850. lois lerner quote, i was cautioning folks about email and we had several occasions where congress asked tore emails and there has been electronic search for responsive emails. we need to be cautious what we say in emails. lerner then inquired about an irs instant messaging system to see if those internal conversations are backed up. she was told, they are not, unless one party involved presses save. lerner's response to that? quote, perfect. the oversight committee chairman darrell issa's response, this is a smoking gun. >> this is

peter doocy is live in washington to explain this, peteer? >> reporter: jenna, lois lerner's emails are back at the center of irs targeting controversy. because a few weeks after the irs said messages were gone for good the agency came back to say that correspondence could still be out there. the irs deputy associate chief council, thomas kaine, told the oversight committee, quote, there is issue whether or not all the backup recovery tapes were destroyed on the six-month retention schedule. so an investigator followed up. so some those backup tapes may still exist? and cain said, i don't know whether they are or they aren't but it is an issue that is looked at. the oversight committee chairman darrell issa says we might finally now be close to learning at last how high up in the administration this scandal does or does not reach. here's why. >> it does appear from the interview with kaine that in fact they didn't destroy them all, they didn't overright them all or at least not sure. >> what do you know, and why are you just learning this now? >> we're just learning it now be