i'm amara walker. >> ikt' victor blackwell. you're in the cnn newsroom. any minute now we'll get an update on the mass shootings in maine, 18 people were killed, we will bring it to you as soon as it begins but for now, here is what we know. the accused shooter is dead. police found his body last night, not far from his workplace. and investigators said that he left a note behind, that indicated that he did not expect to be alive by the time that note was found. >> the city of lewiston can focus now on saying goodbye to those who were lost in the shootings. all 18 victims have been identified. they include a father and son, while bowling, a married couple and members of the deaf community competing in a corn hole tournament. shimon prokupecz is in lewiston, where the news conference is about to begin. >> reporter: we're waiting here, any minute, we should see the police chiefs from the lewiston police department, we believe and the lisbon police department, where the search has been taking place, and where the suspects, the shooter's body was found, and w

. >> i'm victor blackwell. thank you for joining us as we follow developments out of the middle east. first, the israeli defense forces say they have killed the senior hamas commander who was behind much of last week's carnage. they killed the head of the hamas aerial system. these strikes come as the israeli military is warning the people of gaza to evacuate now. there are two hours left of israel's six-hour safe passage window. that's allowing people to leave and head south. so far tens of thousands have left, but the request is for 1.1 million civilians to relocate, and leaders in the region are criticizing israel for ordering the rushed evacuation. jordan's minister said it would be a blatant violation of international law and would amount to a war crime. >> hamas says israel is still carrying out air strikes as they're trying to evacuate. there's an evacuation route south of gaza city. we want to warn you this video could be graphic to some people. the video was taken on friday before the safe passage wind

i'm victor blackwell. >> and i'm amara walker. thanks for being with us as we continue to follow the news -- breaking news. a mass evacuation in gaza. the military in israel have ordered the people in gaza to move south. they have given them a safe six-hour pathway. the idf is accusing hamas of actively trying to stop people from leaving so they can use them as, quote, human shields. but hamas says israel is still carrying out air strikes, killing 70 people after warning them to move out. they posted dramatic video showing an ambulance rocked by an explosion during those evacuations. >>> in israel, the city of surrat is under a red alert after israel fired rockets into the city. cnn on the ground heard israel's iron dome intercepting the rockets anned the sirens going off around the city. the u.s. says it's supporting israel, and its support is ironclad. two officials made trips there earlier this week. secretary lloyd austin delivered more munitions. meanwhile antony blinken visited them urging them to work with them. 14 american

. >> i'm victor blackwell. israel now has ground forces in gaza. an idf spokesman confirms its infantry, artillery, and other units entered into gaza into the north overnight with one saying it's expanding operations. over the last couple of days we've seen an expansion with targeted raids, but the forces retreated back to the border after the raids. it's unclear if this new move is part of the major ground offensive that the idf has been preparing for since the start of the war three weeks ago. >>> israel seems to also be ramping up its air strikes on g gaza. our reporters near israel's border reported on sustained attacks. new video shows the level of destruction as people continue to dig through the rubble. cnn's jim sciutto is with us from northern israel. jim, israel has said that it will send troops into gaza to seize territory. is that what's happening now? what's the situation? >> reporter: that is what the idf is saying this morning that israeli troops, both artillery units, tank units, armored units, infantry have entered fwz for sustaine

. >> i'm victor blackwell. for the first two in time two weeks, much-needed aid has been delivered to gaza, but groups warn those supplies are not enough. this morning 20 trucks loaded with medical supplies and food and water passed through the border crossing between egypt and gaza. a spokesman says none of the trucks carried fuel. >> in gaza, israel has demanded the immediate evacuation of the building ahead of a possible airstrike. the world health organization says such a demand would be impossible to carry out. the hospital currently haouses around 12,000 displaced people, plus hundreds of patients. and an american woman and her teenage daughter are free following their surprise release late last night. they were visiting family in a kibbutz close to gaza when they were taken hostage on october 7th. the idf says today it believes 210 people are being held hostage in gaza. the group says the current priority is the return of all hostages. cnn's selma is joining us with the latest. gaza's hospital are facing

. >> i'm victor blackwell. >>> aid trucks have been allowed into gaza, but they warn those supplies are not enough. the needs are far higher. >>> this morning the rafah border crossing between egypt and gaza opened. 20 trucks made it through before the crossing was closed again. according to the world health organization, they include medical supplies and food. >>> it's been two weeks since hamas launched an attack on israel and now israel says it's preparing for the next stages of war. ground tanks are lined up. a ground incursion is looming. in gaza the hospital says israel has demanded the immediate evacuation of the building ahead of a possible air strike. the world health organization says such a demand would be impossible to carry out. the hospital currently houses around 12,000 displaced people plus, of course, hundreds of patients. >>> and an american woman and her teenage daughter are free now following their surprise release late last night. they were visiting family at a kibbutz when they were taken hostage by hamas. it's believed 210 are being held hostage by gaza. the group

. >> i'm victor blackwell. thank you for being with us. >>> police say the man who is accused of shooting 18 people is dead. what the police are looking into now. >>> israel says its warplanes hit 150 targets. we're live in the region with more on the escalating war and the concerns that the humanitarian crisis is going to get worse. >>> and on the hostages that hamas still holds in gaza, what the white house is saying about the efforts to free them just ahead on "cnn this morning." >>> so after nearly two days, an intense manhunt for a mass shooter is now over. >> i'm very happy to say the threat is over. >> you're going to see people pull together. they'll come together as a family and taking care of each other. >>> last night police found 40-year-old robert card's body about ten miles from where authorities say he killed 18 people on wednesday. >> they believe he died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound. while his death brings some relief to that shattered community, they're left wondering why this happened. a

et i'm victor blackwell. >> and i'm amara walker. we're in the final window of the safe passage window for people to evacuate to the south. gaza's health care facilities in the north say they will not be evacuating, saying this warning is a death sentence for patients. the israel defense forces is accusing hamas of actively trying to stop people from leaving so that they can use them as, quote, human shields, but hamas says that israel is still carrying out air strikes. now, cnn has verified videos from the scene of a large explosion along an evacuation route south of gaza city. we want to warn you this video is disturbing. >> yeah. this was recorded friday before the safe passage window was set up. look closely here. you'll see the plumes of smoke, the cars burping. hamas says 70 people were killed in this strike, 200 others were wounded. cnn has reached out to the idf for comment on any air strikes in that area. now, the sudden surge of people into southern gaza has put a lot of pressure on the rafah border crossing into egypt, the

i'm victor blackwell. >> and i'm amara walker. >>> for the first time in weeks asia has made its way into gaza. this morning the rafah boarder between egypt and israel has opened but not for long. 24 trucks made it through before it was closed again. the trucks were carrying medical supplies and canned food. >> it's been two weeks and now the idf says it's preparing for the next stages of the war. idf tanks are lined up near the border with gaza where the prospect of a ground incursion is looming. now, in gaza, the hospital says israel has demanded the immediate evacuation of the building ahead of a possible strike. the world health organization said that would be impossible to carry out because it houses 12,000 displaced people plus hundreds of patients. >>> also, an american woman and her teenaged daughter are free. 17-year-old natalie rah han who had just graduated high school and her mother judith are from illinois. they were visiting family at a kibbutz close to gaza when they were taken hostage. in a news conference, the spokesperson said the priority is to return all of the ho

. >> i'm victor blackwell. becky anderson is live in tel aviv as we continue to follow developments in israel. we will check back with becky in a moment. it is 1:00 p.m. in israel. 350 israeli citizens have been killed, for more wounded since the intense fighting between israel and hamas' attack. that was yesterday morning. >> the focus for the israel defense forces is to take control of gaza. retaliatory airstrikes against hamas targets have reportedly killed 310 people and injured 2,000 according palestinian authorities. in the past 24 hours. israeli forces have struck 400 targets in gaza, including ten towers used by hamas. new video shows the moment an israeli fighter jet hit a compound belonging to the intelligence chief of hamas. prime minister benjamin netanyahu of israel is vowing vengeance again hamas and warning citizens of gaza to get out while they can. >> translator: all the places which hamas is deployed, hiding and operating in, we will turn it into an island of ruins. i am telling gaza's people

. >> i'm victor blackwell. we begin with breaking news out of israel. prime minister benjamin netanyahu has declared israel is at war after gaza mill about thes earlier this morning. netanyahu said the enemy will pay an unprecedented price. he concluded with this, we are at war and we will win it. >> right now israel security cabinet is meeting to discuss the full scale of its response. already the israeli military has begun mobilizing and calling up thousands of reserve forces. and we just learned that at least 22 people have died since the attacks began six hours ago. let's go now to cnn hadas gold from jerusalem. bring us up to speed on what's happening on the ground now and the fact that these were surprise attacks. i mean, how did israel not see this coming? >> reporter: that's a great question. this was an unprecedented surprise attack. israel essentially saying they are in a state of war, the likes of which israel has not seen in 50 years. almost to the day to that yam kip purr war in 1973 caught israel by surprise on a holiday. today is technica

. >> i'm victor blackwell. >> hollywood is mourning the death of a popular sitcom story. actor matthew perry passed away last night. the "los angeles times" reports he drowned at his los angeles home and police say they do not expect foul play. the actor best known for his role as chandler bing on the hit '90s sitcom "friends" was only 54 years old. >> no, i didn't read the box before i opened it, and you can't return a box after you've opened the box. >> what? why not? >> because it's too delicious! >> chandler, you stole this cheesecake. that is wrong! >> no, no, no, it is going to be okay, because mrs. bradenton is going to send away for a free one, that way we all win. the only losers are the big cheesecake conglomerate, mama's little bakery. i feel terrible. >> of course, chandler bing was not his only character, he made his mark on hollywood with both comedic and dramatic roles, but his personal life was just as dramatic, as he detailed in a recent memoir. he struggled with various addictions for years. cnn's camilla bernal has more. >> amara, victor, shock and sadn

♪ >>> i'm victor blackwell with amara walker in atlanta. it is 6:00 a.m. on the east coast.ara sidner is in tel aviv where it is 1:00 p.m. overnight the idf says interior minister struck 100 military targets in gaza. they also say they killed the hamas commander who engineered the slaughter of jews at a kibbutz. the window is quickly closing for hundreds of thousands in the northern half of gaza to move south before an expected israeli ground offensive. for many there is quite literally no way out. the key border crossing into egypt still shuttered. there is unfolding humanitarian crises in gaza. water is quickly disappearing. israeli military stants f stands on the door of an invasion. >> thousands of israeli troops are passed at the border and a report reveals details about israel's war plan. three sore israeli military officers are telling "the new york times" objective number one is capture gaza city. objective number two, weed out hamas. both will likely require bloody block by block fire fights with hostages and civilians potentially caught in the crossfire. >> also to

. >> i'm victor blackwell. we begin with the expected israeli ground offensive into gaza.urday, the israeli military said would increase airstrikes on hamas targets ahead of any ground incursion. thousands of israeli troops and hundreds of armored vehicles are at the gaza border ready to strike hamas. israel defense forces dropped flyers into northern gaza warning civilians to once again evacuate to the south or they might be considered a partner for the terrorist organization. >> as fighting increases at the northern border with lebanon. defense production act said the u.s. malt said the u.s. is increasing readiness in the region, including deploying additional defense systems to the middle east and american troops on stand-by to deploy at a moment's notice. meanwhile, egypt's red crescent says 17 aid trucks carrying food and medicine are ready to enter gaza through the rafah border crossing but didn't provide details when the trucks might enter. aid workers inside gaza are calling for more aid to be allowed through, saying the 20 trucks that crossed through rafah runoff

i'm victor blackwell. >> i'm amara walker for being with us.housands of israeli troops and amered vehicles are at the gaza border ready to strike hamas any moment. saturday the israeli military says its bombardment of hamas targets in gaza will become even more relentless as they prepare for a ground incursion. civilians in northern gaza are warned by israel once again to evacuate south or they might be considered, quote, a partner for the terrorist organization. >> the u.s. is also stepping up its defenses in the region. secretary of defense lloyd austin said the u.s. military will deploy additional missile defense systems to the middle east and place american troops on stand-by to deploy at a moment's notice. in southern gaza, egypt's red crescent said 17 trucks carrying food and medicine are prepared to enter gaza through the rafah border crossing. humanitarian workers are calling for aid to be let through. they say the 20 trucks that crossed saturday are not enough. cnn's scott mclean joins us from london. so we're hearing from the truck dr

. >> i'm victor blackwell. this morning hollywood is saying goodbye to '90s sitcom legend matthew perry. he passed away last night at his home in los angeles. best known for playing chandler bing on "friends" as 54 years old. >> tell you what. when we're 40, if neither of us are married, what do you say you and i get together and have one? >> why would i be married when i'm 40? >> oh, no, no, no, i meant hypothetically. >> why won't i be married when i'm 40? >> no, no, no. >> what is it? seriously. is there something un-u fundamentally un-marable about me? >> you are dear god, this parachute is a knapsack. >> "friends" was not his only well known role. he was nominated for two emmys for joe quincy on the "west wing," all know, he poked fun -- actually bringing home that award. >> kind of reminds me when i won my first emmy. we were -- sorry. what? oh, right. i haven't won a damn thing. huh. well, maybe today is the day. >> always put a smile on my face. perry also starred in a number of comedies like the whole

i'm victor blackwell. >> i'm amara walker. our colleague becky anderson is live in tel aviv as we continue to follow developments in israel. we will be checking in with her in just a moment. fighting in israel and gaza is raging into a second day. at least 350 israelis are dead and more than 300 palestinians have been killed. and thousands of people on both sides of the border have been injured since the attack began 24 hours ago. today hamas says it has fired at least 100 rockets into southern israel. many of their fighters are still in the country after infiltrating the border yesterday. at this hour, israeli defense forces are still fighting to remove militants from eight different areas inside the country. >> in gaza, israel is striking back. israeli forces are using drones to keep hamas militants from crossing the border to israel. idf sent dozen of airstrikes into gaza. they say they have hit more than 400 targets, including ten towers used by hamas in a compound that belongs to hamas' chief intelligence officer. a conce

we're going to bring you the presser live, our coverage continues now, with victor blackwell, and amaraalker.

. >> i'm victor blackwell. '90s sitcom star matthew perry died last night.e los angeles times" police tells -- excuse me. "the los angeles times" says that police found him. they believe he drowned in his home in los angeles. he was just 54 years old, arguably, his most iconic role was chandler bing on "friends." >> i took the quiz and it turns out i do put career before men. get up. >> what? >> you're in my seat. >> how is this your seat? >> because i was sitting there. >> but then you left. >> well, it's not like i went to spain. i went to the bathroom. you knew i was coming back. >> what's the big deal? sit somewhere else. >> the big deal is i was sitting there last. so it's my seat. >> that role earned him an emmy nomination in 2002. he was also known for his candor in real life when he opened up about his struggles with detail tell-all memoir. >> shock and sadness. that has been the reaction from hollywood and from fans to the death of matthew perry. police here in los angeles say that they are investigating his death and this is according to a law enfo

i'm amara walker along with victor blackwell and sara sidner is joining us from tel aviv. new this morning, the u.s. secretary of state tony blinken plans to head back to israel to meet again with benjamin netanyahu. he will do that tomorrow after a mee weekend of meetings with arab leaders. in moments, we'll watch him get off a plane in cairo for a meeting with egypt's president. today, hundreds of thousands of people inside gaza are on the road to rafa crossing, and it remains closed. overnight, israel says it struck more than 100 targets inside gaza, adding to the destruction and humanitarian crisis unfolding there. they also say they killed a top hamas commander who engineered the slaughter of jews at a kibbutz last saturday. >> right now, israeli troops are positioned just across the border. and new reports from "the new york times" suggests that whenever that ground invasion starts, it will be long and very, very bloody. senior officials say that israel's objective is to capture gaza city. we're also seeing fresh clashes to the north, israel and lebanon traded fire e

i'm victor blackwell. >> and i'm amara walker.srael's army appears to be entering a new phase of war. an army spokesperson from the idf confirmed to cnn that idf ground forces are in gaza right now. infantry, artillery and other units moved into gaza from the north overnight. >> as troops march in the north, israel continues to fire missiles across the border. the idf have been launching heavy and continuous air strikes throughout the night into the morning. idf reserve soldiers are calling it the most intense night of bombing of the conflict so far. cnn's jim sciutto is with us now from northern israel. so, israel promised a major ground offensive after the attacks by hamas on october 7th. is it clear yet that this is the beginning of that? that we are seeing that ground incursion in a major way or is this potentially something else? >> reporter: well, victor, it's the beginning of something. that's no question. because israel is now confirming the idf spokesperson confirming that israeli ground forces are inside gaza and operati

. >> and i'm victor blackwell. we continue our coverage of the war in israel.housands of israeli troops and hundreds of armored vehicles are at the gaza border ready to strike hamas. on saturday, the israeli military said its air strikes on hamas targets in gaza will become more relentless as they prepare for the ground incursion. today the palestinian ministry of health in gaza said the number killed there is up to 4651. 266 died in the last 24 hours. a hospital in gaza central district said it's overwhelmed with bodies following overnight air strikes. some of the images you're about to see are disturbing. these are videos obtained by cnn. they show dozens -- the dozens of bodies wrapped in shrouds on the ground surrounding the hospital because of the hospital's morgue, it is already at capacity. families could be seen grieving, true iing to identify the bodies. >> as fighting increasing at israelez northern border with lebanon, the u.s. military is taking steps to increase readiness in the region including deploying additional missile defense systems to the m

. >> and i'm victor blackwell. and we're live in tel aviv as we continue to follow developments in israel. right now it is 3:00 p.m. in israel. at least 350 israeli citizens are dead. far more wounded since hamas attacked yesterday morning. and the number of dead now includes 44 israeli soldiers and 30 police officers and border officers. >> well today the focus for the israel defense forces is to take control of gaza. retaliatory air strikes from israel against hamas targets have killed more than 310 people and injured nearly 2000 and that is according to palestinian authority officials. [ sound of gunfire ] >>> and there the past 24 hours, israeli forces have struck more than 400 targets in gaza, including ten towers used by hamas. israeli prime minister benjamin netanyahu is vowing vengeance against hamas and warning civilians in gaza to get out while they can. >> translator: all of places which hamas has deployed, hiding and operating into, we will turn it into an island of ruins. i'm telling people to leave th