-- captions by vitac -- www.vitac.com hello again, everyone. thank you so much for joining me this sunday. i'm fredricka whitfield. and we're following several big stories at this hour overseas and right here in the u.s. u.s. secretary of state tony blinken continues his high takes meetings in the middle east. today he made an unannounced visit to iraq, as he tries to bridge the divide with america's arab partners in the region over the israel-hamas war. it comes as israel is resisting u.s. pressure for humanitarian pauses in the war and defending its air strikes against hamas and gaza, despite the mounting casualties. and all of this happening as former president donald trump prepares to take the stand tomorrow in his civil fraud trial that threatens his business empire in new york. and new polling numbers are also giving us a snapshot into a hypothetical matchup between trump and president biden, exactly one year before the 2024 presidential election. cnn's priscilla alvarez is traveling with the president and join us us live from rohoboth beach, delaware. priscilla, lay out some of these poll numbers for us. what kind of picture does this paint for biden's re-election campaign, and how are they responding? >> reporter: well, it tells us that the message that the white house is trying to send about the economy and what they have dubbed bidenomics is still not quite resonating with voters, who say they are dissatisfied with the economy. and questions remain over the age of the president and his ability to steer the country. ticking through some of these numbers, these are four key swing states that president biden won in 2020. in this case, he is trailing in this hypothetical run-up against the former president, donald trump. nevada, trump was 52% to biden's 41%. georgia, trump, 49% to biden, 43%. arizona, 49% to biden's 44%. and michigan, trump, 48%, to biden's 43%. the margin of error here is 4.4 or 4.5 points, give or take. but action again, the president has been spanning the country in recent months to try to deliver the message on the economy and point toward positive economic indicators for the year to come. yet, that message still doesn't appear to resonate with this poll, showing that voters still have questions about whether the economy is going in the right direction. then, too, is the israel-hamas war we have been talking about at length. that is also creating rifts within the democratic party. and what is happening abroad is also weighing on voters and what they think is happening in the country in addition to border security. all this goes to say there are still a lot of questions remaining for president joe biden. for the campaign, they are saying that it's still a year away and their response is the following from a campaign spokesperson saying, quote, president biden's campaign is hard at work reaching and mobilizing our diverse winning coalition of voters one year out on the choice between our winning popular agenda and maga republicans' unpopular extremism. we'll win in 2024 by putting our heads down and doing the work, not by fretting about a poll. as you can see, the campaign is saying steadfastly that they're going to focus on the work, focus on the months to come. all this, too, is striking fredricka, when the former president is also facing a series of criminal charges. so, still a long road ahead going into next november. >> that year, it's going to go by fast. priscilla alvarez, thank you so much. larry saab doe is the professor of politics at the university of virginia. what's your take on these poll numbers, and do you believe that the whoite house should be makig any adjustments as a result of what these poll numbers are? >> well, i'm sure the white house in any campaign would make adjustments constantly with a year to go, but not big adjustments. they've got a plan. they should stick to it. i think that's what they're doing. look, as they pointed out correctly, the election for president is a year away exactly. how many dozens of major events and circumstances and new things that we didn't think of in advance will happen between now and the actual election. just think about what's happened in prior elections, and you'll realize how much is yet to come. and incumbent presidents often are behind at this point in their third year before they actually get into the fourth year. but, look, the numbers in "the new york times" sienna poll, i wouldn't argue with too many of them. they were close. and i think that's reasonable, except for nevada, which was ridiculous. you're not going to have an 11-point trump landslide in nevada. it's a very, very close state. but there's no need for panic. as you mentioned, if you looked on x, what we used to call twitter, i don't know how many people had heart attacks this morning. and it's totally unnecessary. you've got a choice. if you're a democrat, you can spend your energy being worried and upset and getting an ulcer. or you could use that energy to go out and change things. >> all right. there are some other things we're learning about some important demographics, where biden may be slipping at this juncture, including among voters under the age of 30, hispanic voters, african american voters, and urban voters. it's saying essentially everybody. i mean, what does this say about the pulse of america? who's left after that, right? >> well, it's a low point for president biden. and as i said, it's not unusual in the third year. but i'm sure they have specific plans to reach out to those groups. and often those groups don't engage in a major way until the end of a campaign or toward the end of a campaign. that's when they're contacted. that's when they see advertisements. that's when they check into their websites and they come up with, i guess, propaganda from both sides, but particularly propaganda from the side where they usually vote. so, again, it's early to panic. i will say this, though. the poll had, i believe, black voters at 22% for donald trump. i'm not allowed to bet on elections, fred, but i sure wish i was because i would love to bet multiple people that the black vote for trump in the end will be somewhere between 8 and 13 max. 22%? come on. i mean, it really causes you to question how representative this poll is of what's going to happen. i believe that it tells you some of what's going to happen if the election were held today. and the election isn't being held today. it's a year away. >> yeah. so, how do you really feel about polls? just kidding, larry. okay. well, how about this -- what's that? >> i said, i gave you an honest answer. >> you sure did. i love your honesty and candor. that's why we have you and invite you to join us as much as you can. so, at least 60%, apparently, of voters in each state said the nation was headed in the wrong direction. i mean, that, again, is a very broad statement, wrong direction. how does the biden re-election campaign try to address that and figure out what do voters mean by that exactly? >> well, mainly what they mean is they're unhappy with the state of the economy or its inflation or some other measures. but any objective observer, whether economist, political scientist, or somebody else, can look at the objective data and see that the economy is improving in important ways. and it will continue to in all likelihood. so, the president and all the people representing the president and certainly the tv advertisements have to stress over and over and over again what progress has been made. and how the remaining progress -- that's the way to do it. >> all right. larry sabato, thank you so much. we were able to grab all of your thoughts even though our signal is starting to deteriorate now. i'm glad we got it all in. great to see you, larry. >> thanks a lot. all right. still to come, donald trump will spend part of his monday in a new york courtroom. what we can expect when the former president takes the stand in the civil fraud trial against him. and u.s. secretary of state antony blinken continuing his high-stakes trip through the middle east, amid growing tensions in the region. we're live in israel right after thisis. shuttle diplomacy continues as tensions rise in the middle east over israel's war with hamas. secretary blinken made a pair of unannounced visits in the west bank and baghdad. blinken says his trips are sending a clear message to nations in the region. >> we're working very hard to make sure that the conflict in gaza does not escalate, does not spread to other places, whether it's here, whether it's elsewhere in the region. this is the very vital and urgent work of american diplomacy. and that's what we've been engaged with as well throughout this trip. >> meantime israel is intensifying its attacks against hamas. new video shows massive blasts as night falls. the idf says troops have now reached the coast of gaza. israeli officials say there are 240 hostages held by hamas. prime minister benjamin netanyahu is vowing that no ceasefire will happen unless every hostage is released. jeremy diamond is near israel's border with gaza. jeremy, what are you experiencing right now from where you are? >> reporter: well, fred, over the last several hours, we have been watching really intense strikes on the gaza strip being carried out by the israeli military. and on the the israeli defense forces spokesman says that israeli forces are conducting what he describes as a significant and extensive strike on terrorist infrastructure inside of gaza. this is a combined operation being carried out not only by the air force, as we have been watching those air strikes hitting, pummelling, the gaza strip, but also by ground forces. that's why we're seeing these flares that light up the night sky over gaza, as the forces get a better vantage point of the positions they are attacking. this combined operation being described as, striking with great force tonight, as israeli forces encircle gaza city and as they say they have cut off north from south of gaza. and behind me right now, you can see some of those flares lighting up the sky, as i was just talking about. now, telecommunications inside of gaza, fred, we are told, have been severely disrupted inside of gaza for the third time since the beginning of this conflict. and those telecommunications shutoffs typically happen at very significant moments in this conflict. we watched that happen on friday night, a week ago, as israeli forces launched this expanded ground operation. all of this is happening as the israeli prime minister is vowing that he will not agree to a ceasefire in gaza until those hostages being held inside gaza by hamas and other militant groups are released. and instead, the israeli military very much pressing forward with its ground offensive, even as many of its tactics and strikes are being called into question by the international community. israeli forces continuing to strike at very densely populated areas inside of gaza, killing not only hamas militants, according to israeli forces, but also clearly inflicting very heavy civilian casualties. we watched, as yesterday, the -- refugee camp inside of gaza was struck and killed 52 people, according to a hospital official. international condemnation of israeli bombings only growing louder. israeli forces, for their part, they say that hamas is to blame for those civilian casualties because those hamas forces are embedding in civilian areas and hiding their tunnels below residential buildings. fred? >> jeremy diamond, thanks so much. coming up, students at stanford university are on edge after a string of potential hate crimes that have happened since the start of the israel-hamas war. how the university is working to keep the campus safe. police in illinois have opened a hate crime investigation after signs saying, we stand with israel, with vandalized in people's yards. the signs had been displayed for weeks, but in the middle of the night last week at ten different locations, some signs were stolen. others were found cut up, apparently with sharp blades. no suspects have been identified. we also continue to see a spike of hate crimes on college campuses. stanford university now with five open hate crime investigations. the latest incident, an arab muslim student was struck in a hit and run accident on campus friday. let's go now to cnn's camilla bernal. camilla, what are you learns about this incident and a suspect? >> reporter: authorities are still searching for the suspect in this case. he's believed to have been driving a toyota four runner. in terms of the victim here, he's still at the hospital. he told me, look, i want to advocate for love, for understanding, for inclusivity. and a lot of the students that i talked with told me they support, they admire that message, but nonetheless are extremely concerned. >> i've been feeling sad. i've been feeling anxious. i'm been feeling worried. >> reporter: this is how he says he and others are feeling, as palestinian americans, as muslims, and as students at stanford university. >> it's scary that this kind of hate can happen in a place where i'm supposed to feel at home. >> reporter: fear, as a result of what he believes are hate crimes. the university's department of public safety now investigating five incidents since the onset of the israel-hamas war. four appear to have targeted arab students, while one was reported as anti-semitic vandalism. the most recent potential hate crime incident happening friday. the university says it was an apparent hit and run crash involving an arab muslim student on campus. >> it's hard to fathom that that could even take place. and the problem is not only could it take place, it's now a reality that we all have to live with. >> reporter: in a statement, the university saying that stanford considers antiarab and islam phobic acts to be abhorrent. the incident is being investigated by the california highway patrol. the university also said the driver is reported to have made eye contact with the victim, accelerated, and struck the victim, and then driven away while shouting, f you and your people, out the lowered window of the vehicle. >> the fact it's already so quickly turned into something of this magnitude is, again, scary. >> reporter: other incidents included a group of students being shoved, a student being spat on, and someone running over a tote bag which contained a computer and other valuables. >> what's going on abroad shouldn't have an impact on the health and the lives of students on the campus in a country thousands of miles away. >> reporter: in the anti-semitic incident, a -- was removed from the residence. the if had hay statement, the school said this removal of a sacred religious symbol is deemed a form of intimidation, targeting the jewish community. overall groups representing students on both sides say they're concerned about these incidents, and students like badir say they worry about the future. >> we have to be constantly alert, on edge. it's exhausting have to look over your shoulder 24/7. >> he does see this as an escalation. he says arab students on campus are supporting each other not just emotionally, but walking each other to class when they feel unsafe. they are definitely taking extra precautions here, fred. >> camilla bernal, thank you so much. the white house this week announced a national strategy to combat islamophobia in the u.s. with a goal of creating a comprehensive plan that protects muslims and those perceived to be muslim. the white house will partner with local communities on its development. the initiative comes against the backdrop of israel's war with hamas. some muslim voters are speaking out against president biden's support of israel's military action in gaza. joining right now to discuss is president of the muslim public affairs council. good to see you. i wonder how this announcement resonates with you and your community. >> well, it's an important announcement, but i'm afraid that we can't just move forward without delivering to the community their main concern, which is the genocide and ethnic cleansing of gaza. that's the way the community sees it. and i believe the president has an obligation to listen to our constituency and not just go on with business as usual. there's a major concern. today, by the way, would have been the 90th birthday of my father-in-law, and we received news that 30 members of his family were killed. another friend of mine had 90 members of her family killed. so, you can't just gloss over that and say let's come to the table to talk about other things until you deal with this major atrocity that is affecting the whole muslim world of 1.5 billion people and the whole world. america's isolating itself. and i think we need to deal with that first, as we engage the administration on countering islamophobia. secondly, the islamophobia industry, according to the center for american progress, amounts to about $50 million in 2015. the lion's share of those funds go to pro-israel groups that defame muslims in america. so, we have to address those concerns with the administration. >> i'm so sorry to hear about the many losses, dozens upon dozens of people, that you just described. so, i wonder then how much faith do you have in the white house to be able to take a bead like this, as promised? >> well, there are good people in the white house that we can work with. but at the end of the day, it's the president who is the most powerful person, and it's about what he says. and what he has said in the past has been very hurtful to our community, that palestinian lives do not count. he doesn't trust the numbers in terms of palestinian deaths in this atrocity against gaza. you know, my family also is from iraq. and now people are estimating about 800,000 children under the age of five were killed between the two gulf wars. so, we have to start putting a human face to the people there and valuing palestinian lives and arab lives and muslim lives. and i'm afraid that, as we go to the election in chicago, that we may repeat what happened in 1968, where the democratic party was divided over a war. and young people, as you see on the streets today throughout america, throughout the world, are speaking out against these atrocities. and this administration has to start listening to them. >> in all fairness, the president has said that palestinian lives don't count. but the who was has tried to dispute, right, the numbers of how many lives have been lost thus far in this conflict. >> it's like telling a rape victim that maybe you weren't raped. so, the questioning of the suffering of the palestinian people is what's resonating in our community. so, i think he has to correct these measures. i think he can. i think we have to continue engaging the administration and working with groups like jay street and jewish voices for peace, not apec as congresswoman ocasio-cortez says. i'm afraid that president biden is only talking to one group that is talking about israel and not to the whole community, even in the jewish community. so, we need to talk to all americans on this. i believe by talking and having dialogue, that will help shape a more comprehensive and effective strategy in countering islamophobia and anti-semitism. >> does it give any so lass or encouragement to see the tens of thousands of propalestinian supporters who converged on the nation's capitol yesterday, starting at freedom plaza and then walking right outside the white house? >> yes. i mean, definitely this is a testimony to the sentiment of a large section of americans who are saying no to war, who want palestinian freedom and palestinian rights, considered as part of our foreign policy. so, when the democratic party gets together and starts talking about its platform and presenting its platform, it better incorporate these views. otherwise you're going to lose a large segment of our community and of young people who have been trained to promote social justice and talk about diversity, equity, and inclusion. yet in every case, the united states supports human rights and democracy in ukraine, throughout europe, everywhere in the world, except in palestine. and those who speak for palestine are penalized or censored. there's hate against us. so, this is the one issue now that will determine america's future, i believe, in terms of foreign policy, its relationship with the muslim world and the rest of the world, and to a large extent, our civil rights in our own country, the in our democracy. we don't want to see another war that america starts entering. that means we haven't learned from the lessons of iraq. israel invaded lebanon to get rid of the plo. we know what happened then. there was more militancy and more problems there. i'm afraid we're going to get something even worse, as we continue to just stand by and watch the atrocities against the people of gaza. >> so glad to have your voice today. thank you so much. >> thank you. thank you for your time. coming up, donald trump is expected to testify tomorrow in the new york civil fraud case against him. what we can expect when the former president takes the stanand, next. all right. tomorrow former president donald trump takes the stand in his defense in the civil fraud trial against him and his family business. his testimony could help decide the fate of his business empire in new york. he has already been attending the trial in person, and his two oldest sons, don jr. and eric, have already testified. the new york attorney general is seeking $250 million in damages and wants to bar trump from doing business in the state again. prosecutors allege that trump and his codefendants repeatedly committed fraud in flating assets on financial statemenstatements. i'm joined by jennifer rogers. good to see you, jennifer. how important will trump's testimony be in this case? >> it's hard to say, fred. i mean, the judge already has decided on summary judgment that the statements were fraudulent. so, the question really is how much of that can he attribute to donald trump? how much can he attribute to the sons and the other defendants here? how much should he discourage? how much should he order in terms of damages? and finally, this is where the testimony may be the most important, does he bar donald trump from doing business in the state of new york? that's what the ag's office is seeking. i think what happens tomorrow on the stand may be a big hint as to how that goes as to whether the judge will order that or not. >> so, singularly the judge will make that decision in terms of what kind of fine to impose, or if indeed trump and the trump organization is barred from ever doing business in new york? >> that's right. so, the judge will order how much discouragement there will be. he will apportion it among the different defendants in the case. there are many defendants in the case. and then he'll decide whether to bar anyone and if so whom to bar from doing business in the state of new york. of course all of that will be subject to appeal. we already have an appeal on the summary judgment order and the dissolution ordered there. all this is subject to review on appeal. in the first instance, it will be the decision of the judge who's been overseeing the case. >> is it your opinion that eric and don jr.'s testimonies were damaging, or no? >> well, they were damaging. they could have been worse, of course. they could have admitted knowing about the wrong valuations and purposely signed the certificates anyway. they didn't admit that. playing dumb and saying they didn't really know much of anything and it was all about the accountants is not a good defense in any case. so, i think that, while they were a bit boxed in by the documents, there wasn't really a lot of things they could have said to get out of being responsible for it. i don't think what they did on the stand would have helped. and frankly at times, it seems like they were a bit smug, which i think probably didn't help their cause with the judge either. >> well, don't we expect that the former president might handle things the same, in the same manner? >> well, interestingly, i think this could really be some fireworks tomorrow, fred. i mean, donald trump is famously undisciplined as a speaker. he is furious about this case. he's been talking, of course, at length about how the judge is out to get him and the a.g. is out to get him. so, the question is -- i don't know that he'll just be smug. he may explode tomorrow. and that, i think, will, of course, damage his case with the judge. but also, you know, we'll see what the public thinks about that. a big part of donald trump's reactions, i think, is really geared more toward the public than to the case anyway. so, we'll have to see what happens tomorrow. >> would his attorneys not want him to take the stand and the issue is, you know, the former president, kind of, insists, just as he has insisted on being there every day when he really hasn't had to be? >> well, actually the attorney general is calling him as part of her affirmative case. he doesn't have a choice here. he's a material witness and this is a civil case, not a criminal case. he does have to take the stand. i do think his attorneys would want to keep him off the stand generally speaking because he is undisciplined, there's a lot of cross-examination material that can be used against him. i think in his criminal cases, all of his lawyers will do their best to keep him off the stand. but here they don't really have the choice. so, one question is, if it goes poorly on direct tomorrow with the attorney general's staff questioning him, will his lawyers cross-examination him -- quote, unquote cross-examination him -- to try to rehabilitate him in the eyes of the judge? >> oh, boy, most likely there will be some fireworks this week starting tomorrow. all right. jennifer rogers, thank you so much. all right. straight ahead, more election workers are quitting, as the race for 2024 heats up. why this is happening and how it could impact next year's presidential contest after this. in a crisis caused by a terrorist massacre. warning civilians to clear out, while hamas forces them back. allowing in food and water, which hamas steals. a warning today from voting rights groups from several state election chiefs, a wave of departures. why election officials in key states could add stress to the election system ahead of next year's presidential race. one reason for the departures? workers continue to face threats, harassment, and partisan interference in their jobs, all ignited by false claims of a stolen election back in 2020. cnn's fredricka scouten is here to break down the story. okay. fredricka, this is very special. i don't often get a chance to talk to another fredricka. let's start there. >> two freds. >> i know. i love it. okay. so, walk us through where and how this is happening. 11 western states alone have lost more than 160 top election officials. that's a big number. >> that is a big number. and that's coming the from a study by a group called issue one, that did a deep dive on a regional issue. and we saw a lot of election denialism in states like arizona after the 2020 election. and looking across all those states, issue one found that 40% of local election chiefs are new to the job across all those states. and the level of experience has gone down. typically it was about eight years of experience, and now it's one in those states. so, there's a real concern about this brain drain and what it might mean in 2024 when we have extremely consequential elections for president and governors' races and u.s. senate races. >> right. so, can we zero in on particular areas like pennsylvania. this is a battleground state. this is a place, too, where there appears to be a real dearth or lack of interest or people are nervous about being election officials? >> yeah, the secretary of state in pennsylvania, al schmidt, testified before congress last week. and he said that they've lost about 70 election officials in at least 40 of 67 counties. and al schmidt, he's been on our air. he has experience with this. back in 2020, he was a pennsylvania city commissioner. he's a republican. he defended the results of the election there, which president biden won. and he faced a lot of threats, both toward him and to his family. and that's the thing that we're seeing is that the jobs have just become so much more stressful. that's what i heard in doing this story, just so very difficult. >> i mean, epitomizing, you know, the harassment that was felt. i mean, who can forget the georgia mother and daughter, you know, who were singled out by the former president and who faced all kinds of threats. i mean, they essentially had to go into hiding before they ended up filing suit as well. so, what are the degrees of threats that i guess some of these workers are experiencing? >> well, you know, one of the things that's been striking to me is that some of the threats have spread to parts of the country we don't expect. i spoke to an election official in king county, which is seattle. and they got a letter a few months ago from someone who was ranting about elections and then said that there was a dangerous substance in the letter. when they sent it off to be examined, there were trace amounts of fentanyl in there. this is a pretty blue part of the country. and it's just very scary for them to have these -- to have people reach out to them in this >> a lot of people are motivated by doing their civic duty. this is important, important work, and they're putting in a lot of hours. it's not something that pays a lot of money in that this is not the motivation, money. the motivation is their civic duty. it's a shame it's being made to be so difficult to carry out. fred reka schouten, i love saying your name we'll have to do this again. this is a very important story. hopefully we'll find something more up lifting the next time we meet. >> thanks so much, fredicka. >> thank you. coming up, as tensions rise in the middle east, high school students are now sounding off about how the israel-hamas war is impacting their lives and their loved ones. we'll hear some of their stories next. you're probably not easily persuaded to switch mobile providers for your business. but what if we told you it's possible that comcast business mobile can save you up to 75% a year on your wireless bill versus the big three carriers? have we piqued your interest? you can get two unlimited lines for just $30 each a month. there are no term contracts or line activation fees. and you can bring your own device. oh, and all on the most reliable 5g mobile network nationwide. wireless that works for you. it's not just possible. college campuses are often celebrated as forums for free speech and have become flash points for demonstrations and protests surrounding the israel-hamas war, but it's not just college students. the war is also a hot-button issue with younger students as well. cnn's athena jones spoke to five high school students about how the conflict is impacting their lives. >> reporter: it's a situation that hits close to home. >> we're such a tight-knit community, this is like our family. >> it's a shock that's consistent and you can't escape it. >> it was hours later and i'm still checking up on people. there's still people that i was really worried about. >> what have the last few weeks been like being here in america, observing what's going on in israel and gaza? >> i think it's been a sort of balancing act of worrying about like when's the other shoe going to drop here in america and caring for and making sure to be a good support system for my friends and family in israel. >> waiting for the other shoe to drop. what do you mean? >> i feel like now in america we're in this kind of grace period with israel where israel was attacked and the general feeling towards israel is still fairly positive, that feeling is going to be shift and the pity is not going to be there anymore and i think that's when bad things are going to start happening in america to jews. >> i disagree with the fact that the majority of american sentiment is one of pro-israel or sympathy. now that israel has been bombing gaza and there have been attempts to -- i think there's a huge uptick in anti-semitism. >> it's a very, i think inherent jewish value in times of grief to sit in your main and sis in your discomfort and fast in your prayer and community and acknowledge what's going on. that's our way of dealing with grief and processing. i think to have such raw pain be turned into something political is very, very difficult to deal with. >> it's an impossible situation when you've been attacked by this terror group that's also governing and hiding behind its own people. i can't watch innocent palestinians die, but it's like you poke a bear. hamas poked a bear and then went and hit behind a bunch of little cubs. >> it's hard for me to hear free gaza, free palestine. hamas is hurting gazan citizens just as much as hurting israeli citizens. being pro-palestine or pro-gaza doesn't mean pro-hamas. >> how do you think this ends? >> when you're working on the amount of precedence that there is with israel, the palestinians, gaza, hamas, i don't see this ending in a way that will feel very final. >> israel has lost. the innocent civilians in gaza have lost. nobody can win a war like this. so what does the end look like? it looks like loss. >> where do you find the hope in a situation like this? >> i have no hope that this conflict will be resolved in the next century, not at all. i think this will be an almost immutable fact of the middle east, the israeli-palestinian conflict. >> this is where i turn to religion and prayer, god, really the core of judaism and that's helping me get through this. >> francis gellar was planning to spend a gap year in israel before going to college. that plan is not uncertain. >> i truly believe that perseverance is in our dna. we've been around for all this time. they tried to get rid of us. they won't. how can you not believe in that's who we are? hopefulness and fighting. >> athena jones, cnn, new york. hello again, thanks again. israel defense forces say they have launched a significant strike on gaza, explosions lighting up the sky just a short time ago at night. the idf says troops have reached positions along the coast of gaza as part of the expansion of its ground operations. meanwhu.