continue their battle in gaza. officials vowing to advance anywhere hamas is found, with increasing indications that could mean idf forces expanding ground operations into southern gaza. meanwhile, the humanitarian crisis is growing across the f at al shifa hospital, one official says six doctors remain to care for the remaining 120 patients too vulnerable to move. the palestinian authority's ministry of health says only nine of gaza's 35 hospitals are still operating. fuel tankers and other aid entering gaza through the rafah border crossing today, the israeli war cabinet agreeing to allow two fuel trucks to enter daily. the u.n. says the limited supply is far from enough to meet gaza's urgent needs. let's go now to cnn's jeremy diamond, live for us at that hostage rally in tel aviv. it actually just ended, but, jeremy, what have people been telling you? >> reporter: well, tonight, fredricka, tens of thousands of sq israelis gathering here in tel aviv, as well as jerusalem, to demand not only the release of hostages, put to put pressure on the government in order for them to reach a deal to secure the release of hostages. we know the israeli government has been negotiating with hamas via the qatari government with the assistance of the united states. there appears to be a deal on the table being negotiated that could see dozens of women and children we leased in exchange for a multi-day pause in fighting. it is unclear if the israeli government will take the deal. tonight the israeli with demanding with chance of now, now, now, for the hostages to be released. i spoke with the cousin of one of those hostages tonight. this woman had been taken hostage with her husband and daughter, but she sacrificed herself when there was a moment of opportunity to get away. her husband and daughter were able to get away, but she has been held hostage in gaza for more than 42 days. her cousin tells me she's anxious and frustrated. >> of course i'm frustrated. again, i don't know if i can blame anyone, i don't know what's going on behind the scenes. this is a terrorist organization. i'm not whatever, i wouldn't know how to do this kind of negotiation. but i do know on a very basic level that my cousin, an innocent woman, was taken to her home over 40 days ago, and she's still not home. so for me, yeah, of course i'm frustrated. i want to see them home. now, our ability to wait is nonexistent. >> reporter: and she also told me that she has to believe that the israeli government will reach a deal for these hostages. she hopes that her faith in them is not misplaced. but those families of hostages will have an opportunity on monday now to meet with the israeli prime minister and his cabinet directly. the news of that coming tonight, after tens of thousands of people rallied in jerusalem and tel aviv. there's some uncertainty on whether the israeli government will agree to a deal to free the hostages. >> jeremy diamond in tel aviv, thank you. let's get more on today's developments in gaza. joining me right now is former cia operative. good to see you. in your view does it seem inevitable that israel will move it's offensive into south gaza, and if so, how do they avoid massive civilian casualties? >> well, fred, i think they are going to go into the south, with very good reason. they haven't caught the leadership. the military leadership or the political leadership. they haven't found the hostages. their intelligence is, frankly, they're blind, what's going on in gaza. and benjamin netanyahu is determined to release the hostages and get rid of hamas. to do that, he has to go all the way south. the problem is, there's no return address for hamas. there's no command centers. i don't care what anybody says. they move around. there's no way to find them until you take all of gaza, and so i think that's what the israelis are forced to do. fred, we have to be honest. they don't enjoy knocking these apartment buildings down. it's just they don't know how to get rid of hamas unless they reoccupy gaza. >> it's interesting to hear, because part of the idf's defense about taking out particular structures is that they are doing precision strikes, which would mean say they know where some of the operatives are. but now it sounds like you're saying that there have not been enough indicators that their strategy is working, and that moving further south means they're still looking for these operatives. they don't know where they are, and essentially they're just targeting all of these structures in hopes of tabking out an operative here or there? >> well, what they're depending on is intercepts. occasionally they'll go on push-to-talk radios, cell phones, and they'll go after those cell phones. but the problem is, hamas knows how the israelis fight and they've been preparing for this for 20 years, almost, this kind of war, street by street. and we've seen there was no command center. if there had been, the israelis would have shown us pictures of it. that addresses the question, do they need command centers? it's a guerrilla group. >> in fact, do you feel the pressure is mounting on the idf to reveal more evidence of its directive on its strategy, that it's not enough to just say, we believe, you know, this was a node, we believe this is activity, there was hamas arsenal and we took this out. that it's time to reveal more evidence of what their sfintel . i don't think they have the evidence. they're losing the public relations war around the world day by day. if they could produce, actually capture hamas leadership or kill them, they would do it. if there had been a command center under al shifa hospital, i think we would have seen pictures by now. i could be wrong, but it's been two or three days and we've seen no evidence of a command center there. >> so then what does this do for the argument of so many globally who have said war crimes are at issue here, if there isn't evidence that's going to be provided at this juncture, then when do you believe the tide will turn where there will be, i guess, a greater mounting accusations of war crimes that israel is carrying out by not producing evidence of their strikes? >> well, israel is in the same bind we were in falujah. you inevitably kill civilians, there's no choice. there's no way to pick out the leadership. you can call it war crimes if you like, but at the end of the day, the israelis are going to have to flatten gaza to kill hamas. it's a move, they were democratically elected and there's no indication the palestinians are moving away from it at this point. it's really a horrible situation with no easy out. >> you said it. thank you so much. all right, too dangerous to stay, and only 30 minutes to leave. cnn has the story of one family and their desperate escape from gaza. a warning, some of the images and content we're about to show you are very graphic. >> reporter: gaza city, this 2-year-old distracted through his family's most difficult night of the war so far. at day break, the israeli military calls with an order, you have 30 minutes to get out. it was 9:30 a.m. on november the 10th, with makeshift white flags, they say the military told them to hold up, they prepared to move. with the little they can carry, they head out and into the unknown. some too frail to walk. this journalist is filming the forced evacuation of his family, along with more than 30 of their neighbors. his phone in his right hand, and in the other his son. he speaks french with his son, looking for his wife ahead. while waiting for other elderly neighbors struggling to catch up. that constant buzz you hear is israeli drones overhead. it's been the soundtrack of gaza for years. as they get to the other side of the street, he spots his neighbor. something is not right. >> ahmad was shot in the head. he didn't make it. and around the corner, two others, a man and a woman, also shot. it's uncertain who opened fire on the group. cnn geolocated these videos and traced this deadly journey out of central gaza city. we provided the israeli military with details of this incident and these coordinates, but they did not respond to our request for comment. we reached rami, now in the south. they were on their own. they got to the hospital, but so did the war. witness to it all, his 2-year-old. >> translator: i kept trying to make sure he's not scared and make him feel like what he's seeing around us is a circus or amusement mark. i don't know if i succeeded. the journey of humiliation where you take a donkey here and a horse there, i was trying to make that entertaining for him. >> reporter: i ask rami why he decided to film. >> translator: i just want this to get to the world so they know the injustice we're facing. they cast doubt on everything we do. they're stronger in every way, not just militarily, but with the information that comes out, the narrative that comes out, the news that comes out. what they say is the truth and our words are lies. please, just deliver our message. i don't want anything else. i don't want all those who have been killed to have died in vain. >> reporter: rami doesn't know what they'll do now, but says he will only leave his homeland forced at gunpoint or dead. cnn, london. >> thank you so much. israel says it has tried to call people in gaza where military operations are under way to minimize civilian casualties, but there has been worldwide criticism on the number of deaths in gaza. the hamas government press office now puts the death toll in gaza at more than 12,000, including about 5,000 children. still ahead, new york mayor eric adams is setting up a legal defense fund in the wake of the public corruption investigation into his 2021 campaign. we'll talk about what that means next. we're learning new details about a sweeping criminal investigation involving new york city mayor eric adams. a source tells cnn fbi agents searched the homes of another ad adams aide and the home of a former turkish official. they're trying to determine whether the turkish government benefitted from donations to his mayoral campaign. paulo sandoval is joining us now with more. what can you tell us about these new developments? >> reporter: fred, in the face of this sweeping investigation, mayor adams and his campaign setting up a fund that would essentially assist them in paying any mounting legal fees in the face of this whole investigation. in fact, i can read you an excerpt of an affidavit that the mayor himself signed, basically agreeing to certain regulations that would be in place as he moves forward with this fundraising, per that affidavit the adams legal defense trust is, quote, necessitated by and intended to defray legal expenses in connection with inquiries by the office of the u.s. attorney for southern district of new york related to the operations of the adams 2021 mayoral campaign committee. to be clear, city employees are allowed to set up these kinds of funds to assist them with any legal bills. however, they have to adhere to very strict parameters. you may be able to see some of those on the screen. i'll break down some for you, including some donations. individual donations, they cannot exceed $5,000, the expenses for those legal fees, they have to be disclosed, adams cannot solicit any form of donation from any subordinates or anybody that has business with the city. also, they cannot accept any donations from any corporations that are in business with the city. so those regulations are going to basically dictate who can donate to the mayor's fees and exactly how much. in the meantime, the mayor insists he has still not been accused of any wrongdoing and they continue to cooperate with the federal investigation. and this comes just days after we have learned that two additional people with direct ties to the adams campaign have had their homes searched by federal authorities, including a second aide to adams and an official with turkish airlines. all of this part of a massive investigation basically looking into the possibility that the 2021 campaign of the mayor received funds from the turkish government, essentially through straw contributors. >> paulo sandoval in new york, thank you so much. still ahead t border crisis from the perspective of san diego county residents who are seeing a constant extreme of migrants crossing the southern border onto their properties. what they're saying after a quick break. in order for small businesses to thrive, they need to be smart, efficient, savvy. making the most of every opportunity. that's why comcast business is introducing the small business bonus. for a limited time you can get up to a $1000 prepaid card with qualifying internet. yep, $1000. so switch to business internet from the company with the largest fastest reliable network and that powers more businesses than anyone else. learn how you can get $1000 back for your business today. comcast business. powering possibilities. president biden and mexico's president are vowing to work together to address the historic levels of migration along the border. mexico's leader praised biden for his immigration policy, but many american land owners along the southern border feel differently. they tell cnn their lives are complicated by the influx of migrants crossing onto their properties. david culver went to southern california to investigate. >> that's where it ends. >> behind this. >> reporter: where the border wall ends -- >> this is where they walk through. >> that's mexico? >> that's mexico right there. >> reporter: it's where the nightmare begins for jerry schuster. >> they walk alongside of the fence and they're in america. >> reporter: many of the migrants then set up camp here in san diego county, in schuster's back yard, we find trash, tents and fires fueled by schuster's trees. >> they chop them up and put them on the fire. >> reporter: we find other land owners equally frustrated. five miles west of schuster's property, we plan to meet brian s silvas, but before he gets there -- >> a pretty simple cross into the u.s. it's not that hard. they just step in and they're here. the group hurries on as silvas arrives. >> this is pretty much the edge. >> what do you want on your property? >> not my property, the united states. i don't want them to come in illegally. >> why do they got to come here? why don't we post border patrol right here? just say nope, you guys ain't coming in. >> but that doesn't happen. >> you've seen over there what's going on. >> reporter: over there is less than half a mile away. we find customs and border protection agents leading small groups of migrants to vans, and medical volunteers doing what they can. >> we did see some covid in one of the other areas we stopped. >> i hear coughs. >> everybody. >> i was not aware there was this many people out here until this morning. >> helping to feed them, sam schultz. he's turned this nearby youth center into his makeshift kitchen. >> i cannot abide as a christian to see people hungry and thirsty. now, i can understand why people are angry about these people coming across, because it is a very strange and unusual and technically and completely illegal. >> reporter: that doesn't stop schultz from helping. we follow him to his next stop and find a crowd so big that border patrol needs buses. for years migrants who crossed legally would run from law enforcement, terrified to be caught. here we watched them run to them, eager to be processed, knowing they'll be released in a few days to await court days that could be years away. it all seems so orderly. they're given a tag for their carry-on, line up to show their documents, which are scanned using an app. the men handcuffed to each other before boarding. after what can be several days in cbp custody, the migrants are bussed north into san diego. each day, several hundred are released at this makeshift logistics hub funded by san diego county. it's here nonprofits help coordinate travel to other cities. >> but now our san diego county tax dollars that should be going to issue we have in san diego county, are going to migrant and immigration issues, which should be managed and handled by the federal government. >> an official tells me she work to ensure releases are done in a secure location and give the migrants essential support. the strain on local resources one of many challenges. as i find out, communication is another. spanish and english no longer enough. >> kazakhstan, turkey, wow. uzbekistan, china. >> the government should do something to stop this illegal immigration, to stop it. because they're not helping us. they're destroying us. >> schuster and his wife say they support lawful immigration. >> you're from where originally? >> yugoslavia. >> i'm from mexico. >> title 42, a public health measure invoked during the pandemic, used to allow authorities to turn away migrants at the border. but that expired in may and the schusters tell me in the last six months the surge of migrants onto their property has become unbearable. >> you're not allowed to tell them to get off? >> i cannot move them. >> who told you that? >> the border patrol and sheriffs. >> reporter: a senior cbp official tells me that stopping people from entering private property or arresting people fortress passing, that's a local law enforcement responsibility. so i asked the san diego county sheriff's department about that, and they told me the migrants would likely just be cited and released a short distance away, and this would scatter asylum seekers and further complicate cbp's response efforts. >> the border patrol agents, i know they didn't sign up to be uber, because that's all they are right now is uber. >> i understand, hey, this country was built on immigration. i'm fine with that. but not like this. this is ridiculous. >> reporter: he suggested we stay through the night and see for ourselves, so we do. we captured this from a camera we set up on another part of silvas' property. look at this massive group crossing and see the headlights on the mexican side. likely a smuggle who dropped them off. when the sun comes up, we find schuster already awake, looking onto his yard as another bus is being loaded up. >> when you look at that, what goes through your mind? >> i think this needs to stop. it's not good for our country. this needs to really stop. >> reporter: david culver, cnn, san diego, california. we'll be right back. with thanksgiving quickly approaching, one of the biggest meal giveaways is under way right now in atlanta for a charity that has been feeding metro residents for decades, they're holding a drive-thru turkey give away. rafael romo is there. what's the turnout been like? >> reporter: it's been incredible, fred. let me tell you, we started promptly at 11:00 this morning. the line, you can still see it. it's still solid. they have already distributed enough food for 800 families. they just brought some more here, more hams, i see a couple of turkeys there. and they told us that when you think about the need, this is something that they wanted to do, because in spite of the fact that the economy is doing better, the need from the families that depend on this kind of effort is great. there was this truck that was full of turkeys earlier today. only a few left. these wonderful volunteers have also been distributing other staples for thanksgiving, things like rice, green beans, cranberry, a lot of things that people would need for that kind of a meal. the organizers here describe this as enough food to have a modest thanksgiving dinner. and let me tell you, this is not only about supplying the needs for a family for a single day this year. this is more about helping families that are in need because they lost their jobs, they're recovering from the pandemic, and facing other situations. let's take a listen to what the president told us earlier today. >> the food is just the portal into the family. that's just the way we get them in the building. then they meet with our case managers and we find out domestic violence is in this family, there's death, there's medical needs, there's children that are absent from school, et cetera. >> we're making a big difference. we'll have a happy thanksgiving and don't have to worry about where we're going to get the meal from. >> i was thinking about not even cooking on thanksgiving, but now i have an opportunity to do so, and i'm so grateful. >> reporter: that's what we've been hearing, a deep sense of gratitude. even if the economy is doing a little better than last year, for many families it's still very hard to make ends meet. just to give you an idea, yes, food prices have gone down a little bit, let me tell you, for example, that a 16-pound turkey is $27.35 right now. that's a little less than 6% down as compared to last year. a thanksgiving meal is $61, which is 4.5% less than last year. but listen to this, 25% higher than in 2019. how long will this line go on? they went to get even more food to be able to help more people, but the reality is that these people lined up for hours and everybody is eager to get some sort of help. but let me tell you this to finish, fred, i have been hearing happy thanksgiving here so often that i feel like it's the holidays already. >> oh, it is, indeed. i can feel the joy coming through the television screen. people are very grateful, and it goes both ways, right? really grateful to receive, and you can tell those who are giving also feel so very good. rafael romo, thank you so much. so buckle up. it is going to be a very busy week for travelers across the u.s., according to aaa. more than 55 million americans will travel 50 miles or more for thanksgiving, making it the third busiest since aaa began tracking holiday travel. here to help us navigate what this means for you, senior vice president for travel for aaa, paula twindale. great to see you. >> pleasure to be here. thank you. >> well, everyone expects that traveling, getting around, is going to be tough. does it seem like, however, it is busier this year, whether you are on the road or, you know, hitting the railways, or even airways? >> absolutely. 55 million is not an insignificant number, and it's 2.5% higher than last year, third highest volume, as you did say. most of those people are going to be driving. 49 million of them are going to be driving and taking to the roads. with gas prices averaging about $3.36 a gallon, 50 cents lower than last year, it makes it more affordable. so a lot of people are on the road. the other 4.7 million in the air. that's over 6.5% higher than last year, and the highest we've seen since 2005, and surpassing pre-pandemic numbers. so it's going to be busy. >> my goodness. if you are not driving, and instead you're driving to the airport because you're going to be flying, what kind of advice might you have for people? because invariably the lines for tsa are going to be very long. i know some airports have tried to pledge that it's going to be within a certain timeframe. what's your advice to people who will be heading to the airport? >> let's keep in mind and put in perspective, most of the people are going to be traveling, the most concentrated number will be tuesday and wednesday and those are still workdays for some people. you're mixing with commuters and trying to get to an airport, so all of that is going to mean high traffic. so we need to leave early, and hopefully you're planning to make that reservation for parking your vehicle at the airport in advance, because parking spaces will fill up, even the remote off-airport parking. so leave early. i think they'll be enough tsa and employees at the airport, but there will be lines and you've got to anticipate that and leave earlier than normal. >> these busy days, tuesday and wednesday you say are really kind of peak in getting there in time for turkey day. i guess the advantage has been for the outbound traffic, they've been able to sprinkle it through the weekdays, as you mentioned. then coming home, almost everybody wants to come home on sunday. how do you brace yourselves? >> well, saturday and sunday are going to be busy days. certainly if you're driving between 3:00 and 5:00, that's going to be a busy time. that's going to be the worst time to be traveling. best to go before noontime. so if you can go early in the morning or later in the evening. listen, people are going to pepper in their return times monday and even tuesday. tuesday is the best time to come back, if you can afford to take some time off. with people working hybrid schedules, i think there's more flexibility in leaving earlier or perhaps extending your trip and coming back a little later as well. >> oh, my goodness. well, happy thanksgiving to you. what are your plans going to be? will you be hitting the road, railways, highways or airways? >> i did a little of both. i drove 200 miles to be home with my family. i'm here on the weekend, and i will spend time with my loving family. i'm going to make sure we take those precautions. one thing we always want to tell people, if you're on the roads, have patience, slow down and move over for those first responders to keep everyone safe on the roads. but happy thanksgiving to you, too. this is a family and friends holiday, and enjoy. >> thank you so much. and be courteous out there, people. be courteous when you're on the roadway or stuck in line at the airport, all that. it all goes a long way. paula twindale, thank you so much. happy holidays. >> thank you. coming up next, town halls and tailgates. republican presidential candidates are in iowa this weekend. we'll bring you the latest live from the hawkeye state. former president trump is in iowa today, his visit to the hawkeye state comes just eight weeks before the iowa republican caucuses are held. trump and several other jop presidential candidates are hitting the state hard to court voters. alaina is joining us from ft. dodge. yesterday a colorado judge ruled trump can remain on the state's 2024 presidential primary ballot, even though the judge says trump engaged in an insurrection january 6th. do we expect that trump will talk about that today? >> reporter: we do, fred. we actually got a copy of donald trump's prepared remarks for this speech in iowa, and he is going to bring it up. he's supposed to bring it up at the top of his speech. he's going to applaud the ruling and say, quote, their campaign won a gigantic court victory in colorado where we demolished and defeated their outrageous attempt to disenfranchise millions of voters by getting us thrown off the ballot. this was a big victory for them. many people, i spoke with some of his advisers, as did kristen holmes, and they told us they weren't sure how that decision would ultimately be handed down. i know his team and the former president himself were very happy when they saw that the judge ultimately ruled in his favor to keep him on the ballot. also, though, just top of mind for donald trump in iowa today, is that the iowa caucuses are so close. he's really been aggressively hitting the state in recent weeks to try and continue to build momentum here. his campaign really does believe that if he can do well in iowa, that momentum will carry him through the rest of the primary states. but as you mentioned, fred, the other candidates are also relentle relentlessly hitting the ground. much of them gathered last night in des moines for an event, thanksgiving forum, they called it, with evangelical christians, and donald trump actually wasn't there. he was invited, but he ultimately chose to skip it because of that, we did hear some of the candidates take shots at him. ron desantis in particular calling him a high risk, low reward candidate. i think you can expect donald trump to take some shots back at the florida governor today as well, fred. >> yes, the fireworks will ensue. thank you so much. all right. there was both success and failure for spacex star ship this morning. the rocket took off as intending making it roughly eight minutes into flight before spacex confirmed they had to explode the spacecraft as it flew over the ocean. we'll explain why. c'mon, we're right there. c'mon baby. it's the only we need. go, go, go, go! ah! touchdown baby! -touchdown! are your neighbors watching the same game? yeah, my 5g home internet delays the game a bit. but you get used to it. try these. they're noise cancelling earmuffs. i stole them from an airport. it's always something with you, man. great! solid! -greek salad? exactly! don't delay the game with verizon or t-mobile 5g home internet. catch it on the xfinity 10g network. the most powerful rocket ever built, spacex's star ship exploding right there this morning and it was lost over the gulf of mexico during its second test launch. but it's not all bad news. scientists say this time, the rocket hit new milestones, traveling much further than its first launch attempt in april. kristen fisher joining us from south padre island, texas. why are scientists so optimistic here? >> well, the star ship rocket made it all the way up to the very edge of space. it traveled more than 90 miles up from the surface of the earth, well above the carmenline, the international demarcation line for when it becomes outer space. so it traveled much farther than the first test flight back in april. it also successfully separated from the top stage and then the bottom booster. that was a success. all 33 raptor engines successfully fired and worked in coordination with one another. finally, the launch pad actually survived this time when it was totally destroyed during the first launch attempt. those are the you success ts su ultimately, it did fail. because the ultimate goal of this mission was to for the spacecraft to splash down in this pacific ocean after completing almost a near full lap of the earth. spacex calling it a success, but the faa has launched a mishap investigation to figure out all the little things that went wrong before they can give them the green light to try again. >> had elon musk said anything? >> he has. this is, starship is elon musk's baby. after all the projects he does, this perhaps may be the one that he cares about the most. he was in mission control for this launch. he's described it as a magnificent rocket. the reason i described it as his baby is because this is the rocket he hopes to colonize mars with. it can carry up to 100 people so this is the rocket that would be used to achieve his company, to make humanity. first, nasa needs the starship spacecraft to land nasa astronauts on the moon. it is a center piece of nasa's artemis program and if they don't figure out how to get this thing flying reliably, bill nelson has said he's really worried that china could beat u. u.s. astronauts back to the moon but for now, saying that the flight marks tremendous progress. >> in addition to trying to get it off the ground safely, what would be the next thing for that program? >> well, so, first, they have to get it almost to orbit. it needs to make almost a full lap of planet earth. then they need to prove that they can refuel this thing in orbit, which is unbelievably difficult. never been done before. then they have to land it on the surface of the moon, fred, before you can put astronauts on board. >> a lot of steps there. but crucial and important. >> there are. >> thank you so much. let's take a look at some of our other headlines today. sean diddy combs and his former girlfriend have reached a settlement after she accused the music mogul of rape and physical abuse. she claims she was lured into a quote, fast paced and drug fueled lifestyle after she was signed to his record label, bad boy. in a statement obtained by cnn, combs says quote, we have decided to resolve this matter am. rosalynn carter is now in hospice care at her home in plains, georgia. she was diagnosed with dementia in may. this statement was released saying quote, jimmy carter and his wife of 77 years are spending time with each other and their family, end quote. the former president also began hospice care in february after a series of short hospital stays. he is 99 years old. thank so you so much for jog