Transcripts For MSNBCW Katy 20240703

Hamas, in terms of this particular gruesome attack on october 7th, we dont currently have that information. We will continue to look for it and if we find it, we will share it with you. Thank you. Looking back at the last few days, how did israel miss this attack coming . Thats a question for you to ask the Israeli Government. Obviously, the Israeli Government has placed a high premium on its Intelligence Capacity as it relates to hamas, to the west bank, to hezbollah. And why it is that they did not have warning from this is not a question i can answer from this podium. What about u. S. Intelligence . Is there anything that crosses your desk that would indicate this . We did not see anything that suggested an attack of this type was going to unfold any more than the israelis did. And your meeting within the situation room today, at some point undoubtedly the president has seen the images of the dead israelis. What has been his reaction when shown those . Youve seen him now twice. Youve heard his voice. And this has been a deeply emotional time for all of us. As im sure it is for many people in this room who know people or know people who know people who were killed or missing. And all of us have developed Close Relationships with our israeli counterparts. President biden has a decades long relationship with Prime Minister netanyahu and he can hear the pain in Benjamin Netanyahus voice. I hear the pain in my counterparts when i talk to them. This is not just about policy or strategy. This is personal for us and it is personal with the American People with their bonds with the israeli people. So President Biden has seen and felt the deep emotional resonance of this. He also has the conviction as president that he has the clarity of mind and purpose to take the actions necessary so that we are standing with israel in its hour of need so we are working to deter a widening of its conflict so we are getting israel the tools that it requires to defend itself. Thank you, jake. Can you lay out all the ways iran facilitated this over years of support for hamas . Is that reason enough to freeze, refreeze the 6 billion that the u. S. Helped unlock for them to get in exchange for prisoners . We have not yet had a dollar of that 6 billion spent and i will leave it at that. Will you refreeze it based on this activity that you just laid out all the ways that they are complicit in this . The administration that that if we see them going in the wrong direction, that we would stop that down. I understand the position that you have, that not a dollar has been spent. Will you prevent it from getting into their hands to do what they do that you just laid out . Let me reiterate what i said. Not a dollar of the money has been spent and i will leave it at that. Is it being considered . Yes. Will the u. S. Support israels military attacks in gaza for as long as it takes until the hostages are freed . Or until hamas is destroyed . I guess in simple terms, how much retaliation in gaza is the u. S. Willing to accept . I dont think of this in terms of retaliation. This is about providing support to israel as it seeks to defend its territory and deal with an ongoing imminent threat from Hamas Terrorists who, as i said before, are acting a heck of a lot like isis terrorists in their barbarity and cruelty. That requires going after hamas terrorist targets in gaza. Even as we speak, even as i stand here, there could be rockets flying out of gaza going after those sites. Thats not retaliation. Thats israel stepping up to defend itself and ensure the safety and security of the israeli people. And well support them for as long as they need to ensure that israel is safe and secure. I cant put a timetable on that. So to be clear, is the destruction of hamas the guarantee that hamas cannot launch attacks from there, the confirmation that all americans and israelis have been secured safely from there, what, where do you draw the line . Where is the red line of what you need to accomplish . Im not standing up whoer to draw red lines. Im standing up here to say in its hour of need, as israel embarks on an operation to try to protect its country, protect the jewish state of israel, and to go after the threats that it faces, and also, working closely with them hand in hand to try to secure the release and recovery of american and other hostages, we will do all of that. Im not here to draw red lines or issue warnings or give lectures to anybody. Im here to say that the president has given us direction to take a series of actions. We are undertaking those actions and we will continue to do so in the weeks ahead. Lastly, we heard from the families of americans who are unaccounted for. They spoke in israel today. You said the president hasnt spoken to them directly. What is the president s message to those people who say it is the responsibility of the president of the United States to make sure their loved ones come home safely. The president said in his remarks today, as president of the United States, he has no higher priority than the safety and wellbeing of the hostages overseas. He has proven in country after country his willingness to go further than any other president has gone before to secure the release and bring those people home. He will try to do that in this case as well. Thats a high priority for him. Along with a deep sense of understanding of the grief and hurt and pain and anguish they are feeling right now as they wait to hear news of their loved ones. The president has remarked today, seeking assistance for partners. Does that suggest that youve decided strategically to ask congress for a package that is both ukraine aid as well as aid for israel . And the chairman suggested even putting border money into that. Can you give a State Of Play about how youre thinking about this . So im not going to get ahead of the president s request and im not going to take the place of the omb director who will present the request that we put up. Tell president was clear that we will be making a request to the congress and it will include a request for funding for support to israel, and he has also been equally clear we will renew our request to the congress for aid to ukraine. What exactly form that all takes, that will be worked out and presented by others, not by me. The notion that were going up and ask for israel aid and ukraine aid. Thats unequivocal. The iron dome and ammunition, were there any other requests made by Prime Minister netanyahu today that we can expect to be part of that package . As i mention in the my opening comments, he did make specific requests with respect to certain capabilities. I wont get into the details from this podium but and he the president discussed that. I spoke to them about those requests. Secretary austin is following up on that. And as i said in my opening comments, you can expect to see american planes flying into israel to deliver military capabilities to support israel. Just a followup on iron dome. How effective has it been in deterring the attacks . I know you mentioned this in terms of intersectors. Has israel asked for on it an ongoing basis in light of the situation . You asked how effective it has been in deterring. I cant say that it has deterred because a huge number of rockets have fired. But it has been effective as it typically is in taking a lot of the rockets out of the sky and saving countless lives by doing it. Some rockets have gotten through to tragic cost. And that has been the pattern we have seen in previous conflicts as well. Now, israel will have an ongoing need for interceptors. Because an air Defense System is only as good as your ability to put interceptors in that can take out the rockets coming to kill civilians and rain down terror on cities. We are committed to making sure we are working with israel to produce and supply the requisite number of Iron Dome Interceptors so they can keep the systems going on an indefinite basis Going Forward. We cannot say how long this will be going on. Thank you. The support in military, this horrific and heinous act against israeli civilians, how can you make sure that israel was after hamas and the infrastructure in gaza, not the 2 million palestinians who are trapped with no electricity, no medical supplies. The number of dead is reaching 850 so far including six members of one family of the former ambassador to washington. How can you make sure that this is not revenge but actually going after hamas who committed this horrible crime . As the president said today, the difference between countries like the United States and israel is that we do not deliberately target civilians. We are strongest when we are committed to the rule of law and we work to make sure that all Military Operations are conducted consistent with the rule of law and the law of war. That is something that President Biden and Prime Minister netanyahu have discussed. Not just in this context but others as well. That is something the United States has always stood for and always will continue to stand for. Sorry. Can you confirm that the intelligence has that some attack will happen . I cannot confirm that. He tweeted on saturday telling them to leave now because we will operate forcefully everywhere. Where is the idea that the people in gaza will go . This is something also that we have been discussing with our counterparts in israel and with our counterparts in egypt. Without getting into the specifics of safe package for civilians, it is something the u. S. Power is seized with how we do it operationally. The details are something that are being discussed among the operational agencies and i dont want to share too much about it publicly at this time. Imminently . Ill leave it at the fact that we are focused on this question. There are consultations ongoing and ill share more when i have an update for you. Following up on what the president said about talking to the israeli Prime Minister about democracy and the laws of war. Was that a warning to the Prime Minister and why did the president feel that was necessary to bring it up today . It was not a warning. The call today was not President Biden warning Prime Minister netanyahu about anything. It was two leaders talking to one another. One who is leading a nation that has suffered an unfathomable attack and another nation standing behind them foursquare in the defense of their country. And the conversation carried on in those terms. The two leaders spoke in a collaborative fashion as they always do. So no, i cannot accept the characterization of your question. I have two questions. First, something reports are saying, the ioc commander was in lebanon a few days ago and he left to syria. Also, you are saying that iran is an accomplice. Are you trying to downplay the iranian role . What are you waiting for to take an action . And my second question, what assessment do you have on other militias stand now, in iraq, [ inaudible ] is there a risk on the u. S. Troops in the region . Thank you. So on your first question, i laid out our view which is the broad complicity based on the longstanding support that hamas is giving to iran. We dont have specific information that ties iran to this attack. At this time, we dont have the information. We may gain that information in the hours and days ahead. We dont presently have it. So thats in answer to your first question with respect to the intelligence with. Respect to the question of the various Militia Groups across the region west do believe they pose an urgent threat, and that it is certainly distinctly possible they choose to try to exploit or take advantage of the situation. And we have been sending clear warnings that doing so will result in a Firm Response and consequences from the United States. And that goes across the board and we have been clear in sending a message of deterrence through the movement of the Carrier Strike group in the Eastern Mediterranean as well as through the assurance that we will sustain f16s, f35s, to deal with any contingency the United States might have to deal with in the days ahead. It opposes the potential siege of gaza. What is the u. S. Position on that . Ive seen those reports. My understanding is that is not the concept of, the concept of siege is not something perceived by the Israeli Government. We are consulting with the Israeli Government about their reactions in this regard. Like i said before to a previous question, President Biden and Prime Minister netanyahu had the opportunity to talk through the difference between going full bore against Hamas Terrorists and how we distinguish between terrorists and innocent civilians. Thank you so much. Just zooming out, is the u. S. Worried that it will detract from the indopacific . Just going to senator schumers comments, he said he was disappointed by president xis soft response. Were not entirely surprised by the prcs response based on their history of commentary on these kinds of issues. We believe that the United States is capable of supporting ukraine in europe, in the indopacific and our close ally, israel, in its hour of need. And we believe we have the resources, tools and capacities to effectively do that. And part of our job is to ensure that we are working across all of these theaters at once and thats precisely what were doing each day. There have been some republican lawmakers who have argued the u. S. Cant support two wars. Can you address that and how youll make these requests to congress and make the case that the u. S. Needs to invest, maybe not with troops on the ground but military and economic aid for both israel and ukraine . Standing for ukraine so aggression does not prevail in europe, the amount of resources we need to put into that compared to the amount of resources we would have to put in if russia were to conquer ukraine and then potentially have its aggression continue across europe. It is so much more Cost Effective to take the action now as opposed to paying the huge price later. A price that might ultimately as it has in the past, require the actual deployment of american troops to combat. Better to support the ukrainians as they stand firm against russian aggression and do so on a sustained basis. And we have the Budget Wherewithaled the that. We have the Budget Wherewithal to be able to provide israel what it needs. And we firmly reject the notion that the United States of america cannot at once support the freedom of the people of ukraine and israel. Is the Administration Working with israel and egypt to try to ensure evacuations are possible . And then also, i know that you said in conversations with israeli leaders, you dont think that a complete siege is something they may be attempting to do in gaza. Is there any counsel of restraint . On the first question, in reference to a previous question,. About our consultations with the israelis and the egyptians about how to deal with the challenge of civilians who want to leave gaza. I wont get into the details of that, a specific crossing or so forth. Only to say thats something we are focused on and working on and i want to leave that with diplomatic channels, at left a for the moment. When we have more to offer on that, i will do so. We are having conversations with the israelis. Again at this podium, i wont go into details in terms of what precise messages were passing. It is important that we be able to talk to the israelis in the way that we always do as good friends, honest friends. We will continue to do that. Thanks. On the home front, over 150 people who are on the Terrorist Watch List have been seized along the southern border this year. Weve reported that there have been 1. 5 million gotaways since President Biden took office. Is this something the American People should be worried about . We continue to be vigilant about Terrorist Threats to the homeland from anywhere. It is something that we are very much working on that we are consulting with congress on, we are seeking to secure the necessary resources to continue to work through. Any time we see any threats involving the Terrorist Threats of the homeland, we mobilize every asset to go after that. That includes information and analysis that we have shared with the congress about plots emanating from the middle east. Plots emanating from other places. Well continue to do that. We will also continue to take steps to pursue a human age orderly border policy. And we will work with the congress in the weeks ahead to continue to have the resources we need to do that. I would point out in the last supplemental, we sought additional funding for the border which was not forthcoming in the package that went through. The Biden Administration has said to congress already, were looking for more resources to deal with the continuing challenges that we have at the border. The president a confirmed ambassador to israel at this point. What are you doing to get him confirmed given that he was nominated a month ago. It was sent to the senate in late september. What is the plan to get him on the ground . First, the senate is coming back into session next week. Second, when they do, well work with both democrats and republicans and particularly the leaders on both sides, and the chair and ranking members as soon as humans possible and then get him out to the region immediately there after. Is that the top priority when Congress Returns to get the aid that youre talking about . Well, its hard to answer top priority in the sense, our top priority when Congress Comes back will be the full spectrum of needs that israel has. Some of that is related to the support that were seeking from congress. And then, of course, having highlevel diplomatic representation will be critical as well. So we will move urgently on that the minute they come back. Im sorry. To clarify your answer. Just one question. Can you give us where things stand with the normalization deal . Is that on hold now . Is there any progress . Have you seen any progress with that . So we are right now focused on dealing with the immediate challenge that we are confronting, and that israel is confronting. So im not going to give a characterization on the State Of Play of normalization. Its not on but obviously, over the last four days, all of our attention with respect to our support for israel has been focused squarely on this conflict, on this heinous brutal attack, and on helping israel be able to defend itself. Well continue to try to do that. Can you clarify your answer . You and the president both prepared hamas to isis. What does that say about the u. S. Approach to hamas Going Forward . Well, we have labeled hamas a Terrorist Group for years, if not decades. And we have consistently supported israel in its efforts to fight back and undermine hamas and we will continue to do so. In the immediate term what it means is working with israel to ensure that they are able to go after that hamas threat in gaza effectively, relentlessly, and to the point where they feel their security and deterrence has been fully restored. Can i just ask you, mr. Sullivan, are you concerned at all that those who are here in the u. S. , the terrorists in the u. S. May be emboldened by what is happening now and to piggyback, we know there are people luringing here. Is there a concern that there may be a flareup . The president Put Out A Written Statement Yesterday with multiple elements to it. One of those elements was about the focus that we have right now by Protecting Americans here at home against anyone who would seek to exploit or piggyback on what has unfolded. The gruesome events. Part of that is protecting places of worship, synagogues, and ensuring we dont see a viral form of antisemitism sparked by what has just happened. And part of that is about ensuring any Terrorist Threat in the United States or to the United States, or to americans anywhere in the world, that we are at a heightened state of vigilance to deal with that. Thats something the president directed his team. Something he spoke to yesterday in that statement and something that he will be convening his National Security team this week because it remains a very high priority. Ill take the last question. Does the administration regret making the Prisoner Swap with iran in light of these attacks . The United States does not regret bringing home american citizens who have been unjustly detained abroad. As i said before, the president has no higher priority than to get americans home. Right now, we have americans who are being held hostage by hamas in gaza. Thats the high priority. Bringing those americans home from iran was a high priority. From afghanistan, from venezuela, from other places as well. And we stand by bringing those people home because that is the duty of the commander in chief. To get innocent americans out of captivity in places that we are being unjustly detained. [ Inaudible Question ] National Security adviser Jake Sullivan there making a bit of news. President biden confirmed that at least 14 americans have been killed. That number could go up. The security adviser, Jake Sullivan, said that 20 or more americans are currently missing. The administration does not know if that means they are hostages or if they were killed or if they just havent been able to get in contact with them. The Secretary Of State Antony Blinken will be heading to israel tomorrow. Also, in terms of iran, that was the focus of many questions. The United States still does not have direct evidence that iran was involved. They do still say they are looking. In terms of the iron dome and the way the United States is supporting israel, there are currently supportive stocks, assets in the country that the u. S. Was holding. They have transferred them to israel and theyll be flowing in additional Iron Dome Interceptors in the coming days. Thats along with all the other Military Muscle that theyve provided israel with, drug , including munitions and the military ships they have headed to israel. To be back with you. Heres where things stand. Youre looking at the gaza strip. It is just after 10 00 p. M. There. The exchange of rocket fire, although it looks quiet right now, has been almost nonstop today. Hamas keeping its promise to strike the israeli city of ashkelon earlier, warning residents to get out before 5 00 p. M. Local time. Then sending a barrage of rockets. The iron dome lighting up with interceptions as residents and journalists have repeatedly taken cover in bomb shelters. In fact, warning sirens have been going off throughout the country as people are sleeping in safe room and bomb shelters. An option not afforded to the millions stuck in gaza. On the border there, the israeli saerm massing, readying for a possible ground invasion. We stress possible. Prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowing to rout out hamas. What will he do about the estimate 150 hostages hamas says it has. And new reports cited by President Biden just now that the organization, which is deemed a Terrorist Group by the u. S. And most western nations, is murdering babies in stomachturning ways. There is also growing criticism ofetyahu himself from analysis a times of israel, quote, The Idea W To Prevent president Mahmoud Abbas and anyone else in the west Bank Government from advancing toward the establishment of th, amid this bid Toimpair Ab Hamas was upgraded fm a Mere Terror Group to a organization with which israel held indirect negotiations via egypt and one that was allow to receive Cash Infusions from abroad. Joining us now, former Prime Minister of israel, ehud barak. We do thank you for staying with us and waiting for that update from the National Security adviser here in the United States. Youve been in the position of power of israel before. What do you think, given all that we have seen, these horrible images. This unjustified terror full stop. What should israel do now . How far should the country go . Its the most severe blow that we got since the state was established. I was 6 years old at the time. And we will respond accordingly. Israel is a very defiant nation and we know how to unite in spite of our, we are a divided country right now. We will fight and basically we have to paralyze any possibility of hamas to Act In The Future in those ways. It was the type of attack of isis. But not the isis on the other side of the globe but isis here, a few hundred yards beyond the barrier. And we have to put an end to it. We will do whatever it takes to achieve it. Youre talking about routing out hamas. How exactly do you do that given how widespread and the network, the infrastructure is of hamas was in the gaza strip . And then after that, what do you do after youre able to rout out hamas if thats possible . Israelis are strong enough, but hamas joins hezbollah, trying [ inaudible ]. Israelis, is strong. No sense of threat to israel. Especially after this evening with the clear support of President Biden. Its not a question for me whether we will win. Its not the right timing to go into the details. Of course, there are many, many ways to do it. You can try to do it by the air, by certain ways, you can do it by taking over for certain periods, and all those possibilities are open. It has to do with the hostages. We have to think of how to do it. And we have to be ready for it. We are already mobilizing Hundreds Of Thousands of Reservist Soldiers who deployed already over the borders in the gaza strip. The details to develop according to many considerations. There is more than one way and we will not stop before it becomes clear that hamas suffers a blow that would be kind of put them in a totally different much worse Starting Point for any future plans to come back with terror of this nature. I want to get back to what happens next, but first on the hostages, if i may. Do you expect youll be able to get all of them back . Well, first of all, probably one quarter, not just israeli. Some of them only foreign passports. So i think hamas will find a way to get rid of those who are not israelis or holding other passports. They for sure will try to get the prisoners out, thousands of them held in israel. And i dont know that they are clever to discuss it. I assume the contacts will try to be creative through different kinds of negotiations. In the past, we thought we would coordinate with those nations, the citizens, in order to take the position into account. But i do not expect a formal negotiation to start before both sides feel that the two sides are close to striking an understanding and it is not, from our experience, it takes a long time. Let me ask you about what happens after if israel is able to rout out hamas. What happens next . You came into power four years after Yitzhak Rabin was assassinated. That was the closest israel got to a twostate solution under his watch. It fell apart. You were an advocate of a twostate solution. Benjamin netanyahu has not really been, not in recent years, and there is a reporting from the times that we cited at the top of the show saying that he has essentially propped up hamas to weaken the palestinian y, allowing cash infions through other countries, negotiati with hamas throughypt. We have it here in frontf. This is from the times of israel. What do they do . Does it create a palestinian state . Can that happen with a Prime Minister named Benjamin Netanyahu . It is a known policy of netanyahu and the present government, even in a more determined version. It is better to hold hamas Alive And Kicking in order to make sure that the Palestinian Authority is weakened and then no one can argue with us to make negotiation about it. At least with hamas, it is clear to anyone on earth that nothing, no kind of thing could be achieved. So it is a great mistake. The elected government and democracy, and now everyone understands, including Benjamin Netanyahu and im not sure about the very extreme right kind of messianic party. But the main stream, fully understanding, taking time to change it, to make sure that hamas is decimated. And the end type of it is that inevitably you raise Palestinian Authority to be treated more positively. Are they allowed to hold elections back in gaza . Secondly, what do you do about the Israeli Settlers in the west bank . You know, i think this issue is not that urgent, so to speak. It is the big elephant in the loom. Israel will have to deal with the issue of twostate solution for almost, kind of a compelling imperative to disengage palestinians. Because if only one state will be there named israel, it will become inevitable. I dont want to go into all the details of it. And it is about our future, our identity as a Jewish Democratic state to disengage palestinians. It is impractical now as long as hamas is in power. So i am confident it will happen at a certain point but right now we have to focus on Destroying Hamas and be trying to avoid a wider clash with hezbollah hezbollah. If it comes, well have to deal with beau of them. And it is very encouraging to hear just now President Biden, i happen to know him more than 40 years. I am a half year older than him. It was a great speech. Al great speech. Not just as an american leader, as the leader of the free world. Not just statesmanship and geo politics but once again, standing clear and on the right side of history. On the right side of humanity. And it is a very good signal to our neighbors, including the guys in iran, for sure the guys in lebanon. Former israeli Prime Minister ehud barak. Im so sorry for everything youve experienced in the last few days full stop. Thank you for having me. Joining me now from ashkelon, israel. What have you been experiencing there . Reporter well, katie, i want to update you on a little bit of breaking news. You watched in the last hour as President Biden emerged from that very, very long phone call with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of israel. The president visibly enraged as he described the atrocities. Just the last couple minutes, we got the readout from the israeli side of that phone call and it gives a little bit of an insight into why the president felt so strongly. The israeli Prime Minister told President Biden that what happened on saturday was barbarism that has not been seen since the holocaust. He talked about hundreds of people were slaughtered. And for the first time, an israeli official saying on the record that women were raped as part of this attack. It has been very widely reported but there is the first time officially it is being said by an israeli official. He talks about Israeli Soldiers being beheaded after they were killed by the hamas militants. And he continues these comparisons to the holocaust. We got a glimpse of some of what the Prime Minister was talking about earlier today. The Israeli Military took us to a kibbutz. It is about a half mile from the gaza border. It is one of those communities overrun in the early hours of saturday morning. We saw the breach in the fence from which these Hamas Terrorists pardon. And we saw nearly unbelievable scenes in what at another time would be sort of pleasant rural village. We went house by house and we saw blood everywhere. We saw some houses had been burned out completely with their inhabitants inside. This is a community that was 700 people. But it felt like every couple minutes, when we were there today, even four days after the attack, Israeli Forces seem to be finding new bodies inside of these houses. It is very possible of this community of 700 people, a very, very significant portion have lost their lives. Others may be held hostage inside of gaza. One of the most striking scenes we walked past the village kindergarten which somehow had been spared. The gunfire, wasnt full of bullet holes we saw on other buildings. But when you turned and you were facing the lawn of this kindergarten, there were bodies of these hamas fighters rotting in the sun. Lying there with rigor mortis. Just an unspeakable scene. The sense we have from the Israeli Military, from the reporting weve done, from images coming out, that scene has been played over and over again at these different kibbutzim. At the Music Festival where it appears 260 people have died. So if President Biden was briefed on even a fraction of what we saw today, you get a sense why the president of the United States was so emotional when he spoke at the white house earlier. And raf, it is remarkable that youre able to talk about it so calmly, given what you saw today. I dont think i could have taken it. Raf sanchez, thank you very much for staying up with us tonight. We appreciate it. Joining us from tel aviv, israel, kelly cobiella. Reporter were in a northern suburb of tel aviv. Today we talked to some of the families of people who are still missing. We met with the parents of sisters. 22 years old, 25 years old, they were both born in l. A. Theyve lived here the last 14 years. Their parents say that they are the light in the room when they walk into the room. They went to that Music Festival, the negev desert. They were there with a boyfriend, and with a big group of friends when all of this happened on saturday morning. Their father told me that he tried to text them. He told them, where are you . Im coming to get you. And then the texts stopped. They dont know where their daughters are. At the dont know if they were killed or were captured. Theyve handed over dna samples and are just waiting for a phone call to find out more. And this is the kind of thing that is playing out for lots of families here. They simply dont know the fate of their loved ones. There are so many victims, so many people to be identified. Just taking time to notify, to get the confirmation, and then to notify families. One of the girls friends did survive. We spoke to her tonight. She said that they had all run into a shelter because there were rockets falling. They thought it was simply rockets and then they heard the gunfire. When they heard the gunfire, there was a crush in this shelter. Their friend was pushed and almost trampled, crushed under other bodies. She said she was trapped there while she could hear grenades, gunfire, and then, it lasted for hours, she said she was under all these bodies until they were finally rescued by either the military or police. Wasnt clear. But you know, she talked about her friends. She talked about what a light and smiling wonderful people they are. And the family is still hopeful that theyll be found somewhere. That perhaps theyre hiding somewhere. Or maybe, you know, the least worst option that theyre held captive somewhere in gaza. These are the kinds of things people are going through here. The Israeli Military said that theyve managed to identify 50 of the people who are being held in gaza and theyre going through the process of notifying families, trying to identify the rest of some, possibly as many as 150 people being held. But again, its a slow process. It is taking an credible amount of time. For the families waiting, theyre in absolute agony. Kelly, thank you for that. I appreciate it. Coming up, ago when can congress do with the Senate Recess in the house without a speaker . Chairman of the Senate Intelligence xee mark warner joins us with the special coverage of the israelhamas war continues. Of the israelhamas r continues. And well come to you with a replacement you can trust. Man looks great. Tech thats service on your time. Schedule now. Singers safelite repair, safelite replace. [bones cracking] tense music one aleve works all day so i can keep working my magic. Just one aleve. 12 hours of uninterrupted pain relief. Aleve. Who do you take it for . U. S. And israeli officials still say there is no direct evidence that iran had a hand in the attacks. This morning, they denied involvement. In an address on Iranian State tv, he celebrated hamas saying, quote, we kiss the hands of those who planned the attack on the zionist regime. Joining us now, nbc news Senior Editor for National Security. Again, so Jake Sullivan reiterated this. Weve heard from officials nonstop. Obviously, Iran Funds Hamas but they dont have direct evidence that they were involved in planning this attack. They say they are still looking. What are they looking for . Sort of a smoking gun and they wont find one, i think. The way iran works that they work with these militias and approximaties for years and years and years. The simple fact is this attack on israel never would have happened if it werent for years of weapons, training, and tactics from iran. They are responsible for this. But i dont think there was some message where iran signs off on this attack. I wonder if it has any bearing on the 6 billion that weve unfrozen. Ive asked jake kirby about it. The condition was that iran behave itself. Obviously, theyre still looking for a direct hand in this but iran has been Funding Hamas and this is a brutal assault on one of our closest allies. Why are they so hesitant to say that they would consider refreezing the 6 billion . I think they keep hoping for some sort of agreement. They knew it was being planned. This took months and months of planning and preparation. The iranians knew about it and at the same time they were working out this hostage agreement. So you know, i think that the administration should consider possibly refreezing this money again if they want to send a message. Antony blinken is going to israel tomorrow. The president has pledged full american support in terms of assets and anything else that we can provide. What is Antony Blinken going to be trying to do when hes there . Is there a red line that the administration might have for israel right now in its response . I dont think so. I think what hamas wants is very large number of palestinian civilian deaths and i think the Israeli Forces will be careful to avoid that. As careful as they can be high density population. This is a catastrophic failure of Israeli Intelligence and american intelligence. There is almost no worse place than hostages can be ten in gaza. Itbe nearly impossible to rescue them. Theyre probably all divided into small groups. If there is onessful rescue, they would start killing the other hostages. Theres very little the u. S. Can do. Hamas wants Palestinian Prisoners. The israelis control them. Several years ago, israel traded 1,000 Palestinian Prisoners to hamas for one israeli soldier. So they successfully held one israeli soldier for five years in gaza. This is a disastrous situation. The bad actor here is hamas but there is no quick or easy solution. An Israeli Humanitarian Organization said that israel has 4,000 security detainees. Do you have any sense that trading them might be on the table, or have all the old rules changed in light of just the sheer brutality . The president mentioned this. Were Hearing Reports of just unimaginable, we say isis level. It sounds even worse, of the carnage inside some of these kibbutzim and potentially whats happening inside gaza . Any intentional use of force against civilians is terrorism. Thats what happened in these houses. Thats what happened at the Music Festival. It is horrific. If there are clashes between members of hamas and the military, thats different. But these actions were terrorism. It is unprecedented. I dont see Hamas Budging very quickly. This is a huge victory for them. I think the operation went far better than they expected. I dont see them agreeing to quickly trade these hostages. Hold on a second. Lets bring in our correspondent. Hes reporting there live for us. What are they saying tonight . Reporter so irans Top Authority who makes all final d this country gave his first televised speech since the attacks, and he denied tehran was involved, but he did glorify the attacks. He did hail them as israels irreparable military defeat. He was wearing a palestinianstyle scarf showing solidarity with hamas. He went to say he kisses the hands of those who planned the attack. They dont call israel israel. They call it the zionist regime. He is calling the attack a destructive earthquake that has destroyed Critical Infrastructure in israel which cant be mended very easily. And he went on the warn the israelis. He said any attack on gaza would unleash, im quoting him, a much heavier torrent of anger. Now even though officials here have denied any involvement, tehran has openly and enthusiastically supported the attacks by hamas. Leading up to the attacks, katie, there was a flurry of senior officials visiting tehran, meeting top officials including khamenei himself. Ifooat the channels, there was a lot of cheer and pride going on over these attacks. Look, historically, idealogically, hamas and iran arent exactly on the same page. But what they do share is a common hatred for israel. Thats why iran backs hamas so much. Not so much because they like hamas, they want to be a thorn in israels side. As Secretary Blinken said, hamas wouldnt be hamas without iran. They provided them with tons of money, vast quantities of weaponry. You look at khameneis website. He is boasting about suleimani providing hamas with weapons, with Circumventing Blockades to get them what they need. And then they boast on their website that suleimani was instrumental in helping hamas fight israel from moving along from fighting them with rocks to fighting them with rockets. So they are completely behind hamas. Even though theyre saying that they werent behind any of the operations, any of the planning that took place. They are completely sponsors of hamas. They give them money. They give them weapons. And they support these attacks on them. They just dont want to go that far to say that they were involved in all of this. And even though the u. S. Has said that there is no smoking gun that iran was involved in these attacks, they have said over and over again that iran was certainly complicit in these. And you can see why, katy. Ali arouzi, thank you very much. One more on irans warning that if the israelis attack gaza, that there will be more consequences. Weve heard that from hezbollah as well. I wonder how seriously israel and the u. S. And our western allies should be taking that threat. I think the u. S. At least takes it very seriously. This Carrier Group that was sent there is a warning, a signal to iran to not activate hezbollah, do not attack northern israel or youll have a much larger conflict. And thats what we need to look for in the days ahead. Right now, and if its sort of focused on gaza, its far less turbulent. If this spreads to northern israel, which is exactly what hamas wants, and hezbollah wants, that will be a regional conflagration. David rohde, david, thank you very much. Ali arouzi, thank you as well. And as members of the House Intelligence Committee got a classified briefing on israel today, the senate is in recess for the week. But majority leader Chuck Schumer says he is going to try to signal an all senators classified briefing as soon as possible. Meanwhile, the u. S. Army says it Needs Congress to approve additional funding to make sure the pentagon can continue to meet the needs of both israel and ukraine. But that funding could get stuck as the house still does not have a speaker. Joining us now is the chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee Mark warner. Senator, thank you very much for being here. Have you gotten a Briefing Yourself as a member of the gang of eight . I have received a briefing from my senate intel staff who got briefed. The Senate Intel Committee staff got briefed on a committee basis. So secondhand, yes. A briefing. I understand its classified. But what can you tell us . Thats why unlike some, i respect classified information. The thing is, we are still trying to sort through all this. I know there is lots of questions about why the Israeli Intelligence and indirectly the american intelligence didnt know more at the front end. My view is there will be time to sort that out. I want the Israeli Intelligence and the american intelligence who assist them and work with them to seek out the hamas leaders who are terrorists who created these brutal attacks. I also want to make sure that they are focused on doing all they can to ensure 245 there is not a spread of violence to the west bank or a spread of violence the commentators talked about in terms of hezbollah coming down from lebanon. Are you confident the intelligence gaps have been filled since what happened on saturday, both in israel and perhaps here at home . Again, whether has there been a full analysis of all that went on and how they were surprised on the israeli side . I cant say that has been fully gone through. Remember, you know, Israeli Forces are still actively fighting to push out these Hamas Terrorists. We saw the shooting of hamas missiles into ashkelon a few hours ago. I think they need to be focused on making sure we sort out going after this hamas terrorist leadership group, and that ought to be the focus of this moment in time. Law enforcement across the country is in a heightened state of readiness in case this spills over here. Whats your level of confidence that it wont spill over here . Or are you concerned that there could be something instigated by hamas, linked to hamas, or just a lone wolf here acting on the half of or In The Name Of what hamas has done in israel here at home in the United States . Particularly in terms of the issues of lone wolf who may be instigated by hamas propaganda, you have to worry. Thats why local law enforcement, thats why department of homeland security, thats why the fbi, who was the lead entity, and the fbi is going to be helping the israelis on the hostage negotiation, why its its not helpful when we have members of congress who are talking about defunding the fbi or breaking up the fbi. We need all of those entities at the ready. And i think they are. Are you more concerned now than youve maybe been in the past . Listen, i am concerned by the brutal murder of over a thousand israelis by the 14 americans, by the hostages that have been taken. I think we need to stand resolute with our allies and israel and other democracies. I also think we need to stand resolute against the same kind of actions taken by the russians against ukraine. It was not less it was less than ten days ago that that a missile hit ukrainian funeral, killed half the village. I find that a barbaric act as well. And in an institution where i work, where 80 of the senators support aid to ukraine and probably close to 100 support aid to israel, we ought to be able to do both. Senator, in talking about standing up for or helping israel, the white house says its going to be asking for a Funding Package from congress. The house doesnt have a speaker. And by all the reports that ive seen, they are currently in chaos. And there is not a leader to become speaker that Steve Scalise doesnt have the votes. Jim jordan doesnt have the votes. Kevin mccarthy is being whispered about again. He doesnt have the votes. How do you help israel without a speaker of the house . Well, its a great question. And, you know, being able to predict the actions of the House Republicans, im not very good at predicting that. I didnt think wed end up where we did a week ago. And then six days ago or so when Speaker Mccarthy got kicked out. I do hope that so many of my House Republican friends who want to be resolute for israel, then lets put aside some of this dissension, and start functioning again so that if we pass something in the senate that stands up for israel, they can do their part of the duty as well. But the next 72 hours in the house, i hope they get their act together. I do know this. That this plays into the Propaganda Agenda that president xi from china is talking about for years about the demise of western democracies. It plays into the Putin Arguments that dont worry, america and the west will no longer support the ukrainians. I think that gets very, very dangerous. We have 30 seconds left, but should an aid package include both aid to israel and funding to ukraine, particularly as republicans want funding to the border . I would be supportive of all three. But the notion that we cant protect our border, that we cant stand by a nation state thats been invaded like ukraine and stop this barbaric action of this Terrorist Group hamas, i think america can do all three. Senator mark senator mark warner, i got my head twisted up there. I appreciate you coming on and thank you for sharing some time with us today. Thank you. And thats going to do it for me today. Deadline white house picks up special coverage of the israelhamas war right now. Hi there, everyone. Its now 4 00 in new york. It is 11 00 p. M. In israel