Transcripts For MSNBCW Chris 20240703

Words. Its beyond what anyone would ever want to imagine, much less actually see and god forbid, experience. A baby, an infant riddled with bullets. Soldiers beheaded. Young people burned alive in their cars or in their hideaway rooms. I could go on. But its simply depravity in the worst imaginable way. It almost defies comprehension. When you see this, you try to imagine, maybe not try, you ca help but imagine yourself, your family, your loved ones, your friends, in that situation. In that predicament. And maybe the best word for it for me is overwhelming. It is also hard and bad for the innocent people in gaza. And it is getting worse there by the hour. Prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu is vowing to kill every Single Member of hamas. And in the effort to root them out, the idf says they have dropped about 6,000 bombs weighing more than 4,000 tons on gaza. Leveling entire neighborhoods. Here is a flier one civilian sent to nbc news. The israeli army dropped them in northern gaza, Warning Civilians to leave now. Quote, the israeli army is not interested in harming you or your family members, anyone who approaches Hamas Terrorists or their facilities will put their lives in danger. The Israeli Government acknowledges life will get worse for the strip, vowing all water, fuel and electricity will remain cut off to the area until hamas frees the hostages that they abducted on saturday. The u. N. Warns of dire Water Shortages for 650,000 people. Gazas biggest hospital is well over capacity and inundated. Its director now tells the New York Times theres only enough fuel to power its generators for another four days. Joining us now from israel, nbc news Foreign Correspondent raf sanchez. These new images that have come out, and i believe we are not going to show them because they are so completely awful, but they are seared into the brain of anyone who has seen them. I imagine theyre seared into the collective conscience of the country of israel. Reporter yeah, katy, absolutely, and you could hear the emotion in the voice of Secretary Of State Antony Blinken after he looked at those pictures. As you said, were not going to show them on air here. They were posted by the Israeli Government online. Anyone can see them on twitter. I would warn anyone whos thinking about it, they are really really hard to look at. Its three images. Two of them show the small charred bodies of babies. One of them shows another baby bloody, lying in blankets. They are really really hard to look at. And the fact that you have the Israeli Government making them public shows you that they are really trying to marshal the world here in outrage at what happened at the murderous acts committed by hamas. Katy, earlier today, we went to the site of that Music Festival where at about 6 00 a. M. , those hamas para gliders flew in, people who were dancing, people who were singing, people who were having a joyful time, looking up, not really sure, you can see in the videos, not sure what to make of the para gliders coming in over their heads, and minutes later, the shooting starts, killing starts, ultimately 260 people were killed at that one Music Festival. It was a haunting place. Its a very big area. You can see how it would be that people were hiding for hours and hours and hours, only to be killed later by these Hamas Terrorists. You could see burned out cars on the side of the road from where people tried to flea. So in every corner, from the twitter account of the Israeli Government, to, you know, Fields In Southern Israel to bloodstained houses in the kibbutz, theres horror in every corner. Lets talk about gaza a little bit. You have reported from gaza in the past, and literally watched as the idf has called Palestinian Civilians to help them clear out buildings. We have seen today a flier sent to us by somebody from the territory from gaza, and we have translated it, and it says the Israeli Government, the israeli army doesnt want to harm you or your family. You have to get out. Stay away from hamas. Do you know if this is happening all across the strip . Reporter these warnings are concentrated in the northern end, its effectively one continuous urban area. But gaza city is the big Population Center right up the north of the strip. Its where a last time of hamas facilities are concentrated, according to the Israeli Military. It is a surreal situation that people in gaza pay extremely close attention to what the Israeli Military says, and this young mother i spoke to the other day, she has moved location twice based on tweets from the Israeli Military that say in arabic, we are going to be attacking hamas targets in this neighborhood, get out. And as you said, katy, it is simply the case that the Israeli Military does go to Great Lengths in normal times to try to avoid civilian casualties. I will tell you, these are not normal times. The level of destruction we are seeing in gaza is not what you see in the rounds of normal fighting that happen every six months or so. We hope to get into gaza ourselves and we will try to take the measure ofdestruction. As i said before, its the case if you drop a bunker bomb in the middle of a densely populated urban areas, with all the best will in the world, it is inevitable that civilians will get killed. And we have a report from gaza from sky news a little bit later in the hour. Raf sanchez, thank you very much. Lets bring in from tel aviv. Nbc news Foreign Correspondent josh lederman. So, josh, again, the Secretary Of State has been in tel aviv. He was also meeting with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. What can you tell us about what that meeting consisted of . I know there was a Press Conference where Antony Blinken said that the u. S. Stands firmly by the side of israel. I wonder if that is also the message behinds scenes or if there is maybe some caution being warned for against israel. Not saying they will, but potentially taking this too far in the heat of the moment. Reporter certainly the public message that the administration wanted to send is what you described, solidarity with israel. Behind the scenes, u. S. Officials are pretty open about the fact that they are talking with israels government, including on this trip by Secretary Blinken about making sure that israel is following international norms, the rules of war as they are carrying out what is expected to be a major ground incursion. And so its a bit of a fine line, a delicate message the u. S. Is delivering. They are not telling israel not to go into gaza. They are not saying, you know, restrain yourself, but they are saying you need to do this, according to accepted International Standards and warning about the blow back, the turn in Public Opinion that could result if israel is seen as causing unnecessary civilian casualties, and deaths. Let me ask you about americans that are there, getting a flight out of israel right now is extremely difficult. I have been trying. And the u. S. Government is acknowledging that they are telling american citizens, this is an email that has gone out that starting tomorrow, josh, there will be both planes and boats leaving israel and taking american citizens to a second country where they can then arrange flights to the United States if they so choose. What about, whats the message to those currently stuck in gaza . Is america trying to get them out . American citizens . Reporter yeah, they certainly are. Yeah, absolutely, and theres approximately five to 600 american citizens, many Duel Nationaled believed to be in gaza, according to our State Department producer, abigail williams. There are not a lot of good options for getting americans ouch the gaza strip. They are talking to israel about safe quarters, that looks extraordinarily unlikely, they are talking about the egyptians of whether they could create a corridor between the gaza strip and egypt to get americans out but the egyptians have not seemed keen on that as well. There are few good options. The State Department did ask in the memo they sent to americans, let us know if youre trying to get out and youre in the gaza strip, unable to make your way into israel which is where they are going to have those flights offered to greece and to germany as well as a boat trip to cypress. People will getting eight hours in some cases notice, they will have no choice of which shi, they will be able to take one carry on, one piece of significant luggage, and once they get to the destinations, they will be expected to find and pay for flights back to the United States. Josh, thank you very much. And joining us from lebanon is Foreign Correspondent, matt bradley. Has it been quieter there today . Whats the scene been like . Reporter yeah, so far we havent actually heard anything today. This has been a pretty quiet day considering that the couple of days before this, we had actually been hearing bombardments. We did see in the last couple of minutes, one flare shot up above that ridge line, right on the israeli lebanese border, but today it looks like were at a moment of pause. Thats because everybody who knows hezbollah, and thats the militant group backed by iran, north of the Israeli Border here in lebanon, you know, they are kind of in a waiting mode, and people are saying theyre probably being positioned or positioning themselves as kind of a deterrence in case israel does invade the gaza strip with the kind of Land Invasion that everybody including the israelis have been telegraphing since saturday. This is something if hezbollah does move in, it could be devastating for israel. Hezbollah is backed by iran, hamas is backed by iran. There has been discussion about the 6 billion the u. S. Was going to unfreeze for humanitarian materials to iran, and officials were asked about it today. What did they say . Reporter thats right, john kirby was asked about this today but, you know, we heard about this in nbcs own reporting from wally, the deputy secretary of the treasury. He told House Democrats they were going to block the 6 billion, and, you know, katy, this has been a favorite right wing talking point since saturday that the u. S. Was financing terror. John kirby addressed that directly. Heres what he said. What i can tell you is every single dime of that money is still sitting in a qatar bank. Not one dime has been spent. And even if they had accessed it, it wouldnt go to the regime, it would go to approved vendors that we approved to go buy food, medicine, and medical equipment, agricultural products, and ship it into iran directly to the benefit of the iranian people. Reporter and, katy, you know, important to note amidst all of that chatter about that 6 billion, and that was part of the guarantee for those hostages last month that, you know, there is no real proof that iran was really behind this attack on saturday. Now, we know for sure that iran backs hamas, and hezbollah and gives them quite a bit of money. There was one report in the Wall Street Journal a couple of days ago that said that iran helped plan and actually green lit the operation. But, you know, the actual really putting their Finger Prints on it, really being involved in the minutiae of the operation, that was what the Wall Street Journal was saying. So far, hamas itself, hezbollah, iran itself, and the United States and Israeli Intelligence have said theres no evidence of any of that. Matt bradley, thank you very much. Still ahead, as Israel Amasses troops along the border, ill talk to the former israeli ambassador currently adviser Benjamin Netanyahu in this crisis. He joins me in 60 seconds. Isis he joins me in 60 seconds. With more concentrated power because the only thing dripping should be your style. Plop plop fizz Fizz Winter Warriors with alkaseltzer plus. Israeli tanks are moving in from across that way through here back into the woods. Constant the fast live, ten minutes, moving back in, all of them full of israeli troops headed back in that direction. Reporting earlier today from southern israel, roughly two miles from the border to gaza. Im joined by ambassador, mark regov, a former israeli ambassador to the uk. Ambassador, thank you very much for joining us. What can you tell us about the Ground Invasion . I mean, israels been telegraphing this, theres so many troops on the border. What are you able to tell us about when or if thats going to happen . I apologize, katy, but i cant go into operational matters for obvious reasons. I can, however, tell you what our goal is, and our goal is to cripple hamas, to smash their military machine. And to create a new reality in gaza where they will no longer threaten our people. Theyll no longer have the capability to hold our people to inflict the sort of violence they inflected upon us on saturday morning. And they will no longer have the will to do so. Thats the goal. How do you do that when so much of their infrastructure is underground, is below the entire strip of gaza . Were expecting any operation to be difficult. We expect it to be unfortunately not short. Anyone whos been in the army, anyone whos been in combat knows that war is a terrible thing. And it will take the lives of many of our soldiers, my own daughter is serving in the south. And of course as a parent, im worried about her as there are tens of thousands of parents across israel who are worried about loved ones, and people in gaza, im sure, are similarly scared. But we have to do this. We have to do this because hamas has declared war on israel. And if we go for some sort of bandaid solution, some sort of aspirin solution, a quick fix, were going to be back to square one, and well have another hamas attack like we saw on saturday in a month or two months or six months. Its important we dont return to the reality we had before saturday morning. I know youre planning on trying to root out hamas, kill every last member as the Prime Minister has said, are you also currently planning on what will happen after that if youre successful . What will be left of gaza, number one, and number two, who will be in charge of gaza . The goal is to have a situation where theres no longer a terrorist organization in gaza that can threaten us the way that hamas has. Thats the goal, and can i Say Something here, this is not just israels battle. Its true that hamas is a mortal enemy of israel, but it must be remembered that hamas is also a mortal enemy of everyone who wants to see peace and reconciliation here in the middle east. When weve looked at what motivated hamas to do this attack on saturday morning, with all the terrible and barbaric violence that they used, so obviously they wanted to kill israelis. Obviously they wanted to take hostages, kidnap people, and take them back to gaza, but politically, its clear they want to stifle attempts at arab, israeli peace, and the prospect of more peace in the middle east, of an israeli, saudi breakthrough, that President Biden is working on so intensively, and that were an eager partner in this process, but that sort of Peace Breakthrough is an existential threat to people like hamas who dont believe in peace, who dont believe in reconciliation, who believe in violence, extremism, and Old Fashioned hatred. If we defeat hamas now, and i believe we will, that not only is it helping to protect and save the lives of our people, but that will also ultimately hope, i believe, open space to energize middle east peace. What happens to the palestinians . What does peace look like for them . Is it a Palestinian Authority that moves into the gaza strip . Is it an occupation . I know you guys pulled out many years ago, but is it a reoccupation by the israelis of gaza . Can you rule that out . I cant answer that question totally but i can say the following. There were people who said that because hamas has been ruling the gaza strip now for 16 years that theyve become more responsible, you know, their responsibilities of government would force them to become more pragmatic, more moderate, and of course we saw on saturday morning that any such hopes were just irrational, unfortunately. We saw as Secretary Of State blinken said, we saw Isis Type Terrible Horrific violence. And its clear that hamas does not represent the interests of the people of gaza. They dont care about the people of gaza. For them, theyre extremists, theological, ideological agenda is more important than the real needs of the people of gaza. The palestinians deserve better. I ask this because in the hindsight of what happened after 9 11, what the americans went and did across the middle east, trying to root out al qaeda, they created the vacuum that allowed isis to rise and then flourish for a time. Do use a tired phrase f youre going to take the wheels off a car or the, you know, landing gear off a plane mid flight, you better reattach the landing gear before you plan on landing, so im curious, are their discussions about what will happen to gaza after that, and then also are there discussions about whether a Palestinian State is a solution that you might go back to, and if so, what do you do about the settlements in the west bank . So youve asked a lot of questions. And ill try to get to them, each one, time permitting. But i think its important to remember the following. Israel pulled out of the gaza strip in 2005. Under Prime Minister sheron. We took down all the settlements and pulled back to the 1967 line, and according to, you know, theories that people have espoused over the years, we should have peace, correct, we took down the settlements and pulled back to the 67 line. On the contrary, we didnt get it. We want peace with all of our arab neighbors. And we want peace with the palestinians, too. I have to tell you an as an israeli, its frustrating that the moderate palestinians on the west bank refuse to condemn the hamas atrocity, and that is a problem. Because a genuine Peace Partner would have no problem standing up and saying, hamas is not us. This is unacceptable. These people dont represent us. But, no, the Prime Minister of the Palestinian Authority, i heard him just yesterday, blaming israel for these attacks, and i think its important that palestinian moderates stand up and take on their own extremists. In order to blunt some of that criticism, what are the negotiations to are you putting pressure on egypt to create a humanitarian corridor . I know egypt has said they dont want refugees, but to blunt the criticism, what are you going to do about the civilians who do have Nowhere To Go . Well, first of all your reporter from gaza showed that we are making an effort to try to make sure that the Civilian Population can move out of areas of conflict. And we have done that through leaflets, through other ways as well, and, you know, the people of gaza know their neighborhoods better than anyone else, and they know where there are hamas positionings, they know where there are tunnels, they know where there are command posts, and weve urged them to move by the way. Were not targeting the Civilian Population of gaza. Were targeting hamas. That distinguishes us from the terrorists who deliberately target civilians. Can i explain one sentence why we need to forcibly strike back, because not only do we have to eliminate hamas, we have to crush it as a military organization. We have to change the reality in gaza. But there are other bad actors who are watching, and your previous reporters alluded to that. There is hezbollah in lebanon. There is iran just over the horizon. If israel is perceived as weak. If israel is perceived as receiving blows, deadly blows, vicious blows, barbaric blows, and not responding, thats just an invitation for more such blows. Israel has to show that violence against its citizens, you kill our people, you will pay a price. Thats crucial in deterring future such attacks. Ambassador mark regev, thank you very much for joining us. Time was not on our side for the extent of this interview, but i do appreciate the time that youve allotted for this. Thank you very much. Thank you for having me. And with Border Crossings out of gaza closed, both of them, both on the israeli side and the egyptian side, there are 2. 2 million Palestinian Civilians who have Nowhere To Go within the confines of the gaza strip. The u. N. Says israels near constant air strikes have already displaced more than 360,000 people. Another half a million no longer have access to food relief. Clean water is running dangerously low. And the Hospital System is on the verge of collapse. Sky News International correspondent john sparks is on the ground for us inside gaza. A warning, though, this story contains distressing images of injured civilians including children. Reporter the israelis say theyll do whatever it takes to destroy the militants of hamas. And on the streets of gaza, whatever it takes sounds like this. During previous conflicts, israel struck at individual targets. But this time, theyve leveled entire neighborhoods. And on a strip of land thats home to more than 2 million civilians, Hundreds Of Thousands have been displaced. Here residents return during a lull in the bombing. Looking for food. Looking for clothes. Or looking for their building. Only god will help us said this woman. A mother of two. She had lost the family home and everything in it. It was difficult to take it all in. Translator i hope god will guide their souls, and they will see what they have destroyed. Where are we going to stay, in the streets . My husband is broken. Will we live in the streets . Reporter residents in this district say they have got Nowhere To Go. And it seems that nowhere is safe in gaza. This is al shifa, the territory sent for hospital where theyve treated nearly 5,000 patients in the past four days. This 10yearold girl was hit by shrapnel from a blast. Her brother lies under a tent on the hospital court. Al shifa ran out of beds days ago. Our team needs ha sas abucita, a surgeon from london. He volunteers some of his time at the hospital. They need him now. Translator oh, dear, how old is she . He says. Shes not in preschool yet says the girls brother, meaning 3, 4 years old asked the doctor . The ferocity of the attack, the number of patients, the children that are brought in are brought in with Crush Injuries from collapsed buildings or shrapnel or debris. There needs to be a stop to the bombing, and there needs to be a humanitarian corridor. Reporter the doctors qualification offers no protection. The staff room rocked by an israeli strike. Its just too unsafe to move outside, and the bombing is all around the hospital. The buildings shake every few minutes with all of the shelling thats going on around us. Joining me now is nora erakata Museum Rights attorney, and Associate Professor at rutgers university. The images that we have been seeing for the past six days both inside of gaza and the images of what happened to the Israeli Citizens both have been so Gut Wrenching, so difficult to watch. It makes it feel like there is an intractability to this fight. As you have been studying this, what can happen next . Thank you, katy. These are indeed Gut Wrenching images, but they are also preventable images, and preventible mass atrocities. The condition that the largest crime and the condition that sustains this violence is the crime of apartheid and the Apartheid System that israel oversees and that the United States has been the primary supporter of in military, financial, and diplomatic support. This is not something that can be solved militarily. This requires a political and a diplomatic solution. One that so many of us have been working towards. What were seeing in this very moment is a fomenting for absolute indiscriminate war crimes against palestinians. You had a representative of the israeli state on before you who was given a platform to talk about the Military Operations despite the fact that israel has targeted the Palestinian Red Crescent society, has targeted sheltering the palestinians, has targeted electricity sources, has targeted access to clean water, and yet he is on your program justifying these war crimes whereas you would never ever allow a palestinian representative of state let alone of hamas on your program to talk about their Military Operations and justify them on your program. We have to be clear. If we want to protect civilian life, we want to protect all civilian life. If we want to apply the laws of war, then we apply all the laws of war across the board without exception. And unfortunately we are hearing a very racist, Dehumanizing Framework that is justifying these war crimes against palestinians. Can you justify what you have been seeing happen to the israelis . Can you justify the images of the babies . Who justifies that. Palestinians are the people who have been protesting nonviolently for decades. The Palestinian Struggle For Freedom is 100 years old, as they have been protesting against the usurpation of their land and forest displacement. Hamas wasnt established until 1987. Palestinians have been protesting against the siege for 16 years. In 2018, 40,000 palestinians marched week in and week out while israeli snipers shot to kill them as the rest of the world didnt even interview them or ask them about their nonviolent resistance or the barbarism of israels response. These are the palestinians, 34 u. S. States have made illegal boycott divestment in sanctions, which is the quintessential nonviolent tactic, and we are castigated as being against peace. Palestinians are leading a Freedom Movement and a future for everybody. Let me ask you, noura. Moments of these horrific mass atrocities, were put in a position to discuss the violence against israelis that are abhorrent, but there is violence against palestinians daily, even when you cant see it in the sensational world. So what do you do about hamas . Is hamas a government that is functional, and should remain in gaza . Do you think that theres a coexistence between the israelis and the palestinians with hamas . I absolutely believe in coexistence. There is only one future. We either all survive together in mutual existence os no way f. We have all got to exist together. What is the u. S. And israeli plan right now, what do they plan on doing . Invading all of gaza and decimating it . How do you get rid of a Fight For Freedom . This is a Freedom Struggle. Its not just encapsulated Sett Colonial Removal and replacement. There is a political solution. Human rights organizations have mapped out a human rights path, which includes sanctions on israel because of its apartheid policies, Weapons Sanctions that they cannot be using indiscriminately against palestinians. There is a political pathway forward. We have been urging all to follow. We have to allow for spaces of hope with dignity for all people. This can not be ended militarily. There are many people in israel. There are many people in the palestinian territories, the west bank and gaza who are all for that, who want that. And weve talked about the current israeli makeup of the government and the inability of forging a path forward with palestinians, weve done extensive reporting on that on the show for the past week. But i have to ask you again, what about hamas. What do you do with hamas . Hamas was established in 1987 in the midst of the first of whats known as the first palestinian, they were established as an opposition of the palestinian and wanted to wage a liberation struggle. From the moment that the oslo Peace Process was established, israel began to besiege the palestinians in gaza by creating a perimeter around them. Hamas is a Political Party. We see them making political decisions as well. They have been portrayed as fanatical terrorists who are out there for lust and violence and hate, and yet hamas is a Political Party that has switched its allegiances. We saw them become a Governing Party and not just a Resistance Movement following the Muslim Brotherhood in egypt. We saw them leaving syria and moving to qatar in the midst of the syrian uprising. They are eligible to be part of a palestinian unity government which israel and the United States have thwarted. We have to recognize that they are not going to disappear. So hamas can stay with others in a unity government . You think hamas can stay . Whether or not they can or cannot stay is not the issue. The alternative is decimate hamas, and i have to remind viewers hamas is a political movement, comprised of palestinians who believe in a Freedom Struggle forward. They are not cease sensational images you see. The members of hamas you saw recently, i want to make clear these are not monsters who emerge from underground just wanting to terrorize israelis. These are young men who have only grown up under siege for the past 17 years who have been subject to four large scale offensive that have bombed them in their homes, that have targeted medics and hospitals and water supplies, that have refused them a future and told them that the only future they have is to remain in an open air prison. We have denied them of hope. When you say hamas, we are actually talking about an entire generation of palestinians who have been left and abandoned by the international community. I want us to shift away from focusing on a Political Party and remind people that this is about a Palestinian Struggle For Freedom. It far exceeds hamas. It is not about hamas. It is not about gaza. It is about all of palestine and all of israel and about a future for everybody. Noura, thank you very much for joining us. We appreciate it. Thank you for having me. Coming up, lester holt just spoke to Secretary Of State Antony Blinken during his trip to israel. What he told him, next. What he to hldim, next 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 . And for fast topical pain relief, try alevex. My name is marie. Im 49 years old and im a business owner. I own a lemonade and Ice Cream Shop in florida, so i can feel and see that my lines have gotten deeper just from a year out in the sun. Im still marie and i got botox® cosmetic. I did not want a dramatic change. I wanted something subtle. And im really, really happy with the results. Its still me, but with fewer lines. Botox® cosmetic is fda approved to temporarily make frown lines, crows feet, and Forehead Lines look better. The effects of botox® cosmetic may spread hours to weeks after injection, causing serious symptoms. Alert your doctor right away as difficulty swallowing, speaking, breathing, eye problems, or Muscle Weakness may be a sign of a lifethreatening condition. Do not receive botox® cosmetic if you have a skin infection. Side effects may include allergic reactions, injection site pain, headache, eyebrow, eyelid drooping, and eyelid swelling. Tell your doctor about your medical history, muscle or nerve conditions, and medications, including Botulinum Toxins as these may increase the risk of serious side effects. See for yourself at botoxcosmetic. Com. Are you guys watching . This is my favorite part. You watching . Are you watching . Hank, shh okay, time to get your own bed, hank. Chewy has great prices. Spoiler, his fathers half man, half cyborg. Hank im just happy were watching a movie instead of a baking show. Shh hope you like plaid. I do. Who wants popcorn . Not it not it pets arent just pets. Theyre more. Hes going to miss the best part. Get more of what your pet loves with every day great prices and fast Free Shipping at chewy. That first time you take a step back. I made that. With your very own online store. I sold that. And you can manage it all in one place. I built this. And it was easy, with a partner that puts you first. Godaddy. man mm, hey, honey. With a partner that puts you first. Looks like my todo list grew. Paint the bathroom, give baxter a bath, get life insurance, hm. I have a few minutes. I can do that now. Oh, that fast . Remember that Colonial Penn ad . I called and i got information. They sent the simple form i need to apply. All i do is fill it out and send it back. Well, that sounds too easy man give a little information, check a few boxes, sign my name, done. They dont ask about your health . man no health questions. Physical exam . Dont need one. Its Colonial Penn guaranteed acceptance whole life insurance. If youre between the ages of 50 and 85, your acceptance is guaranteed in most states, even if youre not in the best health. Options start at 9. 95 a month, 35 cents a day. Once insured, your rate will never increase. A Lifetime Rate Lock guarantees it. Keep in mind, this is lifetime protection. As long as you pay your premiums, its yours to keep. Call for more information and the simple form you need to apply today. Theres no obligation, and youll receive a free Beneficiary Planner just for calling. We distinguish ourselves, holding ourselves to a different count when we fall short, humanity, the value we place on human life and dignity. Thats what makes us who we are. And we count them among our greatest strengths. Thats why its so important to take every possible precaution to avoid harming civilians. And thats why we mourn the loss of every innocent life. That was Secretary Of State Antony Blinken with the israeli Prime Minister earlier today. Joining us is ambassador elon pink, he served as Chief Of Staff and Policy Adviser to four Israeli Foreign ministers. Ambassador, thank you very much for being with us. I guess in your estimation, and from your experience, what should what can israel do now . Thank you, katy, for having me. Look, this is inextricably going toward escalation. I dont know the level of the escalation, the intensity of the escalation, the scale, the scope of the israeli retaliation. But what youve seen until now is going to be dwarf by what you may see in the next few days. The question is it all going to be confined to Aerial Bombardments and precision missiles or is there going to be a Ground Operation . If youve noticed, Secretary Blinken in that footage you just showed, emphasized twice the issue of the rule of law, and not harming innocent civilians. I think that was a not a warning, but that was a condition that the u. S. Set for israel, and so the next 72 hours are critical to really discern and understand where this is headed. In trying to root out hamas, do you believe thats possible . Theres such an intricate network of tunnels under the gaza strip, and theres also theres talk of whether the Senior Leadership of hamas is even still within the gaza strip, whether or not its already fled to a neighboring country. Thats a very good question. Like tom friedman from the New York Times said to me the other day, the people really occupying the palestinians in gaza are hamas, and what you have just raised is a critical point because, you know, obliterating, eradicating, approving, dismantling, are all fancy sounding names for something or a military operation, rather, that will require a prolonged and expansive Israeli Ground operation. No one, like you said, no one is going to hit the top leadership or top echelon of layers of hamas, because they are in bunkers. Some as you correctly indicated, may not be in gaza. They fled, they always flee, and leave the innocent palestinians to suffer the consequences of their criminal acts. So i honestly, i wish i had a better, more precise answer for you, katy. It really depends if there is a Ground Operation, and if there is a Ground Operation how extensive, and if it is expensive, for how long, and these are critical conditions for which im sorry, i just dont have answers. I know theres going to be a lot of questions about how it got to this point, and whether decisions leading up to it should have been different, and whether intelligence should have been listened to or, you know, just basic policy toward the palestinians should have been different. But i wonder, i just had a guest on a moment ago who defended hamass right to govern, said it should be a legitimate governing body. Is there a way that israel could ever live alongside hamas Going Forward after this, after the images weve seen . Ive heard what she said, katy, i mean, that was hollow propaganda, and pontiff. Hamas is a terror organization, one of the most savage and barbaric we have seen in the last 50, 60 years. Theres a reason President Biden compared them to isis on tuesday. What youre seeing with hamass assent and consolidation of power are the rotten fruits of mr. Netanyahus policies to effectively strengthen hamas by way of weakening the Palestinian Authority in order to deliberately, then, claim that, well, you know, we got no one to negotiate with. That being established, and i think he, being mr. Netanyahu will be held accountable for this once this is over. That being established, i dont see any political path or any political formula, according to which israel negotiates with hamas. After the scenes that emerged from that massacre on saturday morning, just this last saturday, i doubt anyone who actually believes in negotiates with hamas, would dare open their mouths. Its just not in the cards. Theres so much suffering happening, obviously in the gaza strip right now, and we have seen that and the images that we have seen. The images of what happened to the innocent people and the babies and the toddlers that we have seen the Israeli Government post that what hamas did to them are also just completely horrible, i mean, unspeakably horrible. Ambassador, thank you very much for being on. I appreciate it. Lester holt spoke with Antony Blinken, today, he asked about the breaking news about the deal of accessing the 6 billion in funds after the hamas attack. Take a listen. Theres great controversy over the 6 billion of iranian money that was unfrozen recently. The u. S. Has moved to stop the distribution of that money by qatar, which was a response. Was that an acknowledgment that iran might have been involved in this attack . Well, two things here, first, when it comes to iran, and its possible involvement. Iran has had a long relationship with hamas. Hamas wouldnt be hamas without the support over many many years from iran. And so we know that, we see that. When it comes to this specific attack in this moment, we dont have direct evidence that iran was involved in the attack, either in planning it or carrying it out. But that could change, and i said theres a much longer complicity between iran and hamas that the world knows, and its one of the reasons that since this administration has been in office, we have sanctioned iran individuals, companies, more than 400 times, including for support to hamas. Now, when it comes to the 6 billion, its important to be very clear, because unfortunately some people are misinformed or misinforming. The money in question, iranian money, not american taxpayer dollars, is money that was allowed to accrue in a bank account from the sale of iranian oil. And that mechanism, allowing iran to accrue this money, to get this money and have it in an account, was established by the trump administration. Now, the account that it was established in in south korea for technical reasons, iran was having trouble actually using the funds, which its always been allowed to use for humanitarian purposes, under our sanctions. Food, medicine, medical equipment. What we did is we moved the money from one account in south korea to another account in qatar where the money could be used under the Supervision Ri of our Treasury Department for humanitarian purposes and not a dollar of that money has been spent to date. And we retain the right to freeze that account. Is that what you have technically done now by stopping distribution from that account . As i said, there has been no distribution. There was no question of stopping it. There hasnt been any. And we retain the right to formally freeze it. You can watch the rest of the interview at 6 30 p. M. Eastern time, and a bipartisan, bicameral delegation traveled to israel. Jimmy panetta was joined by senator joni ernst and representatives Debbie Wasserman schultz, they took a meeting with israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, leader of the Opposition Party and several other high ranking officials. Joining us now is congressman panetta. Thank you very much for being here. What did the Benjamin Netanyahu ask you for while you were there . First and foremost, they wanted to express the trauma that israelis, that the nation of israel has been through based on this bloodthirsty attack that was perpetrated upon them. That was first and foremost what they wanted to let us know, and how they were feeling but also describe their will and their determination Going Forward, and determination is obviously a word and a quality that israelis have had throughout the 75 years of their concern, and its something that theyre going to be relying on Going Forward in ensuring that they continue to defend themselves, and ensure that they devastate hamas. Now, within that, they made sure to basically let us know how important it was to have u. S. Support. Yes, the pipeline thats already going in there based on the mou signed by President Obama for that 3. 8 billion each year, but beyond that, talking about possibly precisionguided missiles and also having replenishment of the iron dome. But that has to be sustained. And yes, we showed our sympathy but also knowing we have to show support that needs to be sustained Going Forward. That was essentially their number one ask, and that was our reassurance in our trip to israel. I know you spoke with some of the survivors of the attack, what did they tell you . Yeah, we spoke with a brother and a sister whose father was kidnapped right in front of their mother. Down in the most southern town called nerot. Where this 85 and 83yearold mother and father were hiding in their safe room and hearing the terrorists come into the room, the father then basically exited the room to sacrifice himself to save the mother. And they havent heard from that father since because he has been taken hostage. They dont know whats happening to him. What was very interesting about this story is their attitude was not that he has perished. Their attitude is they know he has survived. Theyre just worried hes not having his medication to survive. And to me, that demonstrates the will of the israeli people, that determination to continue to survive and, yes, getting this 85yearold father of two his medication. Thats what they were focused on. I know you talked about the money that is already going to israel and the aid package that President Biden was able to utilize without the help of congress. What about what happens next if this is prolonged, if its extended . The house still doesnt have a speaker, doesnt seem like theyre all that close at moment. Steve scalise is the leading contender, but he doesnt have enough votes. Do you have any sense of where they stand or when the house is going to be able to operate again . Yeah, its unfortunate that i cant give you an answer on that, because the republicans that i have talked to, they cant give me an answer as to whats going to happen. It tells you how dysfunctional the Republican Party is, whats happening now that were not operating because of their dysfunction. Unfortunately, this is the situation up here on capitol hill. But i also want you to understand and the people to understand that when it comes to our support for israel and our support for their continued endurance, its a bipartisan issue up here. Taking, for example, the last vote that we had in 2021, in september of 2021, to replenish their iron dome, an overwhelmingly bipartisan vote in support of that replenishment. I do believe that once the republicans get their act together, pick a speaker and having Congress Come together well be able to continue our support for israel, the right to selfdefense and their determination. Congressman Jimmy Panetta of california, thank you very much for joining us. Thank you. And well be right back. And well be right back they switched to google tools for education because theres never been a reported Ransomware Attack on a chromebook. Now theyre focused on learning knowing that their data is secure. i was stuck. Unresolved Depression Symptoms were in my way. I needed more from my antidepressant. Vraylar helped give it a lift. Adding vraylar to an antidepressant. Is clinically proven to help relieve overall Depression Symptoms. Better than an antidepressant alone. And in vraylar clinical studies, most saw no substantial impact on weight. Elderly dementia patients have increased risk of death or stroke. Report unusual changes in behavior or suicidal thoughts. Antidepressants can increase these in children and young adults. Report fever, stiff muscles, or confusion, as these may be lifethreatening, or uncontrolled muscle movements, which may be permanent. High blood sugar, which can lead to coma or death, weight gain, and high cholesterol may occur. Movement dysfunction and restlessness are common side effects. Stomach and sleep issues, dizziness, increased appetite, and fatigue are also common. Side effects may not appear for several weeks. I didnt have to change my treatment. Ask about vraylar and learn how abbvie could help you save. [city ambience sounds] [car screech] [car door slam] [camera shutter sfx] introducing neds plaque psoriasis. [camera shutter sfx] he thinks his flaky, red patches are all people see. Otezla is the 1 prescribed pill to treat plaque psoriasis. [ned . ] it can help you get clearer skin and reduce itching and flaking. With no routine blood tests required. Doctors have been prescribing it for nearly a decade. Otezla is also approved to treat psoriatic arthritis. Dont use otezla if youre allergic to it. Serious allergic reactions can happen. Otezla may cause severe diarrhea, nausea, or vomiting. Some people taking otezla had depression, suicidal thoughts, or weight loss. Upper respiratory tract infection and headache may occur. [crowd gasp] with clearer skin, movie night is a groovy night. [ting] live in the moment. Ask your doctor about otezla. This is american infrastructure, a prime target for cyberattacks. But the same aipowered security that protects all of google also defends these services for everyone who lives here. Good to be back with you for another hour. Im katy tur. No Electrical Switch will be turned on. No Water Hydrant will be opened and no fuel truck will enter gaza until the israeli hostages captured by hamas are released. That is the promise of israels Minister Of Energy and