Transcripts For CNNW CNN 20240703

As the Prime Minister and i discussed, how israel does this matters. Just as isis was crushed, so, too, will hamas be crushed. And hamas should be treated exactly the way isis was treated. Thank you, america. For standing with israel. Today, tomorrow, and always. And this all comes as israel continues to strike gaza with artillery and those airstrikes. Also cutting off supplies to food, power and water until the hostages are released. Secretary of state Antony Blinken urging netanyahu to take every precaution to prevent harm to interior civilians in gaza and the humanitarian crisis in gaza is growing more dire. Up to 150 hostages including Americans Still being held captive. Erin Burnett Jones us in ashkelon. What can you tell us . Reporter we understand, obviously, those hostages right now, whereabouts unknown, status of any negotiations unknown. We know that the Israeli Defense forces are telling us that they believe that those hostages are being kept in various locations, most likely in tunnels under the ground by hamas. Places that they have not known hamas to use before. So they do seem to have a feel and a sense for the situation. They are not in one place. That, obviously, complicates what you are dealing with right now. You roefrd to it, stroiks throughout the morning on gaza. And a lot of fire back and forth from south of here just along that gaza border. We are also understanding as Israeli Defense forces are clearly building up and posturing for a possible Ground Assault, a whole Ground Assault on gaza, we know that there are 300,000, you know, being passed along that border, Israeli Defense forces are sort of pushing that border out to create a buffer zone for military operations. So a lot of those areas that had been attacked, kibbutzs by the hamas militants over the weekend pushing out that barrier bit by bit to keep it for Israeli Military use as they, obviously, are clearly in a position, in position and preparing for an assault and we are hearing that, you hear that from Nic Robertson miles away, Heavy Artillery strikes on gaza, we hear those thuds now, throughout the day right now midafternoon here in israel. Yeah, erin, significant uptick not just in airstrikes, but also as you were laying nic was laying out the use of artillery. You couldnt see it, but we were showing the port next to gaza city where it looked like there had been a strike on some of the ships or boats in that area as well. Youre looking at it right now. I would ask, you were listening to the Secretary Of State and the Prime Minister. At this moment where it feels like everything is on the brink. I think israeli officials have been clear to you, to us, that is definitely the case. What was your takeaway from those remarks . Reporter well, there was no daylight between the two and how they described the atrocities that happened. Obviously, the words from Prime Minister netanyahu came from sort of deep. They came from deep. This is a profound impact for him and the existence of this country where i am standing now. Use of words, evil, barbarian, different from Secretary Blinken. The same description of the atrocities, the agents, people burned alive, parents were execute the in front of their children, children in front front of their parents. U. S. Has israels back. When you played there as we began this hour from Secretary Blinken is significant, phil. How israel does this matters. That while the United States unequivocally has israels back, he said that, we have your back. There is a distinct between hamas repressive Terrorist Group Ruling Gaza and the civilians of gaza. Of course, that distinction, as you know, that distinct is one that is impossible on the ground to draw because they are living amongst each other so densely packed in gaza city and that is the challenge that they face as the troops mass along the border. The force of israel overwhelming, right . What do you do when you go in with that force, phil . All right. Thank you very much. Stay with us. We will come back to you in a moment. Clarissa ward is live for us, she spent the day as one of the hardhit kibbutz not far from the border. Beeri is a farming community. Saturday morning, hundreds were murdered. What did you see . Reporter i think its interesting that it took almost four days before the Israeli Military even finally let journalists to beeri kibbutz because they had been fighting pitched battles there, really struggling to control and contain that situation. And the scenes of destruction that you see when you arrived at beeri are just mindblowing, frankly. But really it was the conversations we had with some of the survivors who have been moved to a hotel a couple of hours away that are the most chilling and most haunting. Take a listen. It was 7 11 a. M. Saturday morning when the militants arrived at beeri kibbutz. Surveillance footage shows them lying in wait until a car arrives. They shoot the driver and enter the compound. More poured in on motorcycles. Eerily at ease and in no apparent hurry. Thomas hand heard the gunshots and immediately thought of his 8yearold daughter emily, who was staying with a neighbor. She doesnt do it very often, but unfortunately that night, that particular night, the friday night, she went to sleep at her friends house. Reporter for 12 hours, he says he was pinned down under heavy gunfire unable to reach his daughter as hamas went doortodoor executing his neighbors. Waiting. Thinking the army are going to be here soon, you know, just hold on a bit longer. And longer. And longer. Reporter by the time the military gained control of beeri, this is what remained of the once tranquil community. Late wednesday afternoon Israeli Forces let journalists in for the first time after days of pitched battles. I saw houses, soldier fight here and i fight here myself in the first only to get in kibbutz. Only to come from, you know, apartment to apartment. It took a lot, a lot, a lot of time. Reporter does that weigh on your conscience to snow how long it took . You know, we have a very difficult question to ask ourselves now. We look forward to defense that came into take the survival and to switch ourself from defense to offensive operation. We ask ourself the difficult question. Reporter for now there are more pressing questions. The bodies of more than 100 residents have been recovered. But the army says that many more are still missing. You can see the amount of blood. This was a massacre. And the full scale of the horrors that transpired here are just starting to come to light. Pictures, family photographs on the wall. Thomas waited two agonizing stays days before getting the news. I just said we found emily. And shes dead. And i wept, yes i went, yes and smiled. Because that is the best news of the possibilities that i knew. That was the best possibility that i was hoping for. She was either dead or in gaza. And if you know anything about what they do to people in gaza, that is worse than death. That is worse than death. The way they treat you. Theyd have no food. Theyd have no water. Shed be in a dark room filled with christ knows how many people, and terrified every minute, hour, day, and possible years to come. So death was a blessing. An absolute blessing. Reporter tom, after saying that, poppy and phil, he looked at me and he said, what kind of a crazy world are we living in that a father would Say Something like this . But this is the reality as we are experiencing it. He said that many people in that kibbutz feel the same way, but, obviously, hard for anyone, let alone any parent, to really wrap their heads around the enormity of Something Like that. And i should add that the beeri kibbutz now has become a Staging Ground for an artillery brigade. That whole area now, as you heard and have been reporting on this hour, has been turned into a sort of nogo Military Zone as everybody waits. The spector of, obviously, a potential Ground Invasion continuing to grow and people here just waiting to see what the next day will bring. They have been steeled for the fact that this is going to be a long fight, its not going to be an easy one, but still so many questions as it to what shape it takes next and what that means for the hostages who remain, many of whom are from that kibbutz beeri. Clarissa, emily, i think, really embodies what we just heard echoed from, as we look at her here, from Prime Minister netanyahu and Secretary Blinken when they described in detail the young lives brutally taken that day. I wonder if tom, her father, said anything to you about what he hopes to see. Nothing can bring his daughter back, but in response in her memory . Reporter he didnt talk about so much about what he head coaches to see. He talked about the fact that there were other children believed to have been killed in that kibbutz. They havent yet been identified yet. Which makes it, obviously, much more difficult to know the exact details, the exact numbers. And i would say more broadly that there has been a real lack of clarity and that may be due to continued Coop Fusinfusion a how many people were killed versus how many captured versus how many people may still be alive. So he really in this moment i think is focused on being strong for his two older children who are flying from overseas to be with him now. But lets be clear. As you saw, he is a broken man, and there are other parents going through that same pain. Clarissa ward, thank you very much. Back to erin. She joins us in ashkelon, israel, near the border. You know, erin, you pointed out to us the importance of those renarcotics from both Secretary Blinken and from netanyahu this morning. The importance of saying those things outloud in unison and then clarissas reporting there with emilys father exemplifies that. Reporter yeah, i mean, it is impossible to comprehend and the loss. Talking to parents who are losing their children, it is impossible to truly comprehend what they are going through and the true shock that they feel. The world is focused on what they will do next and how they will respond. The profound shock and loss and brokenness that people here feel. There are huge clouds of smoke right now over gaza. Ongoing strikes throughout this day. It is midafternoon here in israel near that gaza border but those huge plumes of smoke from Israeli Defense forces strikes across gaza. The spokesperson for Prime Minister netanyahu, i very much appreciate your time. Looking at these images over gaza, hearing the thuds, actually, we heard one just now as im speaking to you, of explosions in gaza, do you anticipate this continuing at this rate these sorts of nonstop strikes on gaza as israel continues to build its forces up along the border . Erin, we do not know how long this operation in gaza will take. We are very clear about our goals in this counteroffensive takes place right now. First and foremost, we said we wanted to make sure that israel territory is secured, that all of the territories under israeli control and the border fence is protected. We have managed to reach this. But as you know, and you are following the reports, i know that cnn is covering it, there are certain attempts to, you know, try to infiltrate, if its from the north, weve had over the past several days. So thats our first goal. Our second goal is to make sure that hamas, by the end of this war, will have neither the military capabilities nor the motivation to hurt us as they did in the coming decades. Our win, our victory by the end of this, and again it will take as long as it will take as the Prime Minister said, we will be remembered for the generations to come. Reporter you mentioned the north. Obviously, there have been reports of skirmishes, rockets from the north. There was also reports of the idf, rockets launched from siriusxm and reprice als on targets inside syria. From your understand right now, are these opportunistic attacks coming from the direction of syria and hezbollah in lebanon, or is there any coordination between any of these . I cannot comment on the specifics of these reports that you just mentioned, but as President Biden said, as Prime Minister netanyahu said, we tell our enemies not only hamas in the Southern Front but also in the north and other state actors like iran do not try us. Secretary blinken just said it in the shared statement in the Press Conference with Prime Minister netanyahu. He said it very simple. Dont. And we hope that they are getting this message loud and clear because israel is ready. The idf is ready. Everyone in this country either knows someone who is a soldier, knows someone who has been abducted, knows someone hurt, injured, knows someone killed. We are a nation in deep mourning right now, but our resolve is very clear. This is time for moral clarity. The secretary said it. Prime minister netanyahu said it. We know what we are doing and we are coming after them. We will make sure they will lack the motivation to hurt us again. Tall, also, we understand, that israel made it clear there will not be electricity, there will not be fuel, no supplies for gaza until the hostages are released. Can you report any progress on negotiations with hamas . Because, obviously, there is only so long a civilian population could go without those things without Grievous Loss and humanitarian crisis. Is there anything that you can tell us about the status of the hostages . I cannot expand on the status of the hostages. What i can tell you is that we call on hamas to release the hostages unconditionally. And the Prime Minister was very clear. They should not dare to try to hurt the hostages. We are going to win this war and hamas is going to pay a very heavy price. Both the Prime Minister and the s secretary, by the way, compared hamas to isis and this is exactly what this war is about. Its a war between the civilized world represented by israel here and hamas savages. Tal, a followup to that. Of course, Secretary Blinken said while he completely made those compared to isis and said the United States has israels back, he says how israel does this matters. It distinction a democracy from the forces of terror that were just unleashed upon israel. When it comes to gaza, do you have any confidence that you will be able to distinguish between innocent people and innocent children there and hamas operatives if it comes to Israeli Forces on the ground in gaza . Erin, the idf has been very clear and the Prime Minister said it that we call on palestinians in those areas from which hamas operates from where it has its Military Depots and strongholds to move out of these areas. They know where these areas are. We know that they know where these areas are. We are calling on them to evacuate. And every kind of byproduct of this war is related to hamas. Directly. All right. Tal, thank you very much. I appreciate your time. Are tal heinrich, the spokesperson for the israel Prime Minister benjamin netanyahu, poppy and phil. Thank you. Stay with us. Meantime, Hundreds Of Thousands of israeli troops massing near the gaza border with tanks and artillery as Prime Minister netanyahu vows to crush hamas. The Urban Warfare challenges they could face coming up. Stay with us. Several howitzers firing barrages in gaza. Cnns International Diplomatic editor Nic Robertson filed this report. Reporter yeah, early this morning there was a salvo of rockets coming in from gaza. The iron dome defenses shield intercepted them. However, the one property was hit, we understand, that there were some civilian casualties at that property. But where were at located right now just outside of ser at, what you are looking at here is Israeli Defense force heavy howitzers firing Artillery Shells into gaza at hamas targets in gaza. This is a very big concentration of israeli firepower here. We covered the situation with gaza in 2021 are where there was an exchange of artillery fire, rockets out by hamas. This is on a scale just waiting for that explosion there. This is on a scale much bigger. Westerly seeing that was our nick rob robert reporting. We will get back to him soon there. Smoke plumes rising and potential Ground Incursion there. So many questions about the challenges of Urban Warfare. Cnn Military Analyst former member of the joint staff of the pentagon colonel Scedric Leightn and Israeli Special operations veteran and aaron is back with us at the table. That is the incredibly complex task ahead, colonel, is not only Urban Warfare, but Urban Warfare with 150 hostages and now and we will get into this with aaron, israeli operatives also inside of potentially undercover inside of gaza. Yeah, absolutely, poppy. You are looking at so many Different Things here. The real things that we have are those challenges that you talked about. So, first and foremost, you have got all kinds of things that the hamas, anybody else, for that matter, who is opposing the Israeli Forces as they are coming in could do. We have rockets that could be fired at them. You have got drones that could observe them. Of course, you could do Counter Drone Activity against us and you could have your own drones, which the israelis certainly do. Most importantly, you have tunnels. And i know aaron mentioned this earlier, but there are going to be a lot of tunnels in gaza. Its not just in the border area, but throughout the city of gaza and in other areas tunnels are very, very important for their defenses and possibly as locations where the hostages are. Antiarmor attacks possible. They use snipers. Buildings like this one, that would be a perfect window for a sniper to shoot from. And thats the kind of thing that youre looking at. Of course, using the hostages as Human Shields, those are the critical elements that the Israeli Forces are going to have to really consider as they move forward with every facet of this operation. Aaron, there is a reason why there has been a reticence to launch incursions. There only been two. I think 15 and 19 days. This is going to be, according to the idf, much larger, take a lot more time and to the colonels point, there are hostages by the dozens involved here. The level of preparation the idf has for this kind of fighting given those dynamics . How extensive is it . Israel has a lot of experience with Urban Warfare. And what that means is 90degree angles. Every angle is a point of cover. Every angle it a place to stay concealed. So every room has a dead corner. When you walk into a room. And what israel is really, really good at, did a lot of this in my unit, which operates Plain Clothed and in a s. W. A. T. Capacity, if you will, when you are going after terrorists is being able to move around the angles with the least amount of exposure possible and with the most amount of cover. So that you have good shots, and i dont mean to be graphic, but have straight shots with 90 of your body covered. Israel invented a rudimentary system called limited penetration. And it allows the israeli operatives from the four Major Special operations, the general staff reconnaissance unit, bibis unit, intendty, sheldod, air force, in english means kingfisher. Imagine those missiles coming down strategically and selectively. Guys putting those missiles into those hamas infrastructure buildings to reduce Collateral Damage to civil buildings. Hamas is going to bring civilians to those rooftops eventually trapping them in gaza. Thats a separate we will dget to that. The other unit. The israeli s 13 or israeli s. E. A. L. S. Conducting Reconnaissance Operations on the coastline to map the topography to feed that back to the brigade, staged with 300,000 reservists on that border with gaza and then youve got other elements combined. That limited penetration, roomclearing technique, which all of the Special Ops Units are trained in, allows an Israeli Special forces operative to clear 90 of the room without ever having to step foot in it. Why is that important . For terrorists, because they will booby trap. They want israel to get sucked into this monster vacuum. So these techniques have been designed specifically to do what we call in hebrew a safety clear. But they have to do it quickly. Its a lot of training, but allows the guys to be able to fight safer. And so thats a big piece of how they are going to go into gaza and be able to clear these pockets, do it safer, but do it with a high degree of aggression. Aggression is a tactic. It has to be. Especially when you are getting pulled into this pressure cooker. So that limited penetration is a big one and all these units are getting ready to deploy that. Aaron cohen, appreciate your expertise. Colonel leighton, thank you. President Biden Warning iran to, quote, be careful after hamas attacked israel. We will break down the conflicting reports of whether iran knew about the attack beforehand and ask how the u. S. Should respond in john boltons view next. The power goes out and we still have wifi to do our homework. And thats a good thing . Great in my book who are you . No power . No problem. Introducing stormready wifi. Now you can stay reliably connected through Power Outages with unlimited cellular data and up to 4 hours of battery backup to keep you online. Only from xfinity. Home of the xfinity 10g network. Youre probably not easily persuaded to switch mobile providers for your business. But what if we told you its possible that comcast Business Mobile can save you up to 75 a year on your wireless bill versus the big three carriers . Its true. Plus, when you buy your first line of mobile, you get a second line free. There are no Term Contracts or line activation fees. And you can bring your own device. Oh, and all on the most reliable 5g Mobile Network nationwide. Wireless that works for you. Its not just possible. Its happening. Welcome back. A critical question lingers about hamas deadly attack on israel. Was iran directly involved in that attack . The answer for the moment depends on who you ask. Iran denies that, although it celebrated the attack. The iranian regime. A senior israeli official says iran was aware of the operation and gave the, quote, green light. The United States, on the other hand, gathered intelligence that suggests iran was highranking officials in iran were surprised by the attack according to multiple sources. A hamas official in lebanon didnt mention irans awareness but said even our allies didnt know about the zero hour. As President Biden faces calls to take new action against iran from some, this is his message for the regime. Already were surging additional defenses, crudding ammunition, intercepters, replenish the iron dome and the u. S. Carrier fleet and fighter jets there to that region and made it clear, made it clear to the iranians, be careful. Joining us former Trump National security advisor john bolton. Ambassador bolton, appreciate you being here. Lets begin with iran because i think everyone knows where you stand on iran. We will never forget the oped you wrote in 2015 to top iran, bomb iran. I am struck how differently even members of congress see the intelligence out of iran, that they were briefed on yesterday. Should the u. S. Be exceedingly cautious at this moment . I think they have to look Attic Elements of intelligence within the broader strategic framework. I think what happened over the weekend was an iranian attack on israel using hamas as a surrogate. No question. None whatever. The only real question is whether hezbollah will join in at an appropriate time. Iran has supplied enormous quantities of weapons, material, financing, training to hamas and hezbollah for decades. Really they formed hezbollah in the early 1980s. Hamas had a different origin, suny, not shia. In the last ten years they have been largely a surrogate for iran. They are embedded with alhezbolh in turkey. Billions of Dollars Worth over the years so hamas or hezbollah could deploy when they saw fit. They gave them those weapons so they would be deployed when iran saw fit. Lets not forget this occurred on the 50th Anniversary of the yom kip you are war. This is not accidental. This is in opposition to what i am just asking. You dont have any intelligence to that effect, do you . The administration certainly isnt sharing intelligence with me. But in the interest of national security, i would be prepared to buy a copy of the Wall Street Journal for the white house that will show them their story from Sunday Quoting Sources in hezbollah we have not confirmed, make that clear. And now there is a new Wall Street Journal story today is saying there is an intelligence estimate that indeed iran did know look, israeli and american intelligence missed the attack. Why should anybody be surprised they meeced it about iranian approval. Why should anybody be surprised they missed the haystack and the needle . You see the smoke plumes. A particular degree of intensity the last several minutes. Its been continuous the last several days. You see the realties of what is happening on the ground right now. I want to swing back around to this quickly. The direct connection between iran and hamas, i dont think there is any question about the level of support that iran has provided. I think 100 to 200 million is often the number thats tossed earned, u. S. Officials labeled them a Terrorist Organization as well. It is a different level of connection than hezbollah has, i think the suny and shia difference is notable. Iran survives on the ability to create terror. This is a different situation, a potential geopolitical realignment depending how this turns out. Of course. This is a struggle within islam between the shia side and sunni side. Israel has to be in the center of it. The Ayatollah Khamenei, Supreme Leader of iran, said a day or two ago, i kiss the hands of the people who did this. You know, how exactly it was done, was there a written execute order delivered by the iranians, we dont know that. But if anybody thinks that hamas acted on their own or without approval from iran, i think they misunderstand why iran has given them these weapons over the years. Lets also be clear. They fired thousands of rockets into gaza from gaza into israel. Hezbollah is reported to have Tens Of Thousands of rockets. I have seen public reports of 100,000 or more. So this is no cost to iran, no iranians have died, but 1,000 or more israelis have died. They used hamas as cannon fodder. And i think both israel and the United States need to take that into account strategically. The administration is twisting itself into a pretzel to avoid pointing the finger at iran because they know if they do, then they are going to have to do something. Is it not overimportant to b absolutely sure . This is not a court of law. The thousands of israelis killed where do the weapons come from . This is like saying if you see Somebody Give somebody else a gun and insist that they actually have to fulpull the trigger before they are an accessory to murder. Its notable Secretary Blinken did you see the remarks . Yes. He added in standing side by side no daylight between him and netanyahu how israel does this matters. A question of what is next and how it will be carried out. Well, i think its going be difficult in gaza. When you have terrorists who are not only willing to commit terrorism against everybody, when they have used their own people as Human Shields in the past, doing it right now, this is not going to be easy. And i think that comes directly from the iranians as well. This is where they started the revolution, by seizing our Embassy Employees back in 1979. This is state sponsored terrorism and the iranians support it. I will say it goan. Ayatol Ayatollah Khamenei said i kiss the hands of the hamas people. The administration, i think sent a craven signal to the iranians by buying six five attorney hostages to the tune of 6 billion, 1. 2 billion apiece. Thats the price on the americans now held by hamas and by covering up something i am not sure its been reported on cnn, forgive me if im wrong, but that the chief iranian negotiating with iran for the administration, rob malley, had his Security Clearance lifted by the state Departments Bureau of Diplomatic Security in april. The white house is stonewalled that. They resisted even evidence printed in on the website and a magazine of an iranian influence operation. Some of whose members are still employed by the United States government. One of the least reported stories by the big media in the country today. This is a very serious i understand what you are saying. Cnn reported on rob malley both the investigation and losing his Security Clearance. We broke some of those stories as well. To the broader point, its not a court of law becut it is americ lives. Whether or not you agree with it, based on the last 20 years, i think there is rationale for that to some degree. Also on the prisoner exchange, the counter is americans are coming home and seeing their families. More americans are in danger now, arent they . Your blue passport is worth 1. 2 billion. The responsibility of the president is to take care of all americans. We, obviously, feel for the people who or hostages, whose families are worried about them. What about the americans who have just been taken hostage . What about other americans who will be taken hostage . The issue is not whether israel strikes iran right now. Not today. Not tomorrow. Do it at a time of its choosing. Right now iran is getting this for free. And the lesson is we are so cautious that we are not even willing to go back at least so far to announce we are going to enforce the sanctions which remain in effect against iran and which they have been violating with impunity during this administration and there is a bipartisan move on capitol hill to do just that, which will be interesting. We are out of time. Thank you. This morning israeli strikes over gaza, israel vowing no electricity, water or fuel for gaza until all the hostages are returned safely a look at the devastation inside gaza next. Happening now, israeli strikes over gaza at least 1,300 people have been killed in gaza. More than 6,000 injured according to the Palestinian Health ministry. Israel continues a total blockade of food, fuel and supplies now into gaza and Health Officials are warning the Hospital System is on the brink of collapse. Ben wedeman joins us from southern lebanon. You have reported extensively throughout gaza in prior conflicts. You know better than almost anyone in this world outside of those living there what this blockade means in the next 48, 72 hours for lives. Reporter i mean, already the main power plant for gaza, poppy, has gone down yesterday afternoon at 2 00 p. M. And what were hearing is in the hospitals, for instance, they are running out of the fuel for the generators they use as a backup when the supply, the municipal connection goes down. So what we understand is that they are going to have trouble basically being hospitals. In fact, there is a statement from the red cross which came out, and ill read it to you. As gaza loses power, hospitals lose Power Butting newborns in incubators and elderly patients on oxygen at risk. Kidney dialysis stops and xrays cant be taken. Without electricity, hospitals risk turning into morgues. So the situation already dire is getting worse by the minute. Now, just sort of a bit of personal perspective. I can tell you every time you go to gaza, wherever you go, there are kids everywhere. There are so many kids that schools run in two shifts to provide them with education. 40 of the population is under the age of 15. So when were talking about cutting off food, cutting off water, cutting off electricity and fuel, basically, youre talking about 40 of the population, which has no say in this current mess, is going to suffer. The Population Density in gaza is 21,000 people per square mile. Thats six times the density of washington, d. C. So in addition to all of the things that have been cut off, that are not available or are running out in gaza, you have the definite almost the inevitable fact that israel is going to be launching a massive Ground Invasion of this small strip of land with just 2 Million People on it. So i can tell you most people in gaza dont even support hamas. They are sick of it. They suffered under it for years. But now they are paying the price for this war in ways that i think its hard to even convey, especially given the fact that we cant be in gaza ourselves. The israelis, obviously, closed off all access. The egyptians have as well. Poppy. Ben, thank you for that perspective. It is incredibly important for people to understand. Secretary of state Antony Blinken pledged that the United States would never falter from support for israel and compared hamas to isis. Next, we will speak to someone who knows the brutality of hamas militants firsthand. Her harrowing story ahead. Terror attack on israel, the war is intensifying and israel is pressuring hamas with an unrelenting Bombing Campaign in gaza strip. As we hear the stories coming out of israel, our next guest said the trauma she suffered a decade ago is resurfacing. They were on a hike in jerusalem in 2010 when two hamas members disguised as Israel Police brutally attacked them. And then we see this light out of the corner of my eye. And its not god and its not my life flashing before me. Its the sun on his machete. And i realize hes going to be head me. I just realize then somehow that that people die with their eyes open and i must play dead. So i made a moral choice and i tried not to move and i kept my eyes open and i watched like 2 meters away, no more than 2 meters, christine was on her back and hes hacking her up. The attackers left but as cheshe laid there playing dead, one flipped her over and stabbed her one more time in the chest just milliliters for her heart. The pictures are graphic. She was able to carry herself all the way to her car, barefoot with her hands still bound. She wanted to die somewhere where her body would be found. Unfortunately her friend christine did not survive the attack. She joins us now. Not just a survivor, shes an educator. I see your reaction. I cant imagine what the memories of your experience bring back to you, bring forth to you. But particularly in this moment. What has this week been like for you . Its been hell on earth. At the moment im feeling anxious, grief stricken, heart broken, traumatized. And also, resolved, determined, full of hope because i think i belong to the most beautiful and amazing people in the entire history of the universe. And i was just coming home today i saw the streets, there were children out there with israeli flags and the amount of Philanthropy Work going on and volunteering is absolutely incredible. We cannot afford to lose this war. All right. Because if israel loses the war, the whole of Western Civilization loses too. The only reason i flinched when you introduced me, im not speaking on on behalf of of them, im speaking as an independent civilian and a survivor of a brutal machete attack. I understand that. Didnt mean to attribute that to be the case. But its an extraordinarily important place for people to recognize. To the point that you made about how youre feeling. Particularly the second half, the resiliency. Its what were seeing from the entire not just Israel Population but also American Jews as well. The fortitude for what comes next. Why do you think that is . I tell you why it is concerning the jewish people. Because weve had 3,000 years of this. This is a pogram in every sense, the Secretary Of State spoke about that, its nothing new. It was a muslim surgeon who saved my life and more muslims have been murdered by islamic terrorist than any other group. The jewish people have been slaughtered by muslims for hundreds of years. Were used to that and we always have to reinvent ourselves. One of your reporters wrote a book about reinvention and thats what israel has had to do time and time again. And following the absolute savagery that my people have witnessed. This is a what do you call ive only got one chance, this is not a war against hamas and israel. On a micro level it is. This is a war against savagery or civilization. These are the sides talking about both sides, the what aboutism. Its savagery versus civilization, day versus night, Cruelty Versus kindness or life versus death. I have to tell you with all respect, phil, cnn ive seen how much ptsd your own reporters have. From my experience, i only see one way that this stuff will stop. All right. First of all, and it will relate to the Good American public. That there is no moral equivalent to innocent persons being killed by israeli bombs than jewish babies being beheaded and families being burned. One a case is murder, the other is kill. I think the way through this is to stop the moral equivalency that people might do by providing platforms to the other side. Because the only other side is wickedness. Its absolute wickedness. And the other thing i see, i got a text from a friend of mine. A jewish woman in britain who said my children are terrified. In london. Why . You have Freedom Of Speech. America is the greatest democracy in the world and america should allow Freedom Of Speech but with Freedom Of Speech comes responsibility. If what youre espousiing makes people feel like their lives are under threat, then these same people under Freedom Of Speech should be arrested and charged with incitement of terrorism. I mean that. I mean that for the Muslim Community as well because there are so many muslims terrified of being associated with these bare barrians. You cant have your case and eat it too. There has to be moral clairrity here. Its not like saying what is israel wondering, its the me too movementm where you blame te victim. Im passionate about this. I understand. With both personal and lived experiences that under score the passion. I note that you point out muslim civilians dont want to be associated with this and Gaza Civilians dont want to be associated with this. We only have 20 seconds left. I understand this is a broader, more complex debate 20 seconds, so say this. One more thing id like to say, id like an inquiry where have the millions of dollars gone where theyre supposed to provide education to the palestinians and the unread education whats the fruit of this is these barbarians who crossed overur