hello and welcome to our viewers joining us here in the united states and all around the world. we continue our breaking news coverage of israel at war. i'm rosemary church. joe biden is warning that israel should not try to occupy gaza. as an israeli ground invagsz seems inevitable. mr. biden added he believes israel has to respond to the hamas attacks that kills 1,400 people. the iz really military urged civilians to leave northern gaza. the palestinian health ministry says 2,600 people have been killed and is appealing for humanitarian aid as conditions deteriorate in gaza. aid deliveries have been piling up on the border crossing. the only way in or out of gaza. u.s. secretary of state antony blinken has promised it will be open. but the u.s. embassy in israel warns the situation at the crossing will remain fluid and unpredictable. clare sebastian is following developments. she joins us live from london. good to see you, clare. what is the latest on the hamas/israel war, from both sides of the border? and what are you hearing about the border crossing opening up this hour? we are hearing that possibility. >> rumors. we don't have anything concrete on that. the media office, saying they have not received contact from egyptian authorities, with opening the crossing today. we watch and wait to see what happens. the onus is heavily on that border crossing, and the humanitarian situation inside gaza spirals. hearing about the health system running out of fuel for a few days. a lack of shelter in the south. israel has told hundreds of thousands of people as it plans to step up bombardment and ground offensive in the north of gaza. the phrase from the agency most active, is that gaza is being str strangled. there's growing outrage from the international community on that region. in terms of the crossing, itself, we did hear from secretary blinken. in the region today. it will be open on sunday. nothing concrete on that. the u.s. is under pressure, given that 600 americans are trapped in gaza. people are trying to get out. aid is trying to get in. it's trapped on the border. >> clare sebastian, bringing us a live report from london. appreciate it. for the first time, the president of the palestinian authority has condemned the military actions. the palestinian news agency reports that mahmoud abass says the actions and policies of hamas do not represent the palestinian people. he calls for rejection of violence and release of prisoners on both sides of the con conflict. his comments came during a phone call with the president of venezuela. joining me is research fellow for middle east policy at the international institute for strategic studies. he's with us from bahrain. thank you for joining us. in the wake of hamas' brutal and horrifying attacks last saturday, israel's goal is to wipe out the militant group and destroy its terrorist infrastructure with large-scale strikes. and likely ground incursion. what are the risks and costs involved for innocent civilians and hostages, held underground, given hamas knows that tunnel system better than the idf troops. >> yes. in fact, it is difficult to imagine how israel could achieve its objective of total anallation of hamas, without willing more palestinians. the gaza strip had been under black cade for 16 years now. it's one of the most densely populated places in the world. the health infrastructure is woefully inadequate. people in gaza have a lower life expectancy of ten years than most people in israel. we have 500,000 palestinians taking shelter in schools run by the u.n. even knees are inadequate. and the u.n. warn they are at risk of running out of water. hospitals are at risk of being overrun. things are made worse, that israel has cut off electricity, water and food and fuel. this means the humanitarian situation in gaza is precarious. and asking $1.1 billion to move south in a place about the size of seattle or detroit, not entirely feasible. israelless strategy is not only legal and morally indefensible, that its ago a bad strategy. inflicting large amounts of civilian casualties to defeat hamas is self-defeating. by killing palestinian civilians at scale, israel is providing hamas with its next generation of fighters, by pushing people to the brink of desperation. it's 's nurturing and intergen rational memory of oppressive. >> your sense is that it's not a goal that's achievable anyway. hamas can't be eradicated. >> it can, but not by military means. deprive it of its cause. that's why pursuing, a path towards peace, ending the illegal occupation, and providing palestinians with hope. the idea of restoring deterrence hasn't worked. the ongoing conflict is the biggest illustration of that. going back to it is going back to the same, flawed, conceptual security model. the best way to defeat hamas and to restore deterrence, is through hope, not through fear. >> honestly, how can that be done? israel is responding to what was a murderous attack on its soil, killing babies, women, children. so, i mean, you understand what is fueling this. that doesn't necessarily -- you can't accept what is happening in gaza, as well. you can see how abhorntd that attack was. and how a nation would want to reta retaliate. how that is done is the question we are trying to tackle. what is the path forward with that? >> we have to remember this is not the first war between israel and hamas. every time, israel has responded through disproportionate use of force. resulting in many palestinian casualties. how disease that turned out? not very well. in the total absence of a viable, political path, this has to be a change in israel's orientation toward the israeli/palestinian issue. towards the palestinian issue. this means there needs to be a reckoning within israel. that the overwhelming use of force has failed to protect israel so far. without a pathway to peaceful settlement. that means the palestinians don't have to live under total siege. they can afford to get the rights under international law. without that, there's no hope. and future generations that remember how israel has responded to them. i think we are pushed and we will see more violence. without a clear pathway, it will be difficult how we can permanently break this cycle of violence. >>y e. sadly, there's no clear political pathway right now. it has to be said. hamas spent two years preparing for last week's attacks on israel. what was the goal? and what were they expecting to achieve, knowing that israel would retaliate with a force, never witnessed before, to wipe hamas off the map. why did they do this? what was the end game? >> i thinkle the primary end game was to destroy israel's invisibility narrative. the most powerful military power in the region, can be defeated and humiliated and hurt. i thinhat israel was invincible. i think the other goal, precisely the trap that israel is walking into. by provoking the israeli overreaction, hamas is hoping to dent any international support that israel might be able to garner. therefore, essentially, we can support within the western partners and allies. >> all right. thank you so much for joining us. appreciate your perspective on this issue. still to come, the u.s. is eager to bring home hostages held by hamas. how washington is trying to help israel make that happen. we're back in a moment. iran's president is warning that the war between israel and hamas could spread to other parts of the middle east if the crisis in gaza is not resolved soon. in a call with macron sunday, iran's president called for an immediate end to the bombardment to residential areas in gaza and demanded that efforts be made to lift the embargo on the territory. it is warning iran and other players not to take advantage of the crisis, noting that the u.s. is sending a second carrier strike group to the region. >> we back that up with the words that we're saying. and what we're doing. including the deployment of the aircraft carrier battle groups. not to provoke anyone. but to send a clear message of dete deterrence. no one should do anything that widens the conflict of furthers aggression against israel in any direction. we've been clear about that. >> cnn as also learned that israeli prime minister benjamin netanyahu has invited joe biden to visit israel. and both countries are discussing the possibility of a visit soon. israel's military has confirmed that hamas fighters are holding 155 hostages. hamas kidnaps men, women and children, during the surprise attacks last weekend. the israeli president says efforts to get them back is difficult because he says hamas does not obey rules of international humanitarian law. it's not clear where they are being held and under what conditions. the people taken are of various nationalities. the u.s. says it's working to try to secure the release of its own citizens but without military force. there's no plans to put boots on the ground. we're actively trying to find out where they are. endon't rule anything out. we're working on this by the hour. >> while the u.s. is beefing up military presence in the region, it has no plans on sending troops to fight in israel. right now, the united states is giving no indication it plans to send boots on the ground in any way to israel to try to assist in the operations in gaza or in part of a hostage rescue operations. it's showing the carrier strike groups in the waters off the coast. message to other groups in the region. not only hamas. but hezbollah, and groups in syria, as a deterrent to get them involved. they have a federal team to help in hostage situations. they're assisting in the israelis. and a marine unit is headed towards israel. these are those that had training in hostage rescue scenarios. no indication that's where they are headed or why they are headed or why they would potentially be headed towards the region. it gives you an idea of potentially the support that the israelis may be receiving from the u.s. military. israeli and u.s. military work closely together. they're training one another. and officials call the american military their brothers in arms. they just had their largest ever joint exercise in the last few months. they made it clear to iran. if you get in involved in attacking israel, the americans are there to support them. john kirby said they have no plans or intentions of sending u.s. troops on the ground into israel. chuck schumer said they did not ask for israelis on the ground. they want it in the forms of munitions, ammunition, and having the support of the strike groups off the coast, to try and deter any other actors from getting involved. if a hostage rescue operation is attempted, it will be complex. it will be difficult. and the israelis will likely be seeking some sort of support from the americans in terms of logistics and intelligence. cnn's fra reed zacaria, gives us perspective on how politics in the middle east have evolved over the years. >> a fundamental fact. the united states was a power broker in the middle east. and the united states, since the iraq war, has been stepping back. that was getting less involved in the middle east. when the united states steps back, what happens is you create a power vacuum. and all kinds of people try tov. and the biggest shift is a contest between saudi arabia and iran. the way the saudis tried to do it, with cooperation of the israelis, and the turks and the russians. but the saudis tried to ensure their concerns and interests are taken care of. by forging a new alliance between the arabs and israel. that scared the actors that thought they were being marginalized. the palestinians thought they were being marginalized. what netanyahu was trying to do was ignore the palestinian issue. make peace with the arabs. hamas and actors of hamas, said we're going to burn the house down. this is their way of burning the house down. part of what's going on here, you've had a power vacuum, which all kinds of people are jockeying for influence. and hamas is watching all this. they're playing the card they have. the most brutal, sadistic card. that's their way to get attention. >> that was fareed zacaria. he's urging israel to learn from what he called the mistakes and overreactions of the united states, after the 9/11 terror attacks. still to come this hour, as israeli troops prepare for an expected ground attack on hamas, we take a look at the last time the idf moved into gaza and what lessons they may take from it this time. and china takes on diplomacy in the middle east, with top diplomats delivering increasingly strong words for israel. we'll take you to beijing for the latest after a short break. stay with us. israel and hezbollah fighters have been exchanging fire, raising fears of a second front in the ongoing conflict across the israeli/lebanese border. the idf says its fighter jets strike hezbollah's military structure on sunday. and they are responding to fire coming from lebanon. meantime, as fighting intensifies in gaza, hundreds of thousands of civilians are fleeing south. the u.s. embassy said that the crossing may open at short notice for, quote, a limited time. the crossing has been closed since the fighting began. israeli troops are gathering near gaza. the last time they went in to target hamas leaders was in 2014. nic robertson looks back at then and what israel is planning now. >> reporter: close to gaza, preparations under way for a much anticipated ground offensive. troops from different units are training together. there's an urgency here. they have to be ready fast. right now, this is a rehearsal, when and if there's an incursion. these troops can be at the front of it. tanks or for this practice, model ones right now, followed by infantry and combat engineers. a combined force spearheading an incu incursion. if they do, this major will be near the front. >> we expect to go to war. we expect to kill its governments and kill the last terrorists. >> reporter: the last time the idf went into gaza targeting hamas' leaders was 2014. errol was 21, in the special forces. one of the first to cross the border. >> you're just afraid that there's something waiting for you at every corner. >> reporter: the experiences then left him questioning the ak tactics today. the idf wants people to leave. and they told them to stay. just as it's happening now. some stayed. the orders ashoe the civilians who left. >> whoever you see is engaged in fighting. and therefore, we call it engaging with fire with any home you enter, with any kind of shape of a person that you see from afar. >> in many ways, israel's actions are playing out just as they have in the past. 2021 gun positions, freshly dug, back in use. and in gaza, the civilian death toll, according to palestinian officials, higher than in 2014. and like then, israel is already facing huge international pressure. to avoid more civilian casualties. >> what we are doing is saying privately, what we said publicly, which is that all military operation should be conducting consistent with the law of war. civilians should be protected. >> the problem the idf says it faces, just like 2014. hamas will be hiding among civilians. >> the situation we're talking about with gaza and civilians forcefully embedded is another element of hamas. hamas has to be fully defeated. >> reporter: the responsibility is on them, not you? >> the responsibility is on hamas for their own civilians. our responsibility is to get rid of hamas completely. >> reporter: he says they don't hurt innocents. only terroristers. admits if he had sent him to gaza, avoiding civilian deaths would be easy. you think it's possible that hamas without civilians getting injured? >> translator: we're concerned with overthrowing the hamas regime and killing the terrorists in gaza. if it will be difficult, it will be difficult. not easy. >> reporter: outside the camp gets as israelless military ponder their next move. troops are saying their fond farewells. nic robertson, cnn, southern israel. joining me now is ravina, a spokesperson for the united states human rights office. >> thanks for having me, rosemary. >> the hamas attacks in israel were brutal. abhorrent. as israel retaliates, we're seeing a humanitarian crisis spiral out of control in gaza. the u.n. describing it as a hell hole on the brink of collapse. we are hearing conflicting reports about whether the water is back on. what are you able to tell us about this deteriorating situation in gaza right now? >> you're rightly point out the attacks by hamas into israel were abhorrent. they are a clear violation of international law. the taking of hostages. the firing of rockets into israel. these can amount to war crimes. israel's reaction has been deeply worrying. we've seen a collective punishment of the people of gaza. civilians are bearing the brunlt of the violence and the dire humanitarian situation. we've seen hospitals, forcing to evacuate. doctors will stay with patients in the icu wards and the neonatal units. you have the impossible choice of to abandon your patients or stay with them and risk death. access to water and food. the forced evacuation of hundreds of thousands of people, into southern gaza, has created a very veritable situation in southern gaza, as well. colleagues are trying to work in difficult circumstances. warning that electricity has been cut. food is running out. and there's urgent need for humanitarian pause. >> let's talk about that effort to establish a humanitarian cor corridor. what is causing the delay. why is there a problem in getting the humanitarian aid in. it's sitting at the border on the egyptian side. why can't it get in? >> there's been mammoth diplomatic efforts to try to make this happen. the secondary general is constantly meeting with the parties involved. many other states are leveraging what leverage they can. we need the security for aid deliveries to happen. as you say, there's a significant amount of aid waiting at the border to be let in. we're appealing for a cause and a corridor for the aid to reach the people, approachling a situation that's untenable. we're looking at thousands of deaths if this aid doesn't get through. >> we have desperate palestinians that fled norther gaza. they're waiting on the border on the gaza side, in hope of seeking safe haven in egypt. that country's president, el-sisi, hasn't opened the border yet. the rumor is that may happen. it could happen today. so, isn't he part of the problem? why won't he open the border? and why hasn't other nations condemned his actions? it's hard to grasp. >> we're following very closely. the secretary-general is moving to states in the region, to do what they can to o leavoeave alleviate the humanitarian catastrophe. i've seen the reports you refer to, there might be hope on the horizon. it's important to stress that all people have the right to seek asylum, if they are fleeing persecution and violence. this is a right in international law. what's crucial, number one, there is a pause in hostilities, a humanitarian pause, for aid to get through. number two, all parties respect international humanitarian law. they are the rules of war. and that hamas releases the hostages immediately. >> let's hope all of that gets done. if israel gives the go ahead, what will likely happen to the palestinians that weren't able to evacuate northern gaza and the people you refer to in the hospitals, with patients that can't be moved? >> people are terrified. even people that tried to flee, the bombardments continued as they tried to evacuate. israel needs to be reminded, every day, every moment of every day. that humanitarian is not optional. these are the bare minimum laws that have to be respected in times of war. it's warrant that clear signals are led to their people, that we are in the midst of a precarious operation. you see the repeat of the cycle. the cycle of silence, hatred and vengeance. it's not to the benefit of israeli or palestinian civilians. >> it's a dire situation. we're hoping for some sort of solution as we watch this unfold. thank you so much for talking with us. we appreciate it. >> thank you. china is weighing in on the war between israel and hamas. the top diplomat says israel has gone self-defense for its actions since the hamas attacks. good to see you. what more can you tell us about china's response to israel's air strikes in gaza and what it plans to do? >> that line you mentioned from chinese foreign minister has gotten quite a bit of attention. some perceive it to be beijing's hardened stance towards israel, as the humanitarian crisis in gaza worsens. what's not being said is just as important. one word we have not heard chinese officials say, is hamas. they have not named hamas in any of the condemnations since the heinous attack, the group against israeli civilians on october 7th. that's reflected on the state media coverage. they were focused on the palestinian suffering after the israeli counterattacks. barely mentioning israeli casualties during the stage of the latest conflict. that's perhaps because like most arab nations, china as long viewed hamas as a resistance organization, not a terrorist group. that's not gone unnoticed by israel. our lives and including the united states. despite beijing's claim of neutrality that the u.s. has no self-interest in this conflict, if you read the statements after multiple phone calls with powers over the weekend. they are focused on the palestinian cause. that's something they have supported for decades. messaging for a long time, domestically and internationally. they are a staunch supporter of the palestinian state hood. and while israel is being portrayed as a state of the united states, despite closer ties. at the end of the day, the calculation may be scoring points to serve the overall interest better on the international stage. always reflection of lack of expertise in dealing with the region, despite inroads, after the deal they brokered between the inrannians and saudis. they fall back to the foul passions, despite the anger from israel? >> joining us live from beijing. people across the world, are showing support for the victims of the israeli/hamas war. we'll show you the rallies worldwide. nice footwork. man, you're lucky, watching live sports never used to be this easy. now you can stream all your games like it's nothing. yes! [ cheers ] yeah! woho! running up and down that field looks tough. it's a pitch. get way more into what you're into when you stream on the xfinity 10g network. the united nations says no one was hurt after a rocket hit its headquarters in southern lebanon. the u.s. says it's trying to determine who launched the market. the market hit during an intense exchange of fire on sunday. the idf says its fighter vets hit infrastructure on sunday. an uptick of exchanges of fire is raising fears the conflict could spread. and cnn's senior international correspondent ben wedeman is in southern lebanon with more. >> it was another day of cross-border strike and counterstrike between hezbollah and israel, with the violence edging beyond isolated incidents and starting to veer the scenario so many here fear. a full-on war, perhaps worse than 2016. throughout the day, they targeted positions on the border, firing guided missiles and communications, observation and surveillance equipment. and hitting some israeli towns, killing one israeli civilian and wounding others. israel fired artillery and launched air strikes. as a result of the fighting, israel declared a four-kilometer-deep closed military zone along the border to keep civilians away. in the afternoon, a volley of rockets was fired into israel. most intercepted by the iron dome. at the same time, iraq hit the peacekeeping force, just north of the border. slamming into the helipad there. the u.n. is trying to determine where the rocket was fired from. all of this doesn't amount to war yet. but it's getting dangerously close. ben wedeman, cnn, southern lebanon. a u.s. senate delegation in israel was forced to take shelter in tel aviv yesterday. chuck schumer posted a picture of himself, staffers and mitt romney in a bomb shelter. schumer led the bipartisan delegation to israel and spoke to erin burnett. >> we came to a simple message to the israeli people. we have your back. we feel your pain and america will stick with you in this most difficult time. we had three missions. to let israel know we're for them. to find out what israel's needs are. had discussions of the military, diplomatic and intelligence needs that israel had. we wanted to show this was bipartisan. i went with two democrats and two republicans. >> and senator rosen. in this time of partisanship, this is one area where the congress is united. we're going to pass soon -- we're going to put together a strong package. we are not going to wait for the house. we are hopeful that if we pass, it will pressure the house to vote one way or another. >> secretary blinken is coming back. he is coming from other places. what is his goal? >> i think his goal is to keep the negotiations that were going on between saudi arabia, israel and america on track. many suspect that hamas and even iran did this dastardly, horrible, terrorist action, to make sure that that didn't happen. and he feels strongly, as do most of us, we should keep it on track. the viciousness of hamas. cutting the throats of children. having their parents watch. hamas is going to intimidate you from doing what you want to do. and i think what secretary blinken is saying and israel is saying, we are saying, you're not going to intimidate us. we're going to move forward. around the world, people are taking to the streets to show support for the israelis and the palestinians. but pro-palestinian rallies were most prevalent on sunday. melissa bill has more. >> palestine will be free. >> reporter: in sydney, thousands turned out to express solidarity with palestinians and oppose israel's military action in gaza. the police out in full force, as well. organizationers warning that anti-semitic behavior will not be welcome. the crowd message to the palestinian people was loud and clear. >> what's a protest going to do except spread awareness and support. we have no ligegitimized thing power to do anything to protect them. shame on the government who do and don't do anything. >> reporter: pro-palestinian rallies have been held in cities around the world. in trafrance and germany. some of the largest rallies were in the arab world. similar scenes of solidarity in pak pakistan. >> we're seeing from our areas of the pakistan. palestinians are not alone. >> and in tunisia, anger that more is not being done to protect palestinians. >> translator: i am, as a palestinian, i am a son of gaza. my people facing determination. gaza is being devastated. where is the international community? where is the arabs? >> reporter: in tokyo, a smaller crowd but similar feeling. >> i am here to show that we are united now. tired of war and conflicts. >> melissa bell, cnn, paris. poland's opposition party looks set to win the country's hard-fought election, ending eight years of populous rule. we'll have details for you after the break. when house republicans gather behind closed doors in washington monday evening, they will be in the 13th day of operating without a leader. ohio congressman jim jordan is expected to force a floor vote on tuesday, as he tries to become the next speaker of the house. jordan was nominated to replace kevin mccarthy, who became the first speaker in u.s. history to be ousted by his own party. during friday's nomination vote, jordan seemed well short of the support he will need to win the speaker's gavel. but he appeared optimistic. take a listen. >> i think we get 217 volts. >> will you only keep running if you get 217 votes? >> i think we will get 217 votes. >> one senior house peopler who opposes a jordan speakership tells cnn, he thinks there's roughly 40 votes against him. and at least 20 members who are willing to go to the floor on tuesday to block jordan's path, if he tries to compel a roll call vote. exit polls show poland's populist ruling party will lose of sunday's election. the opposition block appears on course to gain control if it strikes deals with smaller parties. the results of this election are expected to have major ramifications for poland. the balance of power in the european union and the future of the war in ukraine. center right candidate daniel naboye is next to be ecu ecuador's next president. he is the son of a banana tycoon received 52% of the vote. his main rival got almost 48%. more than 10 million people voted in sunday's election. it comes after the assassination of another presidential candidate in august. i want to thank you for your company this hour. i'm rosemary church. i'm back with more cnn newsroom after a short break. do stay with us. from chrome to duckduckgo. duckduckgo is a browser you download to your mobile and desktop devices. unlike chrome, the duckduckgo browser has privacy built-in. it comes with a private alternative to google search, which doesnâ– t spy on your searches, and it blocks cookies and creepy ads. and there's no catch. it's free. we make money from ads, but they don't follow you around. join the millions of people taking back their privacy by downloading duckduckgo on mobile and desktop today.