As an Israeli Ground operation into gaza appears imminent, the u. S. , the u. N. And others are scrambling to get palestinians out of harms way. Im Boris Sanchez alongside Brianna Keeler in washington. And today Secretary Of State tony blinken is in israel trying to help open the only viable option for palestinians to leave gaza which is the Rafah Crossing Into Egypt in the south. At the same time blinken stressed that israels obligation to defend itself after the hamas Terror Attack On October 7th that killed at least 1,400 people. You know, our deep commitment to israels right, indeed its obligation, to defend itself and to defend its people, and in that you have and will always have the support of the united. I want to go right now to Nic Robertson along the gaza border. Nic, what have you been seeing . Reporter yeah, literally two seconds ago three rockets coming out of gaza right on the horizon there. There was a couple of rockets, 30 seconds before that, coming over our heads, i just saw another flash, two coming out, going in the direction of northern israel. This appears to be rocket fire coming out of gaza and that erupted out there coming from gaza, literally two minutes after we heard two heavy impact, sounds like israeli missiles impacting in gaza. There goes another rocket missile. Theres the sirens, were just going to step to the side, lock off the Cam Ration Step under some shelter to the side. We are expecting iron dome intercepts over here shortly with the siren going off. Im not hearing them. So, nic, just to be clear those lights we saw on the lefthand side of the screen going up, those were rockets coming from gaza . Reporter those rockets coming from gaza and the fact that we had the Warning Siren going off here would have indicated normally that they were coming here into sderot, at least the last couple of them, but there were no intercepts so they were perhaps headed off in a different direction. But it seems that we have had sort of three or four small salvos of two or three missiles at a time coming up. And because they are not being intercepted here, perhaps theyre going to head further north to where you have in tel aviv, perhaps theyre headed over our heads further east into is israel. No doubt when the Warning Sirens go off in other towns and cities around israel, we will get a better understanding of whats happening, but thats literally thats what outgoing missiles at night from gaza, outgoing rockets from gaza, look like, anderson. Nic, is it clear to you what the rocket capabilities still are of hamas In Gaza Given The you know, the artillery weve been seeing, the bombings weve been seeing in gaza, the devastation weve seen in large place in a lot of places throughout gaza, particularly gaza city. Is it clear i mean, is there any sort of analysis of how many more rockets they may have . Because clearly theyre able to still fire some. Reporter yeah, i think the analysis has to be exactly what you are saying, anderson, that theyre still able to fire some, but i think it all comes down to the some. And i think what weve witnessed over the past week is the salvos just get smaller and smaller and smaller. Literally these were just in rounds of two or three missiles at a time, and thats what you were witnessing over tel aviv not too long ago this evening. If this was this time last week, the salvos were dozens of rockets at a time into central israel, Up To Ashkelon and into sderot here. We cant make the definitive calculation that thats all that hamas have in their arsenal because they use their missiles strategically. They may hold some back for other days. Typically what weve seen in previous days is when the Missile Strikes when israeli Missile Strikes and artillery are particularly heavy on gaza, hamas is unable to get out and fire off as many rockets. Today its been quieter and it seems that they are only managing a few. So perhaps they are in a weakened position as far as rockets, but thats today. Tomorrow, tomorrow morning, later tonight could be different, anderson. Yeah, and also potentially holding back for when a Ground Invasion does begin. No way to know for sure, Nic Robertson, thank you. As the war progresses violence has also erupted at israels northern border with lebanon, also in the west bank as well. Cnns Becky Anderson joins me now with some of that. Becky, you were just in the we bank. What is the situation there . Its fascinating. As israel readies itself for the next stages against hamas, there is a potential new front with hezbollah. 100,000 rockets, thats worrying, also worrying whats going on in the round west bank. That is a powder keg for months and months, its been a real flash point of deadly violence. Just this past ten days, since this conflict began, weve seen the death of 60 palestinians, innocent palestinians at the hard of jewish settlers. We went to one village which has lost six men, innocent men, who believe they are right in the crosshairs of the issues that are going on there. We will see this report. Reporter 12yearold abdul cant sleep at night. His sister says hes too scared to be alone. His home in the village just south of nabulis was charged by settlers. You can see them in the Video Lobbying rocks then firing at the property, shattering the windows. Inside the floor littered with glass, scars of bullets scraping the walls, a pleebleak emptines. Four local palestinians were killed in this attack. On the way to their funeral the following day, two other locals, ibrahim and his son also shot dead. Images of the lost plaster the walls. The mayor here says his community lives in here, constantly attacked by jewish settlers and he says its getting worse. The situation is so, so bad. You cant even describe it. Were living in a devastating psychological state. None of us can sleep. Reporter torched cars, water pumps, electricity lines, ransacked. This man tells Me Settlers Roam freely here, often under the protection of the israeli police. Their aim, he insists, to drive palestinians from their homes and ultimately from the occupied west bank. In israels current government far right National Security minister, a former Settler Leader himself, previously convicted of supporting terrorism and inciting antiarab racism. Others denying palestinians very existence. While you and i have been talking im just getting an urgent update on my phone here, local sources, settlers storm the town protected by the occupation forces. Translator the policy is clear, its no secret, they want to displace this area. We just have to defend ourselves and defend our land. We will die here. Where else will we go . Reporter a short drive away and in full view of an encroaching settlement we meet ibrahim and ahmeds family. Wives, daughters and sisters, mourning their loss, yet stoic and proud. Translator my husband loved his land. He defended his land and we will continue to do that so long as we are alive. Tell me about ahmed. Reporter ahmed was just like his dad, a hero, a brave man with a strong heart. Translator as long as theres someone supporting you and encouraging you to carry out attacks of course violence is going to increase. Reporter In The Shadow of that violence life goes on. For some like these women, intimidation, making them more intent on staying, but for others like rabir, this time its too much. What we can do . Reporter they moved six years ago, escaping Settler Violence that took away their fathers life. Now being driven out of their home again. And weve spoken to the idf and asked them what theyre doing to reinforce their assets on the ground to support palestinians because thats what theyre supposed to do, you know, theyre supposed to be there to support the population in the occupied west bank, and they said that they are they are fully reinforced, i mean, theyve got what they need there. The mayor of that town told me something i think which is really important, he said theres a direct connection between whats going on in gaza and whats happening there with these youngsters, these innocent youngsters. He said as this Settler Violence continues he said he hears more and more from the once palestinians that they would rather die in combat Going Forward than be humiliated by being driven out of their homes and killed in their homes. We know that this is a real problem and the region knows this is a real problem as well. Weve been talking about this for months. Becky anderson, thanks so much. Joining us right now is michael oren, former israeli ambassador to the u. S. Ambassador oren, thanks for being with us. How concerned are you about the situation in the best wang and also along the northern border with lebanon . Good evening, hi, good to be with you again always, anderson. Well, about the recent item you just had with becky, i would unequivocally condemn Settler Violence against innocent palestinians in the west bank. Lets put it in context. Roughly 30 jews have been massacred by hamas and terrorists in the west bank since the beginning of the year, including, you know, the mother and two daughters of a family. Its not just onesided here, theres a battle going on between extremists on both sides and both of them have to be condemned and israel has to defend itself. Im very concerned about the situation up north as we talked about before, possibly a multifront war is a reality and he hezbollah as a Fighting Force is roughly 15 times that of hamas. Hamas has 10 to 15,000 rockets, hezbollah has 150,000 rockets, many which are buried under 200 villages in southern lebanon. They put the rocket in The Living Room with the family there, the family is a human shield for that rocket. They have a Fighting Force which has been fighting on the side of assad in syria for ten years, experienced with mass a concerning literally Hundreds Of Thousands of syrians, a true terrorist group. Backed fully by iran. What hezbollah and its leader has been doing since the outbreak of the war in gaza has been testing us. Theyve been shooting Mortar Shells across the border, Drone Activity across the board, theyve killed five of our soldiers so far but they havent unleashed the rockets yet. The conventional wisdom amongst security people is hezbollah is waiting to see how israel advances with its Ground Incursion into gaza and at a certain point where it becomes clear that hamas will be defeated that is when hezbollah will open up with its october. The deterrence will be the presence of the two u. S. Naval flotillas there, the eisenhower and the ford and the very clear, i think, intention of President Biden and Secretary Of State blinken to say to iran, to hezbollah and i quote them, dont care. And i think that the president is willing to use force to prevent hezbollah and iran from intervening in this war. Let me ask you about the situation in southern gaza. Israel has pushed and recommended and urged palestinians to leave gaza city, to leave the north, move down to the south to avoid whatever is to come in a ground offensive. You know, u. N. Relief officials weve talked to have said they want to get more supplies in, theyre not being able to get enough in, we saw a few trucks with gasoline going in today across the rafah border. Isnt it in israels best interest to build up the capabilities in the south in terms of shelter at the very least and food and supply of water for those Hundreds Of Thousands who have already moved . Wouldnt that encourage more to move down to the south . I would think so. As a citizen im not a spokesman for the state of israel anymore but i would say i would be in favor of relieving some of the Human Suffering in that area as much as possible, if for no other reason because the president and his Secretary Of State have asked them, theyve asked them to help them help us by reducing as much as possible the Human Suffering element in this very tragic situation. Of course, we have no choice but to urge that population to move because the israeli army is poised to enter into heavily mined Booby Trapped areas, as a former infantryman i will tell you there is no greater nightmare than this scenario and most of the fighting will not be aboveground it will be beneath the ground where hamas has dug endless kilometers of tunnels an bunkers all of which are mined and Booby Trapped and hamass leadership is under hospitals, under schools. There can be no more nightmare situation. The least we can do is move that population out of there because if they were to remain there then the level of civilian casualties would be far, far greater. Note that the u. N. Has said that they have had trouble getting supplies across the egyptian border, not the Israeli Border. Why have they talked about the Israeli Border . Because the Border Crossing was destroyed by hamas. I was in charge of that Border Crossing, i know it quite well, its called the vineyard of peace ironically named. Hamas destroyed the border, have shelled the area toward the border, there is no way that israel could get the supplies to that Border Crossing. The tunnels, given, you know, your experience in gaza before and the idfs experience, how effective is this bombardment against those tunnels that hamas has built . Very little. Its difficult to destroy tunnels in the air. Weve learned that since 2008 since the first Major Exchange with hamas and gaza. There almost is no alternative but to send Engineering Forces underground with explosives to blow them up. Weve tried many things. Israel has developed the worlds most advanced tunnel detection technology, we share that technology with homeland security, america also faces Tunnel Challenges on its borders. We have we have a subterranean metal wall that goes down many meters to block the tunnels from coming into our territory but here one of the attacks on one of our bases was undertaken by Hamas Terrorists using a tunnel. Even with all of these precautions. To go into these tunnels is to go into an underground labyrinth. By the way, the tunnels have plenty of electricity, plenty of water. There is no shortage of anything. It is, as ive said often to you, anderson, i was in charge of gaza and i will tell you everything you learn about human nature, Human Kindness and goodness you have to throw out the window when dealing with hamas. They will us their people and hostages as human shields, they will even shell their own people and i think they have already. Its nothing that you and i can possibly understand. I was listening to your report before about the visit to the Killing Field of that former rave concert. I havent quite as they say, i havent gotten it together. I dont know how you do it. Totally, totally just so, so disturbing, nightmarish. Thats what were dealing with hamas. We have to defend ourselves against them. Michael oren, former ambassador. I appreciate it. Thank you very much. Stay with cnn for our special coverage continues in a moment. An Israeli Ground offensive in gaza could be imminent and the countrys military is continuing to bombard gaza in response to a brutal attack by hamas. There is new footage to share with you showing the aftermath of some of these strikes. Blocks decimated and buildings leveled. And in the south the rafah Border Crossing into egypt is still closed as border authorities have yet to repair the damage from an air strike. Keep in mind that crossing is the main Point Of Departure for evacuees and a critical entrance for arriving humanitarian supplies. In northern israel fighting with hezbollah in lebanon has been intensifying. Today israel ordered 28 villages near the lebanese border to evacuate. All as the u. S. Is moving a second Carrier Strike group into the region. The presence of two of the u. S. Navys most powerful war ships meant to send a message to iran and its proxies, do not get involved. The u. S. , brianna, very closely watching the messaging not only from tehran but from hezbollah and lebanon as well. Certainly theyre very worried that this could expand. Lets talk about this now with retired Lieutenant General mark hertling, he is a cnn Military Analyst and former Commander General for the u. S. Army europe and seventh army. When we talk about this potentially expanding with he see how it has already expanded, general. You can see of course lebanon, theres shelling on either side of the border there, the west bank 58 palestinians killed there. Syria saying two