northern gaza from the air. the american official tells cnn negotiators are working towards an agreement involving with what they call the days long pause in the fighting. in exchange, hostages would be freed on a rolling basis starting with women and children over a period of days. that same official, however, added that many details remain unresolved in negotiations could stall or break down at any point. also today comments by secretary of state antony blinken getting attention. secretary of state blinken more directly raised concerns about the death toll on gaza and push for more in the way of humanitarian aid. beyond the daily pauses and fighting to it allow civilians to get out of harms way or get aid that israel announced yesterday. >> far too many palestinians have been killed. far too many have suffered these past weeks. we want to do everything possible to prevent harm to them and to maximize the assistance that gets to them. >> robertson starts us off with some of the video we showed you were taken just across the border from northern gaza. what have you been seeing and hearing in recent hours? >> reporter: yeah, a very heavy destination coming from behind us where that fighting was taken place earlier. we think of the refugee camp. it appeared as if there was an intense fire fight because flairs were dropped and smoke screen on the ground, which is normally what we have seen when the idf forces believe they've got, that they have come in to contact with a number of hamas fighters. we saw what appeared to be missiles coming in from above. perhaps heavy machine gunfired from an apache gunship. but a very, very intense battle. significant because it is just a few miles into north of gaza. troops have been on the ground there for two weeks already. and yet they still find themselves in these very heavy confrontations with hamas. and that is given that they still have many, many, many miles more to go in gaza before it could be cleared. and which gives the understanding that this will be a very, very long military operation indeed if it is going to succeed as the idf lays out, anderson. >> is it clear to you exactly what these pauses that israel has agreed to seemingly under the u.s. pressure, kind of rolling pauses and different times? what that is going to look like? >> they do seem to be, yeah, they do seem to be based on the idea that we have seen these humanitarian corridors, that have allowed tens of thousands of people to move from the north to the south, that it begins another question as well that i just touched on. because when you get all those people in the south and the strikes are still happening in the south and you have now double density population in the south and the military still has to move to the south, then it becomes harder to avoid civilians. what we're seeing perhaps one of those pauses coming into effect around one of the hospitals today. it is really unclear the situation. there are tanks around it. there has been casualties outside because of explosions. but it does seem according to the hospital that a lot of the doctors and the patients have now left. so perhaps there was a pause of some sort in their location as well. these are the only ways where we are seeing it come into effect, anderson. >> are you seeing anything that comes to responding to reduce civilian casualties? >> reporter: you know, i think these corridors are, but the military in essence is only targeting hamas. the idf says it is not intending to have civilian casualties. the war is a very blunt instrument and absolutely every day we continue to see civilian casualties. the number now has gone over 11,000 according to palestinian health officials, anderson. >> all right, nick robinson, thank you so much. we have been talking to, michael orin, israel's former ambassador to the united states. >> so you hear secretary blinken saying far too many palestinians have been killed in gaza. do you sense a concern or weakening for support for israel e? >> no. i think this was anticipated. i think when you're fighting against the enemy that's hiding behind its own population using them as human shields as they said this and secretary blinken has said this repeatedly, there will be civilian casualties. we'll do our upmost to hold them down. he's saying listen, we, in the white house, we're under a lot of pressure. we're under the pressure of the pictures coming out of gaza, getting pressure from our own parties. could you open up, you know, the humanitarian corridors or humanitarian pauses to allow aid in and perhaps release some of the pressure on us and help us help you is basically what he's saying. i think israel should try to meet as much as possible the request of the administration. >> and why not have as much aid as possible going in through that rafah border to the south to encourage as many palestinians to come down to the south as possible? >> and that is compelling argument. including the families of the hostages, they're saying listen, we have not had a word about any of our hostages. the red cross has not gone in there. we are basically maintaining a beverage over red cross and hamas to let somebody in. >> and they wrote a piece in the times with a lot of attention only if they are ready to engage, directed to the palestinians in the post hamas gaza that would indicate some two-state solution if they could get their political house unified and in order. that doesn't even seem to be something that the government in israel is thinking about, withholding tax revenues from the authorities, which by all rights should go to the authority to pay for security personnel. >> some of the money will be used to pay for the families of terrorists who kill jews and the palestinian authorities pay them salaries. >> and they are withholding the entire tax revenue, you know, again, why weaken the security forces of the authority at this point if there is going to be some sort of post hamas rule of gaza. i assume if israel, i mean the palestinian authority would be the most obvious choice if they would be willing to do? >> i don't think it is the right idea. but here is the reality on the ground. he's the president of the palestinian authority and in the 18th year of his four-year term. he will not stand for re-election. if he does, he will lose to hamas and if somehow you involve the palestinian authority in a peace process, whatever state would be created to turn into gaza within a matter of days. >> who is going to be the mayor of gaza? >> we don't know yet. we don't know yet. i think we have to interfashion alize it. >> saudi arabia, they don't want to have troops in gaza. >> it is too early. i think right now the main thing is to defeat hamas, demilitarize the gaza strip. and rebuild the gaza strip. then figure out some type of international force. >> you know, the u.s. with great authority, you know, had a campaign in the wake of taking out saddam hussein. and a lot of the people who had military training, who were in that party ended up in the insurgency. how is there not a hamas insurgency? i mean they are not going to be killed? >> no, they're not. and first of all i don't think you can kill the idea of hamas. anymore of killing the idea of isis or al qaeda. you can degrade them. isis is less of a threat today because there is not an isis state. listen, a lot of neo-nazis walking around today, but not as powerful as they were when there was a nazi germany. you can degrade the hamas state and the people who still subscribe to the notion of hamas. you have to destroy the jewish state. you have to create a tale of fate in the middle east. they will be weakened. but what you can do is create the situation where kids in gaza, children in gaza are not going to nursery school or learning to kill jews. giving them a different future where you can do that, but you can't do it as long as hamas is there. >> always good to be with you. the wait for word is unbearable. cnn has a one-woman story of devotion and determination. >> i have her also here on my back, my beautiful sister. >> reporter: for more than a month, hamas has held her 23-year-old sister hostage. yordan is sleeping outside israel's military headquarters and vows to stay here as long as it takes to get her sister home. >> it's a statement. we are here until they are here. it's on your hands. the world's hands to bring them back. >> reporter: the families and volunteer supporters of the roughly 240 hostages have mobilized a massive campaign demanding the release. but what price are these families pushing the israeli government to pay? >> it is probably going to take some sort of deal to save the hostages. >> okay, whatever it takes, yeah. >> reporter: to understand her desperation, yarden wants the world to hear this terrifying recording of romi's phone call with their mother from the music festival, hamas fighters ambushed. [ spe aking in a non-english language ] >> if it was your sister, do you think there is a price for your sister? my sister doesn't have a price. she needs to be here. none of them have a price. they are innocent civilians. >> reporter: hundreds gathered at this tel aviv protest demanding the international red cross ensure medical treatment for the hostages. some held signs pushing for a trade of humanitarian aid between gaza civilians and the hostages. but of the nearly dozen families we spoke with, all supported exchanging palestinian prisoners for the hostages. mina's 84-year-old mother is a hostage. neta is fearful her mother won't survive israel's attacks on gaza. >> the israeli government, their first priority is to destroy hamas, and we need the first priority will be there to bring them back. >> reporter: levi is waiting for news of her brother's entire family including two young boys. >> we are willing to do whatever it takes for them. >> even if it is something difficult like a prisoner exchange? >> yeah, it's a difficult situation. so there is no easy way. >> reporter: the israeli government says there will be no ceasefire without the release of hostages. >> so there is a kind of contradiction here that you want to negotiation with them to free hostages, but your goal is to actually kill them? >> reporter: in 2011, baskin negotiated a prisoner exchange with hamas for israeli soldier. more than 1,000 palestinian prisoners were released in the deal including yaya, who the idf said became one of the masterminds of the october 7 attack. >> so these are excruciating decisions? >> there is no easy way. >> reporter: the prison service tell its cnn it is holding more than 6,000 palestinian prisoners. >> i know what decision to make. it is not a good decision, but i would make the offer decision. i think it is more important to bring those hostages home than it is to free the palestinian, to keep the palestinian prisoners. >> reporter: and she would trade places with her sister to save her life, but all she can do is remain camped outside, demanding a deal to bring her sister home. >> and you're going to stay how long? >> until they come back. >> as long as it takes? >> yeah. >> i hope they will take two days, at least. at most. >> if it takes months? >> so i will be here. >> and joining us from tel aviv. what more do we know about these hostages and negotiations? >> well, if there is any movement, it is really hard to see and really a question of, you know, what will happen next and the questions about what exactly the israeli military is doing on the ground there. you know, this idea that the military could carry out both of these objectives of destroying hamas on the ground and save all the hostages lives, and as to whether or not that could be done as there is some families releasing a statement today saying victory should not be measured by assassinating the hamas fighters that were responsible for the october 7 attack. they say the victory should be measured by getting the hostages home alive. so there is really growing tension there about whether or not this is a viable option in the days, weeks, if not months ahead. >> yeah, thank you very much. next, new york city mayor is the fbi search and what they say about the federal investigation looking to campaign finance the potential straw donors in the alleged role of turkish nationals. and later the former president on whether he will face trial in the documents case before or afteter the elecectio. today's remarkable news that fbi agents executed a search warrant on the mayor of the biggest city. they took eric adam's cell phone and ipad on monday night. mayor adams has not been accused of any wrong doing so far. this came just days after an fbi search of his chief campaign fundraiser's home. all of this connected to an apparently growing federal investigation. cnn is where the devices were seized joins us now with more. what do we know about how and where they executed this search warrant? >> reporter: well anderson, it is pretty extraordinary what happened here. it was on monday just a couple days ago when the mayor was leaving the nyu here behind me. he was at an event, speaking. and what we're told is as he was leaving and started walking out on the sidewalk, fbi agents approached him with search warrants seeking his devices. it was so serious that, you know, the mayor here has a security detail. they told the security detail to step aside. then with the mayor, they went inside his suv and took his phone and ipad we're told. a couple days later after they copied whatever it was they were looking for on the phones, they returned the devices. this is only in connection to an fbi investigation going on for quite some time looking at campaign finances. you know, just last week as you said, his finance person on the campaign, the fbi raided her home. they also seized documents and phones and other electronics. now they have taken this extraordinary step to approach the mayor and seize his devices as well. and it is very unclear to us actually what they are looking for. really for the first time, we're seeing the mayor here interact with the fbi. and connected to the turkish nationals. >> and what is the mayor's response? >> reporter: so he is saying he is cooperating. he's basically saying he did nothing wrong. he e has nothing to hide, and he is fully cooperative. a lawyer for the campaign also issuing a statement. says the mayor has been and remaining committed to cooperating in this matter. then confirming what happened here on monday and says they are going to continue to cooperate with the investigation. but i think it is important here to highlight that despite what they're saying about their cooperation. the fbi didn't wait for their cooperation to seek these phones. they made an extraordinary move for some reason there was obviously some concern and so they approached him with these search warrants and they seized his phones. >> yeah, stay with us. i want to bring in senior legal analyst. ellie, what would the fbi need to do to get a judge to sign off on a search warrant like this? >> reporter: so it is not easy for prosecutors and the fbi to get a search warrant. you have to establish probable cause that a crime was committed and the likelihood that you will find evidence of that federal crime and whatever it is you seize. you have to write it out in detail in an affidavit as a prosecutor, you have to let the judge know exactly what the evidence is establishing probable cause and the judge has to review it and agree there is, in fact, probable cause. i should add in a case of this magnitude with the subject such as eric adams, the mayor of the largest city in the united states. this would have to go down to the bosses at main justice at the department of justice headquarters for approval as well. so a lot of people saw this and signed off. important to note though, probable cause is a lower standard of proof thans proequators, of course, would need to convict, which is proof beyond a reasonable doubt. >> to the point, what does it tell you that the fbi, you know, stopped him on the street, got him in his suv to get these things rather than asking him voluntarily to turn over his devices at some point? >> it's a great point here. if they believe eric adams would be fully cooperative and hand over all the evidence they needed, they wouldn't do it that way. they would serve a subpoena, they would go through his lawyers. the fact not only did they serve a search warrant, but they did it in this sort of sudden dramatic unexpected way tells me the fbi believes there was some urgency here. >> does he have to give them the password to his phone when he hands over a phone? >> so it's a good question. ordinarily one would do that if he e is being cooperative. they say he has nothing to hide. if they don't do that, the fbi has the technology and they will have permission through the search warrant to do dump the cell phone, meaning to scan all of its content to get access, and then to examine everything, e-mails, texts, whatsapp, encrypted apps, photos, you name it. ultimately the fbi absolutely will be able to get access to the information on his phone. >> and so the fbi searched the chief fundraiser last week. what is her role in all of this? has anyone already been charged with anything? >> no. no one has been charged with nil and they are all cooperating. even that situation last week at this, she is essentially at the home of the finance or the chief of financier about 25 years old. a lot of people here in new york city have said it is kind of an odd choice to put her in that position. and in her case, they had spent some time at her home. they took computers, they took other devices, records, you know, it is very much unclear to us at this point exactly what they were looking for. but you know, perhaps something that they found there caused them some concern, so they had to do this in a way that we have been talking about here tonight. the other thing you have to think about, anderson, the fbi may already have all this information. they have other ways of getting information through subpoenas, search warrants, through the cloud, through e-mail and other phone companies and all that. so clearly something else has happened here where they said we need to do this now. it could be based on the information that they obtained in the search last week or something else that came to life. but this is certainly something that is very significant and they have everyone in the political world here in new york city, talking about this right now. you know, the mayor was suppose to, where there is a political thing at this time where he's not there. he's here where so many of the other politicians are here and they are there, so it is very interesting for people that he stays behind. of course, this happens. and also it is important that we did not find out about this until the new york times report today. this happened on monday. and that is certainly significant as well. >> and how big of a campaign fundraising issue is this? are there dollar amounts? what are we talking about here? >> and so it is unclear what the dollar amount is, but it's significant as there is some indication to the fbi that straw donors were used, turkish nationals, foreign nationals are not allowed to donate to campaigns. so they were funneling according to the information we have obtained. money through straw donors. people who live here or who claim to live here. but meanwhile the money was coming from other places. so it is very significant because it could have all kinds of national security, corruption concerns. we don't have the dollar amount, but certainly something significant for the fbi to be doing all this. for all we know here, there could be other things going on, anderson. just ahead, the former president wants to push back the trial date in the classified documents case. the federal j