it is 3:00 a.m. in tel aviv. for hours we have been seeing and hearing signs that israel's campaign against hamas in gaza is in a new phase. strikes. people in gaza telling cnn that strikes now the most intense they have seen so far. in addition to this air and artillery bombardment that appears to be growing in tempo, israeli troops today launched what they are calling an expanded operation into gaza. an idf spokesman, rear admiral daniel ha garry says, quote, the military is expanding their ground operations. he dismissed reports of a possible deal to free more hostages and said that gaza's largest hospital, al shifa, was the site of a hamas command and control center. he offered everyday, cell phone intercept reported to be between two gazans discussing the site. admiral hangar ri also had a warning. quote, when medical facilities are used for terror purposes, they're liable to use their protection from attack in accordance with international law. meantime, at another hospital, witnesses tell cnn they see and hear what they describe as the intense firing and dom bardment around them. senior officials appear to be signaling that whatever comes next, the answer to what hamas did on october 7th should be decisive. >> we will not live like that any longer. we saw what they're capable of doing. we saw the, sort of, gruesome, terrible, horrific violence they inflicted upon us. we refuse to live with that anymore. and we are now going to create a new reality in gaza. >> so, there's a lot to get to. cnn's nic robertson begins our coverage. he is in sderot, within earshot of some of what israeli forces are doing inside gaza. nic, what are you seeing and hearing within the past few hours? >> a lot of fighter jet activity here, anderson, and also hearing artillery to the south. it seems like most of the impacts are a little further south of here, perhaps gaza city. it was so intense here early on in the evening, just around sunset and the early hours of the evening and picking up into the night. multiple barrages of continuous artillery fire and then tank fire outgoing from here, multiple rounds fired from numerous tanks. this was something that we haven't heard from here before. and this area close to the northern part of the gaza strip is close to where there was a limited incursion two nights ago. there were other incursions last night. and it did appear, does appear, that this was a continuation of that. but also from hamas and perhaps palestinian islamic jihad, those groups firing rockets out of tel aviv to where you are, and also here to sderot. and this is what it looked like when they did that a few hours ago. >> reporter: intercepts over us. attacks on sderot over us. we're just taking cover. we'll be out in a minute. i think we're clear. and it did pass pretty quickly, but it's really indicative, anderson, of the fact that despite the heavy barrages and all those impacts we've seen in gaza, hamas able to fire rockets out. not huge numbers, but still very clear that they're sending a signal that they are not beaten yet. and they are saying quite clearly they are ready for any ground incursion whenever it may come, anderson. >> nic, throughout the day, there were a number of air raid sirens in tel aviv, which hasn't happened for several days. i'm in tel aviv. i can hear some of the munitions that are being -- that are landing in gaza, a distance away. you can actually, sort of, almost feel the reverberations. but certainly you hear the loud impact that that is having. what more have you heard from the israeli government about the expansion of ground operations? if you're hearing tank fire, and we saw a shot -- a night vision shot from reuters several hours ago, what appears, according to general mark hertling, who was with us, appeared to be from tank fire being fired parallel to the ground. what do we know about ground operations? >> reporter: yeah, we've been able to hear some gunfire, some heavy machine gunfire and small machine gunfire. and it's very hard to tell precisely what's happening or why it's being fired. there was very extended bursts of gunfire and also limited bursts, which tends to indicate that there are ground forces at work. you might be getting the heavy machine gunfire coming from the top of these armored personnel carriers. some of them we've seen quite latterly the crew can batten down inside and the weapon on top of the vehicle, heavy machine gun, can be fired from within the vehicle. this can be the troops at the sharp end of the fight. but are they just laying down covering fire so that other troops can maneuver in, or are they actually engaging directly with hamas? it's very, very hard to tell. you're hearing several fighter jets over us now. this is a lot of fighter jet activity compared to what we were hearing earlier this evening, anderson. >> have you been hearing helicopters as well tonight? >> you know, occasionally we do pick up -- we do hear helicopters. but i have to say, this evening, we really haven't heard any. you know, occasionally we hear them in the distance and they fly close to the border with gaza. but this evening, we haven't heard that. and we were expecting, you know, there may be the use of helicopters because the idf said, when there's a big ground incursion, it'll be land, sea, and air. and obviously the sea is not far away. and we know that there have been a lot of impacts along the coastal areas. so, potentially there can be landings there. the ground forces, the tanks that we've been hearing here. but that air component of it, unless they're talking about the strikes rather than helicopters coming in to support troops, as you would expect, as military analysts here in israel have talked to us about, they would expect to see helicopters in support of troops on the ground. not seeing and hearing that at this location. but of course the gaza strip stretches many miles to the south of us, anderson. >> nic robertson. thanks, nic. we'll continue to check in with you. i want to go to cnn's jeremy diamond, who is also along the gaza border in ashkelon. what are you seeing from your location? >> reporter: well, anderson, nearly eight hours after israel began this expanded ground operation and intensified bombardment of the gaza strip, we are still hearing those very, very loud thuds coming from gaza. and at our location actually we have been hearing quite a bit of helicopter activity overhead. we've also been hearing drones buzzing overhead. and certainly those fighter jets that nic is talking about that have been going back and forth. you hear the jets buzz by. and then a few seconds later, you hear that loud thud coming from the direction of gaza, indicating fresh bombardments there. so, this has been going on now for more than eight hours and continuing to hear the loud thuds and the reverberations hitting our hotel six miles away from gaza. >> and jeremy, as we mentioned the israeli government is saying that al shifa hospital, which is the largest hospital in the gaza strip, is what they say a major command and control center for hamas. there have certainly been allegations by israel in the past that hamas has used -- has put command control centers underneath hospitals and other sensitive locations. what more do we know about this latest claim? >> well, anderson, this really is quite an explosive allegation being made by the idf, basically saying that one of the major command and control centers that hamas uses to direct rocket attacks and also to direct its fighters around the gaza strip is being carried out underneath gaza's largest hospital, which is not only a site of critical care for people who are injured in this war over the last three weeks, but also is the site for thousands of people who are displaced by this war who have been seeking shelter at this hospital. and israel effectively saying that hamas is operating freely within this hospital and in particular underground, where it has bunkers and command and control sites, according to the idf. now, the only real concrete piece of evidence that the idf offered for this is a recorded intercepted conversation that they claim is between two gazans. there's no way to independently verify that. beyond that, they provided a lot of 3-d illustrations of these underground bunkers, as well as maps where they say these different underground bunkers are located beneath the hospital. now, this all raises the question of why are they talking about this now, especially as they prepare for this imminent ground invasion? and it raises the question of, does this mean that they're going to now be targeting hospitals directly? and while admiral ha garry, the spokesman didn't directly say they plan to target these hospitals, what he did say was that, quote, we will not allow terror activity against israel from hospitals when asked whether or not the military plans to target them going forward. >> jeremy diamond, thank you. perspective from -- who joins us once again, tomformer chief of hostages unit at the m.i.a. unit at -- he has been told or hearing from multiple sources there are now thousands of israeli troops inside the gaza strip near the northern outskirts of gaza city. does that sound feasible to you? >> the israeli army, the israeli government, has been waiting for the hostage deal that has been promised by qatar. and remember qatar and hamas are the same thing. they come from the same entity. qatar has been nourishing hamas for years. they've been waiting for this deal. and when finding out that this deal is not possible, as i've said before on your program -- and i can explain it if you want -- finding out that this deal is not really possible, the israeli army has decided to try another tactic. and the other tactic is not the full incursion that we are all waiting for. it is a -- how would you call it -- a mini-incursion, much bigger than the one before. it will put our boots closer to the neck of hamas, and trying to persuade them that the only way out is to release our hostages. because hostage thing is really paramount today in the israeli public. >> so, you don't believe that this is a full-on ground operation involving all the forces that israel has amassed? you believe this is a more limited, at this stage, operation? >> yes, i believe it's a limited operation. but we're looking at a war that is going to last for a very long time. in order to eradicate the hamas, israeli troops will have to go into gaza, will have to fight carefully house to house and take care of each hamas operative. that is not going to be a blitzkrieg situation. that is going to be a long operation. and judging the operations from the noise and the sounds, et cetera, that we're hearing today, it's just the beginning. you are, from your standpoint, going to see a lot more of this as we go into the next days. all dpeepending, by the way -- e timetable, all depending, by the way, the possibility of releasing the hostages. if we're convinced that the hostages are not going to be released and the only condition we're willing to release the hostages is a no-condition release, if this is going -- if this is going to happen, then you'll see a full incursion. and a full incursion is going to be much bigger, a lot noisier, than you have been hearing now. >> so, you believe it is possible, even at this phase, for there to be a large-scale release of hostages? >> let me explain. the hostage -- the hamas, from moment one, said, we are willing to release if you agree to a ceasefire with international guarantees, meaning a real ceasefire forever. let us live. don't punish us, or don't try to eradicate us after the 7th of october massacre. once you give us an international guarantee ceasefire, we're willing to swap all the hostages for all the prisoners in israel. in other words, they want us to release 7,000 prisoners -- something, somewhat, 7,000 prisoners. and these 7,000 prisoners are going to join the hamas. and now we're going to be faced with a hamas plus 7,000 terrorists with blood on their hands. and we will continue living this way. you heard before from the prime minister spokesman that israel cannot continue living with hamas on its border. i've said this before on your program. it's a no-no situation. israelis cannot continue living this way. you can't be -- you can't have the limited -- the essential security that a family needs, you know, raising children, knowing that across the border 20 miles away, 10 miles away, 50 miles away, there are people that can do what they did on the 7th of october. this is impossible. and this is why you will see at the end of the day incursion to gaza strip, and it's going to be a full-blast incursion. >> rammy eager, i appreciate your time tonight. thank you. ahead tonight, other news, the continuing search for maine mass shooting suspected robert card, and what we're learning about some of the people he shot and killed. also from here, more on what israeli troops will face in hamas' tunnel networks under gaza. and a negotiator on where all this may leave the hostages. first, as we go to break, more of their names and faces. mamass shootining suspecteted r more of f their namemes and fac. welcome back. before the break -- miniincursion into gaza, called it just the beginning. with all that and all that's yet to come, there are more than 200 hostages being held somewhere in the territory of gaza. as we've been reporting here on cnn, american officials insist they will continue to pursue negotiations to free them through qatar, egypt, elsewhere. cnn's arlette saenz is at the white house for us tonight. >> reporter: officials say they are continuing the talks related to try to get those hostages out of gaza, as they are currently being held by hamas and other groups. but this is a very fragile and delicate situation. but even as these air strikes and this ground operation is continuing, the administration is intent on trying to ensure the release of these hostages. the situation is incredibly difficult, as we have been seeing these operations unfold over the course of the day. now, one thing that the white house has stressed is that they have been in active conversations with israel about the potential for a pause to try to not just get hostages potentially out, but also civilians who are currently in gaza. so, these are things that the u.s. is in touch with close allies about, as they are trying to ensure there can be some safe passage, not just for the civilians, but also for the hostages who are currently in custody. and several of them considered to be americans, is the belief here. >> arlette, is there any explanation from the white house about why palestinian americans, other americans, who are in gaza have not been able -- not been allowed -- to leave yet? they've been at the rafah border crossing for more than two weeks. >> reporter: the white house has said they have been working by the hour to try to ensure the safe passage of these civilians, potentially hundreds of americans included in the group. the white house says hamas has not been willing to allow this safe passage for these civilians. as you have noted, this is something the administration said they have been working on for weeks. they have indicated there were times where maybe there would be some optimism in trying to get these palestinians, the civilians out, the americans out. but so far that has yet to happen. >> all right. arlette saenz, appreciate it. perspective from someone who helped secure the -- kgershon baskin earlier tonight. what do you think this means for hostage negotiations? >> it's not good news, that's for sure. it seems that it's preparation for the larger incursion. but it's all very confusing now because this just might be to put the pressure on hamas to agree to terms that israel wants. there's all kinds of information and misinformation out there. it's very difficult to get a grip on the true story. the qataris announced that they're progressing behind the scenes and my contacts with the egyptian intelligence, i hear their channel is progressing. there was a very respected israeli correspondent tonight who said that there was actually an egyptian offer for the release of 100 hostages in exchange for a four-day ceasefire, and israel rejected it. i haven't gotten confirmation from that. in talking to one of the intelligence people in israel, i asked, how do we get netanyahu to agree to this offer, 100 hostages for a four-day ceasefire. the answer i got was put pressure on the americans to put pressure on netanyahu because he needs someone to stand in front of him and take responsibility for this because netanyahu is so weak right now. >> if this idea of hamas wanting a four-day ceasefire, what would that allow them to do? i mean, i know there's the -- obviously the humanitarian idea of getting more surprises from the south. obviously the idf is concerned that a four-day ceasefire would allow hamas, i assume, to regroup in some way. >> yeah, i assume that's what hamas wants. and they're mostly underground. and israel released intelligence information today about the major hamas command center being under the shifa hospital, which is the largest hospital in the gaza strip. it's always thought to be there. i don't know what kind of evidence they found, but they brought all kinds of drawings and photographs today. i think israel's trying to make a legal case for being able to attack or bomb the hospital, assuming that there are deep bunkers underneath the hospital where the hamas main command is hiding. i don't know what the real story is. again, it's going to be very difficult to get any true information here. the israelis are obviously making a case in case for the time when they do invade gaza and do attack a hospital, which is considered a war crime. but if the hospital is in fact a cover for a military operation, then it's not a war crime. this is all, you know, all happening in the midst of more than 7,000 palestinians who are dead and more than a million people who are homeless in gaza. and israel keeps pushing themselves, and the hamas are totally responsible. and i learned some of the hamas leaders in gaza are not even in gaza. they're in beirut. they're in doha. the number two guy in gaza is in doha. the guy that i was negotiating with for years is in beirut. i mean, how do these people leave their people when they know this military operation is going to happen? it says something about the quality of the hamas leadership. they're really putting their people at risk. and of course israel needs to hold back. these indiscriminate bombings are killing innocent people. and there has to be a better way of bringing hamas down. >> given that it's been almost three weeks since the hostages were taken and the large number of hostages, what sort of conditions do you think they're being held in? we've heard a little bit from mrs. lifshitz who returned. she talked about the condition she was in and the rooms she saw, seeing other people. what, sort of -- i mean, is time, in a situation like this, with so many hostages -- what's your biggest concern? >> my biggest concern is the survival of the hostages, particularly in light of the israeli bombing. israeli bombing could be killing hostages, not only hamas fighters. certainly the conditions underground can't be good. even gilad -- who was in captivity for five years and four months was kept underground and in the basement of homes. he didn't see sunlight for five years and four months and in his last month of captivity because of acute vitamin d deficiency. he wasn't digesting food. another month in captivity, he would have died. and he was living in the basement of a house. there was a family above him. so, i'm sure the conditions in the tunnels are much worse. it's damp there. there isn't fresh air. there are pumps pumping in air, but they are