Announcer this is cnn breaking news. And wellcome to the lead. Im jake tapper. And we start in the middle east where americas top diplomat delivered an inperson message to the israeli people who are grieving and wounded. He said the United States will never back down from its support of israel. Secretary of state Antony Blinken is on his way to meet with other u. S. Allies in the region. Saudi arabia, egypt, uae, qatar, and jordan after standing side by side with Benjamin Netanyahu today. The secretary also met with families of americans killed and taken hostage by hamas, a group the u. S. Has labeled terrorists. The white house says at least 27 americans have been killed and at least 14 others remain missing. In its efforts to eliminate hamas which brutally attacked israel last saturday, Israel Defense forces are currently pounding gaza with air strikes today. Since hamas embeds itself within the palestinian population, this is tragically resulting in hundreds of innocent palestinian casualties. More than 1,400 have been killed so far. Civilian and hamas according to the Palestinian Health ministry. Israel has also cut off l electricity, fuel, water, and Food Supplies to gaza. Israel Officials Say none of those supplies will be restored until all hostages being held by hamas will be returned home. Today democratic senator Bernie Sanders said that such would be an International Law violation. Today we are also getting a horrific new look at the atrocities hamas committed on saturday. We want to warn you some of the images you are about to see are graphic and incredibly disturbing. One of the images were going to show you is so upsetting, im even going to give you a few moments warning so you can prepare yourself to look away. It will be the photo of a corpse of a baby, a baby murdered by hamas. Its not clear where and when this innocent young human was killed, but it was saturday. And its one of the many children the terrorists killed in their rampage on saturday such as in kibbutz, one of the first places they reached after reaching in israel. Video shows them breaching a gate and entering on motor bikes. Just after 7 00 a. M. On saturday, a bloodbath followed. The kibbutz was mostly destroyed, more than 100 people slaughtered, most of them innocent civilians. The victims include 8yearold emily. She was having a sleepover with a friend. Her father waited two days before learning the awful news. His reaction before learning she was dead tells you about the depravities of which hamas is capable. I just said we found emily. Shes dead. And i went, yes i went yes and smiled because that is the best news of the possibilities that i knew. Another one of the victims, a french israeli soldier named elli who was killed fighting off hamamas. These are photos. Around the same time the invasion began hamas opened fire on a Music Festival under way here. The festival was supposed to be an all Night Dance Party celebrating the jewish holiday. People came from All Over The World for the party. But as dawn broke, gunfire began. Survivors say there was nowhere to hide in the empty field. Some jumped into passing cars. Others survived by hiding under bodies, bodies of individuals who had been killed by hamas bullets and grenades. I saw so many things that i cant even explain. I saw guts. I had flesh all over my body. We had to bury ourselves under these dead corpse to protect ourselves from these grenades that were hitting and from the rifles and from the rpg. An Israeli Rescue service says it later found at least 260 dead bodies at the festival site. An unknown number of other attendees were taken hostage and have not been heard from since. It took the israeli Defense Forces more than two days of intense fighting to clear hamas out after the saturday invasion. When the idf could finally take stock of what the Terrorist Group left behind, there was frankly not much left. The idf went house to house collecting the dead in body bag. The soldiers say men, women, the elderly, children, all of them were brutally murdered. Actions they said were nothing short of a massacre. And that brings me back to the photo that i warned you about a few minutes ago of the baby killed by hamas. Heres your last chance to look away, but i dont think you should look away. Israeli Prime MinisterBenjamin Netanyahu showed this photo to Secretary Of StateAntony Blinken today. Its one of the photos the Israeli Government is now sharing with the public so the world can see what hamas did. They also showed two other photographs that are worse than that one, if you can believe it. Were not going to show you those photos, but we will continue to tell the stories of the innocent victims of this war. Lets bring in cnns erin burnett whos live in israel and cohosting the show with me. Erin, lets start with the scope of the humanitarian crisis because were talking about hundreds of civilians killed in israel, hundreds now killed in gaza, many others trapped without food, without water or power all because of these brutal attacks by hamas. I mean, jake, it was an unbelievable tragedy. And as you speak, it is in your voice and in your heart, too. I know it is just a profound grief that is here and also a rage. And it is affecting obviously peel in israel, those innocent people who were killed and slaughtered, who were massacred. Those are the fair and right words to use. Its now also affecting people in gaza. I mean today, jake, we were just a few miles from that border. And it almost becomes a background noise, the thuds of explosions in gaza. And on the other end there, of course, people who were affected, and as you said no food, no fuel, no electricity. Israel says thats going to continue until the hostages are returned, and obviously we still have no word on those hostages at all. People desperately hoping against home theyre still alive, they could get them back. But you hear that in the background. As we move further south along that border, jake, of gaza. And theres now i would describe it as sort of a bit of a buffer zone the idf is creating theyre amassing those troops. As you move south you hear more and more artillery, more and more rocket back and forth and you see that buildup. And theyre continuing, jake, to flood the zone. And you see convoy after convoy. All of them going in with heavy machinery, the tanks, armed personnel carriers all of that continuing to move in. You think about that this amassing and complete transformation of the readiness of this country all because of these horrific acts we saw saturday morning, and that picture of that baby that as you say no human being can look at that and ever take it away from their eyes. Yeah, i mean thats an image thats going to be with me the rest of my life. There were emotional moments there on the ground in tel aviv as secretary blinken met with hamas attack Family Members of americans who were either killed by hamas or kidnapped. Reporter yes, and those were obviously emotional moments for the Secretary Of State, very important. And ill say, jake, one thing talking to anyone here. They make a very specific point of saying thank you to the United States. There is a great gratitude for what the United States is doing, in particular the supplies that are coming in related to that iron dome. These iron domes are fired up every few moments at different places in this country it feels at this point. And that help from the United States is direly needed and appreciated. The support is appreciated by so many. But, jake, i will say the grief, it is unbelievable the grief. Weve been talking to people and i know you have as well, right, missing their children. One father missing both of his daughters. A mother missing both of her daughters. And they are praying that they are going to come home. And then those who have lost those they loved. Lost friends. I saw a woman today right near where that festival happened, so were basically right over the ridge. She just burst into tears talking about seeing her friend die. Or i talked to a former idf general who ran out with his pistol that morning into settlements with a group of men killing terrorists. He saw countless terrorists and was killing them, members of hamas. And he saw them a Mother Holding her baby shot to death, saw someone beheaded. These are things he pointed is some of those people come over who breached that wall were people who worked in those kibbutz settlements, they did know the people they were able to see horribly slaughter. Erin burnett in tel aviv, well check back with you in a few minutes. The horrors inflicted on israel over the weekend, since hamas embeds within the palestinian population that means tragically hundreds of civilian casualties both israeli and palestinian as a result of what happened saturday. The Israeli Military buildup continues for an expected ground incursion into gaza. And cnns Clarissa Ward has been to kibbutz that was attacked by hamas on saturday, and now its a Staging Ground for the Israeli Military. Tell us what were seeing. Reporter jake, this was the kibbutz area, one of the scenes of some of the grossest atrocities that took place on saturday. I think its symbolic that the Israeli Military has now taken it over and repurposed it. It is now a Staging Ground for an artillery brigade. When we arrived there yesterday we could see many soldiers, tanks. We heard outgoing artillery. Its clearly a Staging Ground as i said but also for support, communications. I would note that the posture of the soldiers was relatively at ease. One didnt have the sense Walking Around that some kind of a Ground Offensive was imminent in the sort of coming hours. But clearly the building up the forces along the Gaza Envelope is fueling the expectation of imminent Ground Offensive. And i think were seeing that as wellbeing borne out in terms of the incessant bombardment, which you and erin had just referenced on gaza. Today the u. N. Coming out saying that 2,500 Housing Units have been destroyed. 23,000 have sustained moderate to minor damage, and the rate of displacement has increased by more than 30 in the space of just 24 hours. Theyre talking about having hours left only in terms of fuel supplies. So the humanitarian situation in gaza is rapidly approaching an alarming level, and the question then becomes how long can israel wait before making its move. But can it make a move before it has secured some kind of a humanitarian corridor . We heard Secretary Of StateAntony Blinken talking about this again today, the importance of providing people who want to flee the violence, ordinary civilians, with a way out. So far that has not been agreed upon. And as a result we continue to see a growing intensity in terms of the desperation of the situation there, and a growing anxiety on this side of the border as well as to when there may be some further movement, jake. All right, Clarissa Ward, thank you so much. Stay safe. Lets go now to whose daughter was attending the Music Festival where hamas killed 260 people and took others hostage. As of now you dont know exactly what happened to your daughter. No, i dont. But you were on the phone at some point as this attack unfolded. Tell us what she said. Tell us what you know. Yes. What we know from half past 6 00 until two minutes to 11 00, 10 58, she was at the party and she called me and said, mommy, there are a lot of missiles here. We dont know what to do, we dont know where to hide, where we can go. A lot of rockets falling on us, and we dont know what to do. She was with her best friend, gaya, and they were looking for a place to hide. But this is an open space. You dont have anywhere to hide. No shelters, no nothing. And they were trying to get to gayas car. It took them about an hour to get to the car, and then they tried to leave with gayas car, but they couldnt because there were so many cars around and the traffic was jammed. And later on we we found out that all the terrorists already arrived to israel and then started closing all the roads from north to the place of the party. And they finally went from the car and go to the bushes to hide, moving from bush to bush. And we all this time talked with her, and we heard the shooting around them. And theyre hiding, kids with no weapons, no nothing. At some point just before 10 00 a very good friend of gaya came back. She was already outthis area but he came back to take them, to rescue them. And his name is ben, and he was taking another boy with him. The four of them tried to leave the area. They didnt get much much further when i got a phone call at 10 15 crying, shouting, saying, mommy, we were shot. They shoot the car. We cannot move. The car does not start. All of us are badly wounded, badly injured. Gaya is not talking to me. Ben is not talking. Phil was telling me his name and gave me his mothers number so i can call her. And so afraid. She was saying, mommy, im going to die. And i said, no, youre not going to die. We are coming back and we will find a way to take you out of there. And she was asking, mommy, how can you take me out of here . Please, come and take us. Please tell somebody. Tell the army, tell the police. Tell them to come. I tried to call the police. We tried to see how air force can maybe take a plane or a helicopter to try and rescue them. And there was nothing to do. I could only lie to her and tell her that we were doing everything. Its not a lie, we try today Do Everything. But i knew we cannot help them. Is that the last time you heard from her . Yes. The last time i heard from her was the shooting around them. We were talking slightly. She was fading away, and we heard the shooting around them, and then a lot of people talking in arabic, shouting in arabic. Somebody tried to start the engine but couldnt do it, and then somebody have them phone, and thats it. Thats the last thing i heard from my daughter. You asked the Israeli Government for answers. Have they reached out, have they told you anything . We just know that her cellphone is in gaza. Thats what we know and what the representative of the government knows. What we are focusing now is to you know, to be united and bring our kids back home and do all the necessary actions to bring them back home. You said before dont look away. Thats what i am asking, what we are asking from our government, from the whole world. Dont look away. Exactly. How old is she . Shes 23. Shes my third one. I have five kids. Shes in the middle. Shes the glue between the bigger kids and the smaller, the younger one. Shes wonderful. Shes vivid. Shes so alive. Shes so wonderful. Everybodys fallen in love with her. Its easy to fall in love with her. Shes so wonderful. Shes such a good friend. Shes such a good person. She will never hurt anybody. Beautiful. Stay in touch. Well keep telling can i ask one thing, please . Yes. Can i have one minute of asking something . Sure. We want to ask the whole world we want to ask around the whole world to come and help us because its not just us. There are a lot of americans inside gaza. We need you with us to bring everybody back home. This is as you said a war crime, a crime against humanity. And we need the leaders we need the leaders from qatar that can push hamas, the leaders to push hamas. We ask you to spread all the things you just said, and i was so proud of the force you give to us, the strength you give to us. And i just ask you please continue to do that and please help us bring everybody home. We want them all home. Thank you so much and well Stay In Touch with you. And i want with every fiber of my being i want her home for you. Me, too. Thank you very much. Thank you so much. Coming up a 25yearold young woman from california, a 27yearold young man who was a captain with israels military, the stories behind the american citizens killed by hamas. Thats coming up. The death toll for americans in these horrific Terror Attacks in israel has gone up. Today the white house confirming that number has gone up to 24 americans confirmed. People still hoping their loved ones are going to be found alive. And we are learning the names, stories of some of these people who so needlessly were killed on saturday. Heres cnns ercica hill. Reporter beaming smiles, joy now frozen in time. Reporter his 25yearold daughter danielle was born in california. She and her boyfriend recently moved into a new apartment. They adopted a dog and were building a life together. They went to a park to celebrate peace and love. Reporter danielle and noah never made it home from the Music Festival. She told me they decided they would get married. Unfortunately, we will bury them together. Reporter he was a captain in the idfs dog handling unit. The dual citizen spent his summers at camp in the u. S. His aunt, debbie, describes him as a Fun Loving Athletic Kid who was passionate about protecting his country. The captain was 27. His exwife says he moved back to israel two years ago to care for his mother. On saturday hamas attacked the village where they lived. He and his brother were part of the security. Reporter renee butlers family along with his mother were murdered near kibbutz on saturday. Great loss. A beautiful tribe we had. Half of our family is gone. This is our life. I have 14 niece and nephews. I have 11 now. Reporter families shattered as countless wait for word on their loved ones and wonder whether theyll ever be whole again. Erica hill, cnn, new york. It is just so impossible to comprehend the loss of these families and parents. Wauldman, you saw him in ericas piece there. I spoke to him danielle wauldmans father. He found out she died two hours before we spoke. A father who felt he had to speak out even though what he was suffering and realized what happened in his life is truly so incomprehensible to all of us. Well be right back here on the lead. 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. And youre looking live over gaza where its nearing midnight. The dark skies a reminder israel has stopped supplies of food, water, and fuel to gaza until hamas releases the hostages it took over the weekend. Two american lawmakers who just returned from israel join me now. Republican senator from iowa jodi ernst and jimmy panetta. You met with netanyahu on tuesday. Israel was clearly not prepared for that day, and several days after israelis are furious. Do you sense that israel and the military are ready for what comes next for this next major attack, for getting their hostages back, for everything following . Well, thank you, jake. And here we stand as a bicameral bipartisan delegation that visited israel in those short days after the hamas attacks, and the weight in the room when we met with Prime Minister netanyahu was very heavy. But i do believe that they are prepared for the upcoming weeks, months, whatever it takes for them to work out the deals with hostages as well as make sure that they are destroying hamas. So, again, it was a very heavy, very somber meeting we had with the Prime Minister. Our hearts go out to those that have been affected through these horrible Terrorist Attacks. But we stand unified in solidarity with israel. Congressman panetta, the original purpose of your trip was to discuss potential Peace Agreements in the middle east. Then the attack happened, the Terrorist Attack on saturday. You and the rest of the delegation there had to quickly shift focus. What are you sharing with fellow house members upon your return . Peace certainly seems elusive now. Yeah, it was funny. We started this trip going into the middle east to talk about peace. Unfortunately, we left the region talking about war. And it kind of makes you think is that kind of the long story of the middle east . And were trying to Do Everything we can to change that narrative. And thats why we wanted to go there to have those discussions. And i can tell you prior to this happening being on the ground in saudi arabia, it was very, very positive our discussions with leadership there. However, once this invasion, this bloodthirsty attack happened, obviously the discussions changed. But i can tell you what i found positive to me was when we got to israel and had the conversations about the events, they talked about what i think is very important in this relationships, and they talked about the personal calls they had been receiving from arab leaders in the region about the event. So the fact theyre having those types of discussions gives me hope, yes, there may be a pause on the Normalization Process now. I do believe were going able to continue and hope it gets done subsequently. Senator ernst, calls from arab leaders are nice, but jordan, egypt, saudi arabia, qatar, uae, they need to step up to the table and be part of the solution, right . I mean if theres going to be some sort of life and country and human rights for the Palestinian People in gaza and the west bank, they need to be part of the solution, and with respect im not sure they have been as much as they could. Well, absolutely, jake. And thats one thing that our delegation stressed as we met with each of the arab nations and their leadership was that we would hope for a more forceful response from their leadership against these violent acts of terrorism, against innocent israeli women, children, elderly. We have not seen that yet. We did see uae revise their statement a bit, become more forceful. But what we should be doing is focusing on iran as well. We know that 93 of the funding that is used by hamas in these Terrorist Attacks comes directly from iran. So we need to be serious about iran and its Terrorist Proxies and make sure we call out hamas for the Terrorist Actions that they are taking against innocent civilians in israel. So, yes, we need to force them to step up to the plate. They need to be ingamed and be part of the solution, not part of the problem. Republican senator jodi ernst and democratic congressman jimmy panetta, thanks to both of you. Appreciate it and welcome home. We want to continue to bring the personal stories. Next a desperate mother desperate for any word any word about her missing son. New images into cnn shows whole blocks in rubble. Somewhere in gaza right now are people who were taken from israel as hostages by hamas, so many families searching for answers about what exactly happened to their loved ones seized by hamas during the Terrorist Attack on saturday. With me now is one of those individuals who has not heard from her son whos 24 since she spoke to him on saturday as he was leaving that Music Festival attacked by hamas. Natalia, im so sorry youre going through this. Its unimaginable. Were showing pictures of your handsome son right now. Sounds like he was already on his way home when he last talked to him when the nightmare scenario began. Walk us through the time line you know. I spoke to him after the first alarms went off in israel all around, and i told him, please, be careful, open the windows and listen if there is like in a short time alarm around the place he was in. So i asked him for him to open the windows and drive carefully. And if he needs to put the cars or protect his head, or whatever he needs to do in situations like this. And ten minutes after that, we started worrying. I called the police immediately. We didnt know yet that there was an invasion into israel and atrocities started. We thought its only alarms. And, yeah, we are used to it, unfortunately. And then after calling him and his friend who were together, they celebrated and danced. This loving and wonderful festival with people from not only from israel, not only jews, people who love each other. He was that kind of boy. He liked people. He was a people boy. He is im sorry. Yeah, dont use the past tense. You say his phone was located in gaza. Have you heardroi government at all . Has anyone been in touch with you to provide any information . No information was provided. We provided the information. We gave them all the information, the pings and approaching gaza and in gaza. Its chaos. I know you saw the pictures. I know you saw whats going on. Its devastating. I cannot even you know, its hard for us as a people to understand how this evil can occur. Like what is it . Is it a satanic evil . What is it . What happened here . And im afraid. Im afraid. I try to be very im putting my emotions right now. Im trying to Do Everything for my son to locate him and bring him safe home and hope for him for all the kids and for all the families that are in the same position that i am. Theyre checking. I know theyre checking. Theyre doing their best. I do think that they are trying, but this is overwhelming. I have to say i dont want to i dont want to speak for the israeli people, but ive heard and seen a lot of anger from israelis at your government not only for the Intelligence Failure and not only for the delay in the reaction from the idf, i guess a lot of forces were on the west bank, but also just the inadequate response in terms of the hostages, and i mean you should have heard from the government by now there should be more of an outreach to people like you and i guess to another woman whose daughter also it seems was probably taken hostage. Her phone was located in gaza. Again, i i assume and i hope theyre doing everything they can, but it must be frustrating. Yeah, it is frustrating. But i think that the first goal has to be to understand what is happening, who is where. And very fast the second goal will be after everything will be over to to investigate what happened. Yeah. Its not a time to this is not a time to start yelling or we know that something bad happened. I just mean they should be reaching out to you and giving you answers and i think that youre right. Youre absolutely right, theyre trying to build up the system right now because they couldnt they didnt think anything like this can happen. Yeah, i hear you. I hope they are like picking the pieces up, and well whats the word . Whats the word . They will Do Everything they can from now on. I hope so. I hope so because its lives, its people. Natalia, Stay In Touch with us. I have to state one thing. Yes, please say it. Hes doing everything he can with the State Department and the senator of new york to put the name on the list, on the american list. So we will appreciate any help from you and from anyone who can because we heard what hamas is, and im im afraid. Im really afraid. Gnawtleia ben zvi, thank you so. Stay in touch with our team. We want him back for you. The attack by hamas has led to an up roar on several College Campuses, and now some of the students are getting called out for their inappropriate celebration of the death of innocent civilians. Were going to go ahead live to one protest. Stay with us. Some are protesting the atrocities committed by hamas. Some are advocating for Palestinian Rights. Some are crossing the line from advocating for Palestinian Rights into gleefully rooting for atrocities against jewish civilians. Cnns nick watt is on the campus of ucla as some students feel the existing undercurrents of antisemitism on College Campuses rising to the surface. Reporter a socalled day of resistance on campuses across the country, called by National Students for justice in palestine, which hails the hamas Terror Attacks as a historic win for the Palestinian Resistance across land, air, and sea. Thats the justification of the murder of jews. As weve seen throughout history under a different name. Reporter at San Diego State one propalestinian protester said this. Were not for any lives lost, no matter what, palestinian or israeli. We found that 57 of jewish students in the u. S. Have experienced or seen ant antis antisemitism. That was before this occurred. Now were seeing the levels rise, the incidents rise, the complaints rise. Reporter at harvard a Statement Released within hours of the attacks begins we the undersigned Student Organizations hold the Israeli Regime entirely responsible for all unfolding violence. Some have recanted after a backlash that included a Billionaire Hedge Fund boss asking harvard to name members of the groups that signed so none of us inadvertently hire them. Last night their names and faces emblazoned on a truck in Harvard Square by a conservative organization. Such intimidation is counterproductive, said harvard hillel, a jewish student group. The conversation about what is and isnt productive discourse isnt the thing what were seeing really taking shape. Reporter a major U Penn Benefactor has called on other alums to close the checkbooks after what he said was College Leaders apparent failure to condemn the views of some speakers at a recent palestinian Literary Festival on campus. Even after the hamas attacks. College officials have condemned antisemitism. In los angeles tuesday a proisrael rally just a stones throw from the ucla campus. The Cultural Affairs commission of ucla, a student group, posted monday we honor the palestinians on the front lines taking their land and sovereignty back. They say this s is not antisemitism, judaism is separate from the Political Movement of zionism. These are ucla organizations, and they have the permission to say these things. Its absolutely absurd. Reporter i mean, youre holding an israeli flag. Is that something youd be okay doing on campus . Oftentimes on campus i feel scared to hold a flag if im not with a big group. Theres a lot of antisemitism on campus and its always felt at all times. Reporter we are now on the ucla campus where a propalestinian rally is about to begin. Listen, jake, this tension is only going to get worse over what happened and what will happen in the middle east and over where that line is between standing up for Palestinian Human Rights and glorifying murder. Jake . Nick watt, thank you so much. Another live look over gaza tonight. Weve seen more blasts and at times smoke billowing. More evidence of this war raging on. Were going to go back live to our teams on the ground in the region. Thats next