Soil. At least 40 people, israelis, are dead, and more than 770 are wounded, were told, the official numbers coming in from the government of israel. The attack catching israel clearly by surprise. At sun rise earlier today the palestinian mill tachbt Group Launched that iroffensive by air, sea and land. Hamas fighters have now infiltrated various israeli towns were told and thousands of rockets have rained down from the sky above over civilian Populated Areas of israel. Israel is clearly already striking back, sending its own rockets into gaza. And we just have gotten new numbers from palestinian officials there. They say at least 198 palestinians already have been killed in gaza, and more than 1600 people in gaza are injured. This once again, according to the Palestinian Health ministry there. This is quickly developing, this situation, we want to go back to cnn in jerusalem for us. Update our viewers on the very latest. Reporter well, the very latest is weve just gone in from the Israeli Ministry of health saying 898 have been wound, almost 1,000 wounded in israel as a result of these attacks, right now the death toll has not been updated so the last death toll is at 40. I expect it to be updated potentially in the coming minutes and likely expected to be much, much higher. These injuries are from rock, rockets, shrapnel and militant gunfire. And live reports from reporters who were going to a Festival Party of sorts not far from the gaza border. They are still reporting, israeli reporters are seeing bodies still on the ground that have not been evacuated yet. And so we do expect this death toll to rise, as noted, we have also heard from the Palestinian Ministry saying at least 198 killed, and more than 1600 wounded. We dont know the breakdown. Both the israelis and of the palestinians, how many were combatants, how many were civilians, how many were soldiers, but we know these are significant numbers. When you compare to the previous years. When you compare the statistics that weve had, in just, 10 or 11 hours now, of this reflect, to the previous conflicts that weve had in the last decade or even further, we are fast approaching those numbers. Ill give you an example. In 2006, in the war with hezbollah, in lebanon, there were 120 israelis who were killed. If these numbers are going to reach at least 100, which i think they will today, for israelis, within just hours, weve reaching number of casualties that we saw in an extended conflict. When you look at the numbers of rockets, already today, weve passed 3,000, likely more, because as we speak, continuing to get alerts of sirens going off across israel, 3,000 rockets at least in about 10, 11, 12 hours, in all of the 11day war in 2021, between hamas and israel, there were 4,300 rockets, so we are at a different scale, a different level than what we have seen before. This is an unprecedented attack. And of course, these militant infiltrations, that is something completely new and that has caught israel completely offguard and really terrifying the israelly population. As we speak, there are still israeli civilians who are barricaded witness their homes, within their safe rooms, still reporting, calling out for help on israeli media they can still hear gunfire, that militants are still in these cities. There are ongoing fire fights in israeli villages and towns in southern israel. Weve heard reports from the Israeli Military, at least two military bases where there were fire fights breaking out between militants and Israeli Soldiers now. Tens of thousands of Israeli Military reservists have now been called up for service. They are already seeing Israeli Military air strikes over gaza and i much expect a much bigger response to gaza, and a much bigger military response, potentially Ground Forces going in, the likes of which we have not seen in years, if not decades, and an attack like this has not happened since the yom kippur war in 1973. A years ago almost to the day. Wolf . Yes, and this is the end of the Jewish Holiday as well, and it is also the sabbath, the shabbat in israel, similar to what happened 50 years ago during the yom kippur war. We will go to our cnn White House Reporter and National Security reporter natasha bertrand. Mj, what is the white house saying this morning . Well, wolf, for right now, we have gotten word that President Biden was fully briefed by the National Security team this morning on the situation, this is a situation that the white house describes as the appalling hamas Terrorist Attack in israel. We also expect that the president is going to address this situation sometime later today. We just dont know yet exactly what format that is going to come in. We also expect that the president is going to be speaking directly with Prime MinisterBenjamin Netanyahu, so we will hopefully get a readout of that phone call as soon as that conversation has happened. For right now, womp, we can tell you that u. S. Officials are very closely monitoring this stunning turn of events overnight. But they are also being very careful right now to not weigh in on some of the specific details and reports that we are seeing about the situation on the ground, in terms of the number of casualties, in terms of the reports that we have seen, statements that have been made, for example, about the capturing of Israeli Soldiers. But for right now, it is abundantly clear that the diplomatic ramifications are incredibly serious. Just to remind our viewers, President Biden has been involved for months and months now in trying to broker a deal between the israelis and saudi arabia, a normalization of relations that has been incredibly difficult, incredibly complicated, and we know that from the u. S. s perspective, the u. S. Officials here have been pushing the israelis to accept concessions to the palestinians that would be challenging for them to accept, but u. S. Officials have made clear that some of those concessions will be necessary for that deal to go through. Now, given the situation on the ground, all of those talks are now up in the air. It is very difficult to actually imagine that the israelis would be okay with some of those concessions that have been floated, so this is a very fastmoving situation, but again, we are at the point where u. S. Officials, top officials, are gathering information, are speaking to their counterparts, and really just trying to get a handle on what exactly is going on. But again, the gravity of the situation is such that we do expect that we will hear directly from the president on the situation later this morning. Wolf . I assume that will happen after his Phone Conversation with Prime Minister netanyahu, right . That would be the expectation. We have been told by officials earlier this morning that the two leaders were going to speak. And so whenever that statement, or the oncamera remark comes from the president , we expect he will address that conversation that he had with Prime Minister netanyahu. Mj, thank you very much. Dont go too far away. We will be getting back to you soon, im sure. Lets go to no tasha right now. The u. S. Secretary of defense lloyd austin is clearly also very closely monitoring this breaking situation in israel and gaza right now. What are we hearing coming out of the pentagon . Yes, wolf, we are told from a Defense Official that austin did convene a meeting of Senior Leaders this morning, including with general eric, the commander of Central Command and austin released a statement, saying quote, i am closely monitoring developments in israel. Our commitment to israels right to defend itself remains unwavering and i extend my condolences to families of those who lost their lives in this abhorrent attack on civilians this. Line is key. Over the coming days, the Department Of Defense will work to ensure that israel has what it needs to defend itself and protect civilians from indiscriminate violence and terrorism. Now obviously this raises questions about whether the u. S. Is going to allow israel to tap in to the u. S. s massive stockpiles that it has of weaponry and equipment in israel. It is one of the largest war reserves that the United States has around the world. And back in 2014, the u. S. Did supply israel with arms and weapons during a 50day war in gaza, and said at the time israel will be allowed to tap into those stockpiles to resupply it with grepds and mortar rounds. The question now is that going to happen again . Is the pentagon going to allow israel to tap into these stockpiles if the war does continue, if it continues to escalate, that remains to be seen. But we should note, wolf, we just got a statement in from the Secretary Of State, ax mtony blinken, we unequivocally condemn the appalling attacks of hamas against israel and we stand in sol later with the government and people of israel and extend our condolences for the israeli lives lost in these attacks. Obviously the diplomatic ramifications is something that the State Department will closely be watching and as we mentioned in the last hour as well, the State Department has urged its personnel to remain sheltered in place in jerusalem, and the u. S. Embassy in jerusalem, something that the Secretary Of State will be closely monitoring as well, over the coming hours and days. Wolf . We will watch it closely as well. Natasha bertrand, thanks. Im joined by aaron david miller, a former state Department Senior middle east negotiator. Thanks so much for joining us. Were you as surprised as i was earlier this morning when i heard that war had actually broken out between hamas and gaza and israel . You know, at 4 00 a. M. This morning, i got a call from cnn, wolf, and yes, i was surprised. It reminded me of 50 years ago, this week. Being in jerusalem. Yesterday, a years ago. Basically, witnesses the sort of shock and trauma, and much larger, broader scale. But this is a trauma by any standard. It is a trauma because of the clear massive intelligence alert. It is a trauma because israeli communities, proximate to gaza, obviously were not adequately protected. There was insufficient israeli presence there. And this is going to have a chilling impact it seems to me on any prospects for what the Biden Administration would like to see in terms of israeli saudi normalization, because any leverage that the administration thought it had over Benjamin Netanyahu to make concessions on the palestinians has been reduced to an optical zero. This is going to take days and weeks before we see how the dust, proverbial dust is going to settle. Based on what we know right now, it is obviously very early in this war, aaron, how much of a, how big of an Intelligence Failure was this by the israelis . You know, it had to be huge. I mean theyre proximate to gaza, their hightech Monitoring Capacity of internet, Media Phone Calls is extraordinary. I think frankly it is a failure, it seems like a cliche but a failure of imagination. Similarly it seems to me what happened in october 73. Im not sure that the Israeli Intelligence, maybe we will learn something in the contrary, but imagine that hamas, for get the rockets, thats business as usual, even with these numbers but crossborder infiltration, 60 to 100 armed palestinians actually occupying communities in israel, proximate to gaza, shooting along the roads . I mean i just dont think the israelis saw this coming. Clearly, they will have to do a reassessment when all of this is over with, to see how badly the intelligence and Military Intelligence did, in terms of getting ready for this kind of war, and it is very similar as we all know to what happened during the yom kippur war in 1973, almost exactly 50 years ago, when israel was surprised by the coordinated egyptian and syrian attack that surprised the israelis then. How serious, how badly do you think this is going to escalate now, not only in gaza but maybe in lebanon or the west bank . Well, in Palestinian Health ministry, they are reporting 198 palestinians killed, 1600 wounded, and israel has a decision to make. And it is going to be informed by politics as well as security. What is their response going to be . The Prime Minister has declared war. Declared war on hamas. When you declare war, you aim for victory. But i asked myself the basic question, exactly what do the israelis hope to achieve . Reoccupation of the gaza strip . A major Ground Incursion to destroy hamass Military Leadership . A legitimate target of the israelis has been very vocal and the israelis may want to eliminate hamass leadership. But where does this go . Thats the real problem. Where is the strategy to ensure that this is not a brutal and horrific rinse, wash and repeat cycle, because thats what it has proven to be over the last several decades when it comes to israels relation with gaza, and hamas in particular. You know, very risk averse israeli Prime Minister under tremendous pressure from so many fronts now. The trial, the judicial overhaul, and inherently risk averse but he may very well be risk ready he may have no choice but to respond with Ground Forces. We will see if that escalates. I suspect it will. What do you think we will hear from President Biden after his Phone Conversation with Prime Minister netanyahu . Reassurance. Reassurance. Reassurance. There may be a more tepid call for trstrength and strit seems politically and given the president s preternatrual for israel, not necessarily the netanyahu government but for israel for sure, so it possible tony blinken is reportedly planning a trip, i gather it was focused on israeli saudi normalization, and now is it time for Crisis Diplomacy for the Biden Administration . I just dont see the president the president may call for strength but he will give the israelis it seems to me a fair margin to deal with this on the Security Military side. So again, reassurance of israel, profound support, minimize civil jan casualties, but it seems to me, it will be rhetoric, the question is, is there anything the administration can do on the action side that could somehow diffuse this, and right now, frankly, i doubt it. Is there anyone on the arab side that has the influence from hamas, for example, to calm things down . Well, there is tremendous pressure, the menendez business, human rights, cc watt, i think, to get involved, he is still a player. Serving as sort of a bad men, funneling money, with the israeli acquiescence into gaza, to sort of quiet the situation and defuse hamass efforts to take on Something Like this. But i think on hamas part, this was an effort to demonstrate that hamas is in the forefront, meeting the Palestinian National struggle against israel. It is not habat. Do you think you can do israel saudi rabe normalization . Were here. These attacks against civilian, Terror Attacks against civilians is part of that campaign to remain the israelis theyre here, hamas may israelis may think it is unfinished business. I just dont see how. Unless the israelis are prepared to mount a major incursion, eliminate the hamas leadership, somehow bring the Palestinian Authority back into gaza, that there is going to be an end state here that is going to be better, somewhat better, almost, than the one we witnessed over the last several decks. I just dont see this. And i think american leverage here on the saudi business, i think there is no way any administration in the wake of this you could end up with 100 israeli dead or more by the time that this is over. No American Administration is going to press Benjamin Netanyahu now for concessions, given this blatant, flagrant assault by hamas to demonstrate that it not abbas, is the leader of the palestinian movement. I guarantee you whatever palestinians are saying publicly, there has got to be gaza, i suppose, and gaza will suffer as a consequence of this. It certainly will. But with the palestinian pride, you know, i dont agree with that, violence is not going to end this conflict, but i suspect that hamass political prestige now is going to rise exponentially. We do know that qatar has a lot of influence over hamas financially and politically and other ways as well. We did briefly share with you, aaron, a statement from the foreign ministry, the qatar Foreign Minister spokesman issued a Statement Saying that the qatar government saying that israel is solely respo