Captions by vitac www. Vitac. Com this is cnn special coverage of israel at war. Im john berman in new york. The nation promises a new phase in its war on hamas. It is looking like a Military Ground Operation as more troops amassed near the border with gaza. Israeli airpower hit more targets on saturday. Officials say hamas Command Group played a major role in the deadly Terror Attacks, was killed. Meantime, civilians in gaza are heating some of the ideas warnings to leave the northern end of the territory and head south. But United Nations officials and other agencies one such a large scale evacuation more than a Million People could lead to disaster. Hospitals in gaza already say they are on the brink. Also the today, an Important Development from the pentagon. It has sent a Terrier Strike Group in a show of support for israel. And to deter others including the militant Group Hezbollah from getting involved. Cnns Oren Liebermann is at the pentagon for us. Talk about the this u. S. Carrier strike group. Reporter with no a second Carrier Strike group is headed to the Eastern Mediterranean. The first one as well as the accompanying destroyers and cruisers arrived earlier this week. A second one is by the uss Dwight D Eisenhower deployed and other bases on friday. It will take about two weeks to get there. We learned from defense secretary lloyd austin a statement he put out a couple of hours ago and from u. S. Officials that the i could will head to the eastern met. Is not intended to get involved with israel is white with hamas in gaza and anyway. That is something either the israelis nor the americans want. But it is supposed to send a message of deterrence to others who might look at this and see a moment of weakness in israel and to get involved. Specifically hezbollah and lebanon as well as she had groups in syria that might try to take the opportunity to fire into israel. This is a warning to them with two Carrier Strike groups operating in the eastern met. This is a direct warning essentially. There are also other u. S. Military assets in the region. Some Fighter Squadrons were closed up over the course of the last several days with more fighters. That, too, a message to iran and theres an Amphibious Ready Group off the coast of israel. That is another option the pentagon has should it choose to continue bolstering its presence in that region. John you have new information on the u. S. Efforts to try to get americans out of gaza. What are you learning . Reporter this is a very tough one for the State Department. Trying to get out. And the problem is the State Department cant give a definitive answer saying go to the border between gaza and egypt at this time and think it will be open. The message from what we have learned simply says get as close to roth as you can because if the Border Crossing opens, it may not be open very long and the challenge is that you need to get coordination from the egyptians, some sort of coordination with hamas and gaza and at least a tacit understanding with israel, there will be any strikes in the area. But the problem from the reporting in the region is that egypt does not want to open that gate, open any promise of israel sending any humanitarian aid. That is something israel at this point has refused to do. All of those challenges as the u. S. Tries to get american citizens out of gaza and as of right now, they have nowhere to go, john. John Oren Liebermann to keep to as uptodate. I want to return to aaron david miller, a former Police Negotiator for the State Department. Good to see you. We have heard that Israeli Troops are amassing at the gaza border. The next stage, Prime MinisterBenjamin Netanyahu is saying, what does that mean . If Israeli Ground forces to go into Northern Gaza, what would they do for how long . Based on what the Israeli Press spokes people are, and former intelligence military officials, it seems to me that given the context of the hamas terror surge and red, that the israelis appeared to want to change the reality in gaza, create a new political reality, pose hamas reality. And we are talking about eradication of hamas military command. And that includes all command and control to destroy all market laboratories, destroyed ammunition, any technology that hamas is using and of course, the israelis have directly more than suggested that they are also out to removing the leadership. Yeah, [indistinct] in particular, the hamas Military Chief Through T the israeli trid to assassinate before. That is the aspiration. And do they have enough Military Power to do it . What is the cause going to be . What is the cause going to be a to their own soldiers and of course the civilian population and then, john, the reality of the day after. It seems to me that without figuring out the way to basically create a new reality, some new Security Presence in gaza, where there is the eryx, the u. N. , the palestinian authority, all of the elements, that takes time. It takes Huge International efforts to coordinate. I suspect we are talk does not talk about the operation lasting days but weeks. John that is really true. Increase in different situation. If we could put up a map so people can see the situation in gaza, the one way out of gaza would be in the south, rafah, the rafah crossing into egypt. Explain and i know this is hard, i think, for some americans to understand for each ofs perspective, why wouldnt they just open it up . What is egypt have in this . If youre talking about opening it up, meaning thousands upon thousands of palestinians seeking safety and shelter, egyptians made it unmistakably clear they do not want to get involved in gaza. Hamas is an islamist faction within the Palestinian National movement and eventually began as an offshoot from the muslim brotherhood. The cc government has no interest whatsoever in creating a Refugee Problem that they are going to take care of or having the infiltration from hamas operatives into egypt. So i think the egyptians are pretty hard over on this. What concerns me and what stuns me actually is that the egyptians appeared to be using the rafah crossing as a form of leverage in order to get americans out. Seem to be saying that they are states needs to lean on the israelis in order to allow humanitarian aid into gaza before they will allow americans and other third Country Nationals to leave. I mean, egypt is an ally, hundreds of millions of dollars a year. You have 400 americans, not to minimize the problems that bases palestinians. Hundreds of thousands who need medical attention, food, shelter, and that is very, very worrisome form of behavior for our egyptian allies. Raven explain what hamas wants in terms of the movement of civilians inside gaza, what they have said is they have told people not to leave their homes but what do they get out of this . They get the reality is up the challenges for israelis operating militarily in an amount gaza city. Collateral damage. Civilians, located with hamas military targets. All this seems to me simply increases the odds that the israelis operating in a densely packed environment, 20,000 people per square mile making gaza one of the densest Populated Areas on earth. It all plays to hamas advantage. The title system, with the israelis the metro, all of these things will create tremendous challenges for the israelis. Few are civilians will need lead to fewer civilian casualties and create at least extend the legitimacy that the israelis have for operating in the rank of this Terror Outbreak that began october 7th in southern israel. So i think hamas has no interest frankly in the wellbeing and welfare of palestinians, are faced with an excruciating choice. You cant move 1. 1 Million People 24 hours, let alone 24 days. Not to mention moving the sick. It is a humanitarian disaster, john. And the Israeli Ground campaign has not even started. John aaron david miller, as always, thank you for being with us tonight. Thankyou, john. To the idf for the rest 24 hours has exchanged higher on a disputed piece of territory. Matthew chance is in Northern Israel and you did spend some time with Israeli Soldiers who have deployed there. What have they told you. Reporter im still with them actually. And in the battalion of Israeli Soldiers near the lebanese border up here in Northern Israel. There has been, in there quite a few forces concentrated up here because israel is determined to make sure that if a second front opens up, here in the north of israel, if Hezbollah In Southern Vermont starts lobbing missiles across the border into the growth of the country, there to be ready for it and not just ready. But also ready to strike back israeli Officials Saying that if hasbrook crosses that redline, it could lead to the destruction of lebanon. So that is the kind of overt threat that the Israeli Military commanders and politicians are so pretty out there to try to deter hezbollah and its iranian backers from entering the war inside israel. Also, theres those american ships, the worlds biggest Aircraft Carrier off the coast of israel in the Eastern Mediterranean from the United States, saying they are sending now another Aircraft Carrier groups as well to bolster that deterrent but also to double the amount of the firepower the United States has in the region if it chooses to intervene in support of israel, if, for instance, other countries get involved in his blood gets involved. So that is the threat that has been broadcast by both israel and the United States to everybody in the region to stay out of this this, of course, as israel prepares for that much anticipated ground defensive air land and sea in fact as they call it. Into the gaza strip. That is something that we dont know when that is going to happen, but it is obviously going to be quite soon and that is why it tensions up here in the north are also very high. Because it is when that Ground Offensive begins, when the attack on the gaza strip really gets underway that we will know whether hezbollah with other countries or will know how they got to respond. So we are waiting with some anticipation for that, john. John matthew, in 2006, when and israel was at war with hezbollah, i was at the lebanese side and i think it is important to points out that everyone in that region including Israel Considers hezbollah to be a much more Formidable Fighting force than hamas, always seen as a much stronger threat. Why. Reporter yeah, you were on the lebanese side. I was over here more or less where i am now on the israeli side. And yes, back then, hezbollah was a significant military threat, it had a big arsenal of weapons, of rockets, which it did not hesitate to lop over the border, as you will remember very well. The difference this time i think first of all, is that israels arsenal sorry, hezbollahs arsenal is believed to be much, much stronger. They have gutzmer weapons that they have before. They have got more powerful weapons that they have before. Theres also things like drones, which really did not exist as a Battlefield Weapon in any real way back in 2006 and now it is a really prominent way to those that attacks can be carried out. At the same time, israel has different technologies as well. Iron dome antimissile system and that was not really operational as far as i remember back in 2006. But now it is very operational as we have seen as a cells and those Missile Systems antiMissile Systems are out here at strategic locations in the north, in some considerable force because the israeli army may not have been ready for the attack and incredibly, but ready for the assault down in the south. But they are saying they are definitely going to be ready for anything that takes place up here in the north, john. John it is a Serious Department where you are right now. Of to this point, ive heard you say, matthew, that neither side sees this as an escalation over the last few days but i see both sides are waiting and anticipation that there be some escalation soon. Matthew chance, stay safe. Thank you very much. As israel prepares for the possible Ground Assault on gaza, there is still the question of how their intelligence missed the hamas Terror Attack in the first place. And is it back on track at this point . We will speak to a former cia analyst who worked in The Middle East who fears that europe, fears of an increase in hate crimes. Our live coverage continues the had. John as israel prepares for the new phase in the war with hamas, they figure out intelligence gathering. Shocking video shows them training for the deadly attack, not really in Secrecy Put In Plain Sight in less than a mile from the israeli border. The idf says it will investigate how this happened and friday reported that the Biden Administration was won by both its own Intelligence Community and middle eastern allies about the potential of violence by hamas just days before the attack. Papa bear is a former cia operative and joins us now. How should israel have seen this coming . The problem is it did not have any sources inside hamas the Military Wing. As you know, home of the Military Wing did not tell the political wing about the attack. It came as a complete surprise. So without having Human Sources inside hamas, they are pretty much blind. Issues like the israelis have no idea where the turtles run inside gaza or for that matter where the leadership is not put the head of the Military Wing, mohammed, has been in hiding for two decades. They dont even have a current picture of him. So this is an organization literally underground. Yes, they came out to do some training. But that was not enough for the israelis because they do not have the complete plan and as far as the egyptians and the americans predicting violence in gaza, well, they do that every couple of months. But nothing was enough for the israelis to act on the intelligence and move armor, move troops to the border. It just was not there. John what about the technology that theyre supposed to have in place, to detect movement . Well, the palestinians apparently beat it. They hit their intelligence center. They hit the cameras. They got around the detectors along the wall. The palestinians are very, very sophisticated when it comes to technology. And they always have been. And they knew exactly what they were doing. I think really the biggest failure is this plan was being attacked, it was being planned by hezbollah back in 2007. And so it is just, it was a failure of imagination on the israelis part and this is the biggest problem for them and it is has set back israel just incredibly. John what are the limits of israeli Human Intelligence . You said they had no eyes on the Military Wing of hamas . What assets, you know, i dont want you to reveal secrets here, but what assets, if any, they have inside gaza . Virtually none. Look, when the israelis were up against the plo, they had completely wired. They had sources all through the leadership. But once hamas came along and only True Believers reached the top, they were unlikely to become israeli sources and that is the problem. They just could not and plus they cannot get into gaza to recruit people. And hamas has figured this all out and got it leadership and kept its mouth shut. Kept our phones and put together a remarkable attack on israel we have not seen since 1973. John so what happens now or how does that Efficiency Limit or shape israels capabilities in finding and saving whatever hostage there might be in gaza . If you want the truth, they cared. They cannot find them in the short time. They cannot find the leadership and the only alternative for israel if it is going to crush hamas is to go in force with artillery, with airplane