Ramping up its bombardment. And hunting commanders, looking for new targets to emerge. Relentless Bombing Campaign under way is cruel. Israel has to do everything it can to make sure this doesnt happen again. Were concerned about potential escalation. Well try to minimize civilian casualties but has made will do the opposite. 200 plus people being held hostage. President biden made multiple calls to World Leaders to keep the conflict from widening. They will continue to flow into gaza, a drop in the bucket of what will be needed on a daily basis. Troops on the border waiting for that incursion, still not clear when it will happen. Good morning, im Phil Mattingly with poppy harlow in new york and erin burnett is in tel aviv. Overnight Israeli Forces ramping Up Airstrikes on gaza and launching raids on the ground. The idf says troops are preparing for the next phase of the war against hamas. This is video of the aftermath of the strikes in gaza this morning. Sources tell cnn the u. S. Is urging israel to delay its Ground Assault in the hopes of getting more hostages out and humanitarian aid in for the millions of palestinians running out of food and water. But a senior israeli official tells cnn that there will be no ceasefire. The idf now says 222 people were kidnapped during hamas attack. And new this morning israels president is claiming one of the hamas Mill Tanltszs killed was carrying instructions on how to build a chemical cal weapon with cyanide. Cnn has not yet verified that claim. We begin with team coverage. Erin burnett in tel aviv starts it off. That is quite a claim by president herzog. What are the implications . Obviously significant. Lets go through what they say they found. They say they found a usb on one of the hamas militants involved in the attacks, and on that usb there was information from what had been an al qaeda 2003 operational manual which included a page of instructions on how to assemble a cyanide Chemical Weapon and how to disperse it with crude drawings. That is what they are saying. They are however clear that there was no indications at least weve received no indications from the Israeli Government that there were any plans to deploy such a weapon. Just that it was on that usb. But we do know that there were battle plans found on operative as well, weve seen those ourselves that go through each of the kibbutzim that were attacked, street by street, an incredible amount of detailed information. And on those plans we do know talking to security at at least one kibbutz that they followed those to the t and went item by item. So we cant miss the significance, but there is no indication as of yet that there was any plan to use any such weapon. The barrage of airstrikes overnight, 320 targets is what the idf is saying, what are you seeing and hearing this morning . So 320 airstrikes, they give out numbers most days. So running at a 500 strike over 48 hour period. That gives you a sense of what is happening in gaza. The Palestinian Health authority there is saying that for example near rafah that there were four strikes there on individual homes and that 29 people were killed. Impossible to verify. But it does speak to something both sides are actually agreeing on, even if not explicitly, which is that the israeli strikes are extremely targeted. So targeting specific homes where they believe that there are links to hamas militants, also talking about islamic jihad, that they are including Palestinian Islamic jihad targets as legitimate targets in addition to hamas militants itself. Well get to nic in a moment to hear more, but there are days when weve heard the assault, you can hear artillery. Here we do hear often the thuds of those bombs and it has been quiet today. It was quiet yesterday. At least from where were standing at the beginning two weeks ago ghoen i was here. It was a Constant Thud that you could actually physically feel through your body throughout the day. We are not hearing that. So that is different. And there are those thousands of troops massed along the border waiting for the green light to go in, all up along the 25 mile long border. Israeli officials here have been warning for days but the question romains when exactly it will happen. And we do understand that the Prime MinisterBenjamin Netanyahu who has been presented with many possible operations that he could green light, they could go on, so well see whether this wait indicates a shift in his Decision Making on what going in entails. Nic robertson as phil said is in israel. What have you been seeing . Reporter overnight last night the late evening hours into the Early Morning hours, really heavy bombardment shaking this house, the most sustained amount of missiles and artillery that weve experienced here. And weve been here for two weeks. Today as you say much quieter. We hear drones in the sky, but no sounds of impacts here in northern gaza. And one of the things that were hearing as well is the reason that the government here is netanyahus government is so concerned about humanitarian pauses, they think that that will be used by hamas to gain an advantage, to alleviate some of the pressure that they are facing at the moment. And this pressure designed to help move along hostage releases, talking to some of the troops who are close to the front here, they talk about, you know, being told to be ready for action and then action not coming and sort of stood up stood down. But speaking to past veterans of wars here, they say weve been through this here before, we can stay out and do this in the field as long as we like. But when you look at the troops at the frontlines, that is a Force Waiting to go. Bristling with battle ready troops, farmers fields north of gaza churn with a controlled fury of a nation readying for an incursion to strike hamas. Yet they are waiting with no explanation why. Feels like the early rush for Battle Readiness has passed. Troops ss are deployed standin. The question is how long can they be kept out here. According to former idf general, as long as is needed. There are military gains. We are now improving our intelligence and our capacity of targets. Reporter but the political cal could you race here is more complicated. I think both in washington and in jerusalem they understand that the Legitization Window is closing quickly. Reporter civilian losses in gaza are growing. More than a third of them children according to Palestinian Health officials. Lengthy negotiations have led to two american hostages released. A tiniment a of humanitarian aid has crossed into gaza that israel fears ends up in hamas hands. Prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu calculus of when to send in Ground Troops has never been so fraught under pressure from the white house for more hostage releases. Netanyahu is in a real problem. He cannot say no to biden but he cannot say yes to the humanitarian aid that drifts into northern gaza. Reporter but he is also under pressure at home too. Military and others hawkish for decisive blow against hamas. We are finishing preparing, you know, the ground force because weve changed plans, we are going to for heavy maneuvering. Reporter netanyahus dilemma compounded by his dependence on american weapons. The pressure from washington is real. It is real as strong and the Prime Minister says many times to his ministers, listen, we are getting from the United States more than you know. Reporter where less than a week ago these fields were teeming with tanks, troops making last minute repairs, today just tracks in the sand. There is a soldiers jacket here, bread and bag on the table. The question is, where have all the tanks gone, forward for incursion or back to base for a pause. Close to the front line in gaza these days, more questions than answers. An incursion still highly probable but when. And while weve been standing here the last few minutes, weve heard small arms fire, gunfire coming from this direction over here which is the direction towards the border. We cant tell what is actually happening there, but i think that it is indicative of the tensions along the border fence at the moment. Nic, here is the thing pep i know you are saying troops can telling you that they can indicate indefinitely and youd expect them to and isay that. But the report that u. S. Is putting pressure on netanyahu to wait, it makes sense, but how long can netanyahu wait and does he lose his position of strength and authority by appearing to cave to u. S. Interests on the timing of what he does . Reporter you know, i think part of the calculus for netanyahu will be what do his enemies in the region perceive. If the United States and International Community is able to tell israel not to go after hamas, for many israelis that will ultimately look like a sign of weakness and the calculus will be what will hezbollah do knowing that, knowing that they are potentially about to launch attacks on israel at scale if the idf goes into gaza. So i think that that all becomes part of the calculus. Calculus that israelis themselves generally dont feel safe after the barbaric attacks more than two weeks ago. I think that he can hold back for a while, but everyone is poised as an expectation. But then it become as question what precisely is the induring going to do, how big will it be, how many civilians will be in the way of that incursion. But when it comes back to how long can they wait, one veteran of the 1967 war, arab israeli war said we were held in the desert for a month and we trained, we practiced. And actually that worked to our advantage. So i think that the psyche here is not just soldiers will tell you what they think you want to hear and what their commanders want you to hear. I think the psyche is what it takes, well do. All right. Nic, thank you very much. Catastrophic humanitarian situation in gaza of course is getting worse. You hear aid going in, yes, it is important, it is significant, but it is not even a percent of what they really need. Hospitals now operating without morphine, generators running out. This is the situation on the ground in gaza today. And also coming up on cnn this morning, meanwhile a massachusetts couple and their 1yearold son are trapped in gaza. Well speak to a friend desperately trying to get them to safety. New video in of children and families running from intense airstrikes. A large number of people were killed in the strikes. Also at least 26 people were killed after israeli strikes hit a refugee camp in northern gaza, that is according to palestinian doctors and officials on the ground there. Meanwhile u. S. Officials say more than 500 palestinian americans are believed trapped in gaza desperately waiting for a chance to leave and that includes a massachusetts couple and their 1yearold son. They say they have tried to cross four times and they cant get in and they are sharing food and resources with others just trying to stay alive. A boston based attorney and close friend of the family is joining me now. Sammy, thank you for being with us. Were looking at the beautiful pictures of the family. I know that you have been desperate to hear from them. Have you heard from them in the last 24 hours . Yes, i did hear from them this morning. Every morning i try to check in with them and get a Status Update of what is happening on the ground. How they are doing. The one Silver Lining in all of this of course is that they are still with us. And can i ask what do they say to you, how dire has it gotten for them . It is extremely dire. Extremely dire. They are living in a small Single Family home, a shelter, with 40 other people. They are sleeping on the floor every night for the last two week. And among all these people they are sharing an extremely limited supply of food and even more limited supply of water. They told me a couple days ago they ran out of clean Drinking Water and they had to drink saltwater for an entire day. And this is even now becoming more dire because now they are running out of the saltwater. So they have asked everyone in the house not to take showers, limit the amount of time they are flushing toilets, not to cook anything that requires the use of water. On top of that, the airstrikes are continuing in rafah. They told me this morning all night they were airstrikes bombing in rafah, which by the way that is presumably where not just this family but every other american Citizen Family is that wishes to come back to the United States by Crossing Into Egypt is currently located. It is stextremely dangerous. What is the latest information that they have been given if any by the u. S. State department or u. S. Government officials about trying to cross rafah . Almost as frustrating as the fact that the United States has no Departure Option for any of these 500 to 600 american citizens is the way in which they have been communicating with all these people. In under two weeks, the state department has by email, Text Messages both to me and the family and phone calls told them to go to the rafah crossing on a specific day at a specific time to cross into egypt only for the families to sit there all day for hours and for not a single american citizen to cross. Ive been asking the state department, my contacts at the white house, the family has been doing the same, neither the embassies in coulairo nor jerusm nor the state department are providing information for o. What went wrong or even a time line to get out of gaza and into egypt. And this is particularly concerning given that the airstrikes on rafah have not stopped and there is a Ground Invasion into gaza that is imminent and no one there on the ground to protect the american citizens. Secretary blinken was asked about this over the weekend. And part of what he said, sammy, is hamas has blocked them from leaving. Not specifically your friends but the 500 plus americans. Have they said anything about being blocked by hamas . Absolutely. And that statement of Secretary Blinken is one of two things. Either not true or word play. Physically at the crossing there are no militants, no military or government personnel at all on the palestinian side. They sent me videos and pictures of him at the crossing and literally the only thing between him and egypt is a series of gates that are just closed. So, no, there is no evidence that hamas has been standing at the crossing blocking people from getting in there. The reason why i say it is word play is i asked the state department, im in an email thread with contact on the National Security council and state department and they told me were still working out a threeway agreement between israel, egypt and they said the dfa, which i assume stands for the department of Foreign Affairs either under Palestinian Authority or hamas, and that they continue to be pressing all three parties for agreement. There just isnt an agreement right now about aid coming in and american citizens getting out. Perhaps what he is referring to is either hamas is making demands or asking for certain things to happen or stop before they are going to sign whatever this global deal is that would permit american citizens to enter into egypt. Sammy, thank you very much for joining us. Obviously well continue to pose all these questions to Administration Officials as they join us on cnn pull all our thoughts are with your dear friends. Thank you for telling their story. Appreciate it. Mitch mcconnell supporting President Bidens call for congress to bundle aid to israel and ukraine. But even if republicans House Republicans agree, they cant actually move forward with that plan without a speaker. And they dont appear to be closer to finding one. More on that next. 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 . Have we piqued your interest . You can get two unlimited lines for just 30 each a month. 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. Sgl. The world is on fire. This so dangerous and it is embarrassing because it empowers our adversaries like chairman xi who says that democracy doesnt work. That was republican congressman Mike Mccaul Owarnin his colleagues that a leaderless house weakens the u. S. And House Republicans are back at square one with still no clear plan on who their next speaker will be. There are now nine republican candidates for the speakership after jim jordan withdrew following three failed votes. It has been 20 days since Kevin Mccarthy had his gavel taken away. Joining us now, fred upton and doug hye. Congressman, when you look at this field of nine, you are familiar with this conference, who stands out to you and who among them can get 217 votes . I think tom emmer is in pole position. Kevin mccarthy came out for him