good evening and welcome to "the source." i'm kaitlan collins. tonight, a clear and firm message from israel, no ceasefire in gaza. israeli prime minister netanyahu making clear that he is rejecting multiple international calls for one, calls that, i should note, have only grown louder as the civilian death toll in gaza has gotten bigger. netanyahu says that would amount to a surrender to hamas, instead arguing -- i'm quoting him now -- this is a time for war. >> just as the united states would not agree to a ceasefire after the bombing of pearl harbor or after the terrorist attack of 9/11, israel will not agree to a cessation of hostilities are hamas after the horrific attacks of october 7th. >> you heard netanyahu there mention the u.s. but, i should note, white house officials have ruled out supporting a ceasefire and they have not criticized israel's military actions. instead president biden has pressed for humanitarian pauses during his calls with the prime minister to allow aid into gaza. all this is coming as israel has sent more troops into gaza, announcing they have rescued an idf soldier, who was taken hostage on october 7. this is ori megidish after she was reunited with her family today. this is the moment she got to hug her grandmother, something that was captured on home video. hamas put out a video tonight showing three women also being held as hostages. these are pictures that, i should note, before they were abducted. we are not showing this video. it's a propaganda video from hamas. and of course this comes as not just those three women, the idf says the total number of hostages believed to be being held by hamas tonight now stands at 238. i want to go to nic robertson, who is live in sderot, israel tonight. this soldier was arrested -- >> reporter: megadish was -- private ori megidish was released in a rescue operation essentially, an intelligence led rescue operation involving special forces. it was described as a rescue by the idf and the security forces. that's how the idf has characterized it. but we've got to know a few more details. and it does seem that the idf -- and they're not saying how they got this intelligence. but they got intelligence leading them to understand where she was so that they could put together this operation to go in on the ground and rescue her. she had a medical check, we're told. she was fine after the medical check. we've seen video of her with her family, celebrating, hugging her grandmother, her family all around her, celebrating. i mean, for the family, this was something, a moment that they thought they might never get. they thought she might never be returned to the family. so, a huge moment for them and a very significant and important moment for the nation because it gives hope to all the families of all the other hostages who are out there. and some of those families who have spoken about it today hoping that their loved ones can understand that they are out there waiting for them, working hard to get their release. so, i think it's a very important step, if you will, in this operation because the prime minister, the defense minister, the idf, the idf have all said all along that this is about not only getting -- destroying hamas, but it's about getting the hostages. and here's the first one released. >> yeah, of course, we're seeing, you know, she's now the fifth person there. but obviously this is all complicated by what is happening in gaza. we saw israeli aircraft dropping new leaflets over gaza, warning people again to get out of northern gaza, calling it a battlefield. nic, what does that seem to signal about what the next phase of this ground operation could look like? >> yeah, troops getting deeper into gaza, troops getting into much more dangerous situations. the idf says that the troops on the ground are finding the strong points, hamas strong points, calling in air strikes. that's what we've been seeing through the day, planes bringing in air strikes, artillery fire like that going in, and some quite precise missiles we've seen being fired in, it appears, by helicopter. but once the troops get deeper into the very densely populated gaza city, hundreds of thousands of people normally living there, it will be a very, very tough environment. and those flyers that have been dropped telling the citizens there that it's no longer safe, that they need to get out. but the citizens have been very concerned. how do they get out? they don't know what roads are safe. there was an incident earlier today when a vehicle that looked like a civilian vehicle got close to an israeli tank, the tank fired, the vehicle was destroyed. the idf said, we can't know if it was a civilian or a terrorist in that vehicle. that's what many citizens are worried about. with the troops close, which roads do they use the prime minister said there's a humanitarian zone set up in the south of the gaza strip close to the coast. and that's where the government here is telling the citizens of gaza to go right now. >> and nic, what are you hearing behind you right now? >> reporter: yeah, this is heavy artillery fire. it's been, sort of, steady -- oh, that's heavy machine gunfire, sustained, could be coming the from a helicopter. there it is again -- >> can we just pause and listen to that for a moment? and can you remind our viewers where you are in relation to where we're seeing most of the action? >> reporter: so, we're about a mile outside of the gaza strip right at the north of the gaza strip. that's some very sustained heavy machine gunfire. if that is apache gun ships or potentially heavy machine guns on armored personnel carriers. but most likely apache gun ships because we have heard them operating. they'll be supporting the troops on the ground. they will be what's brought in as close air support, when the troops come in contact with the hamas position. and this is exactly what the idf has been saying has been happening through the day. the troops are on the ground. they're moving from building to building down some of the major highways inside of gaza. but when they reach a hamas strong point, then additional fire power. i think that's what we're hearing there is brought in to eliminate those enemy positions. >> i mean, nic, it's 3:00 a.m. where you are right now. have you been hearing this sustained, kind of, activity in recent hours, or is this something that is happening as of this moment? >> yeah, the artillery picked up a few minutes ago, but it's been steady for the past hour. but the couple of hours before that, it was a shell every 20 seconds. it was really very heavy. these are big shells that are being fired because when some of the impacts hit the ground, you can actually feel the detonations even this far away from gaza. so, these are some very sustained and heavy bursts of shelling that we've been hearing. again, they are, we understand, to support the troops on the ground, to give them some cover if they get into contact with hamas. >> all right, nic robertson, we're going to check back in with you this hour, as we're hearing that action happening behind you. i'm joined by dan see noer, foreign policy adviser in the george w. bush administration, the host of the excellent podcast "call me back." his book comes out next month. you can hear what is happening in the background of nic's shot in sderot right there. >> it's going to be going on continuously, i think, for a while, even though we're only in the early stages of this incursion into gaza. i think the israeli forces are just going to go deeper and deeper, calls for ceasefire be damned. >> you heard netanyahu today, i mean, very against -- he said, a ceasefire is basically not happening. >> yeah, i mean, israel's in an impossible position because they do not want to maximize civilian casualties. they want to minimize civilian casualties. and they feel hamas is using civilian casualties as a pr tool against israel. so, it's in hamas' interest to maximize civilian casualties. hamas wants to maximize civilian casualties against israelis. dr israel is put in the position of defending life. in doing so, palestinian civilians are going to get killed. there will be collateral damage, not because israel is targeting them. you heard nic say they're trying to alert palestinians to get out of north gaza. hamas doesn't want them to get out of north gaza. they want them to stay there to get the publicity, the media win against israel. when netanyahu says, this is a war, i can't pause to help hamas. and that's effectively what we'd be doing. it's not going to help the civilians. >> you also heard what nic said about this car. they don't know if it was a civilian, civilians in the vehicle, but the idf fired on it because they were like, we don't know who's in there. that's the other concern we've heard about these idf reservists going into gaza. they haven't seen action in a long time, maybe ever. and i think netanyahu is feeling the pressure of this growing civilian death toll clearly, because he referenced it because when he was asked about collective punishment. he said during world war ii, did anyone tell the allies to stop bombing germany? >> the united states bombed dresden, it fire bombed tokyo. i mean, it's war. look at what the united states -- president biden has repeatedly compared what israel has gone through in what the u.s. did facing i.s.i.s. and al quaeda. i saw firsthand what the u.s. did when it faced al qaeda in iraq. i followed closely what the u.s. did against i.s.i.s. there was concern about collateral damage. there was concern about civilian casualties. but it never got in the way of advancing the objectives of defeating i.s.i.s. israel government is saying, you've called hamas i.s.i.s., so don't hold us to a different standard. >> the way the white house argues is we're talking behind the scenes, having tough conversations. but they didn't come close to criticizing israel publicly. we saw netanyahu yesterday do something he never does, which is apologize. and that was because of a statement that he put out over the weekend saying that -- >> middle of the night tweet. >> a middle of the night tweet. never see those here in the u.s. but it was basically blaming israeli military intelligence leaders, saying, i had no idea that this was coming. but this was the assessment i was given. >> yeah. so, there's a couple things going on heefrmt first of all, the policy of the israeli government since israel left gaza in 2005. says to the palestinians, it's yours. hamas takes over in 2007. there were multiple prime ministers from that period through to today, about four or five prime ministers, depending on when you start. but most of the policy through that period was shaped by netanyahu. during one period that he was prime minister, you know, beginning 2008, 2009, and when he picked back up now. and the policy was a practical coexistence with hamas and learning to live with hamas, even though there would be military squirmishes. that was the policy. israel was misled. i mean, they misled themselves in a sensuous not deliberately. but they were fooled into believing that hamas was serious about governing, when hamas was, in the meantime, building the capability to launch a genocidal attack against southern israel. so, netanyahu's policy and the israeli government's policy across many prime ministers was a failure. of course it's leaking, it's politics, you know politics here, people leak against each other. there is finger pointing. and i think netanyahu is trying to shut that down and say, look, no one ever warned me. but of course there was unbelievable public backlash against that statement because people have their sons and daughters serving right now. he felt like he had to clean it up. you're right. this is a man who rarely issues an apology. i do think the first statement was inappropriate and the apology was necessary. >> given the split we have seen not always overtly playing out in the top of the israeli government, the wartime cabinet that's happening, if israel is even successful, if they go into gaza and do what they want, i mean, is it clear what happens after that? because even if they are successful in that, that doesn't mean the threat goes away. iran is still there. hezbollah potentially is still there. >> yeah. so, first there's something being put into post-hamas gaza looks like, but they haven't figured it out yet. they're talking to a lot of people. there's been indirect conversations with the palestinian authority who were pushed out of gaza in 2007. so, there's talk about maybe them coming back in. they say they don't want to come in on the backs of israeli tanks. there's possibly arab countries that could serve in a trusty role, overseeing it on an interim basis. this was sprung on israel. they were totally surprised by it. the idea this exists after a plan in gaza is just unrealistic. to your point, victory is not just defeating hamas or eradicating hamas. israel has a genocidal campaign on its southern campaign, and it has a genocidal campaign on its northern border, hezbollah. the israeli public's attitude right now, and this could change, israel needs to get out of this jam where it was in an impossible situation in the south. hezbollah has ten times the capability of hamas, ten times the manpower, and they've been trained in syria fighting. they're better trained than hamas. while all this is happening, iran could sneak under the wire and announce it has a nuclear weapons capability. so, the mood in israel right now -- it's fluid. but the mood right now is, we've got a big problem. we've got, like, threats creeping up on us all over the place. and we need a holistic solution. we've got to completely change our security doctrine. this is not just about, you know, sweeping away hamas in the south. and i think that is what's concerning the biden administration. they realize for israel to deal with the predicament, leaders have to escalate further than just gaza. >> the podcast is a must-listen to these days. thank you. all this is coming, as there has been a disturbing rise in anti-semitic incidents here at home on college campuses, threats of violence against jewish students, something the white house tonight is calling alarming. plus, after thinking their brother and son had been killed in the attack on october 7th in israel, a family here in the u.s. has now gotten word that he's been taken hostage by hamas. his brother is fighting to bring him home, and he's here with us ahead. tonight, police at cornell university are standing guard over the campus's jewish center after threats against jewish students have been made. threats so violent and graphic that the white house and fbi are now tracking them and doing so closely. senate majority leader chuck schumer, the highest ranking jewish elected official, addressed this matter on the senate floor earlier today. >> the incident targeting cornell's jewish community is utterly revolting. but unfortunately, it was not an isolated occurrence. across the country, campuses and public spaces, the ancient poison of anti-semitism has found new life. >> these incidents of hate are not just spiking but also spreading to other corners of the world. cnn's nick watt takes a closer look. >> reporter: a scuffle at tulane after a pro-palestinian demonstrator tried to burn an israeli flag. at cornell, jews were threatened with death and called pigs in an online forum on saturday according to "the cornell daily sun." >> no one should be afraid to walk from their dorm or dining hall to a classroom. >> reporter: but that's the reality. another post read, going to shoot up 104 west. that's the address of the college center for jewish living and the kosher dining hall. >> we will not tolerate anti-semitism on this campus. >> there's no place for hate in america, and we condemn any anti-semitic threat or incident in the strongest terms. to the students at cornell and on campuses across the country, we're tracking these threats closely. >> reporter: at george wash washington university, glory to our martyrs among the messages projected on a library wall. >> celebrating the individuals who murdered and massacred israeli civilians. >> reporter: and it's not just campuses. slurs painted on a building in beverly hills with a holocaust survivor and her daughter lived. a florida congressman posted saturday the temple i belong to is targeted by five people wearing ski masks and shouting, kill the jews, as congregates left. >> this has gone into a horrible place that reminds the jewish community, quite frankly, of the reason why israel was created in the first place. >> reporter: anti-semitic incidents in the u.s. are up nearly 400% since the hamas terror attacks of october 7th, according to preliminary data just release from the adl. >> let's keep in mind that prior to october 7th, we have already seen the highest number of antijewish acts in america that the abl had ever tracked in the last 45 years. >> quite frankly, there are very few corners of the world right now in which you won't see that sort of craziness. different levels, of course, but it's everywhere. >> reporter: today in paris, four jewish educational institutes received bomb threats. in china, normally strict state sensors appear to be allowing extremist anti-semitic posts online. and in southern russia, a mob, some carrying anti-semitic signs, broke into an airport sunday, apparently to meet a flight from tel aviv. >> that was an angry mob that broke through security at an airport looking for jews. i'm pretty sure they were not looking to have a robust foreign policy conversation. >> reporter: at least ten people were injured, say local officials. the airport had to close. flights from israel are now being diverted elsewhere. now, after watching that video, one u.s. state department official said it looked like a pog ram to me. today, back home in the u.s., the white house announced measures to try and keep jewish students safe on american college campuses. you know, this feels different. i was speaking to a jewish friend of mine just this afternoon who said that in all the years, she's never felt physically afraid. but now she does. kaitlan? >> it's hard to hear that. nick watt, thank you for that great report. and for more perspective on what we are seeing, i want to bring in i can't year rosenberg, a jewish american journalist frt atlantic, who's written extensively about the intersection of politics and culture and religion. i mean, i know that you're no stranger to even confront this yourself online. but what do you make of the just the summary of what we have been seeing play out in the last few days and weeks? >> kaitlan, the thing about this is that it's not surprising. it's shocking but not surprising. every time israel engages in any form of military conflict, we see these spikes around the world. scholars have done research, and you find this happens around the world, particularly europe and also the middle east. and it goes way back, this sort of instinct, that i'm upset about what some jews are do something where in the world, so i'm going to take it out on jews nearby. that instinct is very, very old, much older than israel, which was founded in 1948. you can think of one of the oldest anti-semitic libels. led to centuries of persecution of jews in places like europe, totally different people far far away. when people fire bomb a synagogue in berlin, they're al a very well trodden path of holding all jews accountable for what any other jew might do anywhere else in the world. this is how bigots and racists think of minority groups. we've seen that happen to muslims in north america when people are upset about an incident in the middle east, you go in and attack a mosque in canada. this is how bigots construct minority groups. >> the way we're seeing it play out