fredricka. the israeli military says it is expanding ground operations across the whole gaza strip. this, as the israel defense forces ordered people today living in southern gaza to evacuate to areas even farther south. the idf now says it's destroyed at least 500 hamas tunnel shafts since entering the enclave. fighting also heating up on israel's border today with lebanon. iran-backed hezbollah says it targeted several sites in northern israel. the idf says several soldiers were injured by an anti-tank missile. prime minister benjamin netanyahu saying israel's forces will not stop in gaza until hamas is eradicated. hamas saying, though, there will be no negotiations for the remaining hostages still being held in gaza, including women and children, until israel agrees to a cease-fire. cnn has teams around the region monitoring all these latest developments for you. we want to start with cnn's matthew chance in tel aviv. what more are you learning about the israeli military's movement there in gaza? >> reporter: well, israel has really been stepping up its military pressure inside gaza. it says it's tryin ining to des hamas and make sure the 130 or more hostages still kept inside gaza are eventually released. it thinks the best way of doing that is through the application of military pressure. and so we have seen them repeatedly strike areas of the gaza strip, particularly in the north, and there were more dramatic images today of an israeli strike or aftermath on a refugee camp, which was also hit yesterday, causing dozens of casualties, according to the hamas controlled palestinian health ministry. but what is significant is that israel is now shifting some of its military focus to the south of the gaza strip, as well. that's where hundreds of thousands of people over the course of the past few weeks have evacuated to avoid the intensity of the military operations in the north. so this is renewed concern about what happens to them, about whether there are going to be even more civilian casualties in the days and in the weeks ahead as this operation continues. as a way of sort of mitigating against more casualties, more civilian casualties, israel has issued maps, dividing the gaza strip up into what it calls evacuation centers. each with a number. and then sort of ordering palestinians in that sector to evacuate ahead of any military action. it's not clear how effective that is, because there's not internet or communication on the ground in gaza at the moment because of the war. so it's not clear how many people that message is getting through to. but nevertheless, it's a concern and israel is acting on that concern. but it's also said it is going to pursue hamas as strongly in the south as it did in the north, as well. so there's no sign here of israel easing up or backing down. >> all right, matthew chance, thank you for that. let's go to larry in cairo near the rafah crossing, who has been monitoring that. larry, we are seeing aid that is trickling in, to use your words from last hour sbos, into gaza. what about ill children being able to get out and get the treatment they need? >> reporter: only a small number of the wounded are going across the rafah crossing into egypt, jessica. so far, just over 400 of them. a lot of them are kids. when you look at the scale of the injuries across the gaza strip, this is barely scratching the surface. this is based on how many could cross. i met kids who lost limbs, who have been injured in every way possible, who are getting treatment at egyptian hospitals. but only a tiny percentage can get in. authorities say there will be hundreds more going across to have a meaningful impact. who has been able to get across? 871 dual nationals, palestinian and other nationalities, including 17 american palestinians and 132 of other natio nationalities. but aid is also going in. the palestinian red crescent confirming 100 more trucks got into the gaza strip today, bringing food, water, and medical supplies to the strip. but this is a drop in the ocean, because during the seven-day truce, at least 200 trucks were allowed to come in with cooking gas and fuel. but now, with the truce having collapsed, only a tiny percentage is being allowed in. for many people, it is nowhere near enough. "there is nothing left to fear for. our houses are gone. our property is gone. our money is gone.mattered. some died, some left handy capped in the hospital. what is left in the hospital. then they tell us we will get id. where is it?" >> reporter: the u.n. in gaza saying people in gaza have lost everything. they will need at least 200 trucks coming in every day to meet the needs. so a whole lot more aid will have to come in to meet the needs of 80% of the population that are displaced. >> larry in cairo. now to ivan watson who is in southern lebanon. ivan, we have seen these skirmishes pop up across that region. the u.s. was saying it was involved in an incident in the red sea. walk us through what is going on where you are. >> reporter: sure. i think what we're seeing is that various iranian backed armed groups that show sympathy for hamas and anger and antipathy towards israel, are demonstrating that even far from the main area of combat right now, in gaza, that they can inflict harm and they can hurt the israelis. so you've got the yemeni forces, the houthis, backed by iran, and they have for weeks now harassed shipping that they say is linked to israel, moving to the red sea, the gulf of aden. most recently, there was an incident where the hout houthis claimed responsible for firing a drone at cargo shots, and meanwhile, a u.s. defense official saying that the a u.s. navy destroyer answered a distress call from this "unity explorer" and that it was able to help out and i believe intercepted a drone that was fired in that direction. there have been previous incidents in the past couple of days. last month, there was a hijacking of the galaxy leader cargo ship. i believe it's still in yemeni custody. just a couple of days ago, the "uss mason" captured five people who tried to hijack a ship called "the central park." that was a commercial tanker ship. and then there were two ballistic missiles fired in the direction of that u.s. navy destroyer. so all of this is kind of laying out that on a vital shipping lane, armed forces supporting hamas, backed by iran, are trying to harass shipping and the u.s. navy has been trying to support and protect that shipping. that is kind of a frontline, a maritime frontline, very far away from the raini raging confn gaza right now. >> there were also these new attacks along the israel-lebanon border today. what have you learned about that? >> reporter: sure. where i'm standing right now is close to within sight of some israeli mountain top positions. this afternoon, the hills here were echoing with the thud of incoming israeli artillery. the militant group hamas, which is located in force here in southern lebanon, they claimed responsibility for a number of attacks across the border on what they say were israeli military targets, saying that the attacks were carried out "in support of our steadfast palestinian people in the gaza strip and in support of their valiant and honorable resistance. "the israeli military says one of their vehicles was, in fact, hit by an anti-tank missile, and several soldiers were wounded lightly, and that the vehicle was damaged. but in previous days, the days have been far more deadly. yesterday, for example, hezbollah says that at least two of its fighters were kid and a woman was kid as well. more than a hundred people killed on this side of the border here in lebanon over more than a month of fighting. the vast majority of those casualties are hezbollah fighters. more than a dozen of those casualties are civilians, and several journalists who were killed by israeli long-range fire. jessica? >> ivan watson, our thanks to you and all of you for that reporting. as congress returns to the hill this week, they replain split on aid for israel and ukraine. we're going to discuss more now with a congressional reporter with punch bowl news and lindsey mcpherson, a congressional reporter with the messenger. thanks for making time. this morning, republican senator james lankford, an oklahoma senator, saying major changes to america's immigration system will be part of a military aid package for israel and ukraine. but lindsey, that seems like a tall order. immigration is an issue that has vexed congress for decades, and as much as they've been having conversation, it's still a lot to get done. >> right. they have so much they want to do in these few short weeks left before the holidays. they want to pass this package before that. when they left the senate -- the senate left on thursday, they were still stuck. james langford and republicans want major changes to asylum law, parole, these are legal pathway which immigrants can enter the country, but they want to restrict them further to limit border crossings as reduce the flow. so they have a lot to work through with democrats who are skeptical of these changes, and these negotiations have been dragging out very slowly. >> mika, how far apart are they, on all of this, for funding and immigration, which is tied to it? >> yeah. congress has a lot of work to do in the last few weeks, and a lot revolves around competing interests and all these avenues that they have to get done. the funding bill, there is still a lot of contention around these remaining appropriations bills. speaker johnson has to work out another deal, you know, with house conservatives once the government is set to potentially shut down again come january. and then there is also the ffaa and these fisa regulations that they have to work through. >> so it's going to be a very happy holiday season for everyone, including you all up there. you follow along trying to get all of this done. lindsay, i want to zero in on this funding bill for israel and ukraine. that is something that the white house has really pushed. they want that tied together. chuck schumer and mitch mcconnell want it tied together. there had been talk in the house of just israel funding, not for ukraine. obviously, republicans want the border to be attached. there's been talk about putting conditions on this aid. where are things now, and do you see them moving in the next week? >> so the senate is taking a lead on the big package. in the senate, they are intending to include all the aid for israel, ukraine, taiwan, border funding in addition to the border policy that they are trying to work out. in the house, speaker johnson has warned they probably can't pass it as a big package. it is a thin majority that got thinner as george santos was expelled from congress. so they have struggling to get things done. he's saying maybe i can package ukraine and border funding. even conservatives in his conference are pushing back, saying we want border funding signed into law. we want the border secured before we would consider ukraine funding. so it's not clear they can do it in the next few weeks. >> it is a compressed timeline. mika, speaker mike johnson continues to run into a lot of issues within his own party and trying to govern within -- with his members. it's tough and hard to get them on board and how he has that tiny little margin that he's working with. is this just the latest example of what he will keep getting himself into? they have this government funding deadline coming up not too long from now. >> yeah. i mean, it seems this way. i think the interesting aspect is that mike johnson is always aligned with the right flank of the gop caucus. he was someone that -- he is and remains someone that is trusted by the group, but there is some frustration among house conservatives who just -- the latest cr deal that he had. so he's going to have to stand ground in order to kind of create more unity within the conference. so we'll see what happens. i will add that we did see house freedom caucus chairman scott perry say they would be work the levels negotiated and that biden and kevin mccarthy deal back in the spring ironically, which is one of the reasons why some of the members in the group voted to oust him. >> right. the irony, yes, it is there and it is thick. mika and lindsey, thanks to both of you. appreciate it. and new today, a brutal stabbing in new york leaves four family members dead and multiple people injured, including police officers. what we are learning about the suspect, that's next. new york police are looking for a motive in the deadly stabbing rampage in queens, new york, that left four family members dead. officers received a 911 call just after 5:00 this morning from a young female saying her cousin was killing her family. two officers responded and were attacked and injured. cnn's palo sandoval is following this story for us. we know the suspect is dead. what more can you tell us? >> reporter: the nypd is summarizing this morning's scene as one they found multiple victims, a house on fire and what police described as a madman on a rampage and on a mission. in terms of what that mission may have been, it's still unclear. there's early indication that this may have been a family dispute that took a horrifying and bloody turn. after the nypd arrived on scene at that home in queens, police say they were encountered by the suspect, 38-year-old courtney gordon with a knife, who at attacked these officers. that's when police shot and killed him. they identified an 11-year-old little girl at the scene who had been kid, and the house was on fire. so they had to wait for the fire department to extinguish the flames before investigators went into that home where that call originated. that's when they discovered three additional victims, including a 12-year-old boy, a 44-year-old female and man in his 30s. a woman survived in her 60s, currently in critical condition. i want you to hear from the nypd as they walked us through that confrontation that the suspect had with police. >> our officers pull up to the driveway. they see a male walking out, carrying luggage. our officers asked the male a question or two, and that lasted about ten seconds when the male draws a knife on officers, stabs one officer in the neck/chest area. he strikes the second officer in the head. >> reporter: again, the number of suspects -- four victims killed, two children, a fifth victim survived and in critical condition. police believe that gordon was in queens visiting family at the time of this attack. >> thanks so much. coming up, former california governor arnold schwarzenegger met with families of hostages being held in gaza by hamas. we'll have their story, next. fomer california governor arnold schwarzenegger hosted family members of some of the israelis killed or kidnapped by hamas on october 7. the museum of tolerance jerusalem arranged the meeting at his office in santa monica. joining us now is our reporter who was at that event. what did the family members and the former governor have to say? >> reporter: jessica, the former governor is saying that these are the stories people need to hear. and not just once, but as many times as possible. these are the stories of people most impacted by this war. and we've heard from a 14-year-old girl who described what it was like living through that october 7th attack. she describes hearing the gun shots, the screams, the explosions. she was hiding with her mother and others and said she had to wait for the idf to rescue her. after she was rescued, she also described the bodies, the destruction, the blood, even said that it was difficult to see and smell what she called the smell of war. she also found out days later that her father had been killed by hamas and that her cousin had been kidnapped. she describes that grieving process just how difficult it was for her emotionally. her cousin was eventually released. she said that she was happy and joyful about that release, but also heart broken for the rest of the families that still don't know where their loved ones are. that was the case of another 27-year-old man who we heard from, who talked about his father and not knowing where he is at the moment and needing him, wanting him to come back home. here's what he told me. >> we know nothing about his situation or where he's at. he's without his glasses, without his medication, including blood thinners, he's someone who had a heart attack two years ago. we just want them back. that's all we want. all the families, we just want our loved ones back at home. >> reporter: and they told me that the only thing they can hold onto is hope. they only see a future where their loved ones are back home. jessica? >> i know. everyone wishes that for them. camilla, thanks so much. happening now, joe biden is hosting a reception for the kennedy center honorees. billy crystal, queen latifah, and others each receiving tributes to their lifetime achievements. and a little trivia here. queen latifah and renee flemming both performed at the 2014 super bowl. see secretary of state blinken there. joe biden is coming into the room. is he speaking? ♪ ♪ we'll listen in. ♪ ♪ [ applause ] >> hello, hello, hello. good evening, everyone. have a seat. jill and i are truly honored to host you as one of our favorite events. a special thanks to david rubinstein. david, you're chairman of the board of the kennedy center, a great friend and you always step up to support the arts. i call him a washington monument. any way, and to you, deborah -- f where's deborah? thank you for all you do. and to all of you that support the arts and family and friends of this year's honorees, and my sister -- [ laughter ] it's wonderful -- it's a wonderful tradition at the white house to recognize the president and mrs. kennedy's love of the arts and the culture. love that endures 60 years after his death, tragically the anniversary was marked last month. the anniversary just came as we said goodbye as to one who i admired greatly, the first lady roslyn carter, was also a champion of the performing arts. as simple as it is pro-found. the performing arts reflect who we are as americans and as human beings. that's especially true for more than 200 kennedy center honorees over the past 46 years who have helped shape how we see ourselves, how we see each other, and how we see our world. honors not just based on the length of the career, the scope of the work, the height of the fame, but because of their unique conscious and the very soul of our dynamic nation. you are an incredible group. this year's class continues that legacy. in new york city, you can walk a few blocks and you can circle the earth in just a few blocks. 8 million people of every back ground and most alive city probably in america. and that's just one guy who makes everyone stop and laugh, billy crystal. >> we are listening in on joe biden who is there at the kennedy center honorees for this year. that's always a very celebratory and sparkly event in washington, d.c. where some of our nation's most famous members of the artistic community are honored, which will happen later tonight. we'll take a quick break. we'll be right back. three people were killed and seven others injured after an attack in kherson, ukraine. that region has faced daily attacks from the other side of the nipro river. here's cnn's correspondent. >> reporter: as a harsh winter begins to set in, ukraine's war is becoming more difficult, painful, and exhausting. as this conflict grinds towards the end of its second year. a stalemate is how this general, commander in chief of the ukrainian armed forces, labelled the war, making international headlines while upsetting president zelenskyy, who projects a far more upbeat assessment. but in a rare interview, his senior adviser tells me his boss stands by those controversi