of development in and around israel's war on hamas. a new focus tonight on allegations that sexual assault was a central part of the atrocities against hamas to start the war. it's been a heavy day -- italy airstrikes in gaza. about 200 targets hit according to military officials. separately, new video surfaced of the on social media of israeli forces using explosives to demolish large buildings in central gaza. -- justice ministry and court houses. elsewhere, on the ground, meantime our first evidence that the idf is carrying out the plan it announced yesterday to launch operations in southern gaza. video, geolocated by cnn showing is really troops at least one tank operating in the south. as the fighting their picks up, the humanitarian crisis grows from garden to not have few options where to go and very little to eat. world health organization team -- a hospital in khan yunis saying conditions are, in their words, catastrophic. warning that intensified ground operations in the south will likely cut off thousands from health care. there is also new word night of a near complete blackout of internet and phone service in gaza. cnn's ben wedeman reports on the desperation. >> desperate times call for desperate measures. in gaza, if that means leaving the local bakery destroyed overnight by an israeli airstrike, so be it. >> look at the people says this man. they are doing this out of hunger. it was the -- bakery, which is arabic for blessing, but now gaza is under the curse of war. it is the last functioning bakery in--. basic needs striking is a kind of terrorism. once the sun came up sunday, people of all ages descended upon the bakery. they took away bags of flour, cooking oil, scraps of wood to use for cooking and heating, and just about anything else they could carry away. this man describes it in one word, chaos. the world food programme's -- warns that people of gaza are reaching the breaking point. >> you have seven -- breaking down completely. because people are becoming desperate,e, hopelesss, , hungr, by the m moment, this is of course bound t to happen. [sound of artillery] with israeli ground forces now operating in southern gaza, the hundreds of thousands who fled the north in search of safety are now even more than before in the line of fire. gaza after almost two months of war, has come to this. >> ben wedeman joins us. how are humanitarian relief reacting to the israeli moves in southern gaza? >> all of them are extremely concerned about the situation, anderson. the world health organization, doctors without borders, the u. n. agency that looks after the palestinians are deeply concerned that the israelis are essentially pushing hundreds of thousands of people into a small corner of gaza, where there is no infrastructure. there is no shelter, there is no food, there is no water, there is no medical care. all of the problems of gaza are being compounded into a fairly small area. in fact, martin griffiths, the chief u. n. relief officer, came out with a statement this evening and said, every time we think things cannot get more apocalyptic in gaza, they do. anderson. >> ben wedeman. thank you. the u. n. held a special session called hear our voices in raising awareness about sexual violence in wartime. you can't imagine the allegations that hamas carried out brutal and premeditated sexual assaults on october 7th, two center stage. allegations hamas denies. that said, state department spokesperson matthew miller today says that he sees, quote, no reason at all to doubt those reports. he also cited in fact that it, quote, seems, unquote, that hamas is not entering its remaining women hostages because it does not want them to talk about what they have gone through in captivity. he was asked to elaborate. >> do you have many evidence to suggest that that is what it is, or is it just -- >> i want to be very sensitive in my language when talking about people that continue to be held hostage, that have families on the outside. so, what i will say is we know hamas is committing atrocities. they continue to hold women. they were going over to relief to women, and at the last point, were next on the deal and were never able to provide a credible reason why. >> it really police along with the civil commission have already gathered evidence of sexual assaults from eyewitness videos, gunman themselves recorded on october 7th. cnn's -- rodrigo has more. first, a warning, some of her report is especially hard to hear. >> the details are horrific. listen to this is really paramedic. his rescue unit responded to the massacre in kibbutz be'eri. he did not want to be identified. >> while i was sorting through those houses, the door open to the bedroom, i saw two teenage girls, i guess 13 or 14 years old [inaudible] on a bed, one on a floor, on her stomach. her parents are pulled down towards her knees, and there is a bullet wound on the back side of her neck near her head. there is a puddle of blood around her head. remains of semen on the lower part of her back. >> a volunteer at the sure idf military base, where many of the victims of the massacre have been sent testified at a u.s. event in geneva last week, describing the evidence of sexual violence she saw on some of the bodies. >> our team commander saw several soldiers who were shot in the crash, and intimate barriers in their regina's, or they were shot in the breasts. >> this seems to be systematic, genital mutilation of a group of victims. >> despite all of that, the u. n. and its women's right affiliates remain silence on the mountain pacific allegations. >> their response was devastating. it was heartbreaking for me. >> professor -- is an international women's rights advocates, for 12 years helped lead the united natations committee on elimination o of al forms of discrimination againstt women. >> neither of them acknowledged recognize the existence, the fact that sexual violence was part of the hamas massacre. by not acknowledging this, by dismissing, by ignoring, they are in fact almost i would say legitimizing the existence of these atrocities. >> i asked a representative from you and women about. that her answer speaks for itself. >> is there a reason, sarah, you cannot specifically call out hamas and the mounting evidence over seven weeks that israeli investigators have collected that we have shown our viewers about the atrocities they committed specifically on october 7th? >> indeed. you and women always support the impartial independent investigations into any serious allegations of gender race or sexual violence. within the u. n. family, these investigations are led by the office of high commissioner of human rights. >> three days later, finally an acknowledgment from you on when, in a statement of their own. we unequivocally condemned the brutal attacks by hamas on october 7th. we are alarmed by the numerous attacks of gender based atrocities and sexual violence during those attacks. over the weekend, even more accounts coming to life. sunday times quoted 39 year old woman who attended the nova music festival. i saw this beautiful woman with the face of an angel and eight or ten of the fighters beating and sexually assaulting her. she was screaming, stop it already, i am going to die anyways for what you are doing, just kill me. when they finished, they were laughing. the last one shot or in the head. a police commander leaving israel's investigation into sexual violence and crime said it is clear now that sexual crimes were part of the planning and the purpose was to terrify and humiliate people. being able to prove that the crimes were planned is critical in prosecuting such cases. >> the quote that the massacre actually took place in 22 locations at the same time. the same method in which these horrific atrocities were executed by the terrorists in separate locations, in different locations, all at the same time. this demonstrates a preconceived and premeditated plan. that is why it does amount to crimes against humanity. >> bianna -- cnn, new york. >> one of the women being held hostage's 23 year old romy cornice, she's up the music festival on october seven. she and her friend ran for their lives in bush is the whole time she was on her phone with her family, colleagues also at the festival picture up and try to drive, off but gunman attacked and murdered her two friends. maroney, her parents it was shot in the hand, they see when she was taking the kid here in attackers say, quote, she is alive, let's take her. her phone was later traced to gaza. her mother, joins us. >> i know that the risk of assaults facing female hostages in gaza as one of the reasons why you are speaking out. do you believe humanitarian groups have spoken out enough about the fight of female hostages including romy? >> i'm sorry to say that is not the situation. i feel that the organization, the women's -- social organization have not yet spoken on behalf of the women that are in gaza now. we need more voices, their voices cannot be heard since they are underground, in houses, in captivity, they cannot talk. somebody needs to raise their voice and we are doing it, but we need the help of international organizations. >> did you expect romney to be released last week during the temporary truce? >> yes, we were sure that she would be released on friday. there are only 18 women in gaza now, and we are so sure she will be released on friday even saturday. that did not happen. it was sore horrible for us it was so terrible. i was awake since 4:30 in the morning, waiting to see if there was a list, when the list comes out, and no list. not just no list, the fighting started again and we were so close. so close to having her back, her and all the women. and it didn't happen. >> has anybody been able to give you any explanation why she was not released earlier? >> no. we have a covenant meeting the next day, it's already tuesday and israel so today we will have a meeting with our covenant, the war cabinet, and we expect to get answers regarding the fact that they were not released yet. we are afraid, we are worried, it's not just there in gaza its young women, young women that are in the hands of those we have a covenant meeting the next day, it's already tuesday and israel so today we will have a meeting with our covenant, the war cabinet, and we expect to get answers regarding the fact that they were not released yet. we are afraid, we are worried, it's not just there in gaza its young women, young women that are in the hands of those terrorists that made all those terrible actions during the 7th of october. >> we should also point out, your daughter is among a number of hostages that were known to be injured. your daughter was shot in the hand, hersh had part of his left arm blown off. i understand some of the hostages who are released last week told you that romi is still alive, but they have seen, or they got proof of life for the first time. what did you learn? what did they say? >> they just said they saw her, she is alive, but they also said that the shotgun wound is not treated well and it is neglected and it is not properly treated. so, we are worried to all the people in the united states not just those who have been shot, the people illnesses inside gaza which are not treated well. it is a matter of life and death. >> i know another reason you do interviews is if by chance romy is able to hear you and hear something you say. so, is there something you would want to be here tonight? but >> yes. i will say it in english and she'll understand. it is not the world, it is not the word it's what i feel about her. she is a strong woman. she is a strong and very beautiful from the inside women. she knows we believe in her, we love her, i told her on the phone when i thought she was going to die, i told her you are not alone romi. we are with you and i love you. i miss you. i love you and i know that wherever you are you are helping others. i know you help others and make them feel a little bit more safe together. so, i expect you to know that we are coming to take you out. we are doing everything we can to help you and all the other hostages come back home. >> but meirav leshem gonen, i wish you continued strength in the difficult days ahead. i hope you have good news soon. thank. you >> thank you very much. thank you, anderson. >> next, in the face of new reporting, one second trump presidency will look like and allegations that could be a threat to democracy. former president point the finger elsewhere. without evidence. we're keeping them honest. later, troubling story about a hero that was saving civilian lives, but ended up shot by israeli soldier. >> facing criticisms and concerns about recent declarations about how he'll run a second term in office, and the threats of say opposes to democracy, the former president is responding in a pretty familiar fashion, accusing the accuser. here's how he responded to the idea of president biden campaigning on that notion. >> if joe biden wants to make this raise a question of which candidate will defend our democracy and protect our freedoms, i say to crooked joe and he's the most corrupt president we've ever had. we will win that fight and we are going to win it very big. joe biden is not a defender of american democracy. joe biden is the destroyer of american democracy. >> the former president of the weekend perhaps should go without saying there is no actual evidence that president biden is a destroyer of american democracy. also, this is nothing new. here is his response during a final 2016 presidential debate to hillary clinton's allegation that vladimir putin wanted him to win. >> he'd rather have a puppet as president. -- >> no puppet. >> it's pretty clear. >> you are the puppet! >> the man would become the 45th president of the united states. his former lawyer, michael cohen, cause a deflection by projection. whatever you want to call, the former president has done this again and again. the difference this time though, a trump presidency is one with no guardrails. congresswoman -- liz cheney this morning issued this morning. >> do you believe that donald trump were elected next year that he would try to stay in office beyond a second term? that he would never leave office? >> there is no question. >> do you think he tried to stay in power forever? >> absolutely. a vote for donald trump may mean the last election you'll ever get to vote in. i do not see that lightly. i think it is heartbreaking that that is where we are. people have to recognize that a vote for donald trump is a vote against the constitution. >> perspective from -- anchor of the source kaitlan collins, also senior political commentator -- adam kissinger. congress men what's your reaction to the former president trying to flip the script like this? >> it is his thing. this is what he does. he will never admit's fault. he always blames everybody else. he's the victim. any politician ever, he's always the victim of circumstance despite being the most powerful man in the world at one point. look, i do not think anybody has seen him say that actually believes that. nobody believes it, whether you are left right or center. the problem is, we've gotten to such a tribal moments that the republicans and many of them, particularly elected officials, have given up, they have basically compromised themselves to empower the former president and now when he says something like that, they will not call him out, because now if you call the former president out you have to admit your role in what you have done to empower him, and trust me, anderson, it's much easier to go back to the tribe and have everybody put their arm around you, say you are fine, just stick with us, everything will be okay, then actually looking in the mirror and admitting this. nobody believes what he is saying. -- >> but, plenty of people actually do believe what he is saying. a lot of his supporters believe what he is saying. >> they believe what he is saying, but, when he says joe biden is a bigger threat to democracy, of course they are going to be some people who believe it's. but, the vast majority of people in the job i used to have, for instance in congress, they know that's bulk. if you put them on truth syrians they're going to say, donald trump is a bigger threat to democracy. doesn't mean you have to agree with joe biden's points and his policies, but absolutely, and the problem with leaders do not come out and say that, then people that are watching tv or watching the former president. they have no counter that they trust, to let the former president say. >> kaitlan, how confident are you that the trump team is about this kind of redux of the no puppet strategy? >> it is completely predictable. it is more sophisticated if that is really the term to use here given how much they are making it part of the campaign. this is not just him spit balling, he's not just saying this off the cuff anderson, it is in his speech or prepared remarks. he's reading off a prompt. are they printed sign saying biden attacks democracy in all caps. that's with the passing out of these rallies. it is exactly the same playbook we have seen trump use time and time again. remember when he brought the clinton accusers out before one of the debates the access hollywood tape would come out and his personal life was the subject of all of the headlines and the front pages. his conduct, obviously, he was the one running for president. it is entirely predictable, but they are fashioning it into an actual campaign tool. they know, and it was very clear to me this weekend listening to those speeches from the former president's they know biden's chief argument going into 2024 is going to be about trump being a trump -- threat to democracy. he used it last time, and they're trying to push back on that by equating it. what is striking about him is trump is literally accused of trying to overturn the election. he is going to be on trial for that not long from now, potentially. so, i think that is at the heart of this, even though he is trying to accuse biden of being the person who is anti-democratic, he is literally going to be on trial on charges that he tried to overturn the election. >> caitlin, you've been a lot of reporting on trump and his authorities, do you think when he says that they believe it? >> yes. i think they wholeheartedly believe it. i do not think that they draw the distinction. i think some republican lawmakers certainly are disingenuous and they say one thing publicly and they will privately acknowledge another thing. but, i think when you go to these rallies and i've been to more trump rallies and you can count on one hand or many hands, that you see it. they really believe it and they really do listen to him. so, when he continues to push this and push this narrative about president biden, i do think it gets through to. them >> congressman, how do you explain, we were seeing some republicans who allegedly do not support the former president from what they have said start to kind of get wobbly new you have your governor chrisman when asked on a podcast that he would support -- nominees of 2024 he said, quote, i'm a republican, bill barr who eviscerated trump on kaitlan's program this summer said the former president should not be anywhere near the oval office. he said he still would not rule out voting for him. can you reconcile that? >> anderson, i have lost your audio there. i will tell you, i did catch the question. the bottom line on this is that it does not make any sense to me, it does not make an ounce of sense that a republican who says that donald trump is a big threat, the biggest threat, he was awful in the oval office, would then turn around purely based on politics, purely based on a dislike of joe biden's policies when there is such a big threat. it makes no sense to me e