>> debate in america begins june 20, seven-fifths, seven this is cnn breaking news hello again, everyone. >> thank you so much for joining me on fredricka whitfield and we begin with this breaking news. the israeli military says an incident in rafah killed eight idf soldiers marking one of the deadliest incidents involving is really troops since the october 7 attacks, the militant wing of hamas claimed it carried out at complex ambush. the incident happened as the rafah civil defense says, israel launched which new airstrikes in the enclave. cnn's paula hancocks is in tel aviv for us, paula are officials giving you any more detail about what happened well for details, the idf of giving a limited at this point, but they do say that there has been that incident in western rafah this saturday, eight soldiers having been killed in that incident, they say that they are investigating this point in trying to ascertain the cause of what happened. >> now we have heard from hamas, they as you say, claimed that they carried out a complex ambush. they say it was the talal the tan area of the western rafah. or they claim they have done is that they attacked a military bulldozer which was then engulfed in flames. an apc with crude that came to rescue those on the bulldozer was then under attack as well. that according to hamas, but the idf says they are reviewing the incident today, are investigating the exact cause. now, what we do know at this point is that this is one of the most deadly attacks that is happened, certainly from the israeli military point of view, since january when 21 soldiers were killed. now we know this is also an area where there has been a significant amount of fighting over the past days. we know that according to civil defense officials show in rafah, that they had had calls for injuries to be picked up for bodies to be picked up saying that there had been israeli airstrikes and also significant artillery shelling in that region over the past hours. in fact, it since dawn. so we do know that this is scenario where there has been significant military activity. we had heard from the idf on friday, they say that they had discovered tunnels in this particular area. they say they had also located large amounts of weapons and they say also that there had been paths and holes punched into walls between buildings, believing that was done by hamas so that they could move around the area very heavily populated, dense area without being spotted. but certainly this shows that there are significant military operations are ongoing in the rafah area at this point. and the idf saying eight soldiers have been killed. hamas claiming responsibility. the idf, idf saying that they are looking into the course fred okay. paula hancocks. i thank you so much for that update. so the latest hamas ambush only adds to concerns about a us back ceasefire plan hamas still hasn't accepted the terms laid out by president biden two weeks ago. cnn's ben we dimon spoke with a senior hamas leader earlier this week about why there seems to be an impasse i think that even taught is to make an end for the occupation. if that happened. i think this would be the right step. all right mr. >> hamdan? >> simple question. >> why hasn't hamas yet agreed officially to the us backed proposal for a ceasefire. >> who said it's a positive step? but we need to see the facts on the ground. we need to know what exactly that the president means by saying the ceasefire and withdrawal what is left? what do you need we need an israeli a clear position from israel to accept the ceasefire complete withdrawal from gaza, and let the palestinians to determine their future by themselves. >> are you optimistic at this point in time that you will reach some sort of agreement? >> well, i think if the united states administration acted in the positive way, seeing the situation not only in the eyes of israel, we can reach soon an agreement so you need the american administration to what changed the proposal that was put forth on the 31st of may, not to change the proposal was all but to accept that this puzzle proposed are much be clear about a ceasefire and the complete withdrawal this week, us secretary of state antony blinken, attempted to broker a deal during an intensive trip in the middle east. he wrote, he questioned whether hamas was negotiating in good faith, but also said he and his partners in the region are determined to bridge any hold ups. hamas has with the plan. all right, now, to a massive protest in france against the far far-right. it comes on the heels of a week of political turmoil in that country. the french interior ministry estimates hundreds of thousands of protesters are taking to the streets across the country today, most of them around paris. this is all in reaction to the fall all right. snagging some 40% of the vote in last week's european union elections. it was a stunning victory that caught the political establishment off guard. prompted president macron to call a snap election in france cnn, senior international correspondent jim determine, joining me now with more on this gym. i mean, how much are french politicians divided well, fred, quite a bit as a matter of fact, that the snap elections called by present backlog really sent a shiver right through the political system here because if no one had expected him to do that, here's reasoning is that this kind of voting pattern prevails a kind of voting pad on yourself for the european elections prevails there's no reason to think that the national front, which was is now called the rest sublevel nastier now extreme right party here mike come to power. >> and in fact, one of the labor union can make numbers said today with the snap elections being called for june 30th, the first round of them anyway, that in fact, you could see a extreme right prime minister just weeks from now. so that's galvanized a lot of these demonstrators today were five labor unions who formed an alliance they call them the, the popular front and sole aim is to stop the national front to the rassemblement nasser now from coming to power at sometime in these parliamentary elections so it's brought about a lot of disarray. and one of them are amazing things that happened today was that former president francois alone said the syrian, the situation is serious enough that he was coming out of political retirement and going to run for a seat in the new parliament. here's his mark the seizure piece of this you see per pesky reason why i made this decision is because i think the situation is serious more serious than ever because serious because the danger represented by the far-right is now a reality the far-right has never been so close to capturing power that since deliberation. good morning. how can one remain indifference so it's pretty amazing, just sort of see him once again in the running and you could actually have a situation if the situation worked out, whether we're at right way politically work francois alone would be the prime minister with macron still as president for the next three years the kind of a long shot, but anything could happen these days in french politics, right wow, i mean jim, it is quite amazing. and what an amazing contrast to the kind unity we saw throughout paris and beyond, just one week ago. because of the d-day celebrations. but what a contrast today with these protests. thank you so much. always great to see you, jim benjamin, appreciate get it from paris. all right, turning now to london, where catherine, the princess of wales, made her first public appearance since announcing her cancer diagnosis. she joined other royals it's on the balcony of buckingham palace and they were there to celebrate king charles is 75th birthday and enjoy the trooping, the colour military parade. kate and charles shocking the world and march when they eat revealed that they had been diagnosed with cancer since then, neither of them have said what type of cancer that they're actually being treated for? the princess said in a statement friday that she is making good progress, but would continue treatments for few more months since she is not in quoting her not out of the woods yet and quote, i want to bring in cnn's nada bashir outside buckingham palace where the weather has been quite wacky, but i guess typical london, weather it seemed to open up a little bit with some sunshine and now back to rain, not a what has been the reaction to that moment. on the balcony well, frederica, just a little earlier, we did see huge crowds gathering outside bucking potus, as you can see behind me. >> much of those gatherers have now left given the oval, whether that we're seeing now. but again, this is an event which typically every year would draw at these enormous crowds to mug the king's official david of course, many of those gathering today we're also hoping to catch a glimpse of the princess of wales, as you mentioned, this is her first public appearance with other senior members of the royal family. >> she, made a shock announcement in march that she was undergoing treatment for cancer. >> the king, of course, also undergoing cancer treatment. but of course, we did see her paying today with her three young children. she was on the balcony of the senior members of the royal family. she appeared to be in high spirits with her three young children. and of course, as you mentioned, this also comes a day after she released a statement on instagram, she shared a photo graph, unclear. one that photo was taken, but in that statement, she did expand a little bit about the kind let's say that she is in right now saying on days when i feel well enough, it is a joy to engage with school life and personal time on the things that gives me energy and positivity as well as starting to do a little work from home. i'm learning how to be patient, especially with uncertainty. taking each day as it comes, listening to my body and allowing myself to take this much time needed to heal. now of course, the princess of wales also went on to say that she is not out of the woods just yet she is expecting to continue to undergo treatment you cancer over the next few months. it's unclear whether we will continue to see the princess of wales that other world engagement. it may well be that they take it on a case-by-case this phase is to see if she is well enough to take part in the world engaged. but at this stage, she's not making an official return to those worn engagements. >> fredricka course everyone is hoping and wishing for her best recovery and that of the king as well. thank you so much. not have a share in london all right. >> it's been a pretty pivotal week for president biden and former president trump and president biden meets with world leaders in italy, former president meets with gop colleagues on capitol hill all this past week. we break it all down next plus the war between israel and hamas is playing out at the ballot box outside new york. voting now now underway in the high-stakes election, much more when the newsroom continues cnn newsroom brought to you by progressive, get a business insurance quote online in as little as six minutes visit progressive commercial.com when, you're a small business owner your to do list can be a log that's why progressive makes it easy to see what the commercial auto vote online. so you can take when all your other to do's already did see if you could say that progressive commercial.com right now, pet dander skin cells, mold spores, pollen, and dirt are being sucked into your air ducts, get cleaner air in system efficiency. >> now, with stanley steamer, your air ducks are clean until they're stanley steamer cli can the riva support your brain health, narrate janet, hey eddie know, fraser, frank frank bred. how are you? 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donald trump would have to renounce this agreement and renouncing this agreement might unsettle some senate republicans will see, should that ever occur in any case, the president, the current president, laid down a very strong marker. and it also i think stiffen the backs of many in the world who were wondering which direction the wind was blowing, given the populist victory is in the recent european union elections then as for trump, i mean his message was all about unity as he met with lawmakers on capitol hill, unity within his party. notably he even had a handshaking moment with senate minority leader mitch mcconnell, who was very critical of trump after january 6. so how does that message of unity resonate during this hyper polarized election season well, it's always difficult to anticipate what future historians will think sometimes it's actually difficult to anticipate what all historians now think. >> but i suggest, i believed that the photograph of president, a former president trump and a former leader current minority leader mitch mcconnell will remembered as the as the surrender of that wing of the republican party. that said, just after january 6 president trump was no longer fit for leadership. and that president trump should be held responsible for the attack on the capitol. i believe that that was one of those moments that will be seared into the popular imagination, regardless of what occurs in november okay, we're also going to be watching sunday night as the new episode of the cnn original series secrets and spies and nuclear game heirs at 10:00 eastern here is just sneak peek i feel it was a trap. what's maybe i'm wrong after 11 years of my secret work for the british, maybe develop paranoia the danger. >> could come from different directions the weakest link in espionage is the meeting between the operative and his agent. she could have been supported by a surrogate fellow officer there could be an mi6 officer working for the kgb, who could be trey gowdy, ef scale i was saying to myself, do have patients do endure you in a unique position to help the vessel? >> but i felt instinctively that my time was running out alright, tim, as a presidential historian, you know, a great deal about the inner workings of various administrations and their policies. >> so is it your feeling that, you know, all precedents? find espionage to a degree useful all presidents find intelligence to be useful. >> what's really unique about the reagan period is the importance of spies, of human agents both those that were providing really, really significant information to the west, like rdf ascii, that helped move us from the brink of an accidental nuclear war. and sadly, the role of traders like aldrich ames who sent a number of agents working on behalf of the west to their deaths and also compromised gordy fc. so this episode, this week is all about this secret race between gardi fc, who's providing information helpful to the west and james who decides to turn his back on his country because he's deeply in debt and threatens the life of someone who's making the world a safer place. that's what this episode, this week is all about. >> no, i liked that. >> the importance of the word choice intelligence useful espionage antagonistic maybe not so good alright. tim naftali. thank you so much. we'll be watching an all new episode of the cnn original series secrets and spies, a nuclear game airs tomorrow night, te