The east coast. Eight pm as Night Falls On Israel and gaza. We begin with the Breaking News of ongoing battles in the streets of Southern Israel, and in the skies over gaza. We have just seen and heard some new explosions. Hamas released a new video of drones used in their ongoing attack against israel, and some new video showing the soundtrack of life in the Palestinian Territories for the foreseeable future. [sound of artillery] there you hear that, for challenger air strikes by israel, destroying several residential buildings in gaza, sending surviving occupant scurrying to safety. New fears and israel of a broader conflict today, with a brief exchange of strikes with lebanons military group. Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, securing cabinet today, officially declaring the country at war. A staggering 600 people have been killed in israel. This is according to the foreign ministry. Relatives of the missing of spent the day submitted dna samples of their loved ones to help identify the dead. Hamas also took an unspecified number of hostages during the attack. Israeli media says that the number is that at least 100. That includes women, children, on the elderly. The u. S. Is looking into reports that the u. S. Might be around. Them in cause, about 300 up until this buildings the mosques are hit by airstrikes. In vatican city, pope francis offered prayers of comfort to those experiencing hours of terror and anguish, but his prayer for peace comes against the backdrop of a longstanding and Deep Division now resurfacing in the wake of this attack. We need statement ship, we need international community. Starting with we are looking forward to the Security Council to enforce International Law equally. Israel has won four 75 years, accustomed to the fact that it is the exception to the rule, that it is above the law, that it has complete immunity granted by the u. S. , by the uk and the rest. There are two paths in the region. One is the path of normalization, integration, of people working together. The other path is what weve seen from hamas, terrorism. Or. Something that offers not only nothing to people throughout the region. And offers nothing to the palestinians. On the contrary, everything that hamas does makes theres a tuition, their plight, even worse. They bring nothing but death and destruction. Not only from israelis, but the palestinians. Our team of reporters are standing by to cover the latest developments on this Breaking News. We have them from israel to washington and beyond. First, were going to go to israel. Nbcs raf sanchez. Welcome to you, this talk about whats happening around you, where you are right now. Well, alex it is now nearly 40 hours since this unprecedented Surprise Attack. The Israeli Military is trying, havent been badly offguard to regain the initiative. In the last couple hours, they have launched hundreds of airstrikes in gaza using aircraft, drones, and helicopters. We have been hearing those strikes all day, hearing the machine guns of these Helicopter Gunships that are circling gaza city right now. Theyre targeting what they say or hamas tunnels, the command post. For all their efforts, alex, they are still not even in full control of israels own territory. There are, at this hour, Still Gun Battles going on between Israeli Ground forces and pockets of Palestinian Militants who are Still Holding out. As the violence continues to swell here, there is fears that it may spread across the region. [sound of artillery] the Israeli Military is pounding targets across the gaza strip. Theyre Fighting Gun Battles against squads of Palestinian Militants, still on the loose inside israel. More than 24 hours after the Surprise Attack began. We were in lockdown for eight hours and hearing terrorists outside. They try to break into houses. This is worse than our worst nightmares. Thousands of reservists called out for what people here expect is the start of a long and bloody war. Every indication is that israel is preparing for what would be a once a large scale, Ground Offensive into gaza. One of the most complex Hostage Rescue Operations the world has ever seen. Me [screaming] after blasting their way through the gaza border fence, fighters from hamas and Islamic Jihad swept into israeli towns, kidnapping whole families, and marching them barefoot through their own neighborhoods. This woman screaming for help but shes dragged away into gaza. Her boyfriends hands behind his back, helpless to safer. Her family identify her as noah. A 25yearold student who had been at a dance party. This video later shows her inside gaza, apparently uninjured. Unlike this woman, bloodied, zip tied, and terrified. Struggling as shes forced into the back of a captured israeli jeep. The exact number of israeli hostages still unknown. Overnight, israels military is beginning to release names of more than 25 soldiers killed. President biden is voicing his support, warning israels enemies not to escalate. This is not a moment for any party hostile to israel to exploit these attacks, to seek advantage. This morning, fire from militants aligned with hamas, israel striking back with drones. Sparking fears that this war could spread to multiple fronts. Meanwhile, more ways of relentless rocket fire from gaza. Inside the strip, hospitals are overflowing with the dead and wounded. Theyre ordering palestinians to evacuate certain areas. A densely populated gaza, home to 2 million people, theres nowhere for families to run. If Israeli Forces enter on the ground, the already massive loss of life may be only the beginning. On top of that rocket fire from lebanon, to israeli tourists were murdered earlier today in the egyptian city of alexandria. That is according to the form ministry. The violence that started in the holy land may not stay here. Alex, i mentioned in that piece, that young woman, noah, the 25yearold kidnapped from that dance party near the gaza border, we just wrapped up in an interview with her father. His name is yaakov. Know is his only child. You could see in his eyes the universal agony of a parent who knows that their child is in harms way right now. This is a man who almost couldnt breathe when i asked him if he would speak to the militants from hamas, from the Islamic Jihad who are holding his daughter hostage. What would you say to them . He could barely get the words out as he said please, please, i beg you. Dont hurt her. Alex. Raf, that is gonna run. Let me ask you very quickly, you did report that there are still skirmishes going on. There are others who suggested that for the most part, within israel, the Palestinian Militants have been taking care of. Theyve been captured, killed, that they arent still there. Do you have confirmation either way . We do, alex. We spoke a little while earlier to a spokesman for the Israeli Defense force. We met him down in the town where there had been such fierce fighting. Yesterday, into the night, it is a massive crime scene. There are police cars riddled with bullets. As you, walk your feet crunch on the Shell Casings from the thousands of rounds fired. Its de roan itself, it was quiet when we were there. The spokesperson did confirm that in other communities, smaller areas along the border, there is still fighting going on. The Israeli Military released footage this morning showing what it said were Palestinian Militants on a beach near the gaza border been attacked by Israeli Naval ships, by Israeli Naval forces. So as far as the idf is concerned, they have not yet fully regained control of israeli territory. Alex. Understood. Ron sanchez, excellent reporting. See you again soon. Thank you for that. Speaking at the idf, joining me now is the spokesperson for Israeli Defense forces. Lieutenant colonel jonathan. Colonel, thank you for joining me during this busy time. My condolences. Can you confirm that there are 25 Israeli Soldiers who have been killed . Is that the number you have as well, sir . Yes. These are, this is an unprecedented time. I will give you numbers. I will tell you things that two days ago seemed unimaginable. Even our wildest nightmares. These were not the numbers that we ever, ever thought that we would be counting and dead israelis. The official tally is 700 dead israelis. That, unfortunately, is not the final number. We have more than 2000 wounded, hundreds of them severely wounded. So that will change as well. There is a high number of israelis held in gaza by these barbaric monsters that you call militants, but i called terrorists and animals. Bloodthirsty animals. They have taken women, children, elderly, disabled, and the stapled elderly people. They have taken them into the gaza strip. They have paraded them on the streets of gaza. They are rejoicing in their achievement, and waiting to bargain with the bodies, or the live persons that theyve taken. These are the enemies that we are facing. We have had the worst day in his really history when it comes to casualties. Never before have israeli civilians and soldiers been killed in one day. So in american terms, this is a pearl harbor, and 9 11 altogether. From our perspective, our relative size. As this is an unprecedented attack in cruelty, barbarity, and scope, our response will be an unprecedented response. The truism, is the paradigms of thought of yesterday, they will be gone. We will not be lenient, tender, and ever careful military that is careful for Bleeding Hearts around the world to lecture us on human relations. We will take this battle to hamas. They will pay a price that they have never paid before for their atrocities. Lieutenant colonel, tell me, and im sympathetic to all youve said, and i will say whatever you give to the Palestinian Militants, or terrorists, their actions are truly barbaric. There is no way around that. Let me ask you about the situation with the military right now. Are there skirmishes still underway there on israeli soil . How confident are you that you can quickly eradicate any Palestinian Militants, terrorists, as you want to call them, that were there in israel . Yes. We are 36 hours into the fighting. Unfortunately, we have not yet establish control of all of our sovereign territory. There were still terrorists that are on the israeli side of the border that are engaging in battle with the israeli civilians. Mostly israeli troops. Southern israel is awash with israeli troops that have been pushed down and all to find and kill each and every palestinian terrorists that has gone into israel with the purpose of killing israeli civilians. That is what were doing. It is a heavy task, and it takes time. We wouldve wanted to be completed this, but we havent done so already. We will continue tonight to do so, and once we finish thats, then well be able to focus all of our efforts in the south on taking the battle to hamas, and inflicting unprecedented damage to the military wing of hamas, and making sure that they will not be able to govern the gaza strip ever again. Lieutenant colonel, before you get to that step, biden madrid trying to rescue, recover any of the hostages, which we dont have form numbers. Can you confirm the number of 100 . There is speculation that there are potentially more. Sir, when it comes to Military Operations inside of gaza, of course, there has to be concerned about the risk of injury or killing some of the hostages as well. Talk about the precision with which you have to go about those operations. Its not so much about our precision, and its about the fact that we know that these monsters that are holding our civilians and soldiers in gaza are more than willing to execute these people, and im sure that they will want to leverage it in the media for every ounce of effect, and terrorizing effect by the israeli civilians and decisionmakers. Lieutenant colonel, i think my, i think, i meant precision, sir. The difficulty of tried to extract these hostages safely. I know the Israeli Military has the capacity to pinpoint and do very well when it comes to striking a target. That said, if you have israeli hostages that are being held in a home, in a tunnel, in places that you dont yet have the intelligence, what kind of challenges that provide . It is a tremendous, Out Of This World Challenge for any military. Even for the u. S. Military, the mighty u. S. Military. It definitely is for our military. It is a challenge that we have not met before. I definitely hope we will never, ever meet again. This challenge as well, we will find ways to overcome it. I can assure you that the decisionmaking by israeli commanders will be cool headed. It will be focused, professional, and we will aspire to achieve our military aims with minimal damage in gaza, with maximum effect on hamas and all of the terrorists that are behind this attack against israel. If i may, i would like to say one more thing to people watching in the u. S. , who may know more or less about israel, maybe have different views about israel. For all who love freedom, democracy, and free society, you should be supporting israel. Whether or not you like the state, or think that we are okay or not, that is less important than what has happened today. Our civilians have been barbaric lee attacked by bloodthirsty monsters coming from gaza. I dont exaggerate. Once you will show pictures of the carnage left in israel by these terrorists who went in, and butchered our civilians, you will understand the magnitude, the challenge, what we israelis are. Facing i ask you, please judge our actions today, and in the future, according to the carnage that you have seen them inflict on our civilians. That is Israeli Defense forces i can assure you that the world is watching. Thank you so much for your time, sir. Lets go from there to wash intendant, and b. C. s courtney kube. Courtney, welcome. I understand that there is new information on u. S. Military plans, as all these tensions are escalating in the middle east. What can you tell us . Thats. Right one thing that we have been watching for, ever since this all started Early Saturday Morning is will the u. S. Military react with some show of presents . Show of support . What we now know is that the u. S. Military does have some plans to move some u. S. Military, u. S. Navy ships closer to israel into the mediterranean. Some u. S. Military aircraft closer to israel. Now the u. S. Officials i spoke to who are familiar with this planning said that this is about a show of support. In addition to that, alex, it could also serve another purpose. That is that the u. S. Is very actively planning for the possibility of some sort of and evacuation. If americans have to get out of israel, in the u. S. Government has to help them, some of these military assets could be used for that. Remember what we saw on sudan several months ago. The u. S. Military put ships off the coast nearby, and they were able to put civilians on those ships to get them to safety out of harms way. That is another reason that some of the ships could be moving closer to the area. Again, the officials i spoke with said that a big part of this is a show of support for israel in the aftermath of this attack. Like we just heard about from the Idf Spokesperson. So you are not hearing anything about actual military movements out of place, and show of support. By the, way when you move the ships, is not like they move, you know, instantly. Itll take a few days, correct . To move them into a position . Yes, absolutely. So some have to come from further than others. We should not expect this, while the plans and the movement may begin immediately, we should not expect to have all of these assets in place for the next few days. As you said, it will take several days for specifically the ships, more so than the aircraft are going to place. I do expect that we will get more details in the coming hours or days about what exactly it is that theyre putting into the area. And let me ask, you, courtney is there any educated analysis on how Many Americans are in the region . Potentially in harms way, or, can you verify any of the reports that some americans have either been killed or taken hostage . Its a chaotic time, its hard to get all the details at this point. Absolutely. I will say, thats one of the big questions. A lot of us have been asking this from the beginning. The reality, is not just that americans, but dual citizens in israel. People are telling us that the numbers are in the Tens Of Thousands who maybe their. This is an enormous logistical undertaking. If they do call for an evacuation, or any kind of, what the military calls, and i have to stress, alex, at this point they have not ordered anything like that. Because of the logistical challenges with the ongoing conflict, the high number of americans who are there, who may be in harms way, that is what the planning has really kicked into high gear right now. They are looking at what options should the Biden Administration decide to call for any kind of an evacuation. And i also want to stress that these military who are moving into this region, youre absolutely right to say that while they are moving clos