There are new
signs this morning
that the Israeli Defense Force
could move into Gaza at any minute.
CNN has seen a buildup of military
right along the border
and now flares late into the night.
This comes as Israeli
government officials
tell CNN's Nic Robertson
that the troops have the,
quote, green light to enter Gaza.
Now, those officials
also say that Gaza
a 50 mile border with Israel,
will look radically different
after any military incursion.
They tell CNN that a tough buffer
zone will be established,
one that would essentially be a
no go zone in
the IDF will be able to go into Gaza
and arrest people
whenever they want,
theoretically on their terms,
much like they can now in the West Bank.
Joining us now at the magic wall.
CNN military analyst,
retired Lieutenant General Mark
Hertling serve. Good to see you.
I want to start with the flares
because Nic Robertson
was pointing this out
show video of it right now,
and he made clear that
that's not the norm necessarily
in this moment. What does that tell you?
It just tells me that the Israeli forces
are looking for something
or they're trying to use a little bit
of psychological warfare
against the people inside of Gaza.
This is not that big of a deal.
It is just to show
potentially the commanders
that are on the scene
where different crossing points
are what they're looking for.
It's to orient
those who are new to the area.
The big question
is, will this become a regional conflict?
The president talked about that
last night.
Let's talk about what we have
just seen in the region.
The fact that two
sources told CNN overnight
that Navy warships, U.S.
Navy warships
operating in the Middle East
had to counter multiple projectiles fired
on the coast of Yemen yesterday.
And then you couple that
with what the Pentagon says are
drone attack
attempts in Iraq and where U.S.
officials are in Iraq and and and Syria.
Yeah,
a couple of things
that happened yesterday.
The drone attack out
off the coast of the Red Sea
and the Gulf of Aden down here
against the USS Carney,
drew a lot of attention.
Integrated air defense from that ship
shot the drones and the missiles down
that were coming out of Yemen.
That's important.
But the range from there to Israel
is pretty far.
And it's
they don't have a great missile force,
let's put it that way.
But the other things that were occurring
are would be a normal day
in some in some countries,
like the drone attack
at Al-Tanf in Syria.
That is a U.S.
military base in that particular reason.
It's been there for a while.
Other drone attacks
outside Air Force Base.
I've been out
there are many times in Iraq,
Erbil, Baghdad
and in the southern part of Iraq
just tells me
that the popular mobilization fronts,
the Iranian backed
rebels are actually targeting
those kinds of locations
just as harassment attacks.
There was also two Israeli citizens
killed in Egypt,
which just shows that there's
a swell of a ground movement
that is a result of
some of the things
that have been going on there.
And all of these Arab street
does not want Israel to go into Gaza.
Just take a step back
to what your point has been.
And I think it's very valuable to note
that these bases, these U.S.
bases are often
harassed or often subject
to drone attacks or rocket attacks.
All of it happening on the same day,
the same day
the president gives
an Oval Office address
as Israel is preparing
for what looks like a ground incursion,
different proxies from Iran.
But does that tell you something?
Yeah, it's a call for it's
a call for harassment.
It's a call for attacks.
It is a jihad.
They are receiving information
from Iran saying
let's upped the ante
a little bit
and show our displeasure
at what's going on in Israel.
Moments ago,
a large group of people
were seen
rallying for the opening of the Rafah
crossing on the Egypt border.
And you can see this.
This is right outside that border
a few miles around that crossing.
There's craters in front of it.
We understand about 20 trucks.
Some of those drivers have told us
they actually saw
the Egyptian moving concrete
as if there was a mate,
maybe the possibility of an opening.
But subsequently, CNN
has learned
that the Rafah crossing
will not open today
as had been anticipated.
But that sense of on the ground
and that that terrain desert
gives you some perspective
on where we stand right now.
Just moments ago,
we did hear from the U.N.
secretary general,
Antonio Gutierrez,
who is at the Rafah border
crossing on the Egyptian side.
So he is there you got a U.N.
compound on the other side
where where we know
people are better
supplied than most places,
but still with dwindling,
dwindling supplies.
And of course, he's standing
where all those trucks loaded with
aid are waiting to enter
Behind these walls.
We have 2 million people
that is suffering enormously.
So these trucks are not just trucks.
They are a lifeline.
They are the difference between life
and death for so many people.
In Gaza.
What we need is to make them move,
to make the move
to the other side of this wall, to make
the move as quickly as possible.
So those cement blocks that I referenced,
we actually have video of that.
CNN has obtained
that from some of these truck drivers
who are sitting there
night upon night and waiting,
moving those blocks
at the entrance of the crossing.
There are those 20 trucks
they are expected to enter
once the crossing opens.
The United Nations is saying that
it needs, though, 100 trucks a day
to provide
adequate aid to the people inside Gaza.
20 trucks right now.
And they need 100 a day.
This comes as Gaza's
main medical facility is in danger
of running out of fuel within hours.
No fuel has been coming into Gaza
now for days.
And, of course, to run a generator,
you need fuel.
All of that is now running out.
Doctors Without Borders
said yesterday
that the Al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza
City only had enough fuel
to run its generators for 24 more hours.
That hospital is
one of the few places in Gaza
that actually even has electricity
for now.
And on that front,
we have been getting dispatches
from people inside Gaza daily.
And, you know,
we get these small clips
and they cut out
because of the phone connections
because they don't have the power.
Our journalist, Ibrahim Dam on Escape
Northern Gaza in the south was his wife
and two sons.
He's been filing these dispatches
for OUTFRONT every night.
And here's his latest report on
the situation in Khan Younis.
A lot.
And genuineness.
I mean, Sarah, it matters.
A man in front of a lot newness
or no danger and official Baird
will be there.
And in between, the men
lurking the land mines and so on will
but the joy of newness
will cost very much right
JLP.
If anyone is sarbjit done.
I've done my hammamet my soul.
Well, I'm
I've been
so budget done for my official fish,
my the shuttle side of the of joy.
We actually required to go and didn't get
a little bit of something a month ago.
So
the world is turning into a white cloud.
Something poetic and profound
about that, that horrible image.
Joining us now is Apple Brand.
While the US
executive director
for Doctors Without Borders and Apple,
I appreciate speaking with you again.
I know that
you have a team in this main
hospital in Gaza, the Al-Shifa hospital.
Can you give us any
update on their situation
Yes.
I mean, we are
really beside ourselves
because we often lose contact with them,
as you mentioned,
with the lack of electricity,
the inability to charge
phones, cell signals often being cut out,
very difficult
to get real time
information from the team.
And what we do know
is that our medical coordinator
was warning
that the fuel was reaching
catastrophic lows.
And of course, they will ration
they will try to stretch it out
as much as possible
because you need that fuel
to run generator
for the lifesaving medical equipment,
including incubators
for neonates, dialysis machines
and just just general functioning
for all the trauma surgeries
that they're trying to do.