[Michaela Pereira, Cnn Anchor:] @THISHOUR, pressure is building on negotiators as the clock ticks toward an end to the fragile cease-fire in the Middle East. Will words or weapons win out? Then @THISHOUR, the president is preparing to sign into law an emergency funding bill for the scandal-plagued Department of Veterans Affairs. We're going to tell you what is in store for America's vets? And as the Ebola outbreak gets worse in West Africa, the CDC goes on high alert to help fight the spread of that deadly virus. Good morning. We'll have all those stories and much more @THISHOUR. I'm Michaela Pereira. Thanks for joining me. John Berman is on assignment. We are now 58 hours into the cease-fire in the Middle East, but the top of the hour glass is running out of sand, 14 more hours, just 14 more hours, until the truce window expires unless negotiators in Cairo can extend it or come up with a more lasting peace. Israeli government officials tell CNN they're willing to extend the current truce without conditions while the Palestinian side says there is progress but no breakthrough. We want to bring you the very latest @THISHOUR from Saima Mohsin in Jerusalem. We have Reza Sayah in Cairo, and I think, Reza, we should start with you. We talk about this clock ticking. We talk about the intensity. Do you think there is a sense more of a sense of urgency now? Is there any confidence that they're going to come to any sort of break-through?
[Reza Sayah, Cnn International Correspondent:] Yes, I don't think there's any question about it, Michaela, with the clock ticking you really get the sense the drama is building and the pressure is building for these two sides, the Palestinians and Israelis, and Egypt as the broker to make something happen. According to the Palestinian delegation, they've been in and out of closed-door meetings for the past several hours. It's been very tough to monitor and gauge these talks because they're indirect negotiations being held in secret, but based on the information we have, here's where things stand. According to the Palestinian official, the Palestinian negotiating team is waiting to hear back from the Israelis through the Egyptians. Now that suggests that the Palestinians have put forth some kind of proposal, they've put forth their demand, and they're waiting to hear back from the Israelis, this Palestinian official telling CNN that depending on what they hear back they could have an announcement by 10:00 p.m. tonight, Michaela. That's roughly four hours.
[Pereira:] You're breaking some news there. By 10:00 p.m. tonight, local time, there could be an announcement. Again, talk to us about the sticking points. We know that we that on the Israeli side, they're talking about getting out of the taking the terrorists out of Gaza. They want that to be a main issue. And we know on the Palestinian side, they're saying they want that border open, and they want to have Israel out of Gaza. Give us an understanding of more what's going on?
[Sayah:] Yes. @THISHOUR, all indications are that the sticking point is what to do with the framework, the time frame of this cease cease- fire. All indications are the Israelis want to extend it beyond 8:00 a.m. Friday morning. They want to keep talking, but not all the Palestinians, notably, Hamas, who was leading the fight in Gaza, they're not on board. They're essentially saying they agreed to come to Cairo, to have these talks, to talk about the bigger issues, the so-called core demands and they say they're not going to extend it without some sort of concession. So the question is, will the cease-fire be extended unconditionally, what the Israelis want, or will the Israelis make a condition, give in to at least one or more of Hamas's demands, which is what the Palestinians are looking for.
[Pereira:] And that's a real concern right there too, is within the Palestinian delegation, there are factions within that delegation. If they can come to a consensus on their own even is a concern. Reza, stay with us. I want to bring in Saima now from Jerusalem. Let's talk about what the sense is of things on the region where you are. Obviously there's a lot of tension on both sides. We keep talking about we're wondering on your end what you're hearing about hope for a breakthrough?
[Saima Mohsin, Cnn Correspondent:] Michaela, it was late last night when an Israeli official told me Israel is willing to extend this cease- fire if it is unconditional, but, of course, we all know that both sides do come to the table with preconditions. Dore Gold, the prime minister's adviser on foreign policy, told CNN earlier today that redevelopment and reconstruction of Gaza seriously depends on the demilitarization of the Gaza Strip, so there is a huge condition there in itself. Of course, for Hamas' part, they want to see and other parties that represent Gaza as well they want to see the end of the economic blockade of Gaza. Let's remember that beyond operation protective edge there is an economic blockade of Gaza. This has been going on for a while now, and that's what they want to see the end to. And of course, the Israelis say they want to see an end to the the demilitarization of the militant groups, but let's not forget it's not all militant groups that live in Gaza. There are civilians there still picking up the pieces of their lives. Michaela?
[Pereira:] Yeah. It's a very important point, and I appreciate you bringing that up, Saima, the human factor in all of this. A big thank you to Reza Sayah and Saima. We appreciate you both joining us @THISHOUR. We want to turn to our military analyst, retired Lieutenant Colonel Rick Francona. He's here with me in the studio. I watched you out of the corner of my eye when our correspondents are giving us a sense of what they're seeing on the ground and you're acting reacting almost viscerally.
[Lieutenant Colonel Rick Francona, Cnn Military Analyst:] I don't get it. This is a real opportunity for them to make some headway in the negotiations, and Hamas wants to fight just as they've been handed quite a brutal beating at the hands of the IDF. They've lost their tunnels, their big strategic weapon. Their rockets have been proven ineffective. They've got a few rockets left, but do they really want to get in another fight with the Israelis? They need to stay at the table and talk about these things, but if their conditions are to have all of these the blockade lifted and all that before they agree to a cease-fire I think that's a nonstarter.
[Pereira:] So talk about the fact that you have a Palestinian delegation there. It's not just made up of Hamas. There are other players at the table from the Palestinian side. Is there talking to Hamas in your sense from that delegation?
[Francona:] I would love to hear the conversations that are going on in that Palestinian delegation, because Hamas is the odd man out here, because they're the only ones that want to continue the fight. Everybody else wants to come to some sort of agreement, and hopefully they can get to the end state at some point. Hamas is asking for the end state now. It's just not going to happen. And the Israelis don't want to get into another fight, but they will.
[Pereira:] They will. They will, and they can. Hamas is running out of fire power and is kind of backed in a corner. Now here's the interesting thing, and many people keep bringing this up. Look, the people of Palestine voted Hamas in, but things have changed. Is there a changing of the tide of the support they're enjoying within Palestine?
[Francona:] That election was a long time ago.
[Pereira:] It was a long time ago.
[Francona:] And the situation has changed dramatically. And what Hamas done for the people? They've brought how many wars, how much death and destruction into Gaza? And the people don't see what happens in Israel. They see what happens in Gaza. They see what happens around them. They see their kids not in school. They see their houses destroyed.
[Pereira:] You only know your own reality, right?
[Francona:] Do they want more of this? That's what Hamas is promising them. This is just a no-win for the Palestinians as long as they let Hamas dictate these terms.
[Pereira:] In terms of Egypt, they're brokering the deal, and they've got a bit skin in the game, that they share a border with Gaza. They want to make sure their security is tight along that border. Talk to me about the intricacies of that.
[Francona:] Yeah, the Egyptians are playing a key role here, but the Egyptian position has changed. Now, under the new government of General Field Marshal Assisi, President Assisi, he is no longer a friend of the Hamas government. He never was. The previous government was. So Hamas has to factor into their calculations that their resupply, their rearmament, that always happens after these wars comes in over the Sinai border, and that's not going to happen this time. The Egyptians have closed down the tunnels. They've beefed up their military presence. So I just don't understand how Hamas thinks they're going to be able to continue fighting the Israelis. They've got no support among the Palestinians, very little support among the people now that they've brought all this to them, and the Egyptians not on their side.
[Pereira:] And are you hopeful they can at least delay or extend, if you will, the cease-fire?
[Francona:] I think that the Palestinian delegation is going to put so much pressure on Hamas they're going to have to.
[Pereira:] Lieutenant Colonel Rick Francona, with me here in studio, appreciate it. We're going to take a short break. Ahead, we turn our eyes on Hawaii. The people there of Hawaii bracing for not one, but two back-to-back hurricanes. They haven't been hit in the past 20 years. Many folks are scrambling to prepare. We'll take a look at how that state is preparing. Also ahead, the president is ready to sign a V.A. reform bill that promises to help veteran get the timely medical care they need and deserve. We're going to bring that to you live when it happens.