ABC War Correspondent Forced to Evacuate from War-Torn Area in Israel During Live Broadcast on 'The View' (2024)

A war correspondent covering the ongoing violence in Israel from the ground had to evacuate a war-torn area while broadcasting live on The View on Tuesday.

In footage that aired on the talk show in real-time, Matt Gutman, ABC News’ chief national correspondent, was cut off earlier than he anticipated after he was instructed to evacuate a site in Sderot, Israel, due to a “security incident.”

“The amount of anger in Israel is monumental,” Gutman, 45, began the broadcast from the city, which is located in southern Israel about 2 miles from Gaza.

“People want Hamas destroyed militarily and politically, and I think it would be very difficult for Israel's prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, not to launch some sort of significant incursion at this point,” he continued as soldiers yelled off screen.

The journalist then stopped his reporting and pointed off-screen, saying, “Sorry, there’s some soldiers calling out.”

Gutman asked one of the soldiers if he and his crew needed to leave the area, to which the soldier responded, “the IDF [Israel Defense Forces] has issued an immediate alert that everybody has to leave,” due to a “security incident” near the area.

The war correspondent began the short trek back to his car as The View co-host Whoopi Goldberg spoke over the broadcast, telling him to “go do what you gotta do.”

As Gutman walked to the vehicle, he asked Goldberg, 67, if he could continue explaining the situation in and around Sderot, where Israeli forces are fighting Hamas gunmen to regain control of the area.

A motorcade of military vehicles passed through the background as Gutman walked back to the vehicle.

“They have this battle ... these armored Jeeps are going towards where we’ve been hearing this incessant gunfire, and just on the other side of that bridge, we’ve seen a large number of troops head in that direction," he explained.

The “battle” the journalist is referring occurred in Kfar Aza, a nearby kibbutz. (A kibbutz is a traditional communal settlement, per the Washington Post.)

Before Tuesday's broadcast, Gutman said that he “saw the evidence of this horrific massacre” where “dozens of people” were killed.

“Israel had just tried to gain control of it but as you can see, they do not have control of the situation right here,” Gutman continued. “It’s believed there are still militants lurking around, and as we were there, Whoopi, we saw people being pulled out. They still don’t know how many people have been killed there.”

Gutman reiterated that Israel “does not have a firm grip” over the area while preparing to enter the car at the concern of the talk show’s hosts, who urged him to get in a vehicle and be careful.

Later in the episode, the correspondent rejoined the show as Goldberg asked, “Matt, where are you and are you safe?”

Gutman assured the host that he and his crew are safe, and thanked her before resuming his coverage and explaining what happened in the area after they were asked to evacuate.

“We’re okay where we are right now,” he said, adding that “you can hear booms now in the distance.”

The journalist also shared that during his time off-air, there was “significant gunfire” and a “helicopter gunship” in the air.

“Obviously, they found something,” he concluded. “But we are safe right now, Whoopi.”

This isn’t the first time Gutman has had to evacuate an area while reporting on the ground in Israel.

On Monday, footage shared by ABC News on X shows the correspondent and his crew fleeing the street and finding shelter amid warnings of rocket strikes in Sderot.

"That tells you how close you are. There was almost no warning,” Gutman said in the clip, adding that he and his crew only had about 7 seconds to take shelter after the warning was issued.