What happened to Matt Gutman? Whoopi Goldberg's 'finger's crossed' as reporter in Israel ends live due to 'security incident'
SDEROT, ISRAEL: ABC News Chief National Correspondent Matt Gutman who was reporting live on the volatile situation in Sderot, Israel, was interrupted due to a "security incident" nearby, leaving 'The View' panel worried about his safety.
Whoopi Goldberg and other hosts of the show were speaking to Gutman while he was reporting from just outside of Sderot, one of the first settlements where tensions escalated due to recent attacks by Palestinian militant group Hamas, according to Daily Mail.
Matt Gutman was escorted to safety after 'immediate alert'
Speaking to the hosts, the 45-year-old reporter who was explaining that there had been "small arms fire" in the location he was reporting from in the "past hour-and-a-half" was soon approached by a uniformed man who told him, "The IDF [Israel Defense Forces] has issued an immediate alert that everybody has to leave. There is some security incident just near us."
Matt, who was wearing a bullet-proof vest, began walking backward and continued his reporting and Goldberg told him during the broadcast, "Go do what you gotta do, we got you," to which he replied, "We're okay."
"We're walking to the car anyway which is right over there. But can I explain what's going on? They've had this battle, and I just want to show you what's going on here," he added on Saturday, October 7.
.@ABC News' @mattgutmanABC tells us about about his experience reporting from Israel: "You get an understanding of what it's like to live under the rain of those explosions."
— The View (@TheView) October 10, 2023
"It is incredibly difficult and disconcerting," he adds. "These areas are ghost towns." pic.twitter.com/QBECGzxTBw
"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 headed in that direction, you see the ambulances over there."
As Gutman continued to walk and report, Goldberg told him: "Get in a car, Matt! Get in the car."
While joining #TheView live from Israel, @ABC News' @mattgutmanABC is escorted from the area due to a "security incident."
— The View (@TheView) October 10, 2023
He later rejoins #TheView from a safer location with updates from the region: "We're okay where we are right now, but you can hear booms in the distance." pic.twitter.com/qNUEN71jfX
Matt Gutman confirmed to 'The View' hosts he was safe
Goldberg appeared worried about Gutman's safety as she said during the segment that, "Well, that's what happens when it's live and you're in the middle of it. We got our fingers crossed that he's safe and he's going to remain safe," while Joy Behar added, "Oh my God."
"It's unclear how far the U.S. is willing to go to support Israel's fight against Hamas at this point," @ABC News' @mattgutmanABC tells #TheView. "The U.S. has one of its largest weapons stockpiles in the world right here in Israel, unclear exactly which weapons." pic.twitter.com/L1VG4z7zuw
— The View (@TheView) October 10, 2023
Praising the journalists who continue their work from the war zone, Alyssa Farah Griffin said, "We are witnessing true evil and I just... my hearts are with the Israeli people. My heart is praying for a peaceful solution to this."
After the show returned from a commercial break, the hosts spoke to Gutman who then confirmed to them he was now safe.
"There is a pretty significant movement of troops here. We're okay where we are right now, but you can hear booms in the distance," Gutman explained.
"There was significant gunfire, there was a helicopter, gunship in the air. Obviously, they found something, but we are safe right now, Whoopi," he added.