WATCH: Anderson Cooper rattled by a bomb explosion in Gaza

The video: As the violence escalates between Israelis and Palestinians in Gaza, Anderson Cooper went live in the midst of the hostilities to report for CNN. While he spoke on camera, a bomb exploded alarmingly close to him, interrupting his broadcast and leaving him visibly shaken. "Whoa," he exclaimed, grimacing slightly. "That was a rather large explosion." After the blast, Cooper was surprisingly calm as he continued his report, calling the explosion the largest one he'd heard in the past hour. Take a look at Cooper's close call:

The reaction: "Talk about courage under fire," says Hillary Busis at Entertainment Weekly. This is no laughing matter, and Cooper handled it like a pro. The report made for "extremely compelling — and real — television," said Alex Weprin at TV Newser, reminding us how tangible the violence is. As one blog put it: "Be safe out there, Silver Fox!"

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