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Biden: "We're Now Very Close" To A Hostage Deal; Right Now: Israeli War Cabinet Meeting On Hostage Deal; Aired 11:30a-12p ET
Aired November 21, 2023 - 11:30 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[11:30:00]
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KATE BOLDUAN, CNN ANCHOR: The breaking news. A deal to secure the release of a significant number of hostages being held by Hamas in Gaza. That deal could be imminent. Moments ago, we heard from President Biden on his view on how close this deal is. Listen to this.
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JOE BIDEN, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: We bring home the hostages. And the -- and Hamas has been calling since October 7. We've been working on this intensively for weeks, as you all know. I spoke recently about it with both the Prime Minister, Netanyahu, and the Emir of Qatar. My team has been in the region shuttering -- shuttling between the cabinets.
We are now very close -- very close. We could bring some of these hostages home very soon. But I don't want to get into the details of things because nothing is done until it's done. And we have more to say we will, but things are looking good at the moment.
Now, we're here today to talk about fentanyl, and how we can do more --
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BOLDUAN: Things are looking good at the moment, according to President Biden. Let's get over the Natasha Bertrand. She's joining us now from Washington. Things are looking good at the moment right now. But remind folks, Natasha, how things got to this point.
NATASHA BERTRAND, CNN NATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: Well, it's been really intensive negotiations and diplomacy over the last four plus weeks or so to try to get a larger batch of these hostages released up from Gaza because, of course, we have seen sporadically some hostages be released about four, including two Americans over the last several weeks to a month. But this deal would be a huge diplomatic breakthrough, the release of 50 hostages from Hamas's possession, getting into -- getting out of Gaza into Israel. And in exchange, of course, the Israelis would have to agree to a four to five-day pause in the fighting as well as a pause in their drone surveillance flights over northern Gaza. So, clear, you know, successions there, but the Israelis now appear to be debating whether or not this deal is actually going to move forward. The question is, is this all in Israel's court now? Has Hamas already agreed to all of these terms? Things could go wrong very quickly. And I think that is why we have seen so much trepidation among U.S. officials, Western officials about just -- about saying that this is not really a deal until it is done.
Now, of course, one of the questions we have as well is whether the U.S. is going to stop its drone surveillance flights over Gaza. They began doing that to help Israel with the hostage recovery efforts last month. And it would seem as though, of course, if the Israelis will be halting their flights, then the U.S. will too. However, that raises more questions, of course, about how Israel is going to continue to monitor the Gaza Strip throughout this war with Hamas. So, a lot of questions here about those steps moving forward, but it is a very positive sign that it comes after weeks of really intensive negotiations with the U.S. and their counterparts there.
[11:35:07]
BOLDUAN: And, Natasha, you also have some new reporting on U.S. action being taken as a result of U.S. and coalition forces being fired upon or attacked if you will. And this comes -- I mean, this is all kind of interconnected because this comes after we've been tracking, and you've been tracking very closely this recent jump and attacks on U.S. forces specifically since the October 7 Hamas terror attack.
BERTRAND: Right. So, this is all connected, right? And the U.S. has warned these Iran-backed groups not to intervene -- not to get involved in the conflict. But they have. They have been attacking U.S. forces across Iraq and Syria ever since the October -- ever since October 17, about 10 days after Hamas launched that terror attack.
And most recently, we're told that today, a U.S. military aircraft actually fired on a vehicle in Iraq, that U.S. officials say was attacking forces at Al Assad airbase in Iraq. And it's unclear how many people inside that vehicle, those hostile -- those that -- those threats actors were killed in the strike. However, the U.S. does say that they believe that a significant number of people -- militants were killed in those strikes.
And this comes really after six dozen or so attacks have been launched on U.S. forces in Iraq and Syria. And many, many U.S. personnel have been injured as a result of those attacks. So, the U.S. clearly stepping up its response here.
BOLDUAN: Yes. I mean, and the point being, you know, in part deterrence trying to keep Iran-backed groups from trying to expand this even further. And how well that deterrence is working, we continue to track. It's great to see you, Natasha. Thanks for bringing the reporting.
OMAR JIMENEZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: And we're continuing to follow this breaking news we've been following all morning really. A deal to release some of the hostages Hamas is holding in Gaza could come at any moment. And next, we're going to speak to the family member of one of those hostages. Stay tuned.
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[11:41:19]
JIMENEZ: Back to our breaking news. A deal could be imminent to release dozens of Israeli hostages being held by Hamas. And Israeli officials are meeting right now to begin the process that could potentially approve this deal.
Joining us again is CNN's Oren Liebermann in Tel Aviv. Oren, what do we know about Israeli officials meeting again at this moment?
OREN LIEBERMANN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Omar, the meeting of the war cabinet was scheduled to begin a short time ago. We haven't yet officially gotten word that it has begun but regardless, that is happening tonight. Followed by another series of meetings that are part of the political and legal process to approve a hostage deal and a prisoner exchange. 50 Israeli hostages or other 50 hostages held in Gaza for 150 Palestinian prisoners held in Israeli prisoners -- in Israeli prisons. That would be women and children.
Again, that process will go through the war cabinet, which is supposed to be meeting now, then the wider security cabinet, and then the full cabinet as part of the process that it takes to approve this. Following that there is a 24-hour window where appeal is going to be followed to the Supreme Court. So, wait and we just got official word here that the war cabinet meeting has begun.
Let me bring in Gil Dickman, who has two family members held as hostage in Gaza. 39-year-old Carmel Gat, your cousin, as well as 36- year-old -- year old Yarden Roman. The first and most important question is, is the government giving you information? Do you know where the process stands right now?
GIL DICKMAN, COUSINS BEING HELD BY HAMAS IN GAZA: Actually, we don't really know. We know what you know. The government isn't talking to us specifically about this. There has been meetings with members of the -- of the -- of the cabinet, but not in the last 24 hours.
LIEBERMANN: There have been -- as rumors of a deal and reports of a deal become more solid, and we expect votes tonight on a deal, there are two parties in the coalition that have already come out and said we're going to vote against it. Some of the far-right elements of the governing coalition. Does that worry you, or do you believe that if a deal is in place, it will get there?
DICKMAN: I actually -- I was actually in the Knesset yesterday with two of these party -- of these party members. I know that they're against it. I believe that we have the word of people from the cabinet -- of ministers from the cabinet, who say, we're going to make it happen. We're going to make the deal happen, winning -- we're going to bring people home. It's not going to be all the hostages, not going to be all the people who've been kidnapped, but we're going to bring them home. So, we're very hopeful, and we think it's going to go through. LIEBERMANN: And perhaps just as importantly, according to polling, you have the vast majority of the support of the country. Now, you were in -- while you were in the Knesset a short time later, there was a meeting at the defense ministry not too far from where we are right now.
DICKMAN: Yes.
LIEBERMANN: Your family members, you told me were in that meeting. What did they hear from the war cabinet?
DICKMAN: So, they didn't give them any specific updates about how this is going. But they were very optimistic. And this sits really well with what we're seeing now. It seems like there is -- there is a deal. And that's good for us.
Even if my relatives aren't actually released right now, the fact that there is a deal and that the trust can be built is very, very important to us. Because it's important. Every deal opens the door for the next deal, and the next deal, and the next deal. And what we want, we're going to keep on fighting until we see everyone back home, all the hostages, all the abductees.
LIEBERMANN: The -- as we understand it now, we have video from just outside of the defense ministry where there already some protesters who are coming out against the deal. So, I want to come back to this point. You're confident with a deal in place. Is that confidence shared across the families of 240 nearly hostages do you believe?
DICKMAN: Well, they say two Jews have three opinions. So, I'm not sure that there is a big consensus between all of the families, something that, something that, but in the big picture, I think that we all want a deal. We all want everyone to come home.
[11:45:12]
And what I think is that a deal that brings some of the hostages home is a great step towards a bigger deal that brings all of us home. I know, we don't all share this but most of us do. And this is why we -- I personally support it. And I think many others are going to -- are going to be very happy with the deal, whether it's everyone or just a small batch.
LIEBERMANN: For you, it doesn't have to be everybody at once. But even if it's only 50 women and children and even if your cousin and family member or not in that group, it is the beginning of a process. And that's very important from your perspective, right?
DICKMAN: That's right. Yes. Mainly because it's a matter of trust. And there is no trust between -- there is no trust between the Israelis and the Israeli government. And there is no trust between the Israeli government and Hamas right now. So, both of them should be built and it's very, very difficult to do.
So, the fact that it could be built and there's actually a deal in which the two sides can trust one another is huge. And it's very meaningful for us. And I can only imagine how we're all going to feel when 10-month-old Kfir comes back home with his mother and his 4-year- old brother. We're all going to be extremely happy and hopeful that it's going to mean that soon enough, Geffen -- baby Geffen, three-and- a-half-year-old is going to meet Yarden, the wife of my cousin, and they're going to meet -- and my cousin's going to meet his wife, and that we're going to hug Carmel. Even if it's going to take time, that means that it's much closer than it was yesterday or the week before.
LIEBERMANN: You have heard the word imminent before in reports and rumors that something a deal is imminent.
DICKMAN: Yes.
LIEBERMANN: But this time feels palpably different. Do you believe that as well?
DICKMAN: I think the fact that my family members met with cabinet members, and they assured them that if a deal is settled in the world cab -- in the war cabinet, then it means that it's settled in the cabinet and in the whole government. That means that we feel -- we can feel certain until we see them. But we feel OK.
But you know, it's the Middle East and you never know what's going to happen. It -- we're dealing with a terror organization. And this is a very important thing to ask -- to remember. I don't -- I can't really trust -- really trust the terror organization that kills my aunt, Kineret (PH). I can only trust them when I actually see my relatives coming home.
LIEBERMANN: Gil Dickman, whose family members are hostages in Gaza, speaking to us. Gil, thank you for your time.
DICKMAN: Thank you.
JIMENEZ: And, Oren Liebermann, thank you for your reporting. And thank you for bringing us that perspective, as always.
I mean, Kate, one of the things that really stuck out -- I mean, even though he has two family members being held hostage, if this deal goes through, he didn't even really care if it was one of his family members. He says as long as this process is happening, it sort of could open the door for potential future deals.
BOLDUAN: His view -- yes. I mean, then he's saying that every deal is -- leads to kind of builds that impossible trust that another deal will come. But just hearing from a family -- I mean just hearing Gil say there at the end --
JIMENEZ: Yes.
BOLDUAN: That he has a hard time, understandably, trusting the terror organization who killed some of his family, but he has to, in some way, at least hope and trust to get some other of his family home. That is the definition of an impossible situation that so many of these families are finding themselves in JIMENEZ: And a reminder. Military efforts and diplomatic efforts are at the center of it all, their family is waiting to see where their loved ones are.
BOLDUAN: Absolutely. I'm so glad, Oren, that you have that conversation. Oren Liebermann, thank you for that.
Coming up still for us. We're going to stay on top of this breaking news. The Israeli war cabinet is underway. They're meet -- the meet -- Israeli war cabinet meeting is underway right now. They will be voting or expected to on the deal to swap prisoners. four hostages being held by Hamas in Gaza. We'll be right back.
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[11:53:28]
BOLDUAN: The breaking news. Right now, Israel's war cabinet is meeting to discuss the potential deal to free dozens of hostages who are kidnapped by Hamas terrorists on the October 7 attack. Sources saying a deal could be announced as soon as today.
JIMENEZ: And sources say the name of those who could be released. The names are still being worked out. But U.S. officials are hoping that one of them will be 3-year-old Abigail Idan.
Now, she is the youngest American hostage being held. You see her picture there. Both of her parents were killed in the October 7 attack. And CNN spoke with Abigail's great-aunt this morning after this news broke. Take a listen.
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LIZ HIRSH NAFTALI, GREAT AUNT OF 3-YEAR-OLD ABIGAIL IDAN: I'm a cautious optimist because we've heard this before. And although there's more excitement and more news pressing right now, we can't get our hopes up in a way that just believes that it's going to happen right in the next couple of hours. But you know, when I think about that on Friday is Abigail's fourth birthday, and that she should be home with her family and with her sister and brother, and she isn't right now, it's just -- it's that you get your emotions.
You have to keep them in check. Because if not, and you think about 9- month-old children, little girls, little boys, mothers, and you just hope that there's somebody holding these little children. Abigail is a beautiful child who wants to run around and play soccer with her older brother and sister. And she hasn't been able to run around in 45 days.
[11:55:00]
I don't know where she is. We don't know. We just hope that she's with Hagar Brodutch, who she was taken out with, with her three children, and that she's giving her love. And then on Friday, she'll be with her family back in Israel without her parents but with her sister and her brother and her aunts and her uncles and her grandparents. And so, for me, it's really emotional because I have no idea if this is real, but my heart believes it has to be. I have faith and I just pray that this is going to be the real piece. But again, until we see them come out and until Abigail is in the arms of her family, I just can't go down to that point where I'm relieved and I believe it's going to happen fully.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BOLDUAN: And that is understandable, for sure. Abigail Idan is the youngest American hostage currently being held by Hamas in Gaza now for 40-plus days. The war cabinet -- Israel's war cabinet is meeting as we speak on the potential of this deal being struck, could be approved very soon, even today.
We're staying on top of this breaking news. But thank you all so much for joining us this hour. This is CNN NEWS CENTRAL. "INSIDE POLITICS" is up next.
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