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Interview with Farrah Baker; Israel's Former President Weighs in on Gaza Conflict; Ebola Outbreak Continues in West Africa; International Investigators Finally Reach MH-17 Crash Site

Aired July 31, 2014 - 09:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

DREW WEBER, LOST RED SOX RING: I couldn't help noticing that it was a Red Sox World Series ring. And I was like, oh my god.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I get a voice on the phone who answers something to the effect, "Red Sox fan, huh? Red Sox. So."

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHRIS CUOMO, CNN ANCHOR: Well, we have to speak slowly for the Red Sox fans. And if the tables had been turned, who knows what would have happened. I think we all know what would have happened but Yankees fans are Americans and so Militelo agreed to give back the ring, not for some outrageous sum or petty comeuppance, but for a big fat donation to the Superstorm Sandy relief fund, and it gets better.

As a thank you for returning the ring, Drew Weber will take Militelo to Fenway as his guest to catch the best short stop in the history of the game, also known as the captain, Derek Jeter's last regular season game, and in the true pettiness of being a Red Sox fan he just asked that Mr. Militelo not wear his Yankee jersey to the park but of course a Yankee fan always wears his jersey on the inside.

INDRA PETERSONS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Look at John. He's literally slinking in his chair.

JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: We gave you Babe Ruth. What more do you want?

CUOMO: He ran from you to the safety of the bosom of New York.

KATE BOLDUAN, CNN ANCHOR: Did you overwrite that a little bit? Do you think you (INAUDIBLE) that a little bit?

CUOMO: Well, we're way over time but I think it was worthwhile.

(LAUGHTER)

BOLDUAN: A little bit -- Carol?

CUOMO: Time for the "NEWSROOM" with Carol Costello, also a Yankee fan.

CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: I don't think so. The Detroit Tigers, Mister, and don't forget that. BOLDUAN: There you go, Carol.

CUOMO: I can't hear you. I have these off. Yankees fan?

COSTELLO: You have a great day.

NEWSROOM starts now.

Good morning, everyone. I'm Carol Costello. Thank you so much for joining me. We begin with the horrors of war and a gut-wrenching reminder that no one is truly safe on either side of the Israel-Gaza border.

You're about to see that brutality up close. A TV photographer captures the aftermath of an Israeli strike only to be blasted off his feet with the next strike on the Gaza market.

First a warning. This can be pretty tough to watch.

(VIDEO)

COSTELLO: Amid the shrieks of the wounded and the shouted prayers of those victims, a reminder of just how random the carnage can be. The photographer suffered serious shrapnel injury. His assistant surrounded by 17 people who are dead and dying has only a few scratches. And so he picks up the camera and rolls, even as more rockets rain down.

Israel is facing more international criticism today after a number of shells fell next to a United Nations school that's sheltering refugees. No injuries inside the school, but civilians were injured outside.

There have been at least six U.N. schools hit over the last three weeks. And new signs the fighting is escalating yet again, Israel calling up 16,000 more reservists in addition to the 70,000 already mobilized.

Hamas officials say more than 1,000 people have been killed in Gaza, most of them civilians. The U.N. secretary-general stopped short of accusing Israel of targeting civilians but he did blast Israel for, quote, "pummeling Gazans with indiscriminate destruction."

Wolf Blitzer sat down with former Israeli president, Shimon Peres, and asked him about the rising number of civilian deaths.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SHIMON PERES, FORMER ISRAELI PRESIDENT: Imagine that you see a child on your knees at a terrorist, and somebody is shooting at your child and yourself. What is proportion? Not to shoot back?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: More from President Shimon Peres in just a moment. But I can tell you this, one Palestinian girl vehemently disagrees with him. This is Farah Baker. She's 16 years old and this is a -- the picture

of her has captivated millions online. Since she was born Farah has survived three wars and she says this is enough. This was the scene just outside of her house a few nights ago.

Farah Baker joins us now on the phone from her home in Gaza.

Good morning, Farah.

FARAH BAKER, 16-YEAR-OLD GAZA RESIDENT: Good morning.

COSTELLO: Are things calm now? What do things look like outside your home right now, Farah?

BAKER: Actually the situation is kind of calm because they start bombing intensively after midnight. Now people are walking outside, but they are very careful.

(CROSSTALK)

BAKER: I can hear the bombing and sometimes war ship bomb, but they don't stop bombing at all but this is not -- they are not bombing intensively like after midnight.

COSTELLO: Farah, what do you say to comments from Israeli officials that if someone is shooting at you and your child, you have no choice but to shoot back?

BAKER: Hello?

COSTELLO: Farah, let me put this another way. There are accusations that Hamas is using the citizens of Gaza as human shields. Is that true?

BAKER: No, actually I'm a civilian and I see that Hamas defends me and does not hide behind me.

COSTELLO: And you've never experienced anything like that nor have your friends?

BAKER: I can't hear you.

COSTELLO: OK. Well, let me read some of your tweets and we'll tweak our technical stuff. You've tweeted statements like, "When someone shuts the door firmly the first thing comes to mind is that it's a bomb." You also tweeted, "When I hear a car passing quickly the first thing that comes to mind is a rocket attack."

What is it like to live in a world where that kind of threat is a minute-by-minute reality?

BAKER: Actually this is (INAUDIBLE), this is the first war for me to feel unsafe because in the past two wars, I was assured I won't be bombed because I'm a -- I'm an innocent civilian, but this war, they bomb civilian houses and you see most of the (INAUDIBLE) wounded are civilians. So I all the time feel unsafe because I can be bombed any moment.

COSTELLO: The Vines that you've posted show some incredible sights and sounds, rockets, shaking buildings, ambulances in the night. What do you want people to know about life inside Gaza?

BAKER: Actually the power is cut off most of the time, and that night, the only light we could see was the flares and the only sounds we could hear was ambulances, fire engines, F-16s rockets falling. They were falling -- they were falling like heavy rain of January. That was the most awful night really. I was kind of sure that I will die.

COSTELLO: Your father, he's a neurosurgeon, right? He works at a nearby hospital. What does he tell you about what his day is like?

BAKER: He tells me that most of the -- most of the (INAUDIBLE) wounded are civilians. They are bombing while they are sitting at home and sleeping. They're doing whatever, and they -- most of them are cut into pieces or burned. He tells me that he sees awful things.

COSTELLO: You also said that you want the blockade of Gaza lifted. Would you accept any truce that does not include that?

BAKER: I couldn't hear you very well.

COSTELLO: What do you think will end the fighting, Farah?

BAKER: Hello?

COSTELLO: I think we've lost our connection but Farah Baker, thank you so much for joining us and describing what life is like inside Gaza. I do appreciate it.

Coming up later this hour, we'll have a look at life inside Israel. We'll talk with a former Israeli military spokeswoman who's now raising her three young children as a civilian as rockets fly.

Just one week after ending his term as president of Israel, Shimon Peres says his nation must look for ways to end the fighting. He says Hamas must -- must be greatly weakened for that to happen but right now any talk of a ceasefire seems to defy the general mood within Israel.

CNN's Wolf Blitzer is in Jerusalem, he spoke exclusively with the former president.

WOLF BLITZER, CNN ANCHOR, THE SITUATION ROOM: Carol, the Israelis seem to be digging in for a longer run. The prime minister of Israel as you know, he's just said Israel is going to try to destroy all of those Hamas tunnels going from Gaza into Israel with or without a ceasefire.

The Israeli military announced today they've mobilized another 16,000 reservists, that brings to 86,000 reservists who have been mobilized over the past month or so for this operation that's continuing in Gaza. I had a chance a little while ago here in Jaffa, just outside of Tel

Aviv, to sit down with the former president of Israel, Shimon Peres, and we spoke about priority number one right now, stopping the fighting.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER: How do Israel and Hamas achieve a ceasefire?

PERES: I mean, first of all, we have to get rid of the problem of the tunnels. No government, I mean, not the Israeli government, can stop the fighting before every mother in this country will be sure that, at the night, somebody won't jump out of the earth and kill her and her children. That's impossible.

Now the second problem is, ones we should answer this one, who is the legitimate government of Gaza? It's not clear.

BLITZER: Hamas was elected.

PERES: Hamas was not elected to govern Gaza, not so. The agreement of peace or the Palestinian Authority was signed between the PLO and us. The Israel alongside. And I signed on the Israeli side and Mahmoud Abbas on the Palestinian side.

Now actually Gaza was already under the rule of the Palestinian Authority. Then Hamas jumped upon the Palestinian Authority. They threw out from the roof, they killed hundreds of leaders of the Palestinian Authority and took it back to the polls.

Now legitimacy is a major problem in politics. Without legitimacy there is no politics. The only legitimate owner or sovereign today of Gaza is the Palestinian Authority.

BLITZER: So let's say there's a -- let's say they've finished -- Israel finishes destroying the tunnels, what do you do next to achieve a ceasefire?

PERES: I think what should be done is the United Nations or the Quartet will declare that Abu Mazen is addressed as far as Gaza is concerned. We, like others, will participate in (INAUDIBLE) Gaza. We don't want to see Gaza in poverty. We don't want to see Gaza in darkness. Not at all. It's not our idea. I think Hamas made a (INAUDIBLE) mistake with the tunnels. It was a waste of strategy and a waste of money.

BLITZER: What about the rockets and the missiles?

PERES: The rockets and the missiles will continue as we have full defense and if they continue we shall fight back. If they continue to fire rockets they will get back rockets. I cannot see a ceasefire with rockets and with tunnels. Only a ceasefire without rockets and without tunnels. On top of it, we must have a responsible address because they are not responsible, the Hamas.

(END VIDEOTAPE) BLITZER: When all is said and done, Shimon Peres says he's still optimistic long-term that there can be what is called a two-state solution, Israel living alongside Palestine, but I got to tell you, Carol, right now you see what's going on in Gaza, you see the rockets and missiles still coming into Israel, you see those tunnels, you say to yourself he may be very optimistic, but that seems to be way, way, way down the road.

Back to you.

COSTELLO: Understand. Wolf Blitzer reporting for us this morning.

The conflict in the Middle East is also creating divisions here in the United States. In Dallas dozens of Texans rallied in support of Israel. Political leaders including Texas Governor Rick Perry spoke of America's critical alliance with the Jewish state and the need to stamp out terrorist groups like Hamas.

Some rallies like this one in Baltimore paint Israel as the aggressor and the villain. In fact there have been about 200 rallies both for Israel and against since the conflict erupted just over three weeks ago.

CNN NEWSROOM back after a break.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Hamas wanted this war. It initiated this war for its own purposes. Israel didn't want this war. This is a purely defensive war.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Hamas didn't kill the three Israeli teenagers. It was done by a lone actor. So we're -- if we're saying --

(CROSSTALK)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Hamas members did, they were acting as a local cell on behalf of Hamas, yes.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Is there a mute button or something here?

ERIN BURNETT, CNN ANCHOR, OUTFRONT: But here's my question, and the reason that we're showing these pictures, because these are dead children, would Israel have taken the time to confirm that those children were out of the school before you fired?

RON DERMER, ISRAELI AMBASSADOR TO THE U.S.: I think you have no basis for making the statement that you just made. Of course we wouldn't fire directly.

KARL PENHAUL, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: You've already taken the windows out of this side of the building.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: They have an international responsibility according to Hague Regulations Article 47 and also according to international law to treat Gaza very differently. That's the point. UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Just wrong. Just wrong. That's just wrong.

Israel ended its occupation completely in 2005.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: That's untrue.

(CROSSTALK)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: That's disingenuous.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No.

(MUSIC)

(END VIDEOTAPE)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: U.S. officials are now in talks to medevac, two Americans infected with Ebola back home from Liberia. This comes as humanitarian groups are pulling workers from the danger zone. 1,200 cases of the virus have been reported in three countries now; more than half of those people have died.

The World Health Organization is not recommending any travel restrictions, but the International Air Transport Association reminds people not to travel if they are sick. There are 20 CDC quarantine stations at U.S. airports but these have been in place for some time and are not a reaction to the Ebola crisis.

The two Americans infected by Ebola are in serious condition but they are improving. Dr. Kent Brantly and Nancy Writebol have been working with Samaritans Purse. That humanitarian group and another serving a mission have recalled all nonessential staffers from Liberia. And the Peace Corps are removing 340 volunteers from the region. Liberian officials are also warning the worst is yet to come.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The matter has reached a crisis point. It is now rather than just a Liberian problem, or it's Sierra Leonian or Guinean problem, it evidently is an international problem. We need all the international help and assistance we can get.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: Freelance reporter Heather Murdock joins us on the phone. She's in Nigeria this morning. Hi, Heather.

HEATHER MURDOCK, FREELANCE REPORTER (via telephone): Hi there.

COSTELLO: Thank you so much for joining me once again. First of all, just describe what the situation is like in Nigeria with the Ebola crisis.

MURDOCK: Well, so far, there have been 59 people identified that had contact with a man who came from Liberia and later died in Nigeria of Ebola. But we haven't heard any news that any of these people have, at this point, displayed symptoms. However, because the disease can take 21 days to manifest itself, it's still not clear that none of these people are sick.

And the other issue is that those 59 people were not the only 59 people that might have come to contact with that man. There's people on two other flights that the Nigerian government says they have no manifests for, so they don't know where those people are and they're still looking for them.

COSTELLO: Are you talking about the American Patrick Sawyer, who collapsed after leaving a plane in Nigeria and died of Ebola?

MURDOCK: Yes, exactly, and here in Nigeria, with all of these stories about the aide workers leaving Liberia, the doctors getting sick, people are becoming increasingly nervous and scared -- partially because of the disease and how deadly and contagious it is, but also what's scaring people is that the region is becoming increasingly isolated. And Ebola is spreading really fast. Some borders are closing. As you said, WHO is not recommending canceling flights, but a lot of flights inside West Africa have already been canceled and we're hearing talk about some flights going out of the region being canceled.

And the Peace Corps evacuating and aide workers leaving is especially concerning, because aide workers treating Ebola in West Africa right now, they don't have nearly enough resources or manpower to contain the disease. So people here are wondering how are we going to increase the amount of care as the disease spreads when the doctors are dying here of Ebola?

COSTELLO: We've also heard rumors of people so afraid of Ebola that they're attacking the doctors. Is that still going on?

MURDOCK: Yes, that's been happening because they hear that the doctors are possibly foreigners that are bringing the disease to attack the people of West Africa, so these rumors spread and it angers people. There is a general fear of the western countries that feeds this, and then it's become perhaps not hugely violent mobs, but there have been attacks on workers recently.

COSTELLO: What is the Nigerian government doing about this?

MURDOCK: Well, the Nigerian government says it's doing a lot. They say they are trying to prepare for a possible outbreak as well as prevent one. They're doing massive education campaigns, telling people to wash their hands, and teaching people how Ebola is spread through contact. They also have built an isolation unit in Lagos. They say they are screening people at airports, and in the ports.

One of the issues though that is frightening people here about the screening is, while it can be effective in an airport, most people here travel by bus. And most people that cross the border cross in very tight mini-buses, not on planes or boats.

COSTELLO: And they're not checked at all. Heather Murdock, thank you so much. I appreciate it.

Are you worried about the Ebola epidemic? Dr. Sanjay Gupta will answer your questions in the next hour. Tweet us the questions @carolCNN and @drsanjaygupta. You can also use the hashtag #ebola.

Still to come in the NEWSROOM, international investigators have finally made their way to the Flight 17 crash site. And Ukraine's military has called a cease-fire to make sure the investigation suffers no interruptions. Is that even possible? Nick Paton Walsh live in Donetsk this morning. Nick?

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: International observers and investigators have finally reached the crash site of Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 in Eastern Ukraine. This as Ukraine's military announced a one-day cease-fire effectively clearing the way for investigators to have full access to the site. The area is still littered with personal belongings, plane parts, and human remains. This map from "The Wall Street Journal" shows the nearly 44-mile trek investigators had to make from Donetsk to the crash site.

Nick Paton Walsh live in Donetsk with more this morning. Good morning, Nick.

NICK PATON WALSH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Carol, this is a small team of OSCE monitors who have been looking at the crisis for months but assisting access to the crash site, and four Dutch and Australian experts, a team of about 12 in total.

It took them six hours to get to the crash site. They had to cross through the front lines twice from rebel sides to the Ukrainian side, back into the rebel side again, and it really should have taken them about two to three hours, given how long it took us yesterday.

When they got there, we understand they observed a moment of silence in respect for those who died there and sadly for, the smell we noticed yesterday and they saw today, the obvious human remains that are still in place there.

What comes next though is probably an intense excavation of this mission. They have just received, the Netherlands and Australia from the Ukrainian parliament, authorization to have up to 700 armed personnel assisting this inspection mission. That means that potentially tomorrow we'll see a much larger group of inspectors, potentially with armed escort, that's foreign troops on Ukrainian soil, heading towards that crash site.

It's very hard to fell if they had the same success in navigating those front lines. This is such an intensely politicized mission in the start because both sides in this civil war I think want to try and use it to make them look better and the other side look bad. We've heard claim and counterclaim for the past few days or so.

So a tense day ahead certainly tomorrow, but key to the relatives of 298 who died on MH-17, we now understand that the experts when they get there, if they get there, will begin the task of collecting what human remains are still sadly at that crash site. A very delicate mission ahead though, and it's about to get much more complex. Carol?

COSTELLO: All right, Nick Paton Walsh, we'll check back. Thanks so much.