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CNN International: Israel at War; IDF Pushing Deeper into Gaza; International Community Pressing Israel to Allow Humanitarian Relief to Gaza; Interview with University Hospital of N. Norway Emergency Medicine Clinical Director Dr. Mads Gilbert; Fuel Shortages Threaten to Bring Humanitarian Operations to Halt; Grieving Process Continues in Lewiston, Maine; Death Toll in Mexico from Hurricane Otis Risen to 43 People; President Biden Speaking with Prime Minister Netanyahu; Interview with Yedioth Ahronoth Senior Correspondent and The New York Times Magazine Staff Writer Ronen Bergman; Sources: U.N. Security Council to Hold Emergency Meeting on Monday; Interview with Global Institute for Strategic Research Director and Hamas Bin Khalifa University Professor in Public Policy Dr. Sultan Barakat; Qatar hostage Negotiations Still Ongoing; Friends and Family Expressing Shock and Sadness Over Matthew Perry's Death; U.S. Talking with Partners Over Hostages. Aired 4-5p ET
Aired October 29, 2023 - 16:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[16:00:00]
ANNOUNCER: This is CNN Breaking News.
BECKY ANDERSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL ANCHOR: Hello. I'm Becky Anderson in Doha.
BIANCA NOBILO, CNN HOST: I'm Bianca Nobilo in London. And we have plenty to get into this hour, but first, let's go back to our breaking coverage of the Israel Hamas war.
ANDERSON: Thank you, Bianca. As night has fallen over Gaza, Israeli attacks in the air and on the ground are pressing deeper into the Palestinian enclave.
Well, this footage of airstrikes taken just hours ago comes from a CNN producer in Khan Younis in the south of Gaza. CNN has also seen evidence of Israeli ground forces more than two miles inside Gaza in the north.
Well, the International Community is pressing Israel to allow more humanitarian relief into Gaza. Some aid trucks have made their way through the Rafah Crossing today, Sunday, and internet and cell phone services that were cut off do appear to be slowly coming back online.
And just moments ago, the Israeli military revised the number of hostages it believes Hamas is holding in Gaza. It now says 239 hostages were taken from Israel on October the 7th. Not all of those necessarily being held by Hamas.
Well, CNN's Jomana Karadsheh has more on the horrors so many families in Gaza are living through, especially those with young children. And I do want to warn you, and I know you -- if you've been watching our coverage and others, that you will have been warned about so much graphic video during this conflict, but I have to tell you, the video in Jomana's report is graphic and you may find it upsetting.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JOMANA KARADSHEH, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voiceover): It's hard to believe this was Gaza just a few weeks ago. Little Noor (ph) dressed in his finest, dancing with his brother at a wedding. His mother, Wesal, still can't believe her boy is gone.
He was holding my hand as I took him to make him a sandwich, she says. He didn't get to eat it. Shrapnel cut through his neck. He's now in heaven. God give me strength to deal with this.
The airstrikes that took six-year-old Noor (ph) and other relatives left her with injuries all over her body and the unbearable pain so many Palestinian mothers are having to endure.
There's a void in my heart. I can't even cry, she says. I really want to cry. But the tears are not coming out. Why can't I get it out? I want to cry for my little boy.
Recovering at hospital. She just wants to get back to her three other children now homeless sheltering at a school.
Hell is raining down on Gaza. Israel says it's going after Hamas and doing what it can to spare the innocent, but it is the innocent who are paying the heaviest price. In the few hospitals still barely standing, those pictures are too graphic for us to show. But faces here tell of the horrors they've survived and this living nightmare they can't escape.
Three-year-old Judy hasn't uttered a word in 16 days. She won't eat or drink, her father says. Still in shock, with a piece of shrapnel lodged in her head.
What did these children do? We have nothing to do with the resistance, he says. They're just targeting Palestinians. They're killing children because they're Palestinian. To them, we're not humans.
They don't know if she'll be able to walk again. Judy is one of the lucky ones, if one can call them that. She still has her father by her side.
Baby Arwa (ph) keeps asking for her mom. She's too young to understand, her uncle says. Arwa's (ph) lost her mother, her brother, and her sister, too. She shows the camera her ouchie.
In every corner of every hospital, so many heart-wrenching stories of loss so hard to comprehend. Doreen (ph) only wakes up to cry, her aunt says. In a room with her seven-year-old brother, Kinan (ph). The two were the only ones to survive an airstrike that killed their mother, father, brother, and dozens of their extended family. Kinan (ph) doesn't say much these days.
He asks me if we have internet here. He says, I want to call mommy and daddy, his aunt says.
[16:05:00]
Doctors in these overwhelmed hospitals say every day brings a constant stream of children with no parents, a flood of injured they just don't have enough to treat. With the little they have, they do what they can. But how do you begin to deal with so many going through so much.
Jomana Karadsheh, CNN, Beirut.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: Well, as we've been reporting, humanitarian crisis is worsening by the day in Gaza. I was just looking at images there as that report was on air. Hospitals like this one, particularly vulnerable. The director of this facility told CNN there is no safe route for people to flee. He says, "Bombings are occurring all around us," and he is urging the International Community to intervene.
Well, joining me now to talk about the crisis is Norwegian doctor Mads Gilbert. He is in Egypt trying to make his way to Gaza to assist healthcare workers there. It's good to have you on, sir. You are trying to get to Gaza. How?
DR. MADS GILBERT, CLINICAL DIRECTOR, EMERGENCY MEDICINE, UNIVERSITY HOSPITAL OF N. NORWAY: Good evening, Becky. I am trying to get to Gaza together with a small emergency medical team from Norway.
To get to Gaza, you have to travel through the Sinai Desert, which is closed military Egyptian territory. So, you need a number of permissions and we have not obtained these permissions. Actually, nobody is allowed to access the Rafah Border to send in teams. So, it's a very difficult situation.
And the complete siege of Gaza is now the main medical problem in addition to the bombing, because there is lack of fuel, water, food, medical supplies, in particular water and fuel, because the hospitals cannot run without water and fuel for the generators.
But of course, the overwhelming problem now are the 20,000 plus wounded and the main medical advice now it's to stop the bombing and to stop the production of more wounded and more killed.
ANDERSON: Mads, I think it's really important for our viewers to understand what it is that you can provide with your team, you know, should you be able to get in. And what you are doing to try and effort getting in. Who are you speaking to? Who do you pick the phone up to? What sort of response are you getting? And how confident are you that despite the fact that you are ready, willing, and able to help, you can't get in?
DR. GILBERT: No. And that's because of the complete sealing off of Gaza, which is part of what the Israelis started immediately after this attack. We are talking through our Norwegian embassy because we are supported by the Norwegian government and the Norwegian Minister of Foreign Affairs. So, everything is done according to the book. But this book is not working because we are not permitted to go to Rafah, so we cannot get into Gaza. What we have been working through all the latest incursions since 2006.
Now, what can we provide when we get there? Number one. Number one, Becky, we can provide solidarity coming to those extremely exhausted health workers, doctors, nurses, paramedics, and provide a shoulder, two hands, medical experience and the willingness to unload their massive workload now. They are extremely exhausted. I've just been talking with them this afternoon. They have very little water. They have been working night and day for three weeks now, and the hospitals are filled up to the extent that they are bulging with patients.
Shifa, the major trauma center in Gaza, has currently, I think it is 1,900 patients was the last number. On top of that, they have the families to the 1,900 patients and they have 50,000. Yes, you heard me. 50,000 refugees internally displaced, filling the corridors, the hallways, the waiting rooms, the emergency rooms. It's almost impossible to move patients between the departments.
So, this is a massive, an avalanche of human suffering and misery, which needs to end with a ceasefire, a stop in the bombing, and an opening of Gaza. Otherwise, we are going to see a public health disaster because already epidemic diseases, gastrointestinal diseases hepatitis is getting spread in these densely populated hospitals where there is little if ever any access to shower, to washing and to the toilet facilities.
[16:10:00]
The same situation in the U.N. --
ANDERSON: Mads, I know -- I know that you're not a diplomat, you don't work for the U.N., you are, you know, a doctor who is trying to help. But I have to put this to you because this is really the sort of narrative of the hour. Just how important is it that the world agrees that there should be a humanitarian pause, ceasefire, call it what you will at this point, to allow for support for the people of Gaza at this point?
DR. GILBERT: Let's put politics aside to the extent that that is possible. For the current moment, tonight, on this very dark night, there will be hundreds dying who could have been saved because of lack of capacity, lack of medication, lack of operating rooms, ventilators, incubators for the newborns and lack of security for the ambulance teams.
It is mandatory now for the world to say 6,000 killed children is enough. 19,000 wounded civilians is enough. Now, let us take a break. Let us stop this insane bombing and let us protect the hospitals. Get water, food, drugs, medicines and foreign staff in, not because they can't do it in Gaza because they're very clever medical staff, but because there are simply completely overloaded.
Only in Shifa hospital, they have 100 patients with more than 40 percent burns and the majority of them are children. They will die if we don't solve this now.
ANDERSON: Your voice is extremely important. Thank you for your time. And I know that those watching will hope that you get access, you know, as soon as possible to be able to do the work that is so important. Thank you, Mads.
DR. GILBERT: Can I say one thing to finish?
ANDERSON: Explosions and rocket fire have been -- you can. Go on. Please carry on.
DR. GILBERT: Yes. I just want to give our warmest greetings to our colleagues or the doctors, the nurses, the hospital workers, all the people, the paramedics in the ambulances who are now standing by their patients, refusing to leave the hospitals, refusing to take the patients out in the night and risking their lives to save the patients. These are the moral compasses now. We need to support them and to stop this massive disaster.
ANDERSON: Thank you, Mads.
Explosions and rocket fire have been rocking Gaza throughout the day and are continuing into the night. Israel claims to have struck over 450 Hamas targets in the past 24 hours and it is renewing calls for civilians trapped in Gaza to leave the northern territory.
Earlier in the day, Israeli forces in Northern Gaza exchanged gunfire with Hamas fighters as the intensifying air and ground attacks come after. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced on Saturday that Israel was starting the next phase of the war.
CNN's Jeremy Diamond joining me now from Ashkelon. And it's clear that this phase of the war has at least been successful on the part of the Israelis as far as their strategy is concerned. They say, at least, that they have had success in taking out 150 underground tunnels, that was yesterday, and then with more targeted attacks today. Do we understand -- is it clear at this point just how much of the Hamas military infrastructure -- they talk about government as well, but military infrastructure has actually been taken out, Jeremy?
JEREMY DIAMOND, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It is not clear. What we do have is kind of the daily total of the targets that the IDF has been going after. As you mentioned, 150 underground targets in the first 24 hours of this. The number that we got today from the IDF was 450 targets overall that were struck in the past day. And that included operational command centers, anti-missile positions by Hamas.
[16:15:00]
But one thing that is becoming clear as we look at kind of the picture of what this ground operation is looking like this, expanded ground operation that the IDF announced just over 48 hours ago is that they are proceeding quite cautiously. And that is to say that they are not rolling from one town into the next and right into Gaza City, instead, they appear to be proceeding fairly cautiously going after some of these reinforced positions that Hamas fighters have at the entrances to some of the first towns and cities in the northern part of the Gaza Strip, which reflects the fact that we know that Hamas, as they had planned this kind of complex, sophisticated surprise attack on Israel more than three weeks ago, that they also prepared for what would follow, which would be a major Israeli ground offensive inside of Gaza as we're seeing now.
And so, that is interesting as you kind of look from a tactical and strategic perspective at how Israeli forces are conducting themselves. You know, the past two nights, Becky, we heard among the most intense airstrikes inside the Gaza Strip that we have heard in these three weeks of war. This evening, we have heard a bit of a lull in terms of airstrikes and bombardment in the last several hours. That is starting to pick up again in just the last few minutes.
But what we do know is that there is ongoing infantry and tank fighting inside the Gaza Strip that has been ongoing. And also, as you look at kind of the humanitarian picture of what this ground operation represents, we are getting new death toll numbers out of the Gaza Strip and the Palestinian Ministry of Health saying that now nearly 8,000 people, combatants and noncombatants, have been killed.
But that -- if you look at that number, nearly three quarters of those nearly 8,000 people are elderly people, young children as well as other vulnerable populations. Becky.
ANDERSON: Jeremy, meantime, as -- you know, you've just delineated where we are -- where we believe or assessing what we believe to be going on within Gaza, the U.S. president, Joe Biden, spoke with Benjamin Netanyahu earlier today for the first time since Israel expanded its operations. There have been -- I've lost him. Never mind. We're going to take a very short break. Back after this.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
NOBILO: Welcome back. I'm Bianca Nobilo in London.
Friends and family are expressing shock and sadness at the death of much-loved actor Matthew Perry. The American Canadian star made his name with his witty portrayal of Chandler Bing on the sitcom "Friends," which became a television phenomenon.
The people who came up with the show are remembering Perry as a brilliant talent and someone with a giving and selfless heart, they said.
He was found dead this weekend at his Los Angeles home. Perry was just 54. Authorities say there was no foul play. Sources quoted in the "L.A. Times" said that he died in an apparent drowning accident.
Tributes are pouring in from around the world and we'll have more on that reaction, plus what the actor and writer hope that he'd be remembered for, and that is coming up a little later on this hour for you.
[16:20:00] Also in the U.S., the grieving process continues in the Town of Lewiston, Maine after the mass shooting that left 11 people dead on Wednesday. Candlelit vigil for the victims was held on Saturday, and another community vigil will take place a few hours from now.
All this as officials release new details about the mindset of suspect Robert Card who took his own life. Shimon Prokupecz has more now on this ongoing investigation.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SHIMON PROKUPECZ, CNN SENIOR CRIME AND JUSTICE CORRESPONDENT: Police releasing more information than they have for several days. They say they're able to do that because the suspect in this case is dead, the shooter is dead. And so, what they tell us is that they're leaning towards mental health issues as one of the motivations behind this shooting. They say that the shooter was hearing voices. He believed that people were talking badly about him at these locations that he targeted.
They say they also found a note. And in that note, they didn't describe it as a suicide note, but certainly what this shooter talked about and what he was telling family members sort of gave the impressions that when this was found that the shooter thought that he'd be dead.
And in that note, he talked about bank accounts, information for his bank accounts. He talked about a cell phone, the passcode for his cell phone that family members would be able to access. And all of this is happening as law enforcement, the FBI and other law enforcement officials are continuing to pour over the crime scene, gather evidence. They say that's going to go on for several more days.
And then, now comes the healing, of course, for these people, for the victims and the people who live in this community, that is something we're going to start seeing in the next couple of days as vigils all across Maine are planned to give an opportunity for the victims, for the families, and for those who have truly suffered in these neighborhoods to get together and share their memories and share their grief.
Shimon Prokupecz, CNN, Lewiston, Maine.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
NOBILO: The death toll in Mexico from Hurricane Otis has risen to 43 people now, and that's according to the region's governor. The Category 5 hurricane hit Mexico's Guerrero State early on Wednesday, causing widespread destruction. And according to a preliminary assessment, more than 200,000 homes have been impacted and 80 percent of the area's hotels were damaged.
We'll be right back after a short break with much more on the Israel Hamas war. Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK) [16:25:00]
ANDERSON: ?Here's a quick recap of the headlines coming out of Gaza and Israel today. There are growing cries in the International Community for Israel to allow more aid into Gaza and ease the humanitarian crisis. The Palestinian Red Crescent says Israeli airstrikes are causing damage to the al-Quds Hospital, one of the biggest in Gaza City.
Israel has told the Red Crescent to evacuate that facility and has warned that Hamas fighters are hiding in and around the hospital.
Meanwhile, Israel pushing into Northern Gaza. CNN has seen evidence of Israeli ground troops at least two miles inside the Gaza Strip. Israel also says it killed several Hamas fighters who popped out of a hidden tunnel near Gaza's Erez's crossing.
And just moments ago, the Israeli military revised the number of hostages being held in Gaza. It now says 239 hostages were taken from Israel on October the 7th. U.S. President Joe Biden spoke with Benjamin Netanyahu earlier today, for the first time since Israel expanded its war against Gaza. It comes as the Israeli prime minister is facing political backlash at home for comments he made on X, formerly known as Twitter, in a now deleted post.
The prime minister said, Israel's intelligence and security services failed to anticipate or warn against the October 7th mass attack. And said he never received a warning. Mr. Netanyahu has since issued a rare apology. That apology starting with, I was wrong, which is very rare coming from Benjamin Netanyahu.
Let's talk about more on this. Ronen Bergman is a senior correspondent for Military and Intelligence Affairs from "Yedioth Ahronoth," Israel's largest daily paid newspaper. He's a contributing writer at the "New York Times." And he joins me now from Tel Aviv.
When I read Benjamin Netanyahu's tweet, which was an apology, it did start with the three words, I was wrong, which isn't something you generally hear from the Israeli prime minister. What do you make of what is going on domestically here? Just explain.
RONEN BERGMAN, SENIOR CORRESPONDENT, YEDIOTH AHRONOTH AND STAFF WRITER, THE NEW YORK TIMES MAGAZINE: So, first, things that will be reviewed, I assume without continuous reporting. I don't want to scoop myself and it is related directly to the reasons behind this tweet and this timing. Sorry for being so vague, but it will come public soon.
Second --
ANDERSON: I should press you on this, but on a journalist on journalists, I realize your scoops are important to you. Let's work around the edges. Give me a sense.
BERGMAN: Yes. The -- I think it demonstrate the fragility of the leadership in the -- this term of Benjamin Netanyahu. This is not the Benjamin -- the old forceful Benjamin Netanyahu that never made mistakes. Now, I'm sure that he didn't want to. But he found himself while he was trying to take the initiative and immediately, as he did in many other places and cases, to shelf and shift the burden of responsibility to anyone else.
And even when asked, take responsibility. This horrific massacre and after all the other seniors in the defense and the intelligence leadership already said we take responsibility and gave the impression that they will resign after the war and the inquiry (INAUDIBLE). At the end of the day -- and he didn't. But this one, because he needs the two opposition leaders, Eisenkot and Gantz, the former -- two of the former chief of staff. Both of them turned so aggressively against him. Why did he defame the leaders of Israeli intelligence during war?
He -- I think he understood this is too much and he will be left without the modern part of his coalition. And he apologized. Now, is this going to be happening every day? We'll wait and see.
ANDERSON: Can you explain for the benefit of our viewers exactly what is going on domestically? I mean, we've just been showing pictures of Benjamin Netanyahu meeting with the families of those who are being held hostage. I mean, they are -- and I want to use the term angry, but I think that understates just how they feel about the government at this point. They are raging about how they have been treated. What they believe, you know, has been missed as far as these -- the process of trying to get the hostages out.
And they are furious about the announcement of this, you know, ground invasion. Because they clearly believe that that will get in the way of the potential successful release of their family members. You know, there is a collective sense of trauma, I understand that in Israel at present. But can you just, for the benefit of our viewers, really just describe the atmosphere in Israel at present?
[16:30:00]
BERGMAN: I think the atmosphere is gloomy. It's a little bit elevated after the beginning of the invasion because everybody were waiting for that. But at the core of this, there's a T junction between two roads and the prime minister. And for that sake, it's not about Netanyahu. Netanyahu is trying to save his neck from the inquiry, basically says everybody ought to be blamed except me. We should not put any blames, his people and followers are saying, but they're blaming everybody.
But the T junction is there for any prime minister, not just Netanyahu. You can take a right turn and follow the line of the government and the military since the disaster and say, we will eradicate Hamas or dismantle the military and organizational infrastructure under Sinwar, basically saying this because of revenge, but also because the psyche, the mindset of Israeli leadership and most of the Israeli public is that if Israel doesn't do that, doesn't dismantle Hamas, then Israel is doomed to lose any kind of deterrence in the Middle East. And Hezbollah will be next trying to do to Israel the same.
The left turn represents, I would say, the same kind of holy value for Israelis. The Maimonides said there is no bigger mitzvah, no bigger religious edict than the redemption of prisoners. And for years, this was the upper sign of friendship, of common values. And now, it's not one Gilad Shalit soldier that was taken in 2006 in return for 1,027 by Benjamin Netanyahu in 2011, we're talking about their own 150.
And once you take the road, once he took the road after many hesitation of ground offensive, it's almost at least as long as the ground offensive takes place, it's almost a probable end to any kind of negotiation.
ANDERSON: I'm hearing Qatar -- listen, well I can say is that I've been speaking to those familiar with the mediation that is going on, and these are Qatar-led negotiations. Of course, they are still ongoing. I mean, you know, Benjamin Netanyahu has made it very clear during this press conference last night that, you know, he and his cabinet believe that the more pressure on Hamas, the more successful they will be in these negotiations.
I have to say that is not the view of those working here in Qatar on the team. They say this increased pressure on the ground, this, you know, second phase, this ground invasion is making those negotiations harder. Just giving the perspective of two sides here who are clearly heavily involved. But the good news is those negotiations, as far as I am told, do continue.
It's good to have you, sir. Thank you very much indeed for joining us.
Let's get you a bit of context or certainly a view of what is happening on the military situation from our Rafael Romo. He is in Tel Aviv. Just bring us up to date on what we do understand. I mean, we've been listening to Israel Defense Force spokespeople today. What do we understand is the latest on the ground?
RAFAEL ROMO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Becky, let me tell you, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu declared Saturday that the second phase of the war had begun. And today, we saw the first signs that the IDF are advancing into Gaza.
According to a CNN analysis of video published by an Israeli media outlet, Israeli troops have advanced over two miles or about three kilometers into Gaza. In the video recorded on Saturday, some of the soldiers are seen putting an Israeli flag on the hotel's roof.
And over the last 24 hours, the Israel Defense Forces struck more than 450 Hamas targets, including command centers, observation posts, and missile launch sites.
And, Becky, one of those strikes apparently hit a mosque in Central Gaza, killing 13 people and leaving dozens of others injured there. There are now increasing concerns that the conflict may boil over the U.S. seas, an elevated risk of a spillover conflict in the Middle East as Iranian proxies continue targeting American troops stationed in the region. In a CBS interview, National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan said, the U.S. is doing everything in its power to deter and prevent that from happening.
We've been reporting as well, Becky, for more than a week about the plight of hundreds of thousands of displaced Palestinians and how many are not getting enough food, water, and other basic necessities.
[16:35:00]
The United Nations World Food Programme says some of its aid supplies were looted in Gaza and warned of growing hunger and desperation. The agency said thousands of people broke into some of its warehouses and distribution centers in the central and southern areas of the strip, taking wheat flour and other basic survival items like hygiene supplies.
Only 10 trucks with food and other supplies, Becky, crossed from Egypt into Gaza today. The World Food Programme warns over 1 million people are going hungry in Gaza and they need about 40 trucks to cross daily into the enclave to meet the escalating needs. Becky.
ANDERSON: Rafael, good to have you. Thank you, sir.
Diplomatic sources telling me that the U.N. Security Council will hold an emergency meeting on Monday regarding Israel's ground invasion of Gaza. Now, this comes after 120 countries voted for a U.N. resolution on Friday that called for a sustained humanitarian truce in Gaza. The U.S. was one of 14 countries that voted against that resolution, with 45 abstaining.
And while the U.S. continues to diplomatically support Israel, White House official, Jake Sullivan, declined earlier to tell CNN whether Israel was going about its war in the right way. However, he did say the U.S. is communicating at "the highest levels" to the Israeli government about protecting civilian lives in Gaza.
Well, joining me now is Dr. Sultan Barakat. He's the director of the Global Institute for Strategic Research here and joins me. Now, we were just talking about the U.N. Security Council holding an emergency meeting tomorrow.
I know that you've done a lot of advice and consultancy for the United Nations, and some of our viewers might say, you know, are we not over the United Nations? Are they still an effective -- you know, are they still a body that we even want to listen to? They are at the Security Council level. And I've been speaking to diplomatic sources who say the UAE, which leads the 15 country Arab bloc, has got this emergency meeting through tomorrow and it will it will effectively seek a binding resolution from UNSC members, including the United States. The text of which describes a humanitarian pause, a temporary ceasefire, effectively.
How important is that? Because I want you to give our viewers a perspective of just how concerned this region is about this conflict spilling over. I mean, there are many countries around this who have awful lot to lose, let alone their concerns about what's going on the ground in Gaza.
DR. SULTAN BARAKAT, DIRECTOR, GLOBAL INSTITUTE FOR STRATEGIC RESEARCH AND PROFESSOR IN PUBLIC POLICY, HAMAS BIN KHALIFA UNIVERSITY: Yes. Well, the importance of taking back to the Security Council is really it gives what was decided in the assembly, the ability to be implemented. It gives us --
ANDERSON: Yes. More than just a moral statement, a moral sound.
DR. BARAKAT: Of course. And then, if it passes, then the International Community has the ability to even engage Chapter 7 and undertake an intervention against the will of Israel and so on.
So, it is very important to take it through. And I do hope the United States will not veto it this time. And it will be very difficult for the U.S. to do so now that they've seen where the world stands on this issue. They'll have to stand against 165 nations in order to veto it down.
ANDERSON: What do you make of what's -- what we are seeing on the ground in Gaza and this, you know, real sense of concern that this could slip into what could be a very dangerous wider regional conflict?
DR. BARAKAT: Clearly, it is absolutely terrible, and I think what's happening is that Netanyahu is mixing up his ultra nationalist, ultra- right agenda with what Hamas has done. He's taken it as an opportunity to push a much bigger agenda than just simply going after Hamas. And that includes the systematic displacement of the Palestinians, emptying the land, pushing them into Egypt.
And it's very clear in all the actions today, his references I found is incredibly dangerous to the Torah, to, the Amharic story.
ANDERSON: So, let me stop you there because I think I'm going to ask my producer, I just want her to cue up the soundbite that we heard from Benjamin Netanyahu because I think it's really important as you take this position that we specifically hear what he said.
DR. BARAKAT: Yes.
ANDERSON: Do we have that? Do we have that from Benjamin Netanyahu? Let's have a listen to part of what he said last night.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BENJAMIN NETANYAHU, ISRAELI PRIME MINISTER (through translator): They are longing to recompense the murderers for the horrific acts they perpetrated on our children, our women, our parents and our friends. They are committed to eradicating this evil from the world for our existence. And I add, for the good of all humanity. the entire people, the leadership of the people, embrace them and believe in them. Remember what Amalek did to you. We remember, and we fight.
[16:40:00]
DR. BARAKAT: Yes. I mean, it's exactly that. First, he started by dehumanizing the Palestinians. The first statement talks about Palestinians as human animals, irrelevant, unnecessary, disposable, et cetera, et cetera. Then he moved into demonizing them by linking them to the fear of everybody. He started with ISIS. He linked them to the Holocaust. Now, he's linking it back to 3,000 years story that is only believed by some people around the world.
And the danger of all this is he gives it this religious tone, which really is adding firewood to an issue around this world that already is problematic. We have been hoping that since the coalition against ISIS and so on that the International Community is working together to counter extremism in all its forms. And now, we have a prime minister of the so-called one democracy in the region, you know, borrowing references.
ANDERSON: I think this is really important. And let's not -- let's just pause for a moment because there will be people watching this who say, you know, the what about-ism, and I don't want to go down on the what about-ism is route.
October 7th was an, was an awful massacre. A terrible, terrible, terrible massacre of, you know, innocent civilians. you know, 1,400 people injured. You know, it's -- we know that that was a terrible massacre. But we are specifically speaking to the words of Benjamin Netanyahu last night.
My sense is, from speaking to sources, particularly in the diplomatic field and around the U.N., that what Israel is doing is seeking to sort of shroud what's going on now in the terminology and the narrative of self-defense down a counterterrorism route --
DR. BARAKAT: Yes.
ANDERSON: -- which is the sort of language we saw after 9/11. And the argument against that is, that this is not the same.
DR. BARAKAT: Of course, it's not the same. What he is doing, he's trying to justify the methods that he is now using in Gaza. So, he is really drawing parallels between what happened in Kaluza (ph) when the United States went in, what happened in Mosul, which is very important.
ANDERSON: There will be those who say, I don't see the difference between 9/11 and what's going -- what Benjamin Netanyahu is talking about.
DR. BARAKAT: No, of course there is a big difference. I mean, the Hamas movement is clearly a resistance movement, a resistance against occupation. It started in 1988 with a very specific mandate to liberate the occupied land. They never undertook any act of terrorism outside the Israeli -- the Palestine --
ANDERSON: They are a terror organization designated by the U.S.
DR. BARAKAT: By the U.S., but they're not -- they're not designated by the United Nations, you know. They're designated by a few countries that always came in support of Israel. But they have the right to legitimately resist occupation. That is enshrined in international law as much as Israel has the right to protect itself.
ANDERSON: They don't have the right to massacre innocent civilians, do they? DR. BARAKAT: Well, they don't have the right. No one has the right to massacre civilians, whether it's the Israelis in Gaza or Hamas in Israel. And I was one of the first to say that they may have gone too far. They could have attacked only the 25 -- the 21 military posts and achieved their objective. They could have only captured the soldiers.
And this is very important for the exchange that's happening at the moment. We need to draw a distinction between the military personnel that they're holding, which they consider as prisoners of war, and the civilians. And amongst those civilians, again, they distinguish between civilians who are in an age -- able age to serve in the military reservists and so on, and those who are dual nationals and those who hold international nationalities.
They've already made an announcement that those with foreign nationalities are guests, as far as they're concerned, and they're looking for an opportunity to send them back. The real issue is going to be exchange of soldiers for prisoners back in the in the West Bank. And as you know, Israel is holding 5,000 plus Palestinian residents. They've just added to them 1,500 in the last three weeks.
ANDERSON: Let me have a -- just for your benefit and for the benefit of the viewers who haven't heard this. I spoke to Majed Al Ansari here, who's an advisor to the prime minister some hours ago. This is what he told me about where those hostage negotiations are at.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MAJED AL ANSARI, SPOKESPERSON, QATAR MINISTRY OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS: Since 2006, we were approached by various sites to open this channel of communication. And since then, along with, you know, in 2012, the political office moving to here in Doha, this channel has been very instrumental in countless de-escalations that took place, including one that happened on the 28th of September this year. So, just days before this, recent escalation.
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And therefore, as long as this channel is useful in creating peace, we have to have it. We can't afford to lose it. It is now useful during this escalation. It is the only way that we are mediating for the release of these hostages and for them to get back home to their families. And as long as -- as our prime minister said in his press conference with Secretary Blinken, as long as it is a channel that makes peace, as long as it is a channel that allows us to bring about de-escalation, it will stay there.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: This was measured in answer to a question from me about what happens with the Hamas file here in Qatar. Of course, a number of senior leaders are hosted here. Qatar involved in the mediation of these talks. It helps pay the bills of government workers in the Hamas controlled government at the behest of the Israelis. The hosting of Hamas here at the behest of the U.S. back in 2012, and even further back than that. But it's an interesting conversation, isn't it? Because as we continue to watch what's going on, so, you know, Qatar involved in these hostage negotiations, but also taking criticism for its relationship with Hamas. Going forward, is there a place, you know, is there a role, is there an argument to say that Hamas should not be hosted in a country like Qatar? Already, we know that Turkey is -- you know, has gotten rid of the office there. I mean, you know, is there an argument that says --
DR. BARAKAT: I think we need to take a step back and agree that there is no way for Hamas to be finished. Hamas is an idea. It's an integral part of the Palestinian society. It's the one side that is calling for resistance. And I think as long as the occupation persists, Hamas will exist.
Now, where will they go? That's the big question. When they left Damascus, if Doha did not receive them here, where do you think what they would have gone?
ANDERSON: Tehran.
DR. BARAKAT: Exactly. And you convinced the International Community that Hamas based in Tehran will be a better Hamas or Hamas that they could deal business with. And for the last 10, 12 years, this office here has been incredibly important to relieve the misery of millions of Palestinians. Qatar does send money to Palestinians, but it all goes through the Israeli government. In fact -- and I think they take a cut as well to let it in.
So, it's not like the Israelis have just discovered Qatar and Hamas officer (ph). And as you know, on the 7th of October, Netanyahu came out with those very strong statements about anyone who has anything to do with Hamas, and then it was all withdrawn a few days later by his national security adviser because they understand that if they are serious about releasing safely those hostages, they must talk to the Hamas.
ANDERSON: There has to be a mediator.
DR. BARAKAT: Yes, mediator, yes.
ANDERSON: It's good to have you, sir. Thank you very much, indeed.
DR. BARAKAT: It's a pleasure.
ANDERSON: You know, while we're here in Qatar, it's really important to get the perspective of our -- you know, our regional friends, and you are one of them. Thank you very much.
DR. BARAKAT: Thank you very much. Appreciate it.
ANDERSON: We'll be back with other international news headlines after this short break. Stay with us.
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NOBILO: Matthew Perry is being remembered as a sweet, troubled soul by some of those who knew him best, including the creators of the hit TV show "Friends," which made him a household name. Have a look.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JENNIFER ANISTON, ACTRESS, FRIENDS: There's only one banana nut muffin left.
COURTENEY COX, ACTRESS, FRIENDS: Well, order mine first.
MATTHEW PERRY, ACTOR, FRIENDS: Yes, but I'm so much faster.
COX: Give it to me.
PERRY: No.
COX: Give it to me.
PERRY: OK. You can have it.
COX: There you go, enjoy your coffee.
PERRY: That was there when I got here.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
NOBILO: But the much-loved star who made millions laugh by playing Chandler Bing suffered through years of addiction. Perry once said what he really wanted was to help others who were going through the same pain.
I want to bring in CNN's Camila Bernal. Camila, Perry spoke about addiction at a time when it was more difficult to do so. And obviously, unlike some other mental health issues, it can have a bigger impact on an actor's career to be outspoken about substance abuse and alcoholism. It was very important for him to make sure that that story was out there.
CAMILA BERNAL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It really was. And he was very open about his struggles and not just, you know, in interviews as he got emotional talking about this, but he detailed it all in his memoir that was released in November of 2022. And like you said, he wanted to help other people. He said, whether it was, you know, one on one or with a group, he wanted his struggles to be something relatable, something you could share with other people.
He also, you know, said he wanted to be remembered as someone who lived well, loved well, and who was a seeker. Of course, so many of us remember him from his acting career. He started out with very small roles and then got more prominent roles. And of course, "Friends" is really the one that made him famous. Chandler just bringing so much joy and laughter to many, many people around the world.
So, it's part of the reason why many are just expressing their love for him on social media, saying that they're shocked and that they are heartbroken. A lot of people just wanting to understand exactly what happened, and this is all now in the hands of the Los Angeles Police Department. They say that this is a death investigation. The 911 call came in on Saturday at 4:07 p.m. for a water rescue emergency. And the "Los Angeles Times" saying that he was found unresponsive in his hot tub.
The cause of death has not been revealed yet, but we do know that his body is now with the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner's Office. Normally, a complete toxicology, a complete autopsy take several weeks. So, we may not have those details anytime soon, but we do know that it is the LAPD investigating and sources telling CNN that no foul play was suspected here.
So, as we wait for those details, we continue to get tributes and just heartfelt messages from many of the fans as they say, this is going to be a big loss or is a big loss for Hollywood and for the fans. Bianca.
NOBILO: Camila Bernal, thank you so much for your reporting.
And in just a few moments, Becky Anderson will be right back with the very latest for you on the Israel Hamas war.
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[16:55:00]
ANDERSON: Well, as Israel enters its second phase of the war and expands ground operations, hundreds of foreign nationals remain in Southern Gaza. CNN's Jake Tapper spoke with U.S. National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan about the ongoing diplomacy that could allow them to escape to safety. Have a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JAKE SULLIVAN, U.S. NATIONAL SECURITY ADVISER: So, just as there is ongoing discussions and negotiations over the hostages, we are facing a similar situation with the American citizens and other foreign nationals who are trapped in Gaza.
It is true, the Egyptians are prepared to allow American citizens and foreign nationals to come through the Rafah gate into Egypt. The Israelis have no issue with that. Hamas has been preventing their departure and making a series of demands. I can't go through those demands in public, but that is the subject of the discussions and the negotiations that are ongoing.
We are trying to work through those to get to a point where we have secured. The safe passage of any American in Gaza who wants to leave. We are in contact with them on a near-daily basis. We will continue to stay focused on this. This is an equal priority to us as getting the hostages out. It equally requires us to get to a point where Hamas will permit their safe passage. And we are working hard at that every day.
(END VIDEO CLIP) ANDERSON: Jake Sullivan speaking to CNN earlier. I'm going to take a very short break. Stay with CNN for our continuing coverage.
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