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Israel: "New Phase Of War" As Gaza Ground Operations Expand; Communications Partially Restored In Gaza; Musk Offers Starlink Service To Aid Groups In Gaza; Aired 2-3a ET

Aired October 29, 2023 - 02:00   ET

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

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[02:00:44]

KIM BRUNHUBER, CNN ANCHOR: And welcome to all of you watching us here in the United States, Canada and all around the world. I'm Kim Brunhuber with CNN's coverage of the latest on Israel at War. It's 8:00 a.m. Sunday morning in Gaza following another night of heavy Israeli airstrikes across the enclave.

Israel says it's been hitting Hamas targets including tunnels and underground combat spaces. The IDF is again urging people to head south as it expands ground operations inside Gaza. Now all of this as hundreds of thousands of Israeli forces prepare for unexpected incursion into the enclave in response to the Hamas massacres of October 7. Israel now believes the group is holding 230 hostages. In Gaza, there is fear and uncertainty over what happens next reports indicate cellular and internet communications have been partially restored. But hospitals are at capacity if they're functioning at all. There wasn't enough food, water medicine or fuel to go around and very little aid coming in from Egypt.

CNN's Scott McLean joins us from London with the latest. So Scott, what are you seeing from Gaza and hearing from Israel?

SCOTT MCLEAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hey, Kim, yes, it is difficult to know precisely where we're at with the fighting in Gaza, given the limit -- limitations of being on the ground there. But we have heard from one journalist in central Gaza who said that yesterday the Israeli artillery in his words did not stop. He also said that gunfire could be heard from the eastern part of the strip near the perimeter fence. And he said that patient showing up at the hospital and Darrell Bala (ph), this is in central Gaza. We're showing up not with wounds from airstrikes, but wounds from artillery. And none of this obviously, it's helping the humanitarian situation right now, in Gaza, where you have had only a trickle of aid getting in no fuel getting in as well a new video from the AFP shows just how desperate people actually have been with people ransacking a U.N. warehouse. They're taking out carrying out bags of food to try to feed their families.

None of this, though, seems to be seems to be facing the Israeli leadership. The Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, gave a speech yesterday where he said that Israeli troops enter Gaza on Friday, calling Gaza in his words the fortress of evil. He also seemed to address criticism of Israel's tactics and the growing civilian death toll in Gaza, saying that those who accused the IDF of war crimes are, quote, "hypocritical liars, who lacked so much as one drop of morality". He also made clear that Israel is just getting started. Listen.

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BENJAMIN NETANYAHU, ISRAELI PRIME MINISTER: The war inside the strip is going to be long, and we're ready for it. This is our second independence war. We're going to fight for the homeland and we won't withdraw. We're going to fight on the ground at sea and in the air. We will destroy your enemy above and below the ground. We're going to fight and win.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MCLEAN: Now He also reiterated Israel's call for civilians to evacuate from the northern part of Gaza to south and central parts of the territory. The IDF also said just earlier this morning that it wants to increase the urgency of its warnings to civilians to go south, saying that humanitarian efforts led by the U.S. and Egypt would expand there that they didn't give details.

It is also important to make crystal clear Kim that of course, going to Central or southern Gaza is not a safe zone. There are still very much airstrikes and artillery strikes and fighting happening in those places as well. The Palestinian Red Crescent has called the situation a catastrophic failing, given that there really is no safe place for Gazans to actually go right now.

BRUNHUBER: Exactly right. And Scott, one of the challenges in Gaza has been the communications were cuts. Now I understand the situation has improved and might get better. Further thanks to satellites but not without controversy. Explain this.

MCLEAN: Yes, that's right. So first, on the communications, you're right. Two communications companies that operate in Gaza have said that they are slowly starting to repair the situation and restore some of the communications of internet landline and cell service, et cetera. There was even during this near total blackout in Gaza some very limited conductivity that allowed some messages to get out to the world. But you also had the head of U.N. relief efforts in Gaza, saying that he could not reach his staff save for a few that he reached by satellite phone.

[02:05:19]

The WHO had a very similar message. And Elon Musk has weighed in on this as well. He's relevant here because he owns the Starlink satellite internet communications company, the same company that has allowed Ukrainian troops to better operate and keep communications on the frontlines of its war against Russia. He said that Starlink will provide connectivity to internationally recognized aid organizations. That message though, that he posted on Twitter or X, as he's calling it now prompted a furious reaction from Israel's communications minister who said that Israel would fight that saying, quote, "Hamas will use it for terrorist activities. There's no doubt about it. We know it, and Musk knows it. Hamas is ISIS, perhaps Musk would be willing to condition it with the release of our abducted babies, sons, daughters, elderly people, all of them. By then, my office will cut any ties with Starlink."

Now Musk responded to that saying that he is not naive. He said that no Starlink terminal has actually attempted to connect to its satellites thus far. And if one does, he insisted that they would make sure that it was used only for humanitarian efforts. In fact, he also offered the U.S. and Israel the chance to do a security check before any terminal was allowed to log on. Kim.

BRUNHUBER: Interesting. All right, thanks so much. Scott McLean in London.

They are concerns a ground offensive in Gaza would complicate efforts to negotiate the release of hostages held by Hamas. A short time ago, I spoke to Michael Oren, the former Israeli ambassador to the U.S. Here it is.

MICHAEL OREN, FORMER ISRAELI AMBASSADOR TO THE U.S.: We're talking here about the American model. Interestingly enough, the American model of having forces take over a neighborhood or a village and then using that neighborhood and village as a springboard for the next village and the next neighborhood. This is as the advantage of reducing the casualties on our side.

Keep in mind, this is a citizens army. We're sending our children out there, our fathers are, it's okay, there's our mothers to -- to fight and we understand there's going to be a price to be paid. We want to keep that price as low as humanly possible. It also has the advantage of ramping up pressure on Hamas. And though, you know, there's a sense that I've heard in recent days that that by in launching the ground initiative, Israel would be forfeiting some of its leverage on Hamas to release the hostages. The sense tears, it's just the opposite, that if Hamas is surrounded and in desperate straits desperate straits, it will keep the hostages in good shape and will not harm them and use them as a last bargaining chip to get out of Gaza. But the same time --

BRUNHUBER: But on that, can I just ask you, Mr. Ambassador, the CNN was told by the Qatari Ministry of Foreign Affairs that negotiations for the hostages are ongoing. But I want to quote, "the escalation makes it considerably more difficult." How would you respond to that?

OREN: Well, of course, well, Qatar speaking basically a spokesman for Hamas, of course, he's going to say that. I think it's just logical as the incursion increases, and Hamas finds itself increasingly isolated and surrounded, then its terms for releasing the hostages will become, I think, more lenient, and the initial terms than what they initially said was they wanted an open ended ceasefire, as well as the release of all Hamas prisoners from Israeli jails. And we're talking about terrorists who have the blood of many, many hundreds of Israelis on their hands. And that would be unacceptable to Israeli society. And a ceasefire basically being that Hamas wins. We'd get away with

mass murder, and Israel would lose its deterrence power. We wouldn't be able to return our population to the south or (inaudible) anywhere. We have 300,000 evacuees right now.

BRUNHUBER: Now, top concern for many is the fate of Gaza's children whose lives are increasingly at risk. Jomana Karadsheh reports on the anguish of families who have either lost loved ones or a caring for children whose lives will never be the same. We want to warn you, some of the video we're about to show you is graphic and may be upsetting.

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JOMANA KARADSHEH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It's hard to believe this was Gaza just a few weeks ago, little newer dressed in his finest, dancing with his brother at a wedding. His mother was song still can't believe her boy is gone.

WESAL AL-KHODARI, GAZA RESIDENT: 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.

KARADSHEH: The airstrikes that took six year old Nora and other relatives left her with injuries all over her body and the unbearable pain so many Palestinian mothers are having to endure.

[02:10:03]

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 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, 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 and 16 days. She won't eat or drink her father says. Still in shock with a piece of shrapnel lodged in her hand.

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 human. 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. He keeps asking for her mom. She's too young to understand, he says. (Inaudible) has lost her mother, her brother and her sister too. She shows the camera her ouch.

Every corner of every hospital so many heart wrenching stories of loss so hard to comprehend. That he only wakes up to cry her aunt says in a room with her seven year old brother Keenan (ph). The two were the only ones to survive an airstrike that killed their mother, father, brother and dozens of their extended family. Keenan 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.

Doctors at least overwhelmed hospitals say every day brings a constant stream of children with no parents are flooded injured. They just don't have enough to treat. With the little they have, they do what they can. How do you begin to deal with so many going through so much. Jomana Karadsheh, CNN Beirut.

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BRUNHUBER: All right. Just had more reaction to the news of after Matthew Perry's death. We'll share what we know so far and some of the tributes pouring in.

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BRUNHUBER: American-Canadian actor Matthew Perry has died at the age of 54. Warner Brothers Television Group has confirmed his death. The Los Angeles Times citing law enforcement sources is reporting the Friends star was found dead in a hot tub as his Los Angeles home. The LA Times reports its sources didn't provide a cause of death that said there was no sign of foul play. Perry appeared in countless TV shows but of course is best known for playing the role of Chandler being on Friends.

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CHANDLER: I want to quit the gym.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You want to quit.

CHANDLER: I want to quit the gym.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You do realize you won't have access to our new full surface sweet spa.

CHANDLER: I want to quit the gym.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BRUNHUBER: CNN's Camila Bernal is in Los Angeles with more.

CAMILA BERNAL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Shock and sadness that has been the reaction from Hollywood and from fans to the death of Matthew Perry. Police here in Los Angeles say that they're investigating his death and this is according to a law enforcement source that spoke to CNN. They responded to his home at 4:10 p.m. local time on Saturday and the Los Angeles Fire Department also telling CNN that the 911 call came in at 4:07 p.m. for a water rescue emergency.

The Los Angeles Times is reporting that he died in an apparent drowning accident at his home here in LA and they cited a law enforcement source saying that no foul play is suspected. Now we are of course waiting for more details on what happened. But let's talk about him.

We know he developed a love for acting in his teenage years. He started with smaller roles and eventually landed higher profile roles but it was being cast as the very funny and sarcastic Chandler on Friends that made him so famous. Off screen the actors became as close as their characters on the show and they famously negotiated together to become some of the highest paid actors on television at the time.

Now despite the joy he did bring to audiences on camera, he said he struggled with addiction and eventually was able to share those struggles with his fans in his book. And he said he wanted to share those struggles not just in his books but in many interviews because he wanted to help people. Camila Bernal, CNN, Los Angeles.

BRUNHUBER: Attributes from Perry's friends in the Hollywood are pouring in. In a post on X, actress Mira Sorvino call him a sweet troubled soul saying, quote, "May you find peace and happiness in heaven, making everyone laugh with your singular wit?" Maggie Wheeler who played Perry's on and off again girlfriend, Janice on Friends wrote, "What a loss. The joy you brought to so many in your too short lifetime will live on." For more on Perry's impact in Hollywood here is Emily Longeretta, a Senior TV Features Editor for Variety.

EMILY LONGERETTA, SENIOR TV FEATURES EDITOR, VARIETY: He has had such an impact as an actor and a comedian. I mean, of course Friends is the thing that everyone thinks of because, again, no one could be a Chandler being friends, wouldn't have been friends without that group of cast. But that really includes him and that's really hard to think of a world that that exists now. TV is very different today. The sitcom world is very different today. And it doesn't exists where people are tuning in every single week to watch a certain group of friends gathered together, and 20 million people turning on their TVs and welcoming him into their living room.

[02:20:19]

It's an important thing to act as it's to note as well. He was of course on film. He was a really, really big TV actor and a thing that comes along with being a TV star is that you really are welcomed into people's homes so people fell in love with him of course, they fell in love with Chandler being but they also fell in love with his character Joe on the West Wing. They fell in love with him on Go On, a short lived series that was on the many, many things that he popped up in and the odd couple revival. If the list goes on and on, and that really goes back to what an incredible actor he was with such amazing comedic timing.

I mean, it's really, really it goes kind of to show that the most famous lines of Friends were a lot of his and that's because of his, the way his cadence in delivering those lines of, could I be more excited. That is what -- you know what Matthew Perry brought to Chandler. That wasn't written in. He created that and that's something that is a really, really nice thing to think about. BRUNHUBER: Israel's Prime Minister makes the case to the nation to support a new stage of the offensive in Gaza. His bottom line more fighting isn't a matter of choice. It's a must that's ahead. Plus President Biden makes his case about why Washington certain support both Israel and Ukraine or analyze if U.S. military resources can do that. That's coming up. Stay with us.

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BRUNHUBER: Gaza remains under siege and under fire as Israel launches a second phase of its war against Hamas.

[02:25:11]

Israel says its round operations inside Gaza are expanding and airstrikes have intensified. Internet and phone services have been partially restored in the Palestinian enclave but fuel and especially are in short supply. The World Health Organization says health workers patients and civilians spent another night quote in darkness and fear. But Israel says this is a fight for its survival is vowing to destroy Hamas after the militants attack. Israel murdered some 1,400 people and took hostages earlier this month. It was Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaking on Saturday.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

NETANYAHU: Our heroic fighters have one supreme goal to destroy this murderous enemy and ensure the existence of our country. We always said never again. Never again is now.

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BRUNHUBER: Well, Palestinians and ultra-orthodox Jews living in Israel are fighting a similar battle to avoid the draft, conscription to military service is compulsory for the majority of Israeli citizens once they turn 18. CNN's Sara Sidner reports.

SARA SIDNER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Mother Abir Sato (ph) cannot stomach the thought of her son serving in the Israeli military. Up until now, he hasn't had to, but that could change. The subtles are Palestinians who hold Israeli citizenship, and as citizens, the law could soon demand that her son served the State of Israel in civil service or in the military.

This would mean that I would have to erase all the principles, values and thoughts that I have raised my son on. This would suggest that we become part of the occupation she says. Her worst fear is that her son would have to fight against his own people in the occupied territories where clashes between Palestinian protesters and Israeli military are commonplace.

The Israeli Defense Force says there are over 5,000 Arab serving by some accounts that is 3% of Israel's military. But many of Israel's Arab citizens are absolutely set against mandatory service, saying the state has discriminated against them taking their land and is now trying to take their identities to. ABED ABU SHHADEH, JAFFA YOUTH MOVEMENT: It's absurd that now they want

to take more than what they've already taken. I don't see myself owing the State of Israel anything. On the contrary, I see the state of Israel owing me.

SIDNER: This year, Israel Supreme Court declared unconstitutional a law that exempts ultra-orthodox Jews from military service, and in so doing, brought on calls by some politicians to get rid of a policy that exempts Arabs as well. The fight by the ultra-orthodox to avoid the draft to continue to study the Jewish holy book, the Torah instead, has managed to tear apart Israel's coalition government. That is largely because secular Jews have bitterly complained they're shouldering the entire responsibility of the state, while the ultra- orthodox are allowed to study and live off state subsidies.

For the majority of Israelis when they turn 18 men are required to enlist for three years and women for two.

HALM NUIMAN, YESHIVA STUDENT: I think what they do is an incredible thing. At the same time, I also am in the belief that the tire and what the people in your shoes do is also a super important element to the safety of the country.

SIDNER: Many of Israel's Arab citizens have their reasons for not wanting to serve. In Nazareth, they protested through the arts, saying the draft is a tool Israel will use to further erode their identities as Palestinians. It turns out, Arabs and ultra-orthodox Jews to minority groups who would normally never mix are both fighting a similar battle to avoid serving the state of Israel's military apparatus. I'll be it for very different reasons. Sara Sidner, CNN Jerusalem.

BRUNHUBER: President Biden says the U.S. can and should support two countries in a state of war. He made the case last week that supporting both Israel and Ukraine is vital to U.S. national security. The White House is pushing them more than $105 billion security package, which includes more than 61 billion for Ukraine and 14 billion for Israel, but it needs congressional approval, which is far from guaranteed.

For more we're joined by Natasha Lindstaedt, a professor of government at the University of Essex and she's speaking to us from Colchester, England. Thanks so much for being here with us again. So, one of the questions many are now asking in the context of U.S. support for the war in Ukraine is how much will military and financial resources be diverted from Ukraine to Israel and the Middle East? I mean, U.S. military production was already struggling to meet the demands to supply Ukraine.

[02:30:00]

NATASHA LINDSTAEDT, PROFESSOR OF GOVERNMENT, UNIVERSITY OF ESSEX: Right. Well I would say in the U.S. support of Ukraine it can't afford to divert military aid away from Ukraine. Russia is the biggest threat to the U.S. to the west. And just to global stability, and Ukraine is really the linchpin in the fight for democracy and -- and for staving off Russian aggression. So thus far, the U.S. has already allotted some 75 billion in aid to Ukraine, which is a significant amount. But when you think of the big picture, U.S. military spending is somewhere around 801 billion.

And as a percentage of U.S. GDP, U.S. aid to Ukraine is 0.33% of its GDP. And this is actually less than some of its allies. The U.S. has allies, like Norway, and it's actually coming at a time when U.S. economy is doing pretty well. It's been growing at a very fast rate in the last several years, and is somewhere around just under 5%. And there's also just more international support for the war in Ukraine with 45 other countries helping out as well.

Now, the support for the war in Israel's war in Gaza, is more complicated. Just militarily speaking, I do believe that the U.S. has the capacity to support both wars, and to offer the support that that Israel needs just -- just from a military standpoint. But there are issue --

BRUNHUBER: Right. But then the political issues here, I mean, does President Biden despite what we heard him say, does he have the bandwidth to do both for the war in Ukraine, we've seen public support, particularly among Republicans drop while they're pressing Biden for not showing enough support for Israel. So will that sort of tilt political support away from Ukraine do you think?

LINDSTAEDT: I mean, the -- the political aspect of support for the Israeli war in Gaza presents all kinds of complications, not just domestically, but also internationally. It definitely complicates the U.S. relationship with its Arab allies. We see the cancellation of the summit between Biden and Arab leaders in the Palestinian Authority, Jordan and Egypt over there, claim that Israel bombed a hospital in Gaza. You don't have as much international support. The international community is calling for a ceasefire into attend to the growing humanitarian crisis.

And then domestically speaking, I think Biden is probably striking the right chord for moderates, maybe even across the aisle as well, but not doing enough from the Republican standpoint, and definitely alienating progressives. We just seen recently, it's been reported that Arab and Islamic communities in Michigan are rethinking their support for Biden. So Biden is in a very, very difficult situation, because of this situation with this war with Israel and Gaza is so incredibly complicated.

BRUNHUBER: Yes, exactly that that support from progressives might -- might be key going into an election year. There's also so much polarization and congressional paralysis, we can see support for both Israel and Ukraine held up by domestic politics, again, especially going into an election year.

LINDSTAEDT: Right. And we've already seen this with just the delays in getting a speaker of the house. So that was recently resolved. But -- but that left a lot of question marks about whether or not there was going to be any kind of aid going to either Ukraine and Israel. And I think there's going to be huge push, particularly from the right from the Republicans to stop eating Ukraine so much that they can't afford to, to support both and -- and to deal with budgetary issues. They want to cut U.S. spending, not increase it. And so they're going to see much more of a pressure to stop this type of aid to Ukraine, which of course, benefits Russia.

BRUNHUBER: Yes. I want to ask you about that our last 30 seconds America's enemies. You mentioned Russia, China, they're watching open to take advantage of any missteps when it comes to the U.S. ability to multitask in these two very fraught conflicts. What's at stake here in terms of American prestige and credibility abroad?

LINDSTAEDT: Well, the stakes are incredibly high. And we see that China has wanted to get more involved in being the peacemaker in the Middle East and is heavily criticized the U.S. government. And we also see that the biggest winner of this has been around to a lesser extent Russia, but they're seizing upon the chaos in the Middle East. And the U.S. is of course struggling in its role to be supporting Israel and its right to live in peace but also trying to attend to the humanitarian crisis of facing the Palestinians.

BRUNHUBER: All right. Will have to leave there. Always appreciate your analysis Natasha Lindstaedt, professor of government at the University of Essex, thanks so much for being with us.

LINDSTAEDT: Thank you for having me.

BRUNHUBER: All right. We're going to take a quick break, but when we come back, we'll tell you about a weekend meeting in Malta aimed at finding a way to bring peace back to Ukraine. Stay with us.

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[02:38:06]

BRUNHUBER: Dozens of national security advisors from across the world gathered this weekend to discuss ways to end the war in Ukraine. The closed door meetings were organized by Ukraine and held in Malta Russia wasn't involved. Officials discussed Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is 10 point peace plan. They said they plan to hold a global peace summit later this year.

Now with the world's attention firmly focused on the conflict between Israel and Hamas, Ukraine has virtually vanished from the news headlines, but Ukrainian forces are pushing ahead with their plan counter offensive. People living near the front line are being asked to evacuate. Anna Coren has this report.

ANNA COREN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Driving past a sign that says Avdiivka is Ukraine, the cameraman suddenly stops and takes cover from incoming Russian shelling. For weeks now Russia has been pounding this city in Donetsk in eastern Ukraine, known before the war for its large coking plant. It's now a bastion of Ukrainian resistance.

These are rough ordinary days in of Avdiivka, explains the cameraman. The Ukrainian government has ordered the evacuation of families including up to thousand children living near the front line in dozens of settlements in Donetsk and Herson regions as Russia intensifies attacks. Police are going door to door in what's left of these destroyed apartment buildings, looking for Avdiivka's remaining residents but not everyone is willing to go.

Good luck. Take care of yourself says the police officer. Thank you. Good luck to you, replies the old woman refusing to leave her home. An incoming shell explodes close by as police tried to deliver supplies to residents willing to take their chances. Good luck, lads. Take care. You've got a difficult job, says this man.

[02:40:04]

Despite reports of heavy losses on the Russian side, its forces have launched major assaults on areas along the eastern front and intensified shelling in the south, further undermining Ukraine's grueling counter offensive. And while the world's attention has swiftly moved from Ukraine to the Israel Gaza war, there are grave concerns long term funding could also dry up. Earlier this week, the Italian Prime Minister pleaded with Europe not to make the mistake of weakening its support to Ukraine as the Middle East conflict rages on, declaring a world where no impossible red lines exist is an insecure world for everyone.

While she was backed up by leaders attending the European Council meeting in Brussels, Slovakia's new prime minister had other ideas. A day after being sworn in, Robert Fitzhugh announced that Slovakia previously one of Ukraine's strongest allies will no longer provide military aid to Ukraine. For now, Keith anxiously waits to see if U.S. President Biden's request for more than $61 billion in additional aid to Ukraine will be approved by a bitterly divided Congress. In the meantime, Secretary of State Antony Blinken announced a new $150 million security assistance package of Air Defense Artillery, anti- tank and other equipment, prompting this response from the Ukrainian president.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

VOLODYMYR ZELENSKY, UKRAINIAN PRESIDENT: Not only we are expanding our capabilities and seeing the end of the war with the Ukrainian victory, more clearly.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COREN: Optimistic words that are yet to translate on this battlefield. Anna Coren, CNN, Hong Kong

BRUNHUBER: And for more on this Ukrainian parliament member Kira Rudik joins me now. Thanks so much for being here with us. Good to see you again.

So, you know, with what we just saw there, Israel's war on Hamas, the effects aren't clear yet. But do you think it's drawn the world's attention and maybe more importantly, vital military resources away from supporting Ukraine?

KIRA RUDIK, UKRAINIAN PARLIAMENT MEMBER: Hello, Kim, thank you so much for having me again. And thank you for keeping the focus on Ukraine. We need that badly right now. As you say, the more worse and the more atrocities happen throughout the world, the less attention we get. However, it does not have to result into dragging their physical and financial support from us. And this is why we are waiting for the Congress to vote and support the financial support for Ukraine of 61.4 billions. We also have received a statement of 150 millions recently of the military support, which shows us that the United States are standing with us, supporting with us, and are very much interested in us winning the war.

BRUNHUBER: Yes, well, as I mentioned earlier, certainly the world's media or maybe the North American media has, the focus has shifted away from Ukraine. So for our viewers who -- who haven't necessarily been plugged in for the last, you know, two weeks or so give me a sense of how Ukrainians are holding up now somewhat 600 plus days into this war.

RUDIK: We are getting ready for the second tough winter, since the full scale invasion started. We know what to expect the outages, the lack of electricity and -- and the missile attacks on our infrastructure. We understand that this is how Russia will continue to terrorize us. Our military are fighting and we are doing everything to support them. We understand that there is no other way, absolutely no other way for us, then to win the war.

It is incredibly hard, of course, and people are exhausted. But what's the alternative for us and we do not see any. This is why people are sticking close together. You know, like my mom says when the winter comes, people should be as birds on a tree sticking very close to each other because this is the way how you survive. And this is what we are doing.

We are working on the international arena trying to get more and more support for Ukraine. But not only the military support, because now we are at the phase where it's not only a military fight, it's a fight of the economies and the resources. And their biggest challenges that we have right now is to make sure that the sanctions are working, because we see that they have too many loopholes, and that this war of their exhaustion, the word of attrition, the unity of the West in the world remains the same.

It is very hard because we are getting into the next year of the year of elections where there will be so many challenges for the European countries for the United States. And we understand that it wouldn't have a good impact on our country. But what we what's the alternative for us, we should walk whatever we can to bring everyone together to win the war and to push towards through the winter.

[02:45:30]

BRUNHUBER: Well, before we go, I want to ask you this. We played the clip there from President Zelensky, who said earlier this week that he's want to quote him seeing the end of the war with the Ukrainian victory more clearly. I mean, it -- is there a sense of hope now that you are closer to the end?

RUDIK: You know we have been burned so many times when people had illusions that the work could be ending in two or three weeks. That right now, we will go with what President Biden said for as long as it takes. So we don't dream to have the end of the world like in front of us, but we know that we have to just continue working and continue pushing. I can tell you if at the very beginning, people were discussing, okay, when the work would end. Right now we are rather discussing of what we can do to push through and everybody's avoiding calling any dates or any perspectives.

BRUNHUBER: All right. We'll have to leave it there but always appreciate talking with you. Ukrainian parliament member Kira Rudik, thank you so much.

RUDIK: Thank you and Glory to Ukraine.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MIKE PENCE, FORMER U.S. VICE PRESIDENT: So after much prayer and deliberation, I have decided to suspend my campaign for president effective today.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BRUNHUBER: Former U.S. Vice President Mike Pence ending his run for president on Saturday. He was speaking at the Republican Jewish coalition's annual conference in Las Vegas. Pence's also told the crowd he'll never stop fighting to elect principled Republican leaders. Now sources tell us he was struggling to secure donors and there was concerned that you might not qualify for the third Republican debate next month.

All right. Now, we want to bring you more memories of Matthew Perry, a star of the hit TV show Friends. He died in an apparent drowning accident on Saturday at age 54, according to the Los Angeles Times. Perry was known to be a funny guy on any set that he graced that includes when he filled in to guest host on Piers Morgan tonight here on CNN back in 2013. Have a look.

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MATTHEW PERRY, HOLLYWOOD ACTOR: Hey, this is going to be really fun. It's a new experience for me. It's exciting. It kind of reminds me of what, yes, kind of reminds me of when I won my first Emmy. We were -- I'm sorry, what? Oh, right. I haven't won a damn thing. Well, maybe today is day. You know, maybe I guess host this show so well. Not a chance. Who is talking into my ear?

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BRUNHUBER: Chemistry Matthew Perry had with his Friends costars was unmatched. And it's one reason the show became such a cultural Juggernaut and launched its actors into superstardom. Karen Heller, a national features writer for The Washington Post explains.

KAREN HELLER, NATIONAL FEATURES WRITER, THE WASHINGTON POST: They worked so hard, I mean, there was a series about the casting of this, it just they got everything, right. And we saw them grow up. He was 24 years old when this show started, you know, very young and we watched him go from 24 to 34. And they but they hit the characters almost immediately, they knew who they were. And while they kind of grew, they also which is true and sitcoms, they stayed the same, because that's what the comfort was. We knew how you know, they would react, and particularly Chandler, his sarcasm, and his sort of trying to be cooler than he actually was.

Everyone in the show the producers, the writers, it all worked, you know, and you know, they didn't have a lot of sets, occasionally they traveled, but it was all about the chemistry. And these, you may recall that they knew quite quickly as young as they were, how important they were an NBC and to their audience and they negotiated and this was very public, they each negotiated together with their agents and got a million dollars in episode because they knew they had true value.

This was must see TV, Thursday night destination, you know, it was comfort food. You know, and so they grew up and we watched them, but we also -- there was a comfort of the familiar with these characters. They knew they really weren't a team. And you could see this in it but -- but Matthew Perry struggles with addiction was singular of this group. He just, he just had epic battles with addiction. And when I interviewed you met him at the same time about a year ago now, it's just traumatizing what he did to his body the amount of abuse and it was just, it was unfathomable.

I was concerned about this book tour that he was, you know, we living all of this, you know. He would be shown his weight fluctuations which went up and down 100 pounds during Friends. And he had to relive this but I think it was cathartic for him to do the book.

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BRUNHUBER: Two men in Israel are creating tributes to the elderly and children kidnapped from Israel. Large sign reads there your grandparents age is posted in the city of Netanya on an assisted living community. The CEO of the community says he couldn't sit by and do nothing after the attack on October 7th. There it is.

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YOSSI KAPLAN, CEO OF BEIT LEV GANIM ASSISTED LIVING COMMUNITY: Children, women and elderly were slaughtered, killed, burned alive and kidnapped and kidnapped from their homes. These behind me are the generation who suffer from the Holocaust. They are Holocaust survivors. They're elderly. They need medical. They need medicine and treatment.

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BRUNHUBER: Meanwhile, in Haifa street artists Benzi Brofman is using spray paint to make a tribute. He says his mural is meant to depict how kidnap children might feel in Gaza far away from their home.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is coming under pressure to cut a deal to release hostages held by Hamas. Netanyahu met with hostages his family's members on Saturday who told him they only support a comprehensive agreement that would have all the hostages released. Meanwhile, Hamas says it's ready to immediately swap the hostages for more than 6,000 Palestinians it says are held in Israeli jails. The IDF dismissed that statement as psychological terror.

Qatar and Egypt are mediating efforts to release the 230 people that Israel says Hamas is holding on one Qatari official told CNN is Becky Anderson. The current military escalation isn't helping. Here it is.

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MAJED AL ANSARI, SPOKESPERSON, QATARI FOREIGN MINISTRY: It's becoming more and more difficult with the current escalation, this escalation that is happening right now. You know, one of the most terrible escalation that have happened in the region for a really long time, is making it certainly more difficult. As I said, on the logistical side of it or just moving people during a landing incursion and the increased bombardment. But also from a political side of course, you know, mediation only works when you have common periods. Under this kind of conflict, this kind of confrontation between both sides, it becomes more difficult, but it's still ongoing and we can give up.

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BRUNHUBER: As Israel steps up its military campaign against Hamas in Gaza. Pro-Palestinian demonstrators have been rallying in cities around the world that they took to the streets of Rome on Saturday marching in front of the Colosseum. Thousands gathered in Berlin calling for a ceasefire in the war between Israel and Hamas. And in London, thousands turned out holding Palestinian flags and calling for Israel to stop its military operation in Gaza.

I'm Kim Brunhuber. We'll have more CNN continuing coverage with Richard Quest in just a moment.

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