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Israel at War; Israel's New Phase of War; Destroying Military Government of Hamas; Palestinian in Gaza Facing War of Genocide; Musk Offers Starlink to Aid Groups in Gaza; Humanitarian Crisis Worsens in Gaza; Interview with WFP Palestine Representative and Director Samer Abdeljaber; IDF Fighter Jets Hits Hezbollah Targets; Warning of Regional Destabilization; Tributes Pour in for "Friends" Star Matthew Perry; Qatar Minister Speakers to CNN About Hostage Negotiations; Interview with Australian Strategic Policy Institute Senior Analyst Malcolm Davis; Israel's Goal is to Destroy Hamas and Return Hostages; U.N. Secretary-General Thanking Qatar for Hostage Negotiations; Hamas Hostage Talks Still Ongoing; Interview with Qatari Ministry of Foreign Affairs Spokesperson Majed Al Ansari; Former U.S. VP Mike Pence Suspends Campaign for President; Ultra-Orthodox Jews Oppose Israeli Draft. Aired 4-5a ET

Aired October 29, 2023 - 04:00   ET

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

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[04:00:00]

RICHARD QUEST, CNN ANCHOR: Good day to you and a warm welcome to this hour's coverage of Israel at war. I'm Richard Quest live from Abu Dhabi, and you're most welcome. If you're watching in the United States, or indeed wherever you are watching around the world.

It is 10:00 on Sunday morning in Gaza, and IDF helicopters have already been seen flying along the Israeli coastline in Ashkelon earlier today. The city is only 20 kilometers from Gaza, where the IDF says Hamas is holding 230 hostages.

Now, in Gaza, we are waiting to see the latest images of damage from overnight, and of course, receive the reports on possible casualties. Overnight, the reports of near-total communications blackout, internet, telephone, mobile phones and the like, it's believed to be that has now eased up. But it was an extremely dangerous and busy night.

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QUEST: Israel says it's been targeting Hamas tunnels and underground spaces. And again, warning people to go south. This is the Israeli Prime Minister.

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BENJAMIN NETANYAHU, ISRAELI PRIME MINISTER (through translator): 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.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

QUEST: Inside Gaza itself, hospitals are overwhelmed and basic needs are scarce. The Palestinian president -- president of the Palestinian Authority, which controls the West Bank, offered his dire assessment.

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MAHMOUD ABBAS, PALESTINIAN AUTHORITY PRESIDENT (through translator): Our people in the Gaza Strip are facing a war of genocide and massacres committed by the Israeli occupation forces in full view of the entire world.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

QUEST: CNN Scott McClean's with me from London to bring us up to date now. Last hour, the head of the WFP, the -- one of the representatives said that their communications were slowly being restored. They had communications back again and that more aid was going to be going in. What can you tell me from overnight?

SCOTT MCLEAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hey, Richard. Yes. So, we haven't heard from all of the communications companies inside of Gaza, but we have heard from two who say that they are working to repair the infrastructure that was damaged and slowly but surely, they are restoring internet connectivity, home or land landline, cell service, et cetera, and that seems to be the case.

But before, on Friday, you had international aid groups, the U.N., the WHO, among them saying that they had lost contact with their staff on the ground. You also have now this debate going on with the Starlink, a satellite internet company run by Elon Musk, who says that he will provide connectivity through Starlink to internationally recognized aid groups. But that set off a serious controversy.

The response coming from the Israeli communications minister, who said that Israel will fight that. And I'll just read you what he tweeted. He said, Hamas will use it for terrorist activities. There's no doubt about it. We know it. 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.

Elon Musk, by the way, responded saying, look, he's not naive. He says that they would ensure that any use of Starlink would be done only by actual humanitarian aid groups. He also says that there have been no attempts to connect thus far. And even went one step further by saying that, look, the U.S., the Israelis, if they want, they can carry out their own security checks before any -- anyone inside of Gaza is allowed to connect to Starlink right now.

But at the moment it seems, Richard, that the internet, the cell service is gradually coming back. So, perhaps this may not be needed

QUEST: Right. Do we have any indication of what -- of yet from the -- from Gaza on overnight damage, casualties, deaths?

[04:05:00]

MCLEAN: Yes. So, we have new numbers from the IDF. It says that there were 450 targets hit overnight. We're also trying to sort out exactly to what extent Israeli troops are actually on the ground. We know that there are tanks going in. The Israelis also say that troops on the ground are helping to direct airstrikes inside of Gaza. We also heard yesterday from a journalist in central Gaza, who says that the artillery strikes, in his words, did not Stop. He also said that there was gunfire in the east along the perimeter wall there.

Obviously, this is only exacerbating the humanitarian situation. We have new video from the AFP yesterday showing people ransacking a U.N. warehouse carrying out bags of food. There is obviously a lot of desperation right there or happening right there. And none of this seems to be fazing at all, the Israeli leadership who are, sort of, framing all of this in binary terms.

You had the defense minister yesterday saying, it is us or them. You had the Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu saying that Gaza is a fortress of evil and dismissing anyone who accuses the IDF of war crimes of as being hypocritical liars. Both also warned that this would not be a short war, that they are in it for the long haul.

Israel has also been trying to reiterate its calls for people to move south with more urgency, though it's not clear whether that message is really getting through. It's also important to make very clear, Richard, that look, just because you moved south of this arbitrary line that the Israelis have drawn on a map does not mean that you are safe. There continues to be strikes in Central Gaza and in Southern Gaza as well. And as the Palestinian Red Crescent would point out, they say that nowhere is safe for Gazans right now.

QUEST: Scott McLean in London. Thank you, sir.

For those on the outside looking in, concerns are growing over the safety and well-being of so many inside Gaza. This near-total blackout on communications has meant that aid groups have no idea where their personnel are, or indeed, even if they're still alive. The same holds true for everyone else.

A CNN producer in Gaza has told us he's been unable to reach his relatives and the only way he could tell us that was by using a phone with a foreign SIM card which enables limited communications. As we've been reporting, as I just told you a second or two ago, cellular and internet do appear to have been partially restored.

Samer Abdeljaber is the Palestinian representative and director at the World Food Programme. He joins me now from Jerusalem. Good morning, sir. At a press conference yesterday, Israel's spokesman Rear Admiral David Hagari said, on Monday the humanitarian efforts to Gaza led by Egypt and the U.S. will be expanding. Do you know anything about this? Are you expecting to be able to take more in through the Rafah Crossing? SAMER ABDELJABER, PALESTINE REPRESENTATIVE AND DIRECTOR, WFP: That's true, and we hope today we will be able to allow more trucks into Gaza. 40 trucks are expected to be crossing. However, we have to also note that that's not enough compared to the soaring needs that are in need at the moment in Gaza. We need more than that. Just for WP to be able to reach 1 million people, we need 40 trucks a day. If we're going to be supporting 2 million people, we need 100 trucks of food. But of course, you know that the trucks that are going in includes other commodities as well that are essentially needed on the ground.

QUEST: What about fuel? Is that going in, any fuel?

ABDELJABER: Not to my knowledge. Those trucks are basically for food, water and medical supplies.

QUEST: It's clearly insufficient by a large measure. And as Israel continues its bombardment and the ground offensive, do you worry it will become more difficult even to bring the stuff in from the south?

ABDELJABER: I think you mentioned it earlier and on this report. Yesterday was a major challenge for all of us because of the blackout that happened with telecommunication. So, even yesterday we couldn't coordinate on the ground to facilitate for the trucks to go in. Luckily today, it's gradually coming back, but after 36 of no communication on the ground with our staff, with our partners, even just to plan for the crossing and transshipment of the trucks was a major challenge. And that is something that shows how vulnerable the whole situation is. If something as simple as communication is not provided for us to be able to operate.

[04:10:00]

QUEST: But to clarify, you do have some form of communication with your people in Gaza at the moment.

ABDELJABER: Today, yes. This morning, yes. But in the last 36 hours, it has been a major challenge. We were not able to account for all our staff and their families

QUEST: On the food trucks. What sort of food is going in?

ABDELJABER: So, Richard, as you know, there is no gas. There is no fuel at the moment. So, we are basically avoiding going into -- and also the clean water is a challenge. So, we are avoiding going into things that would require cooking. Most of the parcels include ready to eat food, canned food so that they can actually be easy for them to be carried, but also to be eaten without the need for heating up or fire for warming them up. So, it's things that can be consumed easily by the people.

QUEST: Right, but the WFP's had an operation in Gaza for some -- for a long time. And I mean, I think you were saying, you know, normally, however many trucks would go into Gaza versus what you believe the expected need now is.

ABDELJABER: So, what entered in the last couple of days for WFP was around nine trucks. That represents only two percent of what would have been entering into Gaza prior to this escalation. So, definitely we need more to be able to reach the number of people that we've been trying to support. During this conflict, Richard, we've reached around 635,000 people.

However, the -- in shelters and outside shelters, however, that has been dropping down dramatically in the last two days. And yesterday, for example, we were not able to reach anyone because of lack of communication with the bakeries or with the partners on the ground, even for -- to coordinate allowing food into the shelters, the designated shelters where more than 600,000 are already residing.

QUEST: Israel says, its fighter jets hit Hezbollah's targets in Lebanon on Saturday, the latest in a series of cross border clashes since the latest crisis began. An IDF statement said, the planes hit a military compound and observation posts following rocket and missile fire from Lebanon into Israel. Its top general says his troops are maintaining a high level of readiness to prevent possible future military moves by Hezbollah.

Saudi Arabia, Egypt and the UAE are condemning Israel's latest moves. Saying they threaten to destabilize the entire region. Egypt's president has said it's some identified drones -- unidentified drones were brought down in Egypt on Friday, and is warning the conflict should not spread.

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ABDEL FATTAH AL-SISI, EGYPTIAN PRESIDENT (through translator): Yesterday, drones entered Egypt and were brought down. Regardless of where they came from, I previously warned that the expansion of the conflict is not in the interest of the region. The region will become a ticking time bomb that harms us all. This is why I'm saying, please, Egypt is a sovereign country, and I hope we all respect its sovereignty and status. What I'm saying now is not to brag, but Egypt is a very strong country that shall not be touched.

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QUEST: President Biden says that Washington's ready to take further action to defend U.S. forces in the Middle East. The Pentagon says it hit Iran-backed targets in Syria on Friday with airstrikes. And that was in response to attacks by those groups on U.S. forces in the region.

CNN's Bianna Golodryga spoke to Iran's foreign minister. Hossein Amir- Abdollahian denied his country's involvement in the attacks.

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BIANNA GOLODRYGA, CNN SENIOR GLOBAL AFFAIRS ANALYST: I want to talk about your time in New York, because you spoke at the U.N., and I want to quote what you said for our viewers. You said, "I say, frankly to the American statesmen, we do not welcome expansion of the war in the region. But I warn, if genocide in Gaza continues, they will not be spared from this fire." Is that a threat? Is Iran prepared, really, to go to war against the United States?

HOSSEIN AMIR-ABDOLLAHIAN, IRAN'S FOREIGN MINISTER (through translator): We don't want this war to spread out.

GOLODRYGA: But with all due respect, your actions don't seem to match your words. You say that you are playing a constructive role in helping peace and security. But according to the Pentagon, groups affiliated with Iran have targeted U.S. forces or bases in the region at least 15 times now since October 17th, injuring at least 20 U.S. military personnel. A U.S. carrier strike group shot down 15 drones, four cruise missiles fired by Iran-backed Houthi militants in Yemen that was aimed towards Israel. President Biden said this yesterday. He said --

[04:15:00]

AMIR-ABDOLLAHIAN (through translator): Any attack that is carried out in the region and if the U.S. interests are targeted by any group, you know, linking into the Syrian Republic of Iraq without offering any piece of proof is totally wrong. You see, two weeks ago, I was in Iraq, also in Syria and Lebanon. I could see up close and personal that the people of the region, they are very sensitive about the developments in the Palestine. They were angry. They are not receiving orders from us. They act according to their own interest. And also, what happened, what was carried out by Hamas, it was totally Palestinian. They decided to take responsibility for that.

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QUEST: You can hear the full interview on "GPS" which is at 10:00 AM on Sunday, and 1:00 PM which is at Eastern Time in the United States.

As we continue, I'll update you with other news in the world. The life and career of the actor Matthew Perry, wildly known for his role on "Friends". What we know so far after Perry was found dead at his home.

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[04:20:00]

?QUEST: The actor, Matthew Perry, has died at the age of 54. Warner Brothers Television has confirmed his death on Saturday. Meanwhile, "The Los Angeles Times" has quoted, "law enforcement is saying that the "Friends" star was found dead in a hot tub at his Los Angeles home." "The Times" says, the sources did not cite the cause of death, but apparently there is no sign of foul play.

Perry appeared in countless TV shows, and is perhaps best known for playing the role of Chandler Bing on "Friends."

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MATTHEW PERRY, ACTOR, "FRIENDS": I want to quit the gym.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You want to quit?

PERRY: I want to quit the gym.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You do realize you won't have access to our new full service Swedish spa?

PERRY: I want to quit the gym.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

QUEST: The sitcom ran for 10 seasons. He appeared in every episode. The actor's battle with alcohol and drugs, specifically painkillers, was well documented. Perry wrote about his addiction in his memoir, saying that he went to rehab more than 60 times. Entertainment reporter Billy Bush spoke to us earlier.

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BILLY BUSH, HOST AND MANAGING EDITOR, EXTRA: Instantly I thought, oh no, how horrible. And then I started thinking about what a difficult life he led. He struggled so much off camera. For a guy who was so effortless on camera, his timing and his, you know, his good nature always just upbeat and quick. And then you realize it's the exact opposite when he's not.

I mean, he just struggled, struggled, struggled so hard with painkillers and addiction. And I think, you know, we're hearing there's no foul play. But immediately you think what wear and tear that poor heart of his took, you know, over these years. So, while I'm crushed and sad, and I've just sent a text over to Lisa Kudrow, with whom I'm friends, to see what, you know, send her my condolences. The cast is really tight.

There is a part of me that -- that's like, oh. I'm not overly surprised because I thought something was off with him and that he had hurt for too long.

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QUEST: Now in a statement, Warner Brothers Television said, it is devastated by the passing of our dear friend Matthew Perry. An incredibly gifted actor and an indelible part of the Warner Brothers Television Group family.

And other tributes to Perry from Hollywood. In a post on X, the actress Mira Sorvino called him, a sweet troubled soul. May you find peace and happiness in heaven, making everyone laugh with your singular wit. And Maggie Wheeler, who played Perry's on again, off again girlfriend Janice on "Friends", what a loss, the joy you brought to so many in your too short lifetime will live on.

Variety's Emily Longeretta talked to us earlier about the mark he's made, especially on the small screen.

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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 Chandler Bing. "Friends" wouldn't have been "Friends" without that group of casts, but that really includes him.

And that's really hard to think of a world that exists now. TV is very different today. The sitcom world is very different today. And it doesn't exist where people are tuning in every single week to watch a certain group of friends gather together, and 20 million people turning on their TVs and welcoming him into their living room. It's an important thing to act as -- 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 Bing, 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, 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, just show that the most famous lines of "Friends" were a lot of his. And that's because of his -- the way his cadence and 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.

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[04:25:00]

QUEST: Still to come on CNN.

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MAJED AL ANSARI, SPOKESPERSON, QATARI MINISTRY OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS: In Syria and the West Bank, and this will lead to something on the regional perspective that we can't afford. And this is why, you know, from our perspective in Qatar, this is the dividend for peace that we have to pay.

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QUEST: Lines of communication are still open, at least for the hostages, will be in Doha for a high-level update on those negotiations.

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QUEST: Our coverage continues. You're most welcome. I'm Richard Quest in Abu Dhabi, and this is CNN's coverage of Israel at war. Let me bring you up to date, the latest details that we have for you.

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QUEST: There were explosions throughout Gaza as Israel stepped up its strikes overnight. A statement released a few moments ago says that the IDF -- by the IDF says, it struck more than 450 targets over the past day. Among them, they claim, command centers, observation posts and missile launch sites. Israel says, its combined combat forces have struck terrorist cells. This is live pictures there of Gaza. That overnight an officer was severely injured by a mortar shell in Northern Gaza.

Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu evoked the Bible, enemy of Israelites, in his speech on Saturday.

[04:30:00]

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NETANYAHU: 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.

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QUEST: As the military action continues, I spoke to Malcolm Davis, a military analyst on Israel's ground operations in Gaza.

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MALCOLM DAVIS, SENIOR ANALYST, AUSTRALIAN STRATEGIC POLICY INSTITUTE: I think that we are in this -- the final stages of preparation for that large-scale ground invasion which could occur in coming hours and days.

QUEST: When we -- when you say ground invasion, I mean, what, once the main body of troops goes in, what do they do?

DAVIS: What they have to do is essentially fight house by house, street by street, against very well-prepared Hamas defenses. And essentially neutralize adversary booby traps, IEDs, mines, deal with snipers. And essentially, they have to push Hamas back increasingly into an encirclement whereby they can be then destroyed with devastating fire.

Remember, the goal of the Israeli Defense Forces is not to, you know, if they've done in the past, mow the lawn and essentially impose some cost and then withdraw. The goal here is to decisively defeat and destroy Hamas. So, that means they do have to seek out Hamas, engage them directly, control the terrain, deny them access to logistics, and that's going to be a very challenging campaign indeed.

QUEST: The tunnels of which we've heard so much about, hundreds of kilometers of tunnels under Gaza. Now, in my weekend reading, and you have numerous Israeli officers who say the last thing you want to do is fight in a tunnel because you can obviously be caught on both sides and it's just very much more difficult. But you got no choice here. If that's the way Hamas is going to move around Gaza.

DAVIS: Well, they can certainly destroy the tunnels from above, that's a possibility. But there might be circumstances, tactical requirements might -- mandate that actually go into the tunnels themselves. And yes, that would be a hellish place to fight in the sense of the tunnels could be rigged with booby traps and IEDs. They're very dark, very narrow, so there would not be a lot of room to move about. And it would be very easy to become under concentrated fire from the enemy.

So, I think that, you know, the tunnels are probably the worst possible place for the Israelis to go, but they may have no choice. If they want to hunt down Hamas and destroy them, they may have to take the fight into the tunnels.

QUEST: One thing I've learned over the years when it comes to military activity, really, success is all predicated-on logistics. It doesn't matter how good your strategic plan is if your supply lines and your logistics fail, then you're in deep trouble. Now, in this case, once the APCs and tanks have gone in, and once the troops go in, would you expect them to go in, come out, go in, come out, or would you expect Israel to have to set up resupply lines, robust resupply lines?

DAVIS: Well, as the old saying goes amateurs talk tactics, professionals talk logistics. And I think that what you will see is the Israelis continuing to supply forces, but whether it's armored forces like tanks and armored fighting vehicles or infantry, wherever they go, they can't be bringing them out. That would lose momentum at the tactical level. So, they have to keep them in and they have to keep them advancing. And that means the logistics have to be secure and advance with the fighting forces.

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QUEST: The U.N. Secretary General visited Doha on Saturday where he expressed thanks to Qatar's Prime Minister for helping talks to free hostages held by Hamas. A spokesman for the Qatari Ministry of Foreign Affairs was speaking to Becky Anderson and said he's still hopeful.

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AL ANSARI: The talks, as you just mentioned, were going with all parties. We were working around the clock. The task force responsible for this was working around the clock to make sure that we are able to reach a deal, and we were very hopeful that that might happen.

[04:35:00]

Obviously, this escalation makes it considerably more difficult, but as you heard today, even during this escalation, Prime Minister Netanyahu is mentioning talk of mediation on the release and the prisoner exchange deal. You have the Hamas spokesperson just minutes ago saying that they are willing to conduct the prisoner exchange deal.

So, although the situation on the ground is becoming more and more and more difficult from a logistical perspective and for a political perspective, but we are still hopeful that the efforts that we are leading will be able to reach a situation where we have a release of more hostages.

So let me be quite clear.

BECKY ANDERSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL NEWS ANCHOR: So, let me be quite clear, the talks, the mediation to effort the release of civilian hostages, possibly a prisoner exchange at this point, have not collapsed, correct?

AL ANSARI: No, I believe they are still going. The task force is still working on it. And I said, 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 escalations 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, they're just moving people during a land incursion and the increased bombardment. But also from a political side, of course, you know, mediation only works when you have calming 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't give up.

Becky, I can tell you that clearly, we can't give up on this on all sides. Nobody in the region can afford to give up on this and just leave it to the military people to decide what happens in the future.

ANDERSON: What can you, provide us in terms of the details of these talks?

AL ANSARI: Well, obviously, Becky, I can't get into the details of this because our main concern now is getting the hostages to their families and making sure that this mediation succeeds. And that would be very difficult, you know, right now if we share a lot of the details.

But as you heard today from Prime Minister Netanyahu and from the spokesperson of Hamas, we are talking around the idea of more hostages coming out. We're talking around the idea of a prisoner exchange. We are optimistic that the talks are heading more towards all civilian hostages. But obviously it's a fluid situation on the ground. We still don't know what will happen.

ANDERSON: Do we know how many civilian hostages there are held in Gaza at present?

AL ANSARI: I'm not sure. To be honest, anybody knows. We have our numbers that are -- we're discussing, you know, through the lists we get from various countries about the foreign citizens who are held hostage. We have the numbers from the Israeli side. We have numbers from the Palestinian side. But these numbers are not necessarily, you know, always the same.

But the important thing here is that both sides acknowledge that the civilian hostages need to go out immediately. And both sides, and especially Hamas on this, have said very clearly that they are willing to let the civilian hostages go out. So, we have to work towards that as soon as possible.

ANDERSON: We know that Hamas have been pressing for at least the release of Palestinian women and teenagers held in Israeli prisons. We heard Benjamin Netanyahu say today that that had been discussed in the war cabinet. Can I press you on whether you believe that that exchange could be for women and children being held in Gaza by Hamas? And if so, are we talking around, sort of, 50, 60 people here?

AL ANSARI: Obviously, Becky, we've been talking about day one about our priorities in this. It is our main goal and our end goal to release all the hostages and get them back to their families. But obviously, when you put it -- when you prioritize it, you start with the women and children, you start with the foreigners and civilians, and then you go to the rest of the hostages.

And obviously, if we were going to prioritize, we're going to start with the women and children. But I believe that right now the discussions encompass, you know, the idea of civilian hostages all together. And, obviously, priorities will be made when you have the discussions on the ground.

ANDERSON: As I understand it, one of the problems is that Hamas doesn't actually hold, at present, all the civilian hostages and, indeed, military hostages. And this would be soldiers and, you know, Israelis of reservist age. Hamas doesn't actually hold all of those hostages themselves. Is that correct?

AL ANSARI: It's a complicated situation on the ground, Becky. There are a multitude of players in Gaza. It's not --this is not an army-to- army conflict. This is a very difficult humanitarian situation. It's very difficult when it comes to the parties who are involved in this. So, it's understandable that the situation of the hostages is not organized. It's a chaotic situation right now in Gaza, especially with the current bombardment and the land incursion.

ANDERSON: What I understood as well, as far as the parameters of this deal were concerned is that Hamas had been pressing for a ceasefire. We know at the U.N. General Assembly yesterday there was a vote, overwhelmingly, by members for a humanitarian pause at least, which would help obviously in the hostages. We haven't seen that pause by the Israelis, and you've said this becomes very difficult when you -- when this is an active war situation.

[04:40:00]

Do you believe that without a pause, let's call it a humanitarian pause or a temporary ceasefire, do you believe that you will be successful or not?

AL ANSARI: I mean, Becky, we are trying all fronts, all possibilities, all scenarios that might end up with hostages going back home and de-escalation taking place in in Gaza. Obviously, when there is bombardment, you know, constant bombardment on the sector, you can't even expect for the hostages to be safely moved from one place to another. So, the prime and the best situation for us, the best scenario for us would be a period of calm, a considerably period of calm that would allow for the hostages to be taken out of Gaza, but at the same time would allow for humanitarian aid to go in.

ANDERSON: And that is important as well, because as I understand it, again, it was fuel for hostages on the Hamas side, at least aid coming in through that Rafah Border Crossing. Do you believe that you will be successful to that degree? Can you genuinely say with your hand in your heart at this point that there is a possibility of significantly more aid and fuel coming in through Rafah --

AL ANSARI: Becky, you know --

ANDERSON: -- as part of this deal?

AL ANSARI: -- you know the situation as we all do. It's difficult on the ground. Talks between two sides that have zero trust in each other are always difficult. Emotions are running high in this case, you know, it's not rational thinking. It's not a reactionary policy when it comes to what's happening on the ground.

So, understandably, it's not going to be easy for me to tell you that I'm optimistic that something will happen tomorrow. But the thing is, we can't give up. We can't afford to give up. The region can't afford to give up. The world can't afford to give up.

ANDERSON: The U.S. and Qatar have agreed to review the Hamas file here. That file being Qatar, at the behest of the United States back 2012, opening an office and hosting Hamas leaders here. Can you give me the detail of that review? I mean, what more can you tell me at this point? Is this the end of Hamas in Doha once these hostage negotiations are over?

AL ANSARI: I can tell you, Becky, that 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. 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.

ANDERSON: You've been heavily criticized by the Israeli Foreign Minister at the U.N. Security Council. Accusing Qatar of financing Hamas. Ironically, the National Security Advisor has been, you know, very positive -- the Israeli National Security Advisor Hanegbi has been very positive about the role that Qatar is playing. What's been your response? What's your response to the foreign minister's --

AL ANSARI: We --

ANDERSON: -- outright criticism?

AL ANSARI: We are absolutely appalled by these accusations held towards Qatar, especially when they come from the Israeli side. And they've been working with us on this mediation right now, and on many escalations -- de-escalations in the past. This is not the first time that we engaged them as mediators, and it's not the first time that they engage us as mediators. And at countless times before, they made the request for us to mediate for de-escalation with Hamas in Gaza.

It's a communication channel they know about. They are working with us on. And the aid that goes into Gaza goes through the Israeli side and therefore we find this very surprising, and we categorically deny these accusations. And I believe that the contradicting statements by different Israeli officials makes it very clear that this issue is part of only political rhetoric and political polarization, and it's not about the reality of the relationship we have.

ANDERSON: Finally, I have to ask you, tonight the Israeli Prime Minister was asked time and again in the press conference, whether it was a contradiction in suggesting these two objectives, the dismantlement of Hamas, both politically and militarily in Gaza, and the release of the hostages whether you could -- whether those two can run at the same time. Is this a contradiction? You sound as if you still have some optimism in this.

AL ANSARI: I mean, as you -- as I said, we are working with all possible scenarios. We might be working with a scenario where the mediation has to go through while this bombardment and the land incursion is going at the same time. But if you ask me, what would be the optimum scenario where we can reach the best result as mediators, I'll tell you that we'll need a period of calm, which is something that is not realized right now.

[04:45:00]

The decision -- the resolution by the U.N. General Assembly yesterday by more than 120 countries to have the humanitarian truth is something that the International Community should be pushing for, should be working towards. And in the talks today between our prime minister and the secretary general of the United Nations, this was discussed the need to operationalize the resolution that was taken yesterday to make sure that we had the humanitarian tools that would allow to lessen the suffering of the many 2. 3 million Palestinians in Gaza, to get the hostages home, and to create a chance for peace within the prospect of our mediation.

ANDERSON: How concerned are you that if we continue to see this escalation, that this is a conflict which will spill outside of Gaza? This region doesn't need another conflict. AL ANSARI: Becky, every day that goes by means more civilians dying, means more carnage, means more radicalization of youth, and means more anger in the Arab, Muslim and in the International Community. We have seen this as it goes along. And this will have repercussions not only in the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, it will have repercussions on the region as a whole.

This region has faced so many conflicts. If you just look at the map of this region right now, how many fragile countries do you have? What kind of political turmoil do you have? The number of refugees you have right now. This region can take a new war with a regional perspective towards it. We --

ANDERSON: Including Iran, for example.

AL ANSARI: And other players in the region. We've seen escalation in South Lebanon. We've seen escalation in Syria and the West Bank. And this will lead to something on the regional perspective that we can't afford. And this is why, you know, from our perspective in Qatar, this is the dividend for peace that we have to pay, which is finding ways of having the difficult discussions with the difficult sides and making sure that everybody understands that great leaders are not those who just react to the conflict on the ground, but those who make the difficult discussions, the difficult decisions that are not always popular to go towards peace.

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[04:50:00]

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

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QUEST: That's the Former U.S. Vice President Mike Pence on Saturday, ending his run for the US presidency. He also said, he won't stop fighting to elect principled Republican leaders. Sources are telling us that Pence was struggling to secure donors. He might not have even qualified for the latest third Republican debate. This is CNN.

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QUEST: We return to the Middle East. Palestinians and ultra-Orthodox Jews in Israel are fighting a similar battle to avoid the draft. Conscription to military service is compulsory for the majority of Israeli Citizens. CNN, Sara Sidner reports from Jerusalem.

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SARA SIDNER, SENIOR NATIONAL AND INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voiceover): Mother Abir Sattel (ph) cannot stomach the thought of her son serving in the Israeli military. Up till now, he hasn't had to, but that could change. The Sattels (ph) are Palestinians who hold Israeli citizenship, and as citizens, the law could soon demand that her son serve 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.

[04:55:00]

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 Arabs serving. By some accounts, that is three percent of Israel's military. But many of Israel's Arab citizens are absolutely set against mandatory service, saying the state has discriminated against them, taken their land, and is now trying to take their identities, too.

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's 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.

SIDNER (voiceover): The fight by the ultra-Orthodox to avoid the draft and 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.

HAIM NUIMAN, YESHIVA STUDENT: I think what they do is an incredible thing. At the same time, I also am in the belief that the Torah (ph) and what the people in yeshivas do is also a super important element to the safety of the country.

SIDNER (voiceover): 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, two minority groups who would normally never mix are both fighting a similar battle to avoid serving the State of Israel's military apparatus, albeit for very different reasons.

Sara Sidner, CNN, Jerusalem.

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QUEST: I'm Richard Quest in Abu Dhabi. I'll be back. There's more news right after this short break.

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