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CNN's Continuing Coverage on the ongoing War in Israel. Aired 3-4a ET

Aired November 03, 2023 - 03:00   ET

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

[03:00:00]

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KIM BRUNHUBER, CNN ANCHOR: Hello and welcome to all of you watching us here in the United States, Canada, and all around the world. I'm Kim Brunhuber. This is CNN's continuing coverage of the Israel-Hamas war.

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken is back in Israel at this hour with a warning that the growing number of civilian casualties in Gaza could undermine international support for Israel in its ongoing war against Hamas. The Secretary and Israeli Prime Minister are expected to meet today.

Meanwhile, the Israeli military says Gaza City is now completely surrounded by its forces. Flares overnight lit up northern Gaza in one of the most intense periods of Israeli bombardment since the war began.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LT. GEN. HERZI HALEVI, IDF CHIEF OF STAFF (through translator): Our soldiers have been operating in Gaza City for the past few days, surrounding it from several directions, deepening the operation. Our forces are in very significant areas of Gaza City.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BRUNHUBER: The IDF says 23 of its soldiers have died in the Gaza operations. The primary objective now is locating and destroying the Hamas tunnel network and eliminating explosives and other obstacles.

CNN's Scott McLean is covering all of this for us from London. So for Scott, just take us through the latest here.

SCOTT MCLEAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi Kim, yeah, so there continues to be a very heavy Israeli bombing campaign throughout the entire Gaza Strip, not only north but central and south as well, but the ground incursion with tanks and troops, that seems to be concentrated at least so far as we know in the north. As you mentioned, the Israelis say that they now have Gaza City surrounded. We don't know a lot about their precise movements inside of the territory.

For obvious reasons, they don't want to give out locations. But that video that you showed from earlier with the flares overnight, we know that is from an area of northern Gaza called Beit Hanoun. It is just north of Gaza City and as you'll notice on that video you can see on the ground there seems to be some kind of a smoke screen there. Perhaps that indicates there are Israeli troops moving in that area, but we don't know for certain.

We do have one marker of Israeli troops spotted on the ground, at least according to the Palestinian Red Crescent. They say that from about a kilometer away from Al Quds Hospital, which is about, or which is right on the outskirts of Gaza City, they say that IDF troops shot at the hospital, wounding a boy and a young man who were outside of the hospital, and also piercing a wall on the sixth floor of the building as well.

This is the same hospital that says that it received threats that did receive threats from Israel to evacuate earlier this week. Israel says that it is warned it multiple times to evacuate, ahead of a potential bombing campaign of that site. There have been bombings right around that hospital.

Some, according to the Palestinians, have actually damaged the hospital itself. The hospital, though, says, look, it cannot evacuate because there are so, so many civilians that are taking shelter there, so many wounded patients, and they simply have nowhere to go. But the situation inside that hospital, Kim, and others like it is only going to get more dire as this ground invasion continues, the Israelis continue to insist that Hamas is using hospitals as shelters.

Al Quds hospital at least firmly denies that saying that it doesn't let anybody in who is armed at.

BRUNHUBER: All right, and then Scott, in the last hour, we watched as Secretary of State Antony Blinken touched down in Tel Aviv, his third visit since the war began. He has a difficult balancing act ahead. Walk us through it.

MCLEAN: Yeah, hugely difficult because of course the U.S. is eager to continue to make clear that it supports Israel and its right to defend itself. It is also increasingly eager to stress the point to the Israelis that they need to operate within international law and they need to limit the number of civilian casualties that there are in these Israeli strikes.

Two weeks ago, Antony Blinken, the Secretary of State, didn't give a clear answer when he was asked whether he thought the Israelis were operating within international law. Yesterday before he took off he was asked whether the Israelis had shown restraint. He didn't give a clear answer on that either.

But he did say that Israel can and should take concrete steps to limit civilian casualties. And he says that look Hamas is making this tough obviously using civilians as shields but Israel as a democracy has a responsibility to rise to this challenge.

[03:05:04] It is also a P.R. exercise that he needs to be careful with as well because, look, many countries in the Middle East, in the Arab world, already see the United States and other Western countries as going out of their way to be outraged for the brutal terrorist attack that took place in Israel, but not showing the same level of outrage necessarily when they see the level of civilian casualties it with on the Palestinian side and so privately American officials have been telling Israel look this operation in Gaza it has a limited time frame before the outrage over the civilian casualties reaches a tipping point. Kim.

BRUNHUBER: Absolutely right. Alright, Scott McLean in London, thanks so much

We'll go now to CNN's Salma Abdelaziz who reports on the third straight day of airstrikes on the bombed and battered Jabalia refugee camp and we just want to warn you, images in this report are graphic.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SALMA ABDELAZIZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The victims of Jabalia victimized yet again.

Some of the survivors of Israel's bombardment took shelter here, a U.N. school, only to be cut down.

Desperate moments after an Israeli strike nearby, shown on social media.

This is one of four schools in Gaza impacted by strikes in a 24-hour period, the U.N. said, in total, housing some 20,000 displaced people. Many of them frightened young children.

What did we do? This boy cries. We did nothing wrong.

The living conditions in these shelters are unbearable. But families come here for safety. That too is gone.

Bring me my son! Bring me my son! This father screams. It's unclear if his child is dead or alive.

Three straight days of airstrikes in Jabalia have wrought horror and bloodshed. CNN has reached out to the IDF for comment on the latest attacks.

Israel says it is targeting Hamas infrastructure in this densely populated residential area. And says it killed a senior Hamas commander with its strike on Tuesday.

But with scores of civilians believed killed, the U.N. Human Rights Council warns what you see here are disproportionate attacks that could amount to a war crime. Gazans don't understand why the world can't stop this.

We keep pulling out bodies. small children, women. It is a catastrophe. This man says if the countries of the world had any shame we wouldn't be in this situation. And more suffering is all but certain. Israeli troops are inching

closer and as ground forces backed by near constant air raids move towards central Gaza, the lives of hundreds of thousands of civilians hang in the balance.

The IDF has warned all residents in the north of the strip to leave, an order deemed inhumane and impossible by the United Nations. So many remain in the crossfire.

Where's the world? This woman screams. Our children are being torn up before our eyes.

And with the death toll mounting, pressure is growing on the U.S. and Israel to stem the violence.

Salma Abdelaziz, CNN, London.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

It's believed Hamas is still holding more than 200 hostages in Gaza. Countries around the world are trying to get them out as they also work to free foreigners trapped in Gaza. While the Israeli military has overwhelming firepower, Hamas has spent years digging a complicated system of underground tunnels allowing Hamas fighters to strike and then disappear without warning. We'll have a look inside next. Stay with us.

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[03:10:00]

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BRUNHUBER: Almost four weeks ago, Hamas carried out a deadly terror attack in Gaza, leaving entire communities devastated. The Israel Defense Forces believe 242 hostages are still being held. In addition, about 6,000 American and other foreign nationals are trying to get out of Gaza. An American pediatrician who'd been trapped is now safe in Egypt. She says she spent more than two weeks in a parking lot and was trying to run out of food and water. Here she is.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DR. BARBARA ZIND, PEDIATRICIAN WHO GOT OUT OF GAZA: In the beginning, we were in Gaza City and we were told to move south. There were going to be intensive bombing in Gaza City and there was. That's when I had that initial interview. And, but moving south, there was still a lot of bombing. And so there was, there's really no safe place for the Gazan people.

So when we went to the U.N. facility, all the Gazans who were trying to go south, the first place usually, they usually would seek refugees, the U.N. schools, which were already full. So you had 1 million people and we were going to U.N. facilities that were not camps. They were vocational schools and storage centers. And so the toilets for those people, the water for those people was

not inadequate for the tens of thousands of people who showed up. We ended up for about two and a half weeks in basically a parking lot that was wardened off from the rest of the people in the -- the rest of the Gazans were staying there. And we were relatively lucky, We're running out of food and water also.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BRUNHUBER: Another American Ramona Okumura crossed into Egypt Wednesday. Her brother says he's satisfied knowing she's safe. Here it is.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MILES OKUMURA, SISTER GOT OUT OF GAZA: I had a broad smile on my face and I really exhale those precious words. You know when she said we're on the move, I knew I had confidence that their group wasn't not going to move towards the border unless they had gotten some very clear and believable messages from the State Department as well as the powers that be.

[03:15:03]

So when she said she was on the move that's when I started really feeling happy and then when I read the text message that she was across the border and into Egypt and on her way to Cairo that I was really happy then. I mean I was satisfied then that I knew it was over in terms of the ordeal of being trapped in Gaza.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BRUNHUBER: And joining me now from Oslo, Norway is Joost Hiltermann, the International Crisis Group's program director for the Middle East and North Africa. Thanks so much for being here with us. So when we're talking to the hostages, many countries have been working furiously to get the hostages released. Explain how complicated negotiations are when some of the countries can't talk directly to Hamas. Explain who's involved and what the role might be.

JOOST HILTERMANN, PROGRAM DIRECTOR FOR MENA, INTERNATIONAL CRISIS GROUP: Well, on the Israeli side, of course, Israel cannot talk or doesn't want to talk to Hamas. And understandable, maybe under the circumstances, the United States doesn't talk to Hamas. But there are countries that can. Egypt, the border country, which doesn't have a good relationship with Hamas but can talk to it and has in the past mediated between Hamas and Israel, but especially Qatar and maybe also Turkey.

Those are the countries that have long standing relationships with at least the political leadership of Hamas the political leadership is currently in exile is currently based in Qatar so they can talk to Hamas. And Qatar also has a good relationship with or workable relationship with Israel. So it is actually ideally placed to mediate over hostages' releases. BRUNHUBER: But I spoke to a former Israeli ambassador to the U.S. the

other day and he dismissed Qatar as an honest broker saying that they were just a mouthpiece for Hamas. Is that accurate at all?

HILTERMANN: Well, he is contradicted by the National Security Advisor of Israel, who thanked Qatar for his help. The head of the Israeli intelligence service, the Mossad, goes to Qatar regularly now to work with the Qataris in order to effect the release of the hostages. So I wouldn't take those particular words very seriously, frankly.

BRUNHUBER: Of course, all of the families watching will hope that their relatives will be released. But U.S. officials have expressed doubt about how serious Hamas is about negotiating. Do you share that view?

HILTERMANN: Well, you know, hostage release negotiations can drag on for a long time. You've seen it in many places in the world. And this case is no different.

So I think it's all about the exact quid pro quo that is being discussed. The situation in Gaza is very difficult at the moment for any safe releases. So, and there are several actors involved. So it's all very complex, but there clearly is a will to move forward with it. So that's the one straw of hope that I can grab onto.

BRUNHUBER: Yeah, the quid pro quo being that Israel would release, you know, thousands potentially of Palestinian prisoners that they have. Now we've seen more success in negotiations to allow foreign nationals and injured civilians out of Gaza through Egypt. Is that reason for optimism or are the circumstances just too different to compare the two?

HILTERMANN: Well Hamas has a number of people of course captive. It has civilians, hostages, it has also Israeli soldiers and it's going to give them different grades in a way or so it may want to release for humanitarian reasons. It may claim certain civilian hostages first, maybe children, the elderly, and then move that way in exchange for also Palestinians in Israeli jails, either convicted or not convicted, because many are not going through trial at all, are held administratively, who are also most in need because of their health situation or their age.

So, you know, that is what is being discussed. And I don't expect, you know, a deal where everybody is released in exchange for everybody else. No, it's going to be incremental.

BRUNHUBER: And the Israeli position on expanding the ground operation is that will put more pressure on Hamas and that will incentivize them to cut a deal and free the hostages or at least some of them. Does this argument have merit, do you think?

HILTERMANN: I don't think. I could be wrong, but I don't think Hamas is going to release hostages because it feels under pressure from the Israeli ground offensive. I think the Israeli ground offensive may end up rescuing some of the hostages as they make headway into the Gaza Strip and into the tunnels network. I'm not sure, and I'm certainly not a military expert. But I think the only way the hostages will be released in numbers is through negotiations.

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BRUNHUBER: All right, we'll have to leave it there. I certainly hope that does happen. Joost Hiltermann, thank you so much for joining us. I Really appreciate it.

HILTERMANN: Thank you.

BRUNHUBER: Alright. Well, it's been 17 years since Hamas took control of Gaza and Israeli officials say the militant group has spent that time building rockets, training for war and digging a complicated network of tunnels beneath the territory and for Israeli ground troops who are now said to have surrounded Gaza City. New propaganda video from Hamas reveals the dangers they could be facing.

Our Ed Lavandera has details.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ED LAVANDERA, CNN SR. U.S. NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The Hamas propaganda video shows its fighters emerge from underground tunnels in what appears to be the Northern outskirts of the most populated areas of Gaza.

Hiding in the terrain, the Hamas soldiers fire away at Israeli units advancing into Gaza.

One video shows a Hamas soldier stalking an Israeli tank running up next to it and placing an explosive device on the machinery, then running away. Seconds later, the device detonates. The Hamas fighter then disappears into the ground through a trapdoor.

A political leader of Hamas spoke this week about the tunnel's vital role in the Hamas military strategy.

We have built the tunnels, he says, because we have no other way of protecting ourselves from being targeted and killed. These tunnels, he says, are meant to protect us from the airplanes we are fighting from inside the tunnels.

While Israel has unleashed thousands of airstrikes across Gaza since October 7th, Hamas is also trying to show off its air strike capabilities. It released this video of a munitions strike dropped from a drone over Israeli soldiers. It's not clear how many casualties it inflicted on the Israel Defense Force. Several soldiers can be seen running away from the site.

The Israel Defense Forces released this Hamas propaganda video, which captures the elaborate maze of tunnels. which stretch for dozens of miles underneath Gaza. The militant organization uses the tunnels to store weapons and to launch airstrikes toward Israel.

Veteran Israeli journalist Shlomi Eldar has reported on Hamas for decades. He says the underground tunnels are known as the Gaza Metro. SHLOMI ELDAR, ISRAELI JOURNALIST: They are hiding there. They spend

billions of dollars. They build houses, tunnels, path, and venue. It's a project. It's a huge project.

LAVANDERA (voice-over): Israel says dismantling the tunnels is the only way to dismantle Hamas.

Ed Lavendera, CNN, Tel Aviv, Israel.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BRUNHUBER: Funding for Israel may be in danger on Capitol Hill, coming up, why Democrats in the U.S. Senate and the White House are threatening to block the funds. Stay with us.

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[03:25:00]

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BRUNHUBER: And welcome back to our coverage of the Israel-Hamas war. I'm Kim Brunhuber.

The U.S. House of Representatives has multi-billion-dollar standalone aid bills for Israel, but the Senate is refusing to take it up, and the White House is threatening a veto. CNN's Melanie Zanona reports from the Capitol.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MELANIE ZANONA, CNN CAPITOL HILL REPORTER: Well, the House passed a $14 billion aid package for Israel, but they passed it mostly along party lines. The final vote tally was 12 Democrats voted in support of the bill and two Republicans voted against it.

So really an example here of how partisan, even a nonpartisan issue has become here in Washington. And the reason why Democrats were against this bill is because of the new speaker, Mike Johnson, and the way he decided to put this bill together. First of all, he decided to exclude Ukraine money. That's something that has been a priority for the White House, but it has become divisive in the House Republican Conference.

And second of all, Johnson decided to include partisan cuts to the IRS as part of his package. He wanted to pay for this measure. He didn't want just a straightforward emergency supplemental, which is really unusual. Typically, those types of bills are not conditioned upon anything. So that is one of the reasons why the White House has issued a veto threat for this bill. But it's going nowhere in the Democratic- controlled Senate.

And one Democrat, Jared Moskowitz, who did vote in support of that bill in the House, even he was unhappy with how it all came together.

REP. JARED MOSKOWITZ (D-FL): I'm willing to give anybody the benefit of the doubt when they come into a leadership position, but this was it. This was his first full week, first big vote, national security issue for the American people, a national security issue for Israel, our number one ally, and he played politics for it so that he could send out a political mailer.

ZANONA: So the House and Senate really on a collision course here, and meanwhile, the prospects for Ukraine funding are also very much in doubt. Speaker Mike Johnson has said that he would try to pass a Ukraine aid package at some point in the near future, but only if it includes stricter border security measures, something that is sure to set up a fight with Democrats. And so at this moment, just really uncertain how this is all going to play out.

Melanie Zanona, CNN, Capitol Hill.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BRUNHUBER: And joining me now is Natasha Lindstedt, professor of government at the University of Essex, and she's in Colchester, England. Thanks so much for being here with us again. So just on that last question we heard there, how this will all play out. First, you know, both parties say they want to pass aid to Israel. So what happens now?

[03:30:00]

NATASHA LINDSTAEDT, PROFESSOR OF GOVERNMENT, UNIVERSITY OF ESSEX: I mean, that's a great question. I mean, there appears to be actually disarray in the House, though it narrowly passed. Normally, a bill in support of an ally and we'd have overwhelming support we have bipartisan support instead as the report mentioned, Mike Johnson timing it to spending cuts to the IRS in the name of fiscal responsibility that the very agency that's going to help collect taxes and help improve the budget deficit instead we're gonna see according to congressional budget office it could lead to a 12.5 billion addition to the deficit.

So this is very short sighted upon the Republicans in the House and he's trying to appease the extreme-right in the House that is very short sighted among things. And you can see that the Senate will try to come up with their own package now here you have a little bit more alignment between Mitch McConnell on the Republican side and Chuck Schumer on the Democratic side that they both agree that aid is needed in Ukraine. Ukraine is facing a winter, they're in the middle of a stalemate, they're going to need more sophisticated weapons, munitions, artillery, and the like.

And so you will see some sort of package put forward to offer Ukraine aid and Israeli -- and aid to Israel at the same time. And that is typically what is done. You normally don't tie aid to conditions. And this sends a really terrible message to our allies that you're going to have foreign aid tied to some sort of extreme ideological agenda, which could put that aid in jeopardy.

KIM BRUNHUBER, CNN ANCHOR: Yeah, and I want to explore what this means for not only America's allies, but their enemies as well. But I just want to go back to something you said and sort of delve into that a bit more. The decision by Speaker Mike Johnson to tie it with cuts to the IRS and what it says about how the GOP will function under his leadership going forward? And what you said there about how much power the extreme right-wing of the party will hold going forward? I mean, it doesn't seem like it seems like he'll be held hostage just the way McCarthy was.

LINDSTAEDT: He clearly is being held hostage, or maybe that's just what his agenda is. To focus on these very short-sighted policies, to play some sort of gamesmanship, some kind of game of chicken, so engaging in these types of ploys.

I mean, that's not the way foreign aid usually is allotted. It's normally something that receives overwhelming support because you have an ally in crisis I guess in this case referring to Israel which is a long-standing U.S. ally and also Ukraine which is getting key country fighting against Russian aggression which it, you know, affects U.S. security as well.

We're seeing polarization affecting U.S. politics but also the disarray in the Republican party that they're placating elements of the Republican party that don't seem to understand the way international relations work, the way alliances work. And this is going to have detrimental consequences for our alliances.

BRUNHUBER: Well, let me ask you about that then. The world is watching as this divided superpower struggling to help its allies because it's paralyzed by political dysfunction, as you said out there. And those other countries, China, Russia, hoping to capitalize.

LINDSTAEDT: I mean, definitely. The big winners in this recent Israeli-Gaza conflict are, of course, Russia and Iran. So Russia is eyeing what the U.S. is going to be doing. Of course, it's going to be eyeing the 2024 election. And it's looking to see, you know, what a motivation the U.S. has to continue to support both countries, to support Israel and Ukraine. And it's banking on this idea that, you know, the U.S. no longer wants to support the war in Ukraine, that it doesn't think that it has the capacity to do so, or that it doesn't think it should. So this is going to embolden the Russians.

But of course, it's also going to embolden countries like Iran that are seeing, you know, the U.S. waffling and allowing polarization and politics to get in the way of providing aid to one of its longstanding allies. And what we see with Iran, as it grows bolder, then its proxies start to engage in more dangerous behavior, like the Houthi rebels based in Yemen shooting missiles at Israel. We're gonna see more of these types of actions by Iran-supported proxies that, of course, creates more danger and insecurity in the region.

BRUNHUBER: All right, appreciate your analysis as always. Natasha Lindstedt, thank you so much.

LINDSTAEDT: Thanks for having me.

BRUNHUBER: All right. Well, for some relatives of those held hostage by Hamas, they say no news is good news. Ahead, we'll talk to three Israelis desperate just to talk to their family again. Stay with us.

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[03:35:00]

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BRUNHUBER: Israel says its latest offensive in Gaza is putting pressure on Hamas to release its hostages. The military believes 242 people are still being held since the deadly October 7th attack. An Israeli spokesperson says they're on a mission to get everyone returned home. Listen to this.

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EYLON LEVY, ISRAELI GOVERNMENT SPOKESPERSON: Our assessment is that the current ground operation is advancing the conditions to help free our hostages. We've already seen four hostages released under heavy international pressure. We're calling on more international pressure to release the rest of them immediately and unconditionally, but Hamas isn't suddenly going to develop a humanitarian backbone and release the children it abducted out of the kindness of its own heart.

We're moving in, in order to physically free the hostages and put that pressure on Hamas to release them immediately and unconditionally. And the United States has been very clear that there's no excuse for abducting children and innocent people like that from their beds and holding them hostage in the Gaza Strip.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

[03:40:04]

BRUNHUBER: For families of the hostages, it's been nearly a month of desperation. Lynda Kinkade sat down with three Israelis who, between them, had more than a dozen family members abducted. They say they're a peaceful people who only want their relatives back.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

LYNDA KINKADE, CNN ANCHOR: Thank you so much for joining us. I'm so sorry for what you're dealing with. All nine family members were taken by Hamas. Two have been released. Three killed. How, how are you coping?

OR SELLA, RELATIVES HELD HOSTAGE BY HAMAS: You know, coping is a really big word. I think each and every day I wake up and I just start doing everything I can, everything in my power to try to bring them back in any means necessary.

KINKADE: Two of your family members were released, Judith and her teenage daughter, Natalie Renan. Describe the moment when you saw those two family members walk across the border from Gaza.

SELLA: They've been through hell. They got back in the same clothes that they were kidnapped in. We were relieved by their release and thankful for the American administration and President Joe Biden for the efforts to bring them back. It gave us a lot of hope for returning the other family members and all the other hostages.

KINKADE: Have they spoken to you about those weeks in captivity?

SELLA: We spoke a lot what has been said in these conversations are between us. We're just happy to have them back and with that we don't have the privilege to celebrate as well as the privilege to mourn our dead family members which was buried through these days.

I can't allow myself to really open myself to feel something because it can break me down and I really need to keep going every second until they are all back.

KINKADE: Of all the family members that have been taken hostage by Hamas, the youngest is just three years old. What are your hopes for the coming days, the coming weeks, in terms of getting news of your loved ones?

SELLA: When you see the innocence of someone who has her, literally her whole life ahead of her, and then you try to imagine where she is now, under a tunnel, at gunpoint, she's three years old, we are at a point that any -- any news is good news. We hope for any sign of life.

KINKADE: Shani, your cousin, Raymond, and her husband, Yagiv, were captured by Hamas. What do you know about what happened to them?

SHANI SEGAL, RELATIVES HELD HOSTAGE BY HAMAS: My cousin got into a safe room, and at 7 in the morning, she started to say that she sees terrorists outside of her window. The kibbutz is built line by line. The houses are line by line. So she saw them moving line by line using explosives. Yelling shooting so at 8:25 in the morning. She texted her mom and said mom they're shooting at us.

The window is shattered she then left her mom a voice message at her 8:30 in the morning She told her that she loves her, she loves her dearly, and she's sorry she's not there with her. And that was it. And at 3:30, when the army reigned control on the kibbutz, they found the house, glass shattered, bullet holes, signs of struggle, some blood, and they were gone.

KINKADE: And Shani, Hamas has released a video of your cousin pleading for a ceasefire. We're not gonna show that video, but I would like to gauge your reaction upon seeing that and hearing what she said.

SEGAL: So first and foremost, thank you for not showing it. Secondly, When I saw the video, my first reaction was to smile because she's alive.

[03:45:05]

Just imagine for three weeks not knowing. Over three weeks now. Not knowing if she's alive or dead. Not knowing if she's well.

KINKADE: Several hostages have been released or rescued. Does that give you hope? SEGAL: It's a very tricky question. Because I have hope. I've had hope

for the past three and a half weeks. But we're dealing with a terror organization.

KINKADE: The Israeli prime minister has said, has rejected calls for a ceasefire, saying now is the time for war. Qatar, which is negotiating hostage releases, has said that would jeopardize our negotiations. What do you think about that risk?

SELLA: I plead and even demand that anyone who has any influence on this matter put the hostages on the first priority.

SEGAL: The community that was affected the most on October 7th was a community that fought the most for coexistence and believed in peace and did everything in their power to push for it. We are peaceful people. We want peace. We don't want revenge.

KINKADE: If I can turn to you, Ilan, your sister-in-law, Aviva, and her husband, Keith, aged in their 60s, grandparents, taken hostage by Hamas. What can you tell us about them?

ILAN FELDMAN, RELATIVES HELD HOSTAGE BY HAMAS: Aviva has dedicated her life to the kindergarten caretaker, she takes care of babies. Her life is family. My wife Sandy says all the time that if Aviva is in Gaza and if she's taking care of babies, she's going to be okay because that's her life.

Keith is just like one of these very friendly. He comes to any place he comes and says hello to everyone. He's just super friendly. Both of them are just, you know, gentle people. It's the last thing I would ever imagine, you know, for them.

KINKADE: Thank you so much for sharing your stories. And I really hope that you are reunited with your loved ones very soon.

SELLA: Thank you.

FELDMAN: Thank you for having us.

SEGAL: Thank you for having us.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BRUNHUBER: Alright. Coming up China grieving the sudden death of its former premier whom many analysts considered the last of the so-called reformists within China's political elite. Stay with us.

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[03:50:00]

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BRUNHUBER: In Philadelphia, Jewish groups along with those of other faiths could be heard chanting, Peace right now, in the city's biggest train station. Interfaith groups across the U.S. groups are calling for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza.

And in Miami, the South Florida Coalition for Palestine held a 48-hour sit-in. The organizers named the event, 48 Hours in Solidarity, in reference to the 1948 Arab-Israeli War that ultimately resulted in the creation of Israel included in a Candlelight Vigil Thursday night.

Funeral services have been held for China's former premier Li Keqiang, who served as President Xi's number two for 10 years. State media reports he died last week of a sudden heart attack. The passing of the reform-minded leader is seen as an end of an era for China's political elite. CNN's Ivan Watson has more.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

IVAN WATSON, CNN SR. INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): China's strongman leader, paying final respects to his former second-in- command.

68-year-old Li Keqiang died suddenly of a heart attack last week, only months after stepping down following a decade as China's premier.

He worked tirelessly for our country for many years, says this woman in Beijing. Deep down, we hope news of his death is false.

Li's death sparked an outpouring of grief. Seas of flowers placed around the homes and cities where Li lived and worked as he rose through the ranks of the ruling Chinese Communist Party.

But many images of public mourning are now banned on the Chinese internet. In this tightly-controlled society, grief for a former top official can become an expression of dissent.

ALFRED WU, ASSOC. PROFESSOR, LEE KUAN YEW SCHOOL OF PUBLIC POLICY: In China, there was a limited channel for expressing anger. If you try to remember the passing of a leader in China. Sometimes it could be very safe because police will not knock your door. Police will not actually harass you.

WATSON (voice-over): Li was once seen as a contender for the country's top job. Many now remember him as a symbol of what could have been.

An English-speaking bureaucrat more open to private enterprise and the outside world. In 2022, after growing government restrictions on foreign influence in business and culture, Li appeared to voice opposition.

LI KEQIANG, FORMER CHINESE PREMIER (through translator): Let me tell you explicitly, no matter how the international environment may change, China will keep to the course of wider openness. The course of Yangtze and Yellow River will never be reversed.

[03:55:03]

WATSON (voice-over): While his boss triumphantly declared China eradicated extreme poverty, Li famously reminded people that some 600 million Chinese could barely afford rent because they earned less than $140 a month.

He did a lot of good for ordinary people, says this woman in Beijing. He especially helped the working class.

With Li's passing, analysts say the last of the so-called reformists in China's political elite is now gone, highlighting the hard-line nature of the leader who still stands firmly in power.

Ivan Watson, CNN, Hong Kong.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BRUNHUBER: And that wraps this hour of our coverage. I'm Kim Brunhuber. "CNN Newsroom" with Bianca Nobilo begins right after a short break.