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Israel's Cabinet Approves Hostage Release Deal; U.N. Agency Says Almost 1.7 Million People Displaced in Gaza; Interview with U.N. Undersecretary General Martin Griffiths; Former CEO Sam Altman to Return to OpenAI; Houthi Rebels Hijack Cargo Ship Off the Coast of Yemen; Palestinian Refugees in Lebanon Watch Events in Gaza. Aired 1- 2a ET

Aired November 22, 2023 - 01:00   ET

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

[01:00:27]

PAULA NEWTON, CNN ANCHOR: Hello and welcome. I'm Paula Newton in New York with our coverage of the war between Israel and Hamas. And we begin of course with that breaking news out of Israel where the cabinet has approved a deal to release at least 50 hostages held by Hamas in Gaza.

Now, the government overwhelmingly backed the deal after a six hour long cabinet meeting that one official said grew tense, and you can imagine emotional at times. The hostages will be free -- that are to be freed or expected to be women and children. In exchange, Israel will pause its air and ground campaign against Hamas for four days. Hamas says 150 Palestinian prisoners, also women and children, will be released from Israeli jails as part of that deal.

Now, Qatar delivered the proposal following weeks of continuous negotiations, and now says the humanitarian pause will be announced within the next 24 hours. Hamas says the deal involves the entry of hundreds of trucks carrying aid, medical supplies and fuel into Gaza. And earlier the Israeli Prime Minister's Office said the deal was set to include Red Cross visits to hostages that are still being held in Gaza. The Israeli government says a detailed statement will be sent to the families of hostages who, as you can imagine, are anxiously waiting to find out if their loved ones will be among the dozens set to be released.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ANAT MOSHE SHOSHANY, GRANDMOTHER TAKEN HOSTAGE: This gives me actually so much hope, I think, and believe that every soul that we can save from there is essential for us because even if my grandmother won't be among the people, and I obviously hope she will be. But even if she's not, I just can't wait to see the picture of the children, of the innocent people going out from there after so many days.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

NEWTON: CNN's Scott McLean has been following all of these developments for us and joins us now from Istanbul. I mean, Scott, it's excruciating, right, from these families. We just heard from one of the family members. What more are you learning about this deal? And how quickly it may be implemented?

SCOTT MCLEAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes. It was obviously complicated to get done. A lot of parties involved yet the Qatari is mediating, the Israelis, Hamas obviously there along with the Egyptians and the Americans. And so to recap, 50 Israeli, women and children, are being traded in exchange for 150 primarily women and children who are held in Israeli -- Palestinian women and children who are being held in Israeli jails right now. We do not know the details of who will be exchanged on the Israeli side, on either side, frankly, but we know that the Israelis being traded are all Israeli citizens. Some of them have dual nationalities but they are all, in fact, Israelis.

Now, this truce can be extended. It is set to take place for four days on the ground while this exchange takes place. But the Israelis have said that for every 10 hostages that Hamas is willing to release, they're willing to extend the truce by one day. The Qataris again, who mediated all of this, says that the international community should seize this pause in fighting and should seize this opportunity to try to extend or to try to really find a path of diplomacy to end this war.

Obviously, the Israelis are concerned that Hamas will simply use this time to resupply, to regroup. The prime minister, though, said, look, Israel is going to do the same. He also made clear that when it's over, Israel will resume its war effort to destroy Hamas. In fact, he had to point out or he made a point of mentioning that the IDF also supports this.

And the IDF spokesperson was on CNN earlier, when he was asked about their support. Listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JONATHAN CONRICUS, IDF SPOKESPERSON: I fear that Hamas will use the pause in fighting in order to try to resupply and regroup. And, of course, we would rather continue to apply pressure on Hamas, continue to fight them and defeat them in their strongholds as we are doing in northern Gaza City. But this pause is, of course, for a very, very important cause. And that is why the IDF said clearly on record to the Israeli government that we do support it.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

[01:05:01]

MCLEAN: Now, he also said that the precise details, the logistical bits on the ground are still yet to be worked out. The Qatari say that they are now laser-focused on making sure that the terms of the deal in the logistics on the ground are, in fact, respected.

This deal, Paula, will also significantly ramp up aid for Gaza. We don't have a precise number in terms of trucks that are supposed to be allowed into Gaza under this deal. But a source had said previously, that the goal was to get 400 aid trucks in every single day. This is almost as many trucks as would go in on a normal day, when 500 trucks would go into Gaza on a daily basis.

This still had to be approved or this was approved by the Israeli cabinet. And as you mentioned earlier, it was emotional inside that room, according to a source who was there. And there were some hardline holdouts. One of them was the National Security minister, a man who actually supports the annexation of the Palestinian territories. He had met with hostage families yesterday, and he actually was one of two lawmakers who voted against this.

But there were other far right figures who actually came around. One of them is the Finance minister, who had previously expressed some reservations about the deal. He had also met with those hostage families promised that he would do everything he could to get them home. He hadn't ended up coming around and voting in favor of this.

One other thing to mention quickly, and that is that there is no shortage of Palestinian prisoners for Israel to exchange for. According to a Palestinian NGO that tracks this, it says that there are 8,300 Palestinians in Israeli prisons and jails right now. The vast majority of them are adult men. There are also 3,000 of them, they say, that are in something called administrative detention, meaning they don't actually know the charges against them. Paula?

NEWTON: Yes. Certainly a very complicated deal that's on the table right now, and so many really hanging -- as imperfect as it is, many hanging on waiting to make sure that it actually does come through. Scott McLean for us in Istanbul. Thank you so much.

Joining me now from Canberra, Australia is Malcolm Davis. He's a Senior Analyst in Defense Strategy and Capability at the Australian Strategic Policy Institute. And I want to thank you for joining us.

I mean, we've done the broad strokes on this deal but I am curious to hear from you what you make of it, especially in terms of what it means for Israel's resolve, especially its military resolve given its vowed to crush Hamas. But I do want to mention something else to you as well. CNN's reporting says that last week, Benjamin Netanyahu basically told the White House Middle East coordinator, according to our sources, he kind of grabbed him and said, look, we need this deal. What does that say to you?

MALCOLM DAVIS, SENIOR ANALYST, AUSTRALIAN STRATEGIC POLICY INSTITUTE: I think that Netanyahu realizes that if he continues with the war with the hostages are essentially at risk and those hostages are ultimately killed. Then, you know, the military benefit of destroying Hamas probably comes at two higher costs. But I do think that there's risks here.

Because on the one hand, it's very good that 50 hostages are going to be released from Hamas. Let's hope that actually does happen. But that four day ceasefire, will give Hamas time to regroup, to rearm, to redeploy their forces into better defensive positions. So it will be tougher for the Israeli Defense Forces when they go back into action to take the fight to the enemy, because Hamas had a pause to gather their capabilities and be prepared for the resumption of that fight. NEWTON: Is there any way that you believe the IDF, though, could use this to its advantage? Perhaps in ways that they'll know more about the hostages, where they are, what conditions they're being held in?

DAVIS: Well, certainly. Whilst the four day ceasefire will not see any Israeli Defense Force attacks. So there'll be no bombing, there'll be no ground force actions against the Hamas organization. Israelis are free to gather intelligence. And I think that's going to be critical because Hamas will be wanting to use this four day ceasefire, as I said, to regroup and rearm, and so potentially reposition. And that will give the Israeli intelligence capabilities, a golden opportunity to gather intelligence to try and listen in on any radio communications that Hamas make to watch their movements, to identify and locate Hamas fighting forces.

So I think there are benefits in that regard in terms of the Israelis gaining better tactical situational awareness of the battlefield once that four day ceasefire ends. If it ever extends a day or so, because additional hostages or at least the same occurs. But the risk of course is that Hamas will also benefit from it tactically.

[01:10:08]

NEWTON: Malcolm, can you explain a comment that you're making, which is that you argue this deal sets a precedent that Israel will not be able to ignore? What do you mean by that?

DAVIS: Well, essentially what it means is now that you've had a four day ceasefire and you've had an exchange of hostages, the pressure will be on the Israelis to do the same thing again, to exchange more hostages for another four day ceasefire, and another four day ceasefire further down the track. Hamas probably got I think it was 253 hostages, so they can only do this a few times.

But I think there will be real pressure on the Israelis from the international community to basically say, look, you've had a four day ceasefire, why can't you do a two weeks ceasefire, or a one month ceasefire. And in the end, what happens is that the Israelis are put in a quandary because they're being told they have to give a ceasefire when they haven't actually achieved their goals of destroying Hamas, destroying the leadership and making sure that Hamas can never threaten Israel.

So there is a risk there at the strategic level, that Israel in agreeing to this. And I know Netanyahu has comment about needing the ceasefire. But in agreeing to this, the longer term risk at the strategic level is that Israel will not be able to achieve its goals down the track.

NEWTON: Yes. And it is interesting if you read into their comments as well. The Israeli government has been saying for weeks that in fact, it would be hitting Hamas hard that would get a deal. Many people are doubting at this hour.

Malcolm Davis for us. We'll leave it there for now but appreciate your insights. DAVIS: Thank you.

NEWTON: Now, US officials meantime say three Americans could be released as part of this Israel Hamas deal. Ten Americans are still unaccounted for in Gaza, that includes two women and a three-year-old girl. US President Joe Biden issued a statement Tuesday night, saying he welcomed the deal to secure the release of the hostages.

He also said, "Jill and I have been keeping all those held hostage and their loved ones close to our hearts these many weeks, and I am extraordinarily gratified that some of those brave souls, who have endured weeks of captivity and unspeakable ordeal, will be reunited with their families once this deal is fully implemented." OK.

Just ahead for us, freedom awaits for dozens of hostages held by Hamas as well as hundreds of Palestinians in Israeli jails. We'll have details on the timing next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[01:16:22]

NEWTON: More now on our top story. Israel's cabinet has approved a deal for the release of hostages kidnapped by Hamas in exchange for a pause and fighting in Gaza. Now, the agreement would see the release of at least 50 hostages, women and children in exchange for a foreign a truce. There's also the potential for the deal to be extended with an extra day added for each additional 10 hostages available for release.

Now, Hamas said misstatement which they subsequently took down that 150 Palestinian prisoners being held in Israeli jails would also be freed. Hamas says those prisoners will be women and children.

So, what are the next steps in this complicated and very sensitive deal? CNN put the question to Axios' Political and Foreign Policy Reporter Barak Ravid. Listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BARAK RAVID, POLITICAL AND FOREIGN POLICY REPORTER, AXIOS: The Israeli government needs to publish the list of Palestinian prisoners to be released. It needs to be published online so the people could go online, see the names and appeal to court if they feel that they have been harmed from this release. So this gives 24 hours for that process.

So I think that -- and that's what I hear from many Israeli officials. We are looking at Thursday, sometime during Thursday that this release on, you know, of the hostages and of the prisoners. And the pause we'll start. What I hear from Israeli officials is that the pause will start, the pause and fighting will start when the first child crosses the border back to Israel.

(END VIDEO CLIP) NEWTON: So you've heard from him about how sensitive the timing is. Now, Israel is also holding more than 8,000 Palestinians in Israeli jails, including many who say they don't even know the charges against them. That's according to the non-governmental organization, the Palestinian Prisoners Club. CNN's Alex Marquardt now has details on their chances of freedom.

ALEX MARQUARDT, CNN CORRESPONDENT: As part of the deal struck to release hostages held by Hamas, Israel has also agreed to release Palestinian prisoners that they're holding specifically three Palestinian prisoners for every hostage released by Hamas. So, if the deal goes according to plan and the first phase of 50 hostages are released over a four day period, 150 Palestinians will then be set free.

In both of these groups, it would only be women and children. There is no discussion right now of men. And so, if more hostages are released beyond that initial 50, and a pause in the fighting continues, then more Palestinian prisoners could also be expected to be exchanged.

Now, where those Palestinian prisoners would go, whether it's the West Bank or Gaza, or elsewhere, is unclear. All told Israel has around 8,300 Palestinian prisoners in their prisons, around 3,000 of them are in what's known as administrative detention. Meaning they're being held without trial and don't know the charges they're facing. They can be held for months or even years.

Now just over 460 of those Palestinian prisoners are women and teenagers under 18. And it's from that group that we are expecting the women and children to be traded for the hostages. Alex Marquardt, CNN, Washington.

NEWTON: OK. Our breaking news coverage of the hostage release agreement continues in a moment. Plus, a UN aid official says the war in Gaza has caused the worst humanitarian crisis he has ever seen. Our Christiane Amanpour has an in depth interview with the UN aid chief.

[01:20:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

NEWTON: And welcome back. You are watching CNN Newsroom. I'm Paula Newton in New York.

Israel's cabinet has approved a deal to secure the release of dozens of women and children that Hamas holding hostage in Gaza. Now in exchange Israel has agreed to a temporary truce in its air and ground campaign against Hamas. More details now from CNN Matthew Chance reporting from Tel Aviv.

CHANCE: Well, more than 50 hostages held in Gaza could be freed over the coming days after the Israeli cabinet approved that controversial deal to pause its military operations against Hamas and to release some Palestinian prisoners held in Israeli jails. An Israeli government statement said it approved at a pause in the fighting for four days, during which hostages women and children will be released. The statement added the release of every additional 10 hostages would results in an additional days pause.

It's the first time that Israel as agreed to ease its deadly assault on Gaza which is estimated to have killed nearly 13,000 Palestinians since military operations there began following the October 7th Hamas attacks, during which more than 1,200 Israeli were killed and nearly 240 were abducted.

[01:25:13]

Israel insists it will resume military operations to destroy Hamas after the hostages are released. Hamas says Israel has agreed to release 150 Palestinian prisoners as part of the hostage deal and to allow hundreds of trucks carrying relief, medical supplies and fuel into the Gaza Strip.

In a six hour cabinet meeting to debate the deal, Israeli ministers voiced concern that a pause in the fighting would allow Hamas to regroup and prevent Israeli forces from achieving their goal of destroying Hamas. But Israeli government source told CNN that the deal was eventually approved by a significant majority. Matthew Chance, CNN, Tel Aviv.

NEWTON: Qatar, who -- which played a key role in brokering the deal between Israel and Hamas, announced the two sides have reached an agreement for a humanitarian pause. Now that pause will allow for "relief aid including fuel designated for humanitarian needs." Hamas says hundreds of trucks carrying aid relief, medical supplies and fuel to all parts of Gaza are expected to enter that enclave as soon as that agreement falls into place. Now, Qatar also commended Egypt and the US for helping get the deal over the finish line.

Meantime, a veteran United Nations aid chief calls the humanitarian crisis in Gaza, the worst ever that he's seen. CNN's Christiane Amanpour sat down for a wide ranging interview with Martin Griffiths, the UN Undersecretary General for Humanitarian Affairs, and here it is.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MARTIN GRIFFITHS, UN UNDERSECRETARY GENERAL FOR HUMANITARIAN AFFAIRS: As you know, we've called for an immediate ceasefire, which is a long term stopping of the fighting. But that doesn't mean to say that we wouldn't grab the opportunity of any time when the fighting stops to get much more aid in. So I hope this works for the sake of the hostages first and their families. But also, because I think it'll give us a chance to do our job in Gaza.

CHRISTIANE AMANPOUR, CNN ANCHOR: So you have been, you know, on the front line of this since the beginning. But you've also been UN special envoy and advisor to many, many, many issues. Yemen, Syria, you've been in UNICEF, you've been doing this for a long time, head of relief operations, NGOs, the whole lot. Have you ever seen anything like this? Well, how do you assess what's happening right now in terms of humanitarian needs in Gaza?

GRIFFITHS: The worst ever, Christiane, and I don't say that lightly. I mean, I started off in my 20s dealing with the Khmer Rouge. And you remember how bad that was, the killing fields and so forth. But 68% of the people killed in Gaza are women and children. They stopped counting the numbers of children killed after thousand had been counted.

Nobody goes to school in Gaza. Nobody knows what their future is. Hospitals have become place of war, not of curing. Now, I don't think I've seen anything like this before. It's complete and utter carnage.

GRIFFITHS: Whatever it is, as you know, the Israeli say 1,200 of their people were slaughtered on October 7th and as we know, around 240 hostages were taken, including babies, old people, infirm, et cetera. The Palestinian authorities say that 12,000 plus people have been killed in Gaza.

We believe you've said 68% are women and children. There must be a combination of civilians and I suppose combatants. But how do you analyze the pushback from the Israeli sometimes even the Americans that we can't even trust these numbers? How long have you been relying on Palestinian Ministry of Health numbers? How accurate have they been over the years and now we're having to say, you know, Hamas run or authorities in Ramallah. Can you break all that down for us?

GRIFFITHS: Yes. UNRWA, which has been there for these many, many decades, as you know, running these institutions, helping other institutions to function. They -- and we in my office have indeed been using the statistics provider, for example, for the Ministry of Health in Gaza, and have triangulated them over the years to make sure that we feel confident about them.

[01:29:45]

So we have a long history. We don't put these figures out without thought. And I think people can trust us, enough to know that when we say these things, it's pretty likely to be close to the truth.

And frankly, the extent of it, the numbers are so awful that it's kind of academic wondering whether there is a few thousand here or there. The fact that there are more children killed in this conflict than in any other that we can think of ever, as my secretary general has said, we don't need to worry about whether there is 100 more or 100 less except if you're in the hundred. You just have to recognize, this is as bad as it gets.

CHRISTIANE AMANPOUR, CNN CHIEF INTERNATIONAL ANCHOR: So Martin Griffiths, with all your experience, why do you think the Israelis, the spokespeople, the government, people who speak on behalf of them, are so fixated on the fact that we shouldn't believe these figures this time? I've never seen it before.

GRIFFITHS: Well, you are much more familiar than I am, Christiane. So I think that's very interesting you should say that.

I think it's because, first of all, that October the 7th was an absolute horrific nightmare. I'm among those people who've seen the compilation videos of what happened on those days and the trauma it clearly and understandably has caused to many, many families in Israel.

Number two, the numbers -- 11,000, 13,000, whatever it is in Gaza -- killed. The numbers displaced -- four out of five people alive in Gaza, displaced. 1.6 million people no longer at their homes.

Of course, you can understand why Israel would challenge these figures, because they are so horrific and they have led to such a global reaction. Gaza is a global crisis, as you know. It's not just a crisis about Gaza.

It's a crisis about humanity. It's a crisis which affects politicians across the world. It's a crisis which brings people out into the streets in great numbers. And it's a crisis which destroys our faith built up over many decades that war should not be the first option.

And I'm terrified to see that in this case, that's not true. War has become the option of the day. And the suffering that comes from it is astronomical.

AMANPOUR: You mentioned your secretary general, who called the deaths in Gaza, I believe he used the words "unparalleled" and "unprecedented". You are also, you know, again, the front line of some kind of global attempt to alleviate suffering and relief wherever it happens. And generally, you're also part of peacekeeping missions.

Obviously, that's not the case here. I ask you two questions. One, the Secretary General has said he does not believe that U.N. Blue Helmets should be part of a post war peacekeeping or protectorate or any of that kind of stuff. People are already talking about the post-war.

Why do you think he's saying that? Why not the U.N.?

GRIFFITHS: Well, I think he's saying that in order to not to project the idea that the U.N. is easily capable of finding a quick solution to the very, very real problem, which is, what is going to happen in Gaza to Gazans after this war has, I hope ended.

It is good, I think, that he's beginning to talk about this subject. The more that people discuss what needs to happen after the war, the better. But there is no question. There needs to be an answer to the question about how Palestinian -- Palestine is to be administered. \

And more importantly what about that two-state solution that's been put on the backburner for all these years? Is that now actually going to get the attention that it deserves as the result of the killings of these innocent civilians? Gosh, I hope that at least we could hope for.

So, I'm not surprised he hasn't offered a sort of golden bullet to solve this problem. But I think he's right to point out, we have a problem ahead and we need to discuss it.

AMANPOUR: Does it also go to the fact that, for whatever reason, the Israelis just don't trust you, just don't like him. You remember the foreign minister Eli Cohen called on Guterres to resign at the beginning of this for one of the things he said. How difficult is it for you to operate in a humanitarian field when

one of the participants just doesn't trust you?

[01:34:57]

GRIFFITHS: Well, we negotiate daily and nightly with the Israelis. I was there recently. They did grant me a visa. And I went there and met with them.

And I met the president, for example, as well as the representative of the foreign ministry. We do negotiate with the Israelis daily, as well as with the Egyptians.

All of these agreements about the amount of fuel, the number of trucks, the opening of new crossings or not, as the case may be, they all come out of negotiations with Israel.

So it's not as if we are not negotiating with the Israelis. But it is also the case that we cannot be silent when either from Israel or from Hamas or from any other party. When there is a breach of international humanitarian law, we have an obligation to speak out for it. Of course we do. Of course we must. And we do it everywhere.

And we get blamed everywhere for saying these things. And nowhere, perhaps, more so than Israel.

But we also provide, and I was very struck by this when I was there in Israel, we provide the opportunity, the last chance, perhaps, of some kind of help for the people of Gaza and thus give them a modicum, a sliver, of hope for the future. And that is in Israel's interests, as well.

AMANPOUR: So what do you think is going to happen? Because Israel has already said, all those people that it shunted down towards the south, they say they are going to conduct ground operations or other operations in the south and that now all these people have to evacuate again. Are you being in the discussions on that? How is that going to transpire?

GRIFFITHS: We're not in the discussions about the Israeli war plans, no. And I would be delighted to know more about their war plans. But it seems certain to push the people south.

We have a plan, I have spoken to the general assembly about the elements of what that plan should look like. For how to manage to receive help -- provide aid to the people as they are forced out of their homes in the north.

Hopefully, with this potential pause, they may be able to go back home to the north and we might be able to go back home to the north, we may be able to go back to the north also to repair facilities.

But if what we have been very clear about, and I hope successfully, is to oppose any notion of pushing the people into what was called a safe zone -- nothing safe about the safe zone. The containment zone, which is at one point, the Israeli Defense Forces thought could be the solution to forcing the people south in Gaza, down to the southwest.

We have some experience in the U.N., Christiane. You know it firsthand in so-called safe zones. We know how that doesn't work. And we know it won't work here. And I'm glad to see it's been taken off the agenda.

We have a plan to repurpose schools, to identify distribution points, to use the confliction (ph) to engage with the thousands of U.N. staff still working day in and day out in Gaza.

UNRWA for example has 5,000 staff still working in Gaza. It's extraordinary given the cost to its own people, over 100 dead and their families.

So we have a plan, how to receive these unfortunate people who will be further pushed out to the south. What's going to happen is, they're going to be crushed into this tiny area of southern Gaza.

Gaza already the densest population in the world. They are probably going to try to push across the border. Egypt won't like that. People need to think two steps ahead, instead of only one step ahead, which seems to be the case at the moment.

AMANPOUR: To further this point, because this may be the next point, you might not be in the war plans, but it's been publicly announced that they want them to move away from the south because they want to go hunt Hamas in the south now. So you say, returned to the north, to their homes? Well, where?

GRIFFITHS: Where is a really good question. All I'm saying is that they should have the freedom. Indeed under international humanitarian law they do have the freedom to return to where they used to live, to find assets which may still be there and so forth.

But I agree with you. The reality is, and we see it every day on the screen, thanks to you and your colleagues, that the north is an area of desolation.

[01:39:51]

GRIFFITHS: We fear terribly about this being repeated in the south. But we're there to try to provide those who will be in the south, as well as those who are still in the north, by the way, still operating up there with difficulty with the minimum amount of aid and sustenance.

We need that fuel so that water can happen. We need hospitals to be places that people are cured, not shot at.

We need schools, God -- schools to be opened. Wouldn't that be a marvelous thing? But we need to be prepared for the major humanitarian operation in the south and we need to grab every moment of any pause that comes our way.

AMANPOUR: Martin Griffiths, Undersecretary General, thank you so much indeed for joining us.

GRIFFITHS: Thanks, Christiane. Thanks very much, indeed.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

PAULA NEWTON, CNN ANCHOR: And breaking news just in to CNN from the tech world. OpenAI co-founder Sam Altman is returning to the company as CEO less than a week after being fired by the board of directors. Now, the company behind ChatGPT posted on X that it has reached an agreement with Altman will be adding new members to its board.

Microsoft hired Altman to run a new artificial intelligence group on Monday. He says he's looking forward to returning to OpenAI and building on his relationship with Microsoft.

And we will have more on that story and much more news when we return.

[01:41:30]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

NEWTON: The White House announced Tuesday it is reviewing potential terrorist designations for Yemen's Houthi rebels. Now the move is in response to the Iran-backed militia's hijacking of a cargo ship in the Red Sea.

CNN's Scott McLean has our report.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SCOTT MCLEAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: This is video showing a helicopter belonging to Houthi rebels approaching a cargo ship in the Red Sea, Yemeni and Palestinian flags front and center.

After the aircraft lands on top of the massive vessel, gunmen dressed in black with beige flap jackets it's fan out and find cover as the helicopter takes off. It may look like a high-speed training exercise but when the gunman entered the ships bridge, it becomes all too real as terrified crewmembers quickly surrender.

Later, inside the ship, a gunman waving a pistol yells, "Allahu Akbar, death to the jews, death to Israel."

The Houthis are an Iranian-backed Shia political and military group that's been fighting a civil war in Yemen against forces backed by Saudi Arabia. But lately, fighting has slowed to a simmer.

Since the war began in Gaza, the group has repeatedly launched missiles toward Israel -- all have been intercepted. The video was shot and released by the Houthi militants themselves. Clearly intending to send a message to any ships linked to Israel.

YAHYA SAREA, HOUTHI MILITARY SPOKESMAN (through translator): They will become legitimate targets for the armed forces and urge all countries whose nationals operate in the Red State to refrain from any work or activity with Israeli ships or ships owned by Israelis.

MCLEAN: Multiple Israeli media outlets are reporting that one of Israel's richest people, billionaire businessman Rami Ungar, is a part owner of the British company that owns the ship. Ungar did not respond to our request for comment from CNN.

The ship has been leased by a Japanese firm and the Israeli prime minister's office says none of the crew are Israeli.

None of this should have been a surprise after the Houthi's telegraphed their plan a week ago.

ABDUL MALIK AL-HOUTHI, HOUTHI LEADER: Our eyes are open pin for constant monitoring and searching for any Israeli ship. We will search until we identify their ships and we will not hesitate to target them.

MCLEAN: Hamas has welcomed the seizure of the ship, while Iran denies it has anything to do with it.

The U.S. calls it a violation of international law.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We demand the immediate release of the ship and its crew.

MCLEAN: The ship last left port in Turkey en route to India. There's no word on the safety of the crew. The Houthis have only promised they'll be treated according to the values of Islam.

Scott McLean, CNN -- Istanbul.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

NEWTON: Up next, they may be far from Gaza but they are watching the events very closely. We speak to Palestinian refugees in Lebanon about the war today and what it means for them.

[01:48:25]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

NEWTON: So as Israel and Hamas reach a deal in the release of hostages and prisoners and the pause in the fighting in Gaza, Palestinian refugees are closely watching the developments from countries like Lebanon. Thousands of people live in the Shatila Refugee Camp in southern Beirut where for some there is a sense of history repeating itself.

CNN's Ben Wedeman explains.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BEN WEDEMAN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: The old in the Shatila Palestinian Refugee Camp have seen it all. for the young, it is just a beginning of a life crammed together with more than 14,000 people into a quarter-mile square.

This Palestinian refugee camp in Beirut is hundreds of miles from Gaza. But for the many people here who lived through previous wars, the war in Gaza seems very close. 77-year-old Nadre Joha (ph) came here as a baby from her home in what

was then Palestine. She's seen from near and far, war after war, but is still shocked by the images from Gaza.

"How do they have the heart to do this to children," she asks. The pain she feels for all the innocents.

"When I see Israeli children, I think they feel the same way we do when we lose our children," says Nadre. "In the end, a child is a child. The mother of a child is a mother, whether she's Israeli or Palestinian."

The scars of the past are plain to see. In September 1982, the Israeli military stood by as their Lebanese-Christian allies slaughtered over a thousand Palestinian and Lebanese civilians here and in the neighboring Sabra district.

Fading posters plaster the walls of the faces of heroes past who promised much but delivered little for the people here.

[01:54:44]

WEDEMAN: Camp residents trace their roots back to Haifa, Jaffa, Akron (ph) banded up here after what they called the Nakba, the catastrophe when more than 700,000 Palestinians fled or were driven from their homes when Israel was established.

The scenes from Gaza, painfully reminiscent of the past. A past storekeeper Muhammad (INAUDIBLE) fears is repeating itself.

"Doesn't anyone have an iota of humanity," he asks? "Even Iraq when faced with the news from Gaza, would go soft. But the world, confronted with cascades of blood, close its eyes.

The eyes here are open, but they can only watch from afar."

Ben Wedeman, CNN -- Shatila Refugee Camp, Beirut.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

NEWTON: And I want to thank you for watching.

I'm Paula Newton.

CNN NEWSROOM continues with my friend and colleague, Rosemary Church. That will be right after a break.

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