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Hostage Release Delayed Citing Logistical Delays; Qatari Negotiator Explains Process of Hostage Releases; NY Governor: Car Explosion at U.S.-Canada Border Not Terrorism; Pope Francis: This Is Not War, This is Terrorism; Survivor Recounts Escape from Hamas Attack. Aired 12-1a ET

Aired November 23, 2023 - 00:00   ET

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

[00:00:00]

PAULA NETWON, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Hello and welcome to our viewers joining us from all around the world for our breaking coverage. I'm Paula Newton in New York. First up this hour, Israel's temporary truce with Hamas and the expected release of hostages held in Gaza is delayed. Israel now says the process will not start before Friday. Now that update came just hours before a humanitarian pause in fighting and the initial release of 50 women and children hostages was expected to begin.

Both U.S. and Israeli officials point to logistical details. That was for the delay, while one Israeli official says Israel has not yet received the names of the first hostages to be freed. Now, ahead of the expected truce, Israeli forces continued ground and air operations Wednesday, striking parts of northeastern and central Gaza. But Palestinians say areas further south were also hit. Meantime, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu expressed confidence the deal would soon go into effect and made clear the war. Listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BENJAMIN NETANYAHU, ISRAELI PRIME MINISTER: Citizens of Israel, I'd like to be clear. The war continues. The war continues. We will continue with it until all of our goals are achieved. To bring back the hostages, to demolish Hamas and ensure that the day afterwards there is no source that educates terror to children and pay terrorists.

((END VIDEO CLIP)

NEWTON: So amid all that, the agonizing wait will continue for hundreds of families and for loved ones to come home. CNN's chief international correspondent Clarissa Ward reports now from Tel Aviv.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CLARISSA WARD, CNN CHIEF INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Even as the first batch of hostages is poised to be released, they are not backing down. Look in their eyes, this protester says. Tell them that every day you are doing everything that it takes. For 47 days, friends, family members and supporters of the estimated 240 hostages in Gaza have demanded the Israeli government prioritize bringing them home. Here they gather in support of Hadass Kaldaran, whose children, 12-year-old Erez and 16-year-old Sa'ar, were taken on October 7th along with her ex-husband. Tell me what you're going through now. Are you hopeful? Are you anxious? Are you in denial?

HADAS KADERON, MOTHER OF HOSTAGES: All of it. I smile, I laugh, and then I cry, and then I --

WARD: Do you know anything? Have you heard anything?

KADERON: Nobody knows anything. Nobody. Nobody. No information. I have to pray. We have to pray.

WARD: Kalderon is not the only parent desperately waiting and hoping for news that has yet to come. Nine-year-old Emily Han's father, Thomas, was initially told his daughter was killed on October 7th, only to then get the news that she may be alive and held in Gaza. I want to jump through the roof with hope, Han told us today about the possible prospect of Emily's release, but I also have to keep a level head emotionally. It's a challenge Kalderon is all too familiar with.

KADERON: Every day is tough. Every day is all day is tough. I don't want to think, I don't want to feel because it's too painful. You know, when they start to ask me like, interview like you, show me the picture of your child. Tell me what last thing he told you. Then I -- it breaks my heart because the last thing he told me was, Mom, be quiet. I love you. He was worried for me.

WARD: When you think of, God willing, your baby's come home and are part of this release? Do you worry about how they will be changed by what they've experienced?

KADERON: They are changed, they won't be the same. They got, -- they've been kidnapped, brutally away from their beds, from the house, from the safe place. They kidnapped their innocence in this day.

[00:05:09]

WARD: At the Central Hostage Square in Tel Aviv, prayers for those who will come home over the next few days and a promise to keep pushing for those who will not. Clarissa Ward, CNN, Tel Aviv.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

NEWTON: And for more on this, we want to bring in Udi Goren, he who met earlier this week with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Goren's cousin, Tal Chaim, is one of the hostages. The father, as you see there, of three young children who was abducted from Kibbutz near Yizhak on October 7th. I really want to thank you for joining us on what must be incredibly excruciating hours for you and your family. I mean, tell me how you're feeling now that there hasn't been a lot of news. How has been this delay?

UDI GOREN, COUSIN OF HOSTAGE: It's, what can I say? You know, the families who are expecting their children back thought they might see, they might see them today. And they're not. They might see them tomorrow. And, you know, there's no guarantee. It's already been postponed. This is just torment. For me personally, you know, I was not expected to be released on this deal. So it may be it's a little easier. But I am expecting these people to come back home just as much as anyone else.

NEWTON: I mean, people, you and people like you have said that any kind of an exchange that's successful would be a blessing and have optimism for all of you. You've been fighting very hard. You've been very vocal about trying to get answers, trying to get action. We just mentioned that you met with Benjamin Netanyahu. And yet you heard from him, as we just heard as well, that he says the goal of destroying Hamas. Hamas is on equal footing with that of returning the hostages. If this exchange succeeds, do you think it will make that position much more difficult for him?

GOREN: You know, the problem with any speculation that we're trying to make is that we are missing probably 95 percent of the information that's confidential. And we just don't know it. I can only tell you what my heart desires. And my heart desires that this deal would. It would lead immediately to another one and another one. And everybody would be back. But we keep hearing. And at this point, we must believe in our leaders that are leading this move. And we keep hearing that a deal that's going to bring everyone back at once is not on the table.

So, it would have to be in steps. And this is step 1. So, if this is step 1, then this means that step 2 is now closer. And I just want to see step 1 already happening. And then start thinking about step two.

NEWTON: Understood. Now, many do, though, believe that this will put more pressure on Israel to do what you just described, right? Have this gradual release. In that context, do you support a ceasefire and also releasing hundreds, maybe even thousands of Palestinian prisoners to get your cousin back and free all the hostages?

GOREN: I support anything. Anything that would get the hostages back and would not immediately risk Israeli lives. Anything. I think that everything should be on the table because we must choose life before we choose anything else, before we choose the annihilation of our enemies. Our lives must come first before anything else. This is what differentiate us from our enemies, that we hold different values.

This is the only way to actually rebuild Israel after this catastrophe and moving forward. So this principle is what we have to stick to and prove it. So, yes, everything that would get every single hostage, not just my cousin, not just the kids, not just the elderly. Every single hostage must be back in Israel before we can move forward.

NEWTON: There are Israeli politicians. And I know you heard them loud and clear that this would set a. dangerous precedent, that at a very basic level what you're saying would mean that Hamas's terror worked, they reached their goals. Do you agree with that sentiment at all?

GOREN: I think we need to start rethinking our terminology. Hamas won on October 7th. They won because they were able to hurt us in a way nobody else did. And from now on, we must think about how we're going to defeat them long term. Because if we rebuild Israel, if we bring the hostages back, if in 5 years from now the area around Gaza is prosperous and people are living there and regrowing crops and the communities are back, that's the only way to win.

[00:10:09]

Because right now, our national pride, that's not the priority. We need to start thinking long term, long term, 5 years from now, how this country is going to rebuild itself. And right now, admitting that we have lost on October 7th, it's just reality. Because we hurt about our civilians far more than they do. So again, going back to our core principles.

NEWTON: Well we are going to leave it there. I know these are excruciating hours ahead for everyone, and we continue to watch, wait, and hope with all of you. Thanks so much. Really appreciate it.

GOREN: Thank you very much.

NEWTON: Joining us now, CNN political and national security analyst David Sanger. It is good to see you, David, as we await what is going to be happening with this hostage deal. And of course, you know, the agony the families continue to go through. They are showing such resilience. But as far as you understand, the Biden administration, they've worked very hard to get here. What do you think, how do you think they're looking at this deal right now? Because they must be on pins and needles. There is still a lot of risk involved here.

DAVID SANGER, CNN POLITICAL AND NATIONAL SECURITY ANALYST: Well, there are. And happy Thanksgiving, Paula, and thanks for having me on. I think they're entering a pretty risky phase. So, there are sort of 3 categories of risk here. The first is simply that something goes wrong. I mean, we're dealing with Hamas. You're dealing in a war zone. You know, you can imagine any number of things going wrong. We'll all hope and pray that doesn't happen. And they get all 50 out. And it sounds to us like that process probably wouldn't start until Friday. The second risk is, what do you do when the 4 days is up, right? Do you then try to get 20 more, knowing that the price is going to go up for that next 20? How long do you spool that out?

Because remember, we think that even after the 50 are out, there will still be nearly 200 hostages. And then the third question, and maybe the hardest one of all, is if you're the Israelis, how do you restart the bombing? Do what Prime Minister Netanyahu said today you would do, which is resume the war, when you've just been coming off of a pause or a temporary truce, depending on who's describing it.

NEWTON: You know, those are such good points, David. And I also have to ask, our reporting is going to be a little bit longer. I think we're going to have to wait a little bit longer. CNN does say that perhaps the United States believes Israel could have gotten further by delaying their ground invasion and first negotiating for hostages. I mean, from what you've heard, does the administration still believe that would have been a better route for Israel at this point in time?

SANGER: Hard to tell. I mean, you're winding the clock back more than a month. And, you know, if you hear the Israelis tell it, the only thing that brought Hamas to the table was the vision of this constant bombing. If you hear some Americans tell it, they believe that you could have gotten this negotiation going a lot earlier and maybe saved some lives had they not gone in in such a heavy way at the beginning. You know, it's one of those points in history we will just never know.

NEWTON: Yeah, and U.S. officials must have determined at a certain point that they would not be able to convince Israel to do otherwise. You know, David, you raise such a good point about the fact that if this is successful and we do thankfully see hostages being freed and there is the pause, aid goes into Gaza, you know, you just said it is difficult to understand how Israel is then going to undertake the war yet again. Given that, how much do you think the U.S. will press Israel to continue with this if it is successful? I mean, you know, we're told that, you know, the next category of hostages to be released may be elderly men.

SANGER: Yeah. I think the U.S. is going to press the Israelis behind the scenes very hard. They already have been pressing them hard to reduce the civilian casualties and so forth. That tension is pretty well broken out in public at this point. The U.S. is worried as well about a good number of dual citizens and U.S. citizens who are there. From everything that we're hearing, you're not going to see many of those, maybe 2 or 3, including a young toddler in this first group.

[00:15:09]

So, they have every incentive to do so. But, you know, Paula, the fundamental problem here is that there is a tension between Israel's 2 primary goals in this military operation. One of their goals is to get the hostages released, all of them. And the other goal is to destroy Hamas. And Hamas knows that it needs some group of hostages in hand to have leverage over Israel. Otherwise, they would be pursued in whatever bombing campaigns the Israelis wanted to conduct. So, what you're seeing happen right now is Israel having to choose between two very important structures -- strategic objectives. And the question is, which one takes priority?

NEWTON: Yeah, such difficult questions. And again, you and I continue to discuss it, as many people do, around the world. And yet those families just waiting on every single minute --

(CROSSTALK)

SANGER: Sure

NEWTON: to see what news comes out of Gaza of their loved ones. I mean, unimaginable, right, David, just to have toddlers, children still captive after all this time. On that note, David. I've got a --

(CROSSTALK)

SANGER: A toddler who's parents were killed.

NEWTON: Yeah. And siblings still alive, traumatized, waiting for their little sister to come home. David Sanger, on that note, we will leave it there. Appreciate it.

SANGER: Thank you. Still to come for us, Palestinians in Gaza share their thoughts on the pending truce as calls for a permanent ceasefire continue to grow.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[00:20:09]

NEWTON: Gaza residents say they're ready for the coming pause in the fighting between Israel and Hamas, which is expected to take place Friday, even if it's just for a few days. The IDF continued its attacks on northern Gaza even after the truce deal was announced. CNN crews you see there in Israel witnessed explosions, flares, and smoke right across the border late Wednesday. Now, with Israel's prime minister pledging the war will continue once the truce has ended, Palestinians say they really need a permanent ceasefire. Listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNKNOWN: We have been waiting for it for over a week. We have been waiting for a ceasefire every day. Ceasefire, ceasefire, and nothing was happening. I do not know.

UNKNOWN: The ceasefire should be comprehensive all over the Gaza Strip. Sometimes the Israelis make false promises and kill children without adhering to anything. We want a comprehensive ceasefire so that people can get their needs from gas to flour.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

NEWTON: Now, while Hamas says the truce deal will also allow hundreds of trucks to bring aid into Gaza, many Palestinians are still wary of what's to come. Some say the truce will do little to make up for the damage that's already been done. After weeks of unimaginable grief and loss, they simply want to rebuild their lives. CNN's Nada Bashir shows us the grim reality of everyday life in Gaza. In a warning, her report contains disturbing images.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

NADA BASHIR, CNN REPORTER (voice-over): The Gaza Strip, pounded for yet another night. In the Mughazi neighborhood in central Gaza, wounded are rushed to a nearby hospital. Children badly injured, barely breathing. Medical staff overwhelmed, struggling to cope with the mounting casualties and growing humanitarian disaster. In the south, more unbearable grief. Bodies wrapped in white.

Members of the Kallousa (ph) and Abbas families, old and young, killed in a strike on their building in Khan Yunis. Their lives cut short, buried just hours after Israel's cabinet agreed to temporarily pause fighting later this week in exchange for the release of 50 hostages. The truce will be a crucial window to get much-needed aid into Gaza. But for those who have already lost so much, the news has brought little hope. UNKNOWN: What kind of truce are they discussing? A truce just to allow

some aid in? Maisarah asks. We don't want that. We'll manage with bread. What we truly want is not a truce for aid. We want our homes back. We want to return to our streets.

UNKNOWN: What is the point of a truce if I can't return to my home, if I can't check on my children, my parents, or our businesses, Saddam says. This truce is pointless. We've been sleeping on the streets for 45 days. We have no shelter, no home, nowhere to seek refuge. We have no shelter, no home, nowhere to seek refuge.

BASHIR: In the south, the very place people are told to evacuate to, to seek refuge, more buildings are turned to rubble overnight. Countless graves being dug each day, the death toll now topping 12,000, according to the Palestinian Ministry of Health, citing data from Hamas-controlled Gaza. Another desperate plea to God, another child killed, relatives struggling to cope. Their grief, feared to only get worse. Israel's prime minister vowing the war will continue after the truce ends. And with it, more bloodshed. Nada Bashir, CNN, in Jerusalem.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

NEWTON: Now, hundreds of mourners in Beirut have paid their respects to two Lebanese journalists killed on Tuesday. The news outlet they were working for, Al-Mayadeen, says the crew was killed in an Israeli airstrike in southern Lebanon and claims they were targeted because of the network's pro-Palestinian stance. The IDF says it's reviewing the incident and notes the area in question is dangerous with active hostilities. The Committee to Protect Journalists, Meantime, says at least 53 journalists have now been killed in the Israel-Hamas war since it began October 7th. The group says it's the deadliest period for journalists since it started tracking data in 1992. Qatar says it was extremely difficult to get Israel and Hamas to agree to the hostage release deal. Now, in his own words, Qatar's lead negotiator gives us insights into the ongoing process to free more hostages.

[00:25:19]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

NETWON: Israel's National Security Council says the first hostages being held in Gaza will be released before Friday under its deal with Hamas. Israel's pause in the air and ground campaign in Gaza is also delayed. Hamas is expected to release at least 50 women and children over the next few days. And Israel has agreed to a 4-day pause in the fighting. Hundreds of Palestinians held in Israeli jails are also set to be released.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says the Red Cross will be allowed to visit hostages that remain in Gaza. The White House says the delay is due to what it calls logistical details. Listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOHN KIRBY, U.S. NATIONAL SECURITY COUNCIL: Well, we're not going into this with hubris or arrogance or ultra-confidence. We're grateful that we were able to get this deal secured. But as I said, it all now comes down to execution. And so nobody's doing any touchdown dancing here.

[00:30:08]

There's still work to be done and a long way to go. We're hoping, hoping that implementation will start sometime in the next 24 hours or so and then continue for the next few days, both days of a pause, where there will be no fighting so humanitarian assistance can get in at an accelerated rate.

And, of course, getting all those 50-plus hostages out. Now, they'll come out in increments. They won't all come out together. And that's why this is a multi-day process.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PAULA NEWTON, CNN INTERNATIONAL ANCHOR: Qatar's lead negotiator says the work as hostage mediators was extremely, quote, "intensive." In an exclusive interview with CNN's Becky Anderson, the Qatari minister of state hailed the agreement as significant. And he offered more details about the hard-fought deal to free hostages and get humanitarian aid into Gaza.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MOHAMMED AL-KHULAFI, QATARI MINISTER OF STATE: Within the four days, in each day, there will be an obligation in each side. An obligation on the Israelis, an obligation on Hamas. Making sure that they're going to fulfill those obligations in each day.

So, in each day, we aim to have a number of releases. Because, the number is big. So, we try -- we've managed to get the parties to agree on the releases systematically. In other words, there will be an organized schedule, allowing the releases on each day. And each party is quite familiar now with their obligations.

BECKY ANDERSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Ten hostages released on day one, for example. --

AL-KHULAFI: Minimum. A minimum of ten.

ANDERSON: Who will be released?

AL-KHULAFI: So this agreement specifically focuses on civilian women and children in each side, in both sides. And we hope that, within the four days, we will be able to complete the release of women and children in both sides, moving to the safe side, away from this war.

By the first hours of the agreements, we will be notified of the official list of -- of people in each day. And, by having that list, we will be sure that we notify either the -- the sides -- the parties themselves or even the countries that have their hostages in the Gaza Strip, currently.

ANDERSON: Hamas has said it doesn't have all the hostages, and it needs time to get around to gather information about hostages that it doesn't hold and find out where they are.

Many have called that, just a talking point, a cynical ploy to buy time.

AL-KHULAFI: The obligation on Hamas, on the first day is very clear. They need to provide us with that list. They've been granted that period of calm. And not only the period of calm but also preventing any military clashes, a ground invasion, air surveillance. That would provide them with the room to provide us with that commitment.

ANDERSON: You've described, in the language of this deal, you've described it as a truce in the Gaza Strip. And I think that language is really interesting.

The use of the term truce, this is by no means a ceasefire. And the fact that this is in the Gaza Strip, the main pillar of which, of course, is clearly the hostage release.

What happens as far as humanitarian aid is concerned? What is the commitment on both sides as far as that optic in aid is concerned?

AL-KHULAFI: Sure. So this agreement has two major components. The first one related to the release of the hostages. And the second one's related to providing not only quantity but also quality humanitarian aid and assistance as needed.

One of the most interesting components within that humanitarian aid, Becky, is the fuel. And the fuel has been a debatable issue in the early times of that conflict. Now, we've managed to secure fuel being provided for vital infrastructure such as hospitals and others.

ANDERSON: The Israelis have been very specific. They have said this is a truce period. Before it starts, hostilities will continue. And very specifically, once this pause is over, the war will restart.

Is that useful in negotiations? That sort of language?

AL-KHULAFI: Our work is not done. We're still going to continue to talk more to the parties to de-escalate, to seek a longer period of the ceasefire.

ANDERSON: The Israelis are not talking about a ceasefire, at this point. They have categorically ruled out a ceasefire and until all hostages are released. And at present, you are not mediating any talks on the soldiers or men being held by Hamas.

[00:35:02]

AL-KHULAFI: Well, listen Becky, the -- even the temporary ceasefire was not being considered in the early times by the Israelis. So, we still -- we remain hopeful when the middle of it. And our effort is not going to start at this level. Our work is not done. We're going to continue working with both sides, hoping that we can secure this bigger objective.

[00:35:18] ANDERSON: If there are families of hostages watching this interview

today, families of hostages who are young men of serving age, what is your message about the likelihood that those Israeli soldiers will be released anytime soon?

AL-KHULAFI: So we're doing everything that we can. As soon as the both parties wants to keep seeking Qatar's assistance in mediating, we can respond positively to that request.

So we know that our mission did not finish. And our work is continuous for the better cause, as you said, our hope is really that we see a period where we can put an end to this war and let the people leave, and reduce this humanitarian suffering that -- for the people in Gaza.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

NEWTON: Now, as people in Gaza wait for a pause in the fighting that's part of the hostage deal, Mohamed Khaled, the Palestinian teen, says he hopes the humanitarian truce is extended and becomes permanent.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MOHAMED KHALED, LOST LEG IN ISRAELI AIRSTRIKE IN GAZA (through translator): I want them to extend this to a full humanitarian truce, so we can live free and safe. Four days will not be enough to even bury the martyrs. And even if they are able to do so, the tragedies will then resume. I wish they extend the truce and we have a permanent ceasefire.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

NEWTON: The 13-year-old lost a leg in an Israeli airstrike in Gaza. You can see he also is receiving other treatment. He is in Egypt for that treatment.

The teen says he was at home with this family in central Gaza when a missile went through the ceiling of their home and exploded next to him, severing his leg.

Now, multiple U.S. border crossings into Canada were shut down Wednesday when a speeding car exploded in a fireball near the Rainbow Bridge crossing into Niagara Falls. The latest on the investigation, just ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[00:41:10]

NEWTON: Kentucky has declared a state of emergency and is urging residents near Livingston to stay clear of the area. That's following a train derailment there.

The CSX railway company says at least 16 cars jumped the tracks Wednesday afternoon. Two cars contained molten sulfur, which spilled and is burning, which could lead to the release of sulfur dioxide. Now the U.S. Centers for Disease Control says the chemical can cause

irritation and breathing difficulties. The railway has sent air monitoring equipment to that area.

Now a dramatic single-car crash at the U.S.-Canada border on Wednesday does not appear to be terrorist-related. That's according to New York's governor, as well as the FBI, which said no explosive materials were found at the scene.

Details are still emerging about the circumstances behind the explosion that killed two people.

CNN's Brynn Gingras has the latest.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BRYNN GINGRAS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: New York Governor Kathy Hochul is saying there is no indication of a terrorist attack at this point in the investigation --

GINGRAS (voice-over): -- of that explosion that happened at the Rainbow Bridge crossing there, the crossing between U.S. and Canadian border.

What we're learning from sources is that a vehicle was traveling on a local road in Niagara Falls at a very high rate of speed before it hit a curb, went airborne, and then eventually collided and exploded, really, into the secondary screening at that border crossing.

And investigators from the federal -- at the federal level, state level, and local are looking at surveillance video in that area, getting the registration for that car and sort of tracing its movements prior to this explosion happening, to get a better sense of exactly what happened.

The governor actually saying that the debris field of this explosion spans about 13 or 14 booths at that crossing, and only an engine is left of that car.

So that of course, as you can imagine, is making this investigation go a little bit slower than typically one would go. Because of the size of that debris field.

But, the big point here, though, is that at this point, it does not seem there's any indication of terrorist activity, which was of course, something that everyone was concerned about as we are all in the state of height -- especially authorities are in a state of heightened alert --

GINGRAS: -- in response to what is happening overseas. But also because of what is happening right now in this country is our Thanksgiving holiday.

We know also, in response to this, in the immediate aftermath, that borders were -- the border checkpoints were all shut down. We know that some have reopened. And we also know that there's extra security measures that were taken at the airports in that area. And, even, really in some U.S. major cities in the Northeast. But, we know some of that has been tamped down.

But certainly, heightened security is the theme here as we head into the holiday. And that was the case even before this incident happened.

But, again, the headline here that it does not appear to be a terrorist incident.

I'm Brynn Gingras, CNN, New York. '

(END VIDEOTAPE)

NEWTON: A tragedy that should be stopped. That's how the war in Ukraine was described at the virtual G-20 summit on Wednesday by the man who started that conflict, Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Now, irony aside, he also tried to use the fighting between Israel and Hamas to push his own line on Ukraine. Clare Sebastian explains.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CLARE SEBASTIAN, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, this was the first time since Russia launched its war in Ukraine that President Vladimir Putin has addressed a G-20 summit. And it comes as the conflict in Gaza has significantly reduced international scrutiny of Russia's actions in Ukraine, something Putin attempted to capitalize on.

VLADIMIR PUTIN, RUSSIAN PRESIDENT (through translator): Several colleagues, in their presentations, have talked about how shocked they are by seeing Russia's ongoing aggression in Ukraine.

Yes, of course, military action is always a tragedy for specific people, specific families and the country as a whole. And of course, we should think about how to stop this tragedy.

[00:45:02]

By the way, Russia never refused to hold peace talks with Ukraine.

And what about the bloody coup in Ukraine in 2014, followed by the war of the Kyiv region against its people in Donbas? Isn't this shocking? Isn't the extermination of the civilian population in Palestine and the Gaza Strip shocking today?

SEBASTIAN: That kind of whataboutism is common from Putin. The comment that, quote, "We should think about how to stop this tragedy," though, is more unusual.

But it's not clear that Putin is overtly calling for peace talks here. Ukraine ruled out peace talks with Putin last year after Russia had a ceremony, illegally annexing four occupied regions in Ukraine, nearly a fifth of the country. And Putin has repeatedly used that to accuse Ukraine of getting in the way of peace. This seems like more of that rhetoric.

But it's also clear that this is a moment when Putin may feel emboldened. Ukraine has not liberated any significant amount of territory in a year. Russia still has more manpower and industrial capacity, despite the efforts of Ukraine's allies.

And it will, of course, be keenly aware of the paralysis in the U.S. Congress over funding and some signs of fatigue among Ukraine's European allies.

Ukraine, for its part, is unwavering on its stance on peace talks. In a recent social media post, the foreign minister calling Putin a, quote, "habitual liar," saying no one can seriously use the words "Russia" and "negotiations" in the same phrase.

Clare Sebastian, CNN, London.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

NEWTON: Still ahead for us, a harrowing escape from the Hamas attacks on Israel. A survivor speaks with CNN about how he made it to safety and shares a new video taken that day.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[00:50:53]

NEWTON: Pope Francis is calling, once again, for a ceasefire in the Israel-Hamas war. He met with relatives of Israeli hostages and Palestinian prisoners at the Vatican Wednesday.

CNN's Barbie Nadeau reports now from Rome.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BARBIE LATZA NADEAU, JOURNALIST: Pope Francis doing his best to comfort both sides of those who are affected by the war between Israel and Hamas.

NADEAU (voice-over): On Wednesday morning, on the sideline of his usual Wednesday audience, he first met with a group of family members of those taken hostage by Hamas on October 7th in Israel.

After the audience, he met with a group of affected Palestinians, as well, including a woman who had just escaped the Gaza Strip a couple of days ago.

NADEAU: Both groups held press conferences after they met with the pope. And the pope made a few comments, as well.

POPE FRANCIS, LEADER OF CATHOLIC CHURCH (through translator): This morning, I received two delegations. One of Israelis who have relatives held hostage in the Gaza Strip. And another of Palestinians who have relatives imprisoned in Israel. They suffer so much, and I heard how both sides are suffering. This is

what wars do. But here, we have gone beyond wars. This is not war. This is terrorism.

NADEAU: Both groups expressed appreciation for time spent with the Holy Father, both of them saying that the pope had been calling for a ceasefire for many weeks now and that they hope those words wouldn't fall on deaf ears.

Barbie Latza Nadeau, CNN, Rome.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

NEWTON: The IDF has confirmed the death of a missing 26-year-old Israeli woman, Shani Gabay. She had been missing since the October 7th Hamas attack on Israel.

It's not immediately clear whether her remains were identified in Gaza or Israel.

Now we have new video from a man who narrowly survived the attack on October 7th. He was shot at several times as he fled Hamas terrorists.

CNN's Nick Watt has more. And a warning: his report contains graphic images.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ARIEL EIN-GAL, SURVIVED OCTOBER 7TH ATTACKS: This is a video from the party itself. Listen to the music. How absurd it is. This is more.

NICK WATT, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): One of his best friends. She will be dead in just a few hours.

Dawn broke.

(SOUNDS OF ARTILLERY)

WATT (voice-over): Hamas terrorists were approaching in boats. The Israeli Navy in pursuit, Hamas landed on the beach.

Ariel and his friends hid between two shipping containers.

EIN-GAL: You hear the bullets hitting the metal of the containers. I will never forget the sound.

WATT (voice-over): They would've gone to the bomb shelter if they'd known there was one. Everyone else on the beach headed there or the public bathroom. Instagram video of them hiding.

EIN-GAL: One minute after we left the shore, the terrorists made (ph) on the beach and went to the shelter and killed everyone there. They killed everyone.

WATT (voice-over): Hamas filmed the horror.

WATT: But you obviously didn't know this at the time.

EIN-GAL: No, I hear the gunshots, I hear the screams. I hear everything. And it was terrible.

WATT (voice-over): Ariel and his friends ran until they reached an IDF base.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (SPEAKING FOREIGN LANGUAGE)

WATT (voice-over): Eventually, they were let in. Some sent farewell messages to their parents. Ariel did not.

EIN-GAL: If I -- if I'd be dead, which I thought is most likely, at least they would have a few more hours without knowing that.

We decided that we need to get out of there, so we ran to the cars. The terrorists came out of the bushes and started firing at us at close range. Luckily for us, the soldiers realized it was us. He was a soldier. He just shot two rounds in the terrorist's head and killed him on the spot.

WATT (voice-over): They drove, saw an Israeli police checkpoint.

EIN-GAL: We see a dead body lying on the ground, all dressed up in black, just like a police officer in Israel. Suddenly, the dead body wakes up, holding an AK-47. And the terrorist just firing at us.

[00:55:02]

WATT: So he was dressed as an Israeli cop?

WATT (voice-over): Yes. And one of my friends got hit in the shoulder by a bullet. The other bullet went right above her head and shaved some of her hair.

WATT: Shaved her hair?

EIN-GAL: Shaved her hair.

WATT (voice-over): Eventually, they reached an actual Israeli police checkpoint, his injured friends taken to the hospital.

I told you Ariel's friend Mo (ph) would die. She tried to drive to her mom's house.

EIN-GAL: At 6:47, she's calling her mom. She's telling her that she's in the shelter. She's in the shelter, and she will get home soon. And that was our last contact with her, because when she went out of the shelter, they just shot her dead.

I made a tattoo from that day. It's says 20 out of 21. We went 21, and we got back 20. It looks like the Holocaust numbers from -- from Auschwitz.

WATT (voice-over): He came here, after he saw what was happening here in America. EIN-GAL: And people are removing their David stars and removing every

Jewish sign they have. And I say to you, this is 1933 in Germany? No. This is the United States of 2023. And it's starting to look similar to that. And I'm very worried.

WATT (voice-over): Nick Watt, CNN, Los Angeles.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

NEWTON: I want to thank you for watching. I'm Paula Newton. I will be right back with more news in a moment.

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