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First Batch of Israeli Hostages under a Qatar-brokered Israel- Hamas Truce set to be Released Today. Humanitarian Aid and Fuel will be Allowed in the Rafah Border during the Four-Day Truce; Pro- Palestinian Protesters Attempted to Disrupt Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade; Dutch Far-Right Leader Begins His Coalition Government Plans Post-Election; Israeli-Americans Celebrate Thanksgiving in the Shadow of War. Aired 3-4a ET

Aired November 24, 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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UNKNOWN (voice-over): This is CNN Breaking News.

BECKY ANDERSON, CNN ANCHOR: Well, hello and welcome to our viewers in the United States and around the world. I'm Becky Anderson live for you from Doha in Qatar.

A four-day truce between Israel and Hamas appears to be taking effect with plans for the first Israeli hostages to be released by the militant group later on today. And a CNN crew near the border with Gaza reports what sounded like Israeli artillery fire in the early minutes of the truth -- of the truce, but that subsided very quickly.

Now, Qatar, where I am, which helped broker this deal, says the first 13 hostages from Israel are expected to be released at or around 4 p.m. local time today, about six hours from now. And Israel in turn has agreed to free 39. Palestinians held in Israeli jails today and dozens more over the coming days if Hamas keeps freeing the hostages it holds.

Well the first aid shipments under this agreement, hundreds of trucks packed with food, medical supplies and, critically, fuel are scheduled to begin crossing into Gaza today as part of that deal.

Let's bring in CNN's Eleni Giokos in Cairo. Eleni Giokos, we knew that there was an enormous convoy set up, including fuel trucks on the Egypt side of that border crossing. Do we know whether that convoy has begun crossing into Gaza at this point?

ELENI GIOKOS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: So this is what we have, that seven fuel trucks have now crossed into Gaza. They're on the Gaza side of the border which is really significant and I'll give you sort of the context of that in just a bit. But we also know that 208 trucks right now have also crossed into the Egypt side of the border where they are currently being checked. We've got to remember the logistical challenges with this because they've got to be inspected first. You have it going through x-rays and then they go to another

checkpoint where the Israelis do another check before they can actually be deployed and distributed in Gaza. But the overall number is 130,000 liters of fuel as well as four gas trucks will be entering Gaza every single day, every single day as long as this truce holds up.

200 trucks of aid of medical supplies of food and water is the quota that is allowed. Now in order to make that happen, Becky, you've got to think about the logistical delays which we've seen time and time again playing out since this deal was struck to try and get more aid into Gaza over the past few weeks.

And I'm going to refer to what the U.N.'s Martin Griffiths also said, that while they negotiate with Egypt as well as Israel on a day-to-day basis to get more trucks into Gaza, the final word, the final decision of how much gets in is in Israel's hands and has always been.

Then in terms of the process, and we're speaking to Egyptian sources here, we also know that the delay really comes from the second checkpoint that is done by Israel. Well, the hope is that they'll be able to meet that 200 trucks per day quota, because we know that more aid definitely does need to go in under this agreement.

Importantly, we've also seen some of those trucks, and we've got some footage for you. Some of the aid trucks that we saw entering, we saw banners up that says, Together for Humanity for our Brothers in Gaza. That's from some of the Egyptian humanitarian organizations sending goods in.

Look, President Sisi, Egyptian President Sisi said that the Rafah border was never closed and that was just a really interesting comment that he said yesterday that they're willing to send as much in as possible. We also spoke to the Egyptian health minister who says they want more injured Palestinians but there's always delays in terms of getting people on a list.

Injured Palestinians being evacuated, foreign nationals, dual passport holders being evacuated will still continue. So we will see a lot more action at the Rafah border over the next few days and frankly these aid trucks have been gathering at the border in Al Arish for many days now actually since Wednesday nights in anticipation for this truce. So I think everyone is on board ready and waiting to try and meet that quota that has been given to them. It's a window of opportunity to alleviate the humanitarian crisis that is playing out right now.

ANDERSON: Thank you, Eleni.

[03:05:03]

And speaking to the mediators here in Qatar, it was a hard-earned deal, this, of course, over so many days, intense, complicated negotiations. The humanitarian sort of side of this, because this is, of course, a humanitarian pause in the Gaza Strip, which includes, very importantly, the hostage releases and this humanitarian effort. It is very specifically designed to get humanitarian aid over the border to the humanitarian infrastructure.

So the hospitals, the education system, those schools that exist, to the sewage plants, to that infrastructure that will help support the hundreds of thousands nearby, the two million people who are on the ground and need this help most. And that fuel is absolutely critical. And when I asked the mediation team, whether that fuel would go, whether these supplies, including that fuel would go across Gaza, not just south, but into the north, they said that was the plan.

Well, Dr. Richard Brennan is the Eastern Mediterranean Regional Director for the World Health Organization. He joins me live from Cairo. And sir, as you and I talk and as we see these images of these first trucks rolling across that border, some 200 a day expected, what are your thoughts?

DR. RICHARD BRENNAN, REGIONAL DIRECTOR FOR EASTERN MEDITERRANEAN, WHO: Well, of course, we're pleased, delighted that the hostages are starting to be released today, as well as seeing those aid trucks going across.

But I think we have to be very clear. This is still a humanitarian catastrophe of enormous scale. Starting with 200 trucks is a good thing, but it's only a dent in the need. We keep saying that prior to the conflict, there were 500 trucks going across the border, commercial trucks, aid trucks on a daily basis.

So we're still well short of that. And we are in a situation of a humanitarian crisis of a scale that few of us have seen in our careers. I was meeting with other United Nations agency representatives yesterday, and we were all reflecting on the fact that the scale of this crisis is something that we perhaps have not seen in terms of its security and our inability to make progress at the level needed.

ANDERSON: Yeah, it was Martin Griffiths speaking to my colleague, Christiane Amanpour, who just described this as the worst ever, the worst he has ever seen. And he has been in the business of humanitarian support most if not all is working life.

Richard Brennan, you know it's important that we point that out. On the ground, what's the view, what's the feedback from your colleagues?

BRENNAN: Well, they're going to try and take advantage of this pause as much as they can, of course. So we need to get from the health side, we need to get those medicines and supplies to the hospitals that still function. Now, remember, there were 36 hospitals functioning in Gaza prior to the conflict, only 11 of them are functioning now.

So we have to get -- we have to protect and stabilize the functioning of those facilities, get the supplies in. We're still continuing with medical evacuations from Northern Gaza because the hospitals there have stopped functioning and it's been such a difficult security environment with high levels of violence.

Of course, as you mentioned, the fuel is, really, is the lifeline for the humanitarian operation. We've got to get those desalination plants working, the water treatment plants working, the hospital generators working, the ambulances working.

So we can make up for the lost ground if you like, because we keep slipping behind because of the lack of aid over recent weeks. We're making up for lost ground essentially.

ANDERSON: Dr. Richard Brennan, you speak about the continued evacuations of patients from hospitals from the North to the South. And we know that the director of the Al-Shifa hospital, which is now out of operation, was in a WHO convoy, this is certainly according to the health authorities in Gaza, when he was arrested by the IDF and taken for questioning.

[03:10:05]

Obviously the Al-Shifa hospital has been where these raids over a week were conducted by the IDF, convinced that Hamas is using the tunnels beneath that hospital as a command-and-control center, although the evidence of such is quite underwhelming at this point.

So I must press you for the details on what you know. The health authority in Gaza has said that it has suspended cooperation with the WHO. What does that mean and what do you know about the arrest of the director of that hospital in a WHO convoy making its way out of Gaza City?

BRENNAN: Well, yesterday, WHO led the United Nations convoy together with our colleagues from the Palestinian Red Crescent to evacuate 146 critically ill patients, their family members, and a number of health staff from Al-Shifa Hospital.

There was an unexpected stoppage of that convoy at a checkpoint. There was a long screening process that went on for six hours that was not consistent with the agreement that we believed we had with the Israeli authorities beforehand.

The circumstances of the arrest remain unclear to the convoy leader because a number of the members of the convoy were separated out from the group and the convoy leader was not able to engage on discussions for the reasons for those people to be removed. And we have no further details at this point in time. We have resolved the issue with the Ministry of Health and another convoy, another evacuation is being undertaken today.

ANDERSON: So let's just be clear about what you're telling me. So the Ministry of Health in Gaza, who said that they had suspended operations with the WHO and because the director of the Al-Shifa hospital had been arrested whilst in a convoy yesterday, you're saying now those operations have now restarted. That cooperation between the WHO and the Ministry of Health in Gaza, as you understand it, are now happening again. Is that correct?

BRENNAN: Yes, I think we've resolved the issue when we are planning more evacuations in collaboration with the Ministry of Health.

ANDERSON: Dr. Richard Brennan in Cairo, it's good to have you on, sir. Thank you very much indeed.

Well, still ahead, the White House says it is monitoring Hamas very closely ahead of the release of these hostages that it holds in Gaza. U.S. President weighs in on the situation, up next.

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[03:15:00]

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ANDERSON: I'm Becky Anderson in Doha, in Qatar. The Biden administration says it will be watching Hamas very closely to make sure that the terrorist group holds up its end of the hostage deal with Israel.

CNN's Arlette Saenz reports.

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ARLETTE SAENZ, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: President Biden struck an optimistic tone about the expected hostage release on Friday, speaking to reporters here in Nantucket on Thanksgiving Day. He said he was not yet ready to provide an update but would be able to do so once that first wave of hostages was released. Now the White House has been keenly focused on the implementation of this deal and one big question is whether any Americans would be included in that initial round of hostages that were released by Hamas.

It is the White House's expectation that about three Americans would be part of this overall deal. That includes two women and that three- year-old Abigail Adan, whose parents were killed in the October 7th Hamas attack. The White House has a working list of who they will believe will be released on that first day, but it's unclear whether any Americans would in fact be released on Friday.

President Biden said that he was keeping his fingers crossed that three-year-old Abigail Adan would be part of that list. Now the U.S. Is planning on notifying the host the families of the American hostages once they are departing Gaza. That's according to a U.S. Official. Essentially what needs to happen is an American official or a trusted third party needs to set eyes on these hostages and then at that point the U.S. would be prepared to notify these families. But President Biden and the White House is hopeful that this will move forward and that some hostages will be released starting Friday.

Arlette Saenz, CNN, traveling with the president in Nantucket, Massachusetts.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ANDERSON: Well Britain's foreign minister David Cameron, he's a new foreign minister for the U.K., has visited the site of the horrific massacre by Hamas in Israel. He went to Kibbutz Be'eri on Thursday along with his Israeli counterpart, Eli Cohen. After the visit, Cameron said he heard and saw things he would never forget. A mass militant stormed the farming community near Gaza on October

7th, killing more than 120 people there, others taken hostage and many homes were set on fire. Cameron met with the Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu later in the day on Thursday as part of a trip that will include talks with Palestinians.

We are taking a quick break. We'll be right back with more news. I'm Becky Anderson in Doha, in Qatar. Our programming includes the latest from Israel and Gaza where a four-day truce appears to be taking effect. Stay with us.

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[03:20:00}

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ANDERSON: Well, I'm Becky Anderson, in Doha in Qatar. Desperately needed shipments of food, water, medicine, and critically, fuel, was seen rolling towards Gaza from Egypt today, just hours after the four- day truce went into effect between Israel and Hamas.

Earlier, an Egyptian official said 200 aid trucks would cross into Gaza on a daily basis. That was bedded into this deal brokered by Qatar. In addition, he said Gaza would receive 130,000 liters of diesel fuel and four gas trucks each day under the truce agreement.

Well Israel and the Hamas may have agreed to a truce four days in the first instance for now, but Israel is very active on Thursday at least against Hezbollah in neighboring Lebanon.

CNN's Ben Wedeman is in Beirut and filed this report.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BEN WEDEMAN, CNN SR. INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: The Lebanese-Israeli border saw some of its most intense exchanges of fire Thursday between Israel and Hezbollah. A day after an Israeli strike killed five Hezbollah fighters, including the son of the leader of Hezbollah's parliamentary bloc.

According to Lebanon's official news agency, there were almost two dozen individual strikes by Hezbollah on Israel, mostly focusing on military targets. The group claimed it fired 48 Katyusha rockets on the Israeli infantry base at Ain Zaytim and also claimed it killed four Israeli soldiers in a separate attack Israel has yet to comment.

[03:25:04]

The Israeli military, for its part, said it launched multiple air and artillery strikes on what it called Hezbollah's infrastructure and rocket launch sites. Thursday Iranian Foreign Minister Hussein Abdullah Heyan on a two-day visit to Lebanon, met with Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah to consult on efforts to end the war in Gaza. During his time in Beirut, the foreign minister, interviewed on the Mayadeen Satellite News Channel, warned that if the truce in Gaza doesn't hold, the scope of the war will expand. While Al Jazeera Arabic, citing a Hezbollah source, said the group would hold its fire during the four-day truce if Israel does the same.

I'm Ben Wedeman, CNN, reporting from Beirut.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ANDERSON: So let's get a view from the Israeli side of the border as to what is going on in Gaza. And as you can see, it does look as if that truce is holding. It's 10:25 a.m. there.

This truce started well into effect at seven. We did see some evidence of some activity for around the first sort of 15 minutes or so but it looks as if it's quiet. We have been told by the IDF quiet does not mean truce lull does not mean that Israeli soldiers will not be moving around on the ground. Of course there are thousands of them in Gaza City and in the north of the enclave now. They as far as the IDF are concerned are allowed to move around in this deal but hostilities must stop on both sides.

Well, it was Qatar, of course, who played a key role in mediating this deal. And the lead negotiator told me that it took very intensive work to broker the release deal.

CNN's Brian Todd now has more for you on how Qatar here, where I am, became an essential mediator in these prison deals.

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BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): A pivotal player in getting the hostages freed from Hamas captivity is a tiny emirate over a thousand miles away from Gaza, smaller than the state of Connecticut, with about a quarter of the population of New York City.

Qatar, an oil-rich nation on a peninsula in the Persian Gulf, ruled by a 43-year-old Sheikh named Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani, who took over when his father abdicated 10 years ago. Analysts say Qatar has been indispensable in brokering this hostage deal.

DAVID SCHENKER, WASHINGTON INSTITUTE FOR NEAR EAST POLICY: Qatar is central, has relationships with broad range of terrorist groups throughout the region and on savory regimes.

TODD (voice-over): Qatar was instrumental in getting four hostages, two Israelis and two Americans, released about two weeks after the current war started. And that wasn't Qatar's first go-round with deals like that.

PETER BERGEN, CNN NATIONAL SECURITY ANALYST: Qatar has had a long role in these kinds of prison negotiations, most recently playing an important role in getting five American prisoners released from Iran, there was $6 billion of Iranian funds that were sent to Qatar.

TODD (voice-over): That deal took place in September. Analysts say mediation has long been one of Qatar's most marketable skills. Specifically, its ability to be an interlocutor between international players who are at odds with one another.

BERGEN: They are seen as a sort of a fair player by many of the different actors in the region. They do have some leverage over Hamas.

TODD (voice-over): For years, Qatar has given sanctuary to figures like Hamas's top political leader, Ismail Haniyeh. And Qatar's financial support for Hamas and Palestinian citizens in Gaza has been substantial.

SCHENKER: The state of Qatar funding Hamas for many years, underwriting the salaries of Hamas and Palestinian employees in Gaza.

TODD (voice-over): But Qatar has also been one of America's closest allies in the Middle East, not only supplying oil and gas but also allowing the U.S. to maintain the Al Udeid Air Base, headquarters of U.S. Central Command.

SCHENKER: We ran operations not only in Iraq, but in Afghanistan. Out of there, we continue to run operations.

TODD (voice-over): Qatar was crucial in facilitating America's 2021 evacuation from Afghanistan. It's maintained back-channel contacts with Israel, while at the same time having relationships with groups like the Taliban and al-Qaeda and sharing an enormous natural gas field with Iran, all of which allow Qatar to have dialogue with key players in the region like no one else can. And experts say Qatar is willing to do things in negotiations over hostages or captured militants that the U.S. and others won't.

SCHENKER: The United States typically in the past has not paid ransoms, but Qatar has no qualms about it.

[03:30:00]

TODD: Analysts say when tensions in the Middle East subside, Qatar will be under significant pressure, as it already has been from some members of the U.S. Congress, to sever its relationship with Hamas and kick Hamas leaders out of Qatar. But they say it's an open question right now whether Qatari leaders will actually take that step.

Brian Todd, CNN, Washington.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BECKY ANDERSON, CNN ANCHOR: Well, to be clear, both the Emir and the U.S. have said that there are discussions, there will be discussions after this hostage release about that Hamas file here, they will review that file, but those discussions will come after the release of these hostages. Qatar has been integral to where we are today, which is at the outset of what is scheduled to be at least a four-day pause.

One, to get some 50 hostages at least released from Hamas captivity. And two, to get much needed, I mean that is an understatement, much needed critical humanitarian aid supplies into the Gaza Strip. Prior to the outbreak of the war, about 455 trucks entered Gaza daily with supplies. Since October the 21st, aid deliveries have averaged just 45 trucks per day and that was only after two weeks of this conflict when nothing got in. Residents in Gaza say the news of a truce was and is a much needed relief.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNKNOWN (through translator): We hope for a truce. We are tired. The people of Gaza are tired. We will no longer hear the sound of aircraft and of bombardment. We will be able to sit in safety.

UNKNOWN (through translator): A truce will be a good beginning, and the fear in us will go away.

UNKNOWN (through translator): If there is a truce, we will be mentally relieved. The truce is a mental comfort.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ANDERSON: These people are living it on a daily basis. With us now from Amman Jordan is Arnaud Quemin. He's regional director for the Middle East at Mercy Corps. What's your perspective, sir?

ARNAUD QUEMIN, REGIONAL DIRECTOR FOR THE MIDDLE EAST, MERCY CORPS: Thank you for having me this morning. First of all, what I hear is from our team, is quite different from the snippets you just shared.

We spoke with some of them yesterday and they were very depressed with the -- with this truce saying this is not what we need, we need a proper ceasefire. This is just too small to be more than a short-term respite.

And so this is from their own perspective on the ground, from an organizational perspective, looking at the staggering amount of needs in Gaza, what can we expect to do over four days with the current conditions, there is of course going to be a bit of fuel coming in, some aid which will be very needed as you said earlier.

But this is just a drop in the ocean. We need much more time and a much better quality of access, let alone a mechanism at the border that helps bring the right amount of aid through the border and we are very far from that at the moment.

ANDERSON: And I want to talk about that mechanism, but I must just say that in speaking to the mediators here in Qatar, they have admitted there is much more work to do and they share your organization's aspiration for a sustained ceasefire going forward. The Israelis have said categorically that is not what will happen and that after this humanitarian pause, the fighting, the hostilities on their side will begin again. And they have said those hostilities, that assault could last as long as two months.

Arnaud, let's talk about the mechanism on the ground. You say that's absolutely critical. It's all very well for this agreement to bake in up to 200 trucks a day and then some fuel, under 30 liters I think, of diesel fuel a day. Again, you know, we cannot underscore how important that is to run the humanitarian infrastructure, including the sewage facilities to ensure that the gastro infections that are now being reported on the ground don't get out of hand. I mean, this is real life stuff going on here.

But despite the fact that is baked into this deal, you talk about the importance of a mechanism working at that border. Just explain for our viewers what you understand to be that mechanism and why it is that you are so frustrated with its efficiency.

[03:35:10]

QUEMIN: Sure. So I've been in a large number of humanitarian crises. I don't think I've ever seen a situation where six weeks into something of this magnitude, we still are struggling to get things in. The mechanism itself is almost nonexistent. It's very heavy. I mean, when I said mechanism is nonexistent, like as a thing that would work, it's almost nonexistent. It's a heavy process by which you need to go through a series of actors trucks to Al-Arish until they are brought to Rafah and then they have to go to the Israeli side for being checked and then come back being offloaded and being picked up by trucks on the other side.

This is basically impossible. A humanitarian response requires something that is efficient and it's not efficient because we like it. It's efficient because that's the only way to sustain the scale of need, a scale of aid that matches the needs that we are facing.

We are anywhere farther from that, as you said earlier. And until we have all the actors agree of the necessity of this happening, we will have a continuously growing amount of risk and death in Gaza from health, from food, from lack of water illness and now the cold, the winter is also starting so people have left their home and they could not bring blankets or anything with them and they cannot find anywhere to purchase that locally.

So we need to find a way for all of this to happen without having thousands of trucks stuck waiting for the green light to get in.

ANDERSON: The fear on the Israeli side, of course, is that fuel and those supplies will get taken by Hamas and taken away from those who need it most, the civilians on the ground, and to fuel their own efforts in Gaza. And that is why the Israelis say that they are absolutely intent on ensuring that fuel and those supplies don't get into the wrong hands aren't co-opted as it were by Hamas. Do you support that contention? Do you understand it?

QUEMIN: What you're describing is a military consideration which is it could not be farther from my way of thinking. As a humanitarian what matters is the humanity of people who are suffering and I do not deny that there are other ways of looking at this context, but I think the situation we are looking at is strong enough to make itself its own case for the necessity of this happening without adding other consideration than people dying at a very increasing pace.

So I cannot go back and say, you need to find another strategy to fight a war. My only concern is to say, whatever you do, you need to respect the humanitarian priorities that are imposed on us.

ANDERSON: Absolutely understood. I'm sure our viewers can hear your frustration. And there will be many who agree with the organization. And those of your colleagues who are on the ground, whose work is being hampered, of course, by this conflict made so much more difficult, near catastrophe, is how this has been described by many.

Martin Griffiths, who has been in so many humanitarian situations, spoke to my colleague, Christiane Amanpour yesterday, and described this as the worst ever. You know, a four-day pause feels like a drop in the ocean, doesn't it? But it's a start. And certainly, one hopes that this is effective. This holds for at least four days. And then with the possibility of it being extended, at least in principle, it is a start. I don't know. Arnaud, thank you very much indeed for joining us. And we'll be back after this short break.

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[03:40:00]

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KIM BRUNHUBER, CNN ANCHOR: Hello. I'm Kim Brunhuber, in Atlanta. We'll have more on the Truce efforts underway in the Middle East in just a few minutes. But first, a look at some of the other stories making news.

The Rainbow Bridge border crossing between the U.S. and Canada is up and running again, following a fiery and deadly car crash that initially raised fears of terrorism. U.S. officials made the announcement on Thursday, the day after the incident was captured, on surveillance video. It shows the car speeding towards the crossing before hitting a curb and going airborne. It turned into a fireball after crashing into an inspection area. Now the incident shut down border crossings in parts of upstate New York and Ontario, Canada. Investigators now believe a couple from New York were killed in the vehicle. The FBI says there are no indications of terrorism and no explosives were found at the scene.

Residents near the site of a fiery train derailment in Kentucky have been given the all clear to return home. The train operator CSX says firefighters have put out a blaze that started after 16 cars jumped the tracks in Rock Castle county on Wednesday. Residents were then urged to evacuate because two train cars spilled molten sulfur which caught on fire and that led to a temporary release of the toxic sulfur dioxide gas according to the EPA. But CSX says the area is now deemed safe. What caused the incident is still under investigation.

The rapper Sean Diddy Combs has been served with a second lawsuit after an earlier suit was settled. A different woman is now accusing Combs of intentionally drugging and sexually assaulting her. She also says he filmed the act and showed it to others. Now the alleged incident happened back in 1991. The woman was a college student at the time who appeared in music videos with the rapper. A spokesperson for Combs says the lay's allegations are quote, "made up and not credible and purely a money grab."

Actor Jamie Foxx is responding to accusations of sexual assault and battery filed against him in New York Wednesday, or Monday. In the lawsuit, a woman identified as Jane Doe claims Foxx intentionally touched her without her consent in a restaurant in 2015. While he seemed to be intoxicated, a spokesperson for Foxx says the alleged incident never happened and claims the same person filed a nearly identical lawsuit in Brooklyn in 2020. And that case was dismissed.

Pro-Palestinian protesters tried to disrupt the annual Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade in New York City. A law enforcement source tells CNN that protesters broke through barriers and tried to glue themselves to the ground. The NYPD says the protesters were taken into custody.

[03:45:06]

Meanwhile, President Biden called into the televised event and said the parade was a time to come together and be thankful despite any political divisions in the U.S. Here he is.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOE BIDEN, U.S. PRESIDENT (on the phone): I think we have to remind ourselves how blessed we are to live in the greatest nation in the face of the earth. That's real. We're in extraordinary, we've made extraordinary progress. There's nothing beyond our capacity to work together. So today is about coming together, giving thanks to this country we call home, and thanks to all the firefighters, police officers, first responders, and our troops, some of whom are stationed abroad.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BRUNHUBER: Ukraine says one person was killed and another wounded in a barrage of Russian strikes on the Kherson region. Ukrainian officials say Russian forces launched 65 attacks on Thursday using mortars, artillery, rockets and drones among other weapons. The attacks reportedly hit residential areas as well as businesses and a medical facility.

Dutch far-right leader Geert Wilders has started working on a possible coalition government, according to the nation's public broadcaster. He pulled off a surprise election victory on Wednesday, which some commentators called a Trump moment for the Netherlands. But now he's facing an uphill coalition battle that could take months. Anna Stewart has more.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ANNA STEWART, CNN REPORTER: A shock result. And it wasn't even close. Geert Wilder's far-right Populous Freedom Party gained nearly 25 percent of the Dutch parliament's seats. The party leader is best known for his anti-Islam and anti-E.U. stance. He toned down some of his past controversial rhetoric heading into this election. There was no mention of a previous proposal to close mosques and ban the Quran. And he hasn't been pushing as hard for a referendum on E.U. membership, although he does want to block any new members like Ukraine from joining. Instead, Wilders focused on immigration, making frequent calls for a

total ban on immigration, which has been a very hot topic in the Netherlands. The outgoing government actually collapsed over differences on how to reduce the influx of asylum seekers. The Dutch are also struggling with a cost of living crisis. Inflation topped 17 percent at one point last year and the economy is in recession.

Winning the election is one thing, forming a government is the next challenge and one builders may struggle with on account of his extremist views on issues like the E.U. and religious freedoms.

GEERT WILDERS, LEADER, DUTCH REFORM PARTY (through translator): The Dutchman has hope. The hope is that people get their country back, that we make sure that the Netherlands is for the Dutch again, that we will limit the asylum tsunami and immigration, that people will have more money in their wallets again instead of spending millions to nonsense, that the Netherlands will be more secure again, that healthcare will be in order again.

STEWART: There's no doubt though that this election has shaken the political landscape in the Netherlands and sent a warning shot across Europe. Far-right and anti-establishment parties will likely be hopeful that this result could have a bearing on next year's election for the E.U. Parliament.

Anna Stewart, CNN, London.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BRUNHUBER: And we'll get back to Becky Anderson in Qatar with our breaking news coverage of the Israel Hamas truce and the expected hostage release that's coming up after a short break. Please stay with us.

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[03:50:00]

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ANDERSON: Will you join me in Doha in Qatar? We are just a few hours away now from what is expected to be the release of more than a dozen hostages held in Gaza by Hamas. It comes as a four-day pause in the fighting in Gaza does appear to be holding. There was some artillery fire in the early minutes of the truce, but that didn't last long, and we are expecting Hamas. to free 13 women and children in Israel to release 39 Palestinians held in Israeli jails today. You see there the view of Gaza from the Israel border.

The mediators integral to where we've gotten to today, the mediators here in Qatar have told me their work is not done. This is four days, possibly to be extended if Hamas sticks to the deal of releasing some 50 hostages over that four-day period. But what they want to see here in Qatar is a sustained ceasefire going forward. And that is what so many people on the ground in Gaza will want as well. The Israelis, of course, have categorically ruled that out until all hostages, all 240 hostages, are released.

Well, one organization is on a mission to make sure those serving in the Israeli military from abroad have the support they need, especially for Israeli Americans on a day like Thanksgiving yesterday, which of course can be difficult to get through when families are so far away.

CNN's Wolf Blitzer takes a closer look.

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WOLF BLITZER, CNN ANCHOR, THE SITUATION ROOM WITH WOLF BLITZER (voice- over): For many Israeli Americans gathering to give thanks, this holiday is a sad one. There are empty seats at some Thanksgiving tables, those killed by Hamas on October 7th, and the more than 200 people still being held hostage in Gaza. This day is especially tough for what the Israelis call lone soldiers, men and women like Tali Rochwerg, who are from abroad and serve in the Israel Defense Forces here without their families.

TALI ROCHWERG, VOLUNTEER, LONE SOLDIER CENTER: We act as a little family for them.

Tali volunteers at the Lone Soldier Center, one organization helping bring people together during this very difficult time. She and fellow volunteer Anat Ben Dor's families are not among those killed or captured, but they're working to support others in the country reeling from the October 7th Hamas attack.

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ANAT BEN DOR, VOLUNTEER, LONE SOLDIER CENTER: Usually, we're doing very big events on Thanksgiving to the lone soldiers, but in this time, we thought what's the right way to celebrate in these not happy times here in Israel. We decided to celebrate it for the ones who can come, to thank them for what they are doing and to say thanks we are alive and to try and get some strength from one another. So it is, it's like a bittersweet Thanksgiving, I have to say.

BLITZER (voice-over): Despite everything, the people here are taking some comfort in this moment of unity.

ROCHWERG: We don't have our families here and we want to spend Thanksgiving with people that we love and people that we feel comfortable with. And so we have this event for them so that we can all come together and still celebrate and have that joy.

We're going to have our turkey and the yams with marshmallows on top hopefully. And we're going to have our dinner here with the lone soldiers who can arrive and join us. So that's what we're trying to achieve here is bring everyone together. It doesn't matter if you're American.

BLITZER (voice-over): For Arnella Fuchs, today is about remembering the loved ones lost.

ARNELLA FUCHS, VOLUNTEER, LONE SOLDIER CENTER: We light a candle in memory of our soldiers who died on the sabbath on the 7th of October.

BLITZER (voice-over): Hanging over this dinner table and the country is the absence of those who are being held hostage.

ROCHWERG: The feeling that while we're all together, we're not fully whole, they're still a part of our country, of our people that are not with us tonight. We want everyone back home, able to be with their families. We want kids back home with their parents.

BLITZER (voice-over): But also at the table, gratitude for the glimmer of hope. as families wait for the release of the hostages.

BEN DOR: I think part of this dinner today will be to think about the one we lost, to pray that we will get back soon the ones that are still alive and in Gaza.

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ANDERSON: And that wraps this hour of "CNN Newsroom." I'm Becky Anderson. Max Foster picks up our coverage from London after this short break. Stay with us.

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