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Israel-Hamas War; List of Israeli Hostages Scheduled for Release Today Received by Israel; On Friday, 24 of Hamas's Captives Were Set Free; Two Days of the Four-Day Truce Seem to be Working; As Per Agreement, 39 Palestinian Detainees Were Released on Friday. Aired 4-5a ET

Aired November 25, 2023 - 04:00   ET

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

[04:00:00]

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KIM BRUNHUBER, CNN ANCHOR: Hello and welcome to all of you watching us here in the United States, Canada, and all around the world. I'm Kim Brunhuber.

I want to get to our continuing coverage of the Israel Hamas war. It's 4:00 a.m. in Atlanta, 11:00 a.m. in Gaza, the second day of a four-day truce between Israel and Hamas that appears to be holding. Now, in the coming hours, Israel is expecting Hamas to release another group of Israeli hostages just as it did the day before. Israel says, it has a list of today's names and has notified the families. According to an Israeli source, several children are on it.

Now, day one of the truce saw Hamas release 13 Israelis and 11 foreign nationals who were quickly taken to Tel Aviv area hospitals for medical evaluations. Doctors described all 13 Israelis as good and stable. Now, among the non-Israelis were 10 Thai nationals and one Filipino. The Thai government estimates that 20 of its citizens are still being held hostage by Hamas.

Now, as part of the deal on Friday, 39 Palestinian women and minors were released from three Israeli prisons and returned to the occupied West Bank in Jerusalem. A spokesperson for the Israeli military cautioned the process was far from over. Listen to this.

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REAR ADM. DANIEL HAGARI, IDF SPOKESPERSON (through translator): The sight of those who have safely crossed the border into Israel evokes a profound sense of relief. Yet, our hearts remain with the hostages still held in Gaza. Tonight, we embrace the families of the hostages, keeping them constantly in our thoughts. It is our moral obligation to ensure a safe return of everyone home.

We are only at the beginning of the process. We are preparing to continue implementing the plan for the return of the adoptees. The days ahead will present complexities. Nothing is certain until it is accomplished. We must be prepared. (END VIDEO CLIP)

BRUNHUBER: CNN's Scott McLean joins us live from Istanbul. So, Scott, such a significant day yesterday, potentially today as well. So, first take us through the major developments and how that truce is holding.

SCOTT MCLEAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, so it is holding for now more than 24 hours, Kim. And if you ask the Egyptians, that is in part because of the Israelis agreeing to suspend their surveillance flights over Gaza, and also because of the volume of aid that's managed to get into Gaza around, give or take, 200 or so trucks got into Gaza yesterday. That is the most in a single day since this war began. Obviously, that takes a lot of pressure off of the humanitarian needs.

The officials in Gaza on the Palestinian side would say that there's still more to be done, but this is undoubtedly a good sign that keeps this very fragile, it seems truce, in place. Yesterday, you mentioned already the hostages from the Israeli side released 13 of them. They range in age from two to 85 years old. And even after this group of hostages and the Thai and Filipino nationals were released as well the hostages, the hostage families estimate that, look, there are still 35 children who remain hostages, 49 women as well.

To get all of those people out, Kim, that would require not only this initial four days of a pause in the fighting. It would also require an additional five days because the Israelis have agreed, as part of this deal, that for every day that they extend this truce, there will be 10 more hostages released. Obviously, 30 more Palestinian prisoners held in Israeli jails released as well.

Whether or not that happens is a completely different story. The Israelis have made very clear that this is not the end of the war, that the fighting will continue after this. In fact, they've been preventing Palestinians inside of Gaza from going back into Northern Gaza, perhaps to check on their homes or to stay here during that -- this pause in the fighting.

On the Palestinian side as well, there were 39 released. They were taken from two hospitals in Israeli territory, driven into the West Bank to another prison facility where they were dispersed or released from there. And this prompted cheers, celebrations in the street with people waving not only Palestinian flags but Hamas flags as well. And it's worth pointing out that Hamas did release a video yesterday showing its part in this hostage release.

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This was an edited video. CNN has no control, obviously, over how it was edited. And clearly, it shows what Hamas wants to portray to the world. And there were two things that stood out in that video. First, one Hamas fighter helping a nine-year-old boy, one of the hostages, released into a Red Cross vehicle and another one carrying an elderly woman as well. And that prompted cheers from people gathered there, some of them recording on their cell phones.

Of the 39 who were released, Kim, it's worth noting three quarters of them were in administrative detention, meaning they may not actually know the charges against them. Certainly, they have not been convicted, 10 of them were actually convicted. And there's an entire list here that has 300 names on it of potential prisoners that could be released over the course of what would end up being nine days. The crimes committed or that they're accused of range from relatively minor things like stone throwing up until much more serious crimes like attempted murder.

But of course, all of this is relatively delicate. We did see some clashes between the IDF and bystanders, really, in the West Bank yesterday, outside of one of those prisons where there was tear gas. And according to the Palestinian Red Crescent even shots fired at two minors resulting in injuries. So, all of this is going well so far, but of course it seems like it's quite delicate at this stage. Kim?

BRUNHUBER: Yes, absolutely. All right. So, Scott McLean in Istanbul, thanks so much.

Now, as we mentioned, Friday's release included 11 foreign nationals, 10 Thai and one Filipino citizen, and they were freed as part of a separate agreement. Israel says, they're spending their first morning of freedom in a hospital southeast of Tel Aviv undergoing medical evaluations.

Manisha Tank is in Singapore with details. So, Manisha, what more can you tell us about them? The circumstances around their release and why they were in Israel to begin with?

MANISHA TANK, JOURNALIST: Well, let's start with why were they in Israel? Many of those hostages that are Thai nationals and the Filipino national that we know about as well, all migrant workers to Israel. In fact, it is reported that -- by CNN, that about 20,000 or so Thai workers work in the agricultural industry in Israel. It is probably the biggest contingents of Southeast Asian migrant workers in the country. And many of them work in the agricultural sector. They come from very poor parts of Thailand, often in farming communities.

So, going to Israel and sending those remittances back, it's a very important part of their local economy. But there's been obviously joy and relief from their families. for the ones who have been released, in the last 24 hours or so. In fact, one story I wanted to share with you. One lady, Ms. Natawari Mulkan (ph), her mother, expressing the tears that she shed when she realized in the videos it was her -- indeed her daughter who was boarding the bus.

Meanwhile, you have the Filipino, Jimmy Pacheco. He was a caregiver in Southern Israel. It was a surprise to many to see -- to find out that he had been released. And let's get back to the fact that they are in hospital at the moment. They are being observed. They are going through a number of physical tests, but also emotional assessments as well. They would have seen -- seen atrocities in the last few weeks. They have been kidnapped. They were abducted. And there is much work to do there in terms of the healing.

Just a quick note on some of the mentions from both the Thai and Philippine authorities in thanking all of those that came together to get this agreement to actually happen. As you mentioned, it was a separate agreement, but the Thai is pointing out the role of Qatar, Israel, Egypt, Iran, Malaysia. And the IR -- the ICRC in getting this deal done.

BRUNHUBER: All right. Appreciate the update. Manisha Tank in Singapore, thanks so much.

Well, 39 Palestinians are free now after they were released from Israeli prisons on Friday as part of the hostage agreement with Hamas. They return to their hometowns and families with hugs and celebrations in the West Bank and Jerusalem. But for some, the joy of their freedom is tempered by the suffering in Gaza. CNN's Nada Bashir reports.

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NADA BASHIR, CNN REPORTER (voice-over): A joyous celebration as 23- year-old Malak Suleiman (ph) finally arrives home in East Jerusalem after six years in an Israeli prison. Convicted and sentenced to 10 years in prison at the age of 17 for attempted murder. Police say they found a knife in her possession in the old City of Jerusalem. It is a charge she and her family have long denied.

Suleiman is one of 39 prisoners, all women and minors released from jails in Israel on Friday. In exchange for the release of hostages who had been held by Hamas in Gaza.

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BASHIR: We saw many of those detainees now released -- those prisoners now released, rather, being carried on people's shoulders to the municipality building where a number of their family members were waiting among them. 15 minors who were released being carried up this road on people's shoulders too, much cheering and celebration, even fireworks being set off. We've also been speaking to people, including relatives, who say they didn't want to see these crowds.

WAEL HAJ AHMED, GAZA RESIDENT IN WEST BANK (through translator): This celebration is not necessary. They need to be mindful of us in Gaza. This celebration is wrong. I am torn to pieces. Have a little mercy on us. They can be joyful, but the joy is in the heart because we are dying in Gaza. Have some respect for us a little.

BASHIR (voice-over): The release of this first group of Palestinian prisoners comes as Israel and Hamas begin a four-day truce, a window of desperately needed respite for civilians in Gaza. According to Hamas run health authorities in Gaza, nearly 15,000 Palestinians in the enclave have been killed over the last seven weeks alone.

Israel says, it is targeting Hamas in response to the terror attack of October 7th, which killed more than 1,200 Israeli citizens. But in Gaza, it is civilians that are paying the highest price. More than 8,000 Palestinians remain in Israeli jails, including more than 3,000, according to the Palestinian Commission for Detainees and Ex- Prisoners' Affairs held under administrative detention, meaning no clear charges and no clear legal process.

But for those gathered in the occupied West Bank on Friday night, this is a welcome moment of, in their eyes, long overdue justice.

UM TARIQ, PALESTINIAN-AMERICAN CITIZEN: People want to gather and be together in this moment. And however, folks internalize that in terms of their own emotional, sort of, reaction to it, that's for them to speak to. But I think people want to be here to be together. To welcome home these prisoners, and that's part of the spirit of being Palestinian.

BASHIR (voice-over): With over 100 Palestinian prisoners still set for release over the next few days, scenes like this are expected to continue, though some say at too high a price.

Nada Bashir, CNN, in Jerusalem.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BRUNHUBER: All right. I want to go live now to Ramallah in the West Bank and bring in Budour Hassan, a researcher on Israel and Palestine with Amnesty International. Thanks so much for being here with us. So, we saw in that report the scenes of celebration by the Palestinians, greeting those who were released. Explain first what it means to the Palestinians. What kind of symbol does their return represent?

BUDOUR HASSAN, RESEARCHER ON ISRAEL AND PALESTINE, AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL: For Palestinian because of the high percentage of those who get in detention and because for many of those, the process, the trial, if there was trial at all, and the whole process of imprisonment was mired by an unfair process.

So, for them to welcome back loved ones after such a long time is a relief, is a joy. For these people -- many -- we're talking about mainly children and women, many of them, most children have been tried before military courts. Some of the children who were released were not charged at all. So, these families did not know when they will be receiving their children. So, to finally reunite is obviously a great source of joy for them.

BRUNHUBER: Yes. I mean, many people listening to this might be surprised to know that there are so many Palestinians being held in Israeli detention. Why so many? And tell us a bit more about that administrative detention that we heard in that report, that sweeping law that enables them to be held without charges.

HASSAN: So, administrative detention is a practice that dates back to British mandatory era that -- and that is still being used by Israel. While Israeli authorities claim that they use administrative detention as a last resort, numbers show that right now more than 2,000 Palestinians, nearly a -- over a fifth of all detainees are held without charges or trial.

They cannot challenge their detention. Detention can be renewed indefinitely every four or six months. The only way to challenge detention is to challenge it before military courts. And military courts almost always approve administrative detention. Under administrative detention, detainees have no way to challenge, to find the evidence based on which they are detained because evidence is secret. So, they are denied their right to fair -- to due process or to fair trial and they cannot defend. So, you are detained, and you cannot challenge the basis for your detention.

BRUNHUBER: The numbers as well we know of Palestinians held in administrative detention are increasing. Do we know basically -- I mean, why are they being held? How many, for minor offenses, like, throwing stones for instance?

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HASSAN: So, just to give you a sense, yesterday, the vast majority of those who were detained were detained -- were held for so-called minor offenses, including throwing stones. And when we talk about throwing stones, this happens in a context of Israeli military raids on Palestinian villages, towns, and refugee camps. We're talking about charges that relate to incitement.

In effect, Israel says that it refuses to disclose the evidence because there is a security basis. But Palestinians systematically fail to challenge or to discover what exactly the security basis is. Administrative detention numbers, even before the 7th of October, have hit a 20-year high for Palestinians.

But since the 7th of October, we've seen a 70 percent increase in the use of administrative detention. It is being used in a discriminatory manner. The almost 99 percent of all those detained under administrative detentions are Palestinians. And it's used systematically by the Israeli authorities, mainly by military courts across the West Bank.

BRUNHUBER: So, as you mentioned, I mean, this type of detention, it isn't new. It's been going on for more than 50 years. But it is new to many people that are hearing about this for the first time. I know Amnesty International has been, you know, working against this for some time. Do you think that this now could help put more focus on this issue and perhaps lead to change?

HASSAN: It is obviously unfortunate that it took this for people to pay attention to the fact that there are thousands of Palestinians who are either held under administrative detention or are held after being tried by military courts. Many of them are not even -- they can spend years without being prosecuted at all. But it's important also to use this opportunity to remind people of the two-tier justice system.

So, just one example this -- if the same two children who live in the West Bank, one lives in a Palestinian village, the second lives in an Israeli settlement, they can commit the same offense. The Palestinian child would be tried before a military court, denied of his right to due process and a fair trial, may be held under administrative detention. While the Israeli settler tried will be tried before a civilian court and given his right to due process and all other rights as a child.

Palestinian detained children are not treated as children by military courts. They are seen as criminals. Israel prioritizes the punitive aspect of justice over rehabilitation process of justice. We're talking about 14, 15, 16-year-old children who can spend years of their lives before being prosecuted, before being convicted. And not to mention the trauma and the scars that these children will carry with them forever because of the rife use of torture and other treatment by Israeli authorities which is part and parcel of Israel's system of apartheid against Palestinians.

BRUNHUBER: Listen, we will have to leave it there. But really appreciate getting your perspectives on this. Budour Hassan with Amnesty International, thank you so much.

HASSAN: Thank you.

BRUNHUBER: Russia is raising the stakes in its drone strikes on Ukraine. Still ahead, a new barrage of drones never seen before in the course of the war.

And U.S. forces in Iraq and Syria have faced dozens of attacks in the past month, including four separate times on Thanksgiving Day. That's all just ahead, Stay with us.

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BRUNHUBER: Ukraine's capital is reeling from an unprecedented wave of Russian drone attacks. Officials say, 75 Russian drones went after targets across the country Saturday morning, which is a new record. Now, a majority of them were reportedly shot down, but the attacks still caused multiple fires and left damage in Kyiv.

Anna Coren joins us from the streets of the capital with more. So, Anna, you're there in Kyiv. I can see the background there behind you. Give us the latest on what you're seeing and hearing about what they're calling this record number of drone attacks.

ANNA COREN, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Kim, we are here at a kindergarten in a residential area. And as you can see, the damage behind me, part of the building has collapsed into the schoolyard, the playground. There is debris up in the trees and homes just in front of me, a few meters away, windows have been shattered.

As you say, this is an unprecedented number of Shahed drones to attack Kyiv. The last large-scale attack was New Year's Eve, and that was 45 drones. Well, early this morning, 75 drones were aimed at Ukraine, most of those at the capital. 71 of those were shot down, including this one here, this is debris from one of those Shahed drones that had been shot down.

Early this morning, Kim, we heard that the loud explosions of the air defense systems working overtime to hit these drones, and we even heard the buzz of the Shahed drones. One of our producers, Dasha, she heard a drone fly past her home.

Look, the people here in Kyiv have been expecting this. We know that Russia has been stockpiling drones, missiles, weapons. And the whole idea is to hit Kyiv, particularly Kyiv, the capital over winter. It is now officially winter, you know. It is -- it's freezing temperatures here. And the idea is to obviously hit the energy infrastructure. We are hearing from authorities that there were outages, electricity outages. They were restored quite quickly.

But for the residents here, this is just too close, you know, to home quite literally. We spoke to one woman who was hiding in the hallway of her home when she heard the air raid sirens and then the air defense systems working. But then there was this huge, loud explosion and the windows shattered.

[04:25:00]

We spoke to a five-year-old girl who attends this kindergarten, and she says, I got a music class here. This is where I do my dancing. I won't be able to do that anymore. Her mother was in tears. You know, this is -- is having a terrifying impact on the people of Kyiv. And as we heard from President Zelensky, this was an act of terror.

BRUNHUBER: All right. Just tragic to see a kindergarten in ruins there behind you. Anna Coren in Kyiv, thank you so much.

Well, U.S. official says, American forces in Iraq and Syria were attacked four separate times on Thanksgiving. CNN's Alex Marquardt has the details.

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ALEX MARQUARDT, CNN SENIOR NATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: The number of attacks on U.S. and coalition forces in Iraq and Syria has now shot past 70 in just the past few weeks. Four attacks alone on Thanksgiving Day. On Thursday, according to the Pentagon, rockets and drones were used to try to strike two bases in Iraq and two sites in Syria. There was no damage reported nor were there casualties, according to the Pentagon, but the growing attacks highlight the concerns about a wider conflict that could draw in U.S. troops.

The U.S. has retaliated and tried to send a message of deterrence. The Pentagon says, including hitting two locations in Iraq earlier this week, which belonged to the Iran-backed Kata'ib Hezbollah, following an earlier attack by the group with close range ballistic missiles.

In all, the U.S. has now carried out four sets of airstrikes for these dozens of strikes against U.S. and coalition forces. The U.S. strikes included three in Syria against facilities tied to Iran's Revolutionary Guard and Iran-backed proxy groups. The Pentagon argues that the deterrence is working because the conflict has not yet spread more widely in the Middle East.

Alex Marquardt, CNN, Washington.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BRUNHUBER: I'm Kim Brunhuber. For those here in the United States and Canada, I'll be back with more news in just a moment. For those watching internationally, "Living Golf" is next.

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BRUNHUBER: And welcome back to all of you watching us here in the United States and Canada. I'm Kim Brunhuber. This is "CNN Newsroom."

Another group of Israeli hostages is due to be released in the coming hours. An Israeli official tells CNN that Hamas will free 14 Israeli hostages today, and Israel has agreed to release 42 Palestinians held in Israeli jails. Doctors who examined the 13 Israeli hostages released on Friday describe them as being in good and stable condition.

Have a look here, this is the moment ambulances carrying some of them arrived at a hospital near Tel Aviv. Israel's chief nurse says, there wasn't a dry eye in the room when the freed Israelis were reunited with their families.

Now, the first images of the hostages as they were about to be released on Friday was a two-minute video taken by Hamas. It was edited and is mostly silent, CNN had no control over the content, but we're going to play it now. CNN's Matthew Chance explains what we're seeing and why.

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MATTHEW CHANCE, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): They kidnapped and killed, but now Hamas is showing its gunmen releasing Israelis in Gaza. For many, these are disturbing scenes. Nine-year-old Ohad Munder being embraced as he's set free. An old woman being carried by a masked man as Palestinians cheer. After 49 long days of captivity in Gaza, aid workers from the Red Cross drive them through the border into Egypt and to freedom.

Egyptian television shows a convoy of vehicles heading to the crossing. Then the hostages, including 10 Thais, a Filipino, and the 13 Israeli women and children disembarking for checks. The Israeli military posted this grainy video of the moment they all finally reentered the country. A step, says the Israeli Prime Minister, towards bringing all hostages home.

BENJAMIN NETANYAHU, ISRAELI PRIME MINISTER (through translator): We have just completed the return of the first of our hostages. Children, their mothers and additional women, each one of them is a whole world. But I emphasize to you, the families, and to you citizens of Israel, we are committed to return all our hostages.

CHANCE (voice-over): Most of the hostages released in this first group, under the temporary truce, were taken from Nir Oz, one of the small Israeli communities near Gaza, ravaged by Hamas on October the 7th. At least 38 people there were killed, and more than 70 abducted. People like Daniel Aloni and her five-year-old daughter, Emilia, both freed in this latest release. But the relatives they were visiting when Hamas attacked remain unaccounted for as hostages.

[04:35:00] Behind every release, a poignant reminder of those left behind. Like the family of Omri Almog, his brother-in-law and niece killed. His sister and her three children still hostages. Yet Omri is now optimistic.

OMRI ALMOG, FAMILY KIDNAPPED BY HAMAS: The best is in the front of us. It's going to come. Whatever happened, we cannot change. Nadav is no longer with us. Siam, the beautiful girl, is not with us anymore. But --

CHANCE: There's still a chance. There's still a chance --

ALMOG: Yes.

CHANCE: -- for your sister and her children.

ALMOG: Yes, yes, yes. We have to bring what's left. We need to bring back what's left from this family. It's a broken family.

CHANCE (voice-over): A broken family in a country of shattered lives.

Matthew Chance, CNN, Tel Aviv.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BRUNHUBER: And joining us now is Miri Eisen, director at the International Institute for Counterterrorism at Reichman University and a colonel in the Israel Defense Force Reserves. Thank you so much for being here with us. So, day two of the truce so far so good. Do you expect it to hold? Do we expect more hostages to be released? And what would constitute a breach of that truce, do you think?

MIRI EISEN, DIR., INTERNATIONAL INSTITUTE FOR COUNTERTERRORISM, REICHMAN UNIVERSITY AND COLONEL IN IDF RESERVES: We all want it. There's a difference between wanting, hoping, and expecting. I think that today it will hold. We'll definitely see more today. But as these things are happening, everything's so fragile.

The pictures before that you showed very carefully of the way Hamas are picturing what's happening now are very disturbing. Those masked men, they continue to rule over the central South Gaza Strip. And I say that because they're holding the hostages as bargaining chips. When they do it in that way, you never know what can happen. I hope today we'll see more hostages, that also means the release of more prisoners that were sentenced, convicted, tried and put in Israeli jails. And that's an additional picture, which is really hard to see. So, I hope so, but I'm always wary of what could happen. Can I give another example?

BRUNHUBER: Yes, go ahead.

EISEN: Thank you. Because, I mean, as we're sitting here today right now, and you all think it's nice and quiet, but up north today, there was an infiltration. There was the trying and infiltration of a drone, an attack drone from Hezbollah, from Lebanon. So, it isn't that everything is quiet here right now. And as we go on, there was a different boat that was attacked in a -- ship attacked in the Gulf at all that they say was an Israeli owned ship, meaning there's the hostages, but it's happening within a whole arena. And I can't disconnect from that. And it really makes it hard because something that happens very far away could have an impact on the hostages here.

BRUNHUBER: Yes. You mentioned drones as part of the agreement. Israel isn't supposed to be flying, you know, surveillance drones. But how attentively and what using -- using what technology, do you think, are the Israelis trying to watch where the hostages are coming from?

EISEN: Well, the issue of where the hostages are has been top issue from October 7th, and you use every kind of intelligence capability you have. You're going to use open sources. Maybe they post something, at the end, everybody's online. And those are the kind of things where if you're looking at it, maybe you'll see something.

Remember that the Gaza Strip itself, 2.2 million people, that's exactly where Hamas hide. That's very urban, very built, very dense. So, you're looking building by building, where -- and as we think that most of them are being held inside the underground tunnels, you're constantly looking for where the tunnels themselves are.

You can do that with different types of things that are not flying over. It can be from eyes of people. We still have Israeli soldiers, certainly in the Northern Gaza Strip, surrounding the area of the Southern Gaza Strip. There are no drones there but at least, according to Israel itself, we've said that we also have satellites in the sky. You want to hope that they're using every kind of capability that we have to find out that information.

BRUNHUBER: So, I'm wondering what happens next? I mean, do you expect Hamas to drag this out further past the four days by releasing small groups of hostages?

EISEN: Kim, isn't that what you would do if you were a terror organization? I say as somebody who looks at them, I don't like being cynical, which is what in the middle of the night for you in the United States. But there is some cynicism when it comes to terror organizations. That's exactly what they want to do. They want to trickle them out. They did an unprecedented hot -- mass hostage attack. There's never -- there isn't anything compared to it.

So, if you let out 10 a day, that's a good 24 day, but not that they're going to do that. But that's already almost a month. After a month, they've let all the hostages out. So. Israel has, in that sense, why are Israel going to continue to do anything against Hamas. But Hamas, in this case openly, I mean, they call for our disruption, and it's really challenging on what you do there. I do not believe that they will tricker them out -- trickle them out.

[04:40:00]

I think at some stage along the way, they are going to stop it and that Israel will continue the military operation. The only reason they're doing it now is the combined effort of diplomacy, so important, with the military operation. Without the military operation, they wouldn't have done anything.

BRUNHUBER: You talk about Israel restarting the military operation, I mean, the more time that goes by, the more international pressure grows for a permanent ceasefire. How much harder does it make it for Israel to restart the war?

EISEN: You breathe in deep and you take that step. Because if you want to allow Hamas to exist, you and me, people of the world, where not only do they do mass mega genocidal attacks and take this enormous amount of hostages and use them as cards. If you allow them to continue, they are going to have been shown as winning. And if they win, that's a new way of working modus operandi for terrorists worldwide. Nobody wants that.

And in that sense, I do not see any way that Israel will not continue. I did a lot of negatives there. Israel will continue with this fight against the Hamas in the Gaza Strip, as we're fighting them both in the West Bank and in Lebanon, they're not only in the Gaza Strip. But they ruled there for so many years that what they've built there is incomprehensible, and these are things that need to be destroyed.

BRUNHUBER: All right. We'll have to leave it there. I really appreciate having you on. Miri Eisen, thank you so much for speaking with us.

EISEN: Thank you.

BRUNHUBER: The United Nations says, 137 trucks filled with humanitarian goods were offloaded in Gaza on Friday, the first day of the truce. It's the largest aid convoy into Gaza since the October 7th Hamas attack on Israel. The U.N. humanitarian affairs offices say 129,000 liters of fuel and four trucks of cooking gas were also delivered to Gaza on Friday. And the agency says, the food, water, medical supplies and other essential items will help hundreds of thousands of people in Gaza.

So, as the Palestinians welcome the pause in the constant bombardment in Gaza, many who fled to the southern part of the enclave are trying to get back home to the north, but the IDF warns that northern Gaza is still a dangerous war zone. CNN's Jomana Karadsheh has more on the story.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOMANA KARADSHEH, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): It's the sounds of life, not death today on the streets of Gaza for the first time in nearly 50 days. They're not running for their lives. No bombs raining down on them from the sky. Some Children can even smile again, even if only for a brief while. But there's nothing to celebrate, too many lives have been lost, so much gone. and they know there will be more.

The Israeli military dropping leaflets on Friday, warning people that the war is not over. It will soon resume and telling them to stay away from Northern Gaza and its troops. Many still tried to head back to the homes they fled with nothing more than the clothes on their backs to see what's left, and grab what they can find, including their dead.

We want to see what's happened to our loved ones. So many are under the rubble for 20 days, Abu Ahmed (ph) says. We need to get them out.

Who else will bury them? Who will bury our two-year-old and her father, says Um Abdullah (ph). What did she do to them?

It was a tense scene on Salah al-Din Road, the highway linking north and south. People here saying Israeli forces opened fire on those trying to head back north.

We want to get to our homes. They say this is a truce, Mahmoud (ph) says. We're civilians. They shot people. One was shot in the head and the other in the mouth.

Gunfire and the panic that ensued captured in this video geolocated by CNN. Asked about these shootings, the Israeli military says, its troops are stationed along the, "Operational lines of the pause in accordance with the framework of the agreement." But that didn't stop those determined to get back to what's left of their lives.

Sisters Hanin (ph) and Saida (ph), cradling their cats who've been through it all with them, say they know the risks, but they just want to go back home. Gazans know all too well what comes after this brief calm.

What's this truce for? To hand over the hostages? What happens after they hand them over? What happens to us? Um Abdullah (ph) asks. We feel like we are dead, she says.

They hope it doesn't all start again, but all they can do now is prepare for a cruel winter ahead.

Jomana Karadsheh, CNN, London.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BRUNHUBER: All right. When we come back, a spike in respiratory illnesses in China has caught the attention of the World Health Organization.

[04:45:00]

What officials are recommending for residents and travelers just ahead, stay with us.

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BRUNHUBER: During a rise in respiratory illnesses, the World Health Organization is advising people in China to do what they can to reduce the spread of infectious disease, that includes staying home when they're sick, wearing a mask when it's appropriate, and using good hand hygiene. As for visiting China, the W.H.O. isn't recommending that travelers change their plans or take any particular precautions other than to avoid traveling if they're sick.

CNN's Ivan Watson has more.

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IVAN WATSON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Long lines of patients at crowded Chinese hospitals. A warning from the World Health Organization about an upsurge of respiratory illnesses among children in Northern China. And administrators from several pediatric hospitals in and around the Chinese capital saying the spike in patients exceeded their capacity.

WATSON: Should people be worried?

JOHN NICHOLLS, CLINICAL PROF. OF PATHOLOGY, UNIVERSITY OF HONG KONG: I don't think they should be too worried because there are -- we have to look at a number of factors. The first is that is winter and it's cold. And wherever you have this, you're going to be getting an increase in respiratory infections.

WATSON (voice-over): The W.H.O, says, according to Chinese government data, there's been an increase of RSV, adenovirus, and influenza since October, and an uptick of mycoplasma pneumonia since May, but not a novel pathogen like COVID-19. Chinese health officials reported the increases to the W.H.O. but are downplaying the severity of this strain of pneumonia, which the W.H.O. says can be treated with antibiotics.

JIN DONGYAN, PROF. OF VIROLOGY, UNIVERSITY OF HONG KONG: So far, there is just zero evidence that there is a new virus being circulating in Beijing or elsewhere.

WATSON (voice-over): The global COVID-19 pandemic first appeared to originate in the Chinese city of Wuhan in late 2019.

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Critics accused the Chinese government at the time of not being transparent about what later became a global health crisis. Long after the rest of the world moved on from social distancing, Beijing maintained strict COVID restrictions. Epidemiologists say the surge in illness now is China playing catch up to other countries.

NICHOLLS: What we are seeing is what's actually been seen in many other countries before, is that after COVID, is that when kids get together, there will be an increase in respiratory viruses.

WATSON (voice-over): But the increase is putting real pressure on some Chinese hospitals, where doctors say patients have to wait hours to get an appointment.

GUO LINGYUN, DOCTOR, BEIJING CHILDREN'S HOSPITAL (through translator): Every night we have doctors from different departments working overtime, and each doctor will take at least 30 online consultation sessions per night. WATSON (voice-over): Due to China's relatively underdeveloped primary care system, hospital emergency rooms often serve as the first point of contact for patients with even mild illness. So, during flu season in China, scenes like this aren't unusual. Even when they're sick and receiving an I.V. drip, children are expected to do their homework. Health officials are urging parents not to rush their kids to children's hospitals in China's first winter since COVID.

Ivan Watson, CNN, Hong Kong.

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BRUNHUBER: "The Source" tells CNN, Former Police Officer Derek Chauvin was assaulted in federal prison, with "The Associated Press" and the "New York Times" reporting that he'd been stabbed. He was, of course, convicted in the killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis in 2020 and is serving time at the Federal Correction Institute in Tucson, Arizona. Chauvin is in stable condition, according to "The Source." Minnesota's Attorney General said Chauvin should have been able to serve his sentence without fear of retaliation.

Oh, we've certainly come a long way from a message in a bottle. Still ahead, a laser beamed a signal from space probe could one day help astronauts on Mars to communicate with the Earth. That's coming up, stay with us.

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BRUNHUBER: Black Friday, the day after Thanksgiving, has long been one of the biggest shopping days of the year here in the U.S., but it may be losing its retail luster. Ivan Rodriguez takes a closer look.

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IVAN RODRIGUEZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Black Friday historically marks the start of the holiday shopping rush and when retailers claim they have the best deals available. But this year, there seems to have been a different tactic from many retailers which could result in a slower than usual shopping day.

RODRIGUEZ (voice-over): For many shoppers on Black Friday, the day begins bright and early.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: For me, it's about tradition and family. I've got my daughter and my niece here with me. We let -- we get -- we have my niece sleep over. We come to the mall. We're here by 6:00 a.m. We shop till we drop, and then we head home this afternoon.

RODRIGUEZ (voice-over): This year, retailers are departing from only offering their claim best deals the day after Thanksgiving. By ruling out Black Friday like sales weeks in advance, meaning long lines like these might not be a common sight across department stores this Black Friday. But it doesn't mean consumers won't be shopping at all throughout the weekend, which could be good news for small businesses. ALLISON ASH, OWNER, THE WRAPPER: I just feel really lucky and blessed that we've had people who've been loyal to us.

RODRIGUEZ (voice-over): This year, about 60 percent of holiday shoppers are likely to choose small business Saturday for holiday shopping, which is slightly higher than the 56 percent of shoppers likely to shop on Black Friday, according to a report by Bankrate. Some analysts say that social media is now the place where some are finding inspiration.

KRISTINE MCGRATH, EDITOR, RETAILMENOT: The toy space as well has a lot of influencers, parenting influencers. Showing off what they're getting their kids and really influencing what those top toys of the year that are likely going to sell out.

RODRIGUEZ (voice-over): In recent years, the traditional Black Friday has undergone a noticeable evolution, especially for those no longer interested in doorbuster promotions.

RODRIGUEZ: The November through December holiday shopping season accounts for about 20 percent of retailers sales for a full year. The National Retail Federation forecast holiday sales this year to increase four percent, that's slower than the 5.4 percent increase in 2022.

In Atlanta, I'm Ivan Rodriguez.

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BRUNHUBER: For the first time ever, NASA picked up a laser beamed message from nearly 10 million miles away. It's part of an experiment on the Psyche mission which launched last month. The probe sent data from far beyond the moon to the Hale Telescope in California with an invisible near infrared laser. The technology could be used to communicate with astronauts exploring Mars. It could also lead to discoveries about the origin of the universe.

All right. I'm Kim Brunhuber. I'll be back with the latest from the Middle East in just a moment. Please do stay with us.

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