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14 Israelis And Three Thai Citizens Released On Day Three Of Israel-Hamas Truce; President Biden Speaks With Israeli Prime Minister After Later Hostage Release; 39 Palestinian Prisoners Released Today; Seventeen Hostages Freed On Day 3 Of Truce; Three Palestinian College Students Shot In Vermont. Aired 7-8p ET
Aired November 26, 2023 - 19:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[19:00:47]
ALEX MARQUARDT, CNN HOST: You are in the CNN NEWSROOM. I'm Alex Marquardt in Washington alongside my colleague Kaitlan Collins who is in Tel Aviv. Jim Acosta is off tonight. Thank you very much for joining us.
We do begin with breaking news, as Israel moves towards a fourth and possibly final day of its temporary truce with Hamas. So much will depend on how many more hostages get released. After three successful days of hostage releases, Hamas says it wants to extend the pause in the fighting. A source telling CNN that Israel's War Cabinet is also discussing that possibility.
But today it was yet another emotional day for so many families in Israel. A third group of 17 hostages held inside the Gaza Strip since early October, they were finally freed. Here are some of the early images, or images we've just gotten of some of those families, finally embracing after weeks of uncertainty. Not knowing if they frankly would ever see each other again. A total of 17 hostages today, including three Thai nationals, and these pictures that you're looking at there, those are 14 of the Israeli hostages who were released from captivity.
They range in age from 4 to 84 years old. They're mostly women and children. One of them is a male Russian Israeli citizen. He was released as part of a separate agreement between Russia and Hamas.
I want to get now to our Kaitlan Collins who is in Tel Aviv for more on these breaking developments -- Kaitlan.
KAITLAN COLLINS, CNN HOST: Yes, Alex, we are entering that fourth day. We're waiting to see what the decision here. One big thing that did happen today that we had not seen in the first two groups of hostages that were released by Hamas is we saw an American citizen among them. It is one that everyone has remembered her face and her name, 4-year- old Abigail Edan. She turned 4 years old while she was in captivity.
Both of her parents were murdered by Hamas. Only her two siblings survived. Her family, though, is joyous tonight that she is finally safe and in a hospital at this moment, saying that there are, quote, "no words to express our relief." We've heard from many of her family members about that. She is just one part of this story of so many others who are coming back to a life of loss and learning what that new life looks like.
Also tonight, we are learning that as part of this deal with Hamas, when they released those Israeli prisoners or Israeli hostages, I should say, they also released a round of Palestinian prisoners from here in Israel. Tonight we were told that group of 39 Palestinian prisoners is made up of teenaged boys. They are all 18 years old and younger. You saw them making their way back home to the West Bank today after being released from Israeli jails.
I want to bring in CNN's Matthew Chance, who is tracking all of this and was outside of Schneider Children's Medical Center earlier.
You were speaking with some of those families as they were talking about this. I think the question right now and here we are, it's 2:00 in the morning local, we have not yet gotten confirmation that Israel has gotten the fourth list of names. And typically around this time is when Israel gets it. What are we expecting on day four of this?
MATTHEW CHANCE, CNN CHIEF GLOBAL AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT: Well, I think what we've come to expect over the course of the past three days is that, you know, there are possibilities that this could be delayed. We've seen a big delay yesterday. Today it went very smoothly. But yesterday there was a time when we were discussing here this whole thing could have fallen to pieces.
Today it's gone very smoothly. There haven't been the kind of obstacles in place that we saw the day before, but tomorrow is another day. And so every day we're seeing this whole process which is complicated logistically and has lots of moving parts, as we've been saying start all over again. And with each day brings, you know, new risks that it could be delayed and new uncertainties as well. And so we'll see how it goes.
Certainly the hope is, and it seems on both sides, both on the Hamas side and the Israeli side is that this could be continued, not just tomorrow but for some time after that as well.
COLLINS: Yes, and we'll wait to see. I mean, I know they said up to 10 days or so. You know, you were outside that hospital. We've heard from so many of these families who say, you know, this is a bittersweet moment because the hostage families had become so close in this 51 days now. They've been speaking to one another while their loved ones are being held hostage. And the sentiment kind of seems to be that every time a hostage comes home, even if it's not their loved one, they do still feel the sense of joy that at least someone's loved one, parent, child is coming home.
[19:05:11]
CHANCE: Yes. There is that, of course. There is lots of people who have suffered absolutely terrible losses here that we've spoken to. And people who have still got their loved ones being held captive inside Gaza. But even those people are very positive, very happy. The other families are being reunited as a result of these hostage releases. Conversely, on the other side of that, you know, you got a situation where some people feel perhaps survivor's guilt.
You know, they're very joyous of the fact that their families are being reunited and the people are being released, but extremely guilty and saddened by the fact that there are still so many people inside Gaza. And I think that's an important point. Because there are still even after today's releases of 17 people, there are still about 180 or so people inside Gaza still being held captive in very uncertain conditions.
COLLINS: What are we learning about how these hostages were -- what they've lived through for 50 days, what it has been like for them in Gaza?
CHANCE: Well, because it's -- they're scattered across the territory. They're not concentrated in one place. It seems like their experiences are being quite different to each other. They're not all having the same homogenous experience. One of the hostages who was released a few days ago came out to the press today and was talking about how she only got bread to eat, bread and rice. They lost seven or eight kilos, her and her mother who were there in Gaza. It was, you know, quite difficult for them.
On the other hand, the sister of one of the Thai detainees or captives rather who has come out has said that he is very happy and he was treated well. He wasn't tortured. He lived in a house, not in a tunnel, and he was given, you know, very good food and, you know, was satisfied with the way he had been treated relatively speaking. And so, you know, it just illustrates that, you know, people are being held by different -- in different houses, in different locations, possibly by different families and different groups. And they're accordingly getting different treatment.
COLLINS: Yes. And we're still learning so much about how the rest of the hostages were still there.
Matthew Chance, thank you for that report.
Of course, there are major questions of who could be next. The White House today celebrating the fact that there was an American on the list unlike the first two groups. The question, though, is what about the others because the White House ultimately believed three Americans are eligible to be released as part of this group for women and children.
President Biden himself coming out after Abigail Edan was released today saying that he is hopeful more Americans are to come.
CNN's Priscilla Alvarez is tracking all of this from the White House, and she joins us now.
Priscilla, obviously, there was this kind of rush earlier where the president was not expected to speak, and then he did come out. Now that we had known, once Abigail Edan was in Israeli territory. What else did we hear from the White House today?
PRISCILLA ALVAREZ, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, as you mentioned, Kaitlan, they are celebrating this move, but they're also pushing for an additional pause so that they can release more hostages because the president has mentioned that there are still Americans unaccounted for, and there are two American women that they want to see released by Hamas. And as you have mentioned here on the program, U.S. officials have said that Israel is prepared for a pause in fighting if Hamas were to provide or release 10 hostages on each day of that pause.
And what the president was underscoring today in his remarks is that it's not only about a release in hostages, but also getting additional aid into Gaza. And what the last few days have shown is that this is possible, and an additional pause in fighting could see more of that unfold. Take a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JOE BIDEN, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Critically needed aid is going in and hostages are coming out. And this is still structured so that it can be extended to keep building on these results. That's my goal. That's our goal, to keep this pause going beyond tomorrow so that we can continue to see more hostages come out and surge more humanitarian relief into those who are in need in Gaza.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ALVAREZ: And that pause in fighting was also raised in a call with President Biden and the prime minister of Israel, Benjamin Netanyahu earlier today along with additional discussions about the release of hostages. But what the president was celebrating again today was the release of Abigail Edan, the first American hostage in this group in negotiated deal to be released. And the president talked about what she endured in captivity, calling what she had gone through a, quote, "terrible trauma," and saying that her experience was, quote, "unthinkable."
Then she returns to having no parents. Those parents were killed in those terror attacks on October 7th. But the welcome news that she has been released, and the hope that more hostages and especially Americans can be released in the days to come. But all of this is the product of diplomatic negotiations, intensive negotiations, and ones that are continuing hour by hour and day by day in hopes that there could be more releases in the days to come -- Kaitlan.
[19:10:12]
COLLINS: Yes. We'll all be waiting to see as this four-day truce hits day four.
Priscilla Alvarez from the White House, thank you.
Alex, obviously still a major question not just at the White House, but also here in Israel, what's that going to look like once they get to the end of day four.
MARQUARDT: Yes. And a growing number of different parties expressing interest in that pause being extended into a fifth day. Kaitlan, thank you very much.
Joining me now is retired Lieutenant General Mark Schwartz. He served as the U.S. security coordinator for Israel and the Palestinian Authority, which is a critical role in that fragile region.
General, thanks so much for joining us. In terms of this potential extension of the pause, how does Israel balance its concerns that Hamas could use this halt in the fighting to rest and rearm? Israel has expressed an interest to get back to the fighting, but at the same time they have this profound desire to get more of their hostages out. So their priorities of eradicating Hamas while also freeing their hostages seems slightly at odds.
LT. GEN. MARK SCHWARTZ (RET.), FORMER U.S. SECURITY COORDINATOR FOR ISRAEL AND THE PALESTINIAN AUTHORITY: Alex, good evening. Yes, I think you're correct. So certainly this pause has allowed Hamas to rearm, refit, rearm to the degree that they can in terms of internal into Gaza. Also to reposition based on what they've learned from the IDF operations, the ground operations specifically to date. And as important, the IDF are doing the same thing.
So I suspect that this evening the IDF are poised to reinitiate offensive operations if in fact, you know, there is a delay, a delay will be on a couple of days of the last transition of day four. And then certainly they're going to be poised, as they said, if the 10 released hostages per day does not continue beyond, you know, the fourth day of the negotiated pause that's already been in place.
MARQUARDT: Yes. And speaking with Gazans, including one earlier today, I know that there's a lot of fear about when the Israeli military could start that fight against Hamas again.
General, we have to talk about the West Bank. There is so much focus on Gaza, of course. Gaza now thankfully experiencing a temporary pause in this fighting. But in the West Bank, the Palestinian Health Ministry is saying that eight Palestinians have been killed by Israeli fire in the West Bank in the past 24 hours.
That's just part of a major spike this year in the number of Palestinians who have been killed by either Israeli security forces or by extremist settlers. How concerned are you about how combustible the West Bank is, the possibility that that could become a second front?
SCHWARTZ: Well, if I think you watched the release, I know we all have, of the Palestinian prisoners over the last three sets of Palestinian prisoners that have been held under administrative control, you know, you look at the flag of the Palestinian Authority is not flying, although the Palestinian flag is flying. But I think more concerning is the Hamas flag is flying. And you see these young men and women draping themselves in the Hamas flag.
So, to me, that's a real concern. Since October 7th, you know, my information is there's been 230 plus Palestinians killed as a result of offensive operations, targeted operations by the IDF Central Command under the leadership of General Yehuda Fox. I suspect that a large number of those operations are in coordination with the Palestinian Authority. That's certainly been a long-standing security and intelligence relationship, despite it being, you know, not highly publicized.
But I think more notably, we haven't seen accountability of the increased and drastically increase number of settler violence against Palestinians. And that I think more than anything, more than these targeted operations could, you know, be the catalyst for greater unrest to occur in the West Bank.
MARQUARDT: Before I let you go, General, you were the go-between or a go-between, liaison if you will between the Israeli and American militaries. There is this conversation about conditioning aid for Israel. What conditions do you think if any should be place on American weapons that are given to Israel?
SCHWARTZ: Well, that's a policy decision, obviously. But I do believe that we have a responsibility to discuss, as we did going into the lead up of the offensive, to discuss with the Israelis about the conduct of the ongoing combat operations that I suspect will continue after several days here.
[19:15:03]
Certainly, the -- I think in some cases unnecessary suffering that has been going on with the Palestinian population inside of Gaza. So I do think that's a really important discussion that needs to take place behind closed doors. Also, I think the use of air interdiction or, you know, close air support now that Israeli ground troops are on the ground, that's another discussion that needs to take place based on the significant amount of infrastructure that's already been destroyed.
I caveat that with, you know, having been a former soldier, I also know that you don't want a fair fight. And, you know, those young men and women of the IDF are fighting a terrorist organization that play by no rules to include putting, you know, innocent Palestinians civilians in harm's way as we've seen, you know, multiple times just since October 7th, as well as the precept to this attack. So I think it is prudent for us to have those types of discussions in private.
MARQUARDT: Well, I know it makes you uniformed guys uncomfortable to wade into policy discussions, but you are in a suit now. So I appreciate you entertaining me.
Retired Lieutenant General Mark Schwartz, thank you very much for your time tonight.
SCHWARTZ: Thank you, Alex.
MARQUARDT: Part of the Israel-Hamas truce agreement involves releasing Palestinian prisoners from Israeli jails as well. In fact three Palestinians for every Israeli hostage. That's the deal. More on that next as our special coverage continues. Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[19:20:44]
MARQUARDT: Celebrations again tonight in the occupied West Bank after 39 Palestinians were released from Israeli jails. This was the third day in a row of these kinds of releases, all part of the exchange deal for hostages held by Hamas to leave Gaza.
CNN's Nada Bashir has been in the West Bank, speaking with some of those Palestinians who are newly freed. Here's her report.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
NADA BASHIR, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Carried through the crowds, celebrated by thousands of Palestinians, these boys are among 33 teenagers released from Israeli prisons on Saturday.
This is for many here in the occupied West Bank a moment of hope. And for those now freed, a moment of utter relief.
"I'm so happy. I can't believe this is real," Ibrahim says. "I don't even know what to say."
This scene a product of a delicate four-day truce agreement between Israel and Hamas, set to see 150 Palestinian prisoners and detainees released, and at least 50 Israeli hostages freed from Hamas captivity in Gaza. There are many Palestinian families who will still be waiting anxiously to hear if their loved ones will too be freed.
The Tamimi family seen here on Saturday has rallied for months, calling for the release of 17-year-old Wisam. He was seriously injured by Israeli forces and later arrested in June, accused by Israel of offenses including possessing a weapon. But he was never charged. Now he and his family are finally together again.
"I can't describe to you how I'm feeling right now. I honestly can't believe it. I feel like I'm in a dream," Wisam's mother Hunaida says. "My son is finally with me. I thank God and pray that every mother will be able to feel this joy. I pray God grants the Palestinian people this happiness. We just want to be able to smile and laugh together."
Many of those now released are among the other 3,000 Palestinians held under administrative detention, meaning no charges have been laid against them, and no ongoing legal process. Israel says some of those released were being held on terror or weapons charges. But in a list published by Israeli authorities of 300 women and children eligible for release, throwing stones and harming regional security were among the most common charges.
DR. MUSTAFA BARGHOUTI, PALESTINIAN POLITICIAN: There are children here who have been in jail for eight years, five years, six years. It's unacceptable. Many of them have now huge psychological problems because of the torture, at least psychological torture, because of the way they were interrogated. It is a terrible atrocity that is practiced against these children.
BASHIR: For the crowds gathered here in the occupied West Bank, this celebration they say is a symbol of justice. Bringing thousands of Palestinians together to share in the joy of now reunited families. But for many, that joy is coupled with grief, with pain felt deeply here for the people of Gaza.
JANNA JIHAD, COUSIN OF RELEASED PALESTINIAN PRISONER: We're extremely happy, but still overwhelmed and extremely saddened by everything going on here in Palestine, but at the same time still resilient, keep going with whatever we can do in order to hopefully achieve a ceasefire and hopefully later on a full liberation.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BASHIR (on-camera): And look, Alex, many of the teenagers that we spoke to have been released as part of that truce agreement, have described mistreatment and abuse while in detention. And we have now received a response from the Israeli Prison Service which has said that all of those that were released were serving time for serious offenses, and that all prisoners are detained under the provisions of Israeli law.
But of course that issue of administrative detention is a deeply controversial practice in the Israeli judicial system. It has been condemned by many international rights organizations, but for many families whose children, whose loved ones are held under administrative detention, this is a moment of hope.
[19:25:01]
Many are of course hopeful that they will continue to see their loved ones being released on Monday, which is the final day of that truce agreement as it currently stands -- Alex.
MARQUARDT: Our thanks to Nada Bashir in Jerusalem for that report.
Dozens of Israeli men were captured by Hamas and other groups on October 7th. So far none of them have been released. We have a relative of one of those men joining us next. Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COLLINS: As the third group of hostages taken by Hamas has been released, the waiting game is only growing more grueling for the families of the dozens more of Israelis who are captured on October 7th, especially those of Israeli men. So far, no Israeli men have been freed, only women and children as a part of this deal.
Omri Miran aged 46 has not been seen since Hamas terrorists descended on his kibbutz and tore him away from his wife, and two young daughters. His brother-in-law, Moshe Lavi has joined us before and he joins me again now.
[19:30:14]
Moshe, I'm so glad to have you on again, and thank you for taking the time to do this, especially given everything that's going on.
What's it been like just in the last three nights to see these three groups of hostages come home, be reunited with their families and to know that right now, as part of this deal, your brother in law is not part of that?
MOSHE LAVI, BROTHER-IN-LAW HOSTAGE BY HAMAS: Thank you for having me again.
The past few nights are an emotional roller coaster because we see the beautiful photos and videos of those who are released, see how they are reunited with their loved ones, but also painful for those who are back in the Gaza Strip, yet to be released, still underground in tunnels in unbearable conditions.
And we also remember that many of those who are released are returning to homes that were ravaged to families that are no longer complete, because at times, even both parents were murdered by the same terrorists who kidnapped kids, or the sons and daughters of those elderly women who were kidnapped.
So it's a mixture of emotions, but we are delighted that at least we see the beginning of possibly the end of the hostages' crises.
COLLINS: I spoke to one family member earlier who his dad is being held hostage and he actually said that they had learned from other hostages who were released that yes, they confirmed they had seen his dad. Has your sister -- have they been able to hear anything about your brother-in-law from any of the hostages who've been released?
LAVI: About an hour-and-a-half ago, my sister called me with tears of joy because my brother-in-law was confirmed to be alive as of this morning. It was a relief for us to learn that.
We also learned a bit more about his condition, the sort of where he -- the sort of tunnels that they are being placed in, although of course, we don't know the location, but at least receiving this proof of life has been instrumental for us, and will give us strength and hope to continue our mission until Omri returns, until everyone is home.
We need to remember that those who are in the Gaza Strip are someone's sons, someone's fathers, someone's grandparents and brothers and they're not merely men, they are meaningful human beings to someone else and I hope that we'll see them back.
COLLINS: What was the -- I'm so happy to hear this -- but what was the information that she received that gave her this hope? What did she hear?
LAVI: Oh, we simply received a call that confirms he is alive as of this morning. We haven't received any more information. And I doubt the Israeli authorities could provide anything else because it's imperative that --
COLLINS: Was that call from the Israeli government? LAVI: It was a call from a representative of the Israeli authorities,
yes.
COLLINS: That's such amazing news to, at least -- I mean, yes, he is still being held captive, but to at least get some kind of update must be reassuring to you and your sister.
LAVI: Yes. It is because otherwise we would not get that information and as we've learned in the last two days, the clause of visitation, the ICRC visitation will not be honored by Hamas.
So at least we received this, this piece of information, and as I said, this will allow my sister, allow me, and I hope everyone else who are dedicating their lives right now to continue advocating for the hostages, to understand that we have to keep going until everyone returns.
COLLINS: And just for everyone who hasn't seen, you know when you and I have spoken before, you've always talked about your brother-in-law and how he took care of the girls, that that was his job and he let your sister have -- develop her career and her professional life. He was the one who took care of the girls.
Given that hope and that word that you got from a representative for the Israeli government tonight that your brother-in-law is still alive, how important is it to you that this pause that is happening right now gets extended and potentially moves on to include people like your brother-in-law to be negotiated for?
[19:35:16]
LAVI: I'm not a policymaker here, nor a military strategist. What's important to me is that those who were elected in a democratic country like Israel, to be our elected officials who continue doing all they can choose the appropriate path to do all they can and push the relevant stakeholders, whether our allies, whether other international stakeholders like Qatar, and whether the terrorist -- irrational terrorist organization we're dealing with, which is Hamas, to ensure the release of all the hostages, whether it's going to be with the extension of the pause, whether it's going to be by putting additional military pressure as done in the few -- in the past few weeks. I give them the authority to do what they can do, and give them to trust that they'll do it and they will be judged later on whether the appropriate path was examined and chosen.
COLLINS: Moshe Lavi, I am so happy to hear that your family got this good news. I know it's still bittersweet because he's not home, but I'm very happy for you and thank you for sharing that with us and thank you for joining me again tonight.
LAVI: Thank you, and I wish all the watchers a good evening.
COLLINS: We will stay in touch with you. Absolutely. And we will be back in just a moment with another update.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[19:41:06]
COLLINS: Tonight, a manhunt is underway in Vermont after three Palestinian college students were shot in Burlington. This is the last photo that was taken of them before they were shot last night.
CNN's Carlos Suarez is following the story for us.
Carlos, this is incredibly disturbing and I know there are calls for a hate crime investigation yet, but we haven't heard whether or not the FBI is involved. What is the latest not just on the manhunt, but also the condition of these three young men?
CARLOS SUAREZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, well, Kaitlan, so authorities in Burlington, Vermont are looking into the possibility that this was a hate crime, but they have yet to identify a motive in this shooting.
This is what we know at this hour. This is where things stand right now. We're told that these three Palestinian students were walking on a street in Burlington on their way to visit a relative on Saturday when they were confronted by a man who was armed with a gun and opened fire.
All three of these students were shot. We are told that two of the students at the time of the shooting were wearing a keffiyeh, that is a traditional Palestinian scarf. All three of these students were taken to the Vermont Medical Center. We are told that two of them are in stable condition and that the third suffered more serious injuries.
The 20-year-olds have been identified as to Tahseen Ali Ahmed, Kinnan Abdalhamid and Hisham Awartani. We're told that all three of them graduated from a private school in the West Bank before they came to the US to attend various colleges here.
Now, Awartani's great uncle, who is a former Education Minister for the Palestinian Authority said that Awartani was visiting his grandmother in Vermont when this shooting happened.
Kaitlan, the Burlington chief of police has said that he believes no one can look at this incident without thinking that this was a hate motivated crime.
As for the FBI, they said they are aware of this incident and they are prepared to investigate the shooting.
COLLINS: Yes, just an awful story. Thank you, Carlos, for keeping us updated. I know you'll continue to let us know what those updates are.
We'll be back in just a moment with much more on the ground here in Israel.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[19:47:50]
MARQUARDT: With just over 24 hours remaining until the pause in the fighting between Israel and Hamas is set to expire, President Joe Biden says his administration is pushing to extend the pause.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JOE BIDEN, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: They are still structured so that it can be extended to keep building on these results. That's my goal. That's our goal: To keep this pause going beyond tomorrow so that we can continue to see more hostages come out and surge more humanitarian relief into those in need in Gaza.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MARQUARDT: The agreement as it stands is that for every 10 hostages Hamas releases, there is another pause in the fighting.
Now joining us to discuss this is CNN senior political analyst and senior editor at "The Atlantic," Ron Brownstein.
Ron, thank you so much for joining us.
On the political side of all this, we've seen the president facing a barrage of criticism from the left, both lawmakers and Democratic voters who say that he is being too lenient with Israel. What efforts -- what do you make of his efforts to balance that anger, that criticism with his decades of support for Israel?
RON BROWNSTEIN, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL ANALYST: Yes, look, I mean, I think the president is trying to hold to a very lonely island, you know, I mean, he has certainly I think if you think back to the relationship between Obama and Netanyahu, I think, giving Netanyahu more leeway than Obama would have, but not as much as Trump or a Republican would.
He has been more critical than they and try to act as more of a restraining influence. It is a very difficult partnership for any Democratic president.
As you know, he has decades of support for Israel. There's a tremendous amount of suspicion up and down the Democratic Party that Netanyahu, his instincts, the composition of his government, and where this is all going.
MARQUARDT: Do you think Biden has suffered electorally among Democrats?
BROWNSTEIN: Absolutely. I mean, there is no question this is tearing apart the Democratic Party more, I think, even the White House expected. It is dividing the administration. We saw in that "Washington Post" excellent reporting today, there are divisions even within the White House, what the Biden administration has to hope is that the active fighting has concluded well before the electoral season is in full swing here in the US and that he, I think, unquestionably is going to be putting much more pressure on whatever Israeli government is in place than he did earlier in his presidency.
[19:50:10]
To begin something that looks like a genuine peace negotiation for a two-state solution, that has never panned out before. Clinton probably came the closest in the 90s, but I think it's going to be an imperative for Biden to try to heal the divisions within his own coalition, to put enormous pressure on Israel to make something, to move that process forward.
And certainly if he wants to reignite any hope of normalizing relations between Saudi Arabia and Israel who support what has been his core Mideast goal, he is going to need it there on that front as well.
MARQUARDT: Yes, we have seen as you say, growing anger from within the administration, many, and there have been letters of people who say that Biden should be calling for a permanent ceasefire. That is something that so far, Biden and his top aides have resisted doing.
But do you think that at some point soon, President Biden is going to have to renege on that and call on Israel to commit to a ceasefire?
BROWNSTEIN: Look, I think he's going to be reluctant to take that step, but they are -- almost inevitably, he is going to want this to end before Netanyahu does. Right? I mean, there's going to come a point, somewhere along the way, where, you know, particularly as this potentially now moves into southern Gaza, where the administration is going to find it more and more untenable to kind of be along for the ride with Netanyahu.
But I don't think we're there yet. I think he has made the call that what Hamas did was so horrific, demonstrated such an ongoing security risk to Israel, that, as I said, he has been willing to give them a substantial amount of leeway and enormous political costs to himself.
But I do think in the end, his calculation is going to be different than the Netanyahu's is and he is -- and Netanyahu, I think is, you know, is facing the results of years of overtly identifying with the Republican Party more overtly, I think, than any foreign leader has identified with either party in my adult lifetime, and the legacy of distrust within the Democratic coalition and all the pressure that is created on Biden as a result.
MARQUARDT: Yes, this war has really scrambled next year's race, not just the presidential race, but a lot of congressional races in a very interesting and dramatic way.
Ron Brownstein, thanks as always, for your time and for your thoughts.
BROWNSTEIN: Thanks for having me.
MARQUARDT: And we will have much more of our special coverage when we come back. Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[19:56:51]
COLLINS: For so many of the hostages coming home that you've seen having these reunions with their families, many of them though are having a bittersweet return. Many of them will never see some of their loved ones that they last saw on October 7th during those deadly attacks.
CNN's Matthew Chance has their stories.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
CHANCE (voice over): They arrived by helicopter to the safety of an Israeli children's hospital near Tel Aviv. Their 51-day nightmare as hostages in Gaza at an end.
Just hours earlier, they were released to the Red Cross, Hamas posting this highly choreographed video. It's audio removed, apparently showing Palestinians in Gaza City, which Israel has relentlessly pounded, cheering as hostages are handed over, including US-Israeli toddler, Abigail Edan, who turned four just days ago in captivity. Her parents were killed by Hamas.
Her relatives say Abigail doesn't know she is returning home an orphan.
NOA NAFTALI, COUSIN OF FORMER HAMAS HOSTAGE, ABIGAIL EDAN: Her brother and her sister are have survived. They hid in the closet for 14 hours after watching their parents murdered thinking that Abigail was murdered, too. They are now with their grandparents and their aunts and uncles who live with them on the kibbutz.
They have a wonderful extended family and we are all waiting for Abigail to come home.
CHANCE (voice over): This was the horrific aftermath of the Hamas rampage through Kfar Aza, one of the Israeli communities near Gaza, where so many was slaughtered or abducted on October 7th.
Family members say Abigail was in her father's arms when he was gunned down. Then she fled to her neighbor's, the Brodutch family.
CHANCE (on camera): How old?
AVICHAI BRODUTCH, FAMILY ABDUCTED BY HAMAS: He is four-and-a-half four.
CHANCE (voice over): Only to be abducted and now released along with them.
From the start of this ordeal, Avichai Brodutch told me he has kept faith.
BRODUTCH: There is always hope with me and you know, my beliefs and I believe that they're doing fine. You know, these guys that took them, I know they're religious. I know they're -- they are Muslims, so I've got this really great hope that they're, you know, treating them well and feeding them and letting them move around a bit, maybe play some soccer.
CHANCE (voice over): Now also released, nine -year-old Tal Goldstein Almog, seen here before he was abducted from Kfar Aza, along with his mother, assistant, and brother. They're also now freed, but return their uncle told me, to a shattered family. Tal's other sister Yam and father, Nadav were both murdered.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I mean the best is in front of us, it is going to come. Whatever happened we cannot change. Nadav is not longer with. Yam, the beautiful girl is not with us anymore, but --
CHANCE (on camera): There is still a chance.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes.
CHANCE: There is still a chance for your sister and her children.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, yes. We have to bring what's left, we need to bring back what is left from this family. It is a broken family.
CHANCE (voice over): And there are so many broken families that each hostage released may now start to help rebuild.
Matthew Chance, CNN, Tel Aviv.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COLLINS: Heartbreaking stories like that of so many families here in Israel tonight.
Thank you so much for joining us this evening for their stories. I'm Kaitlan Collins in Tel Aviv.
MARQUARDT: And I'm Alex Marquardt in Washington.
Next up we have "The Whole Story" with Anderson Cooper investigating the controversial tradition of the running of the bulls.
Have a goodnight.
