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Israel-Hamas War; Today's Captive Release Arranged According to Israeli Government's List; On Saturday, Following a Delay, 13 Israelis and 4 Thais Were Released; On Saturday, 39 Palestinian Detainees and Inmates Were Released and 187 Relief Trucks Entered Gaza; In Israel, Released Captives Meet Up with Relatives; Palestinians Who Have Recently Been Freed Were Warmly Welcomed Home; Since October 7, 57 Journalists Killed in Gaza, Israel, and Lebanon, According to CPJ; Biden Briefed on Hostage Deal; Iran Suspected of Attacking an Israeli- Owned Ship, According to US Officials; When Ceasefire Ends, IDF Claims it Will Restart Combat Operations; Record Wave of Attacks on Kyiv; United States, Japan, and South Korea Denounce North Korea's Launch. Aired 4-5a ET

Aired November 26, 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]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KIM BRUNHUBER, CNN ANCHOR AND CORRESPONDENT: Welcome to all of you watching us here in the United States, Canada, and all around the world. I'm Kim Brunhuber with our continuing coverage of the Israel- Hamas war.

We're now well into day three of the fragile truce between Hamas and Israel, with Israel preparing to receive another group of hostages today. The Israeli government has their names and has informed their families. 13 Israelis and four Thai nationals were released on Saturday. But only after an hours-long delay threatened to upend the exchange. Following preliminary medical checks, all of the former hostages were taken to Israeli hospitals for care and to be reunited with their families.

One doctor said, none of the people examined so far are in need of urgent medical attention, but they do show signs of extended captivity. The deal also called for the release of 39 Palestinian prisoners and detainees on Saturday. Earlier, Hamas had stalled on releasing the hostages in a dispute over which Palestinians the Israelis were willing to release. Aid groups say, 187 trucks made it into Gaza Saturday with food, water, fuel, and medical supplies, though it's only a small fraction of what's needed. 61 of those trucks reached heavily damaged northern Gaza, the most trucks in one day since the war began.

Elliott Gotkine is following all this for us and joins us from London. So, Elliot, complications and delays on the hostage release. Take us through what happened and how things were ultimately resolved.

ELLIOTT GOTKINE, CNN JOURNALIST: Kim, I suppose there was a lot of anxiety among the Israeli families and among the whole of Israel, which was transfixed by this planned release of the hostages and that the second batch of hostages, and of course over in the West Bank as well, many Palestinians also waiting for the release of their families.

What seems to have happened is that Hamas said that Israel was not abiding by the agreement that had been painstakingly mediated by the Qataris, and that it wasn't providing enough aid to Northern Gaza. And also, the seniority of the Palestinian prisoners that Israel was planning to release.

Now, Israel says that that wasn't the case. Israel also says that Hamas didn't abide by the agreement by separating one of the mothers from their daughter. We saw Hila Rotem, a13-year-old girl being freed by Hamas, but her mother, Raaya, remains, it's believed, in captivity. Although the Israeli is saying it's unknown where she is and what -- excuse me, and what happened to her.

But it's also worth noting, Kim, that we don't actually have the full text of this agreement between Israel and Hamas. So, it's unclear precisely what the terms are, but Israel certainly saying that the terms included the fact that mothers should not be separated from their Children.

So, there were several hours of delay. Eventually, it did take place. This truce remains intact. And as we enter day three, there is the hope and expectation that the third batch of Israeli hostages who were abducted as part of Hamas's murderous rampage of October the 7th will be freed. And likewise, there will be another batch of Palestinian prisoners, women and minors, who were being held in Israeli prisons, will also be freed as part of this deal. Of course, this truce is supposed to last for four days, and it can be extended, Israel says, for every 10 hostages that Hamas frees, an additional day of truce will be implemented. Kim.

BRUNHUBER: All right. Thanks so much. Elliott Gotkine in London. Appreciate it.

So, we want to show you one of the most emotional scenes from the release of the hostages on Saturday. Have a look.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BRUNHUBER: That was nine-year-old Emily Hand rushing into the arms of her father, Thomas Hand. At one time he thought she'd been killed in the October 7th terror attacks. During the 50 days she spent as a hostage, Emily turned nine years old.

And an American man whose three family members were released this weekend says all the hostages are going through enormous trauma because of what they've witnessed since October 7th.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DORI ROBERTS, SEVERAL FAMILY MEMBERS FREED IN SECOND HOSTAGE RELEASE: Everybody, every single hostage that came from either the Nova party or any of the communities around from Nir Oz, from Be'eri, or from Kfar Aza have suffered a -- an enormous amount of trauma.

[04:05:00]

Doron (ph), my cousin, saw her mom being murdered in front of her eyes and her body dumped by the border. She was not there to grief. She didn't have the time to mourn. She was under a tremendous amount of stress and trying to hold this entire time for her two young daughters up to so they can survive this thing.

So, absolutely. It is unthinkable the amount of stress. But we know that there are now in good hands and the best possible system available to them with family, with therapists, with doctors, and a great hospital that host them and have them around. Protected and safe from Hamas. And they can start their longer term to recovery. And that life, hopefully, they had before October 7th.

BRUNHUBER: So, that was Dori Roberts. Three of his family members were freed in a hostage release this weekend.

Now, on the Palestinian side, 39 former prisoners released by Israel arrived back home.

They were welcomed by a jubilant crowd as they came to the West Bank after Saturday's release. The former prisoners included six women and 33 male teenagers. One father described the moment when he heard that his son was among them.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): When I heard the news, I felt happiness. Absolute happiness. I finally get to take my son home. I'm happy for everyone going home today. But of course, our happiness is not really complete because our other son is still in prison. So, we feel sadness still for him and for all the martyrs in Gaza, too.

BRUNHUBER: One analyst noted that the number of prisoners released over the past two days is just a drop in the bucket compared to the thousands of Palestinians held in Israeli prisons. And she spoke on CNN earlier. Here she is.

RANDA WAHBE, AL-SHABAKA POLICY ANALYST: This is a moment that we must also remember that 150 Palestinian women and children that will be released in this deal represent less than two percent of the total number of Palestinians detained by Israel.

Since October 7th, in the last seven weeks, Israel has arrested over 3,000 Palestinians and continue to arrest between 50 to 100 Palestinians every night, including 200 children. And this brings a number of total detainees and prisoners to over 8,300, and I don't believe this even accounts for the number of Palestinians who have been arrested in the ground invasion.

So, this is an incredibly emotional moment right now to see the detainees reunited with their families, especially as some of the women who were released today and yesterday have been held in solitary confinement and were completely isolated from the outside world. But we should remember that as we celebrate this release, we must also address the root cause of the mass incarceration of the Palestinians, and that is the continued colonization of Palestinian land and the seizure of Palestinian land, the military occupation, and the denial of Palestinian freedom for the last 75 years.

BRUNHUBER: She also said the number of Palestinians held under Israel's administrative detention has reached a 20 year high. Now that policy allows for prisoners to be held without knowing any charges against them and without any legal process.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BRUNHUBER: Well, a big part of the hostage deal between Israel and Hamas is making sure more humanitarian aid trucks get through to Gaza. And it led to some tense moments and a delay in the handover of hostages on Saturday. CNN's Larry Maddow is in Cairo, Egypt with the details.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

LARRY MADOWO, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Even though Egypt celebrated the first day of the tense truce between Israel and Hamas, day two almost collapsed, with Hamas warning that Israel had endangered the deal by not allowing enough aid trucks to come into Northern Gaza. That is part of the framework for the release of hostages, as the Israelis describe it.

And in the end, after mediation from Qatar, Egypt, and the United States, it went ahead. The hostages were released and the Palestinian Red Crescent confirming that 187 aid trucks made it into Gaza, that's another record, including 61 trucks that went into Northern Gaza, the largest convoy of humanitarian aid to go into the northern part of the Strip since October 7.

And that is important because the U.N. has warned that there's a risk of dehydration and diseases breaking out in the north where people are consuming water from unsafe sources. The health care system almost collapsed since the almost 50 days of bombardment of this part of the territory.

The challenges with the deal on day two highlighting just how difficult this is. It's not done until it is done. It's a day at a time. Even as Qatar is discussing potentially extending this truce beyond the four days that was initially agreed on. That aid has got to keep coming in. The food, the fuel, the water, the cooking gas also badly needed.

[04:10:00]

For Palestinians, they're closely watching how much of that gets to the 200 trucks a day quota that was agreed upon as part of this deal to a temporary pause in the fighting to allow for the 1.7 million people displaced in Gaza to receive this badly needed humanitarian aid.

Larry Madowa, CNN, Cairo. (END VIDEOTAPE)

BRUNHUBER: Now, even though more humanitarian aid has gotten into Gaza since the truce, the U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin says it has to increase. In a call with the Israeli Minister of Defense on Saturday, Austin pointed out the critical roles Israel, Qatar and Egypt play in getting more aid and fuel to the people of Gaza. He said that civilians must also be able to access the aid safely.

Meanwhile, aid organizations are still sounding the alarm about the situation in Gaza, saying the conditions there continue to be dire. Here's Tamara Alefi, the U.N. agency that supports the relief and human development of Palestinian refugees.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TAMARA ALRIFAI, DIRECTOR OF STRATEGIC COMMUNICATIONS, UNRWA: The humanitarian, the health and the environmental hazards are very, very high. We're talking, first of all, of a displaced population that is overcrowded in UNRWA shelters, over 1 million people now live in 156 shelters run by UNRWA, that's around 9,000 people per location. These locations were set up to accommodate 2,000, not 9,000 people.

We're also talking about the breakdown in general municipal services in Gaza, and that includes pumping sewage. And therefore, the streets of Gaza, of Rafah in the south in particular, are flooding with sewage. And that is very, very dangerous.

Plus, we are seeing a sharp increase in health, in diseases, particularly related to the overcrowding, such as respiratory diseases that are spreading very fast, and also skin diseases, because people do not have access to showers. We're talking about, 4,500 people per shower in our shelters. So, the risks are very high on health and environmental levels.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BRUNHUBER: The director of Gaza's Al-Shifa Hospital remains in Israeli custody. The Israeli military tells CNN, the IDF says it detained Mohammed Abu Salamia last Thursday and turned him over to the Israeli security services for questioning. An IDF spokesperson says, Hamas was using the hospital as a "Bed of terrorism", which Hamas and the hospital have denied. He says, Israel will make a decision regarding Abu Salamia's release in due course.

The number of journalists killed in Gaza, Israel, and Lebanon since the October 7th Hamas attack has increased to at least 57. That's after the Committee to Protect Journalists confirmed the death of four Palestinian journalists on Saturday. The Journalism Advocacy Group says, 50 Palestinian, 4 Israeli, and 3 Lebanese journalists lost their lives since the Israel Hamas war began last month.

Three Palestinian teens were shot and wounded on Saturday near an Israeli prison in the occupied West Bank, according to the Palestinian Red Crescent Society. Officials there say the boys, two aged 17 and one aged 16, were hit by live fire near the Ofer Prison where Palestinian prisoners were being released. A CNN team says, it heard three gunshots over an hour's time and saw the three being carried away by medical personnel. They say, at least one of the teens was on a stretcher covered in blood. CNN has reached out to the Israel Border Police for comment.

Well, among the hostages released by Hamas are four Thai citizens. We'll have the latest on how they're doing just ahead.

Plus, President Biden working the phones with Qatari officials who are the mediators in the hostage deal. We'll have the latest on that just ahead. Stay with us.

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BRUNHUBER: Four hostages from Thailand were released Saturday, that's in addition to 10 released Friday. The Thai Prime Minister says, they were taken to a hospital in Israel for a check-up and are in good health. None of them needed emergency medical care. Thai officials estimate that 18 Thai citizens are still being held hostage.

Journalist Manisha Tank joins us live from Singapore. And Manisha, today, more happy families in Thailand. Take us through who were released and how they're doing.

MANISHA TANK, JOURNALIST: Yes, well, the prime minister issued a list of the four new hostages that have been released along with 10 that were released on Friday. But the Thai authorities also warned journalists not to dig too much or into those or to speak to their families and reveal some of the conversations that have been had because the situation remains precarious for those 18 Thai hostages that are still in captivity with Hamas.

So, it's a very delicate situation in terms of the who and, you know, what's going to happen to the next. I do want to update you on their condition. You mentioned that they are in good health. We also know that they have been communicating well. I think that's quite an important fact, given the kind of captivity that they've been in.

The 10 that were released on Friday, they were described by hospital workers at the Shamir Medical Center as being stable, but not entirely healthy. There were signs of lack of nutrition that was reported there. But they are leveraging the extent of the healthcare facilities. They have translators in to help with communication, and they also have representatives from the Royal Thai Embassy to help as well.

There have been comments from various authorities. Let's talk about the Israeli Foreign Minister Eli Cohen, who has said, that dedicated care will be provided for these migrant workers who have just been released. And also, the foreign minister in Thailand also expressing his elation that they are now free.

[04:20:00] BRUNHUBER: All right. And Manisha, as you were saying, there are still more Thai nationals held by Hamas. I mean, do we know -- are they expecting them to be released soon as well? And explain to us, you touched on -- you know, the fact that they were migrant workers, explain why there are so many Thais in Israel.

TANK: Yes, well, we have a large number of migrant workers that go from Asia to work in Israel, and the largest contingent of those are Thai, and a lot of them come from quite poor farming communities. It has hugely impacted, not just the families, but the whole community that rely on this sort of income coming in. And a lot of them work in agriculture in Israel, and you would have found them on that southern flank near Gaza. And this is one of the reasons why the numbers of hostages, of Thai hostages, that we are hearing about in all of this are quite high. That hasn't been a surprise to those who know about that migrant community.

There are tens of thousands of them that would ordinarily work in Israel. And they have had to be reassured by NGOs about their safety, as you can imagine, but as yet no more details on those 18 who are still being held, Kim.

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

Now, even though the Israel Hamas hostage agreement spells out each side's responsibilities, nothing in this situation is simple or easy to carry out. And one of the many complexities how and where the hostages are moved from Gaza into Israel. CNN Military Analyst Colonel Cedric Leighton explained this part of it for our Alex Marquardt.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

COL. CEDRIC LEIGHTON (RET.), CNN MILITARY ANALYST, FORMER MEMBER OF JOINT STAFF, PENTAGON, AND FORMER DEPUTY DIRECTOR FOR TRAINING, NSA: The first crossing that they had is here at Rafah, which is the crossing from Gaza into Egypt. And then they went from Egypt to the Kerem Shalom crossing, which crosses from both from Gaza and into Israel, as well as from Egypt into Israel. They crossed through this way. And then there is another crossing down here at Nitzana, where they could also have crossed.

And then when you go back to the other map here, the first days -- hostages went to the airbase at Hatzerim, that's not the case as far as I know today. But for tonight's release, all of them seemed to be ending up at hospitals here in Tel Aviv.

ALEX MARQUARDT, CNN SENIOR NATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: So, essentially going like this and then up to the hospitals up there?

LEIGHTON: That's right.

MARQUARDT: What's interesting, Colonel, is that, you know, there are a number of crossings between Israel and Gaza directly. And those are not being used. These two days, they've gone from Gaza into Egypt before going into Israel. So, why do you think that is, and do you think that that will continue in these next two days at least?

LEIGHTON: I think it will continue that way, Alex, because first of all, the crossings in the north have all been damaged. So, they are -- there are crossings that, you know, basically are not permissible.

MARQUARDT: Erez up there.

LEIGHTON: Yes, Erez is the one up there --

MARQUARDT: Yes.

LEIGHTON: -- exactly right near Sderot. That crossing is completely unusable for these purposes right now. And it's also dangerous for Hamas to go in there. The other reason is that these actually have the, especially Rafah has the facilities, the border crossing facilities, the Egyptian customs, Israeli officials also end up there. So, that was the best way for them to move and then to go in this way and then up through the areas as we, as we talked about.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COLLINS: That was CNN Military Analyst Colonel Cedric Leighton with our Alex Marquardt.

President Biden spoke with Qatar's emir on Saturday, trying to resolve the delay that happened early on the second day of the hostage release, that's according to the National Security Council. So far, no word on when any American hostages held by Hamas will be released.

CNN White House Correspondent Arlette Saenz is with the president in Massachusetts.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ARLETTE SAENZ, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: The White House is closely watching the coming hours, waiting to hear whether any American citizens will be part of the next group of hostages that are expected to be released on Sunday.

No American citizens were included in the first releases that occurred on Friday and Saturday, but the White House says they are hopeful that at least three Americans will be coming out in the coming days. It's expected that they will be part of this larger group that had been negotiated to release 50 women and children.

And the American citizens who are officials are focusing in on are two women and also that young four-year-old girl, Abigail Adan, whose parents were killed in the October 7th attack by Hamas. But it also comes as President Biden has been working the phones, trying to ensure that the -- this deal and the implementation of the deal remains on track. On Saturday, he spent some time on the phone speaking with the emir of Qatar, as well as the Qatari prime minister, as there were some delays in the hostage release concerns that the release might fall apart for Saturday.

The president spoke with them to talk about the potential hurdles and also ways to overcome it. And ultimately around 1:30 p.m. on Saturday, the White House got word that the deal was moving forward, the release was moving forward, and the Red Cross would soon retrieve those hostages.

[04:25:00]

Vice President Kamala Harris spoke to this out in California.

KAMALA HARRIS, U.S. VICE PRESIDENT: There were some issues and challenges around implementation. President Biden spoke with the emir to resolve those issues, and we do believe they are being resolved. We're going to continue to be diligent and vigilant in doing all that we can in that regard to ensure that there is humanitarian aid going in, that hostages are going out. And our highest priority, of course, are the American citizens who are being held.

SAENZ: Now, the White House has been unable to pinpoint an exact day that the Americans will be released, but they are hopeful that they will be released in the coming days. And then there's also concern about the other Americans believed to be held hostage by Hamas. There are about 10 Americans who are unaccounted for. The president told reporters on Friday that he did not know all of their conditions.

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

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BRUNHUBER: Former U.S. President and current Republican Presidential Candidate Donald Trump attended the Palmetto Bowl Saturday in South Carolina. He also fired off some criticism of the hostage deal between Israel and Hamas on social media. On "Truth Social", Trump commented on the fact that no Americans have been released so far, saying the reason is, "No respect for our country or our leadership." Trump's post came after a U.S. official said Americans weren't expected to be part of the second wave of hostages released Saturday.

The U.S. is pointing a finger at Iran following an attack on an Israeli owned container ship, that's according to two U. S. defense officials who say the vessel was hit by a suspected Iranian drone in the Indian Ocean on Friday. One official says, the ship took minor damage and there are no injuries. The vessel is registered in Malta, but it's owned by an Israeli conglomerate. One U.S. official says, Iran's Revolutionary Guard is likely behind the attack.

I'm Kim Brunhuber for our viewers here in North America. I'll be back with more news in just a moment. For our international viewers, "Inside Africa" is next.

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[04:30:00]

BRUNHUBER: Welcome back to all of you watching us here in the United States and Canada. I'm Kim Brunhuber. This is "CNN Newsroom". Israeli security officials are looking over a new list of hostages that Hamas says it will release in the coming hours, that's according to the Israeli Prime Minister's office. It comes after Hamas turned over a second group of hostages Saturday after an hours-long delay. Red Cross buses carried 13 Israeli and four Thai nationals out of Gaza. In exchange, Israel says it released 39 Palestinian prisoners, including six women and 33 male teenagers.

So, here's a look at the 13 Israelis Hamas released on Saturday, they include seven children. The youngest is three years old. But mystery surrounds the release of 13-year-old Hila Rotem. This is Hila reunited with her uncle, but her mother wasn't released with her. An Israeli official tells us, under the deal, mothers and children weren't supposed to be separated. So, where her mother is and why she wasn't released isn't known.

Each former hostage will have to process what they've been through in their own private way, and that will take as long as it takes. But this much is certain, they won't be alone in their recovery. As our Clarissa Ward explains, the healing process begins the very moment they're back in Israeli custody.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CLARISSA WARD, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: It's really been stressed to us over and over and over again how important it is for the families to have privacy in this moment. And for them, at this stage, to try to break the news to their children, to their loved ones, to their relatives about what happened on October 7th because crucially, many of the hostages have no real sense of the full scope of what took place on October 7th. And that's why so much care has gone into ensuring that the media is kept at a distance, that there's a degree of privacy, but also that the appropriate staffing and psychiatrists and social workers are in place.

And also, a lot of guidelines that were given to the IDF in terms of how they handled the hostages when they first were there during that initial handover from the Red Cross. They did a cursory medical search and checking their identities. They were told not to answer questions such as where is mommy? Where is daddy? To ask permission of any children before trying to pick them up.

And so, every possible care has been taken here and also at the Schneider Children's Medical Center where we were last night to try to minimize any sort of re-traumatizing, particularly of these children as they return home. And many of them no longer have homes, but return home to Israel for the first time in seven weeks.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BRUNHUBER: By the end of the fourth day of this truce, Israel expects to have recovered about 50 of its hostages. In exchange, it would have freed about 150 Palestinian prisoners and detainees from Israeli jails, if all goes according to plan. But many hostages will remain in Gaza. So, can the pause be extended? With us from Los Angeles to talk more about this is Sami Hamdi, Managing Director of International Interests, a consulting firm focused on world trouble spots. Thanks so much for being here with us. So, what we saw with the delays in the latest prisoner release underscores just how fragile the deal is for the hostage release. What happens after day four, do you think?

SAMI HAMDI, MANAGING DIRECTOR, INTERNATIONAL INTERESTS: I think that it's important to put this truce into context. I think this truce has come about as a result of two particular dynamics. The first is a shift in Israeli public opinion. There has been increasing accusations levied at Netanyahu from the families of the hostages that he's been prioritizing the military operation over the necessity of releasing the hostages.

There were scenes in the Knesset of the families of the hostages lambasting Israeli officials, saying that they were using words of annihilation. And one member of the family of hostages saying, how can you talk of annihilation when my brother is still in Gaza as a hostage?

We saw protests in Tel Aviv led by the families of the hostages denouncing Netanyahu and demanding that Netanyahu start prioritizing the release of those hostages.

[04:35:00]

Which is why Netanyahu, who has resisted the truce and resisted a hostage deal over the past three weeks, has decided to accept this particular truce, which suggests that perhaps this truce will be extended further given that there is still pressure coming from the families of the hostages domestically.

The second dynamic is increasing pressure from the United States. According to a CNN article itself, Biden informed Netanyahu that as a result of the shift in public opinion, as that is now in favor of the Palestinians as opposed to the Israelis, as a result of the videos of the atrocities being committed in Gaza there are concerns that in the Democrats as a result of the polls in the U.S. that Biden has informed Netanyahu that he doesn't have months. He may not even have a matter of weeks to continue this military operation.

And as a result, Netanyahu is now looking for an exit clause through which now to make the priority not about eliminating Hamas but now about releasing the hostages and finding a way through which to emerge from this in a way that might help to protect his political future at a time in which Israelis are increasingly demanding his resignation as a price for having brought about one of the greatest threats to Israel's security.

BRUNHUBER: But obviously, Hamas has no incentive to release all of the hostages, given that would mean the loss of their only collateral. So, how do you see this unfolding there? Could we see a slow release of hostages maybe that could last weeks, maybe months?

HAMDI: I think that there will be a slow release of hostages until Hamas is sure that Netanyahu is not in a position to continue the military operations. I think at the moment we're seeing a division between Israeli officials, Ben Gvir, Netanyahu's ally in the government, came out lambasting the truce and the hostage deal because he fears that he's being lured into a ceasefire by the Americans. Axios reported that when Blinken visited Tel Aviv last time, that Blinken had told Netanyahu that they should implement a humanitarian pause. And Netanyahu responded and said, I need to know first that this isn't a plan by Biden. To lure me into a de facto ceasefire.

So, I think that when we look at in terms of this hostage deal, I think the reality is that given that now Western allies of Israel, such as David Cameron, the U.K. foreign minister, such as Macron, who's already called for a ceasefire, such as the deputy prime minister of Belgium, who's even called for sanctions on Israel. Given there's a shift in the public opinion, I think that they're the window for opportunity for Netanyahu to continue his military operations is closing.

And that suggests that Hamas, although they will be slow in releasing the hostages, they may well believe that now that the pressure is coming to bear on Netanyahu, it's better to uphold this deal so nobody can blame Hamas for any mishap. And rather the greatest threat to any mishap in the truce is actually from Netanyahu who is the one who fears for his political future with talk being mentioned in the U.S. that they might even try to get Benny Gantz to replace him.

BRUNHUBER: Well, we'll see whether any of that comes to pass. I want to ask you to end big picture. I mean, previous armed conflicts between Israel and Palestinian forces have ended in very different ways. Is it possible to try to predict how these ends using past precedent, or are we seeing something entirely different here?

HAMDI: I think that Netanyahu's party and his allies are trying to push through a bill now in the Knesset to allow Israeli settlers to move into the areas of Northern Gaza that Israel has ethnically cleansed of Palestinians. The idea being is what we're seeing is that Netanyahu is making an attempt now to annex areas of Gaza. And also, we're seeing attacks on the West Bank in Jenin, where he's trying to annex -- he's been trying to annex since 2019. Trump stopped him temporarily to allow UAE to normalize ties.

But the suggestion is if we're basing it on the past, we -- I think that it's more likely we'll see a truce for a certain number of years before we see a resurgence once more of tensions, primarily because the underlying causes, which is the continued annexation of Palestinian lands and the turfing of Palestinian families from their homes in favor of Israeli settlers. I think that given that the U.S. has still -- has an issue in trying to reign in the Israelis. I think the reality is that based on past, I think we'll have a few years of peace, maybe two years, maybe even one year before we have a resurgence of conflict once more.

But I think -- and I'll finish on this point, I think that the shift in public opinion and the concern over the shift in public opinion as a result of social media lends itself to the suggestion as was pointed out in "The Hill" -- in an article in "The Hill", not -- last week, that maybe Israel's friends will not be so quick to come to its rescue in future because the atrocities that have been broadcast to the world in Gaza, the killing of the babies and the killing of -- and the destruction of the homes and the ethnic cleansing of kicking families out lens ed it -- has resulted in a negative perception towards Israel that Israel will struggle to recover.

BRUNHUBER: All right. We shall see. I appreciate your perspective on this. Sami Hamdi, thank you so much.

[04:40:00]

BRUNHUBER: Israel's capital takes a hit from Russia's largest wave of drone attacks since the war began. And now people whose homes were damaged are trying to pick up the pieces, that's ahead. Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BRUNHUBER: Now, to Russia's war on Ukraine. Moscow says, it has shot down at least 20 Ukrainian drones over the past day, including in the Moscow region. One of the drones reportedly crashed into a building south of the capital, leaving one person with minor injuries.

Russian appointed officials also say, there are power outages in parts of Ukraine's occupied Donetsk region because of the attacks on the power grid. Now, all that's happening as Ukraine's capital is reeling from a Russian attack unlike any the city has seen before. Anna Coren reports from Kyiv.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ANNA COREN, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Russia has launched the largest number of attack drones on the Ukrainian capital ever since it launched its invasion on this country in February of last year. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says, this attack was a deliberate act of terror.

COREN (voiceover): In the early hours of Saturday morning, loud explosions could be heard all over Kyiv. As the capital's air defense systems worked in overdrive. Just after 2:30 a.m., an unprecedented swarm of drones began to attack Kyiv from multiple directions, terrorizing it's more than 3 million residents. 75 Shahed drones were launched by Russia. Authorities say, 74 were shot down.

Debris from one of the down drones hit this kindergarten in the city suburbs. Meters away, hundreds of residential apartments. Shattered windows, a sign of how close the war had come. Too close for Evgenia (ph) and her two young daughters.

[04:45:00]

EVGENIA (PH), KYIV RESIDENT (through translator): We heard the sirens and ran into the hallway and were waiting for this to pass like always. But then we heard a huge explosion. We thought our house was going to be destroyed.

WARD: The residents here in Kyiv are used to hearing the air raid sirens and the explosions of the air defense systems working overtime, but nothing quite like this. For more than six hours, there was a barrage of Shahed drones targeting the capital. And this, behind me, is the result of one of those drones shot down.

WARD (voiceover): Inside the kindergarten, Olga (ph), one of the teachers, is distraught.

All my life I've worked here. Look at the destruction, she cries.

Her colleague says, everything is OK. We will clean this up, don't worry. Thank God everyone is alive.

Five-year-old Yaroslava (ph) looks through the fence at a playground she would frequent every day.

YAROSLAVA (PH) (through translator): That's my kindergarten. I had music and dancing classes in this building. I feel sad the drone came and destroyed my school.

WARD (voiceover): Her mother, Natalia (ph), in tears. Thinking this was supposed to be a safe place for her only child.

NATALIA (PH), KYIV RESIDENT (through translator): It's very painful to see this.

WARD (voiceover): Residents in Kyiv and across the country have been expecting this. Russia has spent months stockpiling weapons, specifically aimed at targeting Ukraine's energy infrastructure as the temperatures plunge. And with winter now here, these people know this is just the beginning.

EVGENIA (PH) (through translator): We've got used to this, but I don't want to get used to it.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WARD (on camera): Falling drone debris damaged several residential buildings around Kyiv. The commander in chief of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, General Zaluzhnyi, says this is war. Back to you.

BRUNHUBER: North Korea claims it sent its first spy satellite into orbit earlier this week. U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and his counterparts in South Korea and Japan are condemning the launch. South Korea calls it a clear violation of a U.N. resolution that prohibits the North from using ballistic missile technology. CNN's Will Ripley is in Taipei with the latest.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

WILL RIPLEY, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voiceover): As if the world doesn't have enough to worry about, rising tensions on the Korean peninsula, North Korea claims big progress in its satellite program. Supreme Leader Kim Jong Un appearing triumphant in state media, posing for propaganda cameras with a team of North Korean scientists and engineers, celebrating an apparently successful third attempt to put a spy satellite into orbit. Two failed launches earlier this year.

Pyongyang promises more satellite launches in the near future. Satellites crucial to improving the accuracy of North Korea's intercontinental ballistic missile program. A program banned by the United Nations Security Council, possibly perfected with the help of Russian rocket scientists acting on orders from President Vladimir Putin. Kim and Putin's September summit at this Russian space launch complex signaling Moscow's growing support for Pyongyang's space program.

A partnership believed to be providing Putin with badly needed North Korean weapons, arming Russian soldiers on the battlefields of Ukraine. Putin told state media reporters at the time Russia would help North Korea launch its own satellites and rockets, saying, that's exactly why we came here.

Japanese authorities issued an emergency warning. What they believed to be a satellite carrying ballistic missile soaring over Okinawa.

FUMIO KISHIDA, JAPANESE PRIME MINISTER (through translator): Today, North Korea conducted a launch using ballistic missile technology.

RIPLEY (voiceover): The Japanese Prime Minister condemning the launch. Swift reactions from South Korea, Seoul suspending military pacts with the North.

HEO TAE-KEUN, DEPUTY MINISTER FOR NATIONAL DEFENSE POLICY, SOUTH KOREA (through translator): The North Korean regime is entirely responsible for this situation.

RIPLEY (voiceover): A troubling sign even for locals who live every day under threat from the nuclear armed North.

BAE RA-MI, SOUTH KOREAN RESIDENT (through translator): The successful launch of North Korea's spy satellite means that their technology has improved that much.

RIPLEY: We're at North Korea's brand-new satellite control center.

RIPLEY (voiceover): In 2015, I met with senior officials at North Korea's satellite control center. They insisted their purpose was peaceful space exploration. Even expressing outrage at ongoing speculation, they were secretly operating a ballistic missile development program.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): Our peaceful launch was not a threat yesterday, a threat to you today, and it won't be a threat tomorrow.

RIPLEY (voiceover): Tomorrow has arrived. And this may be just the beginning.

RIPLEY: And tensions are already flaring up on the Korean peninsula.

[04:50:00] The South Korean military says, less than 24 hours after this satellite launch, a ballistic missile was launched from the North Korean capital area, but they believe that missile failed just minutes after taking off.

Now, in the meantime, the big question, the unanswered question is whether this satellite is actually able to conduct reconnaissance. We know that it's in orbit, but can it actually surveil U.S. military installations in places like Guam or Hawaii or Japan? That remains the unknown question.

Will Ripley, CNN Taipei.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BRUNHUBER: A combination of snow and rain is on deck for parts of the U.S. this week. Still to come, we'll have the full weather breakdown straight ahead, stay with us.

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BRUNHUBER: Derek Chauvin's attorney says, the prison where his client was stabbed on Friday is refusing to talk. The former Minneapolis police officer is serving time at a federal prison in Arizona for the murder of George Floyd three years ago. His attorney says, he found out about the stabbing on the news and hasn't been able to verify anything despite calling the prison seven times. He says, Chauvin's parents are getting the same treatment. Chauvin's attorney believes many inmates in that prison want to make a name for themselves by killing him.

[04:55:00]

A mix of rain and snow is expected to spread east across the U.S. with some cold weather to follow. Here's CNN Meteorologist Elisa Raffa.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ELISA RAFFA, CNN METEOROLOGIST: We've got some cold settling into the central plains after a couple inches of snow fell parts -- across parts of Kansas. That snow is now headed off to the Great Lakes. We've had some snow showers in Chicago as we go through the day on Sunday. That will start to kick across the Great Lakes and it kind of meets up with this area of low pressure that developed off the Carolina coast. That starts to meet up and move north, creating some heavier rain from New York up to Boston.

Notice the snow showers, too, across the Great Lakes that starts to kick. In the wake of that front, that lake effect snow could dump up to a foot of snow for some communities right off the coast of those lakes like Cleveland. You can see the rain totals from New York to Boston, again, could be on the heftier side up to about two inches.

Now, after this, we'll find some Arctic air starts to spill south. First, up into the Great Lakes and then it starts to spread east across the northeast, going into early parts of the week. But by Tuesday and Wednesday, things get pretty chilly. I mean, take a look at some of these high temperatures. These again are the daytime high temperatures barely breaking freezing for cities like Pittsburgh and Syracuse, where average highs are in the middle and upper forties, but again, barely breaking freezing there in New York, an average high of 51 degrees.

You're looking at temperatures in the upper 30s all day on Tuesday. Looking at the extended, you'll see that Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, some of the coldest parts of the week. Temperatures do try to rebound, but overall, we're going to find temperatures staying below average through the next couple of days.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BRUNHUBER: I'm Kim Brunhuber. I'll be back in just a moment with the latest from the Middle East. Stay with us.

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