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CNN's continuing coverage on the Fourth and Last Day of the Truce between Israel and Hamas; Three Palestinian Students Shot in Vermont, Authorities Sees a possibility of a Hate Crime; Biden Celebrates Edan's Release, Hopeful for a Truce Extension; Celebrating the Holiday Season in the Shadows of Conflict Worldwide. Aired 3-4a ET

Aired November 27, 2023 - 03:00   ET

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

[03:00:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ROSEMARY CHURCH, CNN ANCHOR: Hello and welcome to our viewers joining us here in the United States and all around the world as we continue our coverage of the Israel-Hamas war. I'm Rosemary Church.

It is now the fourth day of a temporary truce between Israel and Hamas. And Israel says discussions are underway after it received a list of hostages expected to be released from Gaza in the hours ahead. Today is said to be the final day of the agreement. But Hamas says it wants to extend the pause in the fighting beyond the four-day deal. A source told CNN Israel's war cabinet also discussed that possibility Sunday night.

On day three of the truce, 17 hostages were freed, including Israelis and foreign nationals. The group included mothers and children and ranged in age from 84 to four years old. Other hostages released by Hamas over the weekend, including this mother and daughter, have already been reunited with their families. And as part of the deal, an additional 39 Palestinian prisoners and detainees were released from Israeli jails on Sunday. All were males, 18 years old and younger.

Well, CNN's Clare Sebastian is following developments. She joins us live from London. Good morning to you, Clare. So as we head into this fourth and possibly final day of the truce agreement, how likely is it that the Israeli government will extend that truce?

CLARE SEBASTIAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yeah, Rosemary, this was baked into the original deal that if Hamas was to release a further 10 live Israeli hostages, that would lead to an extension of the truce by 24 hours and so on thereafter. What we're hearing from both sides, the source telling us that the Israeli war cabinet has been discussing this possibility.

Hamas also putting out a statement saying that they would want to extend the truce once the four-day period ends, saying that they would want to do that through serious efforts to increase the number of those released from imprisonment as stipulated in the humanitarian ceasefire agreement. It shows that they are referring back to that original deal and saying that what was agreed there could be possible.

We just don't know. We know this morning that the prime minister's office in Israel has the list. provided by Hamas of potential hostages for release today and are reviewing that. We don't have any more information beyond that.

They expect to put out more information later. It's very delicate, but there is also pressure from outside to potentially extend. Qatar has made no secret of the fact that they hope that this agreement will provide momentum towards something potentially more long lasting like a ceasefire. Now, we haven't had any discussions of a ceasefire from the U.S. side, but President Biden did express hope on Sunday that this wouldn't be the end. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOE BIDEN, U.S. PRESIDENT: 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. We've seen this is the day-by-day approach, hour-by-hour process. Nothing is guaranteed and nothing is being taken for granted. But the proof that this is working and worth pursuing further is in every smile and every grateful tear we see on the faces of those families who are finally getting back together again.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SEBASTIAN: Well, of course, the major complicating factor here is that Israel has a second goal in this war and that is completely dismantling Hamas. Otherwise, they say there will be a repeat in the future of what happened on October 7th, and they've made it very clear that they have not finished that job yet.

We even saw images on Sunday of Prime Minister Netanyahu apparently in Gaza wearing a flak jacket and a helmet talking to troops there and he said we will continue until the end until victory. Nothing will stop us those optics and those words making it very clear that Israel intends to continue pursuing this militarily and that at some point they believe Hamas will just not be prepared to release any more hostages. Rosemary?

CHURCH: All right. Our thanks to Clare Sebastian for that live report from London

Well for some Israeli families, a nightmare that began more than seven weeks ago has finally come to an end.

CNN's Matthew Chance has more now from Tel Aviv.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MATTHEW CHANCE, CNN SR. INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): They arrived by helicopter for the safety of an Israeli children's hospital near Tel Aviv. Their 51-day nightmare as hostages in Gaza at an end.

[03:05:00] Just hours earlier they were released to the Red Cross. Hamas posting this highly choreographed video, its audio removed, apparently showing Palestinians in Gaza City which Israel has relentlessly pounded, cheering as hostages are handed over including U.S.-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's returning home an orphan.

NOA NAFTALI, COUSIN OF FORMER HAMAS HOSTAGE ABIGAIL EDAN: Her brother and her sister have survived. They hid in a 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 lived 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 Azza, one of the Israeli communities near Gaza, where so many were slaughtered or abducted on October the 7th. Family members say Abigail was in her father's arms when he was gunned down, and she fled to her neighbors, the Brodutch family.

CHANCE: How old?

AVICHAI BRODUTCH, HUSBAND AND FATHER OF FORMER HAMAS HOSTAGES: He's four and a half.

CHANCE (voice-over): Only to be abducted and now released along with them. From the start of this ordeal, Avichai Brodutch told me he's kept faith.

BRODUTCH: I've got all this hope with me and my beliefs. And I believe that they're doing fine. These guys, they took them. I know they're religious, I know they're Muslim, so I've got this really great hope that they're treating them well, feeding them and letting them move around a bit, maybe play some soccer.

CHANCE (voice-over): Now also released, 9-year-old Tal Goldstein Almog, seen here before he was abducted from Kfar Aza, along with his mother, a sister 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.

OMRI ALMOG, UNCLE AND BROTHER OF FORMER HAMAS HOSTAGES: I mean, the best is in the front of us. It's gonna come. Whatever happened, we cannot change. Nadav is not longer with us. Yam, the beautiful girl, is not with us anymore.

CHANCE: But there's still a chance. There's still a chance for your sister in nature.

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

CHANCE (voice-over): And there are so many broken families that each hostage release may now start to help rebuild.

Matthew Chance, CNN, Tel Aviv.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CHURCH: Yaakov Katz is a senior columnist and editor and the former editor-in-chief of the "Jerusalem Post." He's also the author of "Shadow Strike: Inside Israel's Secret Mission to Eliminate Syrian Nuclear Power." And he joins us now from Jerusalem. Appreciate you being with us.

YAAKOV KATZ, SR. COLUMNIST, EDITOR, AND FORMER EDITOR-IN-CHIEF, "THE JERUSALEM POST": Thank you, Rosemary.

CHURCH: So on this fourth and possibly final day of the truce agreement, how likely is it that the Israeli government will agree to extend the pause in fighting beyond Monday to allow for the release of more hostages in exchange for Palestinian prisoners and humanitarian aid?

KATZ: I think that Israel obviously will want to do whatever it can to get back as many hostages as possible in these next few days. They're supposed to see the release today is the fourth day. This is supposed to culminate in the release of 50 hostages overall in exchange for about 150 Palestinian prisoners who have been held in Israel. These are terrorists who were convicted of crimes, as well as obviously the flow of humanitarian supplies to Gaza.

But there is that clause in the deal that was originally approved by the Israeli cabinet that allows for an extension if Hamas is to release 10 more hostages every single day. This could go on for at least another week. I think the dilemmas will start to come up, Rosemary, if there is, let's say, on Wednesday or Thursday, Hamas says, well, we can't give you 10, but we can give you four or five or six. What does Israel do then? Because on the one hand, they want to continue the operation and the offensive into southern Gaza, where Hamas is still entrenched.

But on the other hand, to get back five, four, or six hostages is still a big deal, and the Israeli public will want to see that happen. So these are the dilemmas. that we should expect to see in the days to come.

CHURCH: Yeah, and I want to talk about that because Israel has two goals in this war. One is to ensure the safe release of all the hostages. The other is to destroy Hamas. But those are two conflicting goals.

[03:09:59]

How are the people of Israel responding to these hostage releases and how much concern is there that the second goal of destroying Hamas could end up endangering the lives of the remaining hostages if the fighting resumes?

KATZ: So you're right that this is something of a contradiction, but not necessarily, right? Because one goal does serve the other. The more military pressure that Hamas feels that it is under will get it to want to reach a deal to release more of the hostages to get a ceasefire. It's doubtful that without the large-scale offensive that Israel had been carrying out in northern Gaza over the last few weeks, without that, Hamas would have even agreed to this release of 50 out of the 240 hostages that it was in possession of.

So Israel's campaign and military offensive is imperative to keep pressure on Hamas to get it to feel the squeeze and to feel that it is in danger, that it will want to reach a pause or a temporary truce and in exchange release hostages. The question is going to be now going forward, right? So let's say these 50 are released. maybe is what it's another 10 or 20 or even 30 in the best-case scenario what happens after that because what we know in the south that's what Hamas leadership is still intact.

Hamas is three brigades in southern Gaza and Khan Younis and Rafah, and other places thousands of fighters are still there significant military capabilities and the rest of the abductees the rest of the Israeli hostages are there so how does Israel then go in on the ground there by the way also all almost all of Gaza's civilians are in the south, which complicates things even more.

So this is going to be a very complicated and tense next few days and weeks in what the future of this offensive and operation looks like.

CHURCH: Yeah, most certainly. And of course, in the meantime, Israel is feeling a lot of domestic pressure from the families of hostages calling for the government to focus on their safe release rather than the fight with Hamas. And then there is the international pressure. which is building to extend the truce and ultimately put in a permanent ceasefire. So how is the Israeli government dealing with those mounting pressures from within the country and outside?

KATZ: I think what you're seeing, Rosemary, is on the one hand Israel's strength, but at the same time Israel's weakness.

And it is the fact that Israel is willing to sacrifice a lot and the many for the few, right, the few hostages who are in Gaza to stop and pause the operation which is no more justified than any operation any war in the past, a war that was forced upon us that was compelled on us with the massacre of October 7th.

And Israel's going into Gaza with the with the backing of its people with the backing of the world with an understanding that Hamas can no longer exist and can no longer present a threat but at the same time says we have to stop for now to get back as many people as we can because one life is an entire world as the Jewish tradition dictates.

And therefore Israel's doing it. That's our strength, but it's also our weakness because Hamas knows that. And that's why they took so many hostages. And they will play on that exposed nerve and exposed pain that Israel has to get Israel to pause more. They will play with us. They will hold back the hostages. They will engage in psychological warfare because they know that this is Israel's weak point. And this is why Israel will have to be stronger in a way that I don't think this country has ever really been tested in the way that is going to be tested in these next few days. CHURCH: Right. And President Joe Biden says the release of the

hostages so far proves the deal brokered by Qatar is working. But Israel's defense minister says any further negotiations will be held under fire. How dangerous could that prove to be for any remaining hostages? Or is that simply a negotiation tactic, do you think?

KATZ: I would look at everything that everybody is saying right now as a negotiation tactic, Rosemary. The defense minister is saying what he's saying. He needs to project strength, get Hamas to think that Israel is obviously prepared to move forward. But I wouldn't test it.

Israel is ready to move forward. The troops, now, let's remember where the ceasefire came into effect was after Israel had taken control of all of Northern Gaza, had taken over the Shifa Hospital, had destroyed that massive tunnel complex underneath the hospital and was basically gearing up for the offensive in the south.

So, it so was at this point that Israel also said okay we can take a pause now we can give the troops a bit of a break before they go into the south that's ready and these few days are being used to sharpen that offensive to get it prepared to get those troops trained and ready for what they're going to face in the South.

But we can't ignore the fact that Israel does rely heavily on the United States, not just for the supply of weaponry and spare parts, but also for the diplomatic cover. And that strong alliance and relationship is extremely important, of strategic, existential importance for Israel.

[03:15:03]

So if the president, if President Biden suddenly changes his tune and starts to say to Israel, guys, it's time to wrap it up, that would also start to see that diplomatic clock tick much faster. And even at the risk of a crisis with the U.S., I'm not sure what step Israel would take in the continuing of this operation.

CHURCH: Yaakov Katz, joining us from Jerusalem, many thanks for your perspective. I Appreciate it.

KATZ: Yeah.

CHURCH: And still to come, as dozens more Palestinian prisoners are released from Israeli prisons, allegations are emerging of their treatment while in custody. A report just ahead.

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CHURCH: Welcome back everyone. The Palestinian prisoners released on Sunday were all 18 years old or younger. The youngest, 14 years old. According to information from the Israeli Prison Service and the Palestinian Prisoners Society, some of them were detained without knowing the charges they faced.

And as CNN's Nada Bashir reports, many of those released say they were abused while in custody. [03:20:00]

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

NADA BASHIR, CNN REPORTER (voice-over): 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 Wissam. 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. Weisam's mother, Huneida, 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 over 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 AND ACTIVIST: 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 (voice-over): 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 WISSAM TAMIMI: We're extremely happy but still overwhelmed and extremely saddened by everything going on here in Palestine, but at the same time still resilient to keep going with whatever we can do in order to hopefully achieve a ceasefire and hopefully later on a full liberation.

BASHIR: Look, many of the teenagers we spoke to who have been released as part of that truce agreement told us they had experienced abuse and mistreatment while in detention. And we have now received a response from the Israeli prison service spokesperson who has said that all those who have been released were serving time for serious offenses and that all prisoners are detained under the provisions of Israeli law. But of course, as we know, many of those detained are held under administrative detention, meaning no charges laid against them, no clear legal process.

Many are hopeful, of course, still that they will see their loved ones, their children, their relatives released on that final day of the truce agreement as it currently stands many families waiting to see if their loved ones are on that list of prisoners and detainees set to be released on Monday.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CHURCH: Joining me now from Jerusalem is Sarah Davies, spokesperson for the International Committee of the Red Cross. Thank you so much for talking with us.

SARAH DAVIES, SPOKESPERSON, INTERNATIONAL COMMITTEE OF THE RED CROSS: Rosemary, thank you for having me.

CHURCH: So your organization has been handling the hostages as they enter into Egypt from Gaza, where they've been held by Hamas since October 7th. What is the actual role of the Red Cross in this process, and what happens when you make that first contact with the hostages?

DAVIES: Thank you so much for giving me this space to clarify because I know there's a lot of speculation about this and it's a really important point.

Our role is very simple. Once the agreement has been made, as we've seen, we step in as the neutral organization who is trusted by both sides to facilitate this release, who is trusted to be able to meet up with Hamas, receive the hostages and hand them over to the authorities.

[03:25:02]

The process itself runs along the lines of, we receive a notification. Our teams, in the last few days, this has been teams of eight staff and four ICRC vehicles. We go to the meeting point. We, in very quick fashion, we meet with Hamas, we meet with the hostages, and the priority of the team at that time is to reassure the hostages that we're here to transport you out of Gaza. We have you, you're safe, and you will soon be able to receive medical treatment and be reunited, most importantly, with your families.

The most efficient way that this happens is very quick. And then we transport them, of course, outside. We hand them out of our care to the authorities, and they go on to the next steps of those processes which are handled by the authorities.

CHURCH: That is an extraordinary process and as you say, I mean as a mutual trusted organization on both sides, that is very critical. When you have that opportunity to talk, or some of the people that you work with, some of your colleagues, to talk with those hostages, what can you tell us about some of the stories they may have shared with them?

DAVIES: As I said, it is a very efficient process and our teams are very much focused on the operation at hand. It is still a conflict zone. It is still a very tense situation. We really want to leave the space for the hostages themselves and their families to share those details if and when they choose to.

However, my teams have told me that it is a very emotionally overwhelming situation. We don't know of course whether the hostages were informed prior that they were about to be released. We don't know if they knew what was happening or it would come as a surprise.

One of the team members involved has told me that they did see the relief on the faces of hostages once they realized what was happening. And of course it would potentially take a while for it to sink in. There would be a lot of emotions. There would be anxiety. They don't know they have not contact with their family members, with their loved ones for the time that they've been held.

They may not know what has happened to them, they don't know what to expect, but the overwhelming emotion is definitely relief.

CHURCH: They are extraordinary details. We appreciate you sharing those with us. And I did want to ask you how difficult it's been for some Red Cross workers being involved in such a significant and of course, historic hostage. release operation. What are people, what are people, some of your colleagues saying about that?

DAVIES: Of course, as you say, this is a very big moment. Our teams have, of course, been trained. We have very particular processes in place for these types of situations. And this is what we do all over the world. This is why it's so important for us to be seen and known as that neutral organization.

One of the team members that I did speak to mentioned that purely due to the emotions of the moment, they were almost crying. It is a very overwhelming time, not just for the hostages themselves who are the priority, of course, but for the team members involved. And of course, once they come back to our offices, they receive debriefs and they receive any support that is needed.

CHURCH: Yeah, and such emotionally charged moments. Absolutely no doubt about it for everybody involved. Sarah Davies, thank you so much with the Red Cross joining us from Jerusalem. I really appreciate it.

DAVIES: Thank you for having me.

CHURCH: And still to come, new details about the suspect who allegedly shot three Palestinian college students in Vermont during a Thanksgiving holiday.

Plus, the White House says U.S. President Joe Biden is in close contact with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on the release of more hostages. The latest, just ahead.

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[03:30:00]

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ROSEMARY CHURCH, CNN ANCHOR: In the United States, three Palestinian college students were shot in Burlington, Vermont on Saturday evening. Police say they have now arrested a suspect, 48-year-old Jason J. Eaton, who lived in an apartment building near where the shooting took place.

CNN's Carlos Suarez has details of the attack.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CARLOS SUAREZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Authorities in Vermont are looking into the possibility this was a hate crime. According to police in Burlington, the three Palestinian students were walking on a street on their way to visit a relative on Saturday when they were confronted by a man armed with a gun. All three students were shot. Now at the time of the shooting, we're told two of the three victims were wearing a keffiyeh, that's a traditional Palestinian scarf.

We're told the photo of the three students was taken earlier in the day on Saturday. All three victims are being treated at Vermont Medical Center. Two of them were told are in stable condition. The third suffered more serious injuries.

Now according to the Institute for Middle East Understanding, that's an organization that is in contact with the victim's family, the students were identified as 20-year-old Tahseen Ali Ahmad, Kinan Abdalhamid, and Hisham Awartani. We're told all three graduated from a private school in the West Bank before coming to the U.S. to attend different colleges.

Awartani's great uncle, a former Palestinian minister of education, said Awartani was visiting his grandmother. Here now is an attorney representing one of the victim's family on why they're certain this was a hate-motivated crime.

ABED AYOUB, LAWYER FOR VICTIM'S FAMILY: The suspect walked up to them and shot them. They weren't robbed, they weren't mugged. It was a targeted shooting and a targeted crime and they were wearing the keffiyeh. They are known in the area, you know, for being Palestinian. You know, that's a very well-known symbol. It's a very well-known cloth. It's very symbolic of the Palestinian cause, the Palestinian culture and history. So the fact that they were wearing this and then fell victim to a shooter leads us to believe that played a role, their identity played a role in them being targeted. SUAREZ: Sunday night, a crowd gathered outside of the Burlington City

Hall and called on police to investigate the shooting as a hate crime. Now earlier in the day, the chief of police said no one can look at this incident and not suspect it may have been a hate-motivated crime. The FBI said it is aware of the incident and they're ready to investigate the shooting.

[03:35:09]

Carlos Suarez, CNN, Atlanta.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CHURCH: The White House says U.S. President Joe Biden remains in close contact with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu about the release of hostages. Mr. Netanyahu told President Biden that the possibility of extending the truce with Hamas would be welcome in return for the further release of 10 hostages per day from Gaza, that is according to a statement.

CNN's Priscilla Alvarez has more now from the White House.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

PRISCILLA ALVAREZ, CNN WHITE HOUSE REPORTER: President Biden on Sunday celebrated the release of Abigail Edan, a four-year-old American hostage who was held by Hamas and released as part of the negotiated deal between Israel and Hamas. She had been held in captivity for seven weeks and both of her parents were killed in those October 7 terror attacks.

The president calling what she went through a terrible trauma and also calling the experience quote "unthinkable." Now the president did speak with her family in both the U.S. and Israel on Sunday, though he did not have details on her condition when speaking to reporters earlier in the day.

But the president making clear in those remarks that it's not just about the release of hostages but also getting additional humanitarian aid into Gaza and expressing some hope that there could be more pauses and fighting in the days to come to again get more of those hostages released.

JOE BIDEN, U.S. PRESIDENT: 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.

ALVAREZ: Now, U.S. officials have said that Israel is prepared to continue pauses and fighting in exchange for Hamas releasing 10 hostages for each of those days. And the president spoke about that with the prime minister of Israel on Sunday, as well as getting again aid into Gaza and making sure that they can secure the release of more hostages. But what is clear tonight is that there are still intensive negotiations and discussions ongoing about getting those hostages released by Hamas after this four-day pause.

Priscilla Alvarez, CNN, at the White House.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CHURCH: Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer says he plans to bring a national security package to the floor, which ties Israel and Ukraine funding together as soon as next week. In a letter to his Democratic colleague Sunday, Schumer explained the multi-billion dollar funding bill is needed to make sure America's, quote, "friends and partners in Ukraine, Israel and the Indo-Pacific region have the necessary military capabilities to confront and deter the nation's adversaries and competitors."

Even if the measure passes in the Senate, it could face opposition in the House since some conservative lawmakers say they don't want aid for Israel and Ukraine tied together.

Well, some major cities saw massive protests related to the Israel- Hamas war on Sunday. In London, thousands rallied against anti- Semitism. Police say hate crimes have spiked in the city ever since the conflict began last month. Protesters called for the release of hostages and some carried signs that read act against hate before it's too late.

And in New York, on one of the busiest travel days of the year, The Manhattan Bridge was shut down for almost four hours by a massive sit- in, with protesters calling for a permanent ceasefire in Gaza. The bridge reopened late Sunday afternoon.

Coming up next here on "CNN Newsroom," Ukraine is retaliating after Russia launched a record number of drones at Kyiv over the weekend. We'll take a look.

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[03:40:00]

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CHURCH: Russia says it destroyed at least 24 Ukrainian drones that were headed for Moscow and other cities in the past day. Dozens of other drones were also taken out over Ukrainian areas that are under Russian control. This all happened a day after Russia launched its largest drone attack against Kyiv since the start of the war, according to local officials. A Ukrainian energy company says power has been restored to everyone in the capital after those attacks left people in the dark.

And CNN's Anna Coren joins us now live from Kyiv. Good to see you Anna. So what is the latest on those drone attacks in the Capitol?

ANNA COREN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Rosemary, as you're saying, this was the largest attack of drones launched by Russia since its invasion, full-scale invasion on Ukraine in February of last year. 75 Shaheed drones were targeted at the capital, 74 were shot down, but it wasn't without its drama. Early in the morning, just after 2:30 a.m., the air raid sirens went off, then the air defense systems were working these loud explosions in the air. We could even hear the sound of these drones and they were coming from multiple directions as well, Rosemary.

Now, as the debris from those drones that were shot down and fell on residential buildings including kindergarten which we went out to in and so that the destruction and just meters away, Rosemary, well hundreds of apartments in these residential buildings you know the people looking at what had taken place. They were hiding in their hallways. They said they were used to this. They were waiting for it to pass and then there was this almighty explosion. They thought their homes were going to be destroyed.

This is about terrorizing a population. There is no doubt about it. But we also know that Russia has been stockpiling its weapons, stockpiling its drones and missiles with the aim of targeting Ukraine's energy infrastructure just like they did last winter. Temperatures here have plunged, it's not officially winter yet but it's snowing outside, it is freezing. So that is Russia's aim and Ukraine knows it.

CHURCH: And Anna, what all is President Zelenskyy saying about his country's need for weapons, particularly air defense systems?

COREN: Well look, the air defense systems on the weekend, particularly in the capital, were in overdrive, but they worked. Obviously 75 of those 74 drones were shot down. It's not like that in other areas, other regions. And we heard from President Zelenskyy over the weekend at this grain initiative summit where he said the real problem is in the border regions. He mentions Zaporizhzhia, Kherson, Dnipro, Sumy, Junigiv and the Donetsk region, he said these are the areas difficult to protect bordering Russia as well as Belarus. Let's now have a listen to what President Zelenskyy had to say.

[03:45:08]

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY, UKRAINIAN PRESIDENT (through translator): There is a certain number of air defense systems with certain names. We are asking for them. We've already got a positive answer when those systems will start to guard that region, because there, both the corridor and the people are important.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COREN: Rosemary, the fact of the matter is, Ukraine needs air defense systems, it needs weapons, it needs ammunition, it needs drones, it needs absolutely everything to fight this war against Russia and there is a growing consensus in this country, particularly among the analysts that we are speaking to, that the West is giving Ukraine enough weaponry to stay in the fight but not to win the war.

And then we speak to the soldiers who are down on the front line fighting in these conditions saying, why don't we have enough? We need more drones. We need more ammunition. We don't have enough to make the inroads gain that momentum to gain ground against Russia. This is now, without doubt, a war of attrition.

And we heard from the commander in chief of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, General Zoluchny, recently, he wrote a nine-page essay where he said, Ukraine needs advanced technological weapons to really make inroads here. He also talks about the delays in the weapons from the West.

You know, the F-16s that have been promised from the United States, they're not going to be delivered until late spring of next year. So how is Ukraine supposed to make the gains that they need to win this war? Many people here are growing more and more perplexed. So really, Rosemary, you know, Ukraine needs all of this weaponry and they need it now.

CHURCH: Indeed, Anna Coren joining us live from Kyiv with that report. I Appreciate it and take care.

Well coming up after the break, as conflict rages in parts of the world, many people are finding hope and comfort in the spirit of the holidays. We'll show you how.

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[03:50:00]

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CHURCH: An end to the Thanksgiving holiday weekend here in the U.S. came with thousands of flight delays. These were lines at the airport here in Atlanta on Sunday as travelers waited to board their flights. More than 7,000 flights within, into or out of the U.S. were delayed on Sunday. That's according to tracking website FlightAware. But less than 50 were reported canceled. American Airlines says Sunday was their busiest Thanksgiving ever, servicing nearly 6.5 million customers and more than 6100 departures.

Well more travel delays across the U.S. may be coming this week thanks to winter weather. The U.S. National Weather Service reports more than a foot of snow fell across some states on Sunday. Even more is on the way for states in the northeast. Meteorologist Elissa Raffa has the latest forecast for the U.S.

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ELISSA RAFFA, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Some snow showers could slow you down on the roads as you get back to work after that Thanksgiving holiday. We have a couple of warnings in effect for snow, some lake effect snow warnings off of lakes Erie and Ontario advisories stretching up into Maine. You can see where some of that travel slows from Minneapolis to Chicago in Detroit as some of those lakes, no showers really start to pump.

Then even from New York and Boston, the last of that rain and even some snow showers getting into New England even late in the day on Tuesday, some totals for rain could be up to an inch. The snow totals really zeroing in on some of these communities right off of the lakes as that cold air really starts to pump some of that lake effect snow. What's happening is we have Arctic air coming in behind that front. That very cold air is going to swipe across the lakes.

When that happens, the lakes are relatively warmer than that cold air. So the cold air is able to pick up some moisture from the lake. It starts to hit into the land rises very quickly and it gets that snow machine to pump and man, will it pump. We're looking at some totals well over a foot for some communities near Cleveland and Erie, some 12 to 18 inches of snow possible up in Oswego. The Tug Hill could be looking at some totals, maybe two or three feet. So getting pretty treacherous.

As we start the work week here after the holiday, temperatures are going to stay below average. We'll keep that Arctic air in play. They're at least Tuesday and Wednesday with quite a bit of a chill in the air.

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CHURCH: Well, the headlines are filled with news of war and suffering in Eastern Europe and the Middle East, but people around the world are still finding reasons for hope as the holiday season brings warmth and cheer.

Here's Michael Holmes with more.

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MICHAEL HOLMES, CNN ANCHOR AND CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): A gift from one city to another. Every year for the past 76 years, the people of Oslo fell a tree from a nearby forest to send to London, where it will shine bright for the holiday season in Trafalgar Square. A token of gratitude for Britain's support of Norway during World War II. A beacon of hope for some, and a break from some of the bleakness in the world.

ANNE LINDBOE, OSLO MAYOR: But it's also become to mean so much more. And we are living in these really, really dark times. And now I think the Christmas tree, it symbolizes peace. It symbolizes standing together, friendship between cities.

HOLMES (voice-over): That spirit of love and light in full swing in many cities, from the celebrations on the Champs-Alysaes to a holiday selfie with a sparkling backdrop in Madrid, or a stroll through a Christmas market where the warmth of the season is doled out by the cupful.

ISABELLE SERVANT, TOURIST (through translator): It's the magic of Christmas. The lights, the mulled wine, the cinnamon, the pretzels, you get away from the everyday.

[03:54:59]

But there are some places where loss overshadows joy. In Israel, despite the ongoing Israel-Hamas war, there is hope more Israeli families could be reunited with loved ones kidnapped by Hamas before Hanukkah begins in a week and a half.

Christian leaders in Jerusalem have advised churches in the region to refrain from overly festive activities for Christmas. The city of Bethlehem in the occupied West Bank, which is usually illuminated each year to mark the birth of Jesus, says it is dismantling its Christmas decorations this year, in solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza.

Ukraine faces its second Christmas while at war with Russia. This year it's officially moved the holiday to December 25th, when many Christian denominations celebrated, instead of following the Russian Orthodox calendar which observes it on January 7. Last year there were some reservations about putting up a tree in Kyiv's city center, but a 12 meter high artificial tree was lit up in the colors of Ukraine's flag. The lights powered by a generator because of repeated Russian attacks on the country's energy infrastructure. Kyiv's mayor called it a tree of invincibility. A light that won't go out even in the darkness of war.

Michael Holmes, CNN.

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CHURCH: And I want to thank you for spending part of your day with me. I'm Rosemary Church. "CNN Newsroom" continues with Max Foster, next.

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