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Israel-Hamas Truce Extends Again at the Last Minute by 24 Hours; Longtime U.S. Secretary of State Henry Kissinger Dies; COP28 in Dubai Kicks Off. Aired 3-4a ET

Aired November 30, 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)

ANNOUNCER CNN Breaking News.

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 breaking news coverage of the Israel-Hamas war. I'm Rosemary Church.

Well both sides have agreed to extend their temporary pause in fighting for a seventh day. The news came just minutes before the six- day truce was set to expire. Israel says it agreed to extend the deal in light of mediators' efforts to continue the process of releasing hostages.

And we've now learned that Israel has received a list of people to be released today. A total of 16 hostages were set free by Hamas on Wednesday, including 10 Israelis under the terms of the truce. Four Thai nationals and two Russian-Israeli women were released under separate deals.

Israeli-American Liot Benin is among those now free. U.S. President Joe Biden says he is gratified by her release. Israel freed another 30 Palestinian women and children from its prisons as part of its agreement with Hamas. Many of them were in administrative detention and never charged.

Meanwhile, a group of Thai hostages is set to arrive back in Thailand soon. Many were working on Israeli farms when Hamas attacked back on October 7th. And U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken is in Israel where he met with President Isaac Herzog. Here's what Blinken had to say about the release of hostages on Wednesday.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ANTONY BLINKEN, U.S. SECRETARY OF STATE: From day one, we have been focused relentlessly on trying to secure the release of hostages from Gaza and from Hamas. And we have seen over the last week the very positive development of hostages coming home, being reunited with their families. And that should continue today. It's also enabled an increase in humanitarian assistance to go to innocent civilians in Gaza who need it desperately. So this process is producing results. It's important, and we hope that it can continue.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: CNN is covering all the latest developments. We have Scott McLean standing by in Istanbul with the latest on how the truce is holding. Manisha Tank is in Singapore with more on the freed Thai hostages arriving back home this hour. And CNN's Jeremy Diamond is in Ofakim in Israel with devastating news on the youngest hostage held in Gaza.

So let's go first to Scott McLean, live in Istanbul. Scott, three hours ago we got word the temporary truce would be extended by one more day. What more are you learning about this?

SCOTT MCLEAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yeah, this seemed like it would be relatively easy yesterday, Rosemary. Turns out that is anything but the case. Qatar, which is mediating this, said that they were very optimistic that the truce would be extended. Obviously, it has been, but it was really coming down to the wire when it was all said and done.

Both sides yesterday were saber-rattling. You had the Israelis threatening to immediately restart the war should a truce not be agreed to, or an extension not be agreed to. You also had Hamas telling its fighters to be ready for combat unless they got word that this truce would be extended.

The deal extension effectively keeps in the same terms that had been agreed to for each of the past six days. So broadly speaking, this involves humanitarian aid going in, 10 Israeli hostages coming out, 30 Palestinian prisoners being freed from, or 30 Palestinian prisoners being freed from Israeli jails.

Now, What Hamas had been offering though is not exactly that. They offered instead seven women and children hostages to be released along with the bodies of three other women and children who had been killed. That was not good enough for the Israelis though. A couple of hours ago, a senior advisor to the Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Mark Regev was on CNN and he said very plainly that the hostages need to be living. if Hamas wants this truce to actually go ahead and be extended.

We understand from diplomatic sources, close to the negotiations, that Hamas had also offered those same seven Israeli women and children and three elderly people, presumably men, but that was also not good enough for the Israelis. And clearly Hamas has blinked first in all of this.

[03:05:00]

It is not entirely clear though, how many more women and children might be available still for release. Sources had said previously that there was only enough to make this last another two, maybe three days. But beyond that, you would be looking at civilian men, and then also you would be looking at Israeli soldiers who would command a much higher price. And when all of this is, and despite all of this, of course, Rosemary, you have the IDF who told you last hour that they are ready should this not go ahead in another 24 hours from now.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LT. COL. PETER LERNER (RES.), ISRAEL DEFENSE FORCES SPOKESPERSON: We need to be ready to mobilize as soon as the government instructs us to do so, on one hand, but also to respond to threats that do develop. You know, we have announced over the last couple of days, several events on the ground, including explosive devices that Hamas detonated against our forces on the ground. So it is fragile. The situation is fragile and the military needs to be prepared.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MCLEAN: It is fragile as he says Rosemary and of course the Israeli military has also telegraphed its intention to go into southern Gaza should this military campaign or when as they say this military campaign continues.

CHURCH: All right. Scott McLean, joining us live from Istanbul, many thanks for that report.

And earlier I spoke with Colin P. Clarke, Director of Policy and Research with the Soufan Group and I asked him about the challenges of extending this temporary truce between Israel and Hamas. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

COLIN P. CLARKE, DIRECTOR OF POLICY AND RESEARCH, THE SOUFAN GROUP: Well, another day, which is good news, right? This has been a fairly short-sighted conflict. And so I think, you know, any tactical benefit should be celebrated. But I think, you know, I'm concerned that the truce is fragile, that Hamas may be struggling to obtain hostages that are held by other militant and criminal groups, Palestinian Islamic Jihad, criminal elements from Gaza that were part of the October 7 attack. So. I'm holding out hope, but I also know that the Israelis are poised to begin the conflict again.

CHURCH: And Israel has told CNN that Hamas is still holding 140 hostages, and they want 10 living hostages on the upcoming seventh day of the truce, as we mentioned. So why was Hamas initially offering instead to release seven hostages and the bodies of three others who they say were killed in an Israeli airstrike?

CLARKE: It's hard to know exactly what's going on behind the scenes in terms of Hamas' inner decision-making. There's probably a lot of bargaining and hedging that's going on. The other part is there's different categories or classifications of hostages.

And the closer we get down to military-aged males, to IDF soldiers, those are what we would consider more high-value bargaining chips. And so we're going to see a different price exacted for the exchange of those hostages if we even get to that point.

(END VIDEO CLIP) CHURCH: Devastating news for the family of the youngest hostage held in Gaza. Hamas claims 10-month-old Kaffir Bibas, his four-year-old brother Ariel, and their mother were killed in an Israeli airstrike. Israel says it is assessing the claim. CNN's Jeremy Diamond has details.

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JEREMY DIAMOND, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The searing image of Shiri Bibas, captive and clutching her two small children, etched into the collective memory of October 7th.

Now, Hamas, claiming that Shiri and her two children, 10-month-old Kfir and 4-year-old Ariel, are dead.

Hamas claims they were killed in an Israeli airstrike, though they haven't provided any evidence. The Israeli military says it is assessing the accuracy of Hamas' claim.

In a statement, the Bibas family said they have learned of Hamas' latest claims and are waiting for the information to be confirmed, and hopefully refuted by the military.

MAURICE SCHNAIDER, GREAT UNCLE OF KFIR AND ARIEL BIBAS: We don't even know if that family is even alive. That is the most painful thing here, that you wake up in the morning, I wake up, and that's when my nightmare starts.

DIAMOND (voice-over): The boy's great uncle speaking with CNN one hour before Hamas released its statement. Soon after, the family learned once again that their relatives were not on the latest list of hostages set for release.

YOSI SHNAIDER, FAMILY MEMBER: It's like the Schindler List. We are waiting to see who's going to be, who's going to survive, who's not.

DIAMOND (voice-over): Day after day, the Bibas family has waited in agony for that list, all while advocating relentlessly for their release.

OFRI BIBAS LEVY, FAMILY MEMBER: Hamas took them, and Hamas is required to bring them back right now. They're responsible for their health, and their freedom is directly in Hamas' hand.

DIAMOND (voice-over): Days earlier, the Israeli military claiming the Bibas family were no longer in Hamas captivity, held instead by another militant group in Gaza.

[03:10:06]

Neither Hamas nor the Israeli military providing any update on Yarden, the boy's father, also believed to have been kidnapped on October 7th.

If they are alive, the Bibas family are among the 145 hostages believed to be held in Gaza, according to the Israeli military. 97 have been freed in the last week. Among them, 12 newly freed Israeli hostages and four Thai nationals

welcomed home by this crowd in southern Israel after more than 50 days in captivity.

Amid the cheers, 73-year-old Irina Tati, now smiling and waving.

Jeremy Diamond, CNN, Ofakim, Israel.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CHURCH: Breaking news just into CNN of a deadly shooting in Jerusalem. Israeli police say terrorists opened fire at a bus station Thursday morning, killing three people and wounding six others. Authorities say the attackers were killed by security forces and a civilian. The area has been sealed off as authorities attempt to rule out any other suspects.

Well one of the most influential and polarizing foreign policy leaders of our time has died. Henry Kissinger, the long-time U.S. Secretary of State and National Security Advisor under Presidents Richard Nixon and Gerald Ford, was 100 years old. CNN's Richard Roth recounts Kissinger's breakthrough successes and his controversial policies that brought him both widespread praise and deep scorn.

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UNKNOWN: I know all of you will want to hear from the new Secretary of State.

RICHARD ROTH, CNN SR. UNITED NATIONS CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Henry Kissinger never really needed an introduction on the world stage again. Kissinger, the most famous statesman of the last half of the 20th century. Celebrated and controversial.

HENRY KISSINGER, THEN-U.S. SECRETARY OF STATE: I'm not going to make any comments.

ROTH (voice-over): As Richard Nixon's national security advisor and Secretary of State, the diplomat wielded enormous power and influence. So trusted that it was Kissinger who went to China on a secret mission. to explore a historic opening of U.S. relations with Communist China.

KISSINGER: Whoever went would be alone in Beijing with no communication. And therefore, if he didn't know Nixon's mind, he might do foolish things.

ROTH (voice-over): Initially, there were fears a U.S.-China ping pong exchange match would affect the high stakes political gambit.

KISSINGER: Every once in a while, something happens in diplomacy which transcends the drafting of cables.

ROTH (voice-over): Vietnam. Casualties mounted as the Vietnamese gained territory. Nixon and an undiplomatic Kissinger thought more bombing of the North would help. KISSINGER: I would then recommend that we start bombing the bejeezus

out of them within 48 hours.

ROTH (voice-over): Kissinger approves secret bombings of North Vietnamese units in Cambodia without congressional approval. He would say sometimes statesmen have to choose among evils, moral compromises in messy conflicts. Kissinger and his Vietnamese counterpart, Le Duc Tho, were awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for their role in negotiating a ceasefire.

KISSINGER: I have to say I have never dealt with a group of people as treacherous as the North Vietnamese leadership.

ROTH (voice-over): Kissinger insisted trouble on the homefront hurt chances to succeed in Vietnam.

KISSINGER: We lost the war because we were divided and also because we were too uncertain about what we wanted.

ROTH (voice-over): Kissinger's support for a coup in Chile and pro- U.S. military strongmen in other parts of the world drew criticism.

UNKNOWN: Arrest Henry Kissinger for War Crime.

ROTH (voice-over): Kissinger's legacy would be contested decades later when he testified in Congress at the age of 91. Kissinger grew up in Germany with war clouds swirling. His family fled when he was 15.

KISSINGER: About half of the people I went to school with and about 13 members of my own family died in concentration camps.

ROTH (voice-over): A Jewish Secretary of State who would later listen to his president criticize American Jewish leaders.

RICHARD NIXON, THEN-U.S. PRESIDENT: It's about goddamn time that the Jew in America realizes he's an American first and a Jew second.

KISSINGER: Well, I couldn't agree more.

I only heard anti-Semitic comments when some Jewish group would attack him for something he had done.

ROTH (voice-over): In the Middle East, Kissinger performed what came to be known as shuttle diplomacy to separate Israeli and Arab forces, setting the stage for future peace accords. When Nixon resigned as president, Kissinger stayed on as Gerald Ford's Secretary of State, his opinion still widely sought after by governments and businesses after leaving public office.

KISSINGER: You want to leave your country better off than you found it. And there's nothing in private life you can do that's as interesting and as fulfilling.

[03:15:02]

ROTH (voice-over): There was one job Kissinger said he never got to do in his life, a sports announcer.

KISSINGER: Derek who?

ROTH (voice-over): However, the globe-trotting diplomat did star in some of history's biggest games.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

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CHURCH: The 28th U.N. Climate Conference or COP28 is set to begin soon. Controversy has surrounded this year's summit in the UAE. Leaked documents appear to suggest the conference's president intended to offer visiting officials oil and gas projects. But Sultan Al-Jaber says that's not true.

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(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SULTAN AL-JABER, COP28 PRESIDENT-DESIGNATE: These allegations are false, not true, incorrect are not accurate and it's an attempt to undermine the work of the COP28 presidency.

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CHURCH: CNN's David McKenzie is in Dubai. He joins us now. So David, what more are you learning about the controversy surrounding this year's summit?

DAVID MCKENZIE, CNN SR. INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, Rosemary, there was always going to be controversy on some level at this COP meetings because activists have been saying for some time that the, in their mind, irony that the head of the state oil in Abu Dhabi is also the president of a group trying to solve the climate crisis, which is in fact caused in large part by fossil fuels, would be a jarring image and not send the right message. The UAE for their part have said they are deeply committed to funding the transition towards renewables and funding poorer nations to try and mitigate the impact of climate change.

Though I spoke to a representative of Amnesty International, here's what she had to say.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ANN HARRISON, AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL CLIMATE ADVISER: We need a full, fast, fair and funded fossil fuel phase out to be agreed at this COP. But here we are in a state that is a massive oil producer and we have the president of the COP that's been appointed as the chief executive of the state-owned oil company. That's a clear conflict of interest.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MCKENZIE: Now if you look at the aims of these climate conferences, 28 of them now starting shortly, is there have been incremental and sometimes more than incremental changes and pledges and ways for countries to mitigate the worst of the climate crisis.

But what many are saying is the time for baby steps, even small steps are over and the need is for giant leaps to try and stop the impact of this crisis that we are already living in. Even if the emissions targets were met by countries that they are pledging, we would be way over where we need to be to limit global warming to around 1.5 degrees Celsius, which is what the Rome statutes, sorry, the Paris Agreement was calling for.

So there is a sense that the backroom negotiations will be tough. One of the key issues, Rosemary, will be over this plan to try and have concrete steps to phase out fossil fuels with concrete timings without that say U.N. officials and others there will be no real a way to combat the climate crisis there'll be other issues on the table particularly financing poorer nations but this couple last for two weeks or so and we will only know in the coming days whether those aims will in fact be put down on paper and met. Rosemary?

CHURCH: All right, David McKenzie with that live report from Dubai. Many thanks.

And for more, I'm joined by Rishikesh Ram Bhandary, Assistant Director of the Global Economic Governance Initiative at Boston University's Global Development Policy Center. And he joins me from Dubai. Many thanks for being with us.

RISHIKESH RAM BHANDARY, ASSISTANT DIRECTOR, GLOBAL ECONOMIC GOVERNANCE INITIATIVE: Thanks for having me.

CHURCH: So these talks come, as scientists warn, the planet is increasingly flirting with climate disaster. And 2023 is expected to be the planet's warmest year on record. Time is clearly running out. So can anything be achieved at COP28 to reverse this trend?

RAM BHANDARY: So at this COP, there are three major issues that are going to be discussed. And number one is that this COP is a bit of a yardstick in terms of countries reviewing progress made under the Paris Agreement.

And this talk-taking exercise is the first official one that's happening under the Paris Agreement. It happens every five years. And it's one of the most important issues being discussed here, because it really helps us to understand how much have we been able to progress over the last five years. And where do we really need to go?

Second, countries are finalizing the details of a new fund that will help countries cope with the irreversible impacts of climate change. And now the details have been worked out over the course of the year, but it will require a formal adoption here in Dubai.

And third, climate finance is always ever present in these discussions. The many climate vulnerable nations are looking for assurances that international finance will indeed be available to support climate action around the world. Now, of course, this includes the $100 billion goal that developed countries have made, but also the ongoing discussions for a brand-new goal that will kickstart in 2025. CHURCH: I guess the big question, though, is will it just be a talk

fest or will progress be achieved?

[03:24:56]

RAM BHANDARY: Yes, so that's a great question. And I think what we have to understand is that this particular COP, the reason why it's so critical is that when the Paris Agreement was adopted in 2015, we knew that there was a major gap between what countries were pledging and how far we really needed to be to really avoid the climate crisis.

So the task at hand is to really do an honest stocktake and for countries to go back and come back with better pledges to really close that gap between their stated courses of action versus where we really need to be. So the test of this global stocktake will really be in terms of how good pledges will really be in the next cycle. And the Paris Agreement hopes that through this global stock take, we will be able to close the gap even more as we move forward.

CHURCH: Yeah, it relies on a lot of hope, doesn't it? And of course, a report released last week by the U.N. warned that under current policies, warming could reach 3 degrees Celsius above the pre- industrial average by the end of the century. Is it too late to change that trend and what happens if we reach that threshold?

RAM BHANDARY: Yeah, actually, you know, we have to remember that when the Paris Agreement was adopted in 2015, it was pretty inconceivable that more than 140 countries would have net zero pledges. And so, yes, there is a lot of hope in the system, but we have also seen very concrete pledges that have been made.

Now the challenging thing is to really make sure the implementation really happens as fast as possible and that this global stocktake is going to be a part of that process for countries to really look back at what they've done and to come back with even stronger pledges.

CHURCH: And there has been a lot of pushback about where COP28 is being held and who is and isn't attending the summits. What more can you tell us about that?

RAM BHANDARY: Yeah, first of all, you know, the COP president has a very major opportunity. Now, you know, we should remember, you know, 195 countries are officially a part of the Paris Agreement. That includes oil exporters. You know, we will not be able to achieve a net zero world without their active engagement and participation, which they have already signaled by being a part of the Paris Agreement.

And so, what the COP28 president has is an opportunity to really demonstrate how oil exporting countries also have a stake in a low carbon future and to really lead by example to show other oil exporting countries that this transition is not only necessary but it's also really in their interest.

CHURCH: Rishikesh Ram Bhandary, thank you so much. Joining us live from Dubai, I appreciate it. And still to come. Prosecutors call it a murder-for-hire plot. For the

second time in six months we are learning of an alleged assassination attempt by the Indian government on North American soil.

Plus, former hostages are returning home in Thailand after surviving almost seven weeks in Hamas custody. We'll have details on the other side of the break. Stay with us.

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CHURCH: Welcome back to "CNN Newsroom." I'm Rosemary Church.

Let's return now to our top story this hour. The temporary truce between Israel and Hamas is now in its seventh day after it was extended minutes before it was said to expire. Israel says it has received a new list of women and children hostages that are to be freed today. U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken is visiting Israel to discuss the conflict in the region. He met with Israeli President Isaac Herzog last hour.

On Wednesday, 10 Israeli hostages were released under the Israel-Hamas deal and taken to different hospitals in Israel. In addition, two Israeli Russian and four Thai citizens were released outside the framework of the agreement. And officials say some of the former Thai hostages are expected back in Thailand today.

And Manisha Tank joins us live from Singapore with more on the Thai hostages' return to their homeland. Good to see you, Manisha. So what more are you learning about this, these returning Thai hostages?

MANISHA TANK, JOURNALIST: Well, we've been tracking their flight, actually, Rosemary, and I can confirm that it has landed within the last one hour in Bangkok at the international airport, some 10.5 to 11 hour flight from Tel Aviv. And I just, and I'm sure you'll agree, it's hard to imagine how they must feel. It is daytime out here in this part of the world right now.

How they might feel looking out of the window and seeing their homeland after seven weeks of we don't know what they have been through. And there will be many questions. They haven't, as I understand, emerged yet from the arrivals hall, but they will have to go through some processing, just the mundane formality of immigration like we all have to do when we arrive home from a trip abroad.

But this would have been a trip like no other. And I'm sure that they were not expecting to come home in the way that they did on this occasion. So that's some 17 former hostages. There will be a press conference as we understand it and then they will be escorted to their homes. But many of them are migrant workers and they come from poor communities all over Thailand.

[03:35:04]

It isn't just their families that rely on them, it's whole communities. So there'll be lots of questions about the kind of rehabilitation that they'll have to go through given everything that they've experienced over the last seven weeks or so.

I think it is worth mentioning also, Rosemary, that there are still Thai nationals being held hostage by Hamas. The latest read that we have on that from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is nine Thai nationals remaining with Hamas. And that's a very difficult, a very sensitive situation.

This is a separate agreement. I think you mentioned that it is not connected to the Israel-Hamas truce.

But obviously, very good news for those who have returned home. It means there are still some six or so of them that are still in the medical facility in Tel Aviv being observed. But I'm sure many of those will be hoping to go home soon as well.

CHURCH: Yeah, and good to see those returning home. Manisha Tank, joining us live from Singapore. Many thanks for that report.

And we're learning more about an alleged murder-for-hire plot here in the United States. Federal prosecutors are charging a man from India in what they say is a plan to assassinate an American citizen and say the man did so at the direction of an Indian government official. The Indian government just said the allegations are, quote, "contrary to government policy and it has formed a high-level inquiry committee to look into the matter, but the alleged plot is steeped in international political intrigue."

And CNN's Brian Todd has more.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BRAIN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): For the second time in only about six months, we're learning of an alleged assassination attempt by the Indian government on North American soil.

According to an indictment unsealed on Wednesday, U.S. prosecutors have charged an Indian national in an alleged murder-for-hire plot against a Sikh activist in New York City. The indictment doesn't name the man who was targeted. But U.S. officials familiar with the case tell CNN he is Gurpatwant Singh Panoon, an activist who's been pushing for a separate Sikh state in India.

According to U.S. prosecutors, the man charged in the latest case, Nikhil Gupta, agreed to pay an undercover officer who he believed to be a hitman $100,000 to target the victim, and did so at the direction of an Indian government official.

ROBERT BAER, FORMER CIA OFFICER: You know, Brian, it's very sloppy, these things, and so risky especially from a country who's got good diplomatic relations with the United States. This is such slapstick Hollywood. I can't believe it.

TODD (voice-over): The suspect in this alleged plot was actually arrested back in June, around the same time as another alleged Indian assassination plot against a Sikh activist, which succeeded. Hardeep Singh Nijar was gunned down near Vancouver, British Columbia, an attack which prompted Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to point the finger at the Indian government.

JUSTIN TRUDEAU, CANADIAN PRIME MINISTER: Canadian security agencies have been actively pursuing credible allegations of a potential link between agents of the government of India and the killing of a Canadian citizen.

TODD (voice-over): Why would the government of nationalist Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi try to kill Sikh activists who are thousands of miles away? Analysts say while some Sikhs are pushing for an independent Sikh state in India, they're not considered a major threat to Modi's power. Still.

MICHAEL KUGELMAN, THE WILSON CENTER: So the Indian government, led by Prime Minister Modi, always wants to project strength. It wants to show that it is willing and able to go after any type of potential threat to the Indian state.

TODD (voice-over): "The Washington Post" reports that President Biden and his security team complained to Modi's government about the alleged plot in the U.S. and urged Modi to hold people accountable. But as for long-term consequences for Modi --

KUGELMAN: I would argue that the US is willing to give some free passes to India that it wouldn't necessarily give. many if not most other countries, because it views India as a critical partner to help the U.S. counter China.

TODD: The Indian government vehemently denied any involvement in the assassination in Canada. Regarding the alleged assassination plot in the U.S., the Indian Foreign Ministry issued a statement saying that the Indian government takes the information seriously and is investigating. But the statement didn't confirm or deny the existence of a plot or any Indian government involvement in it.

Brian Todd, CNN, Washington.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CHURCH: And this footnote, Panoon faces multiple charges from the Indian government. He runs a New York based group called Sikhs for Justice, which has held referendums calling for a separate Kalistan state. The Kalistan movement is outlawed in India and considered a grave national security threat by the government. A number of groups associated with the movement are listed as terrorist organizations under India's Unlawful Activities Prevention Act.

Well, still to come, devastating injuries, leaving a trapped Ukrainian soldier with few options for escape.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SERHII, SOLDIER, UKRAINIAN 80TH AIR ASSAULT GALICIAN BRIGADE (through translator): I was wounded in both legs. I immediately touched them to check they were still there.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

[03:40:06]

CHURCH: The harrowing story of his survival after being surrounded by Russian troops with no way of escaping for days.

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CHURCH: Welcome back everyone. There is a fierce debate in the U.S. Congress over sending more aid to both Israel and Ukraine. House Speaker Mike Johnson has said he's confident that Congress will be able to approve a package in the coming days. He met with Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell on Wednesday to discuss the matter.

[03:45:01]

But some Democrats want conditions to be put on aid sent to Israel. As for Ukraine, Democrats are considering some new immigration rules as part of a bargain with Republicans. But Johnson says House Republicans will only accept a meaningful border security package in exchange for approving the aid.

In Ukraine, a courageous story of survival from the battlefield, a soldier who was hit by shelling near Bakhmut ended up getting stranded and on his own for two weeks but his unit came together in a remarkable way to send him help while he eventually got to safety. Anna Coren has his story.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ANNA COREN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): In the stairwell of a public hospital in central Ukraine, Serhii draws back on a cigarette. The 36-year-old soldier picked up the habit during the war. But after what he's endured these past few weeks, it's the only thing that calms him down.

Last month, he and his unit were in Klystchivka, on the outskirts of Bakhmut, trying to hold trenches. After a few days their dugout was shelled by Russian mortars. And Serhii was hit.

SERHII (through translator): I was wounded in both legs. I immediately touched them to check they were still there.

COREN (voice-over): But there were far worse injuries amongst the other soldiers, broken legs and jaws. When the evacuation team arrived under heavy shelling, Serhii insisted they take the others first. He would wait for the next team.

Another unit arrived but were pinned down because of constant Russian bombardment, so supplies were sent in by drone.

SERHII (through translator): Our commander dropped snacks, painkillers, water from drones, even cigarettes and a lighter we wanted to smoke. COREN (voice-over): As another soldier scrambled out to collect the

supplies, water had become an issue, as almost every bottle burst on impact. But their problems were about to get a lot worse. when an enemy drone dropped a grenade into their small dugout, landing on the soldier next to Serhii.

SERHII (through translator): I was wounded again, but he was in really bad shape. Two people from his brigade took him away, and I realized I was alone.

COREN (voice-over): For the next three days, Serhii hid in his dugout alone, surrounded by the enemy, who he could hear just meters away. Whispering on the radio, he gave his commander their coordinates, basically calling in artillery on his very own position.

He says multiple evacuation teams had tried to reach him over those two weeks, but some of those soldiers were killed. In the end his commander said the only way out was to pray and crawl, which he finally did.

With a radio in one hand and his units drawn overhead, he crawled back to safety, dragging his legs that were now beginning to rot.

SERHII: Only one way to escape and I even didn't hope that I'd survive.

COREN: As Serhii recovers in this hospital in central Ukraine eager to go home, he maintains his story is nothing special and that it's the soldiers now fighting on the battlefield that deserve the world's attention.

SERHII (through translator): What I have seen cannot be expressed in words. Every guy in this world has gone through something like this. Our guys are paying a very high price.

COREN (voice-over): A price Ukrainian soldiers are continuing to pay as this war painfully grinds towards its second year.

Anna Coren, CNN, Central Ukraine.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CHURCH: We'll be right back.

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CHURCH: Welcome back everyone. Well the NBA's Dallas Mavericks could be under new management soon. The Adelson family says it has agreed to buy a majority stake in the team from billionaire Mark Cuban. Dr. Miriam Adelson is the widow of businessman and casino magnate Sheldon Adelson. She and her family are majority shareholders in the Las Vegas Sands. Terms of the Mavericks deal have not been disclosed, but reports indicate the team is valued at about $3.5 billion.

Well the French Alps and Salt Lake City in Utah have both been named as preferred hosts for Winter Olympics in 2030 and 2034 respectively. The host cities will be officially confirmed next year after a round of detailed talks with the International Olympic Committee. They will also host the Paralympic Winter Games.

Well add another accolade to Taylor Swift's monster year. She has been named Spotify's global artist of 2023 with more than 26 billion streams since January 1st. Swift takes the number one spot from Bad Bunny, who had been on top for the past three years. He is now second on the list, followed by The Weeknd, Drake and Peso Pluma. As for the most streamed song, Miley Cyrus gets the nod for her record-breaking hit, "Flowers." Spotify users can now see their personal yearly metrics on their mobile and desktop platforms.

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And before we go, two planet-seeking satellites have made an astonishing find, 100 light years from Earth. A solar system of six planets whose orbits are synchronized with each other, that means for every six revolutions, the innermost planet makes a rounded sun, the outermost makes one, and the inner planets synchronize as well. Astronomers say they believe all solar systems did this when they first formed, but only a relative few still do. They say studying this system may yield insights into how solar systems such as ours were formed.

And thank you so much for your company. I'm Rosemary Church. Have yourselves a wonderful day. "CNN Newsroom" continues with Max Foster and Bianca Nobilo, next.

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