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Israel Resumes Combat Operations After A Seven-Day Truce With Hamas Expired; United Nations Climate Conference In Dubai Hopes To Keep The Momentum Going Following A Successful First Day Of COP28; Several OPEC Plus Countries Agree To Voluntarily Cut Oil Production. Inside Israeli Hospital Treating Some Freed Hostages; Missile Strikes Hit Three Towns in Eastern Ukraine; Israel Resumes Gaza Military Operations As Truce Ends; U.S. GOP Congressman George Santos Faces Expulsion Vote; New York Court Reinstates Donald Trump Gag Order . Aired 2-3a ET

Aired December 01, 2023 - 02:00   ET

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

[02:00:00]

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KIM BRUNHUBER, CNN ANCHOR: I'm Kim Brunhuber at CNN in Atlanta. We're following breaking news this hour. It is 9 A.M. in Gaza, where Israel has resumed combat operations after a seven-day truce with Hamas expired. The Israeli military says Hamas violated the agreement by firing a rocket toward Israel, which was intercepted. More rockets were fired after the deadline passed, the IDF said. No injuries have been reported.

The Hamas-controlled Interior Ministry in Gaza reports, Israeli aircraft in the skies over Gaza and military vehicles firing in the area. Sources tell CNN negotiations over hostages continued despite the resumption of fighting. Now the pause had been extended on Thursday when Hamas agreed to release additional hostages.

Two women were freed earlier in the day following by a group of six people. Another 30 Palestinian women and children were released from Israeli prisons as part of the agreement with Hamas. Many had been only detained and were never officially charged.

CNN's Scott McLean is following developments and joins us now from Istanbul. So, Scott, what more are we learning about how this truce ended and how the war is now restarting?

SCOTT MCLEAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hey, good morning, Kim. Yeah, we know that the Qataris who've been mediating these talks along with the Americans and the Egyptians who have been involved as well, had all been pushing for this truce to be extended for another day, but ultimately it is the Israelis and it is Hamas that needs to agree.

As you mentioned, an hour before this truce was set to expire, Israel said that it intercepted a rocket launched from Gaza toward Israel. Whether that was Hamas or some other militant group is not clear, but it has obviously set off or helped to set off what we're seeing right now. The Israeli Defense Minister said yesterday that its troops would be

ready for a quick transition back to fighting. Hamas had also told its militant forces to be ready for the fighting to resume. And now, as you said, Israel is now striking targets inside of Gaza, Rafah in the far south, Khan Younis in central Gaza have all been targets for military strikes from Israel, and we are already starting to see videos emerging from the damage from those strikes on the ground.

We also have this statement from the Israeli Prime Minister's Office, Kim. It says, quote, Hamas violated the outline, did not live up to its duty to release all the kidnapped women today and launched rockets at the citizens of Israel.

With the return of fighting, we will emphasize the Israeli government committed to achieving the goals of the war to release our hostages, eliminate Hamas, and ensure that Gaza will never again pose a threat to the residents of Israel.

So, why was this truce not extended? It is not entirely clear, but yesterday Israel reluctantly agreed to accept only eight hostages rather than the expected 10, agreeing to include two Israeli-Russian citizens or Russian-Israeli citizens who had been released on Wednesday as part of Thursday's total.

And perhaps Hamas is running out of women and children hostages it is willing or maybe even able to hand over. There are other militant groups inside Gaza that we understand are also holding some of those hostages.

Now, Israel knows that once we get into male hostages and Israeli soldiers, that the price is going to be higher. We also heard yesterday from a member of the Israeli Knesset and a former Israeli ambassador to the U.N. who said that, look, Hamas wants to change the price from one hostage to three prisoners to something much higher and he said look, the price that Israel's paying already is high.

It is willing to pay perhaps a higher price to get the men and the soldiers out but they're willing to talk. He said as long as they are willing to hand over hostages, they are willing to talk. The question, of course now is where those talks actually stand and what impact the fighting will have on whether things can get back on track. Kim.

BRUNHUBER: Yeah, exactly. And Scott, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken has been in the region. What can you tell us about his involvement in this?

MCLEAN: Yeah. So, he met with a whole raft of Israeli leaders yesterday, and he held a press conference on his own yesterday, and he made very clear his expectations for Israel should the fighting resume. Obviously, it has now, but his message was an adjustment from what we have heard from the United States in the past, certainly at least in the tone.

[02:05:00]

He said that the United States expects Israel to -- before any fighting restarts to have a plan in place to minimize civilian casualties that would include things like designating safe zones on the ground that people can go to where they are out of the line of fire.

He also made clear that the U.S. expects Israel not to target critical infrastructure like water, sanitation plants, hospitals, things like that. And he does not want to see a repeat of what we have seen in the North where you have 40 to 50 percent of the buildings damaged in some way and a massive displacement of people and obviously a huge death toll, as well.

He does not want to see a repeat of that from Northern Gaza happening in Southern Gaza where Israel has telegraphed that they are going to go next. Whether Israel actually heeds his advice, Blinken had said that the Israelis agreed with this approach, but whether or not they actually implemented on the ground, that's what we'll be watching closely to see, Kim.

BRUNHUBER: Yeah, absolutely. All right. Scott McLean in Istanbul. Thank you so much. I want to bring in now, military analyst Malcolm Davis. Thank you so much for being here with us. So, you know, are you surprised the deal collapsed or surprised it lasted as long as it did?

MALCOLM DAVIS, MILITARY ANALYST: I think I'm surprised that it lasted as long as it did. Essentially, we all knew that Hamas were not going to give up every hostage they had. And as your report indicated, we're getting to the point whereby Hamas would start sort of thinking about potentially releasing mail hostages -- the price would go up for that.

But it's clear that Hamas decided that for whatever reason, they weren't going to continue this process going forward. And so, they've been the ones that have broken that ceasefire. And now, the Israelis are responding appropriately.

BRUNHUBER: Appropriately. So, what happens next in this operation? A full resumption of Israel's attacks, do you think?

DAVIS: It has to be. Look, I think that Israel knows that if at the end of this war, Hamas is still intact, still able to undertake operations, its leadership is intact, then that would basically be a mark of an Israeli defeat and it would certainly, I think, sow the seeds for future attacks on Israel of the same sort that what happened on October the 7th.

So, I think Israel knows that it has to decisively defeat Hamas. I would go so far as to say route Hamas. And I think that it has to be done in a fairly decisive manner. The challenge obviously for the Israelis is doing it without actually causing far more civilian deaths in the process.

BRUNHUBER: Yeah. All right. So, to do that, you know, geographically, will the next phase involve the ground operation in the south? Will we see that coming shortly, do you think?

DAVIS: I think that's likely. That's the next logical step. Obviously, the challenge then, of course, is that the further south they go, the more risk there is to civilians. And obviously, Hamas is not prepared to allow civilians to leave across a border crossing such as Rafah.

So, the risk is that the deeper they get into Gaza, the greater number of civilians will be killed or injured and the more risk is that -- then that would generate additional support in effect breeding new Hamas fighters for the future.

BRUNHUBER: What do you think has changed since the pause started? I mean presumably Hamas has been recovering and fortifying. How might that change the battlefield now?

DAVIS: Look, they've had some time to regroup, potentially get additional munitions and supplies to some of their fighters, maybe redeploy some of those fighters. But they wouldn't have a huge amount of opportunity to do that. And certainly the Israelis have had a great deal of opportunity to gather intelligence, to rest their forces, which have been undertaking a fairly intense operational tempo throughout the last few weeks.

So, I think that Hamas will come back into the fight, maybe a bit better prepared, a bit more effectively deployed. But the Israelis will have the upper hand in terms of sheer firepower and sheer military capability.

BRUNHUBER: Yeah. For Israel, do you think this pause, you know, may have prompted any change in tactics or strategy?

DAVIS: They've got to be acutely aware of the potential risks of further civilian casualties, and I think they'll do everything they possibly can to avoid that. But they know it's an impossible task not to have any civilian casualties in the coming. But they'll do what they can to avoid that.

For the Israelis, I think they'll be seeking to take down the leadership as quickly as possible, but also isolate and identify and target logistical support to the Hamas fighters, because if Hamas fighters don't have any ammunition, then they can't fight.

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BRUNHUBER: All right, we'll have to leave it there, but really appreciate having your expertise on this. Malcolm Davis in Canberra, Australia. Thank you so much.

DAVIS: Thank you.

BRUNHUBER: An Egyptian official says nearly 3000 trucks carrying thousands of tons of international aid have entered Gaza from Egypt since October 21st. Now, that's a fraction of what was allowed to enter Gaza before the war. The aid comprises medical supplies, food, water, tents, and other relief materials. On Thursday, a CNN team driving towards the Rafah crossing on the

Egyptian side observed hundreds of trucks loaded with aid awaiting entry into Gaza. One truck driver says he's been waiting for 10 days to enter the Palestinian enclave. Israel's campaign against Hamas in Gaza has left much of the landscape

a wasteland. Homes, businesses, infrastructure in ruins. Many have become internally displaced refugees struggling to survive every day. CNN Senior International Correspondent Ben Wedeman has a closer look.

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BEN WEDEMAN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): There isn't much left to retrieve from the moonscape that was Zahra city in central Gaza. Just some scraps of wood pulled from the ruins. The odds and ends that were once people's lives.

We've come to get what we can, says Amjad the Shanti. The kids' things, our clothing, whatever we can get from under the rubble. Here, I found this, a daughter's toy. No one can live here anymore. The destruction -- total. Life in Gaza has been reduced to the basics. A pre-industrial existence where people have become hewers of wood where they can find it. And drawers of water, even if that water is barely potable. Bassem Al-Attar goes out early every day to collect the firewood his wife uses to prepare meals.

The United Nations estimates around 80 percent of Gaza's population has been displaced, more than a million jammed into schools, converted into shelters. People here are living on top of one another, says Bassem. The place is full of filth. All these kids are going to get sick.

The World Health Organization reports that without adequate hygiene, health care and food, disease is spreading. Bassem's wife Hitam tears up the daily bread, old and stale, to be made into a thin soup with lentils. We used to feed this to the sheep, now we give it to the children, she says. There's no more room at this school in Marazi, central Gaza.

Um Shady and her extended family of more than 20 sleep in the back of a truck, protected from the elements by a plastic tarp. She fled from northern Gaza with only what she could carry, desperate now to find enough food to feed her children. When my son tells me, I'm hungry, what can I say, she asks. We try but we can't find anything. Our life is hard. Hard, perhaps, is an understatement. Welcome to the apocalypse -- now. Ben Wedeman, CNN, Jerusalem.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BRUNHUBER: Negotiators get on the same page about helping those who experience the worst climate damage. Still ahead, a big decision at COP28 about a payout to the country's most affected by rising temperatures. That's coming up. Stay with us.

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[02:15:00]

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BRUNHUBER: Breaking news this hour. Israel has resumed combat operations in Gaza after, it says, Hamas violated the terms of their temporary truce. The Hamas-controlled Gaza Interior Ministry reported Israeli jets in the air, military vehicles on the ground, and strikes in the southern part of Gaza near Khan Younis and Rafah. Meanwhile, sources tell CNN negotiations over hostages continue despite the resumption of fighting.

United Nations Climate Conference in Dubai is hoping to keep the momentum going, following what many are calling a successful first day of the event.

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BRUNHUBER: Standing ovation there after COP28 delegates cut a deal on the so-called damage fund on Thursday. It'll set up money to help developing countries deal with the effects of climate change which has been a bone of contention for many years.

Some countries are already pledging money for the fund including almost a quarter billion dollars from the European Union and 100 million from the United Arab Emirates. David McKenzie is standing by in Dubai where another major COP28 event is set to begin in about half an hour. So, first, David, take us through what was agreed yesterday.

DAVID MCKENZIE, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (on-camera): Well, this is a significant moment Kim. I think those amounts that you described are still a drop in the ocean compared to the amount of money that is needed for the poorest nations to deal with the impact of the climate crisis. But in effect, this is something as you say that was negotiated over many years.

Some rich countries were worried about putting together the so-called loss and damage fund which will initially be administered by the World Bank and it will be facilitated to give money to those countries to deal with the hurricanes, the typhoons, the droughts that are being made so much worse by the climate crisis.

It's a start, it's a positive one, say many, but the real sticking point, I think, of these climate meetings is whether they will have a phase out, a description of how we will get off our addiction of fossil fuels, particularly coal, oil and gas.

You know, I want to just illustrate how impactful the climate crisis is. These are images from the island Atoll in the South Pacific, and this nation, Tuvalu, is dealing with actually their nation disappearing. They've come up with a tentative agreement with Australia for some 280 citizens to get citizenship, or at least the ability to live in Australia each year. I spoke to their Minister of Finance and Climate Action and we talked about why they need to have promises on lowering emissions.

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MCKENZIE: This nation of just over 11,000 people doesn't have the power and other nations aren't cutting their emissions. Do you get angry when your entire country is under threat? SEVE PAENIU, TUVALUAN MINISTER OF FINANCE AND CLIMATE CHANGE: Of course. We are very saddened and we are furious that the impact of the emissions felt very much by the frontline states like my country Tuvalu. And yet we contribute negligibly to those total emissions.

So, we are really calling on the international community and the large emitting nations to do something about it. Reduce rapidly those emissions through phasing out of fossil fuel, but also increase their climate finance to countries like Tuvalu to be able to implement permanent adaptation solutions to save our nation and our community.

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MCKENZIE (on-camera): It's literally a matter of survival for the nation and many other low-lying areas across the world, Kim. And it's those nations that have been impacted by the climate crisis already without causing the climate crisis that want concrete action from nations to actually make steps to make this better. Because right now, we're on a path of catastrophe, say scientists, not on a path of solutions. Kim.

BRUNHUBER: Yeah, interesting to hear from him about that, you know, specific example. Then David, looking ahead to today, what more are we expecting?

MCKENZIE: Well, in the coming minutes, in fact, we will have speeches from world leaders. Many of the world leaders have descended here into Dubai for the COP28. We expect to hear from King Charles of the United Kingdom as well as several world leaders today and into tomorrow. I think a lot of the action though will be behind the scenes with negotiations going on by the UN, by nations who look to set to lose if they were to reduce their output of fossil fuels including obviously here in the UAE.

This conference hasn't been without controversy because it has been held and presided over by an oil executive. But the defense of that is that they say all nations, no matter what kind of economies they have, must come up with solutions. I think without concrete signs that a phase out is going to happen of oil and gas with timelines and details. I think many activists and those from nations impacted by climate change already will be very disappointed by these COP meetings. Kim.

BRUNHUBER: All right. Appreciate that. And we'll check in with you again next hour. David McKenzie in Dubai. Thanks so much.

And several OPEC plus countries agreed to voluntarily cut oil production by a total of 2.2 million barrels per day in the first quarter of next year. Saudi Arabia, the world's biggest exporter of crude oil, will lead the effort by extending a voluntary production cut of one million barrels of oil per day. Now, the move comes after major oil producing nations met in Vienna on Thursday to discuss further cuts to oil supply.

Former Israeli hostages who have been freed in recent days have been speaking out about their weeks of captivity by Hamas. An Israeli activist who's been in touch with many of those families joins us next. Stay with us.

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

I want to get you up to date on our breaking news this hour. Israel has resumed combat operations in Gaza after it says Hamas violated the terms of their temporary truce. The Hamas-controlled Gaza Interior Ministry reports Israeli jets in the air, military vehicles on the ground, and strikes in the southern part of Gaza near Khan Younis and Rafah.

Hamas released eight hostages on Thursday on what turned out to be the final day of a week-long truce. Meanwhile, sources tell CNN, negotiations over hostages continue despite the resumption of fighting.

Well, joining me now from Los Angeles is Hen Mazzig, who's an author, activist, and senior fellow at the Tel Aviv Institute. Thank you so much for being here with us. So, it would seem with the expiration of the deal, no more hostages will be released until there's a new deal. You've been in constant touch with the families of many of these hostages. What do you think this will mean for those who are still desperately waiting for their loved ones to be released?

HEN MAZZIG, AUTHOR AND ACTIVIST: I know that for a lot of them -- yep, sorry. I know that for a lot of them, the fear of just not knowing what their families are going through and if they are alive and what the situation is for them is one of the hardest things to go through. I mean this is -- families that haven't been in touch with their loved ones that are being held for two months now in captivity.

They had no contact. We're getting some propaganda videos from -- from captivity -- from Hamas but it's very disconcerting.

[02:30:02]

It's breaking them down. Those families are really desperate to have their family members back.

KIM BRUNHUBER, CNN ANCHOR: Yes, of course. And then with the resumption of you know, the attacks, the threat to the hostages increases exponentially.

MAZZIG: Absolutely. I mean, the threat for the hostages has always been terrible. It is people that are held by murderers and organizations that have committed terrible crimes against humanity in the last two months, and before that as well, of course.

So I think it's -- the risk for their lives is imminent, and something that they take into consideration, and that is what makes them so afraid and want to have their families returned.

I hear from all of the families, this one thing that is repeating, that they are not politicians. All they want is that their families would come back. They don't know how. It's not up to them, but they know that they want their families back and they need their families back, and that's the most basic human plea that they're making.

BRUNHUBER: Yeah, and the families, they've been telling about the hostages' ordeal, the horrors they have gone through. What have they've been telling you?

MAZZIG: I've heard some really terrible stories from a kid -- a 12- year-old kid who has been forced to watch some of the horrific massacre videos from Hamas. We've heard from other hostages that they had only rice and bread to eat.

One of the Thai hostages was talking in an interview saying that he was forced to eat toilet paper. I've heard from another family about the hostage, a girl was not allowed to go to the toilet, or that they had to sleep on chairs and they were held in such poor conditions.

Unfortunately, the videos we saw, new released with Hamas forcing them at gunpoint to smile and wave, it was so abusive, and so painful for the families to see because they know that those kids, and those innocents have been dragged into Gaza by Hamas in such horrific ways, in brutal ways, some of them had to watch a us killing their own family members on October 7th, and after that being taken away. And then to see the videos of them losing any dignity they have left by being forced to smile and wave to their kidnappers. And then seeing it on social media, it's causing such damage and distress to the families and then, of course, the process of recovery after that will be a long one.

BRUNHUBER: Yeah, absolutely, and now with the resumption of the war, you can imagine the increase in their despair.

We'll have to leave it there, but thank you so much for speaking with us, Hen Mazzig, in Los Angeles. Really appreciate it.

MAZZIG: Thanks for having me.

BRUNHUBER: Hospitals across Israel have been playing a key part in the road to recovery for so many of the freed hostages.

CNN's Wolf Blitzer takes us inside a medical center near Tel Aviv where a number of released captives have been treated.

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WOLF BLITZER, CNN HOST, THE SITUATION ROOM (voice-over): For these women released from Hamas captivity, this hospital is a key stop on their road to recovery.

DR. ADAM LEE GOLDSTEIN, DIRECTOR OF TRAUMA SURGERY, WOLFSON MEDICAL CENTER: The hospital, you know, since the war began, every hospital turns into a, quote, war hospital where we're prepared for anything at any moment.

BLITZER: The team at Wolfson Medical Center has been gathering health records and talking to family members to anticipate any potential concerns.

Thank you so much for all you're doing.

Dr. Adam Lee Goldstein is the head of trauma surgery and saw patients to confirm they didn't have any traumatic injuries.

GOLDSTEIN: Most importantly for us to make sure they're okay health wise, and to reunite them with their families which is -- which is, you know, just as important as anything else.

BLITZER: Still, there's a long road ahead for those who spent weeks in Hamas captivity.

GOLDSTEIN: We had a multidisciplinary team dealing with all the aspect from psycho social to nutrition, surgical, infectious.

BLITZER: Those long awaited family reunions, an incredible relief for loved ones in limbo.

GOLDSTEIN: Families are waiting in the private rooms, and, you know, the second that these women saw their families, nothing else mattered really. When you're dealing with life and death, they're just happy they're alive.

BLITZER: But Dr. Goldstein fears for the fate of other hostages still in captivity.

GOLDSTEIN: We're trained to think about worst-case scenarios and how to -- how to treat worst-case scenario. I just want them to get home.

BLITZER: Despite the trauma, these survivors show incredible resilience.

GOLDSTEIN: When you have one of these women and the first thing she says to you, I'm so sorry for making you work tonight. After everything she's been through, you know, you never -- it's things you never expect, and, you know, it just shows what type of people these are.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

[02:35:05]

BRUNHUBER: If you would like informational how to help with humanitarian efforts for Gaza and Israel, please go to CNN.com/impact, you can go find a list of vetted organizations that are providing assistance. That's at CNN.com/impact.

A landmark ruling, critics worry will put people in danger, Russia's highest court declares a ban on what it calls the extremist international LGBTQ community. We'll have details next.

Stay with us.

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BRUNHUBER: Rescue crews in eastern Ukraine out working to free people trapped beneath the rubble following deadly missile strike that killed at least two people. Look, here is what was left of apartment building after missiles hit late Wednesday night. In this video shows a six month old who was rescued and given urgent medical care after the Russian army simultaneously hit three towns late Wednesday night.

[02:40:07]

Meanwhile, the wife of Ukraine's top military intelligence official is recovering in the hospital after apparently being poisoned. She is the latest in a list of Russian enemies also likely poisoned.

CNN's Fred Pleitgen reports.

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FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice- over): Ukraine's military intelligence wages war in the shadows, but it is hitting the Russians hard, orchestrating cruise missile attacks on Vladimir Putin's Black Sea fleet, ousting Moscow's forces from oil and gas drilling platforms off the coast of occupied Crimea, in the daring, amphibious assault.

And, attacking the Russian capital with long distance combat drones.

While maintaining deniability.

The man leading the intelligence service GUR is Kyrylo Budanov, one of Russia's most feared enemies.

I appeal to Russian soldiers, to those who got lucky enough to survive in destroyed trenches, he recently said, it will be even worse. You have a choice, die, or save your life.

But now, Ukraine believes the Russians may have struck back. Kyiv saying Budanov's wife, Marianna Budanova, has been poisoned by what they say is, quote, a heavy metal.

A Ukrainian source telling CNN Budanova tested positive for both arsenic and mercury poisoning.

Ukrainian officials believe the Kremlin could be behind it, like the foreign minister right here on OUTFRONT.

DMYTRO KULEBA, UKRAINIAN FOREIGN MINISTER: Definitely, our intelligence chief is the enemy of Russia, as all of us are, all of those who are fighting against Russia. So, it's highly likely that Russia is behind it.

PLEITGEN: Kremlin-controlled media already in a feeding frenzy, rejoicing in the news, while seemingly brushing off the allegations. OLGA SKABEEVA, RUSSIAN NEWS ANCHOR (through translator): Maybe she

just broke her thermometer during one of the parties with her husband's colleagues. Not very sensational, but Ukrainians and their Western owners literally screamed from such news and began to blame Putin.

PLEITGEN: But in a different episode, they brought in a Russian parliamentarian accused of poisoning and killing a former Russian agent in London in 2006, to explain how it would be done.

SKABEEVA (through translator): Will something slipped in her tea, and she drank it?

ANDREI LUGOVOI, FORMER KGB SPY (through translator): There's no other way to poison food and drink, other than to pour it in and slip it in somehow.

PLEITGEN: In the past, the U.S. and others have accused Vladimir Putin of ordering poison attacks on his opponents. And a few groups have enraged the Russian leader more than Ukraine's military intelligence, led by Budanov, the former head of Ukraine's foreign intelligence says.

VALERIY KONDRATYUK, FORMER HEAD OF UKRAINE FOREIGN INTELLIGENCE (through translator): I believe that this was a personal revenge from Putin. Personal revenge for all the shame that the defense intelligence under the leadership of Budanov have inflicted on him, shame that supersedes what Prigozhin has done to him.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

PLEITGEN (on camera): The Kremlin hasn't issued a direct denial of these allegations, and what they do seem to be trying to brush them off. A criminal spokesman Dimitry Peskov came out and said, quote, Ukraine blames Russia for everything, all of, this as Kyrylo Budanov's wife battles the effects of that poisoning.

Fred Pleitgen, CNN, Berlin.

BRUNHUBER: Russia has made a move many fear it will lead to the arrests and prosecutions of gay and transgender people. The Supreme Court has declared a ban on what it calls, the countries international LGBTQ movement, calling it an extremist organization.

In the Russian law, people considered the leaders of such groups could face up to ten years in prison. Homosexuality was decriminalized in Russia in 1993, but homophobia and discrimination are still rife across the country.

All right. We're going to take a short break. We'll be back in a moment. Please do stay with us.

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BRUNHUBER: And if you're just joining us, Israel has resumed combat operations against Hamas in Gaza after a weeklong pause in the fighting ended early Friday. Israel says Hamas violated that truce by firing on Israel about an hour before it was set to expire. Hamas controlled Gaza interior ministry reports Israeli jets in the end of military vehicles on the ground, and strikes in the southern part of Gaza near Khan Younis and Rafah. Despite the resumed fighting, sources say further hostage negotiations are still underway.

Embattled U.S. Republican Congressman George Santos faces an expulsion vote Friday morning. Santos has repeatedly said he won't resign despite facing multiple federal charges, a scathing health ethics committee report, and a long list of lies he's told about his past.

CNN's Manu Raju reports from Capitol Hill.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MANU RAJU, CNN CHIEF CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Since he was sworn in, George Santos has been at the center of the storm. Now, about to meet his fate.

BRANDON WILLIAMS, U.S. HOUSE REPUBLICAN: He is a dedicated, committed con man, who is in the halls of Congress, and has access to government secrets, to a lot of things that could be damaging in this country. He has to go.

RAJU: With the House set to vote Friday, whether to expel Santos --

REP. GEORGE SANTOS (R-NY): I will not stand by quietly.

RAJU: --it remains uncertain how many Republicans will vote to remove him. They require two thirds support in the chamber.

[02:50:00]

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: George Santos is a liar.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You, sir, are a crook.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: A total fraud and a serial liar.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He's got to go.

RAJU: So far, Santos has survived two attempts at his expulsion, amid his 23 federal criminal charges in at the widespread lies he's told about his past. A scathing bipartisan ethics report has led to growing GOP calls for his ouster after it alleged he sought to fraudulently exploit every aspect of his House candidacy for his own personal financial profit.

DUSTY JOHNSON, U.S. HOUSE REPUBLICAN: Having him here is unbecoming of the House, and quite frankly, if Republicans aren't willing to police their own, how can we possibly look at the American people in the eye and tell him we are willing to place folks on the other side of the aisle as well.

RAJU: Santos will be just the six House member ever to be expelled, the first since James Traficant 21 years ago, and the first ever to be kicked out before being convicted of a crime, or being a member of a Confederacy.

A defiant Santos said, he would not resign.

SANTOS: Now if the House wants to start a different precedent, and expel me, that is going to be the undoing of this body because this will haunt them in the future where mere allegations are sufficient to have members removed from office.

RAJU: Some of Santos's biggest foes are fellow New York GOP freshman.

MARC MOLINARO, U.S. HOUSE REPUBLICAN: George Santos is doing what every conman and four year old does, which is to ignore the truth, take no responsibility, and point at others and suggest they are worse.

RAJU: Yet many are wary about setting a new president, including Speaker Mike Johnson and other top Republicans.

Are you concerned about the allegations in the ethics committee report about the campaign?

REP. JIM JORDAN (R-OH): I think we are concerned about those things, but that's a call for the voters. I'm not going to support that.

RAJU: Expelling Santos would narrow the GOP's already razor-thin majority. And give Democrats a pick up opportunity in a swing district.

REP. DARRELL ISSA (R-CA): Removing him prematurely is a very tough decision, notwithstanding that he certainly is not unscathed (ph).

RAJU: In a recent CNN interview, Santos admitting to some of his lies.

Can you please answer me, but why? But why?

SANTOS: I already told you this, it's insecurity, stupidity, I don't know. Look, I'm human. We make mistakes.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

RAJU (on camera): Now, amid George Santos's defiance, he has refused to answer any questions about the allegations, the specifics within that Bipartisan Ethics Committee report that found that he used campaign donor money on his own personal items. I asked him about that, he pushed back. He said you are a lot smarter than to ask that question as he walked away from reporters.

Now this comes as Republican leaders seem to be siding with Santos on this, including Speaker of the House Mike Johnston who said his real reservations about it, as well as his top allies indicating, that this vote on Friday could be close.

Manu Raju, CNN, Capitol Hill.

BRUNHUBER: A New York appellate court has reinstated a gag order prohibiting former U.S. President Donald Trump and his attorneys from publicly criticizing courtroom staff in the ongoing $250 million civil fraud trial. The judge presiding over the civil fraud trial says he intends to enforce that a gag order, quote, vigorously, and rigorously.

CNN's Evan Perez has more.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

EVAN PEREZ, CNN SENIOR U.S. JUSTICE CORRESPONDENT: A New York state appeals court reinstated an order prohibiting Donald Trump from making certain public statements about court staff in his ongoing fraud trial. The order was initially put in place several weeks ago, and temporarily suspended by the appellate court while Trump filed a legal challenge. In a ruling Thursday, the appeals court ruled, quote, upon reading and filing the papers with respect to the motion, and due deliberation having been had there on, it is ordered that the motion is denied. Trump's attorney Chris Kise called it a tragic day for the rule of law.

The order means that Trump and his family members and others in the case can't make comments about it the court clerk, who works with Judge Arthur Engoron who has been subjected to threats after Trump claimed she was biased against him. Trump lately has been posting angry social media claims about the wife of the judge, claiming that she posted anti-Trump comments on the site known as X, formerly called Twitter.

But it appears the social media account that Trump and his supporters have been focused on does not even belong to the judge's wife. The court says that the judge's wife does not have such an account, and hasn't sent social media postings about Trump.

Evan Perez, CNN, Washington.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BRUNHUBER: President Biden got a jump start on Christmas as did British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak.

Have a look.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

RISHI SUNAK, BRITISH PRIME MINISTER: Five, four, three, two, one!

(CHEERS)

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BRUNHUBER: So that was the scene in London Thursday where the British Prime Minister helped light the Downing Street Christmas tree.

[02:55:01]

And it was similar scene in Washington. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOE BIDEN, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Five, four, three, two, one!

(CHEERS)

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BRUNHUBER: You heard him, President Biden, counting down the National Christmas tree lighting across the White House.

And finally, electric vehicle giant Tesla went all out to demonstrate the toughness of its long awaited Cybertruck at a delivery event in Texas on Thursday. Look, in this video shown by the company, you can see the truck being fired on with a Glock semiautomatic pistol at close range with the shots only leaving a few dings. Another company video showed the Cybertruck beating revels Ford and Rivian in truck pulling competition. There's also video of a Cybertruck beating a Porsche in a race while towing another portion.

The starting price for the new vehicle is $61,000, but it won't be available until 2025. So if you want one next year, be prepared to pony up $80,000.

All right. Thanks so much for joining us at this hour. I'm Kim Brunhuber. I'll be back after this short break with the latest on the resumption of a military operation in the Gaza Strip.

Please do stay with CNN.