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U.N. Chief: "There Is Nowhere Safe To Go In Gaza"; White House Warns Funding For Ukraine Is Running Out; Hong Kong Journalist Vanishes After Beijing Trip; U.N. Chief Says There is Nowhere Safe to Go in Gaza; World's Largest Iceberg is on the Move; The Word of The Year "Rizz" is Added to the Oxford Dictionary; BTS' Jung Kook and Usher Dance to "Yeah" on TikTok. Aired 2-2:45a ET

Aired December 05, 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]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ROSEMARY CHURCH, CNN ANCHOR: Hello, and welcome to our viewers joining us from all around the world and to everyone streaming us on CNN Max. I'm Rosemary Church.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH (voiceover): Well, just ahead. Gaza's humanitarian crisis spirals deeper. The U.N. calling the scenes apocalyptic and warning that the situation will only get worse as Israel's military operations spread into the south.

An award-winning journalist vanishes in Beijing. Why her friends and colleagues fear she isn't the first to disappear? And she won't be the last.

And the White House says it's out of money and nearly out of time to aid Ukraine. But are those warnings falling on deaf ears in the U.S. Congress?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ANNOUNCER: Live from Atlanta. This is CNN NEWSROOM with Rosemarie Church.

CHURCH: Thanks for joining us, it is 9:00 a.m. in Gaza with the Israeli military campaign to root out Hamas now stretches along the whole of the territory from the north to the south.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CHURCH (voiceover): The Israel Defense Forces tells CNN that a ratio of two Palestinian civilians killed in Gaza for every Hamas militant is tremendously positive given the challenges of urban combat. According to the Hamas-run Ministry of Health in Gaza, already nearly 16,000 people have been killed in the enclave. But the U.N. Secretary- General, Antonio Guterres is critical of Israel's expanded military plan in the enclave saying there is nowhere safe to go in Gaza.

In Northern Gaza. The Israeli military reports its war objective is nearly completed. Defense Minister Yoav Gallant says the entire area including Gaza City will soon be broken.

The U.N. says civilian casualties in Gaza are rapidly increasing. A new video appears to show an Israeli tank on one of the few roads that runs north to south in Gaza, a road used by those who have had to flee their homes. Here's Israeli military spokesman Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari.

REAR ADMIRAL DANIEL HAGARI, IDF SPOKESPERSON (through a translator): Today, fighter jets struck across the Gaza Strip. These were very significant, precise, and intelligence-based strikes. In addition, we are expanding our ground operations against Hamas strongholds throughout the Gaza Strip.

CHURCH (voiceover): Another video posted on social media shows the Israeli military detonating explosives and destroying a large building in central Gaza, housing the justice ministry and courthouses.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CHURCH: I want to go now live to Paris where CNN's Melissa Bell is following developments for us. She joins us now. Good to see you, Melissa. So, what is the humanitarian situation on the ground in Gaza right now?

MELISSA BELL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, the situation described as you mentioned a moment ago by the United Nations is apocalyptic. Bear in mind, Rosemary, that what we've seen from the beginning of this war had been northern Gaza being bombarded at heavy fighting going on there and down towards Gaza City. Civilians urged to head down south. Now, that these ground operations have expanded to the entire enclave, there is as United Nations is now seeing nowhere that is safe.

The pressure now on the very southern governance of Rafah is huge. You're talking about people living on the streets. People trying to survive with what they have in tents.

And now, what we're hearing is the beginning of the outbreak of what had been suggested all along was inevitable. And that is disease. Have listened to the fears of the World Health Organization now.

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DR. RICHARD BRENNAN, REGIONAL EMERGENCY DIRECTOR, WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION: We're hearing 200 people sharing one toilet. So, you know with toilets overflowing open defecation, these kinds of conditions are ripe for the spread of disease. And we're seeing increased numbers of respiratory infections, of diarrhea. We've had over 1100 cases of jaundice which make -- would make us concerned about the spread of hepatitis as well as terrible skin infections, scabies, and head lice, and so on.

(END VIDEO CLIP) BELL: So unimaginable conditions, Rosemary, really for the civilians that are now packed into the south of Gaza, even as those ground operations have expanded throughout. So, what we're hearing is intense fighting in the north of the Gaza Strip, aerial bombardments in the south, and again, nowhere for those civilians to go.

[02:05:17]

CHURCH: And, Melissa, what is the latest that you're learning on Israel's military movements now, of course, we know that it's expanded right across the whole of Gaza.

BELL: Well, look. What we've seen over the course of the last few days is that spread, the intensification, the collapse on Friday of the talks that have continued despite the resumption of Israel's bombardment of Gaza over the course of the last week. The collapse of those talks. And really very difficult to see from here, what hope there is that they will be revived.

As you mentioned a moment ago, the IDF now saying that the killing of two civilians for every terrorist killed and they claim to have killed tens of thousands of Hamas terrorists is a good record given the difficulty of urban warfare. Given also, they say, Hamas's record of using civilians as shields. Still, the figures are quite startling and that they should be considered I think, a good result for the IDF extremely worrying for the rest of the Gazan civilians about what it is they can expect over the coming days.

For now, of course, we know that it is a Rafah Crossing that remains shot. These are people, the civilians inside that remain trapped and with very little hope at any point of getting out at all, Rosemarie. Again, the collapse of those talks are very difficult to see at this stage. What hope there can be that they may be revived? Rosemary.

CHURCH: All right, thanks to Melissa Bell joining us live there with that report. Well, the situation in Gaza is a sad reality for so many including CNN producer Ibrahim Dahman.

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CHURCH (voiceover): While he was in Gaza, he had been sending exclusive daily dispatches from Gaza as he tried to get his family out of harm's way. And now, he tells us that one Israeli strike Sunday hit his aunt's house, where nine of his relatives were killed. Another strike destroyed his childhood home. Ibrahim and his immediate family escaped last month to Egypt. And he was part of their nearly month- long journey.

IBRAHIM DAHMAN, CNN PRODUCER (TEXT): I'm with my family fleeing airstrike in Gaza. My son is terrified. I tell him, don't be afraid, son. But the truth is I'm afraid too.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CHURCH: CNN's Ben Wedeman has worked with Ibrahim extensively over the years. And here's what he had to say, late Monday. (BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BEN WEDEMAN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, I spoke to Ibrahim this morning. And now, Ibrahim has been through a lot. And he tries to put on a brave face.

But he told me he's lost everything. He's lost relatives. He's lost his childhood home. He just is sort of in a daze.

I mean, really, what he's doing now is just focusing on work. In fact, he told one of my colleagues, who advised him after hearing the news of the loss of so many members of his extended family that he should take the day off, just to get away from work. But he responded that you know, work helps burn the hours. Work distracts me from the fact that not only has he lost so much, but he still has parents inside Gaza. And that is really occupying his mind around the clock.

When I heard and many of us heard what had happened to him and to his extended family, you know, we all reached out to him. I think he was overwhelmed with the amount of phone calls and messages he received. So, I'm -- you know, I just -- I hope if he's watching us now, he understands that we all care about him. And we all hope that his family that still in Gaza is safe, that they can survive this war, and he can get back to work in his home.

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CHURCH: CNN's Ben Wedeman reporting from Jerusalem. Well, multiple U.S. officials tell CNN negotiations over the release of additional hostages in Gaza appear highly unlikely to resume anytime soon.

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CHURCH (voiceover): The White House has said there's one American woman and seven men unaccounted for after the October 7 Hamas attacks. U.S. National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan says securing their release is of paramount priority.

[02:10:03]

JAKE SULLIVAN, U.S. NATIONAL SECURITY ADVISER: There are still intensive discussions among us, Israel, Qatar, and Egypt about how to best get traction on a strategy that will get all of the hostages out. But, of course, for the United States, the paramount priority is getting the American hostages out. And we are talking to the president about all of his options in terms of securing the release of American hostages. Beyond that, I'm not going to comment because we need to be able to have those sensitive diplomatic discussions behind closed doors.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CHURCH: Israel is trying to draw the world's attention to some of the most horrific crimes committed by Hamas during the October 7 attacks. Torture and sexual violence against women and girls.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CHURCH (voiceover): Israel hosted a special U.N. session focused on gender-based violence, with speakers accusing the U.N. and leading women's organizations of failing to denounce the crimes quickly enough.

SEN. KRISTEN GILLIBRAND (D-NY): The atrocities committed on October 7, and the international community's reluctance, even refusal to condemn or even acknowledge them doesn't just strike fear in the hearts of Israeli women. It strikes fear in the hearts of every woman and girl around the globe.

SHERYL SANDBERG, FOUNDER OF NONPROFIT "LEAN IN": The world has to decide who to believe. Do we believe the Hamas spokesperson who said that rape is permitted therefore it couldn't have possibly happened on October 7? Or do we believe the women whose bodies tell us how they spent the last minutes of their lives?

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CHURCH: Hamas denies the allegation saying they are unfounded lies aimed at demonizing the Palestinian resistance. But Israeli police are compiling evidence, interrogating suspects, and collecting witness accounts building a case that Hamas targeted, tortured, and killed women as a specific component of their assault.

Bianna Golodryga has the details. And a warning, her report contains graphic and disturbing content.

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BIANNA GOLODRYGA, CNN ANCHOR (voiceover): The details are horrific. Listen to this Israeli paramedic whose rescue unit responded to the massacre at Kibbutz Be'eri. He did not want to be identified.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: While we're storming through those houses, one of the doors opens. It's a bedroom. I see two girls -- two teenagers. I guess 13 or 14 years old.

One is lying on the floor. One is lying on the bed. The one on the floor, she's lying on your stomach. Her pants are pulled down towards her knees.

And there's a bullet wound on her -- the backside of her neck near her head. And there's a puddle of blood around her head. And there's remains of semen on the lower part of her back.

GOLODRYGA (voiceover): A volunteer at the Shura IDF military base where many of the victims of the massacre have been sent testified at a U.N. event in Geneva last week describing the evidence of sexual violence she saw on some of the bodies.

SHERI MENDEZ, IDF VOLUNTEER: Our team commander saw several soldiers who were shot in the crotch, in intimate areas, in their vaginas, or they were shot in their breast. This seemed to be systematic genital mutilation of a group of victims. GOLODRYGA (voiceover): Despite all of that, the U.N. and its women's rights affiliates remain silent on the mounting specific allegations.

RUTH HALPERIN-KADDARI, INTERNATIONAL WOMEN'S RIGHTS ADVOCATE: Their response was really devastating. It was heartbreaking for me.

GOLODRYGA (voiceover): Professor Ruth Halperin-Kaddari is an international women's rights advocate, and for 12 years, helped lead the United Nations Committee on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women.

HALPERIN-KADDARI: Neither of them acknowledged or recognized the existence of the fact that sexual violence was part of the Hamas massacre. And by not acknowledging this, by dismissing, by ignoring, they are in fact, almost I would say legitimizing the existence of these atrocities.

GOLODRYGA (voiceover): I asked a representative from U.N. Women about that. Her answer speaks for itself.

GOLODRYGA: Is there a reason though, Sarah, that you can't specifically call out Hamas and the mounting evidence now over seven weeks that Israeli investigators have collected that we've shown our viewers about the atrocities they committed specifically on October 7?

SARAH HENDRIKS, DEPUTY EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, U.N. WOMEN: Indeed. U.N. Women always supports impartial independent investigations into any serious allegations of gender-based or sexual violence. And within the U.N. family, these investigations are led by the Office of the High Commissioner of Human Rights.

GOLODRYGA (voiceover): Then three days later, finally an acknowledgment from U.N. Women, a statement of their own. We unequivocally condemned the brutal attacks by Hamas on October 7. We are alarmed by the numerous accounts of gender-based atrocities and sexual violence during those attacks.

[02:15:02]

And over the weekend, even more accounts coming to light. The Sunday Times quoted a 39-year-old witness who attended the Nova Music Festival.

I saw this beautiful woman with the face of an angel and eight or 10 of the fighters beating and raping her. She was screaming, stop it already. I'm going to die anyway from what you were doing. Just kill me. When they finished, they were laughing and the last one shot her in the head.

A police commander leading Israel's investigation into sexual violence and crime said it's clear now that sexual crimes were part of the planning, and the purpose was to terrify and humiliate people. Being able to prove that the crimes were planned is critical in prosecuting such cases.

HALPERIN-KADDARI: Recall that the massacre actually took place in 22 locations at the same time. The same method in which these horrific atrocities were executed by the terrorists in separate locations -- in different locations, all at the same time. This demonstrates a preconceived and premeditated plan. And that is why it does amount to crimes against humanity.

GOLODRYGA (voiceover): Bianna Golodryga, CNN, New York.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CHURCH: Ukraine's military is facing a shortage of much-needed resources as Russia's war rages on. The White House is pushing Congress to approve more funding, warning that the U.S. will kneecap Ukraine on the battlefield without it. They sent a letter to leaders on Capitol Hill Monday saying "There is no magical pot of funding available to meet this moment. We are out of money and nearly out of time."

But a new aid package faces an uphill battle with Senate Republicans. CNN's. Melanie Zanona has details.

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MELANIE ZANONA, CNN CAPITOL HILL CORRESPONDENT: Well, there's growing doubt in Washington right now that Congress is going to be able to pass a package for additional aid for Israel and Ukraine at least before the end of the year. At issue here is a complicated debate over the border. Republicans are insisting that stricter immigration and border security provisions be attached to any additional aid for Ukraine.

Now, there was a working group, a bipartisan group that was trying to hammer out a deal on the border. But we're told that over the weekend, those talks hit an impasse. So, we'll see where the discussion goes from here.

Now, Chuck Schumer, the Senate Majority Leader has signaled that he's just going to put a package on the floor to provide aid for Israel and Ukraine without those additional border security provisions, and essentially dare Republicans to vote against it. But so far, Republicans signaling that they are not backing off of their demands. Let's listen.

SEN. JOHN CORNYN (R-TX): This side of the aisle has been clear that a security supplemental must include funding and policy reforms to address the crisis at the southern border. And if that doesn't happen, we will not proceed.

SEN. CHUCK SCHUMER (D-NY): Democrats want to be reasonable on immigration. We're willing to make concessions, but not -- what we will not keep going in circles if Republicans aren't interested in even meeting us halfway.

ZANONA: And the White House has really been stepping up their messaging on this issue, warning that if the United States does not pass additional funding for Ukraine before the end of the year, that it's going to kneecap the country and its war against Russia. The Senate is also going to have a briefing from White House officials on Tuesday about Israel and Ukraine. But at this point, no signs that Republicans are backing down, and unclear what if anything, they're going to be able to pass.

Melanie Zanona, CNN, Capitol Hill.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CHURCH: Senator Schumer also announced that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy will appear remotely at that classified briefing later today. He wants senators to hear exactly what's at stake.

Well, Monday marked 250 days since Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich was taken into Russian custody. And his family says the ordeal is only getting more painful.

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CHURCH (voiceover): A Moscow court recently extended his pretrial detention to January 30. Gershkovich was arrested in March while on assignment in Russia. He's accused of trying to obtain state secrets which he denies. And the U.S. government declared him wrongfully detained. If convicted, he faces up to 20 years in prison. His family recently spoke to CNN about the struggle to stay positive.

ELLA MILMAN, EVAN GERSHKOVICH'S MOTHER: He is in Moscow at the Lefortovo Prison, which is a tough one. It's designed to isolate you. To break you down. And the letters that he receives gives him a lifeline to keep his spirits up. He needs to fight every single day, as he puts it in his letter to me that it's like swimming against the stream every single day.

He is fighting to keep his spirits up. His mental strength, his physical strength, he exercises, he walks outside of his cell. It's six steps, six steps, six steps, and six steps, and it's tough.

CHURCH (voiceover): As approaching, the Gershkovich family is asking Americans to honor Evan by saving an empty seat for him at their holiday dinner tables.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CHURCH: An award-winning journalist based in Hong Kong has gone missing after a work trip to Beijing. Minnie Chan's reporting has tackled sensitive subjects like the Chinese military and Taiwan. Her friends and colleagues fear she may be the latest unexplained disappearance inside China. CNN's Will Ripley reports.

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WILL RIPLEY, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voiceover): Intrigue, uncertainty, and one burning question. What happened to Minnie Chan? The Hong Kong journalist on assignment in Beijing last month vanished into thin air. Chan was in the Chinese Capitol covering a global defense forum. It ended on October 31. Soon after, she dropped off the radar. Her last report published November 1.

Delving into China's controversial role as mediator in the Gaza conflict, publicly siding with Palestinians over Israel, radio silence ever since. Friends trying to reach Chan on social media hitting a brick wall, mounting messages of concern not a single known reply. On November 11, a mysterious post on Chan's Facebook page, personal photos followed by a flood of concerned comments. One from a friend and fellow journalist speculating someone else must have posted the pictures. Eerie silence from Chan fueling a frenzy of speculation she may be under the microscope of Chinese authorities.

A veteran reporter nearly two decades at the South China Morning Post has had no direct contact with her. In a statement, the paper says it did speak with Chan's family. Her family told us she's safe, the paper said, writing she's on personal leave in Beijing handling a private matter. We have no further information to disclose, the family told the paper. Those who know her strongly believe there's more to the story.

China's foreign ministry telling reporters they're not aware of the situation. Known for astute coverage of China's defense and diplomacy, Chan interviewed a host of high-ranking Chinese officials tackling touchy topics like Beijing's military strategy targeting Taiwan. Chan also worked for Apple Daily raided two years ago by 500 Hong Kong police officers. A government crackdown forced the paper to close.

RIPLEY: You want people to have the right.

RIPLEY (voiceover): I interviewed Jimmy Lai, Apple Daily's billionaire owner shortly before his arrest, along with other newsroom leaders, later charged under Hong Kong's draconian National Security Law, which rolled back civil and political freedoms.

[02:25:11]

Drafted in secret. Imposed by Beijing's communist rulers. China's heavy-handed response to the fiery pro-democracy protests of 2019.

In the years since, a crackdown on pro-democracy figures, the disbanding of political parties and newsrooms, activists forced to choose between a life in prison at home or a life in exile abroad. And now, the mystery of Minnie Chan raising new fears for the safety of reporters. If a seasoned journalist from a mainstream outlet can disappear in Beijing, who's next in line for China's vanishing act?

RIPLEY: This is more about press freedom in China. This is about the sanctity of reporting the truth and the consequences for journalists, who China says may cross the line. Will Ripley, CNN, Taipei.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CHURCH: Carbon emissions are expected to set a new record in 2023.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CHURCH (voiceover): Scientists with the Global Carbon Project say global emissions could rise 1.1 percent this year when compared to 2022. That's 36.8 billion tons of carbon dioxide released into the atmosphere. The good news is that the U.S. is expected to cut its emissions by three percent, while the EU could reach a 7.4 percent reduction.

However, China is up four percent. And India shows more than eight percent increase. Coal and oil emissions are also growing significantly in both these nations.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CHURCH: Well, more than 350 people have been killed in torrential rains and flash floods that have ripped through East Africa for several weeks.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CHURCH (voiceover): Over one million people across Somalia, Kenya, Ethiopia, and Tanzania have been displaced. The unusually heavy rains are largely caused by the El Nino weather phenomenon, and they're expected to continue into the new year.

And now to more flooding in India. Police say at least six people have died and many others have been rescued including a half dozen pregnant women. It's due to Tropical Cyclone Michaung.

The huge storm is dumping heavy rain on central and eastern India. Schools will remain closed, and planes grounded for now. But the storm is expected to lose strength quickly over land.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CHURCH: All right, time to take a short break now. But when we come back, a look at life in Gaza as Israel steps up its ground offensive against Hamas militants.

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[02:30:30]

CHURCH: Welcome back everyone. More now on our top story this hour. The U.N. Secretary General says he is extremely alarmed by how quickly fighting resumed between Israeli troops, Hamas and other armed Palestinian groups in Gaza. And says, "There is nowhere safe to go for those still trapped in the enclave." The idea of recently issued orders for residents to move further south from areas where the fighting has resumed, but the U.N. Relief Agency says they do not know where to put those refugees. Aid agencies say tens of thousands of displaced Palestinians have arrived in Rafah over the past two days, and shelters are overcrowded, increasing the risk of diseases. One displaced man says if he can't make it out of Gaza, he would rather die.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): I swear, I don't know where I am heading. I want to go near the border, so when the wall is destroyed, I can be the first out of here. If I have to take one more journey, other than the one I am already on, or just take us to the grave and be done with it. (END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: More now from CNN's Senior International Correspondent Ben Wedeman

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BEN WEDEMAN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Desperate times call for desperate measures. In Gaza, if that means looting the local bakery destroyed overnight by an Israeli airstrike, so be it.

Look at the people says Ikram Arai (ph). They are doing this out of hunger.

It was the Barakah Bakery -- Barakah is Arabic for blessing. But now, Gaza is under the curse of a war. It was the last functioning bakery in Deir al-Balah.

People's basic needs, striking it is a kind of terrorism.

Once the sun came up Monday, people of all ages descended upon the bakery. Taking away bags of flour, cooking oil, scraps of wood to use for cooking and heating, and just about anything else they could carry away. This man describes it in one word, chaos. The World Food Programme's Abeer Etafa warns that people of Gaza are reaching the breaking point.

ABEER ETAFA, WORLD FOOD PROGRAMME: When you have civil order breaking down completely because people are becoming desperate, hopeless, hungry, by the moment, this is of course bound to happen.

WEDEMAN (voice-over): And with Israeli ground forces now operating in southern Gaza, the hundreds of thousands who fled the north in search of safety are now, even more than before, in the line of fire. Gaza after almost two months of war, has come to this.

Ben Wedeman, CNN Jerusalem

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: Joining me now is Juliette Touma, Director of Communications for the United Nations Relief and Works Agency. Thank you so much for being with us.

JULIETTE TOUMA, DIRECTOR OF COMMUNICATIONS, UNITED NATIONS RELIEF AND WORKS AGENCY: Thank you, Rosemary.

CHURCH: As Israel expands its military operations across the whole of Gaza now, the world is seeing increasingly distressing images of children losing loved ones, and complete devastation in the area. How would you describe what is happening in the enclave right now?

TOUMA: It's -- the horrors we saw the first few weeks when you and I first spoke is repeating itself again. And it is massive. The volume is quite high. The speed and velocity the same. The number of casualties reported already in the past three days since the pause came to an end is exponential. People are literally, literally being pushed to the south, to an area that is teeny and tiny, and they have nowhere to go, and no place is safe across the Gaza Strip.

CHURCH: And what is the latest on efforts to get humanitarian aid into Gaza? Can it ever get to the levels required, or ever to the levels before this war?

[02:35:00]

TOUMA: The short answer is no. Since the war began, we have never, not in one day, reached the same levels of supplies coming into Gaza that we had before the war. You see, Rosemary, before the war, 500 trucks came every single day to Gaza. We have never, not in any single day during the war, reached even close to that. The highest we got was 200, so that is just to give you and everyone the perspective.

Aid should come in; we are being restricted. We said last night that we are being strangled and that the aid operation in Gaza is being very much restricted. With really not our ability to deliver and to give is being put in question here. And that is unprecedented and that's quite dangerous, especially as we have 2 million people, 2 million people relying on that very assistance.

CHURCH: And what would you say are the biggest challenges right now for your organization? And what more do you need to get the job done on the ground in the midst of the rubble and destruction, and just the heartache?

TOUMA: We are currently hosting 1.2 million people in our shelters. They are overcrowded and only in the past few days, we had around 60,000 people coming to our shelters. We cannot take people anymore. Our shelters are overflowing with people. I was in Khan Younis myself. I visited one of those shelters and literally, people are on top of each other. They don't have enough supplies. So we need a flow of humanitarian supplies at the level that we had before the war, those supplies need to be unrestricted, unconditional, and they need to come in with fuel if we are to continue to deliver assistance to people in need across the Gaza Strip.

But we also need to go back to the pause, and for that pause to turn into a long-term humanitarian ceasefire. This has got to happen, and the fighting and the bombardment, they have got to stop. They have got to stop.

CHURCH: And as the U.N. Secretary General has said, "There is nowhere safe to go in Gaza." So, what is your greatest concern for all of those Palestinians who were told by Israel to evacuate to the south, but now find themselves under fire with nowhere safe to go?

TOUMA: It's not just that there is nowhere safe to go -- I mean, place to go, no safe place to go. It is also there is nowhere to go. People are literally being pushed, Rosemary, to a triangle to the south of the Gaza Strip where it is already overcrowded. These are also people who have been displaced multiple times, so they have left mostly their homes in the north, or in Gaza City. They've sought refuge in Khan Younis and other parts of the south. And now, they are being called to go further south. So the question is, "Where next? Where do they go next?"

CHURCH: Yes, that is the problem. Juliette Touma, many thanks for joining us. We appreciate and salute the work that you do.

TOUMA: Yeah.

CHURCH: Appreciate it.

Well, if you would like to know how you can help with humanitarian relief efforts for Gaza and Israel, please go to CNN.Com/impact. You will find a list of organizations providing assistance, that we have vetted for you. Again, that is CNN.Com/impact. And we will be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[02:40:55]

CHURCH: The largest iceberg in the world is on the move and a British polar research ship crew captured new images of it. The giant frozen chunk is about three times the size of New York City, floating in waters near Antarctica. The iceberg broke free from an ice shelf in 1986, but only recently started to drift away. Currents will likely take it to a spot in the southern ocean known as Iceberg Alley, which of course is full of glacial masses.

As we wrap up 2023, the Oxford Dictionary is revealing the word of the year, "rizz." Rizz comes from the word charisma and can be used to describe someone's ability to attract a romantic partner with their style, charm and attractiveness. Rizz didn't get the top spot without friendly competition. Swiftie, situationship and prompt made Oxford's top-four list. There you go, some new words to use for you, older people.

Finally, some might say these two musicians have rizz. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: Usher and Jung Kook joined forces for an epic TikTok. The two danced to Usher's "Yeah" from 2004. They posted a viral TikTok over the weekend which has since gotten millions of views. The two recently dropped a new re-mix of Jung Kook's single "Standing Next to You" as a duet.

And thank you so much for joining us. I'm Rosemary Church. "World Sport" is coming up next. Then, I will be back in 15 minutes with more "CNN Newsroom." Do stick around. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[02:45:00]

(WORLD SPORT)