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U.S. Asks Israel to Do More to Protect Civilians in Gaza; Rare Access Inside Gaza Hospital Shows Conditions; Putin Doesn't Back Down on Ukraine During News Conference; Eight Arrested for Alleged Terror Plots Against Jews in Europe; Venezuela and Guyana Agree to Not Escalate Conflict. Aired 12-12:45a ET
Aired December 15, 2023 - 00:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
PAULA NEWTON, CNN INTERNATIONAL ANCHOR: Hello, and a very warm welcome. I'm Paula Newton.
[00:01:04]
Ahead right here on CNN NEWSROOM, the next phase of the war against Hamas. The U.S. tries to persuade Israel to lower the intensity of its strikes on Gaza.
Also ahead --
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CLARISSA WARD, CNN CHIEF INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: This is the first time we've actually been able to get into Gaza since October 7th.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
NEWTON: CNN gets rare access inside Gaza where the horrors of war can be found almost everywhere you turn.
And Vladimir Putin's highly=choreographed annual news conference, which, despite all the vetted questions, did offer a glimpse into what some Russians are really thinking.
We do begin in Israel, where the U.S. and Israeli officials are looking ahead to what comes next in Israel's war with Hamas. U.S. national security adviser, Jake Sullivan, says he had a, quote, "intense, detailed conversation with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu" and the country's war cabinet during their meeting in Tel Aviv Thursday.
The U.S. wants Israel to shift from a high-intensity phase, to a more precise, targeted approach in the coming weeks. They say Washington is not focused on specific timeframes.
Following these meetings in Israel, Sullivan is scheduled to meet with Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas in the West Bank, and that is in the coming days.
Prime Minister Netanyahu, meantime, vows Israel will keep fighting until Hamas is completely destroyed.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BENJAMIN NETANYAHU, ISRAELI PRIME MINISTER (through translator): I told our American friends, our heroic soldiers have not fallen in vein. Out of the deep pain of their having fallen, we are more determined than ever to continue fighting until Hamas is eliminated, until absolute victory.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
NEWTON: Israel's defense minister says he told the U.S. the war will, quote, "be more than several months."
Meanwhile, U.S. President Joe Biden was asked what he would like to see from Israel's offensive. Listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Do you want Israel to scale back its assault on Gaza even by the end of the year? Do you want them to tone it down? Move to a lower-intensity phase?
JOE BIDEN, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I want them to be focused on how to save civilian lives. Not stop going after Hamas, but be more careful.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
NEWTON: Live now to Tel Aviv and Haral Chorev, the senior researcher at Tel Aviv University Moshe Dayan Center. And we thank you for joining us.
Listen, you and I have been listening to these public pronouncements now for weeks and from all sides. Frankly, it's been quite productive. When we know that, you know, both politically and militarily, this is incredibly complicated.
What is your take on the U.S. saying that they would like Israel to take, to restrain its operations in Gaza?
HARAL CHOREV, SENIOR RESEARCH, TEL AVIV UNIVERSITY MOSHE DAYAN CENTER: Well, first, good evening, Paula.
First, I must say there is a conflicting issue here. On the one hand, the American wants Israel to wrap it up as close as they can. Two weeks, three weeks, by the end of the year.
On the other hand, they want Israel to -- to lower the intensity. Now, we need to understand, these are conflicting goals, because if you are working fast, you cannot work cautiously. And -- and so, you need time to work cautiously.
By the way, we want, Israelis want the -- their army to work cautiously. There is no advantage in collateral damage, or in of course, jeopardizing their own soldiers. We just lost ten -- ten soldiers, and senior officers two days ago --
You probably heard about it -- in a compound that otherwise could be destroyed from the air.
[00:05:07]
But exactly because of such requirements that both America and Israel said to themselves, they use infantry and not the air force.
So this is an issue that we're dealing with momentum. We need to understand, it's conflicting. You cannot do both wrapping it up in a short term and work to lower your intensity. It just doesn't work the same together.
However, I must say, I heard that. Sorry.
NEWTON: Go ahead. No go ahead, I'll let you finish.
CHOREV: I must say, I heard Jake Sullivan yesterday night. And I must say, I was very, very impressed.
First of all, all of us Israelis are extremely grateful to America and the president in particular for what they're doing for us. I think this is -- this is really stunning.
But I also heard, in speaking about the current issues, my impression is that we're on the same page. Eventually.
NEWTON: Eventually. I'll leave that point for a moment. But you know as well I do that it is possible for Israel to do one or the other. It's a very sophisticated fighting force, despite its failings on October the 7th.
It can be surgical if it took its time. Well, perhaps, though, one has to look at whether or not, even what they are doing in Gaza at this hour, we just saw smoke rising from the border area again. But it's against Israel's national interest to continue to do this in Gaza?
CHOREV: It is in Israel's interest, Israelis' right to left liberals, to conservative. Everyone are extremely united behind the goal of eliminating Hamas.
I cannot really stress how October 7th was a watershed, or historical point for us. So the question is, of course, how to do this. As a researcher, I checked the ratio. And I must say, I still didn't find an army that can do it in the same ratio that the IDF is doing. Something like one to 1.5. Those areas, we need to accept those areas --
NEWTON: It's 2023. Most people do expect, especially from the IDF, a more sophisticated prosecution of the war.
But I want to leave it there for a moment. I think when speaking to the IDF in the last few weeks, I'm also trying to pinpoint progress. Right? Because Israelis are interested in progress. With so many people saying that Hamas cannot be destroyed, will not be
destroyed, what evidence do you see that, whether it's weeks or months, that progress is being made?
CHOREV: First of all, as a historian, I can say there's no such thing. So any organization can be eliminated. You know what? Even ideas can be eliminated.
But we -- let's start with the organization. The Nazis were eradicated. ISIS was eradicated. So any -- any organization can be eradicated.
I don't accept the notion that Hamas cannot be eliminated. But really, in military terms, we're talking about 80 to 85 percent out of the Northern Gaza Strip, which is already done.
The IDF is still fighting there, something like 15 percent Hamas force that remain there. Tough ones, by the way. In Shuja-iyya, in Jabalya. And in the South, in Khan Younis, we're talking about the destruction of 50 percent of their force.
By the way, the -- I just saw just the yesterday, the IDF spokesperson and stunning videos about new technologies to fight them underground. I have to say, if that's not surgical, I don't know what is surgical.
NEWTON: Yes, and I understand you. But you know as well as I do that the civilian death toll has been absolutely staggering.
And I think when we say surgical, that is what is meant by those people on the ground who feel that the bombing is indiscriminate. And those are Joe Biden's words, not mine.
We have to leave it there for this evening and this morning. I thank you for being with us. Really appreciate it.
CHOREV: Thank you, Paula. Have a good night.
NEWTON: Now, as Israel warns, the war will last more than several months. The situation in Gaza will surely grow even more dire. Nearly ten weeks after the fighting began, CNN chief international correspondent, Clarissa Ward, and her crew were finally able to get independent access into Southern Gaza.
She describes this rare glimpse at the devastation as a window onto hell. We want to warn you: her report contains disturbing images.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
WARD (voice-over): You don't have to search for tragedy in Gaza. It finds you on every street, strewn with trash and stagnant water. Desolate and foreboding.
WARD: We just crossed the border into Southern Gaza. This is the first time we have actually been able to get into Gaza since October 7th. And we are now driving to a field hospital that has been set up by the UAE. WARD (voice-over): Up until now, Israel and Egypt have made access for
international journalists next to impossible. And you can see why.
WARD: Since October 7th, the Israeli military says it has hit Gaza with more than 22,000 strikes. That, by far, surpasses anything we've seen in modern warfare in terms of intensity and ferocity.
And we really, honestly, are just getting a glimpse of that here.
WARD (voice-over): Despite Israel's heavy bombardment, there are people out on the street. A crowd outside a bakery. Where else can they go? Nowhere is safe in Gaza.
DR. ABDULLAH NAQBI, PHYSICIAN: This used to be a stadium.
WARD (voice-over): Arriving at the Emirati field hospital, we meet Dr. Abdullah Naqbi. No sooner does our tour began when --
NAQBI: Our ambulance --
(ARTILLERY FIRE)
NAQBI: That's the real life.
WARD: And this is what you hear all the time now?
NAQBI: Yes. At least 20 times a day.
WARD: At least 20 times a day?
NAQBI: Maybe more sometimes. I think we got used to it.
WARD (voice-over): One thing none of the doctors here have gotten used to is the number of children they are treating. The U.N. estimates that some two-thirds of those killed in this round of the conflict have been women and children.
Eight-year-old Jenan (ph) was lucky enough to survive a strike on her family home that crushed her femur but spared her immediate family.
WARD: (SPEAKING FOREIGN LANGUAGE)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: (SPEAKING FOREIGN LANGUAGE)
WARD: She says she's not in pain, so that is good. Her mother, Hibab (ph), was out when it happened.
"I went to the hospital to look for her," she says. "And I came here, and I found her here. The doctors told me what happened with her, and I made sure that she's OK, thank God."
"They bombed the house in front of us, and then our home," Jenan (ph) tells us. "I was sitting next to my grandfather. And my grandfather held me. And my uncle was fine, so he is the one who took us out."
WARD: Don't cry. WARD (voice-over): But Dr. Ahmed Almazraouei says it is hard not to.
DR. AHMED ALMAZRAOUEI, UAE FIELD HOSPITAL: I work with old people. And adults. And children. It's something touching you.
WARD (voice-over): Touches your heart and tests your faith in humanity. As we leave Jenan (ph), Dr. Naqbi comes back with the news of casualties arriving from the strike just ten minutes earlier.
NAQBI: We just got us in right now, two amputated young male from that -- just the bomb.
WARD: From the Cossack (ph) we just heard? From the bomb we just heard?
NAQBI: Yes, this is my understanding.
WARD: OK.
NAQBI: They will arrive.
WARD (voice-over): A man and a 13-year-old boy are wheeled in, both missing limbs, both in a perilous state.
"What's your name? What's your name?" the doctor asks.
The notes provided by the paramedics are smeared with blood. A tourniquet improvised with a bandage.
Since the field hospital opened less than two weeks ago, it's been inundated with patients. One hundred and thirty of the 150 beds are already full.
WARD: So let me understand this. You are now basically the only hospital around that still has some beds?
NAQBI: I guess, yes. Or I am very short of that, because they are telling me that one of the hospitals in the city of 200, they are accommodating 1,000 right now.
And next to our hospital, al-Mehdi (ph) is at 5,200. Maybe 400 to 500 patients. So one called me and said I have three patients, and each. Please take any. I said send as many as you can.
WARD: I mean, we've been here 15 minutes, and this is already what we are seeing.
NAQBI: You hear it. You see it.
[00:15:07]
WARD (voice-over): In every bed, another got punch. Less than two years old, Amir (Ph) still doesn't know that his parents and siblings were killed in the strike that disfigured him.
"Yesterday, he saw a nurse that looked like his father," his aunt, Nahia (ph), tells us. He kept screaming, "Dad! Dad! Dad!"
Amir (ph) is still too young to comprehend the horror around him.
The 20-year-old Lama (ph) understands it all too well. Ten weeks ago, she was studying engineering at university and helping to plan her sister's wedding.
Today, she is recovering from the amputation of her right leg. Her family followed Israeli military orders and fled from the North to the South, but the house where they were seeking shelter was hit in the strike.
"The world isn't listening to us," she says. "Nobody cares about us. We've been dying for over 60 days. Dying from the bombing and nobody did anything."
Words of condemnation, delivered in a thin rasp. But does anyone hear them?
Like Grazi, Aleppo, and Mariupol, Gaza will go down as one of the great horrors of modern warfare.
It's getting dark, time for us to leave. A privilege the vast majority of Gazans do not have. Our brief glimpse from a window onto hell, is ending as a new chapter in this ugly conflict unfolds.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
NEWTON: Our Clarissa Ward there, reporting from inside Gaza.
Ahead for us, the European Union hails European unity as it opens membership talks to Ukraine. But not everybody is happy with the decision.
Plus, Russia's president addresses speculation that he uses body doubles. State TV plays a deepfake video to help him make his point.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
NEWTON: The Russian president showed no signs of backing down on Ukraine during a year-end news conference broadcast of the nation. Thursday's event was highly choreographed, but some surprising and thorny questions popped up on a video screen.
There was also a stunt involving a deep fake video, and questions about Vladimir Putin's rumored body doubles. Matthew Chance was there.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MATTHEW CHANCE, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): This was Putin's first big news conference since his invasion of Ukraine nearly two years ago.
[00:20:03]
For hours, the Kremlin leader answered carefully-picked questions, restating Russian objectives in what he calls his special military operation.
VLADIMIR PUTIN, RUSSIAN PRESIDENT (through translator): There will be peace when we achieve our goals. They haven't changed. This is the de- militarization and denazification of Ukraine and its neutral status.
CHANCE (voice-over): For the first time, Putin revealed more than 600,000 troops are currently in the conflict zone. He gave no indication of losses which U.S. intelligence estimates are extremely high.
The Russian leader did, however, indicate he believed Western resolve on Ukraine may be crumbling significant, as American aid for Ukraine is held up in the U.S. Congress.
PUTIN (through translator): Today, Ukraine produces almost nothing. But they are trying to preserve something, but they produce almost nothing. They get everything -- excuse the bad manners -- for free. But this freebie may end someday, and apparently, it is ending.
CHANCE (voice-over): One reporter asked Putin about recent Ukrainian gains across the Dnipro River. They are just small areas Putin says, in which Ukrainian forces are now highly exposed.
PUTIN (through translator): I don't know why they are doing it. They are pushing their people to get killed. It's a one-way trip for Ukrainian forces. The reason for this are political, because Ukrainian leaders are begging foreign countries for aid.
CHANCE (voice-over): This was a highly-staged event with carefully vetted questions. But a livestream of public texts threw up a few surprising challenges.
"How many yachts does Putin have?" asked one anonymous message.
"Why is your reality different to our reality?" asked another.
The glimpse behind the curtain, perhaps, into what some Russians are really thinking.
In a bizarre moment, a Russian child appeared in a video message asking if her family would ever be replaced by robots.
The moderator then played an extraordinary video of what she said was a deepfake image meant for Putin, asking the real Russian leader if he had many doubles.
"You're the first," Putin responded. But of course, there are rumors he has many.
PUTIN (through translator): I see you can look like me, and speak in my voice. But I thought about it and have decided that only one person should look like me and speak in my voice. And that person would be me.
CHANCE (voice-over): Meanwhile, as Putin held court, U.S. journalist Evan Gershkovich actually appeared in one. Another appeal against his detention for alleged espionage, denied. Though Putin indicated talks to return detained Americans are ongoing.
PUTIN (through translator): It's not that we refused their return. We do not refuse. We want to negotiate, and the agreements must be acceptable and satisfactory to both sides.
CHANCE (voice-over): What Russia wants, though, remains unclear.
Matthew Chance, CNN, Moscow.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
NEWTON: Now to a historic decision by the European Union, which is opening membership talks to Ukraine, as well as Moldova. This comes at a critical time in Ukraine's war, as it struggles to make major gains in its counteroffensive against Russia.
European leaders are praising that decision with the European council president hailing it as an important account of unity.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CHARLES MICHEL, EUROPEAN COUNCIL PRESIDENT: This is a historic moment, and it shows the credibility of the European Union, the strength of the European Union. It's a very powerful scenario, very positive decision. And today and tonight, I think, to the people of Ukraine, we are on their side.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
NEWTON: Now, the Ukrainian president was equally effusive, posting this on X: "This is a victory for Ukraine, a victory for all of Europe, a victory that motivates, inspires and strengthen us."
But very different feelings from Hungary's prime minister. Viktor Orban is calling the decision senseless and irrational, saying Ukraine is in no position to start negotiations on E.U. demonstrations right now. Mr. Viktor Orban also blocked $50 billion in aid for Ukraine earlier.
He says the E.U. needs to return to the issue of Ukraine's membership next year, after more preparation.
Now, we want to get more on all of this. Dominic Thomas is CNN's European affairs commentator, and he joins us now from Los Angeles.
Good to see you, so much going on. And I want to start with that. Quite a juxtaposition there. We have Putin's press conference, Europe summit. You know, this is the new reality, right, for European nations. Clearly, Ukraine's -- in Ukraine's battle, it's their own battle right now. Right? They're really trying to own it.
[00:25:10]
How much of this was a real boost for President Zelenskyy?
DOMINIC THOMAS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I think that's a day that, you know, there are so many different ways of looking at it. I think juxtaposing those ways is the way forward.
So you have two sides of the coin. I think on the one hand, when you look at it from the European Union perspective, and that, also from President Zelenskyy's perspective, because in so many ways, he benefited from the way things moved on today.
You have the European Union. You've got 10, 15 years ago was quite skeptical about E.U. expansion, adding Ukraine to the table, and Moldova, which means there are now nine different countries, basically, at different stages now of the ascension process.
And that commitment to multilateralism and to expansion is a great step forward for them.
However, when you look at it, then, from the Russian perspective, you have a reluctance, and you don't have full support from all the membership on that.
But even more than that, you have the reluctance from Orban to provide financial backing from Ukraine moving forward in the conflict, almost as if the question of accession is secondary.
And the other aspect, through the eyes of the Russian president, Putin, is across the Atlantic and in the United States, you have a Congress that is incapable of agreeing on the level of funding it wants to provide as a way of opposing President Biden on this.
And there are many ways of seeing this. And winners and losers and there's the spending on the perspective you have here for a while.
NEWTON: Yes, and some would be tempted to say that this was actually symbolic on the E.U.'s part, especially given Viktor Orban. And you know, he really went online to call it senseless and irrational. Is it substantive in any sense?
THOMAS: Yes, because they, in some extent they can move forward. He hasn't blocked it. He used his veto power. He did later in the day when it came to providing funding for Ukraine, but the process is a very long one.
And so it's not as if there is a motion to fast-track Ukrainian membership. You're talking about years and years and years before that becomes a reality. Before they're able to align themselves to the very complicated and complex requirements that come along with membership.
So in a way, you could say that that decision is -- is deferred. But for the European Union, I think it's absolutely crucial that they are moving forward with this at this particular juncture. Because we see international support for Europe, for Ukraine here, diminishing playing out in the United States and elsewhere.
And we also have sort of the uncertainty and the unpredictability of how the U.S. election will play out next year. With a full understanding that the Republican candidates, or protectionist, nationalist candidates who are far more likely to seek alignment with Russia over these questions of the Ukraine. So I think it's an important moment for the European Union to pursue
this road of expansion, of strengthening, and of building that wall in many ways along that Eastern seaboard of Europe with Russia.
NEWTON: You know, some people suggest building that wall is, in fact, more provocative for Russia. I think I'll leave it to the historians to figure out what happened after Crimea in 2014.
But, you know, what Zelenskyy wants to go hand in hand is the E.U., but also NATO membership.
I mean, do you see Europe and European members picking up the slack here in Ukraine? Because you rightfully point out that when you see the tide in the United States, it is turning, and it is turning against Ukraine.
THOMAS: Yes, and you're absolutely right. And it's not just there, because it's not just over the question of Ukraine. It's how it plays out over Ukraine.
So there are European leaders who are either opposed, or lukewarm. You take Slovakia, Hungary, and so on.
But there are others dealing with cost of living issues, energy crisis questions. And the context of, say, Italy, which has essentially put front and center in its policy making is the question of refugees, of migration, and so on.
And they see all of this as a distraction.
And also in the context of that -- of the disruption in the Middle East at the moment.
And so these autonomous governments that are members of the supernational European Union are dealing with local and national questions, wanted it at the same time, sitting around the table at the European Union.
But I think that they almost all agree that a stronger European Union is better for all of them as they go through this.
And of course, the irony for someone like Viktor Orban, is that he's one of the greatest beneficiaries, financially, of membership in the European Union. And yet continues to prove to be a very complicated individual with whom to deal with. And a detractor to the mission, which is clear here. Just to move ahead, consolidate, and expand E.U. membership and borders.
[00:30:05]
NEWTON: Yes, and the plot thickens, of course, now with Poland having that very pro-E.U. government just coming into play, as well. A lot of changing in Europe. Thomas, thanks for us. Really appreciate you going through it.
THOMAS: Thank you, Paula. NEWTON: Still to come for us, arrested suspected terror plots against
Jews in Europe. What we know about a possible connection to Hamas.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
NEWTON: You are watching CNN NEWSROOM. I'm Paula Newton in New York.
The White House says the U.S. will push for a stronger international response to Houthi attacks on commercial shipping. That's after the latest attack by the Iranian allies in this key shipping lane between Yemen and Africa.
On Thursday, the Houthis said they conducted a drone strike against the cargo ship Gibraltar, which was headed to Israel. The Danish shipping company says the vessel and crew are reported to be fine.
The Houthis have been attacking international ships since the war in Gaza broke out, saying any vessel bound for Israel is a potential target. Earlier attacks including hijacking this cargo ship, the Galaxy Leader, which was taken to Yemen.
Eight people suspected of planning attacks on Jewish institutions have been arrested in Germany, Denmark, and the Netherlands. Israeli authorities say the suspects were, quote, "acting on behalf of the Hamas terrorist organization," but didn't provide any further details.
CNN's Frederik Pleitgen reports from Berlin.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: There's two sets of terror raids that took place both in Germany and in Denmark. And while the Danish authorities say that they're completely unrelated to one another, there are some pretty striking similarities.
Now, in Denmark, three people were arrested on what the Danish authorities say were anti-terrorism raids. There was also a fourth person who was arrested in the Netherlands, the authorities say.
Now, the Danish authorities themselves have not mentioned Hamas ever. The Israeli intelligence has come out -- this is both the Mossad and Shin Bet -- and they says that there is a foiled terror attack that happened on the orders of Hamas.
The Danish prime minister, she came out, and she also said, as far as the war in Gaza is concerned, that is completely unacceptable to bring that conflict to Denmark.
So clearly, a lot of concern on the part of the Danish authorities.
Now, here in Germany, there were also anti-terror raids. There were also four people in total who were arrested. Three of them in Germany and also one person in the Netherlands.
[00:35:05] However, the German authorities are very clear that they believe that this has something to do with Hamas. They say three of the people who were arrested were longtime members of Hamas and even had ties to Hamas's military wing, the al-Qassam Brigade.
They say that some of these Hamas members were looking for weapons and a weapons stash that Hamas has apparently been building up here in Germany, and they were tasked with bringing those weapons to the German capital to Berlin to then conduct terror attacks against what the Germans say are Jewish institutions, Jewish places in Europe.
So clearly, a very tense situation for the German authorities. The German politicians coming up and saying that they believe that there is no higher priority for this country than to protect Jewish life and to protect Jewish people here in Germany.
Fred Pleitgen, CNN, Berlin.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
NEWTON: Still to come for us, Venezuela and Guyana agree to not use force against one another amid a dispute over an oil-rich piece of land. Tensions remain high.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
NEWTON: The leaders of Venezuela and Guyana say they will not use force against each other amid a dispute over an oil-rich piece of Guyanese land.
On Thursday, they agreed to create a joint commission to address the territorial spat. Still, the two countries' positions on Essequibo remain -- Essequibo region, pardon me, remain far apart after a day- long summit held in the Caribbean island of St. Vincent in the Grenadines.
CNN's Patrick Oppmann explains.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
PATRICK OPPMANN, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: The presidents of Venezuela and Guyana met on Thursday in an attempt to lower tensions surrounding region of Guyana that Venezuela has increasingly laid claim to.
Upon arriving in St. Vincent, where the talks were held, the president of Venezuela, Nicolas Maduro, issued a statement where he said that he arrived with the backing of the Venezuelan people.
He says they support his annexation of this region, of Guyana. This is an issue that goes back decades. Venezuelans have long felt that this part of the country was wrested away from them unfairly.
It is an area that is about 160,000 square kilometers of jungle, remote region of Guyana, one where their have been discoveries of oil and gas that promise to provide the Guyanese people with billions of dollars in the years ahead.
Guyana, for its part, says that this is an issue for the international court of justice to decide, and they're not prepared to give back a single piece of -- single part of this area, which they say belongs to Guyana.
The president of Guyana on Thursday said that both countries are committed to peace and working on this issue together, but he seemed unwilling to budge to the demands of Venezuela's Nicolas Maduro, who has increasingly over the past several weeks been threatening Guyana with the idea that Venezuela could invade and take away by force part of this contested region, if not the entire contested region.
[00:40:25]
The United States is backing Guyana, as are other countries in the region. And it's unclear if Nicolas Maduro really intends to follow through on these threats or if this is just a bid to increase nationalist sentiment ahead of a presidential election in 2024.
And while both sides have said they are committed to holding further talks, it seems unlikely that both sides can be made happy through any further negotiations, as both countries have now laid a claim to this territory and say, essentially, that it belongs to them.
Patrick Oppmann, CNN, Havana.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
NEWTON: This just into CNN, Israel's military says it has recovered the body of a hostage, 28-year-old Elia Toledano, in Gaza. Toledano was taken by Hamas during the group's terror attack inside Israel on October 7th.
The IDF says his body is now back in Israel after being found during a Special Forces operation in Gaza.
Authorities say the victim's family has now been notified, and of course, we will continue to follow this story and bring you the latest developments as we learn more.
Facebook and Instagram sister platform Threads just launched in the European Union. Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg first unveiled Threads in the U.S., U.K., and other countries in July as a rival to X, formerly known as Twitter. He says Threads has already grown to 100 million active users as of October.
Thursday, he welcomed more Europeans to the platform. It's also added features like a desktop version and topic tags basically, hashtag, but without the hashtag.
And from Threads to new threads for Japanese baseball superstar Shohei Ohtani as he dons -- look at that -- the iconic jersey of the L.A. Dodgers.
The 29-year-old, as if we have to remind you, who's a two-time American League MVP, has signed an historic deal worth $700 million. He says he has one priority, though. Winning, especially given the length of his contract. Listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SHOHEI OHTANI, BASEBALL PLAYER: I just saw my contract is ten years, and I'm not sure how long I'm going to be able to play the game, so I do prioritize winning. That's on top of my list, and I will probably never change. And that was why -- one of the reasons why I chose this team.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
NEWTON: Going to be an interesting season. I'm Paula Newton, and WORLD SPORT does start after a break.
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(WORLD SPORT)
