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U.S. Defense Secretary Talks to Israeli PM and Defense Minister; Magnitude 5.9 Quake Jolts Chinese Province; A Volcano in Iceland's Grindavik Town Erupts with Lava Fountains. Aired 3-4a ET
Aired December 19, 2023 - 03:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
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ROSEMARY CHURCH, CNN ANCHOR: Hello and welcome to our viewers joining us from all around the world and everyone streaming us on CNN Max. I'm Rosemary Church.
Just ahead. The U.S. Defense Secretary presses Israel to do more to protect civilians in Gaza, calling it a moral duty and a strategic imperative.
More than 100 people are dead after an earthquake in northwestern China. We are live in Beijing, with the latest.
And as expected, a volcano in Iceland is now erupting. With bursts of smoke and lava illuminating the night sky, we'll speak to a volcanologist.
UNKNOWN (voice-over): Live from Atlanta, this is CNN Newsroom with Rosemary Church.
CHURCH: Thanks for joining us. And we begin this hour in Israel where U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin held high stakes talks with top officials there amid concerns over Israel's military offensive in Gaza. Austin sat down with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Israel's Defense Minister on Monday to discuss current operations as the U.S. puts pressure on Israel to transition to a more targeted campaign in Gaza to reduce civilian casualties.
The U.S. Defense Chief says he discussed pathways toward a future for Gaza after Hamas and the protection of civilians in Gaza during his meetings.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
LLOYD AUSTIN, U.S. DEFENSE SECRETARY: Make no mistake, Hamas should never again be able to project terror from Gaza into the sovereign state of Israel. And we will continue to work together for a safer, more secure future for Israel in a brighter future for the Palestinian. We will continue to stand up for Israel's bedrock right to defend itself. And we will also continue to urge the protection of civilians during conflict and to increase the flow of humanitarian aid into Gaza.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHURCH: The meetings come as the humanitarian crisis grows more dire in Gaza and the casualties mount. The Hamas-controlled health ministry says the death toll has now topped 19,000. The ministry does not distinguish between combatants and civilians, but says 70 percent of the dead are women and children. Meantime, the U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs says nearly 300 displaced people sheltering in UNRWA facilities in Gaza have been killed and more than 1,000 others have been injured since the October 7th Hamas attack on Israel.
And CNN's Clare Sebastian is following developments. She joins us now live, from London. Good morning to you, Clare. So what all did the U.S. Defense Secretary accomplish on his trip to Israel?
CLARE SEBASTIAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yeah, Rosemary, this is obviously the latest U.S. administration official to travel to Israel and to really tread that fine line, a line that I think is getting finer as the death toll in Gaza mounts of this unwavering support that the U.S. wants to express for Israel ongoing horror over those October 7th attacks and then adding pressure to Israel to do more to protect civilians and to eventually transition to the next phase of the conflict.
So Secretary Austin, we've heard him before talking about this idea of strategic defeat where, you know, even if Israel believes it has achieved its goals in Gaza, it could have eventually pushed the civilian population closer to Hamas. He addressed that again. He said it would compound this tragedy if all that was waiting for Israel and its Palestinian neighbors at the end of this was more insecurity, fury and despair, warning that all of that ongoing instability could only play into the hands of Hamas.
Now, on the next phase of the conflict, we know U.S. officials have said that they expect that as soon as January, Israel may have to transition to a more targeted hyper-localized strategy more akin to a sort of counterinsurgency operation with smaller groups of troops go in and try to root out militants and military infrastructure. You know, he spoke to his counterpart, Yoav Galant, the Israeli Defense Secretary, who said that Israel will gradually transition to the next phase of the war and expects displaced Palestinians who are now in the south to be able to return to their homes in the north.
So that is the next phase. But the key deliverable, I think, from this meeting is that Secretary Austin has announced this expanded sort of naval task for security operation in the Red Sea amid mounting attacks by Iran-backed Houthi rebels on commercial vessels.
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One, indeed, on Monday the USS Karkani having to respond to an attack on a commercial vessel by an attack drone, according to U.S. Central Command, and an anti-ship ballistic missile. Secretary Austin in Bahrain traveled to Bahrain on Monday. to hold a meeting on security in the Red Sea. And of course, this idea of deterrent, of deterring a wider war is something that the U.S. has been focused on since the beginning and now very much back at the forefront. Rosemary?
CHURCH: All right, our thanks to Clare Sebastian. Many thanks.
Hamas' military wing has released a video showing three Israeli hostages in Gaza. The captives are elderly men who were kidnapped from the Nir Oz kibbutz. In the video, one of them is seen pleading for their release. He describes their suffering in Gaza and their fear of airstrikes.
CNN is not showing the video because the men were likely speaking under duress. The Israel Defense Forces says the footage is a quote, "criminal terror video." Addressing the three captives, an Israeli military spokesman says the IDF is doing everything they can to return them safely. The families of the men seen on the video say it's imperative to act fast because it's clear their loved ones are not in good shape.
But many Israelis believe their government is not doing enough to free the remaining hostages in Gaza. Jeremy Diamond has the story.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JEREMY DIAMOND, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The pleas are only growing more desperate.
RAZ BEN AMI, FORMER ISRAELI HOSTAGE (through translator): I begged the cabinet and we all warned that the fighting would likely harm the hostages. Unfortunately, I was right.
DIAMOND (voice-over): Recently freed hostages and the families of those still captive are ramping up the pressure on the Israeli government to reach a deal for their freedom, after Israeli soldiers mistakenly shot and killed three Israeli hostages in Gaza. Their desperate plea smeared onto a white sheet on the building adjacent to where they were killed. Help! Three hostages read the Hebrew letters stained with red sauce.
Former hostages like Doron Katz-Asher, who was shot as she was whisked into Gaza, now beginning to share their stories of captivity.
DORON KATZ-ASHER, FORMER ISRAELI HOSTAGE (through translator): The first day was foggy because I lost a lot of blood and they stitched my wounds on a sofa with the girls next to me. Easy to understand that it was without anesthesia.
DIAMOND (voice-over): In an interview on Israeli TV, she revealed that she and her two daughters spent part of their captivity not in a tunnel but hidden in a hospital.
KATZ-ASHER (through translator): We were in a 12-meter room, 10 people, no beds, only a sink. And to go to the toilet, we had to knock on the door. They could open it after five minutes or after an hour and a half. Small girls couldn't hold it.
DIAMOND (voice-over): Cramped conditions, but also unending fear.
KATZ-ASHER (through translator): Fear. Fear that because my girls were crying or making a noise, they would get an order from above, be taken from me. Fear, always fear.
DIAMOND (voice-over): For 49 days, Katz-Asher shielded her daughters from that fear until the moment they were handed to the Red Cross on the streets of Gaza, where hundreds of people crowded their vehicle.
KATZ-ASHER (through translator): It was the first time after a month and a half that Raz said, Mom, I'm scared.
DIAMOND (voice-over): Multiple former hostages also described the terrors of living under Israeli bombardment in Gaza.
OFIR ENGEL, FORMER ISRAELI HOSTAGE (through translator): There was a bombardment on the adjacent house. It sounded like it was going to hit us. One of the guards was notified that his family member is dead. So you tell yourself, I hope he doesn't turn against us.
DIAMOND (voice-over): Nearly every single former hostage spoke of feeling abandoned by their government while in captivity, now channeling that feeling into action.
SHARON ALONY-CUNIO, FORMER ISRAELI HOSTAGE: I think that everyone needs to understand that. Not enough is being done in order to free the hostages from the Gaza Strip. They need to come back now. You have to do everything you can to bring them back now.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
CHURCH: The White House is warning that aid for Ukraine will run out at the end of this month unless Congress approves more funding. Senators have been negotiating for weeks on an aid package that also includes U.S. immigration reform but reaching a deal before the new year seems unlikely since many Republicans want more time to discuss the package. The Defense Department wrote a letter to lawmakers saying additional aid for Ukraine would be in America's best interest and that the assistance is vital for Ukraine to continue its fight for freedom.
Well joining us from Kyiv is Nick Paton-Walsh, CNN's chief international security correspondent.
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So Nick, as the U.S. Congress delays approving additional military aid to Ukraine, you spent time with fighters on the front line. What is their greatest need right now, is they battle Russian aggression?
NICK PATON WALSH, CNN CHIEF INTERNATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: Yeah, they're in need of equipment, personnel frankly too. We had a rare window into casualties being seen in a particularly important part of Ukraine's front line where the southern counter offensive was focused most intensely during the summer, but where now Ukrainian troops find themselves dealing with a reinvigorated Russian force. And just to spell out the numbers here, U.S. officials saying, well, they've got $1 billion it seems available to them. There'll be one more announcement of aid in the forthcoming days or weeks or so and then that is essentially it. And that doesn't mean that suddenly overnight the lights go off here, procurement, expenditure, these are lengthy time-consuming processes, but it means morale is already impacted, it means that there are Ukrainian troops we spoke to candidly admitting that without American support they simply won't be able to do this. Here's what we saw.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
PATON WALSH (voice-over): This was where the billions were meant to spell a breakthrough, but where the counter-offensive was supposed to have kicked Russia to the sea this summer, now it is mud, death, deadlock and the remnants of American help vanishing.
PATON WALSH: It's a notably different mood here, dark frankly. In the summer they were buoyed, feeling like they had the world at their back moving forwards. Now it's slow, dangerous and a real sense of despair to be honest.
PATON WALSH (voice-over): 40 Russian drones swarmed one Ukrainian trench here in a day. Down here in this tiny basement the rule is do not get seen. The other side are not so lucky. Two Russians spotted moving a load. They guide in a mortar strike. There are just so many Russians now.
Usually more meat means more mints, the commander says. But sometimes their machine struggles to handle it, and sometimes they have success.
Batteries die fast in the cold, and Russian jamming seems to damage them too.
This is Orakiv, whose streets reek of crushed lives, and how much horror Moscow is willing to bring to be seen to win.
PATON WALSH: It's been a matter of months since we were here in the summer, how much more damage has been done.
PATON WALSH (voice-over): If you've stopped thinking about Ukraine, be sure Putin hasn't.
At command, they watch a wasteland tree lines now bare. The dead, the injured. It's unclear if Russia treats them differently. Another Ukrainian drone aims for a foxhole. What they've struggled with are the waves of Russian assaults.
Dozens of Russian prisoners, well-trained and equipped, backed up by Armour, who they say are given a mix of drugs.
They show us this graphic video of a wounded Russian, his legs severed, seemingly high enough to smile through his fatal injuries.
Still, they claim they have held hard-won ground, but at a huge cost. As we say in the army, he says, the counteroffensive was smooth on
paper, but we forgot about the ditches. Colossal changes are taking place. They started making their own attack drones and outnumber ours, but they use them badly. like a kid's toy.
UNKNOWN (translated): What's happening? Heavy injuries! From what?
UNKNOWN (translated): Dexter, Dexter, I'm Bremya, do you copy?
PATON WALSH (voice-over): They say a drone has hit a trench and blown up a gas heater.
UNKNOWN (translated): Begin the evacuation, begin the evacuation! Evacuate with a small vehicle, did you move already?
UNKNOWN (translated): We didn't.
UNKNOWN (translated): Why not? Why not?
UNKNOWN (translated): No transport, no transport.
PATON WALSH (voice-over): The silence, the wait for news agony.
UNKNOWN (translated): Already dead.
UNKNOWN (translated): Copy, is he dead?
UNKNOWN (translated): Yes.
UNKNOWN (translated: It's over, evacuate him, no rush. We can't help him already.
PATON WALSH: Does it feel like the casualties are getting worse?
PATON WALSH (voice-over): Every casualty makes a difference, he says. It affects everyone's morale. It's very painful for me.
Sergey, aged 48, was one of four Ukrainians to die in that area that day and about 50 that week. They haven't had to really talk about losing in this war, but this is what it looks like.
It's not just drones. This Russian video seems to show a new threat. Gas. Caustic. Flammable. The Ukrainians have had nine incidents on this front, killing one.
[03:15:07]
Here are two survivors.
UNKNOWN (through translator): At first I saw smoke. We ran out from the trench and the gas suddenly caught fire. The trench was in flames. This gas burns, blinds you, you can't breathe, shoots down your throat immediately. We didn't even have a second.
UNKNOWN (through translator): You inhale it twice. Then you fail to breathe. PATON WALSH (voice-over): Medical reports confirmed their poisoning, a
Ukrainian official told CNN a form of CS gas was being used.
PATON WALSH: And there was injuries inside your mouth? Where?
UNKNOWN (through translator): On my cheeks, everywhere. Inside the mouth. My face is swollen and covered in red marks.
PATON WALSH (voice-over): It is an ugly, savage world, even on a TV screen. Where there seems little, Moscow won't do. But too much, the West won't.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
PATON WALSH (on-camera): Now we reached out to the Russian Ministry of Defense for comment about this use of CS gas and receiving their response. But it is something there have been several reports of from Ukrainian military around the front lines and some Western analysts have suggested this is perhaps Moscow using a lower-level control agents in a military way to sort of test what's the response is to them essentially breaching the chemical weapons conventions. I say this is a non-lethal CS gas but you can see there the intensity in which it was used those soldiers saying caused a casualty a death in their own ranks.
Just another one of the hazards the lethal issues that Ukrainian soldiers are facing now. The temperature dropping, which makes some believe the chance of the front lines changing dramatically over the winter is reduced.
But you saw there the ferocity in which the Russian assaults appear to be coming. They are heavily equipped and backed by drones in huge numbers now. That is an immediate threat to the Ukrainians. Now remember what you're seeing there is the Ukrainian military that still in theory has aid coming to it. The aid has not stopped and yet they are already struggling because of the way Russia is prosecuting this war again.
And so, yes, absolutely everybody we speak to here on the front lines are acutely aware that when the money runs out things will change here very gravely, most likely very fast. Some suggestions, ammunition already being rationed, some suggestions from Western analysis. This could be a matter of weeks or months until there's a severe change in Ukrainian fortunes on the front lines. Rosemary.
CHURCH: Nick Paton Walsh, joining us live from Kyiv. Many thanks for that report.
We're now to China where rescuers are racing to find survivors after a powerful earthquake hit the northwestern part of the country. According to state media, more than 100 people have been killed and nearly 600 injured. The U.S. Geological Survey says the 5.9 magnitude quake struck Gansu province just before midnight Tuesday local time in a region where earthquakes are common and the temperature is below freezing right now. For more, we want to go to CNN's Steven Jiang. He joins us live from
Beijing. So Steven, what more are you learning about this deadly earthquake in northwest China?
STEVEN JIANG, CNN BEIJING BUREAU CHIEF: Yeah, Rosemary, this is indeed on course to become China's deadliest quake in nearly a decade. And the casualty figures you mentioned are likely to climb in the coming hours as emergency responders reach the more far-flung corners of the quake zone. Now that is the number one challenge they are facing right now, the remoteness of the location of this quake.
Even though on paper the epicenter is only some 100 kilometers away from Gansu's provincial capital city of Lanzhou, where residents, by the way, also felt strong tremors overnight. But the quake zone itself is largely a mountainous rural area, sparsely populated.
So we've also seen some village roads being cut off by musk slates with state media reporting damaged infrastructure is also hampering the rescue effort. And that's why it's going to take some time for the rescuers to reach some of the other locations they have yet to get to and the follow picture won't be revealed until that happens. The other thing you mentioned that The key challenge here is the weather condition.
Much of northern China, including that part of country, has been experiencing a cold snap. And the overnight temperatures in the quake zone reaching minus 15, minus 16 degrees Celsius, that's only five degrees or so Fahrenheit. So this kind of bitter, bitter cold weather, obviously slowing down the rescuers as well. And it's also going to shorten the so-called golden window of 72 hours after a major earthquake where survivors are able to be pulled out alive from the debris. So that is another very much a very much a time bomb, if you will.
And but still, already we've seen some of the people who managed to escape the initial quake also impacted by the weather as they seek shelter, as well as numerous aftershocks.
[03:20:07]
Some local officials able to set up tents and starting to distribute food and other supplies, the Chinese military joining in as well, sending a large transport aircraft carrying 14 tons of goods, Quikzone and that's of course in addition to the more than 1600 firefighters already on the scene but given the location, given the weather, time is of the essence here Rosemary.
CHURCH: Steven Jiang, joining us live from Beijing, many thanks.
And we'll be back with much more news after a short break. You're watching CNN.
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CHURCH: A spectacular volcano is erupting in southwest Iceland after weeks of seismic activity. A crack of about three and a half kilometers has opened up along the earth's surface, releasing fountains of lava into the air. The nearest town is the fishing port of Grindavik, where 4,000 residents were evacuated last month. So far, there are no reports of any injuries and the government says the eruption does not pose a threat to life.
Well, joining me now from Reykjavik, Rikke Pedersen is a scientist and leader of the Nordic Volcanological Center. Appreciate you being with us.
RIKKE PEDERSEN, SCIENTIST AND CENTER LEADER, NORDIC VOLCANOLOGICAL CENTER: Thank you.
CHURCH: So, what all are you learning about this volcanic eruption that began at 10 p.m. local time in Iceland about an hour after an earthquake?
PEDERSEN: Yeah. Well, it's quite a long history already because actually we had what's called a dike intrusion. So magma entering into a crack beneath the surface around -- on the 10th of November. So more than a month ago. And that actually extended 15 kilometers, this fissure underground.
So what we're seeing now is a continuation of that. We have now magma flowing out of the same fracture, but now it extends to the surface, but only about a four-kilometer-long fracture has opened.
This is very close to the town of Grindavik. It's the southernmost end of the fissure is only about two miles from there, so three kilometers. But the lava is now flowing towards the north, so away from the town and also towards the east.
CHURCH: So how likely is it that populated areas will need to be evacuated in the days ahead? Do you see any need for that?
PEDERSEN: Well, the area, the Grindavik, town of Krintovik has been evacuated ever since the 10th of November.
[03:25:04]
No one has been staying overnight there. Residents have been permitted to go back during the day in this intermittent period, but of course now there's no one in the area. So we foresee no additional evacuations at this point.
CHURCH: Right, no evacuations in other populated areas. So what is the size of this eruption and how long might it last? Is there actually any way of knowing that?
PEDERSEN: Well, that's a very good question and that is extremely difficult to answer. What we have seen so far is that we have opening of a four-kilometer-long fissure. And by now, the activity is really focusing in several points on this fracture. And that's the typical development of fissure eruptions. So they will create their own little craters. But also the intensity has already been reduced since the start. But how long this can go on is really no way to tell, because it really depends on the magma supply from depth. CHURCH: So even if the intensity is reduced now, it could very well
ramp up, is that what you're saying?
PEDERSEN: Not necessarily ramp up, but it can continue for a long time. We really can't say. So anything between a week and a few months is the best guesstimate.
CHURCH: Wow. And what more are you learning about the possibility of any toxic gasses being released as a result of this eruption?
PEDERSEN: Yes. So following a volcanic eruption, there's always high levels of toxic gasses, especially SO2 being emitted. And we don't have very accurate measurements. yet. It really requires daylight to do very accurate measurements, but the release is substantial.
CHURCH: All right, Rikke Pedersen --
PEDERSEN: So that's the main concern in Iceland now is the distribution of this with the wind.
CHURCH: Right, very important. Rikke Pedersen, thank you so much for joining us and sharing your expertise on this matter. I Appreciate it.
PEDERSEN: You're welcome.
CHURCH: Coming up next, we will take a look at the toll Israel's war against Hamas is taking on hospitals in Gaza.
Plus, hoping to strike a blow against Israel, Houthi rebels ramp up their attacks on commercial ships in the Red Sea, how key players are responding and the impact on energy prices. Back with that and more in just a moment.
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CHURCH: Israel's ongoing war against Hamas has deepened a humanitarian crisis in Gaza. And the fighting is also taking a toll on hospitals. CNN's Isa Soares has the details, but a warning, some of the images in her report are disturbing.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ISA SOARES, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Sheer terror inside southern Gaza's Nasser hospital. An artillery strike has just hit somewhere in the building. With a power cut, people inside rush with flashlights and mobile phones to try and find where and who has been struck.
Here they find her.
Wrapped in a blanket is the body of 13-year-old Dina Abu Mawsem. She had been recovering from an amputation at the hospital following a previous strike in Khan Younis according to the Hamas-controlled Ministry of Health in Gaza. Weapon remnants found by Habeid were consistent with an Israeli illumination shell, a weapons expert told CNN.
CNN reached out to the IDF but has yet to receive a response.
In the destroyed grounds of Kamal Adwan Hospital in northern Gaza, another heartbreaking goodbye. This hospital had been under siege for days by Israeli troops, who claimed it was operating as a command and control center for Hamas. They withdrew from Kamal Adwan on Saturday, saying in a statement, quote, "their activity in the area was completed" and released video of a small amount of weapons they apparently found there.
According to the U.N.'s Office for Humanitarian Affairs, quote, "an Israeli military bulldozer flattened the tents of a number of internally displaced persons outside the hospital, killing and wounding an unconfirmed number of people."
UNKNOWN (through translator): We have been displaced and today they demolished the building, killing doctors, leaving nothing behind. They haven't even spared the doctors. Look, my son is here under the rubble and I can't reach him.
SOARES (voice-over): The IDF has not yet commented on this allegation.
Over the weekend the WHO chief said that quote attacks on hospitals, health personnel and patients must end. As medical facilities and those inside continue to bear the brunt of this war.
Isa Soares, CNN, London.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
CHURCH: Election officials in Egypt say President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi has won a third term with nearly 90 percent of the vote. Many in the Arab world's most populous country saw the vote as a foregone conclusion as the president faced no serious challenges. Sisi called the vote a rejection of the inhumane war in neighboring Gaza. Cairo is hoping to keep the conflict from spreading into the Sinai Peninsula.
And joining me now from London. H. A. Hellyer is a senior associate fellow in international security studies at the Royal United Services Institute. Appreciate you joining us.
H.A. HELLYER, SR. ASSOCIATE FELLOW, ROYAL UNITED SERVICES INSTITUTE: Thank you very much.
CHURCH: So Egypt's president, Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, won a landslide victory Monday. His big win coming as Egypt remains very much in the spotlight since Israel's war in Gaza began on October 7th in response to the Hamas attacks. Since then, the world has seen these distressing images of desperate Palestinians at the Rafah border crossing pleading for help that rarely comes, many asking why Egypt has not done more to help its brothers and sisters. What is the answer to that question?
HELLYER: So there are seven land borders between Gaza and the outside world. Six of them are completely controlled by the Israelis and they continue to be closed. Up until recently, at least, there was one that was opened a couple of days ago under heavy pressure from Washington, D.C. to allow U.N. aid to get through, which is Kerem Shalom, which is further down the border.
And then there's one border that is not completely controlled by Egypt, which is the Rafah crossing. And I say not completely controlled because Egypt doesn't have the full ability to get aid in without sign-off from the Israelis. And if you remember early on in this conflict, Israel actually bombed the Rafah.
I think it was twice within the first couple of weeks.
[03:35:03]
CHURCH: But a lot of the questions, sorry to interrupt you, but a lot of the questions being asked are why Egypt isn't letting some of these Palestinians in so that they can get relief from the bombing that now is in the South as well.
HELLYER: So if you're talking about letting things into Egypt, then that's a different question. And yes, Egypt has been extremely reticent to simply open the gates and allow for refugees to come in, quote unquote, "willy-nilly."
But there are two reasons for this. One, there is a historical precedent that every Arab leader, as well as, frankly, everyone in the Arab world remembers. Whenever Palestinians leave their land in Palestine, they are forcibly not permitted to return home by the Israelis.
That happened in '48, that happened in '67, that happened in every conflict where Palestinians were forced to leave. So the public mood in Egypt is extremely reticent about this, because it would make Egypt accomplices in ethnic cleansing. And the Israelis have made no bone of the idea that they prefer to see the Palestinians leave, and they've been very clear about this and many within the Israeli government have also made it clear they don't want them coming back. They want them to be, quote unquote, dispersed across the world's nations.
So it's unsurprising that they would be quite reticent in that regard. The second point again relates to the other borders. There are seven land borders between Gaza and the outside world. There is no corresponding pressure on the Israelis to open any of the other six borders in order to allow refugees to come in, which is the natural solution in this regard, because of course the Israelis would insist that the refugees be returned to Gaza after the conflict.
CHURCH: Right, so how would you describe Egypt's relationship with Israel and how might it change in the wake of el-Sisi's electoral win, if at all?
HELLYER: I don't think we're seeing any change in that regard. I think this is a long-established relationship. Egypt signed the peace treaty with Israel four decades ago. It seized the Camp David Accord, which wrote that peace agreement as a pillar to its regional security architecture, an assessment that Washington, D.C. shares, and has been cooperating over the recent period trying to find ways to diminish tensions. There've been a number of flare-ups in violence, different bombardments of Gaza by Israel over the past decade.
And Cairo has played the role of mediator more than once. So I think that role will continue. Of course, it's very difficult when you have such an immense bombardment of, generally, a civilian population. We've seen around 20,000 Palestinians killed in the past three months. Most of them had nothing to do with Hamas. And we've seen quite a few reports now illustrating how Israel's rules of engagement have been lessened and diminished to the point where they've even killed their own hostages. Of course, they didn't know that they were hostages.
But the point is that you see huge collateral damage, the scale of which I think is really quite unprecedented in any conflict that Israel has entered into before. So the Arab world sees this more generally, the Egyptian population sees this more generally, I think the world sees this more generally, which is why you constantly have these calls at the regional and national level calling for a ceasefire because the death toll of civilians that have nothing to do with any militant group is really quite staggering.
CHURCH: H.A. Hellyer, many thanks for joining us, I appreciate it.
HELLYER: Thank you.
CHURCH: The U.S. Defense Secretary says Houthi attacks on Red Sea shipping must stop and is urging other countries to publicly condemn their aggression. Right now, Lloyd Austin is attending a Red Sea Security Summit in Bahrain, which is one of the countries taking part in a new U.S.-led initiative to keep this key waterway safe. Houthi forces, who have sided with Hamas, took responsibility for attacks on two commercial vessels on Monday that they claim are linked to Israel. The growing threat has prompted major companies to pause their operations in this busy shipping lane.
CNN's Anna Stewart has details.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ANNA STEWART, CNN REPORTER: Well, here you see some of the world's biggest shipping companies: Maersk, MSC, Hapag-Lloyd, also oil giant B.P., who have all said they're gonna pause transiting through the Suez Canal and the Red Sea, citing safety concerns.
[03:40:01]
I'll show you where some of these concerns are. They're all really based off the coast of Yemen, the Bab al-Mandab Strait. This is where Houthi militants have been launching aerial attacks on commercial ships. U.S. warships and also a U.K. warship have actually managed to intercept or fire down some of these drone attacks and have been no casualties at this stage. But of course, many of those companies simply don't want to take the risk anymore. So I'm gonna show you the long way around if you're trying to avoid the Suez Canal and you'll see why it is such a lucrative shortcut.
It connects Europe and Asia and the other way around, around the West coast of Africa and past the Cape of Good Hope. This is significantly longer. For a ship that was traveling from Rotterdam, say, to Singapore, this route is about 40 percent longer. It's gonna burn a lot more fuel, which is really costly. And also that ship, it will arrive at port a week, maybe more late.
That impacts the next shipment and the next shipment. And before you know it, you can have containers stacking up at ports, a big backlog. And of course, this can really disrupt supply chains.
The other issue to consider is actually oil and gas prices as well, because of course, the Suez Canal and this area is vital for the trade of oil and gas from the Middle East.
Now, oil prices were much higher on Monday as a result of B.P. being one company saying they weren't going to risk traveling through this. route for now. They're going to monitor the situation. So we saw oil prices actually up as much as 3 percent on Monday.
Now, whether or not these prices continue and then off the highs that we've seen earlier this year will really depend on whether the Suez Canal and the Red Sea this straight can be secured with security. And that will be a conversation for defense ministers over the coming days.
Anna Stewart, CNN, London.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
CHURCH: All right. Let's take a quick look at oil prices, how they're looking now. And as you can see, all in the red. That's moving on now.
And the Vatican issued a landmark ruling on Monday stating that priests can now offer an actual fat. We're going to take a break. CNN investigates homophobic laws in Africa, putting the LGBTQ plus community at risk. Why one nonprofit group's name keeps coming up.
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CHURCH: The Vatican issued a landmark ruling on Monday stating priests can now offer informal blessings to same-sex couples. It is a reversal of a 2021 ruling where the Vatican blocked any such blessings saying God cannot bless sin. The Catholic Church is not changing its stance on marriage, but the Cardinal who wrote the declaration says quote, "when people ask for a blessing, an exhaustive moral analysis should not be placed as a precondition for conferring it."
Well across Africa, members of the LGBTQ plus community are fighting legislation outlawing homosexuality. Supporters say the laws are protecting so-called family values, but those affected by them live in fear.
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CNN's David McKenzie has this exclusive report on the influence of an American charity on this issue.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) DAVID MCKENZIE, CNN SR. INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): We are in Nairobi, tracking the impact of hate.
MCKENZIE: So we're heading to a safe house that has been arranged for Ugandans that have fled Uganda into Kenya, trying to get asylum.
MCKENZIE (voice-over): We are shielding their location, hiding their identity for their safety.
MCKENZIE: How are you doing?
ADRIAN, ASYLUM SEEKER: I'm fine, thank you for having us.
MCKENZIE (voice-over): No one is sure how many have fled, but the numbers have surged. In safe houses like this, their wounds are still fresh.
ADRIAN: He felt like if he can cut me into pieces, it will be better.
MCKENZIE (voice-over): Adrian's own father tried to kill him, he says, for being gay.
ADRIAN: These knives, they stabbed me. In Uganda, when they kill someone in an LGBT community, it's not a big deal.
UNKNOWN: My mum came herself and she told me, you know what, you are not welcome here. You are not part of our family.
MCKENZIE (voice-over): Betrayed by their families, pursued by the police. They fled into Kenya on foot or by bus, often in the dead of night. Now they are afraid to go out. They keep the curtains shut from prying eyes.
Since 2021, politicians have pushed a new generation of disturbing homophobic bills in Uganda, Ghana, and Kenya. Some even calling for hefty jail terms, including life in prison for same-sex relationships and identifying as queer. all of them to protect so-called family values.
For months, CNN has been investigating the influence of American charity Family Watch International, headed by this woman, Sharon Slater. For years, the organization has been advocating across Africa for family values and against educating young people about LGBT issues and sexual health.
UNKNOWN: This is Africa and what it takes to be close. to just stand next to the president of an African country in Africa, it means it's not random.
MCKENZIE (voice-over): The president is Yoweri Museveni of Uganda at a sex education conference in Ntebe in April. The conference included politicians pushing the homophobic laws. This opposition researcher has tracked Slater's organization for years. We agreed to conceal his identity to protect the ongoing work.
ALI, RESEARCHER: She presents herself as an expert. She presents herself as a consultant.
MCKENZIE (voice-over): A source with direct knowledge of their involvement says they were much more instrumental than just consulting. The source says a Family Watch International representative made repeated changes to draft versions of the homophobic bill together with members of parliament, even suggesting clauses that should be added to the text.
A CNN producer found Sharon Slater at the United Nations in New York.
UNKNOWN: Sharon Slater, there are allegations that Family Watch International is pushing homophobic laws in Africa. What do you have to say in response to that?
SHARON SLATER, FOUNDER, FAMILY WATCH INTERNATIONAL: That's absurd. Totally, totally absurd. I've got documents that I can send you later to show that I have not been involved in any of those laws. Period. It's just absurd.
MCKENZIE (voice-over): Family Watch International provided this document to CNN, an extraordinary endorsement of Slater's work by President Museveni. He says she played no part in, quote, "originating, canvassing or supporting the law, instead suggesting a safe haven for homosexuals."
The final law allows for the rehabilitation of offenders, including widely discredited conversion therapy.
TOBIAS NAURIKI, EMPOWERED YOUTH COALITION: Gay people and lesbian people are human beings like me.
MCKENZIE (voice-over): We tracked down a youth leader in Nairobi with close ties to Family Watch International.
NAURUKI: I would not be happy for them to be punished, but what I would recommend is to respect and uphold those laws.
MCKENZIE (voice-over): Family Watch International said he is not authorized to speak for the organization.
MCKENZIE: So you are happy with these laws being pushed, is what you're saying?
NAURUKI: Yes, I'm happy with the laws being pushed.
MCKENZIE: I've seen people who are fearing for their lives on this continent because of these laws.
NAURUKI: There are very minor cases.
MCKENZIE (voice-over): The awful reality is this. CNN has tracked a severe spike in abuse of LGBTQ Africans. Often put on social media, often too graphic to show. It's an epidemic of hate inspired by the laws.
In Kenya, human rights groups say that attacks on the community have at least doubled in the last two years with more than a thousand incidents up until August. The proposed law here is the most sweeping yet.
[03:50:01]
PETER KALUMA, KENYAN PARLIAMENT MEMBER: When you engage in those acts of LGBT, which are prohibited in Kenya, you become a criminal.
MCKENZIE (voice-over): The M.P. sponsoring the bill has Sharon Slater's book on family values on his shelf.
MCKENZIE: Family Watch International is not specifically helping with the drafting of this building.
KALUMA: No, they can't. That would be to say I don't have my own brain.
MCKENZIE (voice-over): In the safe house, as the hate spreads, they fear their space is running out.
ADRIAN: I feel at any point I'm left nowhere to go. If I go outside there, I notice that I'm LGBTI, sooner or later I'll be dead.
MCKENZIE: The Ugandans face a difficult road to asylum with no guarantees of success. Human rights experts believe that Family Watch International's work behind the scenes is pushing homophobia in the continent. It's an allegation the organization denies.
David McKenzie, CNN, Johannesburg.
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CHURCH: Next on "CNN Newsroom," a major backlog of asylum cases is overwhelming U.S. immigration courts. And one judge says she's never seen the system under so much strength. Back with that in just a moment.
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CHURCH: The process for migrants seeking asylum in the United States can be a painfully slow years-long ordeal. And with migrants crossing into the country at record numbers, immigration courts are feeling the strain as well. CNN's Ed Lavandera reports.
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ED LAVANDERA, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Outside any American immigration court these days, you'll likely find long lines, people gathering in the middle of the night for court appearances that will determine if they stay in the United States or if they'll be deported.
JUDGE MIMI TSANKOV, PRESIDENT, NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF IMMIGRATION JUDGES: They are lining up sometimes at 5 a.m. I've seen them lining up the night before as well.
LAVANDERA (voice-over): Some of these migrants will end up in Mimi Tsankov's New York City courtroom. Judge Tsankov is the president of the National Association of Immigration Judges. She's served as a judge for 17 years and has never seen the system under this intense strain.
TSANKOV: Some days I can see up to 100 different cases just in a morning. I've been a judge in Los Angeles, Colorado, and in New York City, and I've never seen the numbers that we're seeing right now.
LAVANDERA (voice-over): Now for the first time, tracking data shows the immigration court backlog has reached more than 3 million cases. In 2012, there were over 325,000 backlogged cases. Across the country, there are just 71 immigration courts and 734 immigration judges that handle this caseload. The states with the largest numbers of pending cases are Florida, Texas, California and New York.
Last December we met Jason Virguez, his wife Zulema and their two children as they crossed the Rio Grande into El Paso, Texas.
JASON VIRGUEZ, MIGRANT (translated): It's hard. It's hard for what's happening in my country.
LAVANDERA: Did you think reaching this point was going to be so emotional?
VIRGUEZ (translated): We didn't think it would be like this.
LAVANDERA (voice-over): With tears in their eyes, they told me they never thought the journey from Venezuela would be so painful.
LAVANDERA (translated): Nice to see you, Jason.
VIRGUEZ (translated): Very good, thank you.
LAVANDERA (voice-over): The family is now in New York, navigating the immigration asylum process. Their journey captures the dilemma of the overwhelmed system.
LAVANDERA: It's been a year since we met you. You just had your first hearing in the court, correct?
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VIRGUEZ (translated): They are busy, or when they answer you they say they are going to return your call.
LAVANDERA: They say it's been very difficult to find an attorney. They, in fact, after a year, they still haven't been able to get an immigration attorney.
LAVANDERA (voice-over): The same tracking data shows close to 100 percent of the migrants who have lawyers show up to the court hearings. The data is less clear for migrants who don't have lawyers. Jason and Zulema attended their first court hearing last week and have another date set for April of next year.
The Biden administration has added more than 300 immigration judges to help handle the massive backlog of cases. But Judge Tsankov also says there aren't enough interpreters and law clerks to move cases along.
TSANKOV: The focus has been on hiring more immigration judges, which makes sense. But you cannot hire your way out of this problem, because even an immigration judge really can only handle maybe about 500 cases a year.
LAVANDERA: Right now, the immigration court system does not fall under the independent judicial branch of the U.S. government. It falls under the executive branch and the Department of Justice. That's why many immigration judges and reform advocates say if the system was to move into the judicial branch, that would allow immigration judges to move through the massive backlog of immigration cases much faster.
Ed Lavandera, CNN, Dallas.
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CHURCH: Well, Christmas in Croatia is a little bit brighter because of one man's dream to have a Christmas tree. Christmas park owner Zlatko Salaj says growing up his family did not decorate for the holidays, but 22 years ago with a lot of land and a lot of lights, he decided to make up for lost time and created his own winter wonderland.
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ZLATKO SALAJ, OWNER (through translator): I suggested to my late wife that I buy 70,000 lights and decorate a part of the estate. She was happy to accept it, because she knew that I didn't have a Christmas tree when I was a child. That's how it started. There was a lot of interest.
People were initially afraid to come to the yards when they looked from the road. I would then call them, and they asked if there would be more next year. I said, if you like it, there will be. And then I added 100,000 lights. And so it increased every year.
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CHURCH: And it's just the gift that just keeps giving. The Christmas Park now has about five million bulbs lit up on the property to celebrate this season.
And thank you so much for your company. I'm Rosemary Church. Have yourselves a wonderful day. "CNN Newsroom" continues next, with Max Foster.
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