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Trump Appeal of Colorado Ballot Ban Expected Soon; Nova Music Festival Survivor Reunites With Her Rescuer; Icelandic Authorities Say Lava Flows Have Eased but Could Turn Toward Grindavik; Authorities Building Berm to Protect Power Plant Near Grindavik; Cruise Re-routes From Sunny Bahamas to New England and Canadian Maritimes. Aired 2-3a ET

Aired December 21, 2023 - 02:00   ET

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

[02:00:31]

NICK WATT, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Hello, and welcome to our viewers joining us from all around the world and to everyone streaming us on CNN Max. I'm Nick Watt in Los Angeles.

Just ahead. Searching for compromise. The U.N. Security Council delays its vote on Gaza for the third time, as it works to hammer out a resolution that the U.S. won't veto.

A group of Americans are finally back in the United States after spending months and even years behind bars in South America.

Plus, with a volcano still erupting just miles from their town, thousands of people in Iceland won't be allowed home for the holidays.

Israel continues its offensive against Hamas in Gaza as a source tell CNN, talks are ongoing for a possible deal.

Israel could pause the fighting in exchange for the release of more hostages held by Hamas.

The White House says, very serious discussions are underway. But a source told CNN that a deal is not believed to be imminent.

Meantime, the Israeli military on Wednesday continued to strike what it says are Hamas targets. Deadly explosions were reported in Rafah in the south and Jabalia in the North.

The Israeli prime minister vows the offensive will continue until Hamas is eliminated.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BENJAMIN NETANYAHU, PRIME MINISTER, ISRAEL (through translator): We are continuing in the fight until the end. It will resume until the elimination of Hamas, until the victory. All Hamas terrorists from the first to the last are marked for death. They only have two options, surrender or die.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WATT: This as a U.N. Security Council vote on a resolution, calling for a suspension of hostilities, in Gaza was delayed for a third time this week, as the U.S. ways whether or not to support it. That vote is now set to take place in the coming hours.

The resolution aims to get more humanitarian aid into Gaza. CNN's Clare Sebastian is following developments and joins us live now from London.

Clare, what is going on with this Security Council delay, delay, delay.

CLARE SEBASTIAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes. Nick, this has been rambling on now. Don't forget, for context, this is now the seventh attempt by the U.N. Security Council since this war started to find consensus.

They have only succeeded once, and the U.S. vetoed a resolution on December 8th, with -- which just as the draft for this one does called for a halt to hostilities to allowing unhindered aid.

So, look, talks, are got ongoing, they are active, according to the White House, and it really boils down to the language.

A diplomatic source telling CNN's Becky Anderson, that this relates to language calling for a "cessation of hostilities", also for the U.N. to establish a monitoring mechanism inside Gaza. That is still under negotiation.

But from the U.S.'s perspective, the principle of this is that they are very keen to see a recognition in Israel's right to defend itself. and overt condemnation of the October 7th attacks.

Take a listen to Secretary Blinken, who really outlines the U.S. position.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ANTONY BLINKEN, UNITED STATES SECRETARY OF STATE: I hear virtually no one saying, demanding of Hamas, that it stop hiding behind civilians, that it lay down its arms, that it surrender, this is over tomorrow if Hamas does that.

This would have been over a month ago, six weeks ago, if Hamas had done that.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SEBASTIAN: Now, just for context, the U.S. has been stepping up its rhetoric in recent weeks, doing the -- you know, we've had more calls for Israel to do more to protect civilians to allow an aid, things like that.

But, of course, the U.S. is still Israel's biggest backers, still expressing unwavering support. And I think you see that fine line there. Secretary Blinken said he was hopeful that they could get to a good place. He said on this, and of course, I think these delays show that, at least, there are very active efforts underway to try to do that.

WATT: And Clare, while all this is going on there. The talks have also begun for a possible hostage release?

SEBASTIAN: Yes, begun, I think, is the operative word here. And Israeli official telling CNN on Wednesday that they are not close to a final deal.

[02:05:03]

But, of course, the -- you know, there was a low bar before that Israel had actually pulled its delegation out of talks.

We understand now from a source that they are back at the negotiating table and that there is a proposal essentially that they've presented to Hamas for another pause in fighting.

It could be one to two weeks in return for the hostages, though eventually, Israel is seeking the return of all the hostages. One of the sticking points, Hamas, according to this Israeli official, is demanding, "more heavy-duty prisoners" in return to be released from Israeli jails. Before, of course, in the last hostage deal, we saw, really only women and teenagers being released relatively minor criminal offenses having been committed.

But obviously, look, we're in a situation now where we saw just under a week ago, the accidental killing by the IDF of those three Israeli hostages. This really a critical moment in this conflict. And we see the pressure ramping up. Several of the parents of the men who were killed have been speaking out.

One mother, offering forgiveness, essentially, to the IDF soldiers involved, saying it's not your fault. I think that underscores the level of support still in Israel for this conflict.

But one father accusing Prime Minister Netanyahu of cowardice. Saying that the Israeli was, in his words, a screw up.

So, this again, ramping up pressure on Israel, to try to get another hostage deal done.

WATT: Clare Sebastian in London, thanks very much.

The United Nations World Food Programme, says it delivered 750 metric tons of food assistance to Gaza on Wednesday, in a convoy that traveled from Jordan and through Israeli territory.

The organization calls it a crucial first step to organize a more sustainable aid corridor through Jordan.

Right now, one of the most insidious dangers of this war for Palestinians in Gaza is extreme hunger. The WFP says half of the enclave's population is now starving. CNN's Jomana Karadsheh reports.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JOMANA KARADSHEH, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice over): For weeks, this is what we've seen of the war in Gaza. Israel's brutal military might, pounding neighborhoods into dust. In central Gaza and Sirat (PH), whole blocks reduced to rubble, seemingly deserted, unlivable.

But there's also this. The near surreal scenes this week in Sirat (PH), the hustle and bustle of a street market. It's the story of every war, where life doesn't stop, it goes on for those trying to survive.

But Gaza is like no other place, it's where more than 2 million are crammed into this tiny strip of land that now looks like it's been bombed back into ages past, where those who've lost everything have nowhere left but the streets.

That's where Mutnis (PH) is building a clay oven, hoping people will pay him a shekel or two to use it, he says. Maybe, then we'll have enough to buy his children cheese or tomatoes.

Our lives are a million years behind. We live in sewage, Mutnis (PH) says, every time it rains, the sewage overflows. It's cold. There's no food, no water, no warm clothes.

Most here have escaped the bombs only to be trapped in this misery. Disease and starvation, the U.N.'s warned, may soon kill more than those bombs. Half the population, it says, are now starving. People going entire days without eating.

Uma Ahmad (PH) says she collects a bit of flour from here in there to bake bread for her children.

We're all thrown into the streets, she says. They said, go to the south. We came to the south to die slowly.

Human Rights Watch says Israel is using starvation as a weapon of war. It's a war crime Israel denies, and calls it a lie. It accuses Hamas of stealing aid.

In the wake of October 7th, Israel's defense minister announced a siege of Gaza, "no electricity," no fuel, everything closed until all hostages were returned.

Some aid and water delivery resumed, but nowhere near enough. Much of the blockade remains in place, what rights groups call collective punishment.

Sometimes, the lucky ones find more than lentils and bread for the hungry mouths they have to feed. This mother uses a pair of jeans for her fire to boil some chicken wings and bones.

I'm using clothes and cardboard to make fire and cook, she says. The situation is disastrous. But I need to find a way for my children. We're in the street because we have nowhere to shelter.

Fleeing the bombs, scrounging for food, now the people of Gaza desperately wait for the moment they can try once again to live.

Jomana Karadsheh, CNN, London.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

[02:10:00]

WATT: Tamara Alrifai is director of external relations and communications for the U.N. Agency for Palestinian refugees, UNWRA. She joins me now from Amman, Jordan.

Tamara, I mean, we just saw what is going on in Gaza right now as a human as a parent, it is difficult to watch, a weak potential humanitarian pause ceasefire, whatever you want to call it. What could that achieve other than just a temporary respite.

TAMARA ALRIFAI, DIRECTOR OF EXTERNAL RELATIONS AND COMMUNICATIONS, UNWRA: A temporary respite is something very, very important for people to be able to get organized. But getting organized is also very difficult in Gaza, because there is so little food, warm water, and medicines going in, that even those who managed to have some cash have nothing to buy.

I was in Gaza last week. Everything I heard in Jomana's report, I saw with my own eyes. One of my colleagues and UNRWA staff worker, a colleague, a doctor, said that she had imposed on her family a Ramadan-style fasting, even though we're not in the holy month of Ramadan, to force them to eat once a day, because that's all she could get her hands on.

So, people are using really desperate measures, including I saw people selling one onion, or two tomatoes, or something that looks like the last thing they carried from their homes before they were displaced.

Two pieces of -- two pair -- a pair of socks, one very old sweater, people are really desperate, really hungry, and mostly really scared.

WATT: Hunger and we also heard from, you know, the World Health Organization, chief, we heard of a toxic mix of disease, hunger, and lack of hygiene. I mean, the lack of food is just part of this problem.

ALRIFAI: Indeed. I did go into two shelters by UNRWA. And just to note, UNRWA, the agency, I work for is the largest U.N. agency operating in Gaza and hosting 1.4 million displaced people in our buildings.

These buildings are a mix of warehouses and schools and health centers and even offices. The overcrowding inside these dark and damp shelters can normally be a ground -- a fertile ground for diseases, respiratory diseases, skin diseases, and diseases related to the lack of hygiene.

You know, over four -- over 500 people share one toilet units in shelters that have over 12,000 people in them. Remember the times from COVID, from corona, and the scare we had of the spread of corona, when people were overcrowded.

It is exactly the same now, but that range of diseases we're looking at is much wider. So, yes, I support what my World Health Organization colleagues are saying. Those who are not dying or did not die from the bombs and the hostilities might actually die from hunger or from different diseases they catch in overcrowded, cold, and damp places.

WATT: I'm not sure if you were dialed in, but we just heard from Antony Blinken, the state -- Antony Blinken, the state department -- secretary of state, saying that he is hearing a lot of demands on Israel, but he's not hearing anyone demand that Hamas, stop hiding behind civilians lay down its arms, that if Hamas surrenders this is over tomorrow.

What's your reaction to those words from the secretary of state?

ALRIFAI: The United Nations in its entirety, from its secretary general to the different agencies, humanitarian development, have all condemned in the strongest terms, the attacks by Hamas in Israel on the 7th of October. We have all been calling for the release of the hostages and also for a humanitarian ceasefire, the unimpeded access of humanitarian assistance.

We have been unequivocal in our positions. But we've also been saying that using humanitarian assistance as a weapon of war is leading to the collective punishment of over 2 million people who are stranded in Gaza, and for most have nothing to do with the original attacks.

So, we are calling for a separation of these files and these negotiations. Humanitarian assistance should not be a bargaining chip. We need to get more aid in, because if not, then, in a few weeks, and in a few months, all of us, representatives of the international community will have a very heavy burden on our shoulders related to the consequences of hunger of diseases and of the continued bombing if there is no humanitarian ceasefire.

[02:15:07]

WATT: Tamara Alrifai, joining us from Amman, Jordan. Thanks very much for your time.

Now, if you would like information about how you can help humanitarian efforts in Gaza and Israel, go to cnn.com/impact. We've gathered a list of vetted organizations responding to the crisis. That's cnn.com/impact.

Six Americans classified as wrongfully detained in Venezuela, are back on U.S. soil. They landed in Texas just a few hours ago, after the White House agreed to a prisoner swap with the Venezuelan government.

One of the newly freed Americans described his time in captivity.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) SAVOI WRIGHT, RELEASED FROM VENEZUELA: I didn't know if I would ever make it out. And it's really scary to be in a place where you're used to having freedoms and you're locked into a cell. Sometimes with four other people, a very tiny cell.

And to realize, am I ever going to get out of this? Am I ever going to make it home? How did I get to this point?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WATT: The U.S. special envoy for hostage affairs says no other Americans are currently being held in Venezuelan prisons.

The group of 10 people released includes four others not seen here, as well as a notorious fugitive, who was expected to appear -- to appear in U.S. federal court in the day ahead.

To get the Americans out, the Biden administration made a difficult decision to release a key ally of the Venezuelan president.

CNN's Ed Lavandera has more details on this prisoner swap.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ED LAVANDERA, CNN SENIOR NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice over): 10 Americans who have spent months and years in prison and Venezuela are now back in the United States. Six men who were officially listed as wrongfully detained by the U.S. government touched down in San Antonio, Texas Wednesday night.

Among them, Joseph Cristella, Eyvin Hernandez, Jerrel Kenemore, and Savoi Wright.

BLINKEN: We have no higher priority than doing everything we possibly can to bring our fellow citizens out of harm's way.

LAVANDERA (voice over): Also included in the deal is Leonard Francis, the infamously corrupt military contractor known as Fat Leonard. He was the mastermind of the largest bribery scandal in the U.S. naval history. He fled to Venezuela after his conviction in 2015.

The U.S. had eased some economic sanctions against Venezuela as the country took steps to open its elections, and agree to return Alex Saab, an ally of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro.

Saab was facing prison time in the U.S. on corruption and money laundering charges. The Venezuelan government is also releasing 20 political prisoners, some seen leaving prison by a CNN team in Venezuela.

The Biden administration says this is a sign of improving relations between the U.S. and Venezuela, and part of its effort to push the socialist dictatorship towards more democratic reforms.

But the deal comes as the Maduro regime is threatening to take over part of a neighboring country, Guyana, since just east of Venezuela, and Maduro, once control of the small country's oil reserves.

And a senior administration official says Maduro still faces criminal charges in the U.S., including drug trafficking and corruption.

President Biden is vowing to keep the pressure up on the Venezuelan president.

JOE BIDEN, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Venezuela thus far is keeping their commitment toward a democratic election, and we're going to hold them accountable.

LAVANDERA (voice over): But this deal sparks renewed frustration for families of some other Americans imprisoned abroad.

Paul Whelan has been held in a Russian prison for nearly five years. His brother recently telling "OUTFRONT", his family is growing frustrated with the Biden administration.

DAVID WHELAN, BROTHER OF PAUL WHELAN: Unfortunately, I don't see that the government is any closer to bringing Paul home than they were a year ago.

LAVANDERA (voice over): But President Vladimir Putin so far is refusing to make a deal for his release.

VLADIMIR PUTIN, RUSSIAN PRESIDENT (through translator): We want to negotiate.

LAVANDERA: The Russian president said last week, we want to negotiate and the agreements must be mutually acceptable and satisfactory to both sides. Like the one made to release Brittney Griner more than a year ago in exchange for an international arms dealer.

But the hope for these other American families is that the U.S. could strike another deal to bring their loved ones back home.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LAVANDERA (on camera): The release of these American detainees unfolded so quickly on Wednesday that their families didn't have time to make it to Texas to watch them walk off the plane.

Two of the American detainees spoke after they arrived. They said they were grateful to the Biden administration for negotiating the release and that they were grateful to finally having the chance to reuniting with their own families.

Ed Lavandera, CNN, San Antonio, Texas.

[02:19:55]

WATT: Now earlier, CNN's Jake Tapper asked our Isa Soares about Alex Saab, the Maduro ally who the U.S. apprehended while he was on an overseas trip and they have just released. She called him the Venezuelan press Stop the Maduro ally who the U.S. apprehended while he was on an overseas trip. And now, just released. She called him, the Venezuelan president's money man.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ISA SOARES, CNN ANCHOR AND CORRESPONDENT: He is pivotal to Nicolas Maduro, he is his fixer, and the ultimate dealmaker. And to see the extent of this, you only have to look at the press release, in fact, that the Venezuelan government put out in the last few hours, they called him our diplomat. Saying that he was kidnapped, Jake, by the United States for more than three years.

And you only have to look at the moment, in fact, you're looking at there now. The moment he landed in Caracas today to see the importance of him to Nicolas Maduro, he received almost like a hero's welcome with the first lady. I mean, if we have the little video there of Venezuela. Celia Flores and other high-ranking members of the Venezuelan government there to greet him.

Now, he was arrested, just from context for our viewers, back in 2020, in Cape Verde, while traveling from Venezuela to Iran, his jet actually stopped in Cape Verde to refuel and that's when he was apprehended and extradited to the United States.

He was charged with money laundering and bribery, siphoning off some lumps -- something like $350 million from Venezuela, as part of a scheme to bribe government officials.

On top of that, Jake, he orchestrated a corruption network that enabled Maduro and his regime to significantly profit from food imports. In other words, using food as a form of social control.

Now, context here is important for our viewers. For Maduro, Jake, this is win.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WATT: CNN's Isa Soares, speaking earlier with Jake Tapper.

Still to come, Emmanuel Macron tries to defend France's controversial new immigration bill, as critics accuse him of giving in to the far right.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WATT: After years of dispute and disagreement, there is compromise and agreement. European nations have reached a deal on one of the most contentious issues facing the bloc. They agreed to overhaul the E.U.'s migration and asylum system.

The agreement addresses five E.U. laws covering all aspects of how refugees and migrants are screened, and processed. E.U. countries would each be responsible for accepting a share of the 30,000 migrants the bloc is expected to accommodate per year based on a country's population and GDP. The president of the European Parliament says it may not be a perfect solution, but it's an improvement.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ROBERTA METSOLA, PRESIDENT, EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT: Now, we are aware that there is no perfect solution, it is not a perfect package on the table. And it does not look at the solutions to all complex issues. But what we do have on the table is far better for all of us than we have had previously.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

[02:25:05]

WATT: Amnesty International says the deal would only worsen the suffering of asylum seekers, refugees, and migrants. And a formal agreement will still need to be approved by all 27 E.U. members then ratified by the Parliament, where it does face some opposition.

Meantime, French President Emmanuel Macron is defending his country's controversial immigration bill, which passed on Tuesday, calling it "the shield that we lacked". The bill would make it harder for migrants to get state benefits and restricts them from moving their relatives to France.

An initial version was rejected by lawmakers on both the left and right. But this new revised bill was backed by both Macron's party and most notably, the far right.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

EMMANUEL MACRON, PRESIDENT OF FRANCE (through translator): Fighting against illegal immigration is, I think, hard to consider as a strictly right-wing policy. And when I see the popular electorate, they're in favor of that.

When you live in working class neighborhoods, you have security difficulties, sometimes immigration that is not well controlled, the consequences of which you experience well, you are in favor of this law.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WATT: The head of the French Communist Party says the bill is directly inspired by the anti-immigration policies of far-right politician Marine Le Pen.

Meanwhile, Donald Trump is lashing out at the Colorado Supreme Court decision to keep him off the ballot in the 2024 presidential election over his efforts to overturn the 2020 election, which he lost.

Trump posted on his Truth Social platform, "A sad day in America," and "What a shame for our country."

The former president is fundraising off the ruling urging his supporters to chip in so he can stay on the ballot.

His Republican rivals including Ron DeSantis, and Nikki Haley, say the voters, not judges should decide who runs for president.

And now, the U.S. Supreme Court will most likely be forced to make a momentous decision.

CNN's Brian Todd has the details.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DONALD TRUMP, FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: We did nothing wrong.

BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): Donald Trump has again put the United States in uncharted waters. Never before in American history has the 14th Amendment to the Constitution, the so -called insurrectionist ban, been applied to a top presidential candidate.

But then again, no American president has ever tried to overturn an election as Trump did. What is the 14th Amendment?

STEPHEN VLADECK, CHAIR IN FEDERAL COURTS, UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS SCHOOL OF LAW: This forward-looking rule that if you have engaged in insurrection against the United States, you may not hold federal office, unless two thirds of both chambers of Congress say you can.

TODD (voice over): Specifically, Section Three of the 14th Amendment says, no person who's previously taken an oath to support the Constitution shall hold any office who has engaged in insurrection or rebellion against the Constitution or given aid or comfort to the enemies thereof.

And the Colorado Supreme Court has ruled that's what Trump did on January 6th, 2021, when he implored his supporters to go to the Capitol.

TRUMP: And we're going to the Capitol.

TODD: The 14th Amendment was ratified in 1868. Another period of raw political turmoil.

DOUGLAS BRINKLEY, CNN PRESIDENTIAL HISTORIAN: Those reconstruction amendments in 1868, came about because our country was torn apart in the Civil War.

VLADECK: When Congress drafted Section Three of the 14th Amendment, it was already worried about the problem of southern states. If you had been part of the Confederacy, send them back to Washington. Officials who had fought for the Confederacy, officials who had been leaders in the Confederate government.

TODD: In 1870, Zebulon Vance, who had served in the Confederate army was appointed as a senator from North Carolina, but the Senate refused to seat him, citing the 14th Amendment. Vance later got amnesty and did end up serving in the Senate. In the early 1900s. Victor Berger, a socialist from Wisconsin was refused a seat in the House of Representatives twice after having been elected. His opposition to World War I had led him to be criminally charged with disloyal acts, and the house use the 14th Amendment to keep him out.

But he eventually got his conviction overturned and did serve in the House.

More recently, a county commissioner in New Mexico was removed from office in 2022 on 14th Amendment grounds, because he actually was a convicted January 6th rioter.

Now, we have the possibility that the U.S. Supreme Court will take up the Colorado ruling, and decide whether Trump can be on state ballots.

It would be the first time since Bush versus Gore in 2000, that the Supreme Court would have weighed in on such an important matter in presidential politics.

[02:30:01]

BEN GINSBERG, REPUBLICAN ELECTION LAWYER: The country is much more divided now than it's ever been before. I mean in a sense if you're a Supreme Court justice, it makes Bush versus Gore look like a walk in the park.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

TODD: Donald Trump has denied doing anything wrong on January 6th, and as of now, he has not been convicted of any crime related to January 6th. But legal analyst Stephen Vladeck says at least one of those previous cases where Congress has denied seats to people based on the 14th Amendment is an indication you don't have to be convicted to be prevented from holding office under that amendment.

Brian Todd, CNN, Washington.

NICK WATT, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: And we will be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WATT: A woman who survived the October 7th Hamas attack at the Nova Music Festival in Israel has returned to the site of the massacre, and reunited with the man who saved her life. CNN's Will Ripley joined this young woman as she made that emotional return.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

WILL RIPLEY, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Looking at that cloud of smoke, what does that trigger for you?

NATALIE SANANDAJI, NOVA MUSIC FESTIVAL SURVIVOR: It's the same smoke, it definitely reminds me of those noises that bring me back to that day.

RIPLEY (voice-over): In southern Israel, you don't need a map to know you are near Gaza.

RIPLEY: Why are you here? Why do you want to go back?

SANANDAJI: Sorry.

RIPLEY (voice-over): That loud boom outgoing artillery near our car, rattling native New Yorker Natalie Sanandaji.

RIPLEY: Tell me what that made you feel like just now?

SANANDAJI: I got scared, like we were being shot at it. I'm fine

RIPLEY (voice-over): The last time she was on this road, Natalie was running for her life. Just after sunrise on Saturday October 7th, rocket interceptions seen from the dance floor at the Nova Music Festival. Hamas militants killed more than 350 people, mostly young, mostly Jewish, mostly unarmed.

SANANDAJI: I feel so lucky that I made it out, that I got out alive. I feel that it is my duty to be that voice for all those who were not as lucky as me.

RIPLEY (voice-over): That sense of duty is why she is returning to Israel for the first time since the attacks.

SANANDAJI: Just seeing all these faces, and knowing people that loved these faces.

RIPLEY (voice-over): Faces of friends who never made it home.

SANANDAJI: Oh my gosh! (Inaudible) It's so crazy, I was dancing right next to them. It's so hard to see how many of them there are.

[02:35:00]

RIPLEY: And it could've been you.

SANANDAJI: Yeah.

RIPLEY (voice-over): The music festival campsite now a place where families come to grieve. Rockets in the sky, gunshots on the ground. All she could do was run. Many took cover in bathrooms, bomb shelters, ditches. Most of them ended up dead. Four hours of running, exhausted, dehydrated. Natalie collapsed.

SANANDAJI: I never thought that I would really just sit down and accept my fate.

RIPLEY (voice-over): Too tired to run as a truck came closer.

SANANDAJI: We had nowhere to run to, like where are we going to get up and run to, like this is a terrorist coming to kill us like that is it. Kind of like that one, yeah.

RIPLEY (voice-over): The man behind the wheel not a terrorist, from a nearby village. Natalie never got his name. She only tracked him down a few days ago. It is why she has come back, to thank him. They are about to meet for the first time since that day.

The man fighting back tears, Moshe Sati, an Israeli father of four who left home and drove directly into danger, not once or twice, more than ten trips to and from the music festival site.

RIPLEY: You live so close to this. But, where you prepared fully for what you saw on October 7th?

MOSHE SATI, NOVA MUSIC FESTIVAL RESCUER (through translator): Things like this, you can't forget. I will never forget what I saw. It is very, very tough.

RIPLEY (voice-over): Haunted by the horrors he saw, hardened by the lives he saved.

SANANDAJI: So many people were saved in this truck.

RIPLEY (voice-over): Natalie, one of well over 100 people he packed into his pickup and drove to safety.

SANANDAJI: This truck saved so many lives, and like -- it just looks like an average truck. But like, I stood right there in that corner. If it wasn't for him, I truly don't think I would have been here today.

RIPLEY (voice-over): One bright chapter on a very dark day.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

RIPLEY: Natalie told us one reason she's sharing her story is, she does want people to forget that there is a human face to all of this. These young people who were killed on October 7th have been politicized and Natalie herself has been a target of fairly intense online hate as a result of sharing her story. She wants people to remember that civilians on both sides are dying, and they have families, they have people who love them. And she says they need to be remembered.

Will Ripley, CNN, Tel Aviv.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WATT: Thousands of people evacuated from a town in southern Iceland won't be allowed back into their homes before Christmas. Lava flows from the volcano which erupted Monday continued to slow, but authorities say they are unpredictable and could start heading towards the town of Grindavik.

[02:40:00]

WATT: The government is buying apartments for people to move into. CNN's Fred Pleitgen is on the scene.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT AND ANCHOR (voice-over): Up close as the earth spews fountains of lava, south Iceland remains in a state of emergency as the volcanic eruption continues.

PLEITGEN: This is as close as the Icelandic authorities are going to allow us to the actual fissure, to where the eruption is happening. I'd say we're a mile, maybe less than a mile away from it.

PLEITGEN: Now, things have calmed down a little bit, but at the same time, of course, the danger is still there. The authorities fear that there could be new vents that might open up, pop up, and that more lava could be gushing to the surface and then could be coming to the surface in fountains like we've seen over the past day and a half. So while things have gotten a little bit more muted, certainly the danger is not over.

PLEITGEN (voice-over): In the early stages of the eruption, a wall of lava spewing hundreds of feet into the air. While it has subsided somewhat, the underground magma tunnel remains active and dangerous.

BJARKI KALDALONS FRIIS, GEOLOGIST: Still dangerous, of course, and the magma that is coming up is around 1,200-degrees hot when it comes to the surface, and it takes a long time for the surface to cool down.

PLEITGEN (voice-over): The area around the eruption zone remains cordoned off, critical infrastructure in danger, the world famous Blue Lagoon hot springs closed.

PLEITGEN: Here's another reason why the situation is so dangerous. You see over there is the volcanic activity. And if we pan over in this direction, over there is a geothermal power plant that's extremely important for the electricity here in this area. The authorities are trying to protect that power plant by building a berm against any lava flows.

PLEITGEN (voice-over): For the local residents, no respite.

KATRIN JAKOBSDOTTIR, PRIME MINISTER OF ICELAND: We now have this volcanic eruption very close to Grindavik. I think it has proven wise that the town was evacuated in November. We have been buying flats for the residents. So now, we actually have 70 flats that people can move into before Christmas, which is the most -- people who are in most dire need of housing.

PLEITGEN (voice-over): Leaving many residents wondering if they will ever see their homes again.

Fred Pleitgen, CNN, near Grindavik, Iceland.

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WATT: Travelers preparing to cruise to the sunny Caribbean had to pack away the swimsuits and pull out the woolly jumpers after a late change their schedule. Their ship was set to sail this week from New York to the Bahamas on a seven-day trip. But the itinerary changed because of stormy weather. So instead, it was often New England and Canada for 2,900 passengers who agreed to the schedule change, rather than credit for a future cruise.

One cruise-goer told CNN her family rushed to buy winter clothes. Despite the chillier conditions, these children were determined to make the most of the facilities. The ship is set to arrive in Saint John, Canada today, where the forecast high temperature is below freezing.

I'm Nick Watt. I'll be back in 15 minutes with more "CNN Newsroom." "World Sport" is next.

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