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Death Toll In Gaza Exceeds 21,300 Since October 7th; Exclusive Reporting From CNN Sheds New Light On The Trump Campaign's Actions After His 2020 Election Loss; Trump's Republican Rival Nikki Haley In Damage Control Mode; National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan Calls On Russia To Release Wrongfully Detained American Paul Whelan. Kibbutz: Israeli-American Woman Was Killed on Oct. 7; Egypt, Jordan Reject Displacement of Palestinians; Secretary General on Global Conflicts, Need for Global Solutions; Early Winter Floods Swamp the Danube. Aired 2-3a ET
Aired December 29, 2023 - 02:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[02:00:00]
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KIM BRUNHUBER, CNN ANCHOR: Welcome to all of you watching us around the world. I'm Kim Brunhuber. Ahead on CNN NEWSROOM. Desperate scenes from Gaza as civilians overwhelm a relief aid convoy. Details plus efforts to prevent the further displacement of Palestinians there.
Maine becomes the second state in the U.S. to remove former President Donald Trump from the upcoming primary ballot. Why that state's top election official says he shouldn't be a choice in the primary election. And a SpaceX rocket blasts off for the U.S. military. What we know about its secret mission.
VOICE-OVER: Live from Atlanta, this is CNN NEWSROOM with Kim Brunhuber.
BRUNHUBER: And we begin with difficult scenes in Gaza where dozens of Palestinians were reported killed on Thursday. The Gaza Health Ministry, which is controlled by Hamas, says Israeli airstrikes left 50 people dead in various parts of the enclave.
A hospital director says more than 20 of them were killed when an apparent Israeli airstrike hit a residential building in Rafah. Among the dead, 12 children and four women, according to a medical source.
An Israeli military spokesperson told CNN, Rafah is supposed to be a designated humanitarian area but claims Hamas is using that to its advantage. Listen to this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DORON SPIELMAN, MAJOR, ISRAEL DEFENSE FORCES SPOKESPERSON: The issue is that Hamas are firing constant rockets from that area towards Israel. We had numerous rockets that have been fired. We've had thousands of rockets that have been fired since October 7th and many of them, especially today, come directly from that area. And I think like any army in the world, if there is a rocket fire
coming from a location, before those rockets hit your people, you try to disable them and eliminate them. Problem is Hamas are firing them from civilian areas. That is constantly the problem again and again and again in Gaza.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BRUNHUBER: The Hamas-controlled health ministry in Gaza says the death toll there now exceeds 21,300 since October 7th. Now, CNN can't verify that figure, but it's clear the shortages and suffering are severe. CNN footage shows thousands of desperate civilians overwhelming a relief aid convoy in northern Gaza. Earlier this week, the U.N. said 2.2 million people in the territory are dealing with acute hunger.
Meanwhile, Lebanese and European officials are scrambling to calm the growing conflict between Hezbollah in Lebanon and Israel. The militant group claimed to carry out attacks on multiple barracks in northern Israel on Thursday. CNN's Nada Bashir has details on the clashes.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
NADA BASHIR, CNN REPORTER (voice-over): Smoke billowing from the mountains of southern Lebanon, a troubling and now increasingly frequent signal of escalating hostilities. Iran-backed Hezbollah claiming to have targeted an Israeli border city on Wednesday with 30 rockets. This, in response to Israeli airstrikes on the Lebanese village of Bin Shbeir just hours earlier.
There is nothing residents here can do to shield from the growing tensions gripping the embattled border region. Each airstrike bringing with it more fear and more grief. This latest attack killing at least three according to state media, but only one said to have been a member of Hezbollah.
AFIF BAZZI, BINT JBEIL, LEBANON MAYOR (through translator): This neighborhood, which is in the heart of the city, is supposed to be a safe area. Civilians were sleeping in their homes when suddenly we heard the sound of aircrafts above and then these houses were destroyed.
BASHIR (voice-over): The situation on the border has long been tenuous, underpinned by a U.N. resolution adopted following the 2006 Lebanon war, calling for a cessation of hostilities between Israel and Hezbollah. But Israeli officials are now warning of an escalation which could open up a new front in the Gaza war.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BENNY GANTZ, ISRAELI WAR CABINET MEMBER (through translator): The stopwatch for a diplomatic solution is running out. If the world and the Lebanese government don't act in order to prevent the firing on Israel's northern residents and to distance Hezbollah from the border, the IDF will do it. BASHIR (through translator): Israel's unrelenting military operation
in Gaza and the devastating civilian toll has sparked anger across the region. And while the U.S. continues to call on Israel to move towards what's being described as a lower intensity phase of the war, Israeli officials, including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, have warned of a long fight ahead with plans to expand their military operation southwards already underway.
Overnight Thursday, the foreboding red glow of fire illuminated the dark winter sky over Rafah.
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This, the very place civilians have been told to take shelter. A so- called safe zone and a crucial gateway for aid, once again targeted by Israeli airstrikes. In nearby Khan Younis, emergency teams work day and night to tend to the wounded and to recover the dead. Israel says it is targeting Hamas and has issued renewed calls for civilians to evacuate but there is nowhere left to turn.
UNKNOWN: People sheltering in schools do not know where to go. First, we were displaced to Nusrat, then to Rafah. We keep on getting told to move from one place to another.
BASHIR (voice-over): For the 2.3 million Palestinians trapped in Gaza, the vast majority now displaced in the South, there are no guarantees of safety. Surrounded by a war which has shown them no mercy, and engulfed by a humanitarian crisis of unimaginable scale, leaving little hope for an end to their suffering. Nada Bashir, CNN, London.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BRUNHUBER: Months into the war, the senior leadership of Hamas is still alive and more than 100 hostages are still in Gaza. Earlier, we asked a senior fellow at the Middle East Institute if Israel's goal of destroying Hamas is realistic.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
KHALED ELGINDY, SENIOR FELLOW, MIDDLE EAST INSTITUTE: I think it wasn't realistic. I think I and many other analysts and I'm sure the intelligence community in Washington is sending the same message that Hamas is simply not going to be destroyed militarily. It's delusional and I think quite dangerous to try to maintain that fantasy. And it's actually been quite deadly.
The Biden administration made that mistake very early on to indulge this idea that Hamas could be eliminated. Political organizations are not going to be eliminated with sheer military force. You have to address the political issues that underlie these issues.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BRUNHUBER: At least 25 Palestinians in the West Bank were arrested by Israeli forces, according to the Palestinian Prisoner Society, though Israel says it arrested 21 people in raids on an alleged Hamas funding network in the West Bank. Clashes broke out in several locations in the West Bank.
The Palestinian Ministry of Health in Ramallah says one man was killed in the city following an Israeli incursion. Four people were injured including a journalist. The IDF says it responded with live fire after, quote, "A salience opened fire and through explosive devices and Molotov cocktails.
Meanwhile, UNICEF released a report on Thursday that found 2023 was the deadliest year for children in the West Bank amid the escalating violence. The U.N. agency says 124 Palestinian children and six Israeli children were killed since the beginning of the year, more than 80 of them in the past 12 weeks.
The U.S. Navy destroyer in the Red Sea shot down a drone and a ballistic missile launched from Yemen on Thursday. U.S. Central Command says the launches were carried out by the Houthis, an Iranian proxy in Yemen. It's the latest incident in a spate of attacks in recent weeks in the Red Sea, one of the most important maritime shipping routes in the world.
On Tuesday, the U.S. military shot down a barrage of drones and missiles over a 10-hour period. Now, it comes as the U.S. Treasury Department on Thursday imposed sanctions on one individual and three businesses for facilitating the flow of Iranian money to Houthi forces.
Western nations are jointly condemning Iran for increasing production of highly enriched uranium. The U.S. and the E3, Germany, France and the U.K. issued the statement after the release of a report from the United Nations nuclear watchdog. It found that Iran is now producing more uranium enriched up to 60 percent at the Natanz and Forto facilities.
Iran insists its program is for nuclear power, but that only requires uranium enriched to three to five percent. The E3 nations remain party to the 2015 deal that capped Iran's enrichment activities at less than four percent, but the U.S. withdraw under Donald Trump in 2018, claiming Iran wasn't living up to its end.
Maine is now the second U.S. state to remove former President Donald Trump from the ballot for next year's Republican primary. The move is based on the 14th Amendment's insurrectionist ban in the U.S. Constitution.
Maine's Secretary of State Shenna Bellows issued the decision on Thursday after hearing a challenge against Trump from a bipartisan group of former state lawmakers.
Colorado made a similar move weeks ago. The Chair of Maine's Republican Party says Bellows made the ruling simply because she dislikes Trump. Bellows says the decision was required by the state's constitution.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) JOEL STETKIS, CHAIR, MAINE REPUBLICAN PARTY: Our voting rights enshrined in the Constitution are sacred to us.
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And to have one particular person remove -- remove really the top candidate from the ballot because she dislikes that person, just smells of politics that so many Americans really, really hate now.
SHENNA BELLOWS, MAINE SECRETARY OF STATE: The U.S. Constitution does not tolerate and assault on our government, on the foundations of our government. And that main election law and the constitution required indeed obligated me to act. These are decisions that are part of my obligations and part of my duty. And that is what I am compelled to do by the constitution.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
Meanwhile, exclusive reporting from CNN sheds new light on the Trump campaign's actions after his 2020 election loss. CNN has examined recordings and emails that provide a behind-the-scenes look at efforts to keep Trump in office and plans to use fake electors to overturn President-elect Joe Biden's victory. CNN reporter Marshall Cohen has the story.
MARSHALL COHEN, CNN REPORTER: We've known bits and pieces of this story, but now we're getting the full picture. It comes from Ken Chesebro, who in many ways was the architect of the fake electors plot. CNN has obtained recordings of his recent interview with Michigan investigators and hundreds of emails that he turned over.
They reveal the last minute scramble on the eve of January 6th to get those fake certificates to Washington, D.C. Take a listen to Chesebro describing what happened when Trump campaign officials realized that the ballots from Michigan and Wisconsin were stuck in the mail.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
KENNETH CHESEBRO, PRO-TRUMP ATTORNEY: The general counsel of the Trump campaign is freaked out that Roman reported that the Michigan votes are still in the sorting facility in Michigan, which doesn't look like they're going to get to Pence in time.
So, the general counsel of the campaign was alarmed and was chartering. They didn't have to charter a jet, but they did commercial. This is like, yeah, so this is a level decision to get the Michigan and Wisconsin votes there. And they had to enlist a, you know, a U.S. Senator to try to expedite it to get it to Pence to time.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COHEN: Now, remember, they needed to get those ballots to the House floor because they wanted to have Mike Pence throw out Joe Biden's real electors and replace them with Donald Trump's fake electors. In the end, the campaign didn't charter a jet. Staffers booked last- minute tickets on commercial flights, and they ferried the ballots to D.C. on January 5th.
Once they got to D.C., there was a series of handoffs and couriers that even included some help from Senator Ron Johnson's office. The ballots eventually reached the Capitol in time, but Pence's team said they didn't want them. He refused to go along with the plan.
By the way, this episode is vaguely referenced in Special Counsel Jack Smith's indictment against Trump. Sources tell CNN that some of the people involved, including the staffers who were on those flights, have even spoken to Smith's team.
But it's not clear how many of these details from the last minute scramble are going to factor into Donald Trump's criminal trial, which is scheduled to begin in March. Marshall Cohen, CNN, Washington.
BRUNHUBER: Trump's Republican rival Nikki Haley is in damage control mode, trying to contain the fallout from a controversial exchange about the Civil War and slavery. CNN's Eva McKend has details.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
NIKKI HALEY, REPUBLICAN PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Of course, the Civil War was about slavery. We know that. That's unquestioned, always the case.
EVA MCKEND, CNN U.S. NATIONAL POLITICS CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Nikki Haley playing clean-up after this exchange with a voter during a New Hampshire town hall Wednesday night.
UNKNOWN: What was the cause of the United States Civil War?
HALEY: Well, don't come with an easy question or anything. I mean I think the cause of the Civil War was basically how government was going to run the freedoms and what people could and couldn't do.
UNKNOWN: In the year 2023, it's astonishing to me that you answer that question without mentioning the word slavery.
MCKEND (voice-over): After not mentioning slavery in her initial response, Haley acknowledging in interviews and campaign appearances, the Civil War was about slavery.
HALEY: If you grow up in the South, it's a given that it's about slavery. To me it was about freedom. It's bigger than slavery. That was such a stain on our history. But what do you take from it going forward?
MCKEND (voice-over): The former South Carolina governor, also claiming without evidence, the questioner was a Democratic plant. The audience member who asked the question declined to share his full name or party affiliation when asked by reporters.
HALEY: It was definitely a Democrat plant.
[02:15:00]
That's why I said, what does it mean to you? And if you notice, he didn't answer anything.
MCKEND (voice-over): The episode sparking swift blowback from Haley's primary rivals.
RON DESANTIS, REPUBLICAN PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I just think that this shows this is not a candidate that's ready for prime time.
MCKEND (voice-over): And Vivek Ramaswamy saying, when you try to be everything to everyone, you're nothing to anyone. President Joe Biden also weighing in, saying clearly it was about slavery. Haley's handling of the question also drawing fresh attention to her complicated public posture toward the Confederacy.
HALEY: I say that as a Southern governor who removed the Confederate flag off the statehouse grounds. And I say that as a proud American of how far we have come.
MCKEND (voice-over): CNN's K-File found in 2010, Haley said this about the Confederate flag.
HALEY: This is not something that is racist. This is something that is a tradition that people feel proud of.
MCKEND (voice-over): But in 2015, a shooting at a historically black church in Charleston spurred then Governor Haley to call for the flag's removal from State House grounds.
HALEY: We heard about the true honor of heritage and tradition. We heard about the true pain that many had felt. The Confederate flag is coming off the grounds of the South Carolina State House.
MCKEND (voice-over): The stumble by Haley comes as she has steadily gained momentum in the GOP primary, with a recent New Hampshire poll showing her securely in second place behind former President Donald Trump, but well ahead of DeSantis and Chris Christie.
MCKEND: Some of Haley's supporters that we spoke to remain unswayed by all of this and really are continuing to be very enthusiastic about the campaign. But she did get a pointed question from a voter who suggested she needed to redeem herself from this entire debacle by categorically rejecting that she would ever be Trump's running mate if asked.
She didn't categorically reject it. She instead leaned on a familiar refrain that she often gives in which she says, she's not in this contest to play for second place. Eva McKend, CNN. Lebanon, New Hampshire.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BRUNHUBER: Cities across Ukraine take a pounding from Russian rockets and drones while an international cargo ship becomes a target on its way to load Ukrainian grain. We'll have the latest on the fighting there. Plus, from high hopes on the battlefield to an uphill battle on all fronts. How military and political realities repeatedly put Ukraine's President to test this year. Stay with us. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BRUNHUBER: Now, to the war in Ukraine where explosions are reported in multiple cities. Officials said the second-largest city, Kharkiv, has been under a large rocket attack in the last few hours. There were also blasts in Lviv in the far west of the country, in the northeastern Sumi region, where three people were reportedly wounded.
[02:20:00]
Residents of Kyiv were being urged to take shelter because drones were detected in the area. And the U.K. defense intelligence is backing up Ukraine's claim that it completely destroyed a Russian landing ship in Crimea which was likely carrying explosives. Ukraine said it struck the vessel on Tuesday, but Moscow claimed the ship was only damaged.
Meanwhile, 2023 is ending on a down note for Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelenskyy. His much anticipated counteroffensive has largely stagnated, and so has the flow of Western military aid for Ukraine, at least for now. As Melissa Bell reports, Zelenskyy is finding the hard way how quickly the political winds can change.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MELISSA BELL, CNN SENIOR PARIS CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): It was an 11th hour invitation that led President Zelenskyy to Washington in December. This time with the question of further funding to Ukraine stalled on Capitol Hill.
JOE BIDEN, U.S. PRESIDENT: I don't want you giving up hope.
BELL (voice-over): A far cry from the hero's welcome the Ukrainian President had received in 2022, with progress on the ground in Ukraine apparently stalled as well.
VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY, UKRAINIAN PRESIDENT (through translator): The counteroffensive is difficult. It's happening probably slower than how some people may want or can see it.
BELL (voice-over): A foothold on the east bank of the Dnipro River, one of the rare Ukrainian gains despite months of fighting, with questions of how much more money allies can invest.
MIKE JOHNSON, U.S. HOUSE SPEAKER: What the Biden administration seems to be asking for is billions of additional dollars with no appropriate oversight, no clear strategy to win.
BELL (voice-over): Allegations of corruption haven't helped despite President Zelenskyy's determination to act, with the firing of top officials and the arrest of a leading oligarch who was also a backer of his presidential bid.
ZELENSKYY (through translator): Any internal issue that hinders the state is being cleaned up and will be cleaned up further. We need a strong state and Ukraine will be just that. BELL (voice-over): But it is on the battlefield that the Ukrainian
President's ability to lead is being engaged most closely. As is his relationship to the troops and to the man who leads them. Valery Zaluzhny, with hints of a strained relationship, alluded to at Zelenskyy's end-of-year press conference.
ZELENSKYY (through translator): He has to answer for results on the battlefield as commander-in-chief, together with the general staff. There are many questions.
BELL (voice-over): Questions also for European and American allies looking to Zelenskyy to deliver victory against Russia, in return for air defense systems, tanks missile systems and now fighter jets. All too little too late say Ukrainians as support for even that aid dries up, Zelenskyy is now an uncharted territory with tens of billions in dollars and euros for Ukraine held up by politicians on both sides of the Atlantic.
The European Union now wrestling with Hungary's opposition as Republicans slow U.S. aid.
ZELENSKYY (through translator): I am confident that the United States of America will not betray us.
BELL (voice-over): But there has been some relief for Ukraine this Christmas, with news breaking of the first long-promised F-16 fighters headed for the country.
ZELENSKYY: Like our victory in the Black Sea, we aim to win that air battle, crushing Russian air dominance.
BELL (voice-over): A note of optimism from a leader desperate to believe that his war can still be won. Melissa Bell, CNN.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BRUNHUBER: U.S. National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan is calling on Russia to release wrongfully detained American Paul Whelan on the anniversary of his captivity in Russia. The ex-Marine was arrested five years ago while visiting Moscow for a friend's wedding. Russian authorities convicted him of spying, sentencing him to 16 years in prison. A statement from Sullivan added the U.S. officials continue to work intensively to bring him home to his loved ones.
CNN spoke with Whelan by phone on Thursday. National Security Reporter Natasha Bertrand has our exclusive report.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
PAUL WHELAN, WRONGFULLY DETAINED AMERICAN EX-MARINE: Five years have passed since I was abducted from Moscow hotel by Russian secret police.
NATASHA BERTRAND, CNN NATIONAL SECURITY REPORTER: American Paul Whelan marking a grim milestone in a call with CNN on Thursday. WHELAN: I'm counting on the U.S. government to come for me and soon.
The time is now to take decisive action and bring this debacle to a close.
BERTRAND (voice-over): Arrested in 2018, during a trip to Moscow, Whelan was sentenced to serve 16 years in a Russian prison camp on espionage charges that he denies. The State Department has since labeled Whelan as, quote, wrongfully detained.
WHELAN: The important part today is human rights violations. No crime ever occurred. Isolation continues in order to force a false confession.
BERTRAND (voice-over): In multiple exclusive phone calls to CNN from this Russian penal colony where he spends his days doing manual labor at a clothing factory, Whelan says he now fears for his safety and demands that the U.S. do more to broker his release.
[02:25:00]
WHELAN: I am wondering what they're going to do next. If there's no diplomatic solution, what comes next?
BERTRAND (voice-over): When he spoke to Secretary of State Antony Blinken in October, Whelan said the U.S. had put him in danger by leaving him behind in several prisoner swaps. The Russians had refused to include Whelan in those deals, U.S. officials have said.
WHELAN: I told him point blank that leaving me here the first time, painted a target on my back and leaving me here the second time, basically signed a death warrant.
BERTRAND (voice-over): And the most recent American proposal to secure Whelan's release, along with jailed "Wall Street Journal" Reporter Evan Gershkovich, it was also flatly rejected by the Russians, according to U.S. officials.
VLADIMIR PUTIN, RUSSIAN PRESIDENT (through translator): I hope that we will find a solution. But I repeat that the American side must hear us and make a certain decision when that suits the Russian side, as well.
BERTRAND (through translator): Whelan's sister, Elizabeth, says her brother's day-to-day struggles have been overshadowed by the international efforts to get him back and says she'll be fighting for him until he's freed.
ELIZABETH WHELAN, PAUL WHELAN'S SISTER: People tend to think that an American who's wrongfully detained overseas is just sort of sitting like a toy on a shelf waiting to be exchanged when they're actually dealing with horrible criminals, terrible prison situations, every single day. There must be some way to get Paul home.
BERTRAND (voice-over): The desperation clear in Whelan's voice on Thursday as he pleads with the White House to do everything possible to bring him home. WHELAN: President Biden, please use every resource available to
secure my release as you would do if your own son has been taken hostage.
BERTRAND: In recent weeks, Whelan has increasingly expressed fear for his safety, telling my colleague Jennifer Hansler that he was being targeted by an official at that prison camp. But for now, negotiations between the U.S. and Russia seem to be at an impasse.
The U.S. recently offered to swap a number of suspected and convicted Russian spies in U.S. and European custody in exchange for the release of Gershkovich and Whelan, officials told CNN. But Russia rejected the offer.
So, U.S. officials insist now that Whelan's case is still a priority. The U.S. special presidential envoy for hostage affairs told CNN, quote, "We are working daily on this. Lots of people are throwing themselves into this. It's a day to day fight." Natasha Bertrand, CNN, Washington.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BRUNHUBER: You're watching CNN NEWSROOM. Still ahead this hour, devastating news for the family of an Israeli woman thought to be held captive by Hamas. Meanwhile, the Kingdom of Jordan and Egypt's President meet to discuss the war in Gaza. What they're saying about the future of the Palestinian people. That's coming up. Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BRUNHUBER: Welcome back to all of you watching us around the world. I'm Kim Brunhuber. This is CNN NEWSROOM.
A kibbutz in Israel is confirming the death of the 70-year-old Israeli woman who is thought to be held hostage by Hamas. Judy Weinstein also held American and Canadian citizenship. She was a mother of four who taught children with special needs. The kibbutz says she was killed during the Hamas terror attack on October 7th. Her husband's death was confirmed last week and both of their bodies are still being held by Hamas, according to their kibbutz.
Weinstein was the last American woman held in Gaza. Six American men are still believed to be in Hamas captivity.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says talks to free that remaining hostages in Gaza are ongoing. He met with hostage families in Tel Aviv on Thursday.
Ronen Neutra's son was serving as a tank commander near Gaza and he's been missing in action since October 7th.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
RONEN NEUTRA, FATHER OF HOSTAGE: Our message to Prime Minister Netanyahu is loud and clear. It is his responsibility and his administration to bring the hostages back home. And he needs to pull every lever to bring them back. According to Prime Minister Netanyahu, unfortunately, the problem continues to be Hamas. Hamas is refusing to come back to the negotiating table and to take out any offers.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BRUNHUBER: We have more now from journalist Elliott Gotkine in Tel Aviv.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ELLIOTT GOTKINE, JOURNALIST: On Thursday evening, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met with families of hostages still being held in the Gaza Strip by Hamas and other militants. He told them we are holding talks right now to try to get them freed. We will not give up on anyone.
For his part, President Biden is also making more efforts to try to get those hostages freed. He held a conversation with the emir of Qatar just the other day. Qatar being a key mediator because it's its close ties to Hamas to try to get another truce agreement in place.
But, given that fighting between Israel and Hamas is, if anything, intensifying, optimism that another truce agreement will see those hostages freed, in exchange for the release of Palestinian prisoners being held in Israeli jails is in short supply. Of course, any new truce would anyway be too late for some.
Just on Thursday evening, kibbutz Nir Oz confirmed to the death of the American Israeli Canadian citizen, Judy Weinstein. Weinstein was 70 and leaves behind four children, seven grandchildren, and even a 95- year-old mother.
Now, we know that she was injured on October the 7th when she was abducted by Hamas. It now seems that she may have succumbed to those wounds. Either way, she died on October the 7th according to her kibbutz, as did her husband. She was the last remaining female American citizen being held hostage in the Gaza Strip. There is still six men who hold American citizenship being held in the Gaza Strip, out of 100-plus hostages who remain in captivity, some 80 days after they were abducted.
President Biden, in a statement, saying that he will never forget what the daughter of Judy Weinstein and family members of other Americans held hostage in Gaza have shared. They have been living through hell for weeks. No family should have to endure such an ordeal. And I reaffirm the pledge we have made to all the families of those still held hostage, we will not stop working and to bring them home.
Elliott Gotkine, CNN, Tel Aviv.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BRUNHUBER: The leaders of Egypt and Jordan are calling for an immediate cease-fire in Gaza to allow critically needed humanitarian aid. Jordan's King Abdullah traveled to Cairo on Wednesday to meet with Egyptian President Abdel Fatah el-Sisi. A statement from Egypt's residency said both men completely reject the
displacement of Palestinians, either externally or within Gaza or the West Bank.
Joining me now from London is Sanam Vakil, director of the Middle East and North Africa program at Chatham House.
Thank you so much for being here with us.
So I want to start there with a statement from the two leaders, rejecting any Israeli move to expel Palestinians. It's not just a straw man. As far as we know, is there are no such official plans.
[02:25:02]
So why announce their opposition to it?
SANAM VAKIL, MIDDLE EAST & NORTH AFRICA PROGRAMME, CHATHAM HOUSE: Thank you for having me.
Well, across the Middle East, there is a sense that that is Israel's broader goal, to expel Palestinians in Gaza. And there's thinking that that is Israel's ultimate motive, to protect their security. And that is a categorical red line for Egypt and Jordan, that share borders with Israel and have security concerns and don't want to be seen to be underwriting or assisting in this war that has a brutal humanitarian consequences.
BRUNHUBER: Yeah. So we're talking Egypt and Jordan there, two nations with a peace deal with Israel and the UAE and Saudi Arabia, which did or were in the process of normalizing relations.
So, now it seems that the war seems to be driving the Arab states towards a more unified public position, at least on the Israeli- Palestinian conflict. But how united actually are they really, or are they trying to shape the conflict to their own advantage, according to their own priorities?
VAKIL: That's a good question. Of course, there is broad unity in pushing for a cease-fire, in forcing much military, humanitarian aid as possible, to help Palestinians. And I think that there is now broad agreement that Palestinian sovereignty and self determination needs to be addressed for a broader Middle East regional security, as well, of course, for Palestinian rights.
However, there are deep divisions across the region in terms of leadership and how to get there. And there is not a lot of open discussion about the steps. Right now, the unity of the focus is on a cease-fire, a humanitarian aid and hostage release.
And, behind the scenes there is discussion about the process to get there, which could include building a technocratic Palestinian government. And everyone is looking to Washington. The onus is on the Biden administration in order to press Israel, to get to a cease-fire.
Until a cease-fire is obtained, the Arab world and Middle Eastern leaders are not going to play ball, support investment, and provide for security in any of the next steps.
BRUNHUBER: Do you think that the Middle East leaders and could achieve more in terms of effective pressure on Israel, if they were more united? Do they -- do they have the leverage, or is it just sort of, you know, up to the U.S. as you kind of hinted there, to be putting the pressure on Israel?
VAKIL: Well, I do think that they have something to offer Israel. They all collectively could bring Israel closer into the region, broaden the Abraham Accords so that normalization and regional integration is the carrot at the end of what would be a process that would see Palestinian statehood, where Middle Eastern leaders, of course, are divided our over leadership and the pace to that statehood process. And that's why Washington is playing such a broader role.
None of these leaders on their own want to be leading this process, and so they are working at the U.N., multilaterally. The UAE is leading the Arab world position again, calling for a cease-fire first. And that's their position right now. Without a cease-fire, Israel will remain alienated in the region and the broader objective of normalization and regional integration won't be achieved from the view of the Arab world.
And I think what the Israeli government is not seeing is, the longer that this war goes on, the more polarized and isolated Israel will be. It will be harder to build back those ties and those bonds and, of course, to create people to people exchanges, which have been really limited.
BRUNHUBER: Yeah, that's a good point. The problem is these Middle Eastern leaders have to thread the needle here, keeping their publics calm, while also protecting their economic and diplomatic ties with Israel. So, what kind of growing, domestic pressure do you think they are facing as this war continues to grind on?
VAKIL: Well, of course, the region is a very diverse. And populations across the region are very, very angry about the high loss of life, the extraordinary loss of life. Over 21,000 Palestinians have been killed, four out of five people in Gaza are under dire straits and facing deep hunger. These -- this is shocking for the region and they really sense that the West is -- got double standards and that hurts and it is going down in a very awkward and uncomfortable way.
[02:40:04]
And Egypt and Jordan, they face more acute security concerns. They have seen protests, but across the gulf, in the UAE and Saudi Arabia, they have a channeled the resistance and frustration to raising money and trying to build multilateral support for a cease-fire.
But this is a very awkward moment. The region has been caught off guard. They have been warning that the Palestinian issue, it was an explosive one. This, you know, didn't happen out of nowhere. There were pressures mounting all throughout 2023.
So, it is very key to the region security to address Israeli and Palestinian security and, ultimately, Palestinian sovereignty because, of course, the region's economics and the region's vulnerabilities, you know, have all come to the surface.
BRUNHUBER: We will have to leave it there. We really appreciate getting your expertise on this. Sanam Vakil in London, thank you so much.
VAKIL: Thank you.
BRUNHUBER: An Egyptian official says more than 700 foreign nationals entered the country from Gaza on Thursday, including 15 U.S. citizens and more than 100 trucks carrying humanitarian aid, including gas and commercial goods passed into Gaza through the Rafah crossing. The U.N. says that before the war, more hundred than 450 trucks a day brought commercial goods into Gaza.
A somber New Year's message from the U.N. secretary general. Antonio Guterres highlighted the current global conflicts weighing heavily on humanity this holiday season and the need for the world to come together to come to find solutions.
(BEGIN VDIEO CLIP)
ANTONIO GUTERRES, U.N. SECRETARY-GENERAL: 2023 has been a year of enormous suffering, violence, and climate chaos. Humanity is in pain. Our planet is in peril.
2023 is the hottest year on record. People are getting crushed by growing poverty and hunger. Wars are growing in number and ferocity and trust is in short supply.
But pointing fingers and pointing guns lead nowhere. Humanity is strongest when we stand together. 2024 must be a year for rebuilding trust and restoring hope.
We must come together across divides for a share to solutions, for climate protection, for economic opportunity, and a favor global financial system that delivers for all.
Together we must stand up against the discrimination and hatred, that are poisoning relations between countries and communities, and we must make sure that new technologies such as artificial intelligence are a force for good.
The United Nations will keep rallying the world for peace, sustainable development, and human rights. Let us resolve to make 2024 a year of building trust and hope in order that we can accomplish together. I wish you a happy and peaceful new year.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BRUNHUBER: People in Budapest are trying to dry out and working together to get through floodwaters after heavy early rains pushed the Danube River over the banks. We will have details after the break.
And stormy weather whipped up a wild landing for airplane passengers in the U.K. The scary seconds for one flight when we come back.
Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[02:40:28]
BRUNHUBER: A part of Budapest, Hungary, are underwater after an unprecedented December winter floods cause the Danube River to breach its banks. Flood waters reached a decade high level of almost seven meters, or 22 feet. No injuries or major damage were reported.
People in the community built ramps and deployed mobile dams to get to the waters. Climate experts warned of more frequent early warning flags because of climate change. The one the authority says the last time the Danube River level decided six meters, was back in December 1987.
American airlines passenger jets from Los Angeles experienced some serious winds while landing in London on Wednesday. Have a look at this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Oh, stop it.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BRUNHUNBER: Aviation enthusiasts caught the moments on camera there. You can hear him have a cross lens from Storm Gerrit shook the plane just before it touched the ground, calling that wild wobbling you see there. It's a brave scare, and maybe a little nausea, everyone was fine and the plane landed safely.
Well, learning just now three Kenyan fishermen are now safely back on land after being lost at sea for 22 days. That's according to a Kenyan state media on Thursday. A fourth fisherman remains missing.
Authorities say the crew set out on November 30th when they were hit by rogue wave, and stormy waters. It wasn't until December 24th, Christmas Eve, that they were picked up by a Chinese fishing vessel, and now undergoing treatment at the hospital in Mombasa. Authorities are still searching for the fourth crew member.
In the U.S., daring surfers from all over the wild braved the elements to ride some huge waves in northern California. Have a look. It was a part of the legendary Mavericks competition held in Half Moon Bay on Thursday. That's when national weather service issued a high surf warnings that waves could reach up to nearly 10 meters. For one pro- surfer men who tried to ride the wave, he says it was an experience he will never forget.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MIGUEL BLANCO, SURFER FROM PORTUGAL: I just saw some crazy wave. I got really big wave in the beginning. And, yeah, I just saw stars right after. I didn't make it all the way, so it was definitely a ride. It will stay in my mind forever.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BRUNHUBER: And a scary sight just north of Los Angeles as a rogue wave swept away onlookers. Officials in Ventura say about 15 to 20 people were briefly washed down the street about 30 to 50 meters. Luckily, no one was hurt.
A successful launch for SpaceX on Thursday. Just ahead, we'll have much more, and we will share as much as we know about the secret mentioned for the U.S. military. That's coming up.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[02:45:52]
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ANNOUNCER: And full power, and lift off!
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BRUNHUBER: That was a successful lunch for a SpaceX rocket on secret mention for the U.S. military.
[02:50:03]
The Falcon heavy rocket lifted off from the Kennedy Space Center a few hours ago, carrying the X37B space plane. It operates with no crew, and its destination and purpose a mystery. The military says the plane will carry out cutting edge research. The landing of the rocket's twin boosters was equally spectacular. The launch comes just weeks after China launched its own secretive spacecraft.
Don't forget cream pies and tomatoes, a food fight that you've never seen before. Have a look. Dozens of people in face paint in military garb hurled eggs, flour and firecrackers during a mock coup in a small Spanish town. The event starts when one group takes over the mayor's office and issues absurd laws. And people break them, they were required pay fines and real money, all of which goes to charity. The inevitable battle with the opposition restores order, and it's all part of a festival that dates back more than 200 years.
Well, it's that time of year when we can all deal with some hearty entertainment and a laugh or two. Well, a new show on Broadway delivers that. The "Book of Mormon" star, Josh Gad, and Andrew Rannells reunited in a new comedy "Guttenberg! The Musical".
And they sat down with our Lynda Kinkade to discuss the show and their plans for the year ahead.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JOSH GAD, ACTOR: We're doing it.
ANDREW RANNELLS, ACTOR: I'm going to go off script for a second. GAD: Hey, do it. Go off script.
(LAUGHTER)
LYNDA KINKADE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Fantastic to have you here.
RANNELLS: Thank you for having us.
GAD: Thank you.
KINKADE: I love the show. Couldn't stop laughing. Cheeks were sore the next day.
GAD: That's a good sign.
RANNELLS: And I'm sorry, but thank you.
GAD: We like you. We like you.
RANNELLS: So, that's good.
KINKADE: It's a good sign, right?
GAD: Yes.
RANNELLS: It's a good review.
GAD: We -- when people's faces hurt, we've done our job.
RANNELLS: I think so.
So, Bud and I used to work in a nursing home.
GAD: We still do.
RANNELLS: It's a very sort of odd romp with these two guys who created this show.
GAD: Yes.
RANNELLS: They're very new fans to musical theater, and they've decided that they're going to write their own big hit musical.
GAD: They're dreamers.
RANNELLS: They're big dreamers.
GAD: In their hearts, they're dreamers, and they've spent every last dime renting a theater for one night only to try to -- with the hope that someone in the audience will be a big Broadway producer.
RANNELLS: Yes.
KINKADE: And you play every character.
GAD: Yes. RANNELLS: We do.
KINKADE: With multiple accents.
RANNELLS: We do.
GAD: I think we played 24 characters each.
RANNELLS: I think so. But you know the accent we don't do, Australian.
GAD: Yes.
KINKADE: I know, I want to hear some Australian.
RANNELLS: And I feel like, maybe tonight --
GAD: Aussie, Aussie, Aussie. Oi, Oi, Oi.
RANNELLS: Yes.
KINKADE: It's got a little bit of British about it.
GAD: Yes, that's really --
RANNELLS: Well, he studied abroad. It's a -- the man who studied abroad.
KINKADE: In Australia?
RANNELLS: In Australia. We should -- maybe we should work that in tonight.
GAD: Yes.
RANNELLS: We should do it.
GAD: We should make one of -- maybe Helvetica --
RANNELLS: We like to challenge each other. We're at a --
GAD: -- maybe Helvetica will be (INAUDIBLE).
RANNELLS: -- we're at the point in the run where we're still --
GAD: He can (INAUDIBLE) --
RANNELLS: -- very professional. Don't get me wrong, but we do like to sort of test each other.
KINKADE: I noticed that because you there were times I thought, I don't want to say you're breaking character, but you certainly seem to be maybe laughing a little bit at each other? Were you adlibbing?
RANNELLS: I think breaking character would imply that we have characters. GAD: Yes.
RANNELLS: And that's real -- we're pretty fast (INAUDIBLE).
GAD: That's giving us a little too much credit.
KINKADE: And you two worked together on the "Book of Mormon" --
RANNELLS: Yes.
KINKADE: -- like 10 years ago --
GAD: That was you?
RANNELLS: Yes.
KINKADE: -- and now you're back together again.
GAD: Oh, you're terrific.
RANNELLS: Thank you. You're good, too.
KINKADE: What's it like being back together after 10 years on stage?
RANNELLS: You know, it's -- I would like to say that there's been a lot of growth.
GAD: But there hasn't.
RANNELLS: But there really hasn't. No, but it feels good, too, to --
GAD: We're still two idiots.
RANNELLS: I know. It's really true.
KINKADE: Have your family seen "Gutenberg!"?
GAD: Oh, yes.
RANNELLS: Oh, yes.
KINKADE: And?
GAD: Oh, they loved it.
RANNELLS: No, it's nice to do something because it is pretty family- friendly, like, there's nothing too controversial.
GAD: Oh, I don't know why, but I've always loved the idea of summer and sun and all things hot.
JONATHAN GROFF, VOICE ACTOR, "FROZEN": Really? I'm guessing you don't have much experience with heat.
KINKADE: My three girls, aged three, four, and seven are obsessed with "Frozen." GAD: Oh, I love that.
KINKADE: And I told them I'm going to come and meet Olaf. And they said, Mommy, can you bring him home?
GAD: Yes.
RANNELLS: Oh, my God. The answer is, yes. Take him.
GAD: Yes, it would terrify them if this is what you walked in with. They're like, I know Olaf, and that, sir, is no Olaf. Come and do "Frozen 3" with us.
RANNELLS: Sure.
GAD: Yes, so when is "Frozen 3"?
RANNELLS: It's happening right now.
GAD: It's -- as we speak --
RANNELLS: No.
GAD: -- they're going to use this --
RANNELLS: This is it.
GAD: -- they're going to use some of this recording. This --
RANNELLS: If Disney had to make some cuts.
KINKADE: Can you give us a line?
RANNELLS: Anna, lookout.
GAD: Is that Olaf?
RANNELLS: Probably -- that'll probably be.
KINKADE: Okay.
GAD: Why is Olaf suddenly like an extra in "Law & Order SVU".
RANNELLS: (EXPLETIVE DELETED) does that mean?
GAD: Anna -- hey, Anna, watch out.
KINKADE: You know what I love about "Gutenberg!" is that you have these celebrity guests --
GAD: Yes,
RANNELLS: Oh, we do.
KINKADE: -- that turn up as a producer --
RANNELLS: Uh-huh.
KINKADE: -- each night.
RANNELLS: Yes.
KINKADE: I saw Kristin Chenoweth. I was blown away.
RANNELLS: Oh.
GAD: That was a good one, yes, yes.
RANNELLS: (INAUDIBLE) grace.
KINKADE: Amazing.
RANNELLS: Great.
KINKADE: But you've also had Will Ferrell --
[02:55:00]
RANNELLS: Will Ferrell.
KINKADE: -- and you've had Billy Crystal.
GAD: Billy Crystal.
RANNELLS: Billy Crystal, Martin Short and Steve Martin.
GAD: Yes, Idina Menzel --
RANNELLS: Idina Menzel.
GAD: Josh Groban.
RANNELLS: Laurie Metcalf.
GAD: Laurie Metcalf.
RANNELLS: Although, as Josh points out, it is very humbling that we have spent close to two hours on stage --
KINKADE: Yes.
RANNELLS: -- sweating, singing --
GAD: Yes, and then Lin-Manuel--
RANNELLS: -- kicking, and then --
GAD: -- Miranda walks in --
RANNELLS: -- Lin walks in --
GAD: -- and everybody --
RANNELLS: -- that was like, that's (INAUDIBLE).
GAD: Screw these other two.
RANNELLS: And they didn't even do anything.
GAD: No.
(MUSIC PLAYING)
KINKADE: And what about some of "The Prom" cast members, Nicole Kidman?
GAD: Yes.
RANNELLS: If we get a Kidman in there --
GAD: Have you called the Streep?
RANNELLS: No, no.
KINKADE: Would Meryl Streep say yes?
RANNELLS: I've thought about it. You know, I'm --
GAD: Look both ways when crossing that street.
RANNELLS: -- I get shy about it. I'm like --
GAD: Hey, don't be shy.
RANNELLS: I don't know. But yes, if we get a Meryl Streep, Nicole Kidman --
KINKADE: What are your resolutions?
RANNELLS: This interview is becoming very inspiring. I'm going to get on "Law & Order". Do you have any -- do you make concrete resolutions?
GAD: I try to.
RANNELLS: Really?
GAD: I try to. And I try to do, like, reasonable ones.
RANNELLS: Sure. Sure, sure, sure.
GAD: So, like, this year is I want to become president of the United States --
RANNELLS: Interesting.
GAD: -- of America. I want to go to space.
RANNELLS: Okay.
GAD: I want to go to outer space. RANNELLS: I'm going to drink more water.
GAD: I want --
RANNELLS: Our goals are slightly different --
GAD: -- to stop climate change single-handedly.
KINKADE: So, your presidential campaign would be -- do you have a line?
RANNELLS: Do you have a catchphrase?
GAD: Yes.
RANNELLS: What is it?
GAD: Gadzooks.
KINKADE: Can we webshot that?
GAD: Nope. We --
RANNELLS: I think maybe we might need a focus group.
GAD: We've done a lot of research and --
RANNELLS: I'll sing at your --
GAD: Catch you, 2024.
RANNELLS: -- I'll sing at your inauguration.
KINKADE: Yes.
RANNELLS: Yes.
GAD: He lives in you.
KINKADE: Oh, that's what I'm here for.
RANNELLS: Oh, I think you should sing at your own inauguration.
GAD: Gadzooks.
KINKADE: Yes.
RANNELLS: No one's ever done that. You should sing your oath.
GAD: Over the Gutenberg Bible?
RANNELLS: Yes, I'll just be there -- I'll be there to support.
KINKADE: I mean, I love it. I love it.
RANNELLS: We've solved it. GAD: Yes, see you in '24, Rannells.
RANNELLS: Cracked it.
KINKADE: It's been a pleasure. And we're done.
GAD: Thank you.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BRUNHUBER: And join us on New Year's Eve for live coverage around the clock, as the world rings in the New Year. Special coverage begins just before midnight in Sydney, midday in London and morning in New York, and carries on throughout the day in fact.
All right. That wraps this hour of CNN NEWSROOM. I'm Kim Brunhuber. "THE WHOLE STORY WITH ANDERSON COOPER" is next. We'll have more news in about an hour.
