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Israeli Army Announces 10 More Soldiers Killed In Gaza; U.S., U.K. Launch More Strikes Targeting Weapons In Houthi-Controlled Yemen; Trump Versus Haley In New Hampshire Primary Tuesday; Ukraine Refuses To Cede Land To Russia To End War. Israel-Hamas War; Push for Two- State Solution Gaining International Support; India's Modi Inaugurates Ayodhya Temple in Election Year; Pope Francis' Modern Relationship with the Media; Sarah Ferguson, Duchess of York, Diagnosed with Skin Cancer. Aired 1-2a ET
Aired January 23, 2024 - 01:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
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JOHN VAUSE, CNN ANCHOR: Ahead here on CNN, a deadly day for Israel. 10 reservists killed in one operation in southern Gaza. The first votes have been counted in the Republican primary New Hampshire with all six votes for Nikki Haley, an overwhelming and meaningless win over Donald Trump. And how partisan bickering in Washington has left Ukrainian troops short on ammunition just as Russian production of missiles or drones ramps up.
ANNOUNCE: Live from Atlanta. This is CNN NEWSROOM with John Vause.
VAUSE: Israel's military says 10 soldiers have been killed in one incident in southern Gaza, taking the total death toll of Israeli soldiers to more than 200 since the ground offensive began.
Over the weekend, the IDF announced a major offensive was underway Khan Younis, but was expected to last for days and the territory second biggest city in southern Gaza.
Israel says about outposts, infrastructures and command and control structures are being targeted and claimed Hamas fighters have been spotted in sensitive sites like hospitals. But Palestinians say the hospitals are that -- are themselves being battered.
A wanting some of those images you're about to see our graphic. Palestinian health ministry says the Nasser medical complex in Khan Younis is receiving more serious injuries and it can handle. The doctor describes the impossibility of caring for patients during this reading offensive.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DR. AHMED ABU MUSTAFA, EMERGENCY DEPARTMENT, NASSER HOSPITAL (through translator): With the siege on the neighborhoods close to Nasser hospital, it is very difficult to deliver medical aid to the hospital and it's very difficult to continue treating the patients. It's even difficult to continue from now to the two or three upcoming days with the available resources.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: The Israeli Defense Forces has released new images of tunnels under Khan Younis in South Gaza. Officials say about 20 hostages were held in the tunnel at different points in time by Hamas. The IDF gave CNN Nic Robertson and his team access to a similar tunnel system not far from there. Here's what they saw.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMATIC EDITOR (voice-over): A girl's dreams of her last life carefully remembered in red crayon, a house flowers and the sun peeking between mountains discovered 60 feet below the Gazan City Khan Younis in what the IDF say was a half mile long maze of tunnels used to imprison hostages.
REAR ADMIRAL DANIEL HAGARI, ISRAELI DEFENSE FORCES SPOKESPERSON (through translator): In this space, we found evidence to indicate the stay of hostages, including the paintings drawn by the five-year old- girl Emilia Aloni, along with other hostages.
ROBERTSON (voice-over): Images of the tunnel complex newly released by the IDF amid growing pressure to save hostages reveals the hell they are enduring beyond the cage door or soiled mattress strewn on the floor.
Further inside the cell, a toilet. One of five underground hostage dungeons the IDF say that held about 20 hostages at different times. Emilia and her mother Danielle were released late November, long before these latest tunnels were discovered.
ROBERTSON: This tunnel we're going in here is one where some of the hostages were held.
ROBERTSON (voice-over): A week before the new video release, the IDF took us in a similar tunnel complex, close to where they say Emilia and Danielle were held.
ROBERTSON: So we came down a metal ladder. We've come down one flight of stairs we're going down a second flight of stairs here, a double flight it looks like and down here command and control wires running all the way down. It's a deep, deep system. How deep are we underground you think right now?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: At the moment we're more or less between 10 to 15 meters underground.
ROBERTSON: 10 to 15 meter and now we're going down another level down more steps. What are we looking at here?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This is a small room. OK.
ROBERTSON: With some kind of air ventilation system. UNIDENTFIIED MALE: Yes. A ventilation system that goes up.
ROBERTSON: And the metal frame around the doors.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: These metal frames. This can be as much as this is a small room. This is how the different cages that they put the kidnapped.
ROBERTSON: So they were held in cages in cages.
UNIDENATIFIED MALE: Yes.
ROBERTSON (voice-over): Hidden and utterly cut off.
ROBERTSON: Just to give you an idea of how humid it is down here the camera lenses fogging up. It's hard to imagine the life of a hostage stuck down here day after day, week after week. It is hard. It is humid.
[01:05:00]
ROBERTSON (voice-over): These latest images released by the IDF capture the conditions, but not the shirt soaking claustrophobia they induce. The tunnel now beyond use blown up by the IDF eliminated from the ongoing search for the remaining hostages. Nic Robertson, CNN, Tel Aviv, Israel.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
VAUSE: We will update now all -- we are right now on that story from Gaza. The death toll has risen from 10 Israeli soldiers now to 21 Israeli soldiers according to the IDF. This happened in southern Gaza on Monday, the biggest single loss of life for Israeli troops since Israel declared war on Hamas in Gaza on October 7.
In a televised statement, the IDF spokesperson Daniel Hagari said the two buildings collapsed on soldiers during an operation, all families of the deceased soldiers have been notified.
Well, American and British forces have carried out large scale multiple strikes on Houthi targets across Yemen on Monday. A nighttime operation which could signal the beginning of an open ended military operation by the US.
The leader of Iran backed militants warns that military action by the West will only strengthen their results to continue to target commercial shipping in the region. According to U.S. and U.K. officials, eight Houthi sites were hit Monday, including missiles, drone systems, radar systems, as well as weapons storage facilities. More details down from CNN's Oren Liebermann report again from the Pentagon.
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OREN LIEBERMANN, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: For the eighth time over the course of the past two weeks, we have seen the U.S. carry out strikes in Yemen targeting Houthi assets that have been used to strike and launch against commercial shipping vessels in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden, two of the world's most critical waterways.
This time once again, we saw the U.K. take part in these strikes with an international coalition consisting of Canada, the Netherlands, Bahrain and Australia backing the operation, the U.S. use not only F- 18 fighter jets launched from the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower an aircraft carrier that's been in the region, but also surface vessels and a submarine to launch Tomahawk cruise missiles.
U.K. meanwhile, says they use Typhoon fighter jets as part of the strike. The U.S. carried out strikes on eight separate sites using some 25 to 30 precision guided munitions, according to a senior military official who briefed reporters following the strike.
The strikes were, quote, successful and achieve their desired effect, according to that official as well as a senior defense official who was part of that briefing.
Now they pointed out that the U.S. was specifically going after the sorts of weapons and capabilities that the Houthis an Iranian back proxy in Yemen have used to attack international shipping, meaning they're not trying to expand the target set over the types of weapons they've tried to destroy over the course of the past two weeks.
Now, of course, surely they say they were successful in targeting these weapons that includes drones and missiles as well as an underground storage site for these capabilities for the first time. But it has degraded the Houthis abilities the U.S. believes to go after and threatened commercial shipping. The threat remains on the table at this point.
If the Houthi attacks continue against international shipping, so will the U.S. operations here and we've again now seeing the U.K. join in this as well. They issue that same warning that unless the attacks on international shipping lanes stop then the U.S. and U.K. lead strikes on who feet assets won't stop.
The question, where does this go from here? The officials who briefed reporters wouldn't sort of predict in which direction this goes only to say that the U.S. will continue to operate as it sees the need to. Oren Liebermann, CNN in the Pentagon.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
VAUSE: Then there was too with the race for the Republican Party's presidential nomination now down to Nikki Haley and Donald Trump. It's making for a stark choice for voters on Tuesday in the U.S. state of New Hampshire.
The tiny township of Dixville Notch has already made their choice. polls close opening up midnight closing just minutes later and Nikki Haley won all six votes or six of them, Donald Trump got zero.
For Haley, the New Hampshire primary though is a dual die moment if she loses that she loses by a big margin, many experts believe she will drop out of the race.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
NIKKI HALEY, U.S. REPUBLICAN PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Chaos follows him. And we can't have a country in disarray and a world on fire and go through four more years of chaos. We won't survive it. When you hear Trump speak, what's he talking about? Grievances, the past. He's talking about vendettas.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: CNN polls show Trump with a 13-point lead in New Hampshire. But polls don't always win elections. And the former President is continuing with his low blows on Nikki Haley.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD TRUMP, U.S. REPUBLICAN PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: She worked for me like for two and a half years. And she was OK. Not great. She was okay. But she said to everybody. In fact, when she left I would never run against the president. He was a great president.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: And on Monday at a rally in New Hampshire, Donald Trump was joined on stage by former presidential candidates Vivek Ramaswamy and Tim Scott and Doug Burgum, each have -- actually thrown their support behind Donald Trump.
[01:10:10]
CNN's Kristen Holmes is there and has more on what the former president told the crowd.
(BEGIN VIDETAPE)
KRISTEN HOLMES, CNN U.S. NATIONAL CORRESPDENT: For President Donald Trump's closing message in New Hampshire was clear it is time for the Republican Party to unite around them and that of course was aimed at Nikki Haley. His only opponent left in the race.
He brought up several of his former opponents who have turned and endorsed him including the Vivek Ramaswamy, Governor Doug Burgum, as well as Senator Tim Scott. He leveled a series of attacks on Haley the day before votes were cast. Take a lesson.
TRUMP: Sadly, not everyone is willing to put our country first here in New Hampshire. Nikki Haley has made an unholy alliance with rhinos never Trumpers, Americans for no prosperity. Did you ever hear? Did you ever hear them? Americans for no prospered, hated the word knowing globalists and radical left communists to get liberals and Biden supporters to vote for her and the Republican primary.
HOLMES: Now one of his former opponents turned suborders was not on the stage and that is Florida Governor Ron DeSantis. I am told by a source that the two of them have still not spoken since the Florida Governor dropped out of the race and endorsed Donald Trump.
However, Donald Trump's team did reach out to DeSantis and said there was an open invitation to campaign at any time. Obviously unclear at this point if that's going to happen. Kristen Holmes, CNN, Laconia, New Hampshire.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
VAUSE: Joining us now political analyst Michael Genovese, President of the Global Policy Institute at Loyola Marymount University and author of the "Modern Presidency, Six Debates that Define the Institution." Welcome back, Michael. It's good to see you.
MICHAEL GENOVESE, POLITICAL ANALYST: Good to be here, John.
VAUSE: OK, so this primary in New Hampshire, it's a one on one race and Haley wanted with Donald Trump, but appears that there was no boost in the opinion polls after Ron DeSantis suspended his campaign, Haley didn't sort of benefit for that much or at all.
Still, she's now the Republican Party's non-Trump candidate, which back in 2016, probably would have won her the nomination. Today, the best she can get his wife to second place to Donald Trump. And that's on a close second on Tuesday night, will that effectively end her campaign?
GENOVESE: It might very well Donald Trump is polling a little above 50 percent. He wants to 50 percent because he thinks that will be the knockout punch. But 12 points ahead of Nikki Haley. And so Trump and Haley are in two very different universities campaign wise.
Trump is engaged in what the military would call attrition warfare, just pounding some beat them down, wear them down. He's got the resources to do that. Whereas, Nikki Haley is engaged in what the military would call maneuver warfare. You got to be flexible, you got to be agile, you got to make surprise attacks.
She has not been a great attacker. She's been keeping their powder dry holding back. She started a little bit recently, with her attacks on Donald Trump's mental fitness after he made several big flubs. It's a risky strategy. I think she's afraid to go full bore in that.
So it's time for her to make an 11th hour Hail Mary pass otherwise, she's going to be tilting at windmills and really have no rationale for her campaign if she doesn't get within a 10 or nine point margin ion the center.
VAUSE: So to that point, so (INAUDIBLE) of evens make or break moment for Haley's fighting for a political survival against a twice in peace four times a day to self-described wannabe dictator. And here's how Nikki Haley spent the final few hours on Monday campaigning in Salem, New Hampshire.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
HALEY: This really is an option. Do you want more of the same? CROWD: No.
HALEY: Or do you want to go forward? Are we really going to say that we're okay with having our options be to 80-year olds that run for president? I'm not being disrespectful. I'm saying we need somebody with eight years.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: Yes. Is that the best argument at this point that Trump is as old as Joe Biden?
GENOVESE: Well, it's a pretty tame and lame argument. But that reflects the power that Donald Trump has within the party. I mean, party management give him credit. He had a hostile and successful take over the Republican Party in 2016. He built a new party around himself culture personality, he browbeat Republicans into submission, and he's dominated the party and has been very successful at it.
Other presidents have tried to dominate their parties and have not been successful. So give Donald Trump some credit. It's quite extraordinary the extent to which he controls almost all of that party.
VAUSE: I want you to listen to a fake robo call, which has been around falsely claiming to have been recorded by Joe Biden, the president, urging Democrats not to vote in the New Hampshire primary. Here it is.
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(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's important that you save your vote for the November election. Voting this Thursday only enables the Republicans in their quest to elect Donald Trump again.
(END AUDIO CLIP)
VAUSE: And here's Donald Trump, talking about Nikki Haley and who's voting for her.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: Nikki Haley, I know her well. But she's made an unholy alliance with the rhinos, the never Trumpers, Americans for no prosperity, globalist, the radical left communists and they want to get liberals and Biden supporters.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: The Trump campaign today at any involvement in the fake robocall, because you know, Donald Trump would never be involved in election interference. But what are your thoughts on this robocall where to come from the use of AI and also, this is kind of the first time we've seen so Biden make an appearance in this race that it wasn't even really Joe Biden. GENOVESE: You know, this is the beginning with intelligence (ph), and with deep fakes. Technologies is not going to be used in the future to really shake up and discombobulate elections, false information, false flag -- there's going to be a whole series of problems, you won't be able to tell what's true and what's false.
The fake robocall was persuasive. It sounded right, it sounded good. And it will only get better in terms of the ability to fake things and to spread disinformation.
So, I think this is just the beginning of what in the future is going to be a terrible, terrible and difficult time trying to sort out the truth and elections.
VAUSE: And also Joe Biden just seems to be absent right now, too.
GENOVESE: Yes, he's -- Joe Hooton, Joe, who is missing an action. I think that's partly because Donald Trump commands and demands all of our attention and he is ubiquitous. We just can't get enough of him. He's the national car crash that we can't turn away from.
And so Biden is left with no real public space to occupy, no space for him to make his case. We all love to look at Donald Trump as crazy as he sometimes is but as entertaining as he always is.
VAUSE: Michael, as always great to see you. Thanks for being with us.
GENOVESE: Thank you, John.
VAUSE: When we come back here on CNN, fighting a war of survival with dwindling supplies of ammunition, a new reality for Ukrainian troops on the front lines.
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VAUSE: Slovakia's new prime minister is latest world lead it to suggest Ukraine should see territory to Russia to bring the war to an end. Or he said both countries should make painful compromises. He added a Russian withdrawal from areas like Donbas, Luhansk or Crimea was unthinkable.
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All three areas were invaded by Russian forces back in 2014. Those forces continued to expand territorial gains after Putin's war of choice began almost two years ago. Ukraine's Foreign Ministry says quote, there could be no compromise of territorial integrity. And that if Ukraine is not secure, that all European nation security is in jeopardy.
Meantime, Ukrainian army denying responsibility for attacks on a market in Donetsk which added Sunday. Russia says at least 28 civilians were killed. Ukrainian military says the Russians are spreading misinformation must be held accountable for the Ukrainian lives they've taken. With major U.S. funding still stalled in Congress and with the European Union also putting a hold on its funding bill, ammunition is running low for Ukrainian forces. CNN's Fred Pleitgen takes a closer look at the situation on the ground for Ukrainian fighters.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice- over): Artillery is key as Ukrainian forces tried to hold off massive Russian assaults on the Eastern Front. But Kyiv's ammo shortages are getting worse by the day. This U.S. provided M109 Paladin howitzer near Bakhmut is often silent, because they don't have enough shells to target the Russians, the commander tells us.
We cannot fulfill our tasks, 100 percent, he says, although we really want to. My crew and other crews are just waiting for it and are ready to work around the clock. But it gets even worse. Finally, resupply does arrive, but it's only four rounds. And this type of ammo won't hurt the Russians much.
PLEITGEN: This really illustrates the shortage that Ukrainians have to deal with four rounds. That's all they're going to get right now. And by the way, they're not even explosive rounds. They're smoke rounds.
PLEITGEN (voice-over): These shells will barely explode on impact. It's almost like firing cannon balls in medieval times. But the commander says sometimes it's all they can do.
Every shell that is suitable for the paladin we use, he says, it's better than no shells. The Russians face no such shortages in this area. Ukrainian military intelligence believes Russia produced around 2 million rounds last year and acquired around 1 million from North Korea.
Massive barrages have laid waste to Bakhmut and much of the surrounding area. At the headquarters of the 93rd Mechanized Brigades Artillery Division, the frustration is palpable. From their drones, they can see the Russians gathered to continue their assaults and Ukrainian positions. But they often can't take them out because they need to conserve ammunition, the commander tells me.
The ratio was about 10 to one he says, ammunition is very important to us. Russia is a country that produces ammo, they have strategic reserves. Yes, they use old Soviet systems but Soviet systems can still kill.
Even without enough ammo, the Ukrainian say they are stopping most Russian assaults here and the M109. crew did manage to fire at Russian positions. But they know they'll need a lot more firepower to stop Russian advances. Fred Pleitgen, CNN near Bakhmut, Ukraine.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
VAUSE: Join me now is Matthew Schmidt and associate professor of national security at the University of New Haven in Connecticut. Welcome back. It's been a while. MATTHEW SCHMIDT, ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR OF NATIONAL SECURITY AT THE
UNIVERSITY OF NEW HAVEN: It's great to be here, John.
VAUSE: OK, so the new prime minister of Poland he made his first international trip Monday, Donald Tusk crossed the border into neighboring Ukraine for talks with the Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy. Here's Zelenskyy on.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
VOLOYDMYR ZELENSKYY, UKRAINIAN PRESIDENT (through translator): We discussed today with Mr. Prime Minister Donald Tusk, our future joint weapons production. Secondly, we discussed security guarantees. We discussed Poland joining the G7 declaration. I'm thankful for Poland's readiness to work on a bilateral agreement between our two countries.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: OK, so funding package is stalled in both United States and the E.U. clearly the side deals like in other words they did with France, you know, a week or so ago, they've become increasingly important for Ukraine. But at the same time, they're falling way short of matching the billions and military assistance which is on hold in both the E.U. and the United States. So where does this all end up going from here?
SCHMIDT: Well, first of all, Donald Tusk's visit to Ukraine is critically important, right? He is repairing a rupture in the relationship between those two countries. And it's important in both in the short term in terms of keeping Polish access to Ukraine open so that weapons and supplies can get through when and if they are appropriated.
And secondly for the long term, because what you see here is the Polish and Ukrainian defense industries, really sort of merging and building these contracts to build the capability for long term Ukrainian defense.
VAUSE: And without this major funding from the E.U. and the United States, Ukraine seems to be relying heavily on relatively cheap homemade drones to say on the offensive where they can, and they've been striking deep inside Russia.
However, this assessment from the Institute for the Study of War, Ukrainian forces reportedly conducted successful drone strikes against targets in Leningrad and Tula oblasts.
[01:25:00]
Where repeated Ukrainian drone strikes may fix Russian short range air defense systems, defending potentially significant targets along expected flight routes.
So what they're doing about here is redeploying those air defense systems to protect major cities like St. Petersburg and other cities. And those air defense systems will most likely come from the frontlines in Ukraine. So in the short term, what is the advantage there that they could open
up for Ukraine? And the big picture here is this sort of the innovation with drones, you know, maybe a silver lining in the cloud of Republicans blocking funding in the U.S. Congress.
SCHMIDT: Let me take the last part. First, there's not much silver lining, but that might be one -- that might be part of it. What you see here is that both sides are, if you remember, the beginning of the war, everybody was very, you know, excited about the drones, right, and how this war was going to showcase drones and innovation in this new way of war.
What you see two years on is that people are getting used to it. They're figuring out how to use these systems, as weapons and as reconnaissance, and then figure out how to counter them. So you -- so you've seen this back and forth going into weapons are effective, but also, right, normalized.
Now, the big thing is, is air defense. The big thing is really the apparent downing of this Russian radar plane over the Sea of Azov and blinding Russia, in its air defense in this part of the country. The other thing is, of course, the attacks that you are referencing in St. Petersburg, and elsewhere in Russia, which are targeting seem to be targeting the oil and gas industry, and other critical parts of the Russian economy.
This is signal that Ukraine can still do something right, it may not be able to advance more than a few kilometers on the battlefield. But it can still take the fight strategically to Russia, it can make the Russian people and the government and its economic interests feel some pain. And that's what Ukraine has to keep doing until any of that money starts flowing from the U.S. the E.U. to put more weapons on the ground.
VAUSE: There's an opinion piece, though, from the former Google CEO Eric Schmidt, who wrote for Foreign Affairs. He makes the argument though, that Ukraine is actually losing the drone advantage. He wrote, Russia has caught up with the innovation contest and Ukraine is struggling to maintain the flow of military assistance from its external partners.
In order to undercut Russia's advantage in this phase of the war, Ukraine and its allies will need to not just ramp up defense production, but also invest in developing and scaling technologies that can count on Russia for old new drones.
So again, with the military assistance on hold, is there any aspect of this war that is Ukraine's advantage, the longer this conflict lasts?
SCHMIDT: Well, I think that Ukraine does have, in many ways, an innovation advantage at the tactical level. Ukrainians are smart. This is a place that was the center of the of the Soviet rocket industry. There's lots of very smart engineers there. They have their own defense industry that was producing and selling weapons before 2022. They are building their own drones. They were smart with electronics, right? They're going to find ways around this. What they need right now is EW capability, electronic warfare capability to attack the GPS systems, for instance, and the communication systems of Russian drones. They're getting that. They have a lot already. They're going to continue to get that because it's relatively low cost, even if the big funding measures we're talking about goes away, because the White House and separate countries in Europe are going to continue to fund those things with executive authority, even if they can't get legislative authority.
So Ukraine, I think, because of the downing of the radar plane, and this capability continues to have an advantage in electronic warfare.
VAUSE: (INAUDIBLE) continues. So hopefully, you know, will see them through. Matthew, thanks for being with us.
SCHMIDT: Anytime.
VAUSEE: We take a short break, when we come back, Indian Prime Minister officially opens a Hindu temple. Well that could just be a major milestone in his efforts to move India from a secular democracy to a Hindu state.
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VAUSE: Welcome back.
And update now on the biggest loss of life for Israeli forces since the war with Hamas began in October, Israeli military officials have raised the death toll from ten soldiers to 21 all killed inside a building which collapsed in southern Gaza.
Over the weekend, Israel announced a major offensive was underway in and around the town of (INAUDIBLE), Khan Yunis, the s in biggest city in the territory. Concerns are growing for the few hospitals there still open in the south.
Doctors without Borders working at the Nasser Hospital in Khan Yunis say they could feel the ground shaking from Israeli strikes. Palestinian medical staff say the hospital is all but under siege and struggling to cope with a surge in the number of wounded. Humanitarian assistance remains in critical short supply as well.
The U.N. says only a quarter of aid agencies based in Gaza were granted access by Israeli authorities so far this month.
And the U.N. Refugee Agency says overcrowding, a lock of clean water, and poor sanitation in Gaza has caused an outbreak of deadly diseases like Hepatitis A and other illnesses.
We have more details now on all of this from CNN's Ben Wedeman.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BEN WEDEMAN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: By hand, they bury the white-shrouded body of a young girl on the grounds of the Nasser Hospital in Khan Yunis. The soft sand at the hospital, one of the only safe places to put the dead to rest.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The girl suffocated, they couldn't save her, says her grandmother Sadi Abutayma (ph)
Khan Yunis is now the focus of Israel's offensive in Gaza where Israel believes some of the hostages as well as some of Hamas' leaders are located. But after weeks of intense operations they found neither.
The war is well into its fourth month. Israeli leaders warn it could go on until year's end.
The prospect of an early halt to fighting brushed aside by the White House.
JOHN KIRBY, SPOKESPERSON, NATIONAL SECURITY COUNCIL: We don't believe a ceasefire is going to be to the benefit of anybody but Hamas.
WEDEMAN: Some in Gaza might beg to differ.
Israeli forces have pulled out for now from parts of central Gaza. In the Nuseirat refugee camp, people search for what's left of their shattered lives or perhaps just scraps of firewood.
Hundreds of thousands have taken refuge in now overcrowded U.N. schools. Officials warn that lack of sanitation, clean water, medicine and proper shelter is leading to the spread of disease.
Um Hammed (ph) fled here with her family, only to find no space.
"Where is the shelter where we can stay," she asks. We're not the Hamas people they're talking about. We just want to live like everyone else.
By El-Bureij camp at another U.N. shelter schoolbooks, keep the fire going to cook a meal. It was a nightmare here while the fighting raged nearby. A nightmare that for some isn't over.
"My father's gone. My father the pillar of my life is gone," says 11- year-old, Qaram Hussein. How can I live without him after the war. His father's body and others lies in Gaza's soft sand behind this school. No gravestone, just names spray painted on the wall.
Ben Wedeman, CNN -- reporting from Beirut.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
[01:34:46]
VAUSE: Israel's spy chief has put forward a ceasefire plan, proposing safe passage out of Gaza for senior Hamas leaders in return for a month-long pause in fighting.
The details were shared exclusively with CNN from two officials familiar with these ongoing discussions. They tell CNN, once those leaders are gone, their control over Gaza would weaken.
The suggestion has been discussed as part of a broader ceasefire negotiation at least twice in recent weeks.
It's not clear which Hamas leaders would actually leave, but there's no bigger target for Israel, than Yahya Sinwar, Hamas' top official in Gaza, one of the architects of the October 7th attacks.
Israeli lawmakers are coming under growing pressure to make a deal with Hamas for the release of all remaining hostages in Gaza. (INAUDIBLE) some of the hostages forced their way into the Israeli parliament Monday blocking the entrance to the Knesset, while others disrupted a committee meeting.
And new polling shows falling support for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. He would lose an election if it was held today. The National Unity Party led by former defense minister Benny Gantz would be the biggest winner with Netanyahu's Likud Party finishing a very distant second.
Meantime, the European Union's top diplomat says the Israeli government's opposition to a two-state solution is just unacceptable. Josep Borrell questioned whether Israel could provide any alternative.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JOSEP BORRELL, EUROPEAN UNION FOREIGN POLICY CHIEF: We tried the other solution they have in mind -- to make all the Palestinians leave; to kill of them. 25,000 already in Gaza, 70 percent of women and children. Certainly the way they're trying to destroy Hamas is not the way they are doing because they are seeding the hate for generations.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: We'll stay on this story for a little longer and head to London and Yaakov Katz, the senior columnist for "The Jerusalem Post", as well as a senior fellow at the Jewish People Policy Institute.
Thank you for being with us. Thank you for getting up early.
YAAKOV KATZ, SENIOR COLUMNIST, "THE JERUSALEM POST": Thank you, John.
VAUSE: So it's taken what, 108 days for this broad international support for Israel after Hamas carried out a despicable, violent act on hundreds of innocent civilians, including children and pregnant women.
And now its shifted to international efforts to revive a two-state solution which is opposed by Benjamin Netanyahu and his entire government. And here's criticism for what many see as a recalcitrant Israel prime minister like this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MICHEAL MARTIN, IRISH PRIME MINISTER: Those remarks by Prime Minister Netanyahu are unacceptable and do not contribute in any way to the prospects of peace. And I'll talk to Prime Minister Netanyahu, he needs to lead, he needs to listen to the vast majority of the world who want peace, who want to two-state solution on the basis that at a two-state solution is the ultimate security guarantee to Israel.
BORRELL: It seems that we have to stop talking about the peace, the peace process. And started talking more concretely about the two-state solution process. Because I think it could be many different pieces. What kind of peace you're talking about. So Let's talk about what we want to do. What we want to do is to build a two-state solution.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: Is this a problem of Israel's own making? It didn't have to be like this, did it?
KATZ: Well, I think what Israel could do, John is potentially outline and articulate what it wants to see happen the day after the war in Gaza, right?
Because the military action is just a means for political resolution. And until now, Israel has been pretty much radio silent on what it wants to see happen and what that does, I fear. And were seeing that play out right now in the E.U. and other places is it opens and creates a vacuum for other players to present what they think needs to happen.
But I think that what we have to remember is that Israel wants peace. There was peace, as a matter of fact, on October 6, it was October 7, when Hamas invaded that that changed everything and there can easily be peace Hamas were to return the 130 plus hostages that it holds on to, lay down its arms and stop vowing to continue to attack Israel, as it says it will.
VAUSE: Well Netanyahu is also -- an approach (ph) now from within his own extreme right-wing government. You know, these are the extremist and the bigots like Itamar Ben Gvir, who is also a national security minister.
He has warned Netanyahu and others if there is no war, there is a no government. I've said it all along. There is a war going on. We know it. But if God forbid, it is decided to stop the war I will not be part of the government.
So what, Netanyahu now faces a choice, what's best for the country, what's best for him?
KATZ: That is the choice that Netanyahu faces. And you said it perfectly. It's a delicate balancing act for Netanyahu. On the one hand, he knows that the world is waiting and wants to him fall in line in line and declare the stated objective that at the end of this war, we're going to work towards the prosperity for both sides.
Of course we have to ensure that no future Palestinian entity, whether a state or not exactly a state, whether they govern themselves or not. But well not present a threat to Israel and be able to carry out like the attacks of October 7. [01:39:42]
KATZ: On the other hand, Itamar Ben-Gvir, Bezalel Smotrich and other people in his coalition are pulling him to the right and they're basically saying to him, if you dare utter the words of a Palestinian state, we will leave your coalition.
So he's facing a political existential crisis, right? The last thing he wants right now is an early election. He's bleeding from the failures of October 7 that are at his doorstep. He is the prime minister. He's the man responsible.
But on the other hand, though, he knows that the world is waiting and there's mounting pressure. Can he continue to carry this forward? I'm not sure. It's going to have to go one way or the other very soon.
VAUSE: And the Israeli foreign minister doesn't seem to be helping things a whole lot in Brussels with talks with Europeans about ending the war. At the meeting, Yisrael Katz showed his minister's video of an envisioned artificial island off the coast of Gaza.
Here's part of the video. Take a look at this
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: An international policing force will be responsible for security and public order on the island and for a checkpoint on the bridge, which will connect the island to the coast.
The ability to secure the island be significantly greater than if a port were to be built on the Gaza coast itself. And should the need arise, the island could be disconnected from the Strip.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: It's like "The Fantasy Island", but not fun. This is an old presentation made before Katz was even, you know, the foreign minister. It kind of sends the wrong message really to say the least.
KATZ: Yes. I've seen this video before, John, it was back when I would say almost ten years ago when he was the minister of transportation. And it's actually an interesting idea that's worth talking about, creating this artificial island that would give the Palestinians of Gaza their own port, would some sort of security.
What exactly it has to do with what's happening in the Gaza Strip right now and the war that Israel is fighting, that's a bit of a loose connection, right? That's not exactly what people are thinking about what were more focused on.
I would say in Israel, in the E.U., in the U.S. everywhere is how do we end this war as quickly as possible. How does this row get back its people? How did the people -- the Palestinian territory get some stability after these after 100 plus days of fighting.
There is a tragedy that's also unfolding in Gaza. We can't ignore it, but Hamas is responsible and we need to see the elimination of Hamas as soon as possible.
So this artificial island or fantasy island as you called it John, I'm not sure what that has to do with it.
VAUSE: Yes.
Yaakov, it's always great to have you with us. Really appreciate your time and your insights, sir. Thank you.
KATZ: Thank you.
VAUSE: According to Elon Musk, and only Elon Musk, whose social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter, has less anti-Semitic content than other social media platforms.
Musk offered no evidence to support that claim, which came after he visited Auschwitz, the death camp in Poland, where mass murder of Jews was carried out at an industrial level. His three-year-old son was with him.
Musk also attended a conference held by the European-Jewish association, where he admitted that he wasn't aware until recently that anti-Semitism was a pervasive problem in the united states. He's faced heavy backlash over anti-Semitic content on X, including a conspiracy theory which he amplified himself back in November last year.
We will take a short break. We need it.
When we come back rescue workers search the rubble following a major earthquake in China. All the details in just a moment.
[01:42:54]
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
VAUSE: Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi fulfilling a key campaign promise. They're officially opening the Ram Temple in Ayodhya on Monday. And possibly kicking off a run for a third term.
But the temple was built on the rubble of a 16th century mosque destroyed by Hindu nationalists in 1992, which triggered nationwide riots, killing thousands of people.
For more, CNN's Vedika Sud joins us now live and this is also being seen by some as a key moment for Modi and his goal of moving India away from being a secular democracy towards a Hindu state.
VEDIKA SUD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, that's what the opposition leaders are saying, John, as well as critics of Narendra Modi.
This moment, should be a moment where the prime minister of the country should not have been presiding over a religious ceremony since there is the word "secular" mentioned in the Constitution and the message that goes out to other people is a bit unpleasant. But right now, let me just tell you where we're standing. We're
standing about 500 meters away from the temple that was consecrated yesterday. Massive crowds can be seen here. Thousands of pilgrims, devotees, locals, as well as visitors have thronged to the gates of the temple.
We believe that since three this morning, have been lining up to go inside and there's a huge crowd inside because of which the entry to the others has been stopped right now.
Even the media cannot go in at this point. But yes, this has been controversial. Yesterday, you saw Narendra Modi, inside the inner sanctorum of the temple along with priests presiding over the Hindu ceremony.
Now, this is a moment of celebration for Hindus across India and overseas. Remember, 80 percent of India's population are Hindus and about 14 percent of the population Muslims.
For them, it's been a bit too painful as well because it brings back memories of 1992 like you said. That was when the communal rights took place and the mosque was demolished and ever since, there's been a legal battle in 2019. Remember the supreme court said that the Hindus can go ahead and build a temple at that spot.
They've also given the Muslims property for building a mosque, which is yet to come up. But for now this actually encapsulates what this means for Modi in an election year, he's seeking a historic third.
This consolidates for him the Hindu vote and he's also being seen as the ultimate Hindu nationalist leader by many.
Back to you, John.
VAUSE: Vedika, thank you. Vedika Sud there live in Ayodhya in India. We appreciate the update and the analysis. Thank you.
Magnitude 7.1 earthquake has struck northwestern China's Xinjiang Province early Tuesday local time. According to state media, at least three people have been hospitalized and a child pulled from the rubble of a collapsed home.
Hundreds of rescue workers are being deployed to the quake zone, dozens of aftershocks have already been reported. Quake had a depth of 13 kilometers according to the U.S. Geological Survey.
Well, ever since his election in 2013 as Pope, Francis has urged the world to be more open, more caring, along with challenging the Catholic Church to take a good hard look at itself.
He's engaged with the media and that's been a vital part of his work, increasing his visibility like no other pope before.
CNN's Christopher Lamb has our report.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) CHRISTOPHER LAMB, CNN VATICAN CORRESPONDENT: A newsmaker from day one. Pope Francis has never been afraid to engage with the media.
In a private audience he held for the Vatican press corps Monday, he underlined how critical, responsible journalism is in today's world telling a room full of reporters that being a journalist is a vocation, somewhat like that of a doctor who chooses to love humanity by curing illnesses.
POPE FRANCIS, ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCH (through translator): To protect and understand human life.
LAMB: Ever since taking up office, Pope Francis has spoken out on many issues, including the death penalty, nuclear weapons. He's been a consistent advocate for migrants, for peace in Ukraine and Gaza.
"There is no conflict that does not end up in some way indiscriminately striking the civilian population."
He's also been a vocal defender of the planet, carving out a prominent moral voice for himself from the world stage by engaging with the media and his follow online, giving more interviews than any other pope.
[01:49:43]
MICHAEL CZERNY, CARDINAL: I think he would say I speak out because of the commitment of the faithful. In other words, I'm not speaking because I have personally some kind of a special response to give.
No, I speak out because there are millions of Catholics and other Christians and other believers and other people of goodwill for whom or in whose voice I'm speaking.
And we're trying to -- trying to say to the world's decision makers that their decisions are anti-human, shortsighted, suicidal.
LAMB: Like Pope Francis, Cardinal Czerny has been pushing efforts to galvanize Catholics and indeed the world to welcome and support refugees fleeing war and poverty.
CZERNY: Absolutely.
What we try to do is to help the church locally wherever it is to accompany the migrants and refugees, to welcome them, to protect them, to promote them, and to integrate them.
LAMB: To Cardinal Czerny and the Pope, refugees are not about numbers, but names, faces, people. Francis made headlines in 2016 when he brought back Muslim refugees on his papal plane after a trip to the Greek island of Lesbos.
In an age of heightened misinformation and attacks on journalists, the pope has also emerged as a defender of freedom of the media.
Francis is 87 years old and has had some health difficulties. Yet he shows no sign of slowing down and in a fast changing, unpredictable world, he's likely to keep on making headlines.
Christopher Lamb, CNN -- Rome.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
VAUSE: What could be a key moment in Sweden's NATO application was a debate set in Turkey's parliament later today. And approval by Turkish lawmakers would end a delay which is strained and (INAUDIBLE) with the western allies. Sweden and neighboring Finland began the process of joining the alliance in 2022 after Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
But Turkey also with Hungary, kept Sweden waiting until it toughened its stance on local members of the Kurdish Workers Party, which Ankara deems to be terrorists.
Still to come on CNN, three health scares in less than a week for members of the British royal family. The latest on their condition in a moment
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
VAUSE: The British Isles are recovering from storm Isha after more than 1,200 reports of high winds over the last two days. The storm brought huge waves to the coast, train services were disrupted, hundreds of flights were canceled or delayed.
About 45,000 homes in Northern Ireland were still without power as of Monday. (INAUDIBLE) was especially hard hit, wind gusts over 140 kilometers per hour, and all train services were canceled.
Another health concern for another British royal -- the third in a week, with Sarah Ferguson, the Duchess of York diagnosed with skin cancer.
[01:54:49]
VAUSE: King Charles will soon be treated for his enlarged prostate and the Princess of Wales is recovering from abdominal surgery. More details now from Max Foster.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MAX FOSTER, CNN ROYAL CORRESPONDENT: Sarah, Duchess of York has had a second cancer diagnosis, her second since the summer. She says she's in good spirits but wanted to raise awareness that people should be getting their moles checked.
In June, she had a mastectomy that was followed by reconstructive surgery. They removed several moles and she's now had that diagnosis back as malignant melanoma.
She said it was a shock and many of her fans have been expressing that shock on her Instagram page.
It comes after news that King Charles is going to hospital this week for a procedure relating to an enlarged prostate. That, however, is benign.
The Princess of Wales is also still in hospital this week, having had abdominal surgery, but we're told by a source that isn't related to cancer either.
There will be updates during the course of the week, but only perhaps when the princess leaves, or there's a major progression in any of these cases.
Max Foster, CNN -- London.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
VAUSE: We'll leave the ailing royals behind for some good news for beloved giraffe named Benito. He's getting a better chance at life in Mexico. Advocates (ph) campaigned for months to get Benito move from his lonely life at a park at the northern city of Ciudad Juarez, where the weather is really hot in summer and brutally cold in winter.
So on Sunday with the help of a crane and a very large container. Benito, he was in there somewhere loaded onto a truck for a 50-hour journey south to a safari park in the state of Pueblo where Benito will be able to roam freely with seven other giraffes, absolutely.
Thank you for watching, I'm John Vause.
Please stay with us, my friend and colleague, Rosemary Church picks it up after a very quick break.
See you right back here tomorrow.
[01:56:40]
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ROSEMARY CHURCH, CNN ANCHOR: Hello and welcome to our viewers joining us from all around the world and to everyone streaming us on CNN Max.
I'm Rosemary Church.
Just ahead. Israeli troops suffered their deadliest day since the war in Gaza began. We will have a live report with the latest details. The U.S. and U.K. launch another round of strikes on Houthi targets in Yemen, but will it be enough to stop attacks --
