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Tactical Pause in Southern Gaza; Mass Shooting in the U.S.; Exclusive Access to Russian Ship. Aired 3-3.30a ET

Aired June 16, 2024 - 03:00   ET

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

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[03:00:00]

ANNA COREN, CNN ANCHOR: Hello and welcome to CNN Newsroom. I'm Anna Coren live from Hong Kong.

Ahead on the program, Israeli forces announce a tactical pause to get more aid into Southern Gaza. We're live in the region with what that means.

Another mass shooting in the U.S., this time at a splash pad where children were playing.

And exclusive access to a Russian warship in Cuba, CNN gets on board. What we found there, ahead.

New developments this hour in the Israel Hamas war, the Israeli military says it has started a daily tactical pause in one part of Southern Gaza to allow more aid to reach Palestinians. But the military says the fighting in Rafah continues. The IDF says the pause will run from 8:00 A.M. local time until 7:00 P.M. local time every day until further notice.

Meanwhile, Hamas' military wing claims it was behind an explosion that killed eight Israeli soldiers in Rafah, calling it a complex ambush. It happened Saturday in the Tal al-Sultan neighborhood in Rafah. The IDF says it's investigating the incident. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called the deaths a heartbreaking price to pay.

Well, anti-Netanyahu protesters blocked highways on Sunday. They are demanding new elections to remove Netanyahu and a deal to bring home all of the hostages held in Gaza.

CNN's Ben Wedeman joins us now live from Beirut with more. Ben, what does this tactical pause mean and why now?

BEN WEDEMAN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, first of all, Anna, it's very specific. It's between Kerem Abu Salem crossing, or the Kerem Shalom crossing, as it's known in Hebrew, where a lot of the humanitarian goods enter Gaza, to the Salah al-Din Highway, which is the main road that links Southern and Northern Gaza.

Now, the Israelis say this was in coordination, after consultation with United Nations and other humanitarian organizations allowing for trucks to get into Gaza and then to leave Gaza with those humanitarian goods, of course, given the dire situation in Gaza where we have people, you know, young children dying of malnutrition. Clearly, the pressure is on Israel to start to allow more humanitarian goods in.

Now, this is announced less than 24 hours after we heard of this Hamas strike on an Israeli armored vehicle that left at least eight dead. That strike happened early in the morning yesterday. Yesterday afternoon, there was another strike by Hamas on an Israeli tank in the northern part of Gaza killing two Israeli soldiers. In addition to that, there's addition, there is news of an Israeli soldier who sustained wounds on Monday, dying as well.

So, clearly, the Israelis are starting to feel that perhaps that in terms of losses within the ranks of the military, they're beginning to get high. Hamas has not been vanquished after we're well into our ninth month of this war.

Keep in mind that back in 1967, in six days, the Israelis defeated the armies of Egypt, Syria and Jordan. Here we are eight and a half months into this war and they still have not been able to defeat Hamas. They still have not been able to militarily liberate more than seven of the Israeli hostages in Gaza.

So, clearly, this war is not working in their favor. And I think they're looking for ways perhaps to scale down, find an exit ramp for the level of fighting that has been going on now and that yesterday took such a high toll among the Israeli troops. Anna?

COREN: Ben Wedeman joining us from Beirut, as always, we appreciate the update.

[03:05:00]

Thank you.

Well, Miri Eisin is a retired IDF colonel and director of the International Institute for Counterterrorism at Reichman University. Miri, thank you for joining us.

Let's start with this tactical pause to allow aid into Southern Gaza. Can you please elaborate on what it actually means? Because a short time ago, we heard from the IDF saying that there is no pause in actual fact in the fighting.

COL. MIRI EISIN (RET.), DIRECTOR, INTERNATIONAL INSTITUTE FOR COUNTERTERRORISM, REICHMAN UNIVERSITY: This isn't about a pause in the fighting, Anna. This is about what Israel has been trying to do throughout, which is to save people's lives, hostages' lives, Palestinian lives against the Hamas terror. And in that sense, what you want to try to do is to get both as much humanitarian capabilities as possible.

I greatly appreciate what Ben was talking about before as he sits in Beirut. But when you sit and perhaps look at it from the Israeli side, every single day, those are numbers that are out there, Israel has tried to assist with the different humanitarian organizations and doing it right now is just to try to do it as best as possible. That doesn't make this war any easier. It doesn't make it a pretty war. It does not. But that's what the pause is about, to help people get what they need. That doesn't mean that they're going to stop acting against Hamas terrorists.

COREN: Miri, the U.N. and other aid organizations have been pleading for months to allow aid in, to address the humanitarian crisis that we know is unfolding in Gaza. I mean, some would argue that food and humanitarian supplies have been weaponized by the IDF. So, what does this mean for Palestinians in Rafah and elsewhere that this aid specifically can now get in?

EISIN: So, first of all, let's not start the aid from today, Sunday, June, I've lost my sense of time, as Ben said, almost into nine months. Aid has been allowed in all of the time. The distribution of the aid, this is a war zone, nobody says that it's easy. And there's no question that in October of 2023, that's eight and a half months ago, Israelis said, Israeli officials, that they would stop or limit humanitarian aid. And that was a horrible thing to say. That was eight and a half months ago.

Let's get past that for the last eight months. Ask and look at the data. Not just what the Hamas say, and in that sense, not -- I absolutely feel because it is horrible inside the Gaza Strip, but Israel has enabled the aid to get in. We are not the ones distributing it. We are not the ones all over. And as we do that, we're trying to act against Hamas, not against the Palestinian people. And the framing of what you said right now is putting the full onus of the blame on Israel. We've been trying to tell people to move into safer areas, trying to enable that. It is Hamas that stops that, not Israel. Let's be clear about this.

COREN: Miri, the IDF statement says the pause will happen every day from 8:00 A.M. until 7:00 P.M. to allow trucks to reach Kerem Shalom crossing. So, does that mean that there will be no strikes during those daylight hours in that area and for how long?

EISIN: I do not know, and I do not think that that's what the Israelis exactly said. And let's be clear, the Kerem Shalom crossing is entirely inside the state of Israel. It was built by Israel, and it extends into the Gaza Strip on the Gazan side. It has its Arabic name. This crossing has been the crossing point for ever since Hamas took over in 2007. It is because Hamas rolled over there, the idea of allowing more goods in, there are trucks that are waiting to get in. And the challenge is getting through Hamas.

Anna, neither you nor I want these goods to go in and to be handled and controlled by Hamas, the terror organization, the ones who hold the hostages, the ones who use the weapons, the ones who started this on October 7th, who, in any way, refuse to acquiesce. So, I do not know to tell you what that means in as far as what Hamas will do. I know that when Israel says that there is a pause, it means that they will not initiate fighting against Hamas because that's what we're fighting against as long as Hamas does not attack us. COREN: Miri, the deaths of these eight IDF soldiers, I mean, how does Hamas still have this capability? As we know, the war has been raging now for eight months, 37,000 Gazans are dead, including 15,000 children. The Israelis still haven't been able to kill the mastermind of the attacks, the October 7th attacks, Yahya Sinwar, who we know is still hiding out in Gaza. What does this say about the state of this war and Israel's objectives to destroying Hamas's military and governing capability?

[03:10:04]

Anna, what does this say right now in June of 2024 about positioning it as if it's our fault that Hamas built themselves inside the Gaza Strip, inside the 2 million people, and that we've been trying to avoid this exact horrific war for the last 15 years, Hamas took over, and this is what they built into it.

You're absolutely right. This is an ugly war. It is a harsh war. Thousands of civilians have been killed. Israel has never targeted them and yet they are dying. And my heart can go out to them and I worry about that future but do you realize that what you're asking is so what is the easy way to destroy a terror organization that is built into the 2.2 million people who live in the Gaza Strip. I could ask the same question about Hezbollah and Lebanon that are firing against Israel every single day, including today.

And everybody's asking us, how come you can't do this better when we figure out the type of weapon that knows how to attack just the terrorists that they don't embed themselves inside the civilian community, you and I, Anna will be much happier. Right now, it is a systematic, harsh reality and we're taking it, as we do some, destroy their capabilities. They're still going to have lots.

There are tens of thousands of fighters. When you said the numbers themselves, you, of course, know that you quoted the Hamas numbers, my heart goes out to every single uninvolved civilian on either side. This war is horrible. But the Hamas fighters right now could stop it. Those are terror fighters. They don't stop it. And nobody calls them out at all. We're going to continue fighting. Until they stop what they're doing and return our hostages. And if they would do that today, it would be over today.

COREN: Retired Colonel Miri Eisin, we certainly thank you for joining us.

EISIN: Thank you.

COREN: Officials in Gaza say Israeli airstrikes killed 14 people, including 7 children. The Civil Defense Directorate says dozens more were injured in the strikes in Central Gaza. The director of Al-Ali Hospital confirmed to CNN that 13 bodies had arrived there. CNN has reached out to the Israeli Defense Forces for comment.

Police near Detroit, Michigan say at least nine people were shot and injured Saturday at a splash pad, a water fountain, where children play, with the suspect dead of an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound. Families were just enjoying their day when it turned into chaos, with people scrambling to get away. A mother and her eight- year-old son are both in critical condition. Victims were taken to several hospitals with what authorities called varying kinds of injuries.

Police say the shooting appears to be random. They followed a suspect to a nearby home and found him dead inside. Police also found a handgun and three empty magazines at the crime scene, saying the 42- year-old gunman potentially fired 28 times. Michigan's governor says she is heartbroken and monitoring the situation.

For three years, Afghan girls have been banned from school, banned from studying and bettering their lives. The world's most famous champion of girls' education is urging the world not to look away. Her message is next.

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PATRICK OPPMANN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: A soldier armed with an assault rifle keeps guard.

Cuba good?

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COREN: CNN gets an exclusive look at a Russian warship in Cuba, just 90 miles from the U.S. coast.

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COREN: Today marks the start of Eid al-Adha, the feast of sacrifice, and one of the most important holidays in Islam. It comes as more than 1.8 million Muslims are taking part in the annual Hajj pilgrimage, one of the biggest religious gatherings in the world. And this year, it comes amid an extreme heat wave. Temperatures in Mecca are forecast to reach 48 degrees Celsius or 118 degrees Fahrenheit. Officials are asking pilgrims to carry umbrellas and stay hydrated amid the harsh conditions.

UNICEF is drawing the world's attention back to Afghanistan and reminding us that the Taliban are robbing girls of their futures. When Taliban fighters captured Kabul in August of 2021 and took over the country, they banned girls from attending school past the sixth grade. On Thursday, UNICEF marked a thousand lost days of education for Afghan girls. That is 3 billion hours of learning for 1.5 million girls just gone. UNICEF's executive director says without education, girls are at risk of early marriage, malnutrition and deteriorating physical and mental health.

Well, Nobel Peace Prize laureate Malala Yousafzai knows very well the value of girls' education and how to fight for it. Earlier, she spoke with CNN's Bianna Golodryga about how Afghanistan and the Taliban stand alone on this issue in the Muslim world.

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MALALA YOUSAFZAI, GIRL'S EDUCATION ACTIVIST: There are a dozen of Muslim countries in the world. And none of those Muslim countries do you see girls prohibited from education, or women prohibited from work. It's not a crime for girls to have rights in those countries. At the same time, we know that culture and religion are often used as an excuse by the Taliban and by other extremists as well to limit women, to protect their misogyny.

There is no solid basis for that at all. Islam actually encourages education for all children, for everybody in Islam. It is your responsibility to get education. I don't know what sort of system, what sort of ideology they're talking about, but the culture that, you know, I come from and the religion that I know, it encourages education. And I think the Taliban need to -- we also -- like at this point, I would say we need more Muslim leaders and more Muslim countries to step forward and actually challenge the Taliban to say that in Islam, there is no justification for a ban on girls' education and for preventing women from work in the Islamic context.

BIANNA GOLODRYGA, CNN ANCHOR: We spent a lot of time, and rightly so, talking about the failures of the U.S. war in Afghanistan and the number of years there. There were some positive notes that came out of it, and transitions and changes, too, and this was one of them, what women had the opportunity to do, the opportunity to go to school, the opportunity to contribute to the workforce to the economy overall. We should note that this isn't just a human right that's being deprived of women. It's a right that's really hurting the Afghan economy as well, where so many women are just not allowed to contribute.

You are though contributing though through your fund $1.5 million, as we noted. Explain to us how you and your fund through this money are able to help in any way you can specifically. What are you doing?

YOUSAFZAI: When I think about the future of Afghanistan, it's still the women and girls who give me hope. They are protesting on the streets every day for their right to an education, to work, to political representation and to a public life. That's why we are supporting Afghan activists on the ground. Malala Fund is announcing $1.5 million additional funding to organizations, 13 organizations in Afghanistan who are working on the frontline to advocate for girls right to an education.

And we're also at the same time supporting the campaign and the movement led by Afghan women to recognize gender apartheid and to end it and to hold the Taliban to account for committing these crimes and to push leaders and to hold them account as well for -- to ensure that they also take steps.

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COREN: A number of Russian naval vessels recently arrived in Cuba, just 90 miles away from the U.S. coast. CNN's Patrick Oppmann and went aboard for an exclusive look after the break. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COREN: Cubans are coming out to see a group of Russian Navy warships docked in Havana, a striking show of force just 90 miles south of the United States. It's a call back to an old Cold War alliance between Cuba and Russia, an alliance the countries may lean into as Russia antagonizes the west over its war in Ukraine.

Well, CNN's Patrick Oppmann went on board one of those ships and has this exclusive look.

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OPPMANN (voice over): Several hundred Cubans wait in the boiling sun to tour a Russian warship. Russian diplomats told me the public would be allowed to visit the Admiral Gorshkov, one of the most modern warships in President Vladimir Putin's Navy, capable of firing hypersonic missiles that travel at more than 6,000 miles per hour. It's the first of three days the ship will receive visitors, a rare opportunity for people here to see up close a frigate belonging to Cuba's Cold War era comrades.

We're going to get it live and see if we're able to get aboard.

After nearly three hours waiting, having my Cuban resident I.D. card run through a database by police and passing through metal detectors, we are told to board the Gorshkov. Just next to us is the nuclear- powered submarine Kazan, the first of its kind to come to port here. The visit of the four Russian ships, the largest Russian convoy to Cuba in years, is not a threat to the U.S., both Russian and Cuban officials say. But the U.S. is closely tracking the ships and their movements.

A sign in English by the gangplank to the Gorshkov says the ship's, quote, main purpose is combat operations against enemy surface ships and submarines. Although none of the vessels were currently carrying nuclear weapons, the Cuban Armed Forces Ministry said --

Hello, I say in rudimentary Russian to the sailors aboard the Gorshkov. We are only allowed on the main deck. And Russian sailors watch our every move. A deck above us where sophisticated communications equipment is visible, a soldier armed with an assault rifle keeps guard.

Cuba good?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Cuba good (INAUDIBLE).

OPPMANN: These sailors could be fighting in the war in Ukraine and seem to enjoy the peace and tranquility of the Caribbean.

Sailors show me anti-rocket defense systems and a cannon, they say, can fire 23 kilometers, nearly 15 miles.

After only the briefest of tours, we're told it's time for us to disembark. We say our goodbyes to our Russian hosts. As we leave, this Russian sailor counts us one by one to make sure no one stays behind to learn the secrets of a Russian warship station just 90 miles from the U.S. coast.

[03:25:01]

Patrick Oppmann, CNN, Havana.

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COREN: In France, hundreds of thousands of protesters have taken to the streets across the country against the far right.

Some clashing with police, as you can see in this video. It's the first major march since snap elections were called on June 9th. There's been speculation that the far right could at least become the kingmaker in the next government after they took some 40 percent of the vote in European elections.

The Ukraine Peace Summit in Switzerland will wrap up later today. Volodymyr Zelenskyy has been looking to delegates to support his ten- point peace plan regarding Russia. Well, earlier, he met with the U.S. vice president to announce a massive aid package to help Ukraine rebuild. But the White House admits its recent security agreement with Kyiv could be scrapped if Donald Trump is re-elected.

It was an exciting day of action at Euro 2024 in Germany. Albania made history with the championship's fastest ever first goal in a match, scoring after just 23 seconds. Italy was shocked but managed to recover to win 2-1.

Spain are looking for a record fourth title and started their campaign with a convincing performance posting a 3-0 victory over Croatia.

In the first match of the day Switzerland looked to be cruising to victory up 2-0 after the first half. Hungary came back with a goal in the second but then conceded another to give the Swiss 3-1 win.

Catherine, the Princess of Wales, joined King Charles and other British royals on Saturday for the Trooping the Color event, the official celebration of the monarch's birthday. It was her first public appearance in months. The princess revealed in March she is undergoing chemotherapy treatment for cancer. King Charles is also battling cancer, although he resumed public-facing duties back in April. At events on Saturday, he was with Queen Camilla in a carriage rather than on horseback.

And before we go, a cleanup has begun in Singapore on an oil spill fouling the normally pristine beaches of the island resort, Sentosa. Officials say the oil slick spread to the popular weekend getaway after a Dutch flagged dredger struck a stationary Singaporean vessel in a port less than ten kilometers away.

Despite the spill, beachgoers continued to come to enjoy the sun, even if a cooling dip in the sea was off limits. Thanks so much for joining us. I'm Anna Coren live in Hong Kong. Marketplace Europe is next.

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