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Bodies of Six Hostages Recovered in Gaza; Biden: Hostage and Ceasefire Deal Soon; Harris to Campaign in Michigan; Harris Slams Trump's Arlington National Cemetery Incident; Polio Vaccination Begin in Gaza; San Francisco 49er Ricky Pearsall Shot in San Francisco; Widespread tributes to Johnny and Matthew Gaudreau. Aired 4-5a ET

Aired September 01, 2024 - 04:00   ET

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

[04:00:00]

KIM BRUNHUBER, CNN ANCHOR: Welcome to all of you watching us here in the United States, Canada, and around the world. I'm Kim Brunhuber.

We have the latest now on the breaking news from Gaza. The Israeli cabinet is scheduled to meet at this hour, one day after the Israeli military says it recovered the bodies of six hostages from an underground tunnel in the Rafah area.

The IDF has now identified all six, saying their families have been notified. They are Ori Danino, Carmel Gat, Hersh Goldberg-Polin, Eden Yerushalmi, Almog Sarusi, and Alex Lobanov. Israel's defense minister says the six were killed just before troops could reach them.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

READ ADMIRAL DANIEL HAGARI, IDF SPOKESPERSON (through translator): According to the initial assessment at our disposal, they were brutally murdered by Hamas terrorists a short while before we reached them. They were abducted alive on the morning of October 7th by the Hamas terror organization.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BRUNHUBER: The news has led to new protests in Israel on Sunday and new calls for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to agree to a ceasefire and hostage deal. The group Missing Families Forum issued a statement saying Netanyahu abandoned the hostages. The group is calling on him to address the nation and, quote, take responsibility for abandoning the hostages. On Saturday, protesters said Netanyahu is putting the war with Hamas ahead of the hostages' lives.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ZAHILO SHAHAI MOL, PROTESTER: In order to stop this and to save lives, there is one thing that must be done, for lives to be saved, Netanyahu must be immediately replaced. For the hostages to return home, Netanyahu must leave now. Members of the coalition, step up and take action, or be recorded in history as the full accomplices in the execution of the hostages.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BRUNHUBER: The White House put out a statement about the hostage deaths. It reads in part, it is as tragic as it is reprehensible. Make no mistake, Hamas leaders will pay for these crimes. And we will keep working around the clock for a deal to secure the release of the remaining hostages.

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken posted this on social media, quote, the killing of these hostages only further confirms Hamas' depravity. It should release all the hostages immediately. We will continue to work with our partners in the region to secure an agreement without delay that frees the remaining hostages.

All right. For more on this story, I want to bring in journalist Elliott Gotkine, who's live in London, and CNN International diplomatic editor Nic Robertson, live in Jerusalem.

Nic, I want to start with you. Just give us a sense of the mood in Israel and the reaction there.

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMATIC EDITOR: This is a country that's grieving. It's divided. There's anger against the prime minister. You heard it there from the families representing some of the hostages. We're hearing it from opposition leaders Yair Lapid, Yair Golan, and others saying that it's time for people to come out on the streets and demonstrate.

So, there's a real sense of the hurt here that this was avoidable, that the prime minister could have saved these hostages by doing a deal with Hamas. However, unsavory that deal might have been to get a ceasefire and get them released.

And you get that and you hear that and you understand that when the prime minister's defense minister himself, who had disagreements with him on Thursday last week over a vote about how Israel should -- or what Israel should do with its troops along the border with Egypt, the so-called Philadelphi Corridor, calling for the cabinet now to go back and make a different decision on that so they can get a deal to bring the other hostages home.

You understand that there is division across the political spectrum in the country, but there is division right here within the government, within the cabinet. It's not clear if there were a vote, if that would change it. Benny Gantz another leading politician here, one of the principal opposition politicians who was in the war cabinet until he pulled out a few months ago, has called on the prime minister, and again, this gives you the sense of the division and the anger and the politics that is happening now in the wake of this terrible, terrible news, that he is calling on the prime minister saying, look, when the hostage was released, the Bedouin hostage was released just last week, freed by the IDF, you called him, you went to visit Noa Argamani, who was another hostage who was freed. But why don't you now, he says, call these families?

[04:05:00] Call the families of these six hostages who were murdered in cold blood. Brutally murdered, according to the defense minister. Why don't you call them and just listen to what they have to say? So, this is a moment of absolute pain, of the horrific feeling that this could have been prevented. And perhaps a moment, certainly exacerbating political divisions, but perhaps a moment of reckoning for the prime minister, although he is able to survive all things politically.

But I think, look, just strip away the politics, strip away what the what people are feeling. This is six families now. There will be six funerals in this country. But -- and the six families grieving, but this grieving is going to rip right into this country. You cannot underestimate how painful this will be.

These were six young people. These were six people who survived already the horrific conditions in the tunnels. These were six young people, or five of them at least, who were at the Nova Music Festival. And Carmel Gat was just in a kibbutz nearby visiting her family. And I should just read you a little here of what a letter her cousin wrote, because I think this just captures the spirit and the mood at the moment.

It says, sorry, Carmel. Sorry we didn't stop when it was possible. Sorry. Sorry. We let them kill you. I wish you saw and heard us. I wish that even through -- even though you saw us with your eyes, the terrible murder of your mother, you discovered that your father and your brothers and sister-in-law and your niece survived. I wish you saw your friends fought to bring you back alive. I wish you hadn't heard the prime minister say that the Philadelphi Corridor is more important than your life and the lives of the other hostages. I can only imagine with how much rage that must have filled you. That was a message from her cousin.

She was 40 years old. She was an occupational therapist. I think that just gives you a sense of the utter pain, the devastation and the division and the anger at the political decisions that have been taken here.

BRUNHUBER: Yes. That message, Nic, just absolutely, absolutely heartbreaking. Well, Elliott, I want to turn to you now, I guess, building off of what Nic was talking about there, as we learn more about who was killed, share with us a bit what we know.

ELLIOTT GOTKINE, JOURNALIST: Kim we've got quite a few details about the six people whose bodies were recovered by the IDF on Saturday evening. As you say, as Nic said, Daniel Hagari, the IDF spokesman, excuse me, describing them as having been brutally murdered by Hamas terrorists.

So, as Nic was mentioning about Carmel Gat, she was 40-year-old occupational therapist. She went to visit her parents at Kibbutz Be'eri. Her mother was killed that day. Her father survived. And she was described by some of the released hostages, those that were released as part of the first and only hostage ceasefire deal back in November as a guardian angel. We also, of course, Hersh Goldberg-Polin, 23-year-old Israeli American. We've been talking, of course, a lot about him because his parents were -- met with President Biden. They spoke at the Democratic National Convention just some 10 days ago and led the audience in chance of bring them home. But been very vocal about trying to get their son Hersh and the other hostages back. They posted a statement earlier today, when the news came out, that they were devastated to receive the news that their son had been killed.

You'll also recall, of course, on the day of October the 7th, the Hamas-led terrorist attacks, that he was seen being herded onto the back of a truck with half of his left arm missing, seemingly blown off by a gunfire or a grenade while he was being captured.

Then there's Eden Yerushalmi, 24-year-old bartender. She was speaking with her family on the phone as she was trying to hide, as she was trying to escape from the militants as they were hunting people down at this Nova Music Festival. Her last words to her sister were, Shanny (ph), they caught me.

There's Almog Sarusi, 27-year-old. His girlfriend was mortally wounded also at the Nova Music Festival. He stayed with her to try to help her only to wind up being kidnapped himself.

[04:10:00]

Alexander Lobanov, a 32-year-old Russian-Israeli bar manager at the Nova Music Festival. His second child, a boy, was born five months ago while he was in captivity. A baby, a child that, of course, he will now never get to meet. And then there's Ori Danino, a 25-year-old man who took a number of people from the Nova Music Festival in his car to get them to safety and then turned around to go back to try to help some more and then wound up being kidnapped himself.

So, those are the names and a little bit about the lives of the six Israelis who were killed while in captivity in the Gaza Strip and whose bodies were found on Saturday. Just one final thing to say, Kim, there are still 101 hostages being held in Gaza, about a third of believed to be dead already.

BRUNHUBER: All right. Appreciate that from both of you. Nic Robertson in Jerusalem and Elliott Gotkine in London. Thank you.

I want to bring in now Miri Eisin from Tel Aviv. She's a senior fellow at the International Institute for Counterterrorism at Reichman University, and she's also a colonel in the reserves for the Israel Defense Forces. Thank you so much for joining us here.

We were just hearing there from our reporters who were talking about some of the families, the reaction there, I mean, just absolutely heartbroken and angry. So, now, as Israelis are learning about who died, what is the feeling there in the country?

MIRI EISIN, SENIOR FELLOW, INTERNATIONAL INSTITUTE FOR COUNTER- TERRORISM, REICHMAN UNIVERSITY: So, you know, it's already 11 a. m. Today is September 1st. It's the first day of school in Israel, and that means that first-graders are going for the first time. And you saw parents taking their kids to school literally crying.

I listened to Nic's description and I thought he's describing these six families, but it's actually the State of Israel. I don't know any of those six and they're all as if my kids. I have a 23-year-old daughter. Hersh was 23. You go around and you think of it as being something very personal. And the combination is that we are heartbroken and we're angry and it's hard to pinpoint what more heartbroken, which is so harsh or more angry and at home.

And all of that is how you feel. Because as I went around, you know, my little things that I was doing this morning, right, it's September 1st. I'm supposed to go and I'm supposed to work and I can't concentrate and I'm looking around and nobody knows what to say, and that's in the entire State of Israel.

BRUNHUBER: Yes, it's such a mixture of feelings, it must be as you describe there. The cabinet apparently meeting at this hour. What's your sense of what could come out of this?

EISIN: So, at least in the Israeli news, they announced that the cabinet had decided to cancel this morning's meeting, which is a statement upon itself. So, I don't think they're actually meeting right now. Usually, every Sunday, there's the Israeli cabinet meeting. Sunday's the first day of the week here inside Israel.

But what I'm watching is, you know, we get our news feed from different things that within the cabinet itself, the members of the government, I'm not talking about the opposition, that the members of the government are putting out vastly different statements.

The defense minister put out a written statement. The prime minister did a taped statement, not facing journalists or people. The prime minister canceled his scheduled visit on the first day of school to go to a first-grade class. It just goes to show that this is throwing everybody off. All of us are feeling horrible.

And the cabinet, most definitely, made statements that are very challenging. And I think in that sense that what we're looking at is Israelis right now, will the security cabinet that made the decision last week that they're going to stay on Philadelphi Corridor, will they change that decision? I do not know the answer.

I know that the defense minister stated clearly, let's sit down, let's change that decision, let's get the live hostages back.

BRUNHUBER: Yes. On that, I mean, there is so much anger against the prime minister. How much do you think this will add now to the pressure on Benjamin Netanyahu to agree to a hostage release and ceasefire deal?

EISIN: So, I really want to try and flush this out with you for a moment, Kim, because this is a real challenging point. I'm not sure that any other prime minister right now would have an easy job. This is a horrific, horrible war. It started -- and I'm not going to -- I'm going to be -- when Elliott before described them as militants, I wanted to jump in and say, no, they are terrorists, that Hamas is a terror organization.

[04:15:00]

And that beginning from October 7th, that last night, the finding of these six people who were murdered, executed 24 hours before they were found, they were alive until then, that's part of the whole situation. So, I am angry at the decisions that the cabinet has made.

I have to tell you, I do acknowledge that there are different opinions. So, I want to separate between that overall anger. that is here, which is against whoever is making the decision and specifically the prime minister, because the prime minister was under attack in Israel in the year before the war. I was one of those also who very much oppose the policies of this government, and having said that, they were elected in, and there are very few legal, democratic ways that you can move them out. And they're making these decisions that impact every single one of us.

So, I don't know that there's more anger now, but, boy, it's boiling out all over the place.

BRUNHUBER: Finally, we only have a minute left, but I did want to ask you this, taking advantage of your military expertise. There was one hostage recovered alive last week, but tragically, that's been sort of the exception. I believe there have only been eight who have been rescued alive. So, it just underlines the military challenges of trying to rescue these hostages alive while also conducting a war in that area at the same time.

EISIN: And it goes to show that a terrorist organization, not militant, is willing to execute the bargaining chip because that's better for them as a terror organization rather than have just left them alive. No, they executed them yesterday to make sure that they wouldn't fall into Israeli's hands alive. It is a horrific situation.

BRUNHUBER: Well, we'll have to leave it there. I appreciate getting your perspective. Miri Eisin, thank you so much.

EISIN: Thank you.

BRUNHUBER: And we'll continue with our breaking news coverages. Israel's military recovers the bodies of six hostages from Gaza. We'll look at the impact it could have on the fragile hostage and ceasefire talks. Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[04:20:00]

BRUNHUBER: Israel's military says the bodies of six people taken hostage by Hamas on October 7th have been recovered from an underground tunnel in Gaza. The IDF says the hostages were, quote, brutally murdered shortly before troops could reach them.

Among them, Hersh Goldberg-Polin, a 23-year-old Israeli American taken from the Nova Music Festival. His parents have been among the most vocal of the hostage families. They spoke last month at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago. Here they are.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

RACHEL GOLDBERG-POLIN, MOTHER OF SLAIN HOSTAGE HERSH GOLDBERG-POLIN: Among the hostages are eight American citizens. One of those Americans is our only son. His name is Hersh.

JOHN HERSH GOLDBERG-POLIN, FATHER OF SLAIN HOSTAGE HERSH GOLDBERG- POLIN: This is a political convention. But needing our only son and all of the cherished hostages home is not a political issue. It is a humanitarian issue.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BRUNHUBER: U.S. President Joe Biden condemned Polin's killing, saying he's devastated and outraged. Earlier on Saturday, Biden also indicated that there could be a hostage and ceasefire deal soon. Here he is.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOE BIDEN, U.S. PRESIDENT: We should end this war. I think we're on the verge of having an agreement. It's just time to end it. Time to finish it.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BRUNHUBER: Jasmine El-Gamal is a Middle East analyst and a former Middle East adviser for both the Pentagon and the U.S. Defense Department, and she joins me now from Cassis, France. Thank you so much for being here with U.S. again.

So, unfortunately, many -- including many in Israel, have predicted something like this would be very likely, and now it has happened.

JASMINE EL-GAMAL, FORMER PENTAGON MIDDLE EAST ADVISER AND MIDDLE EAST ANALYST: That's right. Good morning, Kim, and thank you so much for having me. And you know, it's hard not to get emotional listening to Hersh's mother speaking just now as you replayed her words. And I have to start with expressing my condolences to the families of the six hostages that were recovered. It's a tremendously heartbreaking situation.

And it's true, this is a situation and a scenario that people, including the hostage families, have been warning about for months on end. Now, it's the reports that have been coming out recently from behind the scenes about these ceasefire negotiations paints a picture to us that these negotiations have been far, far less progressive than we have been led to believe over the last few months.

The Biden administration, American officials have been telling us for months on end, going back as far as the start of Ramadan this year on March 10th, that the ceasefire negotiations were coming to a close, that they were optimistic, that it was only a matter of days, maybe weeks at most. But what we've been hearing over the last few days, particularly this one meeting with -- Israeli meeting where the defense minister, Gallant, and Prime Minister Netanyahu got into a very heated exchange has really demonstrated that these talks have been -- the two sides have been much farther apart for much longer than we've been led to believe, and that there has not been any progress made on the core issues that are holding up these negotiations, namely this idea of a permanent ceasefire, which Hamas insists on and Netanyahu refuses to commit to, as well as a couple of other issues like hostage exchanges and the role of the Israeli military on the Philadelphi Corridor, which is the border between Gaza and Egypt.

So, the negotiations have been ongoing for months, but I don't think that the progress that we've been told has been happening has actually been happening.

[04:25:00]

BRUNHUBER: We heard that clip from the Goldberg-Polin family that you referenced there, the fact that an American hostage was killed, does that change anything from our U.S. perspective do you think?

EL-GAMAL: It's hard to say, Kim. I mean, the situation is obviously already horrendous enough that it should have spurred the Biden administration to do more to exercise its leverage with Prime Minister Netanyahu to end this terrible war.

This is really American who's now been killed, Hersh Goldberg-Polin, we know that over at least -- I want to say at least 40,000 Palestinians have been killed since October 7th and 94,000 wounded, and that's a minimum. And so, as terrible as it is that now we know that an American citizen has been killed, I don't know that in itself is enough to spur some kind of a change that it -- by the Biden administration if the numbers that we've just talked about have not been enough already.

That said, though, there are a hundred more hostages left in Israel. There are children in Gaza who need polio vaccinations. There are dozens and dozens of reasons that we could list right now to accelerate the pressure on both sides. I mean, there are certainly plenty of blame to go around here on Hamas and on the Netanyahu government to get these ceasefire negotiations done and to end this horrific war that is resulting in so much senseless death and murder and killing.

But the time is now, Kim, if there hasn't been a willingness on the American side to exert enough pressure on the Israeli government to sign the deal and for Prime Minister Netanyahu to sign the deal, and as you mentioned earlier, the hostage families, members of his own cabinet, have been blaming Prime Minister Netanyahu for not doing enough to get this deal signed. He has been stalling for months. And today, we were reminded just once again of why this is absolutely unacceptable and cannot go on any further.

BRUNHUBER: All right. We'll have to leave it there, but I appreciate your analysis. Jasmine El-Gamal, thank you so much. EL-GAMAL: Thank you.

BRUNHUBER: All right. We have much more ahead on the recovery of the bodies of six hostages in Gaza.

Plus, U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris is slamming Donald Trump over his controversial handling of a visit to Arlington National Cemetery. We'll have details on that just ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[04:30:00]

BRUNHUBER: Welcome back to all of you watching us here in the United States, Canada, and around the world. I'm Kim Brunhuber. This is CNN Newsroom.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has issued a statement one day after the Israeli military says it recovered the bodies of six hostages from an underground tunnel in the Rafah area. Netanyahu said, quote, we are in a difficult day. The heart of the entire nation is torn. Addressing Hamas, he said, quote, we will not rest and we will not be silent. We will pursue you.

The IDF has now identified all six, saying their families have been notified. Israel's defense minister says the six were killed just before troops could reach them.

On the streets of Israel today, there are new anti-Netanyahu protests calling for a ceasefire and hostage agreement. The group Missing Families Forum is calling on Netanyahu to address the nation and, quote, take responsibility for abandoning the hostages.

U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris released a statement about the death of Hersh Goldberg-Polin, an Israeli American citizen whose body was recovered in Gaza, saying, quote, Doug and my prayers are with John Polin and Rachel Goldberg-Polin, Hersh's parents, and with everyone who knew and loved Hersh. When I met with John and Rachel earlier this year, I told them that, you are not alone. That remains true as they mourn this terrible loss.

Americans and people around the world will pray for John, Rachel, and their family and send them love and strength. As it is said in the Jewish tradition, may Hersh's memory be a blessing.

CNN International diplomatic editor Nic Robertson is live in Jerusalem with more. So, Nic, what more do we know about the circumstances surrounding the finding of the hostages and the reaction now there in Israel?

ROBERTSON: Well, and I think sort of leading everything off is the prime minister. The reaction here has been from the Hostage Families Forum, from leading opposition politicians and also from -- essentially, from the defense minister, criticizing Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for the decisions that they hold him responsible for, for the death of these six young people. And the prime minister in his statement, the strongest lines in the statement, are very clearly defending himself and the decisions he has taken.

This is what we would've expected the prime minister to do, to speak about the pain and the difficulty the nation faces, but also really address his own political problems here. Look, he says, those who murdered did not want the deal. He's putting the blame on Hamas. He says that Israel accepted the U.S.-backed peace proposal, ceasefire agreement that was put forward at the end of May. He said Israel supported that, Hamas didn't.

He said on the 16th of August, Israel supported the new proposition and deal put forward by the United States, he says. Israel supported that, Hamas did not. His defending the decisions that he has taken, that the blame and the anger and the frustration is having beginning to get a huge outpouring now.

Why? Because these were six young people. They'd survived, so far, brutally murdered, murdered in cold blood, actually, is what the defense minister said. The perception here is that these were people who, despite all the horrors and torment of being in Hamas tunnels inside of Gaza, had actually come through so far.

And therefore, they would be alive and available to be released. And the understanding now that they were killed just shortly before really casts questions, not just on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's political decisions, but actually until we know the precise details of how they died, again, precisely what Hamas is doing here with them and what the message it intended to come from all of this.

[04:35:00]

But the prime minister's message is very clear that that he will hunt down -- Israel will hunt down Hamas' leadership. But just a terrible day for these six families and the country itself is torn, is grieving, and divided over this. It's something that everyone had feared. And this was perhaps the worst of all fears. Hersh Golberg- Polin had really become, you know, Hamas' go-to propaganda point. He lost his arm, it appeared, trying to throw grenades away when they were -- when he and others were being attacked in a shelter by Hamas. And that's how he lost his arm. And Hamas cynically uses him in a video to call for their release. And you see in that video that was released in April that his arm is missing. It was a heart wrenching video, and that's how Hamas intended it.

So, he is known so well to this nation and so well to so many around the world, but all of these young victims, bar one (ph), were at the Nova Music Festival. And I think this really, really cuts deep in the worst of ways in so many ways here.

BRUNHUBER: Absolutely. Nic Robertson in Jerusalem, thanks so much.

U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris is set to hit the campaign trail on Monday after a brief pause for the Labor Day weekend. She'll travel to the key battleground State of Michigan to hold a rally in Detroit. Later, she'll go to Pennsylvania, another battleground state. Harris will be joined by President Joe Biden in Pittsburgh as part of an appeal to working class voters across battleground states. It'll be their first joint campaign appearance since Harris moved to the top of the Democratic ticket.

Meanwhile, Former President Donald Trump's campaign says he will host a video call in Michigan with current and retired members of the United Auto Workers.

Vice President Kamala Harris is slamming former President Donald Trump for the controversial moment during his visit to Arlington National Cemetery last week. In a likely post on social media, she says in part, Trump, quote, is unable to comprehend anything other than service to himself. It's the first time the vice president appears to be directly addressing the controversy.

Now, the incident happened on Monday when Trump visited the cemetery and participated in a wreath laying to honor 13 U.S. military service members killed in Afghanistan. Trump was rebuked by the army over his campaign's use of video and images from the visit, which ran afoul of rules prohibiting political activity. But in a post on Truth Social, Trump appeared to suggest the incident stemmed from his campaign's use of photography.

All right. Still to come, more from Gaza, as Israel and Hamas pledge to pause their fighting for the children of Gaza. We'll have new details on the polio vaccine rollout as some babies are vaccinated a day early. Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[04:40:00]

BRUNHUBER: Israel Defense Forces say they have recovered the bodies of six hostages in Southern Gaza. Military officials say the victims were killed, quote, a short while before we reached them. The hostages had spent 330 days in captivity after they were kidnapped by Hamas militants on October 7th. A group representing the families of Israeli hostages says their deaths are a direct result of Israel's government failing to sign a ceasefire deal. They're demanding Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, quote, take responsibility for abandoning the hostages.

Meanwhile, in Gaza, the first group of babies have received polio vaccinations as a massive U. N. Campaign to vaccinate more than 640,000 children gets underway. Gaza had near universal polio vaccine coverage before the war, but it has since dropped below 90 percent.

Israel and Hamas have agreed to pause fighting in three phases beginning today and running through September 12th to help aid workers distribute the vaccine safely. But Palestinian health officials stressed that brief ceasefires won't be enough to get the job done.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

YOUSEF ABU AL-REESH, GAZA'S DEPUTY HEALTH MINISTER (through translator): We call for a real ceasefire so that this campaign can really succeed, because all the arrangements that have been done cannot secure its success. Although, our teams will go to all locations and wherever there is a Palestinian person that is in need of this vaccine, despite the dangers.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BRUNHUBER: I want to bring in Sam Rose, who's the director of planning for the U.N. Relief and Works Agency, or UNRWA, and he joins us now from Nuseirat, Gaza. Thank you so much for being here with us. So, to vaccinate some 650,000 children, I mean, how enormous is the task ahead?

SAM ROSE, DIRECTOR OF PLANNING, UNRWA: Indeed. This is a massive, massive effort. We've had thousands upon thousands of people working around the clock over the past several weeks to get ready for the launch of the campaign today. It's now underway in the middle area of Gaza. Under my organization, we have personnel administering vaccines at 25 locations, 25 teams across -- sorry, 25 locations, over 200 teams administering those vaccines.

What I can say is that four hours into the campaign, we started at 7:00, 8:00 this morning. From what I've seen on the ground, it is going well. We have hundreds upon hundreds of families queuing up to get their young children in particular vaccinated. We have to reach all children under 10, and large queues this morning at the health centers to get I visited, and all appeared to be going well.

BRUNHUBER: But I mean, you know, even with 200 teams, as you say, I mean, when you look at the actual math in terms of the window of time and the number of kids, I mean, it's, you know, vaccinating some thousands of children an hour, right?

ROSE: Absolutely. We were reaching -- I'd say, each team was reaching, yes, hundreds upon hundreds. In the time I was there this morning, I'd say well over 1,000 children vaccinated at this one clinic, which is our busiest clinic in Nuseirat.

And look, what that tells us is that the preparations are working. There have to be some adjustments. We have to readjust our teams. We have to send more supplies to certain locations, move things around. But what it tells us is that the acceptance levels and understanding and awareness amongst the community is high. But indeed, the rest is still to come. We've got several more weeks of this campaign.

[04:45:00]

Today, I'm happy to say, that the bomb stops at 6:00 this morning. That there was calm on the streets. But today, we'll go -- tomorrow, we'll have to go beyond the safe areas, into areas where the calm, where the pauses haven't been agreed. So much more challenging times to come. And it's really only at the end of each day that we'll know collectively how successful we have been in terms of the number of children that we aim to reach.

BRUNHUBER: Yes, you touched on a number of the challenges there. And then, of course, there are other challenges, logistics. I mean, you have to keep these vaccines cold. You need electricity, fuel, and then, you know, trying to do this in a war zone with so much, you know, infrastructure damage. ROSE: Absolutely. I mean, a massive, massive effort. What we're -- what we have in to our advantage is we have a very highly trained health carder inside Gaza working for UNRWA, working for the ministry. Very well qualified health professionals. They've had to deal with all sorts of complexities and challenges, not only over the past 10 months, but over the past 40, 50 years, given the situation that they've grown up in. And I can say today that it started well. But a lot remains to be done.

I mean, as we were administering the vaccine this morning, the heavens open, it's pouring down with rain right now in the middle area of Gaza. That means the hundreds of thousands of families living in tents, they're living in washed out conditions. The roads are more crowded. Everything about this campaign is difficult and will continue to be difficult.

And in many ways, it's really -- it's sweet. It was very uplifting and emotional to see all the families this morning queuing up in an orderly fashion at the health clinic. But we just wish that they didn't have to do this. And we're already looking with trepidation at the end of the pause in a few days, when life will return back to what has become normal in Gaza.

BRUNHUBER: Yes, and for those people, and then -- and for those, you know, who have polio, I mean, given how few hospitals are operating right now, fewer than half are functioning at all, I mean, how difficult will it be -- given what you've said there, given the start of the war again, to treat those who actually have the disease?

ROSE: Absolutely. I mean, the outbreak of the disease is a direct function of the conflicts, including the decimation of the health center and the ability of the -- the capacity of the health system, the hospitals and the clinic to treat those who contract the disease will be stretched. I mean, there is no cure for polio, but you are able to alleviate some of the worst symptoms if you're able to get a care to people, get professional help. In an environment like this, it will remain incredibly difficult.

But I do want to pay tribute to all the thousands of health staff and other workers amongst the population of Gaza who are doing everything that they can to get these vaccines out there today. It really is quite remarkable to see it happening on the ground.

BRUNHUBER: Yes, absolutely. I'll echo that. Listen, I want to wish you and all the workers there all the best with this vital campaign. Sam Rose in Nuseirat, Gaza, thank you so much.

ROSE: Thank you.

BRUNHUBER: Well, tributes continue to pour in for the NHL hockey star Johnny Gaudreau and his brother Matthew tragically killed by an alleged drunk driver. We'll have more when we come back, please stay with us.

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BRUNHUBER: A pro football player was wounded in a robbery attempt. The San Francisco 49ers announced that Ricky Pearsall was shot in San Francisco Saturday afternoon. The rookie wide receiver sustained a bullet wound to his chest and is in hospital in serious but stable condition. A 17-year-old male was arrested in connection with the incident. Police say he tried to rob Pearsall at gunpoint. A struggle followed and both Pearsall and the gunman were shot when the gun went off. The suspect is in custody and also in stable condition.

Family, friends, and professional sports teams around the country have been paying tribute to NHL hockey player Johnny Gaudreau and his brother Matthew, who were tragically killed by an alleged drunk driver. CNN's Gloria Pazmino has more on this heartbreaking story.

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GLORIA PAZMINO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, the tributes have been pouring in, fans have been laying flowers and bringing their jerseys and their hockey sticks to Nationwide Arena, home of the Columbus Blue Jackets, where Johnny Gaudreau played.

We are also hearing from the widow of Johnny for the first time. She shared her photos on social media, sharing images of them and their two young children and talking about the impact that Johnny had on their lives. She said that Johnny was the best dad in the world and that the year she had spent with him were the best years of her life.

Now, Johnny and his brother Matthew were killed on Thursday by an alleged drunk driver. And adding to the tragedy of all of this is that Johnny and his brother were scheduled to participate in their sister's wedding as groomsmen. The wedding was scheduled for the following day. Now, this family is having to plan a funeral instead of being able to celebrate a wedding.

We heard from the uncle of Johnny, Jim Gaudreau, who issued a statement saying in part that the family has lost two husbands, two fathers, two sons and two brothers, two nephews, two cousins, two family members, two teammates, two friends, but truly, two amazing humans. He said that they wanted to let everyone know that they are receiving their messages of love and support and that they appreciate their continued thoughts and prayers.

Now, Gaudreau had earned the nickname Johnny Hockey not just because of the way he carried himself while he was on the ice, but because of how he acted while he wasn't at a game, because of the way he connected with the fans, with the community and with the people of Columbus, Ohio, who said that he made them feel like Johnny was just one of them.

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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You definitely could tell that he was happy and in a good place when, you know, he saw him with his daughter. So, I've been thinking about them a lot.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He loved Columbus. He spoke highly of Columbus. He wanted to raise his family. He talked about that all the time. And so, as a community, I felt it was important for him to -- for us to back him up and show him support his family support.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And Johnny was so important to Columbus and so important hockey community. Just wanted to take a walk down here and pay our respects.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PAZMINO: Johnny Gaudreau, an incredible talent, both on and off the ice. He was a seven-time NHL All-Star. He played in 763 games, scoring more than 200 points and 500 assists.

Now, 43-year-old Sean Higgins is a man who is accused of driving the vehicle that killed Johnny and his brother. He's been charged with two counts of vehicular homicide. And according to a complaint, Higgins admitted to drinking on the night of the incident. He is currently in custody and is scheduled to appear back in court next week.

In New York, Gloria Pazmino, CNN.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BRUNHUBER: Authorities in Malaysia have halted the search for a woman who fell into a sinkhole nine days ago. A local official says several factors went into the decision, including concerns about the safety of the rescue personnel.

An Indian woman fell into the sinkhole last week in the capital of Kuala Lumpur, when an eight-meter chasm suddenly opened up beneath her on a busy street. Authorities launched an extensive rescue effort to find her, but they recovered only her slippers, according to the Associated Press.

All right. That wraps this hour of CNN Newsroom. I'm Kim Brunhuber. I'll be back with more news in a moment.

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