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Israel Marks One Year Since Hamas Attacks; Hurricane Milton Now Category 1 to Hit Florida Mid-Week; Israeli Military Launches New Operation in Northern Gaza; Trump Ramps Up Dark Rhetoric on Campaign Trail; Harris Using Interviews to Reach Out to Voters. Aired 12-1a ET
Aired October 07, 2024 - 00:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
MICHAEL HOLMES, CNN INTERNATIONAL ANCHOR: Hello and welcome, everyone. I'm Michael Holmes. Appreciate your company. Coming up here on CNN NEWSROOM, one year on.
[00:00:48]
Israel marking the somber anniversary of the Hamas attack that left hundreds dead and triggered a wide-scale war in Gaza. A devastating human toll on both sides, with Israel currently fighting on multiple fronts.
And Florida bracing for yet another major hurricane as the state is still cleaning up from the devastation from Helene two weeks ago.
ANNOUNCER: Live from Atlanta, this is CNN NEWSROOM with Michael Holmes.
HOLMES: It is seven in the morning across Israel, where the country is marking one year since the deadly and devastating attack by Hamas on October 7 that killed at least 1,200 people that day.
In Southern Israel, survivors and families of those killed at the Nova Music Festival have gathered to mark the one-year anniversary. And in the hours ahead, other commemorations will be held for victims of the attacks.
Ahead of the one-year anniversary, images of the hostages taken by Hamas that day were projected onto the walls of Jerusalem's old city. As of today, the Israeli prime minister's office says there are a total of 101 hostages in Gaza, including 35 believed to be already dead.
The mother of one victim had this heartbreaking message.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ORIN GANTZ, DAUGHTER EDEN ZECHARIA KIDNAPPED AND KILLED IN GAZA (through translator): I'm a bereaved mother. I've yet to process the word. I stand before you today, dear family, wanting to shout that I am not miserable because none of this actually happened. I'm still in denial. I'm being asked how it feels a year after, but I'm still stuck on October 7. The world keeps going, but to me, time has stopped. Still waiting to see you on the list of survivors. (END VIDEO CLIP)
HOLMES: Hamas's surprise attack on October 7 would spark a ferocious response from Israel, which launched its war against Hamas in Gaza.
One year on, the Palestinian Health Ministry says the death toll from the war is nearing 42,000; 100,000 wounded; 10,000 missing in the rubble.
Israel on high alert for possible attacks by Hamas on the anniversary of the October 7 attacks. The military says it is ramping up security measures across the country, including bolstering troops near Gaza.
Now that comes after Israel's military launched a new ground operation in Northern Gaza, saying their troops have encircled Jabalya after seeing signs, they said, of Hamas regrouping.
To the North, meanwhile, the IDF says it struck multiple Hezbollah targets in Beirut in Lebanon on Sunday as it continues to pummel that country.
An additional 19 villages in Southern Lebanon are facing new evacuation warnings. More than 120 villages so far evacuated.
In Northern Israel on an attack on Sunday, wounding at least five people. Hezbollah says it launched rockets targeting an Israeli military base near Haifa.
As the fighting continues on multiple fronts, the Israeli defense minister, Yoav Gallant, telling CNN that everything is on the table as Israel prepares to strike back at Iran for last week's missile barrage.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu with this message for his troops on Sunday.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BENJAMIN NETANYAHU, ISRAELI PRIME MINISTER (through translator): A year ago, we suffered a terrible blow. For the past 12 months, we've been changing reality from end to end. The whole world is astounded at the blows you inflict on our enemies. And I salute you and tell you, you are the generation of victory. Together, we will fight, and together we will win, with God's help.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HOLMES: CNN's Nic Robertson following developments as Israel marks this anniversary, joins me now from the Nova Festival site in Southern Israel.
And Nic, I remember that day. You were -- you were there not long after the October attacks and witnessed the aftermath in person.
Tell us about how this anniversary is being marked in terms of events, but also emotion. [00:05:04]
NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMATIC EDITOR: Yes. Look, I think you're looking at it right now, Michael. This is -- this is what we're seeing around us here.
Young people coming back, grieving for siblings, parents; grieving for siblings. People who survived coming back, looking for closure, not finding it. Families coming, telling me this is like the day after it happened. They don't believe that their loved ones are dead and gone.
I don't think you can -- I can't put it into -- into words for what this means for people. Everyone just flinched just now, because not far away, there's an artillery position that's sort of firing towards Gaza.
There's a huge military presence around here, but also reinforcement around Gaza, in essence, to allow this commemoration to happen so close to Gaza, just -- just a couple of miles away.
We know that there have been military operations inside of Gaza over the past couple of days, 25 people killed yesterday when the IDF targeted a mosque there. They said it was a Hamas location.
It's clear that the tempo has picked up in the past few days, but here, I think what you're seeing is the mood set here for a very solemn and very somber day.
And I think it was the images from here, a year ago that really were the first powerful images for people as they were trying to grapple with what was actually happening.
Of course, everyone here fleeing for their lives. But those images of rockets flying over the musical -- the music at the festival everyone in panic, everyone running, trying to get in their vehicles.
And gunned down, not just here at the festival site, 340 -- more than 340 killed. The people also chased and gunned down at the nearby kibbutz all around the area, hundreds more gunned down there.
So, this was kind of the moment when the country, when it got the images from here, began to understand, and the world began to understand what was happening.
So, the president of Israel here, Isaac Herzog, arrived a little while ago. I saw him greeting with and talking with family members. He's expected to give a speech in a little while.
The detonation that you're here as they say that Gaza is not far away, the IDF and their artillery positions not far away, firing in the direction of Gaza.
And I think -- you know, this site has become a place of pilgrimage for so many families over the past year. Clearly, it will continue to be so. It changes. I've been here many times, been here with one of the
survivors. And she told -- showed me where she hid in the bushes and watched as her friends begged for their lives, she said, before they were killed.
This is now a place, not just a place in the desert where beautiful flowers grow, but this is now -- it has paths. It has car parks. This is a place where people clearly, for years to come, are going to come and remember the events here -- Michael.
HOLMES: Yes. I saw a quote, Nic, from a survivor of October 7 who said -- the way he put it was he said he wasn't suffering post-traumatic stress, because the trauma was still current. And there was nothing post about it. Is that how a lot of Israelis feel?
ROBERTSON: Yes. I just talked to one young survivor over here two minutes ago. It was exactly how he framed it. You know, he said each time I come back, it gets a little easier, but it's not.
He said, I'm reliving it, and I can see when I was talking to him, his arms were trembling. His lips were trembling. Just re -- just talking about the moments back then brought it. You could see it was coming all coming back to him.
It -- it's fresh for people. And talking to -- you know, I was talking to the aunt of a young girl called Amit (ph). She was 23 when she was killed here. And they did -- the whole family had gathered together the day before October 6 to celebrate her brother's 20th birthday.
This year, they celebrated his 21st birthday yesterday, but without his sister. You know, the whole family is still living in this day a year ago. She said they haven't moved on. They can't move on. They don't know how to.
I think a lot of people look to the possibility of moving on if -- and when the hostages are returned and if and when there's peace. Then -- then there's a sense that you can begin to move somewhere else in your life. But yes, people are stuck in this tragedy. It's as real back then as it is today.
HOLMES: And when it comes to these gatherings where you are right now, obviously, important sharing of a common bond. But the numbers that are allowed to gather are being asked together, are being kept in check, aren't they? Because of the risk or fear of rockets or other attacks, either from Gaza or well, from Lebanon, for that matter.
ROBERTS: Yes. Central Israel, Tel Aviv, that big gathering that was going to happen there this evening, members of the public have been asked to stay home, told that they can watch it on broadcast.
[00:10:10]
But the concern is that exactly that: there could be a rocket strike, or it could be a terror attack. Just yesterday, there was a terrorist attack. A border police officer, young woman, was killed in that and a number of other people wounded in a gun attack. About two weeks ago, a week and a half ago, in -- just outside Tel
Aviv in Jaffa, there was another attack. Two gunmen then, I think it was eight people were killed. And the concern is that, you know, when crowds gather, Hamas or other groups could infiltrate and perpetrate an attack.
So, no gatherings larger than 1,000 people inside Tel Aviv and central Israel. I think that's going to be widely observed. People understand the precautions.
But I think this location, there's a lot of people here. Maybe -- maybe 1,000, maybe that sort of number between families and media and organizers and all of that.
But I think even this would have been bigger if the circumstances were not so -- not so dangerous still. There is a strong military presence. You can hear that artillery fire from not far away going towards Gaza.
This is what it takes to -- if you will, for the IDF to make -- make them feel secure about the area.
HOLMES: Yes. Very -- very telling that on this day, in that place where you are now, artillery shells going into Gaza and landing there.
Nic, thank you very much. Nic Robertson at the Nova Festival site in Southern Israel. We'll check in with you as the commemorations go on.
Actually, I was on-air right here at this desk one year ago when the first reports of what was starting came through. Initially, it was snippets of information, but it didn't take long to start to realize the scale, the magnitude of what was happening. Have a look.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
GRAPHIC: October 7, 2023, 12:22 a.m. Atlanta, 7:22 a.m. Jerusalem.
HOLMES: In just the last few minutes, we've been getting reports of warning sirens going across -- across Israel. Multiple rockets seen being fired towards Israel from Gaza early on Saturday, triggering those warning sirens.
GRAPHIC: October 7, 2023, 1:01 a.m. Atlanta, 8:01 a.m. Jerusalem.
HOLMES: I don't think I've seen anything like this for a while. This appears to be a large-scale coordinated attack, and even reports of Palestinian fighters inside Israel, which would be extraordinary. What are you hearing?
HADAS GOLD, CNN JERUSALEM CORRESPONDENT: Yes, this intensity is really something unprecedented. Since 6"30 this morning, it has been essentially a nonstop barrage of rockets, red alert sirens going off across the country. My phone, which has this app that tells you when sirens going off around the country; has not stopped vibrating since 6:30 in the morning. That gives you an idea of just how intense this attack is.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HOLMES: David Sanger is a CNN political and national security analyst. He joins me now. It's good to see you, sir.
As the October 7 anniversary is being marked, I wanted to get your thoughts on how the region and, in some ways, the world has changed. Are Israelis safer now than they were before, or is the entire region in greater danger? Where might we be on the second anniversary of October 7?
DAVID SANGERS, CNN POLITICAL AND NATIONAL SECURITY ANALYST: Well, we're certainly on the first anniversary, not where we wanted to be. And I would say not really where we expected to be.
You know, in the first few months after the awful terror attacks, the world unified around Israel and Israelis. There were some arguments that people were less empathetic than they should have been. And I'm sure that we certainly saw some significant show of anti-Semitism along the way. But by and large, the world rallied around Israel, and certainly the United States did.
Then came Gaza and more than 40,000 deaths. And the conversation changed, not to the horror of the terror attack but to what happened in response. And whether Israel was being too indiscriminate in its bombings. And then, of course, the difficulty in getting a ceasefire. And the release of more of the hostages.
HOLMES: Yes.
SANGER: But it's really only been in the past month that we've seen the war expand the way President Biden had feared before. And that's what makes us feel like the whole region is -- is right on the knife's edge.
HOLMES: Yes. The Israeli newspaper "Haaretz" had a headline today, and it said this. It said, quote, "A Global Defeat: The Thunderous Collapse of Israel's Image Since October 7."
[00:15:03]
How has global opinion on the scale of Israel's actions in Gaza and now in Lebanon, changed a year -- a year on?
SANGER: Well, there was always uneasiness about the nature of the Israeli military and how Palestinians in Gaza were treated. But it was, you know, sort of at a very low boil.
And then came the images that we saw in which entire buildings, hospitals would blow up in the understandable search for leaders of Hamas. But the level of civilian casualties just seemed unacceptable to all, including the United States.
And then came the question of whether or not the U.S. would use its leverage over Israel, which is to say its aid and its military aid and its provision of arms to force a different approach. And that never really happened for a range of different political reasons in the U.S. and because of a quite vigorous debate about whether backing Israel means backing all of their responses.
HOLMES: Yes.
SANGER: And that -- that became the core. And of course, now that's the dominant issue.
HOLMES: Yes. You know, when it comes to what's happening in Lebanon, but also Gaza, I mean, and Israel's had some, you could argue, successes when it comes to Hezbollah, but military might can bring swift tactical victories in the short term.
But as the U.S. found out in Afghanistan and Iraq, swift victories can lead to, you know, quagmires. It can lead to more resistance and, ultimately, strategic losses in the long term. Is that a real risk for Israel?
SANGER: Absolutely. You know, Donald Rumsfeld, who many people had problems with as -- as defense secretary under President Bush, had this little collection of sayings. But one of them was, whether or not, in the search for terrorists, you end up creating more than you kill.
And I think that's the core question that we're all going to have about the Israeli tactics here.
Had they handled the reaction differently, had they handled it more the way they followed up on the killings at the Olympics back in the 70s, and handed this to special operations and the Mossad, it might have had a different feel to it.
And the Israeli response, the government response to it is Hamas was simply too big to do it that way. And they had no choice. But certainly, I think historians will be questioning their tactics.
HOLMES: Yes. Yes. And reminded of General Petraeus's book, too, on Iraq, where he said, tell me where this ends. And that sort of resonates now.
And to that point, Israel's defense minister, Gallant, made the point on Sunday -- he's not the only one to do so -- that Israel's attacks on Hezbollah -- his quote was "have made a crack that opens the door to change, not just in Lebanon, but in the entire Middle East."
But again, the region is littered with the -- you know, the deadly fallout of notions like that. I mean, is wanting to force a reshaping of the region a "be careful what you wish for" notion? I mean, what can go wrong, horribly wrong with such ideas, given what's unfolding?
SANGER: Well, it's an understandable thought, particularly after you've been through a terror attack of the horror of October 7, which was, we need to remind ourselves, the worst attack on the Jewish people since the Holocaust. That said and acknowledged, reshaping a region by military force, does not have a great historical record. You know, there was a conversation during the Bush administration we would turn Afghanistan into a model democracy that would then spread around the Arab world. That's not quite how it played out.
Similar statements were made about Iraq. And the fact of the matter is you can't change a political culture by force.
HOLMES: Yes.
SANGER: You can change it from bringing in that desire from within.
HOLMES: Yes. Yes, that's a -- that's a really good point. I mean, Benjamin Netanyahu again, taking the 30,000-foot view, Benjamin Netanyahu thought that he could manage the Palestinian issue without making concessions on self-determination. I'm talking prior to October 7.
I mean, in reality, there hasn't been a peace process for many, many years. Has October 7, and what's happened in Gaza, the tens of thousands killed, the mind-boggling destruction, has that all snuffed out any last speck of hope for such a process, even if it did still exist?
SANGER: I don't think it snuffed out any last element of hope. But, you know, even for a few months after the attacks, you heard people here in Washington who had been involved in the very delicate negotiations with Saudi Arabia about opening up relations, formal diplomatic relations with Israel and how that could change the Arab world. They still thought that was recoverable at the time.
And you look at what's happening now. Gaza, Lebanon, and you know, maybe within a few nights, Iran itself and it's really hard to understand how we're going to get there.
HOLMES: Always a fascinating discussion. David Sanger, thanks so much. Appreciate it.
SANGER: Thank you, Michael.
HOLMES: Still to come on the program, Florida residents lining up for sandbags with another major hurricane bearing down on the state. We'll have the latest on Milton's track and how millions across the state are starting to prepare.
And thousands of children have been displaced in Lebanon amid the ongoing fighting. I'll speak with a UNICEF spokesperson about that unfolding humanitarian crisis.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HOLMES: You're looking at live pictures there of Re'im in Israel, the site of the Nova Music Festival massacre. One year ago today, Hamas militants swarmed the festival, killing hundreds of Israelis and kidnapping others. Today, survivors and victims' family members are gathering at the site to pray for their loved ones and demand the safe return of the remaining hostages.
Turning to some other news this hour, a huge explosion outside Pakistan's Karachi airport has killed two people and injured at least eight others. Officials say an oil tanker exploded, shaking the country's biggest airport on Sunday.
In the video there, you can see vehicles engulfed in flames. A Home Ministry official says the blast was an attack targeting Chinese nationals, one of whom was injured.
There are thousands of Chinese workers in Pakistan, most of them involved in Beijing's multi-billion-dollar Belt and Road Initiative that connects East, South, and central Asia.
And we're following a new hurricane forming in the Gulf of Mexico, which is set to make a direct hit on Florida later this week, a state still reeling, of course, from Hurricane Helene less than two weeks ago.
Hurricane Milton grew quickly to Category 1 strength on Sunday and could become a major Category 3 storm before its expected landfall on Wednesday.
More than 15 million people in Florida currently under flood watches. Nearly 400 millimeters of rain possible in some areas.
More now on preparations happening throughout Florida, from CNN's Rafael Romo.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
RAFAEL ROMO, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): In addition to declaring a state of emergency in 51 counties, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis has ordered --
ROMO (voice-over): -- management sites to remain open 24-7, so that many areas covered by debris after Hurricane Helene can be cleared before the arrival of Milton, which became a hurricane Sunday afternoon.
[00:25:09]
More than 800 guardsmen are currently deployed for debris removal, but DeSantis said there will soon be up to 4,000 available.
We also heard from Florida Senator Rick Scott, who said that Milton has the potential of causing much greater damage than Helene, which pummeled Florida less than two weeks ago.
With Helene, Scott said over a million households were left without power. Milton has the potential of having an impact that will be much worse. SEN. RICK SCOTT (R-FL): It seems like a lot of their storms have
become water events. We've got it all with this one. We're going to have storm surge. We're going to have flooding. We're going to have massive winds. And guess what that means: you're going to lose power.
ROMO (voice-over): We heard a similar assessment from Governor DeSantis Sunday, who also said that Florida is going to see a lot of power outages.
And that is something that people should prepare for, adding that crews are already getting staged to restore electricity as soon as possible.
His emergency management director warned people that evacuations will be necessary at a level Florida hasn't probably seen since 20171 when Hurricane Irma hit the peninsula.
Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody says people should realize that evacuating is a life-or-death decision.
ASHLEY MOODY, FLORIDA ATTORNEY GENERAL: If they say get out, and it's going to hit us like this, and they can't predict exactly that storm surge, and you are in an evacuation zone, you probably need to write your name in permanent marker on your arm. So that people know who you are when they get to you afterwards.
ROMO (voice-over): More than 500,000 people in Pinellas County, where we saw many getting sandbags ready on Sunday, could be ordered to evacuate Monday, as well.
Many of these people were also impacted by Helene and have yet to recover from it. Manatee County --
ROMO: - located just North of Sarasota earlier announced that they will begin evacuations Monday afternoon in preparation for the storm's arrival.
Rafael Romo, CNN, Atlanta.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HOLMES: The death toll from Hurricane Helene, meanwhile, is now at least 231 across six states. North Carolina has reported the majority of those deaths with nearly 120 lives lost.
According to local officials, Helene's path of destruction battered the Western part of the state, tearing up roads, making some areas completely unrecognizable.
Florida has recalled assets deployed across the region to assist with its own cleanup ahead of this new hurricane, one resident telling CNN there were, quote, "mountains and mountains" of garbage and debris waiting to be picked up and disposed of.
They fear, if cleanup doesn't progress quickly, the coming hurricane could do even worse damage. Still to come, how people around the world are joining Israeli marking
the anniversary of October 7.
And children in Lebanon forced out their homes and schools, paying the price for the Israel-Hezbollah conflict. We'll have that and more when we come back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[00:30:32]
HOLMES: Welcome back. You're watching CNN NEWSROOM with me, Michael Holmes.
And today marks one year since Hamas launched a gruesome terror attack on Southern Israel that has deeply traumatized the nation to this day, and which triggered catastrophic retaliation by Israel in Gaza and now in Lebanon.
On October 7, 2023, Hamas militants breached Israel's Southern border and raided Israeli villages, houses, farms, even a music festival. More than 1,200 Israelis were murdered, including children; slightly over 800 of them civilians, the rest soldiers.
Hamas militants kidnapped more than 250 people and took them to Gaza. Israel's government believes there are still 101 hostages in Gaza today.
After those attacks, Israel launched a war on Hamas, with airstrikes and ground operations leveling much of the strip and displacing virtually the entire population.
According to Gaza's Health Ministry, nearly 42,000 Palestinians have been killed in the past year, nearly 100,000 wounded, 10,000 missing. And Israel is now targeting Hezbollah, of course, in Lebanon in a new war front that is threatening to spill over further into the Middle East.
Now family members of hostages who were among those who spoke on the eve of October 7 memorial, some are Israeli gathering in Tel Aviv, while the mother of a Thai hostage sent a message from her village in Thailand.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
HERUT NIMRODI, MOTHER OF ISRAELI HOSTAGE IN GAZA: It doesn't feel like one year. It feels like one whole day. It's devastating to think that they are still there. And we can't see any light at the end of the tunnel. Nothing is -- is done. And we are very scared for the lives of the ones that are still alive. We know that a lot of them are not alive, but we have fear that the ones that remained alive won't survive any longer. And we have to get them out of there are soon as possible.
GIL DICKMANN, RELATIVE OF HOSTAGE IN GAZA: If you don't do whatever you can to get the hostages back, you're a partner in this crime. And we have to do whatever we can to get the hostages back.
As the family of a hostage who was murdered in captivity, we don't care about revenge. We don't care whether the person who killed her is killed or not. That's not what we care about. What we care about is that the hostages that are now in Gaza, come back home as quickly as possible.
The hostages that are alive must come back alive, and the hostages that were killed, must come back so they can be buried here in Israel.
WIWWARO SRIAOUN, MOTHER OF HOSTAGE IN GAZA (through translator): If you can hear me, if you can see this, I want you to stay strong and endure. Come back to your daughter, come back to your father and mother. Everyone still is waiting. Everyone still has hope that one day you will be standing here, that we will be able to work together to provide for the family.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HOLMES: Around the world, people joining Israel marking the October 7 attacks. In Paris, people denouncing antisemitism at a memorial ceremony for the victims on Sunday.
Hundreds then marched near the Eiffel Tower, calling for the release of the remaining hostages taken by Hamas a year ago. More than 100 hostages, as we said, remain in captivity.
In London, several thousand attended a vigil at Hyde Park, where the mother of Emily Damari, the only remaining British Israeli hostage, spoke. Some waved Israeli flags and held posters of hostages while giant screens projected images of those who were killed.
Other demonstrated -- demonstrators gathered on Sunday to call for an end to the violence that has unfolded in Gaza and the Middle East, more broadly, since October 7.
Hundreds of pro-Palestinian protesters rallying in Southeastern Turkey to mark a year of fighting in Gaza with flares, flags, and banners. They asked that the killing in Gaza stop.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
FIKRET OZCELIK, PROTESTOR (through translator): Violence always begets violence, especially the events happening in Gaza. These massacres happening in Gaza will lead to different problems in the coming process if they are not stopped.
So, our call here is to the world, not only to the Islamic world, not only to the West, not only, let's say, to the Asian countries. The whole world needs to own up to this issue from the perspective of the values of humanity.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
[00:35:08] HOLMES: In Berlin, thousands gathered at a rally supporting Palestinians and Lebanese. They waved Palestinian and Lebanese flags and demanded the end of the war in Gaza and the wider region.
Meanwhile, Israel launched a new ground operation in Northern Gaza, saying their troops have encircled Jabalya after seeing signs of Hamas regrouping.
CNN's Jeremy Diamond with the latest.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JEREMY DIAMOND, CNN JERUSALEM CORRESPONDENT: Not only is this war in Gaza still going on, but that the Israeli military is carrying out yet another offensive in an area that, over the course of the last year, its forces have entered three previous time, because this is, indeed, the fourth time that Israeli troops have now encircled and are preparing to enter the Jabalya refugee camp in Northern Gaza after they say that Hamas militants have begun to regroup and reconstitute in that area, posing a threat, they say, to Israel.
the Israeli military overnight carrying out a series of air and artillery strikes, forcing hundreds of people to already begin to flee that area, where they have those people who were fleeing this morning, expressing fears about whether or not they would actually truly find safety in this humanitarian zone, which has been struck multiple times before by the Israeli military.
And now, the IDF is also issuing evacuation orders for the majority of the territory of Northern Gaza, potentially forcing hundreds of thousands of people who are living there to flee their homes.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HOLMES: The IDF says it struck multiple Hezbollah targets in Beirut on Sunday as it continues to pummel Lebanon. The attack focused on Hezbollah's intelligence headquarters and weapons storage facilities, according to Israel.
It comes as an additional 19 villages in Southern Lebanon are facing new evacuation warnings. More than 120 villages now under evacuation orders.
The U.N. high commissioner for refugees raised concerns about what is going on.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
FILIPPO GRANDI, U.N. HIGH COMMISSIONER FOR REFUGEES: Unfortunately, many instances of violations of international humanitarian law in the way the airstrikes are conducted that have destroyed or damaged civilian infrastructure, have killed civilians, have impacted humanitarian operations.
(END VIDEO CLIP) HOLMES: All right, UNICEF spokesperson Tess Ingram joins me now from Beirut in Lebanon. It's good to see you, Tess. UNICEF says the conflict is exacting a tremendous toll on children. Many hundreds were wounded, dozens of others dead. What -- what are the children in Lebanon going through right now as the attacks continue?
TESS INGRAM, UNICEF SPOKESPERSON: Yes. That's exactly right. The toll of this conflict has escalated in recent weeks and is really, really taking a tremendous toll on the children here, both as you say, in terms of the numbers killed and injured, and also displaced.
According to the government of Lebanon, 1.2 million people have been displaced here. And we estimate that about 400,000 of those children -- that's several football stadiums full of children -- displaced from their homes with almost nothing.
The families that I've spoken to here tell me that many had to leave in the middle of the night with only the clothes that they are wearing. So, the needs at the moment are enormous, and so is the mental health toll from that experience and from the attacks which continue every day.
HOLMES: What sorts of injuries are we talking about? Because we also know that many, I think -- I think it's around 40 health facilities have been closed down. I mean, so that -- that's an issue.
What sort of injuries are these kids getting?
INGRAM: Doctors that I've spoken to have told us that children have the scars of war, both physically and mentally. In terms of the physical injuries, we're talking about brain injuries and concussions from being thrown by blasts, limb injuries, including amputations.
And most common is shrapnel injuries from the debris that explodes out from a blast and affects children. And I've met a couple of kids this week who had quite bad shrapnel injuries, including one boy who had shrapnel penetrate from the back through his abdomen and some still remained lodged in his spinal cord.
And then, of course, in terms of mental health, I think that's far more widespread. Children are experiencing anxiety and nightmares and flashbacks. So, every aspect of their young lives, unfortunately.
HOLMES: Yes. No, that's a very important aspect of this. So -- so how is UNICEF specifically trying to help? And what are the challenges you're encountering?
INGRAM: So, services and supplies right now, our immediate response for children in this crisis in terms of supplies, we're really focusing on shelters, making sure that these people who have left with nothing are able to get through this immediate period of crisis.
[00:40:06]
Most of the shelters are schools, and so they're not equipped with beds and showers. So, we're bringing mattresses and blankets, hygiene supplies like soap and shampoo.
We're also bringing recreational activities and kits for kids.
And then, in terms of services, we're running mental health and psychosocial support programs and these recreational activities to try and help deal with some of this immediate trauma.
We're also -- we've delivered 150 tons of medical supplies, which is fantastic. We got another charter plane in yesterday of 52 metric tons of medical supplies.
So, it's really good that we're getting these in, despite the challenges which are of course, roads and -- and air freight are a significant challenge. Many airlines are no longer flying into Lebanon. So, to be able to get these supplies in is really, really important.
HOLMES: Yes, absolutely.
You touched on this, and I want to revisit it. The numbers of displaced people are staggering. I mean, more than a million people. That's 20 percent of the population already displaced.
And as you pointed out, more than 400,000 of them children.
Where are they, and what are they going through, particularly these kids?
INGRAM: Yes, look, people have predominantly been displaced from the South of Lebanon, but also the Southern suburbs here in -- in Beirut, where the strikes have been really intensive. Particularly these last few days, they have been consistent at nighttime, but also increasingly during the day now.
And so, people are really leaving that area for other parts of Beirut, but also other parts of the country.
If you look at a map of Lebanon, the areas where displaced people have moved to is quite consistent right across the country. People are just trying to find somewhere safe to go. 4
And of course, hundreds of thousands of people have left Lebanon, including for neighboring Syria. And for these displaced people, the challenges are meeting their basic needs right now. And of course, dealing with what they have experienced and this unexpected future. They're in an uncertain and unfamiliar environment.
And for kids, that could be really scary, particularly without the structures and safety that they're used to of their community. And of course, school, which was meant to go back this week and didn't.
HOLMES: Yes. Yes, exactly. I was -- I know you've worked elsewhere, too. And U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin warned last week of -- he said devastating consequences if Israel engages in all-out war with Hezbollah.
And he told CNN casualties would equal or exceed the number in Gaza. As we say, I know you've looked at and worked around Gaza, as well.
What -- what are your concerns for Lebanese civilians if this continues on the path of escalation?
INGRAM: It is horrifying to think that this could reach the magnitude of what we have seen in -- in Gaza over the last year. Having been in Gaza, including towards the beginning of the war there, I'm seeing, in some ways, familiar images on the ground that remind me of those moments.
A dad in the back of a truck holding his children and all of his belongings. These sorts of things that we're seeing now in Lebanon.
And so, it is a horrifying thought to think that it could escalate further. It would have a tremendous toll on the children here, because of course, Lebanon was already a vulnerable population before this conflict. They've been through five years of economic collapse. Many people are in poverty.
So, for this conflict to then compound that, it's already having an impact. And if it continued much more, I think it would be catastrophic.
HOLMES: Yes. Tess Ingram with UNICEF. Thank you for taking the time. Thank you for the work that you do, too. It is vital work. Appreciate it. Thanks, Tess.
INGRAM: Thank you.
HOLMES: And we will be right back
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[00:41:13]
HOLMES: It is a day of remembrance across Israel as the country marks one year since the October 7 Hamas attacks.
The grief especially palpable in the Negev Desert in Southern Israel, the site of the Nova Music Festival, where hundreds were gunned down by Hamas militants at an event meant to celebrate unity and love on that fateful day.
In the last hour, memorial sirens rang out, and those gathered at the site, including some of the victims' families, observed a moment of silence.
Now, one year on, there are still dozens of hostages from the October 7 attacks still being held in Gaza. CNN's Bianna Golodryga spoke with the mother of two captured female soldiers, who are supporting each other and holding out hope that their daughters will someday be freed.
A warning: this report contains some disturbing images on their abductions.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) BIANNA GOLODRYGA, CNN CORRESPONDENT/ANCHOR (voice-over): It's any parent's nightmare: not being able to protect their child. Yet, that's exactly what happened one year ago, on the morning of October 7, when then 19-year-old Naama Levy was dragged by her hair at gunpoint by a militant, her pants soaked in blood in one of the first harrowing videos that Hamas released of that fateful day.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (SPEAKING FOREIGN LANGUAGE)
GRAPHIC: You dogs, we will step on you.
GOLODRYGA (voice-over): She was abducted alongside several other Israeli female soldiers at Nahal Oz military base near Israel's border with Gaza, seen here in another chilling Hamas video.
Among them was her friend, Liri Albag, who was 18 at the time. They were all working as IDF observers, a role that involves monitoring border security. Military service is mandatory in Israel.
NAAMA LEVY, TAKEN HOSTAGE BY GAZA: I have friends in Palestine.
GOLODRYGA (voice-over): Naama tries to tell her captors that she has Palestinian friends.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I want you quiet. Quiet!
GOLODRYGA (voice-over): Se had taken part in an Israeli-Palestinian peace initiative.
Liri and Naama's mothers are still stuck on that day.
AYELET LEVY SHACHAR, MOTHER OF NAAMA LEVY: This terror attack is ongoing. For a year now, our girls are in the same terror attack.
SHIRA ALBAG, MOTHER OF LIRI ALBAG: Liri and Naama, little girls, young girls that one year in are there in hell.
GOLODRYGA (voice-over): Hamas's rampage left more than 1,200 people dead. Another 250 were taken hostage. Over 100 are thought to remain in captivity to this day, according to Israel's prime minister's office. But it's unclear how many are still alive.
The attacks triggered Israel's war in Gaza, which has killed more than 41,000 people.
For these two women, a ceasefire deal is standing in the way of their reunion with their children.
ALBAG: People in the world forget them our government and the media, the media and all over the world. They forget that they are still there.
GOLODRYGA (voice-over): In July, the families decided to release this updated photo of their daughters in captivity, saying that time is running out.
GOLODRYGA: People made this for her?
SHACHAR: Yes, it's for when she comes.
GOLODRYGA: What does this say?
SHACHAR: We missed you. You are our sunshine.
GOLODRYGA (voice-over): When I visited the Levy home earlier this year, I was struck by how Naama's bedroom looked more like that of a preteen then a nearly 20-year-old.
For now, they hold onto the memories and the hope of embracing their girls again.
[00:50:03]
SHACHAR: We are hoping, hoping that they are together there and helping each other survive. You know, we're trying to be strong for one another here.
GOLODRYGA (voice-over): Lives upended and, as the conflict continues to widen, there is seemingly no end in sight to their anguish.
Bianna Golodryga, CNN, New York.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HOLMES: We are less than a month away from election day in the U.S. Kamala Harris and Donald Trump entering the final sprint in the race for the White House. We'll explain what they're doing with that time when we come back.
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HOLMES: Election day in the U.S. now just 29 days away and the Harris and Trump campaigns racing to win over any undecided voters in those critical swing states.
Republican nominee Donald Trump addressing supporters in the battleground state of Wisconsin Sunday. A recent poll of polls in Wisconsin showing a tight race, no clear leaner -- leader. Those numbers within the margin of error.
Trump ramping up his attacks on the Biden-Harris administration and his grim rhetoric on what he thinks will happen if he loses in November. It's a very dark message.
Our Steve Contorno reports from Trump's most recent rally in Wisconsin.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
STEVE CONTORNO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Donald Trump spoke for nearly two hours in Juneau, Wisconsin, picking up right where he left off this weekend, criticizing the Biden-Harris administration's response to Hurricane Helene, even as Republican leaders of the states affected continue to say they're hitting all the help and resources that they need.
He also continued this dark rhetoric about what would happen if he does not win the 2024 election. Take a listen to what he said.
DONALD TRUMP (R), FORMER U.S. PRESIDENT, 2024 PRESIDENTIAL NOMINEE: But if you go four more years, you may never recover. In fact, I will say, as some people say it, I think it's very severe, but I can understand it. Some people say you'll never have an election again. This would be your last election. And I can see it.
Remember I used to say we'll be Venezuela on steroids. And that's sort of what's happening. We're Venezuela on steroids.
CONTORNO: This is Trump's fourth visit to Wisconsin in just nine days, underscoring just how important this battleground state will be in the weeks ahead.
Take a look at this poll that just came out from the Marquette Law School. It shows a very tight race, with Vice President Harris leading Donald Trump by a 52 to 48 margin. That is razor-thin.
And you can expect to see Donald Trump make even more visits to the Badger State in the weeks to come.
Steve Contorno, CNN, Juneau, Wisconsin.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HOLMES: Kamala Harris reaching out to voters through a series of high- profile interviews. Our Julia Benbrook with the details on that.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JULIA BENBROOK, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Ever since Vice President Kamala Harris replaced President Joe Biden at the top of the Democratic ticket, there have been calls for her to do more sit-down interviews and give voters a glimpse of how she performs in those unscripted moments.
She's ramping up those efforts this week with a series of high-profile interviews that each aim to reach a different type of voter.
Her appearances range from a relationship-focused podcast called "Call Her Daddy," where the host, Alex Cooper, has millions of followers, both on Instagram and on TikTok, to "60 Minutes," which of course has been on the air for decades and is the most watched newsmagazine program in the United States.
[00:55:12]
The "Call Her Daddy" podcast episode aired on Sunday, and the host said that no topic was off limits. But for the most part, they focused in on how the issues this election cycle will impact women, like reproductive freedoms.
And Harris emphasized that she believes more people support abortion access since the Supreme Court overturned Roe v Wade.
KAMALA HARRIS, VICE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES, 2024 PRESIDENTIAL NOMINEE: I think that's also why, in state after state, so-called red states and so-called blue states, when this issue has been on the ballot, the American people are voting for freedom.
Because ultimately, it's about, look, this is not about imposing my thoughts on you in terms of what you do with your life or your body. It's -- it's actually quite the opposite. It's saying the government shouldn't be telling people what to do.
BENBROOK: Harris's "60 Minutes" interview with Bill Whitaker airs on Monday. And this is just the start of her media blitz. She will also have appearances on "The View," "The Late Show with Stephen Colbert," and "The Howard Stern Show."
She'll be participating in a roundtable hosted by Univision.
And it's a busy week for her running mate, as well. Minnesota Governor Tim Walz will be speaking to the media. He's on "FOX News Sunday," "Jimmy Kimmel Live," and several local news interviews.
At the White House, Julia Benbrook, CNN.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HOLMES: It could take years for some villages in Bosnia and Herzegovina to recover from massive flooding and landslides. The extreme weather caused shocking devastation on Friday in the Jablanica region. That's Southwest of the capital city, Sarajevo.
At least 15 people confirmed dead, but now three days on, several others reported missing have not been found.
A local meteorologist says more rain fell in six hours than they typically see in four months.
Thanks for spending part of your day with me. I'm Michael Holmes. Do stick around. I'll be back with more news in just a moment.
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