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Yahya Sinwar, Leader Of Hamas, Killed By Israeli Forces; Early Voting Underway In Storm-Ravaged North Carolina; Trump Jabs Harris For Not Attending Al Smith Charity Dinner; Key Allies To Discuss Next Steps In Support For Ukraine; Israel: Hamas Leader Sinwar Killed; Acute Malnutrition Levels to Rise in Gaza Over Winter; One Direction Fans Shocked buy Liam Payne's Death; Weak Consumption and Property Crisis Slow China's Growth. Aired 1-2a ET
Aired October 18, 2024 - 01:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
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PAULA NEWTON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hello and a very warm welcome. I'm Paula Newton. Ahead here on CNN Newsroom, a chance encounter, not a targeted strike kills the alleged mastermind behind the horrific October 7 attacks. Look at what that could mean for Gaza ceasefire talks.
Also.
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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We might need an all-terrain vehicle, but we will get in to vote.
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NEWTON: Voters in storm ravaged North Carolina, undeterred, with early voting already underway and One Direction fans shattered by the death of Liam Payne, his former bandmates, speak up.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Live from Atlanta. This is CNN Newsroom with Paula Newton.
NEWTON: And we begin with what could be a pivotal moment in the year- long Israel-Hamas war, the killing of Yahya Sinwar, the militant group's hardline leader. Now a warning, we're about to show graphic images of his remains. Sinwar who took over Hamas in August, is the alleged architect of the October 7 terror attacks. He hadn't been seen in public since before then, and was believed to be hiding underground in Gaza's tunnels.
His body was found Thursday in a pile of debris in the city of Rafah. Israeli authorities say they used dental records and after that DNA to confirm his identity, but CNN cannot verify it's actually him, and no word yet from Hamas itself. Now, the Israeli military released video that it says shows some of
Sinwar's final moments. Take a look. It was filmed by a drone that entered a damaged building where a person who the IDF says is Sinwar was seen sitting in a chair and then turned away.
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MAJ. GEN. HERZI HALEVI, CHIEF OF STAFF, ISRAEL DEFENSE FORCES (through translator): We said we would get to him, and indeed, we got to him. The world is now a better place without him.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
NEWTON: That was a sentiment echoed by U.S. Vice President hope is that Sinwar's killing could, in fact, become a game changer in the stalled ceasefire and hostage release negotiations. President Joe Biden says he urged the Israeli prime minister to seize the moment.
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JOE BIDEN, U.S. PRESIDENT: Now is the time to move on. Move on, move towards ceasefire in Gaza, make sure that we move in the direction that where we're going to in the position make things better for the whole world. It's time for this war to end, and bring hostages home.
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NEWTON: Now, a group that represents families of Israeli hostages still being held by Hamas says it welcomes the news of Sinwar's death, and the families are all pleading for action to get their loved ones finally released. To the parents of an American Israeli hostage called on the Israeli government to do whatever is needed to get their son out of Gaza. And the mother of one hostage who was still in Gaza had a message for the Israeli Prime Minister.
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ELNAV ZANGAUKER, MOTHER OF ISRAELI HOSTAGE MATAN ZANGAUKER (through translator): Netanyahu, don't bury the hostages. Go now with the mediators and to the public and present a new Israeli initiative. Time is running out for my Matan and the other hostages in the tunnels. You've got a victory photo now bring a deal.
If Netanyahu will not use this momentum and present a new Israeli initiative now, even at the price of ending the war, it means that he has decided to abandon my Matan and the rest of the hostages with the aim of prolonging the war and securing his rule. We will not give up until they all return.
ORNA NEUTRA, MOTHER OF HOSTAGE OMER NEUTRA: Their lives are in great danger. Now more than ever. We are calling on the Israeli government and the U.S. administration to act swiftly and do whatever is needed to reach a deal with the captures.
RONEN NEUTRA, FATHER OF HOSTAGE OMER NEUTRA: This time, the opportunity must be seized. All hostages must be released in one deal immediately.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
NEWTON: CNN's Jeremy Diamond has more now from Tel Aviv, and we again want to warn you that this report contains graphic video.
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JEREMY DIAMOND, CNN JERUSALEM CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar launched the deadliest terrorist attack in Israel's history, triggering a devastating war in Gaza. Now, just over a year later, Israel says he is dead, killed by its soldiers in Gaza.
BENJAMIN NETANYAHU, ISRAELI PRIME MINISTER (through translator): I stand before you today to inform you that Yahya Sinwar has been eliminated. Today evil has suffered a heavy blow, but the task before us is not yet complete.
DIAMOND (voice-over): Unlike the assassination of Hamas' political leader Ismail Haniyeh, or the killing of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah, Israeli intelligence didn't drive Sinwar's death, the October 7 mastermind was found and killed by chance. Two Israeli sources telling CNN that Sinwar's killing came after Israeli ground troops encountered three Palestinian militants during routine operations in Gaza on Wednesday, a tank fired at the house, killing the men.
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Amid the rubble, troops soon realized that one of the bodies resembled Israel's number one enemy. DNA testing later confirming it was Sinwar. In Israel, celebrations breaking out over the news.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I think it's already really big win. I think this is a great opportunity to bring the hostages home.
DIAMOND (voice-over): And in Gaza, mixed reactions to his death, but concern that it will not end the war.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): His killing will not stop the war, because he was not the one who wanted the war to continue. Israel is the one that once wore and does not want to return the displaced people or meet the demands of the resistance and Qatar.
DIAMOND (voice-over): Sinwar evaded the Israeli military for more than a year, moving from place to place inside Hamas' vast network of tunnels, according to U.S. and Israeli officials never once emerging publicly since the October 7 attacks. Sinwar became Hamas' leader in Gaza in 2017 after spending 22 years in an Israeli prison. He was released in a prisoner swap deal in 2011 alongside more than 1,000 other Palestinian prisoners in exchange for the Israeli soldier, Gilad Shalit.
But his enduring legacy came last year when thousands of Palestinian militants stormed into Israel, killing more than 1,200 people and taking about 250 hostages at a music festival in people's homes and as they fled into bomb shelters. Now with Sinwar dead, questions about the fate of the remaining hostages and whether the war in Gaza will finally end. Jeremy Diamond, CNN, Tel Aviv.
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NEWTON: CNN's Ivan Watson has been following developments closely, and what everyone would like to know Ivan is what happens next and what this could mean for a ceasefire. I do want to return though to that incredible drone footage that we saw there. Really it was so unlikely even the Israeli military admitted this was -- they did not realize that they had killed Sinwar until they had the DNA proof.
IVAN WATSON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: That's right, this appeared to have been a coincidence, that it was almost a routine patrol, a training exercise, as it's been described, that resulted in the killing of Israel's most wanted man.
The drone footage is pretty remarkable. The Israeli military says these are the last moments that that he was seen alive, Sinwar. And you can see the drone goes into the shell of this badly damaged house in Rafah that's in the south of Gaza. There's a man sitting in an armchair there, they say, that is Yahya Sinwar. He's injured, they say, shot through the hand, and his face is covered with a keffiyeh, Palestinian keffiyeh. And then he picks up a piece of what looks like wood and hurls it at the drone, missing it. They say he is subsequently killed by a tank shell, and it wasn't really until the next day they say that he was identified as the leader of Hamas and the alleged mastermind of those deadly October 7 attacks that triggered this year of unprecedented violence in Gaza.
The Israeli military says he was found with a weapon, with a gun, and with some 40,000 Israeli shekels. It's a bit more than 10,000 U.S. dollars. They say that he was planning to move north through Gaza. And there were two, at least two other dead men found with him, one that they did not name, but they said, was a commander of a Hamas fighting brigade.
The reaction, of course, there have been commendations coming from the Israeli government and military commanders and Western allies like U.S. President Biden, the French president Emmanuel Macron, mixed responses from Israeli President -- Prime Minister Netanyahu, saying the war will continue, whereas other Western leaders, like Biden are saying this is a time to push ever harder for a ceasefire and release of hostages within the Gaza Strip.
Also mixed reaction, of course, you have more than 42,000 dead Palestinians in the Israeli onslaught since the October 7 attacks and widespread reports of hunger and disease there among the civilian population. Take a listen to what one person in Gaza had to say about this.
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UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (through translator): We received the news with great shock, because he is our leader, and may God have mercy on him, Israel claims that he is one of their targets and that after his assassination, the war will stop. But the war will not stop. They will come up with new justifications, and in the, they are exterminating civilians while we are the ones living through the massacres every day you.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WATSON: And again, while the Israeli government is calling this a victory and a success, killing a man they describe as a terrorist, Israel's arch enemy, Iran, has published a statement the mission to the United Nations of Iran, basically saying that Yahya Sinwar went down fighting, and they claim he will be an inspiration for generations to come. Paula.
NEWTON: Yes, Ivan, obviously varied reaction there. In terms of who could possibly be a successor here, there are talking about that, and yet that's a linchpin here, right in terms of where perhaps ceasefire talks might go next.
WATSON: And a big question here. I mean, yes, Yahya Sinwar now dead, and then recall that months back Ismail Haniyeh, the political leader of Hamas was assassinated in a strike in the Iranian capital Tehran. So that's leaving a huge leadership void here, which is particularly important if you are one of the family members of more than 100 hostages currently believed to be held by Hamas.
Who do you negotiate with? There had already been reports that communication between the negotiators who have been conducting months of talks mediated by Qatar and the Egyptians, where the U.S. has been involved, as well as Israel, that communication with the Hamas leadership has been slowed down by the sheer fact that much of Gaza is now in ruins.
Who do you talk to now and how much command and control is there to figure out where the individual hostages are right now, who can speak for the entire organization right now when, again, much of Gaza is now smoking ruins. So there's also going to be huge questions moving forward.
NEWTON: Yes, and given exactly the kind of confrontation that Israel continues to face on other fronts. I mean, we'll just take Lebanon for a moment there. We now heard that Israel is asking people in other places, other than directly, in those Hezbollah buildings, to evacuate that front continues.
Is there a sense in the region that they believe that, in fact, Netanyahu may use this opportunity to be much more ambitious in his military campaigns?
WATSON: That is a big question here. You know, Israel has had tactical successes. Not only has it now killed the leader of Hamas, but just weeks ago, it killed the leader of Hezbollah in Lebanon, a militia that is much better armed, disciplined and organized than Hamas was, and yet, Hezbollah has not stopped fighting on that front.
In fact, the Israeli military says it lost, I believe, five more of its soldiers in clashes in southern Lebanon on Thursday with more reports of Hezbollah rockets being fired into northern Lebanon, Northern Israel rather and in fact, Hezbollah has gone one step further to say in an announcement on Telegram that it is going to be transitioning to a new and escalating phase in its confrontation with Israel.
So even when Israel succeeds in decapitating these armed groups that it is fighting on different fronts, they do not stop fighting against Israel, which then leads to the question, what will Netanyahu do? Will he continue, as he has said, saying that the war will continue, or he will he take it as an opportunity to try to wind down a year of unprecedented violence that has led to so many deaths.
NEWTON: Yes, so many deaths, and so many civilians, including in Israel, Lebanon and Gaza and not to mention the West Bank, wondering now what will happen next. Ivan Watson, for us, really. Thank you for your reporting there.
Now, voting in a disaster zone, as North Carolina begins casting early ballots, people caught in the devastation of Hurricane Helene wonder if they'll be able to make their voices heard. Why some say they'll do whatever it takes. Plus, Ukraine's President tries to get the EU and NATO on board with what he calls his victory plan.
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NEWTON: U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris made multiple campaign stops Thursday in Wisconsin, a critical blue wall state. She criticized Donald Trump's comments on women's health care issues, saying her rival quote has no idea what he's talking about. She claims the former President refuses to take responsibility for the harm he has caused.
Harris also pushed back on Trump's remarks that everyone wanted Roe v Wade, the decision that legalized abortion in the U.S. to be overturned.
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KAMALA HARRIS, U.S. DEMOCRATIC PRESIDENTIAL NOMINEE: Now the man calls himself the father of IVF. I mean, what does that even mean? When you listen to Donald Trump talk, it becomes increasingly clear, I think he has no idea of what he's talking about when it comes to the health care of women in America.
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NEWTON: Meantime, Donald Trump attended the Al Smith Charity Dinner for Catholics in New York on Thursday night. He slammed Harris for skipping the event and sending a video message instead. Trump called her absence disrespectful, saying it's tradition for both presidential nominees to show up.
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DONALD TRUMP, U.S. REPUBLICAN PRESIDENTIAL NOMINEE: So here I am. They called me weird. They called J.D. weird. We're very solid people. This guy is calling us weird, but this was weird that the Democrat candidate is not here with us tonight.
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NEWTON: Now, the former president gave a speech full of jokes, taking jabs at prominent Democrats, including Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, who was seated next to the podium. He also made fun of his legal troubles.
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TRUMP: It's a true pleasure to be with you this evening. Amazing pleasure, and these days, it's really a pleasure anywhere in New York without a subpoena for my appearance.
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NEWTON: Now Meantime, North Carolina saw long lines at the polls Thursday as early voting got underway there. That's despite devastation in parts of the state brought by hurricane Helene, our Miguel Marquez went to one of the hardest hit areas where officials are scrambling to reach voters still isolated in the aftermath of the storm.
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MIGUEL MARQUEZ, CNN SENIOR NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Only the toughest vehicles.
MARQUEZ: This is a good road run right now.
RUS ROBISON, NORTH CAROLINA STORM SURVIVOR: This is a good run. This is a really good road.
MARQUEZ (voice-over): Can access some areas of storm ravaged North Carolina. Russ Robison has been helping out, doing anything and everything since day one.
RUS ROBISON: Brush cutting, landslide clearing,
MARQUEZ (voice-over): Immediate needs met now a big new need, figuring out how to vote in an area cut off by the most severe storm damage.
ROBISON: Those that want to go, I'll 100 percent be able to get them there right to vote, but there will be communities that probably some people don't get to vote, that want to vote.
MARQUEZ (voice-over): Water swept through Jeff Auletta's home on the Cane River in Yancey County.
JEFF AULETTA, NORHT CAROLINA STORM SURVIVOR: We would like to early vote if we can get in. We might need an all-terrain vehicle, but we will get in to vote.
MARQUEZ (voice-over): Yancey is one of 25 North Carolina counties plus Cherokee tribal areas in the disaster zone where election rules have changed. 1.3 million, mostly conservative Tar Heel voters live there with over 7.7 million registered voters statewide this year, every vote critical.
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It's a state Trump won in 2020 by just over 74,000 votes.
MARQUEZ: How will you actually vote?
AVIN LEDFORD, NORTH CAROLINA STORM SURVIVOR: I will go to one of the voting stations in town. I have a truck there so I can get in and out. It's little difficult, but I can.
MARQUEZ: And nothing will keep you from voting.
BILL MERZ, NORTH CAROLINA STORM SURVIVOR: No. Nothing.
MARQUEZ (voice-over): Bill and Diane Murs, huge supporters of Donald Trump have concerns about voting nationwide. Here at home, they totally trust their vote will count.
MURZ: She's got an absentee ballot, but I'll probably go in and vote. If I have to I'll go to town. I'll hitchhike if I have to.
MARQUEZ (voice-over): With partisan anger still simmering over Trump's 2020 loss, new fears changes to election laws approved by the state's bipartisan election board, among other things, allowing displaced voters to receive absentee ballots at a different address.
DIANE MERZ, NORTH CAROLIAN STORM SURVIVOR: I'm concerned that these relaxing of some of the rules that they have is also going to invite, you know, fraud into the system, and I'm worried about the people just being able to vote.
MARQUEZ (voice-over): The extreme storm claiming more than 230 lives so far here in North Carolina, around 80 are still missing, and now, with winter coming, despite all the misery, something surprising.
MARQUEZ: This somehow gives you hope --
ROBISON^ Absolutely.
MARQUEZ: -- for the country.
ROBISON: Absolutely something that I worry about a lot, is if we could ever get together again as a country, as a people, you know, and get past this partisan divide. It definitely gives me hope that this has encourages that.
MARQUEZ: So after seeing the horrors that this storm has brought across such a large swath of North Carolina, we did not expect the positive vibes that we heard from Rus there at the end of that story, but we're hearing that everywhere, people coming together and really having a healing effect here in North Carolina, and they hope it's something bigger that it starts a trend toward getting away from the politicization.
But first days of early voting, we are seeing massive crowds at all of the precincts that we've been to. State board of elections saying they may be on target for a record turnout on early voting. Back to you.
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NEWTON: In the coming hours, four key allies will sit down to discuss the next steps in their support for Ukraine. It will happen in Berlin, where U.S. President Joe Biden arrived on Thursday. He set to begin his meetings with German leaders less than three hours from now. Later, he scheduled to hold talks with the leaders of the so called European Quad, which also includes Britain and France.
Among other things, they'll discuss what Ukraine calls its victory plan, unveiled by President Volodymyr Zelenskyy Wednesday, some allies are at odds over how to respond to his plans, which calls for an invitation for Kyiv to finally join NATO. But as allies debate the response, Ukraine's president is pitching his plan to the European Union and NATO. It's happening as Russia makes slow but steady progress in the eastern Ukraine likely faces another difficult winter.
President Zelenskyy spoke at a summit of E.U. leaders in a meeting of NATO defense ministers in Brussels on Thursday. His push for an invitation into NATO didn't get much traction, but he urged the Alliance to stay united behind Ukraine.
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VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY, UKRAINIAN PRESIDENT: If our partners will not lose their unity, we will not lose.
MARK RUTTE, NATO SECRETARY-GENERAL: We will not lose that unity. It counts on that and my message today to Vladimir, Vladimirovich Putin, is that if he thinks we will, we will not.
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NEWTON: For more, we want to head to Odesa, Ukraine, where we're joined by Michael Bociurkiw, is a senior fellow at the Atlantic Council. He's also a former spokesperson for the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe.
Michael, good to see you, and I know you have been there off and on for most the better part of the last two years. In fact, you know, we saw and heard from President Zelenskyy. What challenges does he face? Because many say that this victory plan is far too ambitious and really doesn't hold any compromises.
MICHAEL BOCIURKIW, SENIOR FELLOW, ATLANTIC COUNCIL: Sure. Good to be with you again, Paula. Well, yes, it's a very complicated plan. And I mean, from my point of view, it's Mr. Zelenskyy really going for the extreme in terms of the asks of Western allies, that NATO invitation you talked about ain't going to happen. I mean, some kind of invitation may happen. In fact, NATO allies have used language like a bridge to NATO, things
like that. But it's still a long, long way off for Ukraine. A big reason for that if Ukraine miraculously were to become a member of NATO, it is at war with Russia, it would mean western boots on the ground here.
So, you know, there are other sensible things in the plan, but they're basically regurgitation of what we've heard previously, including that big, big ask from Washington to allow Ukraine to strike missile launch sites deep inside Russia.
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And finally, a couple of things there that are interesting. Ukraine is boasting about all its natural resources, which it does have, inviting Westerners to come in here. And also talks about Paula, Ukrainian soldiers going to Europe to help train troops there, because after all of two and a half years, they have a lot of modern combat experience, so lot of interesting things packaged, but not much traction, it seems.
NEWTON: Yes, it is that lack of traction, which I'm sure is worrying many Ukrainians. In fact, they face now going into their third winter of war. I mean, how compromised is the energy grid, especially since you've experienced it firsthand, you know, I'm kind of wondering what that tells us about the mood of people right now.
BOCIURKIW: You know, it's very sad a couple of things happening at once. I mean, I've been here for quite some time, as you pointed out, but I never remember it becoming this cold so early on in. Ivanovram (ph) from Kiel, some other Western oblast in Ukraine, it went below zero overnight and the night before.
And if you consider that something like 80 percent, eight zero percent of generating capacity of Ukraine has been destroyed or damaged by Russian strikes, some nuclear reactors are offline, being serviced. It's a worst case scenario that could lead to power outages of 18 to 20 hours a day in the middle of winter. And if that happens, and it's over a long period of time, experts tell me it could trigger millions of people to leave Ukraine.
And then finally, on top of the cold weather, overnight, Russia launched one of the worst, or most violent drone strikes against Ukraine, dozens and dozens of drones and many oblasts. In fact, one o'clock in the morning here in Odesa, we received one of those heightened alerts, which made me dash from my windowless shelter. So the cold, plus the threats, it's very, very difficult for people to cope.
NEWTON: Yes, Michael, you really are painting a bleak picture there. You know, Zelenskyy has always said that one of his worst fears was that this would remain a frozen conflict. You know, in your opinion, are some of those fears being realized? I mean, to be clear, Ukraine's been at this with Russia menacing it now for a decade. It has not just been the last two and a half years. BOCIURKIW: Well, you know, what worries me is there's absolutely no meeting point between what Ukraine wants and what Russia wants, and that's a big problem right now. And as you know, the Russians have not been at the negotiating table at those big peace summits, so I can't see where a meeting of minds will happen. And you know, I was just watching your coverage of Donald Trump, and worst case scenario, if he gets in, it will be disastrous for Ukraine.
You know, Paula, for the first time. I'm thinking, if I were living in Poland or any of the Baltic countries, I would start to get worried, because it seems there just isn't the appetite or wherewithal in western capitals to really push back Mr. Putin, excuse me, if he is not pushed back in Ukraine, he will go further, whether it's Moldova, Poland, Baltic states, and indeed, Polish officials to have raised those concerns.
NEWTON: Yes, perhaps it is, in fact, the Polish officials that tend to put, you know, a really sharp point on this, when you speak to them in terms of outlying what the risks are. But you just outlined another risk as well, having an influx of refugees from Ukraine back into Europe, and despite this, there doesn't seem to be a breakthrough.
Michael, I'm wondering, in terms of Ukrainians watching the U.S. election now, which we will have a result in the next few weeks, is there any sense that things will remain the same, or do they believe, if Donald Trump comes into power, that things will change, and perhaps not for the better.
BOCIURKIW: I think we're a real turning point right now where there's this growing weariness among Ukrainians for this war. Of course, like everyone, they wanted to stop, but there doesn't seem to be a clear path to peace. The other thing that's happening is you have these millions of Ukrainians overseas who have been there for quite some time, not quite sure if they're going to return. And then you have as many as five or 6 million who have said in polling that if things do get worse, they will leave.
And of course, that will put added pressure on European countries at a time when the appetite for taking in more asylum seekers is very, very low. So it's kind of a perfect storm for things to happen right now. But I think people here, Ukrainians are fighters. They will fight to the end because they know that life under Russian occupation will be just unbearable. We've seen what happened in Mariupol and Donetsk and elsewhere. So of course, every. one is hoping for the best, but I think fair to say preparing for the worst.
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NEWTON: Yes. Especially in the winter to come.
Michael Bociurkiw, thank you so much. Stay safe, stay warm, and we'll continue to check in with you. Appreciate it.
BOCIURKIW: Take care.
NEWTON: Now, more on our top story after a quick break. Israel's reported killing of Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar marks a potential turning point in the war in Gaza. The latest developments, next.
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NEWTON: And welcome back. You are watching CNN NEWSROOM. I'm Paula Newton.
The killing of Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar is raising hopes and fears for the hostages still being held in Gaza. Protesters in Tel Aviv reacted to the reports of Sinwar's death with some saying it represents an opportunity for a hostage deal and end to the war. Others though expressed worry over the uncertainty in the conflict.
But they stood united as they repeated their call for all the hostages to be released immediately and urged officials to reach agreement.
Israel's military shared video meantime, on Thursday reportedly showing Sinwar during his final moments. You can see the video there, it's a drone camera that captured this going into a damaged building where a person that the IDF says is Sinwar -- you see him there -- sitting alone in his chair, his face obscured and appears to be looking toward the drone.
Israel says he was trying to escape north when he was killed by IDF troops.
Here's how top European officials reacted to his death.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
URSULA VON DER LEYEN, EUROPEAN COMMISSION PRESIDENT: He was basically the mastermind behind the 7th October with the killings, the massacres, the rapes, and the kidnappings. So his death is certainly significantly weakening Hamas.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
NEWTON: My next guest is the author of "Rise and Kill First: the Secret History of Israel's Targeted assassinations", Ronen Bergman is also a staff writer at "The New York Times Magazine" and he joins us now from Tel Aviv.
Good to have you with us.
Ronen, can you just guide us through what --= it hasn't even been 24 hours now, what Israelis have learned, all the events that they've had to take in.
And now that focus right, going rightfully back to the hostages and their families and what now?
RONEN BERGMAN, STAFF WRITER, "NEW YORK TIMES MAGAZINE": Quite a lot here to cover shortly, but let's start with what happened. Good night to you.
[01:34:53] BERGMAN: The area, Tel Sultan area in Rafah in the southern Gaza strip was considered to be where, by Israeli intelligence, where the late Yahya Sinwar, the leader of Hamas might be hiding. they have tried to attack few gatherings of Hamas militants throughout the last two months where they thought Sinwar is but he wasn't. They were working in that area.
We also need to bear in mind. This is the exact area where the IDF uncovered a tunnel where six hostages were executed by Hamas. And in that exact tunnel they found traces of the DNA of Yahya Sinwar. So he was either in contact with the hostages or he was in that tunnel. So another hint that he was there.
They invested massive efforts, only a fraction of the much more massive efforts that were invested throughout the last year to find Yahya Sinwar but he was found by accident.
A group of trainees not more than ten months in the military training to be spot (ph) commanders were working, were going in a patrol to take care of some bomb that was -- that has a main function.
They were afraid that the explosive in that bomb will fall in the hands of Hamas. They wanted to pick it up. And then they started to exchange fire with a group of four to five Hamas militants with one of them was shelling grenades at that group. They sent a drone.
This is the exits of that video that you showed from that. One of the people -- one of the villagers, his face covered was trying to throw stones and sticks at the drone which was kind of silly because it didn't work.
They reacted with fire, with small missile, and with sniper rifle that was able to shoot the one of them, the person with his face covered, two bullets.
Then another drone came and artillery and they collapsed the building. Later, only a day later when they came to see what were the results of this exchange of fire, did they find Mr. Sinwar dead, killed by these two bullets.
NEWTON: And no doubt, you know, shocked, surprise, but some measure of relief for the families of the hostages. And yet, do you believe that they can actually hope that a ceasefire is closer now and not further away?
BERGMAN: Unfortunately I don't know. There are two reasons. One is that Mohammed Sinwar, the brother of the late Yahya resume his role as the successor for Yahya Sinwar, in a contingency plan that they already had before if in case something happens to Yahya, is considered to be more raw, more brutal, more cruel and he -- even if he was not, it's very hard after coming up with such a charismatic leader like Yahya Sinwar to adopt a less hardline stance because it will look like weakness.
But it's not just about Hamas, it's also about Israel. In order to get a deal, in order to free the hostages Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. And for that case, any Israeli prime minister needs to make three important not easy, dramatic goals. One is to withdraw from the Gaza strip. The second is to agree to a total and permanent ceasefire.
A third is to agree to release in exchange of the Israeli hostages, 100 hostages, many of them, dozens of them still alive to release the most brutal murderers -- Hamas murderers from Israeli prisons.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu did not yet make this call. I'd say, on the contrary, it made the opposite call. And until he does, it doesn't matter who is the leader of Hamas, they will continue with the same demands, we will not see the hostages being released. We will not see an end to this war.
And as we speak, Israel is gearing up for a retaliation bombing in Iran following the massive ballistic missile attack just two-and-a- half weeks ago by Iran which was not provoked.
[01:39:52]
BERGMAN: So while, of course, everybody can understand Israeli needs to show strength, the question is, where all of this, all of this is going. What's the exit strategy? How is this (INAUDIBLE) when and I must say I don't know.
NEWTON: And that's been a question that many have asked with no answer for months now,
I have to ask you when it comes to Iran and do you have any sense of the timing that perhaps the Israeli cabinet is looking at for that?
BERGMAN: The Israeli cabinet, unless something very unexpected will happen is determined to react -- to react in Iran then to react forcefully. We see the U.S. is deploying the anti-missile batteries, the THAAD in Israel now.
We actually could see that in the roads not far away from where I'm sitting right now in north Tel Aviv. And I would think that we are in the timeframe of days, maybe a little more than a week. But that's a few days up to a week plus few days. But that's it.
It's coming unless there is a major change and it will be -- the Israelis are -- the Israeli cabinet is planning for something to be taking the price tag (ph) from Iran and showing Iran Israel will react to this unprovoked attack.
NEWTON: Ronen Bergman in Tel Aviv for us, we will leave it there. Appreciate your insights.
BERGMAN: Thank you.
NEWTON: Now, there is no respite meantime to the destruction in Gaza. Palestinian emergency services say at least 28 people were killed on Thursday in an Israeli airstrike on a school that housed a shelter in northern Gaza.
Officials say the few remaining staff at one of the last operating hospitals in Gaza are treating more than 150 people wounded at the Abu Hussein school in the Jabalya refugee camp.
Israel says the strike targeted a command-and-control center used by Hamas and Islamic jihad terrorists.
Almost since the start of Israel's war against Hamas, emergency officials and humanitarian agencies have repeatedly warned of dire food and medicine shortages in parts of northern Gaza.
Ongoing fighting prevented any humanitarian food supplies from entering northern Gaza at all during the first two weeks of October. And experts warn the levels of acute malnutrition can be expected to rise over the winter.
It's a worry, of course, shared by the people of Gaza.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SIHAM ZAYID, DISPLACED PALESTINIAN: When I look at her, I think I might lose her because there is no medical care here these days. We've gone through it all. I hope God will heal her.
SULIMAN AZAB, GAZA RESIDENT: The hardest thing is feeling alone. I feel like no one is helping me. I feel alone and lost in life.
We were forced to live in tents with no food or water. We didn't know how to manage. I have five children, three boys and two girls. We had a child during the war. It was a big struggle, especially in terms of milk and other necessities that were unavailable.
After the soldiers withdrew from our area, we returned to our house, but we were shocked. The house was in a terrible condition and on the verge of collapse. Still, we decided to stay in it.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
NEWTON: And a report by experts from 16 U.N. agencies and NGOs predicts 350,000 people in Gaza will face catastrophic levels of hunger in the coming months. Aid groups say more must be done.
The U.S. state department says 50 humanitarian aid trucks were allowed into Gaza from Jordan on Wednesday. But the Biden administration is threatening to withdraw military aid from Israel if at least 350 trucks cannot enter the area, each and every day.
Now, for the first time since the start of Israels incursion into Lebanon, the IDF is warning people in the buildings outside southern Beirut to evacuate. A spokesman posted on social media that Israeli troops will soon begin targeting buildings in Beqaa and Tyre, saying they are near facilities and interests belonging to Hezbollah. The warning directed people to evacuate the area and move at least 500 meters away.
So we're starting to learn more about the circumstances behind a famous singer's tragic death. Just ahead, we'll update you on the investigation and hear from fans of Liam Payne, who are gathering to grieve. [01:44:13]
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NEWTON: Heartbroken fans of music star Liam Payne are singing their favorite One Direction songs at vigils right around the world. The gathering is outside the Buenos Aires hotel where he fell to his death on Wednesday.
This is the first time many of the young fans have had to grieve of a celebrity who died so unexpectedly.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I feel so broken because I was a big fan since I was a child. And I grew up with One Direction and then with each one of the boys.
It's very difficult to grasp that this is happening. We didn't expect this. We as fans, we thought we were going to get like a reunion or something, not this.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
NEWTON: His bandmates meantime released this statement. "We are completely devastated. In time and when everyone is able to, there will be more to say. But for now, we will take some time to grieve and process the loss of our brother, who we love dearly."
Now while the investigation into his death continues, friends, family, and devoted fans of One Direction are struggling as you just heard, to cope with Liam Payne's death.
Max Foster has more now from London.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MAX FOSTER, CNN LONDON CORRESPONDENT: A tragic end to a life cut short. British singer Liam Payne died on Wednesday after falling from a third-floor balcony at a Buenos Aires hotel, according to police.
At 31 years old, he'd spent half of his life as a pop music superstar after being plucked from obscurity by music mogul Simon Cowell.
Just 16 when he became a founding member of the boy band, One Direction, a product of Cowell's reality TV show, "The X Factor". He found near-unrivalled global stardom with One Direction bandmates, Nile Joren, Zayn Malik, Harry Styles and Louis Tomlinson who were heartbroken by the sad passing of Liam Payne.
He was immensely talented and as part of One Direction, Liam will leave a lasting legacy on the music industry and fans around the world, "The X Factor" said in one of the first tributes shared on Thursday.
From his humble beginnings, Payne ended up epitomizing the dreams of stardom for the social media generation.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: When you go outside and meet those people screaming and running down the street after you --
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I don't want to.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: People won't have to be (INAUDIBLE) a bit like. That's a bit mental for us. I guess (INAUDIBLE).
FOSTER: Together, One Direction sold more than 17 million records. They toured the world and they've built a legion of devoted fans.
The band's biggest hits, "What Makes You Beautiful", became an anthem early Gen Z culture. One Direction split up in 2015 and they went on to solo careers.
In 2017, Payne became a father to Bear Gray Payne with then girlfriend Cheryl Tweedy, a former judge on "The X Factor U.K.".
[01:49:45]
FOSTER: Less than three years later, Payne released his first solo album "LP1". Payne also began to open up about the weight of fame and his mental health struggles.
LIAM PAYNE, FORMER MEMBER, ONE DIRECTION: But there's times where that -- that level of loneliness and people getting into you every day, getting into every day, like I say, every so often one more they send, you know, and then (INAUDIBLE) that's almost nearly killed me a couple of times.
I've been sober.
FOSTER: He spoke publicly about his issues with substance abuse.
PAYNE: I was -- all right, I need to fix myself.
FOSTER: Authorities are now investigating the circumstances of Payne's death. Staff at the Buenos Aires hotel had requested urgent police assistance shortly before Payne fell. That's according to a 911 call obtained by CNN's local affiliate, Todo Notices (ph).
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: What's going on in the location, sir?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We have a host who's overwhelmed with drugs and alcohol, and well, even when he's aware, he breaks things up.
FOSTER: Millions of his fans are now in shock as the music world grapples with losing another star far too young.
Max Foster, CNN -- London.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
NEWTON: Some new economic data just out in China and it's showing some weakness and more evidence that things aren't quite what the Chinese government wants them to be. Third quarter grows was 4.6 percent, and that may mean Beijing won't reach its overall 5 percent growth target for the year.
When the Chinese government had decided on this target, they were then convinced in fact that they needed some economic stimulus. The markets were jolted and had been giving the signal that the Chinese government would in fact do what it could to intervene.
Perhaps this GDP number doesn't quite show us what we believe it can, meaning we just have to wait for some of that stimulus to kick in.
Our Marc Stewart joins us now live from Beijing.
Marc, I don't know if you can hear me. We will we will move on for a second -- we're going to try and get Marc back and move on to the supermoon.
The October supermoon put on quite a show in the sky on Thursday. This lovely view of earth's closest neighbor was from Kuwait. And this time lapse video of the so-called hunter's moon over New York was also impressive.
It's the biggest, brightest super moon of the year, named for early hunters who gathered food for the long winter ahead.
Now, views of the lunar spectacle worldwide have been absolutely breathtaking, I'll say. Look at those pictures. This is what people in New Delhi saw when they looked at up.
The supermoon isn't really supersized though, I have to tell you, it just looks that way because the moon is closer to the earth than normal thanks to the orbit.
Now that makes it appear brighter and bigger like this view, in fact, from Hong Kong. Now the moon is now beginning to wane, but the show will still be worth watching tomorrow night.
I guess, I'm going to have to look up.
Marc Stewart apparently is back from us from Beijing. Marc I was talking about the GDP numbers, but also the fact that the Chinese government has been doing what it can to try and stimulate this economy. Did the GDP numbers surprise you.
[01:54:46]
MARC STEWART, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Right, Paula. No, they did not. In fact, as someone who lives here in China, who works here in China, we have been seeing economic hardship now for months.
Of course, there has been a housing crisis here. There has been high youth unemployment, but beyond all of this data, it's very apparent in everyday life.
For example, a few months ago we did some reporting about how McDonalds was offering meal deals which are very popular in the United States, bundles of food for cheap price to try to get people back in the restaurants.
We've seen Apple having to be very competitive with its pricing because of competition from Chinese brands.
It's important to emphasize the Chinese economy is growing. It's just not growing as fast as we have seen as in the past and by such a large amounts.
So the Chinese government, as you mentioned, has this very big challenge to try to win people over especially Paula, with this lofty growth target this year of 5 percent.
NEWTON: But they do want to be ambitious about it. They have their target. I understand what you're saying. The economy is still growing.
But Beijing does want to get it to 5 percent or higher. So where is the government thinking they're going to go from here?
STEWART: Well, Beijing is trying to win people's faith not only here in China but broadly around the world. At least here in China over the last few days, we have seen some initiatives, some adjustments to interest rates, to lending.
But no stimulus is actually putting money into the hands of consumers. And that is creating some concern. In fact, it was just last week that we heard from the CEO of the Asian arm of IKEA saying to the government we need some kind of stimulus.
And right now, the response has been very piecemeal, but markets don't like that and we've seen some ups and downs.
So perhaps Beijing is going to get even more aggressive than we have seen in the past because in these last few weeks, things really have tried to wrap up, at least on the stimulus initiative front, Paula.
NEWTON: Yes. We'll continue to keep an eye on it. And I know you especially will. Marc Stewart for us in Beijing, thanks so much. Appreciate it.
And I want to thank all of you for watching CNN NEWSROOM. I'm Paula Newton.
The news continues right here with my colleague Kim Brunhuber. He'll be back after a quick break.
Stay with us.
[01:57:12]
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