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CNN International: Israeli President and PM Discuss "Window of Opportunity"; Biden Meets with Leaders of Key NATO Allies in Berlin; Elon Musk Peddles Inaccuracies at Town Hall; Families Worried about Hostages' Fate after Sinwar Death; Heartbroken Fans Pay Tribute to Liam Payne; King Charles & Queen Camilla Arrive in Sovereign. Aired 8- 9a ET

Aired October 18, 2024 - 08:00   ET

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

[08:00:00]

FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN HOST: Hello and welcome to our viewers all around the world. I'm Fredricka Whitfield, and this is the CNN Newsroom. Just ahead, Hamas confirms the death of its Leader Yahya Sinwar in Gaza. The question now is, will it mark a turning point in this war, or will the people of Gaza continue suffering?

The conflict in the Middle East will be a focal point of talks between Joe Biden and European Leaders today as they meet in Berlin. And all eyes are on Michigan, as both Kamala Harris and Donald Trump take the campaign trail to the key swing state.

U.S. President Joe Biden says the death of Yahya Sinwar, the mastermind of the October 7th attacks, represents a moment of justice. President Biden spoke in Berlin a short while ago, this as a senior Hamas official confirmed the death of Sinwar, but said the movement he represented cannot be eliminated.

The Israeli military released video that it says Sinwar's final moments. Israeli troops were said to be on a routine patrol in Rafah when they came under fire and responded with tank fire. A drone sent into a damaged building shows a man covered in dust, as you see here, who the IDF says is Sinwar.

Sinwar's death is being called a possible watershed moment for the war in Gaza. Global leaders are hoping it could signal an end to the conflict and potentially the release of dozens of hostages still being held. The Israeli Prime Minister has made it clear there was still work to be done on the battlefield.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BENJAMIN NETANYAHU, ISRAELI PRIME MINISTER: Today, evil has suffered a heavy blow, but task before us is not yet complete. To the dear families of the hostages, I say this is an important moment in the war, we will continue with all our strength until the return home of all of your loved ones who are our loved ones.

(END VIDEO CLIP) WHITFIELD: CNN's Nada Bashir is tracking the developments from London and joins us now. Nada, at a first glance, it appears Sinwar's death -- you know has not changed much in terms of Israel's war in Gaza, or has it?

NADA BASHIR, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, look in that statement that we heard from the Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Fredricka, he did go on to say in plain terms that the war is not yet over, that the war will continue. And of course, what we've been hearing from the Israeli government for some time now, over the course of the last year, is that the intention, the expressed aim, of this war, in the perspective of the Israeli government, is to completely and fully eradicate Hamas in its entirety.

Now, of course, we've been hearing from others, of course, and world leaders, including in the United States, who have in their assessment, said that Hamas has been downgraded to a point now where they aren't in a position to carry out an attack such as the attack we saw on Israel on October 7th.

We know that there has been a push, of course, for a diplomatic, peaceful political resolution. And there had been hopes that the killing of Yahya Sinwar Hamas' Leader would be seen as a potential off ramp for the Israeli government, an opportunity for Netanyahu to paint Yahya Sinwar's Killing as a victory for the Israeli military, an opportunity to then move forward, push forward with the diplomatic processes to reach a peaceful political resolution.

We're not hearing that necessarily in the messaging that we are getting so far from the Israeli government. It has to be said, we know today, of course, that the Israeli President, Isaac Herzog met with the Israeli Prime Minister. They have described this as an important window of opportunity to secure the release of hostages.

But also, to secure the elimination, in their words, of Hamas. How far that means in terms of targeting Hamas remains to be seen. We know, of course, they are doubling down their efforts, still in Northern Gaza, that military operation deepening despite the huge amount of civilian risk that we're seeing in Northern Gaza.

[08:05:00]

The civilian casualties that we're already seeing, warnings of starvation. But of course, important to remember as well, that on the Palestinian side, for many in Gaza, Yahya Sinwar represented essentially a picture of resistance against the Israeli military. While there certainly was some discontent towards Hamas, from some.

For many, Hamas has been seen as the only viable form of resistance against Israeli military operations and aggressions in Gaza and also occupation elsewhere. So, there will certainly be mixed feelings there. Is this the end of Hamas because the leader has been killed, not necessarily.

We have also seen multiple Hamas leaders now targeted and assassinated, just in the last year, but also historically. And this has not really dampened Hamas' presence in Gaza. Of course, this is a significant symbolic figure. Remains to be seen what are the next steps for Hamas in terms of leadership.

But again, this is a -- this is an important juncture, and all eyes will be watching to see how the Israeli government responds. And of course, we know how the Biden Administration feels. They want to see this leads to an end to the war in a peaceful manner.

WHITFIELD: All right. Nada Bashir, we'll leave it there for now. Thank you so much. All right, meanwhile, the fighting rages on in Lebanon, Israel has issued new evacuation notices to 23 villages in Southern Lebanon, urging residents to move north. The Israeli military says it killed a Hezbollah Commander in the area.

And in Gaza officials say at least 28 Palestinians were killed Thursday in an Israeli air strike on a school. The Director of a northern hospital is calling the deepening crisis there a catastrophic situation.

Let's bring in H. A. Hellyer to talk about the fast-moving developments there in the Middle East. He's a Middle East Studies Scholar at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace and a Senior Associate Fellow at Royal United Services Institute for Defense and Security Studies. Dr. Hellyer, good to see you. Thanks so much.

H.A. HELLYER, MIDDLE EAST STUDIES SCHOLAR, CARNEGIE ENDOWMENT FOR INTERNATIONAL PEACE: My pleasure. Thank you.

WHITFIELD: So, Israel is celebrating this as a potential turning point for their good, is it?

HELLYER: So, I think we should just keep in mind the frame here, the war on Gaza has been going on for more than a year. There haven't been serious negotiations for many months. The situation in Gaza right now is incredibly dire on a humanitarian level, but also in terms of, quote, unquote, day after plans, where the Israeli government has been making it very clear that they intend to have a deepened military occupation on the ground throughout the strip.

So, the killing of Sinwar, frankly, in that regard, doesn't really make too much of a difference. This isn't going to be leading to the ending of the war. This isn't going to be leading to the withdrawal of Israeli troops. This isn't going to be averting the resettlement of the north of Gaza, which you know, prominent Israeli ministers and MKs members of the Israeli -- are already quite sympathetic to.

So, I'm not sure what we're looking at here in terms of the changing conflict. Yes, of course, Sinwar was a symbolic figure. Yes, of course he was important operationally for Hamas. But this isn't -- this isn't a war on Hamas. This is a war on the Gaza -- on the Gaza Strip, and it's, of course, widened much more. So, I'm not sure that this is as significant as others may present it to be.

WHITFIELD: And you heard the U.S. President, who's traveling abroad, who's in Germany, his response was that perhaps this is Israel's victory, that it could lead to the end of the war. You just said you don't see that it is going to end of the war. The hardships continue there in Gaza, the humanitarian suffering continues. But then what do you see on the other side of this, potentially?

HELLYER: Well, frankly, on the other side of this again, irrespective, frankly, of Sinwar I see that the Israelis will probably reduce their military campaign, but I think that they were going to be doing that anyway. I don't know if I would call that, quote, unquote, the end of the war, because that wouldn't be as a result of some sort of negotiated peace settlement.

That would simply be because the Israelis are repositioning troops to further the invasion of southern and, frankly, just Lebanon -- more generally speaking. When it comes to Gaza and an IDF withdrawal, I think is off the table. Nobody's talking about that in the Israeli broader political system. You had the Former War Cabinet Minister of Yoav Gallant talk about how.

[08:10:00]

No, this -- sorry Benny Gantz talk about how the IDF is going to be there for probably years to come. And you've already seen the military governor being appointed for Gaza. Again, nothing to do with the war. This is a much more permanent position. And as I mentioned already, suggestions of the return of Israeli settlements to Gaza.

We haven't even discussed the West Bank. So, I think that the idea that this is going to sort of open up the space and release oxygen into the room that was otherwise suffocating, because somebody is grasping for it and wanting it really ignores what's been going on for the past year.

There have been multiple rounds of negotiations over the past year, and the Israeli press has continually and consistently reported how these were sabotaged on the Israeli side, much to the chagrin, I might add, of many of the Israeli negotiators, but it came from the top. It came from Netanyahu's office.

And I don't think that we're going to see a change in that approach anytime soon. The progression of the war has been pretty constant, and until there's a definitive route for the withdrawal of Israeli forces and the establishment of Palestinian state, I think we have to continue talking about the conflict as continuing just in this different form.

WHITFIELD: Hamas leadership has also acknowledged Sinwar's death. But -- you know vowing retaliation and that this movement and what Hamas represents is not represented by one person you know, mainly the Hamas leadership of Sinwar, who has now died. You heard from our Nada Bashir, who says, among many Palestinians, he is a symbol of resistance. So, what now for the Hamas leadership, for the movement, the philosophy, now that Sinwar is dead?

HELLYER: So, two things. I come at this as a historian and as a security analyst. As a historian, the occupation of the territories predates the establishment of Hamas by many, many years. The occupation began in 67. Hamas didn't even come onto the scene until the 80s. And as a result of the occupation. So, I don't expect the group to disappear overnight, because one of his leaders, even if it's a major leader, was killed.

Secondly, in terms of security, what I've been concerned about over the past year in particular is that with this incredible devastation of Gaza that we've seen unfold on our screen day after day, week after week, the potential for radicalization on the ground. I frankly expect it, and I'm frankly surprised, pleasantly surprised, of course, but I'm frankly surprised that we haven't seen much more extreme movements actually evolve over the past year.

Because that would be my expectation going forward, that when you have a huge grievance that are rooted in fact -- you know on occupation, the siege, destruction. You know, most of the 2.1 million Palestinians in Gaza being displaced, something like 90 percent of the buildings in Gaza either being destroyed or damaged -- were hunger.

I mean, there are so many things here that -- you know would drive many people. Again, I wouldn't advocate this, and I would say that this is a bad idea, and I think it's incredibly regrettable and horrible, but I fully expect, unfortunately, there to be the development of new extremist militant groups that will evolve and carry out terrorist atrocities.

That we will all condemn and that we should condemn, but -- you know we're seeing the roots of their recruitment tool book manifest right now, and I think we need to be very aware of that. Be careful about that on the security front, and we need to look for political solutions to take the -- to take the oxygen away from groups like that and provide people with different pathways for a more prosperous future where Palestinians and Israelis can live in peace and security.

WHITFIELD: H. A. Hellyer we'll leave it there for now. Thank you so much for joining us.

HELLYER: Thank you.

WHITFIELD: The Middle East crisis is a crucial topic as U.S. President Joe Biden and the leaders of America's key NATO allies meet in Germany this hour. The Berlin meeting is also expected to look at more ways to support Ukraine in a week when its wartime Leader Volodymyr Zelenskyy unveiled a blueprint that he says could end Russia's war against Ukraine.

Before the meeting, President Biden said he was quote, overwhelmed to receive the order of merit, Germany's version of the U.S. Medal of Freedom. We're live in Berlin with CNN Fred Pleitgen.

[08:15:00]

Good to see you, Fred. So, no doubt you know the developments in the Middle East will be topping the agenda in what way are they looking for solutions, or are they looking for -- I guess, a better outlook of what may potentially come next?

FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, I think that's absolutely, I think, moving forward and seeing how this all can be turned into an opportunity to try and get some sort of ceasefire, especially for Gaza, going. I think it was quite interesting to hear President Biden earlier today, after he received that Order of Merit from the German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier.

Obviously, he was very moved by all of that to then say that this was a moment of justice, as he put it, the killing of Yahya Sinwar, and that now was the time to move forward and try to get some sort of momentum going for a ceasefire in Gaza and to try and end the war that is currently going on there.

Also, of course, one of the things that we have to point out Fredricka is that one of the first phone calls that President Biden made after hearing about the killing of Yahya Sinwar, which of course, happened while he was on Air Force One on his way over here to Berlin, was to the Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, to congratulate him on killing the Hamas Leader.

But then also to say that now was a moment to seek an opportunity to move things forward, to try and stop the violence inside of Gaza. That's, of course, something that the Biden Administration has been pushing for, for a very long time. You'll recall that there were mediated talks essentially led by the Biden Administration to try and get some sort of ceasefire going.

Also, the Egyptians and the Qataris helping with that as well. And there were moments where it seemed that there could be close to a ceasefire. However, it never did fully materialize. So now, with the leader of Hamas out of the way, if you will, the Biden Administration certainly hoping that things can move forward, because the way that things continue to go, not just in Gaza, but in Lebanon as well.

But certainly, first and foremost in Gaza, is definitely hurting the U.S.'s credibility in the Middle East, certainly not a good thing for the Biden Administration either. One of the things that we had yesterday, for instance, is once again those airdrops going on of aid into Gaza, because, of course, not enough aid is getting in there.

And the fact that that is still so difficult is certainly something that the Biden Administration knows is a problem, and where they hope that now these new developments could lead to some more sustainable solution to stop the violence, but also, of course, to get more help into the Gaza Strip to help the many people who are in need there Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: All right. Fred Pleitgen, thank you so much. All right, Battleground states, beware in the U.S., the candidates are on their way as Election Day nears, campaigns switch into high gears to get voters to the polls. We'll catch up with the teams right after the break. And would you believe this man, Elon Musk, is on the campaign trail for Donald Trump, and keeping fact checkers on their toes we'll separate truth from fiction after the break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[08:20:00] WHITFIELD: All right, voters in the U.S. State of Michigan are getting the royal treatment today both presidential candidates will hold multiple events there. Kamala Harris will be talking about jobs and helping Michigan's auto industry. Meanwhile, Donald Trump will take part in a roundtable discussion with Detroit area residents, and just to kind of underscore how important Michigan is.

Harris will be back there next week alongside the Obamas. Just 18 days left until Election Day, and it is critical to -- for both campaigns to encourage voter turnout. Kevin Liptak is joining us live from Washington with details on all of this. Kevin, today's agenda shows just how important Michigan is. I mean, it's all about that state, all about that electorate there.

KEVIN LIPTAK, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE REPORTER: Yeah, and we've heard so much about Michigan over the last couple of weeks or so. It's a very tight race, razor thin, and certainly Kamala Harris is aware that she will need to hit the ground there and really try and rally votes among the states.

White working class, among the states, black voters, all of these constituencies that she will need to bring together if she hopes to win that state in November. And today, she will be making three stops, including one in Grand Rapids. That's in a county that President Biden won in 2020 but that President Trump won in 2016 so both campaigns see that as a winnable place.

She will also be visiting a union hall, and this is an area where she has struggled, somewhat particularly compared to President Biden, who did have strong support among union voters. You have seen some unions this time around stop short of endorsing Harris, and you've heard voices in the state, including the Representative Debbie Dingell, caution that she might not have the support that she thinks among that key constituency.

So, you will see her there speaking directly to union voters in the hopes of bringing them on board. And so, this will be a critical day for her in that state. Yesterday, she was in another one of the blue wall states in Wisconsin, and it was an interesting moment when she was interrupted by some hecklers during her speech. Listen to how she handled it.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KAMALA HARRIS, VICE PRESIDENT OF THE U.S., (D) PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Donald Trump hand selected three members of the United States Supreme Court with the intention that they would undo the protections of Roe V. Wade, and they did as he intended. Oh, you guys are at the wrong rally.

(APPLAUSE)

HARRIS: No, I think you meant to go to the smaller one down the street.

(END VIDEO CLIP) LIPTAK: So, you can hear her there, continuing to poke fun at Donald Trump for his rallies and his crowd size. I think she's very aware that nothing gets under Trump's skin quite like that particular insult, and it did seem like she might have thought about that beforehand Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: And now he's thinking about that one too. All right. Kevin Liptak in Washington. Thanks so much. All right. Meanwhile, the world's richest man is campaigning for Donald Trump, and he's bringing some conspiracy theories with him. Elon Musk held his first solo Town Hall Thursday in Pennsylvania, and when asked about alleged voter fraud in 2020 Musk delivered a rambling response filled with debunked conspiracy theories and other inaccuracies.

And among them, that the U.S. needs to fully transition to paper ballots. This despite the fact that 98 percent of U.S. voters live in places that paper trails that can be audited. CNN's Marshall Cohen is following the story for us. So, Marshall, help make some sense of all this for us.

MARSHALL COHEN, CNN REPORTER: Hey Fred, good morning. Yeah. Elon Musk, almost every single day on his X platform, formerly known as Twitter, posts election disinformation. It's a well-documented thing, but yesterday was different. He took his show on the road to the suburbs of Philadelphia, where he was campaigning in support of Donald Trump.

I'm going to play for you, a clip of what he said. A lot of it is inaccurate, and then after the clip, we will fact check it. So don't believe everything you hear here, but you have to. You have to see it for yourself. Here's what Musk said last night.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ELON MUSK, TECH BILLIONAIRE & TRUMP MEGADONOR: When you have mail in ballots and no sort of proof of citizenship, it becomes almost impossible to prove cheating is the issue. There are some very strange things that happen that -- that are statistically incredibly unlikely, so as a sort of question of like, say, the Dominion voting machines.

[08:25:00]

It is weird that the -- you know, I think they're used in Philadelphia and in Maricopa County, but not in a lot of other places that seem like a heck of a coincidence.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COHEN: OK, so three things, Fred. Number one, he said it's impossible to find cheating when it happens in elections. That's not accurate. Experts that I've spoken to, most mainstream experts, say that there are plenty of safeguards in place to snuff out fraud when it happens, and that it is extremely rare.

Number two, he said that Dominion was in Maricopa County and Philadelphia. That's Phoenix and Philadelphia. The Dominion machines, they were in Maricopa, but Dominion was not in Philly. They just weren't a different company uses its machines in Philadelphia. So that's just inaccurate.

And then number three, he was raising the possibility that there were problems or irregularities or fraud in Maricopa and Philly, well, Republican officials and Democratic officials from both cities have repeatedly said that their election was secure, that the results were not fraudulent.

So, zero for three on that from Elon Musk. And you know, it was notable that he brought up Dominion, picked a fight, so to speak, with Dominion, because that's the company that got almost $800 million out of Fox News for promoting similar lies. But I guess that's not much of a concern for the world's richest man.

Fred, let me tell you what Dominion said in response to Elon Musk's comments. They put out a statement late last night. They said, quote, Dominion's voting systems are already based on voter verified paper ballots. Audits of such ballots have repeatedly proven that Dominion machines produce accurate results. These are not matters of opinion. They are verifiable facts Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: I guess Elon Musk needs to do a little bit more homework in presenting those facts. All right, Marshall Cohen, thank you so much. All right. Still to come, Israel achieves a key military goal of its war in Gaza with the killing of Yahya Sinwar. A look at what's next for Hamas when we come back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: All right. Welcome back. New pictures out of Berlin, where President Biden is meeting with European allies. Let's take a look at a family photo with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, French President Emmanuel Macron and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer.

The leaders are discussing global issues, including the crisis in the Middle East and the war in Ukraine. Earlier, Biden received the Order of Merit from the German President. And U.S. Defense Secretary, Lloyd Austin says Israel's killing of Yahya Sinwar the mastermind of the October 7th attacks has created an extraordinary opportunity to achieve a lasting cease fire in Gaza.

[08:30:00]

This as a senior Hamas official confirmed the death of Sinwar, but said the movement he represented cannot be eliminated. Another Hamas official says the group will not release Israeli hostages until Israel withdraws from Gaza and Israeli aggression stops. The Israeli military released video that it says shows Sinwar's final moments.

His death is being called a possible watershed moment for the war in Gaza, but Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu has vowed to keep fighting there until all hostages are returned home. Here's how one Palestinian politician reacted.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MUSTAFA BARGHOUTI, MEMBER OF THE PALESTINIAN LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL: He said this war is not over and he wants to continue. He used to claim that he's going after Sinwar, and now he's saying that even after the killing of Sinwar, he will continue the war. The problem here is Netanyahu and his fascist government, which refuses to stop this terrible aggression on Gaza.

And Netanyahu wants not only to continue the attack on Gaza, he's actually expanding the war to Lebanon, expanding it to Iraq. He wants to engage in a war with Iran, and he wants to drag the United States to be in war with Iran. That's the reality of Netanyahu. And he is the -- as long as he is in government, I do not see we can see an end to this terrible war.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: CNN's Nic Robertson has more on the death of Sinwar and what it might mean for the future of Hamas.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMATIC EDITOR (voice-over): Once dubbed by the IDF, a dead man walking, the IDF says these Yahya Sinwar's final moments recorded by a drone in the Gaza house where he died. According to the IDF, he was discovered during a routine patrol, the building hit by tank fire. His body spotted in the rubble.

YOAV GALLANT, ISRAELI DEFENSE MINISTER: Sinwar died well beaten, persecuted and on the run. He didn't die as a commander, but as someone who only cared for himself.

ROBERTSON (voice-over): In life, Sinwar had cultivated a tough image, feared and feted at home in Gaza, universally reviled by Israelis, vilified for his leading role in Hamas' brutal October 7th slaughter of at least 1200 people in Israel. Journalist Ehud Yaari was one of the few Israelis who met him.

EHUD YAARI, ISRAELI JOURNALIST: When I was talking to him, he always insisted that we speak Hebrew and not Arabic.

ROBERTSON (voice-over): Yaari interviewed Sinwar four times while the terror leader was in jail, convicted of playing a role in the killing of two Israelis and four suspected Palestinian informers.

YAARI: He was ruthless. He used to send people to kill those prisoners whom he suspected of passing information to the intelligence of the prison service.

ROBERTSON (voice-over): -- in a Gaza refugee camp to parents who fled their home in what is now Israel in 1948 following the Jewish state's creation, Sinwar's cause was to reverse those land losses. Hamas was the vehicle to do it. He rose through its ranks as an enforcer, becoming Gaza leader in 2017, his message uncompromising.

During fighting in 2021, the IDF bombed his house. A week later, at a rare press conference, he goaded the IDF to take a second shot, saying he would walk home. His luck finally running out now. In Israel, people are celebrating. The Prime Minister warning them it may be premature. The fight with Hamas not done offering them survival or be chased down like Sinwar.

NETANYAHU: I call on everyone who holds her hostages, whoever lays down his weapon and returns her hostages, we will allow him to go out and live.

ROBERTSON (voice-over): Hostage families again calling for Netanyahu to get their loved one's home at any price. Sinwar may be dead, but the politics of both sides hasn't changed. It's far from clear, Hamas will listen to Netanyahu. And far from clear, Netanyahu will cede to U.S. wishes, make this the moment to end the Gaza war. Nic Robertson, CNN, London.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

[08:35:00]

WHITFIELD: CNN's Chief Global Affairs Correspondent Matthew Chance is also following this story from Tel Aviv. Matthew, Sinwar was Israel's number one target. So, what is the feeling there today to justify the ongoing war?

MATTHEW CHANCE, CNN CHIEF GLOBAL AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT: Well, as you can imagine, Frederica, this is a figure who, as Nic pointed out in his peace there was absolutely reviled inside Israel, because of his key place in the planning of the October 7th attacks, which killed, what 1200 people. I mean, and so, there's a degree of celebration, and, you know, kind of tribulation that he's been finally killed.

And so, there's been a lot of people talking about how it's a really positive thing, and it's clearly a tactical victory for the Israelis. I think what's most striking is that we're hearing both Israeli officials and officials in the U.S. and other Israeli allies saying, this is an amazing opportunity, essentially, to end the war, to get the hostages released.

And it could well turn out to be that, it may be that the death of Sinwar, the killing of Sinwar, leads to a fragmentation of Hamas that it encourages Hamas fighters who are left alive to hand over hostages and surrender themselves, as the Israeli leadership has demanded that they do.

But the problem is, there's been no sign of that so far, in fact, to the opposite. The Hamas leadership so far has acknowledged in the past few hours that Yahya Sinwar has indeed been killed, but they come out with very defiant words, saying that they are clear that they're going to be eventually victorious.

They're saying Israeli hostages won't be released until Israel's aggression against the Gaza Strip has come to an end. And so yes, there is a hope that this could be a pivotal moment, but we're not seeing anything at this stage, this early stage, we should say that would give us anything more than hope that can happen. There's nothing concrete, and it's certainly not a certainty.

WHITFIELD: All right. Matthew Chance, thank you so much in Tel Aviv. Yossi Melman is a Security Commentator and Journalist, as well as the Co-author of "Spies Against Armageddon", writing for Haaretz newspaper yesterday, he said, quote, no doubt Hamas Leader, Yahya Sinwar deserved to die.

He's joining me now live from Tel Aviv. Yossi, great to see you. So, you said, yes, he deserved to die. But are you also interpreting this death now as an opportunity, something we've heard from a number of whether it be U.S. or even Israeli leaders, who say this is an opportunity to end the war. Is it also an opportunity to win the release of hostages?

YOSSI MELMAN, SECURITY COMMENTATOR AND JOURNALIST: Yes, it is an opportunity, but the signs on the ground on the Israeli side are now on the government side are that the Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has no intentions of using this opportunity as a leverage to change the circumstances, to bring about the release of the hostages and to find an alternative in Gaza to Hamas.

WHITFIELD: So how big of a problem is this now, if you hear from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who says, now, yes, now this allows for the focus will be the return of hostages. But for a very long time, he said the focus of the war was to end, you know, Hamas, to put an end to it, to find the leader of it, which is Sinwar. Now he's dead. So, does it concern you that he is now shifting the focus of the purpose of the war?

MELMAN: Well, he has been doing it all way along, since the beginning of the war, shifting the military goals, the war goals. Hamas, one has to remember, has been eliminated as a military force, even before Yahya Sinwar was killed yesterday or two days ago actually, Hamas doesn't function anymore as a military structure.

It is -- it returned to its old ways of attrition war, terrorist warfare, guerrilla warfare, and the number one priority should have been to bring a replacement as a governance in Gaza for Hamas, but Netanyahu already said from the outset, from the first week of the war in October, that he doesn't want to see the PLO, the Palestinian Authority taking over Gaza.

And because of that, it seems that Netanyahu plans are to prolong the war. It serves political and personal interests.

[08:40:00]

He is under tremendous pressure from his radicals to build a new Jewish settlement on parts of Gaza, which eventually would lead to annexation -- annexing some parts of Gaza, and to continue the presence of Israeli military in Gaza.

WHITFIELD: That sounds like a very much protracted war then.

MELMAN: Absolutely and we are now confronting by two fronts, one in Gaza, which is scaling down. One in Lebanon, which is going to be much more massive, and then we are still waiting for the Israeli retaliation against Iran, which no doubt would be soon, in a matter of days, maybe weeks, but before the U.S. elections and Iran will would respond? No. I mean, it's absolutely clear to every military strategist and the original strategist, and because of that, Netanyahu is celebrating that as long as the war is -- as long as the war continues, his political base is very solid, enjoys the support of many Israelis, as we witness it yesterday, with the celebrations after the killing of Yahya Sinwar.

WHITFIELD: So, Yossi, what about Hamas leadership? Is it in a position now you know, to pick up where it left off, maybe after Sinwar's death. I mean, we've heard many even among Palestinian leadership, which says, you know, this is a movement. This is not -- Hamas is not representative of just one person or an entity of leadership. What's your concern about who will lead, or what entity will lead Hamas, and what will its objective continue to be?

MELMAN: I agree with you, Frederica. Yeah, Hamas will emerge as in Gaza, most probably, Yahya Sinwar will be replaced as a Gazan Leader by his brother and Hamas for the time being, will dive low, will regroup. They will try to do it first in by expanding their presence in their diaspora, which means Lebanon, Qatar, Turkey.

They will try to enhance their presence in -- on the West Bank, which is also another semi front of between Palestinians and the Israeli IDF. And eventually, they will renew their operations in Gaza.

WHITFIELD: Yossi Melman, appreciate your insight. Thank you so much.

MELMAN: Thank you.

WHITFIELD: Still to come, fans of Singer Liam Payne, former member of "One Direction", pay tributes at vigils worldwide. Still unclear exactly what happened to cause the tragedy. A live report straight ahead. Plus, China's growth slows as its economy grapples with ongoing setbacks, we'll explain a little later.

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[08:45:00]

WHITFIELD: All right, the shocking death of Liam Payne, a former member of "One Direction", has stirred a huge outpouring of grief among fans. On Thursday, dozens paid tribute to Liam at this vigil outside the Buenos Aires hotel where he died, many fans grew up with him, which only magnifies their shock over his sudden death.

Buenos Aires police say the 31-year-old fell to his death from a third story balcony of his hotel on Wednesday. The hotel manager called police shortly before the incident, reporting an unruly guest in one of their rooms. For more on the investigation into his tragic death, let's go to CNN's Dario Klein in Buenos Aires, so what's the latest that you're hearing from investigators?

DARIO KLEIN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi, how are you? Well -- are still looking for more and more information. What we know is what they found in the room. They found medication, prescribed medication, they found alcohol. They found everything broken. Also, the autopsy said that probably Liam was semi or unconscious because he didn't show any defensive position after he fell.

And the body is in a nearby morgue, where they are waiting for some family, close family member, to arrive here to Buenos Aires to recognize him. Here we are in -- this is like a new sanctuary that is being built in front of the hotel, the fans, the Directioners, has been here like all night long, waiting here, singing his songs, putting candles and putting all sorts of signs.

And also, during the day, the band is sending a statement "One Direction" the other four members of the band, Louis, Zayn, Niall and Harry sign us a statement when they say they are completely devastated by the news of Liam passing. In time, and when everyone is able to, we were -- we 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.

The memories we share with him will be treasured forever. They say they are devastated as thousands, millions of directions all around the world, like here in Buenos Aires.

WHITFIELD: We definitely see it in the faces of all of those young fans who have descended on Buenos Aires. Dario Klein, thank you so much there. All right, the search for love gets political. We'll show you how new features in dating apps are bringing new meaning to swiping right or left.

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[08:50:00]

WHITFIELD: We're getting a look at China's latest economic numbers. Its third quarter growth slowed to 4.6 percent year on year. That's slightly better than expected, but it shows the world's second biggest economy is being weighed down by weak consumption and an ongoing crisis in the property market.

And we took a look at how China's slumping economy is affecting people on the street, and found that drivers in the world's largest food delivery market are feeling the pressure, as CNN Marc Stewart reports.

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MARC STEWART, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Food delivery drivers in China packing up hot meals and hot tempers. This driver breaks down after getting a negative customer review. Another driver snaps as police stop him for running a red light. Both episodes could mean a cut in their pay linked to on time delivery and customer satisfaction.

It's a job that keeps drivers on their feet and on the street as they battle the bustle, including here in Beijing, safety isn't the only struggle.

STEWART: What about customers? Are they ever -- to you?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There are all kinds of customers. It's difficult to avoid.

STEWART (voice-over): We followed 35-year-old Yang (ph) as he navigated the lunchtime rush.

STEWART: Is this a good way to make a living?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I think it's fine, but not as easy as before. More people are doing the same job.

STEWART: This is big business. Last year, there were about 12 million delivery drivers on the road. It's a number that's been growing.

STEWART (voice-over): Last year, industry giant Meituan saw its revenue climb 26 percent year on year to more than 10 billion. Yet paychecks are shrinking from more than 1000 U.S. dollars a month in 2018 to less than $950 a month in 2023. Experts say this could be due in part to the economic slump in China, as consumers place cheaper orders and combine their purchases.

STEWART: 20-year-old driver, Liu (ph) tells us he makes about $30 to $40 a day.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I work from 10:00 a.m. onward to past 08:00 p.m. about 30 deliveries.

STEWART (voice-over): For some drivers that's still better than the alternatives. It's flexible and beats sweating hours on a farm or a factory floor. But as China keeps growing its appetite of swiping for service, job frustration appears to be eating away at more delivery drivers. Marc Stewart, CNN, Beijing.

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WHITFIELD: Whoa, that is a bumpy road. All right. Swiping right is taking on a whole new meaning in the world of online dating. Top apps say users are increasingly prioritizing political beliefs when looking for love, and now the apps are introducing brand new features that make it easier to pick a partner based on their politics.

CNN's Clare Duffy is joining me now. What in the world, Clare, I mean, usually politics is the last thing you want to talk about on a date, but now it's front and center?

CLARE DUFFY, CNN BUSINESS WRITER: Yeah. Frederica, these apps are finding that people actually want to know more about their potential matches, political affiliations, and in particular, how engaged potential matches are in this year's election. For a long time, these apps have let people note their general political affiliation.

Are you conservative, liberal or moderate? But now we're seeing these apps roll out features that are specific to the upcoming presidential election. So, Tinder has added these voting stickers that users can put on their profile, noting that they are registered voters or expressing support for certain social issues like reproductive rights.

And OkCupid has actually rolled out matching questions that users can put on their profile, things like, what's the most important issue to you in the 2024 presidential election, or is it a deal breaker if your potential match voted for somebody different from you in the 2024 presidential election? So really bringing these questions that are top of mind for so many people to their dating profiles, Fred.

WHITFIELD: OK, well, so much for just discovering what somebody is all about when you're on the date now you want to know all that stuff up front before you have the date. Crazy. All right. Clare Duffy, thank you so much.

DUFFY: Thanks.

WHITFIELD: All right, Britain's King Charles and Queen Camilla have touched down in Australia at the start of their first overseas tour as sovereigns. The royal pair were met off the plane by Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and other top officials.

[08:55:00]

It's King, it's this rather is King Charles's first major foreign trip since his cancer diagnosis earlier this year, looking pretty good there. All right. Thank you so much for joining me here in the CNN "Newsroom". I'm Frederica Whitfield. "Connect the World" with Becky Anderson is up next.

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