Return to Transcripts main page

CNN Newsroom

Medevac Jet Carrying Six Crashes in Philadelphia, No Survivors Found; Interview with Friends of Keith Siegel's Family; Hamas Releases Three Hostages, Including Israeli American; Black Hawk Voice and Data Recorder Recovered; Rafah Crossing between Gaza and Egypt to Reopen Today. Aired 4-5a ET

Aired February 01, 2025 - 04:00   ET

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


[04:00:00]

(MUSIC PLAYING)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (voice-over): This is CNN breaking news.

KIM BRUNHUBER, CNN ANCHOR AND CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Welcome to all of you watching us here in the United States, Canada and around the world. I'm Kim Brunhuber. This is CNN NEWSROOM.

For a second time in about 48 hours, a major U.S. city is reeling from a horrific aviation disaster. Several hours ago, a medevac jet with six people on board crashed in Philadelphia. It was caught on video. Have a look.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Allahu akbar. Allahu akbar.

What the hell?

What the hell?

What the hell?

Oh my God, oh, my God, (INAUDIBLE).

It's a plane, bro. That's a plane. I caught that on camera. Yo.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BRUNHUBER: Officials say the plane plunged shortly after takeoff from a nearby airport before exploding into a massive fireball that you can see there. One witness was within earshot from the blast and this is how he described it.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

STANLEY JAMES III, WITNESS: Next thing you know, as we got up a little bit, I heard a boom and the whole car just shook. And I was able to see things in front of me, shake two cars, buildings. And I look back because my kids was just screaming super duper loud. And so when I looked back, I just seen a big flame. And so when I seen

the flame, the first thing I did was jump out the car. And as I'm running up toward it, I pull out my camera and I'm just thinking, I'm like, I hope it ain't a bomb or I hope we ain't getting hit.

I don't know what's going on in the world right now. And next thing you know, you can see the plane fragments. You could smell the gas. And it's the first thing that I could think about. The cops pulled up super duper fast as soon as it hit.

And all I could think about was them telling everybody to get back because the fumes and stuff. And it was just a crazy scene.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BRUNHUBER: The plane's operator says it can't confirm any survivors and Philadelphia's mayor says she has no report so far on the number of fatalities. A local hospital said six people were treated after the incident but it's not clear where or how they were injured.

Pennsylvania's governor said the response to the incident showed the best side of the city.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GOV. JOSH SHAPIRO (D-PA): What you're seeing here is a unified response to an awful aviation disaster.

For as awful as that aviation disaster was tonight, we also saw the best of Philly. We saw neighbor helping neighbor. We saw Pennsylvanians looking out for one another. We know that there will be loss in this region and we want to offer our thoughts and our serious prayers for those who are grieving at this moment.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BRUNHUBER: The incident followed Wednesday's mid-air collision between a passenger plane and a helicopter near Washington, which left 67 people presumed dead. The plane's operator says the aircraft was flying in excellent condition, with experienced crew in the cockpit. Jason Carroll has more from the scene.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JASON CARROLL, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, you can see the area here is still cordoned off. There are emergency vehicles right down here. This is Cottman Avenue and Roosevelt Boulevard. The impact of the crash several blocks in that direction.

This is a community in northeast Philadelphia that is simply in shock. When you look around and you see where this happened, this is a business district. The Roosevelt Mall here is in the area, a number of businesses, a number of residents as well. A number of row houses. This is an accident that happened just about after 6 o'clock.

This is rush hour. And so you had any number of people in the area who were out and about, who saw what happened. Eyewitnesses say they saw a fireball upon impact. Some people saying that the sky simply lit up.

Not only did people see it but they felt it as well. Some eyewitnesses saying that their windows were rattling. They went outside to see what was going on and saw the fires that had erupted on the ground.

Philadelphia's mayor says, at this point, she could not confirm how many fatalities there are. We can tell you that some eyewitnesses say that they did see some victims who were here on the ground.

We can tell you that on board that Learjet 55, that medevac aircraft, were six people on board -- four crew members, two passengers, a young girl and her mother. The young girl was here in Philadelphia receiving medical treatment. She had been cleared to fly.

[04:05:00]

The aircraft was en route to Missouri, where it was going to refuel and then head on to Mexico. All on board, we are told, are Mexican nationals.

Now when this aircraft crashed here in northeast Philadelphia, the mayor says that a number of buildings, a number of vehicles were impacted. More than 100 Philadelphia firefighters responded to the scene, doing what they could to get those fires out just as quickly as they can.

At this hour, a number of agencies here at the scene, including the NTSB, the FAA doing the early stages of their investigation.

Already we're hearing from officials that, because the crash scene is such a wide area, they're telling people who live here in the area if they see any debris, any parts of the plane, not to touch it, to immediately call 9-1-1 so folks can get out there and do the process of beginning to retrieve pieces of the wreckage.

At this point, once again, the early stages of this investigation to try and sort out exactly what went wrong here -- Jason Carroll, CNN, Philadelphia.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BRUNHUBER: So as we mentioned, the jet crash in Philadelphia comes just days after another deadly aviation disaster, the mid-air collision above Washington, D.C. Investigators have begun interviewing air traffic control personnel there.

The National Transportation Safety Board says barges will assist in the salvage operation. Authorities have recovered the so-called black box from the military helicopter that collided with the passenger plane on Wednesday night; 67 people died in the disaster.

Initial flight tracking data appears to show the Black Hawk helicopter flying about 100 feet above its allowed altitude and veering off the prescribed route. Investigators now have all the black boxes of both aircraft involved.

The passenger plane's cockpit voice recorder was found to have water intrusion, which federal officials say isn't uncommon.

We'll have more on all of those stories coming up. Please stay with us here on CNN NEWSROOM.

(MUSIC PLAYING)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[04:10:00]

(MUSIC PLAYING)

BRUNHUBER: Returning to our top story, for a second time in about 48 hours, a major U.S. city is reeling from a horrific aviation disaster. Several hours ago, a medevac jet with six people on board crashed in Philadelphia. Officials say the plane plunged shortly after takeoff from nearby airport before exploding into a massive fireball.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BRUNHUBER: I want to bring in Geoffrey Thomas, an aviation analyst. He joins me this hour from Perth, Australia.

Thank you so much for being here with us.

So when we see those pictures, the attitude of the plane, the way it came down so quickly, so soon after takeoff, what does all of that tell us, do you think?

GEOFFREY THOMAS, AIRLINERATINGS.COM: Kim, I believe it points to a catastrophic mechanical failure of some kind. The aircraft was barely in the air for three minutes, had reached 1,650 feet. Was right on course, exiting the airport in a climb.

And then, as you suggest, came down at a very rapid rate, 11,000 feet per minute, and impacted the ground. The only thing that I can think of that can cause that sort of accident, as I said, catastrophic mechanical failure; possibly both engines failing, which is extremely unusual, extremely unusual.

But that would have to be, for me, the probable likely cause at this early stage.

BRUNHUBER: Yes. But if -- again, obviously I'm no specialist.

But if engines fail, aren't pilots, you know, trained to be able to glide?

It didn't seem that that happened in this case.

THOMAS: No. And that's a very good point. Planes are actually really good gliders in many cases, some better than others. Yes, that is certainly a possibility, a probability. So there's something else involved here. That -- but it's just simply too early to tell.

BRUNHUBER: Yes. THOMAS: That might have happened but it's too early to tell, Kim.

BRUNHUBER: Yes. In terms of the airplane involved specifically, I mean, the Lear, we usually know it as a business jet. It's a high speed, high performance, you know, plane.

Does that make them trickier to fly, more sensitive?

THOMAS: No. The Learjet has been around for a long time. It's an American design from the Lear Company. And it's got an excellent reputation.

You're right. It is an executive jet. But this was not any different. The configurations used as -- these are used as medical evac aircraft all over the world. And it's great for that mission.

So from that perspective, it's a really good aircraft. So from that perspective, it's not an issue. And circling back onto the cause of this, when I talk about a catastrophic failure, it could also have been some sort of mechanical failure, possibly not associated with the engines.

[04:15:00]

Possibly with the control surfaces, some maintenance may not have been done. And this is just pure speculation, looking for some sort of a reason for this.

BRUNHUBER: Yes.

THOMAS: It could well have been another maintenance related issue.

BRUNHUBER: Yes, certainly the company, at least that, you know, we've got statements from them. And they've said that this was in excellent condition, of course, as you'd expect. But it had been flying since, I believe, 1981. We've heard that expression, "tired iron."

You know, could that be the case that it had, you know, too many miles on the clock?

I mean, hard to speculate but certainly, you know, it raises questions when an aircraft has been flying for that long and, you know.

What do you think?

THOMAS: Surface, well, certainly. But first of all, the Lear aircraft is an excellent airplane, beautifully built aircraft. So well maintained, well maintained, it should perform very, very well.

Now I noticed, looking at this particular aircraft, it's done a lot of many, many evacs all over the United States and into Mexico and back, bringing patients up for critical surgeries and whatnot. So it's been actively flying. It hasn't been in storage or anything like that.

And maybe something wasn't done or, you know, that sort of issue, which has been a problem with some aircraft. So it's been actively used. And you know, the company concerned has a good record. The airplanes are very good airplanes.

So this one at the moment is a real mystery. But to come out of the sky like that, something catastrophic has gone wrong.

BRUNHUBER: Yes. I'd like to pivot, if I could, to the other tragedy, the other crash in D.C., between the American Airlines plane and the Black Hawk helicopter. As I mentioned in the opening, we are getting some new details about the flight path of the helicopter. It seems as though it was in the wrong place.

What more are we learning about that?

And what can it tell us about what may have gone wrong?

THOMAS: Well, that's an interesting point you raise, Kim, because when I was on CNN about three days ago, we actually discussed with another presenter the fact that this particular helicopter had changed course six times in the 90 or so seconds prior to the impact.

And its initial -- and on the data we had, it was initially at 200 feet, which, as I understand it, is the correct height for that particular air route for going down the Potomac River on the opposite side to Reagan National.

But then it climbed up to 300 feet and then it climbed again to 350 feet and changed course, as I said, six times. So one, you know, without, at this early stage, and without further data from the black boxes, this would kind of support the theory that the pilot misidentified the crash and confused it with another aircraft.

Thought that aircraft that he -- that aircraft had passed. So he was clear to climb across the Potomac, south of Reagan National, which I believe is done quite, quite a lot. So yes, this change, of course, increase of altitude tends to support that theory.

But again, we're going to have to wait for the NTSB to do their work. And the NTSB is one of the best investigators in the world. And I'm sure they'll give us some precise information sooner than later.

BRUNHUBER: Yes. And the fact that they've recovered all the black boxes will certainly make that task easier, unlike the crash in Philadelphia, which was so catastrophic. And the plane there may not have had a black box because it's not required to.

We'll have to leave it there but really appreciate getting your take on this, Geoffrey Thomas. Thank you so much.

THOMAS: Pleasure, Kim.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BRUNHUBER: All right. We have more now on today's hostage releases in Gaza and the fragile ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas. Hamas released three hostages today as part of the agreement.

And you can see all three releases in the videos there. And later today, Israel is scheduled to release 183 Palestinian prisoners. I want to go to CNN's Jeremy Diamond, who's live at Kibbutz Khuzaa in Israel, with friends of the family of Israeli-American Keith Siegel.

Jeremy, I can just imagine the scenes of celebration there behind you, as they must be so overjoyed to finally, finally see him free.

[04:20:00]

JEREMY DIAMOND, CNN JERUSALEM CORRESPONDENT: Yes, without a doubt. I mean, just imagine 15 months of bottled-up pressure and anticipation and anxiety all releasing in an instant, as Keith Siegel's friends and relatives saw him emerge from Hamas captivity for the first time in 15 months.

We saw scenes of absolute joy here as people erupted with cheers and claps as they saw him for the first time. And now, moments ago, learning that Keith Siegel is indeed in the hands of the Israeli military.

He is safely with those Israeli troops and is expected to be reunited in moments now with his wife, Aviva Siegel, who I've spoken to on many occasions over the last 15 months. She was also held hostage by Hamas and released in that November 2023 ceasefire deal.

I now want to bring in Liora Schwartz, who --

We're at your home now and you're related to Lee Siegel, Keith's brother.

What has this moment been like, for you to see Keith alive?

LIORA SCHWARTZ, KEITH SIEGEL'S FAMILY MEMBER: Relief.

I'm so relieved that he's back. And feeling that I can breathe again. You know, like relief, big relief, and happiness. And yet it's also, you know, we still have to fight for the rest of the hostages.

And also, I want to thank the IDF and the government of Israel and America and just so glad that he's home.

DIAMOND: Yes. And over the last 15 months, I know -- I've spoken to Lee. I know that he has been fighting his brother -- for his brother. I know this community here has been fighting for his brother. Tell me about the last 15 months and what that has been like.

SCHWARTZ: Well, we've been going to as many demonstrations as we can, we -- being supportive of Lee; wearing the T-shirts, putting stuff on our cars, trying stuff at work. And there's a feeling that the community is also behind Lee. Like at the entrance of the kibbutz, there's a kikar.

DIAMOND: A roundabout, a circle, square.

SCHWARTZ: With a huge chair that people from the community built. And we go there every Thursday night and we stand and just a feeling of, yes, we're relieved. And there's a community behind Lee. And right now I just would love to hug him.

DIAMOND: Yes.

SCHWARTZ: And, yes. Just...

DIAMOND: What did he -- how did he look to you when you saw him emerge?

He was put up on a stage by these Hamas militants.

What did he look like?

SCHWARTZ: He seems thinner and, you know, not different than when he went in. But he's standing up and stood up high and, you know, he looks --

DIAMOND: Yes.

SCHWARTZ: -- OK.

DIAMOND: I also saw that, you know, at one point when he emerged, you got a call and you started, you know, bursting into tears, that this is a lot of emotion bottled up over 15 months.

SCHWARTZ: My daughter called me because she's in Tel Aviv. And she was with her friends and we just (INAUDIBLE).

DIAMOND: It must have been...

SCHWARTZ: Yes. Yes. Because, you know, we -- we're a family. We get together, you know, occasionally with Lee's side of the family. So we -- I've known Keith for a while and so it was -- and she's also been, you know, part of -- taking part in trying to bring Keith home and the rest of the hostages. And so it was a --

DIAMOND: Yes.

SCHWARTZ: Yes.

DIAMOND: And how is Lee doing?

He's waiting for Keith at the hospital, as I understand it.

SCHWARTZ: He's waiting for Keith at the hospital. And I guess he'll have to tell you how he's doing. Yes. I'm very happy for him and relieved for him. And can't wait to hug him.

DIAMOND: Well, thank you so much, Liora, for bringing us into your home and for sharing this moment with us.

Again, Keith Siegel, a 65 year old Israeli American, the first of the American hostages expected to be released during the six-week ceasefire. We are also expecting a second American, Sadi Declohan (ph), to also be released as part of this phase one of the agreement.

But as I've been talking with folks here, one of the questions has been whether or not this cease-fire will ultimately be extended, whether we can get to phases two and three, that will not only end the war in Gaza but also see all of the remaining hostages come home.

BRUNHUBER: Exactly. So we can see more happy scenes like the one we're seeing behind you. Jeremy Diamond, live at Kibbutz Khuzaa. Thank you so much.

All right. I want to go live now to Gershon Baskin in Jerusalem. He's Middle East director for the International Communities Organization and a former hostage negotiator.

Thank you so much for being here with us. So we saw the happy scenes of the three hostages released there.

[04:25:00]

The scene inside the home with the relatives who are celebrating so much as Jeremy Diamond said, pent-up emotion.

Your reaction as you saw those latest three hostages being released?

GERSHON BASKIN, MIDDLE EAST DIRECTOR, INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITIES ORGANIZATION: Well, first, it's noteworthy that Hamas learned the lesson from last Thursday of the chaos that we had seen when the hostages were released in Khan Yunis to crowds that endangered the lives of the hostages.

The Israeli protests to Qatar and Egypt was delivered to Hamas. And they took care to make sure that this morning the three hostages were released in a quite orderly fashion.

The second thing is noteworthy, is that Yarden Bibas is coming home to the knowledge that his wife and two infant children will probably never be coming home. They are probably not alive.

And this is definitely a different scene than we've seen from the previous releases, which were all families being reunited and a lot of joy and a lot of emotion and not a dry eye around the country.

Yarden Bibas is coming home to a very different reality and that's also noteworthy. What we haven't also talked about is what's happening on the other side, on the Palestinian releases, with 183 Palestinian prisoners to be released today, including 32 prisoners who are serving life sentences for killing Israelis.

The joy that we will see on the Palestinian side is exactly the opposite feeling that Israelis have when they see these Palestinian prisoners being released. So it's an extraordinarily emotional period in this country.

And, of course, the biggest question is what will happen in the coming days and weeks?

The negotiations on phase two are supposed to begin on Monday. On Tuesday, prime minister Netanyahu will be in the Oval Office with president Trump and Steve Witkoff, the emissary for the Middle East. And this deal is only happening now because Trump told Netanyahu to

make sure that it happens now.

And the question is, will Trump tell Netanyahu to make sure that it continues into phase two?

BRUNHUBER: Yes, well, I mean, that is the question, because certainly we've heard different things from president Trump.

We heard that he wants the war to end. He was -- also seemed to be behind the idea of moving Palestinians out of Gaza, which was certainly a nonstarter from Egypt and Jordan and countries that presumably would have to take these Palestinians.

BASKIN: Yes. My mind's in a suggestion to president Trump, Trump is if he wants to move Palestinians out of Gaza temporarily or permanently, as he said, that he should open up the doors of the United States to do so.

It's a -- it's not quite the right thing to do, to volunteer that other countries take in Palestinians from Gaza, who have lost their homes, particularly when the -- that very thing could endanger the stability of the regimes of Egypt and Jordan.

It doesn't really show an understanding of the region. It looks at Gaza much more like a real estate deal than about the real lives of Palestinian people, have suffered for so many years under Hamas rule and under poverty and being refugees from back in 1948. So we need a better understanding of the region.

President Trump is consequential here because he really does want to win the Nobel Peace Prize but that will involve enabling Palestinians to achieve freedom and liberation and independence in a state of their own next to Israel, while guaranteeing Israel's security at the same time.

BRUNHUBER: So pulling together some of the threads here, we saw, as you mentioned, that Hamas did respond to those calls to have a more orderly release, which should say something about the communication lines between the mediators and Hamas.

We've also seen now this was the fourth release of hostages and presumably prisoners so far. The fact that we've got here, now we're looking, as you said, to the second phase of the cease-fire, which calls for the release of the remaining hostages and extending the truce indefinitely. So I mean, this is the really tricky part.

Do you have any more confidence, based on what you've seen so far, that we might get there?

BASKIN: No. It's very difficult to be confident about it because Netanyahu himself has said that he will not agree to end the war as long as Hamas is in place. A member of his coalition government is threatening to bolt the coalition if the deal goes through and then Netanyahu would lose his majority. We all know that Netanyahu has kept this war going for an extended

period of time in order to enable his political survival in the face of an Israeli public that wants a different government, wants a different leader and wants a commission of inquiry to what happened on October 7th, which Netanyahu refuses.

The key question in my mind is the determination of what happens in Gaza the day after the war is over. And this is first and foremost a Palestinian issue that they need to decide.

But it's an issue that concerns the neighbors of Jordan and Egypt and Saudi Arabia and the Emirates and the United States and the European Union and the whole world.

[04:30:00]

Because $70 billion to $100 billion are going to be required to rebuild Gaza. And no one is going to put money into Gaza if Hamas is in control there. And there are 2 million homeless people there, tens of thousands who have been killed, over 100,000 wounded.

It's an unbearable situation that needs to be dealt with. But if Hamas remains in power in Gaza, it's not going to happen.

BRUNHUBER: All right, we'll leave it there. But appreciate getting your expertise on this, Gershon Baskin. Thank you so much.

BASKIN: Thank you.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BRUNHUBER: All right. We're going to take a quick break. When we come back, we'll have the latest on the other breaking news we've been following, the crash of a medevac jet into a Philadelphia neighborhood. Please stay with us.

(MUSIC PLAYING)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[04:35:00]

(MUSIC PLAYING)

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

I want to give you an update on one of the two big stories we've been covering, the air ambulance crash in Philadelphia. Six people were on board the twin engine Learjet 55 when it went down Friday night, including a pediatric patient and the child's mother.

A Ring camera video caught the massive explosion and fireball when the plane hit the ground. Have a look.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BRUNHUBER (voice-over): And this is dash cam footage of the blast. So far the air ambulance company that organized the flight will only say it can't confirm survivors. Listen to two witnesses describe what they saw.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

VADIM OSIPOV, WITNESS: I was in shock. I'm still in shock. Like this is insane.

Why can this happen?

And before that, to be honest, in my mind, I thought, like, what if the rocket would like -- because I'm from Ukraine, right?

And there's war. There's always rockets coming in and stuff like that. And then I see like things flying.

Like no way, the war started again?

You know and you say, you never know.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DECLAN, WITNESS: We didn't know what it was. I just saw blinking lights. I thought it was like something for the plane landing. But then I just got home and I saw it. And I was like, dang, I just witnessed it. It was like -- it was pretty scary.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BRUNHUBER: And one local hospital told CNN that it treated six patients after the crash and three have already been discharged. So far, no word about fatalities on the ground, though the mayor said several houses and cars were affected. A firefighters' union chief described the challenges of battling blazes involving jet fuel.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ED KELLY, PRESIDENT, INTERNATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF FIREFIGHTERS: When you have these jet crashes, any fire doubles in size in every minute when. You add an accelerant, it obviously accelerates the fire.

With jet fuel, it's a particularly hazardous flame, flammability to it. So we had multiple row houses burning in Philadelphia. I've been talking to the firefighters on the ground there. They did effect rescues when they got there. So some of the people that were trapped in those buildings were saved tonight by the Philadelphia firefighters.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BRUNHUBER: So as authorities assess the situation on the ground in Philadelphia, some have shifted their attention to the air ambulance company, which was conducting the medical transport. Here's CNN's Tom Foreman.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

TOM FOREMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Jet Rescue is an air ambulance company, meaning they operate very specialized planes, which they bill as intensive care units in the sky.

Meaning they have an awful lot of the equipment that you would normally need in a somewhat limited intensive care unit, with medical experts on board. And they transport people in all sorts of very serious medical conditions all over the place.

They're both licensed and insured in the U.S. and Mexico, with some operating bases in both places. They have more than 20 years of experience. And they call themselves the premier provider of international critical care ambulance services from Mexico, Latin America and the Caribbean to the USA, Canada and worldwide.

Although they seem sort of focused in that area, they also cite some specialty in handling pediatric patients, as we're talking about in this case. They had nine Learjets in their fleet prior to this accident, according to their website.

And they boast on the website or mention on the website that they had a lot of training of their pilots, a lot of time in simulators, a lot of keeping their skills up. So there's also no real record, as far as I can tell, of them having had a serious incident anywhere in the past.

So this is a company that has been relied upon by many, many, many people for critical medical transit. And now this incident has come into their record.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BRUNHUBER: Meanwhile, investigators have begun interviewing air traffic control personnel about the deadly mid-air collision in Washington. Authorities have also recovered the so-called black box from the military Black Hawk helicopter that collided with the passenger plane on Wednesday night.

CNN's Danny Freeman has the latest from Washington.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DANNY FREEMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Surveillance video obtained by CNN showing the final moments before the two aircraft collide, the type of evidence investigators are sure to examine carefully as they work to determine what happened.

TODD INMAN, MEMBER, NTSB: We take everything serious. Every potential scenario, so it's helpful as we see all these different new pieces of evidence, whether it be eyewitness or video in this case, those things help give us a lot more details. FREEMAN: In the video, you can see the Black Hawk helicopter flying

seemingly as normal straight into the descending passenger jet. Neither aircraft appeared to try to avoid the other, a sign they may not have seen each other until it was too late.

This, despite the helicopter pilots confirming to air traffic controllers it saw the plane seconds before the crash.

[04:40:00]

INMAN: Right now, it's too early to speculate on what exactly occurred but you've got a lot of different moving parts, so were in the early stages.

FREEMAN: Now the altitude of the Black Hawk helicopter is coming under increased scrutiny. Flight tracking data from the company Flightradar24 appeared to show the helicopter was flying 100 feet above the maximum allowed altitude and veering off the prescribed route along the east side of the Potomac River.

On Friday, CNN learned the Federal Aviation Administration will indefinitely shut down the low altitude helicopter corridor used by the Black Hawk on Wednesday night. Lawmakers are looking to see if permanent changes are needed around one of the busiest runways in the country Wednesday night.

Lawmakers are looking to see if permanent changes are needed around one of the busiest runways in the country.

SEN. MARIA CANTWELL (D-WA): What the video shows is that they were flying at the same altitude at a moment when that shouldn't have happened that somewhere in the process of what is now established as these two routes, which I think will raise a lot of questions for lawmakers to discuss.

How is -- how are those two routes and even the level of separation that is expected?

How could -- how are we even doing that?

FREEMAN: Investigators now have their hands on the airliners. Two black boxes, the devices crucial to understanding what may have happened in the final moments of that flight. Meanwhile, recovery efforts continued on the cold and rainy Potomac River Friday.

D.C., officials determined to recover every victim under the water whatever it takes.

CHIEF JOHN DONNELLY SR., D.C. FIRE AND EMS: Yes, we expect to recover all of the bodies. That's why our teams are still working. We're going to have to work with the salvage company to do some of that work.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BRUNHUBER: And when we come back, I'll speak with an aid worker on the ground in Gaza about how the cease-fire is impacting the humanitarian crisis as a critical border crossing prepares to reopen. Stay with us.

(MUSIC PLAYING)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[04:45:00]

(MUSIC PLAYING)

BRUNHUBER: I'll give you an update on the breaking news we've been telling you about from Gaza. Hamas has released three hostages today as part of its cease-fire agreement with Israel. You can see all three releases in this video.

The three men were taken during the October 7th attacks and held until today. The latest release was just a short time ago, when Israeli American Keith Siegel was handed over to the Red Cross. The Israeli military says he's now back in Israel.

And these images are from moments ago, from near Ofer prison, an indication that at least some of the 183 Palestinian prisoners could soon be released as part of the deal.

The families of the hostages released from Gaza are understandably overjoyed about getting their loved ones back. Now this is Efrat Marchenko, reuniting with her uncle, 81 year old Gadi Mozes, a hostage who was released on Thursday.

It's a long awaited emotional moment. And she spoke with me last hour about what led to this moment and the road ahead.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

EFRAT MACHIKAWA, GADI MOZES' NIECE: We were watching the same footage that the world had and it was terrifying. It was like walking through hell for both Albert (ph), sweet and gentle Albert (ph), and for my uncle, Gadi Mozes.

But once we knew that they were in the hands of the ICRC, we were very relieved. But really, we did feel much more secure when we knew that they are in the hands of the IDF and they are on the ground of Israel.

And then the kids saw him and then he was moved to the hospital. And then we had the privilege of hugging him again and more getting his hug. And we are grateful to the USA for their part.

I think it would not have happened unless your government involvement and the Qataris and the Egyptians. We're very grateful and we hope that we will get every single hostage back. All those who return, I have to tell you, they have a long way of recovery. We hug and we're happy. But there is a long way.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BRUNHUBER: The crucial Rafah crossing between Gaza and Egypt is expected to open today for the first time in eight months. It's reopening as part of the ceasefire deal between Hamas and Israel, with three more Israeli hostages just having been released.

The Palestinian health ministry says medical evacuations will begin in coordination with the World Health Organization. They say 50 children will leave Gaza for treatment today. An estimated 12,000 Palestinians urgently need medical attention.

The U.N.'s agency for Palestinian refugees says it's still operating in Gaza and the West Bank, despite an Israeli ban that went into effect on Thursday. The aid group added that it hasn't seen any changes on the ground and is still waiting for Israel to explain how this ban will work.

Rolland Gueneau is the Gaza area directional -- director at Relief International. He joins us now from Khan Yunis.

Thank you so much for being here with us. Really appreciate it. I just want to start with the news again that, with the Rafah border crossing opening -- and we've seen images already of Palestinians who were injured, being loaded into transport, presumably to be transported across to get treatment.

How important is the reopening of this vital border crossing?

ROLLAND GUENEAU, GAZA AREA DIRECTOR, RELIEF INTERNATIONAL: So thanks a lot for inviting me, first. Yes, this cross-border thing is really, really important. So first for the med evacuation.

[04:50:00]

And so, as you said, tens of even more children and patients have to be evacuated and receive medical services inside, inside Egypt or elsewhere. And there is another really important topic. In the future, we really hope that the supplies will be able to go through this point, too.

BRUNHUBER: Yes, absolutely. It's a two-way issue, as you say.

In terms of the ceasefire. I mean, it's been in effect for a while now. And you've been able presumably to increase the amount of aid and, you know, go about helping more people during this time of relative peace.

How has that enabled you to actually go about delivering more aid in Gaza?

GUENEAU: Yes, it's changed everything. I mean, we can do much, much more than before. Just as an example, we received a truck of medicines just two days ago when we were waiting for it since months now.

So the -- and we hope more trucks in the coming days and weeks. So in addition, you know, we are -- we receive much less trauma surgeries. And, you know, we are not fear because of the stopping of the shelling, airstrike, bombing, et cetera. We are not fear anymore, you know, for us and our colleagues, to die in the next minute.

BRUNHUBER: Yes. What are the most urgent humanitarian needs in Gaza right now?

GUENEAU: Well, its urgent needs are, in fact, it's very difficult to prioritize. Let's come back, you know, to the very basics ones. Around 2 million people need shelters. There is a big, big need of water. The -- most of the water points are destroyed. And so they have they have to be reactivated.

There is an enormous need of food. So just the very basic needs -- sheltering, eating and drinking are not really there. In addition, we need the medical services to be reactivated, to be strengthened. And it's what we try to do.

BRUNHUBER: Yes. So the medical services, the health care infrastructure across Gaza has just been absolutely decimated.

So how do you go about actually treating anybody when practically all of the hospitals aren't functioning?

GUENEAU: Yes, we work with our partner, Al-Awda, in the north of Gaza, in north Gaza. It's the only hospital still operating. So from 250 staff before the war, only 66 remaining. So we support the staff to come back to the hospital and to replenish the stock of medicines.

And as much as we can rehabilitate and extend the yard for surgeries and patients.

BRUNHUBER: So I -- you've painted a picture there of such a huge need. I spoke in the opening about how UNRWA and their operations are potentially at risk due to Israel's new legislation. There's certainly been a sense of panic among Palestinians that we've spoken with and heard from, that they consider this almost a death sentence.

How might that affect the overall aid distribution in Gaza?

GUENEAU: Yes, UNRWA provide a huge, huge support in the Gaza Strip. They are irreplaceable. I mean, we can't replace them. And it's a real, real treat for all the people. They support schools, hospitals and so much more. So it's an additional reason to strengthen the ability of the organization to expand their services to the people.

BRUNHUBER: Yes. Finally, before we go, we only have about a minute. But I want to get a sense of how the people there are feeling in Khan Yunis. So many refugees who are gathered there with so few resources, so little clean water, as you say.

But given the fact that there is a ceasefire now and aid will presumably be flowing, is there any more sense of hope there now?

GUENEAU: Well, you know, in a way it's poignant. It's more than hope. In fact, they don't want to imagine they will come back to the nightmare thee like before. So there is an enormous movement, more than 600,000 people who came back to Gaza City.

[04:55:02] But they come back in ruins. And there are no public services anymore. So some of them are coming back. So let's say, you know, one of our colleagues said, OK, now our nightmare is finished but we enter in another one.

You know, when they came back and they see their demolished house. And they are -- they can come back to their family and they see their homage (ph) friends are missing and the family members are missing.

BRUNHUBER: Yes. It's so sad. But let's hope certainly that the cease- fire can continue and build to a next phase of a permanent cease-fire. So important to so many people there in Gaza.

Rolland Gueneau, thank you so much for speaking with us. Really appreciate it.

GUENEAU: Thanks a lot for Relief International. Thank you.

BRUNHUBER: All right.

Well, that wraps this hour of CNN NEWSROOM. I'm Kim Brunhuber. I'll be back with more news in just a moment. Please do stay with us.