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Israeli P.M. Warns Palestinians in Gaza to Leave Amid Intensifying Strikes; French Government Collapses Again; Giorgio Armani Finally Laid to Rest. Aired 3-4a ET

Aired September 09, 2025 - 03:00   ET

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

[02:59:25]

ROSEMARY CHURCH, CNN ANCHOR: Hello and welcome to our viewers joining us from all around the world and everyone streaming us on CNN Max. I'm Rosemary Church. Just ahead.

Benjamin Netanyahu's ominous warning to Palestinians in Gaza as Israel's military intensifies its attacks in the city.

The French government collapses again. How a disagreement over the budget threw the country into political chaos.

Plus, Nepal lifts its ban on social media after deadly protests rocked the nation's capital.

And later, legendary designer Giorgio Armani is laid to rest in a private sendoff.

[03:00:07]

UNKNOWN (voice-over): Live from Atlanta, this is "CNN Newsroom" with Rosemary Church.

CHURCH: Thanks for joining us.

And we begin this hour in Gaza, where the Israeli military is now ordering all Palestinians to leave Gaza City and all its neighborhoods ahead of an expanded military offensive. A military spokesperson warned the IDF would be operating with, quote, "great force to defeat Hamas."

Leaflets carrying the evacuation message, which included a map, were dropped across the area. On Monday, airstrikes again targeted high- rise towers in the densely populated area as the Israeli military moves forward with plans to occupy Gaza's largest city. One building that collapsed after a strike had housed the Palestinian Center for Human Rights, the group says its office had previously been raided by the Israel Defense Forces and was even used as a military base during previous operations.

Israel, though, says it's targeting buildings because of the presence of Hamas infrastructure.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BENJAMIN NETANYAHU, ISRAELI PRIME MINISTER (through translator): I promised you a few days ago that we will take down the terror towers in Gaza, and this is exactly what we are doing. In the past couple of days, 50 such towers were taken down by the Air Force.

Now, all this is only an introduction, the siftah to the powerful main act, which is a ground maneuver of our forces, who are now assembling and organizing into Gaza City.

And this is why I say to the residents of Gaza, I take this opportunity. Listen carefully, you have been warned. Leave now.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: Amid the intensifying assault, Qatar's Prime Minister is pressing Hamas to, quote, respond positively to a new ceasefire proposal put forward by the U.S. Israel says it's giving the proposal serious consideration.

Meantime, Israel's defense minister is warning of the most severe consequences after the deadliest attack in Jerusalem in more than two years. At least six people were killed Monday when two gunmen opened fire on a busy bus stop before being killed by an Israeli soldier and civilian at the scene.

Police have identified the suspected attackers as residents of Palestinian villages in the West Bank. The Palestinian Authority announced all forms of violence and terrorism, regardless of their source, and, quote, "condemned any targeting of Palestinian and Israeli civilians."

Joining us now is former U.S.-Middle East negotiator and senior fellow for the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, Aaron David Miller. I appreciate you being with us.

AARON DAVID MILLER, SR. FELLOW, CARNEGIE ENDOWMENT FOR INTERNATIONAL PEACE, AND FORMER U.S.-MIDDLE EAST NEGOTIATOR: I'm happy to join. Always, Rosemary.

CHURCH: So Qatar is pressing Hamas to respond positively to this latest ceasefire proposal from the United States. What's your assessment of this new Middle East proposal put forward by the U.S. to bring home all the hostages and end the war in Gaza?

MILLER: Oh, look, we're approaching the second year of October 7th. Hard to believe, frankly, for the hostages, their families, and certainly for the Palestinian civilian population of Gaza. I don't see either Hamas or the current Israeli government ready, willing, and able to come to grips with a serious proposal to end the war.

The fundamental issues, even in this proposal, are simply delayed and deferred. Number one, what about Israeli withdrawal from Gaza? Under what circumstances? And number two, Hamas disarmament and the issue of Hamas governance or the lack of governance. None of these things are addressed. And it's doubtful to me, given the

initial obligations of each side, 60-day ceasefire, with Hamas releasing all of the live, that Hamas will agree to this based on the assurances they've received, or lack thereof, from the Trump administration that somehow, if they do agree to return all the hostages, Trump administration is going to press the current government of Israel to end the war and withdraw all its forces. So I don't see this answering the mail.

And until you have a serious proposal that addresses the three core questions, who or what is going to govern Gaza? Who or what is going to maintain security in Gaza? And who or what is going to begin the painful process of providing humanitarian assistance on a predictable and regular basis?

And of course, expend the billions of dollars and resources that will be required to essentially reconstruct, rehabilitate, repair what's happened to Gaza over the last almost two years.

[03:05:07]

CHURCH: And President Trump, meantime, has made it clear that this is the final offer to Hamas. So what is the likely next step in the process? And what do you think will happen to Gaza in the end? What do you think the vision is from Donald Trump and indeed from Benjamin Netanyahu, the vision for Gaza going forward?

MILLER: I mean, I don't think anybody pays any attention, whether it's Russia, Ukraine, Iran, or Israel and Gaza to Donald Trump's warnings and ultimatum and threats. What is Donald Trump going to do if in fact Hamas refuses to accept their proposal?

He could pull Witkoff and Jared Kushner from the negotiating table. He could do what he's already doing, which is enabling and acquiescing in both the tactics and the strategy that the current Netanyahu government is proposing and following for Gaza. As far as the vision, there is a plan, 38 pages. I think I've seen something that passes for the text.

But again, Rosemary, it fails to address in a way that is tethered to the political realities of the Middle East and not tethered to a galaxy far, far away, the core questions. And I think those three remain the ones that need to be asked and answered. A rational, logical, let's say, enlightened plan would involve some Palestinian authority as down falling as the Palestinian authority is.

It's going to have to have some relationship with even a technocratic government in Gaza. You have to answer that question, then you have to deal with the issue of security.

Who or what is going to maintain law and order in a destroyed Gaza? Who or what is going to ensure that Hamas doesn't resurge or any of the other Palestinian groups, like Islamic Jihad, for example? And then who or what is going to guarantee long-term security that would enable the Israelis? And it's almost impossible for me to imagine that this Israeli

government is somehow going to agree to pull all of their forces out of Gaza. At best, they're going to demand, perhaps understandably, a right to preempt and prevent additional military or terrorist activity by any Palestinian group in Gaza.

So no, I think the critical ingredient here, Rosemary, that you absolutely need is the one thing we don't have, and that's leadership. Leadership in Israel, leadership among the Palestinians, leadership in Washington and key Arab states, Israel's treaty partners and the Abraham Accord country partners, leadership there prepared to stand up.

You could actually envision a better day after for Gaza, but not without a determined, focused set of leaders pushing a vision that again is tethered to reality and not some Gaza Riviera fantasy.

CHURCH: Aaron David Miller, thank you so much for joining us. I appreciate it.

MILLER: Thank you, Rosemary. Always a pleasure.

CHURCH: At least five people were killed in Israeli strikes in eastern Lebanon on Monday, according to Lebanon's health ministry. The IDF claims it had struck several Hezbollah militant positions, including military training compounds used for planning attacks against Israel.

On Monday, Hezbollah announced the deaths of five of its members from the same region. The Iran-backed militant group did not provide details about the circumstances of their deaths, but referred to them as martyrs.

Russia is dismissing western threats of further sanctions following its largest aerial assault yet on Ukraine. On Monday, the Kremlin warned such measures would be absolutely useless. That's after President Trump said he's ready to expand sanctions against Moscow and as Europe's top sanctions envoy arrived in Washington.

Meanwhile, Ukrainian officials say the Russian president only understands force and has no intention of stopping the war. Over the weekend, Russian strikes hit a Kyiv government building for the first time. CNN's Nick Paton Walsh picks up the story.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

NICK PATON WALSH, CNN CHIEF INTERNATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: We've been fierce for weeks that nightly assaults would at some point escalate to the point where they would overwhelm the capital's practiced air defenses. But Kyiv hits hard by 810 drones, a record backed by nine cruise missiles, four ballistic missiles, that seemed to get the better of the practiced air defenses around that city.

[03:10:00]

Three killed, comparatively low toll despite one of those three being a child under the age of one, but deeply symbolic damage done to a key government building inside the government area of Kyiv.

Ukraine's Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko posting a picture of herself standing in front of the burned out ruins of one of the offices where she frequents, a place that she gave Western diplomats a tour of in recent hours.

A sign as Trump's envoy to Ukraine, General Keith Kellogg said that Russia is escalating this war. Putin perhaps buoyed by his recent summit in China where he shared a limo with India's leader. Discussed, weirdly, immortality in a hot mic moment with China's President Xi Jinping.

Possibly seeing now with support of those two key powers the road ahead for his offensive in Ukraine extended. It is clear, it seems from Ukrainian sources, that Russia is amassing troops on the eastern front line, possibly for another push before summer turns into the fall.

But a lot now resting on the decisions of U.S. President Donald Trump, who said at the weekend he would introduce new sanctions, who said too he would talk to Putin imminently. He even said at the weekend he might have European leaders visit him Monday or Tuesday. A lot still waiting from the White House now, including indeed details of what those sanctions might be.

Could it be banking sector in Russia that is hit, that could potentially damage the frail Russian economy? Or could it be secondary sanctions tariffs against Russia's major hydrocarbon customers, India or China?

So much to be decided, but it seems at this stage Moscow's made its decision to pursue as aggressively as it can for now. Offensives in the air against Ukraine, but probably too in the days ahead, increased intensity on the front line as well.

Nick Paton Walsh, CNN, London.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CHURCH: France is facing yet another political crisis after lawmakers voted to oust Prime Minister Francois Bayrou in a landslide confidence vote on Monday. Bayrou had called the vote in a bid to push through his widely unpopular government savings plan. Now President Emmanuel Macron is left with dwindling options as the opposition seeks to further erode his centrist government.

CNN's Melissa Bell has the latest.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MELISSA BELL, CNN SR. INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Another French Prime Minister ousted, 364 lawmakers voted out Francois Bayrou with 194 voting for the government, making him the fourth Prime Minister to lose office in 20 months, despite his pleas just moments before. FRANCOIS BAYORU, FRENCH PRIME MINISTER (through translator): If we

want to save the ship, the ship we and our children are on, we have to act immediately.

BELL (voice-over): Just weeks after announcing he wanted to slash 44 billion euros from the budget in 2026.

BAYROU (through translator): 5000 euros of additional debt per second. We should call it by its name. It's a mortal danger for a country.

BELL (voice-over): But France's parliament has had no majority ever since the French President Emmanuel Macron dissolved the assembly, triggering elections in 2024 that left his center party weakened and the extremes, both left and right, much stronger.

Since then, two Prime Ministers have tried and failed relatively quickly to get the confidence of France's parliament.

MICHEL BARNIER, FORMER FRENCH PRIME MINISTER (through translator): We proposed a budget, a difficult budget, where everything was difficult to reduce our deficit. This deficit did not disappear by the magic of a no confidence vote.

BELL (voice-over): Handing the poison chalice to Francois Bayrou, who's faced a far right and far left emboldened by the failures of the center to govern, ruling out any cooperation with him at all.

ANTOINE BRISTIELLE, DIRECTOR OF POLLING, JEAN-JAURES FOUNDATION: Yes, we are maybe in the regime crisis, so it's really complicated. There is no real solution in the current context with the way the French political parties are working together.

BELL: With this latest vote here at the National Assembly, the French President is fast running out of options. He said that he will name a new Prime Minister in the next few days.

The question, whether he or she will have the numbers behind them to try and govern successfully, and this with the clock ticking and the need to pass a new, smaller budget before the end of the year. And for now, no sense of who might be able to do that.

Melissa Bell, CNN, Paris.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CHURCH: Still to come, details on South Korea's plan to repatriate hundreds of its citizens detained in an immigration raid in the U.S. last week.

Plus, three missing children were found by New Zealand police after their fugitive father was killed in a shootout. Still to come, the latest details officials are sharing with the public.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[03:15:00] (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CHURCH: A Korean Air flight will head to the U.S. as soon as Wednesday to bring home more than 300 South Korean citizens detained in an immigration raid last week. They were taken into custody at a Hyundai battery plant that's under construction here in Georgia.

U.S. officials say the raid targeted illegal workers and those with visa violations. South Korea says most of the workers were employed by subcontractors, not Hyundai, and that it's working with the U.S. government to eventually allow them to re-enter the country.

Joining me now is Robert Kelly, a professor of political science at Pusan National University in South Korea. I appreciate you being with us.

ROBERT KELLY, PROF. OF POLITICAL SCIENCE, PUSAN NATIONAL UNIVERSITY: Thank you for having me.

[03:20:01]

CHURCH: So South Korea's Foreign Affairs Minister is heading to Washington D.C. today to try to deal with the fallout from the massive immigration raid on the Hyundai battery plant in Georgia that employed hundreds of South Korean nationals. How will he solve this? What are some of the options available to him?

KELLY: Well, I think what they really need to do is get Donald Trump's deal, if you will, that's the President's term, for the relationship between the U.S. and South Korea. They need to get that down and riding.

There was, and still is, legally a trade treaty between the U.S. and South Korea that goes back to 2018. The President himself brokered that, and this time around, in his second term, Donald Trump has simply ignored that. It's called the KOR-US FTA, and I think that's the real concern here in South Korea on the South Koreans' part, which is to say there is a trade framework that's extant.

The President has simply ignored that and insisted on these deals, which are very vague, the terms are very loose, it's not quite clear. I think that's what you saw with the visa confusion for the workers in Georgia, right? It's like, what exactly are they allowed to do in the United States and whatnot?

And I imagine that what the foreign minister will look for is some kind of clarity on what exactly the rules are for this investment, if the Koreans are really going to put hundreds of billions of dollars into the U.S. economy, as the President insists there have to be some rules, that's a great deal of money.

CHURCH: So what impact do you think this issue is having on relations between these two long-time allies?

KELLY: Sure. So I think the most obvious thing, and I think everybody's been pointing this out on Twitter and in your reporting and the rest, that this is obviously going to be a damper not only on South Korean investment in the United States, but all of these investment deals the president insists on, right? If you're Japan, if you're a European corporation, this is a big red flag, right?

The President, I think, really needs to figure out a way to sort of reconcile the ICE and the Commerce Department, right? If we're going to bring all this investment into the U.S., ICE has got to permit it to operate, otherwise nobody's going to do it. I think that's the real issue.

Locally, the Korean response has been, I think, restrained. I mean, certainly it's upset, right? The media is sort of universally opposed to this and kind of shocked. But I think the Korean government's response has been pretty limited because the Koreans really rely on the U.S. alliance.

If the U.S. wasn't here, Korea's defense budget would go up substantially. And so there's a sort of unwillingness to push this too much to jeopardize the larger importance of the security relationship. But I think there's also a perception that that security relationship is being used as sort of asymmetric leverage to squeeze South Korea in a way that's inappropriate.

CHURCH: What do you think it is that President Trump is hoping to get from South Korea? And perhaps more specific to this factory, given the work done there, he is talking about American workers, that they'll need to be trained and that will take time. What do you think is going on here?

KELLY: Yes, so the training, I think, is really why these workers were in Georgia to begin with. And this is certainly what you've heard in the South Korean media here in the last few days, right? It's that these Koreans were over there doing jobs that the Americans cannot do.

And this really speaks to sort of, I think, two of the contradictions within Trump's coalition, within the Republican coalition. On the one hand, you have sort of the hard-right MAGA, which just wants foreigners out of the United States. This is ICE sort of like raiding farms and factories and workplaces and everything else.

On the other hand, you have within the Republican coalition, the business community, which really wants this foreign investment. Trump, I think, is responding to pressure from them, right? And reconciling these two is going to be very difficult because I think the core of Trump's voters don't actually care, right? They see these as foreigners doing jobs that Americans should be doing, even if Americans aren't qualified to do them. And that's really what's driving this.

And so Trump was really kind of caught between these two pressures. And I think this speaks to the incoherence of his administration, that he can't reconcile and bring these various interests to heel.

CHURCH: And in the end, how careful will South Korea need to be to avoid offending President Trump as it sorts through this pretty delicate immigration situation? KELLY: Yes, and I think that's why ultimately you haven't heard much

in the South Korean government, right? Because they're concerned about the larger relationship, which is that South Korea really wants to keep.

The U.S. alliance is very popular here, something like 80 percent approval. South Korea is in a tough neighborhood, it lives next to Russia, North Korea, and China. Those are all tyrannies with nuclear weapons, right?

So the U.S. alliance is really valuable. South Korea also runs a substantial trade surplus with the United States, where its largest trading partner and so jeopardizing that is really risky. This is why the South Koreans haven't really pushed back much on the tariffs.

But I mean, again, at some point, we're seeing this with other U.S. allies too. At some point, the president can sort of work asymmetry, right? He can sort of use American leverage and push U.S. allies.

But at some point, there's going to be pushed back. And the U.S. has already seen that with Canada, right, where the U.S. relationship with Canada is really coming apart, which is just kind of shocking. And if the president insists on talking to South Korea, Japan, the Europeans in this way, he's going to break apart these alliance structures, right? I think our partners will tolerate this for a while.

But if it looks like the Trump administration is sort using alliance relationships to sort of force economic gain for the President, then ultimately, they're going to start to pull back.

[03:25:03]

And I think that's probably what the South Koreans can be debating internally for the next decade or so. Are the Americans reliable or are they going to squeeze us? And if they're going to, then we should consider other opportunities and other arrangements.

CHURCH: Robert Kelly in Busan, South Korea, many thanks for joining us. I appreciate it.

KELLY: Thank you for having me.

Nepal is walking back its controversial social media ban just ahead. The latest on the deadly crackdown on protests that led to the government's decision. Back with that in just a moment.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[03:30:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CHURCH: Welcome back to "CNN Newsroom." I'm Rosemary Church. I want to check today's top stories for you.

The Israeli military is now ordering all Palestinians to leave Gaza City and all its neighborhoods ahead of an expanded military offensive. That word coming one day after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu urged residents to evacuate as IDF operations ramp up. He says the military destroyed what he calls 50 terror towers in Gaza City in just two days.

The French Parliament has voted to oust Prime Minister Francois Bayrou amid the country's spiraling debt crisis. Bayrou was attempting to pass a controversial $51 billion savings plan. President Emmanuel Macron says he plans to name a new Prime Minister in the coming days, but most candidates are likely to be challenged by the deeply divided Parliament.

Part of London's Heathrow Airport was briefly evacuated Monday after reports of a possible hazardous substance. Police say no threat was found, but about 20 people reported symptoms and received treatment. The terminal has since reopened and the incident is still under investigation.

A dramatic turn of events in Thailand, where the Supreme Court has sentenced former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra to one year behind bars. The top court ruled that his prolonged hospital stint was unlawful and will not count as time served. The influential billionaire had returned home in 2023 after 15 years of self-imposed exile, but spent only hours in jail before being transferred to a hospital.

There was speculation Thaksin might not show up to hear the verdict, but he was there in court and has since arrived at the Bangkok prison. The former Thai leader posted online that he accepted the ruling and that while he may lack physical freedom, he still has freedom of thought for the benefit of the nation.

Well protests continue in Nepal's capital just one day after the government decided to lift a ban on about two dozen social media platforms. The decision came after the worst unrest the country has seen in decades, at least 19 people were killed on Monday following a crackdown by security forces on the Gen Z-led protests. Nepal's Prime Minister says he is deeply saddened by the events and blames, quote, "infiltration by various vested interest groups for the violence without elaborating further."

Let's go to CNN's Hanako Montgomery for the latest. Good to see you again, Hanako. So what triggered this unrest in Nepal? And now that the government has lifted the ban, what is the political fallout?

HANAKO MONTGOMERY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Rosemary, before we get into what triggered this unrest, I do want to point out here that the unrest is actually continuing throughout Tuesday. We're hearing reports that protesters are still gathering across the country defying a government-imposed curfew.

Now, one official has confirmed to CNN that the situation remains tense. Buildings are being set on fire. And we also know that there's been a massive deployment of security forces with reports of firing in some locations. Now, to answer your question, Rosemary, about why this unrest is

happening in Nepal, as you mentioned, the government banned some popular social media platforms last week, like, for example, Facebook and WhatsApp.

Now, the government said that this ban was necessary in order to crack down on fake news, hate speech, and also because these platforms hadn't properly registered with Nepali authorities. The critics of this move have said that it's actually a form of censorship and that this move infringes upon the people's freedom of speech.

But, Rosemary, these protests are about a lot more than just a social media ban. Many people in the country are also very frustrated with what they say is widespread government corruption and also a lack of economic opportunities. In fact, here's what one protester said about why he was demonstrating on Monday.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNKNOWN: Every corruption in the country, from the local level to federal level, all the Nepali citizens are fed up of corruption. Every youth are going outside the country. So we want to protect our youth and make the country's economy better.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

[03:35:07]

MONTGOMERY: So, Rosemary, again, just widespread frustration here about the lack of job opportunities, especially for Gen Z. The group really is said to be leading these protests that we're seeing in Nepal.

Now, in terms of the political fallout, we know that the Nepali Home Minister has resigned following the violence. The government has also launched an investigative probe to investigate just what led to the protesters' deaths.

Now, also, we're hearing some calls from protesters asking the Prime Minister to step down and take responsibility for this violence. But, of course, if that does happen, we can't confirm it right now, but we will be monitoring for more updates. Rosemary.

CHURCH: Of course. Hanako Montgomery, many thanks for that live report.

Well, Monday marked a violent end to the long search for a fugitive father on the run in New Zealand. Thomas Phillips and his three children had been hiding out in a campsite like this while the children's mother remained desperate to find them.

CNN's Ivan Watson explains how police finally caught up with him after nearly four years.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) IVAN WATSON, CNN SR. INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): This is one of the last known images of Tom Phillips, a fugitive father who'd been living off the grid for nearly four years in New Zealand with his three small children, until he died in a fatal shootout with police on Monday.

This security camera video released by New Zealand police last month shows two masked people, one dressed in what appears to be a full camouflage ghillie suit, breaking into a convenience store before dawn and then driving off with stolen groceries on a quad motorbike. Police offered a U.S. $52,000 reward for information on Phillips, who was wanted on a number of criminal charges.

After years on the run on New Zealand's North Island, Phillips was reportedly spotted during a suspected pre-dawn break-in of a store in the tiny village of Piopio on Monday. Local police pursued him to this junction, where they lay road spikes to intercept his quad.

JILL ROGERS, POLICE DEPUTY COMMISSIONER: The first attending police officer at that scene has come across that stopped quad bike and been confronted by gunfire at close range. Our officer has been struck in the head soon after a second patrol unit arrived and has engaged the offender, and he has died at the scene.

WATSON (voice-over): Authorities say the dead man is Phillips, and said they took one of his children on the scene into custody. They choppered the seriously wounded officer to a hospital.

CHRISTOPHER LUXON, NEW ZEALAND PRIME MINISTER: He, his family and colleagues are my thoughts and the thoughts of all Kiwis.

WATSON (voice-over): The incident triggered a massive search for Phillips' remaining two children. Phillips first disappeared with his children, now ages 9, 10 and 12, in December of 2021, their mother making a public appeal for their safe return.

CAT, MOTHER OF MISSING CHILDREN: I'm standing here before you today, begging you for your help to bring my babies home.

WATSON (voice-over): Last year, a teenage pig hunter filmed the father and children hiking through rugged countryside, proof they were still alive. Police also released images of Phillips fleeing a bank robbery in 2023 and appearing masked in a hardware store that same year. Hours after Monday's shooting, authorities announced they'd found Phillips' remaining children at a campsite not far from the scene of the incident.

ROGERS: I can confirm that the children are well and uninjured, and they will be taken to a location this evening for medical checks.

JOHN ROBERTSON, WAITOMO, NEW ZEALAND MAYOR: It's an awful situation when you think about it, state care and children that have just lost their father and have been living in the bush for four years.

WATSON (voice-over): This tightly knit rural community worried about the trauma three children experienced, living for years on the run. Ivan Watson, CNN.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CHURCH: Just ahead, CNN investigates how Israel's military has contributed to the famine in parts of Gaza, and presents those findings to the IDF. Their response when we come back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[03:40:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CHURCH: With areas in Gaza now officially declared in a state of famine, CNN's investigative unit breaks down how parts of Israel's military campaign have led to this famine by choking off food and water to the enclave. Using satellite imagery, video evidence and data analysis, CNN details the dismantling of Gaza's food and aid infrastructure throughout the conflict.

Our Katie Polglase brings us this in-depth report highlighting the scale of destruction to Gaza's support systems and the growing fears that relief may come too late.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

KATIE POLGLASE, CNN INVESTIGATIVE REPORTER (voice-over): Warning after warning didn't stop famine from gripping Gaza. From aid blockades to attacks, CNN has deconstructed how step-by-step parts of Israel's military campaign led to this famine by choking off food and water to the population of Gaza and each finding we've put to the IDF.

[03:45:02]

POLGLASE: So just to be clear, you're saying there is not famine in Gaza according to the Israeli military?

LT. COL. NADAV SHOSHANI, IDF INTERNATIONAL SPOKESPERSON: But we're understanding there's a difficult situation on the ground.

POLGLASE: But a difficult situation is different from famine.

SHOSHANI: We do not think there is famine.

POLGLASE (voice-over): Let's go back to October 7th, 2023. Hamas attacked Israel, killing civilians and taking hostages. Two days later, Israel's then-defense Minister ordered this.

YOAV GALLANT, THEN-ISRAELI DEFENSE MINISTER (translated): We are imposing a complete siege on Gaza City.

There is no electricity, no food, no water, no fuel. Everything is closed. We are fighting human animals and we are acting accordingly.

POLGLASE (voice-over): The same day, Israel cuts off these three water pipelines, supplying Gaza's main cities for weeks, later reopening some but they would be damaged repeatedly. It was one of several attacks on Gaza's water supply.

Israel stopped electricity, feeding wastewater treatment plants like this one, leaving them to dry out over the course of the war. A desalination plant making seawater drinkable before and then bombed to pieces. Soldiers even filmed themselves rigging a water reservoir with explosives and blowing it apart.

The IDF justified attacks like these, saying Hamas embeds in civilian infrastructure.

POLGLASE: There are some in the international community that have accused you of weaponizing water in this war against civilians. What is your response?

SHOSHANI: Millions of liters of water are entering Gaza daily. We're speaking about Israeli water entering Gaza daily.

POLGLASE: When 90 percent of people in Gaza do not have enough water, according to the U.N., this is a situation that is clearly very dire. Are you disputing that situation?

SHOSHANI: I am giving the facts on the ground as they are. Israel is bringing in millions of liters of water to Gaza daily. Israel has made an active decision, one active decision regarding water in Gaza, which is to make sure there's water in Gaza.

And we are investing millions--

POLGLASE: That is not the only decision, sir. That is inaccurate.

SHOSHANI: And power to bring water into Gaza. There is currently, as we are speaking, millions of liters going into Gaza daily.

POLGLASE: Yes, you have made that point.

SHOSHANI: That is an active decision.

POLGLASE: It's also an active decision on October 9th, two days after the start of this war, to shut off water pipelines, three of them, the main water pipelines, into the Strip. Is that also an active decision?

SHOSHANI: I'm speaking about the facts on the ground and what happened.

POLGLASE (voice-over): But the Israeli military campaign didn't just impact water.

In the first weeks of war, as IDF tanks rolled into Gaza from the north, farmland was bulldozed. Again, Israel called it a military necessity.

Since then, the U.N. says 90 percent of all cropland has been damaged. Green and fertile land, shown here pre-war, growing fruit and vegetables, now in 2025, turned to dust. Israel's military campaign also limited the aid, including food,

entering the Strip. Gaza relied heavily on this aid before the war, but now needs it even more. Aid organizations have said at least 500 trucks should enter Gaza daily to stop starvation worsening, Israel has rarely met this number since the war started.

We broke it down using their own data. Between October 21st, 2023, the first aid delivery into Gaza, and February of this year, an average of 183 aid trucks entered Gaza daily. Then Israel imposed a three-month blockade.

March 2025, no trucks; April 2025, the same. From May until August this year, an average of 115 trucks have entered Gaza every day, that's around 20 percent of the level aid agencies say is needed. Always vulnerable, it pushed Gaza towards famine very quickly.

November 2023, one month into war. Experts were already declaring food insecurity for some segments of the population at level 4, emergency, just one step away from level 5, famine. The IDF, however, insists they are, and have always, done enough.

SHOSHANI: Since day one in this war that began as an existential war, Israel said, and has acted in the same way, we put hundreds of people, hundreds of millions of shekels, into making sure that aid is going into Gaza.

I'm not saying there is no problem, I'm just saying the problem is complex. It is not Israel preventing aid going into Gaza. The problem is Hamas looting the aid.

POLGLASE: You mentioned Hamas looting this aid, and I think it's worth me bringing up that there was a U.S. government review into this exact question. They reviewed 156 incidents, and they found no affiliation with Hamas.

SHOSHANI: Well, I think, first of all, the U.N. speaks about almost 90 percent of the aid that they're bringing in being looted.

POLGLASE: They don't say by Hamas, sir?

SHOSHANI: The aid is speaking about almost 90 percent of their aid being looted.

POLGLASE (voice-over): The U.N. review found very little aid is delivered, and said it is due, in part, to peaceful and hungry people intercepting it. When food does make it in, Israel's military campaign, at times, attacked it. From bakeries to warehouses, and even the aid trucks themselves, repeatedly hit by Israeli gunfire.

[03:50:08]

POLGLASE: They had a pre-agreed route, and they were attacked before they could deliver that food to northern Gaza.

SHOSHANI: Well, there's been some tragic incidents throughout two years of war that we have investigated, that people were held accountable, that we communicated with international organizations and learned from them. But I think, all in all, throughout the two years, Israel's done everything we can.

POLGLASE (voice-over): But the attacks prompted outrage from humanitarian leaders who pulled out of many deliveries as a result.

PHILIPPE LAZZARINI, UNRWA COMMISSIONER GENERAL: In 30 years of humanitarian work, I have never encountered such blatant disregard for the protected stature of humanitarian workers, facilities and operations under international law.

POLGLASE (voice-over): Food that was delivered was under Israeli military supervision, and collection could be deadly.

This gunfire is the IDF firing what they claimed were warning shots in the air, while civilians attempted to collect food. More than 100 people would die in this single incident, according to Gaza's health ministry, bodies can be seen strewn amid the crowds. Incidents like these would only grow more frequent, as aid sites became harder and harder to reach.

The U.N. previously operated hundreds of distribution centers with partners across Gaza. The IDF told us these all remain in place. But the U.N. said by May this year, Israel's siege forced all of them to stop operating.

Now, only three U.S.-backed centers are acting as the main distribution sites. While two more are promised, currently there are just two in the south and one in central Gaza.

For someone in the north of Gaza, that's roughly a three-hour walk to the nearest site. These centers are also in the middle of active combat zones, drawing civilians into further danger. This site, just half a mile from this Israeli military base.

The Israeli military claims they only fire warning shots or when people are viewed as a threat. But in the last three months, nearly 2000 people have been killed trying to get food, most near these aid sites, according to the U.N.

Aid agencies and their truck drivers say Israel is now creating delays and restrictions on the aid allowed to enter Gaza. Israel, however, blames the aid agencies for slowing the process.

POLGLASE: Is Israel accepting any responsibility for the deteriorating humanitarian situation in Gaza right now?

SHOSHANI: Israel has been tracking the situation in Gaza and has been doing everything we can to improve it and to bring aid going into Gaza.

POLGLASE (voice-over): And the IDF continues to insist there is enough food in Gaza, even now.

SHOSHANI: I've been there and seen it with my own eyes. People are picking up part of the food and leaving the rest of the food on the floor because they're not interested in it.

POLGLASE (voice-over): But the evidence says otherwise. The international body classifying food insecurity now says famine has set in in much of Gaza.

Katie Polglase, CNN, London.

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CHURCH: In recent weeks, 300 trucks a day have been entering Gaza, but many fear this is too little, too late. Countries have also begun airdropping aid, but Israeli officials say that will stop in Gaza City as the Israeli military tries to force people to evacuate now that a massive assault on the city has begun.

Well loved ones have said their final goodbyes to fashion legend Giorgio Armani. Next, we will take you to Italy as people all over the country are honoring his legacy.

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[03:55:00]

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CHURCH: Giorgio Armani was laid to rest Monday in a private funeral. Family, close friends and long-time colleagues gathered at a small church near his home village in northern Italy. Armani's loss has been felt nationwide, with Milan declaring a day of mourning for the designer whose 50-year career defined Italian style.

CNN's Barbie Latza Nadeau has more now from Rome.

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BARBIE LATZA NADEAU, CNN REPORTER: All across Italy, Armani stores like this one in central Rome closed Monday afternoon out of respect for their founder, Giorgio Armani, who died on September 4. In the northern Italian town of Rivalta, a private funeral with around 20 people was held. His final resting place will be the family tomb alongside his parents and a brother.

Over the weekend, around 16,000 people paid their final respects in Milan at the Armani Theater, where his coffin was covered with white flowers and surrounded by illuminated lanterns. All eyes now going forward on what is next for the storied brand without their beloved leader.

Barbie Latza Nadeau, CNN, Rome.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CHURCH: British artist Banksy has struck again, this time with a new mural outside of London's High Court. The painting shows a judge holding his gavel over a protester. Banksy has not commented on its meaning, but the work appeared following the arrest of nearly 900 demonstrators supporting the group Palestine Action on Saturday.

This July, the U.K. declared Palestine Action a terror group after members broke into a Royal Air Force base and damaged planes. The mural was later seen covered and protected by guards, the court says the artwork will be removed.

I want to thank you so much for your company, I'm Rosemary Church. Enjoy the rest of your day. "Amanpour" is next, then stay tuned for "Early Start" with Brian Abel coming up at 5 a.m. in New York, 10 a.m. in London.

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