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Gaza Hostages Could Be Released Overnight Sunday Into Monday; Natl. Guard Seen Patrolling In Memphis Alongside Police; Ukraine Reels From Massive Attack On Its Energy System. Hostage Families Gather As They Wait For The Return Of Their Loved Ones; At Least 18 People Are Missing, Feared Dead After TN Plant Blast; Catching Up With 2015 CNN Hero Maggie Doyne. Aired 12-1p ET

Aired October 11, 2025 - 12:00   ET

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

CHRISTIANE AMANPOUR, CNN HOST: -- will be remembered by all of us. As for Sharome, she tells us that she will never stop choosing peace.

[12:00:06]

That's all we have time for. Don't forget, you can find all of our shows online as podcasts at cnn.com slash audio and on all other major platforms. I'm Christiane Amanpour in London. Thank you for watching, and I'll see you again next week.

WOLF BLITZER, CNN HOST: Hello, thanks very much for joining me. I'm Wolf Blitzer in Tel Aviv, along with my colleague Brian Abel in Atlanta. Fredricka Whitfield is off.

We want to welcome our viewers in the United States and around the world. You're in the CNN Newsroom.

And we begin here in Tel Aviv right now, where families have gathered in Hostage Square as they wait for the release of their loved ones.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

HAGAL ANGREST, FATHER OF ISRAELI HOSTAGE: Arrived today, Hostage Square. We are very excited, waiting for our son and for all the 48 hostages.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLITZER: CNN has learned the hostages could start returning as soon as Sunday overnight into Monday, and it is likely to happen from very different locations.

In Gaza, the ceasefire, at least right now, is holding. Security forces affiliated with Hamas have been seen back on the streets as Israeli troops continue to withdraw. The special U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff and the head of the U.S. military central command, Admiral Brad Cooper, visited Gaza earlier today before heading back to Israel.

We're told half-a-million displaced Gazans have returned to their homes since the ceasefire began. Many of them are facing scenes of utter devastation. Here's how one resident described it.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SHADHA AL-NAJJA, RETURNED TO HOME IN GAZA (through translator): The scale of destruction is indescribable. Nothing remains in its place. All our bedrooms are destroyed. Only the roof remains intact. It hasn't collapsed, so that will shelter us in winter, but it may take 50 years to restore it to what it was.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLITZER: With me here in Tel Aviv is CNN chief international correspondent Clarissa Ward. Clarissa, you've been checking what's going on, watching all of this unfold. What's the latest you're hearing?

CLARISSA WARD, CNN CHIEF INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, the latest we're hearing is this timeline for the potential release of these hostages. We've been speaking to several sources, and it now appears that we could start to see them coming out Sunday night into Monday morning. That would make sense. Of course, President Donald Trump is expected to arrive here Monday morning. The idea might be to have the hostages already out before that happens.

And initially, we had been told, according to at least the deal, that they were supposed to be released in one batch. Now it appears that there might be multiple releases, smaller batches. That, of course, would be much easier in terms of Israeli resources on this side of the border to welcome them back, to get them to the various hospitals and process them back into the country, as it were.

We also saw this pretty unusual scene today. Trump's envoy, Steve Witkoff, along with CENTCOM chief inside Gaza, basically talking about setting up this, what they're calling CMCC, Civilian Military Coordination Centers. These were supposed to be like a crucial part of underpinning this ceasefire agreement, ensuring that it goes -- and that -- that stays in place and, crucially, facilitating the distribution of aid.

We are waiting, and people in Gaza, boy, are they waiting, Wolf, for that surge in aid. Israel has said that it will allow 600 trucks a day. UNICEF said they have 1,300 trucks ready to go. This is a historic humanitarian crisis. And so the focus now for people in Gaza and those who are trying to help with various aid organizations is to really make sure that that aid gets in there and it gets in quickly, Wolf.

BLITZER: Those trucks have food, have medicine, medical supplies, a lot of important stuff.

WARD: Food medicine, tents. I mean we forget more than a million people living in tents, Wolf. All of these people returning to their homes. Many of those homes don't even exist anymore. Dire problems with sanitation. You have a historic malnutrition problem. IPC declaring famine in parts of northern Gaza. In northern Gaza will really be the epicenter now for where those aid organizations want to focus and intensify their aid efforts because they have been really very limited in access to it for the last couple of years now, Wolf.

BLITZER: And I just want to be precise. When you note correctly that the U.S. military central command says U.S. troops will be involved in dealing with this right now, they're not going to Gaza necessarily. They're coming here to Israel, about 200, right?

WARD: Exactly. And in fact, the U.S. CENTCOM chief made a point in his statement that he put out on X. He said U.S. boots will not be on the ground in Gaza. That will likely fall to this regional multinational force, which will be made up of soldiers from Egypt, from the UAE, Qatar and Turkey, Wolf.

[12:05:12]

BLITZER: Clarissa, you're going to be busy over these next few days. All of us will be busy. But thanks very much for that update. Clarissa Ward reporting for us.

I want to get some more on today's developments. So joining us now is the former Democratic Congressman Ted Deutch of Florida. He was a senior member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee. He's now the CEO of the American Jewish Committee. Thanks so much for joining us. What will it mean, Congressman, to finally have these Israeli hostages home after more than two years in captivity?

TED DEUTCH, CEO, AMERICAN JEWISH COMMITTEE: Well, Wolf, for more than two years now, all we can do is think about the hostages, what they've been enduring, the challenges, the torture that they have faced. We've prayed for their return. We've worked for their return. We've demanded their return. And everywhere in the world, there will be rejoicing that the hostages will be returned to their families at long last.

It means the opportunity to turn the page. It means that there is finally a chance to breathe again for these families and for all of the rest of us to celebrate, really, the defeat of terror and the return of these -- these civilians back where they belong, to their families.

BLITZER: Do you believe, Congressman, there is enough momentum on both sides right now that this ceasefire will hold and this deal will remain in place?

DEUTCH: Well, it's not easy, Wolf. It's not going to survive. It's not going to move forward on momentum alone. It's going to require hard work. It's the importance of having the President first come to Israel to speak at the Knesset and then go to Egypt and -- and bring together, as he has in putting this deal together, in bringing together both the countries who have signed on and who understand the importance of moving forward to have Egypt and Jordan with the UAE and Saudi Arabia and Turkey and Qatar and Indonesia, Pakistan, all working together to keep the pressure on Hamas in order to ensure that every one of these points in the 20-point plan can move forward. It's going to take hard work, but everyone has to be committed to it for the good of the region, for peace in the region, and ultimately, it benefits everyone in the world.

BLITZER: There are still many details of this deal, Congressman, that have to be hammered out. Are you at all concerned at all about potential roadblocks ahead?

DEUTCH: Well, sure, starting with the -- the fact that dealing with a terror group. Wolf, it's a good opportunity to -- to, as we start this next phase of negotiations, to reset what happened, the -- the mass terror attack that Hamas launched, wanting to start a war to destroy Israel and massacring Jews being their sole focus.

And now, at a time when they knew the region was changing, they knew the Abraham Accords was working, they knew that there was an opportunity for Israel to normalize relations with Saudi Arabia, they got their war. The terrorists were defeated in Gaza, Hezbollah terrorists defeated in Lebanon, the butcher Assad, who slaughtered 600,000 of his own citizens, has gone from Syria. The U.S. and Israel massively set back Iran's nuclear capacity.

This is a moment when we can finally realize that it means standing with democracy, standing with our allies against terror. That's how the Middle East can move forward, by rejecting terrorism. There are roadblocks, Hamas being the primary roadblock. Hamas started this war. Now it is up to the entire world to ensure that they abide by the terms of this deal so that this can go forward and so that this peace plan can take hold.

BLITZER: Big picture, Congressman, is the establishment of a new Palestinian state a necessary component to long term peace in the region between Israel and the various Arab and Muslim countries, is that a long term commitment, a component that has to be achieved?

DEUTCH: Now, long term, it is clear that there has to be a pathway forward, a political horizon. That's what the 20-point plan talks about. Ultimately, this is the moment when we can really start to see if there is a commitment to achieving that outcome. We can see if there -- the de-radicalization that's necessary among the Palestinians is ready to take hold.

We can see if the reforms that the P.A. has to make are serious, if they stop paying terrorists who slaughter civilians in Israel. We can see if the curriculum changes so that there is a recognition that both Israel and the Palestinians are not going anywhere. The state of Israel, the modern state of Israel, is not going anywhere.

[12:10:06]

And when that realization now takes root and the rejection of terrorism is complete, then we can begin this process of moving down the road. The political horizon is important. The Palestinians need to be able to -- to think about living in peace and they need to be able to think about separation from Israel. It's an important moment, but there's an awful lot that has to happen in order for a conversation to really progress.

Now is the time to have those conversations begin so that we can all move forward to envision a Middle East, Israel and the Palestinians, the broader Arab world and ultimately a fully integrated Middle East, one that will benefit everyone in the region and across the world.

BLITZER: And finally, very quickly, Congressman, before I let you go, do you -- how much credit do you give President Trump for this achievement?

DEUTCH: I give the President enormous credit, I think, and we all have to give the president enormous credit. This is a war that's been going on for two years. The -- this peace plan is the plan that the President laid out, his direct involvement, particularly, Wolf, with countries that have not been friends of Israel, to put it mildly, right?

His -- his decision to get involved and personally lobby in order to move this process forward, to increase the pressure that Turkey and Qatar can bring on Hamas to get to this moment. That is why we're at this point. And I think -- I think everyone, regardless of what their politics -- whatever their politics may be, certainly ought to be able to stand up and -- and acknowledge that President Trump, if this -- has accomplished a great deal to get to this point and has set the stage for incredible change across the Middle East, I think everybody should be grateful for that.

BLITZER: And as I've been here, I got to tell you that so many Israelis are grateful, so grateful to President Trump for putting this 20-point peace plan together to work it out. And we'll see what happens. Let's hope it works out. Former Congressman Ted Deutch, a Democrat of Florida. Thank you so much for joining us. He's now the CEO of the American Jewish Committee. We appreciate it very much.

DEUTCH: Thanks Wolf.

BLITZER: And we'll have a lot more coming up. I'm here in Tel Aviv right now. Later, I'll be joined by CNN Jerusalem correspondent Jamie -- Jeremy Diamond, who's in Hostage Square right now as we're -- that's where families are gathering and waiting for their loved ones to return. In the meantime, I want to go back to Brian Abel, who's joining us from Atlanta. Brian?

BRIAN ABEL, CNN HOST: Thank you, Wolf. And we will be back with you again there in Israel shortly. We do have some breaking news now out of Tennessee, a source telling CNN investigators are now looking into the cause of yesterday's massive blast at a munitions plant, and they're focusing on cell phone data to determine who was inside the facility at the time of the explosion.

There is a press conference underway right now. And let's listen into it for just a moment.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Here again, we want to make sure that we're taking the time to confirm. Any time we do anything like that, we always want to make the confirm -- confirmation for our families, for -- and for everybody that's involved in this concern.

Patience, we're asking for patience. The community's outpour of support. Unimaginable. We have people, Sheriff and I've had people and other sheriffs from across the state.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ABEL: And CNN's Isabel Rosales is there and will bring us the latest details soon.

Just in, former President Joe Biden has started radiation therapy as part of his prostate cancer treatment. Now, back in May, you may remember Biden had been diagnosed with an aggressive form of prostate cancer that had spread to his bones. At that time, he told CNN, quote, the expectation is we are going to be able to beat this. A spokesperson for the former president, who turns 83 next month, did not give a timeline for the treatment.

Coming up.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What's your name? What's your name?

DEBBIE BROCKMAN, WGN EMPLOYEE: Debbie Brockman, I work for WGN. Please, let them know.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I got you.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ABEL: An employee for a local T.V. station in Chicago, taken down by federal law enforcement at a busy intersection during rush hour, and it's caught on camera. She is a U.S. citizen. So what caused the incident?

And the latest on President Trump's efforts to deploy the National Guard in several cities, including patrols in Memphis. We will have a live report.

[12:14:49]

Plus, more details on the Gaza ceasefire deal. President Trump scheduled to travel to the Middle East next week as Israel and to trade Israeli hostages for Palestinian prisoners. A live report from the White House is ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ABEL: Chicago T.V. station, WGN, says one of their employees has been released without charges after ICE detained her Friday. Take a look.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What's your name? What's your name?

BROCKMAN: Debbie Brockman, I work for WGN. Please, let them know.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I got you.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

[12:19:58]

ABEL: This bystander video here shows Border Patrol agents arresting Debbie Brockman after they claim she threw objects at a car. DHS says they were conducting immigration enforcement at the time of the incident. Brockman is part of the station's promotions department, which is separate from their news group. It's unclear if she was working at the time of her arrest.

In a Tennessee National Guard troops were seen starting patrols with Memphis Police on Friday as part of the Trump administration's federal task force. Their deployment comes with the support of the state's governor, but not the city's mayor. The Trump administration says their objective is focused on ending violent street crime.

CNN correspondent Julia Vargas Jones is following all of these developments for us. And Julia, what more are you learning?

JULIA VARGAS JONES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, the National Guard troops are just trickling in to Memphis, Brian. Just nine of them were seen on Friday patrolling the streets of Memphis near the iconic pyramid. But Memphis is having a very different approach to this presence as other Democratic cities have had in the past few months.

The mayor of Memphis, Paul Young, said that while he did not request this deployment, he's trying to make the best of it, saying that he wants this task force to just focus on combating violent crime in his city. He said that they want to do things like help direct traffic, as well as the police chief who said that she wants to avoid a sense of over militarization of her city and also that those local police agencies are working with state and federal troops to make this a different deployment than what we've seen here in Los Angeles or in Chicago or in Portland or Washington, D.C.

So that or closer perhaps to what we've seen in Washington, D.C. But it is still unclear, Brian, how many more National Guardsmen from the Tennessee National Guard are expected to arrive and when. So far, we've seen a very small number coming in.

ABEL: OK, so, Julia, that's Memphis, but troops are not only there. What can you tell us about the other cities that are in focus right now?

JONES: Well, those are just mired in legal battles, both in Chicago and Portland. We saw big hearings happening this week. In Chicago, the judge there, April Perry, issued a scathing directive, a ruling that basically stops those national troops from being deployed in Chicago. She said there was no credible evidence that there was any rebellion, which is the criteria that has to be fulfilled by the federal government in order to federalize those national troops, National Guards.

She said that the Department of Homeland Security's assessment of the situation on the ground was unreliable, Brian. And she said that sending those troops would only add fuel to the fire. And then on Portland, we saw a hearing on Thursday. We're still waiting for a decision from that judge on whether or not to keep basically a or reverse a temporary restraining order that is keeping right now those National Guard troops from being the point on the ground in Portland.

ABEL: All right. Julia Vargas Jones live for us in Los Angeles. Julia, thank you.

[12:23:00]

Coming up, Russia attacks Ukraine's energy system and anything else that provides heat ahead of the harsh winter there. Something we are used to seeing this time of year from the Russians, but this time they've gone a step further.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ABEL: Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth just announced that the U.S. has reached a deal with Qatar to build an Air Force facility at Mountain Home Air Force Base in Idaho. The Qatari's plan is to house F-15 fighter jets and then train their pilots alongside American troops.

This deal comes on the heels of President Trump's executive order guaranteeing the security of Qatar. But close Trump ally, Laura Loomer, is calling the deal, quote, outrageous. And sources tell CNN the Qatari facility has been in the works for several years, dating back to the Biden administration.

Meanwhile, it is a cruel twist that Ukraine is now used to seeing at this time of year. Russia targeting Ukraine's energy system and basically anything else that can provide heat ahead of the harsh winter. The latest attacks came Thursday night and Friday morning, wreaking havoc on Ukraine's electricity grid.

But this time Russia went further than it usually does. Fred Pleitgen explains.

FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Ukraine says that Russia launched what they call a massive attack on Ukraine's energy infrastructure in the night from Thursday into Friday. And the Ukrainians are saying that that attack was not only gigantic in scale with some 450 drones being used and 30 missiles being fired at Ukrainian territory, but also as far as the length of that attack is concerned as well.

Folks on the ground in Kyiv telling CNN that air raid alerts were on for about seven to eight hours as that attack dragged on. The Ukrainians are saying that even in the early morning hours during times that are normally there for commuter traffic, that the air attacks were still going on.

Now, all of this, of course, had major consequences for Ukraine. There were big power failures in the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv. Again, folks on the ground telling CNN that large parts of the inner city of Kyiv were without power for several hours, but also the left bank of the Dnipro River, of course, that's the massive river that runs through the Ukrainian capital, also without power for an extended period of time.

The Ukrainians are also saying that one boy was killed in the southern city of Zaporizhzhia and several people were wounded in the area of Kyiv and the surrounding areas as well. The Ukrainians claim that what the Russians are trying to do is literally to freeze the Ukrainian population into submission, especially now with those power failures and also in some cases failures of heating having a devastating effect as the weather in Ukraine grows colder.

[12:30:08]

The Russian have a very different take on things. They also commented on the situation, the Russian Defense ministry confirming that they were behind these strikes. They call them high precision strikes using drones and ballistic missiles, including hypersonic ballistic missiles. And the Russians are saying that all this was for was retaliation for Ukrainian attacks on Russian civilian infrastructure.

Fred Pleitgen, CNN, Berlin.

BRIAN ABEL, CNN HOST: Still ahead, tens of thousands of Palestinians are returning home in Gaza as a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas enters its second day. Wolf Blitzer joins us from Tel Aviv, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[12:35:26]

WOLF BLITZER, CNN HOST: Welcome back to CNN Newsroom. I'm Wolf Blitzer here in Tel Aviv. Families are gathering in Hostage Square in Tel Aviv as they wait for the release of their loved ones. CNN has learned the hostage return could happen as soon as Sunday overnight into Monday.

In Gaza, the ceasefire, at least right now, is clearly holding. At least half a million displaced Palestinians have returned home as the ceasefire takes hold and Israeli forces continue to withdraw. That is ongoing right now. CNN's Jeremy Diamond is also in Tel Aviv. He's joining us right now from Hostage Square. Set the scene for us over there, Jeremy, I was there earlier today. What's the latest?

JEREMY DIAMOND, CNN JERUSALEM CORRESPONDENT: Well, Wolf, thousands of Israelis are beginning to show up here for another Saturday night in Tel Aviv at Hostage Square. But this time, obviously, the circumstances are very different. Of course, the Hostage Families Forum have said that they will continue to rally, continue to fight for the hostages until every single one of them is brought home.

But tonight they are gathering as they await the actual release of all of the hostages. You can see behind me people who have begun to stream in here, Wolf, and they expect to hear actually from a couple of special guests, not only former hostages and family members of the hostages who will be coming out, but also President Trump's son-in- law, Jared Kushner, as well as his special envoy, Steve Witkoff, expected to address the crowd here at Hostage Square.

In fact, right now we're told that they are actually inside one of these buildings next to Hostage Square speaking with some of the relatives of those hostages who are expected to be released by Hamas within the next 48 hours. Again, we don't know the exact timing yet of when those hostages will be released, but we have been told by a source familiar with the planning that it could be as early as tomorrow evening. We know that the drop deadline, of course, is Monday at noon local time.

All of that set to coincide, it would seem, with President Trump's visit to Israel as well as to Egypt, with the President expected to be here on Monday. If that comes right after those hostages are released, we may very well even perhaps see the President be able to meet some of them. Wolf?

BLITZER: All right, Jeremy Diamond in Hostage Square. And we'll of course have special live coverage over these next few days as this historic moment unfolds. At the same time, as Jeremy just said, President Trump is expected to travel here to the region on Monday. He'll address the Israeli Parliament, the Knesset and visit Egypt to mark the agreement and hold a summit with various international leaders at the same time. CNN's senior White House reporter Kevin Liptak is joining us right now. Kevin, what more do we expect out of this trip by the President?

KEVIN LIPTAK, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE REPORTER: Well, it will be a very quick trip for President Trump, a very significant one, as he presides over this ceasefire and welcomes home these hostages who have spent the last two years in captivity. We do expect that the President will speak to the Knesset in Jerusalem. We also expect that he would have the chance to meet some of the hostages if they have been released by then, which of course, we do.

He's also expected to travel to Egypt. He'll be in Sharm El-Sheikh, the Red Sea resort where this deal was finalized last week. He has said that he expects to preside over a signing ceremony, and sources have told us there is to be a summit of other world leaders. And we heard just within the last hour from the Elysee palace in Paris that the French President Emmanuel Macron, will be in Sharm El-Sheikh on Monday to attend.

So certainly a celebratory moment for the President. This has been quite a long path for him, a tortured one in a lot of ways, both for the former President Joe Biden and now for President Trump. But, you know, officials here are still very quick to acknowledge that this is still a very fragile moment. It's a delicate time. As one official said last week, there's still just a lot of ways that this could go wrong.

That's part of the reason why you see Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner remaining in the region, essentially, to stay on top of all the details here and to ensure that any misunderstandings are sort of sorted out before things fall apart. And, of course, eventually this will have to move to the next phase of these talks that will have to confront some of the thorny issues that still remain here. For example, whether Hamas disarms, what the future of governance looks like in Gaza and, of course, the eventuality of a Palestinian state.

All of those details remain to be stored -- sorted. But at least for now, clearly President Trump very eager to mark this moment. As he said yesterday, Wolf, quote, they're all tired of the fighting.

[12:40:10]

BLITZER: Kevin Liptak over the north lawn of the White House for us. Kevin, we'll stay in very close touch with you. Thank you very much. Kevin, appreciate it very, very much.

I want to go back to Brian Abel in Atlanta right now. He's got some other news. Brian?

ABEL: All right. Wolf, thank you. Coming up, as the government shutdown drags on, the White House says federal firings have begun. Where the effects are being felt and what it means for you, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[12:45:14]

ABEL: We have some breaking news out of Tennessee. Officials say no survivors have been found at the munition plant west of Nashville following yesterday's massive blast. A news conference just wrapped up with new details, and CNN's Isabel Rosales is in Hickman County, Tennessee. And that tragic update, Isabel, coming as investigators are looking for a cause.

ISABEL ROSALES, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Correct, Brian? It was a sobering, emotional press conference. They've all been serious, with plenty of respect for what has happened to this very tight knit, small community. But I could tell immediately that some sort of news that the sheriff did not want to share was about to happen. His hands were shaking, his voice was cracking. He was near tears as Humphreys County Sheriff Chris Davis shared the fact that they had recovered no survivors.

He said, this is more devastating than what we thought originally calling it a tremendous loss. And then after several questions from journalists here, he said, listen, I just -- I need to rip off the band aid because I can't let people have false hope. And that is when he revealed that anyone inside the building, we can assume that they are deceased.

Right now, the Tennessee Bureau of Investigations is working to identify the remains at this explosives facility via DNA. And my colleague Josh Campbell spoke with a source who told him that there are law enforcement victim specialists working with the families of these workers, getting DNA from them, and then they'll try to confirm and compare to the DNA that they're finding here.

The sheriff also said that the families of these workers understandably are extremely upset, and so too was Sheriff Davis and also the sheriff of Hickman County, Jason Craft. As I spoke to them after the press conference, they revealed to me that they both know intimately people that were in the building at the time of this explosion. I want you to listen now to Sheriff Davis.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SHERIFF CHRIS DAVIS, HUMPHREYS COUNTY, TENNESSEE: At this time again, and I want to reiterate the comment that I made. I can tell you that more than 300 people have been through almost every square inch of this facility. And at this time, we've recovered no survivors.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROSALES: And now, the sheriff also says that there's been changes to the site. Yesterday he said the site was secure. Well, today that doesn't seem to be the case. They -- they say that they've discovered ordnance and they have ATF bomb specialists on site and they may have to blow up some of those explosives to make sure that the scene is secure. But all of this, the big question that you mentioned there, Brian, what happened to these workers? How in the world could this have happened? That is a serious question that at some point needs to be answered.

The sheriff and ATF warning that's not going to be an easy answer and it's not going to come anytime soon. It could take days or weeks to have that information. And they're urging the public to be patient as they work, especially now as they're slowed down based on the very real situation happening here with a volatile environment on site. Brian?

ABEL: Yes, a heartbreaking assessment of that site happening now with these families at the same time grieving, coping now that hope is extinguished for their family members. Isabel, there was another incident at that same property, I'm understanding, years ago. What can you tell us about that?

ROSALES: Right. So this was back in 2014, another explosion right here at the property where one worker was killed, four others were injured. That's according to CNN affiliate WSMV. It's important to note, though, that at the time, the building where that happened was owned by a different company. CNN has also been poring through all of this federal data and we have found that accurate energetic systems. So the explosives facility here has faced fines before in the past related to work safety practices. We're digging more into that.

But we also know that the company has contested those charges before and eventually this all ended in a settlement. We're working to get more details on that, Brian.

ABEL: And I know you'll stay on top of it. Isabel Rosales for us in Tennessee. Isabel, thank you.

We are now 11 days into the government shutdown and the effects are starting to be felt across the country. This weekend, air travelers are being warned they could see flight delays, even cancellations. The FAA says 12 air traffic control towers were short staffed on Friday, causing delays for thousands of travelers.

And access to national parks while they have yet to be affected, that could be changing soon. The National Parks Conservation Association says the Interior Department is preparing layoffs that would impact parks from being open, warning a mass termination of park staff could be imminent. An Interior spokesperson says national parks will continue to be, quote, as accessible as possible.

[12:50:08]

And more iconic landmarks in the nation's capital are set to temporarily shut down. Tomorrow, Smithsonian Museums and the National Zoo will be closed after using unused funds from last year to remain open to this point. The zoo says that while exhibits will be closed to visitors, animal care will continue home.

-- within days. CNN's Wolf Blitzer was just in Hostages Square and spoke with family members ahead of their expected release.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER: All right, I'm here in Hostage Square and you can see folks have gathered, crowds are gathering every day. They gather especially on this day as they anticipate the return of Israeli hostages and the bodies of those who have been killed. So family members, friends are here right now.

And clearly you see pictures of all the hostages up on the walls. They're hanging here. And this has been going on now for what, two years. So it's not just a daily event, but the mood has definitely become a little bit more upbeat as they brace and they get ready and they hope that the remaining Israeli hostages will be coming home in the next few days. So we'll see what happens. We'll watch it closely.

I'm going to go into this area over here where a lot of the family members are and speak to some of them and get a real sense of how they're feeling, what they anticipate. Everyone here, they're very excited, but they're also very nervous that God forbid something could go wrong and this whole deal could collapse. So they're watching it very closely. They're excited but nervous.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[12:56:22]

ABEL: And now to the extraordinary work of one woman whose mission to not only improve the lives of children in Nepal but save them from terrible fates is paying off. In the decade since being named the 2015 CNN Hero of the Year, Maggie Doyne and her nonprofit turned a once empty plot of land she purchased as a teen on a gap year into a state of the art children's village and an award winning school. Her work is lifting the most impoverished children out of a life of desperation and turmoil.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ANDERSON COOPER, CNN ANCHOR: CNN Hero of the Year is Maggie Doyne.

MAGGIE DOYNE, AMERICAN HUMANITARIAN: Ten years ago CNN Heroes happened and it completely changed my life and the lives of our organization. The school has now served nearly a thousand children. Back in the day it was this little bamboo shack. Now we host summits where other community organizations can come and learn and collaborate.

There's a big sisters home for at risk girls who have been victims of trauma, human trafficking, violence. We have a food and farming program, full service and open medical clinic. It's really a community vision for care and what children need to thrive.

His name's Ravi.

Right after CNN Heroes we had the tragic loss of my son, Ravi. That was a very dark period of grief and pain and loss. The years following were about putting the pieces back together and really healing as a family.

I was speaking at an event and got introduced to a guy. He's a filmmaker. Long story short, we ended up connecting. Finding love taught me so much. We've been on this journey together and it's been a chapter of partnership and building this beautiful family.

We created this as a call to action.

Our film "Between the Mountain and the Sky" covers 20 years of life, the ups, the downs, the everything in between. It definitely lifts the veil of heroism. We raise our children in Nepal amongst their other siblings. There's two generations. Our oldest are like 26, 27. I think in this time of uncertainty and violence and injustice, it's really important to stay focused on what we can do.

So my message continues after 20 years as a mom to now so many children. Keep doing what you can where you are, keep showing up, keep loving, keep going with your acts of kindness. It all matters.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ABEL: Such an inspiring story. To find out more about Maggie's journey, go to CNN.com/heroes.

Tonight, journalist Kara Swisher and comedian, Zainab Johnson is joining in on the fun this week on Have I Got News for You. Make sure to tune in 9:00 p.m. Eastern right here on CNN.

BLITZER: Hello and thanks very much for joining me. I'm Wolf Blitzer in Tel Aviv along with my colleague, Brian Abel, who's in Atlanta. Fredricka Whitfield is off. Stay with us. You're in the CNN Newsroom.

And we begin this hour right here in Tel Aviv where families gathering in Hostage Square in Tel Aviv as they wait for the release of their loved ones.

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[12:59:57]

HAGAL ANGREST, FATHER OF ISRAELI HOSTAGE: Arrived to the Hostages Square. We are very excited, waiting for our son and for all the 48 hostages.

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BLITZER: CNN --