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CNN This Morning

Avril Benoit is Interviewed about the Hospital Situation in Gaza; Eli Beer is Interviewed about Hostages in Gaza; Jordan Holds News Conference; Investigation into Judge's Murder. Aired 6:30-7a ET

Aired October 20, 2023 - 06:30   ET

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

[06:30:00]

ERIN BURNETT, CNN ANCHOR: Rafah crossing will not open today as had been anticipated. But that sense of on the ground and that - that terrain, that desert, gives you some perspective on where we stand right now.

Just moments ago we did hear from the U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, who is at the Rafah border crossing on the Egyptian side. So, he is there. You've got a U.N. compound on the other side where we know people are better supplied than most places, but still with dwindling, dwindling supplies. And, of course, he's standing where all those trucks loaded with aid are waiting to enter.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ANTONIO GUTERRES, U.N. SECRETARY GENERAL: Behind these walls we have 2 million people that is suffering enormously. So, these trucks are not just trucks. They are a lifeline. They are the difference between life and death for so many people in Gaza. What we need is to make them move, to make them move to the other side of this wall, to make them move as quickly as possible.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BURNETT: So, those cement blocks that I referenced, we actually have video of that. CNN has obtained that from some of these truck drivers who are sitting there night upon night and waiting, moving those blocks at the entrance of the crossing.

There are those 20 trucks. They are expected to enter once the crossing opens. The United Nations is saying that it needs, though, 100 trucks a day to provide adequate aid to the people inside Gaza. Twenty trucks right now and they need 100 a day.

This comes as Gaza's main medical facility is in danger of running out of fuel within hours. No fuel has been coming into Gaza now for days. And, of course, to run a generator, you need fuel. All of that is now running out.

Doctors Without Borders said yesterday that the Al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza City only had enough fuel to run its generators for 24 more hours. That hospital is one of the few places in Gaza that actually even has electricity, for now. And on that front, you know, we have been getting dispatches from

people inside Gaza, daily, and, you know, they -- we get these small clips and they cut out because of the phone connections because they don't have the power.

Our journalist Ibrahim Dahman escaped northern Gaza in the south with his wife and two sons. He's been filing these dispatches for "OUT FRONT" every night.

And here's his latest report on the situation in Khan Younis.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

IBRAHIM DAHMAN, JOURNALIST: The situation in Khan Younis is still the same, since we left the hotel. We are still in the same house. At first the house was safe, but since yesterday and the day before, airstrikes and artillery have increased. Life here is difficult. Water is difficult to get. And when we do git it, it's very hard. There is no drinking water. There are very strong airstrikes and the world is turning into a white cloud.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BURNETT: The world is turning into a white cloud. Something poetic and then profound about that, that horrible image.

Joining us now is Avril Benoit, the U.S. executive director for Doctors Without Borders.

And, Avril, I appreciate speaking with you again.

I know that you have a team in this main hospital in Gaza, the Al- Shifa Hospital. Can you give us any update on their situation?

AVRIL BENOIT, U.S. EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, DOCTORS WITHOUT BORDERS: Yes. Erin, we are really beside ourselves because we often lose contact with them, as you mentioned, with the lack of electricity, the inability to charge phones, cell signals often being cut out. Very difficult to get real time information from the team. And what we do know is that our medical coordinator was warning that the fuel was reaching catastrophic lows.

And, of course, they will ration. They will try to stretch it out as much as possible because you need that fuel to run generators for the life-saving medical equipment, including incubators for neonates, dialysis machines and just - just general functioning for all the trauma surgeries that they're trying to do.

BURNETT: You know, the dispatches that we've gotten from doctors at hospitals in Gaza, just the exhaustion in their voice, it is just hard to hear.

I know that the Al-Shifa Hospital that you're talking about, Avril, is currently treating victims from that hospital blast on Tuesday. Is there anything you're able to tell us about those victims, about the conditions, anything that you understand from your contacts with doctors there?

BENOIT: One of the most devastating things that we've heard in many days, this has been going on for quite a time, is that there's a lack of painkillers. There's a real shortage of anesthesia. And, again, those surgical teams are going to have to ration, they're going to have to choose who gets it, who doesn't, who gets the life-saving surgery, who doesn't.

[06:35:00]

Triage, of course, is a really difficult, moral, ethical choice based on medical criteria, but it's never easy. So, we know that since the beginning of the siege, the hospitals have been overwhelmed. People are also exhausted, including the medical teams that have been working around the clock. Everyone is dehydrated, malnourished, hungry. It - it's really a difficult circumstance in which to be able to even focus on a mass casualty response that's needed.

BURNETT: And let me ask you about one more thing because you heard Ibrahim Dahman, that's our producer, he's there with his children. You know, they've been sleeping on the floor and he talks about water and that there's just enough water -- not enough water and they've had to boil toilet water. I've heard that from a pediatrician, an American pediatrician, again, the toilet water situation. The teacher from Florida who's there saying the issue is -- water is the issue right now more than anything.

How dire is the water situation, Avril?

BENOIT: Doctors Without Borders, amid (INAUDIBLE), we very much agree with that. It is a priority. In order to bring in the fuel necessary to restart those desalination and the chlorination and all the things that would allow filtration of the water that's available, often very salty and brackish water, it's vital. It's essential for life.

We also need, of course, medicines, because the hospitals have empty shelves at this point. They have consumed what was available and other places where you might have some stocks they're too dangerous to be able to - to go between and bring the supplies in. And this is one of the most critical issues.

So, those trucks that are waiting to be able to bring in the life- saving supplies, we really implore that - that the shortages are going to kill many, many people. It's absolutely life or death at this point. Hour by hour it's - it's essential for that - for that humanitarian assistance to be able to be brought in. And, of course, we're deeply concerned with everyone for - for the fate of everyone who happens to be in Gaza right now where nowhere is safe, there's constant bombardment, even in the areas that are purported to be safe, and you have a lot of people with international passports that are as desperate as others to find some safety and hopefully be able to leave securely.

BURNETT: Yes.

BENOIT: And -- and, you know, without all the constant bombardments. An end to the bloodshed.

BURNETT: Avril Benoit, thank you very much. I appreciate your time.

And we do just have some news into CNN. Hugely significant news. Hugely significant for so many here in Israel. The IDF is saying that the majority of hostages held in Gaza by Hamas are alive. The majority. Now, they say that the number of these missing - of those missing is 100 to 200, with over 20 under the age of 18 and between 10 and 20 of them over the age of 60.

Phil and Poppy, obviously they've said that there are 203 hostages. The majority could be 51 percent of that. We don't know. It could be the - it could be the vast majority, right? It could be almost all. We don't know. But I can tell you that even hearing those words, for the people we've been speaking to, my God, the hope that they will be given this morning.

POPPY HARLOW, CNN ANCHOR: Also, Erin, hearing the ages. You have 20, according to the IDF, under 18 years old. Children.

BURNETT: Yes, 20. We've been speaking to some of them. Yes, we know a couple that are ages two and four. And that is going to give such hope to their father.

HARLOW: Absolutely.

Erin, we'll get back to you very soon. Thank you very much.

And we're following these developments, we continue to, out of the Middle East.

Meantime, here in the United States, a circuit court judge was shot and killed in Maryland. What we know about that investigation.

PHIL MATTINGLY, CNN ANCHOR: And Travis King, the U.S. Army private who fled to North Korea in July, has been charged with desertion, among several other offenses. The new details ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[06:42:56]

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOE BIDEN, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: The terrorist group Hamas unleashed pure unadulterated evil on the world, but sadly the Jewish people know perhaps better than anyone that there is no limit to the depravity of people when they want to inflict pain on others. In Israel I saw a people who are strong, determined, resilient and also angry, in shock and in deep, deep pain.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MATTINGLY: President Biden urging all Americans to get behind support for Israel following his high stakes trip there earlier this week. Joining us now is Eli Beer, the president and founder of United Hatzalah, a volunteer emergency medical service organization in Israel that was among the first responders to October 7th's Hamas attacks. He's an Israeli American who met with President Biden in Tel Aviv -- you can see him right there - on Wednesday.

Eli, I appreciate your time. There's a lot I want to get to, but I want to start with the news that we just got from the IDF that they say a majority of the hostages in Gaza are alive. I know two volunteers in your organization were taken hostage. Do you have any information on them at this point?

ELI BEER, PRESIDENT AND FOUNDER, UNITED HATZALAH OF ISRAEL: Well, we're all praying and crying all day for them, and for rest of the hostages. Our volunteers were kidnapped together with their spouses. And this is really the hardest part. Some of our volunteers were murdered. Some were injured. The ones who were captured, we're worried about them the most. The ones who died had a funeral and they're buried and everyone is sad and they're going to remember them forever. But the ones who are there, we all know the Hamas treatments. These are ISIS people. These are not people who have five-star treatments. And we're really worried about them. Everyone in Israel is worried about the people who are right now captive by Hamas.

MATTINGLY: When you think about October 7th, when you think about what you're talking about right now, those who died, those who are currently being held captive, I was struck when the president was visiting with you and his public remarks.

[06:45:02]

He quoted Yeats saying, too long a sacrifice makes a stone of the heart, and then said that none of your hearts have turned to stone. It feels like a good capture of what your organization represents. But do you think that's the case in the wake of such horror?

BEER: Well, I think Israel is united. And the beautiful part is, United Hatzalah, we have volunteers from all sectors. We have Arab Muslim volunteers and Jewish ultra-orthodox volunteers, and everything in between, Catholics and protestants. Everyone volunteering in one organization in Israel.

And during this time, more than ever, we all are united. And our volunteers are down south now helping people, rescuing people, during the first minutes of this attack, of this terrible terrorist -- worst terrorist attacks we ever, ever, ever had. We had two volunteers murdered. One of them was a Muslim Arab volunteer from Nazareth. And the another one was a Jewish volunteer from the south of Israel. And they were both busy saving lives. And when they were captured and murdered. And that's - I think that resembles Israel.

If you go around Israel now, Tel Aviv, Jerusalem, everywhere, you will see Jews and Arabs walking around even hugging each other. We are all together against the Hamas here. We know -- and I think the world now realizes that the Hamas are not freedom fighters. They're not interested in having their own state. They want to destroy and kill everyone here in Israel. They want to kill our baby. They want to kill our animals. I saw it in my own eyes. I went into the homes of, unfortunately,

people who were murdered. Children were chopped up to pieces. And not only that, but they killed our children, they killed old people, Holocaust survivors that they murdered and tortured. They also did a lot of terrible things to animals. They killed animals. They shot - I saw one dog shot 15 times. Why do you shoot a dog 15 times? What's the purpose? And I think the reason they all did this is not to fight for freedom, but to destroy Israel.

And I'm so bothered by this because this, God forbid, could have been a lot worse. Think about it, 1,500 people who were murdered. They could have gone a lot further into Israel. We had a big miracle (ph).

MATTINGLY: Do you feel like medical professionals were targeted in this attack?

BEER: Yes, definitely. One of our volunteers, actually a Bedouin Arab volunteer of United Hatzalah (ph) - you know, I'm an orthodox jew and I am so proud that I am together with volunteers who are non-Jewish, who are not like me, who have -- we don't go to the same synagogue. And when I started this, when I was 16 years old, I started with 15 of my friends. We were all orthodox. And we grew this and we called it United Hatzalah. Hatzalah means saved.

And this Muslim Bedouin doctor, who was on their way to his hospital in Ashkelon, and then he gets a call from the Hatzalah. We have an app that calls you to the closest call. He didn't know it was a terrorist act. Someone was laying in the street and he got a call that someone is -- needs help. And he didn't understand it was a terrorist attack.

When he arrived on the highway, this was 6:25, he found someone on the street, then a terrorist jumped on him and caught him and started shooting on his leg and he started screaming in Arabic, I'm an Arab, I'm an Arab. And he started questioning him about, you know, the Koran.

MATTINGLY: Right.

BEER: Once you realize he's an Israeli Arab volunteering for United Hatzalah -- he had a jacket like this with an Israeli flag on it, they tortured him, they hung him on a pole, and they - and they kept him there for nine hours while they were shooting and killing people until the special forces were able to rescue him.

We - we all feel it here in Israel. This organization resembles what Israel is all about. And, right now, having you show the world what's really happening here, it's really important for us.

We want to get this over. We want to go back to a nice, normal life, like - like in palm beach, like in New York. We want to live a nice, good life.

MATTINGLY: We appreciate your time. More than that, we appreciate the work that you and your team do.

Eli Beer, thank you very much. BEER: Thank you. And thank - I want to wish recovery for all our

volunteers in Israel rescue. This - we have so many people injured. Also emotionally, by the way. We didn't speak about hundreds of emotional injuries, and physical injuries. Thank you so much.

HARLOW: Founded (ph), important words from him.

All right, in just over an hour, in Washington, D.C., Congressman Jim Jordan is going to hold a news conference ahead of his third speaker vote, as those who oppose his speakership have been receiving threatening calls. All of that straight ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[06:53:45]

HARLOW: Welcome back.

Congressman Jim Jordan is going to hold a press conference in a little over an hour. He is pledging to stay in the race for House speaker despite two failed votes this week. The House expected to hold that third vote today at 10:00 a.m. Eastern Time.

And Jordan met with some of the Republican holdouts yesterday. Still trying to win them over in his bid to become speaker.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. MIKE KELLY (R-PA): This guy refuses to lose. And that's OK. I - I find that to be very good. But at - there's some point that we're going to have to move forward, and we can't keep the country shut down.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HARLOW: Joining us now, our congressional correspondent, Lauren Fox.

Lauren, good morning to you.

Interesting that he's going to hold this press conference. Is it an effort to try to sway some of those folks like Kelly, who we heard from, or just to update the American people?

LAUREN FOX, CNN CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Poppy, this is an uphill climb, though. His intention for this press conference this morning is really to try and rally support that up until this point he has been unable to garner with some of those members behind closed doors.

You saw Mike Kelly there. He is a Republican from Pennsylvania who me and my colleague Manu Raju spoke to yesterday after that closed door meeting with Jim Jordan. But a source who was in the room for that meeting told me that the message from members who met with him, some of those holdouts, was there is no path for you to become speaker.

[06:55:02] The person told me that the message they meant to deliver in that room was, it's over, move on. Clearly, Jim Jordan is not taking that message to heart. He's going to have this press conference this morning. Then the intention is to go to the floor at 10:00 a.m.

And one of his closest allies, Warren Davidson, tweeted last night that members should be prepared to stay on the floor all weekend and continue voting. Whether or not that comes to pass, of course, remains to be seen. But it just shows you, Poppy, that despite the fact that, yes, there are many members telling Jim Jordan to move on, he's not taking the hint.

MATTINGLY: Lauren, what do we know about the threats? So many of the members that are very clearly opposed have been citing threats to themselves, threats to their family members. What do we know?

FOX: Yes, Phil, I'm so glad you brought this up because I think one of the things that people don't realize, who aren't on The Hill every day, is just how raw the nerves are for these Republican members, in part because now this is extending not just to themselves, but to their families.

I want you to take a listen to a message that was left to a wife of a congressman who voted against Jim Jordan.

Here it is.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He's a (EXPLETIVE DELETED) warmongering piece of (EXPLETIVE DELETED). So, listen, you're gonna keep getting calls and emails. I'm putting all your information over the internet now. Everybody else is. And you will not be left alone because you're (EXPLETIVE DELETED) husband. Jim Jordan or more conservative, or you're going to be (EXPLETIVE DELETED) molested like you can't ever imagine. And again, nonviolently.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

FOX: And, I mean, just listening to the vitriol in that message. Members are getting calls. Their staff are getting calls. And I think one thing to keep in mind here, I talked to Representative Don Bacon. He said that he had talked to his wife and she had gotten a series of terrible calls the night before last. And he said he called her in the morning to check in on her, and she said that she had slept OK because she had a loaded gun. I mean, that tells you just how worried, how concerned members of Congress are, and just how deeply, deeply scarred the Republican conference is right now.

HARLOW: I mean, it is beyond comprehension that that is happening. But it is.

Lauren, thank you for the reporting. We'll see what Jordan says in just about an hour. We'll carry it live here.

Phil. MATTINGLY: Well, new this morning, an investigation is underway in Maryland after someone shot and killed a judge. Investigators say Circuit Court Judge Andrew Wilkinson was found in a residential driveway last night suffering from gunshot wounds. He later died at the hospital.

CNN's Miguel Marquez is live with the latest.

The big question, are there any leads here, any suspects?

MIGUEL MARQUEZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It sounds like they might have something. The sheriff's office in Washington County, Maryland, says that they're going to hold a press conference later today. We expect to find out a lot more. Obviously, when a judge is shot, the big question is, was he targeted -- or she targeted. We've seen this in the past. It is a great concern.

This was a circuit judge in Washington County, Maryland. This is just below the Pennsylvania line. He's one of six judges there. They handle everything, from family law, to civil, criminal, juvenile stuff. So, it is possible that there was somebody, former defendant, current defendant, that this judge was dealing with that targeted him.

Details on the scene are very sketchy right now. It was his home. Police responded -- or law enforcement responded to reports of shots fired. They showed up in his own driveway, multiple gunshots. He died later at the hospital. And now a full investigation is underway.

Troopers in Maryland are now going to other judges, out of an abundance of caution, to make sure that other judges are protected.

This has, obviously, been a concern at the federal level with judges being threatened. So, they are taking every precaution right now and we hope to learn a little bit more later.

MATTINGLY: Please keep us updated when you do.

Miguel, thank you.

HARLOW: All right, in California, a federal judge there has just struck down the state's decades old ban on assault weapons, just weeks after striking down California's ban on high capacity magazines. The district judge, Roger Benitez, ruled that the ban impedes on residents' Second Amendment rights and has no historical precedence that, he says, is now required because of a landmark Supreme Court decision last year that changed the test that courts are mandated to use when determining the constitutionality of gun regulations.

California's governor, Gavin Newsom, dismissed that decision as, quote, "direct insult to every victim of a mass shooting and their families. California's attorney general filing an immediate appeal.

MATTINGLY: Also this morning, the U.S. military has charged Army Private Travis King with desertion among other offenses. The 23-year- old fled to North Korea in July after being released from a detention facility in South Korea. King was brought back to the U.S. last month. Court documents reveal he's been charged with possession of child pornography, assaulting fellow soldiers and disobeying a superior officer. His mother says she's concerned about him and believes he is in need of mental health services.

[07:00:03]

CNN THIS MORNING continues right now.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: President Biden laying out plans that he will be sending