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American Citizens Not Expected To Be Among First 13 Hostages Released Today; Today: Millions Expected To Shop Online And In Store; Israel Prepares To Embrace Freed Hostages. Aired 7:30-8a ET

Aired November 24, 2023 - 07:30   ET

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

[07:30:00]

BECKY ANDERSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL ANCHOR: Prisoners from Israeli jails alongside the increase in humanitarian aid also baked into what is this humanitarian pause ultimately over the next four days, at least.

What do we know? What's the status of the aid trucks entering Gaza at this point?

NADA BASHIR, CNN REPORTER: Well look, we've seen the trucks lined up now waiting for access to the Gaza Strip for some time now. As we understand it, according to authorities, more than 90 trucks have now already entered Gaza, including more than seven fuel trucks. And that will be crucial, of course, as we've heard those warnings repeatedly from aid agencies for weeks now saying that they need that longer-term humanitarian pause in order to allow crucial humanitarian aid and fuel to get into Gaza for those most in need.

And the hope is that we will begin to see some 200 aid trucks as part of this truce agreement coming into Gaza each and every day. Of course, that is reliant and dependent upon the terms of this truce being upheld, but that will provide some much-needed respite for the Palestinian civilians inside the Gaza Strip.

ANDERSON: Nada Bashir, thank you.

Poppy, Erica, there have been reports from doctors on the ground of patients with gastro -- real gastrointestinal issues now as a result of the dirty water that is being consumed in the Gaza Strip. That fuel to ensure that sewage works, that water works, that his infrastructure can actually work to ensure that what is a near catastrophe doesn't get worse in the Gaza Strip is so important.

One hundred thirty thousand liters of fuel is part of this agreement per day. You know, it is so important that gets in and we have, as Nada suggested, there seeing the beginning of those trucks rolling in -- 200 trucks a day of aid, plus those fuel trucks. Really important stuff and not to be forgotten in what is this kind of wider story of this --

POPPY HARLOW, CNN ANCHOR: Yeah.

ANDERSON: -- hostage deal today. HARLOW: You're absolutely right. That fuel that wasn't able to get in for weeks upon weeks and now this aid expected to continue.

ANDERSON: Yeah.

HARLOW: Becky, we'll get back to you in Doha. Thank you so much for that.

Let's go to MJ Lee in Washington who has some breaking news, MJ, about the American hostages.

MJ LEE, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Yeah, Poppy. A U.S. official tells me that American citizens are not expected to be among the first group of hostages -- the 13 that are released today. The official tells me that they are still hopeful that Americans will be among the first 50 that are released in the coming days.

You know, we've said all along that there has been no expectation -- no sort of set schedule -- certainly, nothing to indicate when exactly the three American hostages will be released in that four-day truce period.

But certainly, you can imagine the urgency here as far as the U.S. government is concerned about the two women and men and, of course, 4- year-old Abigail Idan. The fact that these three women and Abigail have been held in who knows what kinds of conditions for weeks now in Gaza as hostage. The president himself and everyone on down have made very clear in recent weeks just what a high priority it is for them to get the Americans in the mix out of Gaza.

But again, the news that we are breaking right now is that according to a U.S. official, American citizens are not expected to be among the first group of hostages that are released today.

ERICA HILL, CNN ANCHOR: All right, MJ. Really appreciate the update there. As you point out, there was not perhaps a hard and fast expectation. There was a lot of hope that there could be three Americans, including 4-year-old Abigail Idan. She's four today.

HARLOW: Today.

HILL: Today is her birthday.

MJ, appreciate it.

HARLOW: Take a look at these new images just in from the Israel Defense Forces. You're seeing stuffed animals and toys that they are bringing for the child hostages who may be released today.

Our coverage of this expected hostage release continues through the morning. Stay right here.

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[07:36:47] HARLOW: Right now, a temporary truce is underway between Israel and Hamas. In just about 90 minutes from now, the first round of hostages are scheduled to be released. That should happen at 9:00 a.m. Eastern time. Hamas is expected to free 13 hostages abducted during the October 7 terror attack. CNN has learned that Americans will not -- not be part of that exchange today.

HILL: In Ireland this morning, 34 people are under arrest after violent clashes broke out between police and protesters in Dublin. Officials say the mob set buses and police cars on fire. Some of them were chanting anti-immigrant slogans.

These riots come after three children and two adults were stabbed as they left a school. According to the police commissioner, a 5-year-old victim is in very serious condition. A man has been detained in that attack.

Traffic is moving again in both directions on the Rainbow Bridge which, of course, connects the U.S. and Canada at Niagara Falls. The span had been closed for most of Thanksgiving after that deadly crash on Wednesday. The FBI did rule out terrorism and the investigation has now been turned over to local police. Two people were killed in that car accident. Officials believe speed was likely a factor in the crash.

HARLOW: It's the busiest shopping day of the year. It is Black Friday. The National Retail Federation expects to see 180 million-plus people out looking for those deals through the holiday weekend. Fifteen million more are expected than last year. Data does suggest though the shopping season will be a little bit slower thanks to inflation and higher interest rates.

Vanessa Yurkevich live at Macy's Herald Square, and you've got the CEO of Macy's with you. We fully enjoyed the Macy's Day Parade yesterday. And now you are with many people out looking for deals early.

VANESSA YURKEVICH, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: Yeah, amazing. What a turnaround in 24 hours that at 6:00 a.m. Eastern time on the dot, the doors of Macy's Herald Square and the hundreds of people that were waiting in line to shop Black Friday calmly made their way inside. This is happening across the country at many retailers.

I am here with Jeff Gennette. He's the CEO and the chairman of Macy's. Thank you for joining us this morning.

JEFF GENNETTE, CEO AND CHAIRMAN, MACY'S: Vanessa, it's great to be here with you.

YURKEVICH: We know from many, many analysts -- Moody's Analytics, National Retail Federation, Wells Fargo -- they are all predicting consumers to spend less this holiday season.

Are you seeing that? And how will that impact shopping here at Macy's?

GENNETTE: Well look, I will tell you that Black Friday has started well. So it started well online last night and all day yesterday we were open on our websites. And then this morning when we opened at 6:00 a.m. as you -- as you referenced, it was better turnout than we had last year. So it started out well.

But it's a competitive season and it's a competitive environment and we're ready. I mean, when you think about Macy's, Bloomingdale's, and Bluemercury, we are gifting destinations. So we spend all year getting ready for this. This is our Super Bowl of going all the way through the next six weeks to be ready for those holiday times when whatever is on your gift list we have the content for you.

YURKEVICH: Speaking of competition, analysts are also calling this Black November, Gray Friday because the deals start much earlier than today and they go all the way to Christmas.

GENNETTE: Yeah.

YURKEVICH: Are you feeling the pressure to make sure that you are doing that in order to get a piece of the consumer spending pie?

[07:40:02]

GENNETTE: So clearly, the month of November has changed really since the pandemic and there's -- the deals for Black Friday start sooner. But this is still an important pilgrimage. You've got everybody in America that have kind of settled into either their homes or relatives' homes and they always want a pilgrimage and they spend time in stores.

And so, we see that and we see that all the way, really, through Cyber Monday, you know, and going through -- that's the first kind of stage of what we do with the Christmas season. Then we go into a lull and that's when customers reset. And then the last 10 days -- in this particular year, those last 10 days include four weekend days, so that's going to be a very important period for us making sure that we've got the right content for the customers.

And our inventory is in really good shape. We've got all the right deals. I just walked the store and saw all of the set-ups for all of our great gifts. Gifts under -- across all the categories that are important, and we're ready.

YURKEVICH: Speaking of inventories, a lot of major retailers learned last year that they had too much stuff and they got left with too much stuff that they couldn't move.

What was the lesson that you learned last year, and how did you adjust this year for consumers?

GENNETTE: So, we've been -- our inventory has been under control for a couple of years now. What I would tell you is we exited the third quarter with six percent less inventory than we had last year. But really importantly, it's in the right stuff. It's in the right content.

So when I look at all of the categories that are important -- I've looked at cashmere and fine jewelry, what we have in all of apparel and sweaters and coats, in our homeware that we in like new brands like UGG for home. All of that we've got great content and we've got -- and we're ready to replenish that. So we've got lots of open to buy and we're able to move very quickly based on how customers are transacting online or in our stores.

YURKEVICH: Consumers, no doubt, are still spending but we know that consumers are spending using their credit cards. Americans have put over a trillion dollars on their credit cards. That's the debt that they are carrying.

GENNETTE: Yeah.

YURKEVICH: To take out a Macy's credit card it's about 30 percent in interest rates.

Are you concerned that although people are spending here at Macy's you guys are having to deal with a lot of that debt?

GENNETTE: So we talked about that on our last two earnings calls about what's going on with our consumer. They're under pressure. But they still -- most of our customers have open to buy on their credit cards and so they have clearly open opportunities to spend. So it's our opportunity to win those customers. It's a competitive environment.

Do we have the right gifts? You know, the Christmas timeframe, the Hanukkah timeframe, all of the holidays that are celebrated, there are special times for you to get things for people on their gift list. You've got to be competitive and we're ready for that.

YURKEVICH: Jeff Gennette, CEO and chairman of Macy's. Thank you so much for being here with us this morning.

GENNETTE: Thank you, Vanessa.

YURKEVICH: Poppy, Black Friday. Poppy, Erica, back to you guys.

HARLOW: I was just telling Erica Vanessa always with the best questions for these interviews.

HILL: She was.

HARLOW: Thank you. Thank you. I was -- it's true. Thank you, Vanessa. Appreciate it.

HILL: Well, for millions of Americans, Thanksgiving Day -- it's about food, it's about family, but it's also about football, people.

The long day of football, of course, started in Detroit where the Lions were really looking to end their six-game losing streak on Thanksgiving. Jordan Love and the Green Bay Packers, though, had other plans, taking down the Lions 29-22. My kids say there's also a waxing gibbous moon at play here, but I'll leave that --

HARLOW: You still haven't even told me what that --

HILL: -- to the astronomers. I need time to explain in the break.

The second game, a beatdown in the big D. Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott tore the Washington Commanders' defense apart, throwing for 331 yards and four touchdowns, leading the Cowboys to a 45-10 win.

But let's be honest here, people. The real winning moment -- that happened at halftime.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DOLLY PARTON, SINGER-SONGWRITER: Singing "Jolene."

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HILL: That's right. The legendary Dolly Parton, a fierce 77 years old, owning centerstage in a Dallas Cowboys cheerleader uniform.

The night was capped off by a little West Coast rivalry in Seattle. A two-touchdown effort from Christian McCaffrey helped Phil Mattingly's San Francisco 49ers take down the Seahawks 31-13.

HARLOW: Oh, I love that.

All right. In just over an hour, we should see Hamas release hostages. It's expected 13 women and children who have been held for nearly 50 days will be released this morning. Our live coverage of this temporary truce between Israel and Hamas continues after this.

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[07:48:28]

HARLOW: In just about an hour and a half, 13 Hamas hostages are expected to be released out of Gaza. It comes as Israeli officials tell CNN a total of 39 Palestinian prisoners are also set to be released today. This is the beginning of this four-day truce agreement.

Let's go to Oren Liebermann in Tel Aviv. Oren, we've learned now that Americans are not in that first group set to be released. What do we know about the state of play?

OREN LIEBERMANN, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: As of right now, as you point out, we're waiting for these final 90 minutes to tick down. Certainly, nervous moments but we have least -- at least seen the beginning of this agreement play out. That is to say the firing over Gaza stopped a few minutes after 7:00 but since then it appears to have held.

And then the next stage in this -- in this timeline that we're watching is the entrance of humanitarian aid into Gaza in the form of aid trucks. That is fuel, cooking oil, and other desperately needed supplies as the humanitarian crisis inside Gaza has unfolded.

Meantime, the IDF has dropped leaflets and sent warnings on social media that the northern Gaza remains closed. Even if there is a pause in the fighting, they say it is still an active war zone.

We know and we have seen social media images and video of Palestinians who are displaced in southern Gaza trying to get north. There have been reports of warning shots fired to try to make sure that the Palestinians there stay in the southern part of the Gaza. The IDF is not allowing them to return home to look around. They have to remain, according to the IDF, in southern Gaza. So that's another part of this we have to keep an eye on.

[07:50:00]

And then the IDF is preparing for the transfer of hostages -- those first 13 women and children -- from Hamas to the Red Cross, to the Israeli military, and then they'll be brought in on helicopter. We have seen images of those helicopters. They have been prepared with noise-canceling headphones meant to play what is supposed to be a calming noise to try to ease the transition from the hands of the captivity of Hamas into Israel.

We have also received images of what appears to be an intake center with toys and games and pillows to again, try to ease that transition. Then they'll be brought to hospitals and will be put in contact with their family as soon as possible, and then into the arms of their families.

And, of course, it's critical to note that this is just the first part of what is an incredibly sensitive deal that is supposed to play out over the course of the next 14 days. The IDF warned there could be changes up until the very last second --

HARLOW: Right.

LIEBERMANN: -- including after the deal has gone into effect. So everybody here watching this very closely, especially as we tick down those last couple of hours here.

HARLOW: OK. Oren Liebermann with the reporting in Tel Aviv. Thank you very much.

And this morning, as we await the release of the expected-to-be 13 hostages who have been held by Hamas for nearly 50 days, Israel's Health Ministry has just come out with this new guidance on how the children who are released today should be cared for. This guidance instructs Israeli soldiers on what to do when they receive the children.

And let me read you part of it. It says, quote, "Children will ask questions like where is my mum? Where is my dad? Soldiers should not answer these questions even if they know the answers. Any questions should be answered along the lines of 'Sweetheart, I'm sorry, I don't know. My job is to bring you to Israel to a safe place where people you know will be waiting for you and will answer all of your questions.'"

HILL: And guidance also instructs soldiers not to pick up or to hug the children without first asking their permission. After their release, the freed hostages, as Oren was noting, will be

taken to one of several designated hospitals in Israel for both medical and mental health assessment and treatment. Experts say they're really preparing here to deal with a level of trauma that has never been seen before.

Our next guest is the head of the medical team for the Hostages and Missing Families Forum and he said, quote, "They were treated like an object by Hamas for purposes to frighten and cause terror. Now they need to learn to be humans again, and that is our challenge."

Dr. Hagai Levine joining us from Tel Aviv. And it's good to have you back with us this morning, Professor.

I noticed in that guidance the fact that they were telling soldiers not to pick up, not to hug the children. This is something that you told Poppy and I about yesterday. You said you actually learned about this from one of the hostages who had already been released about how important it was to almost let them lead in moments like that.

DR. HAGAI LEVINE, HEAD OF MEDICAL TEAM, HOSTAGES AND MISSING FAMILIES FORUM (via Webex by Cisco): Yes, it's really complex. And I also want to say to the other side maybe they will need to be led. We don't know what exactly will be the situation, Erica and Poppy. Maybe some of them would want in the first moment to be told what to do because they still don't feel they can decide for themselves. So I am saying this is very delicate.

What's very important is as early as possible to bring to them, especially to the children, someone they know and trust. That's a very important part of being human again is to reestablish the connection with the family. That's so important obviously for a young child -- that's obvious -- but also for an old woman who wants her granddaughters to be with her at this moment.

So we like to be very delicate and to meet their needs.

HARLOW: I understand you're with some of the families whose loved ones are being held hostage, and you're with them today. And I wonder what that is like and how you are helping them as they wait.

LEVINE: It's really dramatic and tight (PH) hours for all -- for all of us, but especially for the families. Some families, they consulted us and had some requests from us are expecting good news today. And that's also very, very difficult for them because, you know, the waiting is difficult. And we are trying to be prepared as much as possible.

And for the families of the beloved who will not come home today -- although I must say they still have hope that maybe there will be a surprise -- and we are with them. We are calling them, actively reaching out to them not only if they ask for it but also to suggest and see what exactly is helpful and just being with them.

HILL: Um-hum. LEVINE: At this time, that means a lot. And also I am saying -- I told you maybe the other day that also the support of the world means a lot for them to know that they are -- the families and hostages are not alone.

And I must say because it's now -- like, we forget about the hostages that remain there. I think it shouldn't be they remain for a later stage -- no. Right now. This week.

[07:55:00]

It's the time to use tools and also to bring them medications for those who remain in captivity because they need them. I know from some of the families that expect to see their beloved that some of them, from our medical records, suffer from severe and chronic diseases --

HARLOW: Yeah.

LEVINE: -- that must be treated. And then we'll see what will be their situation.

HILL: We should just point out, too, there has been so much time spent gathering information on the hostages. Gathering their medical information from their families so that when we have now arrived at this point the medical teams that are going in there and all of you folks are ready to get to them what they need. That's also crucial in this moment.

LEVINE: Well, we have to -- you know, not to stick to what we know but to assess at the moment then what we see now. Because again, maybe --

And also, I'm saying by the exempts (PH) -- the blood samples, for example. Maybe something looks -- you know, like someone could have anemia, OK, low hemoglobin. But there is a great question. Is it low hemoglobin because of something recent or it's low hemoglobin for a long time? So that's the different treatment.

So that's something really to pay attention and to be professional and to take the time and, if needed, several days in the hospital. But take the time to provide them the treatment they need.

I really hope that this time not only the media but also politicians -- Israeli politicians sometimes tend to come to this kind of events for their own sake -- to, you know, stay away now. This is time for the medical staff to treat them, for the families to be with them, not for the media -- as much as we want to know -- and not for politicians.

HARLOW: Yeah, of course -- we understand that.

Dr. Hagai Levine, thank you for being with us and for what you are doing for these families and these loved ones as they hopefully come home today. Thank you.

LEVINE: Thank you so much. Definitely, we are hoping for good news today.

HILL: Yeah.

HARLOW: All right. We are continuing to monitor minute-by-minute the situation in Gaza. Now, almost eight hours into this truce between Israel and Hamas, we will take you along the path that the hostages may take when they are expected to be released about an hour from now.

HILL: CNN has also learned this morning Americans will not be a part of this initial hostage release that is expected to happen just a short time from now. More on that just ahead as our coverage continues.

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