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Qatar Says Truce in Gaza to Start on Friday 7AM Local Time, Midnight ET; The Race to Save the Sequoias; Radio Station Connects Families to Palestinian Prisoners; New York Mayor Eric Adams Accused of Sexual Assault. Aired 10-11a ET
Aired November 23, 2023 - 10:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
JULIA CHATTERLEY, CNN ANCHOR: And welcome to the second hour of CONNECT THE WORLD with me, Julia Chatterley. It's 10:00 a.m. here in New York. It's
5:00 p.m. now in Gaza.
And we start with new details of the-Israel Hamas truce and hostage release.
[10:00:03]
In the last hour, Qatari officials, who've been instrumental in the negotiations, said the truce is now set to begin at 7:00 a.m. local time on
Friday morning, that's midnight Eastern Time, and that civilian hostages will be released nine hours later approximately.
Just take a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MAJED AL-ANSARI, QATARI FOREIGN AFFAIRS MINISTRY SPOKESMAN: The beginning of the pause will be 7:00 a.m. Friday, the 24th of November. And it will
last, of course, as agreed for four days. And the first batch of civilians to be released from Gaza will be around 4:00 p.m. of the same day. They
will be 13 in number, all women and children. And those hostages are from the same families will be put together within the same patch. Obviously,
every day will include a number of civilians as agreed, the total 50, within the four days.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHATTERLEY: Okay, let's bring in Eleni Giokos in Cairo, too.
Eleni, I know you are listening along with me to that entire press conference. And there was a lot of details in it, but I think what stood
out to me beyond the fact that we now have date, time, and number of hostages, the fact that it is going to be a day-by-day thing. And only the
13 names of the hostages are going to be released.
Now they've been handed over to Israeli intelligence services. That is all they know. The next day will come the next day. It's a very delicate
process, even now.
ELENI GIOKOS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It absolutely is. It's such a good point because, you know, the Qatari foreign ministry spokesperson says, clearly,
you know, we're getting information in real-time. And he really made that point.
And, frankly, that's what we've been seeing. What we did understand is that there are going to be deep negotiations that have been occurring until
early this morning, and it just gives you a sense that there really had to work on the details. Not only the logistical side of things but also to
figure out what both parties will actually commit to.
You know, you mentioned the time and the date. So, this is really important, while we have now concrete timelines, 7:00 a.m. when it comes to
local time, 4:00 p.m. is when the first hostages will be released. We also know that they gave the 4:00 p.m. hour as well for when the Palestinian
prisoners are going to be released.
Now, we don't know if this is going to happen concurrently, which is quite interesting because, you know, that's one of the questions we've been
posing, but they say it's going to be reciprocal after hostages are released from Gaza. We don't have information on which border they will be
using, you know, which crossing point they will be using. But we did get a sense that, because women and children are included and involved in this,
that they will probably crossing over into Israel and, in terms of Palestinian prisoners, you, know where will that be occurring? Who will
control that?
What is interesting is that there is a certain level of trust that needs to come into this, and to come into play. You've got commitment from Hamas as
well as Israel to stop the fighting by air and by land, which is important because it has to come together to agree on this.
And the Qataris were very clear. While we have the four-day truce, the window, their endgame and they say this, our endgame here is to try to
create a long-standing sustainable truce. I mean, they want to see it building momentum to create a scenario where you have more hostages
released and you have a stop in the fighting. And then, of course, it's the issue of aid which we've been talking about. All those trucks waiting at
Rafah border to get into the Gaza Strip.
CHATTERLEY: Yeah, and he made that very clear, the foreign ministry spokesperson and he said, to your point, the above the deal is to end in
some kind of lasting cease-fire. And, of course, we know Hamas can buy extra days beyond these four days by releasing more hostages. I think your
point is very important as well, the exchange of lists on both sides that the Israelis now are in possession of the list of the names of the 13
hostages. And, likewise, Hamas now has the list that the Israelis are going to release.
And he said and, to your point, and it's very couched, he is expecting it to happen in a similar way and similar time. But, again, we have to see.
I want to talk about the role of the Red Cross as well, because that caught my attention.
GIOKOS: Yeah.
CHATTERLEY: There have been some confusions going into this from Benjamin Netanyahu's suggestion, the Israeli prime minister, that perhaps the Red
Cross might actually be able to get into the other hostages and the role that they play. He wouldn't be drawn on that. He was asked by question
directly. He did not comment on it but he did, once again, talk about the role of the Red Cross facilitating the exchange of hostages and that they
will be a fundamental part of that.
And, of course, Becky pushed him again on that to try to get a sense of what the role would be, to your point.
GIOKOS: And there was such a good point, and I'm glad you mentioned this, Julia, because, frankly, the International Committee of the Red Cross is
that international independent body that is on the ground that can be this facilitator in the exchange of hostages and also offer assistance to the
hostages.
[10:05:00]
And Benjamin Netanyahu actually made a point of mentioning this last night. He said that for the first time, the Red Cross will be able to visit
hostages. It's something we have not heard before because we don't know the state of the hostages. We don't know what condition they are, and what they
need, whether they have been looked after.
And then the International Committee of the Red Cross this morning says, well, we're not aware of this part of the agreement. But if this is the
case, we will be happy and ready to step in. So, I think there's still confusion around this.
And, frankly, there's been so many elements around this deal. So much information has been coming through. It's a national organization, and they
made it very clear to us that they don't really know what the actual deal is in terms of just how much aid and what type of aid will be coming
through the Rafah border, how those safe passages will be created across the Gaza Strip to deploy that aid, and then, the big question in terms of
the International Red Cross, as well.
But they were instrumental in handing over the hostages at the previous time that we saw. And this was really -- remember those images, you know,
when we saw the hostages and the Red Cross was on the ground. Becky actually pushed him on this, you know, are they going to be paying the same
role? He gave the sense that they probably will be because frankly they are one organization that has the relationship with the Israeli side as well as
Hamas being able to be the independent, neutral body on the ground.
What we still don't know, which border they will be using? How will it be conducted? They made it clear that they don't want to derail anything on
the negotiation front because you still get a sense that this is very delicate. I mentioned this again because, frankly, there has to be some
sort of trust that is built.
I mean, both sides, I guess, they are taking quite a bit of a leap of faith here. The Hamas leadership I guess are expecting a release of their
prisoners while Israel is expecting hostages. Now, some of the most vulnerable hostages right now, women and children, they have been trapped
in Gaza.
So, the Qataris have been instrumental. They mentioned the United States, Joe Biden, had a hand on this, and, of course, we mustn't forget the
Egyptians because they've had a hand in all of these negotiations because they are sort of in charge of the Rafah border, and so much happens around
there, whether it is exchange of hostages, whether it's bringing in aid into Gaza.
CHATTERLEY: Yeah, and I think the point you make about the trust aspect of this, we know it is absolutely core, and I think that's why this
approximately, I'll use that word, his word again, nine-hour delay. Just to remind viewers that that might be joining, us what we heard from the Qatari
foreign ministry spokesperson, the truce begins Friday, 7:00 a.m. local time. That's Gaza time, midnight Eastern Time, approximately nine hours
later, the hostages will be released, 13 women and children, 4:00 p.m. local, 9:00 a.m. Eastern Time.
So, that nine hour delay to hopefully see some kind of calm, the pause, the truths beginning, and then nine hours later, the hostage release. Just to
ensure that trust.
I just want to bring in White House correspondent, MJ Lee, who's been following all these developments, too, for us from Washington.
MJ, when I was listening to that press conference, I was thinking about you in terms of the delays, and why we saw this period of time where we were
thinking it was going to happen Thursday, it was then pushed back into Friday. And, obviously, the spokesman was questioned on that. He said he
was hoping to see not any further delays. It was about nailing down the details.
Our colleague Becky Anderson pushed him again and said we're further demands made? And that is what created some of the delays. He suggested
that he was not aware of any further demands being made. But we know the sensitivity, the delicacy of bringing this deal together. And that still
exists at this moment based on all the information that he gave us, and also couldn't give us.
MJ LEE, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Yeah, I mean, I thought the Qatari spokesperson was pretty emphatic that the delay had to do with
nailing down every piece of logistical detail that would go into implementing, getting these hostages out, the number of times Julia that he
use the word "safety" of the hostages, ensuring that they can be let out of Gaza in a safe way. That really stood out to me as well.
And as he mentioned, and this is, of course, the fact, the reality of the situation there, this has been an active war zone. So, the idea that you
could ensure the passage now of 13 women and children through Gaza in a safe way, that, of course, is a big point of focus right now. Even when the
spokesperson, the Qatari spokesperson, was being asked specific questions about what kind of route these hostages would take to get out of Gaza, he
said he simply is just not going to comment on it because that would not be safe.
He said the idea of Israeli surveillance drones stopping for a period of a day, each day, around the hostages released, that also had to do with
ensuring the safety of these hostages.
[10:10:08]
And that's something that we've heard echoed from U.S. officials as well. They have been clear all along that this is an incredibly complicated
situation. Not to mention the fact that, remember, these hostages are not believed to be held even in one place. They are supposed to be in different
places throughout Gaza. So I think that the logistics and the challenges of getting these hostages out physically is just incredibly immense.
I think the other thing I would note, too, is there is an interesting moment where the Qatari spokesperson was talking about the next stage of
the hostages' release. He said that Hamas would use the initial pause of four days to gather more information about other potential hostages. And
then there could be a discussion about the release of those hostages.
That lines up with our reporting that, you know, once the initial first few days of the implementation of the hostages getting out, once that is over,
then the discussion would really pick up about what happens next. What happens after the women and children are out?
I have to tell you, I think that sounds a little bit premature right now, given that we are already seeing one round of delay by at least a day. We
will see how things go once we hit midnight, once the truce actually commences. But the idea that each day they are supposed to be trading a
list of names and then the hostages are supposed to get out, I think there's just no guarantee right now that there aren't going to be future
delays.
CHATTERLEY: Yeah, I could not agree more with you. And he said that, didn't he? He made that clear with that term, approximately, because he
said these are not set in stones, these times, and a lot of things have to go right. I think one of the lines that also stood out to me, and you have
emphasized the point incredibly well with the delays, every moment of delay translates to a life lost, too. So the focus on the humanitarian aid that
takes place, the convoys into Gaza over the four days, critically important, too. I think you did a great job of emphasizing that.
MJ, stay right there for a second because I want to bring in Becky Anderson who is live in Doha.
And we will know that because we were listening to you grilling this spokesman there with all your questions. We now as we mentioned many times
now, we have a date, we have a time. We hope that we have the contours of this agreement, Becky, because I'm sure you are listening to MJ there, the
challenge will be the day-by-day process, and it is going to be minute by minute to determine who next, how many, and as we continue to watch this
truce hold, we hope.
BECKY ANDERSON, CNN ANCHOR, CONNECT THE WORLD: And I spoke to the lead negotiator for the Qatar mediation team yesterday, and we've been running
the interview on CNN. And one of the things he told me that really struck me was that this is a team who's been involved in many mediations in the
past. We were here eight weeks or so ago when the Qataris successfully mediated the release of the American hostages in Iran. He told me, and that
goes on, you, know Afghanistan, Sudan, this is a very experienced mediation team.
He told me that these two sides have absolutely no trust in each other whatsoever. So mediating between Israel and Hamas has been a real
challenge, intense, extremely difficult at times. And so, you know, getting these talks across the line in the first instance, they describe it as a
success, and a relief. But they say their work has only just begun, because as a team and as the state of Qatar, they ultimately want to see a full
cease-fire, an end to this conflict.
But they realize that this is sort of -- you know, this is an early step. We know the Israelis have said no cease-fire until all hostages are
released. And that includes the military hostages, the soldiers being held by Hamas. On the flip side, Hamas has said no release of all of the
hostages until there is the cease-fire. So, you know, we know we are close to the cease-fire as of yet. This mediation team knows that, but they do
definitely see this as a first step.
This is a major step for many of the families of the hostages who have had so little information about those who they have lost. Some of that may have
lost their relatives for good. We don't know that as of yet. But there is some light for some of those hostage families now that at least, as far as
the women and children are concerned, they could be on these first lists, possibly the first list, the list of 13, who will be released tomorrow
after 4:00.
[10:15:05]
And you pointed out, Julia, and I think it's a really good point, you know, as Majed Al-Ansari pointed out, this is a war zone, this is conflict. None
of what they have scheduled to happen, or have explained will happen at certain times is necessarily, you know, what is going to happen. But they
have held back. And I've been constantly in touch with this team, constantly in touch with diplomatic sources who are very familiar with
these talks. They have sort of held back in having a full open public discussion about, you know, what is going on until they really nailed the
details down, because it's been so tough.
And they've said for a very long time, for weeks now, that they have needed a period of calm to get these mediation efforts across the line. They did
not get that. There's been an escalation in violence on the ground. Things have been really tough. So, I think, you know, it was -- it was gratifying
to hear as much detail as we heard from Majed Al-Ansari in the past hour or so. We just have to be very mindful that not everything is going to happen
according to plan -- Julia.
CHATTERLEY: Yeah, I couldn't agree more.
Becky, just very quickly, because you really did push on several occasions throughout that press conference to try to get more details of just what it
is going to look like, how the hostages are going to be released, whether we are going to see similar to what we saw, particularly when the last two
hostages were released. And you sort of asked him if he could to be, in some way, hinting, you're trying to read between the lines. What's your
takeaway from that that it could actually be similar to what we saw in Gaza into Israel rather than using Egypt? Yeah, mine, too, okay.
ANDERSON: Well, yes. I mean, I think -- you know, I think that anybody who it is aware of how these last two hostage releases happened should be
pretty confident that we are going to be looking at a similar setup. I think it's fair enough that the spokesman of the ministry of foreign
affairs here was not prepared to really sort of detail absolutely everything as far as this operation is concerned.
But I did ask him, you know, is it going to look similar to all -- or the same as the last two efforts which were, for all intents and purposes, a
proof of concept, right, using the ICRC, the ICRC receiving from the hostage-takers the hostages and then taking them into their care, taking
them across the border, and then obviously into Israeli hands and onwards they will go to the hospitals, and ultimately, to meet their families.
So, yeah, I think -- I think we can safely say without knowing for sure that these releases will look very similar for the releases that we have
seen over the past couple of weeks.
CHATTERLEY: Yeah, if indeed it goes ahead. We keep our fingers crossed.
And, Becky, great work. Thank you -- Becky Anderson there.
And Eleni Giokos, of course, thank you to you.
And, MJ Lee, thank you all.
More news after this short break. Stay with CNN.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[10:20:26]
CHATTERLEY: In the last hour, Qatari officials say the truce between Israel and Hamas is now set to begin at 7:00 a.m. local time on Friday
morning. That's midnight Eastern time. The civilian hostages will be released later that same day.
Our next guest is waiting to hear if his loved one will be among the first hostages released by Hamas.
Gili Roman started this campaign on social media, bring Yarden home, calling for the safe return of his sister Yarden Roman-Gat and other
hostages. He also travelled to Washington to advocate for her return and carried out his own search in the area where she was last seen.
And Gili joins now from Tel Aviv.
Gili, one can only imagine what you and your family have been going through, not only since October 7th but just in the past few days, too.
Tell me how you're doing and have you heard anything from the government?
GILI ROMAN, BROTHER OF YARDEN ROMAN-GAT: So, hello, and thank you for having me.
And those days are excruciating. On one hand, we are absolutely thrilled by the deal and the fact that we are going to see people released tomorrow.
And that is -- that is incredible. But on the other hand, we are waiting to see a day by -- on a day-by-day basis to wait for a phone call to see if
our loved ones are coming back.
And this is just mere terror, psychological terror in its worst form. And it is hard but we will be resilient to get over it and said hopefully see
this deal brings back all of the women and children that -- that can be released.
CHATTERLEY: Yes, it's an excruciating wait for you and your family. You mentioned just waiting for the phone to ring. Can I ask you again if you've
heard from the government? Because we know now that the Israeli government does have the names of the 13 hostages that we hope are released tomorrow.
Have you heard anything about whether Yarden is on that list? Have you heard anything?
ROMAN: (INAUDIBLE) if the phone rings, I will stop the interview. We are waiting for any minute -- they could bring us and update us.
CHATTERLEY: Okay.
ROMAN: I believe, and this was the assumption of my family, that Yarden will not be the first to be released, first, I guess, first of all, there
will be children. And, of course, we want to see children coming back, and they are the most vulnerable ones. So, my expectations are balanced for the
first days of the pause. But we can be also surprised.
CHATTERLEY: Yeah, I know, you are praying for that phone call to come, I know any moment.
Just talk to me about, as you said in the beginning, the joy of seeing what we are now seeing, does it make you more confident that you will get her
back and the government is doing what it needs to do in order to focus on getting hostages back to their families?
ROMAN: Let's divide the answer to -- the question to two answers. I am thrilled. I think that obviously, we are changing the dynamics now. We are
starting to be in a dynamic of hostage release, humanitarian pauses, and that is a good directive to bring more and more and more people back.
So, of course, I was firmly supporting that in advocating for that. I think it's important. Whether the government is starting to work for that, I just
-- I need to refer to it differently because what they have done so far was the means to an aim of having this deal because without the actions they
have done until now, Hamas would not come to the table, not seriously negotiate. So as unfortunate as it is -- the military action that was
conveyed in the last few weeks -- it was conveyed, it brought us to where we are right now.
[10:25:07]
So I think there are -- they're holding to the responsibility. I expect that they will continue to prove themselves. This is only the starting
point. They will continue to prove themselves for the ultimate goal, saving our hostages and bringing all of them back.
CHATTERLEY: Yeah. So, what you are saying is unfortunately you believe the war was necessary in order to force Hamas to give up hostages and let
people come home.
ROMAN: Yes. First of all, unfortunately the war is necessary regardless, even for the hostages. Specifically, the ground operation is the only tool
that we've seen put relevant pressure over Hamas terrorists inside of -- inside of Gaza. We really believe and the first few weeks, the
international pressure will yield outcomes. And we saw that that was redundant. They didn't pay tension to that.
And so, unfortunately, this is also something that is promoting this very high humanistic goal of bringing back hostages, mostly civilians and
innocent kids and women and elderly people.
CHATTERLEY: Your story, and your sister's story, has stayed in my mind since the very beginning because she was carrying her daughter, she
realized she could not run fast enough. She was afraid she would get caught. So, she handed over her daughter to her husband. And they ran. And
they made it to safety, and then she was taken.
It's an incredible story, I think, of love and bravery. I just want to ask, how are they doing, please?
ROMAN: First of all, they are very strong. They are part of our efforts to keep our heads above water and to seek any option to promote the release of
Yarden. But at the same time, it's hard.
My niece, she is three years old. We are all at the same house in the moment. She's the only one who opens the door. When she opens the door she
runs away because she wants to see Yarden, but she's afraid she's not the one to come. She's already used to not seeing Yarden on the other side of
the door.
She doesn't want anyone else to go to the door and see Yarden, but she's also afraid that she will not be behind the door. We are just waiting,
waiting for the door to be open and for Yarden all to be on the other side so they can be reunited. Those two were completely integrated into each
other's lives. This is hard. It's hard to see Geffen without her.
But she understands that we need to be joyful at this time and to -- and she brings a light to our daily lives. And she remains very hopeful. We are
all hopeful. And we -- I think she is the most hopeful one among all of us.
CHATTERLEY: Well, I think everybody watching is now praying that Geffen gets to see mommy on the other side of the door very soon. Please let us
know the moment you got a phone call, and we will speak again soon. Take care. Thank you for your time.
ROMAN: Of course, that will be the moment that we have been waiting for, beyond the imagination.
CHATTERLEY: Yes, beyond words.
ROMAN: Thank you very much.
CHATTERLEY: Thank, you sir.
More news after this.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[10:31:40]
CHATTERLEY: Welcome back to CONNECT THE WORLD with me, Julia Chatterley.
And a reminder, once again, of our top story. Qatar says a truce between Israel and Hamas will begin Friday at 7:00 a.m. local time. That's midnight
Eastern Time, and 13 women and children will be released around nine hours after that. Qatar, a key negotiator in the deal, just held a news
conference to announce the details.
Becky Anderson was there. Take a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: Thank you, sir. What is the process and route by which the hostages will be transferred out of Gaza into Israel?
AL-ANSARI: I'm sorry, Becky, I can't disclose information for security reasons. And as I -- you know, we've always said, our main objective is
safety of the hostages. So, we can't discuss information regarding the routes they will be going through, but we will be focusing on making sure
that they get there safely and making sure that through operation room, that we'll work with both the Red Cross and the parties of the conflict,
that all information is nearest (ph) time and everybody is getting the information the right way so we can move them safely from one place.
ANDERSON: And a follow-up question if I can. Are you mediating a separate track with Hamas for the release of non-Israelis, specifically Americans?
And are there Americans on the list?
AL-ANSARI: The criteria on which to prioritize the hostages was purely humanitarian, as you know. And our focus was on getting the women and
children out of harm's way as -- as soon as possible, which is basically what we are doing within this agreement. And we will be going through,
hopefully, the momentum carried by this deal to help us get everybody out in time and in the same time, of course, lessen the hardship of the people
in Gaza through the humanitarian pause that is taking place.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHATTERLEY: And this comes after Israel said the expected release of some hostages and a pause in the fighting were delayed. It's blaming logistical
details.
A short time ago, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu spoke about the hostages as he hosted the UK's visiting foreign secretary. Take a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BENJAMIN NETANYAHU, ISRAELI PRIME MINISTER: We hope to get our hostages out. It's not without its challenges. But we have to -- we hope to get this
first tranche out and then we are committed to getting everyone out. But we will continue with our war aims, namely to eradicate Hamas because Hamas
has already promised that they will do this again and again and again.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHATTERLEY: And let's bring in Oren Liebermann in Tel Aviv and White House correspondent, MJ Lee, who is following developments for us from
Washington.
Oren, to you, first what we heard there from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, and we know they now have a list of names of 13 hostages that we
hope to see released around 4:00 p.m. local time tomorrow. For the same part, Hamas also has a list of the Palestinians to that is expected to be
released. We don't have the numbers on that.
Some information, not all information, and now we just have to wait and see for the nine hours when the truce begins tomorrow morning, midnight Eastern
Time, 7:00 a.m. local time, if that holds in those nine hours before those hostages and prisoners are released.
OREN LIEBERMANN, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: That, of course, is the critical question here when the -- during the press conference from the
Qataris, they were -- they were quite confident that both sides were very committed to this agreement, and that it would in fact go into effect.
[10:35:09]
Obviously, the statement from the prime minister's office saying that the Israeli families have been notified of the 13 who will be released
tomorrow, so they can make those preparations. That, too, a key statement that the process by which this plays out is in fact moving forward -- of
course, not on the schedule we expected. We thought this would be happening today.
Because of those logistical details that had yet to be ironed out and hammered out, the process delayed until the Qataris came out and put
forward the time they expected to play out. First, the ceasefire in the early hours of the morning, that no relief in the afternoon. That will
continue.
Every day, there will be another list of names released, 12, 13, 10, right in that range. That will be transferred to the Israelis. The Israelis will
then confirm that against the list of hostages they are aware of. The families will be notified. And then the following day, they will begin to
make their way out of Gaza.
The Qataris said the entire mechanism here is designed to make sure that they can be moved in a safe manner. They were, asked well, what happened if
one side violates the agreement? They said both sides would be communicated to immediately make sure that you walk back from the edge and the agreement
can continue working as it should.
On day four, the Qataris said, if everything goes as scheduled, if the framework continues as it should, they can then begin talking about an
extension of the pause in the fighting for the release of more hostages and the release of more Palestinian prisoners. When he was asked if there was a
list of Palestinian prisoners that have been communicated, that he would not say. He would only say that the process it supposed to work and the
agreement, the framework is in place.
CHATTERLEY: Yes, and it did sound during that press conference that it literally would be a day-by-day release in terms of the individuals that
will be released once we get through the first day. If indeed it goes ahead, at least, as far as it looks at the stage.
MJ, you and I talked about this before, that the push that was made to get more details of just why this delay happened. The spokesperson said, look,
he hopes there wouldn't be a delay, but it's down to the complexity. I think that became evident as we listened throughout this press conference.
Everything has to go perfectly in order to see both of these hostages and prisoners released.
LEE: Yes, Julia, I think over the last 24 hours or so, there really were concerns and questions about whether there was more to be read into the
fact that there was a delay. Did something sort of vaguer (ph) about the parameters of the deal sort of fall apart?
But the Qatari spokesperson for his part really seemed to emphasize that this did have to do with logistics of implementing the actual process of
getting these hostages out. He was very emphatic, using the word "safety" multiple times throughout this lengthy press conference, talking about
guaranteeing the safety of the hostages as they move throughout Gaza.
And, of course, he made the important and obvious point that we are talking about an area that is an active war zone right now, so implementing this
release of the hostages in such a way to guarantee that the hostages will be safe, and in one piece, that that was really critical. And that was the
reporting that we had from the U.S. side as well, when we were trying to get clarity on why the release of the hostages was delayed.
And we were told that it cheaply came down to logistical details. They were needed to figure out the location of each of the hostages, the logistics
surrounding the movements of the hostages. So I think that is where we are right now. But as we were talking about before, Julia, we really just do
need to get through the next 24 hours or so.
There is nothing guaranteeing that everything will go according to plan because of the many, many, many layers of the complexities that are
involved. Obviously that puts the family members of these hostages that are set to come out in a really extra difficult position because all they can
do right now is wait and hope that there are not extra hitches, there are not things that breakdown in the last minute. At, least at this moment in
time, every indication we are getting is that the deal is still in place. The lists have been exchanged and that the hostages should be coming out
within the next 24 hours or so. But again, we just have to wait and see how this gets implemented, given just the many layers of complexities here.
CHATTERLEY: Yeah, and to your point as well, what our colleague Becky Anderson did manage to glean from that press conference was that the
spokesperson was not aware of any further demands being made by Hamas in that delay window. So just to reemphasize your point, it was about the
delicacy and the logistics of this rather than perhaps renegotiating on any further terms.
Oren, I want to come back to you and what is taking place in Gaza as well, because one of the questions that was asked is, what about Lebanon?
[10:40:03]
What about Yemen? Have they've been included in the truce terms? In case, we see activity from the Houthis, for example, or, of course, Hezbollah? We
have not expanded this agreement to other parties, he said. It's purely Hamas we are dealing with.
And it goes back to the point you are saying about disagreement including the full cessation, the stop of hostilities. The dangers of any breaches in
the communication lines and the monitoring that is going to be taking place by the Qataris to ensure that everything in that nine hour window between
the truce beginning and the hostage release remains calm. This is a critical point to make.
LIEBERMANN: It is. He said there were two points worth noting, I just, made agreement itself is specific to Israel and Hamas in the fighting.
Hezbollah and Lebanon, as you point, out is not party to this agreement. The Houthis in Yemen, Iran, not party to this agreement.
But he did circle back on this when asked, he said we are in touch with all the relevant parties to make sure that this does not expand the crisis
itself, the fighting doesn't expand. So, even the if they are not a party of the agreement, it seems that Qatar is well aware that there are other
parties acting not necessarily on behalf of the fighting in Gaza but in a way that is related. They are trying to make sure that a situation of the
hostilities in Gaza means association elsewhere.
Now, how committed are the other parties to that? How committed is Hezbollah? The Houthis? Iran? That remains to be seen. We will keep an eye
on it.
I did have a chance to speak to an IDF spokesperson about this and ask them, what is your assumption? They are acting as if fighting in the north
along the Lebanese border could continue, certainly on their part, it would be wise to prepare for that possibility and in a way to see how it happens.
Crucially, the fighting in Gaza is what the agreement itself focuses on. So, even if there is cross border activity in the north along the Lebanese
border, from everything we know right now, the agreement of the release of hostages should at least continue.
CHATTERLEY: Yes, the quote there, we aren't on the ground, we aren't there. And that's a handicap, but we aim to jump in and complete the
mediation work on those direct lines of communication.
Guys, thank you to you both for now. Oren Liebermann in Tel Aviv and MJ Lee in Washington.
More news after this short break. Stay with CNN.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CHATTERLEY: Between 2010 and 2021, it's estimated 117 million trees died across California due to drought, fire and an influx of pests fueled in
part by higher temperatures. Today on Call to Earth, we visit the state's Sierra Nevada where the race is on to save the most massive trees of the
world.
[10:45:01]
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
CHRISTY BRIGHAM, CHIEF OF RESOURCES MANAGEMENT, KINGS CANYON AND SEQUOIA NATIONAL PARK: When people see these trees they feel connected to them.
They are so big, they are so beautiful. And I think most people feel like they are immortal.
BILL WEIR, CNN CHIEF CLIMATE CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): They are one of the largest living organisms on Earth, giants that can live more than 3,000
years and they are under threat.
BRIGHAM: In 2015, that was the first fire that we had, we saw a significant number of large sequoias actually killed. Then the whole thing
kind of went off the rails with the 2020 Castle Fire. That single fire burned about 10 percent of all living large sequoias on Earth.
WEIR: By the end of the 2021 fire season, experts we spoke to said up to a fifth of population was lost.
BRIGHAM: And when the scientists and fire manager started talking to each other and park managers about this, a handful of people said, wow, it seems
like we need a call to action. And that's how the giant sequoia lands coalition was born.
WEIR: The coalition includes a range of members, from nonprofits, academic institutions, to state, federal and Native American tribal agencies.
ANTHONY AMBROSE, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, ANCIENT FOREST SOCIETY: We're trying to get a better understanding of how vulnerable these trees are to drought
and how fire and drought make them vulnerable.
WEIR: Sequoias require up to 4,000 liters of water a day. Understanding where they get their water during drought and fire is important.
WENDY BAXTER, PROGRAM MANAGER, ANCIENT FOREST SOCIETY: We climb up to study trees, over the course of the year, we do this multiple times. We
collect samples of their sap wood, where the water is getting transported out through the tree. We compare the isotopic signature in that sample to
the samples that we collect from soil and from the stream water and from precipitation to see where the trees are actually getting their water from.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The trees are absolutely mind-blowing.
I will start off at the top here. The diameter is 9.0.
WEIR: Through these measurements, they have also discovered previously unknown challenges facing sequoias. The group's efforts also include,
surprisingly, starting their own fires.
BRIGHAM: So giant sequoias have a complicated relationship with fire. Without fire, you don't get seedlings like this. But it has to be the right
kind of fire, which, in this system, is frequent mix severity fire. Fire that comes through every 7 to 30 years and it burns mainly on the ground,
and burns up the needles and the small branches. And then creates little openings like this that have a lot of sun.
WEIR: But the coalition says prescribed burning might not be enough. So they are also creating a genetic band of giant sequoia combs.
LINNEA HARDLUND, FOREST ECOLOGIST, SAVE THE REDWOODS LEAGUE: In the past there has never really been a need to replant because we have not had these
large contiguous patches of high severity wildfire within these growths. When you have really high severity patches like that, there are very few
remaining mature trees to disperse seeds.
WEIR: More than just a majestic sight to see, sequoias play a critical role in the forest ecosystem. With a little help from us, they just might
stand a fighting chance.
BAXTER: It really does put things into context. It gives you a different perspective on our lives here on this planet and what is important. I just
hope that these trees persist into the future.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
CHATTERLEY: Beautiful. Let us know what you are doing to answer the call with the #calltoearth.
We're back after this.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[10:50:33]
CHATTERLEY: Now, as we've been reporting, a truce between Israel and Hamas is set to begin in a matter of hours. And more than 150 Palestinians held
in Israeli jails are expected to be released, all part of an overall deal brokered by Qatar. Now, while they wait, their families are sending
messages through a Ramallah radio station, as Nima Elbagir takes us there.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MURAD ABU AL SABAA, RADIO ALYAL PRESENTER (translated): We will work to extend the program for in light of the difficult conditions of the
prisoners and after the cut of all communication with their families.
NIMA ELBAGIR, CNN CHIEF INTERNATIONAL INVESTIGATIVE CORRESPONDENT (voice- over): A lifeline, keeping some connection between families torn apart. Callers send in voice notes to radio presenter, Murad Abu Al Sabaa.
CALLER (translated): How are you, Auntie Hannadi. I love you. When are you going to be released from jail?
ELBAGIR: Radio Alyal has dedicated its airways for years to the families of the thousands of Palestinians desperately trying to reach out to their
loved ones held in Israeli prisons.
CALLER (translated): We miss you.
ELBAGIR: The young listener's aunt, a Palestinian activist, was arrested by Israeli authorities, along with thousands of other Palestinians after
Hamas's deadly October 7th attack. The station is trying to support the families, so desperately waiting for any news from inside Israel's prisons.
AL SABAA (through translator): We have three phone lines here to receive messages from families of prisoners. Because of the volume of the calls,
people were not getting through. So, we've started making promo announcements. If you can't get through, send us a voice memo over
WhatsApp.
ELBAGIR: In the horrifying aftermath of the Hamas attack, Israel not only carried out mass detentions of Palestinians, but is denying prisoners all
family contact. This is the only way their families can reach out. The sheer volume of messages, evidence of the realities of imprisonment here.
Israeli law allows Palestinian prisoners to be detained indefinitely, without trial or stated charge.
The families don't even know whether the prisoners get to hear their messages, but that doesn't stop them from sending them.
The Israel-Hamas hostage swap, exchanging 150 Israeli held Palestinian prisoners, women and teenagers, for 50 Hamas held hostages, means that for
now, there is some of hope for both Israeli and Palestinian families.
We are going to meet a Palestinian lady who, one of their loved ones is coming home. But is ever, in this context, and this situation, it's never
that simple. Families on both sides, even those who are awaiting the return of those who are loved are also dealing with the reality of those who won't
be coming home.
Iman al Barghouti's sister-in-law Hanan (ph) was arrested alongside her three sons. The sons remain in prison. Hanan is on the list to come home.
Iman said neither she nor Hanan is involved in the policies of this war, yet they suffer its consequences.
IMAN AL BARGHOUTI, WIFE OF PALESTINIAN POLITICAL PRISONER: Her sons, they get married, so they have kids. They are waiting to see their grandmother,
you know? She has a beautiful relation with them. She loves everybody.
ELBAGIR: In the midst of Iman's joy for Henan, she's beginning to hope that her husband, Nael Barghouti, the longest serving Palestinian political
prisoner, could also be released in a swap.
AL BARGHOUTI: It is a happy day for us. We know that this is really the start because that means that my husband will come. My husband Nael who is
in prison now since 44 years, when he was arrested, it was the first time in 1978.
ELBAGIR: The Barghouti family is revered by many Palestinians, deemed a threat by the state of Israel. Valuable enough to Hamas that they were
included in the 2011 Israel, Hamas deal, among 1,100 Palestinians for one Israeli soldier, Gilad Shalit, after Hamas held Shalit for five years.
Who else was swapped on that day? The man Israel says is the architect of the October 7th Hamas attack, Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar -- a fact that
haunts every move Israel makes, as it negotiates for the release of more Hamas-held hostages, as families on both sides wait and hope.
Nima Elbagir, Ramallah, the occupied West Bank.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
[10:55:00]
CHATTERLEY: Now, we're just getting word that the New York City's mayor has been formally accused of sexual assault. That's according to a court
document filed on Wednesday. The plaintiff states that Mayor Eric Adams assaulted her in 1993 where they both worked for the city. New York City
and the police department's transit bureau are among other defendants listed. The plaintiff is seeking at least $5 million.
In an email to CNN, the city hall spokesperson said Mayor Adams, quote, does not know who this person is.
Okay, that just about wraps up CONNECT THE WORLD. Stay with CNN though. NEWSROOM is up next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ANNOUNCER: This is CNN breaking news.
RICHARD QUEST, CNN ANCHOR: Have a very good day to you. I'm Richard Quest in New York with the latest breaking news from CNN.
And the much anticipated truce between Israel and Hamas is now set to begin on Friday at 7:00 a.m. Israel Standard Time. That is also the same time in
Gaza, which computes to midnight Eastern Time in the United States. The first hostages.
END
