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Connect the World
Nowhere Safe in Gaza; IDF Say Two Civilians Killed for Each Hamas Militant Killed; South Africa Critical of Israel's Actions in Gaza; World Trade Organization Curious Why Subsidies to Climate-Damaging Entities; Exclusive Access to Israeli Tank Corps; Air Pollution's Impact on Period Poverty; World's Largest Iceberg Near Antarctica. Aired 10-11a ET
Aired December 05, 2023 - 10:00:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[10:00:00]
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UNIDENTIFIED MALE (voice-over): Live, from CNN Abu Dhabi, this is CONNECT THE WORLD.
ELENI GIOKOS, CNN ANCHOR AND CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Hello, welcome to CONNECT THE WORLD. I am Eleni Giokos.
This hour, the U.N. warning yet again that there is no safe place left in Gaza, as Israel continues its campaign of airstrikes across the enclave.
Tens of thousands of people are searching for shelter in Gaza's southernmost tip.
Ukraine's president will make a last-minute plea in an attempt to get U.S. Senate Republicans to back an aid package that he says his country
desperately needs before the winter months.
And the first draft agreement of the COP28 climate summit includes calls for phasing out fossil fuels.
But will negotiators keep that ambitious language in the final text?
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There is no safe place for people to go in Gaza. That bleak assessment from the U.N. secretary general. Top U.N. Officials, describe, quote,
"apocalyptic" conditions in Gaza as they issue urgent pleas to Israel's military to spare civilian lives.
The IDF is now expanding operations across all of Gaza. New satellite imagery showing dozens of Israeli armed vehicles in the south. Israel is
moving ground troops there and launching new airstrikes.
The IDF is also targeting what it calls Hamas command and control centers. People fleeing to the south now face a new threat, a possibility of severe
thunderstorms as well as floods. Alex Marquardt is back with us this hour from Tel Aviv, along with Ben Wedeman, who is standing by in Jerusalem for
us.
Alex, I'd like to start with you. We spoke about these rocket intercepts over Tel Aviv. We saw the imagery as well. Give us an update about what we
are seeing on that front right now.
ALEX MARQUARDT, CNN CHIEF NATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: Well, things have calmed down quite a bit in Tel Aviv, Eleni. We have received reports
of at least one person being injured from falling shrapnel. Of course, remember when the Iron Dome takes down rockets that are fired from Gaza,
shrapnel falls to the ground.
And that can hurt people and that appears to be the case for at least one person. But it is rather rare to see an impact. Of course, when these
rockets are fired, they are often intercepted by the Iron Dome. Israelis and Tel Avivians have become accustomed to the sound of these sirens.
But when we saw that large plume of smoke just to the north of us in northern Tel Aviv, that really was quite remarkable. Oftentimes, the Iron
Dome will allow rockets to get through if they don't feel like -- if it does not determine that a rocket is going to harm civilians.
But in this case that impact site was quite close to a residential population.
GIOKOS: So Alex, one of the big issues and questions we have been asking with regard to how many Hamas terrorists, militants, have been killed over
the past couple of months, we don't really have a tangible number.
For the first time, an IDF spokesperson gave us a little bit of insight into that, saying the ratio is two civilians killed for every one militant.
What do we understand from the messaging right now, in terms of what the IDF believes, in terms of the number of Hamas members killed in Gaza?
MARQUARDT: Well, they appear to believe that, if it is the case that two Palestinian civilians are killed for every Hamas militant, that that is a
good ratio.
In fact, IDF spokesperson Jonathan Conricus said it would be tremendously positive.
Now Israel has not come out and said specifically how many militants they believe they have killed. They say it is in the thousands. And Conricus was
on CNN, responding to a report in the AFP, that cited an Israeli official saying 5,000 militants had been killed.
He said that he can confirm that report and also went on to say that, if it were the case that two civilians were killed for every one militant, that
will be tremendously positive.
The reason that was so stunning is because that would mean that they would acknowledge that 10,000 civilians had been killed and essentially that was
an acceptable amount.
[10:05:00]
Now Conricus said the reason that's tremendously positive is because this is a dense urban area, where he says Hamas is hiding behind civilians,
indicating the ratio could be expected to be much higher.
But it was an unusually blunt assessment using, frankly, questionable language. At the same time, they clearly believe that the ratio, given the
situation, that the ratio could be significantly higher.
And it must be said, the Palestinians do believe the ratio is significantly higher, that there are more innocent Palestinians killed for every single
Hamas militant.
GIOKOS: A lot of questions, absolutely. Not only that but even aid organizations, the numbers we have been seeing, at least 70 percent are
women and children in terms of the over 15,000 death toll we are seeing right now.
Ben Wedeman, standing by for us as well.
Alex Marquardt, I appreciate your time and insight.
Ben, you are standing by. When we spoke to you last hour, you were stuck in the rain. Frankly, I can see it cleared up a bit. But you are giving me a
sense of what is to come, the change in weather and how that is going to exacerbate the situation on the ground in Gaza. Give me a sense of what you
are hearing from aid organizations.
BEN WEDEMAN, CNN SR. INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, they have been ringing the alarm bells now for the past 48-72 hours.
Concerned the Israeli are focusing their military strength on the southern part of the Gaza Strip, an area where people have been advised, just a few
weeks ago, to go south to avoid being harmed by Israeli military operations.
It appears that is exactly what is going on. We just got video of a house where displaced people were staying, about 50 people. That house was
directly hit in an Israeli airstrike this afternoon. And there were dozens of fatalities as a result.
In addition to that, the humanitarian situation is nothing short of catastrophic. You have tens of thousands of people, basically living out in
the open in weather like this. It is getting to the winter. It is part of the eastern Mediterranean. Winters are cold and wet. Today is a very good
example of that.
On top of that, not much aid is actually entering Gaza from Egypt. Our understanding is, so far today, only 20 trucks have entered Gaza with food
and medical supplies.
That is about a tenth of the number that were coming in during the seven- day truce, which means, increasingly, starvation is a defense possibility. People simply have to do what they can to get something to eat.
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WEDEMAN (voice-over): Desperate times call for desperate measures. And in Gaza, if that means looting the local bakery, destroyed overnight by an
Israeli airstrike, so be it.
"Look at the people," says Ikram Arayi (ph). "They're doing this out of hunger. It was the Barakah Bakery."
Barakah is Arabic for blessing. But now Gaza is under the curse of war. It was the last functioning bakery in Deir el-Balah. People's basic needs.
Striking it is a kind of terrorism.
Once the sun came up Monday, people of all ages descended upon the bakery, taking away bags of flour, cooking oil, scraps of wood to use for cooking
and heating and just about anything else they could carry away. This man describes it in one word: chaos.
The World Food Programme's Abeer Etefa warns the people of Gaza are reaching the breaking point.
ABEER ETEFA, WORLD FOOD PROGRAMME: When you have civil order breaking down completely because people are becoming desperate, hopeless, hungry, by the
moment, this is, of course, bound to happen.
WEDEMAN (voice-over): And with Israeli ground forces now operating in southern Gaza, the hundreds of thousands who fled the north in search of
safety are now, even more than before, in the line of fire. Gaza, after almost two months of war, has come to this -- Ben Wedeman, CNN, Jerusalem.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WEDEMAN: And the Israeli military this evening have announced they have now entered the heart of the city of Khan Yunis, where they allege that
there are Hamas command and control centers, leaders hiding out there.
[10:10:00]
There are also tens of thousands, perhaps hundreds of thousands of people in Khan Yunis as well. And the U.N. says as a result of the fighting that
no food or aid is reaching Khan Yunis under these conditions.
GIOKOS: All right, Ben Wedeman for us, thank you.
The head of the Red Cross says the amount of human suffering in Gaza is intolerable. She is appealing for civilian life to be protected on all
sides as the Israel-Hamas war rages on.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MIRJANA SPOLJARIC EGGER, PRESIDENT, INTERNATIONAL COMMITTEE OF THE RED CROSS: I was told today that the north has lost its entire surgical
capacity. We have to find solutions to this.
We can't turn away from what is evidently a moral failure in the face of the international community. I am calling on all parties, on everyone who
has an influence, to de-escalate and to find other military solutions to what is an immense suffering of the people on both sides.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GIOKOS: Meanwhile, a U.N. official warns that a, quote, "more hellish scenario" is about to unfold. If more aid is not allowed to enter Gaza,
Israel say they cleared 180 international humanitarian aid trucks and two fuel tankers for entering into Gaza on Monday.
However, the U.N. says that it only counted 100 trucks, which it called insufficient to meet the needs of civilians trapped there amid the war.
CNN's Larry Madowo is with us, he joins us from Cairo.
Following all of these developments, keeping a very close watch on the trucks entering Gaza, we know this is just a drop in the ocean. It is not
nearly enough to deal with the needs on the ground, Larry.
What is the holdup?
I spent some time in Cairo. I know the Egyptians say they want to send more but it really is in the hands of Israel.
LARRY MADOWO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: To understand the problem here, Eleni, today we are reporting 20 more trucks got through the Rafah crossing into
the Gaza Strip. Now that is a drop in the ocean, that is nothing.
Yesterday, the Israelis say they allowed 180 trucks through into the Gaza Strip. But the Palestinian Red Crescent Society said they only received 75.
That is even lower than what the U.N. humanitarian operation said, 100 trucks.
Whatever the number, 75, 100, 180, it is still a tiny drop in the ocean, considering the needs of almost 80 percent of a population that is
displaced. A lot of them are now moving south where they are living in the street, any open space that's available because the south, where they were
told to evacuate to, is no longer safe for them.
The U.N. office of (INAUDIBLE) coordination of humanitarian affairs says, the conditions for the delivery of aid do not exist and whenever aid is
coming in, it's not sufficient. On top of that, just the Rafah crossing alone is not enough to meet the needs of people across the Gaza Strip.
People have died (INAUDIBLE) everywhere. Nowhere is safe. They've lost everything. They need everything, not just food, water, medicine, shelter,
just about everything. So many people left with just their clothes and their families. So that is the backdrop for what we hear from this U.N.
relief agency official in Gaza.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TOM WHITE, DIRECTOR, UNRWA AFFAIRS IN GAZA: If you look at Rafah, it used to have a population of 280,000 people. We know that there are over 700,000
people in the city now and more people are coming.
So in Rafah, we were struggling to provide two liters of drinking water per person every day. That issue will just be compounded beyond the issues of
providing that basic sanitation.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MADOWO: And the center of this war now appears to be in southern Gaza, where people are crowding, as you heard there. The U.N. humanitarian
coordinator said you can't run relief operation on a drip feed of fuel.
Such a small amount of fuel is coming in, it's not enough to run the hospitals, the water treatment plants, the food distribution centers and to
give people a bit more, to just have the lights on.
So that is the background for these dire warnings, to hear from the World Health Organization, the Palestinian Red Crescent, from every other aid
agency operating in the Gaza Strip about the conditions becoming apocalyptic, about the situation becoming so appalling, that there have
been no words to describe it, Eleni.
GIOKOS: Larry Madowo, great to have you in Cairo, thank you.
And disease could be even deadlier than airstrikes. The World Health Organization saying there is growing concern about how the Israel-Hamas
conflict could raise the risk of disease in the territory.
The WHO points to the anti (ph) health impacts of conflict rather than the direct effect of bombs. It is warning that the intense ground operations in
southern Gaza would cut thousands off from health care.
Many foreign nationals continue to be evacuated from Gaza as the airstrikes intensify.
[10:15:00]
Over the weekend, more than 850 dual nationals crossed the border from Gaza into Egypt. Included in that list were South Africans, who, according to
conversations I have heard with officials, struggled to secure the release of.
Officials, of course, following the outbreak of the Israel-Hamas war in October, South Africa's government decided to withdraw all of its diplomats
from Tel Aviv for what it calls consultation. Since then, Pretoria has been extremely critical of Israel's actions.
Naledi Pandor is the South African minister of international relations and cooperation. She joins me now live from Pretoria.
It is great to have you with us, thank you very much for your time. Very good news, that you got the 19 South Africans now evacuated into Egypt. We
just mentioned you suspended your relations with Tel Aviv, with Israel.
We've also seen Israel recall its ambassador from Pretoria.
Was it difficult to secure the evacuation of South African nationals, because of your relations with Israel right now?
NALEDI PANDOR, MINISTER OF INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS AND COOPERATION OF SOUTH AFRICA: Well, good day and thank you for this opportunity. We are very,
very pleased that our citizens are back in South Africa.
And I must thank the government of Egypt for the assistance that they gave us. The 19 citizens were at the Rafah crossing for some time. And it seems
the process involves fairly long queues of many nationalities.
And the South African citizens told us that, when they were moving toward the front of the queue, they would not get the permission, attention or
access to the crossing. Eventually, it proved impossible to hold them back and they got through. And we are very thrilled. They arrived home today.
GIOKOS: How would you describe, Minister, your relationship with Israel right now?
Are there conversations that are being had at this point?
PANDOR: No, we are not having any conversations with the government of Israel. I think it would be extremely difficult for them to talk to us, as
South Africa. You know, our position always has been in support of the just cause for freedom and self determination of the people of Palestine.
We have always articulated the view and continue to do so. We believe in a two state solution, Israel and Palestine living side by side in peace and
prosperity.
But the regular onslaught on the people of Palestine, the arrests, the discriminatory laws, the lack of justice, all of that has really led to a
cooling of relations between our two governments. It is difficult to relate to a government that continues the level of suppression and oppression that
the Palestinian people experience daily.
GIOKOS: I think something South Africa can relate to in the way you are describing things and I referred to what the U.N. special rapporteur had
reported in 2022, calling Israel an apartheid state.
It is important to speak to South Africans who have experienced apartheid, so that can draw parallels to what oppression looks like.
What are you looking at in terms of what is happening in Israel right now, to draw parallels to what Black South Africans experienced during the
apartheid area?
PANDOR: Well, Eleni, I think it is important for me to say, what we are seeing on the television screens and hearing and reading of, is, to a great
degree, far worse than what we experienced under apartheid.
It is really horrific that the world is watching while essentially a slaughter is underway. This is extremely shocking. We've benefited as South
Africans from international solidarity.
And the world, at the persuasion of our leaders, did not hesitate to support our struggle for freedom. Yet, here we are in the 21st century and,
as the nations of the world, we appear totally paralyzed and unable to respond to the terrible plight of the people of Palestine.
Not even a peace securing force has been provided to assist them. The U.N. body has proven to not have the capability that one would anticipate they
should have, given their responsibility for peace and security.
[10:20:00]
You know matters such as being detained for administrative justice, these are very familiar to South Africans that (INAUDIBLE) the freedom struggle.
You would often be arrested and not face trial for many, many months.
This is the experience of Palestinians. You would recall from various accounts in the past, that, when the announcement of the freeing of then
president Mr. Mandela was made in the apartheid assembly at the time, we had over 70,000 children in apartheid detention.
So the similarities, which have been reported by non governmental organizations that have great respect worldwide, are certainly confirmed by
the reality of the people of Palestine.
GIOKOS: Look, I am glad you mentioned Nelson Mandela. Frankly, when he was released from prison, as you well know, when he was trying to rally support
globally, one of the big criticisms was he was pro Palestinian cause.
And of course, a friend of Yasser Arafat and there was major criticism toward Nelson Mandela over that time. He also tried to get involved in
peace negotiations, which, of course, did not come to fruition in terms of anything that was sort of tangible.
What do you believe should be happening right now?
One of the things that moved the needle was sanctions against South Africans, that put enormous pressure on apartheid.
Do you believe the Arab world should be looking at sanctions, that global leaders should look at sanctions, even though there's clearly a big camp
that supports Israel's right to self defense?
PANDOR: Well, I am sure if I were a Palestinian citizen, suffering under this terrible tragedy, I would hope that my neighbors, my brothers and
sisters in the region, would certainly take serious action in order to provide support for me to be protected.
We would hope that that would happen. You would know, with the front line states, that even though they suffered bombings, murders by the apartheid
state, they always stood with the just cause of the people of South Africa.
We would hope that the neighborhood of the people of Palestine would have a similar sentiment. We also believe the international community should be
playing a far stronger role.
When you give license by saying Israel has the right to defend itself and that defense essentially is the murder of innocent civilians, you then
wonder what exactly is meant by this right of defense, particularly a matter we often don't refer to in the context of occupation because the
people of Palestine are occupied.
How do they react to that injustice?
GIOKOS: Yes. It is a complicated topic. Simply put, what we saw on October 7th, it was a massacre. It was absolutely horrific. And that cannot be
ignored or undermined in any way. In the context of everything you are saying, very quickly, I want to touch on this.
South Africa has taken a clear stance of not condemning Russia's war in Ukraine yet you have condemned Israel's actions in Gaza right now. There
are a lot of questions about where you stand but also two major foreign policy decisions that could perhaps dilute your relationship with the West.
Which is, both decisions, clear opposition to what we have seen globally, what is your response to that?
Are you worried about the stance South Africa is taking?
PANDOR: Well, South Africa has never said that Russia's invasion of Ukraine is something we support. The position we have taken, is that, we,
as a country, along with other African countries, wish to engage in a process of drawing the two parties together, Ukraine and Russia, in order
to settle this peacefully and end this terrible war.
So we never said we support Russia. With respect to the people of Palestine, as freedom loving people all over the world, whenever another
person faces injustice, surely, we should stand up and stand with them so that they achieve justice and freedom and enjoy the freedom all of us love
so dearly.
Countries that may believe we don't support their particular positions are mainly countries that have had very progressive human rights law.
[10:25:00]
They have modern constitutions and believe very sincerely in freedom and justice. This is what we seek to articulate, on behalf and in support of
the people of Palestine. And we will stand by that, because they are an oppressed, occupied people.
GIOKOS: Minister Naledi Pandor, great to have you on, thank you so much for joining us today.
All right, we are going to a short break, stay with CNN.
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GIOKOS: The first draft of the COP28 agreement is out and there is some strong wording, calling for the phasing out of fossil fuels.
The first draft of COP agreements often includes ambitious language which is then watered down in the final agreement. This year's first draft
includes an option for parties to phase out fossil fuels in an orderly way, as well as an option to rapidly reduce phasing out fossil fuels.
It was always going to be the most contentious point at this year's COP and a key reason for that is financial. I sat down with the World Trade
Organization's director general, Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, to talk about the nation's financial incentives and deterrence for going green, take a
listen.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
NGOZI OKONJO-IWEALA, DIRECTOR-GENERAL, WORLD TRADE ORGANIZATION: We have so many cities that are distorted in agriculture. We have fossil fuel
subsidies, $1.2 trillion, according to our estimates.
We see the estimates of direct agricultural subsidies, $630 billion. Much of it is distorted. We have fishery subsidies that the WTO has just worked
on to phase out to an agreement $22 billion.
Why are we supporting these subsidies, that aren't helpful to the environment and that are damaging to climate?
Why can't we repurpose them and use that for climate finance?
Here we are, begging for millions here, a little bit, some pieces here. We get to $100 billion donations into the loss and damage, where we are all
excited. We've gotten $600 million so far, great.
But we have $1.2 trillion in fossil fuel subsidies. A lot of it in developed countries. Many of our members complain about subsidies in each
other's countries. There are those who complain about industrial subsidies in China. China complains about agricultural subsidies in Western
countries.
So the point I am trying to make is, let's stop complaining. Let's take action. We need this money. It can really help with climate finance.
GIOKOS: How would you describe the current global trade scenarios playing out right now, given the fact that you have got China and the U.S. still at
loggerheads?
And there's still a lot of trade tension I would say, globally?
OKONJO-IWEALA: Eleni, you are absolutely right. There is a lot of trade tension, geopolitical tension. Let's not kid around about it.
[10:30:00]
In spite of the tensions, the value of trade in the world today is as high as it has ever been at $31 trillion.
But what are the problems?
First, trade is slowing down, the volume of trade. We have had to revise our forecast this year, just as GDP growth is slowing down and the INF
revised all cuts, we have revised trade forecasts down from 1.7 percent to 0.8 percent, in terms of growth rate.
So we are a bit worried, because trade growth drives global growth and vice versa. We also see some worrying signs of fragmentation. You know, because
of what happened to supply chains during the pandemic, many countries got worried and said, well, you know, this didn't work so well.
So let's bring everything home and produce as much as we can at home. Or let's produce with our friends. That is where we know there will be no
interruptions with the supply chains.
But we are saying wait a minute, we need to diagnose the problem properly. It is not trade that was the problem, it is the concentration of
production. Let's try to diversify the supply chains to many developing countries that have the right environment.
And guess what?
In the area of climate change decarbonization, Africa right now stands to take advantage of an opportunity.
GIOKOS: So let's go from what you just said and the potential to it actually happening, right?
We need money, we need bankable projects and we need derisking. I'm only relaying what I have been hearing. Africa has received tiny amounts of the
money that has been --
(CROSSTALK)
OKONJO-IWEALA: -- about 2 percent --
GIOKOS: -- it's nothing.
OKONJO-IWEALA: -- of investments.
GIOKOS: But the argument is there are not enough backable projects. Africa has agreed critical resources and minerals to be able to pull this off. We
still need to see industrialization on certain funds and processing.
So what is the gap between the great idea you are talking about versus it actually happening, what is the gap?
OKONJO-IWEALA: The gap is one risk perception. There is risk but there's also the perception.
GIOKOS: What you and I have been talking about --
OKONJO-IWEALA: We've been talking about --
(CROSSTALK)
GIOKOS: -- over a decade.
OKONJO-IWEALA: I know. But we have to keep talking about it, Eleni. I think the perception is about the real risk.
With that being said, we need these de-risking instruments. This is where the restructuring or reform of the multilateral development banks, that
everyone -- international, financial architecture -- that we are all talking about who are coming.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
GIOKOS: And later this hour --
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We do not have access to sanitary projects and even panties for young girls because they are expensive.
GIOKOS (voice-over): Periods are already unmanageable for millions around the world. Now new research suggests air pollution could make them even
worse. CNN travels to Nairobi to show you why that matters.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
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(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[10:35:00]
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GIOKOS: Welcome back to CONNECT THE WORLD. I am Eleni Giokos.
Hamas is taking responsibility for a barrage of rockets fired today, aimed at Tel Aviv. Our team on the ground says most of the rockets were
intercepted by Israel's Iron Dome. But one struck near a power station. That, Israel says, intensifies its defense against Hamas in northern Gaza
and armored vehicles fanned out in the south wing.
Gaza residents were allegedly told to go for safety. To add insult to injury, a winter storm is bringing rain to the area, making the chaotic
situation for nearly 2 million displaced Gazans even worse.
Aid groups objected when Israel warned civilians to leave neighborhoods in southern Gaza, which could be in the line of fire. The U.N. chief says
there is, quote, "nowhere safe to go."
But the IDF insists that they are doing their best to protect civilians. Our Jeremy Diamond gained exclusive access to the Israeli tank corps to
learn more about their methods on the battlefield, take a look.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JEREMY DIAMOND, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): As Israel expands its ground offensive into southern Gaza -
BRIG. GEN. HISHAM IBRAHIM, ISRAEL DEFENSE FORCES (through translator): I think it's no more question if the tank is relevant or not relevant for
this war.
DIAMOND: Brigadier General Hisham Ibrahim, the head of Israel's Armored Corps, says tanks will once again be central to Israel's urban warfare
strategy.
IBRAHIM (through translator): Our tanks are everywhere in the urban area. When you attack, you have in the beginning the tanks firing and attack
first and then just the infantry come and be close with the tank.
DIAMOND: Israeli tanks were at the tip of Israel's offensive into northern Gaza in late October, clearing the way for infantry troops to move into
dangerous and densely populated cities. Ibrahim says this kind of coordination is a lesson learned from Russia and Russian failures in
Ukraine.
IBRAHIM: We saw that where the Russians fought only with tanks alone, they were more vulnerable. This combination of combined power overcomes almost
every problem on the battlefield.
DIAMOND: Israeli tanks are pushing through, not around, residential buildings, reducing entire neighborhoods to rubble to minimize the risk to
Israeli troops. But that also means that you have to destroy a lot of residential buildings.
IBRAHIM: That's exactly what we do. We're firing for the buildings. We destroyed but we make sure that this building is empty from citizens. And
we just destroyed what we had to destroy.
DIAMOND: And we've seen a lot of civilians die in Gaza.
IBRAHIM: Yes but we make sure before that we attack Gaza that the citizens go south, you know, this is wrong.
DIAMOND: Israeli tanks have also become a top target.
IBRAHIM: They have RPG and they want to destroy the tanks because for them, this is the win picture.
DIAMOND: In a series of propaganda videos, Hamas fighters are seen ambushing Israeli tanks. But General Ibrahim says these fiery explosions
often show the tanks' anti-missile systems in action.
IBRAHIM: Zero. Zero. We have tanks that we expect to us some, maybe a few days to fix them and they go back to the battlefield. But destroyed?
Zero. Zero.
DIAMOND: His troops, though, are paying a heavy price.
EITAN, ISRAELI MILITARY RESERVIST: The first RPG that was fired hit the tank, penetrated it and I got hit by the shrapnel.
DIAMOND: During a visit to wounded soldiers, General Ibrahim says his corps has suffered more casualties per capita than any other.
[10:40:00]
IBRAHIM: This is because we are on the front line. The tank corps is the corps that is winning this war. This is our war.
DIAMOND: Jeremy Diamond, CNN, near the Israeli-Gaza border.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
GIOKOS: (OFF MIKE COMMENTS).
For more on Israel's military goals in this next phase of its war with Hamas, I am now joined by Colin Clarke, the director of research at The
Soufan Group, a global intelligence agency and consulting company.
Great to see you, sir. Thank you so much for your time. I want to start off with what we have been seeing that has changed with regards to what the IDF
was doing initially and really focus on the north, moving everyone south; now a ground incursion into the south.
We have been saying, what international aid agencies have been repeating, there's nowhere safe in Gaza right now.
What do you make of this latest military strategy?
COLIN CLARKE, DIRECTOR OF RESEARCH, THE SOUFAN GROUP: Yes, I do not know how much of a strategy it is, pushing people south and then attacking that
same area. The problem with Gaza is that there is nowhere to go.
You now have 70 percent of a population of 2.2 million in an area where the Israelis are actively attacking. The potential for civilian casualties and
collateral damage is enormous.
And we are moving into a phase of urban counterinsurgency, where you have got house to house fighting, close quarter combat and you have the Israelis
kind of going all out, looking for Hamas high value targets. So we are in for a pretty bloody couple of weeks ahead of us here.
GIOKOS: You know, it is interesting, because the IDF would say they are being very targeted. They are sending information out, where people are
being told exactly where it is dangerous and where to move to.
Frankly, we heard this even when they were targeting the north. We saw strikes in the south, where people listening to the IDF had moved but still
they were part of strikes.
Do you think the Israelis are not getting it right in terms of the actual direct targeting, that they are saying they are doing but a very different
scenario is playing out on the ground?
CLARKE: Look, this is war, not a video game. The Israelis can say they are being precise but the evidence on the ground suggests otherwise, given the
sheer number of civilians who have been killed in this.
Even the most elite militaries of the world, of which I would consider Israel one, is unable to completely minimize or mitigate civilian
casualties in an urban setting like Gaza. It is just so densely packed, even the most minor error is going to lead to civilian deaths.
So I think we are very much minimizing civilian casualties, in a scorched earth approach, to hunting down Hamas, they are objectives that work across
purposes. That is what we are seeing here.
GIOKOS: I mean, look. It is the tunnel networks, it is complicated. We have been hearing of complexities and, of course, people have nowhere to
go. That is the reality. That is what makes this very different to what we have seen before.
Israel is starting to get a lot of pressure from the U.S. in terms of minimizing civilian deaths.
Do you think that is a struggle at this stage?
CLARKE: I mean, if it was, the Israelis would've done it already, I think. The messages I see from the United States, from the administration, from
Vice President Harris, from Secretary of Defense Austin, from Secretary of State Blinken, is really one of that the Israelis are working on a clock
and that clock is ticking.
I think the administration wants this operation wrapped up before the new year but the Israelis are pushing back at that, saying they have their own
timetable. What I have not heard yet is a plan for what happens once the fighting stops.
So when will this end is the first question. The second is how will this end. Unless there are resources dedicated to thinking through the political
part of this, the negotiated settlement, I think it is shortsighted on the Israeli side.
GIOKOS: Colin Clarke, great to have you on the show, thank you so much.
We are going to a very short break, we will be back right after this, stay with CNN.
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[10:45:00]
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GIOKOS: As policymakers hash out agreements at COP28, we wanted to take a look at the real world impact of environmental degradation.
But here's the deal. As is the case with most things, it is not impacting everyone equally. Women are often affected more. Yet just over 10 percent
of the world leaders scheduled to be at the conference are female.
For CNN's "As Equals" climate and gender series, we explored how air pollution, partly from burning the same fossil fuels that are heating up
the planet could be causing problems for a part of women's lives that is often not talked about in public: their periods.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DAMARIS ATIENO, HURU BENEFICIARY: There wasn't enough sanitary, pads we just used what I got. If it was tissue, I would take, it or a piece of
cloth, I would just use it. But I could not find sanitary pads that regularly.
MADOWO (voice-over): Damaris Atieno lives in Mukuru, one of Nairobi's poorest slums, an already difficult life made worse by her first period.
ATIENO: I spoke with my mom but then I realized that I was making her feel so bad for me. And they sent me to (INAUDIBLE) myself.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (from captions): How many don't have panties?
MADOWO (voice-over): This is what period poverty looks like. Damaris is a beneficiary of Huru International, a nonprofit aimed at alleviating the
issue.
WANJIRU KEPHA, KENYA COUNTRY DIRECTOR, HURU INTERNATIONAL: (INAUDIBLE) miss school because they lack sanitary pads. Many girls chose to stay away
from school during their periods to avoid what we call period shame.
Another factor that contributes to school absence is enduring especially is the period pain. Many, many people, women and girls, they suffer from
(INAUDIBLE) and disorders and sometimes they are sometimes not aware there is medical help for that.
MADOWO (voice-over): Wanjiru says can force girls into dangerous and desperate situations, sometimes having to exchange sex for pads.
KEPHA: This is putting their lives at risk, they're putting their health at risk. They are risking getting into childhood pregnancies. And this
means it is really going to affect their entire livelihood.
MADOWO (voice-over): While periods are already unmanageable for so many, new research suggests poor air quality could be making them even worse.
Studies have linked air pollution to endometriosis, a condition that causes heavy and extremely painful periods.
And one study from Taiwan found that women exposed to high levels of pollution were up to 33 times more likely to experience period pain. The
authors of the study told CNN this should be a major concern, considering Taiwan has lower levels of pollution than many developing countries.
That includes Kenya.
MADOWO: This is the Dandora dump site where most of Nairobi's garbage ends up. And you have everything here, vegetables, discarded keyboards, beer
bottles, plastic, everything you can think of that a big city produces.
The stench here is overwhelming and yet it is right next to some of the city's most densely populated neighborhoods.
MADOWO (voice-over): Fires burn regularly, releasing poisonous fumes into the atmosphere. Children treat it as a playground.
[10:50:00]
Even though the levels of air pollution here regularly reach several times higher than what the World Health Organization classifies as safe.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The dump site has so many other things that people inhale and don't really know what is affecting them.
MADOWO (voice-over): Emmie Erondanga grew up in Korogocho, an informal settlement across the river from Dandora.
MADOWO: How is period poverty holding back a generation of girls that grow up in this impoverished community?
EMMIE ERONDANGA, CHIEF EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, MISS KOCH KENYA: It is a challenge, because we do not have access to sanitary products and even
panties for young girls because they're expensive. Whatever they're using is not something that will last them for a day.
And maybe you have heavy periods because of the fumes that you are inhaling and difference in menses. Sometimes you have cramps.
MADOWO (voice-over): Alice Shikuku moved to Korogocho four years ago. The small amount of money she makes washing clothes is almost never enough to
buy pads for her 14-year-old daughter.
ALICE SHIKUKU, KOROGOCHO RESIDENT (from captions): She cannot go to school because their uniforms are transparent. She has heavy menses. During her
periods, it stains her clothes.
MADOWO (voice-over): The issues facing these women burst into public view earlier this year.
GLORIA ORWOBA, KENYAN SENATOR: I am shocked that someone can stand here and say that this house has been disgraced because a woman had had her
period.
Kenyan senator Gloria Orwoba was asked to leave parliament because of a period stain on her trousers. In the fallout, she's become a champion for
ending period poverty in Kenya.
This isn't just about our girls or women, it is about humanity. This is not a one-time event. It is not about buying pads for a certain community. It
is about changing the mindsets of Kenyans.
MADOWO (voice-over): She's calling on more research on the link between air pollution and the menstrual cycle.
ORWOBA: One of the reasons I think research should be done is so that we can be able to direct our measures to the most dire communities.
What we are seeing with the climate change and the impacts with this community and the women is that, at one point, there won't be (INAUDIBLE)
for instance. But we can't say that if we don't have research.
And it will not only redefine what a menstrual cycle is, it will redefine the management of your menstrual cycle.
MADOWO (voice-over): Back in Korogocho, Alice has to choose between buying food or pads for her daughters every month. For millions like Alice across
the developing world, period poverty is a problem they can't afford to see get any worse.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
GIOKOS: Tough decisions for people there. That was Larry Madowo on that story.
If you want to read more about how pollution is impacting menstrual health, you can head to cnn.com. You will find how even limited amounts of poor air
quality is taking a toll on women. For our "As Equals" series, we take a deep dive into the intersection of gender as well as climate.
And we will be bringing you more stories like this one here on CONNECT THE WORLD for the rest of this week. We are back after the short break, stay
with us.
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GIOKOS: The largest iceberg in the world is on the move. And a British polar research ship crew captured new images of it. The giant frozen chunk
is about three times the size of New York City, floating in waters near Antarctica.
[10:55:00]
The iceberg broke free from an ice shelf in 1986 but only recently started to drift away. Currents will likely take it to a spot in the Southern Ocean
also known as Iceberg Alley, which is full of glacial masses.
Right, before we leave you tonight, I want to show you some incredible pictures from the world of sports. Take a look at this video out of Dubai.
America's Brian Grubb, a two-time wakeskating world champion has combined wakeskating as well as base jumping to make wakebasing. I told "WORLD
SPORT"s Amanda Davies last hour that I had to Google the sport.
But you don't need to know much about the rules to appreciate this incredible video. Take a look at that view.
That is it from CONNECT THE WORLD. Stay with CNN, I am Eleni Giokos in Abu Dhabi. "STATE OF THE RACE WITH KASIE HUNT is up next, take care.
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