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Israel-Hezbollah Ceasefire Deal in Effect in Lebanon, Many Israelis Skeptical; President-elect Picking Team to Fill Key Roles; Inside a Besieged Hospital in Northern Gaza; Trade War Could Sharply Increase Consumer Costs; Five-Year Anniversary of Abu Dhabi Special Olympics Games. Aired 10-11a ET
Aired November 27, 2024 - 10:00 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 with Becky Anderson.
BECKY ANDERSON, CNN HOST (voice-over): Well, it's 7 pm in the evening here. Welcome to the second hour of the show, 5 pm in Beirut and in Tel
Aviv, where we are some 13 hours into a 60 day cease-fire between Israel and Hezbollah.
A fragile truce in place; at the heart of it, of course, the displaced residents of both Israel and Lebanon and Gaza, of course.
What will this mean for the war there?
Ultimately, will this truce hold?
That is the big question right now.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON (voice-over): This is the Beirut skyline, far calmer than it was this time yesterday; much calmer, in fact, before the truce took effect.
Residents of the city's southern suburbs displaced by the fighting are making their way home through the devastation.
Lebanon's prime minister praised the deal but says there is a lot of work ahead.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
NAJIB MIKATI, LEBANESE PRIME MINISTER (through translator): It is a new day concluding one of the most difficult stages of suffering that the
Lebanese have experienced in their modern history.
Today begins the thousand mile road to reconstruct what was destroyed and to continue to strengthen the role of the legitimate institutions led by
the military, who we place great hopes in, to enforce authority over the country.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: Well, Lebanon's prime minister there, calling it a new day for his country. Well, not everyone is as hopeful. We kick off our coverage
with CNN's Jeremy Diamond, who is just across the border in northern Israel. Have a look at this.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JEREMY DIAMOND, CNN JERUSALEM CORRESPONDENT: The last time I was here, the Israeli military told me I had just three minutes to get in and out. That's
because the Lebanese border is right across those concrete barriers on that hillside.
Hezbollah sitting right across the border. But now we are just hours into this cease-fire between Israel and Hezbollah, which is intended to bring
calm and peace to this region. But the residents here in northern Israel, in this town of Chula (ph), are extremely distrustful of this cease-fire.
They don't believe that it is actually, truly making them safer.
That's because they fear that this threat of anti-tank missiles, which wrought the destruction on this house right here just several months ago,
they fear that that threat still very much exists, that Hezbollah will be able to come back, reinfiltrate southern Lebanon and ultimately pose a
threat to these communities once again.
The Israeli government insists that it will act unilaterally against Hezbollah, should Hezbollah violate that cease-fire. But we are just hours
into it. And, for now, this fragile peace has a lot of tests to endure.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ANDERSON: Well, let's get more from CNN's Nic Robertson, back with us from Jerusalem this hour, and welcoming Jennifer Hansler, who is at the State
Department.
And, Jen, let's start with you. And we heard Joe Biden announce this ceasefire yesterday. And they -- this was very much a brokered deal by the
U.S., including France.
What do we know about how this deal unfolded from the U.S. side?
JENNIFER HANSLER, CNN STATE DEPARTMENT PRODUCER: Well, Becky, this was just a lot of diplomatic work up until the very last second. We saw a
flurry of phone calls over the course of months between secretary of state Antony Blinken and key counterparts.
National security adviser Jake Sullivan; Amos Hochstein, who was one of the main negotiators from the U.S. side, was traveling to the region a number
of times to meet with Lebanese counterparts, to meet with the Israelis, to try to push this ball forward.
But this was really not a done deal until everything was signed and squared away yesterday, Becky. We learned that even on Friday, when the ICC put out
those arrest warrants for Netanyahu and former defense minister Yoav Gallant, that there were serious concerns that the deal could be shuttled
(sic) by that.
In fact, this involved a call from President Biden to President Macron to ensure that this could still be on track. Macron, we're told, then called
prime minister Netanyahu. Macron and then Biden then spoke again.
And then these top U.S. officials spoke with this Netanyahu confidant, Ron Dermer, later in the day, just to ensure that things were still on track.
And I think we saw this cautiousness reflected in what we were hearing from U.S. officials up until the very last moment. There was a great deal of
cautiousness in their tone.
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They were saying, nothing is agreed until everything is agreed, because they had gotten burned before throughout the course of these months of
negotiations, Becky. We saw at the end of September, officials came out pretty optimistically, saying they had something on the table.
And then in a matter of hours, the next day, we saw the Israelis really ratchet up their campaign there in Lebanon, taking out the head of
Hezbollah, Nasrallah. And that sort of set the course for this ongoing escalation that we saw up until, you know, hours ago when this cease-fire
took place -- Becky.
ANDERSON: Yes, up until minutes, seconds before this cease-fire was in place, Israel continuing to target southern Beirut and other areas,
targeting Hezbollah assets, they say. Let me bring in -- thank you, Jenny. Let me let me bring in Nic.
Benjamin Netanyahu listed three main reasons for a Lebanese ceasefire from the Israeli perspective.
One, focus on the Iranian threat, he said.
Two, give his forces a breather and to replenish stock supplies of military hardware.
And three, separate the fronts and isolate Hamas.
Can you just explain from the Israeli perspective what you are learning about these factors and how they played into this decision from Israel's
point of view?
NIC ROBERTSON, CNN SENIOR DIPLOMATIC EDITOR: Yes, absolutely. And I think I just want to reference what Jen was reporting there.
It's very interesting, the dynamic there in the buildup, because, of course, France had really fallen out with Israel over the weekend because
the French had indicated they would arrest the Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, if he landed in France.
And they would send him to the ICC, very swift response from the foreign minister here, saying that the French involvement in the cease-fire in
Lebanon was therefore in jeopardy.
In fact, Israel didn't want it because of the position the French were taking. And just hearing what Jen's hearing from the U.S. side.
And what we're hearing now reported in Israel and from Paris, is that the French, subsequent to now being involved in the deal again and being a part
of the process of making sure that this ceasefire holds and works and is supported inside Lebanon.
We've now learned that the French have taken a new position on whether or not they would arrest prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu on those ICC
warrants.
They've said that because he is the head of a state that isn't a signatory to the Rome statutes, to the ICC, in effect, therefore, he -- therefore,
that's a reason why he wouldn't be arrested.
And that's the way they interpret international laws, which is an interesting come-around for the French and I think shows you just how
complex, tight and nuanced the diplomacy to get here has been.
I want to get to your question but I don't want -- I don't want to take up too much time. But I think, you know, what we're seeing here is a pivot
away, which does give an opportunity, perhaps, to focus on Gaza.
And I think there is clearly some hope. And the-- you know the -- Hamas has said very clearly that they see what has happened with Lebanon. They see
the position that Hezbollah has taken. And they are ready to get into ceasefire negotiations.
But we're not seeing any statement from them, which indicates they're changing their position. And we haven't heard anything from the Israeli
government, indicating it's changing its position about the possibility of those talks and the possibility of a hostage release.
ANDERSON: Hamas has said, reportedly, that it is committed to cooperating with any efforts to achieve a ceasefire. At least that's being reported by
AFP. And we are following up with our sources -- or, in fact, I'm being told that Hamas has actually told that to CNN.
So it will be interesting to see where this where this lands, Nic. It's good to have you.
It's good to have you, Jenny.
The deal aims to ultimately end some of the hostilities that were sparked by the Hamas attack on Israel just last year. Now the U.S. says it wants to
build on the momentum to push for a deal in Gaza. Here's national security adviser Jake Sullivan, talking with CNN's John Berman just some hours ago.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JAKE SULLIVAN, U.S. NATIONAL SECURITY ADVISER: The United States, along with France and other countries, are committed to ensuring this deal is
implemented effectively and we're going to take steps until the time comes when we can all breathe easy and say, yes, this is actually in effect, it
is going to stick, it is going to work.
But day in, day out, we are going to make sure that we're doing everything to see to it that the terms of this agreement are enforced.
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JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: What did Israel achieve in the last few months of this conflict with Hezbollah?
And would they have achieved as much had they agreed to a ceasefire back when the White House was pushing so hard back in, what was it, September?
SULLIVAN: Well, first, what Israel has achieved is they've been able to very badly degrade Hezbollah. They have taken out all of that terrorist
infrastructure in Southern Lebanon.
They have taken out the leader of Hezbollah, Nasrallah, many other top deputies. They have taken out rocket and missile emplacements and therefore
Hezbollah is badly weakened. It's a shadow of its former self.
And, by the way, they were able to do all of that because of the skill and effectiveness of their soldiers but also because of the backing of the
United States.
At critical moments in this conflict, President Biden dispatched military assets and capabilities to the region.
An aircraft carrier, another aircraft carrier, fighter squadrons and even an advanced, sophisticated air defense battery, to ensure that Israel had
what it needed to be able to carry out effectively this campaign against the terrorist group Hezbollah.
And the September ceasefire call that you're referring to was actually something coordinated between the U.S. and Israel. Israel decided
ultimately it didn't want to do, that it wanted to go forward with a ground campaign to take out emplacements on the other side of the border.
The U.S.-backed that and we've arrived today where we are because of the steps Israel has taken but critically because of the steps the United
States has taken. And we've also achieved all of this without the United States being dragged into a war in the Middle East on Joe Biden's watch.
BERMAN: So the incoming national security adviser for the incoming Trump administration, Congressman Mike Waltz, who I know you've met with in the
last few days, he put out a tweet that said, quote, "Everyone is coming to the table because of President Trump.
"His resounding victory sent a clear message to the rest of the world that chaos won't be tolerated."
How responsible do you think the election is for the fact that this peace deal, the ceasefire, was reached?
SULLIVAN: This peace deal was reached because Israel achieved its military objectives, because the stakeholders in Lebanon decided they didn't want
war anymore.
And because of relentless American diplomacy led by President Biden, driven by our envoy, Amos Hochstein, coordinated in this building behind me by the
National Security Council. That's how this came to pass.
I have been grateful to work with Congressman Waltz in the last few days to keep him apprised of what we've been doing, to let him know as we've taken
these diplomatic steps.
I would just point out that, you know you've done a really good thing when other people take credit for it. We are very proud of what we have done and
we look forward to passing off a better situation to the incoming team.
BERMAN: President Biden said he is hopeful that the ceasefire with Hezbollah will lead to perhaps a way to find peace between Israel and Hamas
in Gaza. Besides hope, what is your reasonable expectation that that could happen in the next 50 days?
SULLIVAN: It's a very good question. Look, since the beginning of this conflict, Hezbollah linked its fight against Israel to the fight that Hamas
was having with Israel from Gaza.
And it said we won't stop until the war in Gaza ends. That link has now been broken, which means Hamas is isolated. Hamas is now under pressure.
And all eyes, not just from the U.S. and Israel but the rest of the world, are going to turn to Hamas.
And so there is now newfound opportunity and possibility to drive forward a ceasefire and hostage deal in Gaza. But I'm not going to stand here and
make any predictions that when or how that will come into effect.
All I can tell you is, as the president said yesterday, we are going to begin that work today to try to push for a ceasefire and hostage deal to
get those hostages home, to get relief to the innocent civilians of Gaza and to ensure an end to the war without Hamas in power.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ANDERSON: Well, the U.S. then taking credit for this Israel-Lebanon deal, a win perhaps, for the Biden administration's legacy on decisions made in
this region will not be a good one.
Jake Sullivan there speaking to the implications or consequences of this deal. For some improvement of the situation, a deal in Gaza and the release
of hostages, that remains to be seen. Let's do a deeper dive now on where we are at and where we are headed.
We're joined by a good friend of the show. Fawaz Gerges is professor of international relations at the London School of Economics. He also wrote
the book, "What Really Went Wrong: The West and the Failure of Democracy in the Middle East."
It's good to have you, Fawaz. I quote one of the books that you've written. You've written a number and they're all brilliant. I mean, you have a real
understanding of what is going on in this region.
So firstly, let's start with the Israel-Lebanon deal, just over 12 hours into this now. It's a 60 day temporary truce effectively.
What do you make of the parameters of the deal and what we're seeing on the ground to date?
FAWAZ GERGES, DIR. MIDDLE EAST CENTER, LONDON SCHOOL OF ECONOMICS: Well, I mean, I think we have to wait, Becky, to see when the dust settles on the
battlefield. It's still too early. The dust has not settled on the Bahia (ph) and Beirut that has been shattered beyond any recognition.
In terms of the Bekaa Valley, dozens of Lebanese towns and villages have been destroyed. You still have 1.4 million Lebanese are displaced. And they
are rushing to their own villages and their own towns.
Even though it's very fragile, as you have repeated in the past, you know, few minutes, I am a -- I'm a bit cautiously optimistic and a bit hopeful.
And the reason why I'm a bit optimistic and I -- this is -- it's not my usual self, as you know, because the warring antagonists have a vested
interest in really making sure that the deal is finalized for their own calculations and their own considerations.
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You have Israel, you have Hezbollah and you have Iran. And I think all sides seem to want to agree to abide by the terms of the agreements.
ANDERSON: Yes.
Well, let me just list for our viewers' purposes what Netanyahu suggested are the three reasons for this ceasefire deal. Let's go back to those.
One, turning the focus on Iran.
Two, letting forces recuperate and allowing the supply of weapons or the resupply of weapons.
And three, the isolation of Hamas. And I want to get to that momentarily.
What do you believe was the strategic calculus with regard to Hezbollah and indeed the wider Lebanese narrative at this point?
What does it mean for Hezbollah and what does this mean for wider Lebanese society?
GERGES: Well, before I do that, Becky, Netanyahu is all about Netanyahu. What he did not really mention is that the Israeli army is very much
exhausted. It has been fighting for 13 months.
What he has not really mentioned is that the overarching goal of Benjamin Netanyahu to return the 60,000 or so displaced Israelis to their homes on
the Lebanese-Israeli front could not be done as long as the war continued.
Hezbollah is down but is not out. Hezbollah is not defeated. It has been weakened tremendously but Hezbollah has shown that it has been able to
reconstitute itself under fire in the past few weeks.
Hezbollah has been able, even though it has suffered major blows, the killing of its top leaders, the destruction of its social base of support,
its missiles and infrastructure. But it has been able to target the heart of Israel for the past two months, including Haifa and Tel Aviv.
And secondly, what we need to understand is that Iran wants an end to this particular war because Iran is very much concerned about the coming
administration.
It does not really want to fall into the trap of Netanyahu, who keeps saying that Iran, Iran and Iran, because Iranian leaders are anxious about
the hardliners within the Trump administration who are viscerally anti- Iran.
But for Hezbollah, it has two major objectives: basically, Lebanese sovereignty and the pulling out of Israeli troops from Lebanon. These are
the two option -- scenarios, interests that its new leader, Naim Qassem, has made very clear.
But at the end of the day, what we need to understand -- and a minute ago, Becky, you listened to Jake Sullivan celebrating the ceasefire and taking
credit for that.
He did not really mention that America's support for Israel has led to the death of 3,800 Lebanese in the past few months, 15,000 Lebanese have been
injured; 200 children have been killed.
And what's happening in Gaza, the colossal failure of the Biden administration to convince and use leverage with Netanyahu to end the war
in Gaza, that is a, I mean, humanitarian catastrophe, as you know.
ANDERSON: Right. Faraz, let me just pick up on the impact that that this war has had on Lebanese society before we talk about Gaza and Hamas,
because a World Bank report in the past couple of weeks -- so this is now out of date to a certain extent -- but had already put the costs at
something like $5 billion on the Lebanese economy.
A reduction by some further 6 percent of GDP as a result of the conflict, which has already had a significant hit over the years of a really wrecked
economy.
What does -- what do you believe Hezbollah's -- I'm not going to call it retreat.
But what does this ceasefire mean for Hezbollah's position in Lebanese society?
There will be those who say they don't want to see Hezbollah taking Lebanese society and politics hostage again. They will say these are not
supporters of Hezbollah.
What does -- what does this ceasefire deal mean longer term for Lebanese society, so fractured and so fragile at this point?
What needs to happen next?
GERGES: Well, Becky, the World Bank calculated that the total cost of Israel's war is US$8.5 billion.
[10:20:00]
So the most challenging thing facing the Lebanese in the next few months and next few years is social and economic and political reconstruction.
Building, I mean, huge blocks of Beirut, in particular southern Beirut, that that has been destroyed.
You're talking about scores of villages and towns that have been destroyed, not to mention, I mean, Bekaa Valley and other places, even though
Hezbollah is weakened. But Hezbollah continues to be a major actor, a major player in the Lebanese political scene.
And the challenge facing Hezbollah in the next few weeks and next few months if the ceasefire basically consolidate, is to really try to help in
bringing about reconstituting the political system, the Lebanese political system.
In the sense of electing a new president and a new cabinet and trying to bridge the divide among the various Lebanese factions.
And very proud by the way, Becky. The Lebanese in the past few months, because Benjamin Netanyahu's strategy was to really instigate civil strife
in Lebanon, even though there have been outliers in Lebanon.
But most of the Lebanese showed empathy and sympathy with the displaced people, most of whom are Shia, as you know. And really, in a way, what
Lebanon, far from being fragile, the society, the Lebanese society is much more resilient and much stronger than many of us really would like the
world to believe.
So actually, what we're going to see, what we will see is whether the Lebanese political establishment, which has failed the Lebanese people, be
able to come together and really institute a new political system, a new political government that basically deliver the social goods and
reconstruction for the Lebanese people.
ANDERSON: And that is the big outstanding question.
What happens next on the Lebanese side?
It's good to have you, Faraz. Thank you very much indeed.
A U.S. official telling me recently that a deal with Hezbollah would send a signal to Hamas that Israel and its partners will do the utmost to do a
deal that brings back their hostages held in Gaza.
We're talking about the consequences here, because we keep hearing about the consequences of a Lebanon deal on Gaza.
Quote this U.S. official, "If we get a Lebanon deal, we are going to come down like a ton of bricks on Hamas, turning this military success into a
strategic success."
Question is, is that likely?
That is something we will continue to address, of course. The situation in Gaza catastrophic. The hostages still held.
Well, still to come on CNN, we are learning more about Donald Trump's latest picks to lead his administration. More on that after this.
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ANDERSON: U.S. president-elect Donald Trump has announced more picks for his top positions in the new administration. Kevin Hassett has been tapped
to serve as director of the White House National Economic Council.
He previously led Trump's Council of Economic Advisors, remember that, in his first term and helped him navigate the country's economic recovery from
the COVID pandemic.
And Jamieson Greer is Trump's pick for U.S. trade representative. He served as chief of staff to the trade representative in Trump's first term. CNN's
Steve Contorno joins us from West Palm Beach in Florida.
And we are seeing the team expand.
What more can you tell us about these two, Hassett and Greer, and about the transition agreement that Trump's team has now signed with the Biden
administration?
STEVE CONTORNO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, let's start with Greer, because there has been so much chatter about trade in the past 48 hours.
Greer will be the U.S. trade rep. As you said, he was chief of staff to the previous U.S. trade rep under Donald Trump.
And remember that was a period where Donald Trump negotiated new deals, trade deals with Mexico and with Canada, as well as the reinstituted
instituted NAFTA deal with our other North American trade partners and across the Atlantic as well.
And so we've already seen the signs of how Donald Trump intends to engage with trade. Already he is promising across the board tariffs. We saw in
just the past 48 hours him threaten China -- or excuse me -- yes, China and Canada and Mexico with 25 percent tariffs, all related to immigration.
And then as far as Kevin Hassett, you know, he is someone who is actually a calming voice for a lot of people in the financial sector. He is a well
respected right of center economist. And it will be his job to oversee the National Economic Council as a director.
And so that that is another pick that he, along with Scott Bessent, that has done a lot to sort of quell the fears of Wall Street, that Donald Trump
is going to somehow come in here and shake up the corporate world.
And then as far as that new transition agreement, look, this is something that normally is already in place by now, in past transfers of power. It is
an agreement that both sides reach before the campaign is even over.
In fact, the Harris campaign had signed an agreement with the Biden administration going back to October. The Trump administration blew past
that deadline.
But now, with this new agreement, his new cabinet picks and the people he is putting in place will have access to all of the information and the
briefings that the income -- or the current secretaries have.
They will be able to work with these outgoing staff to try to form a transition plan from one administration to the other. It's just sort of the
formal bookkeeping and just sort of transfer of power that is relatively normal.
But as for some reason with Trump, become a bit of a protracted power struggle between him and the Biden administration.
ANDERSON: Good to have you, sir. Thank you very much indeed.
And folks, you are watching CONNECT THE WORLD with me, Becky Anderson. Still ahead, the catastrophic conditions at a Gaza hospital seen through a
doctor's eyes.
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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (Speaking foreign language).
ANDERSON (voice-over): We go inside one of Gaza's last remaining functioning hospitals. That is up next.
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ANDERSON: Welcome back. You're watching CONNECT THE WORLD with me, Becky Anderson. Wherever you are watching, you are more than welcome.
A tense ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah is in effect this hour in Lebanon. It started early this morning, hours after Israel's security
cabinet approved the deal, setting off celebrations certainly in some parts of Beirut and big traffic jams in others, as displaced civilians try to
return to their homes.
All over the country, despite warnings from Israel not to go back just yet.
Well, within the past hour, Lebanon's army announced that its troops are now moving southwards to begin enforcing the terms of the ceasefire. Hamas,
responding positively to this Israel-Lebanon deal, the group in Gaza saying it is committed to cooperating with any efforts to achieve a ceasefire in
Gaza.
U.S. President Joe Biden says his administration will make another push to achieve that.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JOE BIDEN (D), PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Just as the Lebanese people deserve a future of security and prosperity, so do the people of Gaza.
They, too, deserve an end to the fighting and displacement.
The people of Gaza have been through hell. Over the coming days, the United States will make another push with Turkiye, Egypt, Qatar, Israel and others
to achieve a ceasefire in Gaza.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: Well, meantime, there is no letup to the devastation there. Officials report Israeli airstrikes killed another 10 people taking shelter
at a school in Gaza City, the second time that this school has been targeted during the war.
In northern Gaza, only two hospitals remain open and they are barely functioning. CNN's Jomana Karadsheh walks us through one doctor's
eyewitness account.
And look, I've got to warn you, her report contains disturbing and graphic footage. So let's just take a beat before we run it so that you can decide
whether or not you actually want to see this.
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JOMANA KARADSHEH, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: This is the story of a hospital brought to its knees and the man trying to save it.
DR. HUSSAM ABU SAFIYA, KAMAL ADWAN HOSPITAL (through translator): We are facing a new challenge and a catastrophic situation that will worsen in the
coming hours.
This is a distress call that must be heard.
No one has spelt since yesterday. The operating room ran all night.
KARADSHEH: Some of the desperate cries for help from Dr. Hussam Abu Safiya. He's one of the last doctors in Northern Gaza.
For weeks, he's been documenting the horror inside Kamal Adwan. He wants us to share his account with the world.
Outside his hospital, a renewed major Israeli offensive that began in early October on what's left of Northern Gaza to destroy a resurgent Hamas, the
military says. It's ordered civilians out for their safety.
But Israel's been accused of besieging the civilian population. Human Rights Watch says this could amount to ethnic cleansing, something the
military denies.
SAFIYA: There is a real genocide occurring against the people of Northern Gaza.
[10:35:00]
There are injured people on the streets and we cannot reach them.
KARADSHEH (voice-over): Inside Dr. Abu Safiya's hospital, they struggled to cope with the constant influx of casualties. A Palestinian journalist
captured these scenes of panic in mid-October.
SAFIYA: A short time ago, they fired at the hospital entrance. They fired artillery shells. It is clear that they healthcare system is being directly
targeted.
KARADSHEH: And on October 24th, Israeli forces closed in on Kamal Adwan compound. In just a few days, this place of healing would itself become a
war zone.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (through translator): There is no medicine. Where should we go?
SAFIYA: Instead of receiving aid, we've received tanks.
KARADSHEH (voice-over): It's the third time in a year that Dr. Abu Safiya, a pediatrician, finds himself and his hospital surrounded and under attack.
They're running dangerously low on supplies, fuel and food. The Israeli military says it allows aid in but the U.N. says it's nowhere near enough.
This, one of the few convoys that have reached Kamal Adwan.
SAFIYA: I have 195 injured patients, all of whom are on the ground floor.
KARADSHEH: The IDF ordered civilians who'd been sheltering here to evacuate. They hold up white flags and whatever they can carry.
Dozens were detained, including more than 40 medical personnel. Some seen in these photos posted to social media.
Safiya here with his hands up in the air says he was interrogated for hours.
SAFIYA: A special forces unit was here a short time ago. They assaulted me. They had dogs with them, they made me go into some of the wards, with a
drone to check if there were any armed individuals, which is nonsense.
I don't have surgeon, they took the surgeons and the orthopedic specialist. I don't know what to do with all these cases, most of them amputations and
burns.
KARADSHEH: Still, Abu Safiya refused to abandon his patients.
What followed appeared to be a brief lull. That's when families began to find the bodies of loved ones in and around the hospital compound.
Safiya was attending to the injured when he was called outside.
SAFIYA: We were accustomed to receiving martyrs and the wounded but to receive your own son is catastrophic.
KARADSHEH (voice-over): His 21-year-old son, Ibrahim (ph), was killed in an Israeli strike at the hospital gates. He tries to lead the funeral
prayers but it's just too much. In the hospital's makeshift graveyard, he buried his boy. Ibrahim (ph) is still close to him in a place that's
testament to this one man's struggle.
SAFIYA: I still feel his presence in every corner. His voice, his scent and his character remain with us.
KARADSHEH: In a statement to CNN, the IDF did not address Ibrahim's death but said its operations in the area were, quote, "based on precise
intelligence and that dozens of terrorists were found hiding inside the hospital. Some of them even posing as medical staff."
It says this is a medic in custody and that he's admitted that Hamas is operating inside Kamal Adwan.
CNN cannot verify these allegations.
The IDF has also released these images of weapons it says it found inside the hospital. Dr. Abu Safiya says they belong to its security guards.
Israeli militaries long-rationalized targeting Gaza's health facilities by accusing Hamas of using them for, quote, "terror activities."
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): Bring the children down from upstairs, quickly.
KARADSHEH: Days after the IDF said its operations at Kamal Adwan concluded, its attacks, did not.
SAFIYA: The hospital was directly hit. The upper floors, the courtyard, the water tanks and the electric grid were struck.
KARADSHEH: The everyday for these medics now working under fire. It's hard to believe this once was one of Gaza's top healthcare facilities.
[10:40:00]
There's no doubt about the kind of firepower unleashed here. The storage room left charred. The walls of the neonatal ICU pockmarked with bullet
holes. Ambulances crushed.
Kamal Adwan, like most of Gaza's hospitals, now barely functioning.
SAFIYA: Imagine people are rescuing the injured using horse and donkey carts. It's a horrific scene.
KARADSHEH: This is a fight for survival and giving up is not an option for Dr. Abu Safiya. Strikes on the hospital left him and others injured this
week, paying the price for staying, abandoned and alone in this nightmare on repeat -- Jomana Karadsheh, CNN, London.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ANDERSON: Well, the Israeli military told CNN it is unaware of the strike that injured the doctor.
The IDF also says it adheres to international law, only goes after military targets and takes all necessary measures to avoid harming civilians.
We are back after this very quick break.
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ANDERSON: Well, U.S. president-elect Donald Trump has picked several more people for key roles in his administration, including a familiar face.
Jamieson Greer to be the next U.S. trade representative.
Now he served as chief of staff to the trade representative in Trump's first term. It comes amid Trump's threats, of course, to impose a 25
percent tariff on products from Mexico and Canada on his first day in office.
He claims the move is in retaliation for illegal immigration, crime and drugs coming over the border. Mexico's president issued a statement, saying
neither threats nor tariffs will solve the issue of migration or drug consumption.
Claudia Sheinbaum says cooperation and shared understanding are key to addressing these problems. She also warned that one tariff will lead to
another in response, putting shared companies at risk.
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CLAUDIA SHEINBAUM, MEXICAN PRESIDENT (through translator): I am convinced that the economic frontier of North America, that the economic strength of
North America lies in maintaining our commercial society so that we can continue to be more competitive against other economic blocs.
I believe that dialogue is the best path to understanding, peace and prosperity for our nations.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: One of the biggest fears is that this sort of back and forth tariff hikes and tit-for-tat will lead to an all-out trade war. And
consumers will end up paying the price.
CNN's Vanessa Yurkevich explains which items could soon become much more expensive for U.S. consumers.
[10:45:05]
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VANESSA YURKEVICH, CNN BUSINESS AND POLITICS CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): A trade war is brewing.
DONALD TRUMP (R), PRESIDENT-ELECT: We're going to tariff the hell out of them.
YURKEVICH: The casualty, the American consumer.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We're going to see higher prices.
YURKEVICH: On his first day in office, President-elect Trump says he's putting a 25 percent tariff on all imports from Mexico and Canada. China
will get hit with an additional 10 percent tax on top of existing tariffs. The reason Trump says incentive for these countries to stop the flow of
migrants and illegal drugs coming into the U.S.
GENE SEROKA, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, PORT OF LOS ANGELES: I suspect we'll encounter some new headwinds that our industry will have to navigate.
YURKEVICH: Mexico, Canada and China are the United States' key trading partners. The U.S. imports the majority of cars and car parts from Mexico
so the price of your car could go up.
Shares of the big three U.S. automakers all finished lower with GM down nearly 9 percent. America's top import from Canada is oil. The tariffs
could send gas prices up $0.25 to $0.75 in some regions. And the U.S. imports a lot of electronics from China. In addition to sneakers, toys,
sports equipment and furniture.
For example, China makes a sneaker. A U.S. company buys it, pays the import tariff and then makes a choice -- eat the cost or pass it to you. Before
the higher tariffs announced Monday night Americans could expect to spend $2,600 more each year under Trump's original tariff proposal.
Inflation is expected to rise by 1 percent. U.S. retailers like Steve Madden are already moving production out of China to beat the tariffs and
keep prices low for U.S. consumers. Small businesses don't have that same option.
RYAN ZAGATA, PRESIDENT, BROOKLYN BICYCLE COMPANY: There isn't really an easy solution beyond passing that cost onto consumers. Small businesses are
very much uniquely challenged.
I don't have the option of calling up Jamie Dimon at JPMorgan to do a bond offering to build a factory.
YURKEVICH (voice-over): And then there are retaliatory tariffs, which could also impact U.S. businesses who export to other countries. Mexico's
president hinted at that very notion Tuesday.
One tariff will be followed by another in response and so on, until we put common businesses at risk.
YURKEVICH: There are people that support President-elect Trump's tariffs but mostly in his inner circle. Elon Musk says that tariffs are highly
effective. Billionaire Bill Ackman says that tariffs can be used as a weapon to help achieve foreign policy, political and economic outcomes.
And then there is Trump's pick for Treasury Secretary, Scott Bessent, who says that he supports targeted tariffs but thinks that excessive tariffs or
blanket tariffs could actually hurt the economy -- Vanessa Yurkevich, CNN, New York.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ANDERSON: Well, next up, marking five years since the Special Olympics took place here in Abu Dhabi. I sat down with the chairman. Stand by for
that.
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ANDERSON: This week, Walmart became the latest U.S. company to curb its diversity, equity and inclusion or DEI efforts in the face of right wing
pressures. Marking five years since the Special Olympics took place here in Abu Dhabi, I sat down with chairman Timothy Shriver to talk about how DEI
became a center for combat.
[10:50:05]
Have a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
TIMOTHY SHRIVER, CHAIRMAN, SPECIAL OLYMPICS INTERNATIONAL: Well, I think what's being canceled a lot of times on both sides of the political
spectrum is a sense in which DEI has become a center for combat, that it's a fighting concept.
I don't think that's where DEI started and I don't think that's where in the Special Olympics movement it lands. For us, inclusion is fundamentally
a relationship question.
And when I present to college campuses about inclusion as strengthening the relationships you have with people who are different and everybody's like,
of course, we want to do that.
Deepening your empathy for people who come from different perspectives.
Oh, yes, that's what -- conservatives will say that, so will progressives. So there's actually a common ground around inclusion if we frame it as all
of us needing to grow to understand each other better.
When we frame it as an adversarial relationship, me against you, then you will automatically create adversarial reactions.
ANDERSON: What does inclusion mean to you?
SHRIVER: It's about treating everybody with dignity and no exceptions. To be an includer is to have some empathy and understanding for the other
person's experience, to be willing to see in every single person, no exceptions, dignity.
And to use the capacity to see the dignity in the other, to unlock their gifts and to allow your own to be unlocked.
ANDERSON: You talk about rejecting contempt and you penned a piece recently, which I thought was fascinating in "Newsweek," when you
highlighted how the U.S. has an addiction to contempt that is eroding trust.
You know, we're leaving the U.S. election in the rearview mirror to a certain extent but we have a new U.S. president who has lacked dignity in
much of his narrative.
What's your message?
And how does that change?
SHRIVER: Well, look, I think that, in the United States, sadly, politics on both parties, partisan media, the algorithm in particular takes
advantage of any message that is us versus them, that demonizes the other to capitalize for the benefit of the group.
The name calling, in which you humiliate the other party, has become a blood sport but it's not funny anymore because, today, the toll of contempt
in politics and in the media is the erosion of trust in institutions, which is threatening countries.
It's the erosion of trust in each other which is tearing families apart. It's the erosion of confidence in oneself which is causing a massive
outbreak of anxiety and depression in our children. Now it's one thing to win an election. It's another thing to destroy a generation of children.
That's too high a price to pay.
ANDERSON: Are you optimistic as you advocate for this era of dignity, this call for change?
Are you -- are you confident, optimistic that we are headed in that direction?
SHRIVER: We got a lot of problems in the world but the biggest one is that we're afraid of each other and that we treat each other with contempt when
we're afraid of each other.
If we can teach children how to overcome the fear of difference, we solve a lot of other problems because we make it possible for people to work
together to solve any problem, because they're no longer in a world of us versus them.
ANDERSON: Your reflections on where we've come here in the UAE since 2019 and your hopes and sort of aspirations for what are these UAE backed
Special Olympics programs, which one hopes we can drive from here for a sort of for global reach.
So what's your sense?
SHRIVER: Well, my sense is that, in 2019, the Special Olympics World Games came to Abu Dhabi because of the patronage of Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed.
Because of the support, the belief that the leadership of the country had, that there was a change needed.
And the doors of change flew open. The country began -- and, as many things in the United Arab Emirates, when people take it seriously, it moves fast.
And I'd say five years later, we have in this country a model not just for the United Arab Emirates or for the Gulf or for even for the Middle East
but for the world.
ANDERSON: We're here in the UAE talking about the Unified Schools Program and how that can be extended and the partnerships between the Special
Olympics and the work that's being done here to ensure the success that's been had here, with lots of work to be done, can be extended around the
world.
So if you had one message from here to the world at this point, it would be what?
SHRIVER: The biggest opponent for people with intellectual disabilities is the resigned despair that nothing can be done.
Don't tell me nothing can be done. It's being done right here. Come look, watch.
[10:55:00]
Tune in, look in on your screen. Schools can be changed. Families can be supportive. Relationships can be built. Jobs can be won (ph) over. We can
build a future that's inclusive. We can do this. Let me be clear. Do not dismiss the achievement of this country and of the people in this country
as a function of money.
I know there are resources here but this is not the function of resources. There are resources in a lot of places that haven't done this work. Come
here and watch what will -- it'll take to do the work. And you'll see it'll benefit not just children with intellectual disability, benefit all
children.
When we implement Special Olympics unified programming in schools, it doesn't just help children who have intellectual challenges. It helps
everybody.
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ANDERSON: Tim Shriver making an awful lot of sense.
That is it for CONNECT THE WORLD. Stay with CNN. "NEWSROOM" is up next.
END
