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Interview with Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty about Gaza Ceasefire Push; Mediators Await Israeli Response to Ceasefire Proposal; Trump Claims to Have "Sort of Set Up" a Zelenskyy-Putin Meeting; European Leaders Confer on Ukraine after Historic White House Meeting; Ukrainians Nervously Await Next Steps after Trump's Meetings with Putin and Zelenskyy; Three More Starve to Death in Gaza; World Humanitarian Day. Aired 10-11a ET
Aired August 19, 2025 - 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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PAULA NEWTON, CNN ANCHOR AND CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): And a warm welcome to the second hour of CONNECT THE WORLD. I'm Paula Newton in New
York.
U.S. president Donald Trump says he has "sort of" set up a meeting between Russian president Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr
Zelenskyy. That was, of course, a key goal of his historic summit with Zelenskyy and European leaders Monday.
We, of course, will have much more on that. But first, I want to go to our Becky Anderson, who is in Cairo with an exclusive interview with the
Egyptian foreign minister -- Becky.
BECKY ANDERSON, CNN HOST: That's right, Paula. Thank you. The time here in Cairo, just after 5 pm.
I spoke with the Egyptian foreign minister about the renewed push for a ceasefire in Gaza, as Hamas says it has agreed to a new proposal. Egypt and
Qatar, of course, are key mediators in talks. They are ratcheting up efforts to find a solution to this near two-year conflict amid Israeli
threats to expand the war.
And we've just heard from the Qatari foreign ministry spokesperson, who says that they are still waiting on Israel's reply to this proposal.
There is growing pressure on Israel, both internationally and domestically, to relieve the desperate humanitarian crisis in Gaza and get the rest of
the hostages out of the enclave. The mediators here in Cairo racing to try to find a comprehensive solution. As I say, Israel lays the groundwork for
an assault on Gaza City.
Well, there is a lot of ground to cover here. We've got Nic Robertson standing by with us in Jerusalem once again this hour.
Nic, what are you hearing from your sources on the ground there about a response from Israel?
NIC ROBERTSON, CNN SENIOR DIPLOMATIC EDITOR: Well, silence from the prime minister so far on exactly how he'll respond to this. of course, that was
the deal. It looks pretty much like the deal that he was offered that Steve Witkoff put on the table in late July.
Then everyone seemed reasonably hopeful about a 60-day ceasefire, the release and return of 10 hostages, the return of the bodies of 18 hostages,
Palestinian life sentence prisoners, female and child prisoners to be released in exchange.
The key question, then, remains a key question.
Now what happens after those 60 days?
The mediators are hoping that this can bring the discussions to a comprehensive situation whereby all the hostages would be released and
there would be an end to the war.
And on that, this is, of course, the crux of what people are waiting to hear from the prime minister. What we have heard from him was him
commenting yesterday, when asked a question about Hamas agreeing to this again, to this new proposal, that he had said he hears it in the media.
However, he said what it shows is that Hamas is under extreme pressure. That seems to be accurate. That's what we understand from our sources.
That's what the mediators are saying. The sources are saying a lot of pressure was applied to Hamas to get them to agree to this.
Now the war in Gaza City. If you will, this expected massive IDF operation. How close is it?
We don't know. Getting a lot of discussion, a lot of talk. Is that pressure on Hamas?
It can work both ways. We have over the weekend -- or rather just late yesterday, president Trump saying on social media that the only way to get
the hostages back was to destroy Hamas and get on with it. And that seems a comment almost about the IDF operation in Gaza City.
However, you have hundreds of thousands of Israelis coming out just over the weekend to say, no, let's get the hostages out first. In fact, if you
go into Gaza City, that's where some of the hostages are being held.
And you could have a rerun of what was seen a year ago, when Hamas killed six Israeli hostages because the troops got close to the tunnel that they
were in. So there's a major concern in Israel that this will lead to the loss of lives of hostages, won't arrive at a comprehensive deal.
So I think where we are at the moment clearly is waiting for the Israeli prime minister to respond.
[10:05:05]
But his position now is that he wants to destroy Hamas, get the hostages back. But now, dissimilar to a few weeks ago, he wants the comprehensive
deal with all the hostages.
So whatever he says now is really going to give a clue as to whether or not this Qatari-Egyptian mediated position right now can fly or if it's got a
lot of road and a lot more work that needs to go into it. Becky.
ANDERSON: Yes. Nic, good to have you. Thank you.
Well, a truce, of course, between Israel and Hamas would or could pave the way for urgently needed humanitarian aid to ease the suffering and the
hunger of the people of Gaza.
My team and I visited the Egyptian side of the Rafah crossing into Gaza to take a look at what is currently preventing more aid from getting through.
We traveled there with Egypt's foreign minister. And while I was there, I got this exclusive interview. Have a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ANDERSON: Help me out here.
What or who is holding up a ceasefire today?
BADR ABDELATTY, EGYPTIAN FOREIGN MINISTER: It's, to be frank with you, the lack of political will, especially from the Israeli side. We are pushing
the Hamas side in order to show more flexibility.
And --
(CROSSTALK)
ANDERSON: What does that mean, "show more flexibility"?
I mean, Israel says it wants to defeat Hamas and clearly feels it is close to doing that.
Will Hamas surrender at this point?
ABDELATTY: I mean, again, we have to be practical. We have to be reasonable. What we have to do now is to implement the proposal of Steve
Witkoff, the U.S. special envoy.
ANDERSON: A phased partial agreement, a temporary truce?
ABDELATTY: At least, to have a cooling-off period to allow more trucks to enter into Gaza. And during this 60 days of the ceasefire, to engage in a
serious negotiations to make this ceasefire sustainable.
ANDERSON: Can I be clear, Foreign Minister, is that the only proposal then on the table at present, the Witkoff proposal, to all intents and purposes?
ABDELATTY: This is the practical one. Of course, the Israelis are talking about ending the war and having a comprehensive deal. But they are putting
impossible conditions to be realized on the ground.
ANDERSON: Those impossible conditions --
ABDELATTY: I mean, by talking about, of course, disarming Hamas. Now that they will not allow neither Hamas nor Fattah nor the Palestinian Authority
to be there in Gaza. This is something, you know, not logic and not practical.
Of course, if we are serious about, you know, controlling Gaza by responsible authority, it should be the Palestinian Authority, because they
are controlling the West Bank or part of the West Bank due to the Israeli incursions.
But on the other hand, they have to be deployed here in Gaza, of course, and to have full control over Gaza, to run Gaza, to be responsible for the
security arrangement, for the governance of Gaza. And they are responsible. And the international community is supporting the PA.
ANDERSON: Israel has said it is not interested in having neither Hamas nor the PA involved in Gaza going forward. It has relaunched an operation to
occupy, ensure security control. And they say that is long-term at this point.
To which you say what?
The Egyptian plan calls for involvement of the PA, for example, perhaps reformed but the PA nonetheless.
ABDELATTY: If the Israeli side is serious, we have different creative ideas to be implemented on the ground.
But if the Israeli objective is displacement and liquidation of the Palestinian cause, that's something completely different. And we will not
allow this to happen.
ANDERSON: Do you believe that still is?
ABDELATTY: I don't know. I mean, when people, leaders, politicians talk about burying the Palestinian Authority, the state, when politicians are
talking about the illusion of what's called the greater Israel, what does this mean?
We have to be practical. We have an understanding with the Palestinian factions that to have an administrative committee consist of 15
technocrats, all technocrats, all nonaffiliated to any Palestinian faction, to run Gaza for six months and then to prepare the Palestinian Authority to
be deployed on the ground.
ANDERSON: Do you have the support of Hamas for that?
ABDELATTY: Yes, they have; as I mentioned, we have a understanding among all Palestinian factions, including Hamas.
[10:10:04]
ANDERSON: Do you have the support of the United States for that plan, a plan that will ensure that Palestinians stay within Gaza?
Because the last plan that we heard, talked about, of course, was the Trump Gaza Riviera plan.
ABDELATTY: Well, as you know, we believe that the United States is our strategic partner and we are working with them on daily basis, and with
Qatar, of course. Our main objective is to reach a deal as soon as possible, like the previous deal reached on the 19th of January.
And it was working but it was the Israeli side who violated. So to cut the story short, we are working with the Americans. We are talking with them.
And, of course, we are conveying to them our plans, our vision. But our focus now should be on a reaching a ceasefire, even if it's a temporary
one.
And during this period of the 60 days, we can push for a sustainable ceasefire.
ANDERSON: Given Benjamin Netanyahu's recent comments about a greater Israel, which are highly provocative in this region, what is the point at
this stage of the peace agreement that Egypt has with Israel?
Is it in jeopardy at this point?
And were Israel to push Palestinians out of Gaza into Egypt at this point, what's the risk there?
ABDELATTY: Well, first of all, from our side, we are fully respecting and honoring our commitments according to the peace treaty reached between the
two countries.
There is no military buildup in northern Sinai, no single person being added from the policemen or military personnel entered into Sinai without
the agreement and the full understanding with the Israelis.
ANDERSON: I must push you just (INAUDIBLE).
Is the treaty at risk, the peace treaty at risk, at this point, given what is going on on the other side of this border?
ABDELATTY: The peace treaty is the main pillar of stability in this region. But again, on the ground, of course, any kind of displacement, of
course, will be a big risk. And we will not allow any single party to risk our national security and our sovereignty and, of course, our national
security in our borders.
ANDERSON: Last question.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
NEWTON: And our thanks there to Becky Anderson for that substantive interview with the Egyptian foreign minister. And you can read more about
her interview on cnn.com and why the foreign minister says the displacement of Palestinians is a red line.
Now Becky will be back later this hour with more news from the Middle East. In the meantime, you are watching CONNECT THE WORLD. Still ahead for us,
the next steps for Ukraine after the historic White House meetings on Monday, what U.S. president Donald Trump is saying about a possible
Zelenskyy-Putin summit. Stay with us.
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NEWTON: And welcome back.
Donald Trump is offering some new details about those historic White House meetings Monday with Ukraine's president and a host of European leaders.
Now in an interview with FOX News earlier today, the U.S. president pushed forward on his goal for direct talks between Volodymyr Zelenskyy and
Russian president Vladimir Putin to try and put an end to the war.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: So we're setting up a meeting. I sort of set it up with Putin and Zelenskyy and, you know, they're the ones that have to call the shots.
We're 7,000 miles away.
I called President Putin and we're trying to work out a meeting with President Zelenskyy and we'll see what happens there. And then if that
works out, if it works out, then I'll go to the trilat and close it up.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
NEWTON: Now that push for direct talks, one of two key takeaways from the White House meetings.
The second involves what Britain's prime minister calls real progress on security guarantees, a point that came up repeatedly on Monday.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: I'm optimistic that collectively we can reach an agreement that would deter any future aggression against Ukraine.
KEIR STARMER, U.K. PRIME MINISTER: I think with the right approach this afternoon, make real progress, particularly on the security guarantees.
VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY, UKRAINIAN PRESIDENT: This is very important that the United States gives such strong signal and is ready for security
guarantees.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
NEWTON: Clare Sebastian joins me now from London.
Clare, let's break down those two points. I mean, firstly, what do you know about security guarantees and what that will look like given that Russia
continues to say NATO troops, nonstarter; NATO troops, feet on the ground in Ukraine?
And we also just heard from the president last hour. He ruled out American troops on the ground.
CLARE SEBASTIAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes. Look, I think first of all, Paula, it's not nothing that the U.S. is now openly embracing some kind of
involvement, maybe, perhaps in just in a coordination role but still involvement in future security guarantees of Ukraine.
And without, for example, any mention of any minerals deal, which is the only involvement they had committed to in the past. So that was an actual
deliverable coming out of this meeting at the White House on Monday.
I think what's going to happen now and the key is to sort of flesh out the detail of who does what. The Coalition of the Willing, this grouping of 30
countries, has met twice in the last three days before the White House summit and today again after.
And they are trying to iron out the actual details of how these security guarantees could work. The size of Ukraine's military is important.
Military help for Ukraine is important.
Zelenskyy intimated that the security guarantees from the U.S. go hand in hand with a purchase that he outlined of $90 billion worth of U.S. weapons,
presumably funded by the Europeans through this NATO system.
Reassurance forces is also a big talker, be it on the land, air or sea, although we now know, of course, that the U.S. won't be involved in that.
But all of these details need to be ironed out.
But I think, look, there was a lot of fanfare around this. There was some suggestion over the weekend from the U.S. that Russia had somehow signed on
to this. Steve Witkoff talked about Article V style language on Sunday.
But so far from the Russian side, all we've heard, as you noted, was this threat from the foreign ministry spokeswoman, Maria Zakharova, that there
would be unpredictable consequences if any NATO troops ended up in Ukraine.
And they have been clear in the past that they would consider NATO troops, not just troops under the banner of NATO but any troops who belonged to a
country belonging to NATO.
So it doesn't seem at this point that Russia is willing to openly suggest that it is OK with U.S. involvement in these security guarantees. So this
is something that's pretty unclear at this point. But still, I think, progress in terms of U.S. involvement here.
NEWTON: Absolutely. That was progress, as was even the mention that Putin and Zelenskyy could get together in this meeting.
What more are we learning about that?
And specifically from European leaders, because they will have learned that, when Trump left the meeting to go speak to Putin, he returned to the
Oval Office and briefed them on what Putin said.
I mean, is this a sure thing, the Zelenskyy-Putin meeting?
SEBASTIAN: Absolutely not. I don't think, Paula -- right now we're getting somewhat mixed accounts from the Europeans. Some, including the British
prime minister, Keir Starmer, suggesting that it may be a done deal; others are expressing some doubt.
Alexander Stubb of Finland saying, you know, it's not clear if Putin will have the courage to attend this meeting.
As for the Russian side, well, they have not in any way committed to this.
We heard from Sergey Lavrov, the foreign minister, today in an interview with state TV, with the traditional caveat, saying, look, we're not
refusing any forms of work, neither bilateral or trilateral, he said. But any contacts -- but is the key word -- any contacts involving top officials
must be prepared with the utmost care.
[10:20:03]
And, of course, the Kremlin aide, Yuri Ushakov, a key aide to Putin, he briefed out of that phone call between Trump and Putin on Monday. And he
said the idea was discussed, that it would be appropriate to study the opportunity of raising the level of representatives of the Russian and
Ukrainian sides.
He's talking about, of course, if there's a next round of direct talks. No mention of the two leaders, no mention at all if it would be raising the
level of representatives to that level of leaders. And I think that's not surprising. Right?
This is a Kremlin that has strenuously questioned the legitimacy of Zelenskyy. Not only that but it is, of course, fighting this war to
essentially -- because it essentially believes that historically Ukraine is Russian. So I think not surprising there and perhaps a little too much
optimism coming out of the White House meeting on this.
NEWTON: Yes. And in the meantime, Ukrainians wait to hear their fate and try and learn more, even from the European leaders, in terms of what
happened in that meeting. Clare Sebastian in London, grateful to you.
Now as we were just discussing, while this diplomatic push ramps up, Ukrainians are enduring relentless Russian attacks. Just in the past day,
Russia launched hundreds of drones and 10 ballistic missiles at Ukraine, the largest aerial arsenal attack since July.
The United Nations, in fact, says July was the highest month for casualties in Ukraine since May of 2022. And we want to give you just a few examples
here.
On July 9th, Russia launched a drone attack on Ukraine, hours after president Trump criticized Vladimir Putin. Just 12 days later, a deadly
wave of Russian missiles pummeled Ukraine, sending terrified civilians running to metro, running into their subway shelters for safety.
And then about a week after that, a Russian missile, if you can believe it, struck a maternity hospital, killing a pregnant woman and her unborn child.
Ben Wedeman is back with this with us this hour from Kyiv.
I mean, Ben, I feel like we had to highlight that because, as these diplomatic talks continue -- and they are important -- Putin continues to
prosecute this war, including against civilians.
What does all of this mean in terms of Ukrainians trying to parse the fact that, look, right now, Russia is stalling for time quite successfully?
BEN WEDEMAN, CNN SR. INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, I think we need to remember that there's a war going on and Russia feels that it has the
advantage in terms of manpower, weaponry and determination; in terms of willing to make sacrifices, massive sacrifices, to gain more ground.
And we've seen in recent weeks that they have been able to punch through part of the front line in Eastern Ukraine. They haven't really taken
control of a large area. But their attitude is, well, we can talk and fight at the same time. And that's what they're doing.
And I think the fact that overnight we saw the largest barrage of drones, 270-plus ballistic missiles since July 31st, is a message from the Russians
that, yes, we will engage in this process, led by president Trump. But we will continue to prosecute this war. And that's what's going on.
And, you know, speaking to people here, you don't get this feeling that like president Trump is brimming with confidence here.
People are deeply mistrustful of the Russians. They feel, even after yesterday's events, that Putin cannot be trusted, that they're very
hesitant to see their president sit down in the same room with a man they consider a mass murderer, who's wanted by the ICC for war crimes.
Someone who has invaded this country and hasn't really offered anything in terms of these negotiations. He basically is saying, I will freeze the
front lines. I want more of Donbas or the Donetsk area and then I'll give you peace. There's the president. Trump is talking about land swaps.
But when you ask people here, well, what do you think about land swaps?
They say swap what?
What land?
We're not occupying Russian territory. It's the Russians that are occupying Ukraine.
And really, what's on the table is just the possibility that Russia will cede tiny slivers of the land it already occupies. But it's still demanding
more. So certainly there is deep skepticism and deep worry about where this entire process is going.
And as far as this possible bilateral meeting, it's very difficult for people to imagine that actually happening. There's so much that needs to be
worked out.
And the idea that the president of Russia sits down in a room with the president of Ukraine without the presence of an American representative of
European leaders really does not sound like a scenario that people feel that Ukraine will come out the winner of.
[10:25:07]
NEWTON: And yet I know you have heard from Ukrainians still expressing some hope. And I am quoting you from your analysis here, that when Trump
greeted Zelenskyy with a broad smile and a hearty handshake, the dark cloud of dread suddenly vanished, perhaps not gone forever.
But what are they looking forward to next in terms of what possibly could happen?
WEDEMAN: Well, the dark dread of concern was basically that there would be a repeat of that disastrous Oval Office meeting. And that didn't happen
because, clearly, European leaders, President Zelenskyy, everybody has learned that, when you approach president Trump, you need to bring a smile,
a bag full of thank yous.
The president, Zelenskyy, brought a golf club that belonged to a Ukrainian war veteran,
They -- they're really, you know, their feeling is that this process is so tied up in the atmospherics, the optics to keep president Trump on your
side, to keep him happy, that the actual substance that needs to be negotiated -- land, peace, security guarantees -- are second in terms of
just keeping president Trump calm and happy.
And with a positive attitude toward you -- you being President Zelenskyy, the European leaders, everyone. It's a completely different world. And,
sometimes the diplomacy gets lost in that stroking process that never seems to end.
NEWTON: Yes, European leaders, though, were quite optimistic. And they did leave the meeting feeling as if they did accomplish something on
substantive issues. Ben Wedeman, for us, grateful to you there. Live for us in Kyiv.
Now, Becky, Anderson shows us some of the medical aid that Israel has repeatedly refused to allow into Gaza. And the reasons here might surprise
you. Stay with us.
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ANDERSON: Well, welcome back to CONNECT THE WORLD with me, Becky Anderson, live today from Cairo in Egypt for you. Here are your headlines.
(MUSIC PLAYING)
ANDERSON (voice-over): And Egyptian and Qatari mediators here in Cairo say they are waiting on a reply from Israel after Hamas says it agreed to their
latest ceasefire proposal. Mediators say the deal is very similar to what Israel agreed to in July, before negotiations fell apart.
Well, Egypt's foreign minister told me in an exclusive interview that his main goal is to secure a ceasefire deal.
[10:30:04]
But he says he worries that there is a lack of political will on the Israeli side.
Donald Trump is going into more detail about the summit he hosted on Monday with European leaders and the Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, to
discuss Russia's war in Ukraine.
Well, the U.S. president saying in an interview that he's already set up a meeting between Zelenskyy and Vladimir Putin. So far, the Kremlin is
refusing to commit to such a meeting, at least in public.
Well, back to Gaza now. And a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas would allow for a huge surge in critically needed humanitarian aid. Right now,
much of the aid that arrives at the Gaza border, should it get there, is refused entry by Israel.
The executive director of the Egyptian Red Crescent, Amal Imam, showed me a warehouse full of medical supplies that Israel has turned back.
She says it includes medicines, oxygen tanks that she says have being received and have had the necessary approval from Israel, only to be turned
back after inspection by the Israelis. This is what we saw.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
AMAL IMAM, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, EGYPTIAN RED CRESCENT: This truck has been rejected three or four, actually four times. This is the fourth time that
has been rejected in the last two weeks.
And what's carrying, it's carrying ICU beds coming from the WHO organization.
(CROSSTALK)
IMAM: Yes. And, of course, we never introduced them like this here. As I told you, it's the place where we ensure that we are meeting all the
requirements needed for the palletization and everything needed.
ANDERSON: So why are these rejected?
IMAM: Sometimes because of the pallets, that the pallets are not wooden. Sometimes it's because of that they are containing metal parts. And this is
a big, big reason for rejection. And, of course, anything that needs to be coordinated beforehand with the other side. So even with the coordination,
this comes to come --
ANDERSON: And so you're saying these have been rejected a number of times.
IMAM: Yes. We have our colleague from WHO here, who was just following and coming with the truck. And he said to himself, this is the fourth time I'm
coming with the truck. And even the driver, he was just debriefing the PM.
And he said, it's every time I go for almost 24 hours, because, of course, we have them in front of the borders ready after being manifested. And then
they need to enter, from the side gate that you have seen today, to the -- beside Rafah, our border.
And then they need to go to Camp Shalom for the scanning. So after scanning -- and, of course, this takes them almost 18 hours -- they come to come
again.
ANDERSON: And these drivers are driving for 24 hours.
(CROSSTALK)
IMAM: (Speaking foreign language).
So he said that since the 2nd of August, he has entered four times. Every time it goes in a very good shape and then it comes this.
ANDERSON: And that's how it comes back.
IMAM: Exactly, you see. And then, of course, our teams here, they are working on reprioritizing them as you see.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ANDERSON: Well, what you saw there, of course, were critically needed medical supplies, ICU beds. As I say, we also saw oxygen tanks and
wheelchairs and anesthetic equipment.
There is, of course, an awful lot of food aid, which is loaded onto trucks to go into Gaza, which isn't getting in at this point. Look, the situation
could not be more urgent. Another three people have starved to death in the enclave in the last 24 hours, according to local health officials there.
For more now, I'm joined by the spokesperson for the United Nations Office of Humanitarian Affairs, Olga Cherevko, who is in al-Mawasi in Gaza,
supporting the operations there.
Olga, you just saw -- and our viewers just saw -- these materials that are being held up on the Egyptian side of the border.
How is this rejection of aid in this vetting process by the Israelis impacting the situation on the ground where you are now?
OLGA CHEREVKO, SPOKESPERSON, UNITED NATIONS OFFICE OF HUMANITARIAN AFFAIRS: Thank you, Becky, for having me.
You know, this is one of the many, many obstacles that the cargo has to go through before we can even get it inside of Gaza. And, of course, in
addition to that, once it is on the platform in Gaza, we face a massive line of various impediments in order to collect it from the platform.
[10:35:00]
So as you were speaking to a colleague in at the crossing there and talking about the palletization and repalletization and the scanning and the
manifesting.
And one of the biggest issues that we face before cargo arrives in Gaza is the fact that everything is kind of centralized through Kerem Shalom. So
regardless of the corridor the cargo comes through, it has to be scanned at Kerem Shalom.
And, of course, there are only so many hours in the day that this can be done. So many times the trucks are turned away because it becomes too late
in the day to even scan them. And so they have to basically start from zero the next day all over again.
ANDERSON: Can you just explain what is going on on the ground where you are and how people are coping?
CHEREVKO: The situation here is so dire. I have never seen it at the level that it's at now. Everybody has obviously been enduring nearly two years of
this war. Everybody, virtually everyone in Gaza, has been displaced.
And many times several -- many people several times, some have actually lost count how many.
And, of course, if we look at the map of Gaza, over 86 percent of it is currently under displacement orders or in Israeli militarized areas. So the
space where people can still survive and exist is very, very small.
And it just keeps getting tighter by the day, with more displacement orders, with, of course, the strikes ongoing. And the looming possibility
of the offensive in Gaza City has everybody extremely worried.
And this is what people tell me everywhere, is that they really cannot fathom how much worse it can get if hundreds of thousands of people can
potentially -- will have to potentially be forced to displace yet again.
ANDERSON: And Olga, you're talking about the decision by the Israeli security cabinet to widen the war, to ratchet up its operations, to expand
its operations into Gaza City. This is what mediators, that I have spoken to here in Cairo and in Qatar, tell me is really worrying them.
It's the reason that efforts have been ratcheted up to try and get a proposal agreed to by Hamas and Israel to get a temporary truce. Even a
temporary truce. of course, I know you would agree, if it were a truce of 60 days, would provide some relief in that it would allow for a surge of
humanitarian aid in through the borders.
And indeed, as you speak to the plight of people on the ground and the catastrophe that continues to unfold there, again, you know, a period of
relief, if nothing else, for people on the ground.
What is your concern and how concerned are people who speak to you about what seems to be the hardening position by Israel at this point, its
determination that Hamas is on the ropes and that it can defeat them whilst we still await an official response to this proposal that's on the table?
There does seem concern, some concern, that Israel's hardened position will mean that it will just carry on with this war.
CHEREVKO: That's exactly my concern, because we have a population that is teetering on the brink of famine at this stage. And, of course, as I've
said, they are completely exhausted from these almost two years of war.
And the prospect of another displacement, massive displacement, and the possibility of having to figure out how these people will survive here in
this tiny area of the Strip is unfathomable.
I was in Nasser Hospital just a couple of days ago. And I've actually visited several times over the past week. And every time I go there,
there's more and more patients being accommodated because they're operating over capacity there.
The hospitals in the south are barely -- they're hanging by a thread. And there are patients being hosted in the -- in every hallway, in the balcony,
in the parking lot, outside in the tents.
And to think that there will -- there might be a possibility that hundreds of thousands more people will displace from the north. And, of course, the
patients that are now in the north will have to somehow be accommodated in the south by -- in a health care system that is on the verge of collapse,
is a very scary thought.
[10:40:06]
ANDERSON: Olga, we appreciate your time. I know the work that you are doing is extremely tough. We thank you very much indeed for at least
freeing up a little bit of time to give us a sense of what's going on on the ground. Thank you.
Well, the UAE has started digging pipelines in Rafah this week that will deliver much needed water into Gaza. The pipeline will extend from Egypt
all the way to Khan Yunis and will deliver drinkable water to the enclave.
This will come as a relief to many Palestinians during what are these summer months, as high temperatures can go up to as high as 108 degrees
Fahrenheit or 42 degrees Celsius.
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AHMAD ABU TAREQ, DISPLACED PALESTINIAN IN GAZA (through translator): This is a good project and it brings comfort to everyone. We are in need of
water, especially in the summer. We have to trek long distances to find water, sometimes in the middle of the night, and it's very exhausting for
us and for our children.
AHMAD, DISPLACED PALESTINIAN IN GAZA (through translator): As you know, water is a lifeline. We were patient with our hunger but we can't be
patient with water. We need it to drink and we need it to clean ourselves.
We have nothing. If we don't have water for hygiene, we will get diseases. If we have water, we can prevent diseases and we can quench our thirst.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: Well, this past weekend, in cooperation with the World Health Organization -- the WHO -- the UAE also successfully delivered trucks of
medical aid into Gaza as the hospital systems we've been discussing crumbles under crippling Israeli restrictions on aid.
And as thankful as Palestinians are for any amount of assistance at this point, one doctor gave a stark reminder of the dire scale of need inside
Gaza.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DR. HIBA AL-NAIJAR, EMERGENCY MEDICAL TEAM COORDINATOR, MINISTRY OF HEALTH, GAZA (through translator): This applies only a fraction of our needs and
will cover us for only about a month, no more than that. We ask for consistent sending of aid in order to meet the needs of the people of Gaza.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: And you can find more of our reporting at cnn.com or on your CNN app, of course.
Well, when we come back, fresh off his summit with European leaders, president Trump says he's set up a meeting between the Ukrainian and
Russian presidents. The very latest on the push for peace is in a moment.
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NEWTON: Now president Donald Trump went into a little more detail this morning about Monday's summit with European leaders and Ukraine's
president, to try and end the war with Russia.
[10:45:00]
Trump said in an interview a short time ago that he's already "sort of," in his words, set up a meeting between Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Vladimir Putin
although the Kremlin is refusing to publicly commit to one.
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(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: So we're setting up a meeting. I sort of set it up with Putin and Zelenskyy and, you know, they're the ones that have to call the shots.
We're 7,000 miles away.
I called President Putin and we're trying to work out a meeting with President Zelenskyy and we'll see what happens there. And then if that
works out, if it works out, then I'll go to the trilat and close it up.
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NEWTON: Now Monday during the summit, a hot microphone picked up Mr. Trump, saying this to French president Emmanuel Macron.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: I think he wants to make a deal for me. Do you understand that?
As crazy as it sounds.
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NEWTON: CNN's Alayna Treene is with us at the White House again.
I mean, just to pick it up from there, clearly, the president seems to be showing more optimism that maybe the details might actually indicate at
this point in time.
ALAYNA TREENE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It does seem that way.
And you could hear him as well this morning when he was being interviewed in that phone interview with FOX News, saying that part of the reason he
took that phone call.
Or he decided to call up the Russian president, Vladimir Putin, in the Oval Office, was because he didn't want to disrespect him by having the other
European leaders in the room with him when he spoke with the Russian leader.
And he said essentially that, you know, there's a warmth there. You could see it on Friday when he was in Alaska, when both of them had gotten off
the plane.
And he also noted that he thinks that, you know, he -- and he's said this before -- but he believes he really is the only one who can have these
types of conversations with the Russian leader, arguing that Putin does, you know, doesn't really like the other European leaders.
But all to say it's still very much unclear when, how and if a bilateral meeting between, first, Vladimir Putin and Volodymyr Zelenskyy but then
also a potential trilateral meeting after that, that would include president Donald Trump, could actually take place.
But that's clearly the goal right now for the White House and specifically for president Donald Trump, who believes that such a meeting is necessary
to really work on the finer details and get to a point where peace is possible.
But some other things we heard this morning from his interview that, I think, are very notable, one -- and we have cleared this up, according to a
conversation I had with the White House official -- is that the president is now ruling out having U.S. troops on the ground in Ukraine as part of a
security guarantee.
So one of the big things yesterday as well, in addition to us hearing from the president, saying he wants to have this meeting between Zelenskyy and
Putin, was the idea of the United States being willing and really president Trump committing to helping with these security guarantees and helping
defend Ukraine, should a peace deal be reached.
Now a key question -- and the president was asked this specifically in the room when he was sitting alongside Zelenskyy in the Oval Office.
He was asked, could security guarantees and U.S. commitment mean troops on the ground?
Yesterday, the president left the door open to that. He didn't really rule it out. But today, when he was on FOX News, he did say -- he basically
said, I'm giving my assurances that there will not be American boots on the ground in Ukraine.
When I spoke with the White House official, they said, despite that, they still believe there are many different ways that the United States can help
defend Ukraine and defend their borders.
And they also said that those conversations and the specifics of what that could look like with U.S. involvement are going to be worked out over the
next couple of weeks.
NEWTON: OK, Alayna Treene, I appreciate that update on something that is so important, whether or not American boots would be on the ground.
Appreciate it.
Neil Melvin is the international security director at the Royal United Services Institute. It is a think tank and he joins me now from Stockholm.
Good to have you.
And right off the bat, I want to ask you, what do you believe is the most significant progress that we've seen in the last 24 hours?
NEIL MELVIN, INTERNATIONAL SECURITY DIRECTOR, ROYAL UNITED SERVICES INSTITUTE: Well, in a way, I think you asked me this question yesterday.
We'll be talking about security guarantees. But as your White House correspondent has just underlined, we've seen president Trump walking back
that commitment to something much softer.
And it's hard to even maybe call this security guarantees. It's more like a supporting the European reassurance force in Ukraine, which is itself going
to be quite limited. It's not going to be on the front line; it's going to be doing training in West Ukraine, maybe some air and maritime policing
reconstruction.
So I think we've seen, over the last 24 hours, quite a big shift from a little bit of euphoria after yesterday's conversation to something more
grounded in the geopolitical realities of the conflict.
And to pick up on the tall order here, there are still some misconceptions about this war that persist even with president Trump. I want you to listen
to him just a few hours ago.
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TRUMP: Ukraine is going to get their life back. They're going to stop having people killed all over the place and they're going to get a lot of
land.
[10:50:00]
But this was a war and Russia is a powerful military nation. You know, whether people like it or not, it's a powerful nation. It's a much bigger
nation. It's not a war that should have been started. You don't do that. You don't take -- you don't take on a nation that's 10 times your size and
--
(END VIDEO CLIP)
NEWTON: To be clear, Ukraine didn't take on anyone. Russia has been the aggressor, not since 2022 but in fact since 2014, when it took over, you
know, took over Crimea.
I want to ask you, given they're trying to work out some very key details in the next few days and weeks, what confidence is there that, if Donald
Trump is the only honest broker that Putin will listen to at this point, that these details can actually get across the finish line?
MELVIN: Well, I mean, those comments that you just said, I think, just highlight some of the worries, of course, that -- I mean, for the
Ukrainians, they understand that Russia invaded them starting in 2014 but full scale in 2022.
And that Putin's ambitions have not changed. He doesn't necessarily want a ceasefire or peace agreement. He wants to subjugate Ukraine. He's not --
he's not going to be content with pausing the fighting when he thinks he can win it militarily at the moment.
So having a -- what looks like a rather superficial discussion, often about what a peace deal might look like, when actually the real issue for Ukraine
is how can it be secure against a country that it feels has invaded it in the past and will probably do the same again in the future, when there
aren't real security guarantees on the table?
As we've learned today, we've got something much looser. And as part of this deal, Ukraine would be expected to give up its fortress belt in the
Donbas, which is really protecting it now. So it might even be more vulnerable after a peace agreement.
NEWTON: Yes, and that's a sobering reality, especially as Donald Trump continues to say that it is Volodymyr Zelenskyy who must remain flexible
and possibly give up territory.
We have to leave it there for now. Really appreciate your insights. Thanks so much.
Now up next here on CONNECT THE WORLD, we will go back to Becky Anderson in Cairo for her final thoughts on what she's seeing on the ground there.
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ANDERSON: Well, before we close this show, I just want to mark an occasion.
It's World Humanitarian Day today, all the more pertinent, given the suffering and hunger of the people of Gaza as the conflict there grinds on,
with reports of dozens of people a day dying and images of starving kids reminding us of the catastrophe that is unfolding.
At the Egyptian side of the Rafah crossing, one of Gaza's main lifelines for aid, I saw trucks loaded with food and medical equipment, just a matter
of miles away from the people who need it most.
Well, today I want to tip my hat to the unsung heroes there at the border, to the around 35,000 Egyptian Red Crescent volunteers, who, over the past
two years of this conflict, have helped work on the complex logistics, many of them youngsters, who we met yesterday, prepping boxes of food and
essential medical supplies.
[10:55:00]
Provided by humanitarian organizations and by countries onto trucks, waiting to be green-lit by the Israelis for delivery.
And the truck drivers, many of whom have been waiting days, they tell us, even weeks, for permission to proceed into Gaza; often, they say, being
turned back by the Israelis three or four times in a vetting process, that, frankly, they say makes no sense to them. Their determination, though,
unswayed.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MEDHAT MOHAMED, TRUCK DRIVER (through translator): Everyone here has dedicated their life to this. We will go in for our brothers and sisters
inside. We will deliver the aid regardless of what happens. We will deliver in a polite way or by force but we will deliver.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: Well, a strong message on World Humanitarian Day from those working tirelessly to try and make a difference as we wait to find out what
Israel's response will be to the latest efforts by mediators to try and end this conflict in Gaza.
Well, that's it from me here and the team in Cairo with me. Stay with CNN, though. "ONE WORLD" is up next.
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