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One World with Zain Asher

President Bidens Calls On Congress To Approve A New Wartime Aid Package For Both Israel And Ukraine Totaling More Than $100 Billion; U.N. Secretary General Makes An Urgent Plea To Get Stalled Trucks Carrying Aid Be Moved To Gaza; U.S. House Of Representatives Remains In Serious Limbo. Aired 12-1p ET

Aired October 20, 2023 - 12:00   ET

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

[12:00:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BIANNA GOLODRYGA, CNN ANCHOR: Hello everyone, live from New York, I'm Bianna Golodryga. Zain is off today. This is ONE WORLD. A message of unity

and a show of solidarity. U.S. President Joe Biden is set to meet with European leaders at the White House any moment now.

We will bring you that live when it happens. It's all in an attempt to present a united front against the Israel Hamas war and the war in Ukraine.

It's a message he's also delivered to the American public in a rare address last night.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOE BIDEN, U.S. PRESIDENT: Hamas and Putin represent different threats, but they share this in common. They both want to completely annihilate a

neighboring democracy. American alliance is what keeps us, America, safe. American values are what make us a partner that other nations want to work

with. To put all that at risk, if we walk away from Ukraine, if we turn our backs on Israel, it's just not worth it.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GOLODRYGA: The President is calling on Congress to approve a new wartime aid package for both Israel and Ukraine, totaling more than $100 billion.

It comes as a humanitarian crisis in Gaza deteriorates with each passing hour, with the health care system on the brink of collapse, while

lifesaving aid remains at a standstill. The U.N. Secretary General visited the Rafah border crossing and made an urgent plea to get stalled trucks

carrying that aid moving in.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ANTONIO GUTERRES, U.N. SECRETARY-GENERAL: These trucks are not just trucks. They are a lifeline. They are the difference between life and death

for so many people in Gaza.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GOLODRYGA: Meanwhile, the aerial bombardment of Gaza continues. The head of the Greek Orthodox Church in Jerusalem says Gaza's oldest church

compound was damaged after an Israeli airstrike on Thursday night. And now Israel is indicating that a ground invasion may be imminent.

The country's defense minister told troops gathered not far from the border on Thursday that they will, quote, soon see Gaza from the inside. Israel is

also releasing new details on hostages held inside Gaza and says the majority of them are alive.

CNN's Chief International Correspondent Clarissa Ward was at the Rafah crossing with the Secretary General and now joins us from Cairo. Time is of

the essence, Clarissa, to get those aid trucks in. What more did you see and hear while you were there?

CLARISSA WARD, CNN CHIEF INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: I think, Bianna, that the Secretary General really wanted to be able to stand there at the

Rafah crossing today and announce that the first trucks were going to start rolling across the border into Gaza, where they are so desperately needed.

But that is not at all what happened.

There are more than 200 trucks that have been waiting there for days. But there are continued issues that are preventing them from entering into

Gaza. There is the issue of verification. The Israelis want to make sure that they can inspect the trucks, that they can make sure that they don't

contain weaponry. So, there has to be a mechanism put in place to allow that to happen.

There's also the issue of the U.N. wanting to make sure that this is a sustained humanitarian corridor, that this isn't just a one-off. Currently,

the agreement in place is just for 20 trucks. Keep in mind, up until two weeks ago, it would be about 450 trucks going into Gaza every single day.

And what the U.N. worries about in terms of its staff on the ground, in terms of the people driving those trucks, is if it's only 20 trucks, those

trucks are going to get mopped by desperate people who are going to be very worried that there isn't more on the way. So, both sides, all sides,

working very hard to try to come up with a more sustained, durable humanitarian corridor.

The Secretary General also calling for a humanitarian ceasefire. But what was interesting, Bianna, is that what he ended up arriving in to at the

Rafah border crossing was not an opportunity to meet with volunteers and thank them and then have a short statement to the press, but actually a

significant protest. Hundreds of protesters who had gathered there -- usually it's illegal to protest in Egypt, but today President Sisi told

people, please go out, protest for Palestine.

And we saw for ourselves that the Secretary General was essentially drowned out. He could barely make his remarks. And then he was removed fairly

quickly as tensions were escalating.

[12:05:00]

We talked to people, as well. A lot of anger, not just at Israel, also the U.S. Also, Western media. A lot of people who feel that their voices aren't

being heard. Their stories aren't being covered. Take a listen to what one woman told us.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNKNOWN: We are here to speak the truth because Western, a lot, I'm not going to generalize, but a lot of Western channels have been aiding in the

dehumanization of Arabs. You say a hunch, when I say the word Muhammad, how does that make you feel? You immediately flinch because that's what's been

happening.

So, now when a thousand plus Palestinian babies die, you don't feel the same. You don't feel the same as when I tell you one of your own has died.

But these are our own. And it is on here in Egypt -- out of Palestine.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WARD: Now, Bianna, we obviously asked the Secretary General as well about when that aid will be able to start moving. The situation beyond desperate,

fuel running short, water has run out, food is running out, medicines have run out.

He said we are doing everything we can to make it happen as soon as possible. But honestly speaking, it still looks like there are a number of

obstacles to be cleared before there might be some respite, some relief for the people who are trapped inside Gaza, Bianna.

GOLODRYGA: Clarissa, any indication of what, if anything, changes once Israel's ground invasion, which is expected to be imminent at any time,

begins in terms of aid getting across that area?

WARD: I think that is very much an unknown at the moment. They're working so hard right now, and a lot of parties are involved in this, I should

emphasize, including the U.S., to just get 20 trucks in. And it's been days and days, and they have not been able to do that yet.

Let alone to establish a daily humanitarian corridor. Let alone to try to make that happen against the backdrop of some kind of an invasion. This is

why you are hearing the Secretary General calling -- full-throated call for a humanitarian ceasefire. The U.N. tried to pass a resolution in the

Security Council. The U.S. vetoed it.

And so, there is desperation within the U.N. to try to get that back on the books and see if they can try again to pass it through. But there's also an

acknowledgment that they have to just keep trying, keep doing whatever they can with the full knowledge that it's not going to be easy.

But that it has to be done, because we are talking about a matter of days before people will potentially be dying, not just from bombardment, but

from a desperate humanitarian situation that is quickly escalating out of control, Bianna.

GOLODRYGA: What makes that even more challenging is that ultimatum, that this aid not get into the wrong hands, and by the wrong hands, that is the

hands of Hamas, and instead go to the hands of those civilians there that are desperately in need of it. Clarissa Ward, please stay safe and keep us

posted on any developments that you hear. Thank you.

Well, back here in the U.S., all eyes are on the Capitol, Capitol Hill specifically, where the U.S. House of Representatives remains in serious

limbo. Counting just wrapping up, and Republican Congressman Jim Jordan appears to have lost his bid after a third round of voting to become the

next speaker of the House.

Business, as we've been telling you these past few weeks in the chamber -- is paralyzed until a new speaker is in place. Now, that means lawmakers are

unable to pass legislation or act on the $14 billion funding request for Israel that President Biden requested earlier. Earlier today, House

Minority Leader Democrat Hakeem Jeffries had this to say about all of the chaos.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

HAKEEM JEFFRIES, HOUSE MINORITY LEADER: Jim Jordan is a clear and present danger to our democracy. And he is the poster child for MAGA extremism. We

are saying to our traditional Republican colleagues, good men and women, on the other side of the aisle. End the attachment to the extremist Jim Jordan

and join with Democrats in finding a bipartisan path forward.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GOLODRYGA: Well, for more on this, let's bring in CNN's Eva McKend in Washington. So, Eva, I mean, chaos is a perfect way to describe it. The

President last night making a plea to the American public that our allies are in desperate need of our help, and that is something that will help

protect the homeland as well in the long run.

But nothing can really move forward until we have order in our own house here, and that means electing a speaker. What happens now after Jim Jordan

lost his third attempt?

EVA MCKEND, CNN U.S. NATIONAL POLITICS CORRESPONDENT: Yeah, another brutal loss for Congressman Jordan, Bianna. He lost by 25 votes.

[12:10:00]

And if you're keeping count here, which we are, in the first round, 20 House Republicans defected. In the second round, he lost 22, and now 25

votes. And if you're keeping count here, which we are, in the first round, 20 House Republicans defected. In the second round, he lost 22, and now,

25. So, things just getting worse.

And what this illustrates is this outside pressure campaign waged by Republican activists to really pressure the conference to just get behind

Jordan, failed miserably and actually made even more people sour. We know that Congressman Jordan held a meeting with some of those holdouts, really

trying to convince them, understand their issues.

And in that meeting, I think it was made clear to him that they do not support him. Still, Jordan is resolute. He says he wants to continue on.

Some of his allies suggest he's prepared to keep members in over the weekend.

That, of course, is woefully unpopular, as many of these members are ready to go back home to their districts, but he has pledged to continue this

fight. We know that Republicans now will meet in about an hour to regroup and figure out their next steps.

GOLODRYGA: Yeah, looks like a weekend of people working in the White House there and on Capitol Hill, something that they don't like to do, as you

noted. Eva McKend, thank you.

Well, let's now go to the White House, where President Biden delivered that impassioned speech Thursday night calling for more aid for Israel. I want

to bring in CNN's Arlette Saenz. Arlette, you know, the President laid out his case in another impassioned speech.

It's his third that he's delivered specifically related to Israel, but this time he expanded it to include aid to Ukraine. Without a speaker, where do

things stand? How is the White House responding to what's going on just a few blocks down the street?

ARLETTE SAENZ, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, President Biden is hoping that Congress can eventually push through with that aid for Israel

and Ukraine. But at the moment, things really remain at a standstill with the House really paralyzed, unable to act without a speaker of the House.

But President Biden last night made that sales pitch not just to lawmakers, but also to the American people. He used the backdrop of that Oval Office,

a very rare Oval Office address to make the case for what's at stake in both the wars in Israel and Ukraine.

The President directly linking those two very different conflicts, saying that it's a matter of national security interest to the United States, but

also the need to preserve democracy at large. And that speech came on the heels of the President today, requesting that official national security

package from lawmakers up on Capitol Hill.

The total for that request is about $105 billion, and it includes over $61 billion for Ukraine and about $14 billion for Israel. There's also funding

for humanitarian assistance. The border security at the U.S.-Mexico border, as well as Indo-Pacific countries like Taiwan.

But while the White House believes that they have bipartisan support to get this across the finish line, the reality is that it's much more complicated

dynamics up on Capitol Hill. First, you have an American public who's skeptical of providing more aid to Ukraine. You've seen the majority of

Americans, at this point, don't think Congress should authorize more aid.

There is some belief within the hardline conservative wing of the Republican Party that also doesn't want to see that aid go into Ukraine.

And then there's the issue of Israel, where Americans are still unsure about what U.S. involvement and assistance should look like.

We've seen some Republicans express frustration with the White House trying to tie Ukraine and Israel together. But that issue of the speaker and the

lack of a speaker in the House of Representatives really proposes the immediate complicating factor to this. There is no end in sight, as you saw

with that latest vote where Jim Jordan was unable to secure the necessary votes to become House Speaker.

So, that package that the President is requesting is really in jeopardy. It's unknown when exactly something could get passed through Congress,

which could complicate the ways that the U.S. is able to support both Ukraine and Israel going forward.

GOLODRYGA: Another factor to consider here is we're up against the deadline in keeping the government open till -- as well. We're just a few

weeks away from that. CNN White House Correspondent Arlette Saenz, thank you.

SAENZ: Thanks.

GOLODRYGA: Well, still ahead. Amid growing anger in the Middle East, someone will be asking the former U.S. Ambassador about Israel and Egypt,

what he thinks about Saturday's peace summit in Cairo. We'll also tell you who won't be attending. That's after the break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[12:15:00]

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GOLODRYGA: Well, in cities all across the region, protestors have ported into the streets to express their anger at Israel's continued strikes on

Gaza. Some protestors in Cairo called for more attacks against Israel crying out where is the Arab army? The protests broke out following the

rocket attack on a Gaza hospital earlier this week which Israel blames on a misfire by Palestinian militants. America is supporting Israel's finding.

Well, several global leaders will be converging in Cairo on Saturday for Egypt's international peace summit. Their mission couldn't be more serious.

They want to find a way to protect civilians in Gaza and de-escalate the conflict between Isarael and Hamas. Missing from the summit are leaders

from the U.S. and Israel.

For his party, Egyptian President Fattah El-Sisi is declaring that Israel has exceeded the limit of self-defense. My next guest writes that Cairo is,

quote, "a prime player in the effort to address the worsening humanitarian situation in Gaza".

And we're joined now by Daniel Kurtzer who was the U.S. Ambassador to Egypt from 1997 to 2001 and Ambassador to Israel from 2001 to 2005. He is now

Professor at Princeton University School of Public and International Affairs.

Ambassador, thank you so much for joining us. Can you lay out some of the challenges and pressures that Sisi faces right now in terms --

specifically, let's start with the just at Rafah crossing enabled to gate aid cross that crossing and any Palestinians who at this point -- he is

weary about allowing into Egypt.

DANIEL KURTZER, FORMER U.S. AMBASSADOR TO ISRAEL AND EGYPT: Sure, look. The summit is I think driven by at least three factors. One of them is the

domestic upheaval throughout the Arab world and in Egypt itself. Leaders want to show that they are on top of the situation in trying to resolve it.

I think, second of all, there is an immediate concern about spill over. How much will this conflict escalate and perhaps engage other Arab countries

willy nilly. And third, as you noted, Egypt's particular role in overseeing the Rafah crossing between Egypt and Gaza, and that's a problem for Egypt.

It's not a problem for humanitarian aid going in, but Egypt does not want the Palestinians coming into Egypt for fear that they might be a permanent

presence. Palestinians don't want that either. And therefore, there's a lot of delicate diplomacy going on about how you get the aid in but keep the

border closed for Palestinians wanting to exit.

GOLODRYGA: What do you make of the fact that there isn't a U.S. or Israeli representative at the summit?

KURTZER: Well, it's a little bit disappointing. I believe that you don't accomplish anything by not showing up.

[12:20:00]

And I hope that the United States changes its mind even if it's represented at a lower level than some of the other countries. Part of the problem may

be, however, that the way the agenda so far is being structured, it is very much an agenda that the U.S. can't associate with.

It calls for an immediate ceasefire but doesn't require anything on the part of Hamas in terms of foregoing future terrorism. It calls for

humanitarian access but doesn't provide any assurance that the humanitarian aid will not get into Hamas' hands.

So, I think the United States might be more attracted to this summit were there to be some notation with regard to hostage release and the idea that

Hamas terrorism would be condemned. So far, that's not the case. And I think that's what's accounting for the U.S.' absence.

GOLODRYGA: Well, we should note that prior to October 7, Israel and Egypt worked quite closely on counterterrorism and the exchange of intel between

these two countries. And there's no love lost between El-Sisi and Hamas, which is an affiliate of the Muslim Brotherhood.

Obviously, we know Sisi's predecessor, Mohamed Morsi, was a member of the Muslim Brotherhood and he was overthrown in a coup, wouldn't it benefit

Sisi in the longer run if Israel does what it accomplishes what it's said to do and that is eradicate Hamas?

KURTZER: Look, there's a multi-level game being played here. On the one hand, what's happening in public, the condemnatory statements by some Arab

leaders, including Egypt, the summit and its agenda tomorrow, are trying to create political space within the region to try to tamp down on the

internal unrest.

Behind the scenes, there are few Arab leaders who have anything but contempt for Hamas. And most of them in their heart of hearts would want to

see Hamas dealt a very serious blow, including, as you noted, the Egyptians, who have their own problems with the Muslim Brotherhood and the

more radical extremists. They have an insurgency that's been underway in the Sinai Peninsula for more than 10 years.

But today, apparently, they believe this is not a time when they can talk about that in public. So, there's what we see in public, what's happening

in private, and that disconnect is only going to become more significant in the days ahead.

GOLODRYGA: Yeah, it is notable that Sisi is allowing for protests now on the streets in support of Hamas. The question is, if Israel is able to

eradicate it, who replaces it and who does end up controlling Gaza. Ambassador Daniel Kurtzer, thank you so much for your perspective. We

appreciate it.

KURTZER: My pleasure.

GOLODRYGA: Well, coming up, Israel's war against Hamas will soon be entering its third week. We'll go live to the Gaza-Israeli border with a

look at what's to come. And still ahead, a hero medic recording her final moments as she rushed towards danger while Hamas closed in. We'll hear from

her and the family left behind.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[12:25:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

GOLODRYGA: Welcome back. Well, it's been nearly two weeks since Hamas fighters and militants and terrorists actually launched a surprise attack

on Israel that killed 1400 people. This week, we have seen a nation at war, a flurry of international diplomatic activity, and a growing humanitarian

crisis in Gaza. With the prospect of a ground invasion looming, the week started with Secretary of State Antony Blinken's shuttle diplomacy drive.

He began efforts to open the Rafah crossing to let aid in and allow trapped American citizens leave Gaza.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ANTONY BLINKEN, SECRETARY OF STATE: He's coming here at a critical moment for Israel, for the region, and for the world. The President will hear from

Israel how it will conduct its operations in a way that minimizes civilian casualties and enables humanitarian assistance to flow to civilians in

Gaza. It is critical that aid begin flowing into Gaza as soon as possible.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

While diplomatic efforts were happening on the ground, the attacks continued from the air both into Gaza and Lebanon. On Tuesday came this.

And a warning, these images are disturbing.

Lighting up the night sky over Gaza, an explosion at the Al-Hali Baptist Hospital. The Hamas-controlled Ministry of Health in Gaza said the death

toll was 471. Preliminary U.S. intelligence, however, suggested it's between 100 and 300.

Both sides blamed each other, with the Gaza authorities blaming an Israeli airstrike in Israel and the United States claiming the explosion was caused

by a misfired Islamic Jihad rocket. CNN cannot independently verify the cause. On Wednesday in Tel Aviv, President Biden echoed the Israeli

explanation.

The bombardment of Gaza sparked protests across the Middle East, heightening fears the war could spiral into a larger regional conflict.

Palestinian officials say more than 4000 people have been killed in the Gaza Strip. Meanwhile, the families of those abducted by Hamas fighters,

terrorists, are still waiting for answers.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KEREN SCHEM, MOTHER OF HOSTAGE MIA SCHEM: My message to my daughter is that I love her so much and I miss her so much and all these days I just

thought how I'm hugging her when she's coming home and that's what kept me strong and, you know, and focused. I didn't know she's dead or alive until

yesterday. All I knew is that she might be kidnapped. I'm begging the world to bring my baby back home.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GOLODRYGA: The pain and anguish of a mother. They're desperate to see her daughter. Twenty-one-year-old Mia Schem was seen in a video released by

Hamas on Monday. The French-Israeli woman was kidnapped last week. Today, IDF said among some 200 hostages held in the Gaza Strip, the majority are

still alive.

[12:30:00

Well, who better to help put things into perspective than CNN's Senior Diplomatic Editor, Nic Robertson, who joins us now from the Israeli town of

Sderot, just one mile from the Gaza border. A lot, obviously, to unpack there, as we did in that introduction there to you, Nic. And we should note

this is before that long-awaited for Israeli incursion into Gaza, which by every appearance seems imminent. Talk to us about what you're hearing.

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN SENIOR DIPLOMATIC EDITOR: Yeah, it does feel that way because the political will is there, the popular will is there, the

military are actually at the border and with their armored vehicles and tanks.

Today, though, it's been a little bit surreal because it's been very quiet, at least at the northern end of Gaza. Very, very few missiles coming out of

Gaza, very, very few artillery shells, and if any missile strikes going into Gaza, it feels like we're at the moment where there could be any

number of possibilities about what could happen now.

There could be some kind of breakthrough, potentially for some of the hostages, that some of the 219 U.N. food and humanitarian aid trucks that

are at the border with Egypt could be allowed in, that there could be a compromise, that Israel may listen to its friends and allies that are

saying, yes, you have every right to strike back, but think about the long- term, think about how you're going to deal with Palestinians going forward and deal with the bigger issues.

You have a right to strike back but think about the next day and the day after that. It feels like a moment where all these things are

possibilities, yet I think we stand at the moment where there are the probability of what's going to happen. It comes down to a couple of things.

Maybe an aid truck or 20, as is hoped, may get into Gaza. I think the incursion looks incredibly likely to happen.

But these events haven't happened yet, so that leaves open the possibilities. But the reality of where we stand, despite this being a

relatively quiet day, which speaks to the possibility of some behind-the- scenes diplomacy and discussions, positions are really entrenched, and there's a real desire and hunger to take the fight to Hamas and stop them

bringing any fight back to Israeli citizens again. That's where I feel we're at tonight.

GOLODRYGA: Yeah, the Defense Minister echoing that as well, telling IDF troops yesterday that soon they will be seeing the inside of Gaza. And

today, before the Knesset, he really laid out a three-part plan as to what to expect in the days, weeks, perhaps even months to come.

And what was notable is he said the final step of this plan would be that Israel would no longer be responsible for life in the Gaza Strip. This goes

to your point. What is the plan after their mission? And there doesn't seem to be one, at least at this point.

ROBERTSON: Yeah, and the United States has continually said the two-state peace solution is the right solution going forward. So where does that,

where would that leave conversations between Israel and any Palestinian authority leaders that represented the people of Gaza, the people of the

West Bank, the Palestinians? Where would that leave that?

We also heard a sort of version of that from a government minister yesterday, former security chief who said number one, we'll be creating a

much bigger and stronger buffer zone all around Gaza. Sixty-seven kilometers, 50 miles or so, is the length of the border fence. That will

become much wider. There will be a no-go zone in there.

But he also spoke about the need for Israel to be able to go in as it can in the West Bank at the moment, compared to Gaza relatively easily, not

without confrontation, not without deaths on occasion.

They can go into the West Bank and paint it a scenario like that in the future for Gaza, but one where Hamas was completely deconstructed and there

would need to be help in creating a new Palestinian leadership there. That doesn't quite gel with the sort of third step of what the Defense Minister

is speaking about, which is a separation and Palestinians left to themselves.

But there are so many bigger questions, I think, that become part of solutions proposed like that, which means that Egypt picks up more of the

slack by default with the Palestinians in Gaza. And that is something that Egypt flatly rejects, as Jordan does, for the Palestinians in the West

Bank, so that there are bigger issues that are out with the scope of Israel.

And those are the pressures that are on Israel right now, the demand of their -- the Egyptians, the Jordanians, and others for a humanitarian pause

right now, which sort of feels like we have that today.

[12:35:00]

But nobody said we have that today, which begs the question, what's happening while it's quieter?

GOLODRYGA: Yeah, and we haven't even mentioned the other possible scenario, the nightmare scenario, is another front opening in the north, as

well. Israel evacuated more than 10,000 residents in communities there as there's more and more concern about an escalation in confrontation with

Hezbollah.

Nic Robertson, in Sderot, Israel, thank you so much. As always, we appreciate your expertise and your analysis on telling us what's happening

on the ground.

Well, just in, another plea deal in the Georgia election subversion case against Donald Trump. These are live pictures from the courthouse where

Chesebro is the attorney, is making his plea to one felony count. Kenneth Chesebro was Trump's attorney and he helped craft the fake electors plot in

2020. He is the third person to plead guilty in the case.

Now, part of the deal means that he will have to testify at future trials and write an apology letter to the people of Georgia. The deal came shortly

after jury selection began earlier on Friday. We'll continue to follow developments on this front for you, as well. We'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

GOLODRYGA: Well, so many stories of heroism have emerged since the October 7 attacks. Like Amit Man, a young medic who left the safety of her

apartment when Hamas terrorists attacked her kibbutz. Amit went towards the danger and gave her life to help others. CNN's Anderson Cooper reports on

the photos and messages Amit sent her sisters. A warning, the story contains graphic and disturbing images.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ANDERSON COOPER, CNN ANCHOR (voice-over): When Hamas gunmen arrived at the entrance of the Be'eri kibbutz around 7 A.M. Sunday morning, they waited

for a car to arrive and opened the gate. Then they executed the people inside. A 22-year-old medic, Amit Mann, was already in the community

clinic. She'd run there when rocket sirens first sounded at 6:30 A.M. She could have stayed in her apartment's safe room, but wanted to help in case

anyone was wounded.

For the next seven hours, Hamas gunmen roamed the grounds, burning homes, breaking into houses, hunting residents, slaughtering more than 120 men,

women and children.

[12:40:00]

HAVIVA IZIKSON, AMIT MAN'S SISTER: She wrote us that there is terrorists in the kibbutz. They heard shooting. They heard Arabs talking. They were

there and she let us know that.

Haviva and Lior (ph) are two of Amit's sisters. They exchanged messages with her on WhatsApp during the attack.

ANDERSON: She says at 7:51, she says there are a lot of dead and injured here.

IZIKSON: Yes.

COOPER: -- (BEEP) up situation. I don't have any way to help.

IZIKSON: She was so upset that she can't help them. All she ever wanted to do is to save life and help people.

COOPER (voice-over): At 9:13, Amit wrote, the shooting is just continuing. And 14 minutes later sent them this photo. A man lies dead in the clinic

hall. We blurred the image of his body. The floor is smeared with blood. At 11:02, Amit messages her sister about the gunmen. They went into houses and

slaughtered people. 11:27, she writes, there's no way to get out.

Her sister has wanted to see Amit and asked her for a photo. You can see blood in the hallway behind her. Minutes later, Amit wrote, where is the

army? I don't understand. It's been hours.

IZIKSON: I told her it will be okay. I promised. I wrote that, I promise you. And I didn't keep my promise. I really believed she will be okay.

COOPER: At 1.50 P.M., Amit messaged, the terrorists, they are here, coming to us. They were coming inside the clinic.

IZIKSON: She had with her a nurse and the doctor. The doctor got murdered, as well. And two members of the kibbutz that they came with weapon to

protect the clinic. Both of them also got murdered.

LIOR MAN, AMIT MAN'S SISTER: After the rain of ammunition.

COOPER: At 1:54 Amit wrote, they are here. I love you. Then minutes later her last text. I don't think I'll get out of here. Please be strong if

something happens to me.

IZIKSON: And we, as you can imagine, we go crazy. And we write Amit, please, Amit, what's going on? And she doesn't answer. Then she send us an

audio recording. Say you hear a lot of shooting and screaming. She sends it to us.

COOPER: This is the recording Amit sent them at 2:05 P.M. We want to warn you, it's disturbing.

IZIKSON: She's screaming, "Please make it stop. They are here." "Please make it stop." And she's calling the name of Shachar, is the member of the

kibbutz that was murdered. Probably she saw him dying and then she understood they're coming for her. She's next, exactly.

So, in a desperate move, I call her on the phone and she answers and she's telling me, they shot me in the legs. And she's telling me they murdered

everybody in the clinic.

And she's telling me, "They are on me." "They are on me. On top of me." And I'm crying and I'm telling her, Amit, what do you mean? What do you mean?

And she's telling me, I don't think I'm going to make it. And that's it. The call goes down. And that was the last time we heard from her.

COOPER: That was the last thing she said to you, "I don't think I'm going to make it."

IVIKSON: Yes.

COOPER: It was two days before they found out for sure Amit was dead. Her family buried her this week.

L.MAN: At least we got to say goodbye. So many other families --

IVIKSON: We got to say goodbye. We got to bury her. You know, there are so many dead bodies that are missing. We tried to find comfort in that things.

And also, that she died doing what she loved the most which is save lives.

L. MAN: Show it.

(AMIT MAN SINGING)

COOPER: The other thing Amit loved was singing. And before we left, Aviva and Lior wanted us to hear her voice. Not as it was in those final awful

seconds of her life, but as it was when she was at peace.

(AMIT MAN SINGING)

COOPER: Amit Man was just 22 years old. Anderson Cooper, CNN, Tel Aviv.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[12:45:00

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

GOLODRYGA: Well, after a week of attempted diplomacy, airstrikes, and a growing humanitarian disaster, CNN's Becky Anderson has just spoken to the

Palestinian Prime Minister. Becky, what did he tell you?

BECKY ANDERSON, CNN ANCHOR: Yeah, I was in Ramallah in the occupied West Bank earlier. We have seen a real significant uptick in deadly violence

there.

And I sat down with Prime Minister Mohammed Shttayeh to discuss his concerns about what we are witnessing and what happens next. I started by

discussing that atrocious Hamas attack on Israeli civilians on October the 7th and asked him whether he condemned that attack. Here's what he told me.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MOHAMMAD SHTAYYEH, PALESTINIAN AUTHORUTY PRIME MINISTER: The condemnation should be of killing every civilian, every human being that does not

deserve to die. We should condemn that. More than 1600 children have been slaughtered in Gaza, more than 700 women.

The general mood in Israel today is a mood of revenge. And I think this appetite for killing should be stopped. Under any circumstances, none one

single human being would like to see innocent people killed.

ANDERSON: You are unwilling to say that you condemn the attacks, though, on October the 7th. Why?

SHTAYYEH: Well, because, you see, Palestinian story does not start on October 7th. Palestinian catastrophe has been there for 75 years and we

have been crying loud and we have been shouting loud and clear.

We need a solution and what has happened yesterday is yesterday. The mood of revenge and the preparation for a ground operation which is going to

cost 10,000 Palestinian lives, this is where the focus should be and that is what we should stop.

ANDERSON: Were you shocked, surprised by the ferocity of the attack on October the 7th?

SHTAYYEH: Everybody were. Everybody was shocked. This is something that has been unprecedented by all means. The Israeli government policy has to

be hold responsible for all what has happened.

The Israeli strategy was to keep Gaza isolated. The people in Gaza were very angry, were depressed. The people of Gaza were unemployed under

Bovertiline.

We have to make to provide meaningful life to the people. That was not there. Gaza was a zone that was shrinking every single day. The situation

was shocking to everybody, but the magnitude of destruction that we have seen today in Gaza is something that is a criminal act.

[12:50:00]

ANDERSON: Israel's Defense Minister said his troops will soon see the inside of Gaza, and I quote him on that, "As Israel's military readies

itself for the next stage. Just how concerned are you?"

SHTAYYEH: Very concerned. If the Israeli army goes into Gaza with a ground operation, then our anticipation that thousands, additional thousands,

maybe 10,000 -- 15,000 Palestinians will be killed. So, we are more than concerned.

ANDERSON: Why did President Abbas walk out on what was scheduled to be a summit in Jordan with the U.S. President?

SHTAYYEH: What's happened at Al-Ahli hospital was a horrific scene. We asked one single question. Is the United States ready to say to the

Israelis, stop the incursion, stop the attacks? We were not assured on that. And therefore, any meeting became meaningless.

We, the Jordanians and the Egyptians, and by the way, and the Americans, they did fully understand that President Abbas had to work away. And they

also did condolences to the losses of lives in the Al-Ahli hospital.

ANDERSON: The U.S. has been absolutely clear that Israel has a right to defend itself and that it will support Israel in its efforts to destroy

Hamas, whatever it takes. Your thoughts on that.

SHTAYYEH: The support of Israel blindly is a license for killing. And I hope that United States does not go into that direction. Israel is not

under existential threat. The White House, the President should call for the parties to sit down and work together a peaceful solution. Encouraging

Israel to destroy the people of Gaza, that is not going to bring a solution.

Look at the pictures, look at the pictures. Who has been killed in Gaza? Children, women, old men, churches, mosques. This is not a war on Hamas.

This is a war on the Palestinian people, wherever they are, in Gaza, in the West Bank, in Jerusalem.

ANDERSON: Prime Minister, what is the role of the United States in securing a fair and just future for the Palestinian people?

SHTAYYEH: If they have the will, they can do it. But very unfortunately, I'm very frank with you to say that I don't think that the current American

administration has the political will to end the conflict. They're managing it without them. Without them, there is no solution. With them only, there

is no solution.

So, what you need is a collective international effort. Those who have landed in Tel Aviv to show support for Israel, unfortunately, have been

given the greenest of the green light for Israel to continue its attack on Gaza. International support should be for peace. International support

should not be for aggression.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ANDERSON (on-camera): And look, he was absolutely clear that Hamas, the militant wing of Hamas, is absolutely not representative of the Palestinian

people. The problem for the Palestinian Authority, of which he is Prime Minister, which runs the occupied West Bank, it runs that under a sort of

loose security arrangement with Israel. And he's absolutely determined that Israel is not playing anything like an honest broker in trying to find a

solution for the plight of the Palestinians.

And really, you know, was very insistent in this interview that if this isn't treated as an inflection point, what is going on now in Gaza and the

settler violence and the Israeli security violence that is being waged against Palestinians in the West Bank isn't brought under control, than we

are facing, you know, real problems, not just but around this region.

He hopes the President Mahmoud Abbas is at the Cairo summit tomorrow with regional leaders plus a number of countries from the West. And he hopes

that what will come out of that is a unified voice about this being a point at which the Palestinian issue is back in focus for all of the most awful

reasons, this obviously on the back of October the 7th, but that there has to be a solution out of all of this, otherwise, you know, this cycle of

violence will just continue. Back to you guys.

GOLODRYGA: Yeah, it is notable that you gave him multiple opportunities to condemn that horrific attack on October 7th and that massacre and he just

didn't seem to be able to do that.

[12:55:00]

Becky Anderson, thank you so much.

Well, families of the roughly 200 hostages Hamas claims to have taken are telling stories of their missing loved ones. Moshe Leimberg believes his

wife, daughter and three other family members were abducted when Hamas terrorists overran kibbutz near Tzikak. When the rocket blast began,

Leimberg's family hid in a safe house at the kibbutz. Limberg says his daughter is very particular about her long hair, so he did something to

show his support.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MOSHE LEIMBERG, HUSBAND AND FATHER OF HOSTAGES: I shaved my head in solidarity of my wife and daughter. The eventuality that their captors

decided to do that to them, to shave their heads.

My daughter is very sensitive about her long hair. And it will not be easy for her to deal with that, so I decided to shave my head so that if she

comes back like that, I'll be able to say to her, look, we're both in the same boat. We'll regrow our hair together.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GOLODRYGA: A father trying to do anything he can in solidarity with his daughter. Leinberg didn't go with his family on vacation because he fell

ill. He says all he wants is his family back.

Well, that does it for this hour of ONE WORLD. I'm Bianna Golodryga. I'll be right back with you on "AMANPOUR", up next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

END