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One World with Zain Asher
A Temporary Truce In Israel-Hamas War Takes Effect In Less Than 15 Hours; Sam Altman Reinstated As OpenAI CEO; Spanish Officials Putting Limits On How Much Water People Can Use. Aired 12-1p ET
Aired November 22, 2023 - 12:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[12:00:27]
BIANNA GOLODRYGA, CNN INTERNATIONAL HOST: Families are holding on to hope as a hostage deal is reached between Israel and Hamas. "One World" starts
right now. Relatives await news of their loved ones, hoping their family members are released as part of the deal. Will the truce between Israel and
Hamas hold? Plus, an inside look at how the intensive negotiations took place. CNN speaks with the leader of the Qatari negotiations. And in a
twist of events, former OpenAI CEO Sam Altman returns to the company just days after being ousted. What this means for the tech giant.
Hello everyone, live from New York, I'm Bianna Golodryga. Zain is off today. This is "One World". The breakthrough deal is being greeted with
hope and anxiety by the families of hostages. In less than 15 hours, a temporary truce is slated to go into effect. This after nearly seven weeks
of war triggered by Hamas's murder of 1200 Israelis in southern Israel.
Qatar says very intensive work was needed to broker this agreement. An Israeli official says the pause begins at 10 A.M. local time, Thursday.
Now, under the deal, Hamas will release at least 50 women and children abducted during the October 7th terror attacks. In exchange, Israel will
halt its fighting for four days. Also, 150 Palestinian prisoners, women and teenagers, will be released from Israeli jails.
The pause would allow the entry of much needed humanitarian aid into Gaza, which has been left in ruins by Israel's intense bombardment. CNN's Jeremy
Diamond is in Sderot, Israel, with the latest on the details of the deal. Jeremy, if all goes according to plan, it looks like this goes into effect
just hours from now. What is the reaction among Israelis?
JEREMY DIAMOND, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, certainly there's a lot of hope among the families of the hostages that this deal will actually go through
and that also it could just be the beginning of a broader release of hostages.
And certainly that has been what Israeli government officials who I've been speaking with have been signaling, emphasizing that this release of 50
hostages over four days will be only the first phase of releasing, of securing the release of additional hostages. They are very much emphasizing
this notion that there could be additional hostages released, 10 per day, in exchange for additional days of pauses in the fighting and additional
Palestinian prisoners released from Israeli jails to the Palestinians. And so, we will see whether or not that materializes.
This is, of course, going to be a very, very delicate situation. We know that in the past, there have been times when there are ceasefires or
truces, and there are violations on both sides at times. And so, this is going to be very delicate to see, whether or not the mechanisms in place
can withstand the ability to get these hostages safely out of Gaza and back into Israel.
It's not clear yet exactly where they will be released. As of now, we've heard that this pause in the fighting will start at around 10 A.M. local
time tomorrow. By our count, there are 39 children aged 18 and under who are being held hostage in the Gaza Strip, 44 adult women, 11 of whom are
mothers.
And in my conversation with Gal Hirsch yesterday who is the special coordinator for hostages, he did indicate to me that this first release of
50 hostages would be children and their mothers in particular. So that gives a strong indication of which of these hostages will be released. But
for the families of those being held hostage, there's still quite a lot of anxiety and not a ton of information being given to them by the Israeli
government.
It appears that they are only going to notify the families of hostages very shortly before the releases actually take place and this is going to be a
day by day process. And so many of those families are waiting on pins and needles. Bianna.
GOLODRYGA: Yeah, a very delicate process is that, given that the majority of these hostages we expect to see are children. Among them is a three-
year-old American who will be turning four this Friday. She is believed to be among those that will be released. And this is a promise that President
Biden has made that he would work as hard as he could for this release specifically of American hostages being held there. Talk about the role
that he played throughout these negotiations.
[12:05:00]
DIAMOND: Yeah, President Biden was very actively engaged in these negotiations. He spoke several times with the Israeli prime minister, as
well as the emir of Qatar-- and the prime minister of Qatar who have been involved in these negotiations. Qatar, of course, has played a key
mediating role because Israel does not speak directly with Hamas nor does the United States. And the Israeli prime minister, in fact, just yesterday
gave President Biden a special shout out saying that he went to the President a few days ago and told him that he needed to help improve the
terms of the deal for Israel. And in the Prime Minister's words, they were able to lower the price effectively of securing these hostages released in
this eventual deal.
There are three Americans who could be a part of this first tranche of releases, of which Abigail, that three-year-old, as you mentioned, and
there are also two women who are held hostage who could also potentially be released under this deal. Jon Finer, the Deputy National Security Adviser
said that it was his quote, "strong conviction and expectation that those three hostages could be released under this initial tranche". Of course,
their families are waiting to see whether or not that will be the case.
GOLODRYGA: Yeah, we were showing pictures there of three-year-old Abigail Idan who is now orphaned-- her parents killed in the terror attack, her
extended family awaiting her release and return home to safety. Jeremy Diamond, thank you.
Well, my next guest is Amir Tibon, the diplomatic correspondent for "Haaretz". He and his family lived on the kibbutz Nahal Oz, which was one
of the kibbutzim targeted on October 7th. They were fortunate enough to have survived the Hamas attack by hiding for 10 hours and then were rescued
by Amir's father, a retired Israeli general who drove from Tel Aviv to save them. And Amir joins us now. Amir, thank you so much for joining us. So,
walk us through the chain of events as things are expected to happen prior to the release. We know that today, Israel publicly released the names of
some 300 Palestinian prisoners that now is open to appeal from any citizens who may take this up to the Supreme Court. Once that ends, that 24-hour
period, is that when we can expect to see things move quickly?
AMIR TIBON, DIPLOMATIC CORRESPONDENT FOR "HAARETZ". So, actually, I just a few minutes ago, Bianna received a message that the Supreme Court in Israel
has rejected the appeals against the prisoner release. And that's no big surprise. Historically, the Supreme Court in Israel has not interfered in
these kinds of decisions. This is really clearly within the realm of the government to decide. And once the security organizations and the
intelligence agencies presented their view and the ministers of the government voted, there is really no place for the Supreme Court to
interfere.
And so, the appeals that have been made so far were rejected. And it means that now things are going to start moving much faster. This negotiation was
going on for long weeks -- torturing weeks, I have to say, for the families and for-- to a lesser degree, but also for people like myself. There are
five members of my small community that were kidnapped by Hamas on that day, including two young girls, children.
And also, it's important to remember, you know, the people who at this point are less likely to be released in the coming days, but two fathers of
families from my community and an elderly woman in her 80s. And so, these have been very difficult weeks, you know, waiting for any kind of
information.
But now, things are going to move a little faster. In the next few days, we're going to see almost, you know, daily, basically, a small group of
hostages released by Hamas. We're talking about 10, maybe 12, and it will be during the afternoon hours and at the same time, there will be a pause
in the fighting.
As long as we see that Hamas is upholding its part of the deal and releasing on a daily basis these groups of hostages, Israel will also hold
its fire and release these 150 Palestinian prisoners-- again, mostly women and minors.
GOLODRYGA: Of course, that's no guarantee that Hamas will uphold its end of the bargain here.
TIBON: That's not guaranteed.
GOLODRYGA: Let's all hope they do. You mentioned those two young members of your kibbutz there, Ella and Daphna. Ella is eight years old, Daphna is 15
years old. Their mother, Mayan, has been very public about the pain that she's been experiencing being separated, understandably, from her children.
They could possibly be among those released because they do meet this list of qualifications, at least for the first tranche, young children. Can you
talk to us about how Mayan is doing and how your community there-- your kibbutz, which lost, I believe, 14 members to the attacks, How they're
feeling right now and hoping that their two smallest members can come back?
[12:10:00]
TIBON: Honestly, Bianna, everybody's on the edge. There is a sense of hope. There is a sense of fear. And we also are not going to forget the three
other members of our community that are less likely to be released in this current deal, but we're going to fight for them just as hard and we want
them home as well. And for me, you know, with Daphna and Ella-- you know, I saw them the night before. I mean, there was-- on the day that this tragedy
happened-- this terrible attack by Hamas on our community, which is a civilian community, they came into homes with the clear intention of
murdering families and kidnapping children.
A day before, there was a rehearsal in our community pool because on October 7th, on that evening, we were supposed to celebrate 70 years to the
foundation of our kibbutz. And then Daphna, a teenaged girl, she was helping the children on the stage who were rehearsing a dance. She was
helping them, you know, she was there to help children who had a more difficult time with this rehearsal. Just so much, you know, such a big
heart and so full of love for people and for children. And we are really, really praying to have her back. And at the same time, we are also
promising ourselves that we're going to fight until each and every one of our people is safely back home.
And then, there is a difficult situation here because we are also committed just as much to the larger war effort. We want to see Hamas eradicated and
defeated on an organization that sends armed terrorists into a civilian community with the clear intention of murdering families, kidnapping
children, cannot be allowed to operate ever again. And so, we-- the number one priority, we want to see our people back but at the same time, we also
remember who did this to them.
GOLODRYGA: We really would like to see Daphna and Ella return home into the arms of their mother, Mayan, but we're also very aware of those children
who will be coming home orphans. I was really struck by a report that I read that IDF soldiers will be escorting these children to Israel and are
instructed to, quote," not directly answer questions regarding the fate of their parents".
A huge emotional trauma that Israel and these hostages and their families will have to be enduring for months and years to come. Amir Tabon,
diplomatic correspondent for "Haaretz". Give our best to your father, who is indeed a hero for coming and rescuing your family. Thank you for joining
us.
TABON: Thank you for having me. Thank you to President Biden and everybody who work so hard within his administration to make this possible. And we
hope that we will see good results tomorrow for their effort.
GOLODRYGA: Hope so, as well. Thank you. Well, as we mentioned, the truce includes the release of 150 Palestinian prisoners from Israeli jails in
four stages over four days. Israel has published the names of 300 prisoners who could potentially be freed. The vast majority are teenage boys between
16 to 18 years old. Some 33 women are also included. CNN's Nima Elbagir spoke with one mother who's hoping that she may soon see her long-
imprisoned daughter again.
(BEGIN VIDEO TAPE)
NIMA ELBAGIR, CNN CHIEF INTERNATIONAL INVESTIGATIVE CORRESPONDENT: For the past eight years, Sosan Bakir's daughter Mara has been held in an Israeli
prison. She was just 16 when she was arrested.
SOSAN BAKIR, DAUGHTER MARA HAS BEEN HELD IN AN ISRAELI PRISON (through translator): Honestly, at the beginning we thought it was a nightmare. Then
it became necessary to stand strong on our feet because we have other children besides Mara. We have Musa, Noor and Hala. Of course, the most
important one right now is Mara, because after all, she is a child, and she's so innocent.
ELBAGIR (voice-over): She says that since Hamas's deadly attack on October 7th, Mara has been moved into solitary confinement and communication
cutoff.
BAKIR (through translator): We are really worried about Mara. The situation of the women prisoners is really hard. They confiscated all the electrical
devices and clothes.
ELBAGIR (voice-over): According to the Palestinian Prisoners Society, 83 Palestinian women and 380 teenagers under the age of 18 are being held in
Israeli prisons, more than half of whom have been detained since October 7th. Night after night in the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem,
Israeli forces have been arresting Palestinians in their homes. Some, the IDF say, are accused of being members of Hamas, but many others are
detained without trial or stated cause.
[12:15:00]
MOHAMMAD SHTAYYEH, PALESTINIAN PRIME MINISTER: Israel today is in the mood of revenge and this mood of revenge also is combined with a mood of
humiliation. This is very simple. Israel is preparing for an exchange of prisoners, and they are arresting as many people as they can simply because
they are preparing for such a deal.
ELBAGIR (voice-over): The Palestinian Prisoners Society says that in the past six and a half weeks, several thousand Palestinians in total have been
detained by the Israeli defense forces. If there is to be a hostage deal, it's not yet clear how many people might be freed or who would be included.
Even so, for Sosan Bakir it presents a small glimmer of hope that she may soon see her daughter again. Nima Elbaghir, CNN, Jerusalem.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
GOLODRYGA: Our thanks to Nima for that report. Well, Israel is continuing its air and ground assault on Gaza ahead of its four-day truce with Hamas,
expected to begin on Thursday morning. Explosions rocked the northern part of the enclave earlier, where the IDF has said its fighting is focused. But
even in the south, where Israel has urged civilians to flee, there is little respite for violence.
According to the Palestinian accounts, two areas in southern Gaza -- Khan Younis and Rafah, were both targets of an Israeli bombardment on Wednesday.
CNN's Nada Bashir joins me now live from Jerusalem. So Nada, as part of this truce agreement, much needed aid will finally be allowed into Gaza.
Talk to us about what kind of aid we're expected to see and how much of it.
NADA BASHIR, CNN REPORTER: Well, Bianna, this will certainly be a welcome development, as we have seen over the last few days and weeks. That
humanitarian situation facing Gaza has been deteriorating by the hour. So, this will be a welcome development for aid agencies who have been pushing
for some time now, to have access to the Gaza Strip, to be able to distribute and deploy much needed aid across the Gaza Strip.
We know, of course, that over the course of those negotiations, the details around a potential access route for aid convoys to get in was looking at
around getting some 400 trucks of aid in for each day of this truce and that is pretty close to the amount of trucks we would have seen coming into
Gaza carrying aid before the war. At that stage it was around 455 trucks of aid as we understand it.
So, this will certainly provide and alleviate much of the pressure that we have seen. But of course, there is a huge amount of need in the Gaza Strip.
We're talking about a need for fuel in order to keep generators going to power, many hospitals which are at this point inoperational.
We saw over the weekend the Israeli government allowing some fuel to get in, in order to provide support with water and with sewage systems. But
what is really needed and the push that we've been hearing from rights groups is that they want fuel to get in to help humanitarian operators and
to keep those generators going at hospitals which are under mounting pressure. So, that will certainly be a huge important development and
breakthrough, at least for this point of course, though this would only be for the truth which is at this stage expected about four days if it is held
up.
Now, of course, there will be aid getting in on other fronts as well. Clean drinking water, food, medication, and medical supplies. Those are
desperately needed. We've been hearing the warnings from doctors on the ground inside the Gaza Strip saying that they are performing operations
without anesthetic, that they are going ahead and giving dangerous surgeries without the necessary medication required. They are carrying out
amputations in order to stem the spread of infectious diseases. So this will certainly be an important development.
But again, this will only be at this stage for four days. And what we have been hearing now from some aid organizations is that this simply isn't
enough. We've heard a warning now from the Norwegian Refugee Council saying that while they welcome this development and while this will alleviate some
of the pressure, they are still calling for a full ceasefire. As we know, that need is growing by the day. We are seeing more and more people
displaced in the Gaza Strip.
Let me just read you a quick statement from the Norwegian Refugee Council released a little today saying, "Winter is looming and it will be a
disaster to reignite this conflict. Small shelters have housed schools of people with little food and water and mounting health hazards. Children are
traumatized and many face a future without their parents and siblings. They need urgent long-term help. This can only happen through a sustained
ceasefire."
But of course, as we know, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said this isn't a ceasefire, that the war will continue after this truce.
And there are many fears that we will see the ground incursion spreading further south, where as we know, hundreds of thousands of Palestinians are
currently displaced and taking shelter.
GOLODRYGA: All right, Nada Bashir, thank you so much. "Our work is not done." Those words coming from the lead Qatar negotiator on the Israel
Hamas negotiations. Coming up, CNN's Becky Anderson will join us with more from her exclusive interview.
[12:20:00]
And we'll be talking to the family of an Israeli woman who momentarily escaped from Hamas before being recaptured. We'll have the story coming up.
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GOLODRYGA: For the families of those held hostage in Gaza, the wait for their release must be agonizing. The deal for their release is getting a
positive reaction from the international community. Qatar, which delivered the proposal, says very intensive work was needed to broker the agreement
which takes effect in less than 15 hours. In an exclusive interview, the lead Qatari negotiator spoke with CNN's Becky Anderson. Becky joins us now
from Doha with the details. Becky, as we know, Qatar was crucial in these negotiations. What more did its lead negotiator tell you?
BECKY ANDERSON, CNN HOST: He told me these negotiations were intense, extremely difficult, complex, complicated. Forty-five odd days of brutal
work to get to what, in the end, was a successful negotiation-- a successful mediated, as they describe it, humanitarian pause, truce, lull
in the fighting. This is very much not a ceasefire, as we know, not a permanent ceasefire. But this is an opportunity to one, get some relief for
these hostages and for these hostage families. And two, increase the amount of aid getting into the Gaza Strip. Both of those pillars are absolutely
vital at this stage.
Let's start with the hostage file and that is what I started talking to Mohammed Al Khalifa about. I started by asking him just how this deal works
and what they put in place to ensure that both parties remained committed. Have a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MOHAMMED AL-KHULAIFI, QATARI MINISTER OF STATE: Within the four days pause, in each day there will be an obligation in each side, an obligation on the
Israelis and an obligation on Hamas, making sure that they're going to fulfill those obligations in each day. So, in each day we aim to have a
number of releases, because the number is big. So, we've managed to get the parties to agree on the releases systematically. In other words, there will
be an organized schedule allowing the releases in each day and each party is quite familiar now with their obligations.
[12:25:00]
ANDERSON: Ten hostages released on day one, for example, of--
AL-KHULAIFI: A minimum -- a minimum.
ANDERSON: Who will be released?
AL-KHULAIFI: So, this agreement specifically focuses on civilian women and children in each side, in both sides. And we hope that within the four
days, we will be able to complete the release of women and children in both sides, moving to the safe side away from this war. By the first hours of
the agreements, we will be notified of the official list of people in each day. And by having that list, we will make sure that we notify either the
sides, the parties, themselves, or even the countries that have their hostages in the Gaza Strip currently.
ANDERSON: Hamas has said it doesn't have all the hostages and it needs time to get around, to gather information about hostages that it doesn't hold
and find out where they are. Many have called that just a talking point, a cynical ploy to buy time.
AL-KHULAIFI: The obligation on Hamas on the first day is very clear. They need to provide us with that list. They've been granted that period of
calm, and not only the period of calm, but also preventing any military clashes, a ground invasion, air surveillance that will provide them with
the room to provide us with that commitment.
ANDERSON: You've described in the language of this deal -- you've described it as a truce in the Gaza Strip. And I think that language is really
interesting. The use of the term truce, this is by no means a ceasefire. And the fact that this is in the Gaza Strip, the main pillar of which of
course is clearly the hostage release. What happens as far as humanitarian aid is concerned? What is the commitment on both sides as far as that
uptick in aid is concerned?
AL-KHULAIFI: Sure. So, this agreement has two major components. The first one related to the release of the hostages and the second one is related to
providing not only a quantity, but also quality humanitarian aid and assistance as needed. One of the most interesting components within that
humanitarian aid, Becky, is the fuel. And the fuel has been a debatable issue in the early times of that conflict. Now, we've managed to secure
fuel being provided for a vital infrastructure, such as hospitals and others.
ANDERSON: The Israelis have been very specific. They have said this is a truce period. Before it starts, hostilities will continue and very
specifically once this pause is over, the war will restart. Is that useful in negotiations, that sort of language?
AL-KHULAIFI: Our work is not done. We're still going to continue to talk more to the parties, to de-escalate, to seek a longer period of the
ceasefire.
ANDERSON: The Israelis are not talking about a ceasefire at this point. They have categorically ruled out a ceasefire until all hostages are
released. And at present, you are not mediating any talks on the soldiers or men being held by Hamas?
AL-KHULAIFI: Well, listen, Becky, even the temporary ceasefire was not being considered at the early times by the Israelis. So we still, we remain
hopeful. That-- and our effort is not going to stop at this level. Our work is not done. We're going to continue working with both sides, hoping that
we can secure this bigger objective.
ANDERON: If there are families of hostages watching this interview today -- families of hostages who are young men of serving age, what is your message
about the likelihood that those Israeli soldiers will be released anytime soon?
AL-KHULAIFI: So, we're doing everything that we can. As soon as both parties want to keep seeking Qatar's assistance in mediating, we can
respond positively to that request. So we know that our mission did not finish, and our work is continuous for the better cause. And as you said,
our hope is really that we see a period where we can put an end to this war and let the people leave and reduce this humanitarian suffering for the
people of Gaza.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ANDERSON (on-camera): It was interesting speaking to the lead negotiator. And because he also described how difficult these talks have been and will
continue to be when you are dealing with two parties who have absolutely no trust in each other at all. Catch of course the lead negotiator on this
alongside Egypt and the U.S. who have been very involved.
[12:30:00]
And I was told by one diplomatic source very close to the talks and it was when the Israeli Intelligence Chief David Barnea who is in close to the
talks and it was when the Israeli Intelligence Chief David Barnea who is in Qatar according to diplomatic sources today and Bill Burns the U.S. CIA
Chief-- it was when they got involved that this was sort of, you know, the momentum for these talks really picked up.
But look, nothing is perfect but what they have at least in principle is an opportunity here. And for those families of at least the women and
children, who are in Hamas' hands at present, there is some hope. As I said, we don't know who will be released on day one, tomorrow, after 10
o'clock in the morning. That's just not clear at the moment.
He said those lists, though, are part of the obligation every day. Hamas and the Israelis need to put a list on the table so that everybody is clear
who it is, who will be released that day. And this truce period, of course, can be extended if these things go to plan for every 10 Hamas is released,
for example, there is the opportunity or the offer of another full day's truce. So at this stage, we really just have to get this thing underway and
see how it goes. Bianna.
GOLODRYGA: Yeah, that's according to the first four days going as planned, and then hopefully that could be extended for more days in return for more
hostages. Very interesting interview there. We learned a lot, and clearly the mediation is far from over. It's got 80 percent of those hostages
remaining in Gaza, assuming this first tranche makes its way out.
Becky Anderson, you've been covering this for us from the beginning. Thank you so much for all of your work and thank you for joining us. Coming up
after the break, fasten your seatbelts. The Sam Altman roller coaster ride continues with another course change for the CEO. Do you have a whiplash
yet? We ask, has an open revolt been averted at OpenAI?
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[12:35:45]
GOLODRYGA: Welcome back to "One World". I'm Bianna Golodryga. We return now to the breakthrough deal in the Israel-Hamas war. A truce is set to begin
Thursday morning. Both sides have agreed to the release of at least 50 hostages held in Gaza by Hamas, along with that pause in fighting. The move
is bringing hope to families waiting for their loved ones to come home. In exchange, Hamas says Israel has agreed to free 150 Palestinian prisoners
currently in jail. The lead Qatari negotiator in the talks has been speaking to CNN and he says Doha will continue to push for a complete
ceasefire.
Time now for The Exchange. We will be talking to the family of Yarden Roman-Gat. Yarden, her husband along and their three-year-old daughter,
Geffen (ph), were all grabbed by Hamas on October 7th. They managed to escape by jumping out of the car that was taking them to Gaza. With
terrorists shooting at them, Yarden told Alon to grab Geffen and run as fast as he could. Alon and Geffen managed to hide but Yarden was captured
again and is now in Gaza.
And joining me now is Yarden's cousin, Maya Roman. Maya, thank you so much for joining us. I can only imagine the anticipation that your family is
feeling right now about your cousin possibly being on the list of those who are released in this first tranche.
MAYA ROMAN, COUSIN OF HOSTAGE YARDEN ROMAN-GAT: Yeah, thank you for having me. Yeah, the tensions are high. We-- we don't believe that her name is
among the first 50 released, though there hasn't been any official confirmation. But from what we hear, those first 50 are going to be
possibly children held with their mothers in Gaza together. But we hope that she might be among those released later on. As you said, Yarden is
currently separated from her daughter whom she saved after they were both kidnapped. And we're hoping they will be reunited this week.
GOLODRYGA: No doubt she saved her daughter's life by making that split second decision of giving Geffen to her husband Alon by saying and
calculating that he could run faster than she could carrying the three- year-old child. How are Alon and Geffen doing right now?
ROMAN: It's hard. Alon is amazing and he and Geffen have an amazing bond, which is how, you know, he was able to hide after he ran with her. They hid
for about 12 hours in the field, underneath a bush, barefoot. So, they obviously have a very special connection.
And Geffen is extremely strong and still, she misses her mom, really. They were both very, very close. She constantly asks for her and, you know, has
this habit of not letting anyone else open the door whenever someone knocks because she wants to make sure who it is.
And we think it's probably because she's waiting for her mom to come back. She's very strong. She just started going back to kindergarten, but it's
obviously affecting her. And yeah, we really hope that this trauma will, you know, that this part of the trauma will be over as quickly as possible.
GOLODRYGA: Yeah, no doubt. The emotional scars are deep, though. It is always so marveling to see how resilient children are, especially knowing
that she's surrounded by strong loved ones who will continue to remind her about her mother. I know that you and Yarden also are very close. You're
eight months older. You said you were the closest family members. Does it give you any solace to hear perhaps that a part of this deal includes the
Red Cross visiting? Perhaps at the beginning, the first 50 hostages to be released, but maybe there's an opportunity that others will have the same
visitations, as well.
[12:40:00]
ROMAN: Truthfully, so far, the Red Cross have been quite ineffectual. We were very disappointed with the fact that they did not visit the hostages
so far and were not insistent on seeing the hostages so far.
GOLODRYGA: Why do you think that is? That is something we have consistently been hearing and reporting on throughout this crisis. Why do you think the
Red Cross whose role it is in these conflict zones, in crisis areas, in issues related to hostages, that is their prime objective. Why do you think
that, according to what we've heard from so many people, they failed on this?
ROMAN: You know, I wish I had an answer. I'm really not an expert in this field. All I know is that we expected them to be a lot more influential and
you know, we, like a lot of the families, one of the things that is hardest in this whole ordeal is the uncertainty, not knowing if Yarden is okay, not
knowing what she's going through, not knowing if she's being treated humanely. I can tell you that we were visiting Berlin along with other
families of hostages.
One of them was Shanee Luke's mother, who since then we learned that her daughter was deceased and has been deceased since October 7th. And it was
hard working to learn that she was actually dead this entire time and that her mother was driving herself to extremes, you know, advocating for her.
And this entire time it was in vain.
So, the fact that we do not have a sign of life, that the Red Cross have not seen them, so far. It's already been more than 45 days. I just, you
know, I don't know why it is. I just know that it's wrong and I really hope -- I do hope that they see them. I hope that they tell us she's okay, that
she hasn't been harmed more than the harm that she already received in the fact that she is separated from her daughter, separated from us and
everything that entails. And doesn't know that her daughter is alive all this time?
So, it does give me some hope. I'm just, you know -- don't know how much we can trust for that to happen.
GOLODRYGA: Well, just the fact that you and so many family members of those hostages have been speaking out non-stop, traveling the world, I just-- I'm
amazed at your strength, your resilience, your passion, your love and dedication for your family members. And we will continue to tell their
stories. We hope that Yarden comes home soon to you, to Geffen, to her husband, and we appreciate your time today. Maya Roman. Thank you.
Well, you may recall my heart breaking interview on Tuesday with the parents of a 23-year old who is being held hostage in Hamas. Hersch
Goldberg-Polin, who lost part of his arm in the terror attack, was pulled out of a bunker near the Supernova music festival. Today, his mother Rachel
and other relatives of Israeli hostages met with Pope Francis. After sharing video of his capture on her phone, you can see the Pope's reaction
right here. The Pontiff also met with relatives of some of the Palestinians held in Israeli prisons. And afterward, he had this to say.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
POPE FRANCIS (through translator): This morning, I received two delegations, one of Israelis who have relatives held hostage in the Gaza
Strip and another of Palestinians who have relatives imprisoned in Israel. They suffer so much. And I heard how both sides are suffering. What wars
do. But here we have gone beyond wars. This is not war. This is terrorism.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GOLODRYGA: And we'll be right back with more.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[12:46:36]
GOLODRYGA: Well, another day, another huge twist in the chaotic world that is OpenAI, the firm behind ChatGPT. Just days after he was fired by the
board, Sam Altman has been reinstated as CEO and the board has since been replaced. Now, sources tell CNN, Altman and the old board have differed on
how fast to push A.I. research with Altman wanting to move aggressively.
Microsoft had planned to take Altman on. Today, he said, everything I've done over the past few days has been in service of keeping and its mission
together. Anna Stewart is on this story. So Anna, if people had just been away and not plugged in over the last six days, it wouldn't look like this
was a major story. And yet so much has changed. Talk to us about Altman's decision to come back to the company and the change up in the board.
ANNA STEWART, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I mean, it's quite extraordinary. This is actually the fourth CEO in less than a week, albeit a CEO who's rather
familiar, because he was the CEO last Friday. This has been the most extraordinary few days, perhaps the least surprising development of all
though is that Sam Altman is back. Even though he was offered a position at Microsoft on Monday, it was quite clear when we had that open letter from,
well, it was signed by almost all of the workforce at OpenAI saying that they would resign and also move to Microsoft if the board didn't reinstate
Sam Altman. So, really, no surprise that he's back.
But there are some changes that he's coming back, too, and that is, namely, as you said, the board the board who are responsible for firing him -- who
were responsible for doing that without really any communication with major investors like Microsoft.
So, we've had a few changes. One is still there. Adam D'Angelo, who was a member of the board that took on the ousting of the CEO. The other two that
we now have are new though. You can see there Brett Taylor, who is a former CEO of Salesforce. And also interestingly, Larry Summers, former Treasury
Secretary in the U.S. Perhaps that will speak to the relationship that OpenAI definitely needs to have with governments and regulators around the
world. So, a few subtle changes there. There is no doubt in my mind though that the winners of all this has been Sam Altman who has never been more
valued and in a stronger position and of course, Microsoft, the partner.
GOLODRYGA: Yeah, Microsoft owning some 49 percent of the company. But does this address the issue at the heart of this break up and then make up? And
that is the speed at which A.I. has been growing.
STEWART: I don't think it answers it or necessarily changes anything other than it's definitely brought that issue to everyone's awareness. If that
was the true reason why he was fired and the board last week were very cagey about why they fired him, they actually said that Sam Altman had been
less than candid in his communication with the board, which very much sounded like he'd been lying. There was no more detail than that.
But if this was about the speed of A.I. and commercializing it, but also ensuring the safety, that issue is definitely forefront of everyone's
minds. And I think we'll still hear a lot about that from Altman and Microsoft, but they will of course, plow ahead because this is the
profitable part of the business.
GOLODRYGA: What would it be a flying wall in a business school trying to teach a course in what just happened? Anna Stewart, thank you so much for
covering it for us. Well still ahead, Iceland is bracing for a possible volcanic eruption. We'll take you to the air with Iceland's Coast Guard for
a first-hand look at the volcanic threat that's forced an entire town to evacuate.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[12:52:34]
GOLODRYGA: Spanish officials are putting limits on how much water people can use as they deal with what may be the worst drought in 100 years.
Reservoirs in the Catalonia region are rapidly drying up with many at less than 20 percent of capacity. There is no rain in the near future and
officials have turned off public fountains and filling swimming pools is banned now.
Meantime people in Iceland are on edge as officials say there's a high probability of a volcanic eruption any day now. The looming eruption has
forced evacuations and authorities say it's an ongoing process to allow some residents to temporarily return home to gather their belongings. CNN's
Fred Pleitgen has the details.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
FRED PLEITGEN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Taking off straight to the emergency zone. We're on a mission with Iceland's Coast
Guard to the already affected area by what could soon be a massive volcanic eruption.
PLEITGEN: You can see how everything here is on knife's edge. But of course, the authorities are doing everything they can to save the town and
save the infrastructure.
PLEITGEN (voice-over): The town is called GrindavA-k. Massive cracks in the roads show the places where pressure from an underground magma stream has
already burst through the Earth's crust. The ground now uneven as the crew says they've been observing the rift widening in the past days.
ANDRI JOHANNESSON, HELICOPTER PILOT: We see differences between days. We see that sometimes we see the crack a little bit wider.
PLEITGEN (voice-over): Grindivik was evacuated and could soon be completely destroyed by hot lava, authorities fear.
PLEITGEN: From up here you can already see just how extensive the damage already is to the town of Grindivik and that crack that you see runs all
the way to the ocean.
PLEITGEN (voice-over): Iceland is in an area of massive volcanic activity. While this part of the country had been dormant for around 800 years,
scientists say, in the past two years, volcanic activity has come back to life with several major eruptions. We fly over the most recent one, past
the mouth of the volcano and over seemingly endless lava fields still steaming hot even months after the actual eruption ended.
On the ground, crews are working around the clock to try and build a berm to protect this geothermal power plant. And we also see the world famous
blue lagoon hot springs. Normally a major tourist attraction, now closed down and also evacuated.
[12:55:00]
The economic toll already immense.
PLEITGEN: What do you think it means for the people there?
HRANNAR SIGURDSSON, FLIGHT MECHANIC: I can't even imagine, you know, losing their house and maybe their work, their own life. Just-- it's crazy.
PLEITGEN (voice-over): Iceland's government says a major eruption here remains highly likely, and it could happen in a matter of days. Iceland's
Coast Guard aviators say they are on alert all the time.
JOHANNESSON: In case of the volcano starts, then we will fly over the area to help to evacuate the people.
PLEITGEN (voice-over): Fred Pleitgen, CNN, Iceland.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
GOLODRYGA: Well, that does it for this hour of "One World". I'm Bianna Golodryga. Don't go anywhere. I'll be back at the top of the hour filling
in for my colleague Christiane Amanpour where I'll be speaking with prominent Israeli negotiator Gershon Baskin. Thank you so much for
watching.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
END
