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One World with Zain Asher
Israel Marks One Year Since Hamas Terror Attacks On October 7; Lebanon: 2,000 Plus Killed In Israel's War On Hezbollah; Biden Expresses Condolences To Israel President; Israel Remembers 1,200 People Killed In October 7 Terror Attacks; Milton Becomes Category Five Hurricane, Heads For Florida; Mothers Of Israeli Hostages Still In Anguish One Year On; Aired 12-1p ET
Aired October 07, 2024 - 12:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[12:00:23]
BIANNA GOLODRYGA, CNN HOST: All right. Hello, everyone. Live from New York, I'm Bianna Golodryga.
ZAIN ASHER, CNN HOST: And I'm Zain Asher. You are watching ONE WORLD.
This is a day of memorials and raw grief. It is exactly one year on from the brutal Hamas terror attacks of October 7th that shook all of Israel and
of course much of the world as well. And, of course, it did change the Middle East.
One of Israel's biggest memorials to the victims of October 7th is about to get started in Yarkon Park in Tel Aviv. Earlier, heartbroken families
gathered for this commemoration.
GOLODRYGA: And you're just watching a moment of silence there at the site of the Nova Music Festival, which suffered a horrific attack one year ago
today.
In all, more than 1,200 people were killed and more than 250 hostages taken captive on a day the Israeli president says left a scar on humanity.
And today, the Middle East is engulfed by conflict. In the past 12 months, tens of thousands have died in Gaza, and now fighting also rages in
Lebanon.
ASHER: Earlier in the commemorations, an Israeli drone hit a hospital complex in Gaza, which the Israeli military says is a Hamas command center.
And Hamas has been firing rockets from Gaza to the outskirts of Tel Aviv.
GOLODRYGA: CNN's Jeremy Diamond is at the Yarkon Park Memorial in Tel Aviv and joins us live. Much more subdued event tonight, Jeremy, than originally
planned where some 60,000 people were expected to gather.
Now, given the increase in hostilities and violence in the region, they are limited to just a crowd of 1,000. But nonetheless, so many stories of
heartache commemorating that fateful day last year where so many people were tragically murdered.
JEREMY DIAMOND, CNN JERUSALEM CORRESPONDENT: Yes, exactly right. And the event is just getting underway here at HaYarkon Park. And as a result of
those restrictions, due to the security situation, you're only going to have about 2,000 people here, the majority of them, the families of those
who have lost loved ones during that horrific October 7th massacre, during which about 1,200 people, the majority of whom were civilians, were indeed
killed.
And today is obviously not only a day of mourning in Israel, a day of commemoration for the victims sharing the stories of their loved ones whose
lives were cut short on that very dark day one year ago.
But, of course, it is also an opportunity for the families of the hostages to also talk about the plight of their loved ones as 97 hostages who were
taken on October 7th are still in Gaza today, still being held captive amid the inertia that we are seeing on the political scene in terms of no
prospects right now of real negotiations to see their release.
And today, I spoke with Aviva Siegel, former hostage herself, whose husband, Keith, an American Israeli, is still being held hostage in Gaza.
She talked to me about the moment when she was being held in Gaza with her husband, Keith, and she was going to be filmed by Hamas, and he told her
not to cry. And then she saw a video of him in April. Listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
AVIVA SIEGEL, FORMER HOSTAGE: And in April, the video came out of Keith and Keith's crying. And that means, it just means that he's in really bad
shape. And you can see up the knees, his bones are out. And I know that he's going to come home like a skeleton. But I just so badly want him back.
I'm finished of worrying about him and knowing exactly where he is. And worrying about all the hostages a year is too much. It's just too much.
It's cruel. It's the cruelest thing you know.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
DIAMOND: The cruelest thing that she says anyone could ever experience.
And indeed, she also told me that she has really lost faith in the leaders of the world, in the Israeli government, in others who have failed to reach
an agreement to bring the hostages home, but she says that she simply cannot lose hope, nor can she stop continuing to fight for the release of
her husband Keith, and she is indeed doing so very bravely every single day, trying to raise her voice because he simply cannot speak right now for
himself. Bianna, Zain.
ASHER: Jeremy Diamond, live for us there. Thank you so much.
And one year later, the Middle East is embroiled in its most serious crisis in decades with Israel fighting wars on several fronts.
GOLODRYGA: After issuing evacuation orders in Southern Gaza earlier today, the Israeli military is launching new airstrikes in the north. And the IDF
is encircling a densely populated refugee camp after seeing what it claims are signs of Hamas rebuilding there.
[12:05:12]
Israel also hit Central Gaza hard overnight and over the weekend, including a school and a hospital compound where civilians were taking shelter.
ASHER: Dozens of Palestinians are reported to have been killed in the latest attacks, adding to an already significant death toll approaching
42,000 people since the war in Gaza began. Many of them women and children.
CNN's nada Bashir joins us live now from London. So as the world commemorates, of course, what October 7th, this anniversary, means for the
Israelis. Of course, we can't forget that 1,200 Israelis were killed on that fateful day. But it is also important to remember what life for
Palestinian civilians has been like as well. Nada, just walk us through that.
NADA BASHIR, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Absolutely. There is a significant amount, of course, of mourning for the civilians in the Gaza Strip, as well over
the last year. As you mentioned, nearly 42,000 people killed according to U.N. data, more than half of them women and children.
Important to underscore, of course, that this is not over. We continue to see airstrikes across the Gaza Strip just in the last few hours. It has
been confirmed that we have seen yet more airstrikes around the Jabalia refugee camp in the north.
This is an area where the Israeli military has issued fresh evacuation orders. It has told civilians to move to the Al-Mawasi coastal area, a
designated safe zone, and has said that it will be focusing on the Jabalia area, targeting what it has described as a resurgence of Hamas militants in
the area.
Of course, what we have seen over the last few days is a series of airstrikes targeting this northern region, but we've also seen Israeli
military forces on the ground and circling the refugee camp.
And, of course, these evacuation orders do come in sporadically across the Gaza Strip for civilians. It's unclear how many of these civilians are
actually getting these evacuation orders directly or whether through word of mouth, as you can understand, communication are fought across the Gaza
Strip.
And we are also hearing of evacuation orders now across several neighborhoods in parts of Southern Gaza surrounding the Khan Yunis area,
where we know, of course, thousands of civilians are still displaced, taking shelter in this region.
Again, they have been told to evacuate to the Al-Mawasi coastal area. The Israeli military has said it will be using its full force against what it
believes to be Hamas militants in the area and targets in the area.
But again, these are all very densely populated areas. It is hard to avoid civilian casualties in these areas. And, of course, important to underscore
that these humanitarian zones that have been designated, namely the Al- Mawasi coastal area, have been shrinking in size over the last few months. They are packed full of civilians and have also come under attack in the
past.
So there are no real guarantees of safety in these humanitarian zones. And, of course, this is all happening as Gaza continues to grapple with a
worsening, deepening humanitarian crisis, still not enough aid getting in, still not enough medical supplies getting in.
The vast majority of hospitals in Gaza completely now overrun and not functional. Of course what we've also seen in the weekend is a deepening of
strikes in Central Gaza as well, particularly those surrounding the Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital compound. So that is also, of course, extremely concerning
for civilians who have been taking shelter there and, of course, for the civilians who are desperately in need of medical care at one of the last
remaining hospitals in the Gaza Strip.
ASHER: Nada Bashir, live for us there. Thank you so much.
Of course, it's not just Gaza where Israel is intensifying its strikes, but Lebanon too. The Israeli military is urging those who have evacuated their
homes in the southern part of the country not to return until further notice.
GOLODRYGA: And the IDF is pounding Beirut with some of the most intense bombing since its war with Hezbollah began, including a massive explosion
in the southern suburbs near Beirut International Airport.
Hezbollah, meanwhile, says that it launched rockets targeting an Israeli military base near Haifa. 2,000 people in Lebanon have reportedly been
killed since the recent fighting began and more than one million now displaced.
ASHER: CNN's Ben Wedeman joins us live now from Beirut.
So, Ben, as Israel marks the one-year anniversary since October 7th, it is now fighting a war on two fronts, not just in Gaza but also in Lebanon. A
reminder of just how significantly this war has spread in just the past 12 months. Just explain to us what is happening on the ground.
BEN WEDEMAN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, as you mentioned, there was this strike very close to Beirut International Airport
after yet again another night of strikes pounding the southern suburbs. What we're seeing is intensified action in the south.
According to the national news agency, 10 firefighters were killed in the south when they were leaving their fire station to go on a rescue mission
when that building was hit in an Israeli strike.
[12:10:01]
Now, we've just seen another warning from the Arabic spokesman for the Israeli military. Warning beachgoers and fishermen to stay away from
beaches or to take their boats out into the sea because according to the statement from the spokesman, the Israeli Navy is now going to start
operating along the coast south of the Awali River, which is about 50 kilometers north of the border with Israel.
This in addition to another series of warnings. Evacuation orders coming from the Israeli military, adding another 25 villages to the already
approximately 120, 125 that have already received those orders.
So what we're seeing is an attempt to basically massively displace a large portion of the population in about a quarter of the area of Lebanon to an
area well away from where the current fighting is going on, which is largely limited to the border, where we see Hezbollah and Israeli forces
continue to clash on a daily basis in the border area.
But Hezbollah, despite repeated blows to its top leadership by Israel here in Beirut and elsewhere, and despite intense airstrikes by the Israelis,
particularly in the opening days of the current escalation, Hezbollah continues to operate in the south, continues to fire rockets well inside
Israel hitting Haifa last night for the first time since the 8th of October last year. Bianna, Zain.
ASHER: All right. Ben Wedeman, live for us there. Thank you so much. And worth noting that the moment of silence in terms of commemorating the
victims of October 7th has just begun in the Yarko and Memorial Park in Tel Aviv.
GOLODRYGA: Yes. You're looking at live pictures of one of Israel's biggest commemorations for the victims of October 7th there.
As noted at the top of the show, some 70,000 Israelis were set to gather. Given the crowd size limitations now, there are just about 1,000 that have
gathered. Let's listen in for a moment.
(SPEAKING IN FOREIGN LANGUAGE)
GOLODRYGA: I want to bring in Haaretz journalist, Lee Yaron, who is also the author of "10/7: 100 Human Stories." And she joins us here in New York.
Lee, welcome to the program. Such a compelling book that you have written, telling the story as of 100 people who had come together in the most
horrific of ways on that day one year ago. And you talk about Israelis who range in age from young to elderly.
And the book begins with the plight of the Suissa sisters, Romi and Lia, ages 6 and 3, as they watched their parents murdered among the first
Israeli victims of this horror attack.
Can you tell us a bit about their story and how they ultimately were rescued?
LEE YARON, AUTHOR IF 10/7: 100 HUMAN STORIES: Of course, thank you, Bianna, for having me here on this difficult day. The story of the chapter of
Sderot (PH) and the Suissa family story in it is one of the most moving stories because it's a story of three families, the Azugi family, the
Suissa family and the Abu Sabila family. Some of them are Jews, some of them are Arabs. They don't know each other before.
But in this few seconds that changed their lives when the Hamas terrorists are going after this -- the family shooting at them while they're trying to
escape from what they thought was only a rocket attack. These three families are doing everything they can to save these two little girls and
to save their parents.
Some of them are taking Dolev to the hospital. Amer Abu Sabila, who is a Bedouin, Israeli, Arab, or Israeli Palestinian citizen, is leaving his own
car and drives Odaya's car, trying to get her to the police station, not knowing the police station is surrounded by Hamas terrorists masquerading
everyone they can see and eventually losing his life while trying to help Odaya and the little girls.
And then while the girls are in the car with the bodies of their mother and Amer, they're screaming for help. And a man comes and rescues them and the
Azugi families spending more than a day with them without knowing who are their parents, where they came from, how come they've been covered in blood
left near a police station, but you're doing everything they can to save them.
[12:15:18]
ASHER: Yes, Lee, as you're speaking, we are watching images of the commemoration event, the memorial event taking place in Yarkon Park in Tel
Aviv with a lot of speakers. They're speaking in Hebrew right now. We don't have translation.
But, obviously, this is an extremely emotional and very painful event. I understand this event is being broadcast live on Israeli television right
now.
Just in terms of your book, just walk us through why it was important to share these stories from this sort of ground-level approach, this sort of
bottom-up approach of just sort of real individual people and their stories, as opposed to the sort of top-down approach, which I've heard you
talk about, this idea that if you're just relying on the politicians, you're never going to get the full sort of human reality of these stories
because it's always going to be an agenda, likely a political agenda.
Why was it important to really share this sort of ground view, this ground perspective of those who are victims of October 7th?
YARON: Right. I think we've been just been flooded with information since October 8th that the source of it, it came to us always from the people in
the top. And even though we feel like we've heard so much about Israel and Palestine in the last year, we didn't hear from the real people and the
ground, the real stories of their homes, their communities, their families' histories.
I spoke with hundreds of families for this interview, for this book, people who came from Arab countries, from the former Soviet Union, from Europe.
And all of them are sharing a trauma that is a trauma of generations. We get to see the personal stories woven together with the larger, you know,
political and historical picture.
So if you really, you know, this time, people really want to understand better the Israeli history and the history of the Israeli-Palestinian
conflict, I think this 100 stories are giving us a window, a way to better understand history from the perspective of the everyday people, you know,
mothers and fathers, they just try to live their lives, children that try to go to school.
I bring in the book, you know, different stories of different communities. For example, there's the story of Eitan (PH), a refugee from Ukraine, part
of a community of 50,000 Ukrainian refugees who fled to after Putin's aggression in 2022 just to find themselves escaping Hamas again, you know.
Eitan is saying, why am I escaping again rockets now from Lebanon, now from Iran? I'm just a kid who want to live, you know. So many people forget it
in the end just civilians that are paying the price about the failure of our leadership to find a solution.
GOLODRYGA: Lee, it's so important to tell these stories. It's an ambitious undertaking that you chose in terms of writing the book from 100
perspectives. But it's so important you do it so effectively because we can grow numb to the numbers themselves, the sheer size of the loss of
civilians, the 1,200 who were slaughtered on October 7th, the 250 who were taken hostage. We talk about the thousands of casualties that we've seen
over the course of this last year.
It's so important to remember that each one of them has a story. Lee Yaron, "Hareetz" journalist and author of "10/7: 100 Human Stories." Thank you so
much for joining us.
ASHER: Thank you, Lee.
YARON: Thank you.
GOLODRYGA: And coming up, my interview with the parents of Omer Shem-Tov, still held captive one year after the Hamas attack on Israel.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MALKI SHEM-TOV, OMER SHEM-TOV'S FATHER: It's like we are the voice of the hostages. And if we will not raise our voices, who will speak for them?
They cannot speak. We don't hear them. They're under in the tunnel. Nobody can speak with them.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[12:20:07]
GOLODRYGA: Well, just a short time ago, we've learned that U.S. President Joe Biden and First Lady Jill Biden marked one year since Hamas' brutal
October 7th terrorist attack on Israel. And we can see there, they were joined by a rabbi in the White House to light aYahrzeit candle.
ASHER: Later, Vice President Kamala Harris and Second Gentleman Doug Emhoff will plant a pomegranate tree at the Vice President's official residence
that represents, among other things, hope and righteousness in Judaism.
Joining us live now is CNN White House correspondent Arlette Saenz with more on today's remembrances. I understand that President Biden had a call
with Herzog, the President of Israel. And in addition to that, just in terms of how they mark this one-year anniversary. There was a candle-
lighting ceremony, as we talked about amid a moment of silence. Walk us through that.
ARLETTE SAENZ, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Yes. President Biden finding solemn ways to mark this anniversary of the October 7th attack by Hamas in
Israel. He spoke this morning by phone with Israeli President Isaac Herzog, offering his deepest condolences for the lives lost on that day.
President Biden and First Lady Jill Biden were joined by Rabbi Aaron Alexander here at the White House for that candle lighting ceremony. Rabbi
Alexander, in his prayer, souls of the holy ones, the men, women, and children killed on October 7th.
The president took a moment of silence, did not deliver any kinds of remarks, instead choosing just to have this candle lighting ceremony to
observe the October 7th anniversary.
Now, it's worth noting the rabbi, Aaron Alexander, is actually a friend of the family of Hersh Goldberg-Polin, one of those Americans who had been
taken on October 7th and was held hostage by Hamas until he was murdered at the hands of Hamas in late August.
So it really adds a very personal and poignant touch to today's remembrance -- ceremonious, as President Biden is also using this moment to renew his
calls for a ceasefire deal between Hamas and Israel.
Now, so far, the president has said that he wants to ensure that they can secure the release of the hostages, get more humanitarian aid in and put an
end to the fighting between Hamas and Israel, but he's running up against the reality here that there has been little to no traction in these talks
to secure such a ceasefire deal in recent weeks.
And the president is also grappling with the fact that this conflict is now spreading to multiple fronts. Israel is not just fighting Hamas in Gaza,
but they are also fighting Hezbollah in Lebanon, as well as facing this threat and attacks from Iran.
Just last week, Iran had fired a barrage of missiles towards Israel, something that the U.S. helped thwarts. But it does come at a time when the
U. S. is still in constant contact with Israel about what their possible response to Iran might be.
[12:25:59]
Now, Biden has spent the last year trying to get the American hostages back home, but also trying to prevent this conflict from widening out even
further. And at this time, it does not appear or it seems unlikely that that is actually something that he will be able to avoid, as this conflict
is now has spread to multiple fronts in the Middle East.
ASHER: All right. Arlette Saenz live for us there. Thank you.
GOLODRYGA: And on this poignant one-year anniversary of the Hamas attacks, there is a family of a remaining hostage I've been following through it
all. The hostage is Omer Shem-Tov. The 21-year-old was abducted at a music festival along with two friends. Those friends were released last November,
but Omer is still held captive.
I spoke with Omer's parents and witnessed their steadfast and unwavering commitment to see their son and the other hostages freed.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
GOLODRYGA: Shelly and Malki, thank you so much for joining us today. It has been nearly six months since I sat in your living room there with you and
talked to you about Omer and how you've been through this hellish year.
How have you kept going over the past year, every single weekend going out to Hostage Square, making sure that everyone around you, that the
government knows that Omer and the hostages will not be forgotten?
M. SHEM-TOV: Well, you know, for us, we don't have another option. For us, it's like we are the voice of the hostages. And if we will not raise our
voices, who will speak for them? They cannot speak. We don't hear them. They are under in the tunnel. Nobody can speak with them, hear them. We
don't know about them. Actually, we don't know nothing about them for at least four, five, six months.
So we do it. We do it for them. We will do it and we will keep doing it until they will come back.
GOLODRYGA: Shelly, I got to spend time with you and Malki in your home and obviously with Maya and Itai Regev, who were with Omer at the Nova Music
Festival. They were all kidnapped together. And Itai was held in one room together as held hostage for 52 days in Gaza.
And when I spoke with him, he said he gained his strength through Omer, through Omer being a supportive older brother. They barely knew each other.
Omer was Maya's friend, but over those 52 days, he gained a brother.
I'm just wondering if you still reflect back to those conversations that you had with Itai, how much strength he gave you in telling you about his
time with your son.
SHELLY SHEM-TOV, OMER SHEM-TOV'S MOTHER: You know, when Itai said what he said, so it's -- give me, you know, the more proof of who is Omer. And I
know my child. I know that he's very protective about everybody who is near him.
So I hope that he has somebody with him, that he can help him and by that help himself.
M. SHEM-TOV: You know, you see my shirt, it's written here (FOREIGN LANGUAGE), it means in a moment immediately, something that make the time
short. And that's what Omer told the time -- all the time. It was cheering him. It mean that in a moment, in a moment, they will come to take us. Be
strong, they will come to take us. And that was 54, 52 days at the early beginning.
Now, we are more than 300 days. So this (FOREIGN LANGUAGE) become now a year -- a year.
And I hope that Omer is strong. I know he's strong and I hope he's still cheering up himself and telling himself (FOREIGN LANGUAGE) in a moment and
a little bit more, he will come back home.
GOLODRYGA: Shelly, remind our viewers of what Omer and Itai did together when they were held in captivity on Shabbat night and as they were trying
to once again uphold the tradition of Shabbat there in captivity.
S. SHEM-TOV: Yes. So one day, they thought -- talk about that they miss the family and they miss Shabbat dinner. And two days after they got a bottle
of grape juice and they looked at each other and they said, wow. God hear us.
[12:30:12]
And every Friday, they did the Kiddush, they put a tissue on their heads and they did the Kiddush and Om -- and Itai said that it was to feel home.
And I'm saying to myself they took his freedom but they cannot take his faith. And I think that's the thing that's holding Omer there and with a
lot -- a lot of faith and the hope.
GOLODRYGA: And, Malki, every single day that goes by, we see the war expand. Now there's fighting in Southern Lebanon. We see the devastation
following the unprecedented now second attack from Iran. What is your message to your leaders there in Israel and leaders around the world about
the importance of not forgetting about the hostages and Omer as we're approaching the one-year mark of his kidnapping?
M. SHEM-TOV: It's become much more difficult, much more -- it's become more far. We don't see the light. We don't see the light. And I want to say to
our leaders, don't forget our hostages. The hostages are there. They don't know even what's going on here. I don't think they get the news.
And we must keep the hostages story on first priority. Even we are in the middle of a war and the hostages must come back home and they must find a
solution and the solution must be with the hostages.
I mean, whatever they will do negotiating, arranging in the north, in Lebanon, whatever, all the arrangement must include the hostages.
GOLODRYGA: I've learned so much about Omer through you, through Maya, through Itai. He was the life of the party. He loves music. He makes
everyone feel happy and safe around him. And I wish nothing more than he come home very, very soon to celebrate Shabbat dinners with you again.
Thank you so much for your time. We will be thinking of you and we will continue to be covering the hostages there in Gaza.
S. SHEM-TOV: Amen. Thank you very much.
M. SHEM-TOV: Thank you. Thank you.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GOLODRYGA: I continue to be blown away just by the strength and passion of Shelly and Malki. Every single weekend, every single weekend, they have
been turning out in Hostage Square and protesting for the hostages to come home, speaking up for their son and all of the others that are still there
in Gaza. Incredible people.
ASHER: An unbelievable amount of strength and courage, you know, despite what has happened. They are simply not giving up.
GOLODRYGA: No.
ASHER: Right? They still have hope.
All right. And our coverage of the October 7th anniversary will continue after this short break. Don't go away.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[12:35:38]
ASHER: Welcome back to ONE WORLD. I'm Zain Asher.
GOLODRYGA: And I'm Bianna Golodryga.
ASHER: Israelis are marking one year since the October 7th attacks, 1,200 people lost their lives that day, 250 were taken hostage. And right now, 97
remain captive.
GOLODRYGA: The sun has set in Israel and a commemoration is taking place in Tel Aviv's Yarkon Park.
Earlier, outside the home of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, families held pictures of their loved ones who are still being held.
ASHER: I want to take a closer look at feelings across Israel today. We're joined live now by Noa Landau, deputy editor-in-chief of "Haaretz." Noah,
thank you so much for being with us.
I want to ask you, how has Israeli sentiments about this war changed over the past 12 months? I mean, October 8th, Israel, and really, honestly, most
of the world, was very united in terms of the war in Gaza. And then, eventually, a lot of Israelis became very disillusioned with Netanyahu,
with what his priorities were, with whether or not he actually genuinely cared about the hostages and whether or not there was more sort of self-
interest at stake here.
Just give us a sense of how Israeli political opinion about the war has evolved over the past 12 months.
NOA LANDAU, DEPUTY EDITOR-IN-CHIEF, HAARETZ: Yes. So, you know, a memorial is usually something that you do when you want to look back and remember
something. But these events are very much still alive.
I think this whole year has been, you know, one big continuing memorial. Israelis are, you know, remembering this every day.
If you look at Israeli media, you would see that, you know, each day on, you know, television, newspapers, media in general, there's always a
testimony. There's always, you know, someone talking about that day.
So in many -- in a lot of the aspects, Israel never, you know, doing this memorial, it's not really something that we left behind and we're looking
back at. It's something that we're living still every day.
And the other thing that's really important to remember is that this is not something, you know, that something that happened and it's just fate.
There's also a political decision here. And, you know, referring to your question. Um, this is very much a political decision if there is or there
isn't a deal because there is an option to make a deal that will also end this war in Gaza and also release the prisoners and the decision, whether
or not to make that deal is political. It's not fake.
GOLODRYGA: Noa, there's so much to unpack here. And as you say, and as we hear from so many of these hostage families and Israelis themselves, every
day feels like October 7th, over and over and over again.
And yet, here we are one year later, the war in Gaza has not finished. It's turned into a war of attrition, basically. And we've seen new fronts open.
And there are still so many unanswered questions.
And the one I can't -- I can't stop thinking about is just the lack of security, reinforcements, help, the IDF, on October 7th. And an
investigation that is so warranted sooner rather than later as to what happened, how such an elite army and military establishment left their
civilians completely off guard, completely unsheltered and protected for hours upon hours. It was the Israelis themselves who stood up as heroes.
[12:40:18]
Where does an investigation stand at this point?
LANDAU: So you're right, you know, part of the reason that Israelis are still living this every day is the amount, you know, of distrust and the
wound that is still open, the distrust that Israelis now have in authorities and in the ability of the authorities to protect their lives.
I think a lot of what we've seen this past year, including, you know, some of the bigger operations in the region is also, you know, the IDF trying to
win this trust back and regarding an investigation.
Again, this is a political decision. The government does not want to be investigated. They keep, you know, throw -- they're in the blame game. They
throw the blame ball on each other.
Netanyahu was trying to blame the army itself. They're not willing, you know, to allow serious national investigation into this matter. They want
to investigate, of course, only within the army, for example, do very specific local investigation and not the national committee, which is,
again, a decision that is the purpose is to shift the blame.
ASHER: You know, I really like what you said at the beginning about normally memorials are an opportunity to look back and reflect, but the
Israelis have pretty much been living through this trauma day by day over the past 12 months.
And, of course, so have the Palestinians as well. And so my question to you is, given the fact that the objective, just in terms of the stated
objective of this war was, of course, to completely destroy and dismantle Hamas. And we're not really anywhere closer to that objective.
And, obviously, there's been a lot that has been achieved militarily, but psychologically, Hamas is very much alive. What does that mean for the war
going forward?
LANDAU: Look, tactically, I mean, you can -- you can say that there were some specific local military achievements. Hamas has less ammunition. There
are less rockets. There are some things that you can say that somehow work tactically.
But strategically, I think you're right. The thing is that you cannot -- there isn't such a thing the Israeli government keeps saying, the slogan
total victory. There isn't such a thing as total victory when you're fighting, not only, you know, physical infrastructure, but also an idea.
So I think many Israelis, as I think Bianna mentioned before, quite disillusioned, you know, with the idea that there is such a thing as total
victory.
And the most important thing is that we're currently doing memorials and ceremonies. The ceremonies are important, you know, to raise the awareness,
but we're currently doing ceremonies and memorials while people are still alive. They're still alive. And there isn't -- you know, no one is signing
the deal to release them.
So this is not something, you know, that is out of -- totally out of anyone's hands. This is very much in this government's hands to sign a deal
to release these people instead of doing, you know, ceremonies and remember them.
ASHER: Yes. There's so many -- so much politics at play here in terms of how the IDF moves forward.
Noa Landau, live for us there. Thank you so much.
GOLODRYGA: Thank you, Noa.
LANDAU: Thank you.
GOLODRYGA: And we'll be right back with more.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[12:45:25]
ASHER: Right now, a powerful hurricane is churning in the Gulf of Mexico, barreling towards the west coast of Florida again. Hurricane Milton
exploded to category five strength just moments ago, packing sustained winds of 160 miles per hour or more than 250 kilometers per hour.
Emergency officials are preparing for the state's largest evacuation in years. And Florida residents are bracing for catastrophic flooding, filling
up sandbags to protect their homes. Boards are going up over windows across the state. You've got long lines and bare shelves as well at the grocery
store.
All of this a common sight as people stock up on supplies and non- perishables. And also that they have to get ready now for long-term power outages too.
Tracking the storm for us in the weather center is CNN meteorologist Elisa Raffa. I mean, the fact that this is a category five storm, and it became a
category five storm so quickly and Florida can't get a break. You know, it was just two weeks ago that we saw Hurricane Helene as well.
Just explain to us what the state is bracing itself for.
ELISA RAFFA, CNN METEOROLOGIST: It is. We've been mind boggled all morning watching how quickly it intensified. It is one of the fastest intensifying
storms that we have had in the Atlantic Basin.
Now, it will wane some as it heads towards Florida. They might not be dealing with a category five hurricane, but they're still going to be
dealing with a major hurricane that can bring some devastating impacts.
A hundred sixty mile per wins right now in the center of the hurricane. Gusts, getting up to 190 as it sits 700 miles away from Tampa. Just the
satellite again that crisp clear eye, it's symmetrical. Really just the signs of strengthening.
And look at how much it's strengthened just in the last 24 hours, almost 100 miles per hour increase in that center core of the winds in just 24
hours. We went to sleep last night with a category one hurricane, we wake up now and it's just a totally different storm.
As it heads towards Florida, it does wane some in intensity. You can see it scrapes the Yucatan Peninsula of Mexico as that category five.
But as it gets closer, there's some drier, some wind energy that will start to kind of cut down on the intensity a little bit, but we're still looking
at a major hurricane of category three strength or stronger where you have this hurricane watch in effect there in the pink.
Landfall will be sometime maybe late Wednesday or Thursday. Just slowing down significantly. So we're looking at maybe impacts about a day later.
When you look at the purple here, Tampa Bay from Sarasota down to Fort Myers, that's where we could have the most destructive winds of 110 miles
per hour. And that could bring some unprecedented storm surge up to 8 to 12 feet. Ladies.
ASHER: Elisa Raffa, we'll be watching closely. Thank you so much. We'll have much more news after this short break.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[12:50:48]
ASHER: All right. As Israel marks exactly one year since the Hamas attacks, dozens of hostages who were snatched on October 7th are still being held in
Gaza.
GOLODRYGA: Yes. I spoke with the mothers of two captured female soldiers who are supporting each other and holding out hope that their daughters
will someday be freed.
We want to warn you, this piece contains some disturbing images.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GOLODRYGA (voice-over): It's any parent's nightmare not being able to protect their child. Yet, that's exactly what happened one year ago on the
morning of October 7th when then 19-year-old Naama Levy was dragged by her hair at gunpoint by a militant.
Her pants soaked in blood in one of the first harrowing videos that Hamas released of that fateful day.
She was abducted alongside several other Israeli female soldiers at Nahal Oz military base near Israel's border with Gaza.
Seen here in another chilling Hamas video. Among them was her friend, Liri Albag, who was 18 at the time. They were all working as IDF observers, a
role that involves monitoring border security. Military service is mandatory in Israel.
Naama tries to tell her captors that she has Palestinian friends. She had taken part in an Israeli-Palestinian peace initiative.
Liri and Naama's mothers are still stuck on that day.
AYELET LEVY SHACHAR, MOTHER OF OCTOBER 7 HOSTAGE NAAMA LEVY: This terror attack is ongoing. For a year now, our girls are in the same terror attack.
SHIRA ALBAG, MOTHER OF OCTOBER 7 HOSTAGE LIRI ALBAG: Liri and Naama are little girls. They're young girls. That one year are there in hell.
GOLODRYGA (voice-over): Hama's rampage left more than 1,200 people dead. Another 250 were taken hostage. Over 100 are thought to remain in captivity
to this day, according to Israel's prime minister's office. But it's unclear how many are still alive.
The attacks triggered Israel's war in Gaza, which has killed more than 41,000 people. For these two women, a ceasefire deal is standing in the way
of their reunion with their children.
ALBAG: People in the world forget them. Our government and the --
SHACHAR: The media.
ALBAG: The media and all over the world. They forget that they are still there.
GOLODRYGA: In July, the families decided to release this updated photo of their daughters in captivity, saying that time is running out.
SHACHAR: People made these for her.
GOLODRYGA: Yes.
SHACHAR: It's for when she comes.
GOLODRYGA: What does this say?
SHACHAR: We missed you. You are our sunshine.
GOLODRYGA (voice-over): When I visited the Levy home earlier this year, I was struck by how Naama's bedroom looked more like that of a preteen than a
nearly 20-year-old.
For now, they hold on to the memories and the hope of embracing their girls again.
[12:55:03]
SHACHAR: We are hoping, hoping that they are together there and helping each other survive. You know, we're trying to be strong for one another
here.
GOLODRYGA: Lives upended. And as the conflict continues to widen, there is seemingly no end in sight to their anguish.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
GOLODRYGA: As you know, I've gotten to know Naama's mom. I yell at quite well over this past year. And I continue to just be amazed at her
resilience, her strength, the fact that she's still raising three other children.
And for her, she said, there's no plan B. There's only plan A, and that is Naama's return. She's met with world leaders, everyone in Israel. Really
admires all of these families.
But Naama's mom, Ayelet, is just a rock in terms of determination.
ASHER: So inspiring. And I -- and I do have to say that as painful as parts of that video is to watch, it is so important that we remember. Because you
and I talked about this. After everyone sort of got over, the world got over the initial shock of October 7th, it does feel like there has been a
numbness that is set in and so many of the families of these hostages are very afraid that the world is forgetting because the world is so distracted
right now.
But we have these pieces and these memorial events that are constant reminders about what took place on October 7th.
GOLODRYGA: We will continue to cover it.
ASHER: Right.
GOLODRYGA: That does it for this hour of ONE WORLD. I'm Bianna Golodryga.
ASHER: And I'm Zain Asher. I appreciate you watching. "AMANPOUR" is up next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
END
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