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Hamas Expected to Release Four More Israeli Hostages Soon; Trump administration Fires Top U.S. General, Navy Chief; Accused CEO Killer Luigi Mangione Appears in Court; Red Cross Vehicles Arrive ahead of Gaza Hostage Handover. Aired 4-5a ET

Aired February 22, 2025 - 04:00   ET

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

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UNIDENTIFIED MALE (voice-over): This is CNN breaking news.

KIM BRUNHUBER, CNN ANCHOR AND CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Welcome to all of you watching us here in the United States, Canada and around the world. I'm Kim Brunhuber. This is CNN NEWSROOM.

We begin with breaking news in the Middle East. Two hostages released by Hamas earlier are now back in Israel. Tal Shoham and Avera Mengistu were handed over to the Red Cross in Rafah, then transferred to the Israeli military and will be reunited with loved ones in Rome before heading to a hospital for medical checkups.

Now we are still expecting the release of four more hostages soon in Nuseirat camp; 27-year-old Eliya Cohen, 22-year-old Omer Shem Tov, 23- year-old Omer Wenkert and 37-year-old Hisham al-Sayed.

Now more than 600 Palestinian prisoners are expected in return. I want to go now to CNN chief diplomatic editor Nic Robertson, live in Tel Aviv.

Nic, so as we wait for the second hostage handover today, take us through what we've seen so far and what we're expecting.

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN SENIOR DIPLOMATIC EDITOR: Yes. Tal Shoham and Avera Mengistu handed over. Both are taken to the stage, as we've seen with previous hostages.

They were both shaky, both looking like they'd lost weight, 505 days in captivity for Tal Shoham and more than 11 years for Avera Mengistu. Handed off to the Red Cross vehicles, beginning their path to freedom; handed off to the IDF.

We've heard from Tal Shoham's family already, saying absolutely every emotion overflowing at the moment. So grateful for everyone that has helped bring about this moment.

But the weight is now on for those other four hostages. To focus on another location further north in Gaza in Nuseirat, that's sort of two thirds of the way north, if you will, in inside of Gaza.

We've seen cheers coming up from the families of those two men, the two hostages I just mentioned. But the crowd here right now, waiting to see the physical condition of Eliya Cohen, as you say, 27 years old.

He went to the Nova music festival with his fiancee, Ziv. Ziv took with them her nephew and her nephew's girlfriend. The nephew and the girlfriend were shot and killed by Hamas. Ziv hid under their bodies and was able to escape. She has been a massive campaigner to get Eliya released.

Omer Shem Tov, he went with -- to the Nova music festival tour with a couple, too, with a couple of friends. One of them was shot but two friends taken into captivity. They were released back in November 2023.

And Omer Wenkert, he, also at the Nova music festival, captured there. But the last person on that list of the four to be released, Hergar Hisham (ph), now 36 years old, been held by Hamas since 2015, almost 10 years in captivity.

So high levels of concern in particular about his welfare after all of this. And that's been the concern.

But the other thing this crowd realizes here, right now, of course -- and I'm hearing a big round of applause going up, because I think they're looking at the images here on the screen behind me, the images of those first two hostages being driven up the road, now handed over.

They've been handed over to the IDF. They get driven to a base where they'll get to meet the first of their family members. And the crowd here, watching those first images of them driving up the road. So those big cheers going up there.

But for the other four, the concern, about their welfare, obviously and about their handover, how it will be managed by Hamas, stages again may be; everyone here sort of -- they've had that moment of cheer this morning when two were handed over. But now the other four they're waiting for.

BRUNHUBER: Yes, absolutely. And Nic, also, one of the concerns, the possible condition of the hostages, because, of course, we've been warned that they're -- that their condition might not be as good as what we've seen in some of the previous handovers.

We're showing a split screen just to let you know of Nuseirat, where we're expecting that handover of the four hostages, as well as Hostage Square in Tel Aviv, where those anxious faces are waiting to see people that they've been waiting for so long now.

[04:05:00]

So Nic, as we turn toward phase two, we've learned Hamas says at least it's willing to release all the remaining hostages at once in exchange for Israel withdrawing from Gaza. What do you make of that and where things stand now in terms of

progressing to that crucial next phase?

ROBERTSON: Yes, I think there's just one -- before I get to that, I think there's just one, sort of caveat or thing I should say about the release that we're waiting to see.

Let's wait and see how it takes shape. I think that's a caveat that we should think about when we're looking at this location right now and how everything plays out. Let's take a beat on how that's going to go ahead.

So that your point on phase one, phase two, look what we've seen over the past week or so, Hamas has gone from saying that it wouldn't release any hostages to really releasing all the 33.

Agreed, finally getting it right with Shiri Bibas' body in the early hours of this morning. Four more remains to be handed over next week. But that really accelerated it to happen before the March 2nd deadline. The end of phase one, when phase two is supposed to begin.

Discussions on phase two were supposed to begin almost three weeks ago. Now they're well behind schedule. They haven't really happened at all. But the big thing about phase two, it's much harder for the Israeli government to do because it means all the troops coming out of Gaza.

It would, as the phase two was originally envisaged, mean getting into that permanent ceasefire situation. And there are people in the prime minister's government who say absolutely no way. They don't want a permanent ceasefire, they want to go back to war.

So difficult, much more difficult politically for the prime minister to achieve. So on the one hand, you seem to have Hamas accelerating to a point where they're ready to talk about releasing all the hostages. But putting against that something that's very difficult for the Israeli prime minister to do, which is pull all his troops out of Gaza.

We don't know the terms and conditions that that pullout would be. Israel has always said that it wants a situation where it would have military superiority, security, superiority in Gaza and the right to go in, as they do in the West Bank and are doing in the West Bank right now, today, going in and arresting people, at their will.

So this is a very big hurdle and challenge that Hamas is putting forward. The price of getting all those last living hostages all together in one go is a price that's going to be a bitter pill for some people in the Israeli government, a hill too high to cross for others in the government and a difficult political achievement for the prime minister to pull off.

And getting beyond that is the question of Hamas in Gaza in the future and the future scenario for Gaza. There are so many things that come into play in that last phase. The Israeli government is not running into that phase where Hamas is, because Hamas sees the opportunity here to try to nail down a permanent ceasefire.

And the government is nowhere near that moment yet.

BRUNHUBER: You're right to point out all the large hurdles that still remain as we wait for those four hostages to be released. Nic Robertson, thank you so much.

So, as Nic mentioned, human remains released by Hamas on Friday have been confirmed as those of former hostage Shiri Bibas. Now that's according to a statement from her family, provided by the Hostages and Missing Families Forum.

They say, quote, "Our Shiri was brought home after the identification process at the Institute for Forensic Medicine. We received the news this morning that we had feared. Our Shiri was murdered in captivity."

Now CNN has reached out to the Israeli government for official confirmation of the results of the forensic exam.

I want to bring in Gideon Levy, a columnist with Israel's "Ha'aretz" newspaper. He is joining us from Tel Aviv.

Good to see you again. So I just want to get your reaction to what we've seen so far, both the process of the handover and the condition of the hostages that we've seen so far.

GIDEON LEVY, COLUMNIST, "HA'ARETZ": What we saw so far repeats itself almost in all the returns, namely that Hamas is still an organized movement which can deliver the goods, which is delivering the goods.

I don't know enough about the conditions of the hostages. We are very keen to know what will be with the other four. But the two were walking on their legs. The timetable was kept except of one mistake, very tragic one, was the body of, Kim, see, of Ms. Bibas. The others were all on time and back. And this should be mentioned.

BRUNHUBER: Yes. This was the last. This will be now, as we wait for these four, hostages, this will presumably be the last transfer of live hostages for phase one. There's certainly plenty of uncertainty around phase two.

[04:10:03]

As Nic mentioned, those talks began more than two weeks late. And we've learned that Hamas says it's willing to release all the remaining hostages in exchange for Israel withdrawing from Gaza. So I want to get your take on that offer and where things stand, whether you think that Netanyahu will accede to that.

LEVY: I obviously agree to everything that Nic had said. But he didn't mention the elephant in the room and the elephant in the room is obviously the American administration, namely president Trump and his envoy.

And the question is really, what will they do? Because if they will want the second phase to be implemented, let me promise you, it will be implemented. But for this, they must be ready to use their leverage and to put pressure on Netanyahu.

It's already proven itself in the first implementation of this phase, when Netanyahu was not ready to renew the talks and, after one visit of Mr. Witkoff, the negotiations started and were concluded very quickly and very efficiently.

So it really depends on the American administration. Yesterday, there was some worrying voice coming out from the United States, namely the president, saying that both ways, either renewing the war or implementing the second phase, are OK with him.

If this is the case, we will witness the renewal of the war, which is Netanyahu's interest and his government's interest. And this means a horrible tragedy for nothing.

BRUNHUBER: So you literally think it comes down to just the U.S. president?

He has the final say as to whether this goes ahead, despite the fact that Netanyahu does have that that razor thin, you know, very fragile coalition that's holding the government together.

Another aspect to this, even though the ceasefire so far has held in Gaza, I mean, we're seeing Israeli military operations ramp up in the West Bank. So there's another dimension here at play.

What do you think Netanyahu's goals are there and how does that interact with and possibly affect the overall path toward peace?

If there is one?

LEVY: No. First of all, nobody speaks now about peace, obviously. Let us see a ceasefire, which will be an enormous achievement. Let us see a ceasefire which lasts, which will be an even more enormous achievement.

We are in very dark days now and peace is far beyond the mountain of darkness. Now the West Bank is bubbling. Israel changed its policy in the West Bank ever since the war started. And it does so under the fact that nobody cares what's going on there.

And using this, Israel changed totally the face of the West Bank. I'm traveling there and likely Gaza on a weekly basis. And anyone who has not been there in the last year will not recognize it.

And this carries a price. The hundreds of checkpoints, the fact that people cannot get to work in Israel, there are hundreds and thousands of arrests. You know, Israel will release today a few hundred Palestinian prisoners. But at the same time, many, many other hundreds are arrested almost on a daily basis.

The rates in Jenin and Tulkarem using the air force, evacuating tens of thousands of people -- do we know that tens of thousands of Palestinians in the West Bank are evacuated from their homes and part of their homes don't exist anymore?

It is really a Gaza-ization of the West Bank and this will carry a price, namely that the West Bank will not remain silent.

BRUNHUBER: Yes. So much at stake here as you, as you say. We'll have to leave it there. But always appreciate your analysis. Gideon Levy in Tel Aviv, thanks so much.

LEVY: Thank you. Kim.

BRUNHUBER: All right.

Well, we have more on the breaking news in Gaza. Two former Israeli hostages are now back in Israel and four more are expected to be released minutes from now.

Plus, U.S. president Donald Trump is dismissing his top general in an unprecedented purge. We'll have the details next. Stay with us.

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BRUNHUBER: All right. We want to give you an update now on the breaking news in Gaza. The Red Cross is on its way to Nuseirat, where Hamas is expected to hand over four Israeli hostages at any moment.

We're seeing live pictures there of that, the large crowds being held at a relative distance from where we're expecting those hostages to emerge.

Now in return, Israeli is expected to free more than 600 Palestinian prisoners. Meanwhile, moments ago, we learned that the two Israeli hostages released by Hamas earlier, Avera Mengistu and Tal Shoham, have arrived at the Reim base in southern Israel. That's according to the Israeli military.

Now stay with CNN for the latest updates as they unfold.

Well, in an extraordinary move, U.S. president Donald Trump has fired his top general only moments before his Defense Secretary terminated the Chief of the Navy.

Trump is calling former Joint Chiefs Chairman Charles Q. Brown a, quote, "outstanding leader."

Now this comes as the Pentagon says it plans to fire between 5 percent and 8 percent of the military's approximately 950,000 civilian employees. CNN's Oren Liebermann has more from Washington.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) OREN LIEBERMANN, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: This is an unprecedented purge at the top of the military, one that's been rumored and speculated about for weeks now.

It started with president Donald Trump announcing on social media that he was firing the top U.S. general, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs General C.Q. Brown. Trump said Brown was a, quote, "fine gentleman."

Brown had been a frequent target of right wing criticism.

[04:20:00]

And there had long been speculation that he was going to be fired quickly. We just didn't know quite how quickly. Now we have that answer, one month into the Trump administration.

Now just days before he was picked to run the Pentagon, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said Brown should be fired along with the other, quote, "woke" generals and admirals.

But at least for the time, the two had worked together, having daily or near daily meetings. In fact, Brown was visiting the southern border just hours before he was fired.

Trump immediately announced his pick to replace Brown, recently retired Air Force Lt. Gen. Dan "Razin" Caine. Trump has long had a fascination with Caine, bringing him up in several speeches over the last four or five years. He says Caine was instrumental in the defeat of ISIS.

Trump hinted at more firings to come and it was only a few minutes later that Hegseth announced the Chief of the Navy, Admiral Lisa Franchetti, was also being terminated. Hegseth called her a DEI hire in his book that came out last year.

In a Friday night statement, Hegseth also indicated that the top judge advocates general in the Army, Navy and Air Force will also be replaced. That, too, is an extraordinary move. The JAGs, according to a former judge advocate general, are the conscience of the military, the guides on what's right and what's wrong, what's ethical and moral.

Hegseth called them "jagoffs" in his book and questioned their value. Taken together, these firings are an unprecedented reshaping of the top of the military -- Oren Liebermann, CNN, in Washington.

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BRUNHUBER: All right.

Now to a legal win for the Trump administration. A federal judge is giving president Trump the green light to dismantle the U.S. Agency for International Development. The judge said he was dissolving a temporary restraining order he issued earlier this month.

The order had blocked the government from putting thousands of USAID employees on administrative leave. It required the agency to temporarily reinstate 500 other workers who had been suspended. The decision is likely to be appealed.

On Friday, the president was asked about the turmoil created by all the firings and radical changes taking place. Listen to how he dodged the question.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

QUESTION: Americans voted for you on immigration and the economy.

But these voters say they're angry and frustrated by these firings. They don't. Like the.

Work of.

Elon Musk and these other actions. What do you say.

To that?

TRUMP: Who do you work for?

QUESTION: I work for ABC News, sir.

TRUMP: Who?

QUESTION: ABC News.

TRUMP: No wonder.

(CROSSTALK)

TRUMP: Let me just.

Tell you. Let me just.

Tell you.

That I have today the highest poll numbers I've ever had. They like the job that we're doing. They like the job that Elon's doing. He's doing something that a lot of people wouldn't have the courage to do. We want to streamline our country. We want to streamline because you know why?

Because we want our country to survive and thrive. And we're finding billions and billions of dollars of waste, fraud and abuse.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BRUNHUBER: According to CNN polling, president Trump's figures come in below the start of term numbers for any recent presidency except his own. So as you see there, more than half of respondents disapprove of how he's handling the job.

And as for claims about savings, DOGE has been accused of using incorrect data in at least one instance, which significantly inflates the actual amounts. A DOGE spokesperson did not respond to CNN's request for comment. Elon Musk says DOGE is being, quote, "maximally transparent" about

their work.

And a New York federal judge has extended her order to stop representatives of DOGE from getting access to sensitive data from the Treasury Department. But it's a preliminary injunction, so it could be appealed.

U.S. District Judge Jeannette Anne Vargas said she'd consider modifying the order if the Treasury Department showed that DOGE employees were properly trained and vetted to access the system and its data.

A federal judge has canceled the upcoming corruption trial for New York City mayor Eric Adams but that doesn't mean the charges are going away. Adams is facing counts including bribery, corruption, wire fraud and soliciting and accepting donations from foreign nationals.

The Justice Department decided to drop those charges but the judge in the case appointed an attorney to challenge the department's decision. The case saw eight federal prosecutors resign in protest rather than agree to drop the case.

We're learning more about the evidence in the case against Luigi Mangione, the man accused of killing a U.S. health care CEO. Mangione was in court on Friday as prosecutors reviewed what they've turned over to his defense team. CNN's Brynn Gingras has more.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BRYNN GINGRAS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Accused killer Luigi Mangione back in court, flanked by officers shackled and wearing a bulletproof vest.

He walked past dozens of supporters and into a New York City courtroom, where his defense attorney argued against Mangione's restraints.

KAREN FRIEDMAN AGNIFILO, LUIGI MANGIONE'S ATTORNEY: I don't understand what this -- this show of danger is for. When I go visit Luigi at MDC in Brooklyn, I sit with him. He is unshackled. He walks around freely in the visiting area.

[04:25:00]

GINGRAS: This is his first court appearance since pleading not guilty to the murder of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson last year.

Prosecutors listed the evidence that has been turned over to the defense, including cell phone records, body camera footage and autopsy reports. The hearing, sparking another surge of support for the 26 year old. This image of Mangione projected onto a New York City building last night and on a truck that circled the courthouse.

This, while donations continue to pour in to an online legal defense fund. So far, it tops a half $1 million with fans from around the globe giving money, some glorifying Mangione, while also venting frustrations against the health care industry.

Mangione himself, expressing gratitude for the support on a new website created by his legal team. Powerfully, the support has transcended political, racial and even class divisions as mail has flooded MDC from across the country and around the globe.

Mangione is facing 11 state charges in the killing, as well as federal charges, which brings the possibility of the death penalty. The prosecutors have not said if they will seek it in this case.

Mangione eluded law enforcement for five days after the brazen. Shooting outside a midtown Manhattan hotel in December and was eventually arrested while eating at a Pennsylvania McDonalds.

ALVIN BRAGG, MANHATTAN DISTRICT ATTORNEY: This was a frightening, well-planned, targeted murder.

GINGRAS: The defense, again, arguing the media attention on this case is impacting his chances of a fair trial.

AGNIFILO: Luigi's right to a fair trial is being infringed upon because he is being publicly treated as guilty.

GINGRAS: And the defense made a number of requests in that court hearing, including asking the judge to remove the shackles from Mangione. But the judge denied that request. Mangione is going to be back in court in June -- Brynn Gingras, CNN, New York.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BRUNHUBER: Gaza has been devastated by more than a year of war with Israel and, despite the fragile ceasefire, the humanitarian situation is still in crisis. We'll have a live report from Gaza next on CNN.

And Donald Trump is stepping up his criticism of Ukraine's president, saying he's not an important element of the talks aimed at stopping the war with Russia. Details on that and more ahead. Please stay with us.

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BRUNHUBER (voice-over): All right.

We're following breaking news this hour out of Gaza. A second hostage handed over by Hamas is expected at any minute at this location in Nuseirat. And we're seeing presumably there the Red Cross vehicles that are moving slowly toward the location and the handover that's expected to happen.

And the four people we're expecting to be handed over are 27-year-old Eliya Cohen, 22-year-old Omer Shem Tov, 23-year-old Omer Wenkert and 37-year-old Hisham al-Sayed. And in return, Israel is expected to release more than 600 Palestinian prisoners.

Meanwhile, Tal Shoham and Avera Mengistu have now arrived at a military base in southern Israel after being released earlier. They'll undergo an initial medical checkup and be reunited with their families.

All right. As we wait for that release of hostages, I want to bring in Jasmine el-Gamal, Middle East analyst and former Middle East adviser to the Pentagon, and she joins us from London.

Thank you so much for being here. As we await this release of hostages, the second one that should be done today, the process overall has been rife with delays, not to speak of Hamas returning the wrong remains. But the process in general has unfolded nevertheless and the ceasefire has held.

So are you surprised things have gotten to this point at all?

JASMINE EL-GAMAL, MIDDLE EAST ANALYST AND FORMER PENTAGON MIDDLE EAST ADVISER: Good morning, Kim.

Thank you so much for having me.

Well, I'm not.

Sure when you.

Say that.

Things.

Have gotten to this point.

I mean, do you mean am I

Surprised that the ceasefire has.

Continued to hold?

I be, albeit in this very fragile way?

You know, I think what I'm most surprised about, really, is how, you know, there was -- there was a plan for this ceasefire to unfold over three phases. And the negotiations over phase two were supposed to start around February 3rd.

But then you had this summit, this meeting between prime minister Netanyahu and president Trump, where president Trump threw this bombshell, where he started talking about Gazans, you know, maybe they want to leave their homes and maybe they don't want to come back. And that threw a huge wrench into things.

And at that particular moment, during that meeting, that was when the two leaders were supposed to be talking about the upcoming phase two negotiations. And those are obviously going to be the more difficult ones. Instead, we spend about two or three weeks everyone panicking, flailing about, what does he mean?

Is he talking about ethnic cleansing?

Is he talking about forced relocation?

So we lost some really critical time in those two to three weeks since that meeting between Netanyahu and Trump.

And I think you alluded earlier to the really dire humanitarian situation in Gaza, that things really had have ground to a halt while people scrambled to figure out what was going on after Trump made those remarks.

So now it appears finally, finally, that we are about to go back to talking about phase two, that things that should have happened before, like the entrance of mobile homes into Gaza. It looks like the first shipment of those are about to finally go in so people have somewhere to live while the negotiations are ongoing.

So there's a lot going on. There was a huge delay in getting to this place but obviously better late than never. And it's good that these talks are going to start happening this week, hopefully in Washington.

BRUNHUBER: Yes. And the importance of that aid getting through can't be understated. So thanks for bringing that up.

I want to just put you on standby for a second as we go back to Nic Robertson in Tel Aviv, who's watching along here as we're seeing these live pictures of what we presume are the Red Cross vehicles that will take those hostages once they're released.

The four hostages, walk us through what we're seeing here. Certainly seeing so many fighters from Hamas and the crowds pressing up against those vehicles.

[04:35:00]

Contrasts what we're seeing now with what we saw earlier with the handover of the two other hostages.

ROBERTSON: Yes. When we saw Tal Shoham and Avera Mengistu handed over before, there was a big space. They were brought in a vehicle. They were held in that vehicle, the Red Cross vehicles that had easy access to that area for the handover.

The Red Cross waited. Then the two men brought out, taken on stage, then put in the Red Cross vehicle. All the crowd pressing up against the Red Cross vehicles right now is something that the Red Cross is concerned about.

They want these smooth, orderly transitions to happen, that they are there quite simply as intermediaries to facilitate this process. We've seen as well, times where the hostages have been taken from one location and literally led on foot through crowds that are just very, very, very chaotic situations.

And the Israeli government has complained bitterly and strenuously about that and pushed to have a more controlled environment. Last weekend's handover was in a relatively controlled environment. It's not clear why the crowds are pressed so hard up against the Red Cross vehicles.

I think it's reasonable to say that this is unfolding a little slower or a little later in the day, a couple of hours later than was originally anticipated. Large crowds appear to have gathered there inside of Gaza.

And I think we believe this location is -- perhaps it indicates that the fighters there are just trying to show -- have a show of presence, if you will. But now we're seeing those Red Cross vehicles.

I'm looking over my shoulder at the big screen here. We're seeing those Red Cross vehicles moving forward. So I think this tells us that we're getting to the point where the handover will take will happen.

But there are formalities that Hamas makes happen and gets performed on stage and that is the Red Cross to sign documentation. Then the hostages. And let's see, you are talking about four. But let's see how many are brought out on the stage there before they're handed over.

Before they're given to the Red Cross, before they get in the Red Cross vehicles, which is the real moment when they when they are free of captivity, that their freedom begins. I think the certainty in that process doesn't happen until the Red Cross vehicles get to the edge of Gaza and hand off the hostages to the IDF.

They are that point. They are no longer hostages. They are free men and they get that first round of medical checks in the handover with the IDF.

BRUNHUBER: Yes, and you're right to highlight the performative and propaganda element to all of this, even though every hostage release is different in its own way.

They do have those commonalities that we see every time with those hostages being paraded around. So as we wait for what we hope is the release of four more hostages, I want to go back now to Jasmine el- Gamal.

We were talking about the big picture. And you highlighted how influential president Trump is in all of this and whether we will, in fact, get to a phase two. On one hand, president Trump has said he wants the war to end. On the other hand, he's backed prime minister Netanyahu again and again.

So in terms of U.S. pressure, what do you think happens here?

Will Trump pressure Netanyahu or will he allow him to continue the war?

EL-GAMAL: Well, thanks for raising that, Kim, because that's a really important question. As we look at the future of these negotiations and look at all the different actors involved, I think it's important to mention the Arab states for a minute.

If I can talk about the efforts of the Arab states and both that have been recently happening and then the upcoming sort of meetings and initiatives as well, because what Trump's announcement made, the one we were talking about earlier, with prime minister Netanyahu.

What that announcement did, was it spurred the Arab states to come to come forward and accelerate their role in trying to plan for a post war scenario in Gaza. Now that planning had already been ongoing; talks have been happening, had been happening with Palestinians, with different factions, with the Palestinian government.

But what that announcement did is really forced the Arab states to come forward and set some red lines of their own, because what they wanted to show was the Arab states and the Palestinian position. There are red lines on that side as well. So whereas, for example, an Israeli red line is Hamas cannot be in charge in Gaza.

[04:40:00]

After the war, the Arabs came forward in a united voice and said, well, our red line is that there will be no forced relocation of Palestinians out of Gaza and that Jordan and Egypt are not to take any Palestinians in who don't want to leave out of there, you know, voluntarily.

So those Arab leaders met in Saudi Arabia. They just met. And the purpose of the meeting was to form a unified position about the way forward. There's going to be an Arab summit in Cairo on the 27th of February, where they're going to be more detailed in putting out an actual plan. And then that plan is to be presented on March 4th.

So in terms of pressure on Netanyahu to go back to your question, it's not just going to be up to the U.S. whether to put pressure on Netanyahu or not.

But the more united and active and involved the Arab states are in shaping that future in Gaza and on the Palestinian issue in general, you will also see that adding pressure on Netanyahu as well to come to the table equally in good faith.

BRUNHUBER: Yes.

And as you say, we don't know exactly the shape of that plan. You outlined very well the timeline of how that will be announced. But presumably their plan will be in sharp contrast to what president Trump has proposed, that so-called Riviera plan.

We'll leave it there for now, Jasmine el-Gamal in London. Thank you so much. We really appreciate it.

All right. We'll be right back with more here on CNN NEWSROOM. As we expect, the release of four more Israeli hostages. Please stay with us. (MUSIC PLAYING)

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BRUNHUBER: All right. We want to show you a live look at Nuseirat, Gaza, where Hamas is set to release a group of Israeli hostages. Now we're expecting that to happen any minute now.

[04:45:00]

In return, Israelis are expected to release more than 600 Palestinian prisoners. Two hostages released earlier have now arrived at a military base in southern Israel. They will undergo an initial medical checkup and be reunited with their families.

All right. As we wait for that release to happen, I want to bring in Rolland Gueneau, who's the Gaza area director at Relief International and joins me now from Khan Yunis.

Thank you so much for being here with us. So listen, you and I first spoke when the ceasefire was only a few days old.

Now about a month in, where do things stand?

ROLLAND GUENEAU, GAZA AREA DIRECTOR, RELIEF INTERNATIONAL: Thanks a lot, Kim, for inviting me.

Well, the things are, let's say, much, much better in terms of aid compared to one month ago, when we spoke one month ago. We managed to receive one truck with the hope to receive more. So we received more. Now we received in total three trucks.

When, in the past, we never managed to get anything since six months. So we manage, let's say, to do 10 times more than before. But it should not hide the reality. And the reality is the fact that the needs are enormous. And at this stage, it's very clear that we don't manage to meet them.

BRUNHUBER: Yes. And part of the problem, even though so many trucks are delivering supplies, as I understand it, part of the challenge is that many of the warehouses have been destroyed, which obviously creates problems when we're talking about storing and distributing that aid.

GUENEAU: Yes. So that's one of the numerous problems we have. But you know, even if we have this amount of trucks or around maybe 800 per week, you imagine it's like if it's a town like Paris.

So before we used to receive 50 trucks for a town like Paris. So it's nothing. And so now it's 800. But we still need more. And we still to deliver as soon as possible. As you said, we don't have any buffer but we are in the warehouses. So this, it's -- let's say it's our job.

We try to do our best to find some solutions and we find some but there are plenty, plenty of issues to deal with.

BRUNHUBER: One of the biggest issues when we spoke a few weeks ago was the priority being to restore health care facilities. Now I understand some have been reopened. Give us a sense of what's working right now and the biggest needs as they stand.

GUENEAU: Yes. You know, the very basic needs are still here. And it's one change in the coming weeks. I mean, the people, they need the shelters, they need food and they need water. So this is really still there.

Now, when we come to the to the health facility, so for the first time since six months, we could go in the north, in the hospital we support in the north of Gaza, the only hospital still functioning.

So we could provide some medicines there. We try to -- and we could provide some beds to now the -- what we -- what we want to do, what we start to do, is to rehabilitate these hospitals because there are no windows anymore. A lot of doors are missing. There are a lot of leakages in the roof.

But the thing is, you know, one of the needs we have, let's say in parallel or beyond that, it's a little bit more of a certainty in the future, because now we can make really light, you know, rehabilitation. Much more are needed.

But we can't invest too much when we know that, all what we can do now, even if it is needed, it can be destroyed in the coming days.

BRUNHUBER: Yes, that's a great point. Of course. And that goes as well for housing and some 1.9 million people have been displaced. Many are now trying to go back home. Take me through what they're going home to, especially in the north, where many people, I understand, lack shelter, tents, even blankets.

GUENEAU: Yes, the situation is very hard for them. When we've gone there, just to give you a picture, our colleagues, our Palestinian colleagues, had their own house just close to the hospital. But they didn't want to visit it because they didn't want to see how it is now. So I mean, it's just ruins on rubbles.

[04:50:05]

GUENEAU: So the people are under the rain. It's cold here now. And a lot of people, in fact, abandoned the idea to set up now in Gaza City. And they come back in the middle area where they were just before, where they were displaced before, because they don't have the needed services in Gaza City now.

BRUNHUBER: Well, listen, thank you so much for coming on with us. And we'll definitely check in with you again. Rolland Gueneau with Relief International, thank you so much.

As we look at those pictures there, live in Nuseirat, where we're expecting the release of Israeli hostages. We'll bring you that moment when it comes. Stay with us. (MUSIC PLAYING)

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BRUNHUBER: All right. This is the scene right now in Nuseirat, Gaza, where Hamas is set to release a group of Israeli hostages. The Red Cross will take them from Hamas and deliver them to the Israeli military.

In return, Israel is expected to release more than 600 Palestinian prisoners. Two hostages released earlier are now at a military base in southern Israel.

[04:55:00]

Of course, stay with us for the latest on this breaking news.

Doctors treating Pope Francis say his condition is not immediately life threatening while his treatment takes effect. But they did add that he is not out of danger overall. CNN's Nadeau is live in Rome.

Barbara, you and I spoke yesterday. You gave us an update on his condition.

Anything change overnight?

BARBIE NADEAU, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, you know, we got the usual Vatican press release this morning and they said that the pope rested overnight. We didn't get the detail about his breakfast, whether or not he ate it or how he ate it.

But we did hear from the Vatican spokesperson that he will not be delivering his Sunday Angelus tomorrow. It will be just like last week. This is, of course, his second Sunday in the hospital; went in on February 14th.

Midweek he was diagnosed with pneumonia in both lungs. Of course, one of those lungs is compromised, missing since he was about 19 years old when it was removed due to an infection.

But we got last night more details than we have previously received from his medical staff. We heard from the -- his doctor here at the Gemelli Hospital behind me about his condition. Let's listen to what he had to say.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DR. SERGIO ALFIERI, AGOSTINO GEMELLI HOSPITAL: Of course he has in critical condition. That means that one patient of 88 years old, with chronic lung disease.

And you have some infection, virus, myositis and bacteria. He is critical condition. But he is fine now. He's fine.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

NADEAU: And you know, Kim, that's good news for people who are really worried about him. The fact that he's not in the sort of immediate danger. But it must be always taken into consideration. He's a man, 88 years old; mobility issues, a string of health concerns and he's fighting a very serious diagnosis. Kim.

BRUNHUBER: Yes, absolutely. And again, the prayers of the Catholic world go with the pope in Rome. Thank you so much.

All right, that wraps this hour of CNN NEWSROOM. I'm Kim Brunhuber. We'll be back with more breaking news coverage from Gaza, where Hamas is set to release more Israeli hostages. Stay with us.