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Donald Trump Unleashes New Wave Of Tariffs Against Dozens Of Countries; Trump Trade Representative Defends Tariffs At Senate Hearing; Israel Controls 50 Percent of Gaza After Razing Land To Expand Its Buffer Zone; Ukraine Captures Chinese Nationals Fighting For Russia; Trump: U.S. And South Korea Have "Confines" Of A Deal; Inside El Salvador's Notorious CECOT Prison; Israeli Soldiers Reveal Plan Behind Gaza Buffer Zone; King Charles & Queen Camilla In Four-Day Trip To Italy; Philadelphia Zoo Welcomes Endangered Tortoise Hatchlings. Aired 1-2a ET
Aired April 09, 2025 - 01:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
JOHN VAUSE, CNN HOST: Donald Trump and his tariffs are now the epicenter of the world. Ahead on CNN Newsroom.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD TRUMP, U.S. PRESIDENT: I know what the hell I'm doing.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: More than 70 world leaders said to be requesting trade talks with the United States, all of them at the mercy now just one man.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: These measures are aimed squarely at achieving reciprocity and reducing our mass a massive trade deficit.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: The U.S. Trade representative defends Trump's tariffs, describing the economic turmoil, chaos and fear as a challenge for consumers.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Residential buildings, greenhouses, sheds, factories, you name it needs to be flat. That's the order.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: Buffer zone. Why Israel is demolishing homes and buildings, occupying more land in an already overcrowded Gaza.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Live from Atlanta. This is CNN Newsroom with John Vause. VAUSE: In the past hour, U.S. Customs and Border Protection began collecting new tariffs ranging from 11 to more than 100 percent levied on imports from dozens of U.S. trading partners, the countries President Trump describes as the worst offenders, even though it's the U.S. importer who pays the tariff, just another tax which flows to the U.S. Treasury.
This, though, is a significant escalation in the wake of a 10 percent across the board tariff implemented Saturday. According to the U.S. commerce secretary, about 70 countries have contacted the White House asking for trade talks and that it seems gave President Trump bragging rights.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: I know what the hell I'm doing. I know what I'm doing. These countries are calling us up, kissing my ass. They are. They are dying to make a deal. Please, please, sir, make a deal. I'll do anything. I'll do anything, sir.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: But negotiations are not an option for China hit hardest with a tariff of 104 percent on all exports to the U.S. officials in Beijing say that's a mistake upon a mistake, adding China will not back down.
Live to Hong Kong and CNN's Kristie Lu Stout back again as the world's two biggest economies appear headed to a trade war. Beijing is hitting back not only with its own tariffs, but at home it's trying to support parts of the economy which have been hit hardest by these tariffs. Is that an indication that China is in for a long fight here?
KRISTIE LU STOUT, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, absolutely. John. We heard earlier from Li Chang, the Chinese premier, saying that Beijing has the full set of tools to, quote, fully offset the shock of Trump's tariffs. But there is deep concern and uncertainty across the board as the U.S. President, Donald Trump forges ahead with these reciprocal tariffs on dozens of countries around the world and especially here in Asia, as well as that astonishing full tariff rate of at least 104 percent on China.
This after China refused demand and refused to remove its own retaliatory terror. So you've been monitoring the Asian markets this day, and it's in the middle of the trading day. If you could take a look at what the trading action looks like right now, it's largely in the red, losing the green arrows. In the recovery mode that we saw on Tuesday.
You see the Japan Nikkei down four and three quarters of a percent here in Hong Kong. The hang Seng down 2.4 percent. This will Cosby (ph) losing one and three quarters. In Australia, the main index, they're losing 2 percent. The Shanghai Composite, though, gaining a quarter of 1 percent. I should note that Chinese state firms have vowed to buy stocks in China in order to stabilize the market there.
We're also keeping an eye on U.S. Futures from Asia. And if we bring up that data, you could see that when markets open on Wall Street a couple hours from now, we're expecting the day to open lower for the Dow, the Nasdaq and also for the S and P.
Look, Trump is facing blowback from the markets, from investors, from business leaders, from billionaires as he unleashes his latest wave of tariffs. The U.S. President, his officials say they're ready to talk. They say that they've been approached by around 70 governments. Talks are set to begin or being planned for major economies here in Asia, like Japan, like South Korea. The U.S. President said that he had a, quote, good call with the acting South Korean president yesterday.
But what did he have to say about China? When I bring up this post that he shared on Truth Social, U.S. President Donald Trump saying this, quote, China also wants to make a deal badly, but they don't know how to get it started. We are waiting for their call. It will happen, but Chinese officials aren't taking it. They continue to vow that they will fight till the very end. Listen to this.
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LIN JIAN, CHINESE FOREIGN MINISTRY SPOKESPERSON (through translator): I believe the actions of the U.S. do not reflect a genuine willingness for serious dialogue.
[01:05:03]
If the U.S. disregards the interest of both countries and the international community and insists on waging a tariff war or trade war, China will fight to the end.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LU STOUT: China has retaliated. China has taken a much more forceful stance this time than during the first Trump presidency. And that has prompted a number of people to wonder why. And one reason is because there is this understanding that the leadership in Beijing believes that they would be able to win a trade war using Trump language. They have the cards.
I want to show you a list that's been going viral on Chinese social media. A senior journalist of Xinhua sharing a list of possible Chinese countermeasures, including. Let's bring it up for you the following. More tariffs on U.S. farm imports like soybeans and sorghum, ban on U.S. poultry imports, a pause on fentanyl cooperation. A curb or ban on U.S. movies, A curb on U.S. services that would include finance law, consultancy practices, as well as a probe on U.S. firms. IP gains in China.
This list has generated a lot of chatter among Chinese observers and China watchers. And it also signals what China means when we hear time and time again from officials saying that they're going to fight this until the end. Back to you, John.
VAUSE: Kristie, thank you. Kristie Lu Stout there live for us in Hong Kong. And earlier I spoke with Professor Yan Liang, who specializes in the international economy as well as political economy of China. She explains the political calculations from Beijing and Washington and the stakes for both sides in this trade war.
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YAN LIANG, PROFESSOR OF ECONOMICS, WILLIMETTE UNIVERSITY: I think from China's point of view, this is unilateralism. This is about bullying. And China has made any concession, this is going to just trigger further aggression, not to mention now, I think the trust level is very low. So what China would give doesn't necessarily, you know, would help China to get out of terror war. So I think, by their calculation, for one, is, yes, China is going to get a demand shock from the US's tariff, but the United States would also suffer really consequential losses in the markets, both from the demand side, but also from the supply side.
And also, you know, both countries don't have the same degree of resilience, and in terms of the domestic political, economic pressures for the leaders to back down.
So I think in Beijing's calculation, there's only one way, which is to uphold the escalation, right, to retaliate. And so I think it's very difficult for both countries now to kind of back down. And so it remains to be seen, you know, Trump is definitely wanted to play this sort of, you know, chicken game, right, to see who blinks first. And he believes he has all the cards. But I think it really remains to be seen how much longer he's able to hold up with all the pressures mounting.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: The only way to stop the U.S. President and his global trade war, reverse the tariffs and end the economic turmoil is with the Republican controlled Congress. Congress has the power of the purse and Congress has the right or the authority to raise taxes. At the moment, President Trump has declared a national economic emergency which Congress could override.
Senate Democrats plan on introducing such a measure, but it will need a veto proof majority to be effective. CNN's Manu Raju spoke with some Senate Republicans about their support for Trump's tariff policies.
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MANU RAJU, CNN CHIEF CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Donald Trump's top trade official, Jameson Greer, was answering questions from Republicans and Democrats on the Senate Finance Committee about Trump's tariff policies. He urged patience. He said that these issues, these trade deals, would not be resolved overnight. He contended that a number of these countries, sort of roughly 50 or so, have come to the negotiating table seeking to lower their tariffs.
But the question is how much patience will Republicans in particular given that they control both the House. In the Senate, some of them expressed some skepticism over the Trump policies and others were flatly worried that if the tariff policies go into effect, particularly in the long term, that some industries and companies could go bankrupt. You seem to have concerns about said some of these companies could go
into bankruptcy because of this policy. Explain your concern.
RON JOHNSON, U.S. SENATE REPUBLICAN: I have those concerns I've been expressing for quite some time.
RAJU: Do you think that this could lead to bankruptcy?
JOHNSON: In certain businesses? It's real possibility.
THOM TILLIS, U.S. SENATE REPUBLICAN: Of course it concerns me. I mean, my God, it's a stability issue. You know, businesses hate uncertainty. We got a lot of uncertainty. In business you always come up with decisions. You create one throat to choke. I'm just trying to figure out who I should compliment or who I should hold accountable.
TODD YOUNG, U.S. SENATE REPUBLICAN: Congress should play a meaningful role when it comes to developing revenue measures, whether it's taxes or tariffs. I think the President needs broad discretion to be able to enforce whatever Congress develops and implements. And so I actually have been working with the administration to give them more tools to implement existing tariff laws.
RAJU: But there is a bipartisan effort in the Senate to give Congress a check on the President's tariff powers. However, that is not coming for a vote because it's opposed by the speaker of the House, Mike Johnson, who wants to give Trump latitude to enact these tariff policies.
[01:10:08]
And also John Thune, the Senate majority leader, someone who is actually skeptical of tariffs himself a longtime supporter of free trade agreements, but he does not want to be on the opposite side of Trump on this issue, says he wants to give Trump space and also is contending that if they were to move forward, he doesn't see a path for it to become law, especially given the fact that Trump has threatened to veto that legislation.
But if lawmakers begin to raise more concerns, particularly Republicans, they hear from voters who are paying more for a wide range of items. Perhaps the calculus could change. But at the moment, Trump's policy is moving ahead. Republicans are watching nervously as Democrats are outrightly opposed. Manu Raju, CNN, Capitol Hill.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
VAUSE: When we come back here on CNN, why were two Chinese nationals fighting alongside Russian troops in Ukraine? Were they volunteers? What does Beijing now say?
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[01:15:25]
VAUSE: Two Chinese nationals fighting with Russian troops have been captured in the Donetsk region in eastern Ukraine. According to the Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy. He says they were carrying documents, personal data and bank cards confirming the nationality. And Zelenskyy is now waiting for an explanation from Beijing.
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VOLOYDMYR ZELENSKYY, UKRAINIAN PRESIDENT (through translator): We really hope that after this situation the Americans will talk more with the Ukrainians and then the Russians. We really hope that the Chinese side will also react. I have instructed the minister of foreign affairs and the minister of defense to contact the Chinese counterparts so that they can give us an explanation for those actions.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: In January, two North Korean soldiers were captured by Ukraine in the Kursk region of Russia. And last year, Moscow signed a new defense agreement with Pyongyang which has been supplying thousands of troops as well as artillery to Russian forces.
Live to Canberra now, Malcolm Davis is a senior analyst for defense strategy and Capability at the Australian Strategic Policy Institute. Good to see you, Malcolm.
MALCOLM DAVIS, SENIOR ANALYST, AUSTRALIAN STRATEGIC POLICY INSTITUTE: Thanks, John.
VAUSE: Well, confirmation that these two nationals came were prisoners now came from the Ukrainian president. Here he is.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ZELENSKYY (through translator): Accordingly, there are documents, there are their passports, there are even credit cards. These are citizens of China. I think this is a very important element. I think that the United States of America needs to pay more attention to what is happening today.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: Notably, Western officials told CNN they did not see evidence of state sponsorship here with these two Chinese nationals. This conflict has seen volunteers from around the world turn up to fight mostly for Ukraine. And China issued an advisory for Chinese travelers not to visit the war zone, specifically saying don't volunteer to fight. I guess it's one thing if they're volunteers. It's a whole different story if they're actually sent by Beijing.
DAVIS: Absolutely. And I think they probably are volunteers. But I think if Beijing were to actually send active duty PLA forces in to fight alongside the Russians in Ukraine, that would be a fundamental game changer of the war. In the same way that the deployment of North Korean troops was -- it was an important event, but Chinese troops would be even more important because it would really signify that Beijing is not a neutral party in terms of any peace settlement or ceasefire. It is very much aligned to Russia.
VAUSE: Ukraine's acting ambassador to the U.N. called out Russian strikes on civilian targets during these ongoing efforts by the United States to broker a cease fire. Here she is.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
KHRYSTYNA HAYOVYSHYN, UKRAINIAN DEPUTY AMBASSADOR TO THE U.N. (through translator): Russian Federation has refused to support full ceasefire initiative almost every day in response to this proposal, Russia targets Ukrainian cities and villages with drones, bombs, artillery and ballistic increase missile attacks.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: Quick question (ph), deputy ambassador acting. But for Russia, the ability to make those weapons which she just mentioned has come from China providing technology and parts of drones and cruise missiles. And it's really allowed Russia to ramp up its defense industry. And how crucial overall has that support been?
DAVIS: That's been really important. I mean, China so far is not actually providing weapons per se. What it is doing is providing material support in terms of components and technology that Russia can then use to boost its defense manufacturing and actually build the weapons at a faster rate and in greater volume than what would be the case if China didn't provide that support.
So, China very sort of cunningly is trying to circumvent any barriers to supplying Russia with weapons. It is effectively providing the material support that Russia is exploiting. It's an open question at some point in the future whether China would then provide weapons potentially as an asymmetric response to the Trump tariffs that have been put on China.
VAUSE: It also seems, given the very pro friendly Donald Trump in the White House, that those international sanctions preventing supplying Moscow with certain weapons or technical elements, China may be more willing to try and risk its hand there and try to get those exports to Russia.
DAVIS: Exactly. And I think that it's notable, for example, that there are no tariffs placed on Russia and Trump seems to be willing to see Russia's side of things in any peace negotiations or cease for outcome and is placing pressure on Ukraine.
So China would be cognizant of that. They may be more emboldened and more willing to take a risk to actually provide additional components and even other forms of material support.
[01:20:04]
Whether they are actually prepared to go down to the level of providing actual weapons is yet unclear. But I certainly would have passed Beijing to take that next step.
VAUSE: Yes, Malcolm, thank you for being with us. Really appreciate it. Malcolm Davis there in Canberra.
DAVIS: Thank you.
VAUSE: In a moment, with steep new U.S. tariffs in place, Beijing vowing retaliation in this escalating trade war with the United States. How long do you have him in there for?
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[01:25:44]
VAUSE: Welcome back, everyone. A staggering 104 percent tariff now in effect on all Chinese goods coming to the United States. That of course, having a huge impact on global financial markets. These are the markets right now in Asia. Hong Kong is down by almost 2 percent. Nikkei down by 4 and a half percent. The sole cost be down by 1.8 percent. In Australia, the S and P is down by 1.86, 1.9 percent. Shanghai Composite, which was up earlier in the day mostly because of support offered by Beijing, Chinese government there is now down just a touch in negative territory.
Now consumers in China are bracing for price increases as their own retaliatory tariffs on U.S. goods take effect. CNN's Marc Stewart has the latest reporting in from Beijing.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MARC STEWART, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): At this Apple store in Beijing, it's all business as usual despite the growing trade tension between the United States and China. This young woman named Lucy didn't hesitate to drop big bucks for one of the latest iPhones.
LUCY, CHINESE CONSUMER (through translator): I bought an iPhone 16. The staff are still helping me install a new system in there.
STEWART: 16?
LUCY: Yes.
STEWART (voice-over): But as the trade war between the world's two biggest economies escalates further, there's a shared concern between the two nations, rising prices and a slowing economy on both sides of the Pacific.
LUCY (through translator): For businesses, the cost will be higher for them to make stuff and we will end up paying more for their products. It's a vicious cycle.
STEWART (voice-over): Some people say they have faith in China's strength.
STEWART: Do you worry that these trade issues will hurt the lives of everyday people living in China?
PAUL, BEIING RESIDENT (through translator): No, no, no. Those American goods that have been tariffed, we can always replace them with Chinese made goods.
STEWART: This is all happening as China deals with economic struggles of its own. A trade war with the U.S. could be another big blow.
STEWART (voice-over): But China is not backing down from its defiant stance.
JIAN (through translator): Pressure, threats and blackmail are not the right ways to engage with China. If the U.S. insists on launching a tariff or trade war, China will fight to the end.
STEWAT (voice-over): As President Trump adds another 50 percent tariff on Chinese goods, China's Commerce Ministry calls the move a mistake on top of a mistake. On Chinese social media, users rally around the government's reactions. One person posting fight to the end, never compromise, another saying we do not fear any unreasonable threats. But some others have a more sober view.
MR. WU, BEIJING RESIDENT (through translator): Whether for the U.S. or China, once the tariffs get raised, it will be the people of both countries who end up paying.
STEWART (voice-over): Chinese leader Xi Jinping and the U.S. President fought over trade during Trump's first term. And this time around, Beijing again hitting back at Washington where it will sting, vowing to turn pressure into motivation as officials here try to rewire China's economy and trade ties. Mark Stewart, CNN, Beijing.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
VAUSE: Negotiators from South Korea are now traveling to Washington after the White House confirmed trade talks with both South Korea and Japan are set to begin, the two U.S. allies given priority over other trading partners. President Trump says he had a great conversation by phone Tuesday with South Korea's acting president and he seems optimistic about reaching an agreement.
During an exclusive interview with CNN's Mike Valerio, South Korean leader Han Duck-soo believes he can do what no world leader has done so far, convince Donald Trump to drop the tariffs.
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MIKE VALERIO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, the headline here is that we now have a dramatic illustration, the differences between two approaches. We have China leading the resistance, retaliating with tariffs of its own. And now in this new interview with South Korea's acting President Han Duck-soo, we have an idea of South Korea's playbook which is to come to the negotiating table. Cool, collected, putting value in the strength of its long term alliance with the United States with the mentality that a deal can be made.
In this new interview with South Korea's head of state, we asked him what is Seoul's strategy in Washington, D.C. Listen to what he told us.
[01:30:06]
So, Acting President Hahn, what is your message to President Trump?
HAN DUCK-SOO, ACTING SOUTH KOREAN PRESIDENT: First of all, we will cooperate with the United States and President Trump to make sure that we can find some of the solutions to arrive at the win-win situations.
VALERIO: You do anticipate that this 25 percent tariff level will not stay. That's your anticipation.
HAN: Depending on the negotiations.
VALERIO: That's certainly your hope.
HAN: Yes.
VALERIO: Are you optimistic? How do you feel on a gut level these negotiations are going to go?
HAN: About 57 countries are actually are subject to that kind of tariff. So --
VALERIO: 25 percent though. That's pretty steep for friends for generations.
HAN: Well, it's a pity because we are evaluated in that way. But I think that that kind of different assessment can always happen in this kind of situations.
VALERIO: Should friends really be treating friends like this?
HAN: Well. Friendship should be compensated by sometimes the mutual economic, financial and other dimensional aspects. You can never say that relations between the United States and Korea, because we are friends so everything should be condoned and we don't care what happens.
VALERIO: Now, just a few hours after acting President Han Duck-Soo sat down with CNN, the acting president had his first phone call, his first communication ever with the U.S. President Donald Trump.
And the president posted on Truth Social that things seem to be looking good for a deal, writing, quote, "We have the confines and probability of a great deal. Things are looking good."
So the real test here will be if a country like South Korea comes to the negotiating table, putting the full faith and the value of its long-standing alliance with the U.S., how far can its tariff come down?
For what it's worth, Han duck-Soo had served as ambassador to the United States from South Korea before the Trump years. and also before the Trump years, he was instrumental in getting the U.S.-South Korea free trade deal over the finish line.
Mike Valerio, CNN -- Seoul. (END VIDEOTAPE)
VAUSE: El Salvador's President Nayib Bukele is expected to meet with U.S. President Donald Trump next week at the White House with their controversial agreement to send deported migrants from the United States to El Salvador's mega prison, the main focus of talks.
Bukele has been posting video to social media of the migrants deported from the U.S., accused by the Trump administration of belonging to violent Venezuelan or El Salvadorian gangs.
Lawyers for some of the accused say they have no ties to any gangs, including one man who the Trump administration has admitted was sent to CECOT, the maximum-security prison, by mistake.
Aside from a few brief glimpses in the video posted online by Bukele, not much has been made public about conditions inside CECOT. The director of the notorious prison though, gave CNN's David Culver an exclusive tour.
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DAVID CULVER, CNN SENIOR NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: When we first walked in to these halls, CECOT was a powerful symbol across Latin America. But now since, folks in the U.S. are far more familiar with what's happening here because it has a direct connection.
Last time we were here, there were about 80 or so people per cell. I'm looking right now and it's already 70 who have come out and they've probably got another 30 plus. You're talking more than 100 people in some of these cells now.
And the director has told me they've increased the prison population because more arrests have taken place within this country.
Built to isolate El Salvador's most dangerous criminals, the center for Terrorism Confinement, or CECOT, opened in early 2023 as the centerpiece of President Nayib Bukele's anti-gang crackdown.
Why are there more people here?
He says the state of exception, essentially the state of emergency that's been declared under President Bukele going back 2022, will not end until the last gang member has been taken from the communities and brought here to CECOT.
This is a court hearing that's playing out right now.
This is a preliminary hearing that's playing out.
There's one in there. And this one hasn't yet started.
[01:34:52]
CULVER: Anderson Cooper last night was asking me, is everyone in CECOT convicted? BELARMINO GARCIA, CECOT PRISON DIRECTOR: No, not all.
CULVER: Garcia says many here have been convicted but others are still going through the judicial process. And when we ask, he does allow us to sit in on what appears to be court hearings underway.
I hear you when you say that there are people who have done horrible things, but is it possible that there are people who are innocent as well in here?
Garcia claims every person in CECOT is an active member of a terrorist organization.
And you're confident that that's the case?
GARCIA: Correct.
CULVER: Critics have said there's a lack of due process, so it's impossible to say for sure.
CULVER: Questions have been raised about that severity of treatment, and it is seen certainly as harsh. But when you talk to Salvadorans, they say, yes, perhaps harsh, but totally necessary to have eradicated the gangs and to keep them out.
The question is, is that same level of treatment necessary when it comes to the deportees that are coming here from, say, the U.S.?
But if you look just straight down there at the very end, that's Sector 8. That's where the deportees, including those from Tren de Aragua, are being held.
We cannot go into that sector. When I ask why, he says it's not part of this approved tour.
He said everybody's got the same conditions. It doesn't matter where you are, including Sector 8.
There are four zones, and in each zone, you have two modules, the sectors that have also within them the cells, and they can have up to 5,000 prisoners within each module.
That's a maximum capacity of 40,000, which Garcia says they're getting closer to, but he adds they still have sufficient space. He won't give the exact prison population for security reasons, he says.
The CECOT isn't just a prison. It's a message from this government to the gangs and really to the rest of the world.
For critics, this is a place where rights vanish, but for supporters, of which there are many, including the leaders here and many of the people who live in this country, this place is a symbol of freedom, newfound freedom, as they see it. For them to see this exist in the way it does, while some may perceive it as harsh, they see it as the only reason they're able to walk freely outside these gates and not live in fear for most of their lives. Gracias.
(END VIDEO TAPE)
VAUSE: When we come back, Israel's new plan for better security, the systemic destruction of Palestinian homes and other buildings in Gaza. More on how the buffer zone was created.
[01:37:42]
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VAUSE: Almost no one, it seems, escaped unhurt after a roof collapsed at a nightclub in the Dominican Republic. Officials say at least 300 people were there for a concert.
So far, at least 79 people have been confirmed dead, including two former players from Major League Baseball and a politician. More than 220 were injured, according to the country's National Emergency System.
The ceiling gave way at the jet set nightclub in the early hours of Tuesday morning. Aerial footage shows the venue with a wide, gaping hole in the middle of the building where the audience would have been seating or standing during the performance.
In Gaza, a strip of land half a mile wide along the border with Israel is now a wasteland, and Israeli soldiers who were deployed to the territory are now revealing how the military carried out the destruction of civilian infrastructure to create a buffer zone.
Here's CNN's Jeremy Diamond.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JEREMY DIAMOND, CNN JERUSALEM CORRESPONDENT: Inside Gaza, swaths of land closest to the Israeli border have been turned into a wasteland. Nearly every building within about a half a mile of the border fence has been destroyed. We filmed this footage a year ago while demolitions were still ongoing.
Over time the Israeli Military has razed about 22 square miles of Palestinian land, creating a buffer zone on about 16 percent of Gaza's territory.
It is a no-go zone for Palestinians, some of whom have been killed after setting foot inside the unmarked perimeter.
Now, for the first time, an Israeli soldier sat down with us to describe how the military systematically destroyed civilian infrastructure to create this buffer zone.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Some of them, the buildings were destroyed completely and some were still standing. And our job was to make more of the first kind.
DIAMOND: But the fact that there were still building standing meant that the mission wasn't done.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes. And we destroyed them one by one in a very methodical fashion, area by area.
DIAMOND: A sergeant first class in the fifth infantry brigade, he was called up to reserve duty on October 7th and was later deployed here in the industrial zone of Gaza City's Shujaiya neighborhood protecting combat engineers as they bulldozed buildings and rigged others to explode.
We've blurred his face and changed his voice because he risks reprisals for speaking out about a policy the Israeli military has never officially acknowledged.
[01:44:49]
DIAMOND: Was it clear to you that this was not the actions of one commander or one --
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Definitely, definitely. I know other units were doing the same up north and then down south. I know it came from up high.
DIAMOND: What did they tell you about the mission to raze these buildings and establish this security zone?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: One was that as a lesson from October 7th, we're going to have a larger buffer zone larger than before.
And the other was that on October 7th, this industrial zone was used as a launching ground.
ROBERTSON: Over the course of the war, this one-time economic hub was flattened. This video which CNN geolocated shows the destruction of Gaza's only Coca-Cola factory. But it's not just factories.
In the town of Khuza'a, hundreds of homes were leveled with a clear zone of destruction spanning about one kilometer from the border. "Residential buildings, greenhouses, sheds, factories, you name it needs to be flat. That's the order." A sergeant major who served in Khuza'a said. Except for the UNRWA school and that small water facility, the directive was nothing left.
He is one of a dozen Israeli soldiers who describe the demolitions and enforcement of the buffer zone to Breaking the Silence, an Israeli watchdog group that verifies and publishes soldiers testimonials.
Some also described how the buffer zone has been turned into a kill zone for Palestinians. A sergeant first class in the armored corps described the rules of engagement adult male kill, shoot to kill; for women and children, shoot to drive away.
People were incriminated for having bags in their hands, a warrant officer in the IDF said. Guys showed up with a bag, incriminated terrorists. I believe they came to pick khobeza (ph) an edible plant. But the army says no, they're hiding. Boom. JANINA DILL, CO-DIRECTOR, OXFORD INSTITUTE FOR ETHICS, LAW AND ASRMED
CONFLICT: The kill zone is in essence, the announcement of a party to the war that they won't take feasible (ph) precautions. That they won't verify the status of an individual before attacking them. And that definitely violates international law.
DIAMOND: Is this kind of widespread destruction of civilian property to create a buffer zone legal under international law?
DILL: It needs to be a legitimate military objective and operational objective, and the only way to achieve it would be to destroy the civilian property.
At that scale, that's simply not quite plausible. If there is no military necessity then that fulfills the criteria for a war crime.
ROBERTSON: The Israeli military did not respond to CNN's request for comment. More than 6,200 Palestinian buildings have been damaged or destroyed within one kilometer of the Gaza border, according to satellite analysis, including here in al-Bureij, where homes and acres of farmland were destroyed.
For 40 years, Abdul Aziz Al-Nabahin (ph) grew olives, oranges and guavas on that land. But that has all been ripped away from him.
"When they announced the 40-day truce, we went back. We found the house destroyed, the trees were bulldozed."
But he has lost so much more. Abdul-Aziz says his son Mahmoud went to collect firewood near their home when he was shelled by an Israeli tank and killed.
The Israeli military did not respond to CNN's requests for comment.
"They knew they were only collecting wood, not resisting or fighting, just a cart with wood clearly visible. Still, they were targeted. The Israelis did this intentionally."
Even now, he says, they will kill anyone who goes there.
Jeremy Diamond, CNN -- Jerusalem.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
VAUSE: After the break, how about some good news? Some hope for a critically endangered creature, these cute little tortoise hatchlings helping to ensure their species survives.
[01:48:29]
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VAUSE: The Duchess of Sussex has revealed she suffered from a potentially fatal medical condition during the birth of one of her children. In the first episode of her new podcast, Meghan says she suffered from postpartum pre-eclampsia, a rare condition which can develop in the days and weeks after giving birth, causing seizures and other serious complications.
Meghan called the experience scary and is still, she says, quietly dealing with the trauma from such a huge medical scare.
Rome was the first stop on a four-day visit to Italy for Britain's King Charles and Queen Camilla, a trip which coincides with their 20th wedding anniversary.
And CNN's Ben Wedeman has more on the royal visit.
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BEN WEDEMAN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: In his first visit to Italy as king, Charles, accompanied by Queen Camilla, has come here to the Colosseum, part of a four-day state visit coinciding with their 20th wedding anniversary.
Tuesday, the royal couple was supposed to meet with Pope Francis but that meeting had to be postponed as the 88-year-old pontiff recovers from double pneumonia.
King Charles has had health problems of his own. Last month, he was briefly hospitalized due to the side effects of cancer treatment. He was diagnosed with an unspecified form of cancer in February last year.
King Charles is also scheduled to be the first British monarch to address both houses of the Italian parliament. Wednesday, Italian president Sergio Mattarella will host a black-tie state banquet for the royal couple. At the request of the British monarch, the fare will be vegetarian.
Italy has rolled out a very big red carpet for the royal couple, but with the U.S.-led world trade war in full swing, markets in disarray and war raging in Gaza, Ukraine and elsewhere, this state visit seems like a quaint vestige of a world fast disappearing.
I'm Ben Wedeman, CNN -- reporting from Rome.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
VAUSE: Not only was the mother just shy of 100 years old, but her four new offspring will be crucial in the survival of their species. The Philadelphia Zoo has welcomed four new critically-endangered Galapagos tortoise hatchlings for the first time in the zoo's history.
Mom and dad are actually around 97 years old, and they're the zoo's two oldest residents. And the babies are part of a special breeding program, which will help ensure the survival of the Galapagos tortoise.
Joining us now is Rachel Metz, vice president of animal well-being at the Philadelphia Zoo. Thank you for being with us.
RACHEL METZ, VICE PRESIDENT OF ANIMAL WELL-BEING, PHILADELPHIA ZOO: Thank you for having us. VAUSE: Ok. So there's a lot to love about this story.
Mommy, as she's known, can now finally live up to her name. She's 97 years old. She's the oldest ever Galapagos tortoise to reproduce, which is fantastic news for the survival of the species, which has seen their numbers plummet in the past 180 years.
But it's also incredibly heartwarming that there is this new family with four really cute new babies. And all that seems to explain why there's been so much interest all around the world in this story. Is that how you see it there at the zoo?
METZ: Absolutely. This is a significant milestone in the history of the Philadelphia Zoo, which is the oldest zoo in the United States. And we couldn't be more excited to share this news with our city, region and the world.
VAUSE: Yes, and as often the case with this, how it all happened and how it all actually came together. You know, older couples, single without a partner. Mommy was set up with Abrazzo by professional matchmakers, right?
METZ: Yes.
VAUSE: But the problem was the sparks didn't fly immediately. So what happened?
METZ: In 2020, during the pandemic, Abrazzo came to us from Riverbank Zoo in South Carolina. And at first, you're right, they did not necessarily get along all that well. And I'm not entirely sure that Abrazzo knew what he was doing.
But given time and the amazing efforts of the animal care team at the Philadelphia Zoo, they figured it out, provided proper nesting areas for her. And she actually laid three clutches ahead of this. But none of those clutches ended up being viable.
This fourth one did the trick, and we had four viable eggs, and they all four hatched and are healthy and thriving right now.
VAUSE: Fourth time's a charm. So just tell us, how extraordinary is it, though? At age 97, that Mommy became a mom?
METZ: 97, right. So when we were talking to the SSP coordinator, the Species Survival Plan coordinator, she said that this was an astounding accomplishment. She is, in fact, the oldest western Santa Cruz Galapagos tortoise to lay eggs successfully.
[01:54:49]
METZ: And that takes the population of the tortoises in the United States from 44 to 48, which is really exciting for, for the population.
VAUSE: And when it comes to, to the four kids or four, you know, babies, however you want to describe them, the sex of a hatchling is actually determined by the temperature at which eggs are incubated.
We have temperatures below 82.4 degrees Fahrenheit, which is 28 degrees Celsius produce males; temperatures above 85.1 degrees Fahrenheit, which is 29.5 Celsius produce females. So there are two males and two females in the group, and they all look pretty healthy.
But over the next couple of months, are there any health concerns that you'll be looking out for? And please tell us what are their names?
METZ: So they're actually all four females. So we did this on purpose, yes. So four -- four females. And you're right about that temperature. It's easy to remember, if you think of it as cool dudes and hot chicks.
And that is something that happens, you know, in the wild with, with tortoises and even sea turtles. So those sea turtles that are in the southern states will end up being females because its warmer. And as you move up the coast, they'll mostly become males.
But all four of the tortoises are doing really, really well. We've provided them with the proper nutrition. We have a whole nutrition team at the Philadelphia Zoo. Our veterinarians are taking care of them. And of course, the animal keepers.
We wouldn't be where we are without them. And they're putting their heart and soul into this and making sure that we're providing everything that the hatchlings need.
VAUSE: And what are the what are their names? When -- when can we find out what they'll actually be called?
METZ: So we don't actually have names for them yet. We have decided to debut the hatchlings on April 23rd, which just happens to be the date that Mommy arrived at the Philadelphia Zoo 93 years ago.
VAUSE: Wow. A special day.
Rachel, thanks so much for being with us and sharing some good news. Thank you.
METZ: Oh, I'm very happy to do so. Thanks for your time.
VAUSE: Cool dudes and hot chicks.
Thank you for watching. I'm John Vause.
CNN NEWSROOM continues after a short break with my friend and colleague, Rosemary Church.
See you right back here tomorrow.
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