Return to Transcripts main page
CNN Newsroom
Hostage Families Express Hope For Return Of Loves Ones; Israel Marks Two Years Since Hamas' October 7th Attack; Survivor Of Nova Music Festival Attack Shares Her Story; Leaked Docs Show Russia Agreed to Teach Chinese Air Units Key Maneuver That Could Be Used to Invade Taiwan; Taiwan Responding With Military Drills in City Streets, Subway Stations; Three Scientists Recognized for Immune System Breakthrough; October's Lunar Cycle Brings First Supermoon of 2025. Aired 2-3a ET
Aired October 07, 2025 - 02:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[02:00:33]
ROSEMARY CHURCH, CNN ANCHOR: Hello and welcome to our viewers joining us from all around the world, and to everyone streaming us on CNN Max, I'm Rosemary Church.
Just ahead, two years on, Israelis mark a grim anniversary, while calls for the return of hostages grow louder. I'll speak to a survivor of the Nova Music Festival about how her life is forever changed.
Donald Trump's military takeover, what the U.S. president is now threatening in order to bypass court rulings on the deployment of the National Guard.
Also, leaked documents reveal Russia is training China's military for a possible invasion.
Plus, it's the first super moon of the year.
ANNOUNCER: Live from Atlanta. This is CNN NEWSROOM with Rosemary Church.
CHURCH: It is 9:00 in the morning across southern Israel, where Memorial events are marking two years since Hamas' deadly attack. Crowds have been visiting the Nova Music Festival site where hundreds were killed when Hamas militants stormed the area near the Gaza border in 2023.
And in Tel Aviv, a clock in hostages square shows the time that has passed since the attack took place. Israelis are set to gather there to mark the somber anniversary.
The kibbutz of Nir Oz, which was hit hard during the attack, held its own memorial ahead of the two year mark. In total, Hamas killed 1200 people and took more than 250 hostages. There are still 48 being held in Gaza, 20 of whom are believed to be alive. There is hope in Israel that they will return home. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: All of the country, it's like all of our heart is not complete until they're home. In everything that we are doing there all the time in our mind, and I really hope that this agreement will actually happen and will bring everybody home.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHURCH: The anniversary comes as a second day of indirect talks are set to begin in Egypt between Israel and Hamas delegations are working toward a final deal based on Donald Trump's Gaza cease fire plan.
The talks, though, have not stopped Israeli attacks, flares and explosions lit up the night sky over Gaza overnight. According to the health ministry in the enclave, more than 67,000 Palestinians, most of them women and children, have been killed over the last two years. Here's what the U.S. president had to say about efforts to end the war.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I think we're going to have a deal. Look, it's a hard thing for me to say that when for years and years they've been trying to have a deal with Gaza, I can't think of any country that's been negative about this. This is why it should happen. I mean, everybody wants it to happen, and usually when everybody, including I think Hamas, and when they want it to happen, it's going to happen.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHURCH: In Israel, hostage families are hoping, if a Gaza deal is finalized, their loved ones will be able to come home soon.
CNN's Jeremy Diamond has details.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JEREMY DIAMOND, CNN JERUSALEM CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): For two years they have been fighting for sons taken hostage, for daughters killed at a music festival, and for the future of a country at a crossroads.
Two years later, Hamas' October 7th attack and the war it unleashed still define this small country. Vicki Cohen knows that all too well.
DIAMOND: Hello, Vicki, hi.
DIAMOND (voice-over): Her son is still being held in Gaza, and she is at the forefront of the hostage family's movement, demonstrating in front of the Prime Minister's home, inside parliament and in weekly Saturday night protests.
DIAMOND: This is another Saturday night.
VICKI COHEN, MOTHER OF NIMROD COHEN: Yes, but it feels different.
DIAMOND: Feels different.
DIAMOND (voice-over): On the night we join her, the whole country is buzzing about a possible deal to free all of the hostages.
COHEN: It's a mix of feelings. It's excitement, it's expectation, it's a also fear.
DIAMOND (voice-over): This video shows the moment that changed everything. Her 19-year-old son, Nimrod, conscripted for mandatory military service, being pulled from an Israeli tank on the Gaza border and taken captive.
[02:05:02]
DIAMOND: This is the Rubik's cube that was in the tank.
COHEN: One that was found in the tank. He used to take wherever we go.
DIAMOND (voice-over): Heading to another rally, Cohen cannot help but feel hopeful, but she is determined to keep fighting.
COHEN: We will still fight and do everything we did before, till it's settled, till it's final, till they are at home.
DIAMOND (voice-over): Cohen wasn't always at the forefront of the protest movement, but she ramped up her fight after losing faith in her government.
COHEN: Many other families realized that we need to be more polite -- less polite, and be more aggressive with the fight.
DIAMOND (voice-over): She soon realized she had real power.
COHEN: I heard for so many people who told me, I heard you are -- you are asking and you're calling for us to come, and we will come. We are coming because of you. This is so important.
DIAMOND (voice-over): These rallies are where Vicki found her voice and where she found the community to fight alongside.
DIAMOND: Saturday nights in Israel have represented a chance for hostage families to raise their voices week after week, with the support of so many Israelis. Vicki and her son are just about to go on stage.
DIAMOND (voice-over): Today, I was filled with excitement, anticipation and great hope, but also she tells the crowd concern. The Israeli prime minister was speaking while Vicki was on stage.
COHEN: Did Netanyahu say something?
DIAMOND: Yes, he says he hopes that they can be returned during Sukkot.
COHEN: The hostages?
DIAMOND: He said the goal is to live in negotiations to a few days. He doesn't want it to be dragged out.
SIGAL MANSURI, DAUGHTERS KILLED ON OCTOBER 7TH: They thought they're going to be safe here.
DIAMOND (voice-over): Sigal and Menashi (ph) Mansuri are also still fighting.
S. MANSURI: We just know that they went to a festival and they never came back. And we do know that their last couple hours were --
MENASHI MANSURI, DAUGHTERS KILLED ON OCTOBER 7TH: Hell.
S. MANSURI: Were hell.
DIAMOND (voice-over): Two years after their daughters were slaughtered inside this bomb shelter, they are fighting for answers and accountability.
M. MANSURI: We're looking for is the truth.
S. MANSURI: We want to know the truth in a legal way, in a decent way, in a respective way. We want to know what led us to October 7th. We want to know how come the IDF didn't respond for so many hours.
DIAMOND (voice-over): The couple helped found the October Council pushing for an independent commission of inquiry to investigate Israel's failures that helped lead to October 7th.
DIAMOND: But two years later, can you believe that you still have to fight for all this? Did you think this fight would last this long?
S. MANSURI: No, you know what? It's even more than that. I didn't think that we'll have to fight for this.
DIAMOND (voice-over): But the Israeli prime minister has refused, claiming the commission would be biased.
S. MANSURI: When you have nothing to hide, you just -- how come you're so against it? I mean, why are you trying to fight it?
DIAMOND: Do you believe that a state commission of inquiry will ever be set up while Prime Minister Netanyahu remains in office?
M. MANSURI: No.
S. MANSURI: Most likely and unfortunately no.
M. MANSURI: Country, the state of Israel, need to have the truth and what about what happens.
DIAMOND (voice-over): Along the border where Hamas militants stormed into Israel, the devastation wrought by Israel's subsequent attacks on Gaza is unmistakable. Here, the fight for Israel's character and its future are also on display.
SAPIR SLUZKER AMRAN, ISRAELI ACTIVIST: We came to the fence today as close as we can to Gaza to say that not all Israelis support the genocide, not all Israelis are supporting the salvation of Gaza.
DIAMOND (voice-over): Others have come to see and revel in the destruction.
RAFAEL HEMO, ISRAELI CITIZEN: No Arabs supposed to be next to us here.
DIAMOND: So, you want Gaza razed to the ground?
HEMO: No Gaza.
DIAMOND: No Gaza.
HEMO: All the building. I see couple buildings there, or it's empty. I want this flat. If you ask me to be in the base here, you're welcome.
DIAMOND: Some would say that's genocide or that's ethnic cleansing.
HEMO: No, it's not genocide.
DIAMOND (voice-over): For Vicki Cohen, whether Israel prioritizes a deal to free the hostages or a forever war in Gaza will also define its future.
CPHEN: It's a fight of something bigger than to release the hostages. It's something very basic that of the Jewish community here in Israel that we care for each other, we don't sacrifice the lives for the land.
DIAMOND (voice-over): Jeremy Diamond, CNN, Jerusalem.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
CHURCH: Two years ago today, hundreds of festival goers gathered in Israel to share their love of music, only to be met with indescribable horrors.
[02:10:06]
Joining me now is Jenny Sividia, who survived the Nova Music Festival attack but tragically lost her brother. Thank you so much for talking with us at this difficult time as you, your family and your country mark this grim two-year anniversary.
So, I did want to ask you, how have you been coping with the intense and immense emotions of this day?
JENNY SIVIDIA, NOVA MUSIC FESTIVAL SURVIVOR: Well, for a long time, I suffered like from a survivor's guilt, because I was there with my brother and I survived and he didn't. And I asked myself a lot of questions, mainly, why did I came back home and I'm searching for a meaning, because I feel inside that there is a reason why I survived. And what I'm doing today is I'm a social psychologist in my
profession, so I'm combining my professional knowledge and my personal experience to help others who suffered from that day and this is my way of coping and making meaning out of it.
CHURCH: Yes, I totally can understand that situation, but it's just impossible to really understand what you're going through here.
I mean, as a survivor of the Nova Music Festival, you're dealing with the grief of tragically losing your brother on that fateful day, and you're trying to cope with those difficult memories, of course, and trying to return to some sense of normalcy. Do you see that there's a possibility you can get to something that resembles normalcy?
SIVIDIA: Till not long ago, my main drama was the fact that I lost my brother. I have one brother. He was my only brother, 3.5 years younger than me. He was my anchor in life, and I lost him tragically, and until not long ago, that was my main trauma. Like, I never -- I didn't thought about the fact that I was actually there. I survived. I faced death more than once during that day.
So, only I can -- I can easily say that only on the last few weeks I'm actually starting to feel that I was there. I feel it, like I have dreams. I understand that I was actually there. I didn't -- I didn't thought about it. I didn't -- I said that I don't care the fact that I was there. I don't care about the fact that I face death, I don't care about the fact that my life were in danger. I only care about the fact that my brother is gone.
And I can't really say that because I was there and only on the last few weeks, like two years after, two years after, I'm starting to feel, emotionally and physically, that I was dead. I survived something horrifying.
And I'm not the only one. A lot of people only now start to realize, only now start to deal with all the emotional effect of that day.
And for society, for other people, it's like we are -- for the world, actually, it's like you are two years after. So, you too, you know, go back to normal life, because we are two years pass after what happened, but it doesn't work like that. We are only two years, and a lot of us only now start to grasp what happened.
CHURCH: Yes, that is a difficult, complicated and emotional journey that you are taking there.
And Jenny, on this anniversary, there is more hope than ever before that the remaining hostages could potentially be returned home, that a ceasefire could end this war and a plan be put in place for peace in the region. What are your thoughts about that as those high stakes talks take place in Egypt?
SIVIDIA: I always say that Hamas took my brother, but didn't take my hope, saying that, knowing how Hamas works. From for one hand, I'm very hopeful, but we've been that road before.
[02:15:09]
That Hamas says he will do something and on the last minute, take it back. This is how they work. They have cruel minds.
So, I'm really terrified about the possibility that they are doing that, saying that, yes, they will agree for a cease fire, to take it, like bringing back all the hostages, and in the last minute, say that they won't do it.
And they are -- they can -- they can -- we've been that well before, it happened before. So, I'm hope -- I'm hoping that that the day will come. But unfortunately, knowing how they think there is a -- there is a possibility that it will -- it won't -- they won't, so.
CHURCH: Yet, the world is hoping with you that that day will come, and before we end our talk, I just want to ask you if you'd like to share something about your brother with our viewers to talk to us about who he was to you and to your family.
SIVIDIA: Well, my brother was my anchor. Somebody asked me a few days ago, what is your anchor? And I said that my anchor is buried in the ground. He was -- he was a father of two little sons. He was a software engineer, senior staff software engineer in an American company, a well-known American company actually named ServiceNow. He was an amateur photographer. He loved basketball very much, but he was mainly a family -- a family man and he was my anchor, and like, my anchor is gone. So, yes, so it's for the rest of my life.
CHURCH: Yes, Jenny, thank you for talking with us. Our thoughts and prayers are with you on this incredibly difficult day and the journey that you still have ahead of you. Jenny Sividia, thank you so much for talking.
SIVIDIA: Thank you. Bye.
CHURCH: Thank you.
Well, the numbers never tell the whole story, of course, but they do highlight the sheer scale of misery and suffering caused by two straight years of war in Gaza.
According to UNWRA, more than 66,000 Palestinians have been killed. 18,000 of those victims were children. Gaza's health ministry is reporting a higher number of casualties, more than 67,000 killed, and nearly 170,000 wounded.
Now, those who have survived live in severely degraded conditions, with nearly 80 percent of all structures damaged or destroyed. 98 percent of crop land has been damaged or made inaccessible. Hundreds of thousands of children have been forced out of school, with nearly every school building requiring repair or a full reconstruction.
Nearly 90 percent of Gaza's water, sanitation and hygiene resources have been destroyed, forcing families to live near uncollected waste, which of course, spreads disease. And while Palestinians in Gaza remain hopeful that the latest round of
negotiations could lead to a lasting ceasefire. Many remain wary that a potential deal could fall through. One mother in Khan Yunis shares what a truce would mean for the people living there.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (through translator): We hope they won't fail us like every time, each time they tell us there will be a truce, and it fails. God willing, this time, it will be truly serious and real, a permanent truce, a truce for life, no wars, no fighting. We want to end this war and this bloodshed. We want to protect these lives.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHURCH: Donald Trump says he may have a way to bypass the courts when it comes to deploying the National Guard to U.S. cities. His latest plans for ending protests, that's just ahead.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[02:23:45]
CHURCH: Welcome back, everyone. President Donald Trump is suggesting he could bypass the courts and use the insurrection act to send National Guard troops to U.S. cities. Federal agents are already on the ground in Chicago and Portland, Oregon, where protests have been taking place against immigration enforcement.
Texas Governor Greg Abbott posted a photo on social media of Texas National Guard troops leaving for Illinois. State and local officials say demonstrations have been mostly peaceful, and federal agents are provoking protests.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GOV. JB PRITZKER (D-IL): Donald Trump is using our service members as political props and as pawns in his illegal effort to militarize our nation's cities. Since the beginning of this invasion, families have been snatched up off the streets or removed from their homes, zip tied and detained for hours, including especially U.S. citizens and legal residents of our state.
BRANDON JOHNSON, MAYOR OF CHICAGO: What this president is doing is illegal. It's unconstitutional and it's dangerous. This president wants to undermine the very constitution that that we fought and died and bled for, and it's incumbent upon all of us, and particularly the residents across this country, is to fight back.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
[02:25:08]
CHURCH: A federal judge has given the Trump administration two days to respond to lawsuits from Illinois and Oregon over the deployments. Well, Russia and China are working closely on the military front, just
ahead, what newly leaked documents reveal about the purpose of the training and who might be the target. Back with that and more in just a moment.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[02:30:27]
CHURCH: Newly leaked documents show Russia may be working closely with another U.S. adversary to train its troops for a military invasion. CNN Senior International Correspondent Will Ripley has details from Taipei.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
WILL RIPLEY, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): A trove of leaked documents verified by a leading think tank reveals Russia may be teaching China how to drop tanks and troops from a plane. This risky Cold War maneuver, Russian airborne forces call, landing in a train. A former Ukrainian intelligence officer who helped verify the leaked documents says it's clear why the Chinese want this training.
OLEKSANDR DANYLYUK, ASSOCIATE FELLOW, ROYAL UNITED SERVICES INSTITUTE: It's actually very critical component which is needed for China being ready to invade Taiwan. So that's --
RIPLEY (voice-over): Oleksandr Danylyuk and a team at Royal United Services Institute examined 800 pages of documents leaked by hackers. They suggest Russia's more experienced airborne forces may be helping China prepare for a Taiwan invasion. Moscow may also supply armored vehicles, weapons and training a battalion of Chinese paratroopers, the documents say.
DANYLYUK: So you have this full airborne regiment landing on Taiwanese soil and it's all around the capital, so like the capital could be taken in just few days.
RIPLEY (voice-over): Chinese military planners have long been looking for ways to seize control of Taiwan's sea and air within the first 72 hours before the U.S. and others have time to respond. CNN has not verified the leaked documents and it's not clear if the deal is in effect.
Taiwan's foreign ministry says they've taken notice of Beijing and Moscow's recent military cooperation. We also asked the Chinese and Russian defense ministries for comment, so far no response. U.S. Intelligence says China's People's Liberation Army is also rapidly expanding its rocket force, well over 3,000 missiles, new missile bases up and down the Chinese coast facing Taiwan. This base built in just two years. Look at these satellite images from 2020 and 2022. They're even putting new bases in old buildings.
JOSEPH WEN, OPEN SOURCE INTELLIGENCE RESEARCHER (through translator): This is where the artillery brigade of the 73rd Army Group is stationed. Now what's unique, they used a deserted textile factory as their base.
RIPLEY (voice-over): Joseph Wen is an open source researcher in Taiwan. For the past four years, he's been using satellite imagery to map out China's massive military footprint.
WEN (through translator): What you're looking at on this map now is Pingtan, the closest point of China to Taiwan, and there are many long-range artillery units at this location established at the end of 2022, right after Nancy Pelosi's visit to Taiwan.
RIPLEY: So, what does it tell you that China is bolstering its artillery bases that are within firing range of Taiwan?
WEN (through translator): In recent years, China has put more focus on lower cost and higher volume long-range artillery, which could deplete Taiwan's reserve of air defense missiles.
RIPLEY (voice-over): China's rocket force has been rocked by corruption scandals and no one knows how well its missiles perform in actual combat. Experts warn sheer numbers could overwhelm Taiwan's defenses. The island is responding with military drills, turning city streets into combat zones, subway stations into mock battlegrounds. A message to the public, 'Be ready'.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
RIPLEY (on camera): Here in Taipei, people would only have a few minutes warning if China fired a missile. That's how quickly they could arrive here. Experts say China's military buildup is the largest the world has seen since before World War II. And while the People's Liberation Army has surpassed Russia in almost all areas, the airborne forces are an exception. That's because Russia's airborne forces have combat experience while the PLA does not, but they certainly do seem to be preparing for combat.
Will Ripley, CNN, Taipei.
CHURCH: And we'll be right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[02:39:20]
CHURCH: Welcome back, everyone. The 2025 Nobel Prize in Medicine has been awarded to three scientists who discovered how the body keeps its immune system under control. Americans Mary Brunkow and Fred Ramsdell, along with Japan's Shimon Sakaguchi are being recognized for identifying regulatory T cells. The discovery reshapes how doctors understand autoimmune diseases and could pave the way for new treatments.
Well, stargazers around the world are lifting their eyes to the skies to witness 2025's first supermoon. The larger, brighter display is a phenomenon occurring when a full moon coincides with the moon's closest approach to earth.
[02:40:00]
And two more supermoons are forecast to appear in the coming months of this year. In Brazil, crowds gathered along Rio's iconic beaches to photograph the luminous moment, and this was the view over Pakistan. This particular full moon is often referred to as the harvest moon in the Northern Hemisphere due to its close proximity to the Autumn Equinox.
Thanks so much for joining us. I'm Rosemary Church. "World Sport" is coming up next. Then, I'll be back at the top of the hour with more "CNN Newsroom." Do stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[02:40:37]
(WORLD SPORT)
[03:00:00]
