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Middle East Peace Plan; US Government Shutdown; A Hollywood Original. Aired 2-3a ET

Aired October 12, 2025 - 02:00   ET

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

[02:00:30]

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This is CNN Breaking News.

BECKY ANDERSON, CNN ANCHOR: Well, hello and welcome to our viewers in the United States and around the world. I'm Becky Anderson live for you from Sharm El-Sheikh in Egypt, where a summit will be held on Monday to formalize the first phase of the Gaza ceasefire agreement. Before that, we are anticipating the return of Israeli hostages who have been held in Gaza for more than two years.

Israel's hostage coordinator has told families that the process of releasing those remaining hostages is expected to start Monday morning. On Saturday, thousands of people rallied at Tel Aviv's Hostages Square in anticipation of their return. It was a celebratory atmosphere, with attendees waving banners, playing music and chanting slogans. Families expressed hope, but said they were wouldn't be completely satisfied until all 48 hostages are back.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

OMRI LIFSHITZ, SON OF LATE HOSTAGE ODED LIFSHITZ: Returning all the hostages is something we must do. The government was supposed to do it long time ago. But now that we're feeling perhaps the last one, it's amazing because we fight so much to get to this point.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ANDERSON: Among those who spoke at the rally was US Special envoy Steve Witkoff who helped break the deal, of course. Many in the crowd showed their gratitude towards the US but not the leader of their own country. Here's what happened when Witkoff mentioned both US President Donald Trump and the Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

STEVE WITKOFF, US SPECIAL ENVOY: President of the United States, Donald J. Trump that made this peace possible. To Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu -- well --

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ANDERSON: As part of this deal, of course, an expected surge in humanitarian aid. About 400 aid trucks are expected to enter southern Gaza in the day ahead. That's according to Egyptian media, which showed many trucks on Egypt's side of the border moving towards the enclave.

Well, across the territory, thousands of Palestinians displaced during the war have been streaming back home, but they are finding nothing but ruin. Neighborhood once full of life are now littered with debris. Since the ceasefire began, around 150 bodies have been recovered from the rubble across the enclave. Here's how one woman described the devastation.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SHADHA AL-NAJJAR, FROM THE BANI SUHALLA AREA: (through translation): The scale of destruction is indescribable. Nothing remains in its place. All our bedrooms are destroyed, only the roof remains intact. It hasn't collapsed, so that will shelter us in winter. But it may take 50 years to restore it to what it was.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ANDERSON: Well, President Trump is set to arrive in Israel on Monday morning. He will address the Israeli parliament before heading here to Sharm El-Sheikh. He and Egypt's President El-Sisi will co-chair a summit that brings together leaders of more than 20 countries, according to a spokesman for the Egyptian presidency. It's expected there will be a ceasefire signing ceremony as a first step in an effort to bring peace and stability to the region. Sharm El-Shek is where the first phase of this ceasefire plan, of course, was agreed.

Well, joining us now is our international diplomatic editor Nic Robertson. And, Nic, good to have you here with us in Sharm El-Sheikh. Let's start off with the first phase of this plan. What do we know about the hostage release schedule?

Very specifically about the withdrawal of Israeli troops, which was part of this plan, and the surge in aid. Let's start with the hostages.

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMATIC EDITOR: The hostages are expected now to be released Monday, possibly early Monday morning. And of course, that will be at a time when President Trump may well be in the country. We know that Prime Minister Netanyahu has visited the hospitals where the hostages will be taken to.

The deadline for the hostages to be released is noon local time on Tuesday. Now, once all the living hostages are released, that's when Israeli authorities will release the Palestinian prisoners who have already been moved to locations to other prisons closer to where they'll be released.

[02:05:10]

That 1,700 Palestinians who were arrested, detained by the Israeli forces inside of Gaza, as well as 250 Palestinian prisoners serving life sentences in Israeli jails. Now, some of those won't be going back to the West Bank. Some of those will go directly to third countries. The numbers aren't quite clear. Once that is complete, once the hostages and prisoners are released, that then pushes in to phase two.

ANDERSON: We know that there is an enormous surge in humanitarian aid. We've spoken to the regional coordinator here of the WFP who says they have, for example, 80 trucks ready to get into the enclave and the deal allows for upwards of 600 trucks.

And the UN aid chief, Tom Fletcher, today writing, this must not be a false dawn. This ceasefire is holding at present, allowing for the movement of Palestinians back home, of course, and for that surge in aid. Israelis withdrawn to where, Nic, at this point, just before we move on.

ROBERTSON: Withdrawn to President Trump's so-called yellow line, a line on a map that gives them control of 53 percent of Gaza. So immediately the ceasefire came into effect. The Israeli Arabic spokesperson told via the usual methods on social media, on voice messages, that people -- Palestinians should avoid going right into the north to Beit Hanoun and Beit Lahia, places where there are concentrations of Israeli troops.

It could be dangerous. The same with Rafah, the same with a contentious Philadelphia corridor along the border with Egypt. The same in parts of Khan Yunis. So that we see masses of Palestinians returning home and we hear from some of those who've got to their homes. There's a lot of people there who've still not been able to get to their homes. And I think that is a very hard reality and that won't change in the immediate short term.

ANDERSON: Let's talk about phase two, because whilst phase one, the ceasefire deal, the hostage release expected in the next just over 24 hours, that is scheduled and it does seem to be holding. Phase two will be a lot more complicated. And that is where Sharm El-Sheikh, where we are, comes into play of course.

Donald Trump will be in Israel on Monday morning, expected here in the afternoon for a signing ceremony, sort of to underscore the ceasefire deal, but to also put in place further detail on what is at present really just a roadmap for what happens next, for an end to this war and a sort of day after, as it is known in Gaza, reconstruction, rehabilitation, what happens next.

There will be those leaders from countries who have mediated this deal, countries who have supported and welcomed this deal, and that includes Arab countries, leaders from mostly Muslim countries. I'm talking about Indonesia and Pakistan, the US. And it does appear that the US President has extended that invitation to a broader group of people, which I think is really significant, who he will see as important in ensuring that this deal gets not just local support, regional and world support.

What can we expect here? What do we know about the detail of what might happen here? ROBERTSON: Everyone has said let's do phase one first and get to phase

two. Well, by the time President Trump gets here, a substantial part of phase one will be done. Everyone's talked about the momentum to get phase one done. And this is all about keeping the momentum going into phase two.

One of the points in President Trump's, as you say, for a bare bones plan, a roadmap was that there should be the immediate, and this is quoting from President Trump, immediate movement to form an international stabilization force that can go into Gaza, pick up security, help oversee humanitarian aid. Do all those things that is going to provide the secure space for the things like reconstruction and so many other points, as well as the disarming and demilitarization of Hamas, demilitarization of Gaza. All of that has to be worked out.

ANDERSON: What are risks, very briefly, at this point?

ROBERTSON: There is some manifold, you know. You only think back to sort of 1999 here in Sharm. Israel and Palestinians agree to implement one phase, and then move on to phase two of a plan and it doesn't happen. The risks are huge that Hamas doesn't want to give up weapons and won't.

Israel demands it should do. We've had the leader of the opposition in Israel today saying that we want to be able to have this periphery security around Gaza, but just like the West Bank reach in and if we a Security Threat Act, does that look and sound like the end of war to Gaza's the international the international stabilizing force you're introducing and you mentioned a wider net of leaders coming here.

[02:10:15]

You know, potentially those who've already benefited from President Trump's ability to bring peace around the world, they are going to have to work together. And when you have many nations working together, it gets more complex. I think one benefit here is that the Saudis been talking very closely with the French president. They have some bones of a plan as well. We may see some of that laid in to fit around what President Trump has laid out.

ANDERSON: We are expected to see effectively more detail against what, as I understand it, is going to be termed the Middle East Peace Plan. That will be Monday here in Sharm El-Sheikh. Good to have you here with me, Nic Robertson, in the house.

Several helicopters were seen taking off and landing at Reim military base in southern Israel on Saturday ahead of the expected hostage release. Israeli troops have pulled back in Gaza as we've been discussing under the first phase of this US brokered deal to end the war. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu visited a central Israeli hospital on Friday that is preparing to treat the released hostages, 20 believed to be alive and will be returned home along with the remains. It is hoped of 28 deceased.

Well, one of the living hostages expected to arrive is Alon Ohel. He is a pianist who was taken from the Nova Music Festival on October 7th. He was wounded during his abduction and appeared to have been blinded in one eye in a video released last month by Hamas. Alon's mother, Idit Ohel, had the idea of making a request of other piano players all over the world for support and solidarity for her son, a fellow musician. This was her message.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

IDIT OHEL, ALON OHEL'S MOTHER: Alon is a pianist and there are so many pianos all over the world with the say, Alon, you are not alone. So if you see this piano, please come and join, and play for him. And if you have a piano at home, play for Alon so he can hear you and know that you are with him, that he is not alone.

And we are so glad and so happy that he is coming home. Send us on Instagram your playing and hopefully Alon will see it. Thank you.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ANDERSON: Well, my next guest is Ruby Chen. Her son, Itay Chen, is an American Israeli who was taken hostage by Hamas on October 7th. Ruby joins me now from Netanya in Israel.

Firstly, thank you for your time. I know this must be extremely emotional, a time when speaking to us, I'm sure, is the last thing that you necessarily want to do, but we really appreciate it. Tell us about Itay.

The IDF, as I understand it, believed he was killed on October 7th. You've spoken about grappling with the reality of losing your son. What are your feelings this morning?

RUBY CHEN, ITAY CHEN'S MOTHER: Yes. So that last part of the sentence, you know, it's like a suspended situation where the knowledge of the IDF that indeed he was killed, you know. We do not have that physical evidence and that's missing that there's some sort of doubt that hopefully even tomorrow there might be some sort of surprise for us.

Itay is the middle sibling of -- he has a elder and younger siblings, so he is the connector of the family but also the most rebellious one as well. You know, multi-talented. He loved to sing, dance, climb on walls indoor, and Boy Scouts, giving back to younger kids and counseling them. And, you know, love to play basketball as well, any normal kid that you would come across at the age of 18.

ANDERSON: These next hours must feel frankly excruciating. But I know that in Hostages Square last night you were surrounded by hundreds of thousands of Israelis, along with Steve Witkoff, Jared Kushner, Ivanka Trump, who will be willing this deal to get across the line.

It is 9:00 in the morning here on Sunday now, so there are -- we are still some hours away from the expected release of the first hostages. What did you make of what you heard and saw, and felt in Hostage Square Saturday night?

[02:15:06] CHEN: You know, about half a million people that came out to provide

their solidarity. I spoke after Mr. Witkoff and Mr. Kushner. And what I said is that, I think we all feel a mixed bag of emotions. On one hand, excitement for those that will be able to hug their loved ones, anticipation that finally this chapter of the people of Israel that began two years ago and will finally come to an end.

That we will see the soldiers come back home and Elizabeth duty back to their wives and kids, and hopefully begin some sort of path of normal that has been missing from the state for a long time. But also anxiety. We understand that the probability of having the 20 living hostages back is of a high probability.

There are also language in the agreement that makes sure that they are sanctions if those 20 do not come back. But when it comes to the 28 deceased, it is on a best effort and best effort is best effort. So there is the anxiety that some of the 28 families will not be reunited with their loved ones and will be still stuck in this chapter.

And the question is, what are the sanctions and what are the ability of the negotiators, the United States and others, to make sure that Hamas does everything possible to indeed find all of those 28 and bring them back, and do not move forward to stage two until they indeed keep that part of the agreement.

ANDERSON: And can I ask you what you've been told either by the Israeli government or by the American delegation involved in this, about exactly that? To your point, what are the guarantees at this point? Is it clear?

CHEN: Unfortunately not. So we are indeed a bit unique where both the US and Israelis provide us updates. We understand that there are some unique situations that indeed some of those hostages are lost or disappeared. But for us, that is unsatisfactory of answer.

We don't care about the how. We want all of them back. And it sits on a very emotional place for the people living here where the last vicious cycle of violence was Hamas that was in 2-11. There was also a ceasefire that was put in place with two IDF soldiers left behind. And the government then, you know, said, well, give us a few weeks. Don't make a big deal out of it. We'll get them out. That was 11 years ago.

And I don't want to phantom the idea of anyone, including my family, needing to wait 11 years for being reunited with my son that did what he was supposed to do. He was there as an IDF soldier protecting the ceasefire, and he deserves to come back as a US citizen, as IDF soldier.

He is also a German citizen. My wife is a German descendant. So far the expectation is to make sure that all the hostages come back and we will not stop fighting until we get all of them back.

ANDERSON: Ruby Chen, it's good to have you. Thank you very much indeed. And we wish you the best today as you wait. Thank you.

Well, still ahead, what the ceasefire could mean for this region. I'll speak to a Middle East expert about the hopes and the dangers. More on that after this.

[02:19:08]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ANDERSON: Well, Special Envoy Steve Witkoff and President Trump's son in law Jared Kushner accompanied the US military's Central Command chief to Gaza on Saturday. They were there to oversee the implementation of a coordination center for this ceasefire. Witkoff, Kushner and Admiral Brad Cooper later returned to Israel and said the visit was made to monitor progress on the center intended to support, and I quote here, post-conflict stabilization in the enclave.

US servicemembers have also begun arriving for that effort. About 200 are expected to assist with the flow of humanitarian and logistical aid as well as provide security assistance. Well, there's cautious optimism that if Trump's 20 point peace plan is successful, it could bring long needed stability to this region. But there are still many details to be worked out in what is the next phase of this ceasefire.

And I'm joined now by Mohanad Hage Ali, who is the Deputy Director for Research at the Malcolm H. Kerr Carnegie Middle East Center. It's good to have you this morning. And I want to concentrate on phase two.

Before we do that, let's just get your thoughts on where we are at present. We have a Gaza ceasefire, the upcoming release of the hostages some 24 hours or less now, and a surge of aid into Gaza. How do you just see the picture on the ground at present?

MOHANAD HAGE ALI, DEPUTY DIRECTOR FOR RESEARCH, MALCOLM H. KERR CARNEGIE MIDDLE EAST CENTER: I mean, the first reaction is a great sigh of relief for everyone in Gaza and for the whole region which has been following this saga in the Gaza Strip, seeing the hunger, seeing the images of death and destruction. So this is a very helpful first phase which will see a lot of optimism in the region. But the, of course, the questions are what will come in the second phase.

[02:25:03]

Since we're still in the first phase, and I think the upcoming hours will see the release of hostages and also the withdrawal of Israeli forces that we are -- we've been seeing in the past hours. All of this will have an impact on the lives of people in Gaza and also across the region. As I said, a great sigh of relief that everyone was waiting for.

ANDERSON: And I've been told by so many people around this region who are deeply involved in supporting this effort, that there are sort of two or three really key things at this point. Maintaining momentum, seeing the hostages release and then maintaining the momentum, which means providing not only this US military coordination sort of planning cell which we are seeing sort of emerge at present. But international presence to also support that planning sell in the first instance.

And then, you know, who it is going to be discussions about who it is going to be, who's actually going to sort of help secure the next phase. And that will include, we are told, Arab as well as other international boots on the ground effectively. What's your understanding of this sort of planning cell in the first instance and the role of the US troops in that, and the wider sort of involvement of Arab and mostly Muslim countries who have offered support for what they see as the plan that will take this conflict to a solution and provide an opportunity for further peace in the Middle East?

HAGE ALI: Yes. I mean, as you said, there are two phases. There are lots of details which would then left for the second phase, which is a bit worrying given the level of spoilers that we have in this deal. Lots of spoilers, not only locally within the Israeli government or in Gaza, Hamas itself not willing to give up the weapons or even regionally. I mean, with Iran probably not interested in saying this go through.

But the details include an Arab and Muslim force and also some US role in implementation of the next phase. It's all about the momentum and getting the details agreed upon in later phases. And that really falls in the lap of the US administration. Is the Trump administration going to follow through in its pressure, and putting pressure on all sides to implement this agreement, and how Hamas will comply with the request to remove its weapons and move on to the next phase. And will the Israeli government agree to this?

ANDERSON: And you have outlined some of the risks. Regional leaders will be here in Sharm El-Sheikh on Monday to formalize phase one, maintain that momentum for phase two, a full Israeli withdrawal from Gaza, the disarmament of Hamas. The first things needed to usher in this broader peace. How do leaders in this region in particular, make that a reality?

HAGE ALI: What needs to be done is to maintain the pressure on all sides by the Trump administration. And I think we've seen a great deal of that in the past week. And the hope is that this will be a sustained effort, not linked to this particular phase, because you have precedents, you have ceasefire agreements which only had phase one and never got to phase two. And I think that's the lesson that needs to be learned.

Pressure to be sustained. There's a regional interest also in keeping this going, to maintain peace across the region. This is a conflict that has impacted everyone, and I think it will continue in the next days. And I think this is the hope, is that there will be sustained effort on Benjamin, on Hamas, from the Arab and regional actors, and this will be sustained to achieve peace in the next phase.

Because this will impact not only Gaza, it will impact Lebanon, it will impact Egypt, impact Jordan as well.

ANDERSON: Of course. Yes. And Mohanad, of course, you know, Gaza, the through line, as it were, to a wider regional peace, you know, an end to this conflict will help provide a further sort of deconfliction picture which is what this region wants at the end of the day.

[02:30:13] When I speak to people around this region, they want to move beyond this at this point. Not only people here in the Lebanon, but also in the Gulf, of course, who have these sort of great economic sort of growth visions that frankly, you know, conflict does not marry with the confliction, economic integration.

That is what so many people tell me around this region is the future for a Middle East, navigating a new Middle East. But the through line to all of that starts here in deconflicting and ending what is going on for the people of Palestine, and the sheer horror and suffering of the Israelis, of course.

Mohanad, thank you very much indeed for joining us. And we will discuss further what phase two might look like. It's difficult. We have an outline, we've got a broad plan, it's a 20 point plan and we'll pick that apart in the hours to come. And work out where the big risks are, alongside what are these great opportunities.

Still to come after two years of total war, a ceasefire is underway in Gaza, but its long term future is still uncertain. We'll look at what Israel might be planning up next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ANDERSON: Well, in just one day, Israel expects start receiving the remaining hostages from Gaza. According to the country's hostage coordinator, that process will likely begin on Monday morning. In Tel Aviv, thousands of people held a rally to celebrate the anticipated return, many of them thanking US President Trump for brokering the ceasefire deal that made it possible.

[02:35:09]

Well, on Monday, Trump is scheduled to be in Israel and then to come here to Sharm El-Sheikh to co-chair a summit on Gaza with Egypt's president. That summit is expected to formalize the ceasefire agreement. But the next stages of Donald Trump's Middle East Peace Plan are still being worked on.

Well, Amir Tibon is a journalist with the Israeli newspaper Haaretz. He's also the author of the "Gates of Gaza," a book about the October 7 attacks, which also details his family's survival. And he joins me now from Haifa in Israel.

And as we inch closer to the release of the hostages, knowing how personally affected you were on October 7th, just explain for me how you are feeling.

AMIR TIBON, JOURNALIST, HAARETZ: Well, there are a lot of emotions at the moment, but the most important thing is that if this deal goes through tomorrow as planned, all the hostages return and the war is over. We can finally say that October 7th has ended.

Because the problem with October 7th, not only has it been the worst day in the history of the state of Israel, but it has also been the longest day in our country's history, a day that never ended. Because as long as we have hostages in Gaza and soldiers are dying there, and communities along the Gaza border, like my small kibbutz, Nahal Ozd, are empty, as long as the war continues, basically, you cannot really say October 7th is over.

And I hope that tomorrow when all the hostages return, including my neighbor and friend, Omri Miran, who was kidnapped on that day in front of the eyes of his two young daughters. Once they come back and the war ends, we can finally say October 7th is over. And that's the most important thing for Israel at the moment.

ANDERSON: Yes. I know the trauma your own family went through. You were rescued, of course, from the Hamas invasion by your father, a former general. You've written, "the agreement to end the war, release the hostages, and allow an uninterrupted flow of aid into Gaza could have been reached months ago. To be precise, it could have and should have been agreed on seven months ago, right before the collapse of the ceasefire agreement that lasted from mid January to mid March."

You point the finger of blame directly at both Netanyahu and Hamas. Can you just briefly explain that position for us?

TIBON: Well, we already had a ceasefire agreement. It was reached in January 2025, right before the transition from the Biden presidency to the Trump administration. I think it was mostly outlined by the Biden team. But the agreement itself was an achievement of the incoming Trump team, because it was fear of angering Trump at the time that caused both Netanyahu and Hamas to make that deal in January.

And that agreement had two phases. Phase number one, it had the release of 33 hostages, a thousand Palestinian prisoners, and a partial Israeli withdrawal from parts of Gaza. Then we were supposed to move into phase two, which included the release of all the remaining hostages, Palestinian prisoners, and ending the war.

And in March, Netanyahu decided to renew the war instead of continuing phase two. And I think as an Israeli, that was a disastrous decision for Israel. It cost us the lives of 65 soldiers, our very best young men. And the suffering of the hostages was prolonged by another seven months.

And during this period, Israel became isolated and shunned all over the world. We lost so much support over these past seven months. And now we are coming back to a deal that could have been reached in March. We get all the hostages, the war ends, the withdrawal from Gaza continues.

And, yes, I also blame Hamas, first of all, because Hamas is responsible for everything that happened. If they had not attacked on October 7, none of this would have happened. And also, they failed to realize for a long time that holding the hostages was not serving their purpose of getting a deal to end the war. It was actually allowing Netanyahu to continue the war, because if there was one thing that united the Israeli public during the past two years, it has been the necessity of bringing back the hostages.

[02:40:14] And Netanyahu wanted to continue the war and the hostages. This was the one reason he could cite. So I think once Hamas realized this reality and they were put under pressure from Egypt and Turkey, Qatar and other countries. And at the same time, President Trump applied more and more pressure on Netanyahu, especially after that failed attack in Qatar last month, the attempt to assassinate the Hamas leadership.

Finally the two sides were able to do what should have been done many months ago.

ANDERSON: Amir, thank you for joining us from Haifa in Israel today. It is just after 20 to 10:00 in the morning here, 20 to 10:00 with you, we are just a little more than 24 hours away from the deadline set out. The only sort of timeframe set out in this 20 point plan, which is by midday tomorrow Monday, all these hostages are supposed to be released. It's good to have you. Thank you very much indeed for joining us.

TIBON: Look, we're going to have a lot more from here in Sharm El- Sheikh as we continue to monitor what is going on in Israel, in Gaza, on the ground as Palestinians make their way home to what is off times their homes and their lives in ruins, and as we see a surge in humanitarian aid, at least start in principle and continue to watch what happens now and what may happen next with regard a wider Middle East plan for peace.

I'm Becky Anderson in Sharm El-Sheikh for the time being. I'm going to throw this back to Salma Abdelaziz who is in London this morning.

SALMA ABDELAZIZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Thank you so much, Becky, for that continued coverage from Sharm El-Sheikh.

Ukraine is hoping for some diplomatic momentum from the ceasefire agreement in Gaza. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy spoke with US President Donald Trump on Saturday saying the progress in Gaza could set an example for Ukraine. Kevin Liptak has all the details.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

KEVIN LIPTAK, CNN CORRESPONDENT: President Trump's phone call on Saturday with his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelenskyy just underscored that for all of the success that the President has had in brokering this agreement in Gaza, the war in Ukraine still remains an outstanding conflict that he has so far been unsuccessful in trying to resolve.

In this phone call, which Zelenskyy described as positive and productive, the Ukrainian leader congratulated the President for his success in this Gaza arrangement. And he wrote on social media that, "If a war can be stopped in one region, then surely other wars can be stopped as well, including the Russian war," suggesting that the president's success in the Middle East could lend momentum to his efforts to try and resolve the Ukraine conflict.

That does reflect something that I've heard from administration officials over the last several days, which is that the President's deal making success between Israel and Hamas could potentially lend further grist to his efforts to try and resolve the Ukraine war. Now, how exactly that happens remains unclear.

So far, the Russian President, Vladimir Putin, has shown no signs that he's ready to let up in Ukraine. And President Trump's efforts to arrange a trilateral meeting between Zelenskyy, Putin and himself have so far been unsuccessful. One thing that I think it's almost certain that Zelenskyy and Trump discussed on this phone call was Zelenskyy's requests for those long range Tomahawk missiles that would allow Ukraine to strike much further inside Russian territory.

President Trump said last week that, quote, he had sort of made a decision on whether to provide those weapons to Ukraine, but that he wanted to hear from Kyiv first about how precisely it planned to use them. Now, this conversation occurring as President Trump prepared to depart for the Middle East, he's expected to leave on Sunday afternoon for Israel, where he will address the parliament there, the Knesset.

He will also travel to Sharm El-Sheikh, the Egyptian Red Sea Resort where this deal was finalized last week. He's expected to participate in a signing ceremony there. Also on hand will be another of a number of his foreign counterparts, including the British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, and the French President Emmanuel Macron.

Now, I think the sentiment inside the administration in the lead up to this trip was probably best vocalized by Jared Kushner, the President's son-in-law, who was speaking in Hostages Square in Tel Aviv on Saturday when he said that they were not going to celebrate that night. They would celebrate once the hostages come out.

[02:45:00]

You know, the administration acknowledges that this is still quite a fragile moment. As one US Official said last week, "there's still just a lot of ways that this can go wrong. So certainly a sense of celebration and anticipation, but also a recognition that this deal remains a delicate one." Kevin Liptak, CNN, the White House.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ABDELAZIZ: A tightly knit community in Tennessee is in mourning after a grim assessment from officials following an enormous blast at a military explosives plant. No survivors have been found, and they are assuming that 16 people have died. The cause of the blast is still under investigation.

Coming up, the Trump administration is using the government shutdown as an excuse to fire federal workers. How the President is justifying thousands of job cuts just ahead.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ABDELAZIZ: Servicemembers will get their paychecks this Wednesday despite the ongoing US government shutdown. That is according to President Donald Trump, who says officials have found the money to pay the troops, but it will come from some $8 billion that the Pentagon had set aside for future research and development.

Meanwhile, more than 4,000 federal employees are facing an uncertain future after the Trump administration sent mass layoff notices on Friday. CNN's Julia Benbrook has the latest from Washington.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JULIA BENBROOK, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It has been a long stated goal of President Donald Trump's to shrink the size of the federal government, and he has made it very clear that he sees this ongoing government shutdown as a, "opportunity to do just that." The official announcement of the RIFs, the reduction in force notices, came in a brief social media post from Trump's budget chief, Russ Vought, where he simply wrote, the RIFs have begun.

Hours later, while taking questions from report in the Oval Office, Trump was pressed on who would be affected in this first round and what agencies should be bracing for an immediate hit.

[02:50:10]

He did not go into many specifics, but he did make it clear that there is a target here, including those who do not align with his agenda. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REPORTER: How many layoffs have you authorized for this first round and from which agencies?

DONALD TRUMP, US PRESIDENT: It will be Democrat-oriented because we figure, you know, they started this thing so they should be Democrat- oriented. It'll be a lot, and we'll announce the numbers over the next couple of days, but it'll be a lot of people, all because of the Democrats.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BENBROOK: Now, the numbers that we have right now come from a court filing in a lawsuit brought by federal employee unions looking to stop the layoffs. It reveals that more than 4,000 federal workers across seven different departments have received layoff notices. It's important to note that while it is typical to see some government workers furloughed during a shutdown, these mass firings are a break from precedent. And a growing number of Republican lawmakers have acknowledged the potential perils of implementing mass firings at this time. Julia Benbrook, CNN, Washington.

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ABDELAZIZ: A federal appeals court ruled Saturday that National Guard troops cannot be deployed in Illinois as the court process plays out. The 7th Circuit Court of Appeals also said that troops could remain federalized for the time being. These rulings are in response to President Donald Trump's efforts to deploy the National Guard to Chicago following protests at an ICE facility. However, local leaders say police have the situation under control and that sending in the National Guard only adds fuel to the fire. This ruling is the latest in the battle between Trump and Democratic led cities and states.

Now when we return, Diane Keaton, a truly original movie star, has died. We'll take a look at the legacy she leaves in film and beyond. Please stay with us.

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[02:50:49]

ABDELAZIZ: Award winning actress Diane Keaton has died at age 79. She was famous for excelling at both comedy and drama, and for her quirky sense of style. She broke out on Broadway in the 1960s, moving to Hollywood with her role in "The Godfather."

Keaton won an Academy Award for Best Actress for her work in "Annie Hall." She credited the film for allowing her to take on all types of roles and really stretch her creative wings. Keaton was also celebrated for her gender non-conforming style, known for incorporating menswear into her signature outfits. She is survived by her two children.

Thank you so much for joining us. I'm Salma Abdelaziz in London. Becky Anderson will be back with more of our breaking news coverage from the Middle East in just a few minutes.

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