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Official Says, Hostage Release Expected to Start Monday Morning; Aid Shipments Begin to Flow into Gaza; Thousands Booed Netanyahu's Name During Witkoff Speech. Aired 3-4a ET

Aired October 12, 2025 - 03:00   ET

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

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[03:00:00]

BECKY ANDERSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL ANCHOR: Welcome to all of you watching in the United States and around the world. I'm Becky Anderson in Sharm El-Sheikh in Egypt.

U.S. President Donald Trump and other world leaders will be here on Monday to formalize the first phase of the Gaza ceasefire agreement. By then, we expect that the Israeli hostages who have been held in Gaza for more than two years will be back home.

Well, Israel's hostage coordinator has told families that the process of releasing those remaining hostages is expected to start on Monday morning. Gal Hirsch said the 20 hostages who are still alive will be transferred to Israeli authorities. They also expect some, but not all of the deceased hostages to be returned within a 72-hour window stipulated under the ceasefire. Well, one of the brokers of that agreement was in Gaza on Saturday morning visiting a hostage center that will receive those released from captivity.

U.S. Special Envoy Steve Witkoff was there with President Donald Trump's son-in-law, Jared Kushner. The group also met with families of remaining hostages in Tel Aviv. Trump's daughter, Ivanka, was also at that meeting.

Well, thousands of people gathered in Tel Aviv on Saturday to celebrate the ceasefire deal. Some of the hostages' family members spoke at the massive rally there and thanked us President Donald Trump for his role in the negotiations.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ZAHIRO SHAHAR MOR, NEPHEW OF SLAIN HOSTAGE AVRAHAM MUNDER: Today, we stand at a pivotal moment. A deal is on the table. We finally feel hope. But we cannot and would not stop now. Every single hostage must come home, the living and the deceased. Every family deserves closure. Every family deserves to bring the loved ones home. Let's end this.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ANDERSON: Well, among those who spoke at the rally was U.S. Special Envoy Steve Witkoff, who helped broker the deal, many in the crowd showed their gratitude towards the U.S. but not the leader of their own country. Here's what happened when Witkoff mentioned both U.S President Donald Trump and the Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

STEVE WITKOFF, U.S. SPECIAL ENVOY: President of the United States Donald J. Trump that made this piece possible.

To Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, well --

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ANDERSON: Let's get more now from our teams in the field. CNN's Nada Bashir is in Jerusalem, Oren Liebermann joins us from Tel Aviv.

And, Oren, first to you, just get us up to speed on what we know about the process for release of these hostages.

OREN LIEBERMANN, CNN JERUSALEM BUREAU CHIEF: Becky, we're now entering or nearing the final 24 hours by the deadline by which Hamas has to release the remaining 48 hostages, as you pointed out, 20 living hostages and 28 deceased hostages, though Israel has made clear at this point that not all of the deceased hostages will be coming home before that deadline expires on Monday.

Gal Hirsch, Israel's coordinator for the missing and the hostages, told the families in a text message obtained by CNN that the return process, the process of freeing the remaining hostages, is expected to take place tomorrow morning. It's not only fairly close to the deadline itself, but it's also when do we expect President Donald Trump to arrive in the region.

It has been now a weekend of anticipation, and that will certainly continue over the course of the next 24 hours. That video you saw from Hostages Square, it feels like the first time in years that it was not a protest there, a protest of the war, a protest to bring home the hostages, instead it was a rally. And it became, for the first time in so long, a place of celebration, not only for the end of the war but for the return of the hostages and for the people you saw standing on that stage.

U.S. Envoy Steve Witkoff, son-in-law Jared Kushner, every time they mentioned Trump, there was a tremendous roar of applause as they see him as the one who made this possible, the one who pressured and cornered Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu into a deal, and, frankly, the only one probably in the world that could bring an end to this war, his pressure on Israel, the pressure he was able to bring from Qatar, Turkey and Egypt on Hamas to get to the ceasefire agreement that we're seeing play out over the first phase here. The first 72 hours, the bombing of Gaza has stopped. More aid is beginning to flow in. And now the critical first phase of that deal, that is the return of the 48 hostages, 20 of whom are believed to be alive.

[03:05:05]

And then at some point after that, we'll see Israel release 250 prisoners and 1,700 detainees. That is phase one.

That's what's clearly spelled out in the agreement, but that's only the beginning of it, and there's a lot to play out after that. As one veteran Israeli journalist wrote on Friday, the agreement itself from that point on has more holes than Swiss cheese, but it is this first part that is crucial to so many here and in Gaza, as negotiators try to turn the second part into a reality. That certainly has enough of its own challenges and difficulties and perhaps roadblocks to make that happen.

But the focus now is what we expect to see play out over the course of the next 24 hours, as soon as it starts the return of the hostages, a moment this country and so many of the Israelis we saw, especially in Hostages Square, have been waiting for.

ANDERSON: And let's just focus on this next 24 to 36 hours. Oren, stand by, because, of course, as Oren says, this deal includes the release of Palestinian prisoners held by Israel. And Nada Bashir is on that part of the story. She's in Jerusalem.

Nada, get us up to speed on what we know.

NADA BASHIR, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, look, Becky, there are a lot of uncertainties, but it is expected that this exchange process will follow the previous ceasefire agreements that we had seen, of course, temporary ceasefire agreements, which saw the release of Palestinian prisoners over the past two years in exchange for Israeli hostages held captive in Gaza.

Now, it's understood, according to Israeli authorities, that the 250 or some of the 250 Palestinian prisoners who have been outlined for potential release have now been placed into detention centers or transported to detention centers, either in Southern Israel or in the offer detention complex in the occupied West Bank. And that is where we are expected to see these Palestinian prisoners and detainees subsequently being released following the release of Israeli hostages.

And usually what we've seen in the past is that that release does not take place until those Israeli hostages are confirmed to have been returned onto Israeli territory safely. So, this is a process that is highly dependent on that release of the hostages going ahead successfully. And according to a list that has been put out by the Israeli Justice Ministry, we are expecting to see some 250 Palestinian prisoners, 142 of whom it is expected could be deported.

Now, the breakdown is unclear. It's expected that some of them could be potentially deported to Egypt via Gaza. As Oren mentioned, we are also expecting to see some 1,700 Gaza detainees, including children being returned to Gaza as well. Those are individuals who were detained over the course of the war in Gaza.

But, again, there is a lot of uncertainty around this. We've been speaking to the Palestinian Prisoners Society, which keeps a close eye on this exchange process and is in close contact with the family members of Palestinian prisons and detainees. And what we've seen in the past is potentially some discrepancies and the names that have been provided by the Israeli authorities in comparison to the names of them that are then actually released. So, we will wait to get confirmation on those final names as we get closer to that release process, which is set to take place over the next 24 hours.

But, of course, this is a process that we have seen before we are expecting to see again is a huge presence of security forces potentially from the Palestinian Authority. It's understood that Israeli authorities want this to go as smoothly as possible. And what we've seen in the past in the occupied West Bank is huge crowds turning up to gather, to celebrate the release of these Palestinian prisoners.

Now, it's important to know that for many in Israel this is a bit of pill to swallow. This is seen by some as a very high price to pay for the release of Israeli hostages. Among those Palestinian prisoners and detainees being released are many who are serving long-term sentences, some, of course, for sentences, including the killing of Israeli citizens. So, for the family members of those who have lost loved ones as a result of past attacks, this is a difficult moment for Palestinians in the occupied West Bank.

However, for many, this is a moment of celebration. Many of these prisoners and detainees are seen as political prisoners. And what we've seen in the past is huge shows and displays of celebration as these prisoners and detainees are released. But also what we have seen is many of these prisoners and detainees being released in very difficult circumstances in a very bad physical condition, as well as bad mental condition.

So, we will be waiting to see how this release pans out tomorrow, if indeed that exchange takes place successfully. Becky?

ANDERSON: Nada, Oren, thank you very much indeed for joining me.

Well, several helicopters were seen taking off and landing at Reim Military Base in Southern Israel on Saturday ahead of the expected hostage release.

[03:10:01]

Israeli troops have pulled back in Gaza under what is the first phase of this U.S.-brokerrf deal to end the war. But the IDF says that some troops will remain in parts of Gaza.

Look, if there's one thing that everyone involved in mediating the ceasefire deal and supporting the next phase that I've spoken to says is that it is absolutely crucial to maintain momentum, maintain momentum through the release of the hostages, the surge in humanitarian aid, ensuring that there is a planning sale (ph) in place, not just with US troops, but with an international force that will begin to look at what phase two is going to look like.

Alon Pinkas, a former Israeli consul general in New York, joins me now from Tel Aviv in Israel. And it's that phase two that I really want to concentrate on with you this morning and the maintaining this momentum sort of idea. Before I do that, I just want to play more of Steve Witkoff's response to the Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, being booed at Hostage Square last night. Have a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

WITKOFF: Okay, let me just finish my thought.

I was in the trenches. Guys, let me just finish my thought.

I was in the trenches with the prime minister. Believe me, he was a very important part here.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ANDERSON: Certainly, the hostage families have been frustrated, and perhaps understandably so, with the prime minister, and I know you have as well. You've been highly critical of the Israeli prime minister through the past couple of years, these two years. Is there also some truth to the fact that we wouldn't have got here were it not for Benjamin Netanyahu? We're certainly going to I think, hear that echoed by Donald Trump when he gets into Israel and then here to Sharm El-Sheikh tomorrow. I mean, you could argue his war goals of returning the hostages and eliminating Hamas are on their way to being achieved. Do you give Benjamin Netanyahu any credit here?

ALON PINKAS, FORMER ISRAELI CONSUL GENERAL, NEW YORK: No, none whatsoever. And not because I'm critical of him or because I have political problems with him, but because this agreement could have been signed a year ago, it could have been signed six months ago. And when it was in fact signed, finally last week, he was forced into it by President Trump. He was coerced into this. I wouldn't put it beyond that, that he was doing this under some kind of duress. He did not want this agreement and I'm highly skeptical that we will see the next phases, the ones that you just alluded to.

Furthermore, Becky, you know, it's a day before he signed the agreement, he was on Fox News and said two things that the war will go on until Hamas is fully destroyed, something that he hasn't been successful in achieving for two years, and that, no, he does not apologize for attacking -- I'm sorry, for attacking Qatar, and he's not ruling out doing it again. 24 hours later, he says the exact opposite. So, he was bullied into the corner by President Trump, and it was about time that this be done.

Now, as for what you just said that and Netanyahu himself is trying to say this now, that we've achieved the main goal of the war, and that is the return of the hostages. That was never a goal of this war. That was never a stated objective. That was never something that he prioritized. And so I do not give him credit.

ANDERSON: Phase two, stabilizing Gaza. Now, I'm planning for the day after by hosting a summit here in Sharm El-Sheikh on Monday. To your mind, what does that momentum look like at this point? What are the key priorities? And to your point, what are the real risks here? PINKAS: Well, to begin with, you know, you calling it -- everyone is calling it phase two. It's not just phase two. It's a 20-point plan of which the return of the hostages, the release of Palestinian prisoners and Israeli redeployment constitute 2 or 3 of those 20. So, it's not just a phase two, it's an additional 17 points, let's group them into three or four to call them phases. And it has to begin according to the agreement with the this armament of Hamas.

I don't see that happening. In fact, Becky, I am sure that CNN will show in the next few days a footage of Hamas fighters in camouflage uniforms and, you know, branding their weapons -- brandishing their weapons all over the place.

[03:15:01]

And there goes down the toilet the idea that Hamas has been disarmed.

Now, before Hamas is disarmed, there is no humanitarian aid and there is no provisional Arab force. And when there is a provisional Arab force, not only do they need to be disarmed, but humanitarian aid needs to go in and the Palestinian Authority needs to be involved according to the agreement. And Mr. Netanyahu said several times that he won't do this.

So, in that respect, the disarming of Hamas, which I don't see taking place because who are they going to -- let's say they want to do this, who -- how is this done practically? Where do they go in? It's not like they're going to you know, the nearest post office and handing in their weapons. So, I just don't see who's going to take the -- who's going to collect those weapons. And, you know, that would lead almost inevitably, Becky, to some kind of skirmishes.

The next thing is about -- I know we're out of time. The Sharm El- Sheikh, the most glaring issue with the Sharm El-Sheikh is that Mr. Netanyahu is not going to be there, and that tells you something.

ANDERSON: So, the Sharm El-Sheikh Summit, as we understand it, co- hosted with the Egyptians here, with the president here will be those who showed support in New York for this plan, that is Arab and other Muslim majority countries, plus countries from Europe, and there is an extended guest list as we understand it to try and put more flesh, as it were, on this 20-point plan.

A couple of points I do want to raise. Point 15, to your point, describes the effort to set up an international stabilization forcing Gaza. You've alluded to that. Point 19 describes the eventual outcome for Palestinian self-rule, as the U.S. views it, quote, while Gaza redevelopment advances and when the P.A. reform program is faithfully carried out, the conditions may finally be in place for a credible pathway to Palestinian self-determination and statehood, which we, the signatories of this, recognize as the aspiration of the Palestinian people. This is -- or there is a very long path to get there, Alon.

PINKAS: Yes. There are two key fundamental ingredients that need to happen or that need to exist for this to happen. The first is there needs to be a new government in Israel, and that means an election. And I don't know what the outcome of that election is. And when there's an election, everything is put on hold for, you know, four to six months anyway, you look at it. There's no way in the world, Becky, that this current government headed by Netanyahu with those extreme right wing coalition partners is going to carry out points 15 and 19 that you just importantly alluded to.

The second perhaps even more pertinent ingredient is Donald Trump's -- President Donald Trump's continued engagement and commitment. We know that Trump's attention span is pretty narrow. We know that he's averse to details and tedious negotiations. He thinks of himself as a grand deal maker, but not following the process. And this is going to be an intractable process. It's going to require a lot of patience and creative thinking. And I just -- you know, based on precedence, look at Ukraine, for example. I don't -- I just don't see the precedent after the accolades and the parades that he's getting and will receive tomorrow once the hostages are released, I don't see him remaining disengaged and this caring and committed to the next phases.

So, I'm sorry to sound skeptical. I'm sorry to sound even pessimistic about this. I just don't see this plan the way it is structured and perhaps there is no better structure. This is the structure, but it lacks goodwill and it lacks faith and it lacks trust. I just don't see that happening.

ANDERSON: Listen, this is not statecraft, as we've known it in the past. It remains to be seen just how robust this will be going forward. The next 24 to 48 hours are absolutely crucial though, in even getting this ceasefire phase one deal across the table. And, of course, we wait and watch to see what happens with that next.

Alon, it's good to have you. Thank you very much indeed for joining us from Tel Aviv this morning.

PINKAS: Thank you.

ANDERSON: Well, hundreds of trucks carrying food and supplies have been lining up to stream into Gaza. We are going to get that story and a lot more when we return.

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[03:20:00]

ANDERSON: Back to our breaking news coverage in the Middle East for you. The ceasefire between Israel and Hamas is allowing critical aid to flow more freely into Gaza. A convoy of trucks was seen moving through Khan Younis earlier and Egyptian state media reports about 400 trucks carrying food, medical supplies and fuel are expected to enter southern Gaza in the hours ahead.

Video shows lines of trucks in Egypt's border city of Rafah moving towards the enclave around 6:00 in the morning. As part of the ceasefire deal, Israel has agreed to allow up to 600 trucks into Gaza every day.

Well, Tom Fletcher, who is the U.N. aid chief, issued a statement saying, and I quote him here, I'm writing at a moment of great hope and expectation on Gaza, but with caution at the potential challenges ahead and trepidation at the scale of the humanitarian effort required.

I've been in close touch with our teams on the ground and survivors in Gaza and Nir Oz Kibbutz. Palestinian and Israeli civilians have long waited and hoped for this moment, and we have worked hard to get here.

[03:25:08]

It must not be a false dawn.

Well, earlier I spoke with Samer AbdelJaber, the World Food Programme's regional director for this region, and I asked him about the current situation on aid in Gaza and what he is hearing about the trucks moving towards Gaza and in the enclave now. This is what he told me.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SAMER ABDELJABER, REGIONAL DIRECTOR, WORLD FOOD PROGRAMME: We are actually ready. We have -- we are planning more than 80 trucks a day to go into Gaza. Our teams on the ground are actually preparing. In the last couple of days, we were able to get some commodities in, but for us, the challenge now is to make sure that we are able to scale to the levels that can bring food to people.

And our priority is to get the bakeries running. So, we have ten that we've managed in the last week or so to get them functional, and we want to scale it to 30, but we want to make sure that we are able to get in the food supplies that we have at the crossings to make sure that we are able to feed the whole population of Gaza. 1.6 million people is the target that we're aiming for.

ANDERSON: Yes. And I think that bakeries issue is a really important one. Just explain for our viewers around the world why it is that you prioritize getting those bakeries up and running and where.

ABDELJABER: So, it's across Gaza's trip that we're trying to get them back running. And, honestly, this is -- the smell of bread gives people hope that things are going to get back to normal. And this is why we believe that it's a very important food commodity people in Gaza would want to see back on their tables. And that's why for us, it's a very important thing to get them functional, to make sure the distribution networks of the bread and also the parcels that we want to get into Gaza smoothly gets to people so that anxiety levels go down so that they can trust that more food is going to come in the next days.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ANDERSON: Well, that's the view of the WFP in region as we begin to see the evidence of this humanitarian surge.

Let's get you to Gregg Carlstrom. He's the Middle East correspondent for The Economist and author of How Long Will Israel Survive, the Threat From Within. He is in Riyadh today. And, Gregg, good to have you.

I want to discuss the role of regional leaders, like Saudi Arabia, where you are. But, first, you've been tracking the situation on the ground in Gaza, the entry of aid, the complete decimation, and according to locals, Hamas out in the streets showing force. What's your understanding of what is going on the ground, the security reality inside Gaza right now?

GREGG CARLSTROM, MIDDLE EAST CORRESPONDENT, THE ECONOMIST: I think, Becky, as you say, it's Hamas trying to create facts on the ground in Gaza. We've seen them issue an order calling up 7,000 of their fighters who are going to be rebranded apparently as the Gaza Security Force and deployed across Gaza to try and exert control in the territory. And that's similar to what we saw during the previous ceasefire back in January where one of the immediate priorities for Hamas was making a show of force, was hunting down rivals, critics, people who might want to challenge its rule. There were cases back in January of extrajudicial killings, of torture, and we're seeing that happen already.

Now, some of that seems to be directed at what's known as the Popular Forces. This is a militia -- a Palestinian militia headed by someone named Yasser Abu Shabab, who has been supported by the Israeli Army in recent months. He's received some weapons and other equipment from the Israeli Army. Hamas initially seems to be targeting this militia, but there are also some other reports of Hamas attacking other powerful clans in Gaza. Again, anyone who now might be inclined to challenge its rule over the territory, Hamas obviously trying to send a message that the war is over, we are back in control and we are reasserting our writ in Gaza.

ANDERSON: Look, you argue that Arab officials have crucial leverage, Arab officials, to keep Hamas in line, quote, speaking to Arab officials over the past few days, several were clear that they wanted to use the offer of reconstruction aid as a bargaining chip. It's a powerful one, even though Hamas will no doubt resist and try to play chicken with the future of 2 million people, your words, unpack that for us. And what do you expect to be the Arab support for security and stabilization as well as the cash for the rebuild?

CARLSTROM: So, the needs for reconstruction in Gaza obviously are enormous. Something like 80 percent of the buildings in Gaza have been destroyed or damaged during two years of war. The World Bank estimated earlier this year it's going to cost $53 billion to rebuild Gaza.

[03:30:04]

Obviously, that money will have to come from international donors and people will be looking, I think, particularly to Gulf countries, to Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Qatar, to contribute a large sum of that.

But whenever I've spoken to officials in the Gulf over the past two years, one thing they've been clear about is that they don't want to pay for rebuilding in Gaza. They're worried that their investments are going to be blown up in another war in a few years. And I think if Hamas remains armed, if it remains in control of Gaza, even if it's sort of behind the scenes in a de facto capacity and control, there's a possibility of another conflict and that is going to make donors reluctant to contribute.

So, I think the leverage that they have right now is to say to Hamas, unless you agree to disarm, unless you've agreed to a credible process, in which you are relinquishing not just control of civil affairs and day-to-day governance in Gaza, but relinquishing actual control of Gaza, money for reconstruction is not going to flow unless you start to do that.

ANDERSON: Yes. There's a clear view in this region, the countries, including Israel and the people of Gaza, the West Bank, want to see beyond this conflict at this point. I just wonder what you see as the risks here, short and long-term.

CARLSTROM: You asked before about what role Arab states might be willing to play in a post-war stabilization force, as the Trump plan calls it, an international peacekeeping force to go into Gaza and try to secure Gaza. And I think one of the biggest risks here is that Arab states aren't willing to play a major role. You know, speaking to officials over the past couple of years, as I have done, as I know you have done, many people in this region say they're interested in principle, in playing a role in post-war Gaza, both in governance and in security. But when you try to get down to the details they're often very non-committal.

So, who is actually going to contribute rank and file troops to the stabilization force? It's one thing to contribute money to it, perhaps to take part in a training mission to train Palestinian police outside of Gaza, but are Gulf States or Egypt or Jordan going to send their own soldiers into Gaza in some kind of a peacekeeping capacity?

If they don't do that, if Arab states play the sort of hands-off, almost passive role that they have played on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict for decades now, I don't think the Trump plan is going to work. It's going to need a very engaged long-term role from Arab countries and that it just remains to be seen how much they're willing to commit to that.

ANDERSON: It's point 15 in Donald Trump's sort of wider roadmap plan, 20-point plan, point 15, calling for an international or an internal stabilization force, quote, the ISF will train and provide support to vetted Palestinian police forces in Gaza and will consult with Jordan and Egypt to have extensive experiences in this field. This force will be the longer term internal security solution is what is laid out in what is this 20-point plan.

Gregg, it's good to have you in Riyadh this morning for us. Thank you very much indeed for your insight and analysis.

Well, still ahead this hour, we've got a lot more on the anticipated release of the Israeli hostages pretty much now within the next 24 hours, and what Israel is doing to keep its side of the deal. It is just after 10:30 here in Sharm El-Sheikh and in Tel Aviv. More is coming up.

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[03:35:00]

ANDERSON: Well, welcome to all of you watching in the United States and around the world. I'm Becky Anderson in Sharm El-Sheikh, where it is after half past 10:00 in the morning Sunday here, and where Donald Trump and world leaders will gather on Monday to cement the Gaza Ceasefire deal and look ahead to a wider Middle East peace plan.

More on our breaking news now, Israel's hostage coordinator says that the process of releasing the remaining hostages from Gaza is expected to start on Monday morning. After that, Israel is expected to release more than 2,000 Palestinian prisoners.

Families of the Israeli hostages met with U.S. Envoy Steve Witkoff and the president's daughter, Ivanka Trump, and his son-in-law, Jared Kushner, Saturday to discuss the hostages release. Here in Sharm El- Sheikh, three Qatari diplomats have died in a car accident, and ahead of tomorrow's summit, they were part of the Qatari emir's administration and included a member of the royal family according to Qatari's embassy in Cairo. Two others were injured in that crash, which occurred earlier today when the steering wheel of their car malfunctioned. The two who have survived are receiving treatment in the city's international hospital.

Well, I'm joined again by our International Diplomatic Editor Nic Robertson. And this news from the cattery delegation is dreadful. I mean, it's this country's diplomats who've been so critically and deeply involved in mediation efforts over the last two years, perhaps you could argue that the catalyst for where we are now came after Israel's attack on the Hamas residence in Katanop (ph), you know, a month or so ago. I mean, this will be shocking news for a country of just 250,000 people.

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMATIC EDITOR: Absolutely. They've been intimately involved. They have given a location for Hamas to have a negotiating facility, a house, a place for them to operate from, that was targeted by Israel just about a month ago. That did really worry in the region so much that this could be essentially Israel leading to an expansion of a conflagration. That was a worry. That became pressure on President Trump. This is why we're at where we are today.

But for a small country to lose diplomats, experienced diplomats, people who will have been deeply engaged in the weeds of this, and negotiations are about trust with the partners you're negotiating with, and that's becomes a personal bond. These things are lost in a tragic situation like this.

ANDERSON: And our condolences to both their families, of course, and the people of Qatar.

[03:40:03]

To that end, we do have President Trump here on Monday, he'll be in Israel for the morning. We are expecting to see him address the Knesset. I would expect him to show, you know, words of support for President Benjamin Netanyahu in getting this deal across the line. That's certainly what we heard from Steve Witkoff in Hostages Square last night. When he mentioned Benjamin Netanyahu's name, there were booze from the audience. When he mentioned President Trump's name, of course, there were great cheers. I mean, there is a doubling down of the narrative that says that nobody but Donald Trump could have got this over the line. And to be honest, I hear that echoed across this region and beyond. But when Benjamin Netanyahu's name was mentioned, a real sense of disdain from those hostage families.

So, Donald Trump likely to sort of, you know, echo and Steve Witkoff said this couldn't have be done without Benjamin Netanyahu. We expect to see a similar sort of line from Trump. And then he comes here to meet with a big group of leaders from this region and further afield to try and get some agreement on some further detail on what happens next. Because the ceasefire deal in the first instance is fragile at best, we'll need to see the hostages released in the next 24 hours. But after that is where the really hard work begins, isn't it?

ROBERTSON: And it's going to be a huge day on Monday with the release of the hostages, and Israel's really reveling in that moment. And there'll be a huge euphoria and perhaps some of President Trump's stardust will rub off on Benjamin Netanyahu. There will be a hope for that. And there'll be huge relief in Palestinian communities when people are released from jail and get back to go home.

And, in a way, when we talk about momentum, that sort of euphoria that the war may be over, that here we are going into something different, is hope to be the catalyst, that euphoria, that momentum, to drive through phase two. And most important at the top of phase two is that international stabilization force. And as you were talking to your last guest about the fact Hamas is out taking authority again on the streets, trying to put down some of the other groups that are in Gaza, the role of that stabilization force and the speed with which it can deploy are absolutely critical. And what leaders come in to Sharm El- Sheikh with on paper that can go to Trump others and get agreed upon in a speedy manner, that's going to be so important.

ANDERSON: That maintaining momentum line is what you, what I, what others who are really well-sourced around this region are now hearing. It's sort of at the top of everybody's priority. We have to maintain momentum as we walk through these eras. Somebody described it as we are flying a plane while we are designing it, crafting it, and manufacturing it. I mean, a lot of this is being done at the same time. But everybody says, you know, if we don't maintain momentum, this will all fall apart.

It's good to have you and you're well-sourced with your contacts in these kind of wider diplomatic circles. And so we will keep our viewers honest on what is going on behind the scenes. Thank you to everyone watching around the world. I'll be back at the top of the hour. Salma Abdelaziz, though is in London for you with more news. Salma?

SALMA ABDELAZIZ, CNN ANCHOR: Thank you so much, Becky, for that extraordinary, continued coverage from Sharm El-Sheikh. Pro-Palestinian demonstrations are taking place around the world this weekend after the ceasefire between Hamas and Israel took effect.

Protesters in London on Saturday waved Palestinian flags while chanting, free Palestine and occupation no more. Police patrolled the event and were seen removing people from the crowd. Around 5,000 people took to the streets of Berlin Saturday. The demonstrators voiced their support of a Palestinian state, but some questioned whether the U.S.-brokered deal would last.

And just a few hours ago, massive demonstrations were held across Australia. Tens of thousands turned out in Sydney alone with rallies planned in more than two dozen other towns and cities.

We'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[03:45:00]

ABDELAZIZ: Welcome back. I'm Salma Abdelaziz in London. Let's take a look at today's top stories.

The highly anticipated release of all the remaining hostages held in Gaza is expected to happen Monday morning. Now, that's according to Israel's hostage coordinator. 20 hostages are believed to be alive and will be returned home along with the remains of 28 deceased hostages.

Ukraine's president is hoping the progress in Gaza could be a blueprint for his country. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy spoke with his U.S. counterpart, Donald Trump, on Saturday. Mr. Zelenskyy later said, if a war can be stopped in one region, then it can be stopped elsewhere, including in Ukraine.

Pakistani security officials say they received unprovoked fire from Afghanistan in multiple locations on Saturday and responded with full force. The Afghan Ministry of Defense said they were retaliating for Pakistan's violation of Afghan airspace. Last week, a Pakistani airstrike targeted the leader of the Pakistani Taliban militant group in Kabul.

A tightly knit community in Tennessee is in shock and mourning after a grim assessment from officials about an enormous blast at a military explosives plant. No survivors have been found, and they're assuming 16 people have died.

CNN's Isabel Rosales has more on the investigation.

ISABEL ROSALES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: We've learned that all families have now been notified, and the big update here is that the number of those presumed dead has actually gone down from 18 people to 16 after the Sheriff's office were able to locate two individuals who were not inside of the building.

But the work still continues, the investigative work to figure out the cause of this explosion, and also DNA work to try and identify these remains. The sheriff saying that the families of these workers understandably are upset. The sheriff of Humphreys County, Chris Davis, was visibly pushing back his words. He was upset. He revealed that he himself personally knew some of these individuals killed at the explosion.

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Meanwhile, another person who was hurting is Janie Brown, who sought comfort at a prayer vigil. She says she knew or worked with some of the victims. Listen.

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JANIE BROWN, NEARBY RESIDENT, FRIEND OF VICTIMS: It's going to be a sad day in our community for a while. They were loved by their families and by their communities. They've been all around the communities. Everybody knew them, and it's just a sad, sad day.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROSALES: Sheriff Davis warned that this could take a matter of days, if not weeks, to come to an answer as to the cause of this explosion and further complicating that and slowing investigative efforts down is that this is what the sheriff described as a volatile environment due to unexploded ordinance. They're working to clear that out and to further make progress in this investigation.

Isabel Rosales, CNN, Bucksnort, Tennessee.

ABDELAZIZ: President Trump says U.S. military members will get paid despite the ongoing government shutdown. The Pentagon says it has found $8 billion that were set aside for its research and development, and some of that money will be used to send troops their paychecks this Wednesday if the government does not reopen. Military members were in danger of missing their first pay since the shutdown began, but redirecting the Pentagon money could face legal challenges. And it's unclear if the move covers the U.S. Coast Guard, which operates under the Homeland Security Department.

Beijing says it will take countermeasures if President Trump follows through on his threat to impose new 100 percent tariffs on Chinese goods. The threat triggered a massive cryptocurrency selloff that started late on Friday. As of Saturday afternoon, more than $18 billion in crypto had been liquidated, according to data analysis platform, CoinGlass. It is the largest crypto liquidation event in history. The losses come after U.S markets also took hits on Friday.

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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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 in Annie Hall. She credited the film for allowing her to take on all types of roles in stretching her creative wings.

Keaton was also celebrated for her gender non-conforming style, known for incorporating men's wear into her signature outfits. She has survived by her two children.

That wraps this hour of CNN Newsroom. I'm Salma Abdelaziz in London. Becky Anderson will be back in just a moment with more of our breaking news coverage on the ceasefire in Gaza and the impending hostage release. You're watching CNN.

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