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Emotional Scenes As Freed Hostages Reunite With Families; Trump, Regional Leaders Sign Gaza Ceasefire Deal; Trump Trying To Capitalize On New Diplomatic Momentum; Trump Says Phase 2 Of Ceasefire Plan Has 'Already Started'; Gaza Ceasefire Deal Signed, But Questions Remain; At Least 64 Killed After Torrential Rain In Mexico; 2025 Laureate Speaks On 'Creative Destruction' In Modern World. Aired 12-1a ET

Aired October 14, 2025 - 00:00   ET

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

[00:00:35]

This is CNN Breaking News.

BECKY ANDERSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL ANCHOR: Hello, and welcome to our viewers joining us from around the world. I'm Becky Anderson live from Sharm El-Sheikh in Egypt, where the time is 7:00 a.m.

Donald Trump will shortly arrive back in Washington after wrapping up the Gaza ceasefire summit here in Egypt and declaring a, quote, "historic dawn of a new Middle East." The U.S. president's whirlwind trip to the region coinciding with the first phase of his Gaza plan that saw the release of all living Israeli hostages and the freeing of hundreds of Palestinian detainees.

But still, many questions remain, and the future of Gaza and this region is far from certain. The second, more complex phase of his Gaza plan, which would involve dismantling Hamas and determining that the enclave's governance is intact, is yet to be negotiated. For now, though, there is relief in Israel as all living hostages are back home. So far only four of the 28 deceased hostages were released. Israeli security forces could be seen saluting vehicles carrying their remains on Monday.

President Trump traveled to Egypt after stopping in Israel to meet the families of the hostages there and deliver an address to parliament. It was here in Sharm El-Sheikh that he co-hosted a summit attended by more than 20 nations. The U.S. president declined to directly address whether he supports recognizing a Palestinian state, as he and other leaders took part in a signing ceremony for the Gaza ceasefire deal.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: We listened and we exchanged ideas and we kept pushing forward until the job was done. And the first steps to peace are always the hardest. And today we've taken them and we've put them all together, and we've come up with this beautiful mix like nobody thought was possible.

And as you know, I've just come from Israel. It was an amazing day to watch the hostages come in. It will be the new beginning for an entire beautiful Middle East. From this moment forward, we can build a region that's strong and stable and prosperous and united in rejecting the path of terror once and for all.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ANDERSON: Well, as the sun rises across this part of the region, for the first time in more than two years, Hamas and its allies no longer hold any living hostages in Gaza. Their release triggering an outpouring of emotions across Israel and leading to long awaited reunions with family.

CNN's Clarissa Ward reports from Tel Aviv.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CLARISSA WARD, CNN CHIEF INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Two years of anguish and agony finally giving way to joy. For the mother of 23-year-old hostage Bar Kupershtein, taken at the Nova Music Festival on October 7th, this was the hug she had dreamed of. Bar's paralyzed father is helped out of his wheelchair so he can finally hold his son amid wails of raw emotion.

For hostage Segev Kalfon, even the sight of his family was all too much.

Scenes of tearful reunions between the final 20 living Israeli hostages and their families punctuated this historic day.

"You're home, you're home," the mother of 24-year-old Guy Gilboa-Dalal cries in disbelief.

In Hostages Square, the beating heart of the movement to bring them home, tens of thousands of Israelis gathered from the early hours, singing "HaBayta" or coming home.

The crowds cheered as the first images of the hostages emerged before their release.

[00:05:03]

Surreal scenes of them calling their loved ones as Hamas militants stood in the background.

After reuniting with their immediate families at Re'im military base, they were flown to hospitals looking down at the crowds gathered to welcome them home.

You can hear the crowd cheering as you see those hostages traveling via helicopter to Ichilov Hospital. This is a moment that these people have been waiting for, for 737 days.

(Voice-over): In Gaza, they have known the pain of waiting, too. Applause erupted as some 1700 Palestinian detainees emerged from crammed busses outside the Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis. Held without charge by Israel throughout the war, they waved to the crowds, tearful. Some returned to the worst possible news.

This man learned that his wife and daughters were killed in an Israeli airstrike. "My wife and my children, my family is gone," he says, clutching a birthday gift for his 2-year-old daughter.

For many in Gaza, joy still feels like a distant dream. The scale of loss and destruction leaves little room for it. And as Israel turns the page on a very dark chapter, Gaza is opening a new and uncertain one.

Clarissa Ward, CNN, Tel Aviv.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ANDERSON: Well, I spoke with the Egyptian foreign minister here, Badr Abdelatty, ahead of Monday's summit, where this ceasefire deal was signed. He says that the deal is clear in regard to the major issues, but there are many important details that still need to be negotiated and laid out, frankly. Here's part of our conversation.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BADR ABDELATTY, EGYPTIAN FOREIGN MINISTER: The Hamas understand very well that they have no role for the day after. So --

ANDERSON: But what about disarming?

ABDELATTY: Yes.

ANDERSON: Have you got a commitment from Hamas?

ABDELATTY: Yes, we --

ANDERSON: To disarm?

ABDELATTY: We have to start talking and negotiating on that, about the modalities, the format, you know, the procedures, and everything is subject to the upcoming negotiations after implementing phase one.

ANDERSON: So Hamas is committed to laying down its arms.

ABDELATTY: Well --

ANDERSON: You've got that commitment?

ABDELATTY: Hamas is fully committed that they have no role for the day after in governing Gaza. And of course, it's, you know, the debate is ongoing to talk about the other aspects of the Trump peace plan. And we have also not to forget the crucial of the entry and accessibility of humanitarian aid without any impediments. We agreed on the minimal numbers, and that's not the maximum. That's not the ceiling.

ANDERSON: And I want to talk to you about aid. But I'm going to press you on this point. Do you have a commitment from Hamas, and you've been involved, deeply involved in the mediation of this alongside Qatar and Turkey? Have you got commitment from Hamas to disarm? ABDELATTY: It's part of the Trump peace plan. And Hamas welcomed and

accepted the plan of President Trump. So we have to work out all details with regard to the implementation of phase two, including Israeli withdrawal to another lines within Gaza. And, of course, each party should honor his own commitments.

ANDERSON: Foreign Minister, it does sound to me as if at present, whilst Hamas have welcomed the plan and accepted the plan in principle, there is no commitment as of yet to disarm. Certainly until there is a process. Is that what you're saying?

ABDELATTY: Well, again, the plan is very clear. You know, it set the tone with regard the major issues, and we have to implement it. In order to implement it we need to negotiate between the two parties with the help of the four guarantors, the United States, Egypt, Turkey and Qatar.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ANDERSON: Right. Well, joining me now from Tel Aviv is Alon Pinkas, former Israeli consul general in New York.

And I want to talk to you further about my discussion with the foreign minister yesterday. But let's just focus on what we saw and heard yesterday from Donald Trump.

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Let's start with the release of the hostages and Donald Trump's speech to the Knesset. Briefly, your sort of hot take, as it were.

ALON PINKAS, FORMER ISRAELI CONSUL GENERAL IN NEW YORK: Well, look, I mean, he was, you know, it was victory lap for him, Becky. He was basking in the glory. You know, being showered with praise and compliments, and hyperbolic testaments to his abilities.

He sort of deserved it in the sense that if it wasn't for him pressuring Mr. Netanyahu, we would not have this deal. So in that respect -- can you hear me?

ANDERSON: Yes. I can hear you. Yes.

PINKAS: I'm sorry, we were cut. So in that respect, Becky, you know, it was justified. However, he avoided the specifics which raises the question -- even in Sharm El-Sheikh he avoided the specifics and the document that was signed is very general, very vague, perhaps purposely so. But it all raises the question, the key ingredient in my mind, how committed will President Trump stay?

And, you know, past -- based on past precedents, he doesn't usually stay the course when things get tough, when -- because now there are no prizes to be had. Now it's a lot of work on a deal that is extraordinarily difficult to implement.

ANDERSON: Well, one high level official at the signing ceremony here yesterday described it being in the room as frankly bizarre and the written agreement coming out of it, 462 words, could be distilled essentially to this line, which is the second to last paragraph. Quote, "We pursue a comprehensive vision of peace, security, and shared prosperity in the region grounded in the principles of mutual respect and shared destiny."

A lot of style there but to your point, it needs to be made clear there is very little of substance, of detail, before we even address the issue of implementation.

PINKAS: Yes. It was, you know, it was more like a fortune cookie slip, you know, comprehensive peace, mutual respect. We will all pursue a dawn of a new era in the Middle East. You know, a lot of cliches. No specifics. But, again, sometimes, these documents are purposely crafted in a vague way so as not to create too many obstacles.

However, however, if you look at what's ahead and particularly the ceasefire holding with Hamas disarming, I find it very difficult to see, I know I'm somewhat skeptical here after, you know, yesterday's day of elation and jubilation, but I don't see Hamas disarming. Who will they disarm to? Who will they give their weapons to? It's not like they're going to go to a local post office and deposit their weapons, Becky.

And sometimes these documents are purposely like that, you know, to prevent all kinds of red lines and ultimatums, but if -- unless Hamas disarms, there won't be the so-called international stabilization force. That Arab provisional force that would extend sovereignty. I heard the French yesterday say in Sharm El-Sheikh that there's most definitely a central place for the Palestinian Authority in the next phases.

That's not what Israel believes. Israel does not want the Palestinian Authority inside, even though Mahmoud Abbas was there and Mr. Netanyahu was not invited or not invited then invited, then disinvited. Whatever that bizarre and comical episode was, he wasn't there. And it's weird that you have this ceremony other than praising Mr. Trump without Israel. And so right now, you know, you're looking at the next phases, humanitarian aid, how long will the ceasefire hold, will Israel complete the withdrawal, and will Hamas disarm. Unless all that happens, we won't see these phases.

ANDERSON: Yes. To your point, perhaps this language is, perhaps understandably, this language is kept rather vague. But to this region, and given the support of the Gulf allies and many countries around this -- around the wider region here, the issue of Palestinian statehood is the core here.

[00:15:02]

And Donald Trump sidestepped the question in a press gaggle on Air Force One on his way home, as well as in this document. Just have a listen to what he said on that flight.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TRUMP: I'm not talking about single state or double state or two state. We're talking about the rebuilding of Gaza. A lot of people like the one-state solution. Some people like the two-state solution. We'll have to see. I haven't -- I haven't commented on that.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ANDERSON: The Egyptian foreign minister, when I spoke to him yesterday ahead of Donald Trump, of course, getting here, told me that the only way for peace and stability for Israel and for the region is the establishment of the Palestinian state and independent and a viable Palestinian state to live in peace and harmony with Israel.

So I guess, I want to close this conversation with you this morning by asking you how concerned you are that the U.S. has seemingly no clear position on the fundamental through line, that is, the conflict in Gaza, and the issue of Palestinian statehood to potential peace in this region?

PINKAS: Well, you know what, Becky? The moment the president of the United States says one state or two states, I'm not dealing with that or I didn't comment on that, you know, that there's no policy because surely he must know. Maybe not, but surely I'd like to think that he knows the difference between a one state and two states in the sense that a one-state is a recipe for even further disaster.

And what the Egyptian foreign minister told you, Becky, was echoed by the king of Jordan telling a similar -- using similar language in his interview with your colleagues at the BBC last night. But he -- but here's the silver lining here. After years of everyone sidelining, I'm sorry, or marginalizing the issue of a Palestinian state and Netanyahu deriding it with a smirk that we could do without the Palestinians, that we could do without the Palestinians in general, we could achieve regional peace, et cetera, et cetera.

All of a sudden, as a result, as an unintended consequence of this horrible war, a Palestinian state, whether Mr. Trump likes it or not or comments on it or not, is front and center of the international discourse. You saw that at the U.N. You saw that at the French-Saudi New York declaration, and so on. So I don't see that happening.

You've been around here, Becky, for a long time. You know this as well as I do probably better that under this government in Israel, you're not going to see any movement in that direction whether Trump likes it or not.

ANDERSON: Alon, at the core of this sort of aspirational declaration, this agreement, is an effort to rid this region and the world of radicalization, of extremism. It talks about tolerance and peaceful coexistence. That language is very much mirrored by the sort of strategic, sort of guiding principles of the country where I reside these days, the UAE. And I recognize that language, and I think it is to be welcomed.

But as you rightly point out, you know, there's very little detail here about, you know, how we get from sort of A to there, as it were. But the issue of the Palestinians and Palestinian statehood is certainly now front and center, and one that -- one has to assume will not be ignored going forward.

Alon, it's good to have you. Thank you very much indeed for joining us.

PINKAS: My pleasure. Thank you, Becky.

ANDERSON: And I will be rejoining you folks from Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt, later in the show. But first, Gaza phase one is just beginning. How the Trump administration intends to use its new diplomatic momentum. More on that after this.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

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MJ LEE, CNN ANCHOR: Welcome back. I'm MJ Lee in Washington, D.C.

As President Trump heads back to the White House, he is riding a wave of international praise over his key role in the Middle East ceasefire. And now his administration appears eager to use this new momentum to tackle other major conflicts.

CNN's Kristen Holmes explains.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

KRISTEN HOLMES, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: President Trump spent the day celebrating this phase one completion of this peace deal, talking about how this was a historic dawn of the new Middle East, talking about how this was a region transformed. But it was clear from talking to administration officials as well as sources inside the White House, that the White House and President Trump really want to use this time and use this period as momentum moving into other diplomatic issues.

For example, one, phase two of these peace deal. They believe that they have to keep the momentum going. That's part of why you saw the show of force, President Trump, when he was in Egypt with these Arab leaders around him, essentially thanking them for the work that they're going to do in the future to continue this phase two.

Also, though, beyond just this peace deal, we heard President Trump, we've heard from sources that they want this to turn into an Iran nuclear deal. Now, whether or not they can get that accomplished obviously remains to be seen.

[00:25:00]

But if you talk to experts in the region, they do believe that Iran is at one of its weakest points of all time. And I will tell you that months ago, when Israel first bombed Iran, I was told by a senior administration official, we are going to get a nuclear Iran deal out of this. Clearly, they still believe that to be the case. And then lastly, there is some talk about how they can pivot this into a win for the war in Ukraine. We know that on Friday, President Trump is meeting at the White House

with Ukrainian President Zelenskyy. They're going to talk about air defense and long range missiles. This comes after President Trump essentially threatened Putin with this idea that the White House or the U.S. would supply Tomahawk missiles, those long range missiles, to Ukraine if Putin didn't end the war. These are missiles that could go deep inside Russia.

So they're clearly here trying to fire on all fronts. They believe they have the momentum now. And, of course, again, all of these are huge feats. Phase two, an Iran nuclear deal, ending what has been going on in Russia and Ukraine. But they do believe if they can do it now is the time, given what they're seeing, given what they have in support from these world leaders.

Kristen Holmes, CNN, the White House.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LEE: All right. I want to bring in CNN's senior political analyst, Ron Brownstein, who is also an opinion columnist at Bloomberg.

Ron, it is great to see you this evening.

RON BROWNSTEIN, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL ANALYST: Hi, MJ.

LEE: Hi. I do want to start the conversation here in Washington, D.C. as the president is returning now from this whirlwind trip. This was a victory lap for the president. You know, lots of standing ovations and a lot of praise from world leaders while he was there.

What do you think? Is history ultimately going to look back on this last week as a peak for Trump's legacy?

BROWNSTEIN: Yes. A good way to -- good way to frame it, I think, look, this is an undeniable achievement. You know, President Trump, whatever else you can say about him understands the leverage that the U.S. brings into any negotiation with any foreign nation. And sometimes he uses that leverage for questionable aims like starting trade wars with allies. But here he clearly used that leverage to pressure both Hamas and Israel in a way that ultimately Joe Biden was not willing to do.

I mean, you know, Trump gave Netanyahu a lot of rope this year to rain down a lot of destruction and inflict a lot of suffering on Gaza. But in the end, ultimately, he pressured him to make this agreement. Now, as you I think, are kind of suggesting in the question, you know, in the Middle East, often the hardest questions are kicked down the road. And while this is a tremendous achievement and a day really for celebration on both sides of the conflict, the hardest questions are in phase two and beyond that.

And the history of the Middle East is that it's very hard to get to those subsequent phases and the more complete and comprehensive agreement. So it's possible this will be the high point of the process, although there may be some -- there could be some good days coming down the road as well. LEE: And Ron, you just mentioned one person who just commended

President Trump and his administration in a post on X tonight, and that is former president Joe Biden. He wrote that the Trump administration got a ceasefire deal over the finish line. Clearly trying to emphasize here that he started the work, but that it's Trump that finished it. I'm not sure that President Trump would necessarily see it that way.

But, Ron, you got into this a little bit. But why is it ultimately do you think that Trump was able to accomplish something that his predecessor so badly had wanted to, but ultimately couldn't?

BROWNSTEIN: Well, I mean, Biden's case is that the, you know, the agreement largely follows the parameters of what they put out. And, of course, they also executed the release of -- achieved the release of some hostages, of many hostages along the way. But I think Biden was handcuffed by his kind of historic vision of Israel. I mean, he talked about, you know, meeting Golda Meir as a young senator, and in the end, was only willing to go so far in pressuring Netanyahu.

Trump is more in the "we have no permanent" allies, "we only have permanent interests" camp of foreign policy. He doesn't really feel an unbreakable bond to almost any country around the world. And so I think he had more freedom of maneuver, ultimately to say to Israel and Netanyahu, as he did in his speech today, you know, essentially you had gotten all you were going to achieve by force of arms, and it was now time to pursue a different direction.

Now, again, we will see whether he will ultimately, you know, has the kind of dedication to this, to stick with the pressure that will be needed to take this through the further steps along the way. But there's no doubt that getting to this point is a tremendous achievement and a tremendous source of relief, I think, in both Israel and Gaza.

LEE: So now that President Trump has been able to check this huge foreign policy box that he very much wanted to check, I want to ask you, and you are better suited to talk about this than almost anybody else I know. How much will the American people actually care about this?

[00:30:17]

Is this Gaza ceasefire likely to help President Trump's approval ratings? Or do most Americans feel like, you know, they care more about what's happening inside their own country? Not really what's going on the other side of the world?

BROWNSTEIN, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL ANALYST: Yes. Look, in the short run, it's hard to imagine that these kind of positive headlines and statements from leaders around the world and the image of him speaking to standing ovations in Israel is not going to give him at least some boost.

But in the long run, Americans are judging presidents based on what happens in their own lives. You know, for -- for Democrats, I think the key issue in the second

Trump term is all of the ways in which he is eroding constitutional safeguards and pressing against our traditional understanding of the rule of law.

And I think for independent and kind of swing voters, it's their own bottom line. I mean, the same force that brought down Joe Biden is now pressing on Trump's approval, which is people's frustration over their inability to meet their cost of living.

And in the long run, it is on those grounds that most people are going to judge him, without a doubt.

LEE: Ron Brownstein, always good to talk to you. Thank you so much.

BROWNSTEIN: Thanks for having me.

LEE: So, what was actually signed at the summit in Egypt? We'll have more on the questions left unanswered at the end of the Gaza summit when we come back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[00:36:20]

ANDERSON: Welcome back to Sharm El-Sheikh in Egypt. I'm Becky Anderson. Let's take a look at today's top stories for you.

And the Israeli military is sharing video of some of the emotional reunions between the newly released hostages and their loved ones. Avinatan Or was able to hug his girlfriend, Noa Argamani, for the first time in two years on Monday. They were both kidnaped by Hamas at the Nova Music Festival attack.

Argamani was rescued by the Israeli military in June of last year.

Cheers also filled the air in Gaza and the West Bank after busses of Palestinian detainees returned. As part of the ceasefire deal, Israel released two -- nearly 2,000 Palestinians from its jails on Monday.

Some have been behind bars for decades, but more than 1,700 of those released had been held without charge by Israeli forces since the start of the war.

U.S. President Donald Trump is on his way back to Washington after his whirlwind trip to Israel and here to Egypt. The White House released the ceasefire deal he signed during the Sharm El-Sheikh summit on Gaza's future.

The document describes a vision of the Middle East defined by, quote, "hope, security and a shared vision for peace and prosperity."

President Trump says that agreement may be, quote, "the greatest deal of them all." But he declined to directly address whether he supports recognizing a Palestinian state. World leaders expressed optimism on next steps after signing that deal

in Egypt. Here's what the British prime minister and French president had to say.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

EMMANUEL MACRON, FRENCH PRESIDENT (through translator): Today, therefore, represents a real step forward and a decisive milestone. Now, we are also in the process of preparing for what comes next. So, starting tomorrow, we will continue humanitarian operations as they began, but accelerate them, with an Arab coordination to be implemented.

KEIR STARMER, BRITISH PRIME MINISTER: It is critical now that all parties follow through on the commitments. Decommissioning of weaponry of Hamas is hugely and critical [SIC] important for the future peace.

We have got experience in this in relation to Northern Ireland and decommissioning of the IRA's weaponry. And that's why I do think and why I've suggested the U.K. would be well placed to carry out that vital role.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ANDERSON: Well, there was much talk of momentum after the signing of the ceasefire documents here in Sharm El-Sheikh. So many people have said to me, this is now about maintaining momentum, and that is crucial.

But so far there is not a great deal of clarity about what will happen next.

CNN's Nic Robertson explains.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMATIC EDITOR: It really isn't clear what was signed. Look, there was certainly a lot of sort of backslapping and bonhomie.

President Trump there with the Egyptian president, the Turkish president, the emir of Qatar, all signing that document. But it isn't clear what's inside of it.

When President Trump has talked, you know, what needs to be done in Gaza in terms of rebuilding, in terms of sort of finding the funding and money from that for leaders from the region.

And he said some of those leaders have come forward and offered money.

But the sort of hard and difficult issues that -- that await Gaza are the international stabilization force. How many troops? We've heard 20,000 to 40,000. But who's going to provide them? What will their mandate be? Will they have a U.N. backing? What will their rules of engagement do? What happens if a gunman comes out on the street and points a weapon

at them? Are they entitled to shoot first before they're shot at? Questions like that.

[00:40:04]

We got none of that sense of detail from -- from President Trump.

ROBERTSON (voice-over): And he was in that room with all those leaders. And really, we understood they'd come in wanting to try to get momentum from phase one to phase two.

ROBERTSON: From the ceasefire, hostage release, prisoner release to all those other remaining questions on President Trump's 20-point plan.

And you can sort of look at the faces --

ROBERTSON (voice-over): -- of the leaders that were lined up behind President Trump when he was speaking here in Sharm. You had prime minister of Greece, Kyriakos Mitsotakis, standing behind him; Giorgia Meloni, the Italian prime minister next to him. Next to her was the Pakistani prime minister, Shehbaz Sharif. He gave a very glowing speech of praise to President Trump.

ROBERTSON: A speech, by the way, thanking the president for the peace that he'd brought between India and Pakistan, which that war had really escalated earlier on in the year. I was there. President Trump, the United States was heavily involved in -- in de-escalating there.

But also, you have to remember the Pakistan prime minister looking for a better relationship with --

ROBERTSON (voice-over): -- the U.S. president, as well.

Next to him, you had the British prime minister, Keir Starmer; the --

ROBERTSON: -- Canadian prime minister, Mark Carney, next to him. And the look on their faces sort of told you, like, where is the momentum? They weren't necessarily rolling their eyes, but -- but they were standing behind the president giving a very long speech. And I think a lot of them had been hoping to get more, understand more --

ROBERTSON (voice-over): -- or see more momentum. And that didn't connect.

And another sense of that lack of momentum perhaps came from the fact that the crown prince --

ROBERTSON: -- of Saudi Arabia, perhaps the closest country to Egypt, to Sharm El-Sheikh, didn't come. He sent his very capable foreign minister. The leader of the UAE, United Arab Emirates, he didn't come. He sent a very capable vice president.

But the symbolism and signaling that these very powerful and influential and rich leaders in the region, that they actually didn't come, really symbolizes, perhaps --

ROBERTSON (voice-over): -- the fact that there wasn't a lot of detail in the document. There really are a lot of dots left to be joined up.

And of course, that is the worry now. If you don't have the detail down now, how do you keep the momentum? How do you get that stabilizing force in quickly? How do you prevent Hamas gaining ground, gaining strength again in Gaza?

Israel is waiting for the international community to -- to disarm Hamas.

ROBERTSON: These are the sort of competing tensions. And I don't believe we got a sense of progress on that from what President Trump said or the scant details about the document. That may all change later. Thus far, we don't know a lot about what was actually signed.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ANDERSON: Well, since Nic filed that report, we have actually got our hands on the agreement. It's 462 words. But to Nic's point, even in -- in seeing the document, it is very, very short on detail, long on aspiration and vision. There is no doubt about that. But short on detail.

And on another point, only four of the remaining deceased hostages in Gaza were returned on Monday. The IDF says their families will be notified as soon as they are identified.

One woman, whose grandmother was taken hostage and released and whose grandfather was killed on October the 7th, talks about the importance of having all the deceased hostages returned.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ANAT MOSHE SHOSHANY, GRANDFATHER KILLED AND GRANDMOTHER TAKEN HOSTAGE: Of course, we're fearful. I think every family deserves to get her closure. What happened on October 7th and ever since is just horrifying.

I think what we, what my and my family been through for 49 days that my grandfather, my grandmother, was in Hamas captivity, there are families that are going through this nightmare for over two years. And these people deserve a respectful bury [SIC] here in their homeland, in Israel, where their families can go up to a grave and grieve for their loved one.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ANDERSON: And that need for closure is shared by many in the country. Crowds gathered and Israeli security forces saluted as the bodies of the four deceased arrived at the Forensic Institute in Tel Aviv on Monday.

Look, I'll be back at the top of the hour, but coming up, M.J. Lee will have the latest on the deadly flooding and landslides in Mexico, where dozens are still missing and rescue efforts are underway.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[00:49:16]

LEE: At least 64 people are dead and 65 are still missing after days of torrential rain triggered floods and landslides across Mexico.

Thousands of troops have been deployed as rescuers struggle to reach more than 80 towns that remain inaccessible.

CNN's Valeria Leon has more from one of the hardest hit regions.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

VALERIA LEON, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Days of heavy rain have caused widespread destruction across central and Southeastern Mexico, where landslides and mudslides, flooding have put houses like this one under the ground.

As you can see here, these two crosses are because two babies were -- died here. And it was during the flooding two days ago when this tragedy happened.

And there are no authorities in this town in Hidalgo, Mexico. But there were the neighbors, the one, the ones who come and help this family.

This is Enrique Hernandez. He was the one that helped these babies. Enrique (SPEAKING FOREIGN LANGUAGE)

ENRIQUE HERNANDEZ, NEIGHBOR: (SPEAKING FOREIGN LANGUAGE)

LEON: (SPEAKING FOREIGN LANGUAGE)

HERNANDEZ: (SPEAKING FOREIGN LANGUAGE)

LEON: He said that most of the neighbors came here to try to rescue these two children, but they couldn't save them.

So, this family had moved to a remote community a few kilometers away from here. But we can see part of the belongings. And this is the fridge that used to be inside of this house. And here, we have still this food left.

And all the roads in this community have -- show like this destruction in part of this trail. Most of the -- of the neighbors now are looking for help, asking the government to distribute aid to part of this community and others that have been cut off for more than three days.

The federal government has announced a census starting this week to help and distribute aid to most of the people. There are hundreds of people that need this help and that they have been incommunicated [SIC] for the last days.

This is the situation on the ground. I'm Valeria Leon in Hidalgo, Mexico.

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LEE: So, to many people, creative destruction may sound like a bit of a contradiction, but it's an economic theory that just earned three men a Nobel Prize.

One winner tells CNN how the concept can bring about a better quality of life. That's next.

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LEE: The French president is expected to chair the first cabinet meeting of the new government in the coming hours, following a week of tremendous upheaval in his country.

Emmanuel Macron reappointed Sebastien Lecornu as prime minister on Friday, just four days after he resigned. Since then, Lecornu has revealed a cabinet filled with many of the same picks for top jobs.

But it's unclear if opponents will be satisfied. The new government's task is to move beyond the deadlock and pass a budget that will get France out of its debt crisis.

And shifting gears now, three researchers are sharing this year's Nobel Memorial Prize for Economics. Joel Mokyr, Philippe Aghion, and Peter Howitt were honored for their research into the impact of innovation on economic growth and how new technologies replace older ones. It's a key concept in economics known as creative destruction.

The winners were credited with better explaining the concept of how new products build off of older ones, stimulate growth when they enter the market, and eventually, outcompete the previous versions.

Our Paula Newton spoke earlier with laureate Philippe Aghion and asked him whether creative destruction might pose a threat to democracy in a modern society.

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PHILIPPE AGHION, 2025 NOBEL LAUREATE IN ECONOMICS: The fast-growing economy is one where new talents, no matter the social origins, can blossom and create, and they challenge vested interests and incumbent firms.

But that's the whole thing. That's what creative destruction is all about, is to allow new talents to constantly challenge a vested interest --

[00:55:06]

PAULA NEWTON, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT/ANCHOR: And yet --

AGHION: -- and established firms. And that's what makes growth dynamic, you see. NEWTON: Yes. But -- and yet, the very essence of this, I don't have to

remind you, is challenging, even in places like your home country in France.

So, I do want to turn to the artificial intelligence issue now. You've been steeped in economic history for decades now. Should we fear it? It is very much the essence, right, of creative destruction and what it means.

AGHION: Yes. That's right. So, A.I. has a big power as a growth potential. Artificial intelligence has a huge growth potential, because it automates tasks in the production of goods and services; in the production of ideas. It becomes easier to find new ideas with A.I.

So -- but the thing is that, you know, in design competition policy can stifle growth, you see, from -- from the A.I. revolution; can -- can limit the -- the growth potential of A.I.

So, it's very important to have institutional change; that competition policy should adapt to avoid that a few actors in A.I. monopolize the market and stifle completely new entry and new innovators.

So, we need the A.I. revolution, together with good competition policy, to harness the growth potential of A.I.

Similarly, for the employment potential. You know, to make sure that A.I. Will not destroy too many jobs, or that people can move from one job to another, education is important. And flexicurity, the labor market policy that Denmark, for example, implements.

The combination of those two will be crucial to maximize the positive impact that A.I. can have on new jobs. Because A.I. will create lots of new jobs. When you A.I., you become much more competitive and productive.

NEWTON: Right.

AGHION: And there is a big demand for your product. That's a source of creation of jobs.

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LEE: Despite a fiery splashdown in the Indian Ocean, SpaceX is calling its latest Starship test flight a success.

The spacecraft appeared to smoothly navigate a series of landing maneuvers before it was engulfed in flames as it hit the water.

Monday's launch marks just the second time a Version 2 prototype has reached this milestone. Since Version 2's debut in January, Starship has suffered three mid-flight failures and an explosion during routine ground tests.

Thank you so much for watching. I am M.J. Lee. My colleague Becky Anderson and I will be right back with more with CNN NEWSROOM.

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