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Thousands Trek North in Gaza as Ceasefire Begins; Israeli Police: Trump Expected to Visit the Country Monday; Venezuelan Opposition Leader Maria Cornia Machado Wins Prize; Dimon Concerned about a Possible Stock Market Correction; Israel Pulls Back as Gaza Ceasefire Begins. Aired 9- 9:45a ET

Aired October 10, 2025 - 09:00   ET

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

[09:00:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BECKY ANDERSON, CNN HOST, CONNECT THE WORLD: Well, the ceasefire in Gaza has officially begun. These are live images showing thousands of

Palestinians moving back north in the enclave as Israeli forces begin to pull back behind the lines agreed upon in the U.S. brokered deal.

It is 04:00 p.m. there this Friday, it is 05:00 p.m. here in Abu Dhabi. From your Middle East Programming Headquarters, I'm Becky Anderson. You are

watching "Connect the World". The IDF withdrawal means the countdown is now on for the release of hostages, meant to happen within 72 hours of the

agreement.

These images really underscoring this historic moment. People returning home after what is likely multiple displacements during two years of war.

Well, our Chief International Correspondent, Clarissa Ward is live in Tel Aviv, just up the coast from where we have these images, of course.

And you are there as all of this unfolds, including it's hard to underscore the enormity of this moment, these incredible visuals of Palestinians

walking north to their homes, whatever is left of them. I also want to bring in some images that we've just gotten in of the Israeli forces

withdrawing. Just talk to us about what this moment means in Gaza and in Israel where you are.

CLARISSA WARD, CNN CHIEF INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: So, it's four hours now, Becky, since the IDF fully withdrew to the yellow line, what they're

calling the yellow line, they're still in control of more than 50 percent of the Gaza Strip, but that ceasefire now in full effect for the last four

hours.

And you're seeing, as you have already shown, these biblical images of thousands and thousands of Palestinians slowly picking their way through

the rubble strewn roads back to what remains of their homes and their lives in Northern Gaza. CNN has been speaking to a number of Gaza residents

throughout the day.

And I think the impression one gets the most from these conversations is less of elation or celebration and more of absolute relief. One woman

saying simply, we can breathe again. Another man saying the genocide is over, but there is a sense that a new chapter really is just starting to

begin, Becky, because now the question is not just how residents of Gaza start to rebuild their lives.

But also, how they begin to mourn their dead, and how they grapple with this historic humanitarian crisis that they are now facing. The IPC

recently declaring a state of famine in parts of Northern Gaza. Of course, aid organizations are poised with some 170,000 metric tons of aid at

various points on Gaza's borders, and are ready to go in.

But really this is a crucial point now in terms of the next piece of the puzzle, which is getting those hostages out of Gaza. And that brings me to

the Israeli part of this as well, Becky. I have been coming in and out of here since October 7th, and I can tell you, it is a palpable difference in

the feeling here, not just relief, but real jubilation.

And a sense that Israel is ending a chapter, whereas Gaza may be beginning a new one, that Israel is ending a very dark and painful and troubling

chapter. The question becomes, what does this hostage release look like? We don't have a lot of details. What we know is that within the next now 68

hours, we expect those 20 hostages who are still believed to be alive, 2 of those 20, supposedly in very poor health, will be released.

We did hear in the last hour from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who said that it is possible it will take a little bit longer to locate and

retrieve the bodies of all of those 28 deceased hostages. But once that happens, once those hostages are released, and once then, 1700 Palestinians

who have been detained since October 7th and some 250 Palestinians who are facing life sentences in Israeli jails are now are also released.

[09:05:00]

And I should say that we now have seen the list of those 250 roughly 100 of them will be deported to other countries. The remaining will be released to

the West Bank. And at that point, once those exchanges have been carried out, we'll start to get a better sense of what phase two looks like, of how

that aid gets in, of who takes control of the security in the areas of Gaza, where the IDF has retreated from.

So, there are a lot of balls in the air at the moment, Becky, but on both sides of the border, a huge sense of disbelief, relief and daring to hope,

for the first time, truly in two years, that this misery may now be coming towards an end, Becky.

ANDERSON: And we've often talked about the sheer scale of population inside what is such a small enclave of Gaza. And I think it's just worth noting,

as we see, what you describe, rightly so, is this sort of biblical move of people back towards the north to where, clearly, their homes are.

If you look to the north of the image on your shots, couple of kids standing in front of it, and I hope they're enjoying themselves today with

this sense of relief and a sense of hope. But if, if we're lucky enough for this little one to move out the way, perhaps we won't be classic TV here.

But just to the north of this shot, you can just see how small this area is, because you can see Israel to the north there, the smoke stacks are the

Rottenberg power station and the tall buildings Ashkelon. Both of these areas, of course, are in Israel. You can just see to the very north of that

image, those smoke stacks.

As I say, it's actually good to see a couple of kids in the shot. Obviously, I got to describe them as with smiles on their faces today.

That's a good thing. All right. Thank you. My next guest joins us live from Gaza Central Yousra Abu Sharekh is the program coordinator for the

International Network for Aid, Relief and Assistance.

Yousra, thank you firstly, for your time today in joining us, you're in Central Gaza, which, of course, has seen weeks of heavy bombardment. Just

describe how you're feeling today and how you have been surviving over the past weeks and months.

YOUSRA ABU SHAREKH, PROGRAM COORDINATOR OF INARA: Yes, the recent period of the war where it was the hardest since that, since the start of the war,

especially this ceasefire. Now it's just in time, because people in Gaza Strip are so exhausted and overwhelmed, also drained.

I stopped at the two years of war, and I realized how deep the pain is inside everyone in here on the ground. So today, as the majority of people

in Gaza feel the glimpse of hope and for ceasefire, it's just like -- it's an ending for the bleeding, but also, it's just the start for Palestinians

who lost their beloved ones, who lost their houses, their normality.

42,000 injuries, have life changing injuries. So now it's the start to think of how to rebuild Gaza bitter, not only the building, not only the

neighborhoods, but most importantly, the souls and psychosocial health and mental health. So -- yep.

ANDERSON: Yeah. I want to talk to you about those scars and the healing, before we do that, I just want our viewers to get a better sense of what

you've been through over these past two years. I know that you've been living in a tent close to sewage with your kids. Most recently, that's been

your situation as I understand it. Can you just describe what life has been like and where home is for you?

SHAREKH: Honestly speaking, like we lost the sense of home as I realized that recently, I live now at the 10th displacement spot. I forgot

everything about how home looks like, even my children.

[09:10:00]

Only what we have is a space that accommodate our boxes and our -- this, and that's it. And on top of that, we always keen to support others who are

in dire and more need than us. So, the situation during the past few months was so indescribable. And especially after the recent displacement, where,

until this moment, some families they didn't have any shelter or any tarpaulins on top of their heads to protect them from the heat sun.

So yes, the situation, especially on the children who have complex trauma. Now, after two years, after the hunger that we experienced for several

months, and the impact is still obvious, on their bodies, on their energy, on their mental health. So, these -- the recent months were so catastrophic

and it's time for everyone to relax, to breathe, to have this glimpse of relief.

ANDERSON: Yeah. And I've heard so many Gazans say that they can now breathe. That's the sort of resounding, sort of overwhelming, sort of sense

that I'm getting from those on the ground, just the sense that they can breathe. I know that you've got youngsters. I know you've lost family

members, you've lost many friends, and you talk about being hopeful that this is now a period where Gaza can begin to think about rebuilding, and

you've talked about the trauma.

So, I know that you work for INARA, and you are working hard, and have been working hard to provide support. What is it that Gaza, its kids, needs next

most. I mean, we know that there will be a humanitarian search. We hope that that will happen as soon as these hostages are returned and the

Palestinian prisons are released.

But for those families who are returning home, what do you believe they need most in support at this point?

SHAREKH: Families now are in need for everything from shelter items to food to hygiene to every single item, also for protection, but most importantly

for us at INARA, during the past two years, we were trying to support the mental health and psychosocial support of children, while it was so hard to

ensure better improvement among all the horrific conditions and situation.

So now we hope that we will have the environment that enable us to achieve sustainable and more impactful result on the mental health and -- social

support. Also, we are looking to scale up with relief, and --

ANDERSON: We just lost that shot, unfortunately. But we -- you heard from Yousra and thank you. We're struggling with the technology there. It's good

to have you. Thank you very much indeed for sharing your personal and professional story there in Gaza, as we continue to watch these images and

report on what is happening now in Gaza and what is expected to happen in the hours to come.

Well, the U.S. President Donald Trump is expected to visit Israel on Monday. That is according to the country's police, who say thousands of

officers and volunteers will be deployed and roads and airspace closed during Mr. Trump's visit. The president had said this week that he had

hoped to visit the region to mark the release of hostages from Gaza.

Now this comes as an official says the U.S. is sending about 200 troops to provide oversight of the Gaza plan from Israel. So, CNN's Alayna Treene is

at the White House with the very latest. This is a U.S. led, specifically Trump led ceasefire, of course. What details do you have on Trump's trip to

Israel, his first and his second term, of course, and this U.S. plan to provide oversight to this ceasefire agreement?

ALAYNA TREENE, CNN WHITE HOUSE REPORTER: Yeah. I'll start with your first question, Becky. So, the president is expecting to travel to Israel this

weekend. He's expected to address the Israeli parliament on Monday. He was invited by them to come and speak and give a formal address.

So, he's expected to do that, and then also he's expected to travel to Egypt. That's where there's going to be a formal signing of this ceasefire

agreement We're still working on.

[09:15:00]

Who exactly is going to be president in Egypt as well, given some of the players in this, including many of the leaders, of course, in the Middle

East and other countries that had helped with the negotiations as well. So, it's expected to be a short visit, we are told.

But of course, one that the president very much wants to be there for, particularly he wants to be in Israel when the hostages are released. That

is something that the president has been calling for repeatedly since even before he had come into his second term and was sworn into office in

January.

And it's something that he wants to be there to oversee, we're told in our conversations with White House officials. But I do think the second point

that you made is remarkable, the fact that the United States is going to have 200 troops on the ground to monitor the situation in Israel and in

Gaza.

Around this peace deal is very notable, partly because, of course, there were questions as we were learning about the agreement on this first phase

of phase one of this broader 20-point plan was, what are the security guarantees and how is the United States going to personally ensure that

this is carried out in the way that they want?

Of course, we know that the president's top diplomats, including his son in law, Jared Kushner, his Middle East Envoy, Steve Witkoff, those are some of

the important details we know that they were pressing in those negotiations in Egypt earlier this week. But of course, that question of how to maintain

this moving forward and make sure that both sides live up to their agreement, this is one of the ways that they're hoping to do that.

And just to be clear, the White House had said, and this is, according to a White House official, that this the United States is sending these 200

troops to join soldiers from Egypt, Qatar, Turkey and the United Arab Emirates to preserve oversight. They made clear that there are going to be

no U.S. troops, or at least no U.S. troops are intended to go into Gaza.

So again, a very big deal that they are having this. And then, just more broadly, Becky, I think also it's important to note that this is the first

step of a long process ahead. We know that some of the key sticking points that could potentially come up in these negotiations are going to be the

disarmament of Hamas.

One of the key things that Israel believes is very much, of course, necessary in order to carry this out further and who is going to govern

Gaza moving forward, because in part of this agreement was that Hamas cannot be the ones to run that city. So, there is still so much that needs

to be worked out.

But what they are doing, particularly with these troops, and the president going to the region himself, very much a sign of how successful this is and

how strong they believe it is.

ANDERSON: And I think you know that is echoed around the region where I am. I mean, there is a sort of a sense of huge kudos to Donald Trump and Steve

Witkoff and Jared Kushner for getting this basically across the line. Look, despite an unprecedented, very public lobbying effort, President Trump

didn't win the Nobel Peace Prize for his efforts to help broker this ceasefire deal.

In Israel, we saw people voicing support for him for the prize. We're going to do more on the 2025, prize winner momentarily. She was announced just a

couple of hours ago. We'll do that after I speak to you, but what has been the reaction at the White House today, out of interest?

TREENE: Well, I think it landed with a thud. It's something that, of course, the president has been openly lobbying for getting the Nobel Peace

Prize. But I also think the context of this is so important. You know, despite all of the nominations that the president had received, including

from many world leaders.

That includes the Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu himself. The deadline for those nominations was February 1st. Of course, that was just

days after President Donald Trump actually entered office for the second time. And so, it was always going to be unlikely that this year he would

get the prize.

A lot of people saying, hopefully this could be something that happens next year, specifically, given the news of this week with the peace deal, or at

least the first phase of that deal between Israel and Hamas. But this is what I want to read for you, what one of the president's top officials, his

White House Communications official, Steven Cheung said, he said that President Trump will continue making peace deals, ending wars and saving

lives.

He has the heart of a humanitarian, and there will never be anyone like him who can move mountains with the sheer force of his will. He went on to say,

the noble committee proved they place politics over peace. So again, you can see here a lot of people criticizing this.

They have long criticized the noble committee, and they have noted the president himself has noted in recent months that he believes, you know,

perhaps they would never give it to him. The president did address this yesterday as well, Becky, saying that essentially, if it doesn't, if he

wasn't awarded it, that, you know, that would be fine.

He said, whatever they do is fine. I know this. I didn't do it. I didn't do these negotiations in the Middle East for that.

[09:20:00]

I did it because I saved a lot of lives. So, we'll keep monitoring this to see if we get more reaction. But I still think, of course, the main vibe in

the White House is still celebration and that feeling of success with what they were able to do this week, but a little bit of you know disappointment

with the announcement that it wasn't the president himself who was named this year's Nobel Peace Prize winner.

ANDERSON: Alayna, it was good to have you. Thank you very much indeed. I want to do more on this year's Nobel Peace Prize winner now. Maria Corina

Machado, she listened to how she reacts earlier today to the news that she has won.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Congratulations to you, Maria.

MARIA CORINA MACHADO, 2025 NOBEL PEACE PRIZE LAUREATE: Oh my god. Oh my god. Well, I have no words.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ANDERSON: It was the middle of the night for her the Nobel Committee praising Machado for keeping the flame of democracy burning amid a growing

darkness as the leader of the democracy movement in Venezuela. She was a presidential candidate in Venezuela's 2024 election.

But President Nicolas Maduro is regime blocked her from running, when the past year, she's been forced into hiding due to serious threats against her

life. Well CNN Stefano Pozzebon is following this story for us. He is today in Bogota in Colombia. And as I understand it, you met the now Nobel Peace

Prize Winner back in 2024 who is Maria Corina Machado. Tell us a little bit more about her.

STEFANO POZZEBON, CNN CONTRIBUTOR: Yes, Becky, well, met her several times in my years in Venezuela. Maria Corina is the embodiment of the Venezuelan

opposition, Becky. She I think it's a charismatic figure and a symbol of what it means to live under the Venezuelan government, the current Maduro

government.

She, for example, has seen many of the suffering on herself, the suffering of the Venezuelan people. One of the aspects that we talked about a lot

when it comes to Venezuela is, of course, the migration issue, the fact that more than 25 percent of the population of that country have left.

And well, Maria Corina Machado has also seen that wound in her own family, with her three adult children, all living outside of Venezuela. The last

time I spoke with her in person was in 2024. I was able to ask her exactly about this issue how she thinks she represents the suffering of the

Venezuelan people under the Maduro government. Here's what she told me.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

POZZEBON: Is there anybody in particular that you want to go back home? Has migration touched your family as well?

MACHADO: -- Many people, I have three kids that they do really want to come home. When I pass by their rooms, I have to turn the other way around. It's

you cannot get used to that. Never. And I'm doing this for them and for every single Venezuelan child that they will have a future of dignity,

prosperity and freedom, and that's what will live for them.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

POZZEBON: And less than 10 days after that interview, Becky, Maria Corina Machado had to go into hiding after an arrest mandate from the Venezuelan

government. We've been, of course, in being in touch with her press team ever since we spoke with her in from her clandestine location in Venezuela

in more recent months.

But however, I think it's important to show the aspect of this humane aspect why so many people feel attached to her in Venezuela, and she has

now become, just like you said, the second Venezuelan winner, recipient of a Nobel Prize. In the 1980s there was a doctor who won it for medicine,

while Maria Corina Machado becomes the first Venezuelan recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize.

Of course, and that is clearly a recognition for the whole for freedom and democracy movement down in Venezuela, perhaps this can be yet another point

to unbalance the scale against the authoritarian government of Nicolas Maduro. But trying to make contact with Maria Corina, we've been told, by

the way, Becky, that she will release a statement in the next few hours, and we'll bring it to you as quickly as we hear from her.

ANDERSON: It'll have taken her some time to process. I'm sure we --

POZZEBON: Yeah --

ANDERSON: As you know, we were we paid our viewers the shock after she received the call, I think in the middle of the night, as far as I can

understand it. Thank you. You are watching "Connect the World". Thank you, Stefano.

[09:25:00]

And still ahead, Ukrainians fire up their generators as Russian strikes knock out power. President Zelenskyy says it's part of an all too familiar

and cruel pattern. As we go to break, I'll leave you with the pictures of Palestinians in Gaza moving back home to the north.

And I'm struck as I look at these pictures, just how many kids are there, making that journey home by foot with their families. The ceasefire is on.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ANDERSON: That I'm afraid is the Ukrainian capital enduring an intense barrage of Russian air attacks overnight, plunging parts of the city into

darkness, other regions reporting widespread power outages as well. Ukraine's Presidents called it a cynical and calculated attack targeting

critical energy infrastructure just before winter sets in.

Well, Senior International Correspondent Fred Pleitgen has been in and out of Ukraine over the past, what three years now. Fred, and in and out of

Russia, of course, as well. At this stage, what do we know about these attacks and how they fit into any wider or the wider picture of the war at

this point?

FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yeah, we've certainly seen an uptick in Russian attacks on Ukraine's infrastructure,

but generally drone and missile attacks on Ukrainian cities. And also, of course, vice versa as well. The Ukrainians also attacking onto Russian

territory with longer range weapons, including missiles, but first and foremost, drones as well.

Essentially, what the Ukrainians are saying, Becky, is that they believe that the Russians are trying to freeze the Ukrainian population into

submission by hitting that energy infrastructure, leaving people without power, leaving people without heat, and in some cases, without water as

well.

The latest that we've gotten from our folks who are on the ground in Kyiv is that they say that in wide parts of the central part of Kyiv there are

still power outages, and also on pretty much the entire part of the left side of the Dnipro River, of course, that massive river that runs through

Dnipro through Kyiv.

But as you were saying, there's several other Ukrainian cities that have also been hit by power outages, also in the City of Zaporizhzhia, the

Ukrainian authorities are saying that one boy was killed there as some of those drones and missiles also rained down on that territory.

So certainly, we've seen a lot of that back and forth going on. One of the interesting things that we've also gotten, Becky, is the Russians coming

out with a press release by the Russian Defense Ministry confirming that they were behind these strikes, but saying that they were in retaliation

for strikes on civilian infrastructure conducted by the Ukrainians.

Over the past couple of days, the Russians were saying that these are precise strikes and that they used not only drones but also even hypersonic

missiles to hit some of those energy infrastructure targets on Ukrainian territory.

[09:30:00]

But in general, what we're hearing from people on the ground is that there is a large concern that despite the fact that the Ukrainians are able to

shoot down a lot of these missiles and drones that are fired towards their territory, that of course, all of this has accumulated effect on Ukraine's

energy infrastructure.

And that they do have more widespread power outages, heating outages, and that, of course, a huge concern as we get later into the fall, as the

weather gets colder, more damp, and of course, the winter approaches, which, as we know, Becky, can be quite harsh there in Ukraine, Becky.

ANDERSON: Yeah, absolutely, you have experienced it first hand on many occasions. Thank you. Let's get you to New York. The opening bell is just

rung on Wall Street. This is, of course, the final day of trading in the week, and we're going to take a look at the numbers, after this short

break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ANDERSON: Welcome back. I'm Becky Anderson in Abu Dhabi. Time here is just after half past five in the afternoon. You're watching "Connect the World".

Wall Street just kicking off just after half past nine there. Here's a look at the major indices today, at the end of a week that's been marked by two

key stories, record high gold prices and questions around a possible AI bubble.

Gold blew past $4,000 an ounce this week for the first time ever, it is what has been rising in tandem with a booming stock market that is

considered somewhat unusual. Well, enthusiasm about artificial intelligence has propelled these markets, of course, to record highs this year, but the

fierce ascent has also raised concerns, as we hear from the head of the IMF.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KRISTALINA GEORGIEVA, IMF MANAGING DIRECTOR: History tells us this sentiment can turn on the dime. Today's valuations are heading towards

levels we saw during the bullishness about the internet, 25 years ago. If a sharp correction were to occur, tighter financial conditions could drag

down world growth, expose vulnerabilities and make life especially tough for developing countries.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ANDERSON: And those of us who are old enough to remember that period at the beginning of the noughties, knows how rough that was. Jamie Dimon, who runs

banking giant JP Morgan Chase, says some money invested in AI will probably be wasted. He also warns there's a higher chance of a major drop in stocks

over the next six months to two years.

[09:35:00]

It is worth noting that just seven stocks have accounted for half of the S&P 500's gains since the end of 2022 and you're looking at them. Alphabet,

owner of Google, of course, Amazon and Apple, along with Meta, Microsoft, Nvidia and Tesla. And I wager most of you would not have heard of Nvidia

two years ago or three years ago?

Well, for a second time, the U.S. Justice Department has gone after one of President Trump's perceived political enemies. New York Attorney General

Letitia James is in Trump's process. A grand jury has returned two felony charges against a bank fraud and making false statements to a financial

institution.

In response, James says the president is weaponizing the legal system. She previously won a civil fraud case against Trump's business organization. Of

course, Former FBI Director James Comey was recently indicted earlier this week on separate charges. CNN's Kara Scannell is here with more.

And we have to ask whether this is just the beginning of what was -- it was well flagged as Trump's retribution tour.

KARA SCANNELL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: That's right, Becky. I mean, on the first day that the Trump Administration took office, they said that they were

setting up a weaponization working group to go after the people that Trump believed had weaponized the government against him.

And we are starting to see that play out with the charges against James Comey, the indictment yesterday against New York Attorney General Letitia

James. She of course, brought that civil lawsuit against Donald Trump, alleging that he inflated the value of his properties to get better

interest rates.

Now his justice department is bringing charges saying that she got better interest rates by allegedly falsely claiming that her property was a second

home and not an investment property. That difference, they say, is what allowed her to save little less than 19,000 U.S. dollars on this loan.

But you know, this is a standoff between two people who have been adversaries for a long time, trading jabs against each other. Trump during

this fraud trial, from the witness stand and then also from the hallways in the courtroom, was attacking James, both in her role and also personally,

and James, firing back yesterday after these charges were announced. Here is what she said.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LETITIA JAMES, NEW YORK ATTORNEY GENERAL: This is nothing more than a continuation of the president's desperate weaponization of our justice

system. He is forcing federal law enforcement agencies to do his bidding, all because I did my job as the New York State Attorney General.

These charges are baseless, and the president's own public statements make clear that his only goal is political retribution at any cost.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SCANNELL: And Becky, we reported just a few weeks ago that the prosecutors working on this case in the Eastern District of Virginia's U.S. Attorney's

Office did not think that they had enough evidence to support criminal charges, but Trump was pressuring Then U.S. Attorney Erik Siebert to bring

a case.

He ultimately resigned and Trump put in place his handpicked U.S. Attorney Lindsey Halligan, who was his former personal attorney. She and she alone

presented this case before the grand jury yesterday when this indictment was handed up. So certainly, more of a pattern that we're seeing here, and

we certainly know that there are other people that Trump has in his sights.

He has current invested. Trump's Justice Department has current investigations into John Bolton, as well as the Senator Adam Schiff, as for

James, she will make her first court appearance on October 24th where she will be presented on these charges, Becky.

ANDERSON: Good to have you, Kara. Thank you. And we will take a very short break. Back after this.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[09:40:00]

ANDERSON: More now on our top story, U.S. President Donald Trump expected to visit Israel on Monday, according to Israeli police. This comes as the

Israel Hamas ceasefire officially gets underway in Gaza. It started at 12:00 p.m. local time. It is just after or 20 minutes before five there

now.

The Israeli military says its forces are beginning to pull back behind the lines agreed in the U.S. brokered deal, but the IDF says quote, troops will

continue to be present in various areas of Gaza. I'll leave you with live pictures now from Hostage Square as Israelis gather and begin to anticipate

the return of the dozens of hostages still held in Hamas captivity.

The clock started ticking on the release of those alive and dead. That was we're now into sort of 68 hours or so from now. And in Central Gaza,

thousands and thousands of Palestinians streaming north to return to their homes. What awaits them when they return is unclear, but the sense of hope

for a better future is palpable.

"World Sport" is after this break. And I will be back with more "Connect the World" in 15 minutes for you. Do stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

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(WORLD SPORT)

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