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Isa Soares Tonight
Gaza's Hamas-Controlled Health Ministry Says More Than 10k People Have Been Killed In The Territory Since The Israel-Hamas War Started; IDF Says It has Encircled Gaza City; Donald Trump Testifies In His New York Civil Fraud Trial; Hamas-Controled Gaza Health Ministry: More Than 10,000 Palestinians Killed In Gaza Since War Began; Growing Unrest On Israel- Lebanon Border; Thousands Of Gaza Workers Still Stranded In West Bank. 2-3p ET
Aired November 06, 2023 - 14:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[14:00:56]
LYNDA KINKADE, CNN INTERNATIONAL HOST: A very warm welcome to the show everyone, I'm Lynda Kinkade, in for Isa Soares. Tonight, the staggering
toll of war. Gaza's Hamas-controlled Health Ministry says more than 10,000 people have been killed in the territory since the Israel-Hamas war started
nearly a month ago.
Comes as the IDF says their troops have encircled Gaza city, effectively splitting the Strip in half. And spar fires. Donald Trump testifies in his
New York civil fraud trial. We'll have all the details coming up. We begin with a staggering death toll in Gaza. The Hamas-controlled ministry
reporting that 10,000 Palestinian deaths in Gaza by recent Israeli airstrikes.
To be clear, CNN cannot independently verify those numbers. The ministry also announced another 25,000 people have been wounded in Gaza since Hamas
attacked Israel on October 7th. U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres says the world needs to step up its responsibility.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ANTONIO GUTERRES, SECRETARY-GENERAL, UNITED NATIONS: The unfolding catastrophe makes the need for a humanitarian ceasefire more urgent with
every passing hour. The parties of the conflict and indeed, the international community face an immediate and fundamental responsibility to
stop the inhuman collective suffering, and dramatically expand humanitarian aid to Gaza.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KINKADE: Well, the human toll for this conflict continues to grow. CNN's Scott McLean reports, and we need to warn you that some of the images in
his piece are disturbing.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
(ARTILLERY FIRE)
SCOTT MCLEAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Without power, Gaza city is pitch-black at night. Now lit up only by Israeli airstrikes, and the
terrifying sound that comes with them.
(ARTILLERY FIRE)
From the ground and from the air, Israel says it hit 450 Hamas targets in the past day. At the beach refugee camp, named for its coastal location,
they're sifting through the rubble after a bombing overnight.
"I don't know what to say", this woman says. "There is nothing to say. There is no mercy on anyone, not on children, not on elderly or women.
Complete destruction." The injured were rushed to the nearby Al-Shifa hospital where the sky flashes red from strikes nearby.
"I don't remember what happened. It was like a shock", says Mohammed Hyder(ph), who lives in the beach camp. "I don't remember how I fell down.
Suddenly, I felt things fall on my head." The IDF says it's doing what it can to minimize civilian casualties, but the human toll in Gaza following
the October 7th Hamas terror attack on Israel that killed more than 1,400 people, has now surpassed 10,000, according to the Hamas-controlled
Ministry of Health in Gaza. Hospital morgues now spill out onto the streets like this one in central Gaza.
Overnight, at that same hospital, victims arrive in the back of trucks, some clinging to life, others looking lifeless. Arriving ambulances are
packed with as many people as they'll fit. This girl is one of the luckier ones inside, covered in dirt, and shaking. She tells the doctor, her name
is Jenna(ph), and that she's in pain.
"We as medical teams are no longer in a position to be able to fulfill our obligations towards our people", says this doctor. All the beds are
occupied, we may have to announce suspension of services in the hospital at any moment. The Hamas-controlled Ministry of Health in Gaza says that these
pictures show the aftermath of an Israeli strike on a children's hospital in Gaza city.
Several holes blown through the walls and one through the ceiling. The IDF told CNN, it has not struck any hospitals yet. Aid is slowly reaching Gaza,
but not fast enough for Jordan, which resulted to air-dropping medical aid from the sky, as Gazans lined up for bread this weekend in a shadow of
another bakery that's been destroyed.
[14:05:00]
They have no idea when the next truckload of essentials will arrive. Scott McLean, CNN, London.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
KINKADE: Well, the Rafah Border Crossing into Egypt from Gaza is open again. The crossing was temporarily closed over the weekend after an
Israeli airstrike hit an ambulance. Israel said that the ambulance was being used by Hamas. Well, now some foreign nationals, Egyptian citizens
and wounded Palestinians are crossing the border.
For the latest, CNN's Melissa Bell is live for us in Cairo. Good to have you with us, Melissa. So, that border crossing opened right now. Just how
many people are being allowed out, and are they mostly foreign nationals?
MELISSA BELL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: What we've seen today, Lynda, 99 foreign passport holders make their way through the Rafah Crossing and here into
the safety of Egypt. These were Jordanians, Egyptians, some Palestinian- Americans, a few Germans and French citizens as well.
Remember that this Rafah Crossing for the foreign passport holders had been closed for nearly 48 hours over the course of the weekend, as a result of
the Palestinian insistence that ambulances taking the most severely-wounded down to Rafah should be given safe passage. This followed the IDF attack on
the Al-Shifa Hospital on Friday that saw several ambulances damaged, many killed, 15 killed at least, many more wounded -- 50 wounded at a time when
the ICRC confirmed that the Palestinians had warned them that this convoy was on its way to Rafah.
What you saw in the wake of that was a total stop of the outgoing traffic, at least, the aid trucks that continue to come in, but no one had been
allowed to leave. And remember, Lynda, that as part of this deal to allow foreign passport holders out, this had been linked from the very start by
Hamas in that breakthrough deal that we saw last Tuesday just over a week ago, had been linked to the ability to get the most severely-wounded
Palestinians out.
That too has resumed today. So, no doubt, under the pressure of the United States and the Qataris who have been mediating these efforts, some fresh
deal has been found to get both the foreign nationals and the most severely-wounded Palestinians down that crossing, what we've seen today are
17 of the most wounded -- severely-wounded Palestinians getting through, which brings the total to just over a 100 Palestinian so far.
As for the foreign nationals, it is 1,145 foreign passport holders that have now gone through the Rafah Crossing over the course of the last week,
and despite that pause, bear in mind, Lynda, that we had heard right from the United States, its officials and Egyptian officials, that it is
reckoned that there are about 7,000 foreign passport holders inside the Gaza Strip. So there are still many more waiting to get out.
KINKADE: All right, Melissa Bell, we'll leave it there for now. But good to have you there in Cairo, Egypt, for us. Thanks very much. Well, for more on
the situation right now in Gaza, Andrea De Domenico joins us. He's the head of the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs
in the occupied Palestinian territory. Good to have you with us.
ANDREA DE DOMENICO, U.N. OFFICE FOR COORDINATION OF HUMANITARIAN AFFAIRS: Thank you for having me, Lynda.
KINKADE: So how different is Gaza to every other war zone where the U.N. has been present?
DE DOMENICO: So, excellent question, in fact. Gaza is the only place on the planet where a war starts, people cannot flee. It's 365 square kilometers,
with 2.2-15 million people, so highly -- very highly densely-populated. And still, people cannot leave because there is all around are our fences and
walls and sea is also -- or not, they cannot go out through the sea.
And that means that people cannot find any safe place when a war of this magnitude is unleashed on the Strip.
KINKADE: And the scale of this is just incredible, the numbers out today is staggering. Ten thousand people, men, women, children in Gaza killed,
that's according to the Palestinian Health Ministry. But it's also quite personal for the U.N. this month, the deadliest for U.N. workers ever. Is
that right?
DE DOMENICO: It is absolutely right. The more -- nearly 90 colleagues have been killed, and the counting is going up by the hour, so I don't have the
very latest number, it is absolutely unprecedented for the United Nations to have so many losses. The UNRWA colleagues that have been dying on the
line of service or simply because they were all among the bombardment is unprecedented for the United Nations.
KINKADE: And one of your colleagues at the U.N. agency in Gaza says Gaza has been paralyzed because of the lack of fuel.
[14:10:00]
Israel says Hamas has fuel in Gaza. But as we see the fuel run out and we continue to hear people discuss that as an issue, what sort of choices are
being made by those working in Gaza right now?
DE DOMENICO: So, a fuel is absolutely critical, a commodity given that energy is being cut off for more than three weeks ago now. So, fuel today
runs hospitals, runs desalination plants to give portable water to people runs bakeries to have bread for people, runs wells, runs a sewage pump that
will allow, you know, sewage waste-water to be pumped out of the sea.
And so, it's a lifeline for basic services. For sure, there are risks of -- well, use better -- the United Nations has proved in the past weeks that
when we get the fuel, we have a very tight control on it and we can use it for the intended purposes. So that's absolutely necessary. And of course,
our operations also depends on fuel. We cannot, you know, go around and do our movement and bring in commodities to people where they are, if we don't
have the necessary fuel.
KINKADE: And of course, as I was just discussing with one of my colleagues, the Rafah Border Crossing has been open today, mostly to allow foreign
nationals to leave, as well as some injured Palestinians. What is most --
DE DOMENICO: Correct --
KINKADE: Crucial right now in terms of humanitarian aid getting in through that border crossing?
DE DOMENICO: I think that it's a combination of the two. I mean, of course, the evacuation of the wounded is a super important event that we're very
happy about. In any war, the evacuation of the wounded is a priority. But even more important as you said is bringing in supplies at scale, because
we are not there at the scale.
We have to serve 1.5 million people basic necessities. They've lost everything. They need food and they need water, but they need even
blankets, mattresses, you know, hygiene kit for women. I mean, it's the basic bare necessities to keep them alive. And without entering a scale
with the number of trucks that will be required for that, we will not be able to deliver.
And then we need people. We need people coming in and delivering humanitarian assistance and coordinate all the efforts to delivering that
assistance to people.
KINKADE: The U.N. has called for an immediate ceasefire and that humanitarian access that you were just talking about, and for both Israel
and Hamas to follow international law. But right now, as this war plays out in Gaza, we're also seeing an increase in violence against Palestinians in
the occupied West Bank. What else can the international community do right now?
DE DOMENICO: I think it's fair to say that the U.N. has absolutely called for a humanitarian assistance, fine, as we have called repeatedly for the
immediate release of hostages. You're right, West Bank is very concerning for us, because while the world -- of course, and the eyes of the world are
pointed at Gaza, events are unfolding very violently in the West Bank.
You know, settler violence has increased, movements are very limited for our staff in every operation, and the number of people that has been
removed from their homes, and then pushed away is increasing. The number of fatalities has also dramatically increased, reaching the same level that we
had on the second Intifada. So, it's really concerning.
KINKADE: Yes, it certainly is. We have more on that issue later in this program, we appreciate your time, Andrea from the United Nations, thank you
so much and thank you for all the work that you and your team are doing.
DE DOMENICO: Thank you very much.
KINKADE: Well, Israel's military says it is now advancing towards Gaza city after its forces say they separated the north and the south, effectively
cutting the enclave into two. The IDF say they're determined to destroy Hamas. Gaza was pummeled overnight both from the air and on the ground.
Israel said it struck over 450 Hamas targets, including tunnels, terrorists and attack posts.
Well, the U.S. Secretary of State has wrapped up a whirlwind diplomatic tour in the region. Earlier, he met with his Turkish counterpart where he
underscored the importance of protecting all civilian lives. CNN's Nic Robertson is in Israel near the border with Gaza and joins us live. Good to
have you with us, Nic. So, we have the U.S. top diplomat in the region, we also know the head of the CIA has been dispatched as well. Give us a sense
of what America's objective is right now?
NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMATIC EDITOR: It's again, a humanitarian pause, and some might want to see a ceasefire which could be
longer, which could be open-ended.
[14:15:00]
But the United States is turning this as a humanitarian pause to allow things in and allow things out. The things that need to go out, and we've
seen a little bit of that today, the foreign nationals, the injured Palestinians, the things that need to come in are the humanitarian aid, and
most importantly, as you were hearing in your last interview there, fuel.
All of these things can -- and can become more easily achievable from an American perspective if there's a humanitarian pause. But the difficulty
is, along with the issue of hostages, they are all bound up and interwoven and incredibly difficult in intricate ways. And Israel has said that it
won't accept a ceasefire unless all the hostages are released.
So, on the surface, it seems like an impasse. Behind the scenes, what has Secretary Blinken been able to achieve while he's here? He did say that one
of the conclusions from everyone that he's talked to in the region is that the United States' involvement in trying to bring about a humanitarian
pause is absolutely key to all the parties.
Be they -- you know, be they Israel, if you will, or be they all the other Arab partners in the region. So, the United States' voice in this is
critical, and to that point, we've heard from the White House today that they also want to see a humanitarian pause. And to that point, it is
perhaps President Biden's voice that is going to speak loudest.
And perhaps -- and we know that he spoke by phone earlier today with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. I think the expectation is, if there's anyone
that's going to be able to push the Israeli leadership into accepting a humanitarian pause is going to be a call from the White House, and that's
not a parent that, that has come in such overt terms.
But that's -- that is where the situation is on the diplomatic front, but of course, the military front is an entirely different sphere. The fight is
still going on, Israeli troops are on the crowd, they say they've taken out or taken control of a number of Hamas rocket-firing positions. They say
they've captured 50 different rockets today, which they say would have been fired into Israel, as you were saying that they have cut the Gaza Strip
north to south, control the humanitarian corridor which they allow open for people during certain hours of the day, to move from the north to the south
there.
The conflict still goes on, you hear detonations here, artillery fire going into Gaza, and the most dangerous thing for the Israeli troops, and
potentially with the biggest political costs as well as the cost in life for Prime Minister Netanyahu, is troops potentially, as they go into Gaza
city, entering what the military would call potential kill zones that Hamas would have set up, knowing that there are neighborhoods that they can draw
the troops into, that they can then turn -- they can block those routes, detonate hidden explosives, turn armored-piercing, rocket-propelled
grenades on the armored fighting vehicles.
So, this is a -- this is a very dangerous time, politically, but it's also a balance for it delicately, diplomatically as well. But frankly, where we
stand today, no movement forward significantly on either front, that we can see.
KINKADE: All right, Nic Robertson staying across the diplomatic and military angles for us in Israel, we appreciate it, thanks so much. Still
to come tonight, courtroom drama. Former U.S. President Donald Trump spars with the judge as he takes the stand in the civil fraud trial in New York.
Plus, Gazan workers caught in the crossfire of the Israel-Hamas war, the accusations they're now making against the Israeli military. We'll have
that story later this hour.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[14:21:23]
KINKADE: Welcome back, I'm Lynda Kinkade. Well, the lunch break is over. Former U.S. President Donald Trump is back in a New York courtroom. It
comes after a morning sparring with the judge in the $250 million civil fraud trial that could ultimately cost him his business. Tense exchanges
between Trump and the judge marked the first part of his testimony.
At one point, the judge ordered one of Trump's attorneys to control his witness. During a break in the trial, a reporter asked the former president
how the proceedings were going, and he made the motion that he was zipping his lips. Here's what he did say before entering the courtroom.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD TRUMP, FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: It's very unfair. But in the meantime, the people of this great country understand it, they see
it, and they don't like it. They don't like it because it's political warfare as you would call it or political lawfare(ph) -- another name,
they've got a lot of names for it. But usually, it takes place in the third world countries in banana republics, and nobody's ever seen that to this
extent, we've never seen it here.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KINKADE: Larry Sabato is the director of the Center for Politics at the University of Virginia and joins us from Charlottesville. Good to see you.
LARRY SABATO, DIRECTOR, CENTER FOR POLITICS, UNIVERSITY OF VIRGINIA: Thank you, Lynda, great to see you.
KINKADE: So, we've seen Donald Trump take to the stand today, just back from lunch break, he's back testifying right now in his $250 million fraud
trial against his business. And it was as expected, the Trump show. He came out attacking the judge, saying it's a terrible thing you've done. What's
at stake for Donald Trump?
SABATO: This is a campaign stop, Lynda. That's really what it is. He already knows that he's going to lose that case, we don't know to what
degree, but there is no way that, that judge is going to rule in his favor. So, he's using it as he has used all of these instances over the years and
particularly since he left office, as campaign fodder for his supporters.
They love this, because, their view of Trump is -- as rich as he is, he's down-trodden. He's one of us, the establishment is trying to destroy him
and we're going to rally around him and get him elected president again. Now, that's not to say they'll succeed, but it is to say that at least for
the Republican nomination, it's working like a charm.
KINKADE: Yes, it certainly seems to be especially among his base. But ultimately, this case in particular could cost him both personally and
politically down the track.
SABATO: Oh, it absolutely could. It's certainly going to cost him personally. He may try and pass some of that along to his kids, and after
all, he's in his upper 70s, so I suppose that's a factor for him too. But his goal is very clear and it's been his goal for a long time, get back in
the Oval Office -- and he can't take care of civil cases, but he can certainly relieve himself of the burden of some of those cases involving
felonies at the federal level. That's his goal. Everything is revolving around it.
KINKADE: And it is quite remarkable, Larry, that no matter how many lawsuits Donald Trump is facing, this fraud trial, the election
interference case, et cetera, his support is increasing. The latest opinion polls released by the "New York Times", show that he is up in all the swing
states. The states that Joe Biden won in 2020, if an election were to be help today, Donald Trump would take these states. What should we read into
those polls?
[14:25:00]
SABATO: Well, It's a year from election day, and Joe Biden is very lucky it's a year from election day. Because if the election were held now before
we see the results from any of the trials, and go over other material that people may have forgotten about Trump, I have little doubt that Trump would
win. Remember, Trump can win even if it's tied. And he's ahead n these five out of six swing states, key swing states, that Biden carried before
because of the electoral college that we have.
So, things have got to change pretty dramatically between now and next November if Biden is to be re-elected. The good news for Biden is, he's got
a year to do it, and his whole team knows they've got their work cut out for them.
KINKADE: Yes, they really do, because Larry, it's not just those key swing states, we saw that Biden is losing support in every demographic, just
about every demographic. Tell us what would be happening inside the Biden camp right now? How would they be looking to pivot?
SABATO: Well, they're telling all their people, and I think they mean it, don't panic. Which is the most important thing for a campaign, and stick to
the game plan. Because the game plan they've got, at least, on paper, does work. After all, and Lynda, you know this from watching so much of this
unfold. There are 91 felony counts lodged against Donald Trump.
What are the odds he's going to beat all of them? Now, it's certainly true that some of those trials won't happen before the election. But at least,
one or two might. And even a felony count or two, and he's found guilty of those, it will change opinion. Accusations, which is what an indictment is,
is not the same as a conviction in which there is going to be a jail sentence in all likelihood.
That will affect 2 percent, 3 percent, 4 percent of the public. And you say my God, you mean 95 percent, 96 percent won't care. Unfortunately, that's
true. But if we have a margin of 2 percent, 3 percent, 4 percent, that switches sides, that's the election. That's the election. That's what Biden
is counting on.
KINKADE: Oh, yes, all right, Larry Sabato, we will be following this case closely as well as all the other cases in the next few months. Good to have
you on the program, thank you.
SABATO: Thank you, Lynda.
KINKADE: And still to come tonight, an increasingly volatile situation at Israel's northern border with Lebanon. New unrest deepens, fears of a
potentially wider conflict. Plus deported Gazan workers speaking out against the Israeli military, accusing IDF troops of physical and
psychological abuse. More on those claims, next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[14:31:27]
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
KINKADE: Welcome back. I'm Lynda Kinkade. Good to have you with us. More than 10,000 people have now been killed in Gaza since Israel's war in Hamas
began. That's according to the Hamas-controlled Ministry of Health in Gaza. It says more than 4,000 of those killed a children. Staggering numbers
given that the war is a month old. You're looking at some of the latest images from Gaza which gives you a sense of the destruction across the
territory. It comes as Israel says it's advancing on Gaza City after cutting the enclave into two. Israeli military says it struck 450 targets
just in the past day, and that it's captured a Hamas compound.
And as the Israel's northern border, the IDF says it's using artillery fire after a barrage of rockets fired from Lebanon. Ben Wedeman is in Tyre in
southern Lebanon and joins us now live. Good to have you there for us, Ben. So violence suddenly flaring up on Israel's northern border, France now
saying it's sending armored vehicles into Lebanon. What more can you tell us about what you're seeing and hearing now?
BEN WEDEMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, perhaps the most significant thing that had to happen today, Lynda, is that the military wing of Hamas who
have people here in southern Lebanon claim to have fired rockets all the way to the Israeli town of Nahariya, which is the largest town just south
of the border, and also to the suburbs of this Israeli city of Haifa. This represents the deepest missile strike from Lebanon into Israel since the
2006 war between Hezbollah and Israel.
Now there are no reports of any damage or injuries on the Israeli side from that strike. But what we've seen is a variety of strikes, not only by
Hamas's military wing, but also Hezbollah who say they targeted multiple Israeli military positions along the border, once again, focusing their
fire on Israeli surveillance and observation equipment.
And of course, the Israelis have reported that there were at least 30 launches from Lebanon in the direction of Israel that they responded not
only with artillery, but several airstrikes as well, Lynda.
KINKADE: And, Ben, just briefly, Hezbollah did warn that Israel will pay a price after the deaths of civilians, including three children in a car in
Lebanon, what more do you know about that incident?
WEDEMAN: These were two cars of an extended family. They were driving from Beirut to their home near the southern border of Lebanon when, according to
the Israeli Lebanese news agency, the official news agency, there was a drone strike that hit a car that was being driven by the grandmother, and
that it killed the grandmother and also three children ages 10, 12 and 14.
Now, the Israelis say that they target vehicles they believe are carrying militants. But nobody is suggesting that a car carrying a grandmother and
her three grandchildren was carrying anything at all suspicious.
Now, this did set off more cross border rocket fire, but it still is inside what are known as the rules of engagement.
[14:35:04]
Unwritten understanding between Israel and Hezbollah, that they will limit their fire to a -- an area along the border from the two sides, but
certainly what we're seeing is that this rules of engagement is now including people, civilians, being killed on both sides. And as I mentioned
before, Hamas firing rockets far into Israel much further than we've ever seen before. So, the border is very tense, but it hasn't really reached a
point where either side seems to be ready for a full scale war, Lynda.
KINKADE: All right. Ben Wedeman staying across all these developments for us. We appreciate it. Thank you.
Well, let's take a closer look at where Israel stands right now in terms of its military strategy and exactly how this conflict might develop further.
Cedric Leighton is a Senior Military Analyst and a retired U.S. Air Force. Colonel. He joins us from Washington. Good to see you.
CEDRIC LEIGHTON, CNN SENIOR MILITARY ANALYST: Good to see you too, Lynda.
KINKADE: So, the IDF says it has encircled Gaza City, it's essentially split Gaza into two. What exactly does that mean? What's its game plan?
LEIGHTON: So, what this means right now, Lynda, if you kind of visualize this on the map, the Israelis have moved forward right, kind of in the area
around Deir Al-Balah and north of Khan Yunis, and basically cut Gaza in two with -- by positioning their forces along that line. They reached the
coast, and they then are moving their forces of both on the northern side of Gaza City, the East -- as well as the eastern side and then the southern
areas, and now that they've reached the coast, also the western side of Gaza City, and to basically cut that city off of the rest of the Gaza
territory.
So, what this means is that all of the Hamas fighters that are in that area, plus the civilians that are still in the Gaza City, they are
basically all surrounded now by Israeli forces on every side.
KINKADE: Is it clear how many Israeli forces are in Gaza versus how many are still massed at the border? And what awaits them when they get closer
to Hamas fighters?
LEIGHTON: Yes. So, it's not exactly clear how many Israeli forces really have boots on the ground right now in Gaza, in the Gaza territory itself.
But I -- it's pretty clear that there are more than 10,000 to 15,000. there right now. Of course, there are many more, there are massive on the border.
So, with the next phase of operations, what's expected to happen is they're supposed to move into Gaza city proper.
And when they do that, they're going to require a lot of personnel to come through that are going to also be using public health carriers, tanks, and
of course, moving on foot, you know, an infantry formation. And what that will do is they will be able to then go house to house, building to
building, room to room and then tunnel to tunnel, to root out Hamas fighters. And that's basically what they're planning to do. Successful they
will be, of course, remains to be seen. But that is the goal that they have for right now.
KINKADE: We heard today for the Palestinian Health Ministry saying that the death toll in Gaza is now 10,000. We know that UNICEF has said that Gaza
has become a graveyard for children. And the U.S. has deployed the CIA director to help with intelligence, especially when it comes to minimizing
civilian casualties. Is Israel doing enough? Has it failed to meet its objective, its stated objective of minimizing civilian casualties in this
war?
LEIGHTON: Well, I certainly think they haven't -- have not done enough when it comes to civilian casualties, Lynda. You know, it's a difficult problem,
you know, from a military targeting perspective, because of the way things are laid out in Gaza, the fact that Hamas itself has integrated itself into
the civilian population centers, and, you know, you will find one room full of Hamas people, the next room a family, and that kind of setup is really
pervasive throughout the entire city structure of Gaza itself.
But having said that, still there is a lot more that could be done in terms of allowing for a safe passage, having basically zones that are not combat
zones, combat-free areas, those kinds of things. There are some things that the Israelis have done that tell you the White House is convinced that they
are improving in this area where they're allowing more people to move out of the combat zone.
[14:40:03]
But there's still a lot that, you know, needs to be done in terms of more precise targeting. And quite frankly, messaging to the local population,
it's a very difficult problem. They have done some of these things. But they haven't always been as effective as they should be. And that death
toll is a very, very high death toll in an age when we have precision- guided munitions and other capabilities that should allow us to minimize casualties like this.
KINKADE: Col. Cedric Leighton, good to have you on the program. Thanks so much for your time.
LEIGHTON: You bet, Lynda.
KINKADE: Well, Israel detained thousands of Palestinian workers after the terror attacks on October 7. The workers had received permits to take jobs
in Israel and the occupied West Bank and then found themselves trapped in limbo. Many of them have finally been returned to Gaza, but they're now
accusing Israeli authorities of physical and psychological abuse.
I'm going to bring in CNN's Nada Bashir, who joins us live from Jerusalem. Good to have you with us now. So you have heard horrific testimonies from
Palestinians stranded outside of Gaza when this war broke out. They were detained by Israeli forces, now deported back to Gaza. What have they been
telling you?
NADA BASHIR, CNN CORRESPONDENT: You're absolutely right. These are horrifying testimonies from some of those who were detained by the Israeli
authorities. As you mentioned, thousands of Palestinians in Gaza aren't given permits to work inside Israel proper. And we've been hearing from
some of those who had their work permits revoked after the October 7 Hamas attacks, they were stranded in limbo, some attempted to go into the
occupied West Bank where they were detained.
And what we have seen now unfolding over the last four weeks is hundreds of Palestinian Gaza workers who have been detained but also thousands of
others who are now in the occupied West Bank, essentially stranded living in temporary shelters. And for many of these Gazan workers, they do not
have the ability to contact loved ones at home. For those that were in detention, they had no awareness, many of them, of the extent of the
tragedy going on inside the Gaza Strip.
And our teams on the ground in Gaza were able to speak to some of those who crossed back in after being bust nearby in the border by the Israeli
military. Some of them told us that they had to walk for three hours in the heat for making it across to the Kerem Shalom crossing. But of course, as
you heard that, there are some pretty horrifying testimonies in this report. Take a look.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BASHIR (voice-over): Bound, blindfolded, some even stripped. In this video, the jeers of Israeli soldiers abusing and mocking Palestinian workers from
Gaza, detained in Israel just days after the beginning of the war.
At the Kerem Shalom crossing, men wait anxiously, hoping that their brothers, fathers, sons are among the Palestinian workers who have finally
been returned to Gaza by the Israeli military. Thousands of Gazan workers like these men had their permits to work in Israel revoked after the
October 7th Hamas attack. But with no option to return home, many attempted to flee to the occupied West Bank, only to then be detained.
"They tied our hands behind our backs, blindfolded us and led us onto a bus. I don't know where they took us, but there were about 2 to 300 Gazan
workers held there." Some of the men here are visibly weak, and with each crossing more stories of abuse, and even torture.
One man telling CNN he witnessed the use of electric shocks on detainees. "They put us in cages like dogs. They beat us and insulted us. They didn't
care if you were sick or injured. Some men even died on the way here because they were beaten and subjected to electric shocks. Everyday felt
like death. They would give us a cucumber to share between six people and a small piece of bread."
And Israeli security official could not say where the electric shock tactics were used, but told CNN that the IDF is aware of several incidents
of abuse against the Gazan workers and Palestinians in the occupied West Bank, adding the these cases are being treated seriously with disciplinary
action set to have been taken against several soldiers identified in social media video.
But NGO workers at the Palestinian Prisoners Society say this is a systemic issue with few legal safeguards in place of Palestinians. "We've received
horrific first-hand testimonies," Amani Sarahneh tells me. "They didn't do anything wrong. They weren't charged with anything. Yet many of them were
interrogated and systematically tortured.
[14:45:02]
They were abused and brutally beaten. They faced all kinds of dehumanization and insults.
In the occupied West Bank, there are thousands of Gazan workers still stranded, desperate to be reunited with loved ones praying every day for
their safety. Maher Al-Skeik was working in Israel with his son, Mafiq, but he hasn't seen or heard from him in almost a month. "I don't know where he
is, whether he's in prison or dead. He's my son my whole life. He came here to work, to be able to feed his children. He wasn't here to join in any
fight. He wasn't here to cause trouble."
But just as there are fears for those still missing, at this center sheltering stranded Gazan workers, there is also indescribable anguish over
the safety of family members back home in Gaza. "My family is now spread out all across Gaza. They've all had to leave the Jabalia Refugee Camp
because of the airstrikes. When I am able to reach them, all I hear is misery. Every day is another catastrophe.
For weeks, many of these men have had no contact with their families. The Gaza they left behind now changed forever. But for those now across the
border, the relief of being freed from detention and reuniting with loved ones is clear. But many have not returned with thousands still stuck in the
occupied West Bank, and others still missing.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BASHIR (on camera): Look, Lynda, the Israel Defense Forces have told CNN that they are aware of the deaths of at least two Gazan workers who were in
detention. But they've told CNN that these deaths were not the result of abuse, but rather the result of long-term chronic illnesses.
But we do know that here in Israel, at least six human rights organizations have now filed a petition with Israel's Supreme Court, arguing that the
detention and the arrest of these Gazan workers were carried out without legal grounds. And this is really an issue which has been a point of
controversy here still in the occupied West Bank. As we saw ourselves, thousands of Gazan workers are in limbo stranded, are being put up in
temporary shelters.
And, of course, they are deeply worried about their families back home. Many of them told us that even if those airstrikes continue to intensify,
they still wish to return to be with their loved ones. Lynda.
KINKADE: All right. We'll have to leave it there for now. Nada Bashir, good to have you with us on that story. Thanks so much.
Well, still to come tonight, the queen of Jordan speaks to CNN saying you can be both pro-Palestinian and anti-Hamas. We'll have her interview when
we come back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[14:50:27]
KINKADE: Welcome back. This week, we'll showcase environmental activist from all over the world who are going green to preserve our planet's most
precious resource, water. In Cape Town South Africa, marine scientists are using artificial intelligence to protect aquatic life and the ocean they
live in.
Here's CNN's Bianca Nobilo with more.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BIANCA NOBILO, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The Ocean off the coast of Cape Town, South Africa is home to a captivating underwater world known as
The Great African Sea Forest. It's one of the most biodiverse marine environments on the planet. A desire to study and play a part in conserving
this rich ecosystem is what drew marine scientists Mike Barron and Dylan Irion to Cape Town. They co-founded Cape research and Diver Development, or
CAPE RADD, an organization dedicated to marine research that engages both biologists and citizen scientists.
MIKE BARRON, MARINE BIOLOGIST & CO-FOUNDER OF CAPE RADD: I wanted to create something which allowed people accessibility and engagement in marine
conservation science without having to be a scientist.
NOBILO (voice-over): South Africa is a global hotspot for the elusive shy shark.
BARRON: They get their name shy sharks because when they are afraid, or under attack, perhaps by a predator, they carry themselves up in a tight
little donut like ball and they hide their heads under their tails. So, it almost looks like they're kind of a bit shy and reframing.
NOBILO (voice-over): There is very little information on these small thin creatures, so Dylan and Mike launched Fin Spotter, a high-tech shock
monitoring database to help study and protect them.
DYLAN IRION, MARINE BIOLOGIST & CO-FOUNDER OF CAPE RADD: What we do with fin spotter is several things. We can train machine learning models, or AI,
to identify what species are in an image and where they are. And then we can take that a step further and find whether we've seen the shark before
or not.
BARRON: A thirds of the sharks and rays found in southern Africa are on the IUCN endangered list. So, if we were to lose these sharks, then it could
cause massive ecological knock-on effects. Basically, every piece of data that's collected is telling a part of the story, and that can help us
conserve the planet better.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
KINKADE: For more stories about protecting our planet, you can head to cnn.com/goinggreen.
Still to come tonight, our conversation with Jordan's Queen, Rania. She weighs in on the war between Israel and Hamas and what it means for the
region.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[14:55:34]
KINKADE: Welcome back. Queen Rania of Jordan is addressing support for the Palestinian people. On Sunday, she spoke with our Becky Anderson about the
Israel-Hamas war calling again for a ceasefire. Here's part of that conversation.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
RANIA AL ABDULLAH, QUEEN CONSORT OF JORDAN: Let me be very, very clear, being pro-Palestinian is not being anti-Semitic. Being pro-Palestinian does
not mean you're pro-Hamas or pro-terrorism. I think Israel deserves more from its allies than just unequivocal support. I think it deserves some
uncomfortable truths, because if you're a real friend, you support your friend when they're right. But you also tell them when they've crossed the
line.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KINKADE: And that was CNN's Becky Anderson speaking with the Queen Rania of Jordan.
Thanks so much for watching tonight, I'm Lynda Kinkade. Stay with CNN. Quest Means Business is next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
END
