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One World with Zain Asher
Israel And Hamas Agree To First Phase Of Gaza Ceasefire Plan; Trump Holds Cabinet Meeting After Announcing Gaza Deal; Celebrations In Gaza And Israel After Announcement Of Deal; U.S. Military Members To Miss Paychecks Next Week; Aired 12-1p ET
Aired October 09, 2025 - 12:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This is CNN Breaking News.
ZAIN ASHER, CNN ANCHOR: All right. Coming to you live from New York, I'm Zain Asher.
BIANNA GOLODRYGA, CNN ANCHOR: And I'm Bianna Golodryga. You're watching the second hour of "One World."
Any minute now, we're expecting to hear from U.S. President Donald Trump after he announced some momentous news overnight. Israel and Hamas have
agreed to the first phase of a U.S. brokered ceasefire plan.
ASHER: Yes. The plan takes effect immediately after the Israeli government approves the 20-point plan put forward by Mr. Trump, after two years of war
tens of thousands of deaths and dozens of hostages still held captive. The news of a deal sparked jubilation among both Israelis and Palestinians.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
(CHANTING AND CHEERING)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GOLODRYGA: In Gaza, medics bowed and prayed while people danced, sang, and cheered. There were similar scenes of jubilation in Israel as well.
Amid the optimism, some major sticking points have yet to be addressed including disarmament of Hamas and the future governance for Gaza.
ASHER: For now, there are signs that some violence continues in the enclave. Explosions were heard in Gaza Thursday morning and Israeli tanks
opened fire in at least one part of the enclave. The IDF says smoke bombs were fired too.
GOLODRYGA: CNN international diplomatic editor Nic Robertson is standing by in Cairo for us.
But first, let's begin our coverage at the White House with reporter Alayna Treene. Alayna, we have another cabinet meeting that the president is
expecting to begin any moment now.
Typically, the focus would be on the government shutdown and rightly so, but can't take away from what a historic moment it was last night where the
president announced on social media following images of him being told about a deal on the table by his secretary of state caught on, on
television.
Just walk us through how the president has responded to this news and the really integral role he's played in getting us here.
ALAYNA TREENE, CNN WHITE HOUSE REPORTER: No. I mean, this is, I have to say, a remarkable accomplishment for the president, of course, his top
aides and diplomats who have been working so closely on this. Not even for the last several months, but some of these negotiations, Bianna and Zain,
began even before he entered office for his second term.
I'd remind you that his Middle East Envoy Steve Witkoff, he was during the transition period after Donald Trump had won the election, but before he
had been sworn back into the Oval Office, Steve Witkoff was working with the Biden administration on trying to get a ceasefire proposal together.
Now, of course, we know that that fell apart in the months after Trump took office.
But this has been a big, of course, goal of theirs, one of the president's top priorities when coming into the White House. And so for them to have at
least this first part of the agreement struck is a huge accomplishment for them, one that, of course, the president is celebrating many others in the
West Wing and in that building behind me are also continuing to celebrate today.
But as you mentioned, of course, the big question now is what will happen next. Because what they did agree to is just some of the roughly four
points of that 20-point ceasefire proposal that the president had laid out. Part of it, of course, is having the release of all hostages both living
and dead. We are told to expect those -- that release to happen on Monday, at least Monday, U.S. time.
But also, you know, to have Israel withdraw back -- withdraw out of Gaza to a certain point a yellow line, you know, to send aid into Gaza. So those
are things that have been agreed to.
What still needs to be agreed to, and this is going to be some of the thorniest part of these ongoing negotiations, are -- is this disarmament of
Hamas, as well as what the future government of Gaza and who will be governing Gaza will look like.
We heard the president say last night during an interview on Fox News that he wants to set up what he's calling a council of peace to help deal with
that issue. But there are a lot more, of course, broader parts of this that they still need to figure out.
And as well, I should note, is they do really do want this to be a longer term piece deal. So not necessarily just a ceasefire and an end to the war,
but how can they set up the Middle East and the region as a whole to avoid conflicts like this in the future.
[12:05:38]
I know that the president has also been talking about, you know, wanting Iran to have some sort of role in it and a longer term peace deal. So
there's still so much work that needs to be done.
And just some quick news that we're getting, you know, as we wait for the president to address his cabinet any moment now, is that Steve Witkoff,
like I said, his Middle East envoy and Jared Kushner, his son-in-law, someone who has been very involved in these negotiations, both Kushner and
Witkoff, were at the table in Egypt participating in these negotiations.
They have just arrived in Israel to continue some more of these talks from there. We also know that they had met earlier today in Egypt with the
Egyptian President El-Sisi.
And then, of course, we're still watching to see the president who has said that he wants to go, not only to Israel, but also to Egypt in the coming
days. I'm told that he wants to do that around the release of the hostages.
We're waiting to see what that could look like. Of course, a lot of work on this White House team to try and put something like that together at such a
short notice, but that is currently their plan.
So a lot more to come after this announcement of that initial agreement to this first part of the proposal. And all of that we'll be keeping a close
eye on.
ASHER: All right. Alayna, stand by.
Nic, let me go to you, because Netanyahu, of course, has been criticized by many members of the Israeli public, especially, obviously, the hostage
families, but even beyond, that -- that he has this kind of vested interest in keeping this war going for as long as possible for obvious political
reasons.
Based on that, and based on the fact that it is highly unlikely that, according to experts, that Hamas will end up disarming, laying down their
weapons completely, how likely is it that the IDF, that Netanyahu is going to allow the ceasefire deal to reach phase two?
NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMATIC EDITOR: It does appear to be on track that they will agree within the security cabinet and cabinet this
evening that they will have the meeting, and then they will have a separate meeting to have a vote to agree the first phase.
And I expect that will be cast very strongly as the first phase, something of a victory and a success, a first phase that only includes these specific
issues of hostage-release prisoner exchange and ceasefire, and doesn't get into all the muddy sort of detail that we've just been talking about here.
If there were delays in that vote, because the prime minister was on the --
GOLODRYGA: I have to cut you off, Nic. I'm sorry. We're going to go right to the White House now where the president is speaking about this historic
deal and his cabinet meeting.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Peace in the Middle East. We secured the release of all of the remaining hostages. And they should be
released on Monday or Tuesday.
Getting them is a complicated process. I'd rather not tell you what they have to do to get them. There are places you don't want to be, but we are
getting the hostages back on -- on Tuesday, Monday or Tuesday. And that will be a day of joy.
I'm going to try and make a trip over. We're going to try and get over there. And we're working on the timing, the exact timing. We're going to go
to Egypt where we'll have a signing, an additional signing. We've already had a signing representing me, but we're going to have an official signing.
And the amazing thing is all of the countries over there from Qatar to Saudi Arabia to UAE to all of them, the rich ones, the less than rich ones,
they've all come together, something which is amazing, actually. They've all come together for this, and they're really probably the best
relationships they've ever had.
So, it's been really something incredible that nobody thought it was possible to get it done. And very importantly, the hostages are coming
back. The -- as you know, they consider them hostages. They talk about them as hostages, but there are approximately 28 dead people, mostly young,
mostly men, but -- and boys. I mean, boys.
The one woman talked about her baby. Her baby's 25 years old. But, you know, her and her baby. And we're -- we're bringing them home. We're
getting them to getting everything.
And to those parents, the -- the dead young man is just as important, as though it were -- as though this person were alive. It's amazing. I've
never seen anything quite like it. I've been very much involved. I've never seen anything quite like it.
But it's -- it's really peace in the Middle East. And you remember October 7th was terrible, but also from the Hamas standpoint, they've probably lost
70,000 people. That's big retribution. That's big retribution.
[12:10:59]
But at some point, that whole -- that whole thing has to stop. And we're going to see too that Gaza's going to be slowly redone. You have tremendous
wealth in that part of the world by certain countries. And just a small part of that, what they -- what they make will do wonders for -- for Gaza.
And I think you can see some tremendous countries stepping up and putting up a lot of money and taking care of things.
But this tremendous spirit, like I haven't seen, and even the news, I won't call it fake news for this purpose because they really were very fair
today, I must tell you, in a-- in all cases. But they covered it very well. They covered it very fairly. Everybody loves it. Everybody.
People that would never give a hustle fair shake, frankly, they -- they -- they can't even believe it. So they're amazed by it. A lot of people are.
But it was just everything came together.
I think the attack was very important on -- on Iran because, let's say, that didn't happen. They'd probably, by now, have a nuclear weapon,
numerous nuclear weapons. And, therefore, even if we signed a deal, there'd be a big, dark cloud over it, and it wouldn't be the same thing. So Iran's
different.
But Iran wants to work on peace now. They've informed us. And they've acknowledged that they're totally in favor of this deal. They think it's a
great thing. So we appreciate that. And we'll -- we'll work with Iran.
As you know, we have major sanctions on Iran. Lots of other things. We'd like to see them be able to rebuild their country, too. But they can't have
a nuclear weapon.
So, I want to express my tremendous gratitude to the leaders of Qatar, Egypt, and Turkey, for helping us reach this incredible day and for being
there. They were there with us all the way. And, of course, as you know, Saudi Arabia and Jordan and so many.
I will tell you, President Erdogan was personally involved in dealing with Hamas and some of the others. He's been great. They've all been -- they've
all been really amazing. Indonesia's been amazing. Indonesia's been fantastic.
The whole world has come together for this. People that didn't get along, people that didn't like each other, neighboring countries that frankly
didn't like each other. But now, they have just this moment in time.
So, we look forward to welcoming the hostages like you can't believe, home to their families. And that will take place early next week. We hope Monday
or Tuesday. And all Americans should be proud of the role that our country has played in bringing this terrible conflict to the end -- to an end.
And I want to thank, I mean, some of the people, J.D., you were fantastic. And, Pete, you were great. Marco was fantastic. I mean, some of you who
were very much involved. I'm looking around.
So, indirectly, I think almost everybody in this room was involved. Susie, I want to thank you very much. You were incredible. You've done an
incredible job.
So, and yes, John, what you've done was invaluable. CIA, John Ratcliffe and -- he's done an incredible job.
So I want to thank you all. And if I'm missing anybody, I apologize. But you've been amazing. And then you have Steve Witkoff who works so hard. And
you remember, we settled seven. This is number eight. We settled seven wars, or major conflicts, but wars. And this is number eight.
And the one that I thought would be maybe the quickest of all would be Russia, Ukraine. And I think that's going to happen too. But in the
meantime, they're losing about 7,000 people a week. And that seems pretty bad. They're losing mostly soldiers, young soldiers. They go out to war and
they -- they're getting killed.
And while it doesn't affect us in a lot of ways, we're -- we've got a big ocean in between, you don't want to see that happen. It was a big mistake.
That war should have never happened. It would have never happened if I were president.
So, we're here this morning for a cabinet meeting as my administration continues to deliver for the American people. And despite the radical left
lunatics that shut down our government, you have Democrats that -- they've lost their way. They have no leadership.
We don't even know who to deal with over there. At least they know who to deal with. We are -- we have no idea who we're dealing with over there.
It's like they have no idea what they're doing.
Republicans have voted repeatedly to pass a clean, nonpartisan bill to reopen government at the same funding levels. We're not going to do
anything only good for healthcare. We're -- we're really, I think, become the party of good healthcare. And they keep using healthcare as a -- a
cudgel. And want to try and get everyone thinking about healthcare.
We're the ones that are saving healthcare. In fact, one of the things we're doing is we're going to be reducing the costs of medicines by 100 percent,
200, 300, 500 percent, and even more than that.
[12:15:08]
Because as you know, we're in the process of favored nations right now. We've exercised at laws because we were subsidizing the entire world. The
entire world pays a fraction of what the United States has been paying.
And we've already numerous, Pfizer, and other country -- companies have already signed. And other countries are a bigger problem because they've
been getting a subsidized rate. We've been paying for years. This has gone on for 30 years. We've been reducing the rate of drugs for other countries
because we've been paying much more than we're supposed to.
And they used all sorts of ideas like research and development. I said, what about Germany? What about these other countries? Aren't they paying?
No, no. We have to pay research and development.
It was all nonsense that I didn't -- I just -- I couldn't listen to it anymore. So it's a very radical, big, tough shift, very tough. We had a lot
of things gone up there.
But, you know, and you probably heard me say this. In my first term, I think it was my third year, we reduced drugs from one -- from the beginning
of the year to the end of the year. And I was so proud of it. It -- actually, I had a news conference to announce it. And it was one-eighth of
one percent, think of that, which is barely a reduction.
But it's the first time in 28 years that there was a reduction in drug prices for the year. So from the beginning to the end, it was one-eighth of
one percent. And I was so proud of myself. I did something that nobody else could deal with.
But what I started to think about it, I said, doesn't make sense. And then I'm starting to look at numbers where a pill or a treatment or some
pharmaceutical product is selling in Europe for 10 percent of what we pay for in New York City or in any one of our places in cities, states.
And then I see people leaving for other -- other countries to go by their pharmaceuticals, where they'd make journeys to various other countries,
including Europe, where they got the best bargains of all. And I put and end to it. It's over.
And now we're, you know, major, I guess, disputes. But we're winning the disputes by a lot. With the countries, a couple of countries said, we won't
do this. I said, well, it's unfair that we're paying 10 percent. And, you know, you -- you're -- you're paying just a fraction of what we're paying
for the same product made in the same plant.
And they said, well, we just -- we're not going to do it. And I said, that's OK. You don't have to do it. But I'm going to put a tariff of nine
percent or seven percent, or whatever the amount of money is.
And I'm going to put a tariff on your country for the amount of money that you're taking advantage of. And I said, no, no, no. You guys said, I can do
that. I'm going to do that. And they would immediately agree.
And it'd make the tariff substantially more than the number we're talking about. And they would immediately agree.
So we have the consent, I think, Bobby, of every country, essentially. They know that if they don't do it, we're going to put a tariff on for double
the price. And then they're going to do it. So we never had that before.
You never had anybody in here that knew what the hell they were doing. I'll be honest with you. Really, it makes me angry. Because for years and years,
and this started many years ago, and basically we subsidized the world.
So, this is going to have a huge positive impact on Medicare, Medicaid, even Social Security. But anything where there's pharmaceuticals drugs
involved, it's going to have a tremendous impact.
So we're going to get drug reductions of 100 percent. I told you one-eighth of one percent that are as proud of myself. Now, you're going to get 100
percent, 150 percent, 200, 300, 400, 500 percent. You're going to get the biggest drug reductions that you've ever seen. And they're already, I
guess, they're starting to kick in.
But we've made deals with numerous companies. We're -- and we're -- we're going for the full world. We want whatever the price is.
So that would mean that the world price, because the world is bigger than the United States, a lot more people. But the world price will go up a
little bit and our price will come down a lot.
So if a pill sells for $10 in London and $100 here, the pill will go to $20 in London and $20 for us. It's pretty simple. And that is a number that
nobody can even fathom. It's a little like tariffs. Nobody knew how big they were. Nobody knew until they started seeing the trillions of dollars
that have come in. I don't know why they didn't understand it. It's something they should have understood.
We were taking advantage of for years with tariffs. And now, I don't want to say we're taking advantage, but we've -- we've become a very strong
country because of the money that's coming in.
[12:20:09]
Republicans have voted repeatedly to pass a clean, non-partisan bill to reopen our government. And remember, at the same funding levels, both
parties have supported in the past.
So the radical Democrats have chosen to put the economy to our country. We have the best economy we've ever had. We had the best economy in my first
term, but we have an economy that's blowing it away. And we have the Democrats are trying to obstruct.
I didn't want to have a good economy. I don't think they want to have a good country. That's why they try and stop our law enforcement from doing
what we did in Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., we have a great, safe, beautiful Capitol right now. Beautiful. It's so safe. You can walk down the street. Numerous people
standing before me were mugged. And you're not going to get mugged anymore. We have a safe Capitol, one of the safest.
We took it from one of the most unsafe places to one of the most safe places in the country. And we also beautified it. And we're in the process
of doing even more so. So we're very proud of our Capitol. Again, we were embarrassed by our Capitol.
A lot of people being killed. They'd come from Iowa, Indiana, Florida. They'd come up and they end up getting shot. They're not getting shot. We
moved down 1,700 people approximately, right? Approximately 1,700 hardened criminals, career criminals. They moved them out.
So Chuck Schumer and Hakeem Jeffries and the Congressional Democrats are holding the entire federal government hostage.
I will tell you, a lot of Democrats want to get this thing open too. They do. They're calling us and they want to -- they just want to get -- get it
open. And all we're doing is saying, just play the same thing until we get it straight.
And they -- they don't know how to go about it. I mean, it's true. And the problem is we really don't know who the hell is leading the Democrats. You
have this AOC. I don't know at all. But I watched her the other day. She said, well, if they want, they could come to my office. That's not
leadership, you know.
The only one that challenged her actually was Nancy Pelosi and Nancy -- Nancy's not looking too good. I don't know what that -- what happened to
Nancy, but she's not looking great. But she -- she was the only one I give a credit. She was the only one that challenged her.
But AOC said that they can come to her office and negotiate the Republicans. And we're saying, oh, I didn't know she was in leadership. But
she's taking Hakeem Jeffries place. And Schumer's afraid that she's going to run against him. And right now, I don't know. It can change. Life is
crazy, right?
But right now, he can't beat -- I don't think he can beat anybody. So, he'll be -- he'll lose in a primary. I would say he'll retire before he --
before he loses in a primary. So, I think Schumer's going to retire because he can't beat anybody. His polls are so bad.
Meanwhile, the Democrat's shutdown his causing pain and suffering for hardworking Americans, including our military, our air traffic controllers,
and impoverished mothers, people with young children, people that have to live not the greatest of lives.
But we're doing so many tax cuts. We've cut their taxes. The great Big, Beautiful Bill. We've cut their taxes at levels that nobody's ever seen. I
mean, no tax on tips, no tax on Social Security, no tax on overtime. It's been a great thing for a lot of people. They're doing -- they're doing
great.
Despite all of the damage that it's caused, the shutdown has been, you know, pretty damaging. I mean, it's not yet because it's early, but it gets
a little bit worse as it goes along.
And we'll be making cuts that will be permanent. And we're only going to cut Democrat programs. I hate to tell you. I guess that makes sense. But
we're only cutting Democrat programs. But we're going to start that.
And we have Russell who can talk to you about it if he wants to, but we're -- we'll be cutting some very popular Democrat programs that aren't popular
with Republicans.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GOLODRYGA: All right. We've been listening to the president there in a cabinet meeting there in the Oval Office or in the White House meeting with
members of his cabinet now talking about day nine of the government shutdown, which unfortunately doesn't look like it's anywhere close to
ending at this point. It's really at an impasse between the two sides.
But a historic moment overnight where an impasse over the last two years in a brutal war in Gaza that began on the attacks of October 7th on Israel by
Hamas has finally come to a ceasefire. And that was brokered by the president himself, highly involved in these negotiations last night, making
the announcement that the first phase of his 20-point plan will be implemented in just hours' time.
His envoys in the region right now. The president saying that he -- the -- the hostages, all of the remaining hostages, both alive and deceased, will
be returned by Monday or Tuesday, he said, as well as also noting he himself plans to visit the region.
[12:25:16]
ASHER: Yes. He did talk about the fact that getting the hostages out is no doubt a complicated process. And, of course, you know, there is cautious
optimism. A lot could still go wrong between now and Monday and Tuesday, but there is so much optimism.
I do want to bring in our CNN diplomatic editor, Nic Robertson. And -- and, Nic, you know, the fact is that it is highly unlikely we would have gotten
to this point without President Trump. And he has achieved something that his predecessor couldn't.
I mean, this is not just an important moment in history for Israel and the Palestinians in terms of this deal, but a really important moment for
Donald Trump's legacy in the Middle East. Talk us through that.
ROBERTSON: Yes. It feels if -- as if it is an important moment, but -- but also an important opportunity. President Trump has been often criticized
with not keeping his focus on attention on issues over the long period.
And so this will be an opportunity where he's been able to prove his critics wrong, that he's been able to deliver something. And as he was
telling everyone around the cabinet table there, this is now the eighth piece deal that he's been able to bring, whether they've been in Africa,
between India and Pakistan, et cetera. He's done this.
But the criticism has been that his attention moves on. There will be plenty here to keep his attention focused if he so chooses.
And I think he still has more than three years to run on his presidency. So it's also a long period of time for his track record on establishing the
peace here and bringing meaning and stability and real change to the region to be -- to be judged on. The accolades are flowing now. And as you say,
rightly so.
It struck me as well listening that the fact that hostages won't be released until Monday or Tuesday, what a yawning and painful and difficult
chasm of time that is, almost another eternity, one that has a certainty or an apparent certainty of ending that the families will get their loved ones
back. But what a long time to be waiting.
To me, it sort of begs part of the question, why isn't that happening more quickly? And I think that we don't have an answer to that because we don't
know the details of what was being discussed.
And interestingly, the president is saying he will visit Egypt and he will be here for a signing. So the fact that will happen over the weekend,
perhaps more detail will be put down, perhaps more points will be hammered out. And that will become apparent in this 20-point plan.
But I think the scope here is job well done, tick in the box, an opportunity to do so much more now opens up.
ASHER: All right. Nic Robertson live for us there. Thank you so much.
Our next guest is Firas Maksad, the managing director for the Middle East and North Africa at the Eurasia Group. Firas joins us live now from
Washington, D.C.
I want to talk about the perspective of the people of Gaza because women, children, innocent victims, they have been through hell. Right? Hell over
the past two years.
What changes for them materially on the ground? I mean, as of now, it is Thursday in Gaza. You know, of course, they're still suffering just in
terms of the humanitarian perspective as it pertains to food, water, access to medicine, hospitals, of course, overcrowded.
But come next week, we understand that there will be more humanitarian aid let through. We know that Egypt is assisting with that. But just explain to
us what changes now for -- for Gazans.
FIRAS MAKSAD, MANAGING DIRECTOR FOR THE MIDDLE EAST AND NORTH AFRICA, EURASIA GROUP: Well, thank you very much for bringing in that humanitarian
angle because often it gets sort of pushed to the side when we're talking about the geopolitics of things, that the sheer humanity of those suffering
on the ground when it comes to Gaza, some 67,000 Palestinians, according to the Hamas-run Ministry of Health, have lost their lives.
And for them, it was very clear just watching the footages, the -- the jubilations as late at night, 3:00, 4:00 A.M. in the morning. Those
Palestinians in Gaza were awoken to that wonderful news that this two-year travesty that they've been suffering has -- has finally hopefully come to
an end.
Now, that said, there is also political implications here in terms of the sentiment on the ground. Hamas, no doubt, no doubt in my mind, no matter
how they spin this, how they message this, and they will, has lost a lot of its popularity, a lot of that support base.
Many Palestinians, certainly in -- in Gaza who have suffered perhaps the West Bank, easier for Palestinians there to continue to support, you know,
resistance against Israel, but many Gazans will be asking what Hamas put them through and whether it was all worth it in terms of the deal that is
currently being implemented.
[12:30:18]
GOLODRYGA: Yes, no doubt. And, Firas, I want to ask you a question that I asked Amit Segal, Israeli journalist who is very well-sourced within the
Netanyahu government. And the question is, Hamas has been presented even recently, just a few weeks ago, with for them, what would have amounted to
a better deal than what they ultimately agreed to now. And I'm wondering why.
Now, Amit Segal says that a lot of it had to do with that failed strike in Qatar against the Hamas leadership there. Prime Minister Netanyahu would
like to say that was a win, even though it was a failure in terms of achieving their goals.
But we also know that it changed the course of these negotiations, not only from the White House's perspective, but also from other Arab and Muslim
countries as well, and the pressure that they've put on Hamas.
So walk us through why you think this deal was something Hamas didn't have any other options but to say yes to.
MAKSAD: So, the -- the Israeli strike on Doha, Qatar was no doubt a watershed moment. So this is a deal that's been negotiated outside in and
not inside out. Let me explain.
It was very clear from what we just heard from President Trump himself on the White House and that cabinet meeting, again, profusely thanking all the
regional players for the role they played in bringing this to an end.
Very clear here on the backend of that very failed Israeli strike on Doha because they failed to hit the target. These Hamas negotiators survived.
There was significant reputational fallout for Israel and certainly that humiliating apology that President Trump forced Benjamin Netanyahu to do,
putting in that phone call to the prime minister of Qatar while in the Oval Office.
But nonetheless, what happened on the backend of that, the -- the security guarantees that President Trump provided the Qataris, but also what he
provided the other regional players. You know, he gave the Jordanians and the Emiratis what they wanted, the assurance that there will be no
annexation in the West Bank. And he did that very visibly on -- on screen.
And then that there will be no mass deportation of Palestinians from Gaza and to Sinai, something the Egyptians very much wanted.
Even we heard him reference, yet again, the important role played by President Erdogan of Turkey. We know he has a -- a strong relationship
there. Turkey has been making progress with the U.S. on its F-35 program, you know, access to this -- to the latest American fifth-generation
fighters, but also kind of a pass on continued import of Russian gas.
So, the president here followed an outside-in approach to bring pressure on Hamas to isolate it. And that's an addition, of course, to the Israeli
military role in undermining Hamas militarily.
And then lastly, the Iranians, which are the spoiler in all this, had been significantly degraded in terms of their demolished access, the regional
access in the region, Hezbollah and Lebanon being primary, but also their nuclear capabilities.
So for all those reasons, President Trump succeeded where few thought that he would. And when he lacked in his nuanced understanding of the dynamics
of the region, he more than compensated for with the leverage that he was able to bring to bear.
ASHER: All right. Firas Maksad, thank you so much.
We'll be right back with more after this short break.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[12:35:19]
ASHER: As part of the Gaza ceasefire deal, Hamas has agreed to return hostages to Israel. It is after 7:30 in the evening in Tel Aviv, crowds are
still gathered to celebrate the news in Hostage Square. Hamas and its allies still hold 48 hostages in Gaza. The Israeli government believes that
at least 20 of them are still alive.
GOLODRYGA: President Trump says the release will likely happen on Monday or Tuesday. A group of hostage families thanked the president during the phone
call.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Mr. President, we believe in you. We know you've done so much for us over the past since you became a president and even before
that. And we trust you fulfill the mission until every hostage, every 48 of the hostages are home. Thank you so much. Blessed be the peacemakers.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: God bless you, Mr. President. God bless America.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GOLODRYGA: That was a frequent guest of the show. Moshe Lavi, whose brother-in-law, Omri Miran, is also among those hostages expected to be
reunited with their families.
Well, some of the families, like the Neutras, are hoping to get the remains of their loved ones back.
Omer Neutra, an American-Israeli citizen was killed during the Hamas-led attack on October 7th, 2023. His body is still being held in Gaza right now
and will hopefully be coming home and reunited with his parents very, very soon.
Joining us now for "The Exchange" are Omer's parents, Orna and Ronen Neutra.
Orna and Ronen, we just spoke last week. I believe on the eve of Yom Kippur, where we were very hopeful of a possible deal. But we've been
hopeful and heartbroken, ultimately, so many times.
Now, it does seem like this time is different. And I'd like to put up pictures of you meeting with the president. You've met with him a number of
times. You've spoken with him a number of times. And he constantly talks, yes, about the hostages he's met with and the living hostages.
But it is really clear how moved he is by families like yours. He didn't mention you by name, but I'm pretty sure he just referenced you from the
White House when he said that he is just so emotional when he hears family members and parents of those who were killed, who are just as eager to
bring their loved ones home as those that are still living.
Just talk about this moment for you and the relationship that you've built with the president along the way.
ORNA NEUTRA, MOTHER OF OMER NEUTRA KILLED IN OCTOBER 7 ATTACKS: So the president, you're right, Bianna, he contact us -- contacted us multiple
times throughout the past two years. And when Omer was announced as killed on October 7th, this was December 1st, 2024, the president called us. We
were Sitting Shiva to share his condolences.
[12:40:16]
And we told them at the time that we are not done, you know, that Omer is not back, that he's still being held hostage and that we will continue to
fight to bring him back. His first response was, you know, surprised.
I think he -- he -- this wasn't the natural turn of events for him, but he commended us and we explained that it's part of our culture and it's part
of our religion that respect for the deceased and the proper burial are part of the ethos of the Israeli culture and part of our culture and -- and
religion and -- and we have to bring Omer back.
And since then, he's been -- he's been talking about -- he's been talking about the families. There are 28 families just like ours that have been
separated from our loved ones who paid the -- the ultimate price for -- for this disaster and they deserve to be brought back to Israel as much as the
living hostages.
ASHER: Orna, I just want to start by saying, I am so deeply sorry for your loss and Ronen obviously as well. And I will never ever understand what
these past two years have been like for you.
And, you know, so many of the families, of the 20 families, who have loved ones held in Gaza and those loved ones are still alive. Next week, they're
going to be confronted with quite a happy ending.
And for the families who've loved ones are no longer here, it's very different. And, you know, it breaks my heart that while you are going to
have this reunion with Omer, it's not the reunion of course that you wanted.
And so I think I just want to ask you how are you preparing emotionally for what is about to come your way on Monday or Tuesday as the president talked
about?
RONEN NEUTRA, FATHER OF OMER NEUTRA KILLED IN OCTOBER 7 ATTACKS: Well, it's going to be difficult. I think what's -- what's crazy in the whole sequence
of events is that we, like the other hostage family of deceased hostages, have been under a terrorist attack for two years.
This is -- we're still stuck on October 7. We're living in a parallel universe. We -- we are not mourning. We haven't found the -- the time
because we are fighting and we were fighting to get 251 hostages back, most of them are back already, 48 are left.
We fought so hard to get to this point where President Trump put the brakes on this war, coordinated like your previous speaker talked about.
Everything that basically forced both Hamas and Israel to reach the point of agreement. It's -- it's a very unique way of thinking that we encouraged
in our conversations with the administration, think out of the box, come with a plan to take everybody out first and foremost, because the hostages
are the key.
And once you unlock the hostages, nobody will really have a reason for a war. The war will end. Israel will ceasefire with Hamas and finally the
whole Middle East could start rebuild. And the people in Israel and the people in Gaza deserve this peace and stability that President Trump
probably succeeded to bring to the -- to the area with his determination.
And we are forever grateful. Of course, this will be a very difficult time seeing the -- the live hostages reunite with their parents and family. For
us, we've seen it before. It fills our heart with --with love. Those are -- we feel like they are our family members.
Yet, our -- we're not going to have an happy ending. In the -- in the best case scenario, we're going to bury our son and give him the respect of the
hero that he was and get some closure and -- and start the healing process of our family.
We haven't started it as of yet. And we are reminding that there are two American-Israeli hostages stealing captivity among the 48. Forty-five
Americans were murdered on October 7, 12 hostages came back, American hostages. And now, there's still two remaining.
And -- and we're so thankful for President Trump and his administration for doing everything in their power to get them back as well as all the
hostages. And that, obviously, is going to unfold in the next few days and we're hoping to be there to embrace everybody and be together with our
family.
[12:45:11]
GOLODRYGA: Well, Ronen and Orna --
O. NEUTRA: Yes, sorry. I was going to say that you were -- you were showing a video of the families and their response to the announcement on the
ceasefire and the deal that was signed. We were with the families on October 7th. There was a commemoration event in a Circle of Hope in
Washington D.C.
And like Ronen said, we are very close with the families. And we've been fighting with them side by side for two years now. So --
GOLODRYGA: Yes.
O. NEUTRA: -- obviously, we -- we are relieved and -- and anticipating their return. And, you know -- we --
GOLODRYGA: Orna --
O. NEUTRA: -- we -- yes.
GOLODRYGA: Orna and Ronen, I'm so sorry. We -- we are tied on time. I just wanted to say that -- that Omer will forever be your baby. You had 21 years
with him. He's taken way too soon. But he really has changed the world in so many ways by you telling the story and everything that you have done to
fight for his return and the remaining hostages.
And you have his brother Daniel as well. You'll always be mother. You'll always be a father. And we thank you so much for your courage and your
love.
R. NEUTRA: And -- and, Zain and Bianna, we -- we are very, very thankful for you supporting the hostage's families --
GOLODRYGA: Yes.
R. NEUTRA: -- for the last two years giving us voice for the people without the voice. And -- and a lot to do with the media carrying our story and not
letting it go that we're reaching the point of them coming back. Thank you.
ASHER: Thank you.
GOLODRYGA: We hope for better days, better days to come.
Ronen and Orna Neutra, thank you so much.
ASHER: Thank you. Thank you.
GOLODRYGA: We'll be right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
GOLODRYGA: Well, as the U.S. government shutdown drags into its ninth day, there is growing pressure on lawmakers to find some way to make a deal.
ASHER: Yes. If Democrats and Republicans do not agree on a spending bill by next Wednesday, members of the Armed Forces will miss a paycheck. That is
unprecedented in modern times.
In a short time ago, the Republicans' Speaker of the House faced an angry citizen as he was answering questions about the shutdown.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: And as a Republican, I am very disappointed in my party. And I'm very disappointed in you because you do have the power to
call the House back. You did that or you refused to do that just for a show.
[12:50:09]
I am begging you to pass this legislation. My kids could die. We don't have the credit because of the medical bills that I have to pay regularly. You
could stop this and you could be the one that could say military's getting paid.
And I think that it is awful and the audacity of someone who makes six figures a year to do this to military families. It's insane.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GOLODRYGA: Well, it isn't just ordinary citizens who are angry with congressional leaders. We are seeing more and more confrontations between
Democrats and Republicans in the halls of Congress.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REP. MIKE LAWLER (R-NY): We've got a one year extension. Why don't we sign on right now?
REP. HAKEEM JEFFRIES (D-NY): Yes. May I ask you a question? Did you get permission from your boss?
LAWLER: Why don't we sign on right now? Why don't we sign on right now?
JEFFRIES: Did your boss Donald Trump --
LAWLER: You can easily extend the ACA right now. He's not my boss.
JEFFRIES: Did your boss Donald Trump gave you a permission? Yes, he is.
LAWLER: No, he's not. By the way, why did you vote to shut the government down?
JEFFRIES: So let me ask you a question.
LAWLER: Why did you vote to shut the government down? Why did you vote to shut it down?
JEFFRIES: Let me ask you a question.
LAWLER: Wasted. Wasted.
JEFFRIES: Listen, you're not going to -- you're not going to talk -- you're not going to talk to me.
LAWLER: Wasted on fraud --
JEFFRIES: You're not going to talk to me and talk over me.
LAWLER: -- and non-New York resident.
JEFFRIES: -- because you don't want to hear what I have to say.
LAWLER: Oh, I'm listening. Go ahead.
JEFFRIES: So, why don't you just keep your mouth shut?
LAWLER: Oh --
JEFFRIES: Because you showed up.
LAWLER: Is that -- is that the way to talk?
JEFFRIES: You showed up. You showed up.
LAWLER: Yes.
JEFFRIES: And so you voted for this one big ugly bill.
LAWLER: I signed on with it.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ASHER: All right. And just to note, traditionally, all federal workers impacted by the shutdown received back pay.
But early on Tuesday, President Donald Trump floated not giving back pay to all federal employees.
We'll be right back with more.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ASHER: All right. President Trump says he's headed to the Middle East soon to mark the ceasefire deal that he pushed through. The ceasefire is
expected to come into effect as soon as the Israeli cabinet approves the deal.
And we could see the first hostages return home as early as Monday or Tuesday. This is the scene of long-awaited joy on both the streets of
Israel and Gaza.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Is this the moment? It's -- it's incredibly quiet outside. It's the middle of the night. People haven't heard yet, but also
it's incredibly quiet from the skies. Come on.
AVIVA SIEGEL, FORMER HOSTAGE: I'm just so happy. I'm dancing. I'm the happiest person in the Earth. It's happening soon. They're coming home. The
hostages are coming home.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): Thank God the war has ended, and the truth has come into effect. It's an indescribable feeling of joy and
happiness beyond words. We hope Gaza returns to better days.
(CHANTING AND SINGING)
(SPEAKING IN FOREIGN LANGUAGE)
[12:55:14]
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): You're coming back home to your families. I can't believe it. I can't believe I'll see you, hug you. Wow.
I'm excited. I'm waiting for you. Can't wait to hug you already. I'm dying to. I'm dying to.
JAMES ELDER, UNICEF SPOKESPERSON: These are the things that Palestinians will need right now, education, nutrition, water, no airstrikes, peace.
Yes, it's a day of hope.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ASHER: All right. And before we go, if you are wondering why both Bianna and I are wearing pink today, it is actually for a very good reason.
GOLODRYGA: Yes. Zain and I, along with many of our colleagues worldwide, are wearing pink for Breast Cancer Awareness Month in honor of our good
friend and colleague Sara Sidner. And everyone at the CNN family and the Warner Brothers Discovery family who has been impacted by breast cancer.
ASHER: Yes. In addition to wearing pink, CNN is also very proud to support the Breast Cancer Research Foundation, a worldwide organization dedicated
to ending breast cancer with a donation as well.
GOLODRYGA: Yes. As my kid say, Sarah Sidner is one tough cookie.
ASHER: Tough cookie.
GOLODRYGA: A bad (INAUDIBLE) as they say.
ASHER: We love her.
GOLODRYGA: Yes.
ASHER: She's a dear friend of ours. We love her.
GOLODRYGA: Well, that does it for "One World." I'm Bianna Golodryga.
ASHER: I'm Zain Asher. Appreciate you watching. "Amanpour" is up next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[13:00:00]
END
