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One World with Zain Asher
Anger in Isreal After Hamas Fails to Return All Hostage Remains; DOJ Expected to Ask Grand Jury to Indict John Bolton Today; Trump Authorizes CIA Action in Venezuela, Threatens Land Strikes; As Israel Remembers October 7th, Gaza Looks to Rebuild; Indian Police Investigate After Baby Girl Found Buried Alive; WNBA Star Angel Reese Struts on the Catwalk. Aired 11a-12p ET
Aired October 16, 2025 - 11:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[11:00:00]
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BIANNA GOLODRYGA, CNN HOST, ONE WORLD: Israel pauses to remember the October 7th terror attacks today. "One World" starts right now. As Israel
holds memorial ceremonies, anger is growing over Hamas' failure to return the remains of all of the hostages. We'll speak to the parents of Omer
Neutra, an American-Israeli citizen whose body has yet to be returned.
Plus, President Trump is defending his decision to authorize covert CIA action inside Venezuela. And he's suggesting that land strikes could be
next. We're live from the White House. And a heartbreaking story out of India, a newborn baby girl is found buried alive.
Cases renewing concerns about female infanticide in India. Hello everyone, live from New York, I'm Bianna Golodryga. Zain is off today. You are
watching "One World". And while the rest of the world marked the two-year anniversary of the horrific October 7th attacks last week, Israel is
officially remembering the tragic anniversary today, because October 7th coincided with the Jewish holiday of Sukkot.
Ceremonies have been happening in Jerusalem and elsewhere. The nation is looking back on the Hamas attacks that changed the country forever. 1200
Israelis were killed that day, and 250 were taken captive, while the last 20 living hostages are now back home.
Hamas has failed to release all of the deceased hostages that it promised to return under the ceasefire agreement. Despite that, many Israelis are
hopeful for a brighter future.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
YAEL FELUS, KFAR AZA RESIDENT: Today is a day of memorial of seven of October. And we are today to remember them, to be with them, and it's a
special day for us to be together, to be with the people we lost, our lovely friends, that they are not with us today, and I hope the future will
be better than today.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GOLODRYGA: Israel's Prime Minister says the struggle is not over yet, following a service for fallen soldiers, Benjamin Netanyahu said one thing
is clear, anyone who raises a hand to Israel knows that they will pay a heavy price. However, he still urged unity after two years of war.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BENJAMIN NETANYAHU, ISRAELI PRIME MINISTER: Our wonderful sons and daughters who gave their lives in battle, they are the foundation stones of
Israel's revival. Jews, Druze, Christians, Muslims, Bedouins, Circassians. They worked shoulder to shoulder to achieve all of the war's goals, and we
will achieve all of the war's goals.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GOLODRYGA: Today's remembrance comes as Israel identified the bodies of two more hostages. Hamas says that it has handed over all of the deceased
hostages that it can access so far. But Hamas has only returned only nine of the 28 bodies it is supposed to return under the ceasefire deal.
Egypt's Foreign Minister says recovering all of the hostages remains will take time because of conditions in Gaza as they may be buried under rubble.
Sources tell CNN that Israeli leaders believe Hamas isn't telling the truth and has access to at least six more bodies.
Israel is trying to pressure Hamas into releasing more bodies by restricting aid entering Gaza under the ceasefire agreement. The Rafah
crossing into Gaza remains closed, and only half of the 600 agreed upon daily aid trucks into Gaza have been allowed to enter, according to an
Israeli official.
Less aid means more misery for the sick in Gaza. One hospital director tells CNN that severe shortages of medication and other supplies continue.
The Head of the Al Shifa Hospital says nothing has changed since the ceasefire. He adds that malnutrition continues and no chemotherapy or
dialysis is available.
The World Health Organization says three trucks full of supplies will be sent to the Al Shifa Hospital. Let's get an update on the situation from
Jeremy Diamond, live in Tel Aviv, a very solemn day there, this day of remembrance and Israel also the past few days, we've seen memorial
services, burial services for those hostages who have been returned the remains of those hostages we're still awaiting 19 of them.
[11:05:00]
Two have been identified. The last female hostage held Inbar Hayman, I remember meeting her family in Hostage Square, as well as Muhammad El-
Atrash, I believe the father of 13. Talk to us about the mood in Israel right now, and as I'm going to be speaking with Omer Neutra's parents, the
continued concern about all of the hostages, the 19 coming home as soon as possible as well?
JEREMY DIAMOND, CNN JERUSALEM CORRESPONDENT: Yeah. Well, there's no question that the relief that was felt on Monday, you know, when those 20
living hostages were released, is still prevailing in Israel. But at the same time, it is now mixed with the frustration that more bodies of these
hostages, deceased hostages have not yet been released.
As you said, nine of the 28 remains of deceased hostages held by Hamas have been released so far by them. And at this point in time, many of the
families of the deceased expected that there would be more bodies that would have been returned. That's not to say that they expected that all of
the 28 bodies would be returned by now.
There's been an understanding in Israel, both within the government and in Israeli society, that not all 28 bodies would be returned right away, but
they did think that more would have come out by now. And so that's why you're seeing some of these families pressuring both the Israeli and the
American government to ensure that Hamas holds up its end of the deal.
We have heard Israeli officials indicating that there would be retaliatory measures, meaning less humanitarian aid getting into Gaza. The Rafah
crossing, which was supposed to open between Egypt and Gaza, still closed to both civilian foot traffic as well as to humanitarian aid entering the
Gaza Strip.
There's still some uncertainty over exactly how many trucks of aid have been going into Gaza. There were supposed to be 600 per day under this
agreement. Some uncertainty still exists over that. But overall, a reminder of just how fragile this ceasefire agreement is.
Last note to make on this is that U.S. Advisers, Senior U.S. Advisors who spoke with us yesterday indicated that, from their vantage point, Hamas is
not violating this agreement, that they are satisfied with the fact that bodies have been coming out every day, hostage bodies every day coming out
from Gaza.
They acknowledge the difficulty of the circumstances on the ground due to the enormous amounts of rubble, the fact that some of these bodies appear
to be under some of the rubble of Israeli airstrikes in Gaza, and they say that Egyptian and Turkish teams are working on the ground with specialized
equipment and to be able to try and get those bodies out.
You know, we'll see how many more come out in the coming days, but there's no question that conditions on the ground are complicating matters.
GOLODRYGA: Yeah, those sources I'm speaking to CNN from the administration after President Trump told our Jake Tapper that Israeli forces could resume
fighting in Gaza quote, as soon as I say the word if Hamas won't uphold the ceasefire deal, just another indication of how fragile it remains.
Jeremy Diamond, thank you so much. Well, as we noted, one of the bodies that has not yet been returned to Israel is that of Omer Neutra. The
Israeli military says that the American-Israeli citizen was killed during the Hamas led attack on October 7th, 2023. His body has been held hostage
in Gaza ever since.
Family and friends say Omer loved playing soccer, basketball and volleyball. They describe him as warm, optimistic and caring, adding that
he lit up rooms the moment he entered them. Omer, we should note, would have turned 24 years old on Tuesday. His father marked the day with an
impassioned plea for answers.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
RONEN NEUTRA, FATHER OF OMER NEUTRA: October 14th, Omer's birthday. This year falls on Simchat Torah. Can you imagine? The day the war began
according to the Jewish calendar. And as we learned it, the day Omer was killed. A day that should have been about life and celebration now marks
loss and grief with no closure.
Two years later, we are still waiting, still hoping, still fighting for answers that have not yet come.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GOLODRYGA: To Omer Neutra's parents, Ronen and Orna join me now live from Tel Aviv. Ronen and Orna, I can't imagine what these last few days have
been like for you. Orna, you said they've been torturous since you've arrived in Israel on Sunday, hoping that you would have your son and his
remains returned to you and some closure.
Here we are on Thursday, and that has yet to happen. U.S. officials say that the efforts of returning all of the hostages are ongoing and
successful and that no one will be left behind. But I'm just wondering how you're interpreting that, given the latest updates and given what we're
hearing from Israeli officials that Hamas isn't being truthful when they say that they've returned all of the hostages they're capable of reaching.
[11:10:00]
R. NEUTRA: Well, Bianna, you know, this has been quite a roller coaster, and we've been staying awake every night until the early morning hours to
get an update from our officers at the IDF whether our son Omer is included in the group that comes out. And it's been four of them coming out few days
ago and then three and last night, only two.
And so far, tonight, we haven't heard that anyone is coming out. It's just so painful to be in this position for so long and wanting something super
basic, get our son back, bury him, giving a dignified burial and a place for us to mourn. And you know, we are not politicians. We've been flying
the world trying to get him back, influencing governments, working both in Israel, United States, Qatar, enough is enough.
We are asking the United States as the broker here to put all the pressure on Turkey, Egypt and Qatar to force Hamas to release all the hostages they
have. We don't know if they have more. If they're playing a game, we know they're in breach of a contract. The agreement said that they had to
release all the names and they had to give all the hostages they had in their possession that hasn't been done.
And we're just, you know, doing what we can as parents to make sure, hoping that this ceasefire won't collapse, because if it does, we're not sure
we'll ever get our son back, and so would the other families that will never get the children back. And we don't want the war back.
We support what the Trump, President Trump did, which is force all the parties to stop, take out the living hostages, which was a miracle that
nobody believes can happen. We are thrilled to see them, to see their family members that became our family, but we feel that we deserve to get
our son back and give him the dignified place in Israeli burial place.
GOLODRYGA: Of course, you deserve that. Of course, you should have your son back with you as soon as possible. And Orna, as we noted, CNN, has reported
that, per its Israeli sources, they believe Hamas still knows the whereabouts of six, at least six to cease hostages.
Some Israeli reports suggest that number could be as high as 10 when you hear the president say that as soon as he says the word, Israel will have
the right to go back and fight in Gaza if Hamas does not uphold its end of the ceasefire deal. It must be a torturous, as you noted, position to be
in, because on the one hand, you want the pressure.
On the other hand, as Ronen just noted, if the fighting resumes, not only will the war resume, but the odds of you getting your son back diminish
even more. How do you make sense of this? And what would you advise? The correct solution is here to avoid war, but increase the pressure.
ORNA NEUTRA, MOTHER OF OMER NEUTRA: We know the administration is very committed. The president told us himself. He met with us at the Knesset on
Monday, on the special visit that he had here today, and he reinstated his commitment to bringing all of them back.
I'm really hoping that he's saying these things to put the pressure that needs to be put on Hamas. And honestly, you know, as the broker for this
deal, we really hope that there are things happening behind the scenes that are putting pressure on all sides to bring this to a closure.
If they need assistance with big machinery, if there needs to be shared intelligence, it should happen. That's in the deal that should happen. We
hear from the IDF, that Hamas isn't sharing intelligence. But I really -- the expectation is that the brokers to the deal, that the administration
will do whatever is needed to get the parties to collaborate and to bring this ordeal, finally to the finish line.
[11:15:00]
We've been spending the past three days in cemeteries every day with the families that did get to receive their loved ones back. It's heartbreaking,
literally, but necessary.
GOLODRYGA: And as I've mentioned a number of times, almost every time that I've spoken with the two of you, it is so incredible the strength and
resilience that you have, and that's clearly been felt by the president himself, when he continues to say that these hostage families that he has
met with like you, not only obviously want all of the live hostages back, but also the remains of the deceased so they can have proper Jewish closure
and burial.
And Ronen, you know you and I have been texting. I've been speaking with the both of you for a number of months now. And the fact that the two of
you, through all of your sorrow, have taken the time and found it important to go to these funerals, to these services of the returned hostages just
speaks volumes about your character, about your commitment to bringing them all home.
Can you share what these past couple of days have been like for you as you've been at these services?
R. NEUTRA: Yeah, it's been two years. Many of these families have traveled the world with us. Many of them spend days and nights advocating on stages,
on gatherings, on media appearances. We became family and as such, you know, we are so thrilled to see a lot of the living hostages come out.
We know their family. We know they deserve it. How much they fight for it. We fought for it together, and we're so, so happy and thrilled for them. I
know they will stay with us, as we say here, until the last hostage. There could be difficulties, as we can see along the way, 19 still left, the last
few hostages coming out may be prolonged.
We have to stay with the families. We have to support each other, and we have found along the way. So much love and so many communities that embrace
us and understand our pain and understand that we represent something and we are very, very appreciative of the love and support we're getting
worldwide.
O. NEUTRA: Israel is such a small country, everyone seems to know each other. It's such a tight knit community, and everyone is feeling it. And
when people are in pain, the whole country is in pain and needs this closure to be able to move forward, and so do the people of Gaza.
So really, what we're asking for is to finally end this, you know, do whatever is needed to get them out and move on.
GOLODRYGA: It's a pain no one should have to endure. No one should feel anywhere, wherever they are in the world, in Israel, in Gaza, and the fact
that you have been so vocal and so open with us throughout this horrific process, just again, is incredible, and we continue to stand with you.
And will continue to fight for the release of all of the remaining hostages, including, of course, your son, Omer, may his memory be a
blessing. Thank you so much for the time again.
R. NEUTRA: Thank you, Bianna.
GOLODRYGA: We'll be right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[11:20:00]
GOLODRYGA: And we have breaking news now, surrounding Donald Trump's quest for revenge on his political critics. Sources tell CNN that the Justice
Department will ask a grand jury today to indict John Bolton, who was Trump's National Security Adviser during his first term.
Bolton was once a Trump ally, but grew into a fierce critic after leaving the Trump White House. Bolton has been under investigation for mishandling
classified documents. FBI agents raided his house and his Washington office back in August, you'll recall. CNN's Katelyn Polantz joins us now live in
Washington, and we're hearing that we could hear perhaps indictments as soon as this afternoon, Katelyn.
KATELYN POLANTZ, CNN CRIME AND JUSTICE CORRESPONDENT: That's plausible. We do know now that the Justice Department is expected to go to the grand jury
in Maryland this afternoon, that would be a federal grand jury, and they would be asking for charges against John Bolton. The grand jurors would
look at it in a secret proceeding.
So, we don't know exactly what the grand jury will do yet, but we do know that there has been a long investigation into John Bolton, the Former
National Security Adviser in Donald Trump's first term in office. And that case is about classified information, what Bolton was doing with it, and
how it was being kept.
Specifically, there is a portion of this investigation about John Bolton writing a book manuscript about his time in the Trump White House. That's
part of the case, but my understanding from sources is that a long arc of this investigation has been about Bolton writing notes to himself.
In an AOL email account that a foreign adversary in a hack then was able to get a hold of, and the U.S. government was then able to pick up on and
realize, whoa, there may be journal entries or diary like entries that John Bolton has been keeping in an unsecured way that have classified
information in them.
So that is what we understand to potentially be the bulk of this case. We're going to have to see exactly what the grand jury does, what happens
in the court system. And we have not yet confirmed that the grand jury is getting this presentation yet. We do expect it to be later in the
afternoon.
But the other question that I am wondering about right now, and there's a lot of inquiry around this. We do know this to be a very serious
investigation, but will there be political choices made here. We know previously, there was some discussion at the Justice Department about a
possible perp walk.
So, with someone like John Bolton, who has served in the federal government for decades as a top national security adviser. Is he the type of person in
this situation that this Justice Department would want to have arrested, or will they treat him kindlier, like a defendant who would not be a threat to
public security?
GOLODRYGA: Well, we remember when they stripped him of his secret service protection as well. So, if that's an indication of how we can expect for
him to be treated, perhaps we can look back at that. Also, we'll be waiting to see if the president comments on this at all today.
Katelyn Polantz, thank you so much. Well, President Trump is significantly escalating his pressure campaign against Venezuelan President Nicolas
Maduro. He has authorized covert CIA action inside the South American country, and is suggesting military strikes could be next.
Trump says it's all part of his efforts to go after drug cartels. It comes one day after he announced another deadly strike targeting an alleged drug
smuggling boat off of Venezuela's coast, the fifth such U.S. strike in recent weeks.
[11:25:00]
But so far, the Trump Administration has not provided any evidence of the alleged drug activity. And Human Rights Groups say the attacks amount to
extrajudicial killings and violate international law. Meanwhile, Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro is slamming the White House and making this appeal
to Americans.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
NICOLAS MADURO, VENEZUELAN PRESIDENT: Tell the American people, no to war. We do not want a war in the Caribbean or in South America. No, not war,
just peace.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GOLODRYGA: Let's go now to CNN's Kevin Liptak, who joins us live from the White House. We hear the president's version and rationale for these
actions that have raised a lot of eyebrows, especially in terms of its own legality. Kevin, what are we hearing from Congress?
Because aside from one Republican, perhaps Rand Paul, we haven't heard much at all in terms of their response and their authority in this type of
matter.
KEVIN LIPTAK, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE REPORTER: Yeah, and I do think, you know, Republicans are generally walking in lockstep with the president
here. You do hear some concerns from Democrats about the legality of all of this, but also the transparency from the administration.
You know, they have not received a huge amount of detail in what the White House and what the Pentagon are doing here, particularly when it comes to
these strikes on the boats in the Caribbean Sea. All that's been provided to them, essentially, are these videos that they've put out publicly.
And clearly from them, you cannot determine what specifically is being blown out of the water. And Jeanne Shaheen, who's the top Democrat on the
Senate Foreign Relations Committee said yesterday that the one the authorization of this covert CIA activity, in addition to these strikes on
boats, but also the president's hint at land operations in Venezuela.
And she says that quote, slides the United States closer to outright conflict with no transparency oversight or apparent guardrails. So, you do
start to hear from some members of Congress, some concerns at what the president is doing here that I think are only going to be ramped up by this
revelation that he's authorized the CIA to operate inside that country.
Now, speaking yesterday, the president did lay out a couple pieces of rationale for why he's provided this authorization. Listen to what he said.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: I authorized for two reasons really. Number one, they have emptied their prisons into the
United States of America. We have a lot of drugs coming in from Venezuela, and a lot of the Venezuelan drugs come in through the sea.
So, you get to see that, but we're going to stop them by land also. I think Venezuela is feeling heat, but I think a lot of other countries are feeling
heat too.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LIPTAK: Now, the president was asked specifically whether a part of this operation or authorization would be to oust the President Nicolas Maduro,
and the president stopped short of saying that was sort of their ambition. He said it would be a ridiculous question for him to answer.
So not confirming, but also not denying. And I think it's pretty clear, you know, in conversations with administration officials, that the ultimate
goal in all of this is to oust Maduro. They have called him an illegitimate leader. The president and the Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, say that
he's leading this narco-trafficking regime that they're going after.
And I think this is going to raise all kinds of questions. You know, the CIA has something of a mixed record in South America when it comes to
regime change, whether it's in Guatemala or Cuba or Chile. You know, this is going to raise a lot of eyebrows, but I certainly think it's all
evidence of an escalating campaign going forward.
GOLODRYGA: Yeah, the same week that the opposition leader in Venezuela was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize and has spoken very highly of President Trump
and his efforts to see democracy and democratic change come to Venezuela. Kevin, let me ask you about something else that we've been following.
Tomorrow, we've got another important meeting between President Trump and President Zelenskyy of Ukraine. And I'd constantly been worried and noted
that always when there was a meeting between or conversation between President Trump and President Zelenskyy, or President Trump and President
Putin, he would speak to his counterpart in the opposing country as well.
And so, we're now hearing that the president will be speaking with Vladimir Putin as soon as today. Do we know anything about this conversation, and
are we expected to hear any readouts?
LIPTAK: Well, it's happening right now. That's according to President Trump. He just wrote on Truth Social that he's speaking to Putin right now,
that it's going to be a lengthy conversation and that he'll report the contents of that phone call out afterwards. So, we'll see what the
president has to say.
I think the main topic of discussion will be this question of whether or not the president will approve those Tomahawk missiles that Ukraine has
been requesting. They say that it's necessary to essentially turn the momentum around on the battlefield, but that would be a significant
escalation.
[11:30:00]
They have a range of about 1000 miles that would allow Kyiv to very easily target Moscow, for example. And the president has said previously, he said
earlier this week, that he could potentially use the threat of allowing Ukraine to obtain these Tomahawk missiles as a way to pressure Putin to end
the war.
And he said specifically, I'm going to tell Putin that unless he suspends this operation, unless he comes to some sort of peace agreement that he
will provide those Tomahawk missiles. Now, whether that threat is leveled in this phone call that's going on right now, we'll have to see, and we'll
hear from the president later today.
He has an event in the Oval Office, but clearly the timing here is critical, as Zelenskyy heads here to Washington to meet with the president
to discuss weaponry and other support from Washington. This will be an important discussion, and whether or not the president gets any hints or
indications from Putin that he's more willing than he has been to come to the negotiating table, we'll just have to see.
GOLODRYGA: Yeah, Vladimir Putin has been public in the past few days as well, noting what you just said that delivery of Tomahawk missiles would
indeed be viewed as an escalation by the United States. All right. Kevin Liptak, thank you so much. And still to come amid ruins and rubble, people
in Gaza are contemplating how to start their lives again.
I'll speak to a political activist about what the next steps are for Gaza to rebuild?
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
GOLODRYGA: Welcome back to "One World". I'm Bianna Golodryga in New York.
[11:35:00]
Here's some headlines you are watching today. The Rafah crossing into Gaza remains closed as the dispute over deceased hostages continues. So far,
Hamas has returned the bodies of nine of the deceased hostages. Hamas says it has released all of the bodies it has access to, but Israel reportedly
does not believe that.
Israel is allowing only half of the 600 aid trucks into Gaza. U.S. President Trump confirms that he has authorized covert CIA action inside
Venezuela and suggests that he is also considering military land strikes. It comes one day after Trump announced a fifth deadly U.S. attack on what's
being described as a drug smuggling boat off of the Venezuelan coast.
But the White House has yet to provide any evidence of that. French Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu survived a pair of no-confidence votes today. He
survived by winning the support of France's Socialist Party after he promised to hold off on controversial pension reforms until after the 2027
French presidential election.
Thousands of mourners stormed Nairobi's international airport today, interrupting a ceremony for the arrival of the body of Kenyan Veteran
Opposition Leader Raila Odinga, the pro-democracy activist, died in India at the age of 80 on Wednesday. Crowds also tried to breach parliament for
the public viewing of his body, leading the venue to be changed to a sports stadium.
Let's get back to one of our top stories this hour, while Israel marks the anniversary of the October 7th attacks with official government ceremonies.
People in Gaza are focusing on what comes next, rebuilding society, homes, schools, hospitals, the economy, basic essentials such as clean water and
food remain hard to come by.
While many residents of Northern Gaza have been relieved to return home after the ceasefire came into effect, they have been met with the grim
reality that the home is now rubble and debris.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
HAYAM MEQDAD, DISPLACED PALESTINIAN: We were displaced, and we came back to our home. I came walking from the South to here, me and my husband to come
to my home, even if it's destroyed, I will live over it, because this is our life. You can see how we're living.
We can't find rest, even now, we can't find rest or stability in anything. I'm staying here even though there's no water, no life. I'm staying here on
my home, and I'm living over it, and I will not leave my home until the last day of my life.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GOLODRYGA: Samer Sinijlawi is the President of the Jerusalem Development Fund. He recently wrote an op-ed an opinion piece in "The New York Times"
titled, an invitation to President Trump: Come to Gaza, asking Trump to walk among those who are about to rebuild.
Samer Sinijlawi joins me now from Jerusalem. Samer, thank you so much for joining us. I want to quote, from this piece that you wrote really
thoughtful piece last week where you said Trump's intervention, forceful and unconventional, brought the parties to a ceasefire agreement that many
had thought impossible in a region exhausted by endless conflict that act alone deserves recognition, but the ceasefire you write will not hold by
itself.
So, I'm wondering, in your view, what will determine whether this ceasefire will hold, whether there's hope for rebuilding and perhaps a pathway to a
two-state solution in the future, or what we've seen time and time again, ceasefire collapsing and war resuming.
SAMER SINIJLAWI, PRESIDENT OF THE JERUSALEM DEVELOPMENT FUND: Well, in practicality, there is only one side in this country. It's not the
Israelis, it's not the Palestinians, it's the Americans. So, when there is a political will on the White House to end the war, it ended.
And, you know, we have now stopped the war. And I think it's really a very good achievement, but we only started small hope towards peace and to
achieve peace in the Middle East. It's very important that the same determination from the American President continues, the same involvement
into pushing all the details, because the parties currently on the ground are not capable to move voluntary.
They need that push. They need that help. They need that insistence from a big friend like the U.S.A. So, it all depends on President Trump. And I
think between, you know now, we managed to get the last Israeli hostages out of Gaza to Israel. And I think this is good news, and I congratulate
the families of the hostages for receiving their beloved ones.
But the challenge that is waiting for all of us. How can we get the last Israeli soldier out of Gaza? And this is a condition, a very important
condition for the start of the process of not only reconstruction in Gaza, but the reconciliation between Israelis and Palestinians, which is more
important than reconstruction, we need to fix the hard feelings that is conquering the hearts of Palestinians and Israelis.
[11:40:00]
I think in this conflict, you know, reconciliation is a precondition for political horizons. It's not like the other conflicts when you bring a
political solution, and then we have time to make reconciliation. So that's the way, and we need to find solutions for Palestinian agency, for example.
I think now there is a lack of leadership on the Palestinian side. It's one of the major problems, because this will bring answers to a lot of
questions. Who is going to govern Gaza? Gaza cannot be governed by another British mandate, for example. Now with the idea of having Mr. Tony Blair as
a head of a government in Gaza.
Gaza should be governed by Gazans, should be governed by Palestinians. So, there is a lot of complication here.
GOLODRYGA: Yes, so Samer, you've done a really thorough job there of just laying out the challenges and what needs to be done to achieve this 20-step
plan that the president had put forward, it was very important to get through phase one. Phase two, as you noted, envisions a new governing
structure in Gaza that's made up of some sort of technocrat leadership of Palestinians.
You have consistently said, in your view, that Mahmoud Abbas is an obstacle to change in the PA. Prime Minister Netanyahu says the PA won't have a role
in leadership, at least the way it's currently structured, and we continue to see images of Hamas attempting to reconstitute its power in Gaza.
What needs to come first to move in the direction that you've just laid out for us. The resignation of Mahmoud Abbas --
SINIJLAWI: -- leadership --
GOLODRYGA: Yes, so can you just explain for us?
SINIJLAWI: Well, I think, Bianna, that we all what we need is elections. It's one word. The Palestinians need to go to the election boxes. They need
to select their leadership. It has been overdue for 20 years. The last Palestinian election was in 2005 almost 20 years ago.
And President Abbas was elected for a period of four years. Then he continued to self-employ himself until tonight, today. We need elections,
and through the elections, we can defeat Hamas. The only way to defeat Hamas in Gaza and in the West Bank is election boxes. The military option
didn't work with the Israelis, and they have done whatever they can do.
And you can see now that still there are thousands of Hamas militia that are, you know, popping up from their tunnels and controlling the streets in
Gaza. So, the only way to defeat Hamas, the only way to give agency to the Palestinian to produce a dynamic leadership, represented leadership that
will move the Palestinians from a status of a militia to statehood.
Statehood does not come only by recognitions of the other. Statehood for us as Palestinians, we need to build it, bottom up. And statehood only can
come when we are able to convince 51 percent of the Israeli voters in the coming elections to vote for the option of peace.
We are always one Israeli election away from peace, if we are able to convince the Israelis that there is a change among the Palestinians, that
the Palestinians now believe that they need to put a strategy that has the Israeli security in its basis not to do them a favor out of Palestinian
national interest.
The main obstacle that prevents Israelis to vote for the option of the two states or for political horizons is one word, security. 15 percent it is
ideology. But 85 percent of the Israelis who hesitate to support political options. Their hesitation comes out of lack of confidence that they can
have security by the end of the day.
So, a change in the Palestinian leadership will help the Israelis to build trust again, and this is an important element.
GOLODRYGA: Samer Sinijlawi so much more of this conversation to be had in the weeks and months ahead. I hope we can have you back on the program your
own life. I mean, you spent five years in an Israeli prison at the age of 15 First Intifada. Now, you have been engaging with Israelis for over three
decades.
You talked, I heard you beautifully about your children and Israeli children coming together watching Spider Man of all movies in Jerusalem.
So, the hope exists still, but as you know, you remain stateless, and therein lies a big part of the problem here. So, let's see if President
Trump takes you up on your invitation.
We will stay in touch and really appreciate the time. Samer, thank you.
[11:45:00]
SINIJLAWI: Thank you, Bianna. Thank you so much. Thank you.
GOLODRYGA: And still to come, a newborn baby girl was found buried alive in India, prompting new concerns about female infanticide in the country.
We'll have more on that, that investigation just ahead.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
GOLODRYGA: We turn now to India, where a police investigation is underway after a baby girl was found buried alive in a village in the northern part
of the country. Authorities say it's possible that she was abandoned because of her gender in a nation grappling with a deep-seated preference
for sons. Hanako Montgomery has more.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
HANAKO MONTGOMERY, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Her hand was the first thing farmer Shyam Babu saw poking through the dirt. A baby girl, around 15
days old, was buried alive here. CNN has chosen not to show the mobile phone footage taken by locals the moment she was pulled from the ground.
But this is the scene in North India's Shahjahanpur district of locals gathering to help. It's a girl, they shout after hearing her soft cries.
They gently remove the soil and hand her to a policeman, who places her in a female villager's arms before she's rushed to hospital.
SHYAM BABU, MAN WHO FOUND PARI: When I saw the scarf a child's hand sticking out of the dirt caught my eye. I went closer and saw its fingers
were moving, and could sense a heartbeat her head, some of which was visible, was also moving. I was terrified, and thinking about how someone
could bury a child alive, I felt very sad and began to cry.
MONTGOMERY (voice-over): Babu says he ran for help, afraid he'd be falsely implicated if he touched the child himself. Police are investigating
multiple theories for the motive, like her parents mistaking her for dead, or far grimmer theories, rejecting her for syndactyly, a birth defect where
two or more fingers or toes are joined together.
There's another theory too, that they didn't want a baby girl, a reality of female infanticide in India and a deep-rooted social preference for boys.
As a search began for her parents, doctors treating her found she had a severe infection, respiratory distress, injuries and sepsis, but they were
hopeful about her recovery, even giving her a name, Pari or angel in Hindi.
But just a day after CNN's team left, Pari died. India has one of the worst gender imbalances in the world. In rural communities like Shahjahanpur,
daughters are often seen as a burden.
[11:50:00]
A 1994 law looked to curb female infanticides and sex selective abortions by banning the disclosure of a baby's sex during ultrasounds.
SAPNA SINGH, SHAHJAHANPUR RESIDENT: Earlier, people would openly say they want boys now they don't. They don't share anything with others. They do
whatever they need to do within their four walls.
They will just buy the medicines after getting to know if it is a boy or a girl, whether the woman lives or not, it doesn't matter to the family.
MONTGOMERY (voice-over): Prime Minister Narendra Modi has pledged to address this issue with his campaign, save the girl child, educate the girl
child. It's a central focus of his government. But Sarita Singh, one of the nurses caring for Pari, is skeptical over the change it could bring.
SARITA SINGH, NEONATAL NURSE, SHAHJAHANPUR MEDICAL COLLEGE: No one is following it. It's just a catch phrase. Humanity has been killed by burying
this child in the ground.
MONTGOMERY (voice-over): For Shyam Babu, the farmer who found Pari, the discovery still haunts him. He has two daughters of his own, and he and his
family even considered raising Pari themselves.
BABU: My wife was very worried. She kept saying, I should bring the baby home so we can look after her that there would be no problem. I would work
harder and raise her. We would not cause any sorrow to our children.
MONTGOMERY (voice-over): After the news of Pari's death, CNN spoke to Babu again.
BABU: I took her out of the dirt but now she has returned to the soil. What do I do now? I was hoping to meet her.
MONTGOMERY (voice-over): Pari won't be the last baby girl in India whose life ended far too soon, pulled from the Earth only to return an angel
before her life could begin. Hanako Montgomery, CNN.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
GOLODRYGA: Well one of the world's oldest sports is taking London by storm. More than 40 of Japan's elite sumo wrestlers are bringing 1500 years of
tradition to the Royal Albert Hall for the grand sumo tournament. It's the first sumo championship to be held in the UK in more than 30 years.
The tournament wraps up on Sunday, but it's not all about competing, though. The wrestlers blew off some steam in London, visiting some of the
city's most iconic landmarks. See they're just like us tourists in London. Big Ben, parliament, what else do they see? There they go on bikes.
[11:55:00]
All right. Well, swapping sneakers for heels. WNBA star traded the hard court for the catwalk last night in New York. Angel Reese made her runway
debut at the 2025 Victoria Secret Fashion Show. Reese modeled two different outfits, including one with a ripped pink t-shirt and a pair of silver and
white wings.
The 23-year-old is first pro athlete to star in the fashion show. She says she's hoping to inspire girls everywhere to dream big. She blends right in.
And finally, this hour. An iconic video there, one of Eddie Van Halen's trademark red and white striped guitars is headlining an auction at
Sotheby's in New York.
The late rock and roll legend played the 1982 Kramer electric guitar in live concerts during his band's tours in 1982 and 83. The inscription on
the front is addressed to Van Halen's longtime friend and guitar tech. Sotheby's experts think the guitar will fetch between two and $3 million.
Wow, with bids already jumping in. Well, the rock & pop auction will also feature guitars played by Jimmy Page, Led Zeppelin and Eric Clapton. All
right, do say with CNN, I'll have more "One World" after the break.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
END
