Return to Transcripts main page
Quest Means Business
Qatar: Truce In Gaza To Begin At 7 AM Local Time Friday; Qatar: We Will Be Receiving Hostage Lists Daily From Hamas And Handing The List Over To Israel; Qatar: Truce Agreement States There Is To Be A Full Cessation Of Hostilities; IDF: Gaza Al-Shifa Hospital Director Detained; Far-Right Wilders Scores Surprise Win; Rescuers Getting Closer To Reaching Trapped Workers In India; New York City Mayor Formally Accused Of Sexual Assault; Truce In Gaza To Begin At 7AM Local Time Friday; 13 Women And Children Held By Hamas Will Be Released Friday; 39 Palestinian To Be Released Friday; CNN Documents Six Weeks Of Relentless Warfare; Six Weeks Of Conflict In Israel; Car Explosion At U.S.-Canada Border Not Terrorism; Macy's Iconic Thanksgiving Day Parade; Thanksgiving Prices Ease; Irish Police Chief Not Ruling Any Motive After Knife Attack In Dublin. Aired 3-4p ET
Aired November 23, 2023 - 15:00:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[15:00:31]
RICHARD QUEST, CNN INTERNATIONAL HOST: So there you have the darkness, the night sky over Gaza where it's 10 o'clock at night. A few more hours from
now, the fighting there is expected to pause for the first time in six weeks.
In a moment, coming up, Qatar calls it and confirms Hamas is preparing to release 13 hostages in that deal with Israel.
The director of Gaza's largest hospital is detained by Israeli forces. What does he know about command-and-control centers?
And the Netherlands takes a sharp turn to the right. Geert Wilders comes out on top in the election.
Live from New York, Thanksgiving, but Thursday, November the 23rd. I'm Richard Quest, and I mean business.
Good evening. The four-day truce between Israel and Hamas is now expected to begin nine hours from now. Qatar's foreign ministry spokesman made the
announcement earlier today.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MAJED AL-ANSARI, QATARI FOREIGN AFFAIRS MINISTRY SPOKESMAN: The beginning of the pause will be 7:00 AM, Friday, the 24th of November. And it will
last, of course, as agreed, for four days. And The first batch of civilians to be released from Gaza will be around 4:00 PM of the same day.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
QUEST: Now, those hostages to be released, as he was referring to, 13 women and children who were captured by Hamas during the October 7th massacre
that started the whole thing off in the first place. An Israeli official is telling us they'll release 39 Palestinian prisoners concurrently as part of
that deal.
Becky Anderson joins me from Doha. Becky, they have dotted the i's, crossed the t's, done everything they possibly can. And I've heard you talk about
this with the minister. But how prepared are they for those -- for something to go wrong in all of this?
BECKY ANDERSON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, they know it's fragile, Richard. They are under no illusions. They say that their
work is not done, by the way, there is a lot more to do, not least get this first four days completed successfully.
There are obligations baked into this deal on both sides. You just delineated what happens on the first day -- 13 women and children whose
names are on a list that have been shared with the Israelis will be released. Thirty-nine prisoners -- Palestinian prisoners and Israeli
prisoners will also be released. That's one of the obligations.
The second obligation is that all hostilities must cease. There can be no fighting on the ground, nor any surveillance drones flown in the air, at
least for the period during which these hostages are likely to be released.
Let's remember, that's supposed to be around 4 o'clock of the first day. That time is very likely to slip because, you know, for -- this is a
conflict zone, right? I mean, and nothing is easy.
But I think it's really important to underscore these obligations. Each side -- and there is no trust on either side -- each side understands its
own obligations. And I put it to Majed Al-Ansari, the spokesman of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs here, what a breach of, for example, the
hostilities, would look like. This is what he told me.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
AL-ANSARI: I'm -- I don't think I can get into the technicalities, you know, tactically on the ground because this is to be handled by the, you
know, people who are there on the ground. But what I can tell you is that the agreement is about full cessation of hostilities within the four days.
So obviously, any resumption of hostilities of any kind would be a breach.
And I think it is very important that lines of communication remain open so that any possible breach, however it is defined, is communicated
immediately to both sides. And there is a way to work back from it and make sure that we continue with the -- with them.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
QUEST: Interesting.
ANDERSON: How are they going to monitor this? They have set up an operations room here in Qatar. They admit they're not on the ground. But
from here, alongside the ICRC, the International Red Cross, they will be monitoring by phone every minute of this four-day truce to ensure, as I
say, that both sides keep to their obligations.
[15:05:17]
It's fragile. It's going to be tough. There are so many unknowns in all of this. It's been a 45-day period of intense, extremely difficult
negotiations, made all the more difficult because of the escalation in hostilities on the ground. But they are hopeful.
Will I say confident? I'm not sure about that. But they are hopeful they can get through this first four-day period on the back of which Hamas has
been offered an extra day for 10 extra hostages a day to be released, an extra day, of course, for every 10 hostages as .
QUEST: Right.
ANDERSON: . the understanding is that they have as many as 80 held hostage at present. So you can see, again, you know, there's an offer in there as
well as .
QUEST: Right.
ANDERSON: . an obligation. It's going to be tough, but, you know, we got to cross our fingers.
QUEST: Becky Anderson, it's late at night there. Thank you, thank you very much.
Robert Mnookin is the Director of the Harvard Negotiation Research Project. He's the author of "Bargaining with the Devil: When to Negotiate, When to
Fight," joins me now.
You are listening there to Becky. What stands out to you as a seasoned negotiator? What stands out to you as being a pinch point or a pain,
something to worry about?
ROBERT MNOOKIN, DIRECTOR OF HARVARD NEGOTIATION RESEARCH PROJECT: Well, I think what complicates these negotiations enormously -- and they always do
in hostage negotiations -- is there's a great deal of distrust on both sides, in fact.
What worries me in the short run, although I'm guardedly optimistic, is that, on the one hand, you know, the Israeli army has a lot of command-and-
control top-down. And I'm quite confident, you know, there is not going to be any bombing during the four-day period. And the orders on the ground are
going to be no affirmative military action.
But on the other hand, the other side is much more decentralized. And as a consequence, you know, there could be some freelancers that really do cause
problems because .
QUEST: Right, but .
MNOOKIN: . they may want to break it up.
QUEST: So -- but that's when that hawk line to -- back to Doha will become essential because you do want to distinguish between a freelancer who's
just having a bash versus a systemic breach of the truce agreement.
MNOOKIN: Well, I think that you see, will the Israelis believe that it's just a freelancer or could they think that, in fact, it's part of Hamas
strategy? I don't know, but I think that's the risk. And how do you confirm from Doha who it is? Not so easy.
QUEST: Right. Now, let's assume, for the purposes of the question, that the four days go okay and we get into a fifth day, and Hamas does start to
release more hostages to gain these extra days. But eventually, you do get down to a number of hostages that Hamas will be holding, that they can't
release, because that's their leverage gun.
Now, you and I can discuss whether that's 10, 20, 30, 40. They've got so many, but there will be a number that they will not be prepared to release
because that's leverage.
MNOOKIN: I agree with you. I think that it's very unlikely that, through negotiations, Hamas is going to release all the hostages. Moreover, what's
clear is that the Israeli government's war aims remain to defeat Hamas entirely and remove it from power in Gaza.
QUEST: And that, of course, is in -- I suppose that it's a contradiction to the idea of bringing all the hostages home. From your knowledge and your
understanding on negotiations, the complexity here and the lack of trust, but -- you know, hats off to the Qataris, they've managed -- I won't say
they brought it all the way home because we're not there yet, but they've got it just about over the line.
MNOOKIN: Well, they've made real progress with respect to the hostages. I don't think there's been any progress with respect to the underlying
conflict. And that's the dilemma, of course.
[15:10:05]
I suspect, in the intermediate run, Israel will have the capacity to, in fact, defeat Hamas. What that means, however, in terms of the day after, as
everybody's discussed, is a real problem.
QUEST: But how would you know when you've defeated them? I mean, you know, Israel's already said -- let's take the various hospitals that are being
the source of Israeli activity, where Hamas has continued to fire from inside or nearby out. You know, Israel says, well, Hamas, you can always
surrender. You're worried about these hospitals and you're worried about the patients, put up the white flag and it will all be over.
MNOOKIN: Well, I think that, in fact, you'll know it when, in fact, there are no more Hamas soldiers fighting. And I think that, in fact, you'll know
it probably when the Israelis have been able to destroy a substantial part of these tunnels that have permitted them to operate.
On the other hand, what remains the question .
QUEST: Right.
MNOOKIN: . of course, which I think you put very well, is when that day comes, what's going to be the governance structure in Gaza? The Israelis
may end up re-occupying Gaza. But, in fact .
QUEST: Right.
MNOOKIN: . for them, that's a terrible choice.
QUEST: All right. Here's the question you can plead the fifth on. Your book is called "Bargaining with the Devil: When to Negotiate, When to Fight."
Bearing in mind that the events of -- bearing in mind the events of October the 7th, the massacre of Israelis, but knowing that there's 200 odd
hostages, was this a moment to negotiate or should they continue to fight? What do you think about that?
MNOOKIN: Well, I think they're doing both. And I think what's clear is that for the sake of the hostages, Israel -- the Israeli government is not
presently inclined, at all, to give up the fight against Hamas.
QUEST: I'm grateful, sir. Thank you (inaudible) .
MNOOKIN: And I think that one consequence .
QUEST: I'm sorry.
MNOOKIN: . one consequence of that, as you say, is from Hamas' perspective, they're not going to give up all the hostages.
QUEST: Robert Mnookin, I'm grateful. I apologize, sir. I thought you finished the previous sentence. I'm grateful that you joined us tonight.
Thank you.
Now, the Israeli forces say it has detained the director of the Al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza. The IDF says he's being questioned over evidence
allegedly showing the hospital served as a Hamas command-and-control center. Here's the IDF.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
LIEUTENANT COLONEL PETER LERNER, IDF SPOKESPERSON: I expect that the situation is that he's being questioned in order to clarify exactly what he
did or didn't know. There may be -- you know, he may not have had a choice. He may have been intimidated by Hamas. He may have known. The reality
proves that he wasn't actually on top of things or he was hiding something.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
QUEST: The director and several others, they were detained at a checkpoint in central Gaza, reportedly part of a World Health Organization, WHO,
convoy taking people from the hospital to safety. Hamas-controlled Ministry of Gaza -- Health in Gaza is suspending cooperation with the WHO on the
hospital evacuations as a result of the arrest.
Nada Bashir is in Jerusalem. This just goes from bad to worse, Nada, if they have suspended with the WHO, which is assisting in the evacuations.
But let's back up a bit.
Israel says, look, we know that there are tunnels. We found things, whether others believe us or not, that show command-and-control. Here was the
director of the hospital. What did you know and when did you know it? Simple.
NADA BASHIR, CNN REPORTER: That's right. We have heard from Mohammed Abu Salmiya, the hospital's director, repeatedly now over the course of the
last few weeks, appealing for urgent humanitarian aid, but also repeatedly denying that Hamas used this hospital, the largest hospital in Gaza, as a
command-and-control center.
Now, as you mentioned, of course, the IDF has long focused on the Al-Shifa Hospital as this point of a command-and-control center, believed to be
beneath the hospital. They have released evidence of tunnels, of weapons being present on the hospital complex. And this continues to be the focus
of an ongoing raid. So this questioning has come in the context of all of that.
As we know, Mohammed Abu Salmiya was traveling in that convoy. He, along with several other doctors, were detained by the IDF at that checkpoint.
The IDF saying they are carrying out questioning over what exactly he knew about what they believe to be that Hamas presence at the Al-Shifa Hospital.
But again, we have had those repeated denials from Mohammed Abu Salmiya, as well as other doctors and medical .
QUEST: Right.
BASHIR: . officials at Al-Shifa and at other hospitals in the Gaza Strip.
[15:15:06]
Of course, there is a point of concern. This was an aid convoy, which was seeing some patients being evacuated to southern Gaza. There are still some
patients inside the Al-Shifa Hospital. Now, as we know, many of them are patients remaining who may require special medical evacuation.
QUEST: So what's going to happen? On the four days of this truce, I want to -- there'll be no active military activity or, as our last guest put it,
elegantly affirmative military activity. So that gives a chance for -- I mean, it's -- look, we'll take small crumbs of mercy when you can get them.
That gives a chance for the hospital to try and regroup in terms of treating the ill.
BASHIR: It certainly will, and crucially, it will give a chance for aid agencies to get aid into Gaza -- crucially, medical aids. We're talking
about medication and .
QUEST: Right.
BASHIR: . medical supplies, and equipment that are so desperately needed at these hospitals.
As we know, the vast majority of hospitals in northern Gaza are inoperational. We've been hearing about doctors carrying out surgeries
without the necessary medicine, carrying out surgeries without even anesthesia. So this truce will give hospitals a chance to regroup.
But, of course, this is a desperate situation. It is beyond dire at this point. So that aid will need to come in quickly.
The question is, whether that truce is upheld and whether enough aid is actually able to get it into .
QUEST: Right.
BASHIR: . northern Gaza, we know, of course, many are displaced in southern Gaza, but it is northern Gaza where the hospitals are really beyond
collapse at this point.
QUEST: I'm grateful. Nada Bashir is in Jerusalem. Thank you.
BASHIR: It was a result that, in Europe, bureaucrats were dreading. My assumption, anyway. The party of the far-right has pulled off a major
election win in the Netherlands, creating a massive headache for European politicians. But Geert Wilders and his Freedom Party are the largest in
terms of number of votes and seats, but they are still a long way from Wilders becoming prime minister.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
QUEST: The far-right has claimed a surprise victory in the Netherlands by Geert Wilders could become the country's next prime minister. Well-known
over many years for his anti-EU, anti-Islamic, and anti-immigrant stance, it was his freedom party that won the most seats in Wednesday's elections,
about 37. A long way from 50% plus, so he will need a coalition if he's going to form a government, which he says he is willing to do.
[15:20:14]
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GEERT WILDERS, FREEDOM PARTY LEADER: Of course, we are willing to negotiate because we want to form a coalition for our voters. I believe it's
approximately two million voters yesterday that voted for our party. We are eager to do that because it gives us a lot of responsibilities, this huge
win in the Dutch elections.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
QUEST: Now, in the Netherlands, the outgoing PM Mark Rutte stepped down after a controversial immigration bill broke his coalition government this
summer.
The immigration issue hasn't gone away. Curbing immigration is a major part of Wilders platform. Others include stopping arm shipments to Ukraine,
leaving the EU, banning the Quran. He stepped away from those last two since victory in the hope of building a successful coalition with
politicians who are less hardline.
Anna Stewart is in London. Who has said they won't get into bed with him?
ANNA STEWART, CNN REPORTER: Well, at one stage, I think all of the parties have actually said that to the Freedom Party, that they will not join in
the coalition. They wouldn't possibly be in a government with Geert Wilders. But that, of course, may change.
Sharp victory, Richard. Thirty-seven seats, nearly 25% of the seats in parliament. But winning, of course, is really only the first hurdle. The
next challenge, if he can clear it, is actually forming a government which, in Dutch politics, can take a long time.
Will he be able to form a coalition with some of the other parties? He has 37 seats, he needs 76. So perhaps the conservative party, perhaps the
centrist party. It's possible they will soften their stance or, of course, the other possibility is that some of the other alternative parties decide
to unite against him.
QUEST: Okay. This is the interesting aspect. Thank you, Anna Stewart.
Sarah De Lange is a professor of Political Science at the University of Amsterdam. She joins me from the Netherlands.
All right. Give me your gut feeling. Does Wilders manage to get enough people to form a coalition? And if he doesn't, how does -- how do you
reconcile it?
SARAH DE LANGE, PROFESSOR OF POLITICAL SCIENCE, UNIVERSITY OF AMSTERDAM: Well, prior to the elections, many of the mainstream parties said that they
were either unwilling to govern with him or unwilling to govern with him as a prime minister. But since the election result is so clear and the other
parties feel that the voters have really spoken, they are now softening their stances.
QUEST: So .
DE LANGE: And what is clear -- what .
QUEST: Sorry, I -- forgive me. Carry on, please.
DE LANGE: Yes. So what is clear is that they require Wilders to stay in the limits of the constitution and especially tone down his plans when it comes
to freedom of religion of Muslims in the Netherlands.
QUEST: When are we going to hear the argument from potential coalition partners, we're better off inside trying to control him than seeing what
happens outside?
DE LANGE: Well, we'll see in the coming days as to whether or not there is sufficient ground to start negotiations after which there will be lengthy
discussions to come to an agreement on all major policy issues. And only if a minimal agreement is made we can know whether or not this will be a
feasible coalition.
QUEST: Assuming and, you know, as with all good journalists, we like to take things to extremes. Assuming that the others can't put together a
coalition, they can't cobble together more than 37 or whatever, or 50 plus one -- 50% plus one. Is it possible he goes into government as a minority?
DE LANGE: Sorry, I couldn't hear you quite correctly. But if you're asking if it's likely that Wilders will become ever a prime minister, that really
is unlikely, I think.
For one reason, it's much more attractive for him to keep running his own party. He has over 20 new MPs to deal with. And it's also easier for him to
stay in parliament and convey the populist message of the PVV there and leave the government responsibility to another prime minister.
QUEST: So that couldn't mean him offering, you know, his sweetener to come to coalition is coming to coalition with me, even though I'm the largest
party, but the other party can have the prime ministership?
DE LANGE: Well, one of the other parties perhaps or someone outside from the existing parties. One of his major parties that he's likely to work
with, the new NSC of Pieter Omtzigt has actually proposed to form, what he calls, a business cabinet in which experts govern rather than party
politicians.
[15:25:16]
QUEST: How much of a mess is politics in the Netherlands in tonight?
DE LANGE: Well, it's quite a tricky situation for several reasons. First of all, not only will coalition formation be difficult because of the victory
of Wilders, but also because the composition of the upper house is, at the moment, completely different than that in the lower house. And that will be
something that will remain an issue throughout the tenure of whatever kind of government coalition is formed.
And secondly, it also shows that society is .
QUEST: Right.
DE LANGE: . really divided with PVV voters, on the one hand, and more progressive voters on the other hand.
QUEST: In your view, will this be settled by Christmas?
DE LANGE: And certainly not. Coalition negotiations in the Netherlands usually take at least three months, if not more.
QUEST: Then I wish you a good three months and probably more. And I suppose enjoy your Christmas somewhere on the way. Thank you, ma'am. I'm grateful
for your time tonight. Thank you.
It's QUEST MEANS BUSINESS. What a busy day! It's actually Thanksgiving in the United States, but the sheer amount of news that we've got to bring to
you, and we will continue to do so.
Thirteen Israeli hostages held by Hamas are set to be released on Friday. We'll tell you how it's going to happen and what's likely to happen.
That's Gaza tonight. Obviously, the lack of light because of the lack of fuel, Israel's basically cut it off.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[15:30:10]
QUEST: Hello. I'm Richard Quest. A lot more QUEST MEANS BUSINESS as we continue.
I look back at six weeks of conflict in Israel through the eyes of our correspondent. And the cost of hosting a Thanksgiving dinner is coming down
for the first time in years. There's all sorts of reasons why, but your turkey's cheaper. But this is -- only after the headlines, because this is
CNN, and on this network, the news always comes first.
In India, rescuers are getting closer to reaching trapped workers. A tunnel partially collapsed more than a week ago. There are 41 people inside.
Workers have dug more than halfway through the rubble and officials estimate they could reach those trapped very soon.
At least five people, including three children, have been injured in a knife attack in Dublin, in Ireland. Police say it appears to be a
standalone incident. They don't believe it was terror related, but they haven't yet ruled out all motives. A man in his 50s has been detained at
the scene.
New York City's mayor has been formally accused of sexual assault. The accuser has filed court documents on Wednesday, alleging Eric Adams
assaulted her in 1993, when they both worked for the city. The mayor has denied the allegations.
Returning to our top story, the Israeli military has said the hostage handover process will be complicated and warns there could be changes in
the deal at any moment. A truce between Israel and Hamas is expected to begin at 7:00 a.m. Israel time, that's midnight Eastern in the United
States. To give you an idea, it's about eight and a half hours from now.
Qatar says 13 women and children will be released by Hamas later the same day. The pause is due to last for four days, with at least 10 Hamas
hostages being held -- actually, that should be 10 Israeli hostages being held by Hamas, released on each day. Oren Liebermann joins me from Tel Aviv
to explain how all this will work.
We heard from Becky about hotlines and communications, but, you know, you've got the two parties, you've got Hamas getting the hostages together,
you've got Israel getting ready to release from prison. You've got the Red Cross involved. I'm not being flippant when I say this, Oren. What could
possibly go wrong?
OREN LIEBERMANN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: There is a lot of moving parts in this deal. You didn't even mention all the trucks waiting in Egypt to enter into
-- enter humanitarian aid into Gaza. So, that's another moving part here. And all of this has to work in order for this to work out over the course
of the next few days.
It starts, of course, with the pause in the fighting, that's about eight and a half hours from now. Then the trucks can start moving in, bringing in
that desperately needed aid. Then nine hours after the pause in the fighting, we'll see -- or we should see at least, the release of the first
13 women and hostages from Hamas, to the Red Cross, to the IDF, to the hospitals for evaluation and checkup, and to their families.
And then, once that's confirmed, that the hostages are in Israel again, then Israel will release 39 prisoners from -- Palestinian prisoners, women
and children, at that same three to one ratio of the overall deal. The 50 Israeli women and children for 150 Palestinian prisoners.
If all this goes well over the course of the next four days, then we could see an extension. But as of right now, from where we're standing, Richard,
that is a very big if.
QUEST: OK. So, let's be optimistic and hopeful. Because at the end of the day, Becky reminded us both sides have obligations, both sides know what
those obligations are. I'm guessing there is going to be an element of, you know, adults in the room will recognize where things are, you know, tweaked
and necessarily.
But this idea of a cessation -- a temporary cessation of affirmative military action for the four days. I guess you have to be careful that
somebody doesn't go rogue.
LIEBERMANN: Absolutely. And that too is part of the agreement, according to the country foreign ministry. They were asked what happens if somebody
violates the ceasefire. And they said, look, if that happens, we will be in touch with both sides immediately to walk this from the edge.
So, it looks like they have considered that possibility. They realize it's very much a possibility. You also heard the IDF spokesperson say earlier
today they are ready for changes in the agreement even as it's being implemented. So, everyone realizes how fragile and how delicate this is.
And that's why U.S. officials are viewing the first two days is almost a testing period to see if this holds and to see if it can work out as it's
supposed to.
[15:35:00]
Could there be changes along the way? Yes, that's possible. It's worth noting the country has repeatedly said both sides are committed to this
deal, that could be put to the test very soon here.
QUEST: So, as you look at this tonight in Israel, it's half past 10:00 at night, huge anticipation and delight for some, great disappointment for
those who have not yet -- relatives have not been released, and I would imagine great concern on the part of those who's -- you know, where the
hostage is male, of fighting age, or a member of the IDF.
LIEBERMANN: Exactly. The -- for the families of hostages who are women and children, that at least get to know that maybe there is hope that their
loved ones come out, even though only the first 13 know at this point, according to what we're told from the prime minister's office. Everybody
else has to wait. And those who have soldiers who are held inside of Gaza, those who have men who are held inside of Gaza, it is more agonizing
waiting for any sort of update on their loved ones.
And it could be, we'll see, a whole other set of negotiations to deal with the elderly men and then to deal with the soldiers and then the foreign
nationals remains another question. We are just at the beginning of a long and difficult process.
QUEST: Oren, I'm grateful. 10:30 at night for you there. Thank you, sir. Come back when there's more.
In a moment, six weeks the fighting has been going on, the destruction is on a scale that has not been seen before, but we are going to talk -- we're
going to have a report from Nic Robertson. He was one of the first people in Sderot, in the south in Israel. He has been there throughout. And his
diary, if you will, I'm privileged to bring to you in a moment.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
QUEST: Since -- well, since October the 7th and the 8th pretty much, CNN's Nic Robertson has witnessed the Israel Hamas war since it began. Six weeks
on, he now describes the destruction in Gaza as apocalyptic. He also says that in Southern Israel, where so many innocent people died, the horrors of
October the 7th remain very strong.
This is Nic's report of the brutal conflict that's far from over. And of course, as you might have come to expect now, there are graphic images.
[15:40:00]
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMATIC EDITOR (voiceover): Minutes after leaving the plane in Tel Aviv.
ROBERTSON: The sirens have gone off, people are taking cover. We got off the bus, people are taking cover, and you can hear the intercept missiles
banging in the air.
ROBERTSON (voiceover): It's October 7th, 14 hours since Hamas' attack began. No one knew what to expect. A few hours later, three and a half
miles from Gaza.
ROBERTSON: There's iron dome being fired up all around us right now. It's illuminating the sky here. The bangs of the iron dome intercepting the
rockets that are being fired from Gaza just a couple of miles away.
ROBERTSON (voiceover): The coming days reveal Hamas' horrors, more than 1,200 dead.
ROBERTSON: Look at all these shell casings that are scattered around on the ground here. This gives you an indication of the intensity of the
firefight.
ROBERTSON (voiceover): More than 300 at the Nova Music Festival. A rocket shelter there, where some were mercilessly killed in cold blood, had the
biggest impact.
Six weeks later, we happen to be passing, as Israel's recovery specialists clean it out.
ROBERTSON: This is bringing back a lot of painful and difficult memories. The last time I was here, six weeks ago, it was still full of human flesh
and remains. And I'm looking inside, and it seems, I don't know, worse. The grenades splatter. The gunshots that are in the wall here, they're bigger,
they're worse. I'm just looking at it. That night I was really emotionally beaten by what I saw here.
I don't know it's clean, but I don't think I'll ever forget it and that feeling.
ROBERTSON (voiceover): Equally unforgettable, the scale of suffering and death inside Gaza, an average of 2,000 people a week killed, two-thirds of
them women, children and the elderly, the worst I have ever witnessed while covering a wall.
My only access to Gaza with the IDF, revealing an apocalyptic landscape, where every building appears crushed, collapsed, shot up, burnt or blown
apart, nothing untouched by the war.
Destruction on a scale I've never encountered before.
ROBERTSON: More rockets coming out, more rockets coming out. Guys, more rockets coming out.
ROBERTSON (voiceover): For weeks from a balcony a mile from Gaza, witnessing the destruction, explosion by explosion, day after day. As the
IDF followed political orders to destroy Hamas.
And Hamas emerging to fire rockets back.
Through these long weeks, talking to with families of hostages, hearing their pain.
JONATHAN DEKEL-CHAN, FATHER OF HOSTAGE: It's excruciating. We don't know if he's healthy or wounded. We know nothing.
ROBERTSON (voiceover): And sharing difficult moments.
ROBERTSON: Guys, siren.
ROBERTSON (voiceover): With victims. returning to where Hamas attacked them.
ALIZA SAMUEL, OCTOBER 7TH SURVIVOR: They were lined up and they were -- I saw one of my friends, she was begging for her life.
ROBERTSON (voiceover): So, what next? Ceasefire, hostage release, maybe. But it won't be all hostages and the hold in fighting is unlikely to last.
Israel fears Hamas will exploit the cause to regroup. Hamas will do whatever it takes to survive, including not handing over all the hostages.
Israel vows to completely destroy Hamas and release the hostages. A tactic show fighting Hamas is a priority and is far from finished.
The implication judged watching the past six weeks. For some hostage families, more days and more weeks of agonizing wait for Gaza's besieged
civilians continuing misery.
Gaza is still cut off from the world. The vast majority of its 2.2 million citizens displaced, crowded in the southern end of the enclave.
Humanitarian access, on a scale to match the scope of their need, is absent.
[15:45:00]
Israel vows to rout Hamas there, too. Most of Gaza's hospitals are out of action. International pressure on Israel is mounting.
ANTONIO GUTERRES, UNITED NATIONS SECRETARY-GENERAL: We are witnessing a killing of civilians that is unparalleled and unprecedented in any conflict
since I am secretary-general.
ROBERTSON (voiceover): The only concrete certainty is today, in Gaza, rebuilding what is destroyed will take years. And in Israel but no one will
feel safe until Hamas is gone.
Nic Robertson, CNN, Sderot, Israel.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
QUEST: We'll be back after this.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
QUEST: The FBI says a deadly car explosion at a U.S. border crossing with Canada was not an act of terrorism. Now, look at the security video, and
you can see the car, there it goes. It's a 2022 white Bentley. The investigators say it hit a curb, then a guardrail, and was launched into
the air flipping upside down before hitting the ground and exploding.
This video shows the aftermath of the explosion. The flames at the border crossing, the two people in the car were killed, and they're believed to be
a New York man and his wife.
The other thing to note is that I've seen reports suggesting that the car basically disintegrated. I mean, the only thing left is the engine.
Of course, today is Thanksgiving here in the U.S. There had been concerns after that explosion about the safety of large events. Brynn Gingras in New
York with more details. And she's at the Macy's Thanksgiving Parade.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BRYNN GINGRAS, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: The iconic Macy's Day parade, 97 years. This has been going on without a hitch and no different this
year.
Listen, police say there is no credible threat to the city or to this spectacular event. And we have seen a number of security measures taken
place. As you can see, there are police officers lined up every few feet behind me. We've seen bomb sniffing dogs walking the parade route,
sanitation trucks blocking the streets coming to the parade route. So many measures that we see. And then, of course, ones we don't see.
[15:50:00]
We know, law enforcement has been on heightened alert ever since the war broke out in the Middle East. But again, this is such an iconic event that
it's no different. And all it comes down to, of course, is men and women working to make sure the 3.5 million people that come out in this parade
just have a ton of fun.
Are you guys having fun? It's such a great time. Happy Thanksgiving to you.
I'm Brynn Gingras, CNN, New York.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
QUEST: Now, for the first time in years, hosting Thanksgiving will cost less than it did 12 months ago. It's thanks to a larger cutting the price
of turkeys, typically the most expensive item on the dinner table. The average Turkey costs 5.6 percent less than it did in 2022. And for dessert,
deflationary discounts, whipped cream, cranberries, pie, crusts, all cheaper than last year. The total cost for this year's positive spread
depends on where you are, but in the northeast it's around $64.
I challenge anybody to get a Thanksgiving full table for $63.
And if you're travelling home for Thanksgiving, well, that's cheaper too. In fact, the gas prices are lowest since they've been since 2020. Catherine
Rampell is with me.
I heard your sharp intake of breath when I said $63 odd, considerably more. But why are things cheaper?
CATHERINE RAMPELL, CNN ECONOMICS AND POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Well, look, there's a reason why central bankers usually strip out food and energy
costs when they're paying attention to the overall price level. And it has to do with the fact that they're really volatile.
In the case of turkeys, for example, turkey prices fell in part because last year there was an avian flu. Since then, farmers have been able to
replenish their turkey stocks, and that has pushed prices down. So, this is good news, obviously.
I wouldn't read too much into it, because again, you know, what happens with agricultural prices can be really noisy from month to month, let alone
year to year.
QUEST: You see, there's a very interesting story that I saw during the week, which talked about this, you know, inflation's come down by half, but
of course, that merely means prices aren't going up as fast. It doesn't mean, as we are talking about here, that prices have actually come down.
And I think that that's the -- people expect, when they hear that, you know, inflation's falling, they expect prices to fall. That's not the way
it works.
RAMPELL: No, I think there's a lot of confusion amongst consumers about this. People think prices should come back down. They should go back to
what they were in pre pandemic times, let's say 2019. That's not at all how it works. That's not even what the Fed is aiming for. The Fed is aiming for
slower price increases, but price increases nonetheless.
So, from the Fed's perspective, if a slice of pizza was a dollar last year, and it's, you know, closer to $2, this year. they're not looking for it to
go back to a dollar. There will be -- both a clear victory if it's, you know, $2.10, let's say $2.20, something like that.
QUEST: All right.
RAMPELL: Even that would maybe be more than they were happy with. So, the idea is that they want cooling prices, meaning cooling price growth. And
historically, in fact, if prices were to fall as consumers seem to want or expect them to, that's very bad news for an economy. That's a sign that,
you know, you're hitting a recessionary period, potentially even a depression. You really don't want overall falling prices, even if that
doesn't seem super intuitive to consumers.
QUEST: Oh, try and tell anybody that. Try and tell anybody that --
RAMPELL: I know.
QUEST: -- they actually don't want deflation.
RAMPELL: I've been trying, I've been trying.
QUEST: Deflation is what -- deflation is a -- right. Finally, on your Thanksgiving table, have you managed to make any savings?
RAMPELL: Have I?
QUEST: Yes.
RAMPELL: I am not in charge of cooking this year. So, I cannot take credit for any bargains that have been had or lost. But, you know, I'm just happy
to be fed. So --
QUEST: Just happy be a guest --
RAMPELL: I'm not paying attention to the receipts this year.
QUEST: Yes. Happy a guest and let other people.
RAMPELL: Exactly.
QUEST: I promise you this, I'm going out to dinner --
RAMPELL: Somebody else's responsibility.
QUEST: I'm going out for dinner with Chris and friends, and I promise you, I'll bet the restaurant is not going to be passing on any cuts in turkey
prices to us.
RAMPELL: Probably not. Probably not. Well, I hope you have a delicious meal all of the same.
QUEST: And to you. I wish you a happy Thanksgiving.
Now, a story I'm following up on. The Irish police chief -- breaking news, the Irish police chief says he's not ruling out any motive after that knife
attack in Dublin that injured several people, including children.
He's also condemning what he calls the disgraceful scenes in the Irish capital where clashes broke out after the attack. These are new pictures of
rioting -- well, argy-bargy and rioting. You can see flames. Oh, look at this, you most certainly can see flames.
[15:55:00]
The man say -- the police say a man in his 50s has been detained after the attack. The victims include a five-year-old girl who remains in hospital
with serious injuries, although it's not entirely clear what the rioting was all about afterwards, considering it was a knife attack. But we will
find out afterwards no doubt in the fullness of time.
Profitable moment after the break.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
QUEST: A final thought tonight on what's going to happen over the next 24 hours and then four days thereafter. The first thing I think is worth
remembering in all of this is that we call them hostages, but these are men, women and children that Hamas kidnapped in the massacre of violence
that took place on October the 7th.
They've not been held in a prison and they've not been held in -- well, we don't know the conditions that they've been held in, and tunnels and moved
around and how they've been treated. We know nothing of any of the circumstances. So, these are the people, at least 13 of them tomorrow, that
will be released by Hamas.
And Hamas has basically used these people as leverage. If the purposes that they say are legitimate, but in getting out their own people and getting a
truce from Israel that will last four days. Whether that truce continues after the four days, we just don't know.
From Qatar's point of view, it has been an extraordinary amount of achievement. And remember, Israel has no formal relationship with Qatar.
Israel has hated relationships with Hamas and is at war with them. Qatar has managed to bring the two together with the good offices of the United
States and Egypt, but it is delicate at best. And that's the message tonight, I think, from both Oren Liebermann and from Becky Anderson. There
are many things that can go wrong over the next few hours as this hostage release takes place. But never forget what we're talking about, people who
are taken, about the massacre of October the 7th.
And that's our program tonight. I'm Richard Quest. The coverage continues. "NEWS CENTRAL" starts right now. This is CNN.
[16:00:00]
END
