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Israel Confirms Hamas Leader Killed in Gaza; Vice President Harris Speaks After Hamas Leader Killed in Gaza; Netanyahu Praises Israeli Military For Death of Hamas Leader; Just Aired 2-2:30p ET

Aired October 17, 2024 - 14:00   ET

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

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BORIS SANCHEZ, CNN HOST: We start this hour with major breaking news in the Israel-Hamas war. Israel confirmed the leader of Hamas, an architect of the October 7th terror attack, Yahya Sinwar is dead. A warning. Now, the next image we are about to show you is disturbing. It has been widely circulated online, supposedly showing the body of Sinwar surrounded by rubble and Israeli soldiers. The source of this image thus far is unknown, but CNN has investigated it and determined that it shows no clear signs of manipulation.

BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN HOST: CNN, though, has not been able to confirm if the photo shows Sinwar. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reacted to this news just moments ago.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

Benjamin Netanyahu (THROUGH TRANSLATOR): The mass murderer who murdered thousands of Israelis and kidnapped hundreds of our citizens was eliminated today by our heroic soldiers. I call on everyone who hold our hostages -- I call on whoever lays down his weapon and return our hostages, we will allow him to go out and leave. And in the same way, I say, whoever harm our hostages blood on his head, we will reconvened him.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SANCHEZ: We're joined now by IDF International Spokesperson Major Doron Spielman. Major, thank you so much for being with us. Our reporting indicates that this operation was not specifically targeting the leader of Hamas, that IDF soldiers came upon him randomly. Can you give us details as to how the operation was carried out and when the IDF first suspected that they had struck Yahya Sinwar?

DORON SPIELMAN, IDF INTERNATIONAL SPOKESPERSON: Sure. First of all, thank you for having me, Boris. This is certainly an evening here in Israel that is incredibly symbolic. It was just over a year ago and the same holiday of Sukkot, this is the last day of Sukkot a year ago when the terror attack that was planned by Yahya Sinwar, the same attack that left women raped, brutally murdered men, women, and children, and babies, 101 of which are still in Gaza, was carried out. And it was today in which we've discovered the news, the great news that Yahya Sinwar, an enemy of mankind, was, in fact, eliminated.

The way that this came about was the IDF has been acting on very precise intelligence in southern Gaza. This is the area of Rafah, not far from the border with Egypt, in which we understood that there were very senior terrorist commanders, including Sinwar, in the area, possibly also hostages in the area. I'll remind you that this was a place that just three weeks ago, very, very close to the place where six hostages, including an American, were really just murdered at point blank range. And that is where our troops came under fire. They were both ground troops and tank troops from a building where they identified three terrorists. They tank fired at the building. And our troops fired at the building. And later, when our ground troops went to scan the building and see what had happened, they discovered that Yahya Sinwar was there. He was found with documents, with money, amidst the rubble, which is a fitting end for a man who kind of left his humanity behind and just came out to kill Israelis, to see him like this is, in fact, a day of quiet celebration in Israel because we still have 101 hostages in Gaza.

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KEILAR: Yeah. And we've been watching video from Tel Aviv and people are gathering. There is something for them, certainly, to celebrate in this. They're very happy about this news. Can you tell us a little bit, Major, about the timing between when they -- the strike occurred, which was, as we understand, a tank mortar. And correct me if I'm wrong on any of these details, and then the details of what happened from that, that there was some sort of drone that was used? Was that because this area was booby trapped? What did the drone show? And also the photos that we are seeing, is that the state of the

building at the time or was there some debris removed to verify the identity of Sinwar? Can you take us through all of that?

SPIELMAN: Sure. So earlier today, again, our forces have been operating in southern Gaza looking for terrorists. Now, we have to understand the landscape here. This is the landscape of an urban setting. There are buildings and shells of buildings in which terrorists pop still out of tunnels and fire at IDF troops. So there is a great concern for the lives of our troops. We use a lot of different surveillance methods and try to prevent, obviously, any harm coming to our troops. There was -- we did come on fire from this building, at which time, using a series of technology, we identified the three terrorists inside. We did not know with certainty that one of them was Yahya Sinwar. And then we returned fire, the tank fired. And then there's a period by which you cannot just walk into a building in ID. You have to clear the area. There could be multiple terrorists. It could even be an ambush.

And so, very carefully, our troops moved into the building. These are special troops who've come under fire from Hamas terrace, operating in tunnels for over a year. Eventually, when they identified that the building was safe to enter, they came inside and they saw him in the rubble, at which point they saw resemblance. But as we know, it's taken a number of hours. We matched both dental records and his DNA. And if we want to try to remember how we have these, Brianna, as you know, which is that Yahya Sinwar set in Israeli jails for more than 10 years. In fact, he was operated on a life-threatening brain tumor by Israel. Israel saved his life, and then he was released in a hostage deal in 2011. And the only way of course, that he paid back Israel was carrying out this terror attack.

If I could just add one more thing, the whole goal of our operating in this area has been to force Sinwar and other commanders out of their bunkers using very precise intel in certain areas, we were trying to force them. In this case, it worked above ground, moving so that they would make a mistake. And today, Sinwar made his last mistake, which, of course, is a great thing for the people of Israel. And I think for people around the world, as a symbol of evil has truly been brought to justice.

SANCHEZ: To the point you just made, Major, and something you said a moment ago, that this was near where six hostages were recently executed in a tunnel. Do you have any indication as to what his origin was, where he came from, and where he might have been headed, and why he was traveling with such an apparent light footprint? If you were able to confirm before launching the attack that it was only three people, and you determined that they were terrorists, there were no hostages around him. The speculation had been that he might be around hostages or civilians forming some kind of human shield. Do you have any indication as to those details?

SPIELMAN: So there certainly is a theory, and was a theory that he was operating in the area of hostages. However, based on the intel, we also knew that Sinwar had been forced in recent weeks to change his location multiple times because they identified the IDF was getting close. As we know, again, six of our hostages, one American were executed not far from where he was found. And our whole goal was, in fact, to cause him to leave that mass of people in order to flee. You cannot flee with all these people. He was found with three people, one of which is a person that has been by his side the entire time, which is the battalion commander of the Khan Yunis brigade. He was also killed in that rubble. He traveled very, very lightly.

Again, he dropped off the airways, as we know. There were weeks that we did not know if Sinwar was dead or alive. He knew that the more people around him, the more chances the IDF would discover where he was. We turned that against him by trying to root him out, literally, like an underground rat, I'm sorry to say, that is hiding under the ground, that is burying under the ground, that is scurrying from place to place.

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And eventually, while he's scurrying, you catch him. And that was the goal. And in fact, that is what worked in his light. His handprint has been very, very light. But as we can see, we managed to eliminate Yahya Sinwar. We eliminated his number two, Mohammed Deif. We eliminated the previous (inaudible), Ismail Khania in Lebanon, and Hassan Nasrallah. And I think the message that Israel is sending that is very, very clear.

Anyone, anyone who threatens the people of Israel is going to face justice swiftly. And this has all taken place within the last year. KEILAR: Major, what is the opening, as you see it, for hostage and

ceasefire talks now that Sinwar is gone? Of course, our mission is not completed, Brianna, as you're saying. The 101 hostages that are being held there, including these babies who've had their birthdays there, and the men and women is beyond all belief and is on the top of every single building, the numbers of all these people that are counting, and all we want is to bring them home. Yahya Sinwar was opposed to any deal. He was the very person that took these people hostage, dragged them from their homes, gave the orders. We found the book that he had written describing how to take people hostage, kill relatives, put them in shock and take them hostage. And he did not want to let these people go. Again, he rejected every negotiation offer.

Now that he is out of the way and there's a shakeup in the Hamas command structure, our hope is that Hamas will aim now for a new direction and realize also from a moral point of view, to return these people home, but also for their own benefit, that this is time to allow Israeli hostages to go home. The people of Gaza have also been suffering. Allow the people of Gaza to go back to their lives. And perhaps, perhaps, Brianna, this can start a new era, though, as we say, our enemy has been that. We hope their vote will be yes to a new era. If not, we are dedicated to doing whatever it takes to bring our people home and finishing Hamas so they can never threaten us again.

SANCHEZ: Major, I'm curious as to who you suspect Israel may be negotiating that sort of deal with. There is speculation that Yaya Sinwar's brother, Mohammed Sinwar, may take over the operation. There's the potential for a vacuum of power. And then there's also the complicating factor that from our understanding, many of these hostages aren't actually being held by Hamas itself, but rather other organizations and sort of satellite groups that has already complicated the process of helping recover the hostages.

So I imagine, it's not going to be a simple vote, as you said, by Hamas or its affiliates to get closer to a negotiation, to get closer to a hostage release deal or a ceasefire.

SPIELMAN: So what you're saying is correct that the hostages, after Hamas came into Gaza and captured, and killed families, and took those hostages back, there were regular people that came in that were not wearing -- that were not trained by Hamas, that joined in the melee of terror, took men, women and children, and brought them back to clans in Gaza.

However, Hamas, and we've said this from the very beginning, they are clearly the address in Gaza. They are the terror empire in Gaza. While there are other players, they know every single thing that's happened in the past. A year ago, almost a year ago, when we had a ceasefire and a hostage deal, everybody went along with it. Hamas gave out the order and it happened then. We believe still today, with the existing leadership of Hamas, if they want to, they can bring a deal to the table. It is up to them. It is in their hands. They are the point people in Gaza. and it can happen. Again, the world has to pressure them in order to do so. And we have to hope for a new era. And at the same time, we are doing everything we have based on intel to bring our people home as quickly as possible. KEILAR: Major Spielman, thank you so much for being with us. We do

want to go to Vice President Harris, who is now reacting to this news. Let's listen.

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KAMALA HARRIS, VICE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES (D) AND U.S. PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Today, Israel confirmed that Yahya Sinwar, the leader of Hamas, is dead. And justice has been served. And the United States, Israel, and the entire world are better off as a result. Sinwar was responsible for the killing of thousands of innocent people, including the victims of October 7th and hostages killed in Gaza. He had American blood on his hands.

Today, I can only hope that the families of the victims of Hamas feel a sense and measure of relief. Sinwar was the mastermind of October 7th, the deadliest day for the Jewish people since the Holocaust. A terrorist attack that killed 1,200 innocent people, and included horrific sexual violence, and more than 250 hostages taken into Gaza, including 7 Americans, living and deceased, who remain in captivity.

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A terrorist attack that triggered a devastating war in Gaza, a war that has led to unconscionable suffering of many innocent Palestinians and greater instability throughout the Middle East. In the past year, American special operations and intelligence personnel have worked closely with their Israeli counterparts to locate and track Sinwar and other Hamas leaders. And I commend their work. And I will say to any terrorist who kills Americans, threatens the American people, or threatens our troops or our interests, know this, we will always bring you to justice.

Israel has a right to defend itself. And the threat Hamas poses to Israel must be eliminated. Today, there is clear progress toward that goal. Hamas is decimated and its leadership is eliminated. This moment gives us an opportunity to finally end the war in Gaza, and it must end such that Israel is secure. The hostages are released. The suffering in Gaza ends. And the Palestinian people can realize their right to dignity, security, freedom, and self-determination. And it is time for the day after to begin without Hamas in power. We will not give up on these goals. And I will always work to create a future of peace, dignity, and security for all of. I thank you all.

WOMAN #1: Is the US asking Israel to end the war --

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KEILAR: All right. Listening there to Vice President Harris reacting to this news that Yahya Sinwar is dead, killed by the IDF. We do have CNN's MJ Lee at the White House, Clarissa Ward as well in London.

Clarissa, of course, is one of the few western journalists who has been in Gaza during the war. But MJ, I do want to go to you first. You have some new reporting about how families of American hostages being held by Hamas are reacting to news of the death of Sinwar. MJ LEE, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Yeah. And Brianna, we just heard the Vice President referring to the fact that there are still seven American hostages, both living and deceased, that are still being held captive in Gaza. These families, including American- Israeli hostages that have been taken into Gaza on October 7th, I mean, they are watching this development, the news of Yahya Sinwar's death. And they are worried sick.

I was texting earlier with Ruby Chen. He is, of course, the father of Utay Chen, the young U.S. Israeli-American that was taken hostage and killed on October 7th, whose body has yet to be released. He was saying, we are very concerned terrorists in the field will do something irrational to the hostages they are holding. And he said, time is of the essence, you know, to say the obvious, the thing that these hostage families want more than anything else is a ceasefire and hostages deal so that all of the hostages can be released. And for the past year, you know, this has been a nightmare situation for these families.

Every day, they are waking up hoping that there is some good news on the hostage's front. And they are now in the position of basically waiting to see and learn whether Sinwar's death ends up prompting a different phase of this conflict, whether it will ultimately mean that the conflict can end. But as you all watch, Prime Minister Netanyahu in his speech, it certainly didn't sound like that is where his mind was at, but it was very interesting that for the Vice President. Her focus was very much on the end to this conflict and basically what should happen once the war is over. That was clearly her message.

SANCHEZ: Clarissa, we noted your reporting from Gaza just a moment ago. I wonder what you think Yahya Sinwar's death means for the enclave, for Palestinians, and for the region more broadly.

CLARISSA WARD, CNN CHIEF INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, I mean, Boris, we haven't had any reaction from Hamas yet. Obviously, this is a largely expected but still a big blow for their leadership coming on the heels of the assassination of the former political leader Ismail Khania.

What's been really interesting, though, is talking to people inside of Gaza about how they view Sinwar's death. And CNN has been talking to people throughout the day.

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And while many people have said that they are sad, there hasn't been the kind of emotional outpouring, the tears that we saw, for example, with Hassan Nasrallah's death, the leader of Hezbollah, or Ismail Khania, who I just mentioned. I think that the sense is many Palestinians in Gaza are honestly just focused right now on trying to survive.

And there are those who will privately, speak openly about their hatred of Hamas, about their deep resentment of the immense bloodshed that Yahya Sinwar brought upon the people of Gaza. But in terms of public demonstrations, the thing you're hearing over and over again, Boris, is, does this mean the end of the war? We can't possibly survive this war any longer. And it's important to remind our viewers right now that we are talking about a year of relentless bombardment. We are talking about 42,000 people dead, the majority of them women, children, and civilians. We are talking about people starving to death. We are talking about disease, the reemergence of polio.

The situation inside Gaza is absolutely catastrophic and unsustainable. And I think that's why you saw Vice President Harris saying that while justice has been served, this is a moment to celebrate, this is also an opportunity, a pivotal moment, potentially, to try to get the hostages released, to try to end this war, to try to get that ceasefire in place. But when you listen to Prime Minister Netanyahu's speech, he talked a lot about needing to have patience. He talked about the challenges that remained. He alluded to the multiple fronts that Israel has opened across the region. So no real hope from the people in Gaza that despite the significance of this moment, that this will actually fundamentally change the situation on the ground and potentially portend an end to this grisly yearlong conflict.

SANCHEZ: That really does put it into perspective. Clarissa, thank you so much. MJ, thank you as well. And we just heard from President Biden, he says he's going to speak soon with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. So we will see what comes of that call.

And our breaking news this hour, Israel confirming the death of Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar, celebrations as you see here underway in Tel Aviv. We'll have much more in a moment.

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SANCHEZ: We are continuing to follow breaking news out of the Middle East and a watershed moment in the war between Israel and Hamas. Israel saying that it killed Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu saying that, quote, "evil has suffered a heavy blow."

KEILAR: Let's discuss these major developments further. With us, we have Josh Rogin. He is a Washington Post columnist. And also with us, we have CNN Military Analyst Retired Air Force Colonel Cedric Leighton.

First, let's talk about some of -- you heard some of our interview with the IDF. But let's talk about some of the specifics, Colonel, of this operation, because I think there is a lot of curiosity around it.

This was a routine military operation. But the IDF is also stressing that they had a lot of intel about Hamas leaders sort of in the area so that they were on, you know, a little bit of an alert, but they had no idea this was Sinwar until they were able to do a little bit of surveillance and see. What did you think about what you've learned so far?

CEDRIC LEIGHTON, CNN MILITARY ANALYST RETIRED AIR FORCE COLONEL: Yes. This is very interesting, Brianna, because our initial reporting was that they just happened upon these three terrorists and they shot them. And it was all happenstance or coincidence. But I was suspicious of that because you can't do those kinds of operations with at least some knowledge of what you're going to be encountering. So the Israeli spokesman, the IDF spokesman, when he talked about this, he laid out the fact that there was a lot of intel preparation, what we call intel preparation of the battle space, for this type of an operation. They didn't know specifically that he was there, but they suspected that somebody might be there, somebody really important. And that's the way it usually works with these high value target type situations where HVTs, as we call them.

Another thing that's interesting to note is when Vice President Harris spoke, she talked about how the U.S. was helping with intelligence and the special operations' capabilities. So there's something to be said that the United States probably helped the Israelis with some degree of intelligence and both tactical and strategic. And that intelligence helped get the Israelis to this point.

SANCHEZ: Josh, it's notable that this took place in Rafah, which the U.S. warned Israel about expanding ground operations in. And you heard from Benjamin Netanyahu, they're essentially saying that the ends here justified the means of expanding its ground operation into Rafah at the cost of civilian lives, right?

JOSH ROGIN, WASHINGTON POST COLUMNIST: Right. I think what you see is the Biden administration taking credit where they can and papering over the fact that they've disagreed with Netanyahu government throughout the war and including until now, it's not just Rafah, there's a new Israeli offensive in northern Gaza that's affecting a lot of people, 400,000 people ordered to evacuate. The White House was against the war in Lebanon. President Biden said it on TV. And then after they did it, he totally changed his mind. He said, okay, it was a good idea afterwards.

So it's very clear that the Biden administration is following the events rather than shaping them. And if you just listen to what Vice President Harris said --

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