Return to Transcripts main page

CNN Newsroom

Israel and Hamas Finally Agree to Ceasefire-Hostage Deal; Qatari Foreign Minister Spokesperson on Ceasefire-Hostage Deal; Israel Delays Cabinet Vote on Gaza Deal Saying Hamas has Reneged on Parts of Deal; Biden Warns of Rise of Big Tech, and Oligarchy in America. Aired 4-4:30a ET

Aired January 16, 2025 - 04:00   ET

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

[04:00:00]

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: For us, it's only the beginning. We want them all here.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: There's relief and hope that some of the hostages and women and children, especially, will come out. But I don't think there's any celebration.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: A ceasefire deal doesn't suddenly make this an easy situation in which to deliver aid.

JOE BIDEN, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: In the past four years, our democracy has held strong. And every day, I've kept my commitment to be president for all Americans. Today, an oligarchy is taking shape in America, of extreme wealth, power, and influence.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: If there's a product I like, I just touch the screen. It takes me to a payment system. It's that easy. ByteDance is already pushing this new way of shopping in the U.S.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ANNOUNCER: Live from London, this is CNN NEWSROOM with Max Foster and Christina Macfarlane.

FOSTER: Hello, and a warm welcome to our viewers. Joining us from around the world, I'm Max Foster.

MACFARLANE: And I'm Christina Macfarlane. It's Thursday, January 16th, 9 a.m. here in London, 11 a.m. in Israel and Gaza, where many are celebrating the long-awaited ceasefire and hostage agreement.

FOSTER: It's not quite a done deal yet. The Israeli cabinet expected to vote on it today, but there's a sense the trickiest part of the negotiations is over, and hopefully the worst of the war.

MACFARLANE: Let's go straight out and bring in CNN anchor Becky Anderson from Doha, where the mediators have spent more than 400 days trying to hammer out that deal -- Becky. BECKY ANDERSON, CNN ANCHOR CONNECT THE WORLD: Yes, 411 days, to be precise. Joe Biden calling this the exact framework of a deal that he proposed back in May of 2024. I put that to the Qatari foreign ministry spokesman just yesterday, as soon as this deal was announced.

And he said, look, you know, it's very similar to the spirit of that deal that was proposed in May of 2024. But obviously the devil, he said, is in the detail. But here we are with a deal that certainly at this point still needs to be approved by the Israeli cabinet. But if it is, it will be a deal that is implemented on Sunday of this week.

Now, a few of the details, according to the Israeli officials, during phase one of the ceasefire, 33 of those held captive in Gaza are to be freed. It's believed most of them are alive, but some bodies could also be returned.

An influx of humanitarian aid into Gaza is also expected. This agreement expected to bring desperately needed relief to the Palestinians who have suffered near constant bombardment. And for all of those in Israel and beyond who've been waiting and agonizing over the fate of their loved ones being held hostage.

Qatar, of course, has played a powerful role in the mediation. Its prime minister says his country, the U.S. and Egypt, have put a mechanism in place to ensure neither side breaks the first phase of this ceasefire. Have a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MOHAMMED BIN ABDULRAHMAN AL THANI, QATARI PRIME MINISTER: We will continue to do everything we can, everything possible, together with our partners to ensure that this deal is implemented as it's agreed, and this deal will bring us peace, hopefully, at the end of it.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ANDERSON: Well meanwhile, the Israeli prime minister spoke to both President Biden and the incoming U.S. President Donald Trump to thank them for their help, and I quote him here, in advancing the ceasefire hostage deal. Israel's president vowed to bring all the hostages back.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ISAAC HERZOG, ISRAELI PRESIDENT (through translator): We are much stronger than we imagined. The decision must be clear and unequivocal. We save them, we free them, we bring them home urgently, down to the last one.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ANDERSON: Of course, there are 94 hostages who were taken hostage on October 7th and are being held captive. There were also four others who had been held captive in Gaza before October 7th.

[04:05:00] A statement from Hamas: The agreement to stop the aggression against Gaza is an achievement for our people, our resistance, our nation, and the free people of the world, they write. It marks a crucial turning point in the struggle against the enemy on the path to achieving our people's goals of liberation and return.

The U.S. President says the deal, as I say, has the exact framework his administration pitched back in May. Joe Biden said this has been a time of real turmoil in the Middle East, and he is not wrong there, but added that he prepares to leave office. There are genuine opportunities, he says, for a new future. Have a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOE BIDEN, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: The road to this deal has not been easy. I've worked in foreign policy for decades. This is one of the toughest negotiations I've ever experienced.

We've encountered roadblocks and setbacks. We've not given up. And now, after more than 400 days of struggle, the day of success has arrived, and I'm deeply satisfied.

This day has come, finally come, for the sake of the people of Israel and the families waiting in agony, and for the sake of the innocent people in Gaza who suffered unimaginable devastation because of the war.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ANDERSON: Meanwhile, incoming U.S. President Donald Trump posted that he is, quote, thrilled about the ceasefire deal and said it could only have happened as a result of his historic victory in November.

CNN's Bianna Golodryga spoke with Israelis at Hostages Square, as it is known in Tel Aviv, about their cautious optimism and their sense of some relief.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: But I think, you know, it's not a celebratory mood because everyone knows it's not a perfect deal, but I think every single hostage that can come back, it's as if we can save the whole humanity. So, on the one hand, there's relief and hope that some of the hostages and women and children especially will come out, but I don't think there's any, you know, celebration because we also know that, on the other hand, some terrorists that have killed a lot of people are going to come out.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ANDERSON: A word of the upcoming ceasefire led to massive celebrations in Gaza. Have a listen.

(CHEERING)

Huge crowds turned out in the streets, ecstatic that 15 months of fighting would come to an end, but more than 46,000 people have been killed, according to Palestinian officials, and close to 90 percent, nine out of ten Palestinians have had to flee their homes. And many people still cannot forget what they lost during this conflict.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (through translator): I'm so happy, but at the same time, my home was destroyed. I lost four of my children. Some of my other children I haven't seen in months. I want to go home. I want to go back to my children. I want to find my kids at home and cradle them like I used to.

I want to cradle my youngest, who they killed. He was 12 years old. I'm so sad. They broke my heart when they took him from me.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): I'm filled with hope and pain, pain for all that we've lost, for our loved ones and friends and family and neighbors, and hope for the return of Gaza, for the return of our homes.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: (through translator): A feeling that is indescribable. We never expected to get to this stage. Even now we don't believe it. We wish many people could celebrate this moment with us, but they are now in a better place.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): I'm grateful to God that made me be here in this moment. I promised to stay with you in Gaza until the last moment, and I am grateful that God made it happen.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ANDERSON: Well, now that the deal has the initial green light, the United Nations says it is time to start sending desperately needed aid in. U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres welcomed the agreement, but said it's only a start.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ANTONIO GUTERRES, U.N. SECRETARY-GENERAL: This deal is a critical first step. Our priority now must be to ease the tremendous suffering caused by this conflict. The United Nations stands ready to support the implementation of this deal and scale up the delivery of sustained humanitarian relief to the countless Palestinians who continue to suffer.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ANDERSON: Well, the U.N. Agency for Palestinian Refugees also welcomed the agreement, saying many people were hoping for it for 15 months, and the deal will bring a much-needed respite for the people in Gaza and the release of hostages.

[04:10:00]

Well, Qatari officials, this couple of days, were absolutely crucial to get the ceasefire deal across the line. Qatar, of course, the lead mediator here, along with the U.S. and Egypt. Earlier, I spoke with Majed Al Ansari, who's spokesperson for Qatar's foreign ministry, about that process.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MAJED AL ANSARI, QATARI FOREIGN MINISTRY SPOKESPERSON: I think the past couple of days have been very instrumental. Yesterday, the meetings went on until 4 a.m. and started very early this morning. And the American presence, the U.S. presence in these meetings was very instrumental, so we appreciate it, and we know that there was a lot of political will behind the push that delivered the deal today.

ANDERSON: Donald Trump is treating this as a win, effectively. That's what he said in his social channels, is it?

ANSARI: I think all of us should be claiming this as a win, and I think, you know, stopping this war in Gaza, stopping the bloodshed, the daily pictures and videos of children and women killed in the streets, stopping that is a win for the whole world. It's a win for peace and security, and I think anybody who wants to claim that should be able to, especially those who have helped bring this across the line.

ANDERSON: Phase 1 starts on the 19th. The deal will be implemented on Sunday. That's a day before Donald Trump's inauguration, and will go on for 42 days, during which time 33 hostages will be released, Palestinian prisoners will be exchanged, the Israeli military will withdraw in a sort of staggered fashion.

Palestinians get to go home to wherever they are from, including the northern part of the Strip, and, crucially, humanitarian aid will be surged into the Strip. Just how much confidence do you have in the first instance that the mechanisms are in place to ensure that that first 42 days goes to plan, sir?

ANSARI: Well, Becky, we have learned to be very cautious in our expectations, but what I can tell you is that we have spent more than 400 days of negotiations between both sides. Everything has been hashed out. Everything has been discussed in a very clear manner, and we do believe that we have the checks in place, we have the processes in place, and we have the commitment from both sides in place that will ensure that the agreement is implemented, but, of course, through our operations room in Egypt that will have all of us together collectively, the U.S., Qatar, and the United States, we will work to ensure that there are no, you know, delays in the implementation that might make it difficult for the process to continue.

ANDERSON: What can you do if there are delays or if, indeed, somebody breaks the ceasefire?

ANSARI: Now, it's a case-by-case basis, but I can tell you that we are all working together and we have the mechanisms in place to make sure that that goes positively.

ANDERSON: Can you confirm on which day the negotiations for a second phase will begin? I've seen reports that the negotiations for a second phase will begin on day 16. Is that correct?

ANSARI: I mean, I don't want to get into the details of the agreement. You probably have seen a lot of these documents flying around, but what I can tell you that it will take some time for the negotiations to begin. We want to ensure that we have the processes in place and the commitment to start the negotiations, and we will be pushing for that to happen.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ANDERSON (on camera): Well, standing by is my guest, Jasmine El-Gamal, a former Pentagon Middle East advisor and a Middle East analyst. But before I get to Jasmine, who is joining us from London, Jasmine, I just want to read out what I'm just receiving here into CNN.

Israel on Thursday morning has said that it has delayed a Cabinet vote on the Gaza ceasefire and hostage deal, blaming Hamas for reneging on parts of the agreement.

I'll read what's come to us from the Prime Minister's office very specifically.

Hamas reneges on parts of the agreement reached with the mediators and Israel in an effort to extort last-minute concessions, the PMO said in a statement. The Israeli Cabinet, they said, will not convene until the mediators notify Israel that Hamas has accepted all elements of the agreement.

And in response on Telegram, a member of Hamas's political bureau said, quote, Hamas is committed to the ceasefire agreement that was announced by the mediators.

Now, of course, the Israeli Cabinet was expected to meet this morning. It needs to approve this ceasefire deal before it can be implemented. The expectation for that was January the 19th, Sunday, which, let's be quite frank, choreographed very well around the inauguration of Donald Trump. Some saying echoes of 1981, Jasmine, and the release of the American hostages by Iran as Ronald Reagan was inaugurated.

[04:15:00]

Jasmine, what do you see of what I have just received in that we are now looking at a delay on this approval by the Israelis with an allegation that Hamas is reneging already on details of this plan?

JASMINE EL-GAMAL, FORMER PENTAGON MIDDLE EAST ADVISOR: Good morning, Becky. It's good to be with you. I mean, look, I wish I could say that I was surprised, but, you know, those of us who have been looking at this very closely over the last few months, we know how fragile this situation is. We know how fragile these ceasefire talks have been. And when the ceasefire, you know, in the hours and the days leading up to the announcement yesterday, there was a lot of back and forth, one step forward, two steps back. And so even once the agreement was announced, there, you know, there are all of these issues that could come up that are coming up right now, as you just said. I mean, I expected them to come up a bit later when the second phase was being negotiated, but the nature of the ceasefire and the requirements from both sides are so minute and so fragile that, you know, this is really, really going to put a lot of the onus on the mediators themselves, the enforcers of this announce -- of this ceasefire to make sure that no, you know, neither party is going to be reneging on its commitments.

Obviously, as we know, this deal announcement has been received with some mixed feelings in Israel. Largely, the population is traumatized and exhausted and has been pushing for an end to this war for months.

But you do have that right wing portion of Israeli society and Israeli politics that has been giving Prime Minister Netanyahu a really hard time for signing this agreement and entering into this deal. And so what we're seeing right now with the Israelis accusing Hamas of reneging, we don't know if that's last-minute internal politics in Israel or if that's actually Hamas reneging. It is very opaque. No one knows exactly what's happening on the ground.

But again, it all comes back to the importance of the role of the mediators to make sure that this really crucial and long-overdue ceasefire announcement takes effect.

ANDERSON: 100 percent, and I can tell you, having spent so much time over the last 15 months with the negotiators here in Qatar, at least, taking a lead on negotiation, talking to those who are the chief negotiators or the chief mediators on the Qatari side in Doha, I can tell you they take this responsibility enormously seriously. They spoke yesterday about the mechanism that they've put in place, which will be run out of Cairo, which will include Qataris, Egyptians and U.S. in an effort to try and ensure that neither side breaks this ceasefire.

But of course, talking at that stage about what happens post-January the 19th, not sort of assuming for there to be kind of spanners in the works ahead of that.

Look, I mean, it does seem as if something is going on behind the scenes, and we're trying to stand up exactly what the Israelis mean at this stage, what the substance of that allegation actually is. And of course, we'll get our viewers that as and when we get it.

Look, we know the devil is in the detail on this, and that's the point I think that you are making here.

Joe Biden talked about this deal as the exact framework for the deal that he proposed back in May, which, by the way, we were told was agreed on by the Israelis and the prime minister in Israel, only to be sort of scuppered by him later. But, you know, I've been told here, yes, it's very similar in atmosphere, but the details progressed. But ultimately, let's talk about this.

This has effectively been a deal that's been on the table for eight months. And you've written a really quite strongly worded post on X this morning, suggesting the Biden administration has not only failed Palestinians, but also Israelis by supporting and enabling Netanyahu's government, who have consistently, you say, lied to Israelis, preyed on their fear and trauma, and attacked hostage families as they protested for their loved ones. And I assume you would go on to say, and held up a deal.

Is that what you're saying? Held up a deal over the last eight months that might otherwise have come to fruition. Just explain what your position is on this.

EL-GAMAL: Of course, Becky. I mean, you know, I'll start out by saying that neither side here is free of guilt. That's at one point or the other, both sides have been obstacles to a peace deal.

[04:20:00]

But I think that the Biden administration solely focuses on Hamas' role in holding up negotiations when we know for months now, we've been hearing, and there have been press reports, including in the Israeli press, from Arab and Israeli mediators who have blamed Netanyahu -- Prime Minister Netanyahu, for scuttling the talks, for adding last minute requests. I mean, it's exactly like you said.

When President Biden offered up this plan last spring, it was called Netanyahu's plan. This was the plan that Netanyahu had supposedly put on the table that was announced by President Trump that Netanyahu then backed away from.

He started putting in additional conditions and requirements. He started talking about the Philadelphi Corridor and an Israeli presence at the Philadelphi Corridor as an existential issue for Israel. Well, it's not so existential anymore, and he's been getting criticized for that within Israel as well. If it's so existential, why are you so willing to give it up right now and not eight months ago or six months ago?

And so, you know, I have been working with Israelis and Palestinians for the last year, attending workshops, attending dialogues with both Israelis and Palestinians, these brave, brave people sitting across the table from each other trying to figure out how they can work towards peace and coexistence, and they are so frustrated with their leadership.

And when I talk to those Israelis who are working towards peace, they ask me, they say, when you go on the media, I want you to explain that the, you know, that the U.S., the U.K., other countries that think they are being friends of the Israeli people by supporting this Netanyahu government are not friends of the Israeli people because this Prime Minister does not have our interests at heart.

So that's why I posted that on X. I am passing along a message from Israelis that I speak to who for too long now, along with Palestinians, have been suffering under this leadership that doesn't prioritize their safety and security -- Becky.

ANDERSON: Netanyahu's critics say that these delays have been entirely in his own political interest. His right-wing firebrand national security minister has admitted to preventing -- taking responsibility for preventing this deal happening by being so important to Netanyahu's future by holding together this very fragile coalition that he has, that he has been instrumental alongside Netanyahu in ensuring that this hasn't happened until now.

You're right to point out there are issues on both sides. There is responsibility on all sides. But we are where we are and it's really good to have you. And that perspective about what you're hearing from both Palestinians and Israelis is really, really important for us and our viewers to provide some context for what's going on.

Yasmin, thank you. Yasmin El-Gamal joining us this morning.

EL-GAMAL: Thank you.

ANDERSON: Well, meantime, Israel did launch a new wave of strikes in Gaza despite announcement of this ceasefire deal. At least 26 people were killed and 20 others wounded across the enclave on Wednesday. Palestinian officials say the targets included a residential block in Gaza City.

Look, I'll be back later this hour with much more on what is going on here on this ceasefire hostage deal and any further detail we can get and why it is that the prime minister's office in Israel said that they are delaying the process of approval for this deal, accusing Hamas of reneging already on the details of the agreement. We'll do more on that for you and get it to you, Max and Christina, as soon as we have it for the time being. Back to you.

FOSTER: I'll speak to you later, Becky. Thank you so much.

President Joe Biden giving his farewell speech from the Oval Office and it was full of warnings about big tech and a power grab by the super wealthy. Details just ahead.

MACFARLANE: Plus, no new flames in Southern California's most destructive wildfires ever, but the mayor of Los Angeles says the area is not out of the woods yet.

FOSTER: And later, how the wildfires are driving calls to make future Olympic Games more sustainable, including L.A. 2028, of course.

[04:25:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

MACFARLANE: Welcome back. U.S. President Joe Biden delivered his farewell address to the nation Wednesday, just days before he leaves the White House for good and after more than 50 years of public service.

The president will leave office with a majority of Americans, 61 percent, seeing his presidency overall as a failure. 38 percent viewed it as a success, according to a new CNN poll.

FOSTER: In his speech, President Biden issued a stark warning about the looming threats from what he called the tech-industrial complex, where he said the truth is smothered by lies told for power and for profit, details from CNN's Kayla Tausche.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

KAYLA TAUSCHE, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Flanked by his family and his most senior aides, President Biden delivered an address from the Oval Office for just the fifth time in his presidency, a distinguished backdrop that has been reserved for some of the most significant events of his time in office. His decision to withdraw from the presidential race, and commenting on the assassination attempt on his political opponent.

He also used that backdrop to speak at the outset of the war between Israel and Hamas in October 2023, and just now he was able to talk about a new ceasefire deal between those parties that's set to take effect in the coming days.

And while Biden has used this speech to cap his 50-year career in public service, he also took an opportunity to warn the country about the risks of artificial intelligence, misinformation, and the concentration of wealth and power.

BIDEN: Millions of Americans now have the dignity of work. Millions of entrepreneurs and companies creating new businesses and industries, hiring American workers, using American products. Together, we've launched a new era of American possibilities.

Today, an oligarchy is taking shape in America of extreme wealth, power, and influence that literally threatens our entire democracy, our basic rights and freedoms, and a fair shot for everyone to get ahead.

TAUSCHE: That message, an implicit critique against incoming President Donald Trump and one of his most senior advisors, Elon Musk, the richest man in the world. The Trump team was at the White House shortly before the speech for transition exercises, before officially taking power in just five days.

Kayla Tausche, CNN, the White House.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

FOSTER: British Prime Minister Keir Starmer is visiting Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Kyiv. Starmer's office says the leaders will sign a treaty for a new 100-year partnership.

MACFARLANE: It's meant to deepen the country's military and economic alliance and to ensure that Ukraine is, quote, never again vulnerable to the kind of brutality inflicted on it by Russia. The Prime Minister is also expected to announce a new support package for Ukraine, including lethal aid and funds for Kyiv's economic resilience.

FOSTER: Firefighters report tremendous success in containing the wildfires in Los Angeles, but two major threats remain, smoldering hot spots and unpredictable winds. Still, the Palisades and Eaton fires haven't grown in the past few days.

MACFARLANE: Good news. Investigators say they're following up on more than 150 leads into what caused the fires, including surveillance video, social media posts and interviews with residents. L.A. Mayor Karen Bass thanked firefighters for working quickly to contain the flames.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

[04:30:00]

KAREN BASS, LOS ANGELES MAYOR: We're not out of the woods yet. There is a chance that the Santa Anas might spike up again next week.

But I think that we have to, while we're still being vigilant, while we're still in this emergency, we also have to begin the process of recovery and rebuilding.

(END VIDEO CLIP)