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Isa Soares Tonight
Remember Jimmy Carter; Kenyan Police Fires Tear Gas at Protesters; 17 Convicted in France's Mass Rape Trial; Northern Gaza Health Care "Obliterated". Aired 2:00-3p ET
Aired December 30, 2024 - 14:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[14:00:00]
ISA SOARES, HOST, ISA SOARES TONIGHT: A very warm welcome to the show, everyone, I'm Isa Soares. Tonight, a legacy of kindness as well as
compassion. Jimmy Carter is being remembered by those who knew him best as a statesman and a humanitarian. Tributes pouring in from around the world
for America's 39th President.
Plus, South Korea in mourning after a deadly plane crash of what we're learning about more than 180 victims of the air disaster. And northern
Gaza's last remaining major hospital now out of service, and its director reportedly detained in a notorious Israeli military detention center. We
have the very latest for you.
We begin this hour, though, with the life of the man who rose from peanut farmer to the White House, and whose extraordinary work as a humanitarian
statesman post-presidency helped define his remarkable legacy. Former U.S. President Jimmy Carter died on Sunday at his Plains, Georgia home, with his
family there by his side.
At 100 years old, he was the oldest living American President. Carter surprised many by beating out a crowded field of Democrats, then incumbent
President Gerald Ford to win the 1976 election after the Vietnam war and Watergate, he vowed to heal a battered nation.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JIMMY CARTER, LATE FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Our country's lived through a time of torment. It's now time for healing. We want to have
faith again. We want to be proud again. We just want the truth again. It's time for the people to run the government and not the other way around!
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SOARES: Carter also defied the odds and made history when he brokered the peace deal between Israel and Egypt in 1979. And he didn't slow down a bit
after leaving the White House. His post-presidency is considered by many historians as one of the most accomplished, and that included a Nobel Peace
Prize and his tireless volunteer work with Habitat for Humanity. We'll have more on that in just a moment.
The former U.S. President helped build, renovate or repair more than 4,000 homes. Our Nic Robertson takes a look at the tremendous impact of Jimmy
Carter's diplomatic efforts across the globe, which extended well beyond the Camp David Accords.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
CARTER: I, Jimmy Carter, do solemnly swear --
NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMATIC EDITOR (voice-over): Jimmy Carter's presidency lived in the shadow of America's cold war with the
Soviet Union. But he refused to be constrained by east west communist versus capitalist tensions.
CARTER: We expect that normalization will help to move us together toward a world of diversity and of peace.
ROBERTSON: He improved relations with China and tried for the same with the Soviets. In his foreign policies, he pushed for nuclear
nonproliferation, Democratic values and human rights. He cut off military supplies to Chilean dictator Augusto Pinochet and dialed back support for
other Latin-American leaders in Nicaragua, Argentina and Brazil.
One of his signature White House legacies was the Torrijos-Carter treaties that returned the Panama Canal to Panama in 1999. He also calmed Mid-East
tensions, brought together Israeli and Arab leaders at Camp David, opening the door to the Israeli-Egypt Camp David Accords. He normalized relations
with China, weakened U.S. ties to Taiwan in a vain hope Beijing would weaken ties with Moscow.
But after the Soviet Union invaded Afghanistan in December 1979, the last year of his presidency, he toughened his Soviet stance, backed the Afghan
Mujahideen in a war against the Red Army. The same year, 1979 Islamic revolution in neighboring Iran dealt Carter a double domestic blow, spiked
oil prices and led to a humiliating failed raid -- Operation Eagle Claw in April 1980 to rescue Americans captured by the theocratic revolutionaries
in Tehran.
CARTER: I can't stand here tonight and say it doesn't hurt.
[14:05:00]
ROBERTSON: Events overseas contributed to his 1980 election loss.
CARTER: The people of the United States have made their choice, and of course, I accept that decision.
ROBERTSON: But out of office on the limelight, his global peacemaking grew. In 1994, he was the first former U.S. President to visit North Korea,
met Kim Il-Sung, the grandfather of today's leader Kim Jong un, at a time of U.S.-North Korean tensions, won concessions on North Korea's nuclear
program, dialing back tensions for a decade.
But 1994 was his big year of high profile peacemaking. In September, he went to Haiti. Raoul Cedras, the Caribbean nation's unpopular leader, was
holed up in Port-au-Prince. Carter convinced him to step down quite literally, as the U.S. 82nd Airborne troops were inbound aboard Black Hawk
helicopters ready to remove Cedras by force.
Carter won the day, saved lives. The U.S. troops landed as de facto peacekeepers. And later that year, Carter went to the dark heart of
Bosnia's violent ethnic civil war, met the nationalist Serbs in their mountain stronghold parley, tried to stop their bloody, murderous siege and
shelling of the capital, Sarajevo, to bring an end to the killing that claimed hundreds of thousands of lives during horrific ethnic cleansing.
Success came slowly in steps. Carter helped initiate a short Christmas ceasefire, and by his presence, pushed the horrific conflict toward greater
international attention.
RICHARD HOLBROOKE, FORMER U.S. AMBASSADOR TO THE UNITED STATES: We have work to do. We have to go back to it now. Thank you very much.
ROBERTSON: Less than a year later, another U.S. diplomat, Richard Holbrooke, parleyed Carter's brief calm into the war ending Dayton Peace
Accords. Nineteen-ninety-four marked a peak in Carter's peacemaking, but far from the end of it. He helped found a group of seasoned international
diplomats known as the Elders whose work spanned the Mid-East and far beyond.
He helped the charity, Habitat for Humanity change lives, building affordable homes, often showing up to help with construction himself. In
2002, he was awarded a Nobel Peace Prize for decades of untiring effort to find peaceful solutions to international conflicts, to advance democracy
and human rights, and to promote economic and social development.
It was a path he'd picked, a post-presidency with meaning, and he followed it right up to his death. Nic Robertson, CNN, London.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SOARES: A truly remarkable life there. Well, from Berlin to Beijing, tributes to the former U.S. President have been pouring in, as you can
imagine, I'm going to share some of them with you. German Chancellor Olaf Scholz says the U.S. lost a committed fighter for democracy and the world
lost a great mediator for peace in the Middle East.
Chinese President Xi Jinping credited Carter with significant contributions to the development of U.S.-China relations. Egyptian President Abdel Fattah
El-Sisi called Carter, quote, "a symbol of humanitarian and diplomatic efforts", and says his work securing the Egypt-Israel peace accords will
remain etched in history.
And Pope Francis offered his condolences, highlighting Jimmy Carter's deep Christian faith, his defense of human rights and concern for those welfare
of those in need. Let's get us more on really the life of Jimmy Carter. Joining us now is Don Shaw; he's a long-time volunteer for Habitat for
Humanity and frequently worked alongside President Carter.
Don, great to have you on the show. I believe you've been a lifelong friend of the former President. What kind of man was he? How will you remember
him?
DON SHAW, VOLUNTEER FOR HABITAT FOR HUMANITY: Well, I've been a friend and volunteer working with the Carter projects since 2002 when I had an
opportunity to work on a Carter project outside of Durban, South Africa. And fittingly, it was in a place that was renamed Ethembeni, which is Zulu
for a place of hope. And that's what Carter gave all of us as we worked tirelessly under his leadership to build homes for folks in need.
SOARES: And as you were talking, Don, we're seeing some photos of yourself with the former President. We know that President Carter, we also know that
his wife, Rosalynn, actually appeared in one of those photos there -- have really been champions for affordable housing, donating their time, their
influence.
[14:10:00]
And from what I understand, you can probably fill me in on this. He was very hands-on, right? Just speak to that, the impact that had with
volunteers.
SHAW: He was extremely hands-on. He led by example. And to give you a flavor of what it's like to be out on a project where he's leading it up, I
remember him saying, no photos, keep working, we've got homes to build. And he was our -- just tireless, benevolent taskmaster we affectionately called
him.
But it was important that he kept us on task to work. And he would work alongside the homeowners and work alongside other volunteers leading the
pack, if you will.
SOARES: And you worked together, I believe, volunteered with him, Haiti, in Durban in South Africa you were mentioning, and I understand that you
were with him as well during his last build, I think it was in Nashville. What is your favorite memory of the former President?
SHAW: Well, I think -- I think when we were in Haiti, we were sequestered because of -- just the situation. We'd go out to our work project and then
come back to our -- to our compound, if you will, to eat and sleep. But he would hold sessions after hours to talk about world events and what's going
on in his life.
And he made us feel like we were one part of a -- of his inner circle, all 2,000 of us, if you will, because he would share with us the things that
were happening in the world and talk to each one of us as he could after hours. I think that one time I had a conversation with him at lunch in
Haiti and it just meant the world to me because we were able to -- he's the type of person that looks at you, sees you, and is in the moment with you
always.
So, you know he's paying attention to you. And that's the way he was with everybody. And those are some of my favorite memories of him, because he
truly believed in the power of the individual to make a change in the world.
SOARES: And that power of the individual that you're talking about there, the seeing, listening, looking into your eyes and listening to what you're
saying, how much do you think that faith, deep faith from what I understand, you know, was part of this?
SHAW: Oh, faith was a driving force in his life. And it was defining that he would say that service to others is the highest calling there is. And I
think that as he -- as he -- I mean, and again, I've been to Maranatha Baptist Church, to a Sunday school lessons, and he's just an inspiring
person that makes you want to get out there and work.
It's a lot of fun to work on the projects, don't get me wrong. It's a lot of fun, but we were there to do a job and because of that, we built life-
long friendships with those we work with. And Carter encourages all of that throughout every build he did.
SOARES: And I'd read on -- and you can correct me if I'm wrong here that once the homes were completed, that there was a ritual that he took part
in. Do you know about this?
SHAW: Yes, absolutely. He would go to every new home and meet with the homeowners and present them with a Bible, and we'd do a blessing of the
house, and it was just so meaningful to be there as he spoke individually with each homeowner in turn as we work. And really, these projects were
enormous logistical efforts because in most cases, we were building 100 homes in a week or parts of homes in a week, and that just took an awful
lot of effort.
And for him and Rosalynn to go around to each homeowner and speak with them was a tremendous scene to witness.
SOARES: A true humanitarian. I wonder then how much you think, Don, that this period of his life, post-presidency, how that you think has shaped his
legacy?
SHAW: Well, I think tremendously. I mean, he showed us what diplomacy was, and I felt like I was being part of the diplomatic team when I was working
in all these different countries because we were -- we were showing what can be done. And I think that as his legacy grows, people will come to
realize that this is the way to pursue a life well lived.
[14:15:00]
SOARES: Yes. An example for us all, no doubt. Don, really appreciate you sharing your stories, your personal stories with us. Thank you very much,
Don, Don Shaw there.
SHAW: You're welcome. Thank you for --
SOARES: Thank you --
SHAW: Having me.
SOARES: Pleasure. And Jimmy Carter's state funeral will take place next week on January the 9th in Washington D.C., President Joe Biden has
declared a day of national mourning, and businesses in the U.S. Stock Market will be closed on that day. Carter will then be buried in his
hometown of Plains in Georgia.
And that's where we find our Ryan Young. Is he there for us? Yes, he is. Fantastic. Ryan, I was just speaking to a gentleman who was a long-time
volunteer for Habitat for Humanity, who knew the former President. And I can only -- the way he spoke of how he -- how he was very hands-on, how he
spoke to everyone, a man of the people.
I can only imagine what you're hearing, how his hometown and the community there, what they're telling -- give us a glimpse of what you're hearing.
RYAN YOUNG, CNN SENIOR U.S. NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, I love the way you framed that question, because there's so much pride across this town
when it comes to the former President, talking about his heart and his work ethic. But you have to understand how small this place is.
And as you look at it, especially from above, you can see just how small it is. I mean, look, there's only about 500 people according to the census who
live in this area. And as you're looking from above and you see this town, there's no stop-light, and there's only a small portion of downtown.
And everyone here that we've talked to has a personal story about the former President, not just from his life as the former President, but when
he was governor, when he was a state senator, when the idea of him being a peanut farmer, there's so much industry around here, whether it's tractors,
whether it's people doing lumber, people have a really soft space in their heart for the Carter family because they believe they did so much for this
community and the world.
Take a listen to a woman who's worked with him for more than 30 years. Just pour out her emotions in terms of how much she loved the former President.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
KARIN RYAN, SENIOR POLICY ADVISER ON HUMAN RIGHTS, THE CARTER CENTER: Sorry. You know, President Carter was like a -- was a mentor for me. He was
like a father. I didn't have a present father, and he would scold me, he would teach me, he would guide me. He would lift me up. He would say, keep
going. He would say, thank you.
I worked with him for more than 30 years, and he never let me think that our work was futile. As hard as it became, or that it was pointless -- he
would say, OK, what's next?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
YOUNG: So, you love to hear that the emotion and not only that, but the work ethic. And you've got to think he was still teaching Sunday school.
Everyone around here again had that personal story. Across the street, there's a store there and a man was telling me he got sick, Jimmy Carter
spent an hour with him just to make sure he was OK, and then he got back on his feet.
He wanted all these stores in the downtown to be open after he passed, because he wanted all the people who were flying into town to be able to go
to a place and see the memories of this President who loved Plains. You've got to think, this man came back here after the White House. And it was
that love and emotion for this area that so many people appreciate from him, and you can see the outpouring all over right now.
SOARES: And so rare as well, Ryan, in this day and age, to hear just wonderful things. I haven't heard a single criticism about him, which is so
rare in this day and age when you're talking about politicians, right?
YOUNG: Sober, right?
SOARES: It is wonderful to take it in --
YOUNG: And you've got to think about it, he -- yes, and he's the standard- bearer now if you think about it.
SOARES: Yes --
YOUNG: When you are no longer President, people expect something from you, and I think that's a standard that the former President Jimmy Carter set.
SOARES: And Ryan, very quickly, what can you tell us in terms of -- you know, how plans are coming together to honor him there in Plains? What more
are you learning?
YOUNG: Well, we are still waiting for the official release when it comes to everything they're doing. Right now, they're getting the barricades in
place. We've seen some of the members of law enforcement and Secret Service arriving in town. So, you can tell they're getting ready for an elaborate
set-up, but the specific details haven't been released just yet. Of course, as soon as we get them, you'll know, we'll come back to you and give them
all to you.
SOARES: I know you will, Ryan. Ryan Young for us there in Plains, Georgia. Thanks, Ryan, good to see --
YOUNG: Thank you --
SOARES: You.
YOUNG: No doubt.
SOARES: Now up next, searching for answers in South Korea after the country's worst plane crash in decades that killed all but two people on
board. What we're now learning about the disaster. That is just ahead for you. And we count down, of course, new year's eve. We'll take a look at how
one of the world's most famous clocks is getting ready for the big night.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Ding dong --
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Dong --
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Ding-ding.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Paa-paa --
SOARES: Prepare yourselves for this moment.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[14:20:00]
SOARES: Azerbaijan's President is blaming Russia for the Christmas day plane crash in Kazakhstan that killed 38 people. President Ilham Aliyev
accuses the Kremlin of unintentionally shooting down Azerbaijan Airlines jet as it was approaching the Russian city of Grozny and then trying to
cover up the cause.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has apologized for what he called a tragic incident, but he stopped short of accepting responsibility. Kazakh state
media says the flight recorders will be analyzed in Brazil where the jet was made. South Koreans are mourning after the deaths of nearly 200 people
in Sunday's plane crash.
It is the country's worst air disaster in decades. Victims' friends and family members are in anguish at the airport, waiting to hear if their
loved ones have been found. They have been camping out in tents as they demand more information as well as action from officials. Our Mike Valerio
has more now from South Korea.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MIKE VALERIO, CNN REPORTER (voice-over): It is the unmistakable outcry of grief heard throughout South Korea's Muan International Airport. Families
unable to absorb the anguish of the Jeju Air catastrophe. Hundreds of relatives huddling in the departure hall, waiting for news of whether their
loved ones remains are found.
A friend of a couple killed in the crash said he came here to confirm for himself, his friends of 30 years are simply gone. "I have nothing to say,
but it's tragic", he told us. "I watched the news all day, and for now, they say bird strike could be the cause. I'm so shocked and hurt, I cannot
even put it into words".
(on camera): Now, so many people have chosen to stay. They're not going anywhere, and that's seen evidence by all of these tents that go from here
pretty much to the end of the terminal. They go back three tents to the edge of the checking counters, you see food deliveries throughout the day.
Let's keep going this way -- and the echoes of grief.
(voice-over): The scenes inside are just a short drive from the cataclysmic crash site. The tale of the doomed airliner still jutting above
the field, a mountain in the middle of the debris. More than a thousand people now mobilized to sift through pieces of the plane.
[14:25:00]
(on camera): The crash scene is absolutely harrowing. Just a few steps away, you can see where the doomed Jeju Air jetliner careened through the
embankment and burst into flames. And more than a day later, you can still see forensics teams in their white suits combing through the debris, along
with members of the police force as well as members of the South Korean military.
Now, to my right, you can see soldiers looking through the fields and around them, to give you an idea of the force of this crash, a full
football field away from where we're standing. You can see mangled, twisted chairs thrown from the jetliner. A representative of the victims' families
urging an even larger response.
PARK HAN-SHIN, REPRESENTATIVE OF JEJU AIR CRASH VICTIMS' FAMILIES (through translator): What I want to request from the government is to increase the
manpower so that the recovery can be carried out more swiftly. I hope my siblings, my family can be recovered and returned to us, even if only 80
percent intact.
VALERIO (voice-over): For now, Muan remains the epicenter of a nation in mourning. The weight of unspoken farewells and quiet desperation made
unbearable by an absence of answers. Mike Valerio, CNN, Muan, South Korea.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SOARES: And still to come tonight, we'll take a closer look at one of Jimmy Carter's most significant achievements as President. The first peace
deal in history between Israel and one of its Arab neighbors. And then a dire warning from the International Red Cross. It says the health care
system in northern Gaza has been obliterated by war. That is next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
SOARES: Welcome back, everyone. The world is paying its final respects to former U.S. President Jimmy Carter and reflecting on the enduring legacy of
his foreign policy that was centered on universal human rights.
Carter won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2002 and in praise for his untiring effort to find solutions, peaceful solutions to international conflicts, to
advance democracy and human rights, and to promote economic as well as social development.
Some of his biggest accomplishments in the White House include a treaty to eventually return control of the Panama Canal back to Panama, a move which
helped counter growing hostility toward the United States throughout the Western Hemisphere. Carter also strengthened the normalization of ties
between China and the United States. Formalizing an agreement to establish full diplomatic relations.
But perhaps his most significant achievement as president was bringing together two longtime enemies. You're looking at video there. He helped
broker peace between Israel and Egypt, ending decades of war between them.
Our Christian Amanpour looks at what the landmark accords meant for his presidency, and indeed, the world.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
CHRISTIANE AMANPOUR, CNN CHIEF INTERNATIONAL ANCHOR (voice-over): Peace in the Middle East, the impossible dream. But President Jimmy Carter wasn't
afraid to take it on, inviting two of the world's fiercest enemies to the White House retreat at Camp David in 1978.
Jimmy Carter had been derided for his administration's foreign policy failures, partly because he's considered to have lost a U.S. friendly Iran
to the Ayatollahs. But the Camp David Accords were his geopolitical triumph. He managed to strike a deal between Israel's Menachem Begin and
Egypt's Anwar Sadat.
But this moment really got started a year earlier, when the cameras flashed and rolled to capture Sadat's journey into enemy territory.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There has never, in all these years, been anything as striking and dramatic as this.
AMANPOUR (voice over): Indeed, Sadat had made a massive gamble, that coming in peace to Jerusalem, becoming the first Arab leader to visit
Israel and speak directly to its people would pay off.
But the two Middle East leaders failed to reach a deal on their own. Enter the American president. Carter recognized a rare opportunity to act as the
indispensable mediator.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Almost never in our history has a president devoted so much time on a single problem.
AMANPOUR (voice over): He had studied the characters and histories of the two leaders who deeply mistrusted each other. He wrote Sadat and Begin
personal letters, inviting them to Camp David. And when they arrived on American soil, it was high stakes for all three men involved.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Failure here would just increase the impression that Mr. Carter is a nice man but an inept president.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This meeting is truly historic, and the people who will participate, know it.
AMANPOUR (voice over): Thirteen days of intense negotiations. Crucially, behind closed doors. No leaks, no social media, no media at all.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The Israeli delegation is totally zipped up. Even less is coming out of it than is coming out of the Egyptian delegation.
AMANPOUR (voice over): At Camp David, Carter and his team shuttle back and forth between the two men and their teams, often negotiating late into the
night. Carter's national security adviser, the late Zbigniew Brzezinski, described what looked like mission impossible.
ZBIGNIEW BRZEZINSKI, FORMER U.S. NATIONAL SECURITY ADVISER: Sadat to sign a peace treaty with Begin had to break ranks with the entire Arab world. He
had to face isolation. Begin, to agree with Sadat, had to give up territory for the first time, and to give up settlements.
AMANPOUR (voice over): When direct talks between Sadat and Begin became too heated, Carter kept them apart and quashed any attempt to call off the
negotiations. After two weeks of complications, drama and false starts, the men finally returned to Washington to deliver the good news, they had
reached a deal.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Just look at two weeks ago what the situation was. Peace process all but dead.
JIMMY CARTER, FORMER U.S. PRESIDENT: An achievement none thought possible.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It appears that the president won, and he won big.
AMANPOUR (voice over): Decades after Camp David, I sat down with President Carter and asked him how in the world he had done it.
AMANPOUR: There you were. You brought peace with Menachem Begin and Anwar Sadat. It all seemed so much easier then. Was it or is that just what we
think now all these years later?
CARTER: I think it was much more difficult because I was negotiating between two men whose nations had been at war four times in just 25 years.
AMANPOUR (voice over): The magnitude of that accomplishment lives on in the image of that three-way handshake. The Israeli prime minister, Menachem
Begin, summed it up like this.
[14:35:00]
MENACHEM BEGIN, FORMER ISRAELI PRIME MINISTER: The Camp David conference should be renamed. It was the Jimmy Carter conference.
AMANPOUR (voice over): The final result, Israel would return the Sinai Peninsula to Egypt, a piece of land the two had fought wars over. Egypt
would finally recognize Israel's right to exist and give Israel access to the crucial Suez Canal shipping lanes. Both leaders declared no more
fighting. All three men would eventually be awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. But one thing wouldn't change, Arabs called Sadat a traitor.
Three years later, he was assassinated by Muslim extremists in his own country.
Still, many years later, President Carter told me that he was proud of this first peace deal between Arabs and Israelis.
CARTER: The peace treaty that was negotiated between Israel and Egypt over extremely difficult circumstances was beneficial to both sides. And not a
single word of the treaty has been violated. It was much more difficult than the altercation between the Israelis and the Palestinians is today.
AMANPOUR (voice over): And that conflict, the one between Palestinians and Israelis, still rages on to this day. But it doesn't alter the fact that
there was a shining moment when Jimmy Carter engaged the full and indispensable role of the United States and changed one corner of the
Middle East forever.
Christiane Amanpour, CNN, London.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SOARES: An enduring accomplishment. Now, I want to turn to Kenya. Police there have fired tear gas at protesters today in Nairobi. This as anger
grows over the alleged disappearance of dozens of government critics. Kenyan President William Ruto has now promised to stop abductions of the
critics after previously calling the many disappearances fake news. At least 82 critics have allegedly gone missing since a protest movement
erupted in June. However, some have resurfaced.
CNN's Larry Madowo is tracking events in Kenya from Angola, and he filed this report from Rwanda.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
LARRY MADOWO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Isa, demonstrators were back on the streets of Nairobi and other major cities because they fear that these
abductions return Kenya to a dark history where critics of the government would disappear, would get tortured, and sometimes would even get killed.
They are out there to reject any attempts to return Kenya to that history.
But you see the police response to that, firing tear gas, arresting more than 50 people, which many in the human rights and civil society spaces
believe is illegal under Kenyan law. President William Ruto has always denied that anybody was getting abducted in the country until Saturday when
he suddenly accepted, appeared to accept that he would stop abductions, but he had a condition for that, that the young people of Kenya have to be
polite. They have to behave. For families who were still missing the loved ones, who have missed Christmas with them, this has been time.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (through translator): I am here as a parent. Please, I am begging. I have cried enough. I do not have strength. I feel like dying.
MADOWO: Isa, a high court judge has ordered the police and other security services in Kenya to release at least six people who are missing and to
show up soon in court to explain why they should keep detaining them. The wording says immediately and unconditionally release these six people that
is for the director of Criminal Investigations, the National Intelligence Service, the National Police Service, the A.G. and the Interior Ministry in
Kenya.
But the government, through the police, has claimed that they don't have these people. And so, the question is, if the government, the police, do
not have them, where are they and why did they disappear shortly after posting critical images of President William Ruto and his government on
social media? Isa.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SOARES: Our thanks to Larry Madowo for that report. And of course, we will stay across that story for you. We'll have much more news on the other
side. Do stay right here on CNN.\
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[14:40:00]
SOARES: Well, we are following the mass rape trial that horrified France and indeed the world. 17 out of the 51 men found guilty of raping or
sexually assaulting Gisele Pelicot have appealed the verdict, according to the prosecutor's office in the French City of Avignon.
Dominique Pelicot, convicted to 20 years in jail for drugging and facilitating the rapes of his then wife over a period spanning 10 years,
has chosen to accept his sentence, saying he thinks the page needs to be turned. While the appeals could open up a new trial, Miss Pelicot's
representative says she has no fear of it.
Now, the International Red Cross says the healthcare system in Northern Gaza has been obliterated by war leaving hospitals completely inoperable.
And that includes Kamal Adwan Hospital in Beit Lahia.
The World Health Organization confirms the facility is now out of service after Israeli forces raided it and forced everyone to evacuate, including
critically ill patients. The hospital's director was detained. Israel says the hospital was being used as a Hamas command and control center, but did
not provide evidence to support that claim.
I want to get more on the humanitarian situation that on the ground in some of these hospitals. Dr. Mohammed Tahir is a British surgeon who has spent
months working in Gaza. He is -- we've spoken before here on the show. He's also chief of surgery at FAJR Scientific. He joins me now from Deir al
Balah in Gaza. Dr. Tahir, thank you for taking the time from your busy schedule to speak to us.
You've been on the ground now for months now, I'm sure you can correct me, mostly working in the north. Can you just give our viewers around the world
a sense of what you have been seeing with your own eyes?
DR. MOHAMMED TAHIR, Chief of surgery, FAJR Scientific: Good evening. Thank you for having me. That's correct. I've been here for several months now.
This is my third mission. And I've been here for close to three months, if not longer. I've worked both in the southern half of Gaza in Al Aqsa
hospital and also in the north, but I was there for around five and a half weeks.
And then, the situation in the north is grave. What I've seen is a complete annihilation of the people, really. I worked in a public aid hospital. We
served as a specialist unit for emergency general surgical cases, neurosurgical cases, and polytrauma cases. And I saw people from across all
the spectrum of society being hurt and killed, including women and children, I treated babies less than one years of age. One of whom sticks
in my mind who came into the hospital with an abdominal injury and a near total amputated leg, which I tried to save. But unfortunately, wasn't able
to.
[14:45:00]
The memories of the north are very strong in my mind because I was constantly listening to the bombardment that was occurring around us. I
would go to the rooftops of the public aid hospital, and I would hear massive explosion after massive explosion, and it seemed to be that it was
truly on the frontline. And this is -- was a place which was being completely wiped out.
And we saw this, it was reflected in the injuries. We had innocents killed, we had colleagues killed, we had colleagues hurt. It's been the situation
here for months and nothing has changed.
SOARES: And I remember seeing the little -- I think she was one year old, the little girl, whose leg you had to amputate. I think she had no family
left. I saw it on your social media. And I know how much that shook you and it should have shaken anyone to the core. That was the youngest person
you've had to amputate. Is that right?
DR. TAHIR: That's correct. We had just treated a 20-year-old or so mother, and she was critically unwell. Her father and her other brother were killed
on the scene. She came in. She had abdominal injury, and she had a near top amputated left leg, which we -- which I tried to save, but I couldn't.
And her mother died that same evening due to her injuries. Her injuries were very extensive and they were from -- literally from her chest all the
way to her toe. And despite our best efforts, you know, we tried to save her mother. Her mother died, and she was left as an orphan, limbless. And,
in fact, yes, the youngest person whose limb I've ever had to operate.
SOARES: And, Dr. Mohammed, today we heard from the ICRC, the Red Cross, that's saying that the health system in the North has been obliterated.
We've also heard from the WHO, who said the hospitals have become a battleground, with staff being detained. I mean, we've mentioned Dr. Hussam
Abu Safiya, the director of Kamal al Adwan Hospital, of course, the last remaining hospital, that's now out of service.
Do you -- I mean, from on a personal level, and I know you won't -- want to focus on this. I mean, what are you hearing about the doctor and do you
worry about the rest of your colleagues at this point?
DR. TAHIR: So, when I was in the north, Dr. Hussam was injured. I tried to make the attempt to go to Kamal Adwan hospital to treat him. This was
flatly rejected. In fact, we had Indonesian colleagues who were trying to go to Kamal Adwan on several occasions, and which we were rejected
repeatedly until one time. So, very surprisingly we're accepted. And then one or two days later, was sent back walking from Kamal Adwan to the public
aid hospital, and having had all their medical kit confiscated. So, they were literally humiliated and sent back.
I was -- when I was on my way to Kamal -- to -- sorry, to the north of Gaza, I was speaking to a U.N. security personnel. This was five or six
weeks, maybe seven weeks ago now. And he told me that an IDF officer had told him that Kamal Adwan was no longer a hospital and that they had to
make the plan to forget about it. So, this was a clear plan for several weeks beforehand that they wanted to wipe out Kamal Adwan Hospital and
inflict a very significant injury to the healthcare system there. I would say mortal injury.
Because now you have no function in hospital to serve the entire population of the north of Gaza. Bear in mind, these people have no way of connecting
with the rest of the world. We don't know who gets hurt and when. We -- nobody can come to save them. They are being -- they are in and amongst a
wipeout.
We used to hear the thunderous sounds of these bands. They would shake our rooms, our operating rooms, our beds, and it was constant. I am afraid for
them. Of course, I'm afraid for my colleagues. We've had colleagues killed. So, I'm very afraid for Dr. Hussam and for his wellbeing.
SOARES: Yes.
DR. TAHIR: And I fear for what might happen to him in jail.
SOARES: And the Israeli military claim the facility was being used as a Hamas, their words, command and control center, but important to point out,
did not provide any evidence to support that claim.
[14:50:00]
Dr. Mohammed Tahir, as always, really value your time speaking to us here, giving us the clarity of what you're seeing on the ground and of course,
all your work that you're doing on the ground as well. Thank you, Doctor.
DR. TAHIR: Thank you very much.
SOARES: We'll have much more after this.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
SOARES: Now, New Year's Eve here in London wouldn't be complete without one iconic landmark.
It is, of course, as you can see there, Big Ben, but what is it exactly that makes it such a huge hit? Well, ahead of tomorrow's celebrations, I
went for a visit to find out more.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SOARES: Big Ben.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes?
SOARES: What does this sound like to you?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You want me to imitate it?
SOARES: Yes.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Oh no, no, no.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Ding dong.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Dong.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Ding, ding.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Ba, ba.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Ding dong, Ding dong.
SOARES: Yes, that's good. That's very good.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, that's the one. Prepare yourselves for this moment.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The old metropolis has been having a lot of fog lately.
SOARES (voice-over): For 165 years, the bongs of Big Ben have kept Londoners on time, consistently ringing in the changes. Big Ben is a
favored spot for social media users, but one night a year, the bell and its bongs get a much bigger audience. It's now impossible to imagine a New
Year's Eve in London without Big Ben.
SOARES: But what makes Big Ben tick, you ask? Let me show you. Come with me.
Let's go up.
Oh, finally.
How do you feel when you hear that?
DR. MARK COLLINS, ESTATES HISTORIAN, U.K. PARLIAMENT: It always sounds like a stern friend reminding you not to be late. This is the hour bell
here, Big Ben, which is seven-foot six high, 13.7 tons. It's the weight of a small elephant.
SOARES: How do you keep it regulated on time?
DR. ANDREW STRANGEWAY, CLOCKMAKER, U.K. PARLIAMENT: I have a specific app built on my phone specifically for timing the clock. As soon as the hand
hits the bell, I press the button and check the time. The majority of the time, within a fifth of a second of the correct time.
[14:55:00]
So, the regulations that we're making are actually very small, and especially for something like New Year, it's really important that the
clock is on time.
SOARES: Oh, here we go. This is amazing.
DR. STRANGEWAY: They're just fabulous, aren't they? The dials are about 20 -- 23-foot across, and they have 324 individual panes of glass. The minute
hand is about 14-foot long, and it weighs about 240 pounds, including its counterweight. And the hour hands weigh about 672 pounds.
SOARES: From both of us here, in the south face of Big Bed, a Happy New Year.
DR. STRANGEWAY: Happy New Year.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SOARES (on camera): Absolutely majestic. And CNN will have special coverage of New Year's Eve across the globe. Tune in tomorrow on 31st at
midday London time to follow the festivities. I will see you there with some surprises you do not want to miss.
And that does it for us for this hour. Do stay right here I'll have much more coming up in the next hour. You are watching CNN.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
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