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One World with Zain Asher
Alleged Evidence Of Hamas Presence Found At Al-Shifa Hospital; Thousands Of Protesters March To Jerusalem Demanding To Bring Hostages Home; Representative George Santos Faces Allegations Of Using Campaign Funds For Personal Purchases; CNN's Nima Elbagir Features An In-Depth Report On Violence In Darfur; Snoop Dogg Announces Give Up Smoking. Aired 12-1p ET
Aired November 17, 2023 - 12:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[12:00:00]
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ZAIN ASHER, CNN ANCHOR: All right, welcome everyone. So glad to have you with us on this Friday afternoon. ONE WORLD starts right now. The proof is
in. Israel says it has uncovered new evidence of Hamas' presence at the Al- Shifa hospital. The U.N. is demanding to see that evidence up close.
And march of solidarity right now. Thousands of protesters are on their way to Jerusalem with one key demand -- bring the hostages home. And later,
what do Ferragamo shoes, Botox and OnlyFans have in common? They're all things that were allegedly purchased by George Santos with campaign funds.
We'll dive into the stunning allegations.
All right, coming to you live from New York, I'm Zain Asher. I want to start with some stunning new details that we're getting from the Al-Shifa
Hospital. Israel says it has uncovered new evidence that proves Hamas was indeed using Gaza's largest hospital as a hideout.
The Israeli army actually put out this video, which it says is a tunnel entrance. It's essentially a shaft reinforced with concrete. You can
actually see what appears to be, if you look closely in this video, exposed pipes and other rubble as well.
I want to point out, though, that CNN cannot independently verify this video, but we have geolocated it to the hospital complex. Hamas, in terms
of their response, they're calling this video and the IDF's claims overall they're calling it ridiculous.
The Israeli army has also released this video as well, saying that troops found a booby-trapped car close to that tunnel and that it contained a
large amount of weapons and ammunitions as you see here, laid out on the ground. Separately, the army says that troops recovered the bodies of two
hostages near the hospital as well.
A 65-year-old Israeli grandmother seen on your left and a 19-year-old corporal in the IDF, as well. Israeli Prime Minister is saying that it's
possible other hostages were indeed held at Al-Shifa, as well.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BENJAMIN NETANYAHU, ISRAELI PRIME MINISTER: We had strong indications that they were held in the Shifa hospital, which is one of the reasons we
entered the hospital. If they were, they were taken out.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ASHER: As Gaza's Al-Shifa Hospital becomes a focal point for Israeli operations, doctors are detailing the harrowing conditions inside the
complex. CNN's Oren Liebermann has the latest for us from Tel Aviv. Oren, I do want to start with the Israelis uncovering what they're saying is an
entrance to a possible Hamas tunnel. Just walk us through what we know about this tunnel. What does it lead to? How deep is this tunnel? What are
you hearing in terms of the details here?
OREN LIEBERMANN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: So first, crucially, we have geo- located the video that the IDF put out yesterday to the tunnel complex itself. So that we know for sure. The video they put out of what looks like
an entrance to a tunnel is within the Al-Shifa Hospital Complex, Gaza's largest medical center.
But in terms of what we know for sure, that's about where we stand right now. And that's because we haven't been able to see into the tunnel, at
least as of right now, they haven't released any video either from somebody going into the tunnel itself or some sort of drone going into the tunnel
and showing us what's underground.
But that remains, according to a briefing we just had with the IDF, a large part of the IDF's effort. That tunnel shaft, where it connects to what it
was used for, but it is, they say, a slow process that will take time. They really haven't gone much underground since the beginning of the ground
incursion.
And yet at the same time, the IDF realizes the tremendous amount of pressure it's under to prove the allegation they put out basically from the
very beginning and even years before this that the Al-Shifa hospital complex was a place where Hamas put its -- what they called its terror
infrastructure underneath. That remains something they have to prove.
Now, they have, for some time now, had the backing of the United States and President Joe Biden, who said the U.S. has its own intelligence that Hamas
used the complex and protected its own infrastructure underneath. But in terms of how deep it goes, how many levels of tunnels there are, exactly
what those tunnels were used for, that's still information the IDF needs to provide and then conclusively prove.
We have the tunnel entrance. That's a start. And that, they say, is where their effort is focused. At the same time, doctors and health officials in
the Hamas-run enclave have repeatedly denied that accusation saying Al- Shifa is just a medical complex.
[12:05:00]
Still, Zain, as you can imagine, this is very much a black or white question. It either is there or it isn't there. And at least, with the
entrance to a shaft found, we are closer than we've been before to knowing the answer to that question.
ASHER: All right, Oren Liebermann, live for us there, thank you for keeping your eye on the story and please do report back to us as and when
you get more information regarding what that tunnel -- what is below that tunnel, rather. Oren, thank you.
All right, an emotional five-day march to call attention to the plight of Israeli hostages held by Hamas is almost coming to an end.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ASHER: Posters, signs of the loved ones, the many missing, the hundreds of missing people being held hostage inside Gaza right now. Thousands of
friends and family members of those hostages began their march earlier this week in Tel Aviv.
They're on their way to Jerusalem where they're going to arrive on Saturday with a demonstration in front of Prime Minister Netanyahu's residence.
Marchers say they're going to plead with the prime minister to bring their loved ones home.
YUVAL HARAN, SEVEN FAMILY MEMBERS HELD BY HAMAS: Seven of my family members are kidnapped in Gaza. My mother, my sister, my sister's husband
and their children, who are eight and three years old. A three-year-old girl is in Gaza. My aunt and cousin, who is 12. How can you put a price on
a three-year-old girl? We need them back now at any price.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ASHER: Scores of Israeli families are dealing with so much heartbreak right now, and they're still struggling to recover from the horrifying
terror attacks. CNN's Nic Robertson talks to two survivors about their ordeal. I want you to listen to what they told him.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMATIC EDITOR (voice-over): Uri and his father, Yonathan, are survivors of Hamas' brutal October 7th attacks.
They've taken refuge in Israel's seaside resort, Eilat. Uri is 12 years old. He wanted to tell his story. He is the first child we have spoken with
since Hamas' horrific, brutal attacks.
ROBERTSON: How many people close to you are missing still?
YONATHAN, SURVIVOR OF HAMAS' BRUTAL OCTOBER 7TH ATTACKS: Uri says around 20 kibbutz Nir Oz suffered a really hard blow. A quarter of the kibbutz is
either killed or missing.
ROBERTSON (voice-over): Their home was here in Nir Oz. Pre-October 7th population, close to 400 people.
YONATHAN: We heard like a war outside our window, a war. They were shooting at houses, RPG on houses, grenades on civilians. Nothing. We
didn't say anything. We kept quiet.
ROBERTSON: They were incredibly lucky to survive Hamas' brutal attack. The family was saved by this lock on their bomb shelter door. But one of Uri's
brothers, Yoav, was at a sleepover in another house on the Kibbutz. Were you worried for your brother?
ROBERTSON (voice-over): Uri nods.
YONATHAN: Very much. He was crying in the safe room because of that.
ROBERTSON (voice-over): Hours later, it would be Uri watching his father cry.
YONATHAN: It was around, I guess, five at the afternoon. That was the first time we saw Yoav again, and I broke down.
ROBERTSON (voice-over): They'd all been rescued by soldiers brought to the big kibbutz safe room, reunited after seemingly endless hours of grueling
separation.
YONATHAN: I collapsed. I broke down that moment. Uri said it was the first time he saw me cry that time.
ROBERTSON: It's a big thing to see your father cry. How is your father doing now?
YONATHAN: He says he thinks I'm okay. He doesn't see any worries on me. It's a good disguise, I guess.
ROBERTSON (voice-over): When Palestinian Islamic Jihad released a hostage video of one of Uri's friends, they didn't show it to Uri to spare him the
pain.
YONATHAN: We don't want him to see also. It's more propaganda than anything else.
ROBERTSON (voice-over): But they can't insulate him completely. Uri's best friend, Etan, is one of several close friends held hostage.
URI, SURVIVOR OF HAMAS' BRUTAL OCTOBER 7TH ATTACKS: He's a very good friend. And we play soccer in the kibbutz.
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ROBERTSON: What will you do when you see him again?
YONATHAN: He'll run to hug him. He hopes that he'll come back soon.
ROBERTSON (voice-over): Hamas' damaging impact far from over. Nic Robertson, CNN, Eilat, Israel.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ASHER: We want to talk a little bit more about the family members of the hostages being held right now. One in particular is extremely moving. When
the daughter of 84-year-old Israeli Ditsa Haman heard something was happening in southern Israel on October 7th, she immediately called her
mother. But her mother, Ditsa, did not answer.
Instead, a strange voice came on the phone. The man on the other end shouted, it's Hamas. She later found out that her mother had been kidnapped
and taken back to Gaza. Joining me live now is one of Ditsa Heiman's daughters, Neta Heiman Mina. Neta, thank you so much for being with us. How
are you doing?
NETA HEIMAN MINA, DAUGHTER OF WOMAN KIDNAPPED BY HAMAS: How am I doing? I don't know to answer this question. It's a very hard time for us.
ASHER: What are you hearing at this point in time from the Israeli government about the status of your mother? I understand that for a lot of
the family members of the hostages, it's been almost radio silence. They haven't gotten much information at all. Are you hearing anything?
HEIMAN MINA: No, we didn't hear from the beginning -- at the beginning, at the three days after the 7th in October, they told us they know she was
taken. We saw it in a video as well as them, and we don't hear anything since then.
ASHER: There's a march, as you know, right now happening in Israel. Thousands of people are marching from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. Along the way,
they've stopped at the homes of various family members of certain hostages that were taken who have been speaking out.
When they get to Jerusalem on Saturday, they're going to be outside the prime minister's office, demanding that the prime minister does more to
bring the hostages home. What do you want? What do you want from the prime minister right now?
HEIMAN MINA: We want from the from the Prime Minister -- I will be in the march tomorrow, as well. And we want the Prime Minister will do his best
and will put the -- bringing them -- bring them home in the first priority before destroy the Hamas, before killing -- I don't know -- erase Gaza.
We want him -- we want that it will be the first priority if there is any deal on the desk, do make a deal. Make a deal, bring as much as more people
that you can be bring back. Bring them all.
ASHER: I know that you have been very outspoken about the fact that you condemn the destruction of Gaza, that's not what you stand for, that you
and your mother are essentially peace lovers. This is not the way that you believe is the answer. This is not the way that you would go about this.
But just in terms of specifics, I mean, obviously, Netanyahu's government, the IDF, will talk about the fact that it is a very difficult thing to sort
of juggle both, juggle rooting out Hamas and also bringing the hostages home. I mean, what do you suggest? I mean, just in terms of your viewpoint
and your vantage point, what do you think is the best way -- the best way at this point? Now that the IDF is in Gaza, what is the best way? Go ahead.
HEIMAN MINA: I don't believe that they can bring 239 people by a military way without killing a lot of soldiers and hostages. I think they need to
make a deal and bring them home. It will take -- it will be a low price -- a high price, very high price, but we need to give them what they need to
bring them home -- what they want to bring them home Because there is no other way to bring the people home.
We saw at the last day that the hostages had no time. My mother is 84, a woman and she don't have time. She don't have her medicine. The Red Cross
didn't get to the hostages. I don't know why.
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It's not okay. The world must be shouting that the Red Cross do his job and he doesn't. He didn't do his job now. He didn't get to the hostages until
now. It's 42 days.
ASHER: Can you just -- before we go, can you just tell us a little bit more about your mother?
HEIMAN MINA: My mother is -- she came to Kibbutz Nir Oz border Gaza when she was 18 and she built the kibbutz from the first people that they built
the kibbutz. She was a lots of years -- a baby take the kibbutz baby taker and then she learned to be a social worker and she worked until after age
of 80. She's a woman that loves people, loves peace. She just wants to live in the heaven that she built in Kibbutz-Nir Oz in peace and quiet.
ASHER: Well, Neta, we are -- go ahead.
HEIMAN MINA: She has four children, 12 grandchildren, five great- grandchildren and another one in the way. She need to be here to see him.
ASHER: Neta, we are so sorry about what you're going through. I know that there is possible, just in terms of what we're hearing here at CNN, there
is possibly some kind of deal maybe in the works, possibly a prisoner swap. But I really do pray that is the case that your mother, Ditsa, is among
those released. I really am praying for that. And I will keep you in my thoughts.
HEIMAN MINA: Thanks for all of them.
ASHER: Right.
HEIMAN MINA: We are praying for all of them.
ASHER: Yes, we are.
HEIMAN MINA: There are 75 people just from my Kibbutz Nir Oz. There are 75 hostages. We need them all back -- all the 240. From your mouth to God's
ears, we are praying, as well. Neta, thank you so much for being with us keeping you in our thoughts and thank you for joining us today.
All right, an Irish Israeli girl believed to be one of the more than 200 Hamas hostages have now spent more than 40 days in captivity. And today
would be or is rather Emily Hand's ninth birthday. She should be at home, of course, celebrating with her family, but instead she's being held
captive in Gaza.
Photos and videos of Emily went live on a billboard in New York City's Times Square calling for her safe return. Emily Hand's father, Thomas, who
has been very outspoken about what his family has been through was there.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
THOMAS HAND, EMILY HAND'S FATHER: This is Emily's birthday. She's turning from the age of eight to nine today and she can't have a birthday like a
normal child. So, we, the world, are honoring her life, her birthday, by doing whatever we can. We were hoping that she would be back by now. That
would have been our prayers answered, but she's not -- she's still down in the tunnels. So, now we have to hope that she'll be back for Christmas.
She'll be home for Christmas.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ASHER: We are all hoping that you can really hear Thomas Hand choking up there. Emily, just to remind our viewers what happened to her. She was
actually sleeping at her friend's house when Hamas militants attacked that particular kibbutz on October 7th.
Her father initially thought that she'd been killed. He initially thought that she'd been killed but then the IDF later told him that they believed
she'd been taken hostage instead. So, it's really been a roller coaster of emotions for him these past six weeks.
ASHER: All right, coming up. Putting their lives on the line to flee the fighting in northern Gaza. Ahead, we will take a look at one Palestinian
family's journey south and the dangers they faced along the way.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[12:20:00]
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ASHER: All right, I want to take this opportunity to talk about another war. It has been more than seven months since the start of the war in
Sudan, with an unprecedented level of violence, particularly in the country's Darfur region. The U.N. says that around 9000 people have been
killed with reports of sexual violence, slavery and torture. And that's meant that hundreds of thousands of people have fled to neighboring Chad
since the beginning of the civil war.
CNN's Nima Elbagir and her team travelled to Chad and spoke with refugees who detailed absolute horrific cruelty. And of course, we want to warn you
that some of the images you are about to see in this report are graphic and disturbing.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
NIMA ELBAGIR, CNN INTERNATIONAL INVESTIGATIVE CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): A scene all too familiar in West Darfur. Social media footage widely
circulated last week showing RSF soldiers and supporting militia rounding up men -- harassing them, threatening them.
CNN has been able to geolocate these videos, placing them in Ardamata, an outlying district of El-Geneina, the capital of West Darfur where some of
the worst atrocities during the recent war have taken place.
Over the last year, during the war in Sudan, the RSF have targeted members of African tribal groups, including the Masalit, who claim Darfur as their
ancestral land. Many of the RSF belong to tribes which unlike the Masalit, claim Arab ancestry.
What we're about to show you is very disturbing. These are the most recent images emerging from Darfur. What you are looking at is a mass grave filled
with over a dozen bodies. Some are alive, others clearly dead. One man can be seen throwing earth on top of another, even though he is still alive. A
man off camera can be heard shouting as someone appears from beneath a pile of dirt. He quickly buries his head back into the earth.
We don't know the fate of these men. It's also unclear whether the men seen in the ditch are the same men as those in the video running from RSF
soldiers and militia loyal to the RSF. But it does illustrate the newest, most horrific pattern of violence in the region.
Communication in Darfur has been deliberately choked by the RSF. It's been excruciatingly hard to understand exactly what's happening there. A few
months ago, we traveled to a refugee camp in Adre, Chad, where survivors and eyewitnesses of these brutal attacks were able to cross the border. One
by one, brave survivors came forward wanting to share, to document what has happened to them. Describing the horrors from the city of El-Geneina,
stories of rape and enslavement.
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UNKNOWN (through translator): From within our family, we lost more than 40 men. They said to my father, we're going to rape your daughter in front of
you.
ELBAGIR (voice-over): The RSF said, leave these ones. We will find better ones to sell. These ones -- let's rape them. Textbook ethnic cleansing.
These are the hallmarks of genocide. CNN interviewed over a dozen survivors and eyewitnesses in El-Geneina where civilians were targeted and where
women were being sold from slave houses.
UNKNOWN (through translator): There were RSF soldiers outside and they beat me until they forced me into the building. Inside, I saw nine or ten
girls, some without clothes. They told us they will sell us very cheaply. They said, we kill all the men. We will not leave any black skin here. You
have to leave. Get out. They said they will be the only ones to sleep with us because if we have our own children, our sons will one day take revenge.
UNKNOWN: She managed to escape but was recaptured and brought to a different location where she was repeatedly raped. But it's not just women
being affected. Mahadi, who's only 16, was kidnapped by the RSF with his brother and forced to work at a farm.
MAHADI, KIDNAPPED BY RSF (through translator): We were eight people. We were all tied up. They would come and say, I want the strong boys. Someone
came over and started to feel my arms. I was tied up and blindfolded.
ELBAGIR: You can't see them but you can feel them?
MAHADI: I couldn't see a thing. I could just feel him hitting me here. Then I heard them say, "I'll buy him off you. I'll give you money."
ELBAGIR (voice-over): The word "slave" in Arabic is a racial slur equivalent to the N word, so we're bleeping it out in his testimony.
MAHADI (through translator): They said this is a (BEEP). They hit me and said (BEEP).
ELBAGIR: They called you (BEEP)?
MAHADI (through translator): Yes. They beat me and said, "Where did you get this (BEEP)?" They kept hitting me.
ELBAGIR (voice-over): Mahadi doesn't know how much they bought him for but he was eventually taken to another location where he was forced to work. He
says his brother taken at the same time was killed by the RSF.
Survivor after survivor told CNN how the RSF spoke of wiping out the African descendant Masalit. It's Masalit ancestral land in Darfur that the
RSF are currently occupying. Part of a fertile land mass that the commander of the RSF has been strategically looking to secure for the last 20 years,
changing the demographics from African to Arab. Nima Elbagir, CNN, London.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ASHER: That was a powerful piece and I really encourage you to watch Nima's full report on the whole story. It's called "Going Home: The War in
Sudan". It's going to be airing this Sunday night, 9 o'clock Eastern time, if you're watching from the United States. And that's 2 o'clock in the
morning London time. You are watching ONE WORLD. We'll be right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
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(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ASHER: All right, coming to you live from New York, I'm Zain Asher. Welcome back to ONE WORLD. We want to give you a first-hand look at the
real sort of harsh reality of civilian evacuations from northern Gaza, which is where the IDF is focusing most of their ground operations right
now. Israel says that hundreds of thousands of Palestinians have used an evacuation corridor to flee south in search of relative safety.
A Palestinian journalist recorded his family's journey, showing all the dangers along the way. CNN's Jomana Karadsheh has his story and of course,
we do want to warn you that a lot of the images in her report are graphic.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JOMANA KARADSHEH, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Gaza City. Two-year-old Waleed (ph) distracted through his family's most difficult night of the
war, so far. With daybreak, the Israeli military calls with an order. You have 30 minutes to get out. It was 9:30 A.M. on November the 10th. With
makeshift white flags, they say the military told them to hold up. They prepare to move.
RAMI ABU JAMOUS, JOURNALIST: We stay together, we don't rush. If there are strikes or shooting, it's not at us. We walk together slowly. Slowly
together. No rush. The Israeli army knows and I am recording because the army knows.
KARADSHEH (voice-over): With the little they can carry, they head out and into the unknown. Some too frail to walk. Journalist Rami Abu Jamous is
filming the forced evacuation of his family along with more than 30 of their neighbors. His phone in his right hand and in the other, his son will
eat.
He speaks French with his son, looking for his wife ahead while waiting for other elderly neighbors struggling to catch up.
JAMOUS: Carry him, Eyad. Put him on your back. Don't be scared. Stay on the right.
Don't scared. Be careful around this spot.
KARADSHEH: That constant buzz you hear is Israeli drones overhead. It's been the soundtrack of Gaza for years. As they get to the other side of the
street, Rami spots his neighbor, Abu Ahmad. Something's not right.
JAMOUS: What's going on, Abu Ahmad? What's wrong? It's all in God's hands. My son, Ahmad. It's all in God's hands. It's all in God's hands.
ABU AHMAD (through translator): I told you, let's stay home. My son. I told him, let's stay at home. Let's carry him. Let's carry him.
JAMOUS: Let's go. Let's go.
ABU AHMAD (through translator): If only we stayed home. Oh, God. Ahmad. Ahmad. Are you breathing, my son?
JAMOUS (through translator): Yes, he is breathing. He is breathing.
[12:35:00]
Breathing? Let's carry him. Yes, yes. Carry him. Carry him. Pray to God. He is still alive. There's breathing.
KARADSHEH (voice-over): Ahmad was shot was shot in the head. He didn't make it. And around the corner, two others, a man and a woman, also shot.
It's uncertain who opened fire on the group. CNN geolocated these videos and traced this deadly journey out of central Gaza City. We provided the
Israeli military with details of this incident and these coordinates, but they did not respond to our request for comment.
JAMOUS: Hello.
KARADSHEH: Hello, Rami.
KARADSHEH (voice-over): We reached Rami, now in the south.
JAMOUS (through translator): There were no ambulances.
KARADSHEH (voice-over): Like most here, they were on their own. They got to Shifa Hospital but so did the war.
JAMOUS (through translator): Total panic at Shifa hospital. Look at the dead bodies. Not even a morgue. Gaza has fallen.
KARADSHEH (voice-over): Witness to it all, 2-year-old Waleed (ph).
JAMOUS (through translator): I kept trying to make sure he's not scared and make him feel like what he's seeing around us is a circus or an
amusement park. I don't know if I succeeded. Even the journey of humiliation, where you take a donkey here and a horse there, I was trying
to make that entertaining for him.
KARADSHEH (voice-over): I asked Rami why he decided to film.
JAMOUS (through translator): I just want this to get to the world, so they know the injustice that we're facing. They cast doubt on everything we do.
They're stronger in every way, not just militarily, but with the information that comes out, the narrative that comes out, the news that
comes out. What they say is the truth, and our words are lies. Please just deliver our message. I don't want anything else. I don't want all those who
have been killed to have died in vain.
KARADSHEH (voice-over): Rami doesn't know what they will do now but says he will only leave his homeland forced at gunpoint or dead. Jomana
Karadsheh, CNN, London.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ASHER: And it's important to note that Israel says that they have tried to call people in Gaza to leave the areas where military operations are
underway in order to sort of minimize civilian casualties. But there has been so much criticism across the world just in terms of the number of
deaths in Gaza. The Hamas-controlled Gaza Ministry of Health says that more than 11,400 people have been killed and that includes 4700 children.
And that number is almost certain to rise, possibly even dramatically. The U.N.' World Food Programme warns that the entire population in Gaza --
that's more than two million people, by the way -- about half of them children, face the immediate possibility of starvation -- starvation.
The WFP says that seven weeks into this war, food and water are practically non-existent. And some residents are forced to survive on about one meal a
day. That's if they're lucky to even find that meal. A spokesperson for the U.N.'s Palestinian refugee agency -- children are pleading -- says that
children are pleading for a sip of water and a piece of bread.
Children are begging for water and bread at shelters across Gaza. Those aren't the only things that are running critically low right now. The
shortage of fuel, also a massive problem, because that means that the food that does come in cannot be distributed.
The WFP also says that the dwindling fuel supplies has meant that bread production across Gaza has pretty much come to a standstill. Local markets
have shut down completely, and the U.N. is warning that the entire system is on the brink of collapse.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
VOLKER TURK, U.N. HIGH COMMISSIONER FOR HUMAN RIGHTS: It would be catastrophic across all of Gaza, leading to the complete collapse of water,
sewage and crucial healthcare services, and ending the trickle of humanitarian assistance that has been permitted to date. Massive outbreaks
of infectious disease and hunger seem inevitable.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ASHER: Time now for The Exchange and my conversation with Abeer Etefa, Senior Spokesperson for the World Food Programme in the Middle East, Africa
and Europe. She joins us live now from Cairo, Egypt.
Abeer, thank you so much for being with us. You know, I think a lot of the world has been focused on the shelling, on the exchange of gunfire, on
what's happening in and around Al-Shifa Hospital, on the IDF's ground incursion, and how many lives lost has -- how many lives have been lost
through the bombardment.
But I think that it's important for people to understand that one of the most pressing issues for a lot of the people in Gaza right now is hunger.
It's starvation. I mean, there are reports of people and patients within the Al-Shifa hospital screaming out just because they're thirsty, because
they just need a sip of water.
[12:40:00]
There are reports that people right now are living on one meal a day. So, if you are a family of four or five people in Gaza and you are only getting
only one -- maybe if you are lucky, two meals a day, what are you doing to ensure that that meal lasts as long as possible? What are the options that
people have right now?
ABEER ETEFA, WFP SENIOR SPOKESWOMAN, MIDDLE EAST, N. AFRICA AND EUROPE: Well, the situation is really catastrophic. Gaza is going hungry. And as
you mentioned, people are surviving on less than a meal a day. That's if they are lucky. Some people don't even have the one meal a day.
Farmers no longer have access to their farmland. The fishermen cannot go to the sea. Food systems are collapsing. And, of course, the humanitarian aid
that's trickling inside Gaza in no way make up for the halt of the commercial sector.
People are resorting to whatever they can. They are resilient. But how long can you continue to be resilient after weeks of being hungry? Families are
prioritizing the children. People are -- the only option that they have, if they are lucky, is to have canned foods. And some people are resorting to
eating, you know, uncooked eggplant or raw vegetables, like onions, all of these things are coping mechanisms. But how long can people continue to go
this way?
ASHER: So, let me ask you this. So, as I understand it, only about 10 percent of the food that Gaza needs is actually getting in right now just
in terms of food trucks and aid trucks coming in through the Rafah crossing. Who decides who gets that food?
ETEFA: Well, the trucks that are going in on daily basis are, you know, 10 percent of it are carrying food supplies. And if you look at the amount of
trucks and convoys that were going in Gaza with the commercial sector before the conflict, it was around 450 trucks a day.
Now, we have around 100 trucks a day with, like, probably 10 to 15 percent of it carrying food. Once this food gets inside, Gaza, there is the
difficult, you know, journey of how we can get the fuel so that we can move these food supplies inside Gaza to where it's needed to go.
Of course, the priority is for people who are in shelters. But, right now, the situation is terrible for everyone inside Gaza. No one has the luxury.
Even if you have the money, you don't have access to food. The shops have run out. So, the choices are that you prioritize the people who are in
shelters, you know, living in the open.
But the reality is that the 2.2 million people in Gaza are in need of humanitarian assistance. And this is why it is extremely important that we
have access through all border crossing points, not just through the Egyptian border. We need to get food supplies inside Gaza because the
situation is at the breaking point.
ASHER: When you think about -- you bring up fuel. Fuel is so important for so many reasons. I mean, just in terms of electricity, getting -- making
sure the refrigerators are running. In terms of cooking oil, in terms of, you know, fuel for the delivery trucks so that they can distribute the
food. Once the fuel completely runs out -- because we're talking about not having enough food to begin with. Once on top of that, you add to that the
fact that there is no more fuel, what happens next?
ETEFA: Well, there is no more fuel now. I mean, the last bakery that the World Food Program was working with has gone out of service last Friday
because of the shortage of fuel. When we started on the 7th of October -- distribution of food assistance inside Gaza, we were using around 23
bakeries and we were giving fresh bread on daily basis to around 200,000 people who were in shelters. Now, none.
And all of the 130 bakeries in Gaza, maybe one or two, if not at all any of them are operating. And that's because of the -- some of them have
sustained damage but right now, it's the shortage of fuel that has brought all of these, you know, bakeries into complete standstill.
Some people are burning coal to cook on it, but even these are like wood or whatever they can get their hands on. But that's really not, I mean,
there's nothing that can make up for the fact that you need to run fuel for communication networks, for bakeries, for the transportation.
In some days, the food supplies went in from the Egyptian side of the border. They got offloaded at the other side of the border and were left
there for days waiting for trucks to come and pick this up.
ASHER: So, Abeer, I just have to ask you very quickly because I am out of time.
[12:45:00]
For people who are watching this program who are really moved to help, what can they do? Because normally, the answer would be, you know, you can
donate money. You can donate money to the World Food Programme. But that -- it's much more complicated than that. Because even if people donate,
getting it distributed and getting enough food through the Rafah Crossing is still a hurdle here.
ETEFA: Absolutely. I think the one thing that people can do, which I think is still important, is to donate because we are building a massive
operation to feed more than a million people. And right now, we're getting all of these supplies. We hope and we continue to hope that, you know, all
parties to the conflict will spare civilians this agony and suffering.
ASHER: Right.
ETEFA: And once the moment comes, then food supplies can go in.
ASHER: Right, right. Okay. Abeer Etefa, thank you so much. We appreciate you being on the program. We'll be right back with more.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ASHER: All right, the head of the U.S. House Ethics Committee introduced a fresh resolution on Friday to expel Republican Congressman George Santos.
This comes after the release of a scathing report into Santos' campaign conduct. A new vote to kick Santos out of Congress could come later this
month. Lauren Fox has more.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
LAUREN FOX, CNN CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): New York GOP Congressman George Santos facing possible expulsion again from the House of
Representatives.
UNKNOWN: I think if he had any ethics and any respect for our government he would step down.
UNKNOWN: He literally lied to voters and everybody that he represents.
FOX (voice-over): After a months-long investigation, the bipartisan House Ethics Committee says it found substantial evidence that Santos violated
federal law saying he sought to fraudulently exploit every aspect of his House candidacy for his own personal financial profit. The reports finding
paint a picture of a cash strapped candidate who used campaign money to fund a lavish lifestyle that included unrelated travel and buying luxury
goods.
In July 2022, over $2000 was spent in Atlantic City Resorts with no records of campaign events occurring there. Also, a Federal Elections Commission
report lists that on July 7, 2022, the campaign spent over $3000 on an Airbnb, reported as a hotel stay, despite Santos being off at the Hamptons,
as per the campaign calendar.
[12:50:00]
It also lists services that don't appear to have a campaign purpose. Fourteen hundred dollars at a spa for Botox. More than $200 at CityMD,
$1500 more for Botox, more than a thousand dollars for an esthetician in Rheinbeck, New York, more than $4000 purchased at Hermes, smaller purchase
is at OnlyFans, Sephora, Meals and Parking.
The damning report concludes Santos knowingly filed false reports with the FEC and made willful violations and financial disclosures with the House.
The GOP Chairman of the House Ethics Committee, Michael Guest, planning to file a resolution to make Santos just the sixth member in U.S. history to
be expelled.
MICHAEL GUEST, U.S. HOUSE REPUBLICAN ETHICS COMMITTEE CHAIRMAN: That will be enough for members to be able to make a decision as to whether or not
they believe it would be proper to expel Representative Santos.
FOX (voice-over): According to a panel, Santos refused to participate in an interview or provide a written response, and the panel did not subpoena
him. Santos posting on X criticizing the Committee's finding, calling it biased and a disgusting politicized smear that shows the depths of how low
our federal government has sunk. Santos also saying he will not seek re- election.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ASHER: That was Lauren Fox reporting from Washington earlier. Congressman Santos did survive a previous expulsion vote in the House on November 1st.
So, we'll see what happens this time. But the George Santos scandal has long been fodder for late night TV hosts. And the release of this new
report prompted its share of laughs, as well.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
STEPHEN COLBERT, HOST, "THE LATE SHOW WITH STEPHEN COLBERT": After the report dropped, Santos announced he will not be seeking re-election for a
second term. I know. I know. I'm so happy, too. Thank God I won't have endless content for my show anymore.
SETH MEYERS, HOST "LATE NIGHT WITH SETH MEYERS": Still, it's quite a list. Botox, Atlantic City, OnlyFans, and designer goods. Is he a congressman or
a lesser Kardashian? He's got the shopping list of a 98-year-old oil tycoon's 20-year-old wife. Even his fellow Republicans are calling for his
expulsion, including the few who stuck by him before this report. He alienated his OnlyFans by spending money on OnlyFans.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ASHER: At this point, Santos has about a year left in his term, so I'm pretty sure this is not the last time we're going to be hearing about him
from the "Late Night" crowd.
All right, coming up, Rapper Snoop Dogg is weeding out one of the main things that he is known for, the habit he is dropping like it's hot after
the break.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[12:55:00]
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ASHER: Some things just seem to go together, like peanut butter and jelly, Batman and Robin, Snoop Dogg, and smoking pot. Well, not so much that last
one.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
Snoop announced on his Instagram that after much consideration and conversation with his family that he's decided to give up smoking. He's
asking for privacy at this time. Snoop Dogg's love of weed has been well documented in so many of his songs and so many of his business ventures.
Some fans on social media are skeptical, with some predicting that Snoop is launching a new line of edibles or perhaps a vape product so he won't have
to smoke. I guess we'll find out soon enough. Thank you so much for watching ONE WORLD. I'm Zain Asher. "AMANPOUR" is up next. You're watching
CNN.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
END