Transcript: Deputy National Security Adviser Jon Finer on "Face the Nation," Nov. 19, 2023
The following is a transcript of an interview with Deputy National Security Adviser Jon Finer that aired on Nov. 19, 2023.
Crisis in the Middle East
Hundreds leave Al-Shifa hospital as Israeli forces take control of facility
Patients, staff and displaced people left Gaza's largest hospital, health officials said, leaving behind only a skeleton crew to care for those too sick to move.
Tanzania confirms intern believed taken by Hamas in Israel is dead
Clemence Felix Mtenga was working in Israel during the Oct. 7 attacks, one of 260 Tanzanians studying agriculture as part of an agreement between the Israeli and Tanzanian governments.
Israeli troops say proof of Hamas base at Gaza hospital yet to come
Israeli forces show CBS News weapons and a tunnel entrance at Gaza's Al-Shifa Hospital, but say proof of Hamas command centers "not something you can see right now."
U.N. says it's unable to deliver aid to Gaza due to lack of fuel
Gaza residents are facing the "immediate possibility of starvation," the World Health Organization says.
Israel says second hostage found dead near Gaza's Al-Shifa Hospital
"The national task before our eyes is to locate the missing and return the abducted persons home," the IDF said in a statement Friday.
Palestinians say Israeli settlers are seizing West Bank homes by force
Israelis in West Bank settlements considered illegal under international law are seizing Palestinian homes by force, residents tell CBS News.
Hostage's body recovered in building near Al-Shifa hospital, IDF says
Yehudit Weiss was abducted by Hamas from kibbutz Be'eri during the Oct. 7 attack on Israel.
Netanyahu says "strong indications" Hamas hostages were held in Gaza hospital
"If they were [there], they were taken out," Netanyahu told CBS News.
Israel shows cache of weapons at embattled Gaza hospital
Israel said the weapons and other items at Al-Shifa hospital were evidence of Hamas militants using Gaza's largest health facility for military purposes.
Mark Esper: Defeating Hamas means dealing with Iran "once and for all"
Former U.S. Secretary of Defense Mark Esper said Israel should "absolutely" finish its fight against Hamas and root out the Palestinian militant group, but that doing so requires dealing with Iran "once and for all."
Is the right to free speech being curbed in Israel amid the war with Hamas?
"We arrived at October 7th already in a bad place when it comes to freedom of expression," an Israeli human rights lawyer says.
Capitol Police, protesters clash during demonstration over Israel-Hamas war
U.S. Capitol Police said about 150 people were "illegally and violently protesting" outside Democratic National Committee headquarters.
Israel considering deal with Hamas to secure release of some hostages
Officials tell CBS News Israel is considering a temporary cease-fire, and possibly freeing some Hamas prisoners, to secure the release of some hostages from Gaza.
Iranian foreign minister denies Iran's involvement in Red Sea drone attack
The drone, which originated from Yemen, was shot down early Wednesday morning by the USS Thomas Hudner as it was headed towards the ship, the Pentagon said.
U.N. Security Council votes for humanitarian pauses in Gaza fighting
The 15-nation Security Council's resolution — the first since the beginning of the Israel-Hamas war — passed with a 12-0 vote. The U.S., U.K. and Russia abstained.
U.S. Navy warship shoots down drone fired from Yemen
The guided missile destroyer USS Thomas Hudner defended itself against a drone fired from Yemen, according to two U.S. officials.
Father hopes for daughter's return after she's taken hostage by Hamas
Thomas Hand, who has lived in Israel for the past three decades, said his daughter Emily was at a sleepover when the Hamas militant group attacked.
FBI director says there are "multiple investigations into individuals affiliated" with Hamas
Federal officials have stressed in recent weeks that there is no specific credible threat against the U.S., and no indication that Hamas yet has the capacity to launch an attack on U.S. soil.
Israeli forces launch "targeted operation" in Gaza's biggest hospital
Israel says its "precise and targeted" operation in Gaza's Al Shifa hospital is intel-based and being carried out "with the intent that no harm is caused" to civilians inside.
Teachers confront social media misinformation as they teach about Israel, Gaza
As teenagers increasingly get their news from social media, teaching about the Israel-Hamas war can be difficult amid a sea of misinformation.
With infants at risk, Biden says Gaza hospitals "must be protected"
Biden calls for Gaza hospitals to be protected as Israeli troops surround the biggest medical facility, and infants' lives are caught in the middle of the war with Hamas.
In Gaza, dozens of babies' lives said to be at risk as incubators shut down
"Aluminum foil is kept around the babies to protect them from the cold weather," says the director general of Gaza's Hamas-run health ministry.
American struggles with guilt after evacuating Gaza: "Guilty to eat, guilty to sleep"
Naela Elshorafa's trip to visit her sick mother in Gaza took a drastic turn when Israeli missiles began to rain down in response to Hamas' deadly Oct. 7 attack on Israel.
8 dead in U.S. strikes on Iran-backed targets in Syria, war monitor says
It was the third time in less than three weeks that the U.S. has hit facilities in Syria it said were tied to Iran, which backs armed groups Washington blames for a spike in attacks on its forces in the region.
World
Remains of 4 more Israeli hostages handed over by Hamas
The return of Israeli hostages is a cornerstone of the Gaza peace plan, which called for Hamas to hand over all remaining hostages – 20 living and 28 dead – by Monday.
U.S. struck 5th boat accused of carrying drugs off Venezuela, Trump says
President Trump says the U.S. has struck another small boat he accuses of carrying drugs in the waters off Venezuela.
Grizzly bear attack leaves 2 hikers hospitalized in Canada, 1 critical
Popular hiking trails in British Columbia, Canada are closed after 2 hikers were injured in a grizzly bear attack, one of them critically.
Demands mount for Gaza aid to flow and Hamas to hand over more remains
So far the Gaza ceasefire is holding, but calls are getting louder for Hamas to hand over more hostages' remains, and for Israel to allow in more aid.
Trace radiation found at farm after Cesium-tainted food detected in U.S.
An investigation sparked by Cesium-137-tainted spices and shrimp in the U.S. has detected trace radiation at a clove farm in Indonesia.
3 Italian police killed as evicted residents allegedly blow up farmhouse
Officials in Italy say a house explosion that killed 3 police was a deliberate attack by residents who had previously resisted eviction.
14 people killed, with victims showing "signs of torture" in Ecuador
Four men and four women had "signs of torture" with their hands tied together and "their heads covered in black bags," according to a police report.
20 living hostages were released by Hamas. Here's who they are.
The hostages are civilians and soldiers, fathers and sons. Some were at the Nova music festival, where almost 400 people were killed and dozens kidnapped.
What's next in the Gaza peace plan after Israeli hostages freed
As Israel and Hamas implement the first phase of a Gaza peace plan, questions remain unanswered over what comes next.