♪ hello and welcome to our viewers joining us here in the united states and all around the world. i'm rosemary church.

just ahead, u.s. defense secretary lloyd austin is on his way to israel as washington faces calls to press for an end to the heavy bombardment of gaza. and we will speak to a man whose father is still being held hostage by hamas. why he says israel should be doing more to bring his father and the other hostages home. plus, donald trump is doubling down on his anti-immigrant rhetoric. we will look at what he's vowing to do if re-elected. thanks for joining us. u.s. defense secretary lloyd austin will be sitting down with israeli officials in the hours ahead on his second trip to the country since the october 7th attack by hamas. austin's visit comes after a stop in bahrain, and once in israel, a u.s. official says he will get updates on the war but

he's also expected to press israeli officials to define specific operational milestones in the ongoing battle. meantime, the israel defense forces says it's uncovered the biggest hamas tunnel in gaza. that tunnel, which the idf says was secured a few weeks ago, was made public on sunday. the hamas-controlled palestinian health ministry says the death toll in gaza has climbed to nearly 19,000. it doesn't distinguish between combatants and civilians but says 70% of those killed are women and children. some of the images coming out of gaza are graphic, and that includes our next video which is hard to watch. it comes from jabaliya in northern gaza where a senior official in the health ministry says at least 24 people were killed and dozens more wounded in what is thought to have been

an israeli air strike on sunday. he says a house sheltering displaced families was hit. elliott gotkine is following all the developments. he joins us now live from london. good morning to you, elliott. u.s. defense secretary austin will meet with israeli officials in the coming hours amid increasing pressure on prime minister netanyahu to define the next phase of this war and to make a deal with hamas to get more hostages released. how far might israel go on all of this? >> reporter: rosemary, i don't think netanyahu is going to waver from his position, which is that hamas must be destroyed militarily for this war to be considered -- for the job to be considered to have been done in this war. but underneath that overriding objective from israel, there is much wiggle room. and the other things that defense secretary austin will be pressing israel to do -- minimizing civilian casualties, enabling more aid to go into the

gaza strip -- seem to be not too hard for israel to do. so in terms of the minimizing civilian casualties, israel will maintain its position that it already goes above and beyond by warning where it's going to be attacking to enable people to move out of harm's way, and it will point to the way that it was dropping flyers with khan younis divided up into different grids and numbers, telling people when to move out of harm's way, where to go to get to safety. that didn't seem to really work in practice, and israel will no doubt be pressed to make more of an effort to turn those -- let's call them intentions into results as the u.s. has put it. but as far as humanitarian aid goes, israel will also point to the fact that just over the weekend, it opened the kerem shalom crossing, enabling aid to go directly from israel into the gaza strip for the first time. aid is still around about half the amount going into gaza, still about half what it was before october 7s when the humanitarian situation was far

less dire and israel will be pushed and pressed to enable more aid to go into the gaza strip as well. i think the other main thing they'll be discussing is looking more regionally. especially about the attacks that we've been seeing on shipping in the red sea from iranian-backed houthi rebels in yemen. there will be no doubt discussions or announcements about moves to boost protection for what the wufld world's most critical shipping lanes to prevent any blockade on shipping to israel, but any blockade or impediment to global trade routes and impacts that might have on the global economy. >> elliott, meantime, the idf claims to have found the biggest hamas tunnel in gaza and has released video on that. what more can you tell us about the tunnel? >> reporter: quite stunning images that the idf released. it says this is the biggest tunnel it has discovered to date. it stopped 400 meters short of the erez crossing with israel. all of these actual shafts we've

been talking about have been akin to veins in the human body, imagine this as being one of the big arteries. this is big enough to drive a car through. it's been described almost like a pedestrian underpass or like a subway that you would use to go under the street. of course, we know these tunnels are used by hamas to launch attacks, to shelter from attacks, and also to hide hostages. but this particular tunnel seems to be on another level. it's got ventilation systems. it's got electricity. as i say, you can drive a car through it. it would have been -- it would have needed mechanized equipment to have been built. and according to israel, it goes four kilometers under beit hanun in the northern part of gaza strip and has offshoots into hospitals, mosques, and schools as well. israel says it discovered this several weeks ago. it's planning to destroy it, but it wanted to share these images to i suppose show exactly what

it is up against in terms of dealing with this tunnel system that hamas has painstakingly built over the years, as i say, which is clearly making the battle against hamas from israel's perspective that much harder. >> all right, thanks to elliott gotkine live from london. a u.s. official says the idf has been testing ways to degrade the vast hamas tunnel system by flooding some of the tunnels with seawater, but it is a risky operation as cnn's nic robertson reports. >> reporter: the tunnels themselves are big. big enough for fighters and their weapons, seen here in this hamas propaganda video which was also posted by the israel defense force. they are reinforced with concrete, too. two years ago, hamas claimed to

have built 500 kilometers, more than 300 miles of them. the tunnels are spread all over gaza. this map, over two years old. the idf says they've discovered 800 tunnel shafts so far. and have destroyed 500 of them. the entrances are often well hidden. >> this is a 20-meter tunnel. >> reporter: as i was shown by the idf near a gaza hospital, really well hidden, which means the tunnels can be really hard to find. the idea of flooding the tunnels using the abundant seawater that's along the many miles of gaza's mediterranean shore is apparently a creative idea, not just to destroy hamas and quite literally flush them out, but also to reach the parts of tunnels that might never be discovered from above ground.

now, it's not without its risks. there could be hostages in those tunnels. there are very few details about how precisely the water is getting into the tunnels, how much water, how fast it's going in, or what you do if you suddenly discover you're flooding hostages, other than the idf say they have begun carefully testing it and that this method is being trialed on a limited, limited basis. some of the tunnels are thought to be five floors deep. some of the hostages who were freed have described them. this elderly hostage helped by her daughter. >> translator: we began walking inside the tunnels with wet ground. it was moist all the time. >> there are a huge network of tunnels underneath. it looks like a spiderweb.

>> reporter: the idf says it will proceed cautiously to make sure they are not flooding tunnels where the hostages are being held. >> it's significant that more than six weeks into the ground campaign, this full-scale tunnel problem is only now really becoming apparent. even controlling the streets above is not enough to locate all the tunnels, so flooding seems to be the new best option to really probe the extent of the invisible subterranean network. both destroying hamas hiding there and denying it their use. of course, a key caveat in success here is, if you can't find the tunnel and it's not connected to a system you're already flooding, how effective can you be about flooding it and knowing that you're hitting, destroying the whole of the tunnel network? nic robertson, cnn, london. the world health organization says gaza's al shifa hospital is completely overwhelmed and is barely functional.

w.h.o. staff are visiting the facility, participating in a joint u.n. mission to deliver medicine, anesthesia materials, and surgical supplies. they describe a dire situation, calling the emergency department a, quote, bloodbath. they say patients with trauma injuries are unable to receive pain management and are being treated on the floor. and new patients are arriving every minute . >> this largest referral hospital here in gaza has become a trauma stabilization point. it can only provide the most basic care for people with very serious injuries and very serious illnesses. there are women delivering in these common spaces that are just absolutely packed to the brim. most patients are on the floor. a few are in beds and stretchers behind me. the emergency department is just covered in blood, and there are very few staff. u.s. aid for israel and

ukraine is on the line as senators struggle to reach a deal on immigration reform. they're tied together in a package that was introduced in october, but it's still stalled in the u.s. congress. democrats are hoping to have a vote this week before the holidays, but many republicans say that's probably not going to happen. >> from our republican and democrat negotiators who are diligent, doing a great job, and basically with the white house involved, committed to getting this border under control, that's what i'm really very hopeful for. i think we're going to see something next week, and we'll stay until we get it done. >> the bottom line is we feel like we're being jammed. we're not anywhere close to a deal. it will go into next year. >> republicans are insisting on border policy changes before releasing any more money for israel or ukraine. 15 republican senators are demanding a special conference meeting in january to discuss the negotiations.

donald trump is in early voting states trying to solidify his support ahead of next year's u.s. presidential election. many of his recent campaign stops have seen trump using more and more incendiary rhetoric, and here's what he said saturday during a rally in new hampshire. >> they're poisoning the blood blood of our countries. not just south america, all over the world they're coming into our country, from africa, from asia, all over the world. they're pouring into our country. >> just a day later, trump emphasized his plans for what he called the largest deportation in american history. cnn's alayna treene has more from the campaign trail in nevada. >> reporter: former president donald trump ramped up his anti-immigration rhetoric during

remarks in nevada on sunday. he shared stories about violent crimes committed by undocumented immigrants here in the united states and vowed to devote unprecedented resources to the southern border if re-elected in 2024. >> given the unprecedented millions of biden illegal aliens who are invading our country, it is only common sense that when i'm re-elected, we will begin -- and we have no choice -- the largest deportation operation america has seen. >> reporter: this is some of the most explicit language yet to preview his second term plans on immigration on the campaign trail. i can tell you, my colleagues at cnn and i have reported extensively on donald trump's potential second term plans on immigration. they include rounding up undocumented immigrants here in the united states and placing them in detention camps while they await to be deported. i think it's important to point out the context of these

remarks. they came here in nevada, a state that has a large migrant population. they also come as donald trump has been increasingly ramping up his violent rhetoric when it comes to immigration over the weekend. on saturday, we heard donald trump repeat language that immigrants are, quote, poisoning the blood of our country, rhetoric that is closely associated with white supremacy. we did hear the biden campaign immediately criticize donald trump for those remarks. they argued that such language parroted that of adolf hitler. the former president received a lot of criticism over the weekend for praising authoritarian leaders like vladimir putin, to argue that president joe biden is a threat to democracy. he used that same language again on sunday, however, did not do so in such an explicit way. alayna treene, cnn, reno, nevada. >> earlier i spoke with cnn senior political analyst ron brownstein about why trump's tirades on the campaign trail

won't see much criticism from republicans. >> he's not only ramping up the authoritarian and racist language and making it more explicit, there's a policy agenda behind it as well. i mean, he is running on a much more militant agenda than he ran on certainly as president in 2020, when he focused more on the economy, or even in 2016. i mean, behind the language like that about poisoning the blood of our country or vermin are a variety of ideas to weaponize control of the federal government, undermine the civil service protections, deploy federal force into blue cities and states, mass deportation, internment camps, the use of the insurrection act to use the military to put down protests. all of this is much more explicit and confrontational than even what we have seen from trump in the past. and the answer on republicans is that he learned a long time ago,

there is no line he can cross that would compel a meaningful number of them to oppose him. they have long ago decided either they can't stand against him because his hold on the base is too strong, or they don't want to stand against him because they think they benefit from the mobilization of his electorate that he is uniquely positioned to do, which can enable republicans to gain the power and do the other things they want to do -- appoint judges, cut taxes, and abortion. still to come, families of hostages are calling on the israeli government to do more to secure the release of their loved ones. next, i will speak to the son of an israeli hostage who's still being held in gaza. also ahead, u.s. secretary austinin is exexpected in israe very soooon. we'll l have more e on his visi.

♪ welcome back, everyone. the families of the hostages still being held by hamas in gaza are urging the israeli government to prioritize the release of their loved ones. israelis gathered in tel aviv on

saturday, demanding the government do more to secure their release. it came a day after three hostages were mistakenly killed by the idf. joining me now from tel aviv, israel, is low 84 perry. his father is still being held hostage by hamas. thank you so much for talking with us at this difficult time for you and your family. >> good morning. thank you for having me on your show. >> in the wake of those three israeli hostages being mistakenly shot by israeli forces, domestic pressure is building on prime minister netanyahu to make a deal with hamas to release more of the captives being held in gaza. how likely is it, do you think, that that pressure from these tragic shootings will lead to the release of more hostages, perhaps even your 79-year-old father. >> unfortunately, i'm not so optimistic.

i've seen before the kind of pressure on the government hardly works. the past -- mainly i think what's applying the best pressure is the international pressure that's being produced to the israeli government. but unfortunately, i think not enough is being done by the united states, at least. and hopefully to move them towards action. >> and on that very matter, u.s. defense secretary lloyd austin will meet with prime minister netanyahu in the coming hours to discuss israel's next phase of the war, and we learned mossad's director met friday with qatar's prime minister to continue talks on getting more hostages released. you have previously said that netanyahu is more focused on the war than getting the hostages out. do you still feel that way even with this increased pressure on

the prime minister, not only domestically, but internationally as well? >> i can only judge him -- as i said before, i can only judge him by his acts. because his words have stopped to have any -- stopped having any meaning to me. and his actions are clearly saying, war. and if i choose to listen to words, two days ago he said that -- in a press conference he said something like that, the will of the fallen ones is what's showing us the way. meaning, he accidentally exposed the israeli efforts of the dead meaning more to our society than the living. and it hasn't changed. and he hasn't changed in this way of producing more and more dead soldiers and prioritizing

the living hostages. >> how far do you think prime minister netanyahu is willing to go to ensure all the hostages are released? do you see another pause in the war taking place so that more hostages can be released? >> the same as hamas, i think, the way i see it. because what israel says is that they have to put the knee down or the foot on hamas' neck in order to force them for a hostage negotiation. and i see it the same way with netanyahu. he needs someone to put the foot down on him to make him do this thing. because i don't feel that he has any sentiment for us, for the hostage families, or even for the released hostages themselves. four of them stood in front of him and begged him to stop

killing them, in their words. and i didn't see any movement in his face or any change in his tone afterwards when he was answering them. so i'm afraid only outside pressure will make him change his ways. >> why -- can you explain why you think that he's putting the war way ahead of the lives of these hostages? why is that the case? >> it's not something sophisticated. i think it's on the contrary. it's something very, very simple. the only way israel has ever addressed a problem is brute force. okay? and that's been a failure ever since. that's the only solution we apply. and that's the same old d mista and same results we're getting. the fearar of trying somethingn

else is somemething i willll ne understand. the fear of trying to chanange your ways afafter learning that years and years of power have brought you nowhere. the fear of changing it is beyond my understanding. i do not want to use hard words, but if somebody's unable to see his own acts as problematic, then i cannot help him. and i'm really feeling lost here, not being able to help the decisionmakers to see the simple reality. >> if you had an opportunity to talk to prime minister netanyahu now, what would you say would be a better way forward? >> i believe that once you put the value of life at the top of your priorities, at the top of

your moral steps, then your path will be made very easy. just change your perspective on how you should act. just try to change your priorities. and things will come out immediately. as we said two weeks before, and now again, israel is repeating our words when we said, make hamas an offer it can't refuse. as simple as that. and make it public. make it sound worldwide. so the world will understand that what is the goals of your war, and the world will understand that you are only for saving life. and then if hamas will refuse, then you have a case to continue your war. but as long as you didn't do it and you haven't reached the

goals of the war, you don't have any legitimacy to continue killing our own soldiers and our own hostages. and of course thousands of people in gaza. >> liro peri in tel aviv, thank you so much for talking with us. we hope you will see your father released very soon. >> thank you so much for talking to me. thank you. >> thank you. coming up next, the u.s. defense secretary plans to press israel about its plans for the ongoing war against hamas. details just ahead.

♪ ♪ ♪ ♪

♪ ♪ we're continuing to follow developments out of gaza where

the israeli military has made public what it calls the biggest hamas tunnel. one idf spokesperson described the tunnel system as a, quote, underground terror city. meantime, new and disturbing images are emerging from gaza amid israel's war against hamas. this video comes from jabaliya in northern gaza where a senior official in the hamas-controlled health ministry says at least 24 people were killed and dozens more wounded in what is thought to have been an israeli air strike on sunday. he says a house sheltering displaced families was hit, and we are now awaiting the arrival of u.s. defense secretary lloyd austin in israel. there he is, after his stop in bah bahrain. a u.s. official says secretary austin will press israel officials to define specific operational milestones in the ongoing war.

you can see him there arriving in bahrain. a crowd of pro-palestinian demonstrators gathered outside a restaurant in detroit on saturday chanting slogans directed at the restaurant group's jewish ceo. he has said in the past that he supports peace and protection of both israeli and palestinian lives. cnn's polo sandoval has more. >> reporter: all indication is this was an incident-free demonstration, albeit one that gained extra attention. detroit police saying anywhere from 100 to 150 demonstrators, some with palestinian flags, gathered outside of a downtown detroit restaurant. their chants specifically directed at the head of the restaurant group that owns and operates that establishment, jeremy sassen. he's previously and publicly expressed support for israel. some of the chants in question here include, "jeremy, you can't hide, we charge you with genocide," as well as, "jeremy

what do you say, how many kids did you kill today?" an online flyer for the rally calling on a boycott for other of sassen's restaurants. in 2021, he told the detroit free press he has been not only previously targeted with anti-semitism but by many negative reviews of his establishment, given his support for israel. cnn did reach out to heirloom hospitality, the restaurant group involved here. a representative for the company declined to comment, adding it did not want to increase already heightened tensions. that's the theme in terms what was we've seen in the u.s., given the conflict in the middle east. recently, there was a philadelphia restaurant where we saw similar scenes play out. in fact, an identical chant there. the governor of pennsylvania, as well as the white house, condemning that demonstration, calling it anti-semitism. and then over the weekend, a cleveland palestinian teahouse

told woio it, too, has been targeted by hate, including anti-palestinian banners. that really speaks to the greater issue here, the anger, the frustration that the conflict in the middle east has unleashed in the united states. polo sandoval, cnn, new york. police have arrested a man in washington after he allegedly sprayed an unknown substance at two people while shouting an anti-semitic phrase. the 33-year-old suspect appears to have been arrested near the kesha israel congregation synagogue. washington police confirmed to cnn multiple synagogues in the city have received threatening emails, but there's currently no credible threat. right now, u.s. aid for both israel and ukraine is stalled on capitol hill with lawmakers at odds over tying that funding to changes in u.s. immigration policy. cnn's chief congressional correspondent manu raju has the latest.

>> reporter: senators have spent the weekend trying to see if they can get any sort of compromise on the issue of immigration, dealing with a surge at the southern border of mexico among migrants coming into the united states, changing border policy. things that have really eluded congress for decades. they want to try to get an agreement now in order to see if they can unlock aid to israel and ukraine. republicans have said the border must be dealt with first before they'll agree to green lighting billions of dollars in more aid to ukraine as well as aid to israel, which is why so much focus is on these talks that are happening in the senate. there's already blowback, some from the right, concern that republicans are giving away too much, not pushing for enough restrictive policies. a growing number of critics on

the left worried about joe biden giving away too much, some flatly warning it could cost him at the ballot box. >> why do you think the president's struggling with has panic voters compared to last time? >> well, look. i am not as worried about that yet. i think if we do go -- if he does go too far in the trump direction when it comes to this, it's going to be felt at the ballot box next year, no doubt about it. >> i am amazed that what is the equivalent of trumpian ideas is being promoted by president biden in a democratic white house. >> reporter: if they were able to get a deal, it would take time to draft the text, to get approval from the four different caucuses in the house and senate, actually set up the votes in the senate, which takes time. getting it out of the senate. the house is out until january. this would not even get approved until january. and we'll see how republicans and democrats alike react to any deal that is reached. it could potentially sink in the house as well. so many questions about whether they can get there. but negotiators say they've been making progress, but enough progress to get a deal that can pass both chambers? that remains a huge question at

this critical moment. still to come, hong kong media mogul jimmy lai appears in court on charges of violating the city's national security law. we are live outside the courthouse with more on the landmark trial.

♪ welcome back, everyone. the u.s. is condemning north korea's recent missile launches. the south korean military says a long-range ballistic missile was fired monday from the pyongyang area with a flight range of about 1,000 kilometers. ja japan's coast guard the missile fell into the waters west of the

hoke region hokkaido region. a trial is under way in hong kong to decide the fate of media tycoon jimmy lai. a supporter of the city's pro-democracy movement and founder of the now-shattered "apple daily" newspaper. lai's anti-beijing newspaper was forced to shut down in 2021 following his detention in 2020. he's being tried under hong kong's sweeping national security law, facing multiple charges of colluding with foreign forces and a separate charge of sedition. the maximum penalty is life in prison. cnn's kristie lu stout is following the story from outside the court in hong kong. this is a really high-profile trial. it puts a spotlight on china's clamp-down on hong kong. what more can you tell us about

the case? >> reporter: here in hong kong, we're standing outside the west kowloon magistrate's court for the first day of the national security trial of the china critic, media mogul jimmy lai. court has been adjourned for today, and we'll hear opening statements tomorrow. earlier today and throughout the day, we've seen outside the courtroom security has been tightened. inside the courtroom, jimmy lai was seen wearing a gray suit. he seemed to appeared calm. also appeared thinner than what we've seen him before. and he was surrounded by four corrections officers who were guarding him. he was also seen smiling and waving to supporters, including loved ones inside the room. many people around the world are paying close attention to this trial, because it is seen of a test of hong kong's freedoms, especially after beijing impoised the national security law on the territory. watch this.

considered by many as a father figure to hong kong's pro-democracy movement, jimmy lay always knew his actions might attract the ire of authorities. but he didn't let it faze him. >> i think it's a good idea any time, any situation that you are in, to fight for your freedom. because without freedom, you have nothing left. >> reporter: in a recent media briefing, china's ministry of foreign affairs not holding back in their criticism of lai, calling him "one of the most notorious anti-china elements bent on destabilizing hong kong." after numerous delays, the former media mogul returning to court to finally face trial under hong kong's sweeping national security law. since that legislation was imposed by beijing in response to massive social unrest and anti-government protests,

authorities have cracked down on dissent. today, most of hong kong's political opposition are either in prison, like lai, or have fled the territory. as the founder of the "apple daily," once hong kong's largest pro-democracy newspaper which regularly challenged the government, lai is the most high-profile critic of beijing charged under the national security law. he faces a maximum sentence of life in prison on multiple counts of colluding with foreign forces to endanger national security, as well as a single charge of sedition under a law that dates back to hong kong's colonial past. 76-year-old lai has been in custody for the last three years, and his son is concerned that incarceration is taking its toll. >> i think psychologically, he's very strong, but there always is that element. nobody escapes the gravity of age. at his age, he is at a tremendous amount of risk being in maximum security. >> reporter: for its part, the hong kong government says all cases concerning offenses that

endanger national security, including lai's, are handled in a fair and timely manner. in a statement to cnn, a spokesperson said, "without commenting on individual cases, the hong kong sar law enforcement agencies have been taking law enforcement actions based on evidence and strictly in accordance with the law in respect of the accounts of the persons or entities concerned." lai was a fixture at the student-led pro-democracy and anti-government demonstrations that brought central hong kong to a standstill in 2014. when millions of peoplple took the streets in 2019, lai was there once again. just months later, lai was marched out of his own newsroom when more than 200 police officers raided the "apple daily's" headquarters. a year on, lai's printing presses fell silent as the paper shuttered, a blow to media freedom in hong kong.

lai's legal challenges have mounted ever since. his lengthy rap sheet worn as a badge of honor after a lifetime of demanding democratic reform. and michael, the last few days the governments of the united states, uk, also the committee to protect journalists have criticized the trial. they have called for the immediate release of jimmy lai. in a statement, the asia coordinator called the trial "a dark stain in hong kong's rule of law that is doing disservice to the government's efforts to restore investor confidence." the hong kong government has repeatedly said freedom of speech and press freedom are enshrined in the basic law. that's the mini constitution of hong kong, and that they are not at risk. >> our thanks to kristie lu stout in hong kong with that report. a politician in western ukraine has been charged with terrorism days after he threw lofgren mads into a local

council meeting. the man was identified as a 54-year-old deputy in the village of koretskyy. court officials say he threw the explosives into a meeting of community leaders on friday, wounding at least 23 people. prosecutors say one of the victims has since died from their injuries. the man is being held without bail. court officials say they believe he was unhappy with how the council meeting was going and committed the attack to influence their decision-making. we'll be r right back.k.

♪ welcome back. hundreds of people were rerescued from floodwaters after remnants of tropical cyclone jasper dumped intense rain on northeastern australia. officials say there's still potential for life-threatening flash floods in the area. authorities say people sought safety on rooftops and some were stuck there all night. and there's concern about safe drinking water, sewage overflows, and power outages. so far, no reports of any deaths or injuries, but more rain is

expected on monday. in argentina, an intense storm has left at least 13 people dead and others injured in a town outside buenos aires. winds reportedly reached 140 kilometers per hour. officials say at least 300 people had to be evacuated in the middle of the night. argentine president javier milei said his cabinet is working with local authorities to help victims recover from the damage. people around the world watched notre dame cathedral burn nearly four years ago. an event over the weekend symbolizes the enormous progress that's been made. michael holmes has the story. >> reporter: flying high over the paris skyline, a golden

rooster is hoisted to its new perch on top of the newly rebuilt spire of notre dame cathedral, scheduled to reopen in a year. the rooster, made of gold-colored copper, is a crowning milestone in the church's reconstruction after a blazing fire destroyed the roof of the historic structure 4 1/2 years ago. >> translator: the rooster now means it's the very end of rebuilding of the spire. it stands 96 meters tall, and once the roofers will have covered the spire, we'll be able to take the scaffolding off and that's when parisians and everyone who walks past will be able to see this flamboyant rooster. >> reporter: the rooster is a longtime symbol of france, but this one, shining in the sunlight, is more like a phoenix rising from the ashes. its predecessor, a weathervane that sat atop a wooden spire, crashed through the ceiling of the cathedral in 2019 when it became engulfed in flames. workers say it's been a labor of

love to help this new bird get off the ground. >> translator: it's something i'm really proud of, because you only do it once in your life. you don't do it twice. so it's going to be engraved in my memory for a very long time. >> before it was sent aloft, the rooster was blessed by the archbishop of paris, who placed a tube inside it listing the names of hundreds who took part in the reconstruction. a week ago the french president, emmanuel macron, visited the construction site and said work was on track for the cathedral to reopen on december 8, 2024. >> translator: we saw the advancement of this worksite that seemed impossible come to reality. and for the first time, we came here not to mark the anniversary of the fire, but to mark one year before the reopening. >> the old rooster, battered and dented in the debris of the fire, will be displayed in a new museum. the new one will watch over the final stages of notre dame's

restoration and hopefully the many years that follow. architects say they have installed a range of fire-proof features in the cathedral so this venerated church is never again reduced to ashes. thanks for spending part of your day with me. i'm rosemary church. "cnn newsroom" continues next with max foster and bianca nobilo.

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