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The Lead with Jake Tapper

24 Hostages Released On Day 1 Of Israel-Hamas Truce; Israel Prison Service: 39 Palestinian Prisoners Released As Part Of Hostage Deal With Hamas; U.N. Says 137 Aid Trucks Offloaded In Gaza On 1st Day Of Truce; First Group Of Released Hostages Now In Israel. Aired 5-6p ET

Aired November 24, 2023 - 17:00   ET

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

[17:00:00]

WOLF BLITZER, CNN HOST: Also part of the deal, dozens of Palestinian prisoners are being released and critical aid is now making his way into Gaza. Let's start our coverage right now with CNN's Becky Anderson who's joining us from Doha in Qatar. As Qatari officials, Becky, have played a main role in mediating the hostage negotiations, I want to get your sense, has everything gone to plan so far and tell our viewers what comes next?

BECKY ANDERSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL, HOST: So there is a palpable sense of relief from the mediation team here who have been working out of an operation center today, alongside members of the International Committee of the Red Cross, another key stakeholders in this. And they certainly feel like this mostly went to plan. You are right to point out that this is a humanitarian pause and the implementation of that had a number of key obligations. The pause had to stop at 07:00 local time, pausing to start 07:00 local time this morning.

The hostilities had to stop on the ground from both parties that allowed for the potential for the release of these hostages, these 13 in the first instance, Israeli women and children who had been held by Hamas. Around about 04:00 this afternoon, what happened was we saw 24 hostages ultimately released. And the process took about two and a half hours to get those hostages out of Hamas's hands into the hands of the ICRC and out of Gaza into Israel via the Rafah crossing, which is down on the Egyptian border. These surprise, and I have to say, I think it was a surprise as well, possibly to those involved in the mediation was the addition today of the 10 Thais, the 10 Thai workers who've been on a kibbutz on October the seventh, the same kibbutz that these Israeli hostages who were released today had been taken from, and a citizen of the Philippines.

Let me be quite clear, the structure, the deal that was struck between Hamas and Israel did not include foreign nationals. That was a separate track negotiated by the Qataris and their regional partners, particularly and specifically the Egyptians for the release of these Thai nationals and this Filipina. So that was a surprise when we saw 24 individuals ultimately received by the Israelis. There's focus for a moment on those Israeli hostages, a two year old, a four year old, a five year old and a nine year old. And we've seen some images are of those alongside other women, and some of these women are quite elderly, up to the ages of 87, they looked at least in principle, if their health was pretty much OK, they were moving on their own, they looked pretty mobile. They are, as you rightly point out, four of the kids, the four kids are now at the children's hospital with four of the women.

What has been achieved today by this mediation team with the support of the United States, as I say with Egypt and others, has been a proof of concept. That's what they've had today, Wolf, and it's worked. It's worked to the extent that the hostages were released around the time that they were expected to be released, and they're now in the safety of Israeli authorities. The next stage, of course, is tomorrow, when at least 10 hostages will be released or should be released by Hamas. The IDF and Mossad now have that list from Hamas. It was given to the Qataris and now to Mossad.

So the Israelis know who those next at least 10 hostages are. And we will see this happen for the next three days until the end of what is the official pause which could be extended, should Hamas come up with more prisoners. A proof of concept today that mostly worked, not quite as many trucks across the border as was expected or hoped for, but that is OK. The team here says a little bit of hostility at the beginning of the day when the pause was supposed to have started, but that was OK. Eighteen minutes into the pause, everything was quiet.

So they've got something to work with. That's what they've got. They say their work is not finished, but they've got something to work with at this stage. Wolf.

[17:05:01]

BLITZER: So far so good. All right, Becky Anderson in Doha, Qatar for us. Thank you very much.

As the first hostages are now being taken to hospitals in Israel, Israeli officials are preparing for a second group, hopefully to be released tomorrow. CNN's Matthew Chance is in Tel Aviv with a closer look at how everything unfolded over these last dramatic hours.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MATTHEW CHANCE, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): They kidnapped and killed but now Hamas is showing its gunman releasing Israelis in Gaza. For many, these are disturbing scenes. Nine year old, Ohad Munder being embraced, as he set free, then a woman being carried by a masked man as Palestinians cheer.

For 49 long days of captivity in Gaza, aid workers from the Red Cross drive them through the border into Egypt and to freedom. Egyptian television shows a convoy of vehicles heading to the crossing. Then the hostages including 10 Thais, a Filipino and the 13 Israeli women and children disembarking for checks. Israeli military posted this grainy video of the moment they all finally reentered the country. A step says the Israeli Prime Minister towards bringing all hostages home. BENJAMIN NETANYAHU, ISRAEL PRIME MINISTER (through translator): We have just completed the return of the first of our hostages, children, their mothers and additional women. Each one of them is a whole world. But I emphasize to you the families and to you, citizens of Israel, we are committed to return all our hostages.

CHANCE (voice-over): Most of the hostages released in this first group under the temporary truce were taken from Nir Oz, one of the small Israeli communities near Gaza ravaged by Hamas on October the seventh. At least 38 people there were killed and more than 70 abducted.

People like Daniel Aloni, and her five year old daughter, Emilia, both freed in this latest release, but the relatives they were visiting when Hamas attacked remain unaccounted for as hostages. Doron Katz Asher and her two young daughters have also now been set free, but her partner remains in Gaza. Behind every release, a poignant reminder of those left behind. Like the family of Omri Almog, his brother in law and niece killed, his sister and her three children still hostages. Yet Omri is now optimistic.

OMRI ALMOG, FAMILY KIDNAPPED AND KILLED BY HAMAS: The best is in front of us is going to come. Whatever happened we cannot change. Nadav is not longer with us. Yam, the beautiful girl is not with us anymore. But --

CHANCE: There's still a chance. There's still a chance for your sister.

ALMOG: Yes, yes, yes, yes. We have to bring what left, we need to bring back what's left from this family. It's a broken family.

CHANCE (voice-over): A broken family in a country of shattered lives.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CHANCE (on camera): And some of those lives now are starting to be rebuilt. Not just with the medical checks and the medical treatment that these 13 Israelis are going to be receiving right now in hospitals around the country, but also the psychological help they're going to be getting and it's going to be intense because you've got to remember, you know, a lot of these people we're told have come out into a world where they didn't even know that their loved ones have been killed and aren't anymore. So it's a very different place, different Israel they've returning back to from the one they were so violently ripped from back on October the seventh. Wolf.

BLITZER: Matthew Chance reporting for us. Matthew, thanks for that report.

And we also, by the way, just got updates right now from two of the hospitals where the released hostages have been taken. CNN's Oren Liebermann is over at the Wolfson Medical Center in Tel Aviv, CNN's Clarissa Ward is outside Schneider's Children's Hospital and Petah- Tikvah just outside of Tel Aviv.

Oren, what's the latest where you are? OREN LIEBERMANN, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Wolf, we heard hear from hospital officials on the update now that five elderly women had been brought into the hospital here. Take a look at this video. This is probably about an hour ago a helicopter arriving near the hospital and carrying three of the elderly hostages who were taken out of Gaza today. There actually is no helipad here at Wolfson Medical Center near South Tel Aviv so they had to be brought by ambulance from the helicopter itself to the hospital. And as they were put into the ambulances, that video there shows an applause from everyone in that area that these three have come home.

Worth noting that a couple of hours before that there were another two elderly women hostages in Gaza at the hands of Hamas who were brought to the hospital. So a total of five hostages now being treated here. According to the hospital director general, they welcomed them here all the patients and -- all the staff, I should say, the nurses and the doctors were ready for them. They had been set up in a special unit here only for them and their families at Wolfson Medical

Center as they begin their recovery.

[17:10:16]

The director general said as they came in, there wasn't a dry eye in the house. Welcome them back to Israel and back to the treatment they so desperately need. They wouldn't talk about their condition or what sort of state they're in, their health, their mental health, only to say that the highest levels of professionalism were brought forward by the medical teams here by the nurses, by the staff to welcome them to Wolfson Medical Center where they will begin recovering. It's worth noting, this is the hospital set up specifically to care for the elderly. And they expect that over the course of the next several days, they may bring in more for treatment here. Wolf, they say they are absolutely ready to take on that task.

BLITZER: It's an important task indeed. Oren Lieberman standby, I want to go to Clarissa right now.

Clarissa you're at the children's hospital in Petah Tikvah. Two helicopters, I understand, land in where you are tonight. What are officials there saying? What's going on?

CLARISSA WARD, CNN CHIEF INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: So we just had a press conference in the last 20 or so minutes, Wolf, where some of the hospitals directors came and address the media. Again, there's a lot of details that they're not giving for privacy reasons. They did say though, that they were, quote, "thrilled" to be able to welcome a total of three families, including four children, three mothers, one grandmother. We believe that those families are the Asher family, the Aloni family and the Munder family. The hospital saying that they are all in good physical condition.

But of course we know from conversations that we've been having with hospital staffers throughout the day that they are very much prepared for the likely reality that they will not be in such good psychological condition after the trauma that they've experienced. And as you heard Oren describing there some of the measures that the Wolfson Hospital has taken. Schneider also has taken great lengths to ensure that the special unit that they have set up for these families feels not like a hospital, not cold, not clinical, not intimidating, but warm and intimate. They tried to create the sense they said of a beautiful hotel, there are lots of toys in place. And most importantly, perhaps, they have hand selected the top psychiatrists and staffers that they have within their units, to be those who will work together with these families to try to process and break down some of what they have endured.

They have also, we've been told, just enjoyed their first dinner. They are now able to be reunited with their loved ones. But there has definitely been, understandably not just because of what they've been through but because so many of them are minors, a real emphasis on privacy. And you saw that in those moments as the helicopter landed here. They put screens out to ensure that they could have some privacy as they disembarked and arrived here at the hospital, Wolf.

BLITZER: Yes, we saw that. Clarissa Ward, Oren Liebermann, to both of you, thank you very much.

Right now I want to bring in Eyal Mor, three of his family members are among those who were released today. Ohad Munder turned nine years old while being held hostage last month, Keren Munder age 54, and Ruth Munder age78, all three names are on the list released by the IDF. And let's talk to Eyal right now.

Eyal, thank you very much. I know you must be very pleased that three generations of your family are now free back in Israel. And I understand you just recently saw and got an update on how they're doing.

EYAL MOR, FAMILY MEMBERS RELEASED: Yes. So first, yes, we are very pleased that we were fortunate enough to have those three dear loved ones come back to us today. Initial updates that we got is that they are in good shape, both physically and mentally, very important, including the boy, Ohad, who turned nine, nine years old during his captivity. And so we're all happy that they are OK in that sense.

BLITZER: And you just saw some video as well. Tell us about the video.

MOR: Yes, the video was taken in the hospital where they met the partner of Keren, the father of Ohad, and the brother and the sister of Ruth. They all met. It was very emotional. People were crying out of joy, out of excitement. It was really, you know, a scene that we've been imagining for the last 49 days.

And suddenly it happens. So it's really incredible.

[17:15:01]

BLITZER: I know that two of your family members actually spoke to Jake on Ohad's ninth birthday while he was still a hostage. They spoke last month. It was a birthday that was not necessarily a good birthday because he was being held hostage, but now he's free, he's back, tell us a little bit about him. MOR: Yes, so he is a really a brilliant kid. He is -- he likes sports. He has very good -- hey have a good group of friends, really good friends, nine -- between nine and 10 years old, they do everything together. They play tennis. And he is an expert in Rubik's cube.

And actually, last Friday, we made a gesture for him, building his portrait out of 1,500 of Rubik's cubes in the hostages square in Tel Aviv. So, it seems that he's OK.

BLITZER: He's only nine years.

MOR: He's only nine years old. Seems that he came back OK. Physically and mentally is really -- of course, we have to say this is all initial measurements. Unfortunately, Ruth's husband, Keren's father, and my uncle, is Abraham Wunder, 78 years old, and he's not a healthy person, he's still there.

BLITZER: He's still a hostage in Gaza?

MOR: He's still a hostage in Gaza. Exactly. And he barely walks and he has some sightseeing each issue issues. So, we still work for him and still want him to be back with us as well.

BLITZER: But still, you got three of your family members who are now back.

MOR: Yes.

BLITZER: And I assume pretty soon you're going to be with them.

MOR: Yes, we plan to meet with them tomorrow, hopefully. But the psychologist says that it has to be very slowly, very progressive, they come back to normality has to be very controlled way. So we will follow the advice.

BLITZER: I know all the family members who are now going to be with their relatives who are now free. They've been given advice, what you should say, what you shouldn't say, especially for the young children, right?

MOR: Right.

BLITZER: Tell us some of that advice.

MOR: Yes, they says that don't push on saying because you don't know what kind of experience this -- the boy had. So don't push him trying to get the information, maybe he doesn't want to share the information. So it has to be very, very soft.

We have a very unique status here, situation here, because they just learned when they come back, they -- when they came back, they just learned that their son or son of Ruth and Abraham, the brother of Keren, was murdered on that Saturday. They were kidnapped before they had a chance to learn about it, OK? So, now they are breaking this news to them. So it puts us in a very, I would say, conflict situation because on one hand people come -- would like to come and celebrate with them. And we know that the -- all the country is very fell in love with the story of Ohad.

So people want to come out and sing and bring their presents. And this is on other hand. On the other hand, they are just learned that they lost the Ohi (ph). So, it's kind of a mixed emotions here and mixed situations here, which we hope to death will be -- it will be resolved in a good manner.

BLITZER: Eyak Mor, thank you so much for joining us.

MOR: Thank you for having me.

BLITZER: And give our love to the family, please.

MOR: I will. I will.

BLITZER: Hopefully one of these days, we'll all get together. Appreciate it very much.

MOR: Thanks a lot.

BLITZER: So what about the next round of hostage releases? I'll speak with a senior Israeli official. We'll get some details. That's coming up next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[17:22:54]

BLITZER: We're back live here in Tel Aviv with CNN's breaking news coverage of the first release of hostages in the Israel-Hamas war. Many of the 24 hostages released today are now arriving at various hospitals in Israel to be examined. I want to bring in Mark Regev right now. He's a senior adviser to the Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Mark, thanks very much for joining us. To today's release and all of the events that were supposed to take place today go as you expect it?

MARK REGEV, SENIOR ADVISER TO ISRAEL PRIME MINISTER: Will be better than expected. When you're dealing with a terrorist group like Hamas, you have low expectations. But I think President Biden said it well when he said that Hamas responds to pressure. And I think their need for a ceasefire and after being on the receiving end of the IDF's blows, they need a timeout. And therefore I think we got this deal.

BLITZER: So, get -- walk us through what happens next. What's the next stage and all of this? Today went well, by almost all accounts.

REGEV: Correct. And we've received already this evening a list of the people they propose to release tomorrow.

BLITZER: We're talking about Israelis?

REGEV: Yes. That list is being studied at the moment as we speak. And once again, it will be confidential until tomorrow night. The families of the relevant people are being notified. They're being asked not to talk.

BLITZER: Notified by the Israelis?

REGEV: Yes, yes. And of course, people who are not on the list are also being told. I mean, it's mixed because on one hand, we're very excited for the people who came back. The guests you just had here, obviously, everyone's thrilled for him and his family that loved ones came back. But there are still -- if we got 13 out today, there's still another 37 that have to come out in the framework of the four days and Hamas's commitment to free 50. But even saying that, yes, we've got scores of people who will remain behind.

And so it's happy, sad. Happy for the people who have left but sad for the people who are still stuck there.

BLITZER: I know you can't mention any names, but today of the first 13 who were released, mostly women, elderly women and a few young children, is that the same formula that's going to happen tomorrow?

REGEV: I think it's the same understanding. Their focus is now on the children, of course, and women, their parents.

BLITZER: Children and the women.

[17:25:00]

REGEV: Yes.

BLITZER: And mostly older women. That's what they're releasing so far. So we expect the same thing to happen tomorrow?

REGEV: Once again, I can't be sure. I haven't seen the list myself but that's my understanding.

BLITZER: Can you tell us whether or not any of the Americans who are still being held hostage are among the list who will be released tomorrow?

REGEV: So, first of all, as I said, I haven't seen the list tomorrow. But one of the Americans is a young, female child.

BLITZER: Three year old.

REGEV: So I would think she would be a priority. But once again, I haven't seen the list.

BLITZER: So you don't -- I think she just turned four today.

REGEV: Very good.

BLITZER: So let's hope she's on that list. It's still, you know, such a complex situation. And there were some reports today, I'm sure you saw that, that there was some Israeli gunfire in northern Gaza. The truce, you know, supposed to be, you know, honored right now, as a result of what's going on. Can you share with us some perspective on what happened in northern Gaza, and is this potentially a threat to the rest of this additional phase falling apart?

REGEV: So, so far, the humanitarian pause is holding better than expected, I mean, it's been remarkably quiet. That incident in -- that you talk about, there were clear understandings reached in what is acceptable and not acceptable during this humanitarian pause. And Israel was responding to violations of what was not acceptable. And the other side knows that. And hopefully, we'll see no more of that.

BLITZER: So what were the violations?

REGEV: I'm not sure I want to go into too many details. But we don't want to see Hamas fighters returned to positions that have been thrown out of in the north.

BLITZER: But at this point, Mark, are you confident that this initial phase over these first four days and 50 Israeli hostages are eventually being released? Are you confident that will work out?

REGEV: I don't know confidence works with the word Hamas, because we really aren't dealing with a brutal and dangerous enemy, fanatics. You know, when Hamas spokespeople, their leadership, when they've been interviewed by CNN and others, they've said publicly, and they don't blink an eyelid when they say this on the attack of October 7, that was only against military targets, maybe you've heard them say that. And yet today, they released with their own hands, six women over the age of 70 and four children under the age of 10, obviously, civilians. And so, as President Biden said, correctly, they understand pressure. And this will work only if we keep the pressure up.

I want to say what about President Biden, if we wouldn't have had the success today without his involvement, and everyone in Israel, who knows what's going on is very, very appreciated.

BLITZER: And so, as of right now, the U.S. and Israel, from your perspective, Mark, are exactly the same page?

REGEV: We're definitely on the big issues of the same page. And once again, I don't think we would have had this arrangement to get out the 50 people over four days without the direct involvement of the president.

BLITZER: And I know he's been directly involved. Mark Regev, thanks so much. Let's hope this works out, this initial phase, and then there'll be more phases.

REGEV: That's all true.

BLITZER: (INAUDIBLE) there's still --

REGEV: No, it's Hamas -- Hamas has the option to extend the humanitarian pose. All they have to do is release more hostages. They have that option. We'll see what they do.

BLITZER: And we're expecting one another, at least 10, tomorrow?

REGEV: Yes. But I don't have a precise number for you yet. BLITZER: All right. Let's hope. Mark Regev, thank you very much for joining us.

On this -- the first day of a pause in the fighting between Israel and Hamas, 137 trucks of humanitarian aid arrived in Gaza. Will it be enough? I'll speak to a UNICEF spokesperson. That's coming up next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: We're back now with our breaking news coverage of the first group of hostages released by Hamas. In exchange, there's a temporary pause in the fighting. And for every Israeli hostage that is released three Palestinian prisoners being held in Israel will be freed. CNN's Nima Elbagir is in East Jerusalem for us tonight. Nima, what more do we know about the 39 Palestinian prisoners who were released by Israel today?

NIMA ELBAGIR, CNN CHIEF INTERNATIONAL INVESTIGATIVE CORRESPONDENT: We have a much better breakdown of who they are. We knew that they were going to be mainly children, teenagers and women. But now we know that for certain. So it's 15 minors, 20, just checking my math, 15 minus 24 women, and within that breakdown, an extraordinary 10 of those minors were being held without being sentenced just being detained, which is legal under Israeli law with regards to the Palestinian.

And 23, roughly 23 of the women were similarly held without being sentenced. I think there was six administrative detentions, which allows Israel to hold indefinitely and a number of sentences. But even those sentences have been queried by both Israeli and Palestinian rights groups, which is why this was an opportunity for Palestinians to feel some sense of joy.

And here in East Jerusalem where Palestinians are directly under Israeli control. The far right national security minister said that any expression of joy would be punished as a terror act, which meant most Palestinians are hiding inside their homes with their loved ones. We received one video from a family member that I really want you to watch and just take a listen to this, Wolf.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

(SCREAMING)

(END VIDEO CLIP)

[17:35:05]

ELBAGIR: The anguish in that mother's voice and the idea that to even express joy over the return of her daughter is what Ben-Gvir called a terrorist act, which has huge consequences here. The sense here and just to be clear, the young lady you saw there, she was sentenced as a minor for carrying a knife with intent to stab.

The charges were then queried and changed. She was convicted of attempted stabbing, and her family were never able to get any kind of recourse within the Israeli Supreme Court. So for them, this moment was so important. And Ben-Gvir felt the need to make it a terrorist act, and to dehumanize these people. Wolf?

BLITZER: Nima Elbagir in East Jerusalem for us tonight. Nima, thank you very much.

This hostage deal between Hamas and Israel also means more humanitarian aid is opposed to go into Gaza. The United Nations says at least 137, 137 aid trucks, 129,000 liters of fuel and four trucks of gas actually did enter Gaza today. But is it any -- isn't it enough to sustain the humanitarian crisis impacting the millions who are in Gaza right now?

Joining us now is the UNICEF spokesperson, Ricardo Pires. Ricardo, thank you so much for joining us. Is the amount of aid going into Gaza right now enough to do what needs to be done? Or do you know if your team has been met with any obstacles this time, in making sure all of that aid is actually delivered?

RICARDO PIRES, UNICEF SPOKESPERSON: Thanks for having me, Wolf. Well, it's a good start. But it's not enough. It's still a drop in an ocean of needs caused by the escalation of conflict since the October 7th events in Israel. So we're welcoming the fact that now we have more humanitarian supplies getting through it to Gaza, as you said, 137 trucks with lifesaving goods, including water, food, medical supplies. That's the biggest convoy, humanitarian convoy we've had in seven weeks. So it's a very good start.

And we're hoping that the operation will continue as the days come. And on the ground, our colleagues are saying that having this falls is essential to be able to get to the families to the children who've been suffering for so many weeks and under attack, but it's not going to finish the job, so to speak. So we need more aid to come in. We need more safety for humanitarian workers to operate.

Let's remember that at least 100 U.N. colleagues died since the October 7th events. And without more ceasefires, without more pauses, that situation will only worsen. And we're talking about hundreds of thousands of children affected in one of the most densely populated places on the planet.

BLITZER: Ricardo, have you been able to get in touch with all of your staff in Gaza since the hostage deal started?

PIRES: Yes, we have managed to reach out to our colleagues, I've spoken to a very close colleague today who's on the ground, looking out for children and what's happening to them and gathering their stories and understanding what the challenges are. Luckily, no UNICEF colleague has died since the conflict started. But we're hearing many very tough stories from them losing family members, from their children being traumatized by the war on children that has been happening since the 7th of October. So luckily, again, they're fine Wolf, but hundreds of thousands of children are not.

BLITZER: Ricardo, what are you most worried about once Hamas and Israel return to fighting and this truce ends?

PIRES: Yes, first of all, we're very relieved to see that the hostages were released safely and could go back home after being taken from their homes, forcefully and in a very traumatizing manner on October 7th. But what we're fearing is that once the fighting starts again, the same situation, the same nuts -- the same nightmare that children have been living through for seven weeks now will escalate again and more children will die and hospitals will start becoming flooded with patients again. And many of them are children, nearly half of the casualties are reported to be children and at least 9,000 had been injury -- injured and these are not simple injuries. They're sometimes life debilitating injuries that are not being treated properly.

And we also have the threat of waterborne borne diseases, Wolf, because of contaminated water and the dissemination plants that are not working properly. So if the fuel doesn't continue to get in, if the humanitarian supplies don't continue to get in, the situation will pick up again and worse and more and more for children.

[17:40:10]

So our call first is for always a ceasefire and of course the release of all hostages. But children need to be safe and this attack needs to stop, this world war on children needs to stop.

BLITZER: Ricardo Pires of UNICEF, thank you so much for joining us.

PIRES: Thank you. And let's go back to my colleague and friend Pamela Brown, who's in Washington. Pamela?

PAMELA BROWN, CNN HOST: Well, Wolf, thank you so much for that up next more on what the pause and fighting between Israel and Hamas will look like in the coming days.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BROWN: And we are back with our breaking news coverage. Israel has now received a list of hostages expected to be released by Hamas tomorrow. That list will not be released to the public until the hostages are safely back inside Israel. Joining us now is Eyal Hulata who formerly served as the National Security Adviser in Israel. So I know as I just said, Eyal, that the lists of the names and identities will not be released until tomorrow. But what can you tell us about the number of people on the list if any Americans are on there?

[17:45:23]

EYAL HULATA, FORMER ISRAELI NATIONAL SECURITY ADVISER, UNDER PRIME MINISTER BENNETT AND LAPID: So we expect it to be more than 10, 12 or 13. And we expect to -- them to be more children than were released today. Today, were released four children, Aviv, Raz, Amelia and Ohad. And we expect more children to be released tomorrow.

As for Abigail Edan, I'm sure everybody's asking about her, the American that celebrated four today. I don't know if she'll be released tomorrow. Hopefully, she will be within this group. All of those -- all of the hostages that will be released, are alive who have to be worried whether or not they're all alive or not, I mean, more have been abducted. So we'll just need to wait and see who come out. The footage of those who were released today, I mean, just heartbreaking to see. And she could have been my grandmother, to see her being carried in the arms because she can't walk properly after being for 49 days in tunnels. This is just off. There is no joy in Israel today. I should tell you. I mean, of course the families of those who were released, got their loved ones back. But there are so many more that needs to be released. Hopefully this deal will come through, though it was expected.

BROWN: It sounds like you're skeptical, right, that in terms of hostages being alive still and so forth. What can you tell us about, you know, what you know, about those have been killed and how this is going to play out.

HULATA: So first of all, of course, I mean, we're all skeptical. Hamas is a terror organization. They snatched people when they were, I mean, some of them are bodies were taken as bodies already from Israel because they wanted them. I heard somebody, Lania (ph) brag today that they took them as bargaining chips. Who does that? I mean, how normal can that be? Or how abnormal can that be?

We know that, you know, a substantial amount of those who were abducted were either taken dead or killed in Gaza. Remember a story, there was this female soldier who was shot to death in Shifa Hospital. This was announced last week as you recall, I think it was on the show that I was here last week. This is -- this -- these are the circumstances. Everybody in Israel are worried about the situation and status of those. And we hope to get them all alive. And we'll need to wait and see.

BROWN: Are you surprised that the newborn that it was apparently born in captivity that the First Lady of Israel wrote to Joe Biden about, hasn't been released. Do you know if that newborn is on this next list?

HULATA: Well, I don't know. And I'm worried. And I think we all need to be worried. Just to think of a woman giving birth to a newborn in a tunnel. I cannot imagine that. I have kids of my own. I cannot imagine that.

BROWN: Yes, I certainly can't either. There was an expectation that during this truce, this pause in fighting, that Hamas would go and round up the other hostages held by other groups in Gaza. Do you know anything about that? Is there any update on whether that's actually happening?

HULATA: So I mean, I think Hamas would like us all to think that they don't have control over Gaza. But of course, they have control over Gaza. They were able to collect them all. They're probably the south of Gaza anyway. We know that some of them have been held in underneath the hospitals in Rantisi and Shifa. And they have all been moved to the south. I mean, we shouldn't expect Hamas not to have control over them. This is something that we need to see.

The fact that they don't allow the Red Cross to visit the hostages, even today, even as we're moving unless it's the group that they're releasing, continues to be mind blowing.

BROWN: Yes. It's just was the group. All right, Eyal Hulata, thank you very much. Appreciate you coming on to offer your perspective.

[17:49:01]

Will three Americans be part of the next group of hostages released? What the White House is saying, up next?

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BROWN: And we are back with our breaking news, President Joe Biden says we can be thankful for families being reunited with their loved ones, this following the release of the first group of hostages. CNN's Arlette Saenz is in Nantucket, where the President is spending Thanksgiving weekend. Arlette, what did President Biden say about these efforts to get American hostages released as well?

ARLETTE SAENZ, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, Pamela, President Biden said that this initial hostage release that occurred today is just the start of the process, but that officials feel that things were proceeding well, so much focus for the White House had been on the implementation of this deal in the last 24 hours to make sure everything went according to plan.

But even as these -- about a dozen hostages, a half -- about half Israeli and the others, Thai citizens and also Filipinos. Even though that that release did move forward, there were no Americans who were part of this initial release. And President Biden was asked if he has any idea when Americans could start to come out of Gaza. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOE BIDEN, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: We don't know when that will occur, but we're going to be expected to occur. And we don't know what the list of all the hostages are and when they'll be released, but we know the numbers, they're going to be released soon. My hope and expectation will be soon.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: And of the 10 Americans that are unaccounted for, do you know all of their conditions? Are they all alive?

BIDEN: We don't know all their conditions.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SAENZ: So the President with little detail there about what he expects the three Americans to be released. And that's expected to include two women and also four-year-old Abigail Edan. Abigail's parents were killed in the October 7th Hamas attack and she has been held hostage ever since. President Biden even told reporters he was keeping us fingers crossed that Abigail would be among those hostages that are released. Now the President also expressed some optimism about the potential for this four-day pause to potentially be extended even longer. [17:55:10]

That is something that U.S. and Israeli officials have talked about the possibility that the pause could go on for longer to allow for more hostages to be released. President Biden also in his remarks, thanks the leaders of Egypt, Qatar and Israel for working together and said that he will remain in contact with these leaders to ensure that the implementation of this deal continues and that they can get more hostages out.

BROWN: All right, we will see it and as we've been reporting, the Israeli officials say that they have received a list from Hamas of who will be released in this next batch tomorrow. We're waiting to find out who that might be and if any Americans are included. So we shall see. Arlette Saenz, thank you so much. And we are continuing to follow all of the breaking news on the hostage release. Be sure to stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[18:00:09]

BROWN: Coming up, Sunday on State of the Union, Dana Bash will talk with White House National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan, Republican presidential candidate Chris Christie, Democratic Senator Chris Murphy of Connecticut and Israeli ambassador to the U.S. Michael Herzog. That's the Sunday at 9:00 a.m. in noon Eastern right here on CNN.

And our special live coverage of the Israeli hostage release continues now with Wolf Blitzer in "THE SITUATION ROOM" live from Tel Aviv.