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Qatar Says Dispute Resolved And Hostage Release Resuming; Emily Hand Possibly Among Hostages To Be Released; Hostages Seen Leaving Gaza And Heading Towards Egypt; Maj. Doron Spielman, IDF Spokesperson, Discusses Release Of Hostages. Aired 4-5p ET
Aired November 25, 2023 - 16:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[16:00:44]
FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN HOST: Hello again, everyone. Thank you so much for joining us. I'm Fredricka Whitfield in Atlanta, alongside my colleague Wolf Blitzer in Tel Aviv.
And we're watching breaking news unfolding in the Middle East. Right now we're told a convoy of Egyptian ambulances and a bus are moving toward the Gaza side of the Rafah border crossing. They're expected to transport 20 hostages currently held by Hamas, which include 13 Israelis and seven foreign nationals. The exchange could happen at any moment now.
We're also standing by for word from the Red Cross that the transfer has indeed happened. And this latest movement follows a tense hours long delay in the hostage exchange. Hamas says it disputed the amount of aid being delivered to Gaza and the selection of the 39 Palestinian prisoners set to be released by Israel as part of this brief four-day truce.
Wolf Blitzer is joining us now from Tel Aviv -- Wolf.
WOLF BLITZER, CNN HOST: Thanks very much, Fred. We're watching all of these major developments unfold. CNN of course has a team covering all of the late breaking developments. Matthew Chance is with me here in Tel Aviv right now.
Matthew, there's a lot of work that still needs to be done. There's some indication that things are beginning to move in the right direction right now, but we don't have that hard.
MATTHEW CHANCE, CNN CHIEF GLOBAL AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT: No, we don't have it hard. We've got the military wing of Hamas, the Izz al-Din al- Qassam Brigades. They've got a Telegram channel, social media channel, and they just posted just before I came and sat down here that they have handed over 13 Israeli hostages to the ICRC, the International Committee of the Red Cross.
But, again, we haven't got that confirmed yet by the Israelis. I mean, they won't have that confirmed until such times as they take receipt of them. If you like, just across the border on the Egyptian side of the Rafah Crossing. Also the ICRC itself hasn't confirmed it. But, you know, if it's true, it does indicate strongly that this latest stage in this hostage deal, which is very complicated, is going ahead as we expected, which is good given that there's been some logistical obstacles over the course of this evening.
For a moment, it was in doubt that this second group of hostages would be handed over because of the fact that there had been a delay in the hand over by Hamas because they complained of a lack of relief aid into Gaza and a complaint about how the prisoners were released or how many prisoners or type of prisoners released from Israeli jails. Those obstacles, though, have now been overcome, we're told, and so we are expecting to see these hostages, this latest second group, come shortly into Israeli hands.
BLITZER: And we're told, and correct me if I'm wrong, that in this new group of Israeli hostages about to be released, they include eight children, five women, and, what, seven foreign nationals?
CHANCE: Yes, those are the figures that have been given to us by the Qataris. They have been confirmed to us as well by the Israeli Foreign Ministry. And so, yes, eight children. So there were four last night, eight this time. And five women. It's just women and children, remember, that have been involved in this or included in these negotiations, this hostage deal. But seven foreign nationals as well. They're not -- they're men for the most part as well.
BLITZER: These are workers who had to come to Israel to work from Thailand or from the Philippines to work at these kibbutzim near the Gaza border.
CHANCE: Exactly. And these people have suffered horrendously. I mean, they were in some cases killed, in other cases abducted by Hamas on October 7th just like the Israelis who they were working with on those kibbutzim and elsewhere. And they have been held hostage for 50 days just like the Israelis have. And that's why the Israeli Foreign Minister has come out over the course of the day. He's been meeting some of them, saying that basically they're going to get the same treatment when they come out, the same kind of care that the Israeli hostages are going to get.
And one Israeli Foreign Ministry spokesman told me tonight that actually they'd be getting a stipend for the rest of their lives from the state of Israel as a gesture, as compensation for the ordeal that they have gone through. And you can imagine, a migrant worker from the Philippines or from Thailand, that stipend is going to make an enormous difference to them and their families.
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BLITZER: And you can imagine what their families have been going through as their loved ones are being held hostage together with the Israelis in Gaza right now.
CHANCE: Yes.
BLITZER: All right. Matthew, thank you very much. I want to go to CNN's Jeremy Diamond. He's over at the Kerem Shalom
border crossing in Israel. That's the border crossing from Egypt and Gaza into Israel.
Have you seen any movement there at all? Because we remember, what, 24 hours or so ago, maybe 30 hours or so ago, when that initial batch of Israeli hostages were coming, they were right there where you are. What's the latest? What are you seeing there?
JEREMY DIAMOND, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Wolf, we haven't seen any movement yet but I suspect that we will soon. The IDF spokesman Daniel Hagari just put something out on Twitter, saying that according to information provided by the Red Cross, the abductees, the hostages are on their way to the Rafah crossing in the Gaza Strip. So that indicates to us that these hostages will be heading here very shortly.
So they are on their way to the Rafah crossing. We saw how this choreography played out yesterday. They went to the Rafah crossing. They crossed into Egypt, and then they drove a fairly short drive, less than two miles to the Kerem Shalom Crossing, which is right behind me over here. At the end of this road, you turn right and that is the Kerem Shalom Crossing. And we expect, Wolf, that once they cross into Israel, they will drive down this road on their way to hospitals across the country who are prepared and ready to receive them.
Wolf, this information comes after a day during which we have watched how tenuous and how fragile this deal between Israel and Hamas to secure the release of the hostages, to release Palestinian prisoners held in Israeli prisons, and to continue this pause in the fighting, how fragile this entire deal has been. There have been hours long negotiations throughout the day during which it has been -- during which, you know, it was clear that there were multiple obstacles to this potential deal moving forward once again today.
There were indications from Hamas that they felt like Israel was not holding up their end of the bargain as it related to the entry of aid into Gaza and particularly into northern Gaza. There were also complaints from Hamas about the types of Palestinian prisoners that Israel was releasing, claiming that Israel was also not upholding its end of the bargain on that end.
The Israelis have made very clear that they feel like Hamas was playing games, trying to delay this process effectively, but the end result, Wolf, is that even though it is later, much later than it was yesterday when we saw those hostages newly freed, finally cross into Israel on their way to meet their families, even though it is later, Wolf, it does appear like everything is moving according to plan, moving in the same way that it was yesterday.
BLITZER: Let's hope that unfolds as it did yesterday.
All right, Jeremy Diamond, thank you so much.
CNN's Clarissa Ward is over at Sheba Hospital here in Tel Aviv.
Clarissa, are you seeing any movement there right now?
I think we may have lost our connection with Clarissa. We're going to try to reconnect with her as well. We're watching all of this unfold. Major developments unfolding. I'm going to make sure we have everybody connected and we'll continue our special coverage. We're watching all of these including what Qatari officials are saying. They're insisting right now everything is back on track with the hostage release process.
Let's hope that happens after this unexpected delay over the past several hours by Hamas. And our breaking news coverage will continue right after this.
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BLITZER: Welcome back. We're continuing to follow the breaking news right now. The IDF now saying the Red Cross says the hostages are on their way to the Rafah Border Crossing. It follows an hours long delay in the release of the hostages earlier today.
I want to bring in Amir Tibon. He's the diplomatic correspondent for "Haaretz" newspaper here in Israel. He also survived the October 7th attack on the Nahal Oz Kibbutz.
Amir, thank you so much for joining us. I know you survived because we've talked about this after some 10 hours under attack. What is it like to see some of the hostages now being released nearly 50 days later?
AMIR TIBON, DIPLOMATIC CORRESPONDENT, HAARETZ: Hi, Wolf. Thank you for having me. I have to say for me, the last 24 hours, now it's 30 hours because we've had these delays, but it's the first time since October 7th that I actually felt a little bit of happiness. I'm saying a little bit because it's wonderful to see every person returned from the hands of these vicious terrorists in Gaza.
And at the same time, we remember, Wolf, we have people who were released yesterday, the women and the children, and the group that is about to come out of Gaza right now, we're seeing them, you know, we're hearing that they're on their way in the hands of the Red Cross, and it's a great feeling, but we also remember all the people who are still in Gaza, in the hands of Hamas, including five people from my own community.
Two young girls, sisters that were kidnapped from their homes. Two fathers, their families are expecting them. One elderly woman, a beloved grandmother, and I'm still thinking about them and their families. So it's a very, very strange situation. Great joy for every person that's coming out, and at the same time, also having to remember all of our people that are still in there in the hands of Hamas.
BLITZER: As you know, Amir, there was this long, very long delay today in getting the hostages released. It looks like that that's now moving forward, but what impact do you think all of this could have on this very fragile truce that has taken place between Israeli and Hamas. Are you worried that it could be in danger?
TIBON: I wasn't surprised, Wolf, to see this delay today because we know who we're dealing with here, OK. Hamas is not a responsible government that you can make business with and know that they will stick to their word.
[16:15:06]
This is a terror organization, and it's led by a man Yahya Sinwar who is trying to play on all the fears and all the most sensitive spots of the Israel public, and it's not a surprise what they pulled off today. I think President Biden has made a huge effort to make this work, to make this hostage release come forward.
I know that even today he was working the phones in the last few hours as we saw this delay to get the government of Qatar, which is the sponsor of Hamas, to put more pressure on the organization's leadership and convince them to stick to their word and stick to the agreement. I understand there's also been a request from the Egyptian side for more aid to come into Gaza, and that's something that I hope Israel will decide to do because it's also in our interest to avoid a humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza.
But at the end of the day, the most important thing is thanks to the great effort, you know, especially from President Biden and his team, we hopefully in the next few minutes will finally receive this next group of people coming out of Gaza and as for tomorrow, Wolf, honestly, we'll have to deal with it tomorrow. I don't trust Hamas to respect the agreement tomorrow either. We'll have to work it day by day.
BLITZER: So what I hear you saying, Amir, is that we could expect to see these kinds of delays occurs each day of this supposed agreement, that it could just be a psychological issue on the part of Hamas to torment the Israelis. Is that what I'm hearing?
TIBON: There is a psychological limit to it. There's also an element of interest. Hamas obviously wants to prolong the pause in the fighting. It's concerned about Israel's next phase, what we're going to do after this temporary cease-fire done. And there is talk about increasing the military pressure on Hamas, and so their interest is try to delay and play for time. And I do believe also there is a psychological element here, sadistic, I may say, of putting even more of, you know, an abuse on these families.
Hopefully, again, thanks to the American pressure and the involvement of Qatar, we can avoid this kind of behavior tomorrow but I don't think anyone will be shocked if Hamas pulls one of these tricks again.
BLITZER: We will see. Amir Tibon, of the newspaper "Haaretz," thank you so much for joining us. Appreciate it very much.
TIBON: Thank you.
BLITZER: Let's go to CNN's Clarissa Ward right now. She's over at Sheba Hospital here in Tel Aviv, the largest hospital in Israel.
Clarissa, I understand you have some news on one of the Israeli hostages expected to be released. What are you learning?
CLARISSA WARD, CNN CHIEF INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: That's right, Wolf. So we have been speaking with Thomas Hand. You may remember he was -- he's the Irishman who we interviewed just after the October 7th attacks who had initially been told that his 8-year-old daughter Emily Hand was killed in the October 7th attack. She had gone -- they were living in the Be'eri Kibbutz. She had gone for a sleepover on that Friday night.
They had obviously been separated, and we can now confirm that according to Thomas Hand, Emily is believed and expected to be among those released tonight. This is obviously tremendously joyous news for Tom Hand and for his family. I have just been speaking with him now. He has said that they are now going to meet the Red Cross near -- they were waiting at an army base near the border crossing.
He said that they have -- he's brought with him his dog, Emily's dog Johnny. He said he hopes that this will be the first step towards Emily's recovery. I think he is deeply aware of what a long road ahead that recovery might be. But you can imagine, Wolf, the emotional roller coaster that this man has been on, initially told his daughter was likely dead or was dead, in fact, then told she may be alive but given no details.
I have been talking to him throughout this process, and really he had been given almost no information at all up until that list came out late last night, and today he's been in meetings with the military. And up until the very last minute, just this what he described as what felt like psychological warfare, not knowing whether she was going to be released, whether she's not going to be released.
Whether the release was going to happen, whether the deal was going to get scuppered, whether the truce was even going to hold. And so just a complete exhausting array of emotions, but now, I think, for the first time, Wolf, he is really daring to dream that he may be holding his little girl in his arms once again, something that he absolutely thought was impossible just weeks ago and frankly even days ago.
[16:20:14]
And she is believed to be among that batch of hostages, 13 hostages who have reportedly been handed over to the Red Cross. He is on his way.
You may remember, Wolf, that for those children who are with a parent, they are being brought directly to these hospitals where they're having their family reunions. But for minors, children who are without their parents, they have allowed parents or loved ones or close family to go right to the border to meet them because of course you can imagine how deeply frightening and disorientating it will be for Emily, for others in similar situations.
She is just 8 years old. She has spent seven weeks in captivity. One can only imagine what kind of duress she has been under, what kind of trauma she has experienced, completely separated from her family, so of course everyone very much hoping that this will bring some much- needed good news to the Hand family but also, of course, to 12 other families or a number of other families of those 12 other hostages who are expected to be released.
And you can see behind me, if I just stepped out of the frame for a moment, Wolf, the preparations that have been ongoing here. They have erected this large screen in front of this entrance. That, of course, an attempt to really protect the privacy of these families who have been through so much, who have, as we've discussed, some of these detainees been held likely underground for weeks on end, and coming back to their homes --
BLITZER: Clarissa, I want you to hold off for a moment, Clarissa.
WARD: You can imagine how much of this --
BLITZER: We're showing our viewers -- Clarissa, we're showing our viewers these live pictures. These are Red Cross vehicles now crossing the Rafah border from Gaza into Egypt, and we believe Israeli hostages, including the children and the women and the foreign nationals who are being released by Hamas are aboard these vehicles, these International Red Cross vehicles. They've just crossed the border. They're crossing the border.
You can see in this convoy from Gaza into Egypt, and then we are told, they will make their way to the Kerem Shalom border crossing from Egypt into Israel. From there they'll be taken either by helicopter or they'll be driven or they'll be flown to various hospitals in Israel, to Sheba Hospital in Tel Aviv where Clarissa Ward has been reporting from. But this is a very, very important dramatic moment indeed.
And you're looking at these live pictures coming in now, these are live pictures coming in from the Rafah border crossing, from Gaza into Egypt right now. These International Red Cross vehicles. And if we can get a close look, we might be able to see some of those hostages in the rear seats of these vehicles if the lighting worked. But we will get more of these images coming in.
This is really an important, important moment as well. Especially after the several hours of delay, delay, and delay when Hamas was preventing these vehicles, preventing the release of these Israeli hostages. Eight children we're told, five women, seven foreign nationals being released in these convoys, and heading towards Israel eventually. And it's been an enormous, enormous ordeal watching all of this unfold today.
We're so happy for their families who are going to be reunited with their loved ones very, very soon. Very powerful, dramatic moment indeed.
Clarissa, if you're still there with me, let me get your thoughts when we hear that eight more children are being released in this second batch.
WARD: Well, I think obviously this is a tremendously emotional moment honestly, Wolf. Of course when you talk to family members, when you talk to the hospital staff, there's a sense of joy that these children are now hopefully on their way home soon, will be crossing into Israel, will be reunited with their families if they're not already with family members at that border, will soon be put into vehicles and brought here to these hospitals.
But that's also tempered as well with the sense of what they've been through, of the recovery process that -- especially, I think, when you talk about someone like Emily Hand who was separated from her family.
[16:25:02]
As I mentioned before, she went for a sleepover that Friday night before the Saturday morning attacks. And so I do think that there's a keen awareness on behalf of the hospital staff particularly, and the psychiatrists who have been brought in and drafted to work with these children and their families, that there is going to be a profound psychological impact, that they have been through an unspeakable ordeal.
And we saw at the Schneider Medical Center, the children who were brought in, they were in good physical condition according to the doctors at that hospital, and they told us that they expect them to be released to go home. Many of them tomorrow or the next day. But I think there's also a very clear-eyed awareness that this is going to be a long process ahead, not just in terms of the psychological recovery for these children and their families.
But then of course for all these other families, Wolf, who are still waiting, who are still desperately longing for their loved ones, and who are watching these scenes of course with joy, and of course with a sense of hope that maybe they didn't have a few days ago. But also tinged with a very deep sadness and a deep longing to be reunited with their loved ones.
And I think right now because of the uncertainty of these last few hours where I was talking to Thomas Hand, and it all appeared that things could quickly unravel, that maybe this deal would suddenly be scuppered, the truce wouldn't hold, I think there's an appreciation for how tenuous this moment is, and how crucial it is to try to get as many people out as possible, as many families reunited as possible.
And of course for those living inside of Gaza, to have that truce last as long as possible to allow people a moment to collect their breath, to allow aid agencies to bring in that desperately needed fuel, that desperately needed medical aid. So a lot hanging on these days ahead, and everybody watching with baited breath as we see those trucks that you're watching now, those images, those Red Cross trucks heading to bring those children, those families one step closer to being able to hug each other again, bringing little Emily Hand one step closer to being reunited with her father Thomas and also her dog Johnny, who I mentioned, Thomas actually has brought with him to greet her on what he called the first step towards her recovery -- Wolf. BLITZER: And it's going to be such a powerful, wonderful moment for
the Hand family to be reunited. We all remember, Clarissa, that powerful first interview you did with Thomas Hand when he was talking about his daughter who was being held hostage by Hamas in Gaza.
One thing that is still wrenching, so painful potentially, just for me to think about it, some of these children, and we're told, what, eight more children are about to be released and brought to Israel, who are held for these, what, 50 or so days in captivity in Gaza, in isolation. They don't know about where their moms are, where their dads are, where their grandparents are, their uncles, their aunts, their brothers and sisters, and sadly we are told that some of them are going to be informed at some point, and I know you've been briefed on this, that their mothers and fathers may have been killed or they're still missing.
They haven't seen their parents in a while. Their grandparents have been killed. And this is going to be so painful for these children that are waiting to see their loved ones and they might not necessarily be able ever again to see them. And that's going to be such a painful, wrenching moment for these kids and for all of us who are just watching what's going on.
WARD: You can imagine exactly, Wolf, what should be a joyful moment potentially could be a great heartbreak for them, and that is something that every single psychologist, social worker, doctor, in all of these hospitals that have been preparing or have already met some of these hostages and particularly the children, have been prepping for.
How do you break the news to them? The IDF has been told and given guidelines about making sure that they don't break any news to them, that they don't give them answers to questions like where is my mommy, where is my daddy, that they do their best to make them feel safe, to tell them that they're going to be reunited soon with people who can answer their questions.
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But the doctors also say, Wolf, that it is really important, as painful as it is, to break the news quickly. Because they are now coming back into their homes and real lives, and inevitably they are going to be exposed to a lot of information about the horrors that took place on October 7th.
You imagine, for a second, what a challenge that is for these psychiatrists who want to desperately reinstate some sense of innocence in these children after what they have been through.
But who are giving the unenviable task, the heartbreaking task, frankly, of having to explain to them potentially their loved ones were killed, potentially their communities were destroyed, and trying to do that in as sensitive a manner as possible.
And that's why you do see, down to the very last detail of what the hospital rooms look like, of the screens that have been put up behind me to try to protect the privacy.
To try to create a quiet intimate, warm, safe space where those conversations, those painful conversations can start to take place away from the eyes of the media and the public.
And in a way that, hopefully, will minimize the sort of potential for retraumatizing small children who have already been through so much -- Wolf?
BLITZER: Yes, it's really heart wrenching to just think about that, what potentially is in store for these kids that are going to be freed, no longer going to be hostages.
But wondering, where's mommy, where's daddy, where's my grandpa, my grandma. And they may sadly be told at some point down the road, they're no longer with us. It's a heart-wrenching situation that's unfolding.
All right, Clarissa, stand by.
I want to go to Jeremy Diamond. He's at the Kerem Shalom border crossing from Egypt into Israel.
This convoy of Red Cross vehicles, Jeremy, we're told they've now gone through the Rafah border crossing from Gaza into Egypt. It's not very far away from that border crossing into Israel at Kerem Shalom where you are.
Have you seen anything yet? Any of these vehicles reached your area yet?
DIAMOND: They haven't yet, Wolf. But the IDF spokesperson, Daniel Hagari, is confirming that the convoy of ambulances, of Red Cross vehicles is, indeed, on its way through Egypt from the Rafah border crossing to the Shalom crossing.
That is a less than two-mile drive, Wolf, so at any moment we could see those vehicles come through the crossing and then enter Israel, putting those recently freed hostages firmly back on Israeli soil for the first time in 49 days.
And this is all going to unfold right behind us, Wolf. This is the road we saw yesterday, we watched live as that convoy of vehicles, many of them ambulances, drove from the point where you seat flashing lights in the background, that is the turnoff from the Kerem Shalom crossing.
And they will come onto the main road, which has been blocked off from all civilian traffic by the Israeli military. They're going to make their way all the way down the road.
They'll be heading to hospitals across Israel where we expect many of them will have their first reunions with their loved ones.
There's also an understanding that for children under the age of 12 that they will be meeting their family members closer to this crossing.
We don't know whether it's at the Kerem Shalom crossing where that point will be but we were told initially, children under 12, if they're not with a family member who's being held hostage, they will meet their family closer to the crossing point, rather than waiting at the hospital. We'll see how that unfolds.
This culminates an incredible day. It seemed at times as if perhaps everything would unravel. And yet, they appear to be just minutes away from being able to finally cross back into Israel after 49 days of captivity.
BLITZER: So important, indeed. I'm so glad it's back on track.
Jeremy, we're going to get back to you. As soon as you see the Red Cross vehicles behind you coming in from the Kerem Shalom border crossing, let us know. I want our viewers to see that live as they cross into Israel, momentarily we're told.
Right now, I want to bring in Israeli Major Doron Spielman. He's a spokesperson for the Israel Defense Force.
Major, thank you so much for joining us.
Update us right now, what is the status of the hostage release effort as we're speaking right now? What can you tell us?
[16:34:59]
MAJ. DORON SPIELMAN, SPOKESPERSON, ISRAEL DEFENSE FORCE: Thank you for having me, Wolf.
Well, as Jeremy said, the hostages have crossed into Egypt. The area from Gaza, Egypt, and Israel is a very short area, a very small area. They're on their way to the Kerem Shalom crossing.
When they make it into Israel and we bring our people home, which every eye in Israel is glued to the television right now, as I know eyes around the world are, as soon as our people come home, they will be checked, an initial medical check.
And they will be brought to hospitals where most of them will be meeting, as you mentioned, with their families, the remnants of their families. There will be hugs, kisses and tears.
And then many of them are going to understand what they do not know, which is what happened on October 7th. These people have been kept in a bubble. They do not know how vast the massacre was, and how many family members are missing or have been killed. That is where we are now.
I have to say, this evening, this was not easy to reach, Wolf. All of us have been on pins and needles. And those families have been waiting up to nine hours for their children and family members to enter into Israel. BLITZER: So you're confident, Major, that these hostages, and we're
told, what, eight children, five women, and seven foreign nationals are in this second group of hostages held by Hamas in Gaza are now coming to Israel.
Is that what I understand?
SPIELMAN: We have reports on that, and that is the operating assumption from the IDF side. As soon as they cross into Israel and they're home, and I stress, when they are home, we can see them and physically look at them, we're going to be sure.
That is the process. We want to take nothing for granted.
This was supposed to happen many hours ago. These families have been tortured, waiting in hospital wards. They thought tonight maybe they weren't going to get their family members back, and this was just another element.
We're not surprised. This is the way Hamas operates. It's the psychological terror, any opportunity to really take advantage of a weakness. They know Israel, they know the world is looking at this.
And what kind of people would cause a delay when people are so full of angst for their family. But they did.
Thankfully, this is moving forward and, within a minute or two, we'll have these people home. It's definitely a day of celebration in Israel.
BLITZER: I just want -- I just want to be precise. Because I said seven foreign nationals. That's the number we heard earlier. Is it seven foreign nationals who are in this group or four foreign nationals?
SPIELMAN: We have been told seven, Wolf. That's the reports that I have. Again, we'll be able to confirm it more when they cross through the Kerem Shalom crossing and we're able to get our eyes on them.
People have been working day and night on this. I have to say Egypt and Qatar have been working day and night on this to try to make sure Hamas upholds their deal.
There's been a lot of on and off because of that. We are hopefully cautious and will be able to evaluate it once they are firmly in the state of Israel.
BLITZER: And we know that, in the first group of hostages released, there were Filipinos and there were people from Thailand. Workers who had come to Israel who were grabbed and captured by Hamas and taken with the hostages to Gaza.
Do we know the nationalities of the current foreign nationals being brought to Israel?
SPIELMAN: It's a similar background. Israel has a lot of Thai workers that come here specifically to make a living. And they're not involved in anything political.
They're hard working. They send the money back home to their families, and then they leave after a few years.
And I have to say, many of them were brutally, brutally murdered. They were in those fields. They were the first ones to come into contact with the terrorists when they came over the border. These people were harvesting and literally mowed down, cut down. There was a blood bath.
Many of them fled the country. And we're so happy that they are going to be able to, hopefully, reunite with their families.
And it just shows, Wolf, this is not an Israeli problem alone. Hamas doesn't just look for Israelis and Jews, though that's the majority. They're willing to kill anyone or anything in their way.
If we don't stop them in Israel, this is a global issue. That's why so many eyes are looking at the screen and are interested.
BLITZER: We're showing our viewers, Major, live pictures coming in from the Egyptian side of the Rafah border crossing, these buses that are there. And we just saw some of the hostages going from one vehicle to another vehicle.
I think they're getting ready to get into bigger buses and head toward the Kerem Shalom border crossing and eventually get into Israel. It's two miles or so away, as you say.
[16:39:54]
So it shouldn't take long for the next group of hostages to leave the Rafah border crossing where they are right now -- they're in -- on the Egyptian side. They're no longer on the Gaza side -- and drive to the Kerem Shalom border crossing, which will allow them to come directly back to Israel.
Which will be a very momentous moment for the hostages, their families, loved ones, and for all of us watching this so closely.
I wonder, Major, you have watched as closely as anyone. What goes through your heart and mind as you watch these images unfold?
SPIELMAN: I can tell you it's been full of tears, for myself, my family. I have little children who have an association with these children.
Even my 7-year-old is aware that there are children his age, and even he's been looking at the screens, as much as we try to keep them away, they want to know when are the children coming home.
It's very personal. I feel like my family is there. We all know people who are there. And I have to say, we are aware they are coming home.
But the journey, Wolf, for these people, for many of them, this is a stage on a journey that will take years. The health professionals recently said that the psychological process
is going to take six months just to understand what type of psychological therapy many of these people, especially the children, are going to need.
Just the evaluation will take six months. This is years of unfolding emotions. And an opportunity of people of Israel to welcome them home, as Clarissa said, hopefully, will enable them to reintegrate in society and live a positive life inside of Israel.
All of our hearts are with them.
BLITZER: Do we know, Major, the children, who are in this group of hostages who are about to be driven to Israel, together with the other hostages who are being released.
Do we know as far as the children are concerned, if the children's parents are still hostages in Gaza or do we know if they're even alive right now or were they killed on October 7th.
SPIELMAN: The situation in Gaza is very, very tricky. If people are alive in Gaza, it's anyone's guess.
As President Biden said yesterday, regarding that little girl, Abigail, and the fate of her family, there's a lack of assurances. We also saw people who were alive and then they were killed.
In this specific case, I'll be honest, I want to be careful what I say because the names have not been released to the general public.
And let's wait and see. If you can ask me that question a little bit later today, I'm happy to go into more detail.
BLITZER: And do we think, Major Spielman, spokesperson for the Israel Defense Forces, do we think tomorrow's phase will go ahead as scheduled or is it going to be a huge delay and major problems and nervousness as we saw today?
SPIELMAN: So our operating assumption is that this is going to go through. We are committed to this framework, Wolf.
We have held back our fire. We have stopped the process. You know, we had tightened the noose around Hamas terrorists' neck.
And we released some of that pressure by not pushing them to the wall in order to make the deal go through because we want our people to go home. It's a great commitment on our behalf. And the only reason we're doing is a return of those hostages.
We're aware, however, that if there is a chance for Hamas to manipulate and inflict emotional pain on people, they have always been willing to take it in the past. And therefore, these ups and downs.
We're not surprised by them as painful as they are. I'm hoping, and we're hoping that Hamas keeps their word on this agreement. Qatar and Egypt are committed to try to go get Hamas to hold up their
word. We're certainly hoping that tomorrow and the next day will move forward as planned.
BLITZER: And very quickly, Major, before I let you go, I wanted you to clarify.
Earlier tonight, I spoke with the deputy mayor of Jerusalem, who told us that the Israel Defense Forces, the defense ministry had given Hamas a midnight deadline tonight to release the hostages or Israel will resume its strikes against Hamas targets in Gaza.
It's now a quarter to midnight local time. Give us context. Was there this warning to Hamas, they have until midnight to release these hostages?
SPIELMAN: I also saw this in the media. I can tell you, on the ground, I myself did not get the message. Neither did many of my associates.
From what I'm told, maybe it was issued by the political establishment. From where we're sitting, it wasn't issued.
I am happy they are coming home, and God willing, should be home by midnight.
Look, from our perspective, as we said, we're committed to this. We want this to go through. We want them to come home as soon as possible. Even after these people come home, Wolf. And it's a blessing to have 26 of our own citizens home.
[16:45:01]
There are 200 people, as you and I are speaking, that don't have access to CNN that are deep underneath the ground in wet and freezing conditions in the belly of the earth, and that's where they're suffering.
So for us, this ordeal is so mixed, right? It's a shining light through the clouds, but the clouds are still there.
We have a lot of questions. What's going to happen with the men? What's going to happen with these other babies, even a nine-month-old baby?
This is a time for mixed emotions. But we're trying to be positive. But we're going to do everything within this framework. And if we need to, on a military side, to bring everybody home.
BLITZER: And so far, Hamas has only been releasing women, especially older women as well as children. The men are not being released at all.
Major Doron Spielman, thank you so much for spending a few moments with us. We really appreciate it.
SPIELMAN: Thank you so much, Wolf. BLITZER: I want to go to CNN's Jeremy Diamond right now. He's over at
the Kerem Shalom border crossing in Israel.
Jeremy, you have new reporting we're told on the hostages who were released by Hamas. What are you learning?
DIAMOND: That's right, Wolf. We have the names of five of the hostages who have been released by Hamas, and these names were released with the families' permission.
They go as follows: Sharon Avigdori a 52-year-old mother of Noam Avigdori, who's 12 years old, and is part of the release of 13 hostages today.
Noar Orr, 17 years old. Alma Orr, 13 years old. And Emily Hand, 9 years old, who Clarissa reported on earlier.
I actually know the Avigdori family. I met Noam's uncle at the march to Jerusalem last week, that five-day march that was intended to pressure the Israeli government to reach a deal like we are seeing now to free these hostages.
And he talked to me about some of the excruciating weight that it has been for his family.
What's also notable, Wolf, is these are not his only two family members who have been kidnapped. He has several other family members who still remain in Gaza held by Hamas.
But I want to tell you about a conversation I had just a couple of days ago with Han, Noam's father, Sharon's husband. He told me a few days ago, Wolf, that it was a matter of faith and destiny that I have a wife and daughter there and they are supposed to be on the first wave of release.
Effectively saying that because it is his wife and daughter, woman and child, who are in Gaza, that they were more likely to get out during these first four days of 50 hostages being released.
So amid everything, amid the flood of emotions that he has been feeling this week, he recognized the fact that there is some destiny in the fact that the loved ones of his who are missing, the dearest to him, are a woman and child, who would be part of this release.
And tonight, he will likely be able to embrace his wife and child for the first time in 49 days.
It's been a nerve racking 49 days. I have been checking in with him and his family. There was so much uncertainty after that first release happened, and he was told that his family was not on that initial list.
And today, it appears, or last night, he found out that his wife and his daughter, Noam, were, indeed, on the list of hostages to be released today. And shortly, Wolf, he will finally be able to embrace them.
But has been a nerve-wracking process over the last days, but especially, Wolf, over the last weeks.
BLITZER: So nerve wracking, indeed.
Jeremy, when you see that convoy of Red Cross vehicles with the hostages on board drive behind you and reach that area, let us know because I want our viewers to watch that unfold.
These are live pictures from the Egyptian side of the Rafah border crossing. They have been moved into the Egyptian side. They've left Gaza, the hostages.
They're going to be getting into these vehicles and heading toward Israel momentarily. It's a two mile or so drive to the Kerem Shalom border crossing from where they are right now. This should be, momentarily, we'll see this activity begin.
Jeremy Diamond, on the scene for us, thank you very much.
In the meantime, I want to go back to Fred.
Fredricka, you're in Atlanta watching this unfold. You have more news we're following.
We're not going anywhere. We're going to continue to stay on top of this breaking news.
WHITFIELD: Right. We'll get right back to you, Wolf, there in Tel Aviv.
We're looking at live pictures as people were boarding those buses there at the Rafah border crossing there on the Egyptian side.
And when they do arrive in Israel, many of them will be going straight to the Shamir Medical Center where they will be getting more observation, medical evaluation.
[16:50:08]
That's where we also find our Oren Liebermann who is there to walk us through exactly what kind of process is in place for people who have just now been released.
We understand 13 Israelis and seven foreign nationals who have been released. They will be making their way to Israel to a variety of medical facilities. Among them, where you are.
OREN LIEBERMANN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: This is the Shamir Medical Center. We are south of Tel Aviv by about 10 miles or so. Perhaps a bit more or less.
All of the hospitals designated for the receipt and the taking in of the hostages have a specific role. For example, Wolfson Medical Center, where we were yesterday, focused on the elderly. Schneider Children's Medical Center focused on the children. Here, the foreign nationals. It was 10 Thai citizens and a Filipino citizen.
We are expecting four foreign nationals to come to the hospital, an hour or hour and a half away. It is the same sort of treatment, welcome and care that the foreign nationals will get here as the other hospitals that intake the citizens.
Israel well aware of the foreign nationals that have nothing to do with the conflict have been through and have tried to make sure they will get the welcome they can.
For example, the Filipino citizen who was brought here last night, he was welcomed or met here shortly thereafter by the family for whom he worked.
That's the sort of welcome they can hope to expect with the families they work for, the families they work with. Many of those foreign nationals in Israel working on farms or working to help families.
This is the hospital where they will be taken. The staff here ready, as they are at the other hospitals across the area in and around Tel Aviv, to intake the patients here, to intake the hostages.
Give them not only the evaluation and the check-up on their physical health but also on their mental health. Make sure they have a team of professionals here, including a psychologist to make sure they get the help they need given what they have been through over the course of the last nearly 50 days -- Fredricka?
WHITFIELD: Oren, I have so many questions. How long might it take for vehicles to make it to where you are? I know you explained that there are at least three medical facilities.
The one where you are, how long will it take in the transit before they get the care as well as be reunited with family members or coworkers as you just described?
LIEBERMANN: As of right now, our expectation -- and this needs to be copyedited because this could change -- is that they will be brought here either by ambulance or bus. They won't be taken by helicopter, which would be much faster.
Could be an hour and a half drive, right around here. Could be a little faster or lower. That's roughly the range we're looking at.
The other two hospitals are not that far from us. That's the time frame. Somewhere in the hour and a half range. I would imagine they could move quickly.
The police made clear they are ready for this, and they may well have a police escort to get here as quickly as possible.
The goal, once they enter Israel, is to make sure they are with their loved ones or those they know as quickly as possible, are able to talk to their families back home, and can begin what may be a long and potentially very difficult recovery process.
WHITFIELD: Sure. And again, we're looking at images of the buses, the ambulances that arrived there at the Rafah border crossing in Egypt.
You're seeing people getting off vehicles, and we also saw people getting on the vehicles, presumably, before their transit now about an hour and a half before getting to the medical center where you are.
Oren, what about for family members, coworkers you described who would be welcoming some of these newly released hostages? What has it been like for them there at the medical facilities as they wait?
LIEBERMANN: Heart-pounding, anxious moments. They're here waiting.
And it's just the families and the loved ones and the friends who are waiting here, whoever is allowed in. It's everybody who has been preparing for this.
As Clarissa Ward has been reporting from Shamir Medical Center, the largest in the country, the staff has been drilling for a month for this, running through what it would be like, running through how the process would work.
Making sure they have the best staff available. Making sure they have the best professionals available.
The families, certainly, in the case of the Israelis -- it is not clear if foreign nationals have families meeting them here -- they have been waiting, frankly, from the moment they're allowed in, knowing their family members have come here.
[16:55:04]
It's not that long they have been able to wait because the names who would be released came out last night, and only the names of the Israeli citizens came last night. The foreign nationals have been a surprise addition on the part of Hamas to add those.
There's limited heads-up for their families sitting, in all likelihood, outside of Israel to know they will have gotten out.
And it's also part of the staff here to essentially get them connected to their family as quickly as possible, again, as a major part of the recovery process.
WHITFIELD: What are the medical teams at the hospital, the medical facility where you are, what are they prepared for in terms of the condition of the newly released hostages?
LIEBERMANN: We haven't had a chance to talk in depth to the staff here, the director general here. But I'll say, having been at Wolfson Medical Center, they are effectively prepared for anything they need to be prepared for.
It's worth noting in statements, both Wolfson Medical Center and Schneider Medical Center, where the children were taken, both issued statements saying that everybody was in good physical condition when they came out of Gaza. There was no major physical injuries that we heard of. There were no
major physical trauma.
The focus then shifts to the mental health part of this. And that's the part that may be more difficult. Could that be different with this new group? Certainly.
Israel has to be ready for the idea that it was only the first 13 that were in good physical condition and perhaps not the next 13 or the group after that.
Still, the focus is on making sure they get a complete look and a complete evaluation. That includes physical health, mental health, and any other trauma they might have been through after nearly seven weeks in captivity.
WHITFIELD: Oren Liebermann, at the Sharmir Medical Center, don't go far away.
I want to go to Arlette Saenz who is traveling with the president of the United States in Nantucket.
Arlette, earlier today, we saw some moments of levity. The president there shopping in town, holiday shopping, interacting with people, obviously mindful of the impending release. Just ahead of the weekend, he said, this is just the start of a process.
What kind of reaction is coming from the president right now?
ARLETTE SAENZ, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, Fred, this latest release certainly welcome news for the White House. President Biden, as you mentioned, has been walking through downtown Nantucket with his family popping into shops.
He answered a question from a reporter asking about when the hostages will be released. He told reporters, hopefully, we will see something soon.
And that is, in fact, something we're seeing playing out at this moment as there is this new round of hostages who have been released by Hamas.
While there are a number of Israelis and foreign nationals included in this, it was not expected that any American citizens would be part of today's release. That is something a U.S. official told me early this morning.
But the White House remains hopeful that they will be able to get the American hostages home.
Specifically, they believe there are three Americans who could be part of the larger group of 50 women and children to be released. That includes two women and also that young 4-year-old girl, Abigail, whose parents were killed on October 7th in the Hamas attack.
The White House has been working around the clock trying to ensure the release of not just Americans but hostages at large.
And something they have been focused on is the implementation of the deal. President Biden himself spent a few hours this morning focusing in on the possible delay to the deal.
He made phone calls to officials to talk about ways to work through it. And about three and a half hours ago, they got word that the deal was moving forward, and the Red Cross was moving to recover these hostages.
We'll wait to see if President Biden might have more to say on this matter later today.
WHITFIELD: Bring it to us when you get that.
Arlette Saenz, there in Nantucket,
Back to Oren Liebermann now. He's at the Sharmir Medical Center.
I understand you're learning more about the hostages released.
LIEBERMANN: Fred, I've gotten a few more of the names of the 13 Israelis that will be released. We also learned the four foreign nationals are Thai citizens. That's 14 Thais who have been released and one Filipino.
As for the names of the Israelis we've learned, as we heard Jeremy talk about a second ago, Sharon and Noam Avigdori, the same last name, the same family.
Noar Orr and Alma Orr, their father is still a captive in Gaza. Their mother was killed on October 7th.
And we have learned the name of Horton, 13 years old, and Emily Hand, 9-year-old child. She's an Irish-Israeli. Here father was in Times Square putting her picture on a billboard.
[16:59:51]
Because she celebrated or went through her 9th birthday while in captivity. He has brought tremendous attention to her story. He missed celebrating the birthday, that is something they will be able to celebrate soon together -- Fred?
WHITFIELD: Oh, my goodness.
All right, thank you so much, Oren Liebermann.
