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Israeli Establishes Protocols of Care for Former Hostages; Israeli Government has List of Hostages Set for Release Sunday; UN: Thousands of Homes in Gaza Damaged or Destroyed; Father Reacts to Son's Return from Israeli Prison; Qatar Hoping to Expand Hostage Deal; U.S., Japan and South Korea Condemn North Korea Launch. Aired 12-1a ET

Aired November 26, 2023 - 00:00   ET

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

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(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

MICHAEL HOLMES, CNN HOST NEWSROOM: Welcome to CNN "Newsroom", everyone. I'm Michael Holmes with our continuing coverage of the Israel-Hamas war. And the Israeli government now has the names of the hostages who will be freed by Hamas on Sunday, day three of the delicately poised truce between Hamas and Israel.

That's after day two of the four day truce came to a rocking but successful conclusion late on Saturday with the release of 13 Israelis and 4 Thai nationals, who'd been kidnapped by militants on October the 7th. After preliminary medical checks all of the former hostages were whisked away to Israeli hospitals for care and to be reunited with their families.

Israel's Health Ministry said one woman 21 year old Maya Regev was treated for a moderate injury and is in stable condition. Also among the second group is 9 year old Emily Hand whose father had initially been told she died in the October 7th terrorist attack.

And the Israeli government wants to know why 13 year old Hila Rotem's mother Raaya wasn't released with her daughter. And Israeli official says that under the agreement, mothers and children are not to be separated. The fragile deal also called for the release of 39 Palestinian prisoners and detainees on Saturday for several tense hours, though.

Hamas stilled on releasing the hostages in a dispute over aid to Gaza and over which Palestinians the Israelis were willing to release. Qatar has played a pivotal role throughout the process, including resolving Saturday's dispute. The government has clearly stated it would like to extend a truce if it can be done. Have a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MAJED AL-ANSARI, QATARI FOREIGN AFFAIRS MINISTRY SPOKESPERSON: We are hoping for, is that momentum that has carried from the release of these two days and from this agreement of four days with allow us to extend the truce beyond these four days and therefore get into more serious discussions about the rest of the hospitals.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HOLMES: Now each former hostage will have to process what they've been through, of course, in their own private way, and that will take as long as it takes. But this much is certain. They won't be alone in their recovery. As our Clarissa Ward explains, the healing process begins the very moment they're back in Israeli custody.

CLARISSA WARD, CNN CHIEF INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: It's really been stressed was over and over and over again, how important it is for the families to have privacy in this moment. And for them at this stage to try to break the news to their children to their loved ones, to their relatives about what happened on October 7th, because crucially, many of the hostages have no real sense of the full scope of what took place on October 7th.

And that's why so much care has gone into ensuring that the media is kept at a distance that there's a degree of privacy but also that the appropriate staffing and psychiatrists and social workers are in place. And also a lot of guidelines that were given to the IDF in terms of how they handled the hostages when they first were there during that initial handover from the Red Cross.

They did a cursory medical search and checking their identities. They were told not to answer questions such as where's mommy, where's daddy to ask permission of any children before trying to pick them up.

And so every possible care has been taken here and also at the Schneider Children's Medical Center where we were last night to try to minimize any sort of re-traumatizing, particularly of these children as they return home. And many of them no longer have homes but return home to Israel for the first time in seven weeks.

HOLMES: Clarissa Ward reporting there. Now four hostages from Thailand were released on Saturday that's in addition to 10 released on Friday.

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Journalist Manisha Tank joins me now live from Singapore, so more good news for families in Thailand. What do we know about how those people released are and how they're getting on?

MANISHA TANK, JOURNALIST: Well, we know that they are at the Shamir Medical Center in Israel, and they are getting the attention and care. But this is reputedly the fourth largest government hospital in the country. In terms of they are the Thai Prime Minister has been posting about -- they are in generally in good health.

Also, we know that none of them require emergency medical care according to the Prime Minister Srettha to rescind. This is the four that have just been released that I'm talking about. But previously, we know that 10 other Thai nationals were released. The team at the hospital spoke to the CNN team as well, and told us that they were stable, but not healthy. And they reported a lack of nutrition. So that might be one of the areas that they're being covered for. We also know that the one Filipino who was released in the previous batch. He was undergoing emotional tests as well. And I think just thinking there about what Clarissa was reporting.

There is going to be a journey of healing many of these hostages. The ones who have just been released have seen and heard and experienced trauma over the last few weeks, and it's going to take time for them to work --

HOLMES: Yes. Yes, a little bit of audio difficulty there. But we've certainly got the gist of what you're saying, Manisha Tank in Singapore. Appreciate it, thank you. Joining us now is Aaron David Miller, a Former State Department Middle East Negotiator and Senior Fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace always good to see you sir.

The delay on Saturday, everything finished up all right. But it did show how precarious the process can be? How delicate a truce is and exchanges like this? I mean, it's a four day process initially, what could scuffle it?

AARON DAVID MILLER, FORMER U.S. STATE DEPT. MIDDLE EAST NEGOTIATOR: Well, first of all Michael, thanks for having me. It's day by day. And look, you've got a situation in which there are no direct negotiations between Israel and Hamas. You are aligning now almost exclusively on the Qataris as mediators and in this case the Egyptians as well.

You have not -- just you have no trust or confidence. In a matter of days, it's clear that Israel and Hamas may well be back to trying to kill one another. So there's no trust and confidence. There's no direct negotiation. The Qataris have a huge, huge lift in order to try to secure and minimize friction.

Today's example I think is -- I won't say its par for the course is an extraordinary situation. But it should surprise no one. I think it was Samuel Goldwyn Mayer, the great Hollywood mogul, who said that an oral agreement isn't worth the paper, it's written down.

And if you want to get to the bottom of this CNN should try to get a hold of the six page document which is a result of weeks of negotiations between the U.S., the Israelis, Israeli intelligence, CIA -- the Qataris, the Egyptians. There is purportedly a document which spells out in pretty precise detail what the terms of this deal really are.

So it's really hard to know today what deleted questions that Hamas has over the Palestinian prisoners. The Israelis are really seeing disappointment that more aid isn't surging into Gaza. There was even one report that Hamas was objecting to the fact that the Israelis were preventing Gazans from returning from the South to Gaza City. So any number of things could have derailed it.

HOLMES: I thought it was interesting. And do you find it interesting that Qatari negotiators actually went to Israel itself? That's pretty unusual. What did that suggest in terms of negotiation?

MILLER: I think it what it suggests frankly, is extremely positive. It means a Qataris our readiness. And while they're not in Gaza which frankly would be ideal if you had a Qatar -- or a mediator actually overseeing this between these two parties that the day a delegation showed up in Israel today I think, is extremely significant.

And it suggests to me because I think the underlying pressures on both sides are driving this deal, not just for two days. I suspect kind of -- party in particular. They'd like to see this strung out as long as possible. They're trying to trade hostages for time in the hope and it may not be misplaced then rising pressure from the families inside Israel and external pressure and I might add the Biden Administration to that will lead to further delays.

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And perhaps even though the administration is saying they will not accept it a prolonged cessation of hostilities, which at this point would be a Hamas victory, very difficult, hard for the Israelis to accept.

HOLMES: Yes. I did want to ask you too that deal ultimately, can Israel get the rest of the hostages out, if Israel is continuing to say you know once we do get them out, we're still going to wipe you out Hamas? What is the calculus then for Hamas? What's in it for them if Israel is going to start bombing again, when the hostages are out?

MILLER: Nothing, which is why even if this goes -- deal goes through 150 Palestinian security prisoners or 50 or more 100 women and children and the elderly. Hamas is still going to keep 100 plus adults, civilians and an estimated 30 to 40 IDF forces that they have. And by the way, we're talking not just about live hostages I'm sure Hamas grant dead bodies as well.

Because they know that Israel puts an extraordinary premium on the return dead or alive of their people on the battlefield. So no I think the reality is you could see a series of these sorts of fits and starts. We're nowhere near the end of this. We're talking more weeks, perhaps even months. And I think frankly that's the calculation.

HOLMES: Yes. Aaron David Miller, we're going to leave it there. Thank you so much as always.

MILLER: Michael, thank you.

HOLMES: Now emotions were running high as the Palestinian prisoners released on Saturday were reunited with their families. It was one woman who couldn't hold back the tears as she is as she ran into the hands of her family members. 6 women and 33 male teenagers were freed on the second day of the truce.

This is the moment when some of them arrived in the West Bank were a huge crowd turned out to celebrate their release. CNN estimates that 15 of those former prisoners were serving sentences mostly for attacks on Israelis, but most of them 24 in all were being held in so called administrative detention practice that a member of the Palestinian Parliament strongly condemned.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DR. MUSTAFA BARGHOUTI, PALESTINIAN PARLIAMENT MEMBER: Administrative detention means that Palestinians are kept in jail for unlimited period without charges, without due legal process, without even knowing why they are in jail. And that includes at this very moment, more than 2200 Palestinians, including about 200 children.

They are arrested and they are put in jail without even charging them. This is totally unacceptable in two ways. First of all, administrative detention itself shouldn't be accepted and arresting children and keeping them in jail for long time is unacceptable. There are children here who have been in jail for eight years, five years and six years. It's unacceptable.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HOLMES: Now, people living in Northern Gaza just received the largest aid convoy since the war began. But is it enough? We'll talk about that when we come back. And also more families reunite with their loved ones on the second day of the truce. What one overjoyed father had to say after holding his nine year old daughter in his arms again, as when we come back?

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HOLMES: Israeli security officials are looking over a new list of hostages that Hamas says it will release in the coming hours. That's according to the Israeli Prime Minister's Office. It comes after Hamas turned over a second group of hostages Saturday after an hour's long delay.

Red Cross buses carried 13 Israeli and 4 Thai nationals out of Gaza in exchange Israel says it released 39 Palestinian prisoners, including 6 women and 33 boys. Here's a look at the 13 Israelis that Hamas released on Saturday. They include seven children the youngest is three years old.

That mystery surrounds the release of 13 year old Hila Rotem. This is Hila reunited with her uncle but her mother was not released with her. And Israeli official tells us under the deal, mothers and children were not supposed to be separated so where her mother is and why she wasn't released is unknown.

Palestinian humanitarian officials say they have delivered the largest aid convoy to Gaza City and Northern Gaza since the war began. The U.N. and the Red Crescent confirmed that 187 aid trucks made it into Gaza Saturday with food, water, fuel and medical supplies. 61 of those trucks reached Northern Gaza where the need is desperate.

Since October 21st nearly 2000 trucks have made it through the Rafah crossing. That aid organizations still say that's a drop in the bucket compared to the need and what was going in before this conflict as people in Gaza face hunger, health issues and homelessness.

Joining me now from Jerusalem is Shaina Low, Communication Adviser with the Norwegian Refugee Council. Let's talk about Gaza housing estimates are that half of housing in Gaza has been damaged or destroyed. How are perhaps a million or a million and a half people without homes going to be sheltered when this is over?

SHAINA LOW, COMMUNICATION ADVISER WITH THE NORWEGIAN REFUGEE COUNCIL: Well, actually the numbers have risen and estimated 60 percent of the housing is damaged or destroyed. Currently, we have about 1.7 million people who've been displaced.

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And those people are staying in all sorts of places. UNRWA schools, U.N. schools, which have been designated as shelter on non-U.N. schools. Some are staying in shopping centers, community centers that aren't really able to or intended to support or host people for overnight stays.

We at the Norwegian Refugee Council are managing two sites that are fair trade and cultural centers, where people just went in search of a place to lay their heads. You also have a number of people who are hosted by host families, and then you have people who are simply sleeping on the streets because they have nowhere else to go.

HOLMES: And so what needs to happen in terms of that housing issue? And soon I mean, what literally are people going to be living in for perhaps years to come as plans being made?

LOW: Well, the humanitarian community and the U.N. system have already been working on what relief and recovery efforts will look like. The first thing that we need is that this temporary pause and in hostilities be extended into a permanent ceasefire. People in Gaza and the infrastructure in Gaza can simply not take any more damage or destruction. That's the first thing.

The second thing is that we desperately need first of all, more funding coming in for housing repairs and for temporary solutions. We also need restrictions to be lifted on what materials can come in, because as of now, there are restrictions that are preventing some of the materials that would help provide temporary shelters from being -- from entering.

We also need a massive scaling up of those materials and opening of additional crossings to let more aid in quicker including the Kerem Shalom Crossing in Israel, which was operational up until October 7th.

HOLMES: Yes, because I don't think people are getting their heads around just how many people were talking. We are talking over a million people with no home and no prospect of one. And the other thing that's important when we talk about the distraction, it's not just housing as Oxfam pointed out in a report bakeries, grain mills have been destroyed agriculture, water, sanitation facilities, civil administration. I mean, it's hard to see how Gaza can function as a society when this conflict ends. LOW: Absolutely. And we think that it will take not days or weeks to clear all the rubble just to begin fixing the infrastructure underground and being able to start with reconstruction. But months in order to remove all of this rubble that's in the streets.

And that's why we desperately need to get working as soon as possible when we have a million people or 900,000 people staying in school, in U.N. schools. Those people are not going to be moved if there aren't places for additional places temporary housing available, including prefabricated shelters that are entering. And that mean it's going to have an effect on children's education and the ability of life to return to normal.

HOLMES: That's a great point. And I guess the other big question is you know how long it could take even if it's a matter of urgency. I mean, there's one example that I remember that's in 2014, the Israel- Hamas war. It leveled a part of Gaza City called Shuja'iyya and there was a $5 billion reconstruction effort there and elsewhere across Gaza that's unfinished to this day. That was back in 2014. This war has caused vastly more damage, how long could recovery take?

LOW: Recovery is going to take years for sure. Especially given the lack of funding that's come through as of yet we desperately need more funding enable to -- and in order to scale up efforts, and be able to respond quickly. One of the challenges that led to the delays in construction in reconstruction after 2014 is simply lack of funding, and then the lack of availability of construction materials, those need to be allowed into Gaza.

We are -- in order to allow people to start rebuilding their lives. A number of items have been restricted are prevented from entering which makes it much more difficult and adds undue delays to reconstruction.

HOLMES: Yes. I mean, the battles are still you know, it's still going on. But this is going to have to be dealt with and it is an absolutely extraordinarily big task ahead. Shaina Low thanks so much and thanks for the work you do with the Norwegian Refugee Council.

LOW: Thank you.

HOLMES: Believing though more humanitarian aid has gotten into Gaza since the truce.

[00:25:00]

The U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin says it must increase further. In a call with the Israeli Minister of Defense on Saturday, Austin pointed out the critical roles Israel, Qatar and Egypt play in getting more aid and fuel to the people of Gaza. He said that civilians must also be able to access the aid safely.

Austin went on to condemn attacks from Lebanon into Israel saying the U.S. doesn't want the war in Gaza to expand. And the number of journalists killed in Gaza, Israel and Lebanon since the October 7th Hamas attack has increased now to at least 57. That's according to the Committee to Protect Journalists confirming the death of four Palestinian journalists on Saturday.

The journalism advocacy group says 50 Palestinian, 4 Israeli and 3 Lebanese journalists lost their lives since the Israel-Hamas war began last month. The U.S. is pointing a finger at Iran following an attack on an Israeli own container ship. That's according to two U.S. defense officials who say the vessel was hit by a suspected Iranian drone in the Indian Ocean on Friday.

One official says the ship took minor damage and there were no injuries. The vessel is registered in Malta, but it's owned by an Israeli conglomerate. One U.S. official says Iran's Revolutionary Guard is likely behind the attack. I'm Michael Holmes our international viewers are going to see "Living Golf" next for the rest of you in North America. I'll be right back.

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HOLMES: The Israeli government says it has informed the families of hostages who will be freed by Hamas on Sunday, day three of the delicate truce between Hamas and Israel. That's after day two of the four day truce came to a rocky but successful conclusion late on Saturday with the release of 13 Israelis and four Thai Nationals who'd been kidnapped by militants on October 7th.

Israel's Health Ministry said one Israeli woman was treated for a moderate injury and is in stable condition. The fragile deal also called for the release of 39 Palestinian prisoners and detainees on Saturday. Well, several tense hours Hamas stalled on releasing the Israeli hostages in a dispute over aid to Gaza and over which Palestinians, the Israelis were willing to release.

Earlier a spokesperson for the Israeli military spoke to CNN's Kaitlan Collins. He admitted the temporary truce between Israel and Hamas appeared to be in trouble on Saturday and was "On the rocks for a while". The dispute cause that delay in the release of the Israeli hostages and was over aid to Gaza, as we said which Palestinians and the Israelis -- Palestinians said the Israelis were willing to release. Have a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

KAITLAN COLLINS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Joining us now is Major Doron Spielman, a Spokesperson for the Israel Defense Forces. And thank you so much for being here, sir. What we saw earlier it appeared this deal was on the edge of falling apart. How close did it come to derailing?

MAJOR DORON SPIELMAN, IDF SPOKESPERSON: Thank you for having me, Kaitlan, once again. The deal was definitely on the rocks for a while. And I have to say we were not surprised with the delay. If you remember yesterday, there was also a significant delay. This is really probably part of Hamas's strategy.

They are a cruel terrorist organization that never misses an opportunity to inflict emotional pain. Everybody was sitting on pins and needles; everyone in Israel, certainly those families waited nine hours for their children and their mothers to come out of captivity after 50 days. And this was just more and more delaying tactics.

And I wouldn't be surprised if it happened again. And this is what we're up against. This is Hamas and who else leaves a family in such a lurch along with an entire nation. They know our weakness. Our weakness is how much we want these people to come home and they simply exploited it.

COLLINS: So are you expecting that it could happen again tomorrow?

SPIELMAN: I'm certainly hoping not. I mean, we are dedicated to this framework. On our side, we've upheld all of the commitments that we committed to. The IDF is not fired on Hamas positions. Even though we know that Hamas positions we had the noose around the neck of many of the Hamas -- the Hamas terrorists.

And we've held down. We've taken a defensive position in order to enable our hostages to be freed. Again, this is a drop in the bucket. But I wouldn't put anything by Hamas. Again these are the type of tactics it's psychological warfare. They know that they can basically take the Israeli people hostage by dangling over our heads are hostages in the most cruel and pathetic way and I wouldn't be surprised.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HOLMES: On the Palestinian side, 39 former prisoners are spending their first morning back home following their release by Israel on Saturday. They were welcomed by a jubilant crowd as they arrived in the West Bank after their release. The former prisoners included six women and 33 teenage boys. One father described the moment when he heard his son was among them.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: When I heard the news, I felt happiness, absolute happiness. I finally get to take my son home. I'm happy for everyone going home today. But of course, our happiness is not really complete because our other son is still in prison. So we feel sadness still for him and for all the martyrs in Gaza too.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HOLMES: The truce agreement also allowed more desperately needed aid to reach Gaza, including a record amount that was delivered to the northern part of the Enclave on Saturday.

[00.35:00]

Joining me now is Steve Sosebee, Founder and President of the Palestine Children's Relief Fund. Good to see you, sir. Some more aid came in. But is it nearly enough given how Gazans are living right now?

STEVE SOSEBEE, FOUNDER AND PRESIDENT, PALESTINE CHILDREN'S RELIEF FUND: No, it falls far short of what the required daily needs are. But let's keep in mind here that 1.7 million people are displaced. 80 percent of the population in Gaza are not living in their homes; many of their homes have been destroyed. They're living in U.N. schools and warehouses and tents and shelters wherever they can find it.

And they depend on food and international support to survive. The 200 trucks that entered yesterday as far, far short of the 1200 that will be needed every day to bring in clean water, food, and basic humanitarian necessities like medicine, medical support, hygiene kits, and so on. So it's far, far, far short than what's actually needed. And therefore the consequences on a humanitarian level continue to be dire.

HOLMES: You've dealt with the region for years. I've seen both of the intifadas and other conflicts. How does what's happened to Gaza these past weeks compare in terms of both damage done and lives lost?

SOSEBEE: Now, I've also been through both intifadas and several of these bombing campaigns in Gaza personally on the ground. And we've never seen anything quite like this before. The absolute and complete destruction of the Gaza Strip the human toll that it's taken, we've never seen obviously, the type of death and killings that have been going on in Gaza for nearly two months now.

8000 children, 8000 have been killed or missing. And even more than that are permanently injured, amputees, paralysis quadriplegics, kids with significant burns and other life altering injuries. That's a huge, huge toll in such a short period of time.

And Gaza itself and the Palestinian Health Ministry and infrastructure don't have the ability to provide the type of medical care and humanitarian aid that the people there deserve. So it's an absolute -- absolute destruction of the Gaza Strip, which we've never seen before never imagined would take place.

HOLMES: Yes, there's the truce now for however long that lasts. But it's interesting watching some of the video. You just see relief on the faces of the children there that the bombing has stopped for now. But the reality is of course, you could start again, perhaps even worse in a few short days. How does that perhaps you know fleeting nature of this quiet play on the psyche of people in Gaza given what they've been through?

SOSEBEE: Well, I think it's hard for any of us to truly comprehend from a psychological point of view, what the people in Gaza have been going through every single day. I was there in 2012, when there was a bombing campaign. And just the insecurity of not knowing, not be feeling safe anywhere for a short period of time.

I can't imagine what they've been going through with this very intense bombing campaign for nearly two months where there are no safe spots. In the Gaza Strip at all, they say go south, it's safer. There were 40 percent of the casualties had been in the south of Gaza. There are no safe places, not the U.N. schools, not the hospitals, not the refugee camps or any kind of place where people might be able to seek refuge. And therefore from a psychological point which you mentioned, people are extremely, extremely overwhelmed. And it's having a significant toll on the entire population from a psychological point of view and from a humanitarian point of view. And I don't think any of us really comprehend what they're going through.

HOLMES: No, no, absolutely. I mean, there are some in Israel's government. There are Former Ministers and so on who have frighteningly openly say Gazan should leave to other countries. I mean, how loaded is that suggestion given most people in Gaza are from families already displaced already refugees from other displacement?

SOSEBEE: That's true. I mean look, the Palestinian people are very, very much aware of their history. And they know what happened in 1948 and other previous -- violent periods of violence in Gaza, and they're not going to leave. This is their land. They feel it very strongly about that.

You hear them talking about that frequently. They're very much aware that this is an effort to cleanse them to continue to cleanse Palestine from its indigenous population, and they're going to do their best to stay there.

Now, I think any kind of effort to ethnically cleanse the Gaza Strip or any part of Palestine is a war crime. And it should not be tolerated by the international community. And instead of talking about removing the indigenous population or anybody from Israel or Palestine, we should be talking about peace and reconciliation and finding a solution to this generational conflict.

HOLMES: I did want to ask you, I mean, you're with the Palestinian Children's Relief Fund. So I want to ask you about the children being released now from Israeli prisons. Most of them hadn't been charged with anything. They were held under administrative detention. What's been in your view the impact of that practice overall holding kids for months or longer without charge?

[00:40:00]

SOSEBEE: Well, I think it's an indication that there's something more going on here than just a security issue. If you have somebody who's violated the security of the State of Israel or any of our territories, then you charge that person. And if you don't have a case against them, then you release them.

This is the due process in every Democratic state. And that's not been happening in Palestine. It's been going on since back from the Ottoman period and the British Mandate. These are draconian laws which continue to be imposed and utilized which have no standing in international law. You cannot hold people without due process of law.

However, thousands of people in Palestine, and many of them children continue to be imprisoned without trial and due process and that's again very disconcerting.

HOLMES: Steve Sosebee, we got to leave it there. Thank you so much with the Palestine Children's Relief Fund.

SOSEBEE: You're welcome.

HOLMES: Still to come on the program, U.S. President Joe Biden working the phones with Qatari officials who are mediators in the hostage deal. We'll have the latest on that when we come back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[00:45:00]

HOLMES: The Gulf Nation of Qatar which was instrumental in mediating the hostage deal negotiation says it's hoping to extend the truce beyond the agreed upon four days. Meanwhile, it is trying on multiple fronts to keep the current deal going. The Qatari Foreign Affairs Ministry Spokesperson told CNN he's working with senior Qatari officials to alleviate concerns from both sides that the other isn't living up to the agreement.

He also says he's working with Israel, Hamas, Egypt and the U.S. to ensure the agreed upon number of aid trucks is reaching Gaza. As we reported aid group say 61 trucks arrived in Northern Gaza Saturday, the most on a single day since October 7th.

U.S. President Joe Biden spoke with Qatar's Emir on Saturday trying to resolve the delay that happened early on the second day of the hostage release. That's according to the National Security Council. So far no word on when any American hostages held by Hamas will be released. CNN White House Correspondent Arlette Saenz is with the President in Massachusetts.

ARLETTE SAENZ, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: The White House is closely watching the coming hours waiting to hear whether any American citizens will be part of the next group of hostages that are expected to be released on Sunday. No American citizens were included in the first releases that occurred on Friday and Saturday.

But the White House says they are hopeful that at least three Americans will be coming out in the coming days. That it's expected that they will be part of this larger group that had been negotiated to release 50 women and children.

And the American citizens who are officials are focusing in on are two women and also that young four-year-old girl, Abigail Adan whose parents were killed in the October 7th attack by Hamas. But it also comes as President Biden has been working the phones trying to ensure that the steel and the implementation of the deal remain on track.

On Saturday, he spent some time on the phone speaking with the Emir of Qatar, as well as the Qatari Prime Minister as there were some delays in the hostage release concerns that the release might fall apart for Saturday. The President spoke with them to talk about the potential hurdles and also ways to overcome it.

And ultimately around 1:30 pm on Saturday, the White House got word that the deal was moving forward. The release was move moving forward and the Red Cross would soon retrieve those hostages. Vice President Kamala Harris spoke to this out in California.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KAMALA HARRIS, VICE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: There were some issues and challenges around implementation. President Biden spoke with the Emir to resolve those issues and we do believe they are being resolved. We're going to continue to be diligent and vigilant in doing all that we can in that regard to ensure that there is humanitarian aid going in, that hostages are going out and our highest priority of course, are the American citizens who are being held.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SAENZ: Now the White House has been unable to pinpoint an exact day that the Americans will be released, but they are hopeful that they will be released in the coming days. And then there's also concern about the other Americans believed to be held hostage by Hamas. There are about 10 Americans who are unaccounted for.

The President told reporters on Friday that he did not know all of their conditions. Arlette Saenz, CNN traveling with the President in Nantucket, Massachusetts.

HOLMES: Now Thomas Hand who thought his nine-year-old daughter Emily was killed in the Hamas attack on October 7th, has now been joyfully reunited with her. Now you also see in this video 13-year-old Hila Rotem getting a bear hug from her uncle in the video.

Israel wants to know why her mother Raaya was not also released on Saturday. More to come here on CNN, the U.S. Japan and South Korea roundly condemned North Korea's launch of a spy satellite. We'll have details after the break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[00:50:00]

HOLMES: North Korea claims it sent its first spy satellite into orbit earlier this week. The U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and his counterparts in South Korea and Japan all condemning the launch. South Korea calls it a clear violation of a U.N. resolution that prohibits the North from using ballistic missile technology. CNN's Will Ripley is in Taipei with the latest.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

WILL RIPLEY, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): As if the world doesn't have enough to worry about, rising tensions on the Korean Peninsula. North Korea claims big progress in its satellite program.

Supreme Leader Kim Jong Un appearing triumphant in state media posing for propaganda cameras with a team of North Korean scientists and engineers celebrating and apparently successful third attempt to put a spy satellite into orbit, two failed launches earlier this year. Pyongyang promises more satellite launches in the near future. Satellite is crucial to improving the accuracy of North Korea's intercontinental ballistic missile program. A program banned by the United Nations Security Council possibly perfected with the help of Russian rocket scientists acting on orders from President Vladimir Putin.

Kim and Putin's September Summit at this Russian Space Launch Complex, signaling Moscow's growing support for Pyongyang's space program. A partnership believed to be providing Putin with badly needed North Korean weapons, arming Russian soldiers on the battlefields of Ukraine. Putin told state media reporters at the time Russia would help North Korea, launch its own satellites and rockets saying that's exactly why we came here.

Japanese authorities issued an emergency warning what they believe to be a satellite carrying ballistic missile soaring over Okinawa.

FUMIO KISHIDA, JAPANESE PRIME MINISTER: Today, North Korea conducted a launch using ballistic missile technology.

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RIPLEY (voice-over): The Japanese Prime Minister condemning the launch, swift reactions from South Korea, Seoul suspending military pacts with the North.

HEO TAE-KEUN, DEPUTY MINISTER FOR NATIONAL DEFENSE POLICY, SOUTH KOREA: The North Korean regime is entirely responsible for this situation.

RIPLEY (voice-over): A troubling sign even for locals who live every day under threat from the nuclear armed north.

BAE RA-MI, SOUTH KOREAN RESIDENT: The successful launch of North Korea's spy satellite means that their technology has improved that much.

RIPLEY (voice-over): We're at North Korea's brand new satellite control center. In 2015, I met with senior officials at North Korea's Satellite Control Center. They insisted their purpose was peaceful space exploration, even expressing outrage and ongoing speculation. They were secretly operating a ballistic missile development program.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Our peaceful launch was not a threat yesterday, a threat to you today and it won't be a threat tomorrow.

RIPLEY (voice-over): Tomorrow has arrived and this may be just the beginning.

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RIPLEY (on-camera): And tensions are already flaring up on the Korean Peninsula. The South Korean military says less than 24 hours after this satellite launch, a ballistic missile was launched from the North Korean capital area, but they believe that missile failed just minutes after taking off.

Now in the meantime the big question, the unanswered question is whether this satellite is actually able to conduct reconnaissance. We know that it's in orbit, but can it actually surveil U.S. military installations in places like Guam or Hawaii or Japan? That remains the unknown question. Will Ripley, CNN Taipei.

HOLMES: Thanks for spending part of your day with me on CNN Newsroom. I'm Michael Holmes. I will have more coverage of the Israel Hamas war after a quick break.

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