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Hostage Released Expected To Start Within Hours; Trump Heads To Middle East As Israel Awaits Hostage Release; 20+ Countries To Join Trump For Summit On Gaza's Future. Aired 9-10p ET

Aired October 12, 2025 - 21:00   ET

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

[21:00:02]

JESSICA DEAN, CNN HOST: What is the next phase of this ceasefire? What are you expecting to see in the coming hours yeah?

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMATIC EDITOR: Yeah. Obviously, the immediate hours coming up, it will be Hamas handing off the hostages, the 20 living hostages expected to all be released together, handed off to the Red Cross.

The Red Cross will then drive them into the Gaza area controlled by the IDF. The IDF will then bring them to Re'im, one of the kibbutzim very close to the very close to Gaza, just inside of Israel. The scene, by the way, of some of the most horrific parts of Hamas's awful massacre on October the 7th, two years ago. People coming out of the Nova Music Festival. But that's where they'll go. Thats where they'll meet their families, and then they'll be taken to, medical facilities for further checkups.

So, a hugely emotional day begins in Israel in just a few hours from now. Palestinian prisoners also to be released.

And then the focus after President Trump lands, speaks to the Knesset, has other has other time unspecified as yet inside of Israel. Then he comes here to Egypt, and that's when he'll meet those world leaders, expected to be more than 20 of them -- British, French, German, Italian, Emiratis, Saudis, Jordanians, Indonesians Turkish, Pakistani. They're all going to be looking to push forward to the next phase of the agreement. But it's the -- it's the next coming four, five, six, seven hours that are going to be absolutely the most emotional.

DEAN: Yeah, there's no doubt about it. Nick, as you well know, people, these families have waited over two years. And as we were saying earlier tonight with Brett McGurk, it's so much hope laced with a real pit in the stomach until they see them back there in Israel.

I do want to ask you tomorrow, there is there wont be any Hamas representatives, no Israeli representatives at this meeting in Egypt. What do you make of that?

ROBERTSON: Yeah, I think that gives you an idea of the stretch that its taken for the Egyptian, Qatari and Turkish mediators to kind of bring the two sides to get the phase one deal done. That was all about their commitments to a ceasefire, to releasing the hostages, to releasing Palestinian prisoners.

But the next phase of all of this is about implementing a plan. President Trump's 20-point plan, an international stabilization force that can go into Gaza, that can deal with the thorny issues of establishing a Palestinian administration there over time, deal with the thorny issues of Hamas's disarmament, of the demilitarization of Gaza. The definitions of those, the mandate of the international stabilization force, we don't know yet.

But the fact that Hamas will not be in the room, and the fact that Israel will not be in the room at the signing ceremony is, is sort of in contrast to previous peace deals, if you will, that the United States has broken one thinks of the camp David Accords, for example, Yasser Arafat shaking hands with Yitzhak Rabin. Those were sort of monumental moments in what was -- what was broadly hoped to be the possibility of an enduring peace. It wasn't. And that's why we're where -- where we're at today.

But it amplifies and tells us just how high the stakes are. And the hills yet to climb, to make -- to make this ceasefire into a real peace that President Trump says he thinks is at hand.

DEAN: Certainly. All right, Nic, stand by. I know we're going to check back in with you in just a little bit. Thank you so much for that.

I do want to turn now to Julia Benbrook, who's at the White House.

Julia, the president leaving just a little bit ago in route to Israel. He did speak to reporters aboard Air Force One. That's when he said, in his view, this war is over. What else is he saying tonight?

JULIA BENBROOK, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yeah. Jessica, it's been a long- stated goal of President Donald Trump's to help bring this war to an end. And he is now on his way to the region after helping broker a ceasefire agreement that so many hope will lead to a permanent end of this conflict. And he spoke with reporters on Air Force One for about 20 minutes, covering several different topics related to this.

He was pressed on what's next, and the reporter that put this question forward specifically referenced some comments from Netanyahu earlier in the day where he suggested that Israeli military operations were not entirely over. Trump responded adamantly that the war is over, that he believes that this ceasefire will hold.

When it comes to his relationship with Netanyahu. He did say that he believes that they have a good one, that he believes that Netanyahu is the leader for this time, the right leader for this time. As Trump travels in, we do expect him to receive a warm welcome.

[21:05:02]

Several world leaders have acknowledged his diplomatic efforts to get to this point.

And then there was this very telling moment in Tel Aviv last night where Trump's envoy, Steve Witkoff, as well as his son in law Jared Kushner, who have both been involved in talks, and Trump's daughter Ivanka Trump, they were speaking and at multiple times they were hit with chants of "thank you, Trump."

Now, when they mentioned Netanyahu specifically, it was a far different interaction. There were audible boos in the crowd. So really highlighting a lot of different dynamics at play here.

DEAN: Yeah, indeed.

Julia Benbrook at the White House with the latest. Thank you very much for that.

We are joined now by CNN global affairs analyst Kim Dozier.

Kim, thanks so much for being here with us.

We are now getting very close to when we are expecting to see this hostage release begin. We're about four hours away and everyone is kind of just holding their collective breath to see this come to completion and see these hostages back with their families.

What are you watching for in these coming hours?

KIMBERLY DOZIER, CNN GLOBAL AFFAIRS ANALYST: Well, it is a fantastic moment to see, the imminent release of the hostages. And also what that means for Palestinians in Gaza that for a time at least, they should be free of widespread conflict. And that aid can start rushing in.

And yet, what I'm watching for is what Hamas is doing on the ground right now inside Gaza. It is consolidating control. Reports on the ground say its rounding people up, killing other Palestinians that might present a threat. There have been some Palestinian tribal families that have worked with the Israelis, worked with the American- backed aid agency that has tried to get aid to Gazans and anything that represents a challenge to Hamas's power seems to make it a target right now.

That's going to be a real challenge for whatever security force they decide on inside -- in Egypt. The leaders can say, hey, we're going to send various different peacekeeping forces in. But those peacekeeping forces may have to fight to get territory back from Hamas. That could create violence. That gives Israel a chance to restart the war again.

DEAN: And so, that is -- that is where you are concerned, this, that there could be --

DOZIER: Yeah.

DEAN: -- some problems on the other side of all of this. How does --

DOZIER: Yeah.

DEAN: -- it seems in talking with people throughout the night tonight, that President Trump plays a large role in this meeting tomorrow. But in saying to these leaders and demonstrating to them that he has continued interest and continued support in whatever a vested interest in whatever is going to happen in Gaza, in rooting out Hamas there, how much do you think he plays a role in all of this?

DOZIER: President Trump is key to making this all happen. He was the one with power over Bibi Netanyahu who could -- he could get the Israeli prime minister to relent. This is something the hostage families have been begging President Trump to do, and many in the region.

So as President Trump keeps that pressure on, the hard part will come in the coming days and weeks after the exchange when Hamas -- perhaps not Hamas or another faction not controlled by Hamas, launches a rocket at Israel, you might see what we're seeing right now with Hezbollah -- strikes by Israel on Hezbollah in Lebanon and in Syria. And I don't think that President Trump is going to object to something like that.

So that's why it's good news for the Israelis, but for the Palestinians inside Gaza, this is not an end, a total end to violence and danger to their lives.

DEAN: Right. Millions of whom have no home, have very little access to any sort of food. That aid is just beginning to get back in.

Continuing on with just -- this meeting tomorrow with these 20 world leaders. Barak Ravid reported that Mahmoud Abbas is going to be there as well. This after he was denied entry into the U.S. during the U.N. global assembly -- general assembly earlier this year just about a month ago.

What do you think about that? What does that say to you?

DOZIER: This shows that the Arab leaders have been working on Trump and have finally gotten through with him -- to him that you have to use the structure that's there. And the structure that's there is the Palestinian Authority and the Palestinian Authority has promised to have new elections and to reform.

Of course, Mahmoud Abbas had held off those elections for decades, he said, because he didn't want Hamas to win.

[21:10:06]

But, of course, Palestinians who live in the West Bank will tell you -- no, it's just because he wanted to stay in power. But with Hamas unable to run again, banned from running again, then that means he can let go the reins of power.

So having him at the table makes sense, because it's most likely that the P.A. will be the body to reassert itself inside Gaza, where it had held sway before Hamas won all those decades ago, and then refused to have another election.

DEAN: And Iranian officials say they're not going to be there despite receiving an invite. How does that factor into the dynamics here? The Iran of it all? DOZIER: I just don't see how Iran could show up with President Trump

chairing this. After the recent strike against Iran. But Iran is very close to Qatar and has good relationships with Turkey. So it -- in a sense, it has representation at the table and it has a way to make its presence felt.

DEAN: Yeah. All right. Kim Dozier, great to see you. Thank you so much for being here.

DOZIER: Thank you.

DEAN: Tonight, President Trump is declaring the war between Israel, Hamas -- and Hamas is over with hostages in Gaza just hours away from returning home.

Up next, were going to get reaction from Democratic Congressman Jake Auchincloss about the role the U.S. is set to play in Gaza moving forward.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[21:15:04]

DEAN: Our breaking news tonight, President Trump currently on his way to the Middle East declaring the war between Israel and Gaza is, in his words, over. The rest of the world watching closely as the hostages held captive in Gaza are expected to be released in just a few hours.

We're joined now by Democratic Congressman Jake Auchincloss from Massachusetts.

Congressman, thanks so much for being here with us on a Sunday night. We really appreciate it.

I know that you have met and advocated on behalf of hostage families and spent time with them. How are you thinking about tonight and the hours ahead?

REP. JAKE AUCHINCLOSS (D-MA): Hopeful as so many are, that these 20 hostages are finally released into the arms of their families. A few days ago, I visited the exhibit in Boston commemorating two years since the massacre at the Nova -- excuse me -- music festival, where more than 400 young Israelis were slaughtered, raped, tortured, taken hostage by Hamas and about a dozen of those festivalgoers are amongst those hostages yet to be released. And so I'm thinking of them and all that they have endured, and hoping that they can be released safely.

I know that Donald Trump is saying that the war is over. If the war is over, that means there's peace. And yet, as has been wisely said, peace is not just the absence of conflict. It's the presence of justice.

And there is much work to be done to ensure justice for Israel and justice for the Palestinians. And this president needs to keep his eye on the ball. DEAN: So, talk to me about how you think that should go. What role do

you think the United States -- the United States, and by virtue of that, president Trump should be playing in figuring out the next steps as Gaza is rebuilt and they try to move forward?

AUCHINCLOSS: He released a 20-point plan, really more of a concept than a plan because the vagaries of that language leave a lot of politics to be played out, particularly number 16, which basically had the removal of Israeli forces from Gaza subject to standards and milestones yet to be determined. That's the whole ball game right there, right? Is those standards and milestones.

We're going to have to keep the Arab League engaged, pressuring Hamas. President Trump is going to have to be assiduously engaged with Prime Minister Netanyahu to ensure that, trust accretes slowly over time and that we are able to architect postwar governance in Gaza that excludes Hamas because Hamas may give up the hostages, it does not want to give up its arms, and it does not want to see the Palestinian Authority govern on the Gaza Strip.

DEAN: Vice President J.D. Vance was on "Meet the Press" today and said, and I'm paraphrasing here, but he essentially said that he believes President Trump was successful in getting this ceasefire put in place because he was unconventional, that, in his words, he broke the mold. He sent in Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, gave them a lot of latitude and did things differently than the way that they've been done for the last 30 to 40 years.

What do you think about that?

AUCHINCLOSS: I think Donald Trump deserves credit if this happens. I have said from the beginning that politics stops at the water's edge, and if Donald Trump gets it right, I'll say he gets it right. If he gets it wrong overseas like he is with Russia, ill say he gets it wrong, as I did with Joe Biden when I thought he got it right or wrong.

But telling -- telling the world that Donald Trump somehow deserves a Nobel Peace Prize is like giving Archie Manning the Heisman trophy before he threw a single pass in college.

We're just way ahead of our skis here. No hostage has been released. No peace has truly been agreed to. Palestinian people suffering has not been mitigated. The Israeli people's sense of security has not been restored.

We have tremendous amount of work left to do. And this president is not somebody who's famous for keeping -- focused on one issue for a long period of time. Let's see him prove that he can be the architect of longstanding peace.

DEAN: Where do you see the United States' relationship with Israel going from here? And more specifically, how do you see Democrats in particular moving forward with Israel and support of Israel? We have seen that become a divisive issue within the party over these last two years. AUCHINCLOSS: There's healing that needs to happen. I think it is

undeniable that if Israel had heeded calls from the hard left of American life, these hostages would not be coming home if they had given up their arms after October 7th, as so many on the left were declaring Israel would be in a less secure position. I also think it's undeniable that Israels conduct in this war, particularly since March, when the last ceasefire broke, was conducted in such a manner as to lose a lot of moral standing. Amongst the Democratic Party in the United States. And both sides are going to have to come together and heal.

And I want to be I want to be part of that, because I think its important for the U.S. and Israel to have a strong relationship, but there are ties to be mended.

[21:20:03]

DEAN: Yeah.

Before I let you go, I do want to ask you about the government shutdown. We are now going to head into the third week here pretty soon. The Trump administration laid off thousands of federal workers last week and promised to do more cuts as well.

Democrats say they're holding the line over these health care subsidies.

Do you agree with still holding the line at this point?

AUCHINCLOSS: This administration fired workers when the government was open. It's firing workers when the government is closed. These most recent firings are going to directly endanger the health of Americans. With one hand, they're attacking vaccines measles, mumps, rubella, pertussis. Cases of whooping cough are expected to double next year because of these attacks.

And on the other hand, now this president has just fired CDC staffers at the epidemic intelligence services. So were going to have outbreaks of whooping cough and measles, and then we're not going to know about it.

It's not going to be Democrats that suffer because that's going to be kids. Its going to be American children who suffer because of that. And this president standing in this performative cruelty. I think is going to disgust the average American.

DEAN: So, it sounds like you're saying, hang in there. Don't give up yet from the Democratic perspective.

AUCHINCLOSS: They're acting the same way now they were acting when the government is open. And so were not going to flinch because they're trying to flex.

DEAN: All right. Congressman Jake Auchincloss, thanks again for your time. We appreciate it.

AUCHINCLOSS: Thank you.

Still ahead, CNN's Wolf Blitzer visits an Israeli hospital preparing to care for the hostages when they arrive just hours from now. What a doctor told him about the very first thing that they will do when those hostages come into their care.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[21:25:22]

DEAN: It has been more than two years now since this war started, when Hamas killed more than 1,200 Israelis and took 251 people hostage during the October 7th, 2023 attacks, 146 of those hostages have since been returned alive, and the remains of 58 others have been recovered.

And now, Israel and the world are waiting to see the last remaining 20 living hostages finally brought home, scheduled in the next few hours. Also set to be returned Monday, the remains of 28 hostages thought to have died or been killed by Hamas.

CNN's Jeremy Diamond has more now from Tel Aviv -- Jeremy.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JEREMY DIAMOND, CNN JERUSALEM CORRESPONDENT: Well, the families of the Israeli hostages have been told to anticipate that their loved ones will be released by Hamas tomorrow morning. They have now been told to arrive to prepare for the release at 8:00 a.m. local time. That is the latest information that the hostage families have been given, according to a source familiar with the matter.

We still don't know the exact timing that this release will take place and things are indeed quite fluid. They could change, of course, in the coming hours. But we do know that 20 living hostages are expected to be released. We've been told by the Israeli military that this could happen from several different locations, potentially inside of the Gaza strip, but they will all go to this military base just on the outskirts of the Gaza Strip, where the families of those hostages will be waiting for them, and where we will see those first embraces that have taken more than two years to become a reality.

From there, they will go to hospitals here in the Tel Aviv area, several hospitals that are prepared for their arrival, prepared to surround these hostages with physical care as well as mental health care. And they will likely remain in those hospitals for at least several days, potentially even several weeks.

This is a process that Israel has gone through before, but they have never seen on the same day, at the same time, 20 living hostages released. And so, this will be something altogether quite different. And we also do not yet know what the condition of those hostages will be after two years of captivity, the bodies of some of those 28 deceased hostages, also expected to be released later in the day on Monday. The timing of that still very much uncertain as well.

And as all of this is happening, we will also later see the release. We expect to see the release of Palestinian prisoners, 250 of whom are serving life sentences in Israeli prisons, and then 1,700 Palestinians who were detained inside the Gaza strip. Most of those detained without charge or trial who will be returned to their families in Gaza. And you can expect to see reunions there as well.

Meanwhile, the ceasefire seems to be holding so far inside of the Gaza Strip. We're beginning to see this surge of humanitarian aid that is happening there. And also Palestinians beginning to sift through the rubble of Israeli airstrikes, finding the bodies of those who have been stuck under the rubble, an indication, of course, that this will take weeks, months, perhaps even years in order to get the full death toll inside of Gaza, in order for families there to have the closure that they are looking for as well.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

DEAN: All right. Jeremy Diamond with the latest from Tel Aviv. Thank you so much.

And watch -- once those remaining hostages returned to Israel, they're going to be taken to hospitals where they will receive medical care.

And earlier today, CNN's Wolf Blitzer visited one of the medical centers preparing to treat these survivors. He has a first look at the care awaiting these patients.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

WOLF BLITZER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: We're here at the beautiful Ichilov hospital in Tel Aviv, one of the main hospitals in Israel, and I'm being helped by dr. Dr. Eli Sprecher, who's the CEO. He's a doctor himself, a dermatologist, but he runs this hospital.

You're in charge. And this is where some of the hostages will be arriving soon to get their initial medical checkups, right?

DR. ELI SPRECHER, CEO, ICHILOV MEDICAL CENTER: Absolutely. And we are all very much looking forward to that truly historical moment I would say.

BLITZER: This is not the first time that you at Ichilov Hospital here in Tel Aviv, have received hostages who have been freed.

SPRECHER: No, it is not. So far, we have been taking care of 24 hostages --

BLITZER: Twenty-four hostages.

SPRECHER: Yes.

BLITZER: And so, let's walk in. This is a typical room.

SPRECHER: So, the general idea here was to try to recreate a kind of a home-like atmosphere. Of course, the best would have been to bring the hostages directly to their home. We cannot. On the other hand, of course, this doesn't look like a typical

hospital room. So we have arranged it in order to give the hostage a kind of a good feeling about being almost at home.

BLITZER: And there's two beds, one for the hostage and one for a family member. Is that right?

SPRECHER: In case the hostage wants somebody to stay with him during the night.

[21:30:01]

There is a bed here. The family will be accommodated, in the room next to us. And we have additional home in a small hotel within the hospital for the bigger family.

BLITZER: And so when they get here, and based on your previous experience with other hostages who have been released, what are the main medical issues you're looking at?

SPRECHER: So first and foremost, I think the major issue will be malnutrition. And as you know, malnutrition can affect almost any organ in the body, any tissue in the body, the heart, the brain, the kidneys, et cetera.

So, they will go through a very thorough screening process. We are expecting them to arrive here in much worse conditions than they were based on the videos that I'm sure that you have also seen, and also the fact that they have been staying there for so long, two years in under terrible conditions. And I'm not speaking about isolation, starvation, torture in some cases as well.

BLITZER: All right. We're here in the middle of this tunnel that goes from Gaza into Israel.

I was one of the first journalists at the Israeli army allowed to go into one of those tunnels between Gaza and Israel, and it was hard to even breathe. I was there for maybe an hour or two, and I remember getting nauseous at the time. But these hostages have been in there for a year, let's say.

So, they have potentially medical complications as a result of spending all this time underground. And for the most part, those tunnels are pretty low. You can't even fully stand up.

SPRECHER: Exactly. So, the fact that you cannot stand up is actually causing wasting of your muscles, all kinds of orthopedic problems and all these will be looked at and also be being taken care of.

BLITZER: So, Dr. Sprecher, this is another room that you've established for the children of the hostages and a lot of toys you've created. That's so nice. I'm sure these kids are going to be very excited.

SPRECHER: Yeah. So, we expect, of course, you know, that those children are emerging from two years waiting for their parents. And one of their parents. And this is on the one hand, a very emotional. But on the other hand, also a very challenging time point. And we are trying to, again, create a kind of environment which is as supportive as possible. And children like to play with toys.

BLITZER: And these are a lot of these children have not seen their fathers in almost more than two years.

SPRECHER: Absolutely.

BLITZER: So that's going to be a major adjustment for these little kids.

SPRECHER: It will be indeed.

BLITZER: So, they will come here. They'll have a chance to give their dads, their fathers, a big hug and a kiss, and then they'll be able to play a little bit with these toys that you've established.

SPRECHER: Uh-huh, absolutely.

BLITZER: Very important.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

DEAN: Wolf Blitzer there in Tel Aviv for us. Thanks so much for that, Wolf.

And stay with CNN. We're just hours away now and keeping a very close watch on Israel and Gaza tonight. The return of the 20 remaining hostages being held by Hamas, now expected to happen just in a matter of hours.

And this as the president right now in the air, headed to the Middle East with a declaration that he believes the war is over and the current cease fire will hold.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[21:36:57]

DEAN: In a matter of hours, the 20 remaining Israeli hostages being held by Hamas are expected to finally begin returning home to their families. Their release is part of the first phase of a ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas. And it comes more than two years after the horrifying October 7th attacks.

I want to bring in Nic Robertson now he is in Egypt.

Nic, I know we talked to you at the beginning of the show, but I wanted to come back because this is such a huge moment and you have covered extensively this war. You know, what this has been like and the toll that it has taken on Israelis, on Palestinian people.

Give us a preview of this moment in time and what you're expecting to see as we await the release of these hostages in just a few hours now. ROBERTSON: You know, I think the sort of stress and strain that all

the families of all the hostages have been through the living and the dead, the toll of that is hard to estimate. But the sense for them that relief is at hand is, even at this distance, having experienced it from talking to, you know, families of people, hostages who are still being held at this moment is going to be absolutely huge.

And these hours right now where they wait for that final confirmation that they are going to be reunited -- remember, for these families, particularly these, these families of the 20 hostages, when it was announced that Israel was going to go back into Gaza City, was going to have a really long and massive military operation there. And that was where many of these hostages were believed to be held. That was a very crushing moment for a lot of those families, because it didn't mean they were giving up hope, but it did mean that the chances of survival for their loved ones became slenderer and slenderer, because Hamas was threatening if the Israeli military got close, then they would -- they would kill the hostages.

And we know from the military today, the IDF has been saying in the past 24 hours some of the difficult decisions that they were taking to protect the lives of the hostages, even as they were going in this big military operation inside of Gaza City.

So, build that into the dynamic of what the families are hoping for now. And the IDF is calling them to go to be at this base, Re'im, just close to Gaza to receive their loved ones, greet them and see them for the first time. It's just hard to imagine.

But writ large across the nation, the sense that this is perhaps a defining moment. So many hundreds of thousands of people have been out on the streets weekend after weekend. In many cases, day after day after day, demanding that prime minister Netanyahu prioritize the hostages, get them out. So, this is going to be a massive feeling across the Israeli population.

Again, I'm in Egypt. I'm not in Israel at the moment, but having spent so much time there, I can only imagine this sort of sense of communality, of euphoria that's coming.

[21:40:08]

And for Palestinians, I think perhaps the celebrations are going to be more muted. Absolutely. A homecoming for those close to 2,000 Palestinians being released from jail, from detention is going to be huge for their families.

But for those going back to Gaza, the scale and scope of the challenge of what remains for them, the uncertainty about their future. What role does the international community play? Can they get their lives back? Their lives have been changed so measurably. It's inconceivable that they could even aspire to go back to the way they were living before, because Gaza is going to take so long to rebuild, the ideas and aspirations for a new political leadership and momentum in Gaza.

So, all of that, we stand at the threshold of that. I think for Israelis, there's a degree more certainty about what they're going to experience now. I think for the Palestinian community, it's a step into the unknown, although very clearly from Prime Minister Netanyahu's speech just last night, in the last few hours, he's indicated that the war may not be over and can only be judged by what Israels enemies, including Gaza, do, as well as the regional hostilities that still exist.

So, you know, this is by no means a moment where everything comes good, but it is a moment where everyone can feel good in that moment.

DEAN: Certainly. Nic Robertson live in Egypt. Thank you so much for giving us some context around all of it. We really appreciate it.

And we'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[21:45:31]

DEAN: It has been more than two years now since the Hamas attacks on October 7th, and for so many families whose loved ones were taken on their day, their lives were forever changed. We're now just hours away from the release of hostages still being held in Gaza. Twenty of them are believed to be alive, and among those thought to be deceased, according to the IDF, is Itay Chen. He's a U.S.-Israeli citizen and was serving in the Israeli military on the Gaza border on October 7th.

And I spoke with his father, Ruby, earlier tonight.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DEAN: Ruby, thank you so much for being here with us tonight. It's really -- it's nice to have you here with us on what I must imagine is a night where you have a lot of feelings and thoughts. How are you feeling tonight?

RUBY CHEN, FATHER OF U.S.-ISRAELI HOSTAGE ITAY CHEN: Yeah, it's 777 days since October 7th. It's a mixed bag of emotions. There's a excitement for those that will be able to hug their loved ones tomorrow. Anticipation, maybe, for a new beginning for the state of Israel ending this war.

And there's also the anxiety aspect for those that are not sure that they will be able to see their loved ones as the deal that was orchestrated by the president speaks of the 20 living hostages that there are sanctions, if they are not returned, meaning that they are Palestinian prisoners that are subject to being released if those 20 do not come out.

But when it comes to the deceased hostages, you know, there's a bit of anxiety because there's not -- it's the best effort type of deal. And there are some that we feel will not come back tomorrow or this week.

DEAN: And I know the IDF believes that your son Itay is dead, but that you and your family, of course, hold out hope that maybe he will come back alive. How does that feel, particularly for you? CHEN: So even when we were notified in March 24th that most likely

Itay did not survive October 7th, we were never provided with any physical evidence. And Hamas, to this date have not provided any type of acknowledgment that, A, he is in that possession. What his physical status is, which is the lowest type of psychological warfare than any terrorist organization could do.

So, in our book, he's still a hostage. And that hasn't changed. And the urgency to get him out as well as the others is the same, because there's this window of opportunity that exists with this international task force that has been created to find those that are not coming out this week. So that is the mechanism that has the responsibility to put all the pieces of information together and be able to find those that are not found, because each day that passes by will just make it much more difficult to find those that got lost.

DEAN: Yeah. And I know, look, I've seen you when I've been in Washington, D.C. I've seen you here in New York. You have been talking with elected officials in the U.S., you've been talking with people in the private sector in the U.S.

You have done everything -- gone to the ends of the earth to make sure that your son comes home to you, and that the people who can help facilitate that know about him and know what you want and what you are hoping for.

You're going to meet with President Trump tomorrow. What do you hope he understands? What is the message you're still trying to get across to them?

CHEN: Yes. The fact that, you know, I'm a New Yorker and a U.S. citizen, as well as my son, I hope that that makes a difference. And the administration would be advocating as it should to its on U.S. citizens from captivity, as this administration has demonstrated from the beginning of its term, putting a priority on returning U.S. hostages as just last week, we had a U.S. citizen come back from Afghanistan that was held by the Taliban.

So, I hope that the president members that are still two U.S. citizens, two New Yorkers that are still in captivity.

[21:50:06]

And the administration should focus on those two as that is the way that the president has behaved until now when it comes to U.S. citizens being held against their will.

DEAN: Do you have hope for that tonight?

CHEN: You know, hope is a way of life. You know, there's no other way to think about it. We hope the next 24 hours provides clarity for us. That has been missing for two years. You know, it's -- it never goes away, Jessica, when you doubt. If you're not able to receive your loved one back and know for sure what happened to him and that that always exists. Maybe he saw a doctor. Maybe someone took care of him. We understand

that that, you know, probability is low, but it always exists. That's why the urgency to allow us to be whole again, allow us to end this very tragic chapter of our lives and enable us to begin a new chapter, which will be much different, that we will start processing and starting to put the pieces together to enable us and our family to continue forward.

DEAN: Yeah. And of course, I mean, you're his father. Of course, you hold out hope until you know for absolute sure. Tell us about Itay. He's 19.

CHEN: Yeah. He's, you know, fun loving kid. He is the middle sibling. So, he has an elder and younger sibling. So, he is the connector inside of the family. He is the more rebellious, one of the two always wanted to check his boundaries.

I joked that he his favorite passion was actually checking his boundaries with me all the time. And he would then say, dad, why are you wasting energy? I'm going to go to mom. Mom's going to say yes anyway, which would typically be the case.

And as a proud New Yorker, my eldest became a Knicks fan like myself. But Itay, you know, wanting to be different became a Celtics fan. And, you know, just thinking about an alternative universe, you know, we would be sitting on the couch playing 2K and speaking about the Knicks versus the Celtics, and who has a better chance of winning the division. And that's what we're missing.

And, we hope that, you know, tomorrow has stated, you know, will allow us to know exactly what happened to him. And hopefully we will remove the doubt that we have and be able to move forward.

DEAN: I wish that for you as well very, very much.

Ruby Chen, thank you so much for being here. We really appreciate it.

CHEN: God bless. Thank you, Jessica.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

DEAN: Meanwhile, in Gaza, this was the scene earlier today in in Khan Younis, Palestinians flocking to aid trucks moving through the area there. According to Egyptian state media, about 400 trucks carrying food, medical supplies and fuel were expected to enter Gaza today. But after more than two years of war, the U.N. estimates 77 percent of Gaza's total road network has been damaged, further complicating the process of getting the aid to where it's most needed.

Were joined now by UNICEF emergency communications specialist Joe English.

Joe, thank you for being with us.

What are you hearing from your colleagues on the ground? The aid is now going in obviously much, much more is needed. And we just talked about the infrastructure challenges. But what are you hearing from your colleagues?

JOE ENGLISH, UNICEF EMERGENCY COMMUNICATION SPECIALIST: Jessica, and especially with a little bit of hopeful news. But I think, you know, we have to acknowledge as your previous guest, eloquently explained that this hope is built on heartbreak, and there are children and families in Gaza who have spent two years, more than two years just trying to survive. And there are children in Israel who have spent two years waiting, hoping, praying that their fathers will come home. And we will see that hopefully, in the next day.

But yeah, the challenge is, you know, the children that were meeting with and speaking with can put it far more powerfully than me. There was a young girl who spoke to our team just after the ceasefire came in, and when they asked her what she wanted to do, she said she wanted to go and visit her cousins. And that's understandable. You know, seeing family, friends you may not have seen for a long time.

But then she explained further that the cousins that she wanted to see were in the cemetery, you know, and that explains the underlines the absolute heartbreak that children, the families in Gaza and Israel have been through over the last two years.

So, for humanitarians, our job starts now. And first of all, that's rebuilding the basics of life, making sure people have shelter, they have fresh drinking water, they have food. There is still a famine in effect. You know, there are reports just this morning that a young girl died from starvation, from malnutrition. And imagine being a parent and your child dies after the ceasefire has come into effect.

[21:55:05]

And so we have to -- we have to reach people where they are with these basics of life, but we also have to do the work to rebuild people's hope, people's trust, and their belief that there is a brighter future coming.

DEAN: Yeah. Has it been communicated yet exactly what UNICEF's role will be during this, or how you're going to be able to operate?

ENGLISH: So the good news is, I mean, we've been operating throughout the last two years and for decades before that in Gaza. And Palestine, you know, so we know what we do and we do it very well, you know, and every time we've spoken previously, all I've said is let us do our job.

So, what we are doing is were doing our job. We are rushing in trucks of humanitarian aid. We are getting in water, were getting in nutrition supplies. But one thing which were looking to do in the days ahead, which we have not been able to do, is getting kids back into school, you know, children in Gaza have missed two years of school, and that comes on top of the learning losses that many of our own children will all experience with COVID.

And so, if we're going to help this generation of children in Gaza rebuild, education is absolutely paramount. When you speak to the kids there and you ask them what they want, they want to be back in school. They want to be back in the classroom. Their energy for it is infectious.

So that is one of our absolute priorities. But it is going to be when you look at the pictures of Gaza, when I speak to my colleagues, it's not going to be an easy task. We need all the support we can get.

DEAN: Yeah, there is so much work to be done to heal these children.

Joe English, thanks so much. We really appreciate it. Good luck.

ENGLISH: Thanks, Jessica.

DEAN: And thank you for joining me this evening. I'm Jessica Dean.

CNN's special coverage of the hostage release in Israel continues after a quick break with Sara Sidner. Have a great night.