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Hamas Hands Over Hostages to Red Cross; Israeli Sources: First Living Hostages Released to Red Cross. Aired 1-2a ET

Aired October 13, 2025 - 01:00   ET

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

[01:00:00]

WOLF BLITZER, CNN ANCHOR: Developments unfolding. Kaitlan Collins is here with me in Tel Aviv. Clarissa Ward is standing by over at Hostage Square in Tel Aviv. She's seeing family members, friends, others are there. Jeremy Diamond is in Re'im. That's a U.S. and Israeli military base in southern Israel not far from Gaza. That's where the hostages will make their first drop off point in Israel.

And Kaitlan, let's talk a little bit about what's going on. All of this is happening as we're waiting for President Trump to show up at Ben Gurion Airport. He's now flying over here.

KAITLAN COLLINS, CNN CHIEF WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Yes, the way this is timed and we've heard from officials on the plane, obviously they're really anticipating this moment for when President Trump does arrive because the president watched, Wolf, that rally the other night in Hostages Square, that his daughter Ivanka Trump and his son in law Jared Kushner was that saw the warm reception.

BLITZER: Steve Witkoff too.

COLLINS: Steve Witkoff, his envoy, of course, who helped negotiate and broker this deal and get a lot of the final details together. And so President Trump is coming here obviously in high spirits as he's set to meet with hostages and also to address the Israeli parliament in a little bit, in addition to receiving the Presidential Medal of Honor here from the Israeli president as he's here on the ground.

And so all of that is going to happen in terms of just what this has looked like for the president since he returned to office back in January for this moment. And I should note, Wolf, if he's going to be meeting with hostages here on the ground, he's met with many of them actually in Washington.

They've either come to the Oval Office, including hostages who were kidnapped into Gaza and were released in January and February, and also with the families of hostages, including those who are deceased, urging the president to not only bring back the hostages who are still living, but also to bring back the bodies of their loved ones. And that is something that has resonated with the president and that he's talked about a lot.

And as he was on the way here while he was asked about the fact that the prime minister here in Israel has not said that the war is over yet. And the president flatly asserted the war is over. And he made it very clear to the reporters on the plane that is how he views this, that the war in Gaza is over.

And so obviously there's a lot of key issues going ahead in terms of what that summit in Egypt is going to look like that he's going to later this afternoon. But this stop here in Israel will mainly focus on the hostages.

BLITZER: We've got some live pictures coming in, Kaitlan, from Re'im, the Israeli military base in the southern part of Israel, not far from Gaza, right there. That's where the hostages will make their first appearance inside Israel. We're waiting for that as well.

And then in Hostage Square in Tel Aviv, folks have gathered. Thousands of Israelis are gathered to welcome the hostages there as well. I want to go to CNN's Jeremy Diamond. He's at Re'im, the Israeli military base and set the scene for us over there. Jeremy?

JEREMY DIAMOND, CNN JERUSALEM CORRESPONDENT: Well, Wolf, you have a lot of Israelis who have come out here to line the roads right in front of the Re'im military base. As we've been watching over the course of the last hour, one helicopter after the next landing here. I can now see six different helicopters that have landed right in front of the Re'im military base.

Some of those will presumably be used to transport these newly freed host from this Re'im military base to hospitals in the Tel Aviv area. And we are receiving information, Wolf, that all of this process of releasing the hostages is indeed very much underway. Red Cross vehicles headed to the meeting point in northern Gaza where Hamas will be releasing the first five of the 20 living hostages expected to be released today. We've received their names.

They include Matan Angrest, Gali and Ziv Berman, Alon Ohel, Eitan Mor, and Omri Miran. I'm personally familiar with the stories of several of these hostages. First of all, Omri Miran, I met his wife Lishai. He has two young daughters who have been waiting for him for more than two years now to come home. Alon Ohel, he was kidnapped from the Nova Music festival right up the road from where we are right now just over two years ago. He was also held with the American hostage Keith Siegel for quite a long time, as well as Matan Angrest, an Israeli soldier who was captured and taken into the Gaza Strip. He was also held with Keith Siegel for quite a long time, to the point where Keith Siegel really quite came to recognize Matan Ungres as something of a son almost.

They formed very, very close bonds in captivity. And then Gali and Zivi Berman, they were taken from Kibbutz Kfar Aza, where we've seen a number of hostages, particularly young people who were taken from what was known as a youth village in the Kfar Aza kibbutz along the Gaza border. Some of his neighbors included Romy Gonen, Doron Steinbrecher and Emily Damari, who were all taken from that very same kibbutz and released during the last ceasefire. They are now expected to be released. Twins Gali and Zivi Berman, 28 year old twins expected to be released

among the first five hostages to be released from northern Gaza. And we will be watching, Wolf, as the next releases happen and whether they happen from other parts of the Gaza Strip, from central Gaza, from southern Gaza, we don't know at this point.

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But we do know that the first release is expected to take place at any moment now from the northern part of the Gaza Strip. Five of the first hostages. Wolf.

BLITZER: I will stay in very close touch with you. Jeremy Diamond at the Re'im military base in southern Israel, not far from Gaza. That's where the hostages, some of them at least, will make their first appearance inside Israel.

Clarissa Ward is standing by over at Hostage Square in Tel Aviv, where what, thousands of Israelis are gathering now to cheer on and to welcome these hostages home. Is that right, Clarissa?

CLARISSA WARD, CNN CHIEF INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: That's right. Well, we have been here since before sunrise, and we have seen Hostages Square get more and more crowded by the moment. There is a real air of anticipation, but also just an extraordinary amount of emotion. You see so many people gazing at that screen behind me, waiting for that first glimpse. They are cheering the fact that these hostages will soon be home. Their nightmare is finally, hopefully coming to an end.

But there are also a lot of grief, a lot of tears, a lot of sadness, a lot of posters, Wolf, for all of the hostages who will be coming back in coffins today, 28 deceased hostages, part of this exchange and release deal. Obviously, we understand that not all of the remains of those 28 hostages will be released today because it is going to take some time to find them.

And that's why you see this clock behind me, Wolf, this countdown, or I should say count up, that has been recording every second, every minute, every hour, every day, every week, every month, every year that these hostages messages have been held in captivity in Gaza.

And now finally the moment approaching that a lot of people here honestly had stopped daring to dream of, that clock potentially will be stopped, that the hostages will be home, and that Israel can begin the process of starting a new chapter.

And we've heard a lot of chants that we've heard many times over the last two years, everybody and the crowd, meaning bring back all the hostages. Sorry, everybody now. Meaning bring back all the hostages now. But we've also heard other chants like not left, not right. The hostages are for everybody.

And that is a nod to the fact that this is a country that has been driven by political division and a diversity of opinions about the war and the prime minister's handling of the war. But today is emphatically not a day for politics. Today is a day for unity. Today is a day for humanity.

And you can just feel, Wolf, that palpable sense of emotion when these people see those first hostages being released. And you heard Jeremy outline some of their stories. I interviewed the released hostage, Eliya Cohen, who spent a lot of time with Alon Ohel in captivity. He never stopped after his release, never stopped fighting to see Alon release.

And so for so many of those who were held and had to say goodbye and were able to go home to their families, but had to leave them behind, this is truly the end of a gruesome chapter. And now, everybody, just waiting for the moment that we will start to see that first group of hostages emerge.

BLITZER: And there's some good news apparently developing right now, Clarissa. We're beginning to see vehicles from the International Red Cross beginning to leave Gaza, heading towards Israel. And we assume that hostages are in those vehicles and they're being transported. Hamas handing over the hostages to the Red Cross.

The Red Cross now bringing hostages towards Israel. This is encouraging as we see this unfolding. And we should be seeing some of those hostages very, very soon arriving in Israel at the Re'im military base and elsewhere as well. Then they'll be taken to various Israeli hospitals here in Tel Aviv and elsewhere for initial treatment to make sure that they're OK. They're going to go through extensive medical, psychological examination. We'll watch all of that unfold. These are dramatic, historic moments that we're watching right now.

I want to thank Clarissa Ward, Kaitlan Collins, Jeremy Diamond for all their truly excellent, excellent reporting.

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Let's get some analysis right now from the former Israeli military spokesperson, retired Israeli Lt. Col. Jonathan Conricus. He's also a senior fellow right now at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies. Jonathan, thanks so much for joining us.

As you know, President Trump told reporters on the way here to Israel aboard Air Force One that the war is over. Do you believe the IDS thinks -- the IDF, the Israel Defense Forces thinks President Trump is wrong. Does the IDF think the war is now over?

LT. COL. JONATHAN CONRICUS (RET.), FORMER IDF SPOKESPERSON: Good morning to you, Wolf. Good to see you again on this happy day. I want to, I wouldn't want to defy any American president and definitely not President Trump. But I would say that I see this and I think many would share it. I see it as a ceasefire and a very important milestone getting the hostages back.

But as long as Hamas exists, as long as they have weapons, and as long as they control the Gaza Strip, then this is very little more than a ceasefire. When Hamas is dismantled of its weapons, when they no longer can threaten Israelis, when they cannot do October 7th or anything like it again, then the war will be over. BLITZER: Yes, I think it's one thing to have a ceasefire, as you

correctly point out, Jonathan, it's another thing to have the war completely over. And certainly the prime minister of Israel isn't suggesting the war is over. He's suggesting that Israel still needs to continue its efforts to make sure that Hamas no longer poses any threat to Israel. What do you see happening next?

CONRICUS: Well, hopefully today will be concluded around noontime, a little bit more with 20 live hostages. Hamas has published the names of the live hostages that they intend to return and they match our lists, of course. And then the 28 bodies or the remains of 28 murdered Israeli hostages, I understand that there will be a single digit amount of remains of hostages that will not be transferred today.

And then that will be carried over to that joint group of Israel, Qatar, Turkey and Hamas and of course, with U.S. intermediary functions. And then we will begin the search for those remains of the final remains of a few of the other murdered hostages.

And today, if everything goes according to plan, and I believe it will, I think today will be a very important milestone and we can check the most sensitive part of getting the deal started. What follows will be much more difficult and it'll, I think, take time and require a lot of diplomatic and military skill, and that is to get Hamas to disarm.

Hamas won't disarm easily and there will have to be significant pressure from Qatar, Egypt and Turkey for them to do so. Otherwise, it's great that we get the hostages back. But as you said before, the war won't be over because Hamas will still be a threat. So first things first, we're very happy and excited to get the hostages back, but there's still a lot of work to be done.

BLITZER: The ceasefire, Jonathan, seems to be holding. That's encouraging. The hostages are about to be handed over to Israel through the International Red Cross. That's also very encouraging. What worries you most about the coming days potentially, things could collapse?

CONRICUS: Yes. They're now in the hands. Seven Israeli hostages in the northern part of the Gaza Strip are in the hands of the Red Cross en route to Israeli hands, IDF hands. So that's great. What worries me is Hamas retribution, that they will continue to execute Palestinians in Gaza. That's one issue which I think we should be following closely.

Second is if Hamas continue to refuse to hand over weapons and disarm, that will not spell well for the future. And third, and I think less likely, given the sensitive situation, if Hamas tries to attack Israeli troops and to do something that would violate the ceasefire inside the Gaza Strip, currently, I don't see them benefiting from it. I think they have bigger fish to fry in the sense of not wanting to let go of their arms.

And I think that is where the focus should be. And I hope that today in Charlma Sheikh (ph), President Trump will lead, together with Arab countries, really, in a swift transition, as seamless as possible and as peaceful as possible transition from the terror regime of Hamas to some other local and international reign over the Gaza Strip and Palestinians.

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The faster the better. The longer time it gets to transition will mean more retribution by Hamas, more difficulties and more, I will say, uncertainty on the Israeli side that the deal is really going to happen and that Hamas is really going to be relegated to history and Israel will be safe.

BLITZER: Yes. The president, President Trump has been working with several European allies, as well as Arab countries and Muslim countries to create a new peacekeeping force in effect in Gaza to help make sure all this works out. Jonathan Conricus, retired Israeli lieutenant colonel, former spokesperson for the IDF. The Israel Defense Force says thanks so much for joining us.

Once again, we're standing by momentarily. We should start seeing hostages being released arriving in Israel. Their family members are anxiously awaiting their return. This is an extremely emotional moment.

We'll watch it all unfold with our special live coverage right here on CNN. Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SARA SIDNER, CNN ANCHOR: You are seeing the moment there when they are listening to the names being read out of those 20 some hostages who are expected to be released not in hours, but in mere minutes.

[01:20:02]

We return to the breaking news. You are seeing people there in Hostages Square in Tel Aviv awaiting the hostage release. Now, according to an Israeli official, Hamas is expected to release a total of 20 living hostages first. They will release them first to the Red Cross. The Red Cross will then help them move from Gaza, and then they will be eventually brought to Re'im where there is a military base where families of the hostages have gathered, awaiting their loved ones return.

In exchange, Israel has agreed to release hundreds of Palestinian prisoners and detainees. President Trump also expected to arrive in Israel very soon. He has already left for Israel, where he plans to meet with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and address the Israeli Parliament. We are joined now by David Horovitz. He is the founding editor of The Times of Israel, the online newspaper. Now he joins us from Jerusalem.

David, thank you for being here. Just give us a real sense of the enormity of the moment here as people around the world, but mostly those who are in the hostage families, those who are in Hostages Square, what this moment means. DAVID HOROVITZ, FOUNDING EDITOR, THE TIMES OF ISRAEL: Well, you know,

one often goes into hyperbole, but this is truly a historic moment for Israel after two years of war. And you've got 20 living hostages who are coming out today. The first seven just now were transferred from Hamas to the Red Cross to the Israeli army. They're coming out of Gaza now, the first seven of the 20 who have been held for two years in captivity. So it's extraordinary.

I would say the nation as a whole is rejoicing, certainly as to a degree that it hasn't for two years. And then you mix that up with President Trump. I think he's landing in about an hour. He's describing the Gaza deal, he said en route as perhaps the greatest thing he's ever done. So these are extraordinary moments after a very, very difficult period for Israel. And the entire world, I think, is indeed focused on this right now.

SIDNER: David, just looking at history, I lived in Jerusalem for quite some time. I have been also to Gaza when there have been past incursions, wars that were much, much shorter than this in time and scale. When you consider the number of people right now that are being returned, I mean, is this unprecedented, these numbers? Has Israel ever seen anything quite like this?

HOROVITZ: Well, this war is like nothing we've seen. And it began with the worst event in modern Israeli history, which, of course was the Hamas invasion and massacre of October 7th two years ago, when 1,200 people were killed and 251 hostages were taken. So now we're coming down to the final 47, plus one body that was held from 10 years earlier.

And today, all 20 of the remaining living hostages are being released and at least some of the dead bodies, the dead hostages. So, no, there hasn't been a single day like this. And there's also the question of what is going to happen now as regards the war.

Prime Minister Netanyahu gave a very brief video address last night to the nation in which he didn't specify that Gaza war would go on, but he said that the campaign is not over and was contradicted by Trump a few hours later when he was asked on the plane and said, you know, said, no, the war is over. Do you understand? So that's interesting.

And then there's this summit in Egypt later today, which is supposed to endorse basically Trump's whole Gaza plan. And Israel is not there for reasons not entirely clear. So it's an incredible day with all kinds of events playing out and a great deal at stake.

SIDNER: I do want to ask you about the hostages, because 48 in total. But we had heard from Hamas, right, that there may be some of the hostages who have been killed or have died. They may not be able to find them all. We're talking -- we don't know how many people. Do you have a sense of how exactly they are going to hand over those who are deceased?

HOROVITZ: Yes. So the agreement actually requires Hamas to free all 48 hostages, the living and the dead, essentially by noon today. At the same time, Hamas has said it can't do that because it doesn't know where all the dead hostages are. And Israel understands that and thinks that to some extent that is true.

[01:25:02]

And what will happen is that later today we believe at least some of the dead hostages will be some killed, slain hostages will be returned and maybe more after today. But beyond that, several of the families have been told not to expect the bodies of their loved ones to be returned, not today and not tomorrow, and have been assured by Israel that Israel will continue to do everything that it can to get them back.

How that plays out depends to some extent on what happens in Gaza. The Israeli army controls about half of Gaza, a little more. In other words, it is not in control of much of Gaza. And this will be a process. I don't know how long it will take. And there is the possibility, which one doesn't even want to talk about or think about, that some of the hostages might not be found.

I mean, this has played out because in some cases the hostages were dead and the people looking after them apparently are not contactable by Hamas. Maybe they are dead. Maybe buildings have collapsed around them. So for all the joy, and there is immense joy, incredible joy right now as these first seven hostages are coming back to Israel and another 13 in the very, very next, you know, hour or so or couple of hours or so.

At the same time, there are some families who are gradually going to have to come to terms with the fact that their loved ones are not coming back right away, and it might more than a little time before they are able to bury them.

SIDNER: All right, thank you so much, David Horovitz. And again, I just want to go back to those pictures because they are remarkable. You are seeing people gathering outside Re'im, where there is an air force base where the hostages families are awaiting the return of the hostages. They will be there after the Red Cross assesses them and then sends them on their way, if they are well enough to go there.

And then you are also seeing Hostages Square in Tel Aviv with just looks as though it's tens of thousands of people gathered there watching all this. By the way, on a big screen, they can see what is happening in Re'im. So it is quite a remarkable day there after more than two years of war. Let's go now to Wolf Blitzer, who has been reporting from there from Tel Aviv. Wolf?

BLITZER: All right, Sara, thank you very, very much. Jeremy Diamond is over at Re'im, the Israeli military base in southern Israel not far from Gaza right now. Jeremy, we saw helicopters flying over before, but we anticipate that some of the hostages who are about to be released will make their first stop at Israel, where you are at Ram, and a lot of Israelis have already gathered there to welcome them home.

DIAMOND: Yes, that's exactly right, Wolf. You can see behind me the masses of people and Israeli flags, as well as those yellow flags that have come to symbolize the fate of the hostages, the plight of the hostages over the course of these last two years.

What we have also been watching here are the families of some of these hostages who have been arriving here at this base, many of them coming in shuttle buses. In fact, I just had a moment to get into the road there and see Vicky Cohen. She is the mother of the Israeli soldier Nimrod Cohen, who was taken captive more than two years ago from a military base very close to here. She and I spent some time together just last weekend before October 7th as were talking about the way in which she had become really such a visible and powerful force in the hostage families movement, I just saw her.

I asked her how she was feeling. She said, great. She had a big, broad smile on her face. She was accompanied by her eldest son as well, who has also been fighting for his brother.

A very different expression on their faces than the one that we have seen on their faces over the course of the last two years. Because for so many of these hostage families, it's not only, you know, finally being able to be reunited with their loved ones, it's the end of so much anguish and also the end of their fight.

They have been fighting relentlessly, Wolf, over the course of these last two years, going to rally after rally, meeting with, you know, officials here in Israel and abroad, including in the United States. So much power, so much strength in what they have been doing over the course of these last two years. And this is, of course, the culmination of all of those efforts.

BLITZER: And Jeremy, just want to point out we have some good news coming in. We are now told that representatives of the International Cross -- International Red Cross have just started receiving hostages from Hamas. Israeli hostages are being hand it over to the Red Cross.

The Red Cross is the intermediary who will bring those hostages to Israel. And the hostage families are going to be so excited by that. Jeremy Diamond, standby.

[01:30:00]

Clarissa Ward, when they hear this news that hostages now are finally being handed over from Hamas to the Red Cross, who will bring them to Israel, that's going to be welcome news where you are, Clarissa, over at Hostages Square.

CLARISSA WARD, CNN CHIEF INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Wolf, I can tell you, because it happened just moments ago. The announcement came that the hostages were in the hands of the Red Cross. And this entire crowd cheered at the top of their lungs. I'm surprised, honestly, you couldn't hear it from the rooftop of the hotel where you are now. It was extraordinary.

We have seen this square which has become a sort of focal point for the movement to bring the hostages home, just fill up in the last few hours.

Some people came here as early as 4 or 5 in the morning before sunrise, to guarantee that they could get themselves a place to witness history, Wolf, because that is what is happening here now.

There are many thousands of people who are here. You can see that clock behind me, that clock marks every second, every minute, every hour, every day that these hostages have been held in captivity.

And now for the first time, Israelis really starting to embrace the very real possibility that that clock will finally stop with the arrival of these 20 hostages.

And I will say, you can probably feel just the shift even then, Wolf. You go from moments of elation where the crowd is cheering to moments of real quiet, of real sadness, of real grief.

We see a lot of tears in the crowd, a lot of emotion, a lot of posters as well for the hostages who will not be coming home alive today, who have been killed in captivity, who will be coming home in coffins.

And so you feel this sort of extraordinary wave of different emotions with Israelis of all different political ideologies and backgrounds coming together in a display of, of unity, of joy, of grief, of sadness.

There's a sense of serenity and calm. It's been such a long wait for these people, for these families, for the hostages who have been released and who have championed tirelessly around the clock to see all their fellow hostages home.

And now we wait for the moment that these people, the entire country and the entire world will finally hear the words that those hostages are back in Israel, Wolf.

BLITZER: And we're getting some very, very encouraging news right now, Clarissa, and you can share it with hostage family members who are there, where you are at Hostages Square here in Tel Aviv.

The first seven -- first seven Israeli hostages alive have now been officially handed over from Hamas to representatives from the International Red Cross, who will bring these first seven Israeli hostages back to Israel. And they'll be reunited with their family very, very soon.

We're going to continue our live special coverage of all of these dramatic developments.

And we'll take a quick break. We'll be right back.

[01:33:44]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: I'm Wolf Blitzer reporting live from Tel Aviv. And right now we're following our breaking news.

The process to release the remaining 20 alive Israeli hostages in Gaza is now underway. The first group of seven hostages, that first group has now been handed over to representatives from the International Red Cross by Hamas, and they will be making their way through the International Red Cross back to Israel. That, according to two well- placed Israeli sources.

The hostages are set to arrive at the Reim military base crossing in from Gaza. Reim is in southern Israel, not very far from Gaza. And that's where their family, so many of their families, have been gathering according to the Hostages and Missing Families Forum.

Israel will also release hundreds of Palestinian prisoners and detainees as part of this first phase of the U.S.-brokered agreement.

President Trump put forward a 20-point peace proposal, and it is being implemented right now. The ceasefire is holding.

All of this is underway as President Trump is currently on his way here to Israel. He's expected to land at Ben-Gurion airport soon and then meet with the Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, as well as representatives of the families of the hostages.

And later, he will address Israel's Knesset, the parliament in Jerusalem, deliver a major speech. We'll, of course, have live coverage of all of these developments.

CNN's Jeremy Diamond is at Reim. CNN's Clarissa Ward is at Hostages Square in Tel Aviv for us.

Jeremy, you're there right now. Any indication that any of those hostages have already made it through the International Red Cross to Reim, the military base where you are?

JEREMY DIAMOND, CNN JERUSALEM CORRESPONDENT: Well, no indication yet, Wolf. We know that that journey from Gaza in those Red Cross vehicles to this Reim base can take a bit of time, although, you know, no more than a half hour I would expect.

And so really, at any moment we could be seeing those seven first freed Israeli hostages today arriving at this Reim military base where they will have their first reunions with some of their family members.

[01:39:47]

DIAMOND: We've been watching as those family members have been arriving on the road right behind me, which, as you can see, is lined with hundreds of Israelis who have come out here to show their support for those families and for those newly-freed hostages.

I also have the names, Wolf, of these seven Israeli hostages who have been released in just the last 20 minutes or so by Hamas into the hands of the Red Cross, and who are on their way to this military base.

And I'm going to read them out to you. They include Gali and Ziv Berman. These are two twins who were taken from Kibbutz Kfar Aza on October 7th. Eitan Mor, who was working as a security guard at the Nova Music Festival that day. You have Omri Miran, a father of two young girls who has been held for

more than two years now. He was taken from a kibbutz in this area as well. Matan Angrest, An Israeli soldier who was also, I should note, held for a very long time with the American hostage, Keith Siegel, who I interviewed earlier this year.

Alon Ohel, who was also taken from the Nova Music Festival. He has now been released, as well as Guy Gilboa-Dalai.

That makes seven Israeli hostages who have been released from Hamas captivity after more than two years being held by Hamas.

We do not yet know what their condition is, but we do know that here at the Reim military base is where they will receive an initial medical evaluation.

Depending on their condition, they will either spend time with their families here or if there's a sense that they need immediate medical attention, they will then be taken directly in helicopters to those hospitals in the Tel Aviv area, Wolf.

BLITZER: Yes. I was at one of those hospitals yesterday, the Ichilov Medical Center here in Tel Aviv.

There's a helipad right at the top there, which will be able to use those helicopters if they're bringing the hostages to Ichilov. They'll be treated right away, and all of us will be very, very anxious.

And Clarissa Ward, you're over at Hostages Square here in Tel Aviv. I guess one of the most important things that folks there, indeed Israelis, people all over the world will want to see is what these seven Israeli hostages, the first seven who are now being handed over to the International Red Cross, who will bring them to Israel, what they look like and what their conditions are.

It's going to be very, very compelling to see all of that unfold, Clarissa.

WARD: I think, Wolf, there is obviously huge amounts of excitement and jubilation. But yes, a degree of trepidation as well. I mean, we have seen these hostages, some of them coming back in very, very, very, poor condition indeed. Some of them completely emaciated.

And so there's a sense here that nobody knows exactly what to expect and what we will see.

But I can't even begin to express, Wolf, the crowd, when the announcement came that those first group of hostages was in the hands of the International Red Cross. This entire crowd just let out this huge cheer. It was extraordinary to see.

And now everybody is just waiting for the moment that they hear confirmation from Israel's Defense Forces that those seven hostages are now back on Israeli soil.

This is obviously a moment that they have been waiting for, for more than two years.

And I think regardless, Wolf, of your politics, where you stand on this brutal, ugly war, this is a day to celebrate the fact that these hostages who are innocent civilians will be brought home, will be able to hug their family members again.

And also to grieve the fact that some of the hostages who will be released today will not be coming home to hug their families. They will be coming back in coffins and it's anticipated 28 deceased hostages remain in Gaza. We don't know how many of them will be released today as part of this swap or phase one agreement.

Certainly we've heard from Israel's leadership that the anticipation is that it might take some time to recover the remains of all 28 of those hostages.

But as a result, you have this sort of strange mixture of emotions here with people cheering one moment and ululating, and then the next moment you see the crowd praying, crying, clutching their hands with a sense of anxiety, excitement, trepidation, and also a degree of disbelief.

[01:44:46]

WARD: This is a moment they've been waiting for for such a very long time. But for a long time it seemed a very remote and distant possibility.

And so now you have thousands of people gathered in this square waiting to witness together this historic moment, Wolf.

BLITZER: All right. Clarissa, we're going to stay in very close touch with you.

I know that it's so emotional over there at Hostages Square. The families and supporters, Israelis are showing up in huge numbers, thousands of them, simply to welcome home these hostages who are being released as we speak right now.

Joining us now -- right now is Rachel Goldberg-Polin -- her son, Hersh Goldberg, was killed by Hamas after being held for more than 300 days.

Rachel Goldberg-Polin, thank you very much for joining us. Just tell us how you're feeling right now, hearing all of this news.

RACHEL GOLDBER-POLIN, MOTHER OF SLAIN ISRAELI-AMERICAN HOSTAGE HERSH GOLDBERG: Thank you Wolf, for having me. Obviously, today is a day of relief and joy and thanks and gratitude. Obviously, it is also bittersweet for many of the families.

But today we have elation for the hostages, for the hostage families who have their loved ones coming home alive. For the nation that worked so hard for this. And we are praying that we get all 48 back. And that we can have calm and a new day in our very battered region.

BLITZER: Are you confident that this ceasefire agreement, this 20- point peace proposal that President Trump put forward, is actually going to work?

GOLDBERG-POLIN: Confident? I'm not a geopolitical expert, so I really can't speak to the details of the plan.

It seems that the interest of everyone is to see this come to fruition. And I do believe that President Trump feels extremely strong and committed and determined, steadfastly determined to see this work.

And I think we've seen that when President Trump decides that something should happen, he is singularly someone in this region who can get it to happen.

So my hope and my optimism is aligned behind his determination.

BLITZER: We know your son, Hersh was killed. Tell us how you're doing right now, Rachel.

GOLDBERG-POLIN: Well, I think when I'm thinking of Hersh right now, I'm a little bit numb. And yet I always feel his love and his light and his warmth.

And I woke up today as I've woken up every day since he was killed. And I say, be with me, my sweet boy. Let me feel your love and your light. And I certainly do.

And I've already received hundreds of messages this morning. Thousands in the last couple of days saying, we know he's part of this. We know that your family and all of the families who have lost their children and their loved ones are part of this and part of how this came to be.

You know, this was the galvanizing of regular little people who went to the streets tirelessly and wouldn't give up. And I also am very much.

One of the hostages being released right now that's in the Red Cross truck that you mentioned is Alon Ohel, who was in the same bomb shelter sitting next to Hersh. They were kidnapped together on the same UNRWA truck. They were held together for seven weeks in, in a deep tunnel in Gaza with Elie Sharabi (ph), Elia Cohen (ph) and Or Levi (ph).

He is the final hostage from that bomb shelter who will be returned alive and who was saved by Aner Shapira (ph), who was Hersh's best friend who was killed on October 7th.

So there's a lot of emotions, but again, I think that we have the capacity to juggle and hold many things, many truths at once.

And today is a day of elation, relief and joy for those families whose children and loved ones like Omri Miran, who's a son and a husband and a father, will all be returning on their feet.

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GOLDBERG-POLIN: And our hearts are also embracing those who will receive their loved ones, as we did, in body bags. BLITZER: And I assume, Rachel, you'll be anxious to meet with some of

these Israeli hostages who are being released on this important day. And you'll also want to meet with some of their family members as well. And you will be a source of strength to them, there's no doubt about that.

Give us a final thought before I let you go.

GOLDBERG-POLIN: Well, I think that really I was hearing the director of the Health Ministry here in Israel, Moshe Bar Siman-Tov, who said -- who I think summed it up best. And he said, today is a day of hope, and joy, and immense sorrow. And that's all at one time.

And those are three things. And we're all going to learn to juggle, and we can do it together. It's a time where we can decide and make that real effort to delicately and lovingly embrace everyone who has been through the wringer and really suffering on both sides.

BLITZER: Rachel Goldberg-Polin, thank you so much for joining us on this important, very emotional, yet very historic day. We thank you very, very much.

GOLDBERG-POLIN: Thank you for having me.

BLITZER: I want to go back to Sara in New York, Sara.

SARA SIDNER, CNN ANCHOR: Thanks so much, Wolf.

I just want to reset our breaking news now. This is an incredibly significant moment in what has been a more than two-year war between Israel and Hamas in Gaza.

We have learned that the first seven hostages have now made their way. Hamas has handed them over to the Red Cross.

This journey will begin now from the Red Cross to Reim Air Force Base, where there are families waiting to hold their loved ones for the first time since they were captured by Hamas on October 7th, two years ago.

Here are the names. As we understand it, from the Hostage and Missing Families forum of those seven. Gali Berman, Ziv Berman, Eitan Abraham Mor, Omri Miran, Matan Angrest, Alon Ohel, Guy Gilboa-Dalai.

Those are the seven hostages of the 20 hostages that are still alive after two years in captivity. Those seven making their way towards their families in the hands now of the Red Cross.

Let us go now to our Kaitlan Collins, who is joining us live from Tel Aviv. This is such a significant moment. And we are already seeing (ph) the cheers from the crowds there in Hostages Square.

But most of all, these families are waiting to hold their loved ones and see the condition that they are currently in after such a long time in captivity, Kaitlan. KAITLAN COLLINS, CNN CHIEF WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Yes. They have waited 738 days for this moment, and many of them have worn t-shirts with their loved ones faces on them.

They've worn those yellow pins that have become synonymous with the hostages as they have been held. And just hearing the words of Rachel Goldberg-Polin there as she was speaking with Wolf.

I can never forget the quote from her when she was on stage alongside her husband, John Goldberg-Polin at the Democratic Convention last summer when they said, you know, in a competition of pain, there are no winners.

And they are certainly people who have felt immense pain during the last two years with the death of their son.

And for those families, all of these hostage families have formed such a close-knit community over the last two years, because they're really the only people who know what each other has gone through.

And so for that community today, to have the final survivors of the October 7th attack be able to come home and return home, it's such a moment right now here in Israel. And obviously it's one that the whole -- the whole -- all of Tel Aviv, where we are now, all of Jerusalem, the entire country realizes that and recognizes that.

And so just seeing the significance of that moment as they are not only waiting to see what condition they're in, Sara, as you just mentioned. You know, we've seen so many of these captives and hostages come back malnourished after being held for so long.

And also, just to think that so much has happened in these last two years and these hostages don't know any of it. Brett McGurk was saying earlier who worked on this closely under President Biden and tried very much to make what is happening today happen when president Biden was in office.

He was saying earlier on CNN that some of these hostages probably didn't even realize they were being rescued until they were put into cars by Hamas, because they'd been held underground for so long.

And so just to see that moment and also to speak with the families whose loved ones are not coming home really underscores what a day like today means in the two years that this has been going on.

[01:54:49]

COLLINS: And obviously the thing that will happen as we're watching these hostages be released is President Trump is set to arrive here very soon, and he'll go straight to the Israeli parliament, the Knesset, where he's going to speak, yes.

But first, before that, he's going to meet with a lot of these hostage families, and speak with them and have that chance to do that. So we'll look forward to seeing what the president's message is to them on a day as momentous as today. SIDNER: Yes. And we are looking at pictures, as you well know, of

Reim, Israel, where it is starting to be full of people who are waving the Israeli flag.

You are seeing those yellow flags as well that have been there for a long time to recognize the hostages. And these are just people that are there to cheer on and show their support for the hostages when they return home.

And then you have Hostages Square, of course, where you're seeing all manner of emotions come out from people who have been there for days and days, weeks and weeks, months and months, day in and day out, waiting for this very moment, a very significant time.

As we are seeing what was expected to happen, what was planned to happen actually come to fruition. It is a very, very big moment here. Across the world, but certainly there in Israel and in Gaza, where the ceasefire still holds.

Thank you so much for joining us. Thank you to our Wolf Blitzer, to our Jeremy Diamond, and to Clarissa Ward as well.

Let me toss it back to you, Wolf there in Tel Aviv, where we'll have much more of our breaking news coverage.

BLITZER: And, Sara, it's always good to be working with you. Years ago, you and I worked together here in Israel. You were our correspondent. I was visiting.

We were covering an earlier controversy that was going on, a war in Gaza. And that's when you and I got to know each other. It's always good to be working with you right now.

We're going to continue our live breaking news coverage right after this.

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