�* hostages following release of hostages following meetings with the delegations. the us president elect donald trump has already responded, writing and social media that we have a deal. giving a few more details but basically saying hostages are going to be released. a senior mass official told the bbc that the palestinian group had handed over its approval to qatari and egyptian mediators. i know these are difficult moments that we have reached a moment that we have reached a moment that so many of the hostage families were desperate to reach for months upon months. your reaction to the news we have heard today. figs

your reaction to the news we have heard today.— your reaction to the news we have heard today. as you said, for my cousin _ have heard today. as you said, for my cousin it _ have heard today. as you said, for my cousin it is _ have heard today. as you said, for my cousin it is too - have heard today. as you said, for my cousin it is too late. - for my cousin it is too late. she could have and should have beenin she could have and should have been in this deal, but for so many hostages it is not too late. and so i am so happy for them, for them, for the 33 hostages who will be released if this phase of the deal is being seen through. but we are also very worried about the next phase of the deal 65 hostages aren't going to be left in captivity if we don't continue from stage onto two and if we end this war and get and if we end this war and get a full ceasefire and get full hostage deal. thanks to trump, getting this hostage deal with the possible. the trump effect is what brought his so many hostages and it is going to bring even more. we want to

thank him and say to him that you make sure you get leave no one behind, make sure all the hostages are home and that this war is finally over.— war is finally over. before we talk about — war is finally over. before we talk about changing - war is finally over. before we talk about changing those - talk about changing those details, in terms of your cousin you told reuters news agency that she was so close to hugging herfather. we failed at his country because she had survived, hadn't she, 11 months of captivity. survived, hadn't she, 11 months of captivity-— of captivity. for 328 days she was in hamas _ of captivity. for 328 days she was in hamas captivity. - of captivity. for 328 days she was in hamas captivity. she l of captivity. for 328 days she i was in hamas captivity. she was supposed to come back home on the eighth day of the ceasefire. that was the last day of the ceasefire and just before she was supposed to be released at the dealjust collapsed and she was left behind. she was also on the

very first days of the new deal that was negotiated between israel and hamasjust that was negotiated between israel and hamas just a few months ago, but then she was brutally murdered by hamas terrorists because deal did not come in time and that is why i say right now don't lose this opportunity. every minute is precious to get all the hostages back home. if you leave hostages behind then they might end up being murdered in captivity after so many days of waiting. don't let this opportunity be missed. release all of them now and we want to see these beautiful pictures of family hugging their loved ones. that also happened in my family. carmel�*s sister in law was released in november. that

was released in november. that was the happiest day of our lives when she got to hug her three and a half year old daughter that she helped save on october the 7th. we want to see so many more of these pictures and i know donald trump can make it happen. you very clearly _ trump can make it happen. you very clearly just _ trump can make it happen. you very clearlyjust described the trauma that your cousin, your family have gone through, her death, and you will clearly blame hamas for that. that is very clear. but should this deal have happened earlier, could this deal have happened earlier, do you think?- earlier, do you think? yes, i think it must _ earlier, do you think? yes, i think it must happen - earlier, do you think? yes, i| think it must happen earlier. earlier, do you think? yes, i. think it must happen earlier. i think it must happen earlier. i think it must happen earlier. i think it was up to hamas, it was also up to the israeli government to do this deal better and sooner and i think many innocent lives could have been saved on both sides of the border. we don't care for revenge. we don't care forjust

more blood and more people to be killed. that is not what we care about. what we care about is for people to come home on both sides of the border, for this war to end, for finally having some good news after 15 months of suffering. and it's really too late but it's better late than never for all the hostages and for all the people in the region on both sides of the border. i think people will be happyjust to make sure that it goes through and that it ends the war and this is not just a pause in the war. we are seeinu just a pause in the war. we are seeing the _ just a pause in the war. we are seeing the pictures _ just a pause in the war. we are seeing the pictures from - seeing the pictures from hostage square and so many of those families coming together. you touched upon it but tell me a little more. other hostage families have talked about the support you have been able to give each other. these have been excruciating days and

weeks and months and over a year. just tell me more about that, about how you have been able to support each other. definitely. these peoplejust became my best friends in the world and we were all hoping for the same thing, for finally having a deal that will bring all the hostages back when i see a man whose sister might be coming home injust a see a man whose sister might be coming home in just a few days, we arejust thrilled coming home in just a few days, we are just thrilled with joy and we have been helping each other all along, and we have been helping each otherallalong, even and we have been helping each other all along, even when carmel was murdered, me and my sister and carmel�*s brother were all supported by this amazing family that is the hostage family. that is may be the biggest family in israel and we also got support from so many israelis and people around the world who supported our

cause, whojust the world who supported our cause, who just said, the world who supported our cause, whojust said, it is not matter of whether you are pro—palestinian or pro—israel, or pro—muslim, it is not a matter of religion or of nation. we believe that people should come back home, and as families of hostages the support was so important to us so i really want to thank you all and i really wish we all have good news soon. fire all and i really wish we all have good news soon. are “ust a final brief thought, if fl have good news soon. are “ust a final brief thought, if you h final brief thought, if you would. i was talking about the excruciating months, but in the hours and days ahead it will also be excruciating because so many of those families don't know if their loved ones are alive or dead, and actually the coming days will reveal that. that is going to be so difficult for some of those families. difficult for some of those families-_ families. yes, it is unbelievable - families. yes, it is unbelievable and i families. yes, it is| unbelievable and in families. yes, it is i unbelievable and in a families. yes, it is - unbelievable and in a way it families. yes, it is _ unbelievable and in a way it is sick that that is how people are going to find out whether

their loved ones are coming back home alive or are they coming back home after they were killed. it is unbelievable to think about that. it is a sick reality show and i know this is one of the reasons why support is so important for all of us. you never know what you are going to get and for some of the hostages we do know that they are alive and we expect to see them alive and we expect it of hamas because we know when we have had signs of life from some of them forjust a few weeks or even months ago so we expect to see them alive. for the others we really hope that just like they said, hamas did notjust decide to treat all of the hostages as badly as they treated my cousin. they actually cared about their lives because they are human

beings. hamas is a terror organisation and i have low expectations of them but i really hope they found some kind of humanity within them and care for people and humankind to make sure that most of the hostages are still alive. ~ ., ., ., alive. we have to leave it there. thank _ alive. we have to leave it there. thank you - alive. we have to leave it there. thank you so - alive. we have to leave it| there. thank you so much alive. we have to leave it - there. thank you so much for taking time to speak to us here as we continue with coverage reaction of this major breaking news. i want to take you life to the oval office because i want to show you the live pictures. there the podium is all set. in the next little while we will hear from joe biden and we have heard comments from the president—elect donald trump. not very much out of the white house since this news has broken. let me bring in tom bateman, our state department correspondent on capitol hill. we will come to donald trump in a moment or two but has there been anything since this news

was confirmed that has come from the white house? ida. from the white house? no, nothin: from the white house? no, nothing official. _ from the white house? iifr, nothing official. although, as you said, the podium is up at the oval office so the sign that a statement is imminent from president biden. i think they will wait and want to choreograph this in terms of joint announcement with the prime minister of qatar or the emir of qatarand the prime minister of qatar or the emir of qatar and the president of egypt as the mediators. whether or not we get the formal announcement from qatar first and then president biden speaks, we don't know yet. obviously he is going to say something very soon. having said that president—elect trump has beaten them to it, posting a couple of statements in the last half an hour. first of all to say there was an agreement but then a bit of a longer statement describing it but then