♪ ♪ hello, everyone. welcome. i'm fredericka whitfield in atlanta alongside my colleagues wolf blitzer and fareed zakaria. we begin with this breaking news. the third group of the hostages released by help as is now safe in israel ending an excruciating 50 days of imprisonment for them and here we are, there were 17 handed over to the red cross a short month ago including 13 israeli citizens and for the first time in this limited four-day truce, an american was also among the freed hostages, 4-year-old abigail edan is now safe. she was the youngest of the americans captured by hamas on october 7th. let's send it over to wolf

blitzer in tel aviv. >> thanks very much, fred. this is an important day, indeed. we have a team of our correspondents covering all of the latest developments. i first want to go to cnn's jeremy diamond. he is joining me from urim in israel. i understand you saw this convoy of the hostages pass through your area very, very quickly, but only a little while ago. tell us more about how this transfer actually took place. >> yeah. that's exactly right, wolf. this was the first night that the israeli civilians who were recentliy frommed from captivity from hamas actually entered israel not via the kerem shalom crossing where we've been the past two nights near the israel-gaza-egypt border, but instead coming through central gaza directly into israel and not passing through egypt. i understand the reason that that happened is because of a medical emergency involving one of those newly freed hostages

that was medically, evacuated helicopter to a hospital. the other hostages, we saw them come straight down this road here coming from the israel-gaza border and headed in this direction straight through to the hatzerim air base. we saw the newly freed hostages going to the air base and from there, wolf, we expect that they will be taking helicopters to hospitals across israel. these hospitals have been preparing for days for these newly freed hostages to arrive. their families are waiting for them at those hospitals and we've seen over the last few days as they we have stayed with their families surrounded with medical, psychological and social support and a whole range of services being offered to them after this very traumatic experience of nearly 50 days for many of them of captivity with hamas. among the 13 hostages free tonight from captivity and the

israelis who were part of the deal between israel and hamas, nine of them are children or teenagers and one of them, of course, is little abigail edan, the 4-year-old israeli-american citizen who, of course, we heard the president earlier tonight speaking about her case directly, talking about the efforts that his administration and the israeli government underwent to try and secure her release and finally tonight, wolf, she is freed from captivity. she is now back firmly on israeli soil. unfortunately, wolf, it's important to remember that she is also orphaned because hamas t terrorists killed her family on october 7th and nonetheless, finally freed from the nightmare that she faced in captivity. >> jeremy diamond, thank you very much. we'll get back to you. i know you are working the story very, very closely. i want to go to cnn's matthew chance right now. he's over at the schneider's children's medical center here in tel aviv.

we understand the hostages will go there. tell us what you know about what is about to happen? >> yeah. we think that some of the hostages will be coming here, we understand they'll be flown here by helicopter and what we've learned over the last couple of days is that it's a very complex and logistical operation any things can change until they actually arrive here via helicopter we will have to sort of keep an open mind, but we are standing here outside the schneider children's medical facility. you can see these flashing lights right behind me. the green lights on the floor, you may be able to make theal balances and that's the helipad. if they do come by helicopter we will see them right here and the hostage family support forum, rather, we are told that israeli-u.s. citizen, abigail edan is one of the hostages and the 4-year-old brought to the schneider's children's hospital, but others, as well and there have been nine children, of

course, that have been released as part of this third group of hostages under this hostage deal that have been set free, and they are coming into a remarkably different world to the world they were so violently torn out from. for instance, abigail edan, the israeli-u.s. citizen have family and it is not clear to them that she is even aware that she's now an orphan. her family, her parents, her mother and her father were killed in the kibbutz from which she was snatched on october 7th. the oneg children and her three children will also be coming out. they've lost family members, as well. the father of those children, one of the sisters of those children have also been killed. -- were also killed on october 7th.

we are also waiting to see the brodic family. i've spoken to the family, abby brodic, they are from that one settlement close to the border with gaza and he lost -- not lost, his wife and his three children were abducted by hamas on october 7th and so he is very relieved he told me earlier by text message that they are on the list and they will now be coming home this evening. yes, a lot of good news, a lot of positive news that we are awaiting here, but it will always be tinged with the tragedy and sadness that many of these lives and many of these families have been shattered, wolf? >> all right. matthew chance, we'll get back to you. orrin leishman is just north of

tel aviv. what do we know about the release of these hostages. you're getting an update. >> wolf, i'll pick up where matthew chance left off, speak of kfar aza, the kibbutz where they were from and members of that community have come since they can't return to their own homes and this where they've set up on the big screen watching their community members released from the hands of captivity in gaza. we spoke with one woman who described the last seven weeks, 61 people of the community, she had to go to eight funerals in one day because of the amount of people murdered there on october 7th in the hamas trr aerror att and that list, she says, includes her husband. today after seven weeks of darkness and after seven weeks

of what she called hell this was a bit of joy and finally a bit of light and all of these people here and all of these families waiting to hear word of what happened to their friends, loved ones and they had no updates over the course of the past seven weeks and they had set up here first to be together and first to see the israeli updates from israeli news as the pictures and the videos came out and we have repeatedly heard applause from the room behind us. the joy here finally to see these families coming out of gaza and the hostages released and it is such a relief and a reason for rejoice after so much darkness for the communities and the families of kfar aza, wolf. >> it is important for us to point out. oren, i want you to do this, it is not just hamas and there are efforts as well to return hostages held by other groups as well, right? >> correct. this is one of the true,

complicating factors in these negotiations. it is unclear to us and that includes israel, the u.s. and the qataris do not have a solid answer of how many hostages are in the hands of hamas or other organizations or other groups and that makes this far harder. one of the reasons hamas needed more time according to what they say is because they needed to round up the hostages to be able to release them and that raises the question of how much leverage does hamas have over the other groups in gaza, and is it able to secure release of all emthem and that's the mediators if the qaisar is are able to extend the pause in the fighting and does hamas have trouble surrounding them to be able to release them and that was a fundamental question that has not been entered with certainty, wolf. >> oren liebermann, thanks very much. i want to the go to larry

madowo. there is word that egypt, qatar and the united states are working now to extend this temporary truce. i know you are getting more information. what's happening on that front? >> that is a possibility, wolf. we've always reported on cnn that there is always a chance that this temporary truce could be extended and a spokesperson for the foreign ministry in qatar telling cnn that they're hoping they can use the momentum from these past three days to extend this truce for a longer period and in the last hour we got confirmation that the israeli ambassador telling our dana bash that there is always a part of this deal that if hamas can release ten more hostages they can get another extra day in the truce for every ten more hostages, they can buy another day. they need this because of the suffering that the people in gaza have gone through and for the israelis they would welcome this because that means more hostages will be released and there are still about 200 hostages that remain in hamas

and these other groups that oren was talking about. i think both sides would welcome an extension of the truce and especially yesterday, because it was disagreements and it's not done until it's done and they would accuse the other saying it. there's a glimmer of hope that it could be extended if hamas can agree to it and israel can agree to it, wolf. >> big ifs, indeed. larry, i understand hundreds of aid trucks have actually entered gaza since this truce, this temporary truce started, but humanitarian groups say that much more is needed to address the enormous humanitarian crisis that's under way in gaza right now. tell our viewers what you're learning about that? >> wolf, the u.n. agency in gaza says they would need at least

200 trucks coming into gaza for two months to meet the needs of the population there. so far the quota, as part of this temporary truce allows for 200 trucks to come in and they hit that on saturday and 187 trucks came in and the egyptians told us that at least 120 trucks were allowed into gaza and the palestinian red crescent said 100 trucks made it to gaza which was the sticking point with hamas yesterday. northern gaza is where the most need is. there's a fear that it could be breaking out there. some diseases could be breaking out there because food has run out. water has run out, and in a country where 1.7 million people are displaced, every amount of food, fuel and water and being cou cooking gas is snapped up and that's why you see people scrambling to get whatever pieces they can get as soon as trucks drive into gaza, but at the same time with the pause in

fighting you see people going to the marks and long lines outside fuel stations to get cooking gas or fuel and people going back to the markets to pick up essentials that they haven't been able to do because of the fighting and there's so much relief as you can see from one individual. >> translator: for 47 days of war we were living in fear. our kids were terrified. this was the first time we went out. we were afraid to go out because of the missiles and the air strikes, but since the first day of the ceasefire we have been able to go out to buy our needs safely. >> larry, we'll get back to you. stand by. i want to go to our arlette saenz. she joins us from nantucket, massachusetts, that's where president biden has been spending this holiday weekend. arlette, an american citizen,

4-year-old precious girl abdigal edan is hoong the hostages released and this is such great news. tell us how the white house and the president are reacting to this news. >> president biden celebrated the release of 4-year-old abigail edan telling reporters in nantucket that she is finally free and safely in israel. president biden spoke about what she endured not just in her captivity, but also on october 7th when her parentses were kid by hamas and her two siblings were there, but survived. she has gone through terrible trauma and what she's experienced is unthinkable. he add that he and the first lady will be praying that she is okay. the white house has been working around the clock trying to secure not just her release, but the release of other americans currently still being held hostage in gaza. there are two women that the u.s. has been hopeful that they would also be able to get out as

part of this negotiated release to release about 50 women and children over this four-day pause. the president told reporters today he is still hopeful to get those two women, american citizens out, but he did not have anything firm to offer on whether he believed they will be part of the release and they are expected to move forward tomorrow. president biden used this speech as an opportunity to say that it is his goal that this pause be extended even longer. he talked about how israel had initially agreed to the fact that they would extend the four-day pause, one day for every ten hostages that hamas would release and officials this morning said that ultimately the ball is in hamas' court, but take a listen to president biden outline why he thinks this plan is still working. >> this deal is structured so it can be extended to keep building on these results. that's my goal. that's our goal to keep this pause going beyond tomorrow so that we can continue to see more hostages come out and surge more

humanitarian relief into those in need in gaza. we've seen this is the day-by-day approach, hour-by-hour, nothing is guaranteed and nothing is being taken for granted, but the proof that this is working and worth for suing further is in every smile and every grateful tear we see on the faces of those families who are finally getting back together again. the proof is little abigail. more than 20 other children, 18 years and younger, have been released. they've been released through this deal, as well. they've endured a terrible ordel and they can now begin the long journey toward healing, and i will continue working with the emir of qatar, president sisi of egypt and president netanyahu of israel to do everything possible to see the hostages are freed, all of the hostages. i am grateful for the personal partnership size we review this deal from each of those that i

just mentioned as we work together to see all of this implemented and now to try to extend it further. i'll continue working with all our partners to take the hard, but necessary steps to build an integrated and more prosperous and peaceful future in the region. a two-state losing is the only way to guarantee the long-term security of both israelis and palestinian people. >> president biden also said he would be speaking with israeli prime minister benjamin netanyahu on the next steps and for now the white house is welcoming abigail edan and the white house will do everything they can to get those remaining hostages out. >> let's hope that happens and it happens sooner. arlette saenz, thank you very much. i want to bring in fareed zakaria, the host of "fareed zakaria gps." thanks for joining us. today's hostage release seemed to go so much more smoothly than

the one yesterday that was delayed for hour after hour after hour. what do you make of this new development, a much more encouraging development? >> i think in general it seems as though the three countries that president biden mentioned are negotiating through qatar with hamas have managed to work out some kind of, you know, some of the practical arrangements. some of the reporters said some of these hostages may not have actually been taken by hamas, but by islamic jihad and so they had to be rounded up and there were issues about whether the aid convoys were actually getting into gaza and whether they were getting all of the way to the north which israel still regards as a war zone. those are all kinks, but if you look at the history of truces between hamas and israel this one is holding pretty well and is delivering results. the real challenge, of course,

is it really is simply a temporary, very, very much needed humanitarian pause in every sense of the word and you see the families reunited and where does it leave things? after three, four, five, seven days you're back to where you were which is israel has a strategy where it says it wants to eliminate hamas which a per oh military campaign with large numbers civilian casualties and where does that take us? >> as you know, there is an american finally among the latest hostages released and a 4-year-old, a precious little 4-year-old abigail edan. why do you think it took until this third round of hostage releases for an american finally to be included and what do you think the prospects are for other americans who are still being held captive? >> i've been trying to figure

out whether there was any rhyme or reason to the nationality of the people that have been released and it's not clear that there is and a green of thai hostages that were released and some of the israelis, i think are -- some of the americans are dual passport holders so they may be being viewed differently, but it's not even clear what that would mean because they are releasing lots of israelis. i haven't been able to figure out whether there was a rationale. as you know, hamas holds the united states responsible because of the military aid it gives to israel. so perhaps there's some desire to, quote, unquote punish the american hostages more by holding them back, but honestly, wolf, this is part of the chall challenge of dealing with hamas with which they have few

relations. you are getting everything third hand, through qatar and even the qataris do not have very strong relations with them. so it's part of the challenge here is that the lines of communication are not that clean. >> good point. as you know, fareed, president biden when he spoke just a little while ago he said he wasn't sure when more americans would be released. what do you think the fine line that the president is trying to walk right now involves? >> it's a very fine line. president biden has staked his political capital on a strategy which is to be very supportive of israel, hug the israelis, be there in their hour of need and trauma, but then quietly, and i emphasize quietly, counsel them to take a wiser cost than frankly the one they're taking. we have good reports that suggests that president biden told prime minister netanyahu not to go for an all-out, massive, ground invasion of

gaza. not to use as much fire power as they have used, to be more targeted and more discreet to make getting the hostages back the primary goal. prime minister netanyahu has not as far as i can tell listened. he's pocketed the support and pushed back on the pressure. how president biden would handle that as things go forward. you notice in every conversation president biden has, in every statement he mentions that he wants to get to the political strategy here which is a two-state solution. what he's trying to say is, look, we want to be very clear that a violent, militant, armed resistance that hamas represents is completely off the table and will be dealt with brutally, but we want to keep alive the political hope and the political aspirations for the palestinian people and the political track. now that is not a view that prime minister netanyahu hopes.

for 15 years prime minister netanyahu has basically tried to do everything he can to make the two-state solution impossible in part by, among other things, building up hamas to divide the palestinians. he let in more workers from gaza through a kind of tacit agreement with hamas. he allowed the qataris to fund hamas. so there is a real contradiction coming up between american strategy and political strategy and prime minister netanyahu's approach and for a while, with all of these temporary pauses, this can can get kicked down the road, but it won't get kicked down the road forever. >> important point. fareed, i want you to stay with us. i want to talk about where the conflict could be headed and that's part of where the hostage

release continues and later, my exclusive sitdown with the israeli president isaac herzog. stay with us. you are watching our special live coverage.

along with cnn's fareed zakaria the host of "fareed zakaria gps." fareed, when president biden spoke just a little while ago he reit reiterated call for a two-state solution, a new state of palestine to live alongside the state of israel. are we in a political climate right now where that could even be put on the table? >> that's a terrific question, wolf, because on the one hand it seems the worst possible time to be doing it. israel is genuinely traumatized. i think they feel that their core security has been violated

by an act of brutality and barbarism. on the other hand, palestinians also have lost hope because for the last 15 or 16 years these rights-wing governments in israel have built settlements, arrested palestinians, confiscated land and shown no interest in trying to partner with the palestinian authority, for example, to find some path to a palestinian state. so both sides are at a moment of great despair. on the other hand, what all this violence and the eruption of violence shows is that you can't kick this can down the road forever. that there is a problem here. that you have 5.5 million palestinians who live between the west bank and gaza and there has to be some political path for them to have political riwhat they want which is their own state and if you don't do that life is not going to go on as normal.

so in a sense what president biden is hoping that that reality, that this has been a wake-up call on many dimensions and the wake-up call of the brutality of hamas and the need to confront it and really deal militarily and forcefully with it, but also the reality that you need to deal politically and diplomatically with this other issue. president biden is hoping that in some ways the wake-up call allows for a kind of reset. whether that will happen largely depends on whether the israeli public is willing to listen to that message. richard hass on my program an american diplomat, go to the knesset and go over the head of the prime minister of israel and say to the israeli people, your

long-term security depends on some resolution to this problem. it would take something like that because certainly prime minister netanyahu has had ample opportunities to move down this path and he hasn't and the last in israel is in tatters. i mean, the party, the labor party that dominated israel for the first four or five decades of his existence was under five or six seats in the knesset. so you would have to find some kind of centrist coalition to appeal to and the reason i say it depends on israel fundamentally is israel has all of the power in this situation. israel, on the ground is, it is israel's decision as to whether or not it will do something like this keeping in mind that israel has extreme fears, concerns about a palestinian state and about its own security in that context as has been amply illustrated by what happened in

the -- in a month ago. so it's a very thorny situation, but i think the biden strategy is that in a strange way the crisis produces perhaps an opportunity. >> and it reminds me, fareed and you'll remember this, as well because we both lived through that era when israel was surprised in 1973 with what was called the yom kippur war, when egypt and syria launched a surprise attack on israel. what happened after that war? israel managed to survive, obviously, but anwar sadat made a dramatic announcement to make peace with israel and go to jerusalem and address the knesset, israel's parliament and establish peace between israel and egypt. what happened then? at that point the greatest threat to israel announced they wanted to make peace with israel and the camp david accords and

jimmy carter was involved in that, and there is a peace treaty that is in place between israel and egypt and some israelis have been saying to me over the last couple of days, maybe now even after this horrible hamas attack there can still be some sort of reconciliation and some sort of arrangement that potentially could lead to what president biden keeps talking about this two-state solution. let me get your thoughts on that. >> i think you outlined it very well, wolf, and you know the history very well. the one thing i would underscore people forget now, but as you said, egypt was the principal threat to israel in those days and the egyptian army was the great army that the israelis worried about and war gamed against. so the fact that you were getting peace with egypt which was in those days which is the pre-oil money days still was a size maker, egypt was the natural leader of the arab

world. what made that possible was that you had an arab leader who was really willing to take a chance, and so that was really an extraordinary leader. i've been pointing out that israel has been right-wing leaders that have not wanted to make peace and it's important to point out that the palestinians have not been had a sedat. as some people say that palestinian marwat bargudi might be someone sitting in jail like that, the palestinian people have understand had a anwar sadat was an amazing, amazing man and i went to cairo after he addressed the knesset and it was one of the momentousank you ver. i want to continue this

conversation for sure. i want to go to break, but our coverage of these historic events will continue right after this.

welcome back. i'm fredericka whitfield. we'll get back to wolf blitzer in a moment. you being looking at ramallah. these were some of the palestinian prisoners released today. qatar said israel is releasing 39 palestinian prisoners. cnn's nada bashir has more on the reaction to the home comings in the occupied west bank. >> carried through the crowds, celebrated by thousands of palestinians, these boys are among 33 teenagers released from israeli prisons on saturday. [ cheering ] >> this is, for many here in the occupied west bank, a moment of

hope. and for those now freed, a moment of utter relief. >> i am so happy i can't believe this is real. i don't even know what to say. >> this scene, a product of a delicate four-day truce agreement between israel and hamas set to see 150 palestinian prisoners and detainees released and at least 50 israeli hostages freed from hamas captivity in gaza. there are many palestinian families who will still be waiting anxiously to hear if their loved ones will, too, be freed. the family seen here on sidatury rallied for months and he was seriously injured by israeli forces and arrested in june,a khussed by israel of offenses including of possessing a weapon, but he was never charged. now he and his family are finally together again. >> translator: i can't describe to you how i'm feeling right

now. i honestly can't believe it. i feel like i am in a dream. my son is finally with me. i thank god and pray that every mother will be able to feel this joy. i pray god grants the palestinian people this happiness. we just want to be able to smile and laugh together. >> many of those now released are among the over 3,000 palestinians held under administrative detention, meaning though charges have been laid against them and no ongoing legal process. israel says some of those released were being held on terror or weapons charges, but in a list published by israeli authorities of 300 women and children eligible for release, throwing stones and harming regional security were among the most common charges. >> there are children here that have been in jail for eight years, five years, six years. it's unacceptable. many of them have now huge psychological problems because of the torture at least psychological torture because of

the way they were interrogated and it is a terrible atrocity that is practiced against these children. >> for the crowds gathered here in the occupied west bank, in celebration, they say, is a symbol of justice. bringing thousands of palestinians together to share in the joy of now reunited families, but for many that joy is coupled with grief, with pain felt deeply here for the people of gaza. >> we are extremely happy, but still overwhelmed and extremely saddened by everything going on here in palestine, but at the same time still resilient, and keep going with whatever we can do in order to hopefully arngs ch achieve a ceasefire and hopefully later on a full liberation. >> nada bashir, cnn.

>> cnn has reached out to the israeli prisons for allegation of abuse in detention. we are following developments out of gas and a third group of hostages were released today. we are live in the region next.

we are back following all of the breaking news in the israel-hamas war. earlier today i had a chance to sit down in jerusalem with the israeli president isaac herzog for an exclusive interview when he shared what other nations around the world must do in order to achieve regional stability here in the middle east. given the stakes involved, do you see israel effectively reoccupying gaza? >> it's not effectively re-occupying gaza because there

must be and there will be also international involvement. palestinian involve, israeli involvement. these things have to be worked out and they're only now starting to discuss these things, basically starting from the united states of america, europe. the relevant arab countries will have a say in the ability both to mediate as well as to help and the regional forces and the palestinians and the israelis. i am not now painting the exact solution. it is not under my domain. i'm the head of state, but i don't have executive powers, but my own vision of the way it has to be dealt with is some sort of a formation that is effective enough, but also represents the various interests. this is the vision. there has to be an interim process until there will be an

exiting where we are all sure that gaza is not any more a terror base and we don't go back to the same merry-go-round of walls of suffering, of terror, et cetera, et cetera. >> so what i hear you saying and correct me if i'm wrong, mr. president, you want an international coalition together with israel, the united states and other countries effectively taking charge. >> there has to be something in that line. there has to be something that makes sense, and i would say further that this idea of a coalition or joined forces also has to the look to the future of regional stability. if we look to the future of regional stability it is fighting and making sure that all of the enemies of peace in the region must be defeated. if we look in the grand picture in our region you see nations have gone to peace, who decided to go to peace together, who had

peace agreements like israel with egypt, with jordan, with the united arab a whole movement towards peace. hopefully saudi arabia next. that's a coalition which is also supported by the united states of america and its allies, as opposed to a coalition of terror and hate and jihadism which emanates from tehran, which has its proxies, hezbollah in lebanon, the houthis in yemen. syria totally controlled by them, and hamas in gaza. this is the story in iraq as well. this is extremely dangerous to world stability. it's extremely dangerous to world stability and it's extremely dangerous to american

national security ininterests. president macron of france, for example, made an entinteresting suggesting. hamas is basically isis. think about it -- these ideas have to be discussed, put on the table and discussed showing not only the political process but most importantly the security process so that people both in gaza and definitely in israel and on the border and elsewhere can live in peace. >> you're basically blaming iran as the leadership of this coalition? >> it's absolutely clear. i'll give you another example which your viewers must understand. we were educated that piracy is

abolished, piracy is gone, it's dead. meaning you cannot hijack anymore a vessel in the hey sees. just a few days ago the houthis in yemen, totally proxied by iran, aided by iran have announced publicly and celebrated the fact that they took a ship, a japanese ship which has been en route between turkey and india with southern commodities. they took it and it's now in yemen. another ship was attacked. guys, we're in a regional battle. this battle affects world order. if we're not tough enough and strong enough, and if we don't alert nations to understand the battle, this is extremely dangerous. that's why i'm so disappointed that there could be western countries, kind of indifferent to this risk and enormous pain of ours. i saw a leader from a

distinguished european country tweet as to the release of one of the girls who was released last night saying that she was -- she got lost, and thank god she's back home. no, sir, she wasn't lost. she was kidnapped by terrorists of the worst kind that humanity has seen since world war ii. she was kidnapped and suffered and tortured and was released in this prisoner exchange last night. >> you're talking about emily hand. >> i'm talking about emily hand and i was very disappointed by the remarks of the prime minister of ireland. he should have said -- nations have to realize that they must say an israeli citizen, she has also an irish passport, a girl, 18 years old, was taken away from her home to gaza by terrorists who came actually to kill her, her neighbors and the

entire families in this peace-loving kibbutz, which was one of the biggest advocate communities for peace in the region. >> you'll hear more from my interview with eye zach heherzo comingng up. more of our special coverage coming up after this.

welcome back. i'm wolf blitzer in tel aviv. i want to read the names of the 13 israelis released today. 4-year-old abigail eden, the american, 4-year-old abigail eden. 40-year-old row ditch. 4-yea

there are also four foreign nationals now freed from hamas captivity, three thai nationals and a russian israeli dual citizens according to the ididf now w freed as w well. the power goes out and we still have wifi to do our homework. and that's a good thing? great in my book! who are you?