pictures there at the rafah crossing just before 5:00 p.m. in israel and certainly to recap where we are now, there has been about a dozen thai nationals who have been released, an unconditional release by hamas, came as a surprise. we believe they now have their freedom. we are still awaiting official word about the first hostages being held in israel, being released. we know also keeping an eye on the prisons there in the west bank for palestinians to be released as well. there's a fast-moving developments, nbc's david rohde, thank you very much. we appreciate you being with us this morning. we'll continue to follow your reporting and analysis throughout the day. that does it for us here this morning. msnbc's live coverage continues with josé diaz-balart right now. and good morning, it is 10:00 a.m. eastern, 7:00 a.m. pacific. i'm josé diaz-balart. right now on msnbc, breaking news, the first group of hostages to be released any moment under the deal between

israel and hamas. what we know about the 13, among them women and children, and more on the separate deal that led to the release of 12 thai nationals. in gaza where it's about 5:00 p.m. local time, the fragile four-day pause in fighting appears to be holding, but today new warnings from israel that fighting will resume when the four days are done, dropping leaflets over gaza. what israel's campaign could look like once this pause is over. ♪♪ and we begin with breaking news this morning, any moment the first group of hostages will be released under the deal between israel and hamas. 13 women and children will be among the first group of released hostages. nbc news can confirm that 12 thai nationals have already been released under a separate deal.

a fragile four-day pause in fighting began just hours ago to make way for these releases. the column of israeli tanks seen leaving gaza, and we see these bulldozers there as well. new video captured just after the pause took effect shows palestinians emerging onto the streets of khan younis in gaza. israel is warning the war is not over. the idf dropping these leaflets on south gaza telling palestinians to stay where they are and avoid the dangerous war zone to the north. joining us now from tel aviv is nbc's erin mclaughlin. thank you. we have learned today that americans will not be in this first group of 13. what do we know about that? >> reporter: we are waiting for official confirmation this is,

in fact, happening. we know what we expect to happen today and that is for 13 israeli hostages, women and children, to be released to the red cross. the red cross is then expected to take those hostages across the rafah border crossing, they'll be handed over to specialized israeli military forces. they'll have a full medical evaluation and then from there be offered the opportunity to call their family members for the first time in some 48 days. that call, according to an israeli official will be supervised by psychologists and social workers. they're really focusing on giving these hostages as much emotional support as possible knowing the trauma that they have been through. once the phone call is complete, then they're expected to be driven to a nearby air force base and flown to five different medical centers for treatment, and it's at those medical

centers that they will finally physically be reunited with their family members. now, that is the plan. the big question here in the region is will that happen in practice. and again, we're waiting for official word. >> and erin, what can you tell us about the group of thai nationals that was apparently already released under a separate deal? >> reporter: yeah, that was just announced about an hour ago, some 22 thai nationals were released according to the thai prime minister, thai nationals were taken hostage on october 7th. they were on the kibbutz scene as farm workers. so good news for those thai nationals, and it's being seen here in the region as a sign that this hostage release is, in fact, happening, a sign of hope for the israeli hostages that this process is, in fact, going forward. >> and erin, we're also showing images live in tel aviv of what has now been called hostage

square where people congregate. there is all kinds of information about the hostages. and also, we have a live shot also of a hospital, a children's hospital in tel aviv where -- this one right here that you see, wilson medical center, which is where we're told this hospital is ready to receive any children that could be released today and certainly in the next couple of days. and so, erin, no americans in this group of 13 that is expected to be released any moment now, is the expectation that americans will be among the 50 over the next couple of days that should be released? >> reporter: jose, that certainly is the hope. officials are saying they're going to have to see how today goes, if 13 israelis are, in fact, released as part of this process. now, we know from israeli officials that they have been provided a list of the names, a list of the identities by hamas,

but that was just seen as unreliable. remember, hamas is a terror organization. they have been having to negotiate with a terror organization. so they are holding off on making that list, the list of hostages expected to be released today until that very important identification process that i was just talking about has gone forward. once they know for sure who, in fact, has been released, then, you know, we do expect eventually that that will be made public, and the hope is especially among the family members of hostages that i've been talking to, the hope is that once this goes forward, the release of 13 will lead to the release of 13 more, which will lead to the release of 13 more until all 50 -- and again, remember that extension that is also possible as part of this deal, another ten hostages in exchange for another day pause. the hope is among the families that this process keeps going. there is this recognition that

it's incredibly fragile, that this was an ongoing war, and to that end israeli officials are warning that this war will continue once this hostage release is complete. jose. >> yeah, and i mean, erin there are 240 according to israeli officials, 240 hostages being held in gaza. it seems as though with four days or extended one, two, three more days, it still doesn't add up to 240. >> no, and there's some real questions about where all of the hostages are and who exactly is holding them. we know that hamas has claimed to be holding a large number of them, but there are other militant groups inside gaza that could also be holding more hostages, and then there's this big question mark, is hamas in communication with those groups? will those hostages be released as part of this deal, and then

you have the reality that this is an all out brutal war, and the question -- there is a question about how many hostages could be -- could have survived not only the brutal assault that was october 7th but also the war that followed. jose. >> erin mclaughlin, we'll check in with you throughout the remainder of the day. if you would, stay with us. i'll see you in just a minute. i want to bring in ambassador dennis ross, former nscc director for the central region, retired also admiral james stavridis, former naval supreme allied commander. thank you, gentlemen, for being with us today. ambassador, what are you watching for with this exchange of hostages? we were just talking to erin about the math of 240, maybe up to 100 not in the hands directly of hamas, but it's a group daily to be released. how are you seeing this? >> well, i'm looking to see,

first of all, that the initial release takes place, which i think it will. i think we need to remember this is very much in hamas's interests. the pause is something that takes the immediate military pressure off them, and they were under an enormous military pressure. -- they're going to get palestinian prisoners released, and palestinian prisoners are iconic in palestinian society. this will be seen as a gain for hamas. they have a stake in this going forward. so i do expect it to go forward. again, the deal is not only to release them for four to five days, but as you've been saying -- and i just want to underscore this -- for every day that an additional ten are released, they will get a day of additional cease fire, so it is quite con receivable this could go on for maybe up to ten days. even that would leave 140, in the best case, that will leave about 140 hostages still there. so i would say this is something

that i expect to go forward, even though hamas has a way of creating new obstacles at the last minute. i wouldn't be surprised to see that crop up. they will also certainly allow large number of media to come into gaza to, again, reveal everything that has happened there as another device of creating much greater pressure on israel and even us to sort of extend these pauses. >> yeah, admiral, logistically, what would this exchange hostages for the palestinians look like? >> you're seeing it unfold in realtime. it's going to be exactly as depicted so far, which is to say it will be choreographed. it will be orchestrated. the media will want to get as much of it on camera as they can, but i don't think you're going to have an opportunity to do that. when i was commander of u.s. southern command, jose, a region you and i know quite well,

you'll recall three hostages we rescued from colombia. and those hostages were then taken back to hospital, pretty long process. i think it's going to be a while before you see on camera much of anything. but the ambassador is exactly right. this is confidence building. that's what's occurring now, and hopefully both sides will take some confidence in this process, and we will have a period i'd say of days, some more hostages come out, but ultimately, the israelis are going to go back to war fighting. they have not achieved their military objective, which is to really shatter the power of hamas. to do, that they've got to continue to eliminate senior leaders and critical military objective. they've got shut down this tunnel system. that's military objective number one. if political objective is

getting those hostages out, closing down those tunnels is the military objective. israel will not stop fighting until that is accomplished. >> is that military objective in some way being problematic because of this pause? >> it is exactly that, a pause in hamas will take full advantage of it militarily as the ambassador said a moment ago, they'll have a public relations bounce out of this. they'll have some internal credibility that occurs, but militarily hamas will be moving ammunition, moving fuel, moving fighters. they'll use that tunnel system to do so. it is to their advantage because israel was really on the front foot on the war fighting side of this thing, but i think israel ought to make the pause not only to get the hostages, but also

because israel wants to appear on that global stage as a reasonable act or just as hamas does as well. there's an information war that's occurring here, and israel is not winning it at this point. >> and ambassador, what are the hostages that may be in the first group of 50, israeli military abigail idan, today is her fourth birthday. what do you make of the negotiations president biden has been involved in to get this deal done? he has been specifically and particularly focused on this deal. >> well, again, you have i think up to nine american hostages as part of those being held, and the president's made it very clear that wherever americans are being held, he is quite determined to -- he is quite determined to go ahead and do all he can to recover americans so i'm not surprised that he's

involved in it. i'm just not surprised that's the case at all. so we should understand that basically this is a priority for the administration, and for reasons that are, i think quite clear. >> yeah, and just, you know, to think that today is her fourth birthday and she is definitely not on the list of those that are hopefully to be released today, that group of 136789 admiral, and then let's talk about that. we're talking about 240, and it seems as though hamas has said they really don't have control over as many as 100 of those 240 hostages. how does this work? how do these hostages get home? >> it's going to be very challenging simply because not only do you have the normal rivalries and disconnects inside this resistance movement in gaza. the dominant force of which is

hamas, but there are two or three other significant radicalized players who are generally aligned in a coalition of terror. they would say resistance against israel. so the fact that some of the hostages, perhaps up to 100 are held by these other groups would be problematic in a benign environment, but given that it's war fighting, communications are disrupted. they can't just pick up their cell phones and call their partners in crime. they've got to use land lines so their calls aren't intercepted or couriers. there are disconnects, and i think that may be the most challenging part of this. and gosh, you look at the face of that little girl, and your heart just goes out to every one of these hostages and each of their family members. hard to look at those pictures and not feel the immense weight of what is happening.

>> indeed, and admiral just your thoughts, when we've seen the israeli defense forces have released a number of videos over the past 48 hours, but what are very clearly tunnels, the idf insists they are under the main hospital there, under schools, under mosques. these are sophisticated tunnels, super well built with the air-conditioning and bathrooms and, you know, rooms for cots and kitchenettes, these aren't the tunnels that, you know, we've seen in guerrilla warfare in el salvador in the '80s. these are, you know, concrete structures. how do you fight a fight against that type of infrastructure underground where, admiral, as you say, there could be 100 or 200 hostages held in different parts of this huge web of

tunnels? >> i honestly cannot think of a harder military problem to be handed as a senior commander, and my instructions are exactly what you outlined. go down into this complex tunnel system where you have a rough idea of what might be happening, but not to the precision of your enemy, and then layer onto that the complexity of their holding 150, 200 hostages. no harder problem, a short answer to the question is you use technology, unmanned vehicles that can move surreptitiously, perhaps provide you intelligence back. you fuse that with working dogs, perhaps. you use clearly special forces. israel has known this moment might come for decades as they watched these tunnels get built. they're prepared for this, but it's going to be unbelievably hard. >> ambassador dennis ross and

admiral james stavridis, thank you so much for being with us this morning. we're back in 60 seconds with toys, clean clothes, and noise canceling headphones. how israel is preparing for the hostages to come home. also ahead, i'll be joined by "washington post" journalists who spent 544 days in iranian custody. what's it like to rejoin society after captivity? you're watching "josé diaz-balart reports" on msnbc. (ella) fashion moves fast. (jen) so we partner with verizon to take our operations to the next level. (marquis) with a custom private 5g network. (ella) we get more control of production, efficiencies, and greater agility. (jen) that's enterprise intelligence. (vo) it's your vision, it's your verizon. whenever you're hungry, there's a deal on the subway app.

buy one footlong, get one 50% off in the subway app today. now that's a deal worth celebrating. man, what are you doing?! get it before it's gone on the subway app. ♪♪ still living with odors? get back in there and freshen instantly with febreze air mist. febreze's fine mist floats longer in the air to fight even your toughest odors. so long stinky smells and hello amazing freshness. febreze air mist. 18 past the hour, right now we are following breaking news. developments out of the middle east where a temporary pause is now underway in gaza. this as we await the release of the first group of hostages that had been held for nearly seven weeks as part of a major breakthrough between israel and hamas. let's take a look at these pictures. these are preparations made by israel ahead of receiving this first group of hostages, toys,

clean clothes, noise canceling headphones are among some of the items meant to bring some comfort to the children. we should also note 12 thai nationals have been released by hamas as part of a separate deal. back with us is nbc news correspondent erin mclaughlin. erin, what's the latest on this? >> reporter: hey, jose. we are still waiting on word of a potential release. nothing has been made official right now. this was always seen as a fragile situation fraught with tension and the families, you know, again, waiting for that confirmation. we don't know at what stage of this process these hostages are in. we know that once they cross into egypt, they will be handed over to specialized israeli forces, who will then put them

through an identification process. the israeli government will want to make sure that each and every hostage is properly identified. there was a big question mark in terms of the list provided by hamas. they want to be certain of who has been released, and then they will undergo a full medical evaluation. that, of course, is a huge concern for the families as well as for the government, what conditions these hostages were held in. if any of these hostages, in fact, have seen daylight, many of them not having access to their medications. if many of them there has been no proof of life, no understanding of their condition prior to this potential moment. so all of that is going to be looked at very carefull as soon as they cross the egyptian border. and then from there we understand from an israeli official, they will be allowed to make that all important phone call for the first time in 48 days. they will be allowed to call

their loved ones and have a conversation via a video link. that is something that so many families are craving right now, that contact, that confirmation that their loved ones are safe, that their loved ones are free. i was speaking to hadas calderon just a few days ago. her ex-husband was kidnapped on october 7th as was her 11-year-old son and her 16-year-old daughter. her mother was killed. her niece was killed. she told me that she was in a living hell, that she said you cannot understand my pain, my anguish, not knowing where my family is. and she told me that she recognized that as part of this deal while she had hope at the time, that her children could be released as part of this deal, she recognize that her ex-husband would not be released. at present they've only announced the release of women and children.

it's her hope that this deal will lead to subsequent deals to her entire family could be reunited. that really is the hope of so many families here in israel tonight. >> just when you say this, one hears it but it's -- you know, you're talking about 49 days ago. 49 days ago on the 7th of october men, women, and children were massacred, killed, and you're talking about, erin, this person who describes the destruction of her family and people being taken, and in 49 days, no proof of life, no information, no access to the red cross or the red crescent. what are some of the resources and the plans that israel is making and taking once they receive these people? >> reporter: well, the planning it seems as though it has been

absolutely meticulous. they are acutely aware of the fragile state that many of these hostages will be in if and when they are, in fact, released from gaza, and so according to an israeli officials every single hostage released will receive or be assigned a therapist, a social worker, to help them on this recovery journey. and it will be a journey. the israeli officials say that the children will not be immediately available for interview, if at all. that the healing process will need to begin as soon as they cross out of gaza, and one of the things that they say that will immediately need to be established is trust. many of these hostages have had their reality just -- and their lives just completely ripped out from under them. and that will need to be addressed, so the israeli forces that greet them in egypt have been specially trained, some of

them specially trained to be able to communicate and greet children. so that all important healing process, which could take years, begins from the moment they cross that border. jose. >> erin mclaughlin, thank you so very much. we will continue our conversation going forward. erin, i appreciate it. and now after seven weeks of being held in captivity, as we were just talking about, those 13 hostages hopefully released soon will face challenges of reintegrating into their lives back home in a very different home and in a different life. joining us now is jason ra zion, "washington post" global affairs columnist. he spent 544 days wrongfully imprisoned in iran before being released in 2016. thanks for being with us. you know, my admiration for you and how you have been so extraordinary and the spirit that you showed and continue to show. i'm just thinking every human is

infinitely different and every case is different. but what are you thinking, jason, as we are approaching what appears to be the first group of 13 hostages that hopefully will soon be being released. what do you think they are experiencing? >> jose, thanks so much for having me on, and i want to give credit to erin who gave a really rounded picture of the realities that these folks will be coming home to. i think first and foremost, we have to recognize that because of the age difference and the life experience of each of these people, each experience is going to be different. i think that there will be a sense of relief, of course, but also the knowledge that others have not been released yet. the tension will continue for these folks and, you know, the

healing process cannot really begin until the chapter is closed, this particular chapter, and getting out of captivity is just one part of it. there's a conflict that's been raging above these people's heads for seven weeks. some of them have witnessed loved ones being murdered in front of their eyes. so there's just such a complex array of issues that each of these people is going to have to deal with. but i think that we have to focus on the relief and the end to the immediate anguish of captivity and rejoice in that a little bit. >> now, what were the main issues that for you remained as far as a post life? >> look, the first thing is that

you assume having spent the first many years of your life in freedom that if it's taken from you for a month, six weeks, a year and a half in my case, that it will be very easy to just kind of ease back into that. it's not. it's complicated. you learn to live in a way that you have no choice. and so when you get choice back, it's not very simple to integrate it back into your life. then the fact that, you know, i was held in very severe isolation. i did not have a lot of interaction with other humans. opening up that circle of relations and being out in the public again was jarring. it was challenging, and then i think for me, the feeling that why am i not happier? of course i was overjoyed at being free. i was very excited to be back

with my family, but that kind of gnawing in the back of my mind that, you know, why don't i just feel better. and there are a lot of reasons for it, right? you've been highly traumatized. you've been at a level of increased anxiety for many months on end, sleep was an issue in captivity. it was an issue when i got out. nightmares. you know, and the list of challenges goes on and on and on . but as i said, for now i want to focus on the relief for these individual, these 13 individuals plus the 12 thai nationals who have also been released. it's a good day for them and their families, and i hope that more good days are coming for other people being held hostage there and around the world. >> yeah, and we can -- you know, just thinking, and by the way, we're just hearing right now confirmation that regional diplomatic sources in the middle east are telling us that, yes, the group of 13 has just been

released into the hands of the red cross. >> wonderful. >> inside and going into egypt as we speak, so we have confirmation right now, jason, that this first group of 13 is right now being handed over to the red cross. and i'm just thinking, jason, you know, the precious privilege of freedom, you know. >> look, you can't -- you can't describe it. i mean, once it's been taken from you, you have a whole better understanding of what it means. but for those of us who -- the vast majority of us who have lived in freedom our whole lives, we really can't relate to what it's like to lose it and get it back. it's really a gift. >> it is indeed, and jason, i thank you so much for being with us. as i say, very much value just how you are and how you continue to stand for the things that are

truly important, and i appreciate your time, jason. >> thank you, jose. >> thanks so much. and we're just, as i say, hearing confirmation that that group of 13 has been released, and this is a live look outside israel's military prison in the occupied west bank where the 39 palestinian prisoners are being held ahead of the expected exchange for those 13 israeli hostages that we are getting word as of right now are being handed over to the red cross. as part of the deal, seven fuel trucks and around 200 trucks of humanitarian aid have already entered gaza from egypt. take a look at these pictures. joining us now from ramallah in the west bank is nbc's david noriega. great seeing you. what do we know about these 39 palestinian prisoners? >> reporter: jose, good morning.

as you said, i'm in the occupied west bank. as you can see, there's a big crowd behind me, they've been gathering here all this evening. they're running this direction. i'm not entirely sure why. i think everything's okay. bind me is the israeli military prison you mentioned are which is where the group of 39 palestinian prisoners set to be released imminently, probably any minute now or at least in the next couple of hours, they've consolidated that the people here are waiting. there's a crowd of palestinians who are prepared to celebrate the release of these prisoners. some of the people who have been going to be released have been convicted of serious violent crimes including attempted murder. many others have either not been convicted yet or not even charged. the people you see here tonight are people who say these arrests happened in the context of military option. they believe many of these arrests to be unjust. that's why they're here to celebrate the release of those prisoners. i spoke with an human rights

attorney earlier, he said he's looking forward -- gaza as he is looking forward to seeing the palestinian prisoners released from prison here tonight. jose. >> and david, i so appreciate your time here, and we're having some technical issues with your live shot, but we are able to understand what you're saying, and these are -- these pictures that you're seeing on the other part of your screen are actually right where david is and the whole area. as you can see, there's a lot of movement, there's a right in the center part of your screen towards the top there, it's a number of flashing red lights, and that is happening right now in the west bank area. david noriega, stay with us. let's try to reestablish communication with you, but david, we're going to be keeping a very close watch over you and where you are right now. i want to meanwhile bring in lieutenant colonel peter lerner,

a spokesperson for the israeli forces, lieutenant, thank you very much for being with us today. what do we know as of right now about these hostages, the 13? that hopefully could soon be reunited with their families? >> jose, thank you for having me. i would say as i was coming on to the broadcast to do your show, the country, the state of israel is holding its breath in anticipation for the release, and i think this is a moment that everybody will remember in history. this is the situation, and we are indeed waiting for the release into idf hands. we will have completed our preparations to receive them including transportation efforts, but also medical and support staff in order to assess their initial situation and then hand them over to the hospital, and to various hospitals

depending on the situation of the hostages that are released. this is a very trying time, and israel is heartbroken and it is heart wrenching moments. as i said, we are all holding our breath in anticipation for what's supposed to come in the next minutes. >> we also have learned that a group of thai nationals has already been released by hamas. how much knowledge, if any, did the israeli government have about this separate deal? >> i'm not aware of that. i can't confirm it at this point. i have seen it on some of the push notifications on my mobile as i was signature here with you. you know, this is just -- hamas didn't -- they didn't differentiate. they took whoever they felt would serve their goal, and they abducted israelis and foreign nationals including thai, but also others into the gaza strip. they took men, women, children, babies. this is a terrorist so our role, and our efforts in

this war have been twofold from the beginning, and they indeed -- they go hand in hand with each other. first of all, to dismantle and destroy hamas as a governing authority and the second to bring home hostages. we are holding off fire, we are in defensive positions in order to bring home the hostages. if it can work through diplomacy, that's good. but it doesn't negate our second goal, to remove hamas from governing the gaza strip as a terrorist entity, as a staging ground for attacks against us, as a government that utilizes the tools of government to attack israel. we have to bring home every hostage, every last one of them. >> lieutenant colonel, does this pause, whether it's four days, six days, ten, if talking about maybe a day for every ten hostages that are released, and we're talking about 240 hostages. does this pause not affect that

mission that you say is to dismantle and destroy hamas? >> no, jose, it goes hand in hand. the understanding that hamas have to go, which any decent human being understands that this organization can't have the power of government because they abuse the power of government for terrorist activities. they abuse the power of government at the expense of the people of gaza, and that is why the paradigm change needs to happen. but we are very mindful about the need to bring home the hostages, and if we are able to bring home 50 in the next four days. and then perhaps another ten and another ten and another ten over the days after that, then we will hold our positions. we will hold our fire, and we will be prepared on defensive capabilities in order to i would say take on any potential threats that come, hamas could potentially throw at us. but we need to be prepared for that, and i think from what i've seen throughout the day, that is where we have been. that is the attitude.

i want to be very cautious as well, though. i think we need to take every day as an independent entity. each day as it goes by, we will have to be very, very cautious and careful. we will have to weigh up the reality and make it an ongoing security assessment of what's actually happening. we realize that hamas will be regrouping and restocking and preparing perhaps counterattacks against us. we will be regrouping ourselves and making sure that we are prepared for the next stage of this war, but the war has to have a very clear outcome that hamas don't hold either israel or palestinians hostage anymore. >> and so a few questions i had, i mean, i understand that part of the agreement for these pauses include that the red cross or the red crescent or other organizations have access to those hostages that are being held by hamas and other groups in the gaza strip. that has not happened.

are there many things that make this pause, as you say, that should be seen every day as an entity, an entirety with a beginning, middle, and end, are there many things that cause this pause to be fragile? >> i think the initial situation of a war effort is what makes it fragile to begin with before anything else happens, and of course like any agreement the framework here has been very, very clear that there are components that each side needs to stand up to and fulfill. we wouldn't be in this situation today if it wasn't for hamas conducting the brutal massacre of israelis on the 7th of october, but we wouldn't be in a situation to release the hostages if it wasn't for the military efforts that have been taking place over the last zen seven weeks. we know that hamas are feeling the full force of the idf, and that was what brought them to a

situation where they are releasing hopefully as we speak -- i can't say that i've seen at this time, but hopefully they will be releasing at least soon some of the hostages and hopefully within a few days, it will also advance. you know, this is a brutal terrorist organization that has no record for human life, israeli or palestinian. this is an organization that will set itself up beneath the hospitals of gaza as a concept of its operation. unfortunately we have yet to see the world health organization condemn hamas, the international community needs to rally around the change that needs to come, a reality where hamas no longer has any -- in gaza. >> lieutenant colonel, just -- and i want to bring you back to the 7th of october, 49 days ago today when 1,200 men, women, and children were brutally massacred

in their homes, in a peace concert, and 240 were taken from their homes, from that concert and so many other places after witnessing the death of their family, their loved ones, they've been 49 days in these tunnels or got knows where they have been. how do you -- and i'm just thinking as an israeli, how do you trust and how do you feel about speaking to those who 49 days ago massacred 1,200 people and are willing to do whatever it takes so that according to their charter, hamas, israel not only does exist but that all jews should die? >> well, we're not willing to let that happen, are we? we're not going to roll over and let them fulfill their

diabolical ideas. we are here to stay. we are a strong people. we have a very, very clear determination of our existence. we value life. we value all life, and that is why we are willing to exchange terrorists and people that have conducted crimes against israel, against israelis for the well-being of those hostages. as we look back over the last 49 days, and indeed when we have to look and embrace the families of the 240 israelis and foreign nationals that have been gone through this ordeal of being taken hostage, of abduction, and as we look at what's going to happen tonight when only a very small amount of those are going to be released, we realize that our existence is in jeopardy. and that is why we are fighting a just fight. we are fighting against an enemy that is bent on our destruction.

up until now they didn't have the ability to destruct us. once they chose the strategic route to try and kill and murder and massacre as many israelis, as many jews in one day, and it is the most devastating day of death of jews since the holocaust, then they basically determined their own destiny. they signed their own death warrant. they cannot be permitted to have the power of government. they have not stood up to their responsibility to the people of gaza, and they have definitely over stepped the reality of any human decency when they decided to strategically attack us in such a brutal, merciless way. i think that there is really only one way that this can end finally, and it will be without hamas. that is the decent thing to do for all people in this region, and you know what, maybe it even can promote a better future for

everyone in this region as well. >> lieutenant peter lerner, i thank you very much for being with us today. appreciate your time. >> good day, jose. up next, the latest from the white house as we confirm the release of the first group, 13 hostages, that are already in egypt after having been transferred from gaza. i told myself i was ok with my moderate to severe rheumatoid arthritis symptoms. with my psoriatic arthritis symptoms. but just ok isn't ok. and i was done settling. if you still have symptoms after a tnf blocker like humira or enbrel, rinvoq is different and may help. rinvoq is a once-daily pill that can rapidly relieve joint pain, stiffness, and swelling in ra and psa. relieve fatigue for some... and stop joint damage. and in psa, can leave skin clear or almost clear.

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46 past the hour. these are live pictures from tel aviv in what has become known as hostage square when we are confirming now that that first group of 13 hostages has indeed been taken from the gaza strip to egypt. they are now in egypt and the process of sending, then returning them home has begun, a process which will take long and very difficult days. this morning we're learning that americans are not among the group, the first group of 13. joining us now is nbc's aaron gilchrist reporting from the white house. also with us is na year ra hawk, former state department adviser. aaron, any news from the white house to this release of

hostages this morning? >> reporter: as a matter of fact, jose, as you were introducing us here, we did get a statement from a white house official, it's short, we're glad to see the process moving forward, working by the hour to get those americans included in this first group of 50, including little abigail who turns 4 today. we should note that we were told earlier today by a senior white house official that there was not an expectation that there would be americans in this first group of 13 hostages being released today, and to sort of back up for you a little bit, the explanation that we got earlier this week from a senior white house official about the americans involved in this process, what we were told is that there are ten americans who are unaccounted for. that's the term that the white house has been using throughout this whole time, and as we've questioned them about hostages in particular, and of those ten people, we were told that there were two women and one child, the 4-year-old abigail who turned 4 years old today, that was the information that we were

given by the white house earlier this week, and the hope then was that the americans would be -- these three americans would be included in this first group that's released by hamas, and the expectation, as we understand it today, is that they would not be in that first group of 13, but there is still a hope and still an expectation, jose, that they will be in the first group of 50, this group of 50 that should be released over the next now three days. >> yeah, and i'm just wondering your reaction to this release and the role that the white house has played. the president has been so personally directly involved in this process. >> he's had to be because this is not only about israeli security or palestinian security, it's about america's longevity as a democracy on the world stage and america's long-term influence. president biden, of course, his history with israel goes back to his time on the senate foreign relations committee, so he understands the back and forth and the layers of history that

have brought us to this moment today. with that said, the united states is seen as a supporter of israel on the world stage, which is why we've had egypt and qatar involved in the negotiations with qatar trying to be the switzerland of the middle east, brokering between democrats and autocr autocracies, and you know, the bad guys like iran. so this is moment of time that we call the confidence building measures. the idea that there is a more comprehensive deal, but these first steps are critical for both sides to show that they are capable of meeting their obligations to then proceed to the next step of the release process. >> and hamas is claiming that it's not process. >> and hamas is claiming that it is not holding about 100 of the 240 hostages. how is that likely factoring into the talks of, you know, release the hostages going forward when they may not have control of up to almost half of

the hostages? >> that's a murky piece of the puzzle. we don't have eyes on the ground, reporters that have access are limited by israeli security forces of where they can go and what they can see. so hamas, there is an element of trusting that hamas is capable of doing what they're saying they can do. we do understand they have a vast network, throughout the gaza strip, but on the israeli side we also know that the release -- the list of potential prisoners that they would release, that was published in israeli newspapers recently, 300 palestinian prisoners, that half of that list is actually teenage boys, and about 30% are women. so there is a -- almost a direct correlation between the type of person that is being released as opposed to exchanging an extreme militant convicted of murder for innocent people who are captured by war. >> yeah, huge difference.

these are innocent men, women and children being held by hamas and the other groups, and the other group that we are discussing and that may be on this list all went through the israeli judicial system and the process. it may not be a process or a system that you agree with or disagree with, but they all have been through a judicial process. and let's just hope that, you know, just thinking of that little girl, you know, turning 4 years old today, what she has witnessed in the last 49 days and what she has experienced during those 49 days. and i just think, boy, a 4-year-old celebrating their birthday, what a different -- >> and, jose, i have a 3-year-old and 7-year-old and there is nothing that has tied

me more emotionally to what happens on the world stage than having my own children. and being a diplomat, as a young woman, is very different than trying to help connect dots about how we all connect as people on the world stage, and the tolls that people like president biden and president netanyahu have at their fingertips to save that little girl and make sure that children are not the ones who pay the consequences for other people's -- for adult decisions. >> yeah, and on all sides. thank you, thank you so much for being with us this morning. up next, reaction from israel as the first 13 israeli hostages are released by hamas. you're watching "jose diaz-balart reports" on msnbc. you're watching "jose diaz-balart reports" on msnbc. get the bank of america customized cash rewards card, choose the online shopping category and earn 3% cash back.

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well, we can do anything. cheesecake cookies? the chookie! manage all your sales from one place with a partner joining us now, jacob kotz from the jerusalem post. thank you for being with us. just wondering what your reaction is to this first group of 13 being released? >> look, israelis are living in a great state of anxiety now. i think everyone is glued to the screens watching and hoping that these 13 will get home. we have to remember, jose, it is just 13 and as every life is a world of itself, there is still going to be, even after the 50 are hopefully released in the next four days, about 175, 180 israelis still being held hostage inside the gaza strip. we have a long way to go before we get all of our people back.

>> you wrote in your new article that the hostage deal is, quote, an argument between the israeli mind and the israeli heart. what do you mean by that? >> i meant that on the one hand the israeli mind is worried. i'm worried about what is going to happen with the future of the war, i'm worried about this pause and four or five-day cease-fire, i'm worried about hamas rearming, redeploying, repositioning itself and getting better and more ready for the troops if they come back and come into southern gaza, i'm worried about the world might try to stop us and we won't be able to continue when we still have a mission to get done, which is to destroy hamas as much as possible and remove it from power in gaza. in my heart, i understand that we, a social contract was broken with these people and we have to do everything possible to bring them back, the children, who you just spoke about, celebrating today her 4th birthday, you want to cry. your heart breaks when you think of her, of the 10-month-old, of the other children, 85-year-old women being held in gaza, this

country failed its people and has to do everything to bring them home. >> you know, i was speaking with colonel lerner about, you know, what one has to always bring it back to in so many ways, which is october 7th, and what happened on october 7th. and 49 days ago, for israel, many things changed forever. 1200 men, women and children were killed, kids at a concert, people in their homes, these people that were taken witnessed horrendous things happening to their loved ones and have been living in hell for 49 days. how is that had impact on the heart and the soul of the israeli people? >> i think that today, jose, you said it perfectly. we understand that everything needs to change. we understand that what was can no longer be.

we understand that we have to fight, we are in a battle for our lives and the future and prosperity of our people, we are in a fight for our children who have as you just said have been held in a dark hole, in hell for the last nearly 50 days. and we have to stand and be strong in this battle ahead, but we also need to realize is that we stand here almost alone, we look at the world, which is constantly telling us to stop, and we wonder why is the world doing that? doesn't the world understand what happened here on october 7th, it started with israel, but it could happen anywhere? doesn't the world understand that this is a battle for the civilized world against these dark forces and terrorists? that's the problem. >> yeah, i mean, you know, much of the world often talks about the innocent that are dying by the thousands and may continue dying by the thousands in gaza when they -- those innocents didn't play a part in this

horrible october 7th massacre. >> and that is a tragedy, what is unfolding in gaza and my heart breaks also for the thousands of people, hundreds of thousands of people who are suffering in the gaza strip. but we have to understand is that israel didn't ask for this war, israel never wanted this war, israel didn't ask for 235 or 240 of its people to be taken hostage, israel never wanted this. we had a cease-fire on october 6th. hamas is the one that broke it and violated it with that massacre and murderous rampage through our communities when it killed all those people and took them hostage. and therefore israel is in a battle today for the safety and security of its country, and this is what it has to do and i hope and pray that these hostages, these 13 tonight, will come home, will be safe, will be healthy, and that the rest of the 50 will come home in the next few days but we still have a long road ahead of us, jose, to secure the rest of the hostages and to defeat hamas. >> thank you for being with us today. i really appreciate it. >> thank you.