good day. i'm chris jansing in new york city. we are following the biggest diplomatic breakthrough in israel's war with hamas. after 49 days in captivity, we can now report that 13 israeli women and children have been reunited with their families. they are safely in israel. we know who four of them are. in the west bank, dozens of palestinians have been released from israeli prisons. we're covering this story from all angles with live reports from nbc correspondent across the region, with the latest on the identities of those hostages as we are learning them in real time now. from the white house, we have details on the biden administration's key role in getting this deal together. plus the tenuous nature of the cease-fire that appears to be holding as well as israel's new warning to palestinians to stay in south gaza as aid trucks begin to arrive as part of the

deal. a lot to get to. we want to get you the latest this hour. we just learned, confirmed 13 israeli women and children held hostage by hamas for over a month have been released. they are now safely in israel. they have been reunited with their families. now they will be carefully attended to by israeli military forces before being brought to hospitals in and around tel aviv to receive medical attention. ten thai and one filipino citizen have been released according to qatari officials. this first wave does not include any americans, that includes 3-year-old israeli american abigail. the preparations to receive the child hostages have been extremely delicate. the israeli military has toys ready for them as well as noise-cancelling headphones to minimize their trauma. israeli soldiers have been

instructed not to cover their faces so as not to scare the children. in the west bank today, vans appearing to carry palestinian prisoners have been seen outside an israeli jail, presumably carrying the women and teenage boys who will be swapped for the hostages. at the rafah border crossing in southern gaza today, we have seen aid trucks arriving. that, as i said, also part of the deal. joining me now, jason strazuzio. let me ask you, we are getting names of three of the hostages. one of them is margalete moses, 78 years old, a cancer survivor. there's 72-year-old adina moshi. in addition, we have a third person and a daughter, danielle and her 6-year-old daughter emilia. can you give us more information about the hostages themselves or

anything about their conditions? >> the release operation today that was just completed a short while ago, that involved eight of our personnel picking up the total of 24 hostages that you have mentioned. they were transported across gaza from the possession of hamas into egyptian and israeli officials in four vehicles with a bright red cross on the side of them from the international committee of the red cross. i do want to say that i think that the emotion here is relief. relief for those hostages. relief for their families. also, eagerness and anxiety for the other families and hostages who are yet to be released. to address your question, as to their health, their condition, some of the details about the personnel that were in the vehicles that you have identified, it's part of our work that we would protect the privacy of the people. we're just glad we were able to move them from one place that

was not safe to a place that is much more safe. >> we just got some information from the idf. this may not be news to you, but it is news for us, that they are currently with idf special forces with the released hostages. they underwent the initial military assessment inside israeli territory. will continue to be with soldiers as they make their way to hospitals where they will be reunited with their families. at this moment, what is the red cross part of this? >> our part was the initial intermediary, the trusted middle man, which is a vital aspect, to be trusted by hamas and israel to safely carry this out. as for the hostages that you mentioned, for the 24 that were released today, our role is over. we were just, in this case, the middle man transporting. now they are in the hands of the authorities.

they will do medical checks and into the hands of their family and whatever recovery they need to take there. i could add that the operation at large is still ongoing. the other half of this is that palestinian detainees that you mentioned are being transferred even as we speak. our role in that operation is still taking place. >> can you tell us anything about the possibility of the red cross getting in to, first of all, confirm that the other hostages who are being held are alive, what their medical conditions are, and what their needs, any specific needs may be if and when they are released? >> we have been insisting on access to these hostages from day one. we want to do what you just mentioned, check on their health, deliver medication if possible, if needed, and to be able to facilitate contact with their family. we have been asking and asking and asking that. there were reports that this was part of the deal. from our point of view, it's something we are still insisting

that be made available to us. we don't yet have permission to do that. >> jason, thank you so much. thanks to all the folks in the red cross who take on this extremely delicate and important work. joining me now, raf sanchez who continues to report for us in tel aviv, former cia director john brennan and former fbi supervisor carl schmae who trained israeli forces and is a hamas expert. raf, let me start with you. what's the latest as we have been watching and hearing word of the hostages being released? >> reporter: chris, 49 days into this crisis, the israeli military finally releasing that statement, this country has been waiting for, those 13 hostages are back inside of israel. they crossed over from the egyptian israel border, taken to an air base in southern israel and we believe are on their way to hospitals across this country. it is that point that they will

finally be back in the arms of their loved ones after these seven agonizing weeks. they were given an initial medical check as soon as they were taken into israeli custody at the border. the israeli military also visually i.d.ing the hostages to make sure that the people that they have in their hands match the 13 names that had been agreed to in this deal mediated by qatar. today is the beginning of what's going to be a long, painful, difficult journey for these hostages. we believe that they have spent most if not all of the last 49 days underground. we don't know medically what condition they are in. we can assume many of them have not seen the sunlight at all these last seven weeks. we also, as you mentioned, have those ten thai, one filipino hostage released today. it was not part of the

negotiations. hamas said it released them as a gesture of good will to the people of thailand. at the same time, those 39 prisoners being released from a jail in the occupied west bank, women and male teenagers, as part of this deal. chris, the hope is that this is the first day of hostage releases. as you know, the overall framework of this deal, 50 women and children released in exchange for four days of cease-fire as well as 150 palestinian prisoners released. we are some 12 hours into that cease-fire now. it seems to be holding. there is real hope in this country right now that what has happened today is proof of concept that israel and hamas, mortal enemies who vowed to destroy each other, are able, through third-party mediation, to come to a deal on this exchange and to stick to it. the hope is that tomorrow and the day after and the day after

there will be more releases. this deal is structured in a way that there can be additional days of cease-fire in exchange for ten more hostages per day. from the perspective of israeli officials, they want to get through the first 50 hostages to begin with, and then we will see where we are. >> thank you so much for that, raf. director brennan, i want to pick up there. it was never assured that this would even happen, what we are seeing today. there certainly are families and loved ones who are joyous today after what has been a harrowing 49 days for them. we are getting word from qatari foreign affairs. we continue to monitor the situation and are relaying information between both sides and the international red cross in real time to ensure that any issues that occur are immediately addressed. from your perspective and your experience, how delicate is this

situation in spite of this initial success? how delicate these ongoing negotiations and movements are. >> it's very delicate. yet, it's a very welcome and hopeful development that we have seen today. as raf pointed out, it appears as though the pause in the fighting has held sufficiently for the first group of the releases to take place. i think what everybody is going to be looking at is how the follow through is going to happen in terms of the successive days and the follow on releases. there's going to be a very close eye on how hamas in particular, the islamic jihad will adhere to the terms of the pause and to see whether we can get through the four or five days and to extend it to see whether additional individuals can be released and if there can be an extended respite from violence and bloodshed.

>> director brennan, no americans were released today. do you think that that is about leverage for hamas, that if they continue to hold americans, that is the one piece of strong leverage they really have in the face of what has been a military disadvantage? >> i think they are trying to accomplish several things with the releases. they're trying to achieve some tactical advantage in terms of being able to reposition some of the forces and maybe do resupplying. also, i think it recognizes that there is growing international criticism and condemnation of israel's bombing of gaza. i think they're trying to generate good will by the humanitarian gestures. i would expect there will be americans released during these subsequent releases in the coming days, because the united states has played a pivotal role. i'm sure that there is going to be some of these americans released soon. as you point out, i think hamas

is going to try to maintain as much leverage as possible. it has still -- will have after these initial releases, 150 hostages. hamas will try to draw this out. they recognize that the united states is actively working to try to ensure that there's going to be an extension of the pause or a reduced amount of fighting. so they are going to take full advantage of whatever leverage they have. >> if i can go back to raf. i understand we have gotten the complete list of the hostages who have been released. they include a 4, a 5 and a 9-year-old child. >> reporter: this is pretty extraordinary. we have in our hands now from the prime minister's office the list of hostages released today. i can start by telling you on there is raz, she's 4. and her little sister who is 2,

as well as their mother who is 34. we met their father on october 9, less than 48 hours after his family was kidnapped by hamas terrorists. we met a man who was dealing with the most unimaginable nightmare, his wife, his two daughters taken at gunpoint by terrorists. he watched his wife's cell as it went from israel into gaza and disappeared. we spoke to him again this week. he was thin. he was desperate. he tonight is going to be reunited with his two little daughters and with his wife. just going down this list, you may remember you and i spoke about this on air, a little boy called ohad. he was 8 years old at the time. his family was desperately

worried about whether he had his glasses. he couldn't see without his glasses. he is 9 now. he spent his 9th birthday as a hostage inside gaza. the israeli government says he is now safe. he is back inside israel. as is his mother, as is his grandmother. is there bittersweetness to the list. his grandfather was also taken hostage. because he is a man, he is not on this list. he was not released today. this family will be celebrating tonight but their grandfather is still a hostage inside of gaza. scrolling down through this list, i can see that there are five older women aged 70 and above. the oldest of whom is 85 years

old. one of these women we saw in those chaotic first hours of october 7th being carried by hamas in a golf cart inside of gaza. an image almost too surreal to believe. she is now back inside of israel. extraordinary, extraordinary news for the families of those 13 former hostages, we can call them, who are now safe back inside this country. many, many, many more families hoping that their loved ones will be out soon. >> thank you so much for that. we all do remember that little boy and the concern, the tears that were shed by his family out of concern for the fact of how afraid he would be that he could not see. those details remind us what these last days have been like, these seven weeks have been like. carl, a big part of this, a big part of how these children and

how these elderly folks, many of them as we have pointed out who have serious medical problems, are going to begin to make readjustment. it's in the hands of idf, the specialized soldiers, who have been very clearly instructed and trained. tell us about that kind of training, who these folks are, and how important we know it is that they understand what these folks may have gone through. >> good morning, chris. the idf has specially trained soldiers. they are going to be joined most likely by officers from the security agency. the first thing is to make sure the physical well-being of the hostages, doing a complete medical check, making sure that they address any immediate medical concerns. after that is done, then the focus is going to start on the mental issues that these folks have been dealing with. you had a doctor on earlier talking about the folks have

been dealing with tremendous trauma. especially for the children. they are so young. they probably don't have a way to conceptualize what's going on, what's happening to them over the last seven weeks. there's going to be a lot of adjustment. these folks will have a chance to reunite with families as well. it's a great relief to see those vans finally rolling across the rafah gate. watching this process has been excruciating. it's been so fragile. it's been like watching a candle flickering in the wind. know that flame could have blown out at any time. right now, that flame of hope is alive. we hope that that continues for the next four days. >> again, i think we want to reiterate among the 13 are a 2-year-old, a 4-year-old, a 5-year-old, and 9-year-old and as raf just pointed out, 72, 76, 77, 79, 85-year-olds who have

been held. director brennan, as many as 100 hostages may be being held by groups other than hamas. perhaps they have not survived. we don't know. how good is the intel that americans and israelis may have on what has happened to the rest of the presumed hostages, those who are not in the hands of hamas? >> i think the intelligence is far less than either we or the israelis would like. i'm sure there's been an intensive effort on the part of the israelis as well as american intelligence to gather any possible information that might be available, including from the previously released hostages. they will be debriefed. there will be information gleaned from them. there is great uncertainty given the extensive network of tunnels inside of gaza. i'm sure many of these hostages have been isolated in small groups. yes, this is a joyous moment. i'm wondering the trauma that the hostages experienced during the seven weeks and if they come

out and find out some of their loved ones were killed on october 7th, that's traumatic for them. i think what we are going to be seeing over the coming days is an effort by all sides, hopefully by hamas as well, to try to keep this pause in place in order to get more of the releases accomplished. but the big question is, what happens after these initial releases are done? how are we going to bring this conflict, this war, this bloodshed to an end and address the longstanding problems and issues that triggered this? >> raf, we are looking at right now these -- this is the moment, the exact moment, the video we are looking at -- it's the exact moment that ambulances went into israeli territory. we are told they are going to the hospitals in tel aviv specifically, a children's hospital. what's the plan going forward now from this moment, raf?

>> reporter: yeah. my understanding of that video you just mentioned is this is this convoy of ambulances being taken from egypt, crossing the southern border into israel. we believe that from there, they went to an air force base down in the south. we saw videos of that base earlier. it had been converted into a reception center. there were blankets, baby wipes, toys for those littlest hostages there. from that point, this group of 13 was going to be dispersed, likely by helicopter, to hospitals all across israel, including where we are now in tel aviv, which has some world class hospitals, including children's facilities. we know that yoni is waiting at one of the children's hospitals. it is there that he is going to be able to hug his 2 and

4-year-old daughters, his wife, who the last time he saw any of them was in a video. they were in the back of a pickup truck. he watched as his wife was being blindfolded. he watched his wife, unable to see, but casting a protective arm around one of her daughters. there are going to be reunions like that across israel tonight. we haven't yet seen images from any of them. i'm sure some of the families, this is going to be an intensely private moment. other famiies will want to share their joy with the world. we will see what happens. the plan is, these 13 hostages are heading for hospitals. the israeli military, israeli government is resetting. they are hoping that they will be able to do the same thing tomorrow and that they will be able to deliver another 10, 12, 13 hostages back to safety. >> the joy and the relief during

those reunions has to be indescribable. what an extraordinary moment. raf sanchez, i know you will keep us posted. i want to turn now to david noriega who is live on west bank. what have we learned about the 39 palestinian prisoners? >> reporter: the situation right now is chaotic. i'm not sure how long i'm going to be able to be with you. i don't know how much you can see behind me. those are clouds of tear gas. there have been crowds gathered. we are up from the prison. that crowd has been in confrontation with israeli forces throughout the evening. >> peaceful.

hostages -- >> reporter: israeli forces firing tear gas. we hear rubber bullets at the palestinians who are here gathered awaiting the release of the prisoners. i cannot tell you whether this side of the deal has actually been fulfilled. we can say that the hostages from gaza were released. i cannot tell you the prisoners have been released and this side of the deal has been met. from where i'm standing, this is an extremely tense situation. people here are not going to be satisfied until we actually see those prisoners released, which has not yet happened. it's a chaotic and extremely tense situation. like i said, from where i'm standing, this issue is not yet resolved. i want to leave you with one last thing. everyone i have spoken with said they hope this truce leads not only to four days of cease-fire,

but an end to this conflict. >> david, stay safe there, you and your crew. thank you so much. i want to bring in tel aviv bureau chief martin fletcher, who had two of his wife's family members killed, two others released. others are still inside gaza. i want to ask you about your family in a moment. you have long experience in that region. what do you make of the reporting right now that's out of the west bank? >> interesting question. watching david now, i can see myself a few years ago, another prisoner relief. it's a pattern. what happens is that the israeli hostages, when they are released and met by families, that will be in private. the release of the palestinian prisoners, as david is saying, is going to provoke demonstrations in the west bank. the release of the palestinian prisoners is kind of the victory calling card for hamas.

this is what the palestinian people want, before anything else, they want the releas of the prisoners. hamas through that horrific attack on october 7, is now fulfilling that palestinian need to get some of the palestinian prisoners released. there's going to be all kinds of celebrations all over the west bank. i think almost all of the women and teenagers being released will go to the west bank. not to gaza, but their homes in east jerusalem and the west bank. >> we will continue to monitor that situation. in the meantime, martin, tell us more about your family members who are still inside of gaza. have you heard if any of them are on a list to be released? what kind of conversations have been had with official sources? what's the latest? >> the families are being told not to say anything. the ones released today, this list, has beenubshed after the prisoners -- the hostages are back in the hands of israel.

there's almost no direct communication with the families. we are waiting with great -- some disappointment, hoping tomorrow will be different. we have seven members of the family who are held hostage in gaza, including a 3-year-old, an 8-year-old, a 12-year-old. we are hoping they will be among the children released. it didn't happen today. thank god we are still active for the joy of the members who have been released. all we can do is hope ours will be released tomorrow or the day after. hope also that this entire deal does not collapse before all of the 50 hostages have been released. it's a very sensitive period now. >> yeah. i'm trying to figure out how those -- it's a roller coaster. you wait anxiously.

then the list comes out. how are your family doing? >> look, the first two who were released, they still have not spoken to the press. i have been in touch with them via other family members. i asked if we can talk to them. their response is they are dealing with it. they went through a lot. it's not only the trauma of being held hostage and the extraordinary conditions we can't imagine how bad they are. hopefully, we will find out at some point. they were in dark tunnels, probably tied up, separated from family members. we don't know what happened. they are dealing with it. they don't want to talk about it. it's too early to talk about it. i'm sure that will be the same for the people who have been released today. they will be debriefed. they will give as much information as they can about the conditions they were held in, where they were held, any hints that would help the israeli military operation.

they will talk to the debriefers, the secret services of the military. natalie and judith have not spoken about what they went through publically. i would only imagine they need a lot more time to deal with it. it will probably be the same for those hostages -- israeli hostages released today. as david is finding out, there's going to be all kinds of drama on west bank as palestinians there celebrate the return of their prisoners. >> you mentioned the seven family members still being held and the uncertainty. i'm sure the high anxiety about whether or not this temporary cease-fire will hold and whether they will continue to release day after day more and more hostages. what will you be watching for, martin, based on your experience in the region during this pause in fighting? if past is prologue, it's

possible it won't hold. >> absolutely. we heard minutes ago that hamas has been encouraging palestinians who fled from the north to the south, hamas is saying, use this pause, go back home, go back to the northern part of the gaza, even though it's in the agreement they would not do that. israel is now faced with thousands, maybe soon tens of thousands over the next day or two, of palestinians trying to get back to the north of gaza to see what happened to their homes. probably not much left. they are on the road. israel will be faced with, what do we do? do we shoot in the air? do we use tear gas? two palestinians have been killed within the last couple of hours in gaza as they are trying to get back north. that's what i would look for. what is israel's response now in the next day or two to the flood of palestinians encouraged by hamas breaking the agreement, returning to the north of gaza? israel will be hoping somehow not to have to kill people,

because otherwise, the deal may fall through. anybody who -- the hostage families who didn't get hostages today, what can i say? what a roller coaster of emotions, hoping the deal will continue and all 50 will be released by the weekend -- by the end of the weekend. it's a very, very tense moment. the deal could collapse at any point because of this flood of palestinians trying to return to the north of gaza and israel saying they won't allow them to return to the north of gaza. that conflict point is where the deal could fall through. >> martin, i hope you know your nbc family has hopes it will hold, that you get to be with your loved ones soon. thank you, as always, for your incomparable expertise. thank you, martin. good to see you. it would be hard to overstate the complexities involved in getting this deal

done. we know president biden was very involved in finalizing the agreement to get hostages out of gaza. as my colleagues at nbc reported, the final agreement, the outlines of which have been on the table for weeks, would not have been accepted by netanyahu without enormous pressure from biden. that's according to a senior israeli government official who said this. this deal was a biden deal, not a netanyahu deal. i want to turn to aaron gilchrest. i understand the president is being kept updated. >> reporter: we know today the president was briefed several times, we are told, by his national security team. really, that has been the reality almost from day one. the israelis saying that this is a biden deal lines up with what we have been told by senior administration officials about how this final deal for the hostage release came together. the president again almost involved from the moment we learned about this.

there was outreach from the qataris, we are told by a senior administration official, in the hours after the attack on october 7th to the white house to get involved in the potential release of hostages. that early on in this process, we know the national security advisor was engaged along with a very small group of top officials within the biden administration. a deputy of the national security advisor coordinator for middle east affairs, brett mcgurk, along with an attorney for the national security council as well, engaged on starting to work on this process of getting hostages released. for more than 40 days, almost daily, if not daily, there were constant phone calls between the qataris and these officials within the biden administration to work on the details of a deal to get hostages released, including the secretary of state, antony blinken a part of the process, having gone to the middle east several times over the last few weeks.

we know that at a point after those two americans were initially released, several weeks after this all started, that was sort of proof that this could work, that there was a process that would allow for the release of hostages, the safe release of hostages. at that point, the israelis appointed the head of their intelligence agency to really start working in ernest on the details of a deal to get hostages released. the director of the cia was brought in to work with his counterpart in israel to make this happen. through this time, the president is being updated on a daily basis about the progress being made, about the roadblocks that his team was running into. at different times in the process, we know the president spoke with the israeli prime minister. he also spoke with the qatari leader about getting this deal done. i do want to share that at one point in the process, the president reached out by phone

to the qataris and said, time is up. it's time to get this deal done. that was just last week, i believe, last friday when we started to hear that the final details were coming together. the president said, there's no more time. we need to get this done. over the weekend, of course, we learned that the details had been worked out on sunday. the israelis began the process of signing off on this deal. the final deal announced on tuesday. of course, we got that statement from president biden at that time as well saying he was happy that he and his team, israelis, qataris were able to work out the deal with hamas to see the first 13 of at least 50 hostages being released from hamas. >> thank you so much for that. we are hearing for the first time from benjamin netanyahu via youtube. here is what the prime minister had to say. quote, we have now completed the return of the first of our abductees, children, their mothers and other women. each and every one of them is a

whole world. i emphasize to you, the families and to you the citizens of israel, we are committed to the return of all of our abductees. this is one of the goals of the war, and we are committed to achieving all of the goals of the war. fast moving developments. we will be right back with more after this. my skin has been so much smoother so much more hydrated. it's olay! with olay hyaluronic body wash 95% of women had visibly-better skin. and my skin is so much more moisturized. see the difference with olay. ♪♪ if you're on medicare, remember, the annual enrollment period is here. the time to choose your coverage

begins october 15th and ends december 7th. so call unitedhealthcare and see how you can get more of what matters, with our broad range of plans including an aarp medicare advantage plan from unitedhealthcare. it can combine your hospital and doctor coverage with part d prescription drug coverage, and more, all in one simple plan. these plans are made to support your whole health with $0 annual physical exams, $0 lab tests and $0 preventive care like mammograms and colonoscopies. and you'll get more for your medicare dollar with $0 copays on most covered dental services a $0 eye exam and an allowance for eyewear plus $0 copays on hundreds of prescriptions, at the pharmacy or by mail. now's the time to look at unitedhealthcare's variety of plans. so give us a call to learn more about coverage options in your area. with our right plan promise, you have our commitment to helping you find the right plan for your needs.

and to help make life with medicare simpler, you'll get the all-in-one member ucard. only from unitedhealthcare, the ucard is your unitedhealthcare member id and much more. show your ucard when you visit your primary care provider, dentist or eye doctor, or fill a prescription at the pharmacy. and use it to access medicare advantage's largest national network of providers. you can count on unitedhealthcare to help you get the care you need, when you need it. enrollment ends december 7th. now's the time to learn more about america's most chosen medicare advantage plans and how they can open doors to a simpler healthcare experience with the all-in-one ucard. call unitedhealthcare today about the only medicare advantage plans with the aarp name and get more of what matters to you. (music ends) i have moderate to severe crohn's disease. now, there's skyrizi. ♪ things are looking up, i've got symptom relief. ♪

♪ control of my crohn's means everything to me. ♪ ♪ control is everything to me. ♪ feel significant symptom relief at 4 weeks with skyrizi, including less abdominal pain and fewer bowel movements. skyrizi is the first il-23 inhibitor that can deliver remission and visibly improve damage of the intestinal lining. and the majority of people experienced long-lasting remission at one year. serious allergic reactions and an increased risk of infections or a lower ability to fight them may occur. tell your doctor if you have an infection or symptoms, had a vaccine or plan to. liver problems may occur in crohn's disease. ♪ now's the time to ask your gastroenterologist how you can take control of your crohn's with skyrizi. ♪ ♪ control is everything to me. ♪ ♪ learn how abbvie could help you save.

that confirmation in the last couple of minutes from benjamin netanyahu confirming what sources have been telling us on the ground. that is that the completn has been done. they have completed the return ofhe first of the abductees. this is the list of the 13 hostages who have beend. you remember raf reported on ohad. his family members were concerned that he would not have his glasses.

all of them going to be taken to hospitals. their health going to be assessed but also an opportunity -- an extraordinary opportunity that they have been waiting for to speak to their families. i want to turn to major john spencer, chair of urban warfare studies and host of the urban warfare project. in the midst of a war, who has been a brutal war, some extraordinary has happened. i want to start with your reaction to what we have seen unfold over the last couple of hours. >> personally, it's a complex feeling of emotions of happiness that those children and women are out of hamas captivity. but also, sadness to think about the ones that are still there. >> there's no doubt about that. in many cases, we don't know where they are being held. there are those not even being held by hamas. in the meantime, as this plan

unfolds, the hope, obviously, is that every day more hostages will be released. what's the biggest military challenge to making sure this temporary cease-fire doesn't just hold but potentially gets extended? >> yeah. it's an extreme challenge of a political -- from the military aspect, there's a lot of risk that hamas causes it to unfold purposely. that's the real situation which the soldiers are in. they have the right of self-defense. but even if you uphold to the standards, hamas will reposition, regroup, move personnel around. potentially, a worse situation once the operation continues. that's the risk that they knew going into this. there's day to day, minute by minute risk of actions within gaza that the soldiers and military will have to respond or not to. >> could it be something --

that's probably the wrong description -- could it be a lone actor or a small group of soldiers who make a wrong move not intending to incite something broader but could? >> absolutely. there will be a lot of guidance to the idf soldiers, strategic compression. they are aware of that. i'm more concerned on other side where hamas or not even hamas causes an action that could have the potential for escalation. the idf will defend themselves. what then happens to the continuing agreement, which is what everybody wants? >> i also want to ask you about one more part of the statement that prime minister netanyahu put out, since you mentioned politics. he says, this is one of the goals of the war, referring to the release of the hostages. he said israel is committed to

getting all of the hostages out. we are committed to achieving all the goals of the war. we talked about this for a while, the complexity of part a, getting hostages released, but still doing what benjamin netanyahu said from the beginning he was determined to do, that is eliminate hamas. >> 100%. war is political but war is also a contest of will. those stated objectives of israel do lead to greater peace. the removal of hamas leads to greater peace. understanding the complexity of what that means in combination with getting the hostages back, combination of pursuing a better solution than was before the war and maintaining the will from the united states and its population to allow the operation to continue is a day to day action by action decision by decision. i believe that israel wants -- will continue the operation to destroy hamas. >> major john spencer, it's good

to have you on the program. thank you. i want to bring back erin mclaughlin. she joins us from tel aviv. it has been, to say least, an extraordinary day, emotional day on many levels. bring us up to date on what you know. >> reporter: we are now hearing from some of the families released israeli hostages. we just moments ago heard from the asher family. the wife and two children, they posted on facebook, they are finally here at home. there will be more time to talk about everything. for now, thank you all from bottom of my heart. the support and the warm hug. you can see the pictures of his two children and his wife there.

relief, it'sard to describe the relief the families must be feeling right now. this is a kibbutz hard hit. they killed people and kidnapping. according to israeli media, 16 of the 31 children -- almost half taken hostage on october 7th were from this kibbutz. a quarter of this kibbutz was either kidnapped or murdered. now, we are hearing that many of the hostages returned today were from this particular kibbutz.

we are waiting -- we will hear more about potential release of hostages. we don't know how many hostages will be released tomorrow. the fact that this exchange seems to have successfully happened today. the release of the 13 israeli hostages. then the release of the 39 palestinian women and teenagers from an israeli prison. the fact that that happened today certainly is a good sign for tomorrow. here, they are taking it really day by day. >> understandably so. you mentioned the asher family. on october 11th, on this program during this hour, andrea mitchell spoke to the father of the 2 and 4-year-old, released today, his wife 34 also on that list of those released. here is what he said back on october 11th. >> the only thing i want to say is, bring me my two little

babies back and bring me my wife back. bring my family back. >> he is getting his family back. others are not. so what can you tell us what's going on as they look -- they hope look forward to every day the release of more hostages? >> reporter: for the past 49 days, the families of the hostages have struggled with just this lack of information. they don't know if their loved ones are alive or dead. there's been no proof of life. it's unclear if, as a result of this latest release, it's unclear if the icrc will be able to have the opportunity to visit the remaining hostages in gaza to offer these families that proof of life, that reassurance.

so many of the families have been just completely in the dark. one woman telling me, her 16-year-old daughter is in gaza, her 11-year-old son and her ex-husband. she's in complete hell. this is being seen, the fact that this successfully happened today, as a kind of proof of concept, that in the midst of this brutal war, there is a pause in the violence, the cease-fire seeming to hold today, and that hostages and palestinians can be exchanged. the fact that the israeli prime minister is saying that this is successful certainly bodes well for the three remaining days of this saying that this is successful certainly bodes well for the three remaining days of this temporary cease fire, and then possibly beyond that. again, we just don't know, and again, israeli officials and officials here in the region say they are just taking this process day by day, hour by

hour. >> we were talking earlier, erin, about the release of the palestinians, and we are getting word from the west bank that the prisoners are now about to be released. martin fletcher is talking about the fact that in israel it's a very private situation, but for the palestinians, it's very public. we're looking at live pictures. i don't know if you have return and can view this from the west bank, but these are the pictures we're seeing of people waiting for that release. get us some context of what we're looking at right there. >> reporter: well, they're waiting for their own, their waiting for 39 palestinian women and children that are set to be released as part of this exchange. now, we know that that process is underway. we know that earlier today the israeli government released a list of the palestinians, the women and children that are going to be released, returned

to their respective homes in the west bank and the occupied west bank, east jerusalem as well as gaza. this is not going to be perhaps a celebration for the palestinians. they -- from their standpoint the, they see that there are so many more in prisons that they want to be we leased. really for them the focus is the situation, the humanitarian situation unfolding right now, what we're seeing happen as a result of this cease fire is that badly needed, desperately-needed aid, food, cooking oil, medicine finally making its way into gaza where there is a desperate humanitarian situation unfolding as a result of the weeks of war and bombardment that they have endured. the big question from the standpoint of the humanitarian community, of course, will be will it be enough, and from the vast number -- majority of officials, humanitarian aid workers that i've been talking

to, the answer to that question is, no, that they're really hoping that this temporary cease fire gets extended and in many cases of officials i've been talking to made permanent. >> erin mclaughlin, thank you for your exceptional reporting throughout this crisis. joining me now, former israeli ambassador to the u.s., michael oren. again, we got that confirmation in the last half an hour or so from prime minister benjamin netanyahu that they have completed the return of the first of the hostages. we've shown the names. i'm wondering your reaction, first of all, to this first successful exchange and your concerns going forward about getting the release of the rest of the hostages. >> good to be with you, chris, thank you for having me on. just to correct an impression of your last report, it's sort of like making a comparison to the palestinian terrorists who are being released and the israeli hostages that are being

released. it's not just palestinians. these are people who are in prison for terrorist and accessories to terrorism, and the fact that the palestinians are celebrating them while we on our side are being very quiet and solemn about the release of our hostages says a lot about our different societies. it says a lot about this conflict, frankly. we cannot help but be overjoyed for the release of these hostages. i know some of these families personally. i've written about them. it's very personal, intensely personal, and of course we hold out hope for the other nearly 180 hostages are still in -- well, it all together will be something like 200 hostages still in captivity by hamas in gaza. but let's not underestimate the difficulty of israel for this. israel makes two promises to its peoples. one is to defend the land, the other is to make sure should any israelis fall into the enemy's hands, we'll do the utmost to

try to retrieve them. we have to continue the war against hamas. we have 250,000 refugees, internal refugees who cannot return to their homes on the border as long as hamas continues to threaten them, and hamas has been absolutely clear that's exactly what it will do. it will turn around and do this again and again and again. we can't do that. we will not be able to maintain our regional deterrence. enemies will internalize that they can hit us with impunity and slap a cease fire on us. we won't be able to defend ourselves. on the other hand, israel has to do its utmost to try to return the hostages. here's a very important point which i don't think has been stressed enough. this deal came about only because israel launched a ground incursion into gaza because we put the pressure on hamas, and that pressure has to increase. after the cease fire, unless hamas turns around and says we're going to release more hostages. israel has offered to extend the

cease fire for one day, for every ten hostages released, israel will be prepared to do that. at the end of the day, again, i have to be very clear. hamas won't release all the hostages. israel will continue the war until hamas is destroyed. so they'll hold onto some of them. >> at the end of the day -- >> what is your realistic expectation, mr. ambassador, that at least the first four days will happen let alone an extension? >> i think it's a realistic expectation. keep in mind that hamas is a terrorist organization. it doesn't negotiate in good faith. it will move the football or move the goal post, if you will, and we can always expect -- we have to be prepared for a change, even the list of people who are set to be released could change. hamas could do this because ha mas not only conducts physical terrorists, it also conducts emotional terror. it's trying to divide us, trying to traumatize us all the time.

and israel has to remain very, very strong. it won't be easy to renew, the military operation after those four or five days. i think the government understand that very well. again, we have no choice. an ultimate cease fire means this very simple thing. it means hamas wins. hamas gets away with mass murder, and it means that israel won't be able to restore its security in any way. we have to be able to tell our own population that they can go back to their homes and won't be able to do that as long as hamas remains an active threat against the state of israel. you know -- i can't imagine --ky not think in all of history a government that had to make the decisions the israeli government has to make now. it is without precedent. >> we would like to, again, just acknowledge the statement by benjamin netanyahu, 13 people

who were held hostage for seven weeks are now free. tomorrow is another day, and our hopes are with more of them. ambassador, thank you so much. stay with us as we continue our special coverage of some of the hamas hostages being released today. we'll be right back. released today we'll be right back. as the world keeps moving, help prevent covid-19 from breaking your momentum. you may have already been vaccinated against the flu, but don't forget this season's updated covid-19 shot too. my frequent heartburn had me taking antacid after antacid all day long but with prilosec otc just one pill a day

blocks heartburn for a full 24 hours. for one and done heartburn relief, prilosec otc. one pill a day, 24 hours, zero heartburn. ♪♪ i was looking at my ancestry traits the other day. i figured it out why i never actually made the football team. yeah, because you're 5'8”. wait robbie, go look at the sprinter gene. i wonder if you have it or that's why you didn't make the team. let me see. let me pull it up. don't have it. yup, i knew it. what else does it tell you? no, hold on, i'm going to find some athletic gene in here. endurance, no. speed, average. i would say below average. give the gift of family heritage with ancestry.

thanks for staying with us.