Time for a look at the weather across the uk with ben rich. And theres more bad weather on the way. Yes, for some things will get worse before they get better. Not least in the eastern dramatic developments tonight as hamas releases two americans a mother and daughter, judith and Natalie Ranaan into the care of the red cross after negotiations involving qatar. Hamas says it released the hostages on humanitarian grounds after President Biden decried them as inhumane. Two american hostages released so what does this mean for the fate of the nearly 200 that remain . Well hear from general david petreus, the former director of the cia. Will tonights hostage release impact israels plans for their offensive . Emir has been to the lebanese Israel Border where fighting there has intensified. What was that sound . This is the terrorist. What was that sound . This is the terrorist, the terrorists start the bombs well be speaking to professor lina khatib, the director of the soas middle eastern institute, and from jerusalem, Anshel Pfeffer, Senior Correspondent at haaretz, and unauthorised biographer of benjamin netanyahu. Also tonight, labour routs the conservatives in two big by elections. Can they repeat the trick in a General Election . Have you sealed the deal with middle england or is it much closer than people think . England or is it much closer than peeple think . England or is it much closer than heolethink . , , people think . Everybody picks their own dates, people think . Everybody picks their own dates. I people think . Everybody picks their own dates, i look people think . Everybody picks their own dates, i look forward, people think . Everybody picks their own dates, i look forward, it people think . Everybody picks their own dates, i look forward, it will. Own dates, i look forward, it will be tough, we landed in a bad place in 2019. Good evening. Hamas has released two american citizens a mother and her 17 year old daughter for what they describe as humanitarian reasons, after negotiations led by qatar. Hamas says their action is a message to the americans, after President Biden called hamas inhumane. Judith and Natalie Ranaan have been flown to a Military Base in central israel. The news of the release followed more details from the Israeli Defence force about the hostages in gaza. The majority are alive. There are now 19 children under 18, and among the other captives, between ten and 20 are over 60. This, as the prospect of the Israeli Ground offensive draws ever nearer. Today in the knessett, the Defence Minister outlined a three stage plan for the israeli operation on the gaza strip and indicated that there was nothing to suggest that israel intended to reoccupy territory in gaza that it left in 2005. Im joined by emir injerusalem. What do we know about the hostages . We know thatjudith and Nathalie Ranaan are to make that us citizens who are back in israel tonight. They were visiting israel originally for a Family Holiday and they were staying in a kibbutz near the gaza strip but it is believed they still have other Family Members that are still missing. The us have said their Health Condition is unknown but they are on their way to a Military Base in central israel. We also know that Many International players were involved in negotiating that release like the us, qatar and the red cross as well. The red cross as well. What has the reaction been in the red cross as well. What has the reaction been in israeltonight . Reaction been in israel tonight . Netanyahu has celebrated that release and he has said, we wont give up on the effort to return all of our hostages and missing persons. Hamas and the us both acknowledge the role of qatar as a mediator with the us Thanking Qatar and it raises the question obviously about the remaining 200, i suppose what the big question was was what hamas received in return, or they offered or threatened, the cat i being careful with the information they have released i have spoken to a contact there and they said, we will continue our dialogue with both the israelis and hamas and we hope that these efforts will lead to the release of all civilian hostages from every nationality. Thank you, and we will from every nationality. Thank you, and we will hear from from every nationality. Thank you, and we will hear from you later. Earlier i spoke to general director of the cia. I began by asking whether the decision to release the hostages signifies a shift in hamass position. Well, its hard to say at this point. This could be a wonderful humanitarian gesture or it could be a ploy by a group that carried out one of the most barbaric, horrific attacks in human history. And again, or a combination of those two, frankly. We understand that this is. It was released for humanitarian purposes. We would hope, in fact, that all the women and children, at the very least, would be released, but again, uncertain at this moment. Now, President Biden has just made a statement, thanking the qataris. How crucial do you think, as mediators and indeed just as a possible ally of President Biden in the region, although they do support hamas, are the qataris . Well, they also are the host for the Us Central CommandForward Headquarters. And so when i was the commander of the Greater Middle East Regional Combatant Command for the us forces, thats where my Forward Headquarters was and they paid for it as well, and also built one of the most extraordinary airfields in the entire region. And we had a fleet of aircraft there, we had our air operations centre. So theyre very, very useful in this kind of situation. They have communications with iran. They host one of the hamas political leaders there in doha. They have often been an intermediary. They try to be fair to all. Occasionally, that is frustrating because one or the other side would like them to side with them. But no, theyre very helpful in this kind of situation. And do you think it is likely that there may be a drip of hostages released as a tactic to slow down the offensive . Its certainly possible. Again, the hamas military wing, the terrorist wing, if you will, and the political wing can see what is potentially coming here. Theres a mass of Israeli Soldiers and other capabilities on the border. They have to be very concerned about that. They know that they could inflict considerable casualties on the israelis if they engage in what is the toughest of all contexts, which is urban fighting, and especially in this kind of situation, where you do have still over 200 hostages that will be used as human shields, lots of civilians. The enemy doesnt use uniforms. You dont know where they are until they shoot at you. So, again, a very, a fiendishly difficult situation. But the Israeli Defence forces have enormous capability. I think they could destroy hamas if that was necessary. And it seems to be that has to cause them great concern. This is an existential moment for hamas, and it is likely that theyre trying to delay this and to use any means necessary, again, to buy them some more time in the hope that Something Else might intervene that could delay it further. General david petraeus. Tonight President Biden said that the two hostages had Endured A Terrible Ordeal and that they will have the full support of the Us Government as they recover and heal. Joining me now live from jerusalem is Anshel Pfeffer, a senior journalist at haaretz, and here with me in the studio is lina khatib, director of the soas middle east institute. Good even to you both. Firstly, Anshel Pfeffer, what you might make of the Release Ofjudith and Natalie Ranaan . ,. ,. , ranaan . It is certainly not eight unitarian gesture, ranaan . It is certainly not eight unitarian gesture, it ranaan . It is certainly not eight unitarian gesture, it is about. Unitarian gesture, it is about as humanitarian as someone who kidnapped someones children is forced to release them, that person is not humanitarian. Weasley hamas, as general petraeus just said, is under intense pressure, they are looking down the barrel of an Israeli Force which is poised on the borders of gaza to basically destroy hamass military and political capabilities that and they are now trying to play with time. This is one of the reasons why they captured 200 israelis. They captured them because they want to have human shields, human bargaining counters, and that we are seeing them use them, but they are certainly under pressure, the qataris are under pressure, the qataris are under pressure as having been their patrons for so long and what we are seeing a lot of the players in the aftermath of what happened on october seven, the attack on israeli 0ctober seven, the attack on israeli communities, realising that perhaps they didnt quite win it victory they didnt quite win it victory they thought they won because now this war did not end on october seven, itsjust began. What this war did not end on october seven, its just began. What we are now seeing is hamas trying to see how it can almost wiggle out of what is, for now, for them, an existential situation. Is, for now, for them, an existential situation. But what you have said is existential situation. But what you have said is true, existential situation. But what you have said is true, they existential situation. But what you have said is true, they are existential situation. But what you have said is true, they are trying l have said is true, they are trying to delay things. But the qataris have been successful and they are still working on the other hostages, they have indicated, so its more likely that a Ground Offensive will be delayed and the reality is that once the Ground Offensive start, it will be very difficult to get these hostages out alive . So israel will be under pressure to let the qataris do their work. Be under pressure to let the qataris do their work do their work. There is no question that israel do their work. There is no question that israel is do their work. There is no question that israel is also do their work. There is no question that israel is also in do their work. There is no question that israel is also in a do their work. There is no question that israel is also in a difficult that israel is also in a difficult position, 200 of its people, like these to jewel in america Israeli Citizens who work released tonight, they are there inside gaza and their lives are in danger, its not a humanitarian situation, to Terrorist Hostagetaking and the qataris, if they really wanted, could do a lot more. They host the hamas leadership, qatari State Television which you know as additive is basically a hamas mouthpiece. If they really wanted to help, they could do so much more. They are beginning to feel the pressure, so we saw the qataris are urging hamas, one of their clients, to allow to make hostages to go but there was a lot more that the qataris must be doing here and hopefully they will be more pressure on them. Because as you noted, there are 19 children who were snatched from the homes ia days ago and so many other civilians. Let me ut ago and so many other civilians. Let me put this to Lina Khatib Pond what you make of what has happened tonight and is it a sign of weakness of hamas or a sign that they hold some cards with these hostages . I some cards with these hostages . I think it is an important Political Development we have to look at it as a Political Development we have to look at it as a political move. Hamas is under pressure a political move. Hamas is under pressure notjust because of the Military Pressure notjust because of the Military Threat from israel, but also Military Threat from israel, but also from Military Threat from israel, but also from the arab world. Very crucially, also from the arab world. Very crucially, just a few days ago, the prince crucially, just a few days ago, the prince of crucially, just a few days ago, the prince of saudi arabia made an unprecedented speech in which he said to unprecedented speech in which he said to hamas effectively, you call yourself said to hamas effectively, you call yourself an Islamic Group but the holding yourself an Islamic Group but the holding of hostages and the king killing holding of hostages and the king killing of holding of hostages and the king killing of women, children and elders killing of women, children and elders goes against the principles of islanr elders goes against the principles of islam and this kind of statement has never of islam and this kind of statement has never been made against hamas by any arab has never been made against hamas by any arab leader before. So in a way, hamas any arab leader before. So in a way, hamas will any arab leader before. So in a way, hamas will be worried that they are beginning hamas will be worried that they are beginning to lose the political card beginning to lose the political card in beginning to lose the political card. In releasing the hostages, they card. In releasing the hostages, they are card. In releasing the hostages, they are in card. In releasing the hostages, they are in a weight responding to that pressure, notjust the Military Pressure that pressure, notjust the Military Pressure. Its that pressure, not ust the military ressure. � , that pressure, not ust the military ressure. A 4. , that pressure, not ust the military ressure. A ~. ,. , pressure. As we know, particularly because pressure. As we know, particularly beeause of pressure. As we know, particularly because of what pressure. As we know, particularly because of what happened pressure. As we know, particularly because of what happened or pressure. As we know, particularly | because of what happened or didnt happen, we dont know yet, at the hospital the other day, a number of leaders in the region pulled back from meeting President Biden although of course which sunak has made a number but where do you think, apart from what you have just said, the pinch points are for hamas in other areas . They have the support of iran, for example, where are the other pinch points they might face. Are the other pinch points they might face are the other pinch points they miaht face. ,. ,. ,. , might face. They are several and crucially for might face. They are several and crucially for them, might face. They are several and crucially for them, the might face. They are several and crucially for them, the reason i l crucially for them, the reason i think crucially for them, the reason i think they crucially for them, the reason i think they conducted the october seven think they conducted the october seven attack is primarily because they wanted to be seen as the only interlocutor of palestinian voices. And i interlocutor of palestinian voices. And i thought they could achieve this through appearing heroic militarily. But because of how things militarily. But because of how things have developed since they need things have developed since they need to things have developed since they need to find political means to stay current. Need to find political means to stay current, even if they lose their military current, even if they lose their military capacity, they want to retain military capacity, they want to retain their political currency. What retain their political currency. What you retain their political currency. What you make of that, Anshel Pfeffer . I what you make of that, Anshel Pfeffer . , ,. , what you make of that, Anshel Pfeffer . , i ,. ,. What you make of that, Anshel Pfeffer . , ,. ,. , pfeffer . I agree 100 , as much as this Attack Pfeffer . I agree 10096, as much as this attack was pfeffer . I agree 10096, as much as this attack was designed pfeffer . I agree 10096, as much as this attack was designed and this attack was designed and intended to kill as many israeli families and citizens and children as possible, as you said, it was also a direct political challenge at the other main palestinian movement, factor, which rules the Palestinian Authority in the west bank. This is the hamas plate for power, they want to show that being able to land at such a grievous blow on the israelis, they are the real leaders of the palestinian cause and what we are now seeing is they are reading the instructions on the policy and as weve seen at the hospital where, sorry, we do know what happened. It was a palestinian rocket which broke up was a palestinian rocket which b