age from just 2 to 85 years old as well as ten thai nationals and one filipino citizen. in just the last few minutes freed hostages arrived at the israeli children's hospital for care. and in a moment we'll talk to the cousin of duarn cat asher who was just released today alongside her two children. you're looking at live pictures right now, 11 p.m. in israel. we were watching the last camera in the last hour. what we were told at this children's hospital location is that some children were just dropped off at this location. we are now getting this further video of yet more -- this is the first time we can say this today, former hostages that are now getting the proper care they need both mental as well as physical health assistance. again, they're in petah tyka, israel. we don't know the exact names or ages of those arriving but this first day now ending at 11 p.m. as these former hostages are arriving at various locations to get the care they need. but as all sides have tried to navigate what has happened today and this diplomatic high wire act that brought us to the four-day truce, president biden took to the microphone just a short time ago saying when it comes to promises by hamas, he's quite skeptical. >> i don't trust hamas to do anything right. i only trust hamas to respond to pressure. >> so with this critical first day about to come to a close, where do things go from now? we'll talk to one former middle east negotiator. that's coming up. but first i want to begin with this new video that i was just mentioning can coming out of israel. again, it's capturing the live hope that so many families have held very closely inside israel as crowds of people gathering to cheer on the streets near a military base as a convoy carrying hostages passes by this a little bit earlier that we saw. those who are celebrating near hatsarim, israel. there's a base now where some of the former hostages did arrive today, a total of 24 as has been said. nbc's erin mclaughlin is on the ground in tel aviv. this long first day we're seeing with this video and we're showing from the air base there still continues. these are long 24-hour plus days for a lot of people. >> reporter: that's right, richard. and tonight there was an emotional gathering here in tel aviv at the square where the families of the hostages and supporters have gathered every single weekend since the october 7th attack. tonight there was dancing and tears. dancing out of relief, the relief that some 13 hostages were released today. and then the tears for everything that has been lost since october 7th. now, the israeli prime minister has released a statement. i'm going to read it to you what he had to say tonight. this is largely being seen this exchange that took place earlier today as a success. he says 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. but 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 the goals of the war. you know, there a reminder that the primary goal following october 7th when israel declared war on hamas was that the destruction of hamas is a key goal of this war. and while this is a pause and there is a relief here in israel tonight and there's a relief in gaza, this war will continue. when it will continue is an open question at this point, richard. >> as we're watching the video here, i want to let our viewers know we're watching yet more cordons being put up to bridge the vehicles that the former hostages are being moved with after that. and this is a children's hospital, and we will note there were three children at least according to the idf that was released today by hamas. three chirp. so this is the second we've seen at least video wise of a helicopter landing, whether they're delivering each of the children one by one we don't know. but this is the second piece of video from our live feed where we've seen them put up these cordons, which you see here in white on the left-hand side of this run. there was one that had the israeli flag earlier on. but this cordon, if you will, for privacy. and in the wide shot when they did pull back you can see the number of people that are on the other side of the cordon, the lights we say which may be not as glaring to us as well as a number of people which would not be as glaring to us would be quite something else for these former hostages that are children that are now getting the help they need just arriving here in petah tiyka in israel. as we get back to israel and the hostages there were also those released just by israel. what do we know where they're at and how things went today on that side. >> reporter: yeah, as i said, richard, this was considered to be a successful exchange. not only were 13 israeli hostages released today but also 39 palestinian prisoners as promised including 15 males and 24 females earlier today. they were brought from two separate israeli prisons to the southeast of hifa and driven and once they crossed over to egypt, that is when they began the process of releasing palestinians into the west bank. they're allowed to go home now to the occupied west bank, east jerusalem as well as gaza, although the israeli palestinians are saying that any celebrations by palestinians at the release of these prisoners many of them accused of terrorism offenses -- any celebration is not allowed. >> erin mclaughlin, thank you so much. live reporting for us in tel aviv who's been watching this entire day as developments have progressed. and again, we're watching the live pictures coming out of petah tiyka. there in that van it appears the camera is following that which is one of the former hostages as they move some of the cordons off to the side. i want to bring in as we watch this roberts whose cousin and her two little girls were released today by hamas after 49 days in captivity. have you been able to watch this video of what we've been showing on-air? >> yes. i've been following these all day long and it's been an exciting day for us here in israel to my family and all the people who were helping so much throughout this entire ordeal to get these hostages back home to their loved ones, and here we are. an exciting day for all of us. with that being said, we still know a lot of them are still out there waiting for their day to be return asked rejoice with their families. >> i can't help as you were watching this live video with us, chen, that that could be my cousin's two little girls right there. possibly. we don't know because of the cordons and the way they were respecting all of these former hostages and their health, their mental health and that which they may be going through. have you spoken with your cousin? has she given you any update in term of what she's learning? >> no. we're waiting for the medical team to finish their examinations. all we know they're in the hospital right now in good care. and the medical team probably going through a lot of questions and assessments. we've talked to family members waiting at the hospital who was since day one out in front every single day hour by hour head spearing this campaign to bring them back home. and i'm sure they are as happy as could be. at the same time they need their privacy. so at the same time we bring them the space and time to reunite and spend time with each other. it's been like i said a very emotional day for all of us, so we cannot wait to be back again. i will probably reach out to them next week and in touch with their families like i said before and it's been a wonderful day so far. >> chen, you probably just want to squeeze the life out of them, right? you can't wait to see them, but of course as you're noting there are certain protocols for this situation. has your family talked about that because i know all of your family, all of the cousins, all of the siblings and, you know, the generations of our family want to embrace them, the return of the two little girls, your cousin. has anybody talked about how to properly handle this so that things are done in a -- in a thoughtful way? >> i think that the israel government and in general the whole administration in israel did a wonderful job setting up an actual plan. i think what we saw a few weeks ago when the other ladies were released and all of a sudden found themselves in front of the media without any tools or -- it was awkward. it doesn't look good. i'm sure their mental health was not in place yet. so i'm very grateful that there is a learning process of the whole thing and how an understanding this must be for the hostages who just came back and going through a big process of understanding their journey and now they're back to and i'm very appreciative of the administration doing such a wonderful job hugging them and giving them the support they need right now. >> can you remind us about your cousin and her two children, how this happened for them and what that day was because your family is aware of. now we get to use the title former hostage, which is great to say they're survivo and they are out. what was that situation like for them at you remember? >> so as we remember oner 7th, 6:00 in the morning they were woken by the sirensnd ordered to shelter in place. they were taken by militants by the hamas onboard vehicles and kidnapped from their safe room. there was my aunt, my cousin, and her two daughters alongside with my aunt's partner who's still a hostage. his ex-wife was released today back to israel, that's wonderful news for this family because we all feel like one big family these days. and the last signs of life we saw was a video from the hamas account showing them on that vehicle and thins sen it was all and we can say we're happy to have them in our safe arms of israel and their family. they've been through a lot. alongside my aunt was murdered at the gaza border, and she had to go through that process as well herself. so like we said there's a lot going on in their life right now, and i think they're in good hands right now. >> how did you two grow up, you and duran? how did you know each other? >> i was born and raised in israel so we had a lot of memories from the kibbutz li holidays and families and a lot of nature trips, a lot of walking around the fields. she's a sweet kid, such a loving mother. she's a great mother andwife, and she's just a wonderful little person that we always love to have around. she loves cooking. she loves spending free time traveling in the outdoors. she's a wonderful person we're happy she's back with our family now. she can start that slow recovery to being back to what she was. >> what's the thing you want to say to her and her children? do you have a nickname for her? >> we have a nickname, but that's something that we -- goes along with her personality, and we're very happy we're able to tell them they're fr, they're home, and they're going to be back and united with our family soon, absolutely. i'm sorry about all this commotion in the back. >> chen dori-roberts, chen, thanks for stopping by and sharing the story. and i'm so glad you and dodo get to hang out again and have that conversation real soon. really appreciate it. >> thank you have having me today. happy thanksgiving. >> you, too. thank you. still ahead for you we're going to get a look at the behind the scenes diplomacy of the first wave of hostage releases. you're watching nbc. rst wave of hostage releases you're watching nbc. ♪ 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. the power goes out and we still have wifi ♪ to do our homework. and that's a good thing? 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(♪ music ♪) the walking tree is said to change. its entire location in pursuit of sunlight (♪ ♪) where could reinvention take your business? accenture. let there be change. and quellwoman back. it's been a day of high-tension and high stakes as hamas released 24 hostages on day one of the israel-gaza truce completing the first of four exchanges in this deal between hamas and israel. among the 24 hostages that were released by hamas, 13 israelis, ten thais, and one filipino citizen. there were notably no u.s. hostages released as of today. i want to bring in our terrorist analyst and retired colonel jack jacobs, an msnbc military analyst. as we looked at the deal, you worked as a terrorism finance analyst at the u.s. department of the treasury and you played an integral role in the designation of numerous terrorist financiers. when you look at this deal and what's been part of it, i'm unaware of any major finance requirements at least in this deal we have details on at the moment. if you're aware of them, can you please tell us about them? if you're not, should there have been some? >> i think thankfully we've seen -- it's a hostage diplomacy situation here where anyone is paying ransom. i think that's important. it's the last thing israel would want to do, the last thing the united states would want to do. hamas is already getting quite a bit out of this deal, not just the release of some of the prisoners who themselves are guilty of violent crimes but we're seeing a significant amount of fuel and other goods being transferred into the gaza strip. of course that will go to benefit the gaza population, but we know that hamas is going to divert a significant amount of that fuel to essentially help hamas operate militarily, so the fuel is going to help pump fuel and oxygen into those command tunnels that will be used in the next phase of this war in the central gaza strip and southern gaza strip. i think israel has essentially paid off hamas through this but not with cash, at least not that we're aware of. >> colonel, i want to move to something we heard a bit earlier. netanyahu's ambassador spoke with our friend and colleague earlier in our coverage. i want to get your reaction on the other side of this. take a listen. >> now the ball is in hamas' court. this humanitarian pause can stop four days from now, and we'll be back to square one and back at full-scale war, or we can ectend the huitarian pause by the release of more hostages. i hope they release more hostages. >> as we look at this, colonel, whose court is it in right now because we've got two sides working together plus qatar and egypt. do you agree with what he says it's in hamas' court, it's up to them to make a move? >> they have to agree to release more hostages. how many they release is different story all together, and it's not entirely clear how many hostages are still alive and where that you are and who's holding them. it's very difficult to say how long this is going to play out. but one thing to keep in mind is that the longer this pause lasts, the more it benefits hamas. if you're on the defense as hamas has been, you want to keep the cease-fire as long as possible so that you can rearm, refuel, redistribute both ammunition and people, put your defensive positions in proper order for what will ultimately be a renewed attack. this pause works in great favor to hamas. the longer they can string it out, the better off they are, richard. >> colonel, who will be resupplying hamas? >> well, there's an argument that says that whatever comes in to the southern border with egypt, some of that as jonathan has said is going to find its way to hamas, and they'll take it themselves. they've done it before. there was at least one instance i can recall recently where a fuel truck that went in to support the gazans people actually ended up in the hands of hamas. we have to remember hamas is in control of gaza in any case. anything that went in there can be easily diverted for the use of hamas and you can expect that some of it if not most of it will wind up going into hamas' hands. >> jonathan, i was mentioning earlier about the roles of both qatar and egypt, which you're very much aware of. what's in it for qatar and egypt to be helping in this deal? >> both of them have very different motivations. the egyptians actually i think have been looking for relative calm, and they played an important role over the last several rounds between israel and hamas. i will say that the egyptians, unfortunately i think have not done a terrific job in terms of preventing some of these weapons from heading into the gaza strip. the rafa crossing has been a major source of weapons resupply for hamas. and that's something we're going to have to revisit in all of this. i think their intentions are good. they've been a good partner for the israelis and united states. the same cannot be said for the qataris. the qatarierize both arsonist and firefighter. they're trying to take a victory lap here on the world stage for having secureed the release for as many as 50 or perhaps even more of these hostages plus the thais, plus the filipino today. but we cannot forget the fact that the qataris have been sponsoring hamas. they've been giving them 100 to $150 million a year. they've running interference for hamas from the beginning. at some point we're going to have to see a revision of that contract we have here in the united states with the qataris. they have some leverage with us. they have the largest air base we use in the middle east. we provide them with a lot of security guarantees by keeping our military there. i think it's time for a serious discussion about what it is they're getting out of their sponsorship of hamas. and by the way, we should also add that this regime also supports the taliban, al-qaeda, isis. this really needs to stop, and i hope the u.s. government begins to address this. >> jonathan, i want to stay with you for a moment. the colonel is telling us in our last segment that when he and were talking that iran will be stepping up their moves going forward if they haven't already to a great degree for the next three or four days, and this is because of the multiple militias that may actually help to take down this deal. and they don't want this deal is what the colonel was saying last hour. what have you seen in terms of financial flows from iran to various militias, not the binary we're talking about of hamas versus idf. what have you seen? >> well, look, the iranians have been the top financiers, top suppliers of weapons, top suppliers training to all these groups that we see attacking both israel and the united states across the middle east. so the back of the envelope numbers that we see are $200 million a year to hamas, plus the weapons and rockets and training. $800 million a year to groups like hezbollah. that's actually i think the crown jewel as far as the nonstate actor terrorist groups that iran supports. huge amounts of weaponry. in fact, they've also been providing hezbollah with precision guided missiles or pgms. thes