hello again, everyone. thank you so much for joining us, i m fred dreek with a whitfield alongside wolf blitzer in tel aviv. now to our breaking news. 13 israeli hostages are now back in israel. they were released by hamas after being abducted and held prisoner in gaza for 50 days. among those released today, dual israeli-american citizen abigail edan who is only 4 years old. she is the first american released since the four-day truce began between israel and hamas and that got started on friday. we re told 12 of the hostages were taken through the border fence directly from gaza to israel, while one was airlifted by helicopter to a hospital. an additional four foreign nationals separate from today s deal arrived in egypt earlier today. that group includes three thai nationals and a russian-israeli dual citizen. there are also celebrations in the west bank where 39 palestinian teenagers have now been released from israeli prisons as part of today s agreement. as the truce n
happening now, breaking news. dramatic developments here in the middle east. the first major release of hostages since the hamas attacks on october 7th. 13 israelis and 11 foreign nationals finally free from gaza after nearly seven weeks. i m wolf blitzer live in tel aviv, israel. and i m jim acosta here in washington. president biden is vowing to return every single american hostage even though none were included in today s agreement. as the president says it s unclear if americans will be included in the next release but praised today s hand-off as a promising sign. we want to welcome our viewers in the united states and around the world. you re in the situation room. the breaking news this hour, an outpouring of emotion here in israel as hamas releases 24 hostages kidnapped back on october 7th. cnn s matthew chance has details including a closer look at the video hamas released of the hostage hand-off inside gaza. they kidnapped and killed, but now hamas is showing
hello, again, everyone. thank you so much for joining us. i m fredricka whitfield in atlanta, alongside wolf blitzer in tel aviv. we re monitoring breaking news. cnn has learned a convoy of egyptian ambulances and a bus are now moving toward the gaza side of the rafah border crossing. they are set to transport 20 hostages expected to be released by hamas. the exchange is set to happen at any moment now. these late developments follow an anxious hours-long dispute that delayed the transfer of the second group of hostages. officials say the group will contain 13 israelis, including eight children and five women. qatari officials say an additional seven foreign nationals who fall outside the framework of the agreement between the two sides, will also be released. we re learning qatar, the u.s. and egypt helped to smooth over tensions, after hamas disputed the amount of aid being delivered from gaza and the selection of the 39 palestinian prisoners set to be released by israel a
hamas, the nightmare is finally over. 13 israeli women and children ranging in rage from 85 to just 2 years old as well as 11 other foreign nationals were freed and now safely are in israel. just in the last hour president biden addressed those releases. he said that the chances of the four-day israeli-hamas truce being extended are real. he added that details about tomorrow s group of hostages, the next group to be released, should be arrived soon. he even said, within the hour. he did note that they the u.s. is not aware of the condition, the health condition of the remains hostages. and he also pointed out that he hopes this works out and he said so far it is working out well. but there is still a lot more work to do. the two sides are now about 15 hours in that planned 96-hour pause in the hostility. the skies silent for the first time since october 7th. we have regional coverage of all of these critical moments. cnn s oren liebermann is outside of the hospital in t
in the situation room: live from tel aviv. happening now, breaking news, 24 civilian hostages are free tonight as the truce between israel and hamas takes hold. 13 israelis and 11 foreign nationals finally leaving gaza after nearly seven weeks in captivity. israel now says it has a second list of hostages to be returned on saturday. no americans are among that group. but president biden says he hopes and expects at least some will be released in the coming days. meanwhile, israeli military officials are warning the days ahead will be complicated as forces inside gaza prepare for the next phases of the war. welcome to our viewers in the united states and around the world. i m wolf blitzer in tel aviv, israel, and you re in the situation room. announcer: this is cnn breaking news. and let s get straight to the breaking news here in the middle east. the truly critical moment in israel s war against hamas. 24 hostages are finally heading home tonight. the first major re