to 3:00 p.m. eastern. our coverage continues with katy tur reports right now. good to be with you. i m katy tur. as we speak, we are expecting more hostages to be released including potentially one american. two israeli women have been released today, hours before the extended cease fire is set to end. that is unless there s a deal to keep it going. it is a precarious situation. hamas is claiming three of the captives have died, a mother and her two young sons. a 4-year-old and a 10-month-old. the idf cannot confirm if that s true. trying to keep the lines of communication open are secretary of state antony blinken, headed to israel right now and u.s. envoy for hostage affairs. as the united states tailors its public message, that a resumption of war gives hamas what it wants, which is never ending violence. quote, hamas, unleashed a terrorist attack because they fear nothing more than israelis and palestinians living side by side in peace. there s growing political press
. it s good to be back with you in this second hour of chris jansing reports. we have breaking news, a u.s. official and a diplomat in the region tell nbc news one american could be among the hostages released today. just moments ago, the red cross transported two former captives over the border as urgent talks continue to extend the truce in gaza, possibly by another two days. we re live in tel aviv with the latest. plus, hamas now claiming that three hostages, a ten-month old baby, his 4-year-old brother and their mom will not be coming home, and that all three were killed during the fighting. israel is still looking to confirm that. also ahead, we ll talk to the former director of the cia about the challenges of bringing the remaining hostages home with israel ready to return to combat at any given moment. then later, a set for the angels, the heart wrenching tribute for the young lives cut short at an israeli music festival. so much to get to in this hour, but i