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 tel aviv where two hostages are being treated. tell us what you're learning. >> reporter: so we're here at wolfson medical center in south tel aviv where two hospitals have arrived by ambulance and we learned that other hostages who have been released would be transported by helicopter. but these two brought here immediately. we are expecting at least three more hostages who have been released to come here for treatment. a doctor who represents the families here said that the families are already here waiting to embrace their loved ones after nearly 50 days of waiting. he also said he has a chance to speak to some of them on the phone and one of the issues he's learned is they're having some stomach issues. so he tried to get a bit of a diagnosis of some issues they might be facing. he said it will be a long recovery but the first critical step is that they are brought into the arms of their loved ones, the welcome reception here not only from the families, but also from the medical staff that will be treating them. i do want to show you some video from this evening when we were in the hostage square outside of the defense ministry. there, they had over the course of the past 50 days, they had a broadcast or illumination of pictures of the hostages and is ted in the top -- bring me home now. and for the first time today they were able to put up new pictures of the 13 hostages who had been released and the headline now reading -- i have returned home. and mixed emotions there. bittersweet for those who are still waiting for their loved ones to come home. but still very welcoming of the first news of the release of the first 13 hostages under this agreement and the eager anticipation and the expectation and hope that more will come home. so, wolf, as we come back out here to wolfson medical center, we'll keep you updated. we're hoping to hear from the doctors after they've had time to evaluate the patients and what condition they are in. that is the huge question mark over the course of the past 50 days and learn how their doing and what their reception was like and we'll keep you posted here from south tel aviv. >> we'll get back to you with all of the updates. we're anxious to hear how the hostages are doing. thank you very much. i want to go to clarissa ward, outside of the schneider children's medical center just outside of tel aviv. tell our viewers what you're seeing. >> reporter: we're seeing more activity. i want to step outside of the shop so our cameraman scottie could zoom into the helipad behind me. there had been ambulances and some paramedics but we saw an uptick in activity, a large group of paramedics who were huddled it seemed like potentially going through the plan one more time. we are now expecting could be frankly any minute now, we just don't know, but the arrival of some of those 13 hostages. this is a children's hospital. they are expecting to receive at least some of those children who range in ages from 2, 4, 5 and a 9-year-old. and they're also bringing their mothers, those who have been released with their mothers here as well. so that the families did not have to be separated at any point in time. and they have gone to great lengths, wolf, really, to try to create an environment here that is as warm as intimidating and not imposing. they said they've tried to make it not look like a hospital to give it the feel of a beautiful hotel and they're filled the place with toys and they have crucially hand picked the staff who will be working with these different families. picking the best psychologists, the best social care workers, each family will have a social worker assigned to them because they are keenly aware and understanding of the fact that these children have been through a tremendous trauma. that they are likely very different to the children that they were once on october 6th. that some of them will be getting some very bad news. we also heard from a spokesperson from the kibbutz where all of the 13 had been residents of as well as some of those thai workers would were released and said all of the 13 have lost family members in the october 7th attacks and many of them may not be aware of that. so a tremendous amount of effort has gone into the planning of this so that it could be done in the most thoughtful and sensitive way possible. but we're definitely noticing more increased activity and obviously the second we hear any sound of helicopters, we'll let you know, wolf. >> we will get back to you, clarisa. thank you. over the-- over at the children hospital. there are still more than 200 remain in hamas' hand as cording to the idf. 48 days after they were ripped from their homes. i'm joined now by nadam kirsch, hamas militants captured her friends near the kibbutz on october 7th. thank you so much for joining us. your sister-in-law was not part of today's hostage release but everyone is hoping she will be released within a few days. let's hope she is. you could give us your thoughts on what happened today so far from your perspective? >> well, wolf, thank you so much for having me. i want to say that i'm incredibly excited and my heart goes out to all of the families that are going to be able to see their loved ones. i think this is an amazing testament to the power of the international community, to bring about these achievements, to bring the hostages home. and when i see each and every person going out of the hell they've been through in the last almost two months and being hugged by their family, that is exactly what i see myself doing hopefully very soon. i know that my family are not going to be released, not today and tomorrow and probably not this this deal. but i will not stop fighting for them. and i'm sure that if the international community will continue the pressure on hamas, we will bring them home, too. >> you know, your sister was seen in the hamas released video and a month ago and some of us remember it and one of the women was released today. danielle aloni. how do you feel that someone who was with your sister-in-law is now home? >> i'm feeling hopeful. i'm hopeful and danielle is probably experiencing a lot of trauma right now. but when she's ready to talk, our family would like to hear from her on the status of my sister-in-law. and of course we are sensitive to everything that she's going through. we will wait for her to tell us when she's ready. but, you know -- >> i was going to say, we're also happy that she has been freed. but go ahead. i'm sorry for interrupting. >> no, thank you. yeah, i'm saying that every family, we just think about our loved ones and think about them all of the time. she's always in our thoughts. yesterday we had a thanksgiving dinner and i had two empty seats at any table with a picture of iman and her husband. because they're with me all of the time. and i can't wait to the minute when i could hug them and celebrate the holidays with them. and so all i could say is that i'm grateful for the release and i'm grateful for the american people. we're standing by the host aage and helping to bring them home. >> have you been given any updates on ramon's condition since hamas released that video almost a month ago? have you received any update at all? >> well, hamas does not provide the red cross with access to the hostages. so, like all of the other families, i'm completely in the dark. we don't know anything about the conditions, about, yeah, how they're doing. the only thing that we do know is what is happening to the people who have been leased. so you know, when they are released, they were wearing the same clothes that they were kidnapped in two weeks later. when you have them released two and a half weeks after she was captured, we found out that an 85-year-old grandmother has lost 40 pounds. and when the hamas released the video of my sister-in-law, we saw she was not wearing glasses. so for all i know, for the last 50 days, she was not able to see. her eye sight is very poor and she's in the dungeon, not able to see. probably very scared. so i just have to continue hoping and to fight. until she's back home with me, she and her husband. >> let's hope that is soon. yael, thank you so much for sharing some thoughts with us. we really appreciate it and our hearts go out to you and your family. thank you once again. the red cross is rolling today's events could not be understated. i'm joining now by fabrizio carbony. thank you so much for joining us. thanks for all of the important work that the red cross does as we all know. tell us how this incredible moment unfolded? how did the red cross, for example, coordinate this handoff with hamas operatives? >> look, we have to coordinate with many, many actors to allow the hostages to go back home. and it is something that takes days to prepare. sometimes it looks like it is just driving people from one place to another. but it is about agreeing on when, how, what and all of this needs to be coordinated with different movement also outside gaza. as you know, there were also palestinian detainees that were released and brought back to their families. so it is extremely complex. it is sensitive. and there is also a big sense of responsibility. my colleagues in gaza know that they can't fail. they know that everything needs to work perfectly. because at the end, you have children, you have women, you have hostages and you have family who are living something which is even harder i think to describe. so it is a lot of tension. it is a relieve when it happens. and at the same time, it is a bittersweet feeling and i think, yeah, just before me, you know, we release some hostages and we can't help thinking about the ones who are not released. >> yeah. well said. i know fabrizio, you couldn't get into specifics. but walk us through what happened when red cross team members take the freed hostages into your care. is there any update you could provide on their condition? >> no, i could just tell you that it is -- it's highly, highly emotional. it is this kind of moment where, you know, you receive people, children, women who have been through, we could talk about it, but you can't feel it. and suddenly you have my colleagues who are in contact with them and trying to show all of the empathy and possible humanity. so, yes, you have been stressed because we shouldn't forget even if this is a pose, it is still a conflict, so there is extreme pressure to leave the area and go as soon as possible towards the border and at the same time obviously we communicate, my colleagues communicate with authorities in israel, coordinate with the authority on the border in rafah, and we also are in contact with our colleagues of the mda in israel. our colleagues of the egypt red cross, and we all tried to make sure that it happens in the best possible conditions. >> one final question, before i let you go. is there any chance hamas might change its position and allow representatives of the international red cross to actually visit the hostages that remain in gaza right now to get an update on their conditions and potentially help them with some medical requirements that might be needed? >> look, they have to. they have to. you know, they have to let this visit. and i know it is complicated because it is a battlefield and it is not easy to visit hostages in a battlefield. it usually never happens. it is always outside of the battlefield. and two, they need to give the families a sign of life. they have to. and as i see, we've said it repeatedly since day one of this tragedy, that they have to do it. we said it. we said publicly and privately. we said to all actors who have a leverage on hamas. and we'll keep on doing it. now, if it was only in our hands, it would be solved days ago. and if it was only in our hands, everybody would be released. >> fabrizio, thank you so much for what you're doing and what the red cross is doing. i've spoken to so many family members of the hostages would are just so hopeful that the red cross will eventually get permission from hamas to visit with these israeli hostages who remain in gaza right now. so they at least could get an update an how their loved ones are doing. thanks once again for joining us. we'll continue this conversation down the road. >> yeah. thank you for having me. i want to go to matthew chance right now. he's over at the air base in southern israel. matthew, i understand you're getting some news. what more are you seeing there? >> reporter: yeah, well within the past few minutes, wolf, there have been a couple of helicopters that have taken off. fairying israeli hostages away from here to various hospitals in the country. where they'll be getting medical treatment and meeting families and things like that depending on their particular needs. we're told by thei israeli military there will be four helicopters taking off to ferry the israeli hostages an the foreign nationals. there are a number of thais and a filipino worker who have been released as a part of the first group under the hostage deal. as i say, two of the helicopters have departed. we're waiting for the other two to take off and make their way sort of above us right now. we're all standing, a lot of people here. sort of to monitor the next step in this long, complicated logistical journey out of gaza and towards their place where they're going to be having medical treatment, psychological counseling and finally meeting with families. it is a very sensitive time, of course. because not just for the medical situation, that has to be addressed, but also the psychological trauma that these individuals are likely to have encountered. and so that is why they've been at this air base here in central israel. getting some initial counseling and medical examinations and changing clothes and some of them having showers as well. and these people have been kept in dire conditions over the course of the past 49 days when they've been held by hamas. and so, you know, they're being put into a state where they could sort of be moved back to tel aviv, to other hospitals and finally meet up with their loved ones, wolf. >> matthew chance at the air base for us. mathew, we'll get back to you. we'll take a quick break. right now, our special live coverage of the first hostages released by hamas continues right after a quick break. welcome back to cnn special live coverage of the fast-moving and very historic developments in the middle east. the first hostage prisoner exchange in the israel-hamas war. the first group are back if israel after being held captive for nearly seven weeks. almost 50 days. moments ago, an idf spokesperson said coming days of implementing the hostage release days an the next phases will be, quote, complicated. i'm joined now by retired u.s. army brigadier general, he's former assistance secretary of state under president george w. bush. thank you so much for joining us. how does this four day pause that is beginning right now in the fighting impact the military operations of the idf, the israel defense forces? >> well, i'd say that the idf in general is probably pretty happy about this prisoner exchange. but i also think they are a little bit worried about this pause. when you're on the offense, as the idf has been, and you give the enemy a chance to rest for a little bit, it is going to just be harder for them to continue that attack. it is a problem of the r's, the enemy is going to refit, rearm and rest and recuperate, re-plan. so they know they're going to find in front of them a much tougher enemy than it was four days prior. >> so, bottom line, do you believe hamas will be able to use this temporary pause, this truce, whatever you want to call it, to regroup, rearm and re-set? >> well i do. they've watched the israeli forces come in and watching them where they've been fighting and the weapons they've been using so they have a much better appreciation for how the idf fights. but they own the terrain. they own the city and the tunnel system. they own the buildings. so now they're going to be able to get themselves in a much better position. and that is exactly why they insisted, hamas insisted that the drones not be used during this four-day period. >> israel, as you know, is adamant that the truce, the pause right now is not an end to this war. they're determining, they say, to go ahead and try to completely destroy hamas, however long that takes. but israeli officials have agreed to pause the fighting nor an additional day for every ten hostages freed by hoamas. is that enough incentive to keep releasing hostages. >> they'll probably negotiate a better deal than that but this is exactly what hamas wants to have happen. they want to drip, drip, drip the hostages back and keep this pause, become in effect a cease-fire and while this cease-fire is ongoing, then they work the international community, they've worked the diplomacy because they want to see this war end. and if it ends in the next month, nothing has changed except for the hostages have been returned. they will claim it is a gigantic victory for hamas. >> the israeli prime minister benjamin netanyahu has made it clear in recent days that after this initial exchange, the war will continue with the goal of demolishing hamas. what does that look like to you? >> i don't think it is realistic, because i don't think the war will continue after the lost hostage is released. if it looks like it will, then hamas will just slow down the release of the hostages so that this becomes, as i said, a defactor if not du jour cease-fire. i think the military would like to get this job done. which is let's get the hostages back and complete the defeat of hamas, and then hand this gaza strip over to the international community. but now, with this leverage that hamas is using, i don't think that will happen and i don't think that the destruction of hamas is any more a realistic objective that the israeli defense forces could achieve. >> i just want to quickly, before i let you go, get your reaction to what we just heard from president biden a little while ago when he said eliminating hamas is a legitimate objective. do you agree with him? >> well, i think it is a legitimate military objective. of course, it is. the hamas military is a legitimate objective. but i think everybody realizes and the president realizes that even stronger than the hamas military, which isn't very strong, is the ideology of hamas and that won't be destroyed even after the current military would be potentially destroyed in hamas. mishal will still be alive and the ideology will still be alive. so while this hamas military may be destroyed, which i don't think it will be, the fight lives on in the minds of the hamas ideology. >> retired brigadier general mark kiz mit, thank you so much for joining g us. > and d our cocoverage wili contininue right a after a quiu breaeak. the power goes out and we still have wifi to do our homework. and that's a good thing? great in my book! who are you? no power? no problem. introducing storm-ready wifi. now you can stay reliably connected through power outages with unlimited cellular data and up to 4 hours of battery back-up to keep you online. only from xfinity. home of the xfinity 10g network. welcome back to cnn special live coverage. a group of hostages kidnapped by hamas finally returning home after being taken by the terrorists nearly 50 days ago. this is a live look at the left side of your screen as a children's hospital helipad that is expected to receive some of the younger hostages at any moment. we'll keep our eyes on that visual. and and while they are back in safe hands, the scars will likely stay with them for many years to come. let's get some perspective from global opinions columnist from "the washington post" jason raisin. he was wrongfully imprisoned back in 2015 and he brings a unique point of view to this discussion. thank you for sharing part of your afternoon with us. your reaction to this first phase of the hostage release deal? >> boris, thanks for having me on. i'm relieved for these individuals. and they're families. but there is still such a long way to go with so many more hostages still being held. i'm also thinking a lot about the hard road ahead, especially for those young children and their families. especially for people who may have witnessed loved ones being killed in front of their eyes before they were taken into captivity. so while there is a sense of relief and happiness for those individuals who have been freed and their loved one, it is not a fate they should have ever suffered and the healing from it will take a long time. >> you're journey and those of the hostages are very different. but you have the experience. jason, we're going to pause the conversation for a moment because those helicopters are now arrived. this is schneider's children hospital where four children are expected to arrive momentarily. let's go live now to clarissa ward who is there for us. walk us through what you're seeing and what we're expecting to see in just moments. >> reporter: right. so what you should be seeing now, just coming towards the helipad at the schneider children's medical center. you could see the helicopter in the air. we know about 20 minutes ago the first two helicopters departed from the air base followed by another two helicopters. now, i should stress that at this stage we can't be 100% sure that that helicopter is coming here to the schneider children's medical center. but we certainly are seeing a significant increase in the activity around that helipad. there are other hospitals as well. some in tel aviv and around the country where some of the hostages may be taken. but certainly here, at schneider, they are expecting some of the children to be brought as well as mothers who are with their children. we know that ahad munder, who marked his 9th birthday in captivity, is among those hostages and his mother karen. we know that 4-year-old raz and aviv are with their mother dorran and also amelia, 5-year-old amelia with her mother danielle. now as i said before, we can't be sure that those specific children and their mothers will be coming here. to schneider. but you could see once again that helicopter coming in to view and you could hear it getting louder now. behind that building. an it does appear that it is indeed heading here. we could start to hear, and i don't know if my microphone is picking up on this, but people cheering from outside and the city. we're hearing people clapping in the distance as well. this is the first glimpse, really, of those hostages, finally being brought home. and you could hear now obviously that sound getting louder. of that helicopter as it comes towards the helipad here at the back of the schneider medical center for children. you could see it now. getting closers and closer. and with you don't yet know who is on board that helicopter. or what they have been through, what they have seen over the last seven weeks. but this is quite an extraordinary moment to witness. and for many israelis, this is really the first glimpse that they're seeing of some of those hostages finally back on the territory of their homeland. you're seeing there the helicopter has just landed. my cameraman has tried to pull in on it. so that we might be able to get a glimpse of some of the people that will be getting off that helicopter. as i mentioned before, the helicopter here is waiting primarily for children and their mothers. they have put a lot of emphasis on the importance of obviously not separating any children from their mothers. they have spent all day and all of last night preparing for this arrival. to ensure that it is as seamless and painless as possible. staff telling us they didn't sleep last night because they were so intent on making all of the preparations. they've created an area inside of the hospital deliberately contriving so that it doesn't feel like a hospital, so that it feels more intimate and welcoming and warmer and more safe. and now you could imagine the entire staff here are on stand-by as they witness this moment. the helicopter now turning off its engines. you could hear it is a little quieter now that those blades have turned off. and we're waiting for that first moment when we will see some of those hostages getting off the plane. boris, wolf. >> yeah, clarissa, these are obviously very delicate moments for these hostages. as you noted, we're not exactly sure who is on board. but we are anticipating that a group of children will be arriving at that schneider children's hospital, potentially along with their mothers. we know that a critical part in all of this were not only the sensitive nature of the logistics in getting them out of gaza and back into israel, but also the way that idf soldiers were set to receive them. you mentioned the critical steps that have been taken at the hospital to ensure that their reintegration goes as smoothly as possible. and you mengtioned that there ae crowds there cheering them on. what do we know about what happens next once they're taken inside and what resources have been made available to these families as they try to piece together a new chapter of their lives? >> reporter: so, what we know, boris, is that the hostages are now freed hostages who are brought here are not believed to be in serious need of medical attention. anyone who was very wounded or had some kind of medical condition was taken to a different hospital. the expectation -- you can hear that cheering now. again, i don't know if you could hear that. people whistling and cheering. and we're just waiting for those first now free hostages to step out of the -- out of that chopper. but this is the place where they are first reunited with her families, with their family members. at least almost everyone who has been released today, according to a spokesperson, for the nir oz kibbutz, where 12 of the 13 that were living have lost family members. so it is important to remember, some of them may not be aware of that and may not know who they have lost. we talked before about the comprehensive list of guidelines the idf was given in how to deal with the questions, where is mommy and daddy and grandma and they were told not to answer those questions an tell them they were taken to a safe place where they could see their loved ones who could answer some of those questions. and so there has been a huge amount of thought and dedication and effort that has gone into trying to create a mechanism here. and again you could still hear some people whistling in the background. and you could see a line of people outside getting ready to meet those now free hostages as they are expected to be getting off that helicopter momentarily. it looks like they're constructing some kind of a barricade. one screen, if you will. one could only assume that is to give them privacy but because we're dealing with minors here. minors who have been through a horrendous trauma. and so every conceivable action that can be taken in order to minimize the trauma that they have to go through from here on is being taken. down to the detail of having that screen, putting it up and giving them some measure of privacy because obviously there are a huge amount of cameras here. there are well-wishers out on the streets. there is a huge amount of excitement. but also i would say, boris, trepidation. because i do think that there is an understanding that these children will be changed by what think seen. they will be changed by what they have experienced. and they will be changed by what they will only just be starting to learn now which is the full extent of the october 7th attacks. how that impacted their families, their communities, and this country as a whole. and you can't see, but behind me there is a whole line of cameras here. there are also ordinary people here who, some of them, who have brought their children and they're looking on. there is a sense that people know that they are witnessing a historic moment. and we are also hearing from the distance now another helicopter. i could see it in the distance. you won't be able to get it in the shot yet. but as mentioned before, we know that from the air base, four helicopters in total took off. we don't know how many of them will be coming here, to the schneider children's medical center. one, as you could see, on the screen there, it has already landed. it appears they're in the process of disembarking people from that helicopter. behind that screen. and now we see in the skies just up above me to the left and you probably start to hear it now, a second helicopter. and again, hear something people cheering now in the distance. with the potential arrival of more now freed hostages. >> clarissa, we could hear the helicopter and the cheers from the crowd. nearly 50 days in captivity for some very, very delegate young children now finally returning to israel. some of them soon to find out the extent of what occurred on october 7th. and as we saw there, every potential measure being taken to ensure that their reintegration goes as smoothly as possible. the barriers putting up before they were loaded into that vehicle and departed the helipad. clarissa, please keep us posted on when you see the next helicopter that you mentioned approaching. i believe we still have jason raisin with us with a unique perspective. and as you're watching these heatic images from the schneider children's hospital, i'm wondering what is going through your mind specifically when it comes to challenges that these very young kids are going to face moving forward, some of them potentially orphaned. >> boris, you know, the freed hostage is a symbol of hope and resilience and survival. for communities of people that have been waiting for them to be freed. but the experience of those people who are just coming out, especially the children, it is incredibly jarring. they're in for such a difficult road ahead. and my heart just really goes out to them as it does to anybody being held hostage or who has recently returned from being a hostage. i just can't fathom what it would be like to be a child thrust into that situation and then have to come back to the realities that are happening in israel and in this war. so, i think, you know, spare a thought for these kids as they start this long journey towards recovery and healing. because it is not going to be easy for them. >> and obviously it is not just the children, it is the other hostages and their families as well that have been impacted by this. i'm wondering, what do you think they'll need most? what is most useful resource that could be offered to them? >> they'll need the opportunity to be with their families. with loved ones. with doctors. but more than anything, they'll need a little bit of privacy and space. and no one could measure except the person themselves how long that time needs to last. and unfortunately, situations like this don't provide that kind of privacy and space for people. there is such a great demand for their time and people just want to see them. and even just that action of wanting to hug someone who has come back from being a hostage can be quite an interference on that person's space. so i hope they have the opportunity to be away from the spotlight as much as possible and get the help that they need. >> jason, i'm also curious, about soming that president biden alluded to, we don't know exactly when we'll see three americans that have been confirmed held hostage by hamas and other groups in gaza. we're not sure when we'll see them released. but president biden reassured the country in his speech earlier today that his administration will do everything they can to also seek answers for those americans that remain unaccounted for which the administration doesn't have clarity on their status. there was a time when you were incarcerated that i imagine your family was uncertain about your future. and i'm curious as to what you could share about what message you might send to those loved ones who don't exactly know when they're going to see their family members again or if some day. >> they have to hang on to hope that we live in one of the countries in the world that puts great value on the lives and freedom of our citizens, especially those who are being wrongfully detained and abused by powers around the world. one can argue the merits of various deals that the biden administration has done to release hostages and wrongful detainees around the world. what you can't argue is that they have had successes. they've had incredible successes. dozens of americans who have been wrongfully detained in countries around the world have come home during this presidency. and it's a continuation of a commitment by administrations, republican and democrat, that, you know, hostage issues are not partisan. they're an american issue. we don't stand for our people being held around the world. so, i will put faith in this administration and its ability to effectively bring people home. and i hope that that's the case as soon as possible for those americans who are still unaccounted for. >> jason, we're so grateful to have your experience and your optimism, as we're watching this unfold. thank you so much for joining us today. >> thanks, of course. we're going to take a quick break. but we do want you to stay with cnn, as we watch history unfolding in israel, freed hostages arriving at the schneider children's hospital. we're keeping an eye on another potential helicopter landing there in just momoments. stayay with cnn, a as we bringn the very latest. 13 israelis are among the 24 hostages released so far today in gaza. michigan democratic congresswoman who sits on the armed services committee joins us now. good to have you on, congresswoman. thanks for taking the time. >> thanks for having me. >> u.s. was central to these negotiations. the president said that these releases were the result of u.s. diplomacy. i wonder why do you think no americans were included in this first group of hostages released? >> i don't know the answer to that. i know that, you know, the white house has been neck deep in negotiating this. it used, frankly, the convening power that only the united states really has. i have to assume there are going to be americans in the next traunch. we hope so. we're thrilled for those that got out, the young and the old especially. but i have to imagine the americans are coming soon. >> the president in his comments a short time ago said that israel's goal of eliminated hamas, which it has stated is the goal of the operations in gaza, is a legitimate goal. is that an achievable goal in your view? >> it's hard. i'm a former cia officer. i did three tours in iraq alongside the military. and i think it's very difficult to just try and bomb your way out of an ideology. and i think one of the things that is going to be really important, and this pause can help us think through a little bit, is how do you legitimately go after the perpetrators of this tag. that is a legitimate target to go after the people who organized this attack. but then have a bigger strategic plan for gaza. i don't think it's possible to just get rid of an ideology through military action. we learned that the hard way in our wars. >> two long wars in iraq and afghanistan for sure. these are live pictures of a second helicopter believed to be carrying some of the hostages freed, as they arrive for both medical treatment, evaluation, but also to be reunited with their families. another thing the president took care to mention in his comments, congresswoman, was that the u.s. still supports a two-state solution. it's something the president said repeatedly since october 7th. is that still an achievable goal as well, given how far apart the sides are today? >> yes. and i think that that's been a long-standing american goal, and it should still remain an american goal. i think that most of us who are middle east specialists by training grew up on that. >> yeah. >> and you have to give palestinians a path forward. and that state of their own is that path. so, it may be difficult, and certainly settlements have not helped in places like twes bank. but, yes, that should and must remain a goal for the united states for our strategic interests for sure. >> i wonder, is bibi netanyahu, the prime minister, still a reliable partner of the u.s.? and is he the leader israel need needs now in your view? >> before this attack, a fifth of the population was protesting b b netanyahu. a lot of us don't always see eye to eye with him. the israelis have to make a decision for themselves. they had a huge military failure in the october 7th attack. he will have to be held accountable for that. we want partners who are able to see that vision beyond just the trauma that they're living through right now. so, that, to me, is a question for the israelis in short order. >> no question. so much trauma. these are live pictures of some of those hostages re