>> the israel-hamas cease-fire is in day two. are we about to see the second wave of hostage releases? 13 israeli hostages taken by hamas were set free along with 11 others. this group, but included no americans was a swap for 39 palestinian prisoners. alex hogan is in jerusalem with the latest. >> hi, david, we're hearing the initial reports that egypt is claiming that the israeli hostages are starting to be moved into the red cross trucks. that's what we saw yesterday when the israeli hostages were released and what we know about today, we're expecting to see 13 or potentially 14 israeli hostages released and these are some of the images of the hostages released about 24 hours ago. this photo here of those first hugs, initial embraces, as well as families getting onto the helicopters before they were taken to those bases to finally be able to join their family again. this, a mother and her two daughters finally released. this next photo is of little 9-year-old, he loves rubik's cube and he were joining the pilots and the soldier with his rubik's cube and this is giving hope to people across the country and the images of the hostages, the israeli's hope of the first of many days like this. this is the first time he ran into his father's arms and his mother released and being hugged by an older brother. the friends came to the hospital throwing a pizza party, having ice cream with them, again, another moment of celebration here in israel for the family reunions. another emotional reunion playing out with the reunion of yoni, a man whose wife and two daughters, all three of them were kidnapped and finally has them back and one of the daughters speaking out when she was hostage constantly thinking about coming home and finally being able to be back and that family is finally back together now. now, part of this deal in the four-day cease-fire is sending more humanitarian aid to gaza. so far in the cease-fire, that has allowed the flow of critical aid, like medicine, supplies, shelters, for more than a million people who are currently displaced. overall, hamas is expected to release 50 israeli hostages by monday in exchange for over 150 palestinians. now, there's also the separate brokered deal on the way which allowed the release of 10 thai hostages, one filipino and we're expected to see more thai hostages released today. we're learning about the conditions in which they were kept. one woman said she was able to see what was happening in the outside world and able to watch tv and listen to the radio, seeing what was playing out not only in gaza, but back home and one woman says that's actually how she learned that her son had been killed. david. david: alex, just to ask for your impressions of what's happening in israel, the sentiment of the public. are they more interested right now in getting all the hostages than they are in pursuing the war in gaza? what's your suspicion there? >> i think there's a tremendous amount of pressure not only from the public, but families, but country-wide in this moment of solidarity to get the families home. and the military as well, as much as there is the desire to dismantle hamas, to bring the families home. we got a statement from idf chief of staff, we don't intend to, we don't want to, we're not prepared to stop this effort to bring each of the hostages back. each is ours and we have a supreme court moral obligation to bring them back and return immediately at the end of the cease-fire to attack gaza and maneuver in gaza, we want to do this in order to dismantle hamas and return as quickly as many abductees, the last one to dismantle hamas. both things co-exist, but there's a sentiment from the israeli government at this point the main priority is to bring those hostages home. after that is said and done, they will shift back the focus to continue to dismantle hamas. david. david: alex hogan from jerusalem. president biden in the white house despite the fact that there are no americans that have yet been released, are taking a victory lap for helping in the hostage negotiations, as we said, no americans are expected-- have been released so far or are expected to be in the next group of hostages to be released. lucas tomlinson is travelling with the president in nantucket, massachusetts. he has more, lucas. >> that's right, david. the white house officials say they are not expecting any american hostages to be released today. (inau (inaudible). david: unfortunately we had good connections with israel, but our connections with nantucket seem to have broken down. the question, so how is the cease-fire and the hostage release going from israel's perspective? let's ask a foreign policy advisor for israel's prime minister benjamin netanyahu. doctor, thank you for being here. let me ask you what i asked alex hogan, i don't know if you heard. the sentiment of the israeli people right now, are they more interested in getting the hostages back than they are immediately pursuing the case against hamas in gaza? >> thank you for having me, david. well, we have two missions in this war, one is to destroy hamas and the other is to free the hostages. those two missions are not mutually exclusive, to the contrary, they actually complement one another. we're doing everything we can to get the hostages out, to free the hostages as quickly as possible and immediately after this pause for humanitarian purposes we will continue to destroy hamas. there's no other alternative than to destroy this. david: it seems like hamas is trying to string out the release as long as possible to maintain the cease-fire as long as possible in order to regroup their fighting against israel, is that not correct? >> well, israel's fully united, completely united. the people are united, the government is united, prime minister netanyahu's war cabinet is completely united to destroy hamas and to free the hostages. we've been united like never before. clearly the hamas want to extend this pause and the only thing that's facilitated this pause and release of hostages is the pressure that the idf has pounded hamas and that's actually the only thing that will continue to facilitate the hostage release. david: but i'm just wondering how much longer will this process take and in that time, which could be weeks, if it's taken, if you only are able to get a dozen or fewer hostages per day because there's still another 200 and so hostages remaining, correct? and so, it could take a long time before you're able to continue with your fight against hamas. >> true. so, the deal that was structured that the united states and the president personally helped structure is that for every 10 hostages released, there will be one more day of pause. so, for every 10 hostages released, hamas will live for another day, but at the end of the day, hamas will be destroyed. david: so, i'm just doing a quick calculation that adds up to about a month of a pause. that's a long time during which hamas could restructure itself militarily, no? >> well, we're fully prepared to return the fight back into gaza and into hamas and we have absolutely no other alternative. the day after hamas will be built on the 3-d model, one is to destroy hamas, two is to demilitarize gaza so there will be no threat to israel from the 360 square kilometers south of our border and three and most important is to deradicalize gaza and the palestinian society. once we do that. once we destroy, demilitarize and deradicalize gaza we will be able or the international community will be able to rebuild gaza with a hope for peace. david: let me just ask how israel is going about its daily business, doing things like farming, keeping the factories going, et cetera. has all of that been put on a pause or is it continuing and is the country continuing to ru run? >> israel is a vibrant democracy and a striving economy. we have a striving economy and after the initial setback of a few days, the israeli economy is back almost to normal. clearly we're in war right now and it effects the public and the public is concerned and we have tens of thousands of reservists taking part in the war against hamas and to dismantle hamas but israel's also a country that's used to war. we've had five different wars and we know how to bounce back and we have a strong economy and israel is a modern miracle. david: i don't know if you heard our discussion with general jack keane, but we talked about the role that iran played and continues to play not only with hamas, but hezbollah and its involvement goes beyond just financing those terrorist organizations, but actually is involved in command and control of those organizations. what are your feelings about that? >> right, so clearly the hamas and the hezbollah are proxies of iran. 93% of the military budget for hamas comes from iran. and we know what their responsibility is. i would not-- actually i would suggest that iran listen closely and carefully to the president of the united states who told them not to enter this war, and if you think of entering the war, they should simply don't enter it. i think they-- i think they haven't done so to date, but we're fully prepared for a second front which we do not want. we do not want a second front. we're fully focused on destroying hamas and freeing our hostages. if a second front is against us, we are prepared, we'll do what's needed. david: dr. ophir falk, thank you for joining us. let's hope we get the hostages as soon as possible. best of luck to you, sir. thank you very much. well, lucas tomlinson's connection has been reconnected, we hope. he's travelling with the president in nantucket with the president. and hope you're on a good path, and look pretty clear. >> david, take two, the white house doesn't expect to see any american hostages released and president biden with the following explanation how he thinks this war started. >> i cannot prove what i'm about to say, but i believe one of the reasons why hamas struck when they did is they knew that i was working very closely with the saudis and others in the region to bring peace to the region by having recognition of israel and israel's right to exist. >> free palestine! >> now, it's not been all smooth sailing for the president here in nantucket, david. biden and the first lady were met by protesters walking to lunch. and the protesters followed the president and his family, including hunter biden at the annual christmas tree lighting on the island. while americans were enjoying turkey, u.s. forces in the middle east were attacked four more time, at least 73 attacks on our service members in the middle east since the middle of last month. speaking of air strikes, officials say president biden has been putting more pressure on israel to extend this cease-fire to get more hostages out. biden was asked about his calls to israel's prime minister yesterday. >> i've encouraged the prime minister to -- to focus on trying to reduce the number of casualties while he is attempting to eliminate hamas, which is a legitimate obje objective. >> now, president biden made a number of calls to various u.s. military units from across the six branches of the armed forces. it's notable he did not call any in the middle east, that includes the u.s.s. gerald ford who has been extended twice and it was supposed to be home at thanksgiving with strike groups. david: thank you. attacks by iran-backed proxies on u.s. troops are escalating and reports that the defense department is building. is the biden administration doing enough to respond to that threat? that's next. (christmas music) ( ♪ ) weathertech gift cards have the power to wow everyone on your holiday list. offering a variety of american made products... weathertech! nice! like floorliners... cargo liner... seat protector... boot tray... cupfone... sink mat... pet feeding system... anti-fatigue comfortmat...and more. order the weathertech gift card instantly for the perfect gift at weathertech.com. sleep more deeply. and wake up rejuvenated. purple mattresses exclusive gel flex grid draws away heat. relives pressure and instantly adapts. sleep better live purple. right now save up to $900 dollars off mattress sets during purple's black friday sale. visit purple.com or a store near you today. my a1c was up here; now, it's down with rybelsus®. his a1c? it's down with rybelsus®. my doctor told me rybelsus® lowered a1c better than a leading branded pill and that people taking rybelsus® lost more weight. i got to my a1c goal and lost some weight too. rybelsus® isn't for people with type 1 diabetes. don't take rybelsus® if you or your family ever had medullary thyroid cancer, or have multiple endocrine neoplasia syndrome type 2, or if allergic to it. stop rybelsus® and get medical help right away if you get a lump or swelling in your neck, severe stomach pain, or an allergic reaction. serious side effects may include pancreatitis. gallbladder problems may occur. tell your provider about vision problems or changes. taking rybelsus® with a sulfonylurea or insulin increases low blood sugar risk. side effects like nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea may lead to dehydration, which may worsen kidney problems. need to get your a1c down? you may pay as little as $10 per prescription. >> we have some breaking news. we're hearing from reuters, so this is not our own sourcing, but reuters is sourcing hamas officials as saying there will be no more release of hostages today. it appeared that everything was going along as normal as it did yesterday, then there appeared to be certain glitches in the process and now, reuters is reporting, and we are re-reporting with reuters said, that hamas officials say there will be no released today. we have not confirmed that independently. we'll try to do so. meanwhile, attacks by iran proxy groups on u.s. forces in the middle east is increasing frustration within the defense department, according to certain reports, over biden's handling of the attacks. so what should we be doing. retired lt. colonel bob mcginnis with me now. thank you for being here. so clearly our counter attacks against the attacks to our troops and there are now about three or four dozen of those attacks, have been ineffective. our counter attacks have been ineffective. they haven't deterred the houthis or whoever is involved in these attacks. what should we do? >> we need to make sure that we hurt them, david. the attacks on their parts have been about 73 as your reporter indicated in our facilities there in iraq as well as in syria and of course, the houthis have been firing drones or ballistic weapons at, you know, some of our cruisers in the red sea so we have to recognize that iran's not done with this. they've used hamas for, you know, their initial effort. they'll continue this, and of course, psychologically, they're drumming up support for hamas, and really trying to call off this war. what we ought to do though is to be very deterrent and that is, we've got to hurt them either through irgc, the kuds force the red sea or the persian gulf. otherwise this nation that continues to fuel not only the middle east problems, but also helping russia in the ukraine and elsewhere and fueling, you know, obviously what's going on in china through, you know, selling three million barrels of oil to them every day. so, we need to recognize this is an existential threat for the region. david: you know, i remember the last time i heard of a big conflict between the administration and its state department and the defense department was during the afghanistan withdrawal when clearly the president felt he knew more or the state department officials than the defense department officials. that did not turn out well when the politicians and the defense officials have a conflict about how to deal with a war, this particular administration, i feel more comfortable when defense is calling the shots rather than the administration. >> yeah, i agree with you. when blinken calls things, we typically end up in trouble, especially in the military side. when lloyd austin makes decisions, along with the chairmen and the other chiefs, they're thinking about the national security implications not the political implications. we've got to, you know, get this right. recognize that the world is unstable right now, given what's going on in the middle east and eastern europe. certainly in the far east with the chinese. we don't need to continue allowing, you know, miscreants like the iranian islamic revolutionary guard corps to spread their hatred and their killing across this region. you're right earlier with mr. biden trying to work out a deal between the saudis and the israelis, and i think that's exactly why the timing of the 7 october attack, but now, they've unleashed psychologically around the world those that would call off the dogs of war against hamas and as a direct result, we find ourselves really, i think, for a long periods of time going forward we're not going to be able to extract ourselves from the middle east and have to keep a carrier there as in the past and other things. david: colonel. >> this is not a good situation. david: quickly, we only have about 20 seconds, but there are questions about whether certain members of state department, particularly this guy rob mally, who was our enjoy to iran were too sympathetic to iran, particularly with regard to sanctions. quickly, what are your feelings about that? >> either on the nuclear deal or the sanctions deal the iranians haven't changed their tune since 1979. they're a terrorist organization, and they'll continue to be until something radical happens in that country. david: and continuing our live coverage of a tenuous situation with a round of hostages from hamas. it may not happen today. we've got breaking news. stay with us. all right. 60 seconds to draw the perfect gift. what's it gonna be? a bottle of don julio, 1942, delivered. delivered with drizly. gifting without the guessing. drizly. all right, sheila, are you throwing a dress like a dad party, a birthday brunch, or a vow renewal for your dogs? yes! the right drinks delivered for any party. drizly. all right, tandy, what's it gonna be, the drink made from whatever was laying around, or the one made with your drizzly haul? drizly! stock up today, sip well, tomorrow. drizly. all right, sheila, are you throwing a dress like a dad party, a birthday brunch, or a vow renewal for your dogs? yes! the right drinks delivered for any party. drizly. >> once again, we've got breaking news from reuters as we're looking now at the crossing between israel and the west bank where prisoners, palestinian prisoners are involved in being released. now there may be a kurfuffle involved in that release because reuters is reporting the second release-- we've had one group released and we were expecting another one today. this morning, our time shall the afternoon over in the middle east that has not yet happened and we are now told it won't happen today. let's go to another perspective on all of this that's going on there with former u.s.s. cole comm commander kirk lippold. and i want to ask about the seas. and there's the houthi rebels taking over certain ships on the high seas. what's going on with this hostage release? this is the kind of problem that you have when you put the fate of feem people in the hand of psychotic leaders that make up hamas leadership, is it not? >> david, you're absolutely right. what you have to remember you cannot trust terrorists and at their heart, this is what the iranian regime is. every one of the proxy groups that they're supporting cannot be trusted. this action this morning by hamas in delaying the release of the hostages is clearly indicative this they're using it to their operational advantage. every minute that they have available to them, gives them an opportunity to move forces, to rearm, to refuel, and prepare for the next phase of attack which both side admitted is coming and when you look at what's going on at sea. the navy already had to respond several times to houthi missiles and drones shot at israel if not our own ship. >> there was a ship taken over, they claim, by the way, it was an israeli ship. it wasn't, it was a japanese ship. there was not one member of the crew that was israeli, but it was taken over. the houthis had access to helicopters that actually landed on the ship, then went throughout the ship and took the crew hostage and as far as i know, they still have control of the ship. there was nothing on that ship, by the way. it was an empty container ship. so, if this piracy continues how should we respond to that? >> well, that's really-- we're going to have to put forces in place, and this is one of the dynamics that goes on with the navy today, that has continued to have numbers reduced, while you may have many people in the leadership of the navy today saying we have the most capable ships in the world, you have to both have quantity and capabilities in place. just ask captain phillips from the marsk alabama. and it's good that you have the u.s.s. bainbridge to respond. if the houthis are going to start taking ships and sophisticated in how they did it, this isn't like somalia coming out with boats and taking over, these are helicopters landing on board. we are going to have to respond in a manner that sends a clear signal when they attempt to do that, we are going to respond by taking those assets out. if that means shooting them down in order to defend those ships on the high seas, the united states needs to be prepared to do so. >> let's be clear. the amount of sophistication that was involved in this particular boarding of in particular ship went far beyond the normal capabilities of the houthi rebels. it clearly involves a command and control structure by the iranians, does it not? >> absolutely, david. what you're seeing right here are iran's fingerprints all over everything. i mean, both general keane, the colonel as your last guest, the bottom line at some point the united states is going to have to confront iran in what they're doing in supporting these groups and the danger they present to the region. we have to do it in coordination with our allies there and my only suggestion is when people say now you're expanding the war effort, well, if not now when? and what's the number? how many americans have to die? how many more people have to die at the hands of iranian proxy groups before the world is willing to act and call this regime out for what it's doing? it is a rogue, number one, state sponsor of terrorism that at some point has to be stopped. david: at the very least, commander, we could just apply the economic pressure that brought iran to its knees economically and those are sanctions that are on the books. it's not like they have to be made up. it's just that they have to be enforced. >> you're absolutely right, david. why the biden administration has not exercised the sanctions regime that we had in place before the joint comprehensive plan of action, iran nuclear agreement, is just stunning. it shows almost a feckless nature how they're approaching the entire foreign policy for that region. all those sanctions should be put back into place. no more money regardless of what it is being purported to be used for like humanitarian, should be given to the iranians, and we, in fact, should tighten that noose so fast and quickly in coordination, especially with the europeans where a lot of that money flows through, that needs to be done immediately to send a signal that we're done dealing with that. david: commander, do you have any doubt that some of those extra billions they've been making, those extra tens of billions they've been making from oil sales is going to their nuclear program? >> oh, absolutely. yes, david. anyone that thinks otherwise is very misinformed. every indicator that i have seen in my analysis and from the sources that i have show that every dollar that the iranians don't have to spend on their people, on humanitarian and otherwise, they are now putting those into programs to destabilize the region, and to continue to further their nuclear program. we've already seen where they're in violation of that agreement. they're on the cusp of being able to make a nuclear weapon. that's a threshold if they pass it, we may not be aware of until it's too late nor will the israelis now that they're distracted and bogged down fighting iraq. we are going to have to put the sanctions in place and if necessary, prepare to go kinetic if we have to. david: thank you for being here, commander kirk lippold. >> thank you, david. happy thanksgiving weekend to you. david: thank you. and we are going to have more from the middle east. reuters is reporting that hamas says it's delaying a second release. we don't know for how long. we will attempt to confirm it independently of reuters, but we're going to be asking the israeli acting consul general about this coming next. y deal. that's why we've made black friday bigger and better with golden gable deals. for one week, discover the best savings of the year for your home. my most important kitchen tool? my brain. so i choose new neuriva ultra. unlike some others, it supports 7 brain health indicators, including mental alertness from one serving. to help keep me sharp. try new neuriva ultra. think bigger. ♪ if you're happy and you know it, clap your hands. ♪ ♪ if you're happy and you know it, ride your bike. ♪ ♪ if you're happy and, you know it, then your face will surely show it. ♪ ♪ if you're happy and you know it, smile big and bright. ♪ thousands of kids just like me are happy every day. and it's all because of generous people like you who support shriners hospitals for children every month. all you have to do is call the number on your screen or go online to loveshriners.org right now with your monthly gift. because of people like you shriners hospitals for children is able to make an everyday miracle happen for kids like me. that brings a smile to my face. ♪ if you're happy and you know it, dance around. ♪ ♪ if you're happy and you know it, play a song. ♪ ♪ if you're happy and you know, then your face will surely show it. ♪ ♪ if you're happy and you know it, jump up high. ♪ and when you call or go online right now to donate $19 a month or more, we'll send you this adorable love to the rescue blanket as a thank you and a reminder of all the smiles you're bringing to kids faces every day. will today be the day you send your love to the rescue? when you call the number on your screen right now and give as little as $19 a month, just $0.63 a day, you'll be making a life changing difference for a child just like sarah. your monthly gift today could change a life forever. because of you, we're happy and i know it. thank you. thank you. thank you. thank you. please call or go online right now to give. if operators are busy, please wait patiently. or go to loveshriners.org right away. another excuse, i mean, reason for my family to crave a little pizza time. well, i've got one. my cuisinart indoor pizza oven, ready to bake up some bubbly, cheesy, savory sauciness with that perfect artisan crispy crust in about five minutes. it's great for snack time, dinner time, game time. me time. anytime. it's always time for home baked pizza. >> and again, we're getting breaking news what we were expecting may be delayed for a while. this is the second group of hostages held by hamas that were due to be released today, probably now will not happen today. this according to reuters quoting the armed wing of the palestinian of hamas, said on saturday, it decided to delay the second round of hostage releases until israel is committed to letting aid trucks enter northern gaza. now, again, we haven't confirmed it ourselves and we don't know exactly which aid trucks they're talking about, whether or not they're allowed to be inspected and perhaps that's the reason they're having a problem accepting the terms of hamas right now, israel, that is. on the phone we have israeli acting consul general to new york ezra. thank you for joining us, if anything, what do you know about the delay of the second group of homes being released? >> thank you so much for having me, david. let me say that we-- this doesn't surprise israel at all. we're dealing with a brutal, murderous regime of terrorists, and they have a history of violating cease-fires, this is not the first time. the last cease-fire we had with them in the previous cycle, they made two hours after the specific time to go after our soldiers, killing our soldiers and actually abducting one of the body. we are talking, also, about an organization that plays psychological warfare against civilians against the families and we know that they cannot be trusted so as far as i'm concerned, back and forth of that is definitely changing this point the mechanism that was agreed upon is not something that catches me by surprise. one thing i'll say about it, they come back, because the reason they came originally to the deal is because they were under pressure and they were under military pressure and the fact that we were pushed for many weeks to restrain ourselves, just proved indications that if we don't pressure them military ily they'll play these unbelievable cruel playing of games against families of innocent civilians. david: another inning is happen. not only the military pressure, but the pulling back of the curtain what they had been doing in gaza for so many years. the series of tunnels under hospitals, and putting palestinian civilians in harm's way from any counterattack. and now we know the stories that we've heard about the centers many hamas injuries are true. we sent in our own trey yingst went in the tunnels under the hospital in gaza that was essentially a command center of hamas. so all of their rhetoric, all of their propaganda was proved to be the lies that we suspected they were. >> 100% and for many years we've been getting pushback saying well, you can't prove it, you can't show us that this is the reality and as you said, not that we just originally-- just recently proved to the media, but it was also independently verified for the white house and of course, the president himself. we're talking about a terrorist organization that embodies themselves in civilians and in particular hiding behind civilians underneath hospitals, schools, mosques, they do that because they know our morals, jewish moral is not going after these locations and this needs to be condemned by international community. i have yet to hear the u.n. saying that. i have yet to hear other forces that i would say for many years focusing only on israel and i think you mention very correctly the previous statement that this is all iranian's fingerprints everywhere. you can see it here in hamas and in hezbollah, you can see it through the houthis coming after us and that iran has been working and we need to make sure to continue the pressure on iran, too, because they're the source of all of it. let me ask specifically, get in the weeds about the cease-fire itself. we've heard that the terms of the cease-fire, which hear are apparently in flux right now. include the release of 10 hostages would allow for one extra day of a cease-fire. when you count up the number of hostages that hamas has control over, that would amount to a cease-fire of about a full month. wouldn't that give hamas time to regroup and possibly eliminate the gains that israel has made militarily? >> the mechanism we crafted the first four days in which 50 hostages will be released and then every day further will be an additional 10 hostages, however, i don't see the agreement continuing for 20 days. i don't see it continuing for two days very easily, and i do want to make a very, very important point here. there's no moral equivalence between the hostages released from the hamas regime and between the prisoners we're exchanging. our people are not prisoners, they are two years old, four years old, mothers without children, children without mothers. who take a grandma or a 10-month-old hostage and we have to release 50 years old, women sometimes convicted as terrorists and most the time didn't succeed, but stabbing, and throwing grenade at israelis. we're talking no moral equivalencesy. david: no, clearly there's no moral equivalentsy between a 2-year-old and a fighter. is it conceivable you could lose a lot of the ground you've made against hamas the longer this pause continues? . well, i wouldn't say that this is a -- the best situation for the idf at this point, but because we -- but it's doable because we have defined two goals through this campaign you know very well. first of all, to eradicate hamas and goes into the future to make sure that they will not threaten us again and the second, of course, looking into an eye to the past and making sure that all of our hostages will be released. and so these two goals are ent twining in a sense and talk about the major point about hamas, not revenge, but if we do not eradicate hamas to spread to israel we will not be an i believe to bring hundreds of thousands of israelis to this place now, back to their communities because these murderous regimes will continue attacking israel and they're not shy about it. they want to annihilate the state of israel. so the end of the day, to your question, these two goals ind tw intertwine. we look to eradicate about them going after us. david: aviv ezra, thank you for joining us. alex hogan joins us live from jerusalem. i assume you've heard this reuters report and i'm wondering if we have been able to confirm it independently at all? >> hi, david, yes, there's a statement from hamas officials saying they're delaying the start of the release of these hostages citing, they claim that israel is not abiding by the conditions of the cease-fire. what they mean by that, they're arguing that there are simply not enough aid that's flowing into gaza to give relief to more than a million people displaced. we know within southern gaza there's a flow throughout gaza. three quarters of more than two million population are out of their homes because of the fighting. hamas has not given clarity as to specifically how long the delay could take place, but that's what they're citing right now, there needs to be more humanitarian aid sent in in order for the the release of the hostages. we had heard earlier this hour from officials in egypt they have started to see hamas bring the hostages, start to transfer them to the red cross. obviously, that's all been halted at this point as we will wait to see how all of this unfolds. this has been the main reason why israel has not been releasing the specific names on the lists, which hostages have been released out of concerns that something could happen just like this, there could be either a pause, an end to the cease-fire, which thankfully we have not seen that, but there's been a lot of concern, a lot of anxiety here on the ground that all of this could flip on a switch and we could stop to see the hostage release taking place, but it's worth noting, there's still a major effort on both sides, to see all of this unfold as the deal had been brokered that there should be more humanitarian aid going to gaza that israel would release 150 palestinians in exchange for 50 hostages, those goals are very much at the forefront of the mind of both parties. we'll continue to watch this and we're getting more images coming out now of at least the 13 israeli family members and families who are together for the very first day. one little boy, a 9-year-old, he's actually not only having a party at the hospital with his friends, but he's also seeing the images and the photos his parents showing him all the messages he received while in captivity. so there's a lot of unfolding at the same time. these are the images of all of the 13 hostages who have been released in the last 24 hours. so 13 other hostages potentially, 14, were expected to be on the way back to israel right now and what would have taken place, they would have been handed over to red cross, made their way through the rafah crossing and make it to israel soil and go through examinations and reunited with families. a lot of hope on the ground that this will take place. and we'll wait and see how israel responds to this. we don't have an official statement from israeli officials just yet whether they'll send in more humanitarian aid. if the aid that's been sent in so far is what should suffice. we'll continue to monitor on the ground. david: very, very quickly, alex, are you hearing from israelis that the suggestion that this could on the part of hamas somebody subterfuge, the issues that they're having with the next group of released, a subterfuge to simply delay military operations against them in gaza by the israelis? >> well, i think, and also you mentioned this with your last guest, asking is hamas using this to its advantage to try to reassess its forces, build back its strength. i think one thing worth noting, it's important to stress just before the cease-fire, we did see both sides typically before a cease-fire will build up their military operations and israel said it wanted to make sure it was known it was able to destroy as many as 400 tunnels so really taking out a lot of hamas infrastructure to make sure that during this cease-fire, hamas wasn't able to reassess, remove its forces and reestablish itself. one concern we've heard on the ground, interesting to think of, with the unfolding of the whole scenario that we saw yesterday with the release of these hostages given back to israel, that was all organized and delivered, you know, quite well. we saw everything go according to plan yesterday. while that's a big win here for israel, it was also seen as an obvious sign that hamas is quite organized. which is the last thing that israeli forces would want to see and the israeli government would want to see after almost seven weeks of the war trying to dismantle hamas. right now we're seeing the potential delay. it worth noting the hostages were not released exactly at 4 p.m. local. there was a couple of hours that it was delayed and the goal is for that to resume any moment now. >> excellent reporting. alex hogan from jerusalem. thank you very much. we'll have more on the breaking news from the middle east right after this. (car engine revs) (engine accelerating) (texting clicks) (tires squeal) (glass shattering) (loose gravel clanking) >> breaking news in the middle east right now. reuters is reporting that hamas says it's delaying the release of more israeli hostages. we just got somewhat of a confirmation of that from our own reporter beyond reuters, but we're waiting to get more details. no doubt they'll file in throughout the next couple of hours, let's get the read on all of this from retired air force lieutenant general, great to see you. thank you for being here. it seems like hamas may be creating a subterfuge just to keep this cease-fire going, no? >> yes, david, i think you're exactly correct. it's important for folks to recognize that hamas has no humanitarian concerns. that excuse is duplicitous and deceitful. hamas only wants to make advantage of the pause to reposition, rearm and reorganization. unfortunately, the impact is that the iz israeli defense forces will lose some of the advantage thus far, as intelligence gets more stale. i don't know if your audience understands this, drone operations have been seized as a condition of this pause and this may have put the israeli forces on defensive as the hamas forces in the tunnels and israel has humanitarian concerns and hamas does not. david: and it shows the degree to which the idf has been successful in interrupting this funnel network on which hamas had so greatly relied. >> no, i think that's extraordinarily important to remember as well because let's not forget why hostages are being released by hamas. it's because hamas, as you say, has been under intense and very successful military pressure and they want israel to halt those operations even if only temporarily, you know, as has been discussed earlier today by your guests, israel made a judgment that for humanitarian reasons the return of these hostages is worth the risk of temporarily letting up the pressure on hamas, but hamas is only releasing these hostages to facilitate their own survival. >>. david: now, i don't know if you've been hearing, but some people might think we have been talking about iran enough and not enough about hamas specifically. but to what extent do you think that the negotiations and the strategy right now is being decided more in tehran than it is in gaza? >> well, it's an interesting proposition as some of your earlier guests have said. hamas gets over 93% of all of its support from iran. at the same time, as you've reported, u.s. forces in the region have been under attack over 70 times since october 17th, resulting in over 60 injuries. now, here is the deal. our air forces are ready, trained and able to execute whatever orders to engage that they're given, however, to date, the orders at that they're being given have not been effective in stopping those attacks, more putting pressure on iran to cease its support for hamas and its operatives, so the biden administration has got to stop being deterred by iran, and take action to deter the iranian operatives from conducting attacks on u.s. forces and to stop supporting hezbollah and hamas. >> and finally, we only have 30 seconds, general, what about hezbollah? why have they been holding back from joining the battle here? >> well, that's part of, i think, the success story of the deterrent forces that the united states has brought into the region and the recognition of the immense destruction that would be rained upon them if iran encouraged hezbollah to continue -- or to continue to increase its attacks against israel. david: okay. david de. about deptula. thank you for joining us. thank you all at home being patient with the breaking news and neil is back next week. until then, stick with fox for breaking news, a lot out of the middle east. we're all over it. we'll see you next time. can't stop adding stuff to your cart? get the bank of america customized cash rewards card, choose the online shopping category and earn 3% cash back. my most important kitchen tool? my brain. so i choose new neuriva ultra. unlike some others, it supports 7 brain health indicators, including mental alertness from one serving. to help keep me sharp. try new neuriva ultra. think bigger. ♪ if you're on medicare, remember, the annual enrollment period is here. the time to choose your coverage begins october 15th and ends december 7th. so call unitedhealthcare and see how you can get more of what matters, with our broad range of plans including an aarp medicare advantage plan from unitedhealthcare. it can combine your hospital and doctor coverage with part d prescription drug coverage, and more, all in one simple plan. these plans are made to support your whole health with $0 annual physical exams, $0 lab tests and $0 preventive care like mammograms and colonoscopies. and you'll get more for your medicare dollar with $0 copays on most covered dental services a $0 eye exam and an allowance for eyewear plus $0 copays on hundreds of prescriptions, at the pharmacy or by mail. now's the time to look at unitedhealthcare's variety of plans. so give us a call to learn more about coverage options in your area. with our right plan promise, you have our commitment to helping you find the right plan for your needs. and to help make life with medicare simpler, you'll get the all-in-one member ucard. only from unitedhealthcare, the ucard is your unitedhealthcare member id and much more. show your ucard when you visit your primary care provider, dentist or eye doctor, or fill a prescription at the pharmacy. and use it to access medicare advantage's largest national network of providers. you can count on unitedhealthcare to help you get the care you need, when you need it. enrollment ends december 7th. now's the time to learn more about america's most chosen medicare advantage plans and how they can open doors to a simpler healthcare experience with the all-in-one ucard. call unitedhealthcare today about the only medicare advantage plans with the aarp name and get more of what matters to you. (music ends) >> breaking thi