. >> i'm kaitlan collins live tonight from israel. this is a special edition of "the source" because hours from now, a deal, if israel and hamas can keep it. weeks of negotiations have led both sides to this point where we are right now. if everything falls, what has been a very delicately choreographed script, some families will finally be able to breathe a sigh of relief. but failure will spell heartbreak for many of them. what we know now is that 13 israeli hostages who have spent weeks in hamas captivity are now scheduled to have freedom. dozens of palestinian prisoners are also slated for release in exchange for the release of those hostages. all of that is happening in addition to what is expected to be a complete pause in the fighting in gaza as we have seen aid trucks already lining up at the rafah crossing to go into gaza, desperately needed aid as you just heard. we've already watched one delay to this deal followed by an intense burst of fighting happening on the ground in gaza. we should also note this is only roughly one-quarter of the number of israeli hostages that are being held by hamas, leaving many other families left to wonder if or when they'll ever be able to see their loved ones again. we know president biden has been very hopeful tonight as this clock is ticking towards that expected release of the first group of women and children hostages in gaza. cnn's arlette saenz is in nantucket where the president is spending his thanksgiving with his family. arlette, as we heard from president biden earlier tonight, he was asked about the release of these hostages. what did he tell reporters? >> reporter: kaitlin, president biden is striking an optimistic tone as the white house is hopeful that this hostage release will go forward as planned on friday. now, as he was out visiting firefighters here in nantucket on thanksgiving day, the president said that he would be prepared to speak a bit more about this in this process after that release is conducted friday. one thing white house officials have been watching closely is trying to figure out whether any americans will be part of this initial release. it's expected that there could be three americans released in total with that 50 women and children figure. two women that are american, and also there is that 3-year-old, abigail adan, abigail's parents killed in the october 7th attack by hamas. president biden is keeping his fingers crossed that she will be part of this initial release expected to take place friday. u.s. officials are expected to start notifying the families of any american hostages who are released once they are departing gaza according to u.s. officials. essentially what needs to happen is an american official or a trusted third party needs to set eyes on these hostages, that they are americans, and that is when the u.s. will begin notifying the families if their loved ones are coming out. president biden has been very focused on the execution and the implementation of this deal. of course, he had had phone calls over the course of the past few weeks. just yesterday as he had spoken with the amir of qatar, where they specifically talked about the implementation, and white house is hopeful this will move forward tomorrow and there could be very soon the release of not just that larger group but also specifically americans as well. >> something everyone in the u.s. is also watching closely. arlette saenz in nantucket, thank you for that report. to one of the families anxiously waiting and watching as the clock is ticking as we near this deal, maya and radin, their relative yarden was kidnapped -- their cousin. maya, you know that you've been going through the emotions with this that every hostage family has been dealing with, these tragic 47, going on 48 days now. you've been told your cousin is not going to be part of this initial group of 13. what did you hear? >> we were told this evening not to expect her back tomorrow. i think it's good that the government is updating even the families whose relatives won't be released, because we, of course, have been waiting to hear. even though we understood that yarden might be part of a later group released, if she'll be released in this round at all, yarden is a young mother who saved her daughter when they were both kidnapped and is currently separated from her daughter. >> because she gave him to her husband? >> she gave her to her husband, yes, as they were attempting to flee their captors. she's currently separated, and we're really hoping for her to be reunited with her child. we don't know if it will happen this time around. it's very hard every day to try not to hope too much, but still you have that kind of maybe, and then yes. so it was very hard today, and we expect it to be a hard week. >> how has it been for you? i know these hostage families have spent so much time together as they've dealt with this process. you're happy for the 13 who are going to get their loved ones back, but knowing you're not one of them? >> i think people have to realize that for every person in israel, this is a personal story. everybody knows somebody killed or being hostage. it's a small country and everybody knows somebody. i'm amazed that i know about this, but i'm amazed by the number of people who call me or meet me and say, "wow, this has happened." it's a very, very personal story. so even for the people who don't have somebody who's going to be released, maybe will be released, something like that, people in the country are actually in agony. it's an agonizing deal. we're dealing with somebody who's really erratic. i've followed him for many years, he's erratic. and you really don't know, even if this deal is already signed and put together, nobody knows if it's going to really happen. the stories that are coming out, i don't want to call them -- they're tragic stories. yadin, you have a mother who manages to escape after she's been kidnapped with her child. then she says, they're going to get me, so she gives her child to her spouse. they run off, and she gives herself up. and she doesn't know if it worked or if it didn't work. so these are tragic stories. they're coming out more and more and more as we hear more about this, getting more and more tragic stories. and then when you had a deal like this, i don't envy the people who have to make the decision. i don't envy the people who have to decide, we're going to take a deal, we're not. everybody's going to be released, we don't know what's going to happen to the rest, or we continue fighting and then we will get the people released -- i don't envy the people. >> no. >> you hear in israel of people who are against the deal. you hear in israel people are for the deal. >> we do hear that. i wonder what you make of that. we do hear some criticism or skepticism of the deal, at best because they're worried it will allow hamas time to regroup. then you meet families like yours. you just want to get your loved ones back. >> it's a two-pronged story. so on the one hand, people are saying, let's finish the thing, what we started, get rid of hamas. on the other side, in order to do that, we have to continue fighting without any truce. on the other hand, as a country that everybody knows everybody else, there's no way that a deal is on the table that the people who have to make the decision will not take it. they will not be able to politically survive if they don't take a deal on the table. even the deal that was there a week ago and was not finished and half baked, and they didn't take it. they're scared. when you see bebe on television, he's explaining why he didn't take the deal a week ago. he has to explain. he has to say why i didn't do this a week ago and i'm doing it now and come up with all sorts of excuses. because there's no way that the country can not take a deal when it's on the table, even though it's a bad deal. >> for us as a family, we do feel that any deal is important because we believe that one deal can lead to another, that we want to start seeing people coming back, even if yadin will not be home this week we hope the beginning of getting people back will also lead to her coming back to us. >> you mentioned she doesn't even know. she handed off her baby not knowing what was going to happen. how is her baby going tonight? >> her daughter is truly amazing. but it's hard. it's very, very hard for her. they were -- they are extremely, extremely close. she's been without her mother for 47 days. >> how old is she? >> she's 3 1/2 years old. >> is she asking? >> she's asking. we don't have to tell her what happened, because she was there. she saw what happened. she was with her father, who after they escaped they had to hide for 12 hours, no food, no water, to be completely silent. which is amazing they were able to do that. then to come back to the kibbutzes and find the idf forces and be able to call. she's been through the trauma of the actual kidnapping. now she's been through the trauma of missing her mom. she does ask. we tell her her mom is lost. she knows everyone is looking for her. now she has this thing where she has to be the one who opens the door. she never looks at who's on the other side of the door. she runs up, opens the door, doesn't look. for us, we're pretty sure she's expecting to see her mother on the other side, at the same time really scared she's not there. >> that's heartbreaking. >> it is. >> i can't even imagine what the two of you have been through what your whole family has been through. obviously we are all hoping they are reunited very soon. thank you for coming on, knowing you're not getting the news that you wanted for when this is happening. we hope that you'll join us when you do get the news that you do want. maya, yadin, thank you very much, thank you for your time tonight. of course, there are many families dealing with this same issue tonight, finding out it is not going to be their loved one who is in this initial release of the first 13 hostages that are going to be making their way back to israel tomorrow. the deal is complicated, it is delicate, still a lot of questions about what could happen at the last minute. joining me is a man who has negotiated hundreds of hostage negotiations, former navy s.e.a.l. commander and coordinator of the hostage working group for the u.s. embassy in iraq, daniel o'shea. there are so many risks here that are at play. what about notifying the families, as israel as done here, of the 13 names that are on that list? with the caveat that they are still in hamas control as of this moment? >> that is the challenge. and i can tell you, family members, many of whom i met after my tour ended in iraq, i got to meet family members back in the states. some of whom lost their loved ones, some who got their loved one home. and communications from the government, i should say lack of communication, was always one of the first and the most ardent complaints that a lot of these families had. so i understand the need to share that information. but from my side, that is nothing we would have ever presented to these families. because you're giving expectations and high hopes that can be dashed. because this is such a tenuous situation. yes, we should be cautiously optimistic. but i would be very hesitant -- less information shared is better, to be frank. because a lot of things can go wrong. >> well, so what do you think is the right way? i think part of this is, either the families aren't all here in israel, they need to come back, if that is going to be their loved one who is the one being released. what do you think is the right way to go about this? >> well, the point is when you raise information about what families are being released, then you turn everyone else into asking more questions. it's very challenging, but the goal is to raise the value of the hostage in the eyes of the hostage-taker and diminish the value, perceived value, of those hostages. when you have all this press and speculation, the president weighing in, all that does is raise the stakes. and gives hamas even more power about holding on to these hostages. so it's a tightrope. it's a balancing act. but i just know that this deal was not made directly between hamas and israel. both have sworn to wipe each other out. this deal was made through third-party intermediaries and back-door channels. i just would be very cautious going forward. let's get these first batch of hostages out, and hopefully that lays the groundwork for future success. but this could turn. it could go wrong very easily. it's less information before you actually have accomplished something is a smarter course of action, in my experience. >> how fragile do you think this deal is based on that lack of trust, the fact that there is this third-party intermediary in the form of qatar, which was the country to confirm the details of this as we learned them earlier today in a press conference? >> listen, you're dealing with not just one group. hamas has hostages. islamic jihad. there are probably maybe splinter groups that might have hostages in gaza. there's so many variables. a third-party actor, what if hezbollah shoots a missile from the west bank to throw this all astray? a checkpoint, an israeli defense soldier might have a car come up too quickly and fire off a round. so the cease-fire is very tenuous. and it would not take a lot for it to end before the four days that was agreed upon. but we will see what happens. but again, i don't have -- i would proceed with caution on giving expectations and hope to these families, because if they don't get their loved ones back, it's going to -- the fallout will be pretty catastrophic, frankly. >> it is. you heard from the family members there, yadin and maya, what this means to them. daniel o'shea, thank you for your perspective. >> thank you. up next, the former israeli ambassador to the united nations will join me live here on-site in tel aviv on what preparations israel is taking if that worst-case scenario that daniel mentioned does happen, if this deal is breached. stay with us. our coverage continues here in israel where we appear to be on the verge of what could be a critical moment in the war that we have been watching play out. 13 hostages are now less than two hours away from the start of what is expected to be that return home. we know that they are expected to be released around 4:00 p.m. local, 9:00 a.m. eastern. if this deal between israel and hamas holds firm -- that is a big if -- already the red cross says there are a large convoy of aid trucks ready to go into gaza the second that that temporary truce goes into effect. perspective from former israeli ambassador to the united nations, danny deknown, also the former israeli defense minister and member of the likud party. thank you for being here, ambassador. are you confident this deal is going to hold? >> we can never be confident if we speak about hamas. we saw what happened only yesterday. but it looks like that within two hours, we're going to have a pause. actually, 15 minutes ago, there were rockets flying into southern communities. we will wait and see. then we're going to wait for the hostages to come back. there will be no celebrations in israel because the majority of hostages will still be in gaza after almost 50 days. the families were notified. those of the hostages, they should come to meet them. we hope we will see more hostages coming, more than the 50. >> of course, israel has continued to hit gaza, which the idf says they'll do up until that truce begins as well. is it accurate that israel is going to wait until those 13 hostages are actually in the custody of the red cross, which is where they're being handed over to, before those 39 palestinian prisoners are released? >> yes. we have done it in the past. there is a mechanism to do it, you know, between the egyptians and israelis. so yes, we can do that. and i believe that we will see them coming home for the families only in a few hours. a lot of tension in israel. you know, they are babies. we are waiting to see the babies. some of the babies are in gaza without their parents, who were massacred. you can imagine the anticipation to see them back home. >> i imagine some of these 13 are expected to be those children that are being held? >> indeed. >> as we're waiting for what that's going to look like, you mentioned there's 90 other hostages that are not going to be released in this period from what we know right now. one thing prime minister netanyahu said recently was the red cross was going to be able to go in as part of this agreement to tend to those hostages, the ones that are not going to be released. we have not heard a lot about that lately. is that still on the table? >> i have expectations for them. of course we haven't heart reserve heard them so far saying anything. and also, we -- with hamas, it's very tricky. if you look at the language, it speaks about visitation of the hostages, providing medicines to them. now they are saying it was not understood. so we expect that we will receive full reports about all the hostages. we want to see evidence that they are alive, if they need medical help, we expect the red cross to go there and provide that support. >> you're doubtful the red cross is actually going to do that? >> i'm very skeptical, both about the red cross and about hamas. >> the other part of this agreement is aid is going to be going into gaza, desperately needed humanitarian aid. i believe 200 trucks per day as part of this agreement that is expected to go on. is that actually doable? is israel actually going to be able to -- there is a mechanism in place to allow that much aid into gaza and actually see that happen? >> yes. if you look at the numbers before the war, you know, we allowed a similar number of trucks to go into gaza. but that was through a checkpoint that we had control over. today the checkpoint is under the control of egypt. we will inspect also those trucks. i think it's doable. we're going to have to work out with the egyptians to allow it to happen. >> who is inspecting those trucks and monitoring that aid as it goes into gaza? >> there are two stages. the trucks coming from rafah, from the egyptian side, they come to israel. we have a mechanism to look that there are no weapons on the trucks. then they go back into egypt, into gaza. but it's very close in the proximity, a few kilometers between checkpoints. >> i've been speaking to sources at the white house who are saying they want israel to open the ka recommend shalom crossing to help facilitate the entry of even more aid. you're shaking your head no? >> it will not happen. enough. we are going to allow aid to come into gaza, but israel will not be connected to gaza like before october 7th. we allowed tens of thousands of gazans to come and work in israel, we allowed trucks to come through our ports, that's over. if anyone wants to support the people in gaza, you're more than welcome to do it, but send the material to egypt, speak to the egyptians about it. >> that's a flat no to that request coming from washington. what everyone has talking about could happen here at the end of this 96-hour pause is israel has difficulty restarting its military campaign in gaza because you're facing so much international pressure not to do so? >> we are paying a price. we are paying a price because we had a very strong momentum of the military. but i can assure we will continue with the military operation. we are not going to stop. it's only the beginning. we have -- we are very successful on attacking targets in northern gaza, but we are going after hamas, in the central part of gaza, determined to finish the job. >> it will restart is what you're saying? >> absolutely. >> ambassador, thank you for staying up late for us here in israel as we're counting down the