♪ ♪ and this just in, israel says it is trying to see whether there is a possibility to extend the truce with hamas beyond today. that is from senior israeli official to cnn. the word from the qatari foreign ministry which has helped broker these agreements, they are hopeful and they say they're optimistic, even that the truce can be extended. >> that's what all of the families are hoping for. >> yeah. that's right. here's what we know hangs in the balance of the talks right now. the fate of 161 hostages still being held in gaza. here's how the israeli government said that number breaks down. four of the hostages are children under the age of 18. another four hostages are 18 and 19 years old, ten others are 75 years old and older. while families wait for word on what tomorrow brings, other families are also waiting for what happens today, a sixth group of hostages are set to be freed and we're standing by for that. >> the white house saying it believes that nine of the hostages are americans, two are women. the white house is hopeful that those two women may be released in today's group, but at this time we don't know if their names are on the list, among the children who have been released this week, two teen brothers ages 16 and 13. you see the celebrations there and the relief on their family's faces. we just released new images of the emotional reunion with their family and the family and the father remains a hostage. we go to kaitlan collins in tel aviv. what are you learning about the hostages that are set to be released today? >> we are still waiting at any moment to see the implementation of that release. it's typically during this time during your show that we see the red cross fas icilitating their transfer to egypt and it's 6:00 p.m. local here and we're still waiting to see that movement and to see who is on this list. of course, the families of these loved ones already know who is expected to be coming home. they always have a bit of caution that until their loved beens are back here on israeli soil they are cautiously optimistec about the list. we look at this, though, and we do know that it's expected to see women and children, but there are two children that we know that are not going to be on this list today and they're the youngest hostages being held by hamas. people are familiar with their faces now. they are two young boys, kfir and ariel bibas. kfir was 9 months when he was kidnapped and he is now 10 months old in captivity and i heard from their family saying they did get word from the israeli government that the boys and their two parents who were kidnapped including their mother shiri who was believed to be with them is not on this list and that's heartbreaking news for this family who have been waiting to hear from these loved ones and we talk about the condition that they're in. they talk about a 4-year-old going through a traumatic situation of being held hostage and also the 10-month-old. when he was kidnapped he had not started eating solid foods yet. he was still on formula and he was still in diapers and they talk about what daily life for these two babies could look like while in captivity and i spoke to a cousin of the family who told me this. >> are these the enemies of hamas? are these the enemies of anyone? should these children be used as bargaining chips? no, they shouldn't. this is the simple answer. they shouldn't be used as bargaining chips for any political or religious or whatever reason. there is no justification for using things like this. so -- we just -- we just want them back, really. >> you can hear the anguish. this family is beside themselves as they are waiting for any word of what has happened to their loved ones. elan told me there ariel, the 4-year-old loves batman and he hopes there was some kind of batman that could save his family at this moment and his fear is that they come home in body bags. you can see what every day for his family is like as they wait to see the other reunions wondering if they will be next and today we do know the bibas family is not expected to be on this list. we are still waiting to learn more about who is on this list including whether or not any americans are on it and cnn's oren liebermann is tracking all of this from tel aviv. we are watching this not just to see what is going to be going on with the agreement tonight with what's happening with the sixth group of hostages and also whether or not they extend this if there is hope for more families if this will be going on or, expiring tonight at midnight as it's scheduled to do so. >> we did hear from an official who is looking at the possibility of extending this truce and that's the first time we've heard from israel that they are considering the truce which has lasted for six days now and is expected to go on right now could last longer. we've heard the qataris be very optimistic that this could be extended by a day or two. hamas has signaled their willingness to extend a truce and we're waiting for a final answer and israel not likely to confirm an extension until they see the hostages released from gaza tonight. ten women and children. it's a get late right now. we normally see the process beginning at this hour and we've gotten no indication that process has broken down. yesterday we saw exchanges of fire and the israeli military said they were fired upon and fired back. hamas said it was israel that initiated the skirmish. regardless, that was the most serious violation of the truce to this point and even under those circumstances, the truce, the agreement and the release of hostages and prisoners held together. as of right now we expected to do so, once again as on the outside there are intense, diplomatic efforts to make sure it continues and not only for the release of hostages in gaza and for the release of those in jail and the humanitarian aid, about 240 trucks a day according to usaid. they want to see that become a part of this and this remains a challenge especially as prime minister benjamin netanyahu has promised that when this pause is over or whether this ends tomorrow or at a later date, israel is very much ready to continue the war and try to achieve its goal of destroying hamas. that weighs on all of this. >> oren liebermann, thank you for that report. we are looking at the dozens of hostages who have been released as we are waiting to learn about the timing and the identities of the group of hostages who were set to be released tonight. when the hostages are relied they're taken to hospitals to be checked out not only for medical evaluations and aillso reunitin with their families and 23 hostages have been discharged by israeli hospitals after being freed by hamas. cnn's jeremy diamond is tracking all of this. what do we know about the condition? what more are we learning about these hostages who are released? >> well, some of the families of the newly freed hostages have begun to share details about the conditions in which they were held and the conditions when they emerged from gaza. we've seen 80 hostages be freed from gaza over the course of the last five days and they have returned in varying conditions. many of them have lost weight complaining of malnutrition or irregular meals and some of them said their conditions were better than others according to family members. 84-year-old alma ibrahim was released from gaza and evacuated by helicopter where she was admitted for critical condition, for example. doctors there say her condition has somewhat improved, but for all of these hostages, regardless of the physical condition in which they return, experts are warning that they are going to face a range of psychological adversities to face now, everything from post-traumatic stress to survivor's guilt, a range of conditions expected and also it's important to remember that some of these individuals are also grieving. some of them did not know that their family members had been killed until they returned here and spoke with their family members and that was the case of emily hand, of course, as we saw in that interview with clarissa. at least 23 of those newly freed hostages have already been released from hospitals in israel as they begin this longer road of recovery at home with their families surrounded by psychological and social services, as well. what we also have to keep in mind is the hostages who are still in gaza and what we know is there was a part of this agreement according to israeli and american officials that the red cross should be able to visit those hostages in gaza and it was clear that that part of the agreement has yet to be implemented and sources are telling us that they are pressing the qatari government and hamas to implement that phase of the agreement which as of yet has not been done. kaitlan? >> yeah. that's a critical part of this for so many hostages that haven't gotten out. families want to know how they're doing and the red cross has not been able to give them that vitally important update. jamie diamond, thank you. kate and sara, i do want to tell you some breaking news that we have just confirmed here which is that at least one american is expected to be on the list of hostages who are being released today. remember, there were three total going into this truce that the u.s. believed could be eligible in the group of women and children to be released. abigail edan is one of those and she is the only american that's been released since this truce has been in e fact, and alex marquardt and i have welcome news from the white house that has been waiting and asking questions whether or not both of the women that we believe are eligible remains to be seen, but we are learning at least one american is expected to be on this list of the group of the six hostages who are expected to be released tonight. >> one american and that's among what they estimate is the ten americans that were originally believed held and abigail edan was the first and only and this is huge news that another american is expected to be released, at least another one tonight. that's great news. kaitlan, thank you very much for bringing that to us and kaitlan was talking about how families are hoping to get any word of how their loved ones are doing, where they are, anything about how they're doing in gaza in captivity and it's a huge question hajjnging over all of this and over the last five days between israel and hamas, 81 hostages have been released from hamas captivity and mostly women and children as a part of the agreement and israel says 161 h hostages remain held and kidnapped in gaza. they are hopeful to extend the current truce and also then start moving towards discussions to potentially secure the release of civilian men and military personnel. how those more challenging negotiations progress mean more to the family of itay. joining us is his cousin ofir, thank you for being here. have you heard any updates about itay and any confirmation of where he is or how he is? >> yes. i've heard some confirmation that he is alive. think, i don't know what to tell you on this minute, but for the last few days we have a sign of life, and we also know that heou on this minute, but for the last few days we have a sign of life, and we alsof, in't know what to you on this minute, but for the last few days we have a sign of life, and we a , in't know what you on this minute, but for the last few days we have a sign of life, and we aco, ion't know whl you on this minute, but for the last few days we have a sign of life, and we au, i t know what tell you on this minute, but for the last few days we have a sign of life, and we also know that r, i t know what to tell you on this minute, but for the last few days we have a sign of life, and we also know that survived the attack help we can only imagine what he feels like. his brothers were near the gaza border, and he can't say if they survived and that is very troubling for us to think about. >> that is troubling. also understanding for everyone both itay's parents were killed and murdered by hamas. his grandmother survived and now you have more information and all of this -- how do you describe of getting the emotion of getting a little bit of confirmation to know that you have confirmation that he is alive or god forbid was alive very recently and what does that feel like in the vacuum of no information that you guys have been living in for seven weeks? >> of course, in the first few minutes it was a relief, a big joy for us to hear that he's alive and also to think that he's alive and going through all of this and it's so close and we could be here at home and he's not is also very, very, very hard for us to think about that. it's everything all at once. i've seen you say that you are afraid that the world is going to forget about the hostages like itay who remain at the very same time as everyone celebrating the release of the hostages we've seen so far, mostly women and children. why are you scared of that? >> well, this is the first deal, and i really hope it will be extended as much as we can and all of the hostages including -- that they are includeded in that deal will be released, but it's only the first one and unfortunate he, young men are not a part of this and because of all of the joy that are now around the release of the hostages, i don't want anyone to forget that the majority are still there and itay is supposed to be released even if the ceasefire will be extended in a few days and that is why we must continue with the fight of releasing them. >> you talked about itay and the kind of person that he is, the fact that -- you describe him as something of a life coach or a therapist as his profession, and i was wondering what you cling to and what your family has clinged to in this past nightmare of seven weeks of who itay is and how -- what he's holding on to to survive in captivity? >> i think that i'm holding on to the hope that he is taking the -- the part of aiding and helping the others around him, also because he could be so good at it and it could help him have some meaning during those hard days, and i also hope -- i know that he knows that we are fighting for him and our family is waiting for him and loves him so much and we will not stop fighting for his return. i know that he knows that. >> ofir, thank you very much for coming on and etay, one of the 161 hostages still being held by hamas right now. thank you, ofir. sara? >> kate, we are learning about an israeli military raid in the west bank and what the idf was saying it was doing near the jenin refugee camp. plus these could be the final days in congress for george santos. the embattled lawmaker set to face an expulsion vote tomorrow and we'll have the reaction from capitol hill and moments ago, former president jimmy carter arrived at his home church in plains, georgia, ahead of his wife rosalynn's funeral. we'll take you there next. we have breaking news out of israel. the idf is now saying that it is assessing a new claim by hamas that the youngest israeli hostage, 10-month-old kfir bibas, we've talked so much about that sweet, sweet little boy, that face, that little baby that we've been watching, his brother, his mother accident claim by hamas that they may no longer be alive. let's get over to kaitlan collins for more on this. kaitlan, tell us more about what you're hearing the claim by hamas and what the idf is doing. yeah, kate. we take everything that hamas says with a grain of salt. they claimed previously that hostages have been killed including hanna katzir who was one of the hostages release said as part of the temporary truce, the mother, shiri and her two sons have been killed. we do not know that, and can't verify it, but the idf is weighing in on this claim being made by hamas and i want to bring in oren liebermann who is tracking this. obviously, this is a very delicate situation, and we want to make sure we're reporting out what's accurate and what we are hearing and what is the idf saying now about these claims? >> kaitlan, we have to be careful of what's known and what's not known at this point. the israeli military, the idf says it is assessing a claim made by hamas' made by the military wing the al ca qassad brigade that they were killed in an israeli air strike. not only kfir bibas and his 4-year-old brother ariel bibas and their mother shiri bibas, and nor did they say when it happened and we're on day six and there haven't been any israeli strikes since friday and that in and of itself raises questions about the information or lack there of of the brigade. they are assessing the accuracy of the information and they say they are in touch with the bibas family both you and i have spoken with members of the bibas family that one day they hope to be on the list out of gaza and the bibas family did not see the names of their loved ones on that list. i would point out the statement of the idf here saying hamas is responsible for the hostages in the gaza strip and hamas must be held accountable and hamas must immediately release our hostages. earlier this week the idf spokesperson, daniel hagari had said the idf did not believe that the bibas family was held by hamas and they were being held by another terrorist organization and how easy it might be to get them out and the it introduced that element of uncertainty as to their condition how they were doing and effectively more questions as israel as a country and certainly the bibas family waited for any news of their loved ones here and we'll point out that the idf assessing the claim made that 10 month owed kfir bibas and his brother 4-year-old ariel bibas and their mother shiri bibas were killed in an air strike. the military examining that and we will certainly keep you posted as we learn more information. the father not mentioned here in the idf statement and that, too, a question as we learn to learn more about what has unfolded. >> yeah, and the family did seem to be under the impression that they were being held separately based purely on what so many families the last time that they saw their loved ones were in videos put out by hamas members the day of october 7th and there was a video of shiri and her two young sons kfir and ariel and she was holding them. i was talking to their cousin yesterday ylan, he said seeing that video panicked him because he had never seen her look so scared or desperate in that video. she's always someone who had a smile on her face and to see her in that moment that she was scared not only for her own life, but that of her children. when we heard from the idf in recent days making clear that they did not believe that hamas itself was holding the bibas family, the mother and the two young children. is there any indication of why they put that information out and the fact that they're saying right now just because hamas is claiming someone else has them, that doesn't mean hamas doesn't have responsibility for this family. they're still holding hamas responsible for this. >> absolutely. the way israel views gaza and frankly the way gaza is run it is entirely controlled by hamas. over the course of the past several years we've seen friction and sometimes quite a bit of friction between hamas and the terrorist organizations inside of gaza. for example, palestinian islamic jihad, but when it comes to who has the power, the might and the control over gaza is hamas and that's why the israeli military will hold hamas responsible in the future and in the past regardless of who it was who was holding the bibas family at that moment or who hamas had transferred them to or moved them to. so israel will hold hamas ultimately responsible here as they try to learn more information and find out what is the truth on what happened or didn't happen here, kaitlan. >> yeah. you know, this just goes to show it would be rea