the terrorist group hamas is still holding as many as nine americans hostage. when will they be released? "the lead" starts right now. more hostages just set free, including two russian women but with the u.s. continuing to play such a pivotal role in negotiations, why are so many americans still in the hands of hamas? some of their families sat down for a cnn exclusive with me this afternoon. >> there's so many other hostages who have not yet been released and time is of the essence. and they -- more needs to be done and the work needs to continue swiftly. >> plus what we're learning about talks under way to extend the pause in fighting so more hostages can be released. and the urgency to verify this horrible claim hamas just made that the youngest hostage that they kidnapped, a 10 month old baby, and his family, are now dead. welcome to "the lead" i'm jake tapper. we start today with our world lead as we are watching and waiting for this sixth group of hostages to return to israel. sources tell cnn that at least one american is expected to be included in today's release. two other hostages, both russians who moved to israel were also freed today. cnn teams were on the ground as a van carrying the two women was met by a cheering crowd. today is day six of the temporary fighting and the deal between israel and hamas to pause fighting is set to expire in a few hours but top qatar officials tell cnn negotiators are working towards another extension of the pause and they're quote very optimistic a deal would be announced. israel said it would agree to longer pauses as long as ten hostages are released each and every day. today the israeli military confirmed they're investigating a new claim made by hamas that the youngest hostage hamas kidnapped. a 10 month old baby, and his family members, are no longer alive. the terrorist group claims, without providing any evidence that the 10 month old and his 4-year-old brother and his mother were killed in an israeli air strike. all three were kid p napped by hamas on october 7th from kib kibbutz. a statement from the bibas family said, quote, we're waiting for the information to be confirmed and hopefully refuted by military professionals. perhaps the skepticism is driven by claims from someone else in the war saying a female hostage was killed only for her to be released later very much alive. today i sat down with five families of people still being held hostage in gaza. we'll air some of that conversation in moments but we'll start today with cnn's jeremy diamond he's in southern israel, and cnn's clarissa ward in tel aviv. jeremy, the convoy carrying the two hostages, the russian women released today drove right by your location? >> reporter: that's right, jake. listen over the last six days we have watched as 83 hostages have been freed by hamas. some of them as part of the framework agreement between israel and hamas. the last two women we saw were not part of the framework agreement. they are russian/israel citizens freed based on a side agreement between hamas and the russian government. but the scenes were something to behold. we have watched the last six days as we have seen scenes of families reunited with loved ones after 50 days or so of captivity but continue we saw what was effectively the israeli community as a whole, welcoming these people home. we have seen these scenes and we understand those russian women have now arrived at a hospital just moments ago. we are still waiting to see, jake, what the fate is of those ten israeli women and children who are set to be released today as part of the broader framework agreement. we expect that would happen tonight but so far no sign they have been handed over yet to the red cross. >> you're seeing images of them right now live on the right side of the television. we believe these are images of the hostages being released this evening. it is 11:05 p.m. in tel aviv. we believe these are images of the hostages being released. as we these are the -- these are the two russian women i'm being told being released. as we watch the images of the two russian women, israeli officials previously said that the bibas family was not in hamas custody. they were taken by hamas but handed over to a different terrorist group i believe the pflp but now they're looking into the claim by hamas that three members of the family have been killed. has the idf commented at all on this had? >> reporter: so far they have only said they're assessing the accuracy of the information that they hold hamas fully responsible for the fate of these hostages. we've also now heard on israeli television from a family member, a ycousin of the bibas family wo said they have been approached by the israeli military to make them aware of the claims. in the interview the cousin said firmly their belief is that hamas is 100% responsible for keeping them alive. i believe his words were they took them out of israel alive it's their responsibility to return them to israel alive. this on the heels of the claim of the hamas that the mother and her two sons, who as you mentioned one is just 10 months old, were killed as a result of an israeli air strike. this is a story, jake, that, of course, has galvanized the world's attention, but also really has galvanized attention here in israel. we saw an event where people released red balloons into the sky. that's obviously a reference to the fact these two little boys both have bright red hair. so this is a story people all over have been following very closely, have been shocked by, in terms of just how young they are. and obviously desperately want to believe that this information is incorrect, that it's some kind of psychological warfare or simply misinformation. at this stage, jake, we don't know yet, and it may be some time before we do know concretely because there is so much misinformation and frankly not a lot of clarity coming from hamas at all, as to the whereabouts and who is in possession of which hostages who are still inside gaza of those 159 that the idf estimates are remaining in gaza, jake. >> we already saw that false claim made earlier in the war about one hostage dying and she was just released a few days ago very much alive. jeremy, where do negotiations stand right now on extending the current pause? which is due to expire in just a few hours. >> reporter: jake there hasn't been any announcement of that truth being extended so we can assume they're still ongoing, hopefully at least in the final stages for families of those in gaza. i can tell you earlier today i spoke to a u.s. official and senior israeli official who both told me things were on track, good progress was being hamade. we heard a qatari official tell kaitlan collins that there could be an agreement to extend the truce. but israel is focused on getting all women and children home first before they move to the next phase of a potential agreement with hamas that would see the release of men and israeli soldiers also released. if there is an extension of one day, perhaps two days going forward. it would still be very much focused on the women and children still believed to be held captive inside of gaza. there's questions about how we move forward here, enormous questions about the price that would have to be paid by israel to get the men and israeli soldiers, but israeli officials saying that's not a matter for now but they want to first see the women and children get home first before they move to the next phase. >> thanks so much. as the world watches to see if the temporary pause in fighting can be extended so more hostages can be released, for those who still have family members being held hostage by hamas, the stakes could not be any higher. just a few minutes ago, i sat down with five of those families. five american families for an exclusive interview. they were gathered in d.c. to push lawmakers here and the white house to do everything they can to try to help bring back these americans. to their homes. >> one of the first things i want to say is, because you are americans, is we were honoring rosalynn carter yesterday. and we were talking about the hostage crisecf jimmy kra carter. and that was a hostage crisis we had where americans were taken hostage. and we have a crisis right now and we have americans in this country rooting for the hostage takers. and it's absolutely mind blowing to me, and as people who have loved ones who have been taken hostage, i can't imagine what it's like for you. i'm just wondering what you think and what you feel when you see people -- i'm not talking about people marching for palestinian rights. that's a separate issue but specifically marching in support of hamas, as we know those are two different issues. what is that like? >> this shouldn't be a political issue. this is a strict humanitarian issue. you have 240 abducted, right now 160. this should be, you know, any person just looking at this issue should siympathize, think it could have been your son, daughter, mother. people taken from their beds, their houses, it's not the same. >> i think it's a lack of education. whatever is going on, but to test wise and to see hamas as a freedom fighter, it's fundamentally wrong. that's what i think. >> it's not an islam issue. islam if you talk to kareem abdul-jabbar he'll tell you islam is not raping women, killing kids, burning people alive. so i think people should understand the facts. >> to me it's sad and scary, really, that people choose to take side or not even look at what the issue really is. or see our children, our wives, fathers, you know, as people for what they are. they don't even bather looking at the story. they just make judgment based on lack of facts and lack of education. it's scary to me. >> unfortunately we've moved to a place where people want a simple, evil and good and then they make their decision based upon that. it's a complicated issue. yeah, you need to spend time to understand it before formulating an opinion. >> another round of hostages are going to be released today and we're told that families have been notified and sadly, none of you were notified. another day gone by. and no word of your loved ones. i'm just wondering, i know you're happy for those who have had loved ones released but for those of you waiting for word -- >> it's really tough. it's really tough. i mean, we're happy to see anyone being released but for me personally, omer is a man, he's my son, he's 22 years old. he's not in the conversation yet. it's really bad. >> maybe jake, the visualize -- >> yeah. >> no time. tik tick tock. tick tock. >> why is there no time? >> it symbolizes after 54 days we have no idea on the physical condition, as well as sign of life. this is against any international law, even in times of conflict. the people walking this planet, there is basic principles that are agreed upon. and in this case the hamas terrorist organization has decided not to abide by those principles. we have the international red cross, doctors without borders wanting to go in and are not allowed in. question is why? >> you guys met with the red cross? >> um-hum. >> what did you have to say to them? >> first thing we said was we want to have signs of life. we also want to know if people who are in gaza who are hostages are healthy, what their condition is. they are the first people that see these hostages. we have hostages who are coming back emaciated, they've lost lot of weight, they're dirty. they have no light in them. they've been in the dark in so many ways. they're not healthy. >> yeah. >> and the red cross is -- their responsibility is to transfer them but their responsibility also is to be the voice and to tell us what is happening. so while we understand their fragile position where they need to be on the ground and we want them there, they do good work, we also want them to advocate for the folks that are still in gaza. >> on my show yes we talked about accounts that we have heard there loved ones of hostages who have been released. a little boy kept in solitary confinement, we saw a little girl that little irish-israeli girl, clearly the light has gone out in this her eyes. talked about being kept in the box, she thought she was kept away from her family for a year. she thought it had been a year. another child shown videos from october 7th. these are just a handful of accounts. this is how the kids were kept. also heard about women being kept in cages. it's just -- it's awful. >> on one hand it's sick, devastating, you know, i think the -- >> it's debraved. >> it's barbaric. >> inhumane. >> i use the world holocaust. i come from -- my family is holocaust survivor, it feel like the holocaust again happening to us. >> i asked this group if they thought president biden was doing enough to get their loved ones released. this is a group of americans. their response to that question is next. and we are back with breaking news. israel says the sixth group of hostages has been freed by hamas in exchange for some israeli prisoners, palestinians, and the sixth group is in the hands of the red cross. the hostages are still in gaza and they are currently en route to israel. the idf said this new group includes 10 israelis and four thai nationals. we're still waiting to see if one of those israelis is a dual israeli american citizen as was expected today. let's go back to an interview with five american families who had loved ones kidnapped by hamas on october 7th. we sat down in washington earlier today as families are trying to push the u.s. lawmakers and the biden administration to do more. to do everything they can to bring their loved ones home. >> as we sit here, the israeli military is assessing claims made by hamas that the youngest hostage, 10 months old, and his mom were killed. hamas is claiming they were killed by an israeli air strike. obviously whoever kidnaps a baby and a mom, they're responsible for what happens to them, regardless of how they were killed. i'm wondering if any of you want to comment on this awful news? again, we don't know if it's even true, right. >> i think the family came out with a statement saying that they are looking at the facts and hoping for good news but that's part of the psychological warfare that hamas is doing. going back to liz's comment about the international red cross. they need to be the witness. they are the conscience of the international community and need to speak up and be vocal about what they're seeing and calling them out for these types of acts that they're doing. >> the whole world needs to speak up. we don't feel the international community is appalled the way it should be. it's a humanitarian crisis at the highest level and they don't seem to be enough outrage out there. >> over 30 different nationalities being held hostage today. >> and i think, you know, we've seen the success with the release of some hostages over the past several days. and the governments, israel, u.s., qatar, egypt are working toge together. i'm grateful for that. that's how my aunt aviva and abigail have been released. but there are so many other hostages that have not been released and time is of the essence. >> is there anyone else thinking that president biden is not doing enough? that he needs to do more? that's okay if you feel that way. if i had a loved one in capacity i would probably think nobody is doing enough. >> we heard president biden expresdsing expressing the hostages are still priority but we're still sitting here 54 days later with eight families waiting for loved ones. >> i think the biden administration, they do want it enough since the first day, but the math shouldn't fool us. which means if every day ten people being released doesn't mean necessarily that two weeks from now the remaining 140-something hostages will be out. so that's the main concern. >> you talked about how you don't think you're getting enough support from the world. and i'm sure you know that one of the reasons that is. there are probably many reasons. one of the reasons is because many people in the world think that the idf's response has killed too many innocent palestinians. the idf says they're going after hamas and hamas imbeds with the population and they're not trying to kill civilians but hamas goes where the population is. that's the reason. do you think that the idf should be focussing more -- not just the idf, netanyahu should be focused more on the hostages, getting them out, saving them and the time for going after hamas should come later? >> at the beginning of the conflict, i think the israeli government was more focused on going after hamas. i think the fact that the families have come together, we each feel collectively that we have 240 new family members. and i think the success of the families being together and being able to unite around the hostage issue and getting the people of israel behind us has changed the perception of the government of israel. >> the hostages have been 54 days, somewhere in the dark in gaza. it is an immediate need. the immediacy of getting the hostages out, a young man like hirsch who had his arm blown off. he doesn't have days to wait. so little people, big people, mothers, brothers, young women who we know are not being treated well in gaza, they need to get out. and so, when we talk about it, none of us are talking about this politically. we're talking about it as a human crisis. so for me, the issue of how do we finish with the work of hamas and getting rid of them, let's put it aside for a second and focus on getting these 150 folks, people, our family, our relatives out. and getting them safe. that should be everyone's priority right now. >> all i can say is i hope your loved ones get home soon. i know for the ones of you that have men being held hostage who are not top priority because women and children and older people are being prioritized. and people in the idf, they will be last on the list. and i'm so sorry for that. >> it's not to change the equation, who said that? where is it coming from? we believe collectively, that anybody from any group should be released. there should be a mixed group from now on. yes, we 100% agree that children being the sensitive souls they are should have been released first. but from now on, there should be consideration of men and women old and young, soldiers and civilians, they all should come out. >> they're all the same. >> it should be a representation of each and every group coming out. >> what do you want anybody watching right now to know about your loved one? what should somebody who's watched this and is sitting at home afterwards, what should they know about him? >> he's an american kid, he graduated last year from high school, he loved parties, he's got tons of friends, he's a professional swimmer, he loved a good life, he's a real foodie, he knows all the restaurants. we've been in concert everywhere. like he's amazing. he doesn't belong there. >> he belongs with us, with the family, as simple as that. >> what do you want people to know about omer? >> he's a kind person, when it comes to the room, he just capture everybody's attention just because of his size and k kindness and he loves playing basketball, admires the nba, nfl. just american kid. he belongs at home. >> what about eti, what do you want us to know about eti? >> he's a talented kid, he sings, dances, the life of the party. he's been in the boy scouts until the age of 18 so he mentors young kids. and maybe the most important part, he and his older brother play, you know, nba 2k so i get my ass whooped by eldest son so he needs his younger brother to come back and play with him. >> tell us about your uncle keith, emily. what do you want us to know about him? >> my uncle keith is a gentle, kind father and grandfather. he grew up in north carolina that's where i'm from and family is everythin