israeli forces say two israeli hostages have been released and more are expected to be handed over soon. it comes after renewed violence in gaza and jerusalem in the last 24 hours. will this affect the chances of extending the truce deal beyond today? global reaction to the death of former secretary of state henry kissinger at 100. and the u.s.-mexico border, a record number of migrants are dying at the el paso sector. we're going to speak with a journalist who reports it is so bad, residents are oftentimes stumbling over bodies in the desert and even in the towns. and new this morning, republican congressman george santos has a warning to his colleagues if they vote to expel him from congress. >> that is going to be the undoing of a lot of members of this body because this will haunt them in the future. and we begin this hour with more on the breaking news in the israel-hamas war. at this moment, we are awaiting the release of more hostages just about an hour after two israeli hostages were transferred to the red cross, according to the israeli military. this happening on what is now the seventh day of truce between israel and hamas, after late night agreement was reached. hamas also providing a list of palestinian prisoners that will be released today. right now, diplomatic efforts to extend the pause continue. today secretary of state antony blinken was back in the west bank where he met with the palestinian authority president mahmoud abbas. earlier, blinken met with israeli prime minister netanyahu on his fourth trip to the middle east since the october 7th attack. meanwhile, on wednesday, israeli american citizen liat benin was released along with 13 others, becoming the second american released during the truce. her father addressed her condition on "morning joe." >> i'm elated to report that her physical condition appears to be pretty good. considering the ordeal she went through. >> so far 97 hostages and 210 palestinian prisoners have been set free since the truce went into effect last friday. but there are growing concerns about violence in the west bank and in jerusalem today, hamas claimed responsibility for a shooting attack in jerusalem that killed at least three people. it comes a day after the palestinian health ministry said two young boys were killed by israeli forces in the west bank. joining us now is nbc's richard engel, in jerusalem this morning. richard, what more do we know about the hostages being released today, and also this attack in jerusalem? >> reporter: so, it is good to talk to you, jose. before we start, you might hear the call to prayer which is happening right now in this city. and it was here in jerusalem just on the outskirts of the city, a bus stop, where according to local police two palestinians got out of a vehicle and opened fire on a crowd. they according to hamas were members of the hamas military wing. they killed three people, three israelis, and injured several others, three of them quite seriously. it does not seem to have disrailed this hostage for palestinian prisoner swap. a short while ago, two more israelis were released by hamas. they were handed over to the red cross. it is unclear why just two. generally these hostage swaps ha taken place where all of them or most of them are released at the same time. these two women, however, were handed over to the red cross. israel has confirmed that, but we're still waiting confirmation or waiting word that more could be released today, potentially eight more or more than that. so, despite that attack earlier in jerusalem, this process very tenuous, very delicate process is still going ahead. >> and meanwhile, you have been speaking with family members of hostages. what are you learning from them? >> reporter: so, every day now since this crisis began, practically, we have been speaking to families of hostages, to the people in gaza, we have been speaking to people in the west bank, and you really get different realities on who you speak to. this is a small country, but when you drive 100 miles, it is like you're traveling to a different continent. when we speak to the people in gaza, it is -- they describe being under attack, feel powerless, hopeless, no food, no water, no power or very little of it in many cases. and they're using this time of the truce to try and rebuild their lives, to connect with relatives. but with this lingering fear that at any moment the israeli ground campaign could intensify once again and the air strikes could begin. when you speak to the families of the hostages, they are living in a kind of suspended reality. since the october 7th attacks, the families of the hostages haven't gone back to work, haven't gone on with their lives, many of them are finding shelter in solidarity, finding support in solidarity, with other families that are in similar situations. some of these hostage families are actually now living together. there is a small tented camp in jerusalem. i went inside of it, and there, a few dozen of the hostage families are sleeping together, next to each other, for the sole reason that if they have a question, if they have a need of support, they have somebody else quite next -- literally next to them in uncomfortable conditions, just tents, no heat, but they would rather be out in the open, sleeping rough than to be in their homes because it feels better. and when you speak to the families, you also hear how complex it is because for now, hamas mostly released some young men and that happened yesterday with the release two of 18-year-old men. but, hamas generally just has been releasing women and children. so each time there is a release, there are people being left behind because when hamas moved into these kibbutzes on october 7th, they grabbed everyone. they grabbed babies, they grabbed caregivers, they grabbed the elderly and now they have been releasing them. when you're a hostage, and the hostages generally have been kept together, family units kept together, we're told, so there is this traumatic separation when word is finally delivered to the hostages that some of them are going back to their families and others are not, and we spoke to one family, the horan family, six members of their family were released. and that's an enormous release, but one, the father of the children, is still a hostage. four of them were killed. and one of that -- one of the people killed was a caregiver because one of the people who was killed was disabled. so they killed this disabled man, other relatives of his, and the caregiver who was almost like a family. and i asked this relative, dealing with ten members of their family or their chosen family with the caregiver, how they're coping with this. waiting every day for word, will this process continue or will it not. and i asked what was that like. >> it has been a nightmare. it has been hell on earth, basically. because, you know, imagine that one day just living your life, having a happy large family and one day in a couple of hours it is completely shattered. >> reporter: so now we are still waiting to see if this cease-fire will be extended. it was talk yesterday it was going to be extended two days, so today and tomorrow. this morning israel only would confirm that it was extended through today. but if more hostages are released like the two women who were released a short while ago, then it is possible, i would say likely that we could get another extension. but this is so tenuous, so difficult, that until the hostages are out, and until we know that there is an extension, we are all just waiting and seeing. >> richard engel in jerusalem, thank you very much, my friend. really appreciate it. here at home, one of the most powerful diplomats in american history has died. former secretary of state henry kissinger died yesterday at 100 years old. an influential figure, he was also controversial. nbc's lester holt takes a look at henry kissinger's life and legacy. >> thank you. nice to see you all. >> reporter: he was brilliant, ambitious, controversial, and one of the most influential secretaries of state in american history. >> i think we made progress. >> reporter: henry kissinger served richard nixon, gerald ford and consulted by presidents of both parties on international issues throughout his life. >> henry kissinger has been a friend of mine. >> reporter: nixon made him a national figure, and together they reimagined u.s. foreign policy. detente with the soviet union, relations with china, shuttle diplomacy in the middle east. kissinger helped shape nixon's policy in vietnam, and negotiated an end to the war, famously declaring success prematurely, just days before the 1972 election. >> we believe that peace is at hand. >> reporter: he was awarded the nobel peace prize. >> nothing that has happened to me in public life has moved me more than this award. >> reporter: though his co-recipient, north vietnam's le duck to declined the honor. he was a master of pragmatic big picture diplomacy, but had his critics who described him as manipulative and insecure. some called him a war criminal, for his role in bombing cambodia, and widening the war in vietnam. born in germany in 1923, kissinger's jewish family fled to america as hitler rose to power. he became a u.s. citizen, served in world war ii, and earned a ph.d. at harvard, where he became a professor. he caught the eye of richard nixon who made him national security adviser. then secretary of state. the only person ever to hold both jobs simultaneously. >> there is no country in the world where it is conceivable that a man of my origins would be standing here next to the president of the united states. [ applause ] >> reporter: but their relationship was complicated. and white house tapes reveal that kissinger sometimes enabled the worst in nixon. >> it was a very curious relationship because we were not personally very close. >> reporter: the night before he resigned in disgrace, nixon asked kissinger to kneel and pray with him. >> and, of course it was a crushing event, but i think of that evening as an experience with dignity and very moving. >> reporter: kissinger was no faceless bureaucrat. he was a world renowned celebrity. >> i love you. >> reporter: and he loved the spotlight. he was even something of a pop culture icon. after leaving government, he opened his own consulting firm, remaining active and sought after for decades. at 95, eulogizing john mccain's life, kissinger sounded a wistful note about his own. >> like most people of my age, i feel a longing for what is lost and cannot be restored. >> reporter: henry kissinger was a man of great accomplishment, and controversy. but as he once told nbc's barbara walters, he had no regrets. >> if i had to do it over again, i would do it again, substantially the same way, maybe one reason why i'm at peace with myself. >> reporter: lester holt, nbc news, new york. >> and our thanks to lester for that report. up next, we'll get an update on our breaking news. hamas releases more israeli hostages to the international committee of the red cross. we'll talk to a top official with the organization about what is happening on the ground. plus, another breaking story, a gag order against former president donald trump has been reinstated. we'll bring you the details in just 60 seconds. you're watching "jose diaz-balart reports" on msnbc. c. you're watching "jose diaz-balart reports" on msnbc. ? 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>> thanks, jose. great to be with you. i'm afraid at this stage we have been unable to confirm with our colleagues this news today. but hope to be able to do so shortly. but, of course, if this is indeed the case and it builds on the 101 hostages that we have been able to facilitate the release of thus far, since october 7th, over the last seven days of cease-fire, so, of course here we very much have our fingers crossed this is indeed the case and we are able to confirm this. >> what can you tell us what is the role of the icrc in the transfer of hostages and palestinian prisoners? >> so the international community of the red cross has a mandate, provided to it, within the geneva conventions. the laws of armed conflict. and our role is to act to protect the victims of conflict and frequently to be called on as a neutral humanitarian intermediary to carry out these kind of humanitarian acts. basically the sides that are fighting the conflict concerned arrive at a agreement between them that they would like to release hostages or detainees, prisoners, and they then need an actor that can carry that out, that can facilitate that and they then both reach out to us as the icrc and we look to enable that and to facilitate it. so we look to ensure that we have the security guarantees from the different sides to enable our vehicles, our staff, as well as hostages and thus far in this case, 135 palestinian prisoners, detainees as well, to be able to move safely across the front lines to be able to be returned to their families and loved ones. that's basically how it works. we don't participate -- we're not an actor in those negotiations. the agreements take place between the parties and then they approach us about facilitating the releases. >> and what about access by the international red cross to some of the hostages, that's some of the discussions that has been under way for these week plus pause included access by the international red cross and others to the hostages, that hasn't happened or has it? >> we have been since october 7th condemning the taking of the hostages. it is an act that is prohibited by the laws of armed conflict by the international humanitarian law, we have been very clear about that. and have been calling for their immediate and unconditional release. we have been doing that repeatedly, publicly, in the discussions that we have been having as well, with the different parties of the conflicts and the other states and actors that have an influence over these things. but we also have been offering our services since day one to try and have an access to those being held, to try and be able to assess their conditions, to be able to help them and to facilitate connections and contacts between them and their families. and up until this point, we have been unable to have that access. so, this is something that we have been working on, as i mentioned, from october 7th, as recently as the last couple of days, and there is no -- where we don't try to raise this and push for access. our teams in gaza are very much ready and willing to go ahead with trying to carry out that access as soon as it can be operationalized and arrived at. at this point, that access is not yet been granted. >> and, you know, in fact, i'm thinking on a personal level, i remember the role that the international red cross played as far back as 1985 after the earthquake in september of 1985 in mexico city, where there was a lot of supplies and work done with -- to help the mexican people back then. i'm wondering, the objectivity of an organization like yours is really paramount in any possible success story from your perspective. how do you or do you have that objectivity, that neutrality, that can help you continue serving? >> that's a great question, jose. and, look, you know, as an institution, as an organization, we basically have been trying to do this work since 1863, when the geneva conventions were established and our role was established and really trying to fulfill that mandate to neutrally and partially and independently try and protect the victims of conflict. that's what we have been trying to live up to all these years and there isn't a context or conflict where we aren't tested to try to live up to that mandate. and as you say, we do this in lots of contexts. in colombia just this year, we have been involved in the facilitation of the release of some 56 hostages. so it is not just in this context with the israeli hostages, palestinian prisoners, this is something that we do in a number of other contexts around the world, each and every year. and in ways that are more or less publicized. so clearly this is something that we try to live up to, this is a very polarized conflict, this is extremely challenging for all concerned. and especially for the hostages themselves, for their families, for the prisoners, for their families, for the people in gaza that have been directly affected, for the israelis that were unfortunately suffered the attack on october 7th, those are the people, the victims of this conflict that we are trying our best to serve. but we are often constrained by the space that we are enabled to have in these contexts. so, in each and every case we're doing all we can, trying to enlarge that space in this context all the time. but it is a challenge. certainly. >> patrick, thank you very much for being with us. really appreciate your time. >> thank you, jose. much appreciated. and turning now to breaking news out of the new york city trial that threatens former president donald trump's massive business empire, just in the last few minutes an appellate court reinstated a gag order that bars the former president from commenting on the judge presiding over the case and his staff. joining us now is msnbc legal analyst lisa rubin. good morning. what is this all about today? >> so, president trump and his lawyers, there are gag orders affecting both of them, jose, have moved for a stay of the gag order. they were granted that stay on an interim basis while an appeals court in new york considered their motion. today, we're hearing news from four judges in the first department which is part of the appellate court here in new york, reinstating that gag order. their two-page order is extremely terse. they just say that having read all of the papers filed by both president trump and his team, the attorney general of new york, tisch james and her team, and the new york state court system on behalf of judge arthur engoron and his law clerk, having read all the papers, they are denying the motion for a stay of those two gag orders. and are lifting the interim stay. so, of course, the appeals of the gag orders themselves are still continuing. but practically speaking they won't be decided by the end of this trial. and that means for the duration of this trial, we should expect that former president trump and his legal team continue to be under an order that denies them the right to speak about any of the court personnel, unlike the d.c. circuit, where -- i'm sorry, unlike the d.c. court where the gag order that was in effect