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Four Israeli Hostages Set for Release. Aired 3-4a ET
Aired January 25, 2025 - 03:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
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JEREMY DIAMOND, CNN JERUSALEM CORRESPONDENT: Well, I think that moment is about to come and that is the one that I think about last week when the three hostages, Romi Gonen, Emily Damari and Doron Steinbrecher were released.
Some of their families were watching this live video from Palestine Square in Gaza.
And they saw Romi get out of the car and get into the Red Cross vehicle and they exclaimed, "Romi is alive. Romi is alive."
And that's because, for these families, even if they've been told, yes, we believe your daughter is alive, we believe its a high, you know, high likelihood that she is alive, the fact that Hamas is releasing them so early in the process also indicates that they are very likely alive.
But until they can actually lay eyes on them and see with their own eyes that they are indeed still alive, they won't be able to feel that sense of relief. And for many of them, they won't even fully feel that sense of relief until they are able to embrace their loved ones.
But make no mistake, this is a moment of extraordinary anticipation following so many months of agony for these families. And I also think its important to note that the four female Israeli soldiers who are being released today, they were also in a role that required them to watch the Gaza Strip.
And in that role, we understand that several of them raised concerns about a major potential attack by Hamas that they believed was about to unfold. And those warnings were ignored.
And that has caused an enormous amount of controversy inside of Israel, raised enormous questions about the military's handling of the warnings leading up to October 7th.
But it is -- there is quite an irony there in the notion that some of these women had sounded the alarm, had told their families even, that they believed that a major attack was happening in the coming weeks and they were then ultimately taken captive. And now, more than 15 months later, they will be released. POLO SANDOVAL, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Without a doubt raising
some very important questions. They were there, they survived and they will, as we expect, soon, be back home and will continue to raise those questions of the actions.
CNN's Jeremy Diamond, thank you so much for your reporting and your expertise right now on this. And let's watch together to see what happens next. Appreciate it.
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UNIDENTIFIED MALE (voice-over): This is CNN breaking news.
SANDOVAL: More now on the breaking news happening right now in Gaza. We are waiting for Hamas to release four Israeli hostages as part of the Gaza ceasefire agreement. We're told its expected to happen at any moment.
In fact, right now we are looking at Palestine Square in Gaza City, where Palestinian Islamic Jihad fighters have gathered amid a large crowd of people. As we see these pictures, again, a reminder this is just one pocket in the area which you see there.
Plenty of presence from Gaza -- I should say, from Hamas. These are the hostages that we expect to be handed over shortly. They've been identified as Karina Ariev, Daniella Gilboa and Naama Levy. The three of them turned 20 in captivity.
And there's also Liri Albag. She's 19. All four are members of the Israeli military. They served as lookouts at a military post overlooking Gaza when Hamas -- when Hamas attacked on October 7th. In exchange, Israel expects to release 200 Palestinian prisoners.
Let's go now to CNN's Paula Hancocks, who joins us live from Abu Dhabi with more on what we know.
Again, essentially, the stage is set quite literally here with a very significant Hamas fighter presence in Gaza City.
Do we have any idea when we may see those four young ladies?
PAULA HANCOCKS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Polo, we don't have any indication of timings at this point. We know that this is Palestine Square in Gaza City, where you can see Hamas fighters have convened. And this is expected to be the area where the handover will take place.
You can also see Palestinian Islamic Jihad flags among the crowds as well. The fighters are armed, they are masked. And it is in many ways a show of force, a show of strength from Hamas itself.
And these pictures will also be watched very closely by those in Israel. There are four Israeli women, as you say, that are expected to be handed back to their families today. This is the second hostage release since the ceasefire first took place.
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And since this first phase of the three-phase deal has commenced, it was Sunday when the first release took place. It is now Saturday, when four more are expected to be handed over to the International Red Cross and then to their families and to medical checks.
They will then be taken to a hospital in the Tel Aviv area, where they will be looked after in the coming days. Now in return, we are also expecting around 200 Palestinian prisoners to be released in return. The deal stipulated that for any soldier, there would be 50 Palestinian prisoners that would be released.
For everyone else, it would be 30 prisoners released. We are expecting a number of prisoners who are serving life sentences to be part of that prisoner release deal and also those serving lengthy sentences, which we are expecting later in the day.
Now we did hear from Hamas that they believed there was some discrepancy on the list of names that they saw of those Palestinians prisoners that were going to be released. We don't have any further clarification on that at this point. But they said that they were going to be talking to mediators to try and figure out what the discrepancy was.
So what we are seeing at the moment is a holding pattern in Palestine Square. We are seeing Hamas, Palestinian Islamic Jihad fighters in the streets. We're also seeing crowds in the streets as well. We can see children among those that are waiting for this release.
Obviously, these are images, as I say, that will be seen in Israel and around the world, which Hamas will be very aware of. They will be wanting to show that they are still, at least in this small pocket of Gaza City, very much in control.
SANDOVAL: It may be 3 am in Washington but you can bet the new Trump administration is certainly watching these pictures very closely as well. Paula Hancocks in Abu Dhabi, don't go anywhere.
Let's see if we can get some insight added to the conversation here also from Ambassador Alon Pinkas. He's a former Israeli consul general in New York, joining us live at this hour via Skype via -- from Tel Aviv.
Ambassador, thank you so much for joining us. I'm curious if you could just tell us a little bit about your reaction as you see these pictures coming out of Gaza City. As Paula just reminded us, this is just one pocket in a large city. And yet the presence of Hamas fighters is quite significant.
So as we get ready to hopefully see these four young soldiers get turned over, what do you think that -- how important do you think is some of that messaging from Hamas right now that they're trying to convey?
ALON PINKAS, FORMER ISRAELI CONSUL GENERAL, NEW YORK: Good morning, Polo. Well, you know, your correspondent, Jeremy Diamond, correctly pointed out a few moments ago that this is their way of saying we're still standing on our feet. And this goes to the to the very definition of what constitutes a win or a victory.
Israel has said time and time again, total victory, annihilation, eradication, obliteration of Hamas. And Hamas is now proving that that did not happen.
Now on the one hand, they have been degraded militarily in a way that they have never experienced. And its very doubtful, Polo, that, in any post war Gaza scenario, they can restore their military capabilities.
On the other hand, they are still there. they are still there politically. One of the reasons they are still there politically is because Israel refused to engage with the U.S. on a postwar Gaza political framework.
And perhaps more importantly -- and this goes to something the former now secretary of state, Antony Blinken, said about 10 days ago, is that Hamas' rate of conscription, of enlisting new people, almost surpasses the number of people they have lost.
And we're talking thousands, if not more than that. So in that respect, these are pictures that, you know, they are admitted not just to Israel but also domestically to the Palestinians, look what we did. We got world attention. This is more than what the Palestinian Authority has done for you in two decades. Look at us.
Yes, we've been decimated. We've been decimated. No, we have not died.
SANDOVAL: Ambassador Pinkas, I just want to tell you right now, we have a split screen right now for our viewers. On one side, you see those images out of Gaza City and, on the other, you see Hostage Square in Tel Aviv.
Just an absolutely remarkable moment right now that we're soaking in, that we're observing as two very different sides of this conflict watch with anticipation.
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How much is riding, not just on this moment but in future releases, as we approach what many hope will be phase two and then perhaps even phase three of this ceasefire?
PINKAS: Yes, that's a -- that's an excellent question, Polo, because that goes to the heart of the vulnerabilities of the deal. I'm here talking to you less than 100meters, 100 yards, let's call it from Hostage Square so I can hear them as we are speaking.
Look, the deal is structured not just in three phases but every phase is structured into subphases. Look at the trickling of the hostage release -- three, four, then three again, then four, then three.
This exposes the entire process to a lot of misunderstandings, hiccups, challenges and crises that threaten the entire process. Now let's assume, let's hope, let's pray that it all works out fine. By day 16, which is nine days from now, negotiations are supposed to
begin on the implementation of the second phase.
The second phase is not just the hostage release, although that's the most important thing, but also an Israeli withdrawal from large parts of the Gaza Strip and allowing or the permission of Palestinians to move back from the southern side, southern part of the Gaza Strip to the northern part.
Mr. Netanyahu is going to be under tremendous pressure politically not to go ahead with the second phase because it runs contrary to everything he vowed, pledged and promised and his extreme right wing coalition supported.
On the other hand, he will have pressures from the Trump administration to complete this no matter what, at least the two phases, meaning the 42 days. And so this is very precarious.
Now on the one hand, Polo, you say, well, in these instances, in these deals, you have to face it, you have to create different stages to build the trust, to see that the implementation goes flawlessly. On the other hand, the more phases you have, the more likely it is to collapse. And so this is a major, major dilemma here.
SANDOVAL: You answered my next question before I even asked. There's absolutely a tremendous amount of pressure, as you point out, coming from Washington here.
I'm curious, as we again wait to see what happens next here, as we expect Karina Ariev, Daniella Gilboa, Naama Levy and Liri Albag to be released by Hamas, handed over to the International Red Cross authorities and then hopefully we expect them to be reunited with their families.
So that's what were seeing right now, for those viewers joining us from around the world.
Could you just revisit this deal and just your take on the deal as it's written thus far, do you think that its perhaps just too ambiguous and risks collapsing?
PINKAS: Well, yes. The danger of collapsing exists because it all hinges on the durability of the ceasefire. If the ceasefire is violated intentionally or as a result of miscalculation or some local incident that flared up and expanded, then we're back to square one.
Now as for the deal in its entirety as a whole, Polo, look, this is a deal, you know. I don't want to relitigate this because this is a happy day for a lot of people in Israel. So -- but nonetheless, you asked, this deal should have been done in May of 2024. It was right there on the table. It was again presented in July. It was again deliberated in August.
And on all three occasions, both sides, each for its own interests and each in its own wording and language, said no. And now here we are in January 2025. A lot of time passed and the torture and torment that these hostages have experienced is indescribable.
Yet here we are, as I said and the deal, look, it's a 33-34 was the number originally set. One was found dead and so 33 Israeli hostages will be released during that 42-day period. The assumption in Israel is that most of them, but not necessarily all of them, are alive. That would leave about 60 hostages held still in Gaza by Hamas.
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Of which we assume, Israel assumes, to the best of my knowledge, only half are alive. But nonetheless, 30 people. This will have to be dealt with in the second phase, which begins -- commences after 42 days.
And going, you know, full circle to your question, Polo, it all hinges on the ceasefire and the -- it's not ambiguous as much as it is amenable -- as much as it is amenable to collapse.
SANDOVAL: Important to be realistic. But as you point out, hopeful, it is a happy day, certainly for, especially in Israel, for those who are waiting to get their daughters back and certainly for the families of the prisoners who are hoping for reunions of their own.
Also, one has to ask what must be going through the minds of the families of the other Israeli hostages that are still waiting.
So many asking when will it be our turn?
And will we reach that point where we be able to see our sons and daughters again?
PINKAS: I have to tell you, that's all I think about, those whose daughters are not coming back.
SANDOVAL: Yes, yes.
What do you think?
How do you think perhaps Washington is reacting to seeing some of these images right now?
Those split screen images of Gaza City that, we should point out to our viewers, we're seeing a sea of flags here. The large green flags that are being carried by Hamas fighters there in Palestine city.
There's -- also you may be able to make out black and yellow flags. Those, according to our reporting, carry the insignia of Palestinian Islamic Jihad. So there are multiple elements that are present. And again, we must remind viewers, this is just one frame, just one shot of a very large conflict zone.
PINKAS: Yes, absolutely. I mean, if you take this picture from a -- from a high flying drone, you will see that we're not talking about that many people. But when you frame it and you put a camera right in the middle, it looks like a big mass of people.
But nonetheless, they have a point to make. Hamas has a point to make. And unfortunately, they are making it, that we are here. and we've, you know, we're down but we're not out.
And, you know and that and that tells you the entire story. Now as for your question on Washington, look, there's no question, Polo, that president Trump is taking credit. I mean, he did take credit. You don't need me to tell you that.
Taking credit for being the game changer, the man who, only by virtue of his election and his repeated demands that this be over before the 20th of January, which it was. The deal was signed three days before the 20th.
He's saying I'm the game changer, I made it happen. Now let's broaden the lens. Let's look at it slightly from a broader perspective. As far as the Trump administration is concerned, he wants not to deal with Gaza.
It's not that he's interested in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. It's not that he's asking experts to brainstorm and come up with unique and revolutionary and innovative ideas to solve this conflict. He just wants this off his agenda. He's got bigger fish to fry.
He's got Ukraine. I'm talking foreign policy, of course. He has his own political domestic agenda that we all know about. He's got Ukraine, he's got China. He has relations with the Saudis.
And the bigger issue in the Middle East that he will probably have to deal with in the next few months is how to tackle the issue of Iran's nuclear program. The Gaza thing should, just as far as he's concerned, go away, which means that he would not allow, as much as he can, he would not allow as much as he can control.
He will not allow Israel to evade the implementation, to somehow bail out or opt out of the implementation. He has limited levers in Hamas. He does that through Qatar, without which this agreement would not have happened, let's face it. The Qataris were indispensable in this entire process.
But the more influence, the more impact that he has is obviously on Israel. So I do think that despite, you know, all the political analysis and punditry in Israel that Netanyahu is trying to get out of this, that Netanyahu cannot afford to go into phase two because he would lose his coalition.
That may be the case but he's not going to be able to bail out unless -- I'm sorry to repeat this for the fourth time -- unless the ceasefire collapses.
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That is the biggest danger.
SANDOVAL: Again, we remain hopeful but also realistic of the fragility of this deal. And we are so lucky to have your insight, Ambassador Alon Pinkas, thank you very much.
This is an important moment and we're so glad that you're here with us to sort of walk us through what were expecting right now, not just today but most importantly, as you said, long term. Thank you, ambassador.
PINKAS: Thank you, Polo.
SANDOVAL: Let's go back to CNN's Paula Hancocks, who's joining us live from Abu Dhabi.
Paula, any new information?
HANCOCKS: Well, Polo, we are waiting. We wait to see when those four Israeli hostages will first be seen and when they will be handed over to the International Red Cross.
We did hear earlier this morning, a couple of hours ago, Hamas saying that that there was some discrepancy on the prisoner release list, some error in names is the way they put it, that Israel was going to be releasing in return for these four Israeli hostages and that they were seeking clarification from mediators.
Now it's the potential that that is what we are waiting on at this point, those final clarifications of exactly which prisoners will be released. We know, though, according to this ceasefire deal, that there will be some 200 Palestinian prisoners released as part of this phase of the deal.
This second hostage release day, many of them are serving life sentences, many also serving lengthier sentences. And we understand that some of those individuals will not be released to the West Bank or to Gaza but to a -- deported to a third country.
So potentially that is what were waiting on at this point. But it's -- it is a fluid situation. We don't have exact timings, exact details, given the nature of what we are looking at and, of course, the groups that we are dealing with here.
So what we're looking at when it comes to these images is Palestine Square in Gaza City. You can see at least dozens of Palestinian Hamas fighters, Palestinian Islamic Jihad fighters in this square. You can see the flags of both of those military groups.
And you can see that they are all armed, they are all masked. And there are also a number of bystanders that are watching proceedings amongst them. We've seen children as well. And there are flags, Palestinian flags that are being flown at this point also.
Now it does look very organized. It's certainly more organized, it appears, than it was several days ago on Sunday, when that first stage of the hostage releases happened.
It's obviously a message that Hamas is sending to Israel, to others, that they are in control, that they are in charge of this particular process, that they are keeping the crowds under control and that they have not been defeated.
This was one of the Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu's war goals, was to completely destroy Hamas. And from the images that we are seeing here, the message that Hamas wants to give across is clearly that they have not been defeated and that they are still in charge of at least this particular occasion in Gaza City.
Now when it comes to the families of those hostages, we know that they will be waiting desperately to see those four female Israeli soldiers come back to them after the handover takes place with the International Red Cross.
The hostages will be brought to Israeli custody. They will then undergo a brief medical checkup before being transported to a hospital and to have a full reunion with all members of their families.
Now what we saw on Sunday was -- the mothers of those female hostages were there to greet them as they came into Israeli territory at the southern parts of the Gaza Strip and along that border. Now potentially, that's what we could be seeing today as well.
The Israeli military says that all preparations have been put in place in order to be able to receive these hostages back and also to make sure that they are medically treated and reunited with their families.
Now, of course, it is an emotional time, not just for those families, not just for the families of the Palestinian prisoners that will also be released.
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But for really the whole of Israel when it comes to these hostages. This is something that every Israeli has been affected by those attacks on October 7th, 2023.
And we've seen images from Hostage Square, as it's been referred to now, in Tel Aviv, as Israelis come and watch proceedings and watch the moment where they will be able to see those four Israeli hostages being returned to their families.
And similarly, we will be seeing situations in the occupied West Bank where, with 200 Palestinian prisoners being released, they will also be very emotional scenes of those prisoners being released back to their families as well; although, of course, some of them will be deported.
So at this point we appear to be in a holding pattern, waiting for the hostages to make an appearance and waiting to make sure that all the details of this, the second phase of the hostage release within this first stage, is going to go smoothly, that everything has been organized.
As I mentioned, there was a concern by Hamas that there is an error in some of the names of the Palestinian prisoners. They will be working with mediators now to make sure that that can be clarified before this release goes ahead -- Polo.
SANDOVAL: And with that, quite literally, the stage is set, as you see there, an elevated platform with a desk and a couple of chairs as their preparations for some kind of maybe remarks or something. We're going to be watching this with you, Paula. Don't go anywhere.
Let's bring back columnist Gideon Levy for a little bit more about what we expect here.
And also, Gideon, it cannot be lost on all of the -- what appear to be civilians in this picture, that they have been thrust into this war now for well over a year.
And they have to know that there is a lot riding on what is about to happen, presumably in front of them, whether or not this ceasefire will hold and if it will enter the next chapter, the next phase.
GIDEON LEVY, COLUMNIST, "HA'ARETZ": Yes. I mean, let's celebrate the moment. And the moment is very exciting and moving. People get released, people see their families in both peoples.
But the heavy questions are still ahead of us. It's not only what we talked before, namely the second and the third phase, the withdrawal from Gaza, but, above all, there is a very, very heavy question.
What will be in Gaza -- 2.3 million people, 1.9 million people who were transferred from their homes and are practically homeless because they have no place to return to.
What will be about them?
I mean, who is going to run this whole operation?
Who is going to give the money?
Who is going to care about the -- about Gaza?
Because experience taught us that the at six after the war, as we say, everyone is concerned and there are international conferences of donors and everyone promises the sky for Gaza.
And very soon later Gaza is forgotten and Gaza sinks again into its siege. Let's remember it's the biggest cage in the world -- into its poverty, into its hopeless conditions. And this, I would expect this time, to be different.
But very small chances, because those issues, for example, don't interest the Trump administration at all.
What do they have with human rights?
What do they have with Palestinians?
I mean, this is the last thing that they would care, I guess.
SANDOVAL: A quick update for our viewers as we see these pictures out of Gaza City, where we expect four additional Israeli hostages to be released. Together with columnist Gideon Levy, former adviser to former prime minister Shimon Peres.
I'm wondering if, again, it is important to recognize the importance of this moment for the families of Israeli soldiers Karina Ariev, Daniella Gilboa, Naama Levy and Liri Albag, these four young women, who also served in the Israeli forces and have been held captive for so long.
And their family, as they've spoken to CNN in the past, describing the anguish, the unbearable pain they've had to deal with. So certainly recognizing that -- and I know you are as well, Gideon. But again, help me really underscore that last point you just made in emphasizing what is going through the minds of the people of Gaza.
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Especially those who have loved ones who have been detained in Israel by Israeli forces in many cases, if not all, without charges.
What is going on through their mind right now and them asking, when will it be their turn for a reunion?
LEVY: So first of all, we have to realize that, in Gaza, there are today thousands of families who don't know where are their beloved ones.
And are they alive?
Because not only under the rubbles there are many bodies as we realize now but also Israel never informed the families in Gaza who is taken into captivity. And in this way, Israel behaves exactly like Hamas, not letting the International Red Cross come in and visit and not telling the families that Israel is holding them.
From the manager of the (INAUDIBLE) hospital, who is in captivity now for weeks and weeks and nobody knows where he is, to the last two workers who, just by chance, were caught by Israel and brought to Israel. And they all have families and all have dreams.
And all are human beings exactly like the Israeli hostages. But unfortunately, the world don't show any interest in their fate. In the coming days, there will be also hundreds of Palestinian prisoners being released.
Part of them, as you rightly said, follow what Israel is calling administrative detainees, which means they were never charged in a court, which has nothing to do with democracy, putting people in jail without charges.
And there will be also people who did terrible things but paid their price in decades and decades in jail. Part of them will be released, part of them will be expelled and they will not get united to their families. They will be expelled either to Gaza or to Egypt.
And by the end of the day, as moved as we are for the happiness, with the happiness of the release of the Israeli hostages, let's remember the thousands, the tens of thousands, the millions of people in Gaza, who are still in a horrible, inhuman suffering.
SANDOVAL: And as you've written recently, they, too, have been through their own hell and their appearance alone tells a story of what they've gone through for many, many months now.
I'm curious, how does the Palestinian president tie into all of this?
Without a doubt, president Mahmoud Abbas is watching this as well. He had said only about a week ago that he was prepared and that his government was ready to govern Gaza.
But when you see these pictures of Hamas not only taking control of this square but being the ones literally orchestrating this, even putting up a stage for some sort of event or remarks, how do you think Palestinians or the Palestinian president is reacting to these images?
LEVY: I'm sorry to say I'm really sorry about it but president Abbas quite lost his relevance. He's totally irrelevant. The PA is totally irrelevant, partly, by the way, because of Israel who pushed him away.
I mean, the first Palestinian leader who was really condemning terror, who really meant to do a great historical compromise with Israel, who even spoke about giving up the right of return of the Palestinians back to Palestine, he was rejected by Israel, of Netanyahu. And he was really put in the corner and became totally irrelevant.
He made also his own mistakes. This whole apparatus of the PA became a total irrelevance and in many ways also corrupted machinery with too much collaboration with Israel.
When it comes to chasing the Hamas people and too little care about the Palestinian people, at least in the West Bank, I'm not sure that the PA could get into Gaza right now because Hamas, as you rightly say, Polo, is still the governor of Gaza.
After the total victory of Netanyahu, Hamas is still running the show and will continue to run the show. And I'm not sure they would let the PA in. But in any case, Israel said, no, Israel is not interested in moderate Palestinians. This is against the interest of Israel.
SANDOVAL: Right. And I asked that because so many people watching this right now around the world may be asking themselves, who is in charge of this state?
But as you point out, from the looks of this, it is in fact that movement and not the president.
[03:35:00]
Thank you so much, Gideon Levy, for this insight. It's been critical in helping us understand the geopolitics at play and, most importantly, how much is riding on this very moment and how it will determine potential peace in the future.
So thank you, Gideon.
Let's go back now to my colleague, CNN's Jeremy Diamond. He is live in Tel Aviv.
What have you learned? DIAMOND: Well, listen, we are still waiting for the moment when these four female Israeli soldiers, who have been held captive by Hamas for more than 15 months, will be handed over to the Red Cross.
We are seeing right now, in these images from Palestine Square in Gaza, that there is quite a contingent of not only Hamas fighters but also Palestinian Islamic Jihad fighters, who are armed, who are masked and who are in quite a formation that is designed to be a show of force in addition to being a part of this release of these hostages.
We don't know exactly when it is going to take place but it certainly appears as if we are getting close to the moment when Karina Ariev, Daniella Gilboa, Naama Levy and Liri Albag will be freed after more than 15 months of captivity.
The next stages of the process will likely unfold quite similarly to what we saw last week. We expect that they will be put into these International Red Cross vehicles.
They will then be driven to an Israeli military position along the Gaza-Israel border and, from there, driven to a military base in Reim, which is located roughly around the central part of the Gaza Strip but on the Israeli side of the border, where we expect that the mothers of these four Israeli soldiers will be waiting for them.
As they have been for more than 15 months now, finally able to embrace their daughters for the first time. And at that stage they will get an initial medical checkup from IDF medical personnel on site.
And then we expect that they will be airlifted to a hospital here in central Israel, in the Tel Aviv area. Again, we have seen -- we saw this unfold last week. Every single time that we see this exchange happen, as we expect that there will be waves over the next five weeks, a batch of hostages released every single week.
This process will inevitably get smoother. We're already seeing some differences in the images from Palestine Square. Yes, there are the masked Hamas militants, just as there were last week. There aren't quite as -- there isn't quite as unruly of a crowd surrounding that release.
Last time, remember, we saw individuals coming, pressing right up against those International Red Cross vehicles. We saw some people actually on top of those vehicles as well.
This does appear to be a somewhat more organized, more orderly scene but still very much the kind of propaganda show of force that Hamas is very much looking for in this moment.
SANDOVAL: Right. If it weren't for the heavy weaponry that some of these vast individuals are wearing, it would look like a some sort of celebration here, which there is obviously a note of that, especially when it comes to people in Israel who are anxiously waiting for their four daughters to return.
If you could, you've been speaking to citizens there, residents, regular people, what are they telling you about the ceasefire thus far and how happy are they with the results thus far?
What do they want to see in the coming weeks?
DIAMOND: Well, look, its important to note that Israel is a small country. Everybody here feels connected to the fate of the hostages in one way or another, whether they be civilians or soldiers, as they are in this case today.
And several of these women have become symbols, in a way, for not only the failures of October 7th, because they were on the border with Gaza, they were in an observatory role, watching the Gaza Strip, monitoring Hamas activity.
They also did not have any weapons on them, which has been the source of quite a bit of controversy here in Israel.
But we also recall the images of some of these women. Naama Levy, when she was taken on October 7th, we saw that image of her being dragged in what seemed to be kind of sweatpants that were stained with blood, being taken into Hamas, a Hamas vehicle and into the Gaza Strip.
That was a searing image that has terrified not only Naama Levy's family about what may have happened to her but also much of the Israeli public.
And so, just as with last week's release, I think you will see a big sigh of relief here in Israel as these women are indeed released. And then, of course, there will be questions about what kind of conditions they emerge in.
[03:40:00]
We saw those three hostages who were released last week were in fairly good medical conditions, certainly had been through a lot over the course of the last 15 months but were able to get out of those vehicles of their own volition, walk on their own two feet, embrace their families.
And we know that now they are on this process of a long, long recovery. And we expect, of course, that these women as well, who will emerge today, will also have a long road of recovery ahead of them.
We don't know what condition they will be in but, again, this is the moment when, last week we saw, as they got out of those Hamas vehicles into those Red Cross vehicles, that was the first time for many of these families, for much of the Israeli public, that they actually saw and were able to confirm with their own eyes that they were alive.
SANDOVAL: And we're waiting for those pictures. Jeremy, thank you so much. We'll let you get back to your reporting. Meanwhile, let's go ahead and bring in my colleague, Bianna Golodryga, CNN senior global affairs analyst. She is currently joining us from Petah Tikva, Israel.
Bianna, you have sat down with the families of some of these young women, these soldiers.
How much have they waited for this and how will this be bittersweet for them?
BIANNA GOLODRYGA, CNN SENIOR GLOBAL AFFAIRS ANALYST: This has been everything for them for the past 15.5 months. The mother of Naama Levy, Ayelet Levy-Shacher, and I speak quite frequently.
And the strength, the resilience of these families and their fight and their quest for their daughters to be freed has been just incredible and inspiring.
Actually, I have to say, their strength and constantly making sure that the world, their government, the mediators and, of course, Hamas, the perpetrators, do not forget about their fight for their daughters and that they would not stop until this very day.
Naama Levy's mother had told me numerous times that every day for her was October 7th. And as Jeremy noted, Hamas is making a big effort and has, since the October 7th attacks and the kidnapping of all of these hostages but namely these five IDF female spotters, they are not what most would imagine to be military figures or soldiers.
They were kidnapped in their pajamas. Naama Levy and Liri Albag had just started their duty, which we should note military service is a requirement here in Israel. They were not combating officers by any stretch of the imagination.
And as we saw in those terrifying images that IDF officials had captured from Hamas' GoPros and then these families so bravely agreed to release later for the world to see, to amplify their case, they were bloodied, their hands bound.
The brutality of that day and the terror inflicted upon them just left the world speechless. And it's why the parents wanted the world to see this, as their daughters were surrounded by numerous murdered colleagues of theirs that day, in Nahal Oz, their military base.
I am in Petah Tikva, as you mentioned, outside of the home of the family members of one of the four that will be released today. And they have gathered here. This has been a nonstop fight for them. The emotions must be all over the place here. No words to really describe what they're about to experience.
And, of course, seeing their loved ones on television screens, first in Hamas propaganda, if we expect a repeat of what we saw last week. And then finally in the custody of IDF officials as they're transferred into Israel, into their mothers' arms will be a sight this country has been desperate to see now for 15.5 months.
Of course, they leave behind one of their female IDF spotters, that is Agam Berger. Israeli officials had reached out to her families. We are told yesterday upon the release of this hostage list and they're hoping that her release will come soon.
As we noted, there had been a bit of a setback yesterday in Hamas violating the terms of the agreement by not releasing or including one of the two female civilian hostages that were expected to be part of phase one in this 33-stage release of the 33 hostages. Nonetheless, Israel agreed with this deal with these four and these
families are now waiting any moment now.
SANDOVAL: Absolutely agonizing for over 15 months, seeing them on TV, on television, on posters. And now we expect that we'll see them in person.
We're lucky to have you right now, Bianna Golodryga, providing this extremely important insight about what their families are going through. We'll let you get back to your reporting. Thank you, Bianna.
GOLODRYGA: Thank you.
SANDOVAL: All right. Let's now go to CNN's Paula Hancocks, who's joining us live from Abu Dhabi.
Paula, these pictures are absolutely remarkable. You've seen the Hamas movement not just showing strength in numbers in that square but, quite literally, political message on banners and on flags.
[03:45:00]
HANCOCKS: Yes, Polo, this is I mean, it is a message. Its a propaganda message that Hamas is sending to Israel, that it is sending to others as well to show that that they're still in control, at least under these circumstances, in this particular occasion and that they are able to be in control.
Now it is a far more calm situation that we are seeing this Saturday than we saw at the first hostage release on Sunday.
In fact, a source familiar with the matter has told CNN that, following Sunday's release, Israel had passed a message on indirectly to Hamas, saying that those images of the large crowds surrounding the hostage vehicles was not acceptable because it did endanger the hostages as Israel put it.
So potentially this is what were seeing now, that this is a more organized effort. And, of course, bear in mind that there has been a week of ceasefire now. So Hamas, Palestinian Islamic Jihad are able to be more organized because they have not been under fire. They have not been engaging the Israeli military in Gaza.
So potentially that is why we're seeing a calmer and more organized picture here as well. But you can see there that there's at least dozens of Hamas fighters, of PIJ fighters. You can see both of the flags being flown along with the Palestinian flag.
We also saw somewhat of a stage, a podium with a table and chairs set up as well. It's unclear at this point what the point, what the reason for that is, whether there will be an address to the crowds at this point.
But there are also a lot of bystanders there that you can see. You can see men, women, children, all part of this melee. But as I say, a far more calm situation than we did see back on Sunday. So what we are expecting is we don't have a time. But the handover to
the International Red Cross to happen.
And then at that point the hostages will be taken across the border, will be taken into Israeli military custody at that point as well and then taken to meet, we understand, if it is the same as last Sunday, their mothers, just across the border into Israel.
They will have an initial medical check just to make sure they are able to travel and they will then be flown to hospitals for a longer term recovery and also for further tests and to be reunited with the wider family.
So it will be a very emotional day for these families. There will be an emotional day for the people in Israel as well, who have felt very connected to what has happened to these hostages.
We know in what has now become known as Hostage Square in Tel Aviv, the crowds are getting bigger as people are coming to see what is unfolding, to see hopefully this hostage release take place.
And then later we are also expecting Palestinian prisoners to be released from Israeli prisons, some 200 expected to be part of that prisoner release, some released into the occupied West Bank, some into Gaza.
But others, as many of them will be serving a life sentences, many others will be deported and they'll be moved to a third country, to Egypt. So they're not within Israel or the occupied territories -- Polo.
SANDOVAL: As you're speaking, we're now seeing these live pictures out of Gaza City and what appear to be some of those Red Cross vehicles that have become a very familiar sight during those hostage releases.
That agency serving as that intermediary to make these hostage handovers happen again. These live pictures at 10:48 in the morning in Gaza City. And as you correctly point out, this is much more organized than last week's releases.
Jeremy Diamond, my CNN colleague, as Paula points out, more organized, more, really almost staged here.
What are you hearing right now about what we expect to happen, perhaps any moment now?
DIAMOND: Yes, that's right. It certainly does appear to be slightly more organized than it was last week. We've also seen a stage erected in Palestine Square around this Hamas demonstration, the setup that they have erected there.
So that raises questions about who will be speaking, whether that will be a member of Hamas, whether it will be a hostage speaking, very much under duress, obviously, in their final moments of captivity. That remains to be seen. But there is -- what is clear is that Hamas, just like last week, is
going to take advantage of this moment in which it is in the spotlight.
[03:50:03]
Take advantage of this opportunity to be able to make its propaganda statements known, whether that is showing that it is still standing, showing that it is still in force or perhaps trying to deliver a message from the hostages, trying to dispel notions about the mistreatment of these hostages over the course of the last 15 months.
We have seen, of course, that they have an eye for this -- these kinds of propaganda moments, of course, including last week, when we saw that they gave these hostages what appeared to be kind of gift bags, as though they were, you know, leaving 15 months of summer camp.
And instead what they were leaving was 15 months of being held against their will, 15 months of captivity. So we will see exactly how this unfolds.
We are seeing crowds beginning to gather in Hostage Square as people across Israel have been waiting for this moment, waiting for these four young women soldiers in the Israeli military to be released as part of this hostage and prisoner release deal.
And, of course, we will see these scenes continue to play out every week for the next five weeks. We expect several hostages to be released from Gaza in exchange for hundreds of Palestinian prisoners. We're just starting to get some details, actually, about the Palestinian prisoners to be released.
And as far as we understand it, from the Palestinian Prisoners Society, which tracks this information, 121 of the prisoners, Palestinian prisoners being released today, are serving life sentences. Many of them will be deported to a third country, which appears to be Egypt in this case today and several others will be taken to Gaza.
That is very different from what we saw last week where they, the Palestinian prisoners and detainees, were released into the West Bank rather than into Gaza or a third party country.
And that is because, as I was mentioning earlier, there is a steeper price that is being paid by Israel for the release of these four female Israeli soldiers, unlike the civilians who had -- who were exchanged for 50 Palestinian prisoners each.
In this case it is 50 Palestinian prisoners but it includes 30 of whom are serving life sentences. And that is because of the fact that these are indeed Israeli soldiers who are being released today and not civilians.
SANDOVAL: And just to punctuate one of those points that you just made, Jeremy, in terms of the symbolism, the -- certainly some of the messaging that Hamas wants to get out there. Adding to what you just said there, in terms of that stage that's been set up, it's featuring, according to our reporting, images of a number of Israeli current and former leaders and the word "failure" over their heads in English.
And that certainly speaks to them knowing their audience in a very specific message they have to the Western world and certainly in to Washington, D.C., where it's currently almost 4 in the morning. And you can bet they're certainly watching these pictures closely.
We know you are as well, Jeremy. We'll come back to you shortly. Thank you so much for your reporting. Let's go to Paula Hancocks.
Now Paula, do we know where the families of these four young women, these four Israeli soldiers are right now, ahead of the expected release of their daughters?
HANCOCKS: Well, Polo, we had heard earlier from the forum for the missing persons and hostages families that the -- some members of the families had actually been told that they could head south and get to a certain meeting point.
Now that was in Reim last Sunday. It was in an area where the initial medical test took place. And then the mothers of those three hostages on that occasion were there to meet their daughters.
So it could well be the mothers once again of the four Israeli female soldiers that will be in that area, in a holding pattern, waiting to be able to hold their daughters for the first time in some 15 months. It will be a very emotional moment, of course, for the families but also for the country.
You can see on the right hand side there, this is the area that has become known as Hostage Square in Tel Aviv. It is where many of the vigils take place, many of the protests over recent months, pushing the Israeli government to make this deal and to bring the hostages home from Gaza.
And you can see that, just in the past hour, the crowds have increased significantly there. And on the left hand side, you can then see the International Red Cross vehicles that are coming into Palestine Square, just maneuvering there, just behind a row of Hamas fighters, who are armed and masked.
[03:55:02]
So it does appear as though there is movement, that they are getting into position, if you like, to be able to carry out this handover of hostages. Now what we did see on Sunday was the three hostages being handed over to the International Red Cross.
We heard from a source familiar with the matter that Israel was not happy about the situation at that moment, because there were very sizable crowds. And there was pushing, which they believed would be endangering the hostages. They have sent a message that they wanted a very different situation
this time around, so that the hostages would not be in any further danger. And it appears as though that has been acknowledged, that has been acted upon, because this is a far more organized situation that we are watching here.
You can see there the Red Cross vehicles getting into position, flanked on all sides, effectively, by Hamas and potentially Palestinian Islamic Jihad fighters as well. And we know that there are an awful lot of bystanders in that crowd as well coming to see this hostage handover -- Polo.
Paula, I just want to remind our viewers what we're looking at right now. Coming up on 11 am in Gaza City, 4 am in New York City.
And we are watching these live pictures, a split screen, really, of what's happening right now in Gaza City, as Red Cross officials are preparing their vehicles surrounded by heavily armed Hamas fighters, who seem to have control of what appears to be a peaceful situation here in the expected handover of four Israeli hostages.
Four Israeli soldiers named Karina Ariev, Daniella Gilboa, Naama Levy and Liri Albag, four of them taken by Hamas fighters during the attacks of October 7th and had been in captivity since.
And as we've been waiting for some time now, they are the next to be released by Hamas fighters as part of this ceasefire deal. Paula Hancocks joining us from Abu Dhabi right now with some valuable insight.
Paula, a quick final thought on what this moment means, not only the very calculated and strategic message that Hamas fighters want to send to the world but also the celebration that we expect in just a few moments, hopefully in Tel Aviv and beyond.
HANCOCKS: Well, there's no doubt this is a day of joy in Israel. But it is cautious joy as there are many more hostages still being held in Gaza. But it will be an amazingly emotional day for those four families who have been waiting for 15 months to be able to see those four female Israeli soldiers coming back to them.
It will be a very emotional day for much of Israel as well, who is following this extremely closely. And when it comes to the Palestinian side, there are going to be at least 200 Palestinian prisoners that will be released as part of this as well.
We may not see the emotional scenes as much as we saw on Sunday, as many of them are serving lengthy sentences, life sentences and will be sent to Egypt, to a third country. Not all of them will be released into the occupied West Bank and Gaza itself.
But it will be a very significant day, seeing four hostages, four more hostages being released back to Israel. And, of course, it will be a painful day for many as well, who have lost so much. Those numbers of hostages who have not survived, people in Gaza who have been through 15 months of hell. There will also be a lot of pain felt on this day as well -- Polo.
SANDOVAL: There's so many families who are still awaiting those reunions or at least the closure with the recovery of their of their loved ones, who, sadly, may not be coming back alive.
But nonetheless, we have reached a critical point, Paula, and we are so lucky to have you along this last hour, providing this valuable insight.
Again reminding our viewers we are watching closely these live pictures out of Gaza City, where four Israeli hostages are set to be released. On the other side of your screen, you see Israelis gathering with anticipation, preparing to celebrate what could be the first view of these four Israeli soldiers to be released by Hamas.
[04:00:00]
And the world watching, as we have been reminded for the last several hours, with cautious optimism, that the ceasefire will continue to hold and we will see more of these scenes of reunion repeat themselves.
I'm Polo Sandoval in New York. Thank you for joining us. Our breaking news coverage continues after the break with Kim Brunhuber.
