Family member of 3 released hostages says return to normal life will be a delicate process
From CNN staff
Eyal Mor, whose family members were among those hostages released by Hamas on Friday, said he has “mixed emotions” about the complicated homecoming.
The family – Ohad Munder, who turned 9 while in captivity, his mother, Keren Munder, 54, and grandmother, Ruth Munder, 78 — are in good shape “both physically and mentally.” But, added later: “Of course, we have to see, this is all initial reports.”
“The psychologist says it has to be very slowly, very progressive. The come back to normality has to be very controlled way so we will follow that advice,” Mor told CNN.
He said he and other family members know the transition back to life will be a delicate process. He said they have to tell Ohad, Keren and Ruth about other family members that have died while they were being held by Hamas.
"It puts us in a very conflicting situation because, on one hand, people would like to come and celebrate with them," he said, referring to people supporting his family and the story of Ohad. But, "on the other hand, they just learned that they lost someone. So it's a mixed emotions here."
Mor said he saw a “very emotional” video taken at a hospital of the moment the three were reunited with other family members on Friday.
“People were crying out of joy, out of excitement,” he said. "It was really a scene that we've been imagining for the last 49 days and suddenly, it happens. So it's really incredible."
Mor said he plans to meet with them on Saturday. He said his family is still hoping for the release of another family member — Ruth Munder's 78-year-old husband who is still being held by Hamas.
Israel says it's received a list of hostages to be released on Saturday
From Tamar Michaelis in Tel Aviv
The Mossad and the Israel Defense Forces have received the second list of Israeli hostages due to be released on Saturday as part of the framework agreed with Hamas, the office of Israel's prime minister wrote in a statement on Friday.
Security officials are reviewing the list of names, the statement read.
Israel's Hostage Coordinator Brig. Gen. (res.) Gal Hirsch has given the information to the families of the hostages, the statement added.
The list will not be released to the public until the hostages are safely in Israeli hands.
"This is a drop of joy in a sea of sadness." Well-wishers gather outside hospital as freed hostages arrive
From CNN's Clarissa Ward in Tel Aviv
Outside the Schneider Children’s Medical Center, a group of well-wishers gathered Friday to observe the helicopters landing and departing.
At moments there were cheers and claps of excitement at the arrival of the released hostages. At other times the mood was somber and emotional.
CNN spoke to one ER nurse from a neighboring hospital — still in her scrubs — who came straight from her shift to witness the moment. She asked to be identified only by her first name, Elena.
She told us she was working in the ER on October 7 and treated some of the injured after the Hamas attacks in Israel.
“This is a drop of joy in a sea of sadness,” Elena said. “I needed to see this moment with my own eyes.”
She added that it won’t change the future and the sadness and bloodshed that are still likely to come. But that the drop of joy is so desperately needed here now.
Eli Rado, 18, came with a group of his friends.
“We are very happy. We want all the hostages to be free. My cousin is fighting in Gaza right now and my friends and we want them to come home soon. May God be with them. But we know that this war will go until the last man standing.”
Hospital staff told CNN that eight freed hostages from three families are here at Schneider Hospital now. The Munder family, the Ashers and the Alonis.
“They just ate their first dinner in 49 days,” a representative for the Hostages and Missing Families Forum said. “It’s so exciting but also so emotional.”
All eight were seized by Hamas from the Nir Oz kibbutz on October 7. Read more about them here
Hamas releases video showing handover of hostages to Red Cross officials inside Gaza
From CNN's Andrew Carey
Hamas has released a video showing several of the 24 freed hostages being handed over to Red Cross officials inside Gaza on Friday.
The video, which consists of a series of edited clips and runs just under two minutes in length, was released on the social media platforms of the Al Qassam Brigades, the Hamas military wing.
CNN was not present at any of the locations when the clips were filmed and had no control over the content. Apart from a few seconds at the start of the video, there is no audio on any of the clips.
After a brief opening shot of several Red Cross vehicles apparently arriving at a handover point inside Gaza, the video shows six of the foreign nationals released today getting out of two unmarked white SUVs, before being escorted by Red Cross officials toward Red Cross vehicles.
The video then has a series of clips showing several of the female Israeli hostages, along with one of the children, also being transferred from unmarked white SUVs into the back of Red Cross vehicles.
Many of the clips show a heavy presence of Hamas gunmen, wearing black balaclavas and green bandanas, escorting the hostages at the handover point.
Some of the clips show a large number of people surrounding the handover, many filming it on their phones.
It was not immediately clear if the handovers shown on the video were all carried out at the same location.
It appears as though the handovers were carried out in the mid to late afternoon.
Helicopters carrying released hostages arrive at medical centers near Tel Aviv
From CNN's Clarissa Ward, Joseph Ataman and Oren Liebermann
Helicopters carrying released hostages have been arriving at medical centers in Israel.
CNN previously reported four helicopters had departed Israel's Hatzerim Air Base near Beersheva on Friday. They were expected to fly to various hospitals in the Tel Aviv area.
So far, two helicopters have arrived at Schneider Children's Medical Center of Israel, which is near Tel Aviv.
Three more Israeli hostages also arrived by helicopter at Wolfson Medical Center in Holon, south of Tel Aviv, a hospital spokesperson told CNN. They were then transferred by ambulance to the hospital for evaluation and treatment.
The newly arrived hostages have been taken into the hospital and are now undergoing medical checks and evaluations, a hospital spokesperson said.
Two other hostages had arrived at the Wolfson Medical Center several hours earlier in the evening by ambulance.
All five hostages being treated at the hospital are elderly women.
This post has been updated with the latest information about the arrivals at Wolfson Medical Center.
Red Cross said it facilitated release of 33 Palestinian prisoners from Ofer prison to Ramallah
From CNN's Amy Cassidy
The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) said Friday it facilitated the transfer of 33 Palestinian prisoners, released as part of the Israel-Hamas truce deal, from an Israeli prison to the West Bank.
“We have now successfully facilitated the release of 33 Palestinian detainees from Ofer prison to Ramallah,” the ICRC’s Israel and Occupied Territories branch wrote on X. "We have managed to do so thanks to our neutral intermediary role."
In total, 39 Palestinian women and minors were released from three prisons — Damon, Megiddo and Ofer – on Friday, according to the Israeli prison service.
4 helicopters depart Israeli air base to transport released hostages to hospitals
From CNN's Matthew Chance at Hatzerim Air Base
Four helicopters carrying released hostages have departed Israel's Hatzerim Air Base near Beersheva.
Of the 24 that were freed Friday, 22 were initially taken to Hatzerim and are expected to be flown to hospitals in the Tel Aviv area.
The other two hostages released Friday by Hamas have already been taken to the Wolfson Medical Center in the city of Holon, south of Tel Aviv, a hospital spokesperson told CNN.
CNN’s Sarina Rofé and Joseph Ataman contributed reporting to this post
UN special coordinator for Middle East peace welcomes Israel-Hamas truce
From CNN's Richard Roth and Mohammed Tawfeeq
The United Nations Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process Tor Wennesland welcomed the implementation of the hostage agreement between Israel and Hamas.
"I welcome today's start to the implementation of the agreement reached on Wednesday, November 22, which saw the release of 13 Israeli hostages abducted by Hamas and others on October 7 and the release of 39 Palestinian prisoners from Israeli prisons," Wennesland said in a statement issued at the UN in New York Friday.
"I also welcome the release of a number of foreign workers held in Gaza. I look forward to additional releases expected over the coming days," Wennesland added.
Israel and Hamas reached a deal for a four-day pause in fighting and the release of 50 hostages held in Gaza that began on Friday. The Israel Prison Service announced on Friday night that 39 Palestinian prisoners were released as part of the hostage agreement
Wennesland said the pause in fighting "went into effect with relative calm, allowing truckloads of aid to go into Gaza."
"These developments are a significant humanitarian breakthrough that we need to build on," according to Wennesland.
Earlier Friday, the UN said 137 trucks of humanitarian aid were driven into the Gaza Strip, marking the largest aid convoy that has moved into the enclave since October 7.
Wennesland also called for the release of all hostages held by Hamas and others in Gaza.
Hostages held in Gaza and Palestinians jailed in Israel were released today. Here's what you should know
From CNN staff
Twenty-four people held hostage for nearly seven weeks in the Gaza Strip were released Friday as part of a truce brokered between Israel and Hamas, according to officials.
The group includes 10 Thai citizens, 13 Israelis and one Filipino citizen, according to Qatar's foreign ministry spokesperson Majed Al-Ansari. They are now in Israel, the Israel Defense Forces said Friday.
In addition, 39 Palestinian women and teenagers were freed from Israeli jails and were on their way to the West Bank.
A total of 50 hostages could be freed over the four-day pause in flighting, while Palestinian prisoners are also due to be released in waves.
The pause and releases followed weeks of tense negotiations – and took several agonizing days to come into effect. The agreement represents the first major diplomatic breakthrough in the conflict.
Here's what else you know about today's developments:
- Kidnapped from kibbutz: The civilians released included 13 Israeli women and children who had been captured by Hamas during its brutal cross-border raids on October 7 and held for 48 days amid worsening humanitarian conditions. All but one were abducted from the Nir Oz kibbutz, according to spokespeople for the kibbutz and the Hostages and Missing Families Forum. They included 5-year-old Emilia Aloni and Adina Moshe, who was seen being driven away on a motorbike after being abducted.
- Reaction to releases: Hailing the release, Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he remains committed to securing the release of all those still held in Gaza. Israel’s Ministry of Welfare and Social Affairs released detailed instructions outlining how to care for released children. The release sparked a range of emotions in Tel Aviv on Friday and raised hopes for the families of those still held in the enclave.
- Palestinian prisoner release: Qatar’s foreign ministry confirmed that Palestinian prisoners are on their way to the West Bank. The 39 were released from three prisons — Damon, Megiddo and Ofer — according to the prison service. A CNN team outside Ofer prison witnessed clashes between the Israeli military and some Palestinians ahead of the release. Around 8,300 Palestinian prisoners are currently held in Israeli jails, said Qadura Fares, head of the Palestinian Commission for Detainees and Ex-Prisoners’ Affairs.
- Developments on the ground: The Israeli military told people in southern Gaza not to move north, with its forces restricting travel to only one road. Also, a CNN team in the southern Israel city of Sderot said it heard "loud booms" that sounded like Israeli artillery fire landing in Gaza, up to 15 minutes after the expected start time of the truce between Israel and Hamas.
- Humanitarian aid: The United Nations said 137 trucks with humanitarian goods were offloaded in Gaza on the first day of the pause, marking the largest aid convoy since October 7. Some 130,000 liters of diesel fuel and four trucks of gas will enter daily starting Friday, according to an Egyptian official.
- Returning Palestinians: Displaced Palestinians attempting to return to homes in northern Gaza were allegedly blocked by Israeli forces, a journalist told CNN. But eventually, at least 67 Palestinians who had been stuck in Egypt since fighting began on October 7 crossed back Friday, hours after the truce went into effect.