November 26, 2023 Israel-Hamas war

Our live coverage of the Israel-Hamas war has moved here.

Moshe Lavi speaks during an interview with CNN.

The brother-in-law of Omri Miran, an Israeli hostage still in Gaza, told CNN that the family received confirmation that Miran was still alive as of Sunday morning. 

Lavi said the family had received a call from a representative for the Israeli authorities confirming Miran was alive, but that no further details were provided. 

The past few days have been an “emotional rollercoaster”, Lavi said, seeing photos and videos of freed hostages being reunited with their families, while at the same time knowing there are hostages still in Gaza that have yet to be released. 

“It’s mixed emotions, but we are delighted that at least we see the beginning or possibly the end of the hostage crisis,” Lavi told CNN.  

All those released so far under the terms of the deal struck between Israel and Hamas have been women or children, putting the greatest strain on family members with male relatives held hostage.

“Those who are in the Gaza Strip are someone’s sons, someone’s fathers, someone’s grandparents and brothers and they’re not merely men, they are meaningful human beings to someone else and I hope that we will see them back,” he said.  

Lavi’s sister, Lishai Lavi, her husband Omri and their two young daughters were at home in Nahal Oz when Hamas gunmen broke into their homes during the October 7th attack and held them hostage. Hamas eventually kidnapped Omri, while Lishai and their daughters survived. 

An undated photo of Alma Avraham.

Eighty-four year old Alma Avraham, who was among the Israeli hostages freed Sunday from Gaza, is in critical condition and has been admitted to the intensive care unit of Soroka Medical Center, according to the hospital. 

“She is in critical condition, she is treated in the emergency department after significant medical neglect for the past several weeks while being held by Hamas. She is currently in unstable condition with risks to her life,” Dr. Shlomi Codish, CEO of Soroka Medical Center said in a video statement on Sunday. 

Avraham was released alone Sunday and she apparently has no relatives among the hostages.

The group of 17 hostages released by Hamas Sunday included 13 Israelis and four foreign nationals.

An undated photo of Hila Rotem.

Israel Defense Forces (IDF) is claiming Hamas violated the terms of the truce by releasing a teenage girl without her mother.

On Saturday, 13-year-old Hila Rotem was freed without her mother Raaya Rotem despite demands from Israeli officials. 

“They were supposed to not split families, but they released a teenaged girl and they kept her mother, Raaya, in captivity,” IDF spokesperson Lt. Col. Jonathan Conricus told CNN.

When the IDF asked about Hila’s mother, Hamas claimed they did not know where she is, Conricus said.

“The daughter tells us that they were together up until two days before the release,” Conricus said, adding he believes Hamas kept Raaya Rotem to maintain leverage. 

“They want to leverage each and every Israeli in their captivity for political pressure,” Conricus said. 

Conricus said the IDF has indications that Hamas has been moving hostages during the truce period. 

“Our security agencies are debriefing and asking questions and trying to learn as much as possible from these women and children,” he said. 

Hamas has released a video showing the group hand over a third group of hostages to Red Cross officials inside Gaza.

Unlike two previous videos of hostage releases, this one shows a handover taking place in Gaza City — a move apparently aimed at projecting Hamas strength in a location where Israeli troops have focused their ground operations.

Like the two previous videos, Sunday’s release is made up of a series of edited clips and was released on the social media platforms of Al-Qassam Brigades, Hamas’ military wing. CNN was not present at any of the locations when the clips were filmed, and had no control over the content.  

What the clips show: Crowds of people are seen gathered along the side of the road cheering as vans apparently carrying the hostages are driven to a handover point on Gaza City square, opposite the municipal building in the center of the city.

The handover is believed to be the first to have taken place in the northern part of the strip, which is where Israeli forces launched their ground offensive more than four weeks ago. 

Armed men form a guard awaiting the arrival of the Red Cross, an apparent projection of strength aimed at showing Hamas is still in control of a central location in Gaza City.

After the Red Cross vehicles arrive, the video shows a female hostage being carried by two Hamas fighters toward a Red Cross car. Subsequent clips show several adults and children also being escorted toward officials.

Further clips show the three Thai nationals and the dual Russian-Israeli citizen who were also released Sunday being transferred into Red Cross’ hands.

There is no audio on any of the clips.

Undated photo of Abigail Edan.

Another 17 hostages held in Gaza have been released on Sunday, the third such handover during a four-day truce between Israel and Hamas.

The group was made up of Israelis, dual Israeli citizens and Thai nationals, Israel’s military said.

Among the freed hostages was 4-year-old American-Israeli Abigail Edan whose release marks the first time an American hostage has been successfully freed since the start of the truce. US President Joe Biden, who praised Edan’s release in an address Sunday, spoke with the girl’s family Sunday afternoon, according to the White House.

The 4-year-old is now receiving treatment at a hospital near Tel Aviv, a spokesperson from the Hostage and Missing Families’ Forum told CNN. The 16 other freed hostages had also been transferred to hospitals by late Sunday evening local time, according to information released by Israel’s Ministry of Health.

Officials released a full list of the freed hostages’ names and ages. They include two mothers with their children and a pair of siblings.

If you’re just joining us, here are today’s other key headlines:

Palestinian teens released from Israel jails: Thirty-nine prisoners and detainees from a total of seven Israeli prisons were released Sunday as part of the deal between Israel and Hamas, the Israel Prison Service confirmed. The group is made up of boys aged 18 and younger; two are 15, and one — the youngest released — is 14.

Twenty-three of those released had been held under administrative detention, a widely criticized practice in which a detainee is unaware of any charges against them, and their case is not subject to any legal process.

Talks of extending truce: Hamas wants to extend its four-day truce with Israel beyond Monday through an agreement to free more imprisoned Palestinians, it said in a statement after the latest transfer. Israel’s war cabinet discussed the possibility at its meeting Sunday evening, a source told CNN, and their conditions remain unchanged: Hamas would need to release an additional 10 hostages for each additional day’s pause in the fighting.

Key nations also support extension: US President Joe Biden’s goal is to extend the pause in fighting to try to ensure the safe release of more hostages and to get critical aid to civilians in the enclave, he said in a news conference Sunday. Qatar, which played a central role in mediating the original agreement, said it too was hoping to extend the truce.

Aid trucks enter Gaza: At least 120 aid trucks have entered Gaza through the Rafah border on Sunday, the Egyptian government confirmed. The delivery of aid to Gaza has been a key factor in sustaining the truce and exchanges between Israel and Hamas.

Hostages leave hospital: Some Israelis from the first wave of released hostages — members of two families — have been discharged from the Schneider Children’s Medical Hospital in Israel, it announced Sunday. They are the first former hostages to be discharged.

Palestinians killed in West Bank: Eight Palestinians were killed by Israeli gunfire in the occupied West Bank over the course of 24 hours, the Palestinian Ministry of Health said in a statement Sunday. CNN has asked the Israel Defense Forces for comment about the killings.

This post has been updated with the latest on the freed hostages and talks to potentially extend the truce.

There are efforts to return hostages held in Gaza by groups other than Hamas, a top US official said Sunday.

“Part of the effort here is to ensure all of these groups somehow get connected to a deal in which every last possible hostage in Gaza who is still alive gets turned back over and reunited with their families.”

Implementation is currently underway to return at least 50 women and children through a negotiated deal with Hamas, which continued with the release of 17 hostages hours after Sullivan’s interview.

Sullivan also spoke to CNN Sunday morning.

Israel’s war cabinet discussed the possibility of extending the temporary truce with Hamas when it met Sunday evening, an Israeli source told CNN.

The source said conditions for an extension remain unchanged from the original agreement, which means Hamas needs to release an additional 10 hostages for each additional day’s pause in the fighting.

Remember: Israel and Hamas reached a deal last week for a four-day pause in fighting and the release of at least 50 women and children held hostage in Gaza.

The deal involved hostages who were held captive by Hamas being released in exchange for a number of Palestinian women and children in Israeli jails. The truce, meanwhile, also allowed the entry of “a larger number of humanitarian convoys and relief aid.” The first release of hostages and prisoners took place on Friday, with others taking place Saturday and Sunday.

Palestinians walk through destruction in Gaza City on November 24, as the temporary truce between Israel and Hamas took effect.

Hamas says it wants to extend its four-day truce with Israel, which has entered its third day and has now seen the release of three groups of Israeli hostages from Gaza and three groups of Palestinian prisoners and detainees from Israeli jails.

Earlier this weekend, Qatar, which played a central role in mediating the agreement, said it too was hoping to extend the truce, which includes provision for an extension of one extra day for every ten hostages Hamas is ready to free.

“What we are hoping for is that the momentum that has carried from the releases … and from this agreement of four days will allow us to extend the truce beyond these four days, and therefore get into more serious discussions about the rest of the hostages,” Qatar’s foreign ministry spokesperson, Majed Al-Ansari, told CNN on Saturday.

US President Joe Biden also expressed wanting to extend the pause in fighting during remarks Sunday.  

Rep. Mike Turner speaks during an interview in Washington, DC, on Monday, November 6.

There is some skepticism about whether the US Congress can pass a package that includes aid to Israel by the end of 2023.

House Intelligence Committee chairman Rep. Mike Turner told NBC on Sunday that he is not optimistic about the prospects of Congress passing a large national security package that would include funding for Israel, Ukraine, Taiwan and the US southern border.

“I think it’d be very difficult to get it done by the end of the year. And the impediment currently is the White House policy on the southern border,” he said, noting that the White House needs to accept immigration policy changes, rather than just an increase in funding.

Pressed on whether he would support placing conditions on aid to Israel aimed at lessening civilian casualties in Gaza, Turner said that this is already the policy of the US and Israel.

On Hamas and hospitals: Turner did say that he believes the US should release some of its intelligence on Hamas and their use of hospitals and other civilian buildings, after Israel has faced sharp criticism for targeting those sites.

“Palestinians are as much prisoners to Hamas in Gaza,” he said. “Once Hamas won its election — however rigged it may have been — to take over Gaza, there’s never been another one. They are absolutely being pressed by Hamas itself.”

He added, “I think it is certainly beneficial to tell the story of what Hamas is, what it does.”

A bus carrying Palestinian teenagers released from Israeli prisons arrived in the center of the West Bank city of Ramallah on Sunday evening local time.

Earlier, Israel’s Prison Service confirmed it had released 39 prisoners and detainees from a total of seven Israeli prisons (six in Israel and one in the occupied West Bank), as part of a deal between Israel and Hamas that also saw the militant group release hostages today.

The group released Sunday included boys aged 18 and younger; two are 15 years old, and one, the youngest released, is 14.

They were welcomed in Ramallah by hundreds of well-wishers, some waving Palestinian flags, others carrying the flag of Hamas. 

Some were detained without knowing their charge: Sixteen of those released were serving sentences, mostly for attacks on Israelis, according to information drawn from the Israeli Prison Service and the Palestinian Prisoners’ Society, a non-governmental organization advocating for prisoners’ rights.

The remaining 23 released had been held under administrative detention, a widely criticized practice in which a detainee is unaware of any charges against them, and their case is not subject to any legal process.

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Freed Israeli hostage Keren Munder and her family endured days with only pita bread to eat during her captivity in Gaza, her cousin Merav Mor Raviv told journalists Sunday.

Munder and her mother each lost 12 or more pounds in weight due to the lack of regular nutrition, Mor Raviv said, adding, “They were eating — but not regularly.”

Their diet in captivity included a lot of rice and bread, she added. 

Munder, her mother and 9-year-old son were released Friday by Hamas. 

Adva Adar, granddaughter of 85-year-old Yafa Adar, who was also freed Friday, said her grandmother had also lost weight during her nearly 50 days in Gaza. 

Adar had kept track of the days as a hostage and was aware how long she had been a prisoner when she was released, her granddaughter said. 

“We were asked to let her share whatever she feels comfortable sharing, and not to ask a lot of questions, so she wouldn’t feel obligated (to answer), or that it wouldn’t be too much for her,” Adva Adar said of the instructions the family had received regarding her grandmother’s first days of freedom. 

Adar said her grandmother thought more of her family had been killed in the October 7 Hamas attacks, and only discovered they were alive when she was out of Hamas’ hands.  

Yafa Adar’s house was destroyed in the fighting on October 7, her granddaughter said. 

Young boys look at humanitarian aid trucks entering Gaza on November 26. 

At least 120 trucks carrying aid have entered Gaza on Sunday, according to the Egyptian government.

Trucks carrying fuel and cooking gas headed toward northern Gaza in coordination with the United Nations and the Palestinian Red Crescent Society (PRCS), Diaa Rashwan, chair of Egypt’s government press office, said in a statement. 

Rashwan said the number of aid trucks will likely increase in the coming hours. 

The PRCS said in a statement that an aid convoy of 100 trucks was sent to Gaza City and northern areas of the strip, carrying food, water, relief items, first aid supplies and medicine. 

A freelance journalist working with CNN in Rafah, Egypt, also witnessed aid trucks continuing to enter the Rafah border from the Egyptian side on Sunday. 

Dozens of trucks that entered the crossing on Saturday were still being processed through the Israeli checkpoint as of Sunday afternoon local time, or they were still unloading on the Gaza side of the border crossing, an Egyptian border official told CNN.

The official added that about 129,000 liters of diesel and 80,000 liters of gas went through the Rafah border crossing from the Egyptian side of the border. 

Some background: While Sunday’s exchange of Hamas hostages for Palestinian prisoners and detainees has already been completed, the Saturday exchange was delayed by Hamas over a dispute that centered largely on the issue of aid for Gaza.

Hamas said Israel was not holding up the terms of its agreement to supply aid to the besieged enclave, saying “less than half” of the expected aid trucks had entered northern Gaza.

The issue was eventually resolved through mediation by Qatar, Qatari officials said.

A bus carrying four of the hostages who were released by Hamas today has been seen arriving in Egypt via the Rafah crossing.

The Israel Defense Forces confirmed that Red Cross officials have transferred the group – three Thai nationals and a Russian-Israeli dual citizen – out of Gaza through the crossing.

The hostages released Friday and Saturday also went via the Rafah crossing, which has played a pivotal role in the efforts to get people out and aid in to Gaza, as it is the only entry or exit point not controlled by Israel.

Remember: There were 17 hostages released Sunday in total, with the others group made up of women and children with Israeli citizenship, according to the IDF.

Freed Israelis on the move: A separate group of 13 Israelis freed in Sunday’s hostages release saw one airlifted by helicopter to a hospital, and the other 12 taken through the border fence directly from Gaza into Israel, according to the Israel Defense Forces.

A CNN team witnessed the Israeli convoy of vehicles carrying the hostages drive by the area of Kibbutz Urim, about 15 kilometers (9 miles) inside Israel, en route to the airbase.

The army said that after an initial medical assessment, the hostages will be flown to hospitals in the Tel Aviv area, where they are expected to be reunited with their families.

This post has been updated with details about the citizenship of the two groups of hostages released Sunday.

US President Joe Biden delivers remarks on the release of hostages from Gaza, on November 26, in Nantucket, Massachusetts. 

US President Joe Biden welcomed the release of 4-year-old American-Israeli citizen Abigail Edan, who is now free after weeks held hostage in Gaza. 

“Today she’s free, and Jill and I — together with so many Americans — are praying for the fact that she is going to be alright,” he continued, referring to first lady Jill Biden.

Having arrived in Israel, Biden said Edan is receiving love, care and “the supportive services she needs.” 

Biden said the 4-year-old girl “has been through a terrible trauma.” Her mother, he said, was killed in front of her. She then ran to her father, Biden said, who used his body to shield his daughter and was killed. 

He did not have details on Edan’s condition.

“She is safely ensconced in Israel, but there’s a lot more work to be done,” he said.

Abigail was the youngest American hostage, according to officials.

Edan’s release, along with the release of dozens of hostages since the pause began Friday, is the product of “hard work and weeks of personal engagement from me and my team,” Biden said. 

The president said he would speak “shortly” with Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, saying the two would discuss implementation of the existing deal and also efforts to extend it to bring additional hostages home. Biden also pointed to his engagement with the highest levels of Qatari and Egyptian leadership. 

Biden said he was “hopeful this is not the end” of the temporary truce.

Top row, from left: Chen Goldstein Almog, Gal Goldstein Almog, Tal Goldstein Almog, Agam Goldstein Almog and Abigail Edan. Middle row, from left: Ofry Brodutch, Oria Brodutch, Yuval Brodutch, Hagar Brodutch and Adrienne (Aviva) Siegel. Bottom row, from left: Alma Avraham, Dafna Elyakim and Ela Elyakim.

The 13 Israeli hostages released as part of the formal Israel-Hamas agreement have been handed over to the Israel Defense Forces on Sunday, military officials said.

One hostage was airlifted by helicopter to a hospital, and the other 12 taken through the border fence directly from Gaza to Israel.

Israel’s prime minister’s office has released the names of the freed hostages. They are:

Other hostages released today: The IDF and Hamas each said a total of 17 hostages were freed Sunday.

Israel said the four other hostages were headed through the Rafah border crossing, like the hostages that were released Friday and Saturday.

That group was made up of three Thai nationals and a dual Russian-Israeli citizen, who was released as a special case, outside the parameters of the Israel-Hamas truce, which does not allow for the release of adult men.

This post has been updated with details about the citizenship of the two groups of hostages released Sunday.

Lauren Izso in Tel Aviv contributed to this reporting.

US President Joe Biden delivers remarks on the release of hostages from Gaza, on November 26, in Nantucket, Massachusetts.

US President Joe Biden said his administration’s goal is to extend the pause in fighting in Gaza to provide for the safe release of hostages and allow more critical aid to reach civilians in the enclave.

Biden said that the deal struck between Israel and Hamas was “structured so that it can be extended to keep building on these results.”

“That’s our goal: to keep this pause going beyond tomorrow,” Biden said.

US President Joe Biden delivers remarks from Nantucket, Massachusetts, on November 26.

US President Joe Biden is now delivering remarks following the release of 17 hostages from captivity in Gaza — including a 4-year-old American-Israeli girl.

The Red Cross received 17 hostages on Sunday, including Israelis and foreign nationals, Israel’s military confirmed. Thirty-nine Palestinians will be released later today, Qatar said, in the third such exchange of a four-day truce between Israel and Hamas.

Biden confirmed in the news conference that 4-year-old American-Israeli Abigail Edan was freed on Sunday, marking the first successful release of an American hostage since the start of the truce.

Thirty-nine Palestinian prisoners are set to be released on Sunday, according to Qatar.

The Palestinians will be released in exchange for the 17 hostages freed by Hamas in Gaza, Qatar foreign ministry spokesperson Majed Al-Ansari said on X.

This would mark the third such exchange of hostages for prisoners between Israel and Hamas during their current four-day truce.

Undated photo of Abigail Edan.

Abigail Edan, a 4-year-old American-Israeli citizen abducted by Hamas on October 7, is in the hands of Red Cross officials, a senior US official tells CNN.

This marks the first successful release of an American hostage since the start of a truce between Israel and Hamas. Edan is one of the 17 being released Sunday.

Edan was orphaned when her parents were killed by Hamas on October 7, family previously told CNN. She was 3 years old when abducted, and her birthday passed while she was being held in Gaza.

Abigail was the youngest American hostage, according to officials.

She has a 6-year-old sister and 10-year-old brother, who saw their parents being murdered on October 7, Liz Hirsh Naftali, Edan’s great-aunt, told CNN. They hid in a closet for 14 hours, she said.

US President Joe Biden had told reporters last week that he was keeping his “fingers crossed,” that Edan would be among the hostages released soon.

The Red Cross has received a handover of hostages being released from captivity in Gaza on Sunday, according the Israel Defense Forces.

The group of 17 includes both Israelis and foreign nationals, the IDF said.

Remember: This group is part of the planned third exchange of hostages held in Gaza for Palestinian prisoners, which is coming during a four-day truce between Israel and Hamas.

A Russian national will be among the hostages who will be released by Hamas on Sunday, the group’s political bureau told Russian state news agency TASS. 

The hostage has been handed over to the Red Cross, the bureau told TASS. The news agency did not name the hostage.

Separately, the Al-Qassam Brigades, the military wing of Hamas, also confirmed on Sunday that a hostage with Russian citizenship has been handed over to the Red Cross. Hamas credited the intervention of Russian President Vladimir Putin and “the supportive Russian position for the Palestinian cause.”

According to earlier reports, Hamas was holding two Russian women, TASS reported Sunday. 

A group of former hostages — members of two families — has been discharged from the Schneider Children’s Medical Hospital in Israel, the medical center announced Sunday. They are the first former hostages to be discharged.

Daniel Aloni and her 6-year-old daughter Emilia were discharged first, followed shortly afterward by Doron Katz Asher and her daughters, Raz Asher, 4, and Aviv Asher, 2.

All five were in the first group of hostages released by Hamas from Gaza on Friday.

Undated handout photo of Hila Rotem.

A significant dispute over the number of hostages who would be released on Saturday centered over one of the child hostages being freed without her mother, two Israeli officials told CNN.

When Israeli officials received the list of hostages to be freed on Saturday, 13-year-old Hila Rotem’s mother Raaya was not on the list.

Part of the deal with Hamas is that child hostages would be released with their mothers if they are also in captivity, the Israeli officials said.

This led to a behind-the-scenes push by Israeli officials to demand Hamas also include Raaya Rotem as part of Saturday’s release of hostages, the officials said.

It was one of several issues that emerged over the course of the day Saturday as the release of hostages was delayed. Hamas also delayed the release over claims that Israel had not allowed sufficient aid trucks into Gaza or released Palestinian prisoners in the agreed order.

Ultimately, Hila Rotem was freed without her mother. It remains unclear why Raaya Rotem was not included on the list or what her condition or whereabouts are.

Pressed on the matter, multiple Israeli officials have said they do not know her status, underscoring the limited visibility Israel has regarding some of the hostages.

National security adviser Jake Sullivan speaks with CNN on Sunday.

The Biden administration has “reason to believe” one of the Americans held hostage will be released Sunday, a top US official said Sunday.

“We’re dealing with Hamas. We are in a ‘don’t trust, but verify’ situation here. And so we have reason to believe that there will be an American release today,” national security adviser Jake Sullivan told CNN’s Dana Bash on “State of the Union.” 

“Today should be a good day, a joyful day, but until we actually see it happen, we are going to remain really at the edge of our seat,” he said.

Sullivan’s comments confirm previous reporting from CNN that an American citizen is due to be among those freed today.

Two American women and one child, 4-year-old Abigail Edan, are currently unaccounted-for and are expected to be part of the group of 50 women and children hostages released as part a four-day truce, now in its third day.

No Americans were released as part of the deal on Friday or Saturday. Ten Americans are unaccounted for in total.

The US, Sullivan said, has “growing optimism” that Edan will be returned, though he declined to provide a timeline.

“We are now hopeful that Abigail will be released and reunited with her family. She turned four just two days ago. She has been through hell. She had her parents killed right in front of her and has been held hostage for the last several weeks,” Sullivan said.

“But I am going to say that we have growing optimism about Abigail and we will now watch and see what happens.”

Sullivan said that it is difficult to know the true status of the Americans being held. “We cannot say for certain whether all three of them are still alive. But we do know this: we have reason to believe that today, one American will be released,” he said.

Eight Palestinians have been killed by Israeli gunfire in the occupied West Bank over the past 24 hours, the Palestinian Ministry of Health said in a statement on Sunday. 

The ministry said five were killed in Jenin during an Israeli military incursion into the city and its refugee camp. 

One person was shot and killed in Al-Bireh, near Ramallah. 

Two more were killed in Yatma, south of Nablus, early Sunday morning. 

This brings the total number of Palestinians killed by Israeli troops and Israeli settlers in the West Bank and east Jerusalem since October 7 to 240, with more than 2,959 injured. 

CNN has asked the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) about the killings.

Aid trucks travel along a road in Rafah, Gaza, on November 25.

The increased aid entering Gaza these days remains a “drop in the ocean” of the humanitarian needs on the ground, the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) said Sunday.

“We need 200 aid trucks a day continuously for two months at least to meet the needs,” said UNRWA media adviser Adnan Abu Hasna.

“We need even more fuel so we can operate the services and sectors we support, like water desalination, sewage, hospitals, bakeries and UNRWA services and communications. The aid going in at the moment is just a drop in the ocean of humanitarian needs.”

More desperately needed aid has been allowed into Gaza as part of the truce agreement between Israel and Hamas that came into effect on Friday.

“The (humanitarian) situation in northern Gaza is dangerous, there is no drinking water and no food, so the aid we are sending is important. Today we are also sending convoys towards Gaza City and northern Gaza. The humanitarian situation is dangerous in both southern and northern Gaza,” the UNRWA representative added.

The sister of a Thai hostage released by Hamas on Friday said it appeared her brother had been “taken care of very well.”

Roongarun Wichanguen, the sister of Vetoon Phoome, said Saturday that her brother “seemed okay,” after he was freed from the terror group. 

“His face was very happy, and he seemed okay. He said that he was not tortured, or assaulted, and had been fed good food,” she said in a video interview. 

“He was taken care of very well. It looks like he just stayed in a house, not the tunnel,” she added. 

Phoome was among ten Thai nationals freed on Friday. A further four were released Saturday. Israeli farms employ thousands of farm labourers, some of whom got caught in the October 7 attacks.

People gather as they await news of hostages expected to be released by Hamas, on November 25, in Tel Aviv, Israel.

The third set of hostages is due to be released by Hamas on Sunday, with an American citizen expected to be on the list, according to an Israeli official. It would mark the first time a US hostage has been handed over since the start of the truce.

Thirteen Israelis and four Thai nationals were released late on Saturday night following a delay. All 41 foreign nationals released so far by Hamas from captivity in Gaza are in stable condition, according to medical professionals.

Below are the latest developments:

For the first time since the temporary truce between Hamas and Israel came into effect, an American citizen is expected to be on Sunday’s list of hostages set to be released, an Israeli official told CNN.

The White House has previously expressed hope that the three American citizens taken hostage by Hamas would be freed during the truce.

They include two women and a four-year-old girl named Abigail Edan who were taken captive in Gaza during Hamas’ brutal cross-border assault on October 7.

President Biden previously told reporters Friday afternoon that the US did not know when the American citizens would be released but said it was his “hope and expectation it’ll be soon.”

Undated handout photo of Yafa Adar.

The granddaughter of a woman, 85, taken hostage by Hamas has described their emotional reunion, calling it a “dream come true” in an interview with CNN’s Wolf Blitzer on Saturday.

Yafa Adar was part of the first group of hostages released by Hamas. She founded the Nir Oz kibbitz, which was devastated in the Hamas attacks, and was the oldest person to be taken hostage

“I was thinking about this moment for the past 50 days,” Adva Adar said, saying she cried when she first caught sight of Yafa. 

While thrilled about her grandmother’s return, Adva Adar said she had “mixed feelings because we’re also very concerned and worried about other 211 people still being held hostage including my cousin Tamir.” 

Adva Adar speaks with CNN's Wolf Blitzer on Saturday, November 25.

Her cousin, who is a father of two, was abducted when he tried to protect the kibbutz. “We are very worried; don’t know if he’s injured; how he’s being held…we need to fight for each and every one one of them, and for us, for my family, it’s not over until all of them [the hostages are] back.”  

So far 41 hostages have been released in the first two days of a truce between Israel and Hamas. Thirteen Israeli civilians were freed along with 11 foreign nationals in the initial exchange on Friday, followed by another 13 Israelis and four Thai nationals on Saturday.

Their release has sparked tearful reunions with families following a painstakingly negotiated arrangement between the warring sides with the help of foreign mediation.

A Red Cross vehicle carrying Thai hostages drives by at the Gaza Strip crossing into Egypt in Rafah on November 25.

All of the foreign nationals released by Hamas from captivity in Gaza are in stable condition, according to medical professionals.

Of the 41 hostages released from Gaza on Friday and Saturday, 15 are foreign nationals: 14 are from Thailand and one from the Philippines.

Dr. Osnat Levtzion Korach, director of the Shamir Medical Center in Israel, said Sunday that all were in stable condition:

Israeli Foreign Ministry said in a statement on Saturday that the foreign nationals will remain in the Shamir-Assaf HaRofeh medical center in Beer Yaakov, southeast of Tel Aviv, until medical examinations are complete.

Israel promised to provide “dedicated care” to all of them, the ministry said. 

An ambulance believed to be carrying released hostages drives near the Israel-Gaza border early Sunday, local time.

While the freed hostages who arrived at the Sheba Medical Center show signs of being held in captivity, none have needed urgent medical intervention, the director of the Safra Children’s Hospital at the center said.

In a statement, Israel’s Ministry of Health said the 12 freed hostages that arrived at Sheba Medical Center were eight children and four women.

Another freed Israeli hostage, Maya Regev, was taken to the Soroka Medical Center for treatment of a moderate injury. 

Regev arrived in “moderate condition” and requires surgical treatment, however her injury is not considered life threatening and she is expected to make a full recovery, Shlomi Codish, director general of Soroka Medical Center, said Sunday. 

Emily Hand, who was abducted by Hamas gunmen during the October 7 attack on Israel, meets her father Thomas Hand after being released as part of a hostages-prisoners swap deal between Hamas and Israel amid a temporary truce on November 26, 

Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar said it was a day of “enormous joy and relief” following the release 9-year-old Emily Hand, an Irish-Israeli dual citizen.

Hand had been at a friend’s house in the kibbutz of Be’eri when Hamas militants attacked on October 7.

She was originally believed to have been among those killed in the attack. But earlier this month, the Israeli military notified her father that they believed she was still alive and had been taken by Hamas back into Gaza.

On Sunday, the Israeli military released video of Emily being reunited with her father, Thomas Hand, after she was freed with other Israeli hostages on Saturday. 

In an emotional reunion, Emily can be seen dashing toward her father and the two hug each other tightly.

A Red Cross vehicle carrying Israeli hostages enters the Rafah border crossing on Saturday, November 25.

After a delay, a group of 17 released hostages arrived in Israel after leaving Gaza in a Red Cross convoy late Saturday local time, according to the Israeli military. A CNN team on the ground saw the convoy arrive.

The group includes 13 Israelis and four Thai nationals, Israel said.

Around the same time, 39 Palestinian detainees and prisoners were released from Israeli jails, authorities said.

Here are other headlines:

Israel has received a list of hostages due to be released Sunday in accordance with an agreement signed with Hamas, according to Israel’s Prime Minister’s office. 

Context: The list marks what is set to be the third day of releases since a truce for a temporary pause in fighting came into effect on Friday. Under the agreement, a total of 50 hostages are expected to be freed over the four days, while Palestinian prisoners are also due to be released in waves.

Twenty four hostages — including 13 Israeli civilians and 11 foreign nationals — were freed on Friday, followed by 17 more — 13 Israelis and four Thai nationals — on Saturday.

This post has been updated with additional information from Israel’s Prime Minister’s office.

Aid trucks drive down a road in Rafah, Gaza, on Saturday.

Sixty-one trucks delivered food, water, and emergency medical supplies to northern Gaza on Saturday, according to the United Nations, the largest number of trucks to reach the north since the October 7 Hamas attacks on Israel.

As day two of the Hamas-Israel truce unfolded, 11 ambulances, three coaches, and a flatbed went to Al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza City to help with evacuations, the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs said in a statement Saturday.

Two hundred trucks went to the Nitzana border crossing with Egypt, while 187 entered Gaza by 7 p.m. local time (12p.m. ET), according to the UN.

129,000 liters of fuel also crossed into Gaza, it said.

In an earlier statement, the Palestine Red Crescent Society (PRCS) said it received 187 trucks from the Egyptian Red Crescent on Saturday and dispatched the largest aid convoy to Gaza City and the northern parts of the strip since October 7.

It said the convoy was “loaded with food and non-food items, water, primary health care medicines, and emergency medical supplies, from aid that entered through Rafah (Saturday) as well as from PRCS warehouses in the south,” the statement said, adding that it successfully distributed the aid.  

The PRCS added that it has received 1,946 aid trucks in Gaza since October 21.

Thomas Hand, the father of Emily Hand, holds up a picture of them together at his hotel near the Dead Sea in Israel on November 10.

Thomas Hand thought his daughter Emily was killed in Hamas’ October 7 attacks, but she is listed among the Israeli hostages released by Hamas late Saturday.

Hand, who told CNN’s Clarissa Ward of the news before it was officially announced by Israel, said he was bringing his 9-year-old daughter’s dog, Johnny, to Israel and Egypt’s border Saturday. He said he planned to meet Emily there when the Red Cross convoy arrived.

Hand said he has been living in a period of anguish and hope.

He was initially told Emily had died. Weeks later, Israeli officials told him that they’re not sure Emily was killed, as they had not located her body and didn’t find any blood in the home where she was sleeping.

She turned nine in captivity, Hand, who is a single parent after his wife died of cancer, previously told CNN.

He told CNN Saturday he hopes this will be the first step toward Emily’s recovery and is aware of the long road she has ahead to heal after being in captivity for nearly 50 days.

Qatari Foreign Affairs Ministry spokesperson Majed Al-Ansari speaks during an interview in Doha, Qatar, on November 12.

Qatar is hoping to extend the truce between Israel and Hamas beyond the agreed upon four days, Qatari Foreign Affairs Ministry spokesperson Majed Al-Ansari told CNN Saturday.

Al-Ansari said he continues to work with senior officials in Qatar to address concerns from either side of the conflict regarding the implementation of the hostage deal. 

Al-Ansari added that he could not confirm if any Americans would be released on the third day of the truce.

The ministry spokesperson also said Qatar is working with partners in Egypt, the United States, and both parties of the conflict to ensure the agreed amount of aid trucks are allowed into Gaza.

Al-Ansari responded to the head of the Palestinian Commission for Detainees and Ex-Prisoners’ Affairs who accused Israel of not abiding by the agreement to release prisoners in order of length of time served.

Some context: A second group of hostages released from Gaza — comprising 13 Israelis and four Thai nationals — arrived in Israel late Saturday, according to Israeli officials and a CNN team on the ground. Hamas had delayed the second exchange over a dispute about the prisoners and aid for Gaza that was resolved through mediation, according to Qatar.

Top row, from left: Noga Weiss, Shiri Weiss, Adi Shoham, Naveh Shoham and Yahel Shoham. Middle row, from left: Maya Regev, Noam Avigdori, Sharon Avigdori, Hila Rotem and Emily Hand. Bottom row, from left: Shoshan Haran, Alma Or and Noam Or.

The Israeli prime minister’s office and the Hostage and Missing Families Forum have each released the names and ages of all thirteen Israeli hostages released on the second day of a truce between Israel and Hamas Saturday:

Dror Or, the father of Noam and Alma Or, is still being held by Hamas in Gaza, according to Israeli officials. Yonat Or, the children’s mother and Dror’s wife, was killed on October 7.

Raaya Rotem, the mother of Hila Rotem, is also still being held in Gaza.

Four additional hostages: Israel said a total of 17 hostages were released by Hamas on Saturday. The four people not listed above are Thai nationals, the Israel Defense Forces said.

Thai Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin posted the names of the released hostages on his social media:

This post has been updated with additional information from the Thai prime minister.

A United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) vehicle was damaged after its patrol was hit by Israel Defense Forces gunfire, UNIFIL said Saturday. 

The patrol was hit around 12 p.m. local time (5 a.m. ET) in the area of Aytaroun, in southern Lebanon, UNIFIL wrote in a post on X, formerly known as Twitter.

“This incident occurred during a period of relative calm along the Blue Line,” it said, adding that no peacekeepers were injured. 

The force’s head of mission and force commander, Maj. Gen. Arolodo Lázaro Sáenz, on Friday urged those exchanging fire along the Blue Line to halt “this cycle of violence, strongly reminding everyone that any further escalation could have devastating consequences,” UNIFIL said. 

UNIFIL went on to say that it condemns “this act” and strongly reminded parties to the conflict “of their obligations to protect peacekeepers and avoid putting the men and women who are working to restore stability at risk.” 

The IDF told CNN Saturday that they are aware of the incident and are checking the report.  

Remember: Fighting between Israel and the Iran-backed paramilitary group Hezbollah is centered on northern Israel and southern Lebanon — separate from Israel’s fighting with Hamas further south, which is centered around Gaza.

But a steady uptick in clashes with Hezbollah since October 7 has raised fears that the powerful Lebanese group could actively participate in the conflict.

Hezbollah has voiced strong support for Palestinians and condemned Israel’s offensive in Gaza, but it has not intervened on behalf of Hamas so far. The group has linked its attacks on Israel to Israel’s targeting of Lebanese territory, and the fighting remains limited to this border region for now.