We begin tonight with the long-awaited release of some of the hostages kidnapped by Hamas. They were freed early this morning, after seven excruciating weeks of captivity inside Gaza. Those released include thirteen Israelis, ten Thai citizens, and one Filipino citizen. The Israeli range in age from a two-year-old girl to an eighty-five-year-old great grandmother. Almost all of them were kidnapped from the same community. More than two hundred remain in captivity in Gaza. The freed hostages were handed over to the Red Cross as part of an agreement that required Israel to release thirty-nine Palestinian prisoners. President B said today’s events were the result of extensive US diplomacy and that more hostages, including some Americans are expected to be released in the days ahead.

As you imagine, the anticipation of for this moment for this truce and the release of hostages has been extraordinary. And today, just a small fraction of the families of hostages got to experience what every single one of them has been yearning for to see them in person and alive. Tonight, twenty-four hostages including thirteen Israelis held by Hamas crossed to safety. The sights of their faces traveling into Egypt inside Red Cross trucks brought a sigh of relief to some family members. Day one of the ceasefire began as planned, at 7:00AM allowing hundreds of aid trucks carrying fuel and supplies to reach Gaza in desperate need. But just an hour into the temporary truce, shots fired. CBSN captured the moments Israeli soldiers shot and killed at least two Palestinians injuring several others to block them from returning to evacuated northern Gaza. By 4:00AM, the hostages were in buses to Israel where their first stop was a military base for a health assessment. And then onto helicopters bound for hospitals and their waiting families.