US has a "working list" of hostages likely to be released by Hamas Thursday, source familiar says

Families and friends of about 240 hostages held by Hamas in Gaza call for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to bring them home during a demonstration in Tel Aviv, Israel, on November 21. Ariel Schalit/AP

Just hours away from the first set of hostages being released from Gaza, US officials have a working list of 10 hostages that they believe are likely to be released on day one, a source familiar says. It was not clear whether any of the three American hostages – including 3-year-old Abigail Edan — would be released on the first day. 

The deal is structured in such a way that each day, a group of hostages to be released would be handed off to the Red Cross; the Red Cross would then take the group to a designated border point, which will largely depend on the location of those hostages, the source familiar said.

Many of the first 50 hostages are expected to come out through Egypt, they said. 

The first two days of the hostage release will be treated as a “testing period” to make sure the process is working, the source said. By day three, there is expected to be intense discussions about the potential second phase of the hostage release beyond the initial group of 50.

Brett McGurk, a White House official, told CNN Wednesday he could not speak about the schedule of when the Americans would be released. He confirmed that three US hostages – Edan and two women — are expected to come home as part of the 50 hostages released by Hamas. A total of 10 Americans are believed to be hostages.

“I was asked earlier do we know if the 50 are alive and well. We understand they’re alive, but they're certainly not well,” McGurk said. “These 50 women, children and toddlers, it's just unimaginable what they've gone through, but we're gonna make sure that they get the care they need when they come home.”

McGurk said he is “hopeful” that the Red Cross will get access to the other hostages, but noted, “I cannot confirm that nor guarantee that.”

Meanwhile, the Israeli Supreme Court “has now greenlit the (hostage) deal to go forward,” thus clearing the way for the process to move forward on Thursday, McGurk said. 

A senior Israeli official told CNN Tuesday that there was a 24-hour window following the announcement of the deal for appeals to be lodged with the court. An Israeli source familiar with the matter says Israel’s Supreme Court has rejected an appeal to stop the hostage deal from moving forward and ruled that the deal does not violate the law. Although more appeals are expected to be filed, they are also expected to be rejected, the source told CNN.