Hamas has released more Israeli ce ase-fire through tonight.

And mediators are# working now to extend it for two additional days.

AMNA NAWAZ: Two women were the first hostages to## be handed over today.

They were reunited# this evening, six more were released into Egypt,# in exchange for 30 Palestinians held by Israel.

In the meantime, Secretary of State Antony Blinken## returned to the region.

He pressed Israel# to prote ANTONY BLINKEN, U.S. Secretary of State: Israel# has the most sophisticated -- one of the most## sophisticated militaries in the world.

It is# capabl while minimizing harm to innocent men, women,# and children.

And it has an obligation to do so.

GEOFF BENNETT: Amid the efforts to prolong the# calm in Gaza, there was new violence inside## Israel.

Two Palestinian gunmen killed at least# three people at a bus station outside Jerusalem,## before being killed.

Hamas said it was# retaliation for Israeli actions in Gaza.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said it shows# Israel is justified in trying to root out Hamas.

BENJAMIN NETANYAHU, Israeli Prime Minister# (through translator): We swore, and I swore,## to eliminate Hamas.

Nothing will achieve the three goals, to release all our# abductees, to eliminate Hamas completely,## and to ensure that Gaza will# never again face such a threat.

AMNA NAWAZ: The war in Gaza has had# a devastating impact on children in## particular.

UNICEF says more than 5,300 kids# in Gaza have been reportedly kill means more than 115 children have# died every single day of the war.

And during the October 7 Hamas attacks,## 35 Israeli children were killed# and more than 30 To discuss the brutal toll on the war's youngest# victims, we turn now to the executive director## of UNICEF, Catherine Russell, who's back in# New York after visiting Gaza in recent weeks.

Catherine, I want to begin with this pause we're# in right now.

Fighting has been on a temporary## cease-fire since last Friday.

In that time, how# many aid trucks, which we know are so desperately## needed, how many have been able to make it into# Gaza?

What kind of difference can they make?

CATHERINE RUSSELL, Executive Director,# UNICEF: The pause has been really a## Godsend for us and a -- sort of a ray# of hope because we've been able to get -- it really# varies, the numbers of trucks that go in.

But a couple of hundred trucks have# gone in.

You mentioned I was there.## I started at the Rafah border.

And the# crossing there, it's an amazing thing## to see with all these trucks lined up.

A# lot of them are Egyptian government and## the Egyptian Red Crescent, U.N. trucks.# Bilateral partners are sending in trucks.

So there is a huge effort to try and get# resources in there.

And for a while, that was very## challenging.

Before this whole thing started, they# would routinely get about 500 trucks a day into## Gaza.

And those were commercial trucks, different# things, not really aid trucks in the same way.

But it gives you an idea of the needs.

And now,## even though we are making some# progress and getting more tr we're not getting close, close to the# resources that we need AMNA NAWAZ: We are now nearing eight# weeks of war.

We mentioned officials## saying over 5,300 children killed# in Gaza.

It's leading us to see## countless videos like this one.# I'm sure you have seen so many.

This is a man named Khaled Nabhan.

He's# mourning the death o and his 3-year-old granddaughter Reem.

He# calls her in this video the soul of my soul.## He says they shared the same birthday.# He wears her earring as a badge now.

UNICEF has called Gaza a graveyard for# children.

Can you help us understand,## what's the context for this loss# of life in this amount of time?

CATHERINE RUSSELL: Well, let me say this# first.

It is always the case that war and## conflict are terrible for children in# every situation that I have ever seen.

What we have seen here is, it's the scale# has been enormous.

And also the pace of the## bombings and the attacks early on were really# quite dramatic.

And so it was very hard to see## these numbers of children who ARE dying every# day.

And, of course, that comes on top of the## children from Israel who were killed as# well, children who were abducted, right?

And so in every situation and in# every aspect of this situation,## I would say the children are the ones# who are really suffering.

And I think## it's incumbent upon the adults in the room to# try to do better to protect th AMNA NAWAZ: Do you believe that Israel# is abiding by international law?

CATHERINE RUSSELL: You know, it's -- those are# actually legal determi I mean, what we would say is that all parties have# these obligations to minimize the impact of these## conflicts on children.

I mean, ideally,# there would be no conflicts in the world,## but that's never been the case.

That's# why there are rules of law that say have to minimize the impact on not just# children, but civilians more generally.

And I think everyone has a story.

Everyone# has a side to their to their argument.

But## at the end of the day, every one of# us has an obligation to do everything## we possibly can to protect the people who# are most innocent here, who have nothing## right now, right, no responsibility for# this conflict and no ability to stop it.

But they are the ones who are# suffering.

And the videos that## you showed demonstrate the incredible# loss that peop for all people, we know how -- we have# children in our lives we love so much,## and we can hardly imagine what people are going# through, either having children abducted for## months or children who are killed or buried# in the rubble.

I mean, it's all horrendous.

AMNA NAWAZ: Those dozens of Israeli children# who were abducted, we know they have been## prioritized for release as part of the# exchange of people held during in fighting.

We all know the story of this one# little girl in particular, Abigail Mor Edan.

She marked her fourth birthday as# a hostage in Gaza.

She is now an## orphan.

Her parents were killed in# that Hamas attack.

What can you tell## us about those children?

Have you had any# access to them?

What have they CATHERINE RUSSELL: Well, it's just god-awful# for these children.

It is so traumatizing.

And I think it is one of the things that we# at UNICEF are very worried abou obviously, we have the immediate impact# on children, but the long-term impact,## the stress, the strain of living through# situations like this, either children have## been abducted and obviously living in situations# that we don't really have full visibility into yet## or children who have parents who they have# lost or other people that they have lost.

I -- when I was in Gaza, one of the staff# people that was there was proudly telling## me about this water sanitation project# that she'd worked on.

And then she says,## kind of as an aside: "Well, I have# lost 17 members of my extended family."

I mean, I couldn't believe it.

You know,# it was just the scale of the loss and the## trauma and the fact that these people# are still trying so hard to go on and## make a life for themselves and that# community was really striking to me.

AMNA NAWAZ: That is the executive director of# UNICEF, Catherine Russell, joining us today.

Catherine, thank you so# much.

Always good to see you.

CATHERINE RUSSELL: Thanks.

Great# to see