| | | | | | | On a day of tension in the Middle East, families of Israeli hostages - and Palestinians who had endured weeks of bombardment - were desperately hoping a temporary pause in fighting would hold. We explain how things unfolded, resulting in rare joy for a limited few. Away from the war, if you're wondering what to watch this weekend, BBC Culture's critics round up the year's top films. Meanwhile a wedding proposal filmed by police is definitely worth a minute of your time. And don't forget to take this week's news quiz - I scored a paltry three. |
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| | Israel-Gaza war | | Hostages freed as truce deal holds | |
| Seven long weeks after being taken into Gaza by Hamas, in the wake of the deadly 7 October attacks on Israel, 24 hostages - including 13 Israeli women and children - have been released. In exchange, 39 Palestinian prisoners have been freed from Israeli jails, as the temporary pause in fighting allowed 60 lorries of vital aid to enter Gaza. "It's only a start, but so far it's gone well," US President Joe Biden said. Our live page has the very latest updates, images and reaction. We have more insight into a dramatic day below. But first... | | |
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| | | | Questions Answered | | The mechanics of the hostage deal |  | | Hamas released the hostages to the International Committee of the Red Cross. Credit: Reuters. |
| | The release back to Israel of the first group of hostages taken into Gaza by Hamas was a tense affair. And with many factors at play ahead of further planned hostage releases, in exchange for the freeing of Palestinian detainees, plenty could still go wrong. |  | | Tom Bateman, Middle East correspondent |
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| | How did the exchange unfold? | | Once it was confirmed the 13 Israeli hostages released by Hamas were safely in Egypt, the next part of the agreement was immediately triggered. Israel had a two-hour window to release 39 Palestinian prisoners. Those Palestinian women and teenage boys had been transferred earlier in the day from two jails in northern Israel to a military courts complex in the occupied West Bank. | | Then what? | | Around the same time as the release of hostages in Gaza, it’s thought Hamas was also due to hand the list of the next group of hostages it would release on Saturday. Qatar has said it has an “operations room” in Doha co-ordinating messages and making sure the releases in Gaza take place in a “safe” environment. As Friday’s hostages are transferred to hospitals to be reunited with their loved ones, the whole process starts again. | | What are the risks? | | This is all about the sides verifying what has been agreed, before honouring their next set of commitments under the deal. And at the same time, a very delicate temporary ceasefire needs to stay in place for four days, or potentially even longer. | | | | | | |
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AT THE SCENE |  The West Bank | | Jubilation as freed prisoners return |  | | The freed detainees were chosen from a list of 300 women and minors compiled by Israel, the vast majority of them awaiting trial. Credit: Reuters | | A total of 39 Palestinian detainees have been freed from Israeli prisons, in exchange for the release of hostages by Hamas. Twenty-four women and 15 teenage boys were taken across a checkpoint in the occupied West Bank. |  | | Lucy Williamson, BBC News |
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| The crowd held on as darkness fell at the Beitunia checkpoint - families and supporters standing and waiting for the prisoners to arrive. A small victory, some said, in a worsening situation here. “It’s a sign of hope for Palestinians and Israelis that the ceasefire will continue and the killing will stop," Mohammed Khatib said. “We would have liked this to happen without the hostages taken by Hamas but without them, Israel would not let these people out.”
The bus inched its way through a sea of jubilant Palestinian supporters. Through the windows, some of the prisoners could be seen dancing, one wrapped in a Palestinian flag. Outside, mobile phones were raised to the glass, amid ululations and shouts of welcome and "God is great". A few in the crowd waved Hamas flags but others spoke of Palestinian unity, of a small moment of victory for Palestinians in the midst of a gruelling war. For Israel, the prisoners released tonight are a security threat. For the Palestinians gathered here to greet them, they are victims of Israel’s occupation - and their release is a symbol. |
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| | The big picture | | The child who identified the Mumbai attacker |  | | Devika underwent six operations after being shot in the leg. Credit: Sankhadeep Banerjee. |
| | It's 15 years since attacks on a railway station, hotels and a Jewish cultural centre in Mumbai claimed 166 lives. Devika Rotawan, nine at the time, was shot but survived to identify the sole surviving gunman in court. Soutik Biswas hears how her life has changed since - from meeting the head of the UN to appearing on Indian Idol. | | | | |
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| | | For your downtime | | Add to watchlist? | | BBC Culture's critics pick the best 20 films of this year. | | |
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| | And finally... in the US | | Plenty of us roll our eyes at public marriage proposals but even I cracked a smile at the efforts of Troy Goldschmidt, in Wisconsin. He enlisted the help of police in staging a traffic stop to provide an arresting moment to pop the question. His girlfriend's surprise - or perhaps shock - was caught on bodycam. Watch how it all unfolded. |
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| | | | | | | | Influential with Katty Kay | | In-depth and unexpected conversations with today’s change makers. | | |
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| | | Thanks to those of you who let us know about the wild visitors to your neighbourhoods. Hearing about raccoons, baboons, coyotes and koalas made us appreciate just how far this newsletter travels. My favourite was Rebekah Whist's video of otters in British Columbia. We love it when you get in touch, and are sorry we don’t always have the time to reply.
Feel free to forward this email to your friends and family, who can subscribe by clicking this link. Also, you can add newsbriefing@email.bbc.com to your contacts list and, if you're on Gmail, pop the email into your “Primary” tab for uninterrupted service. Thanks for reading -- Andy |
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