| | | | | | | Hello. To secure any further truce extensions, Hamas must locate the hostages held in Gaza by other armed groups and factions that took part in the 7 October attacks. Correspondent Rushdi Abu Alouf discusses why that'll prove a tricky task. In India, rescuers are close to freeing the workers trapped by a collapsed tunnel. Meanwhile, my colleague Nadine Yousif visits Burlington, Vermont, to talk to the relatives of one of the Palestinian-American students shot on Saturday. On a more jolly note from the US, see how the White House has decked its halls with boughs of holly and many other Yuletide decorations. |
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| | | | Top of the agenda | | Hamas says more hostages due for release | | | | A total of 150 Palestinians, mostly women and teenage boys, have been released from Israeli jails as part of the deal. Credit: EPA-EFE |
| | A new group of hostages held in Gaza, and Palestinians detained in Israeli jails, are due for release today, after Israel and Hamas agreed to a two-day extension of their deal. To maintain and extend the temporary truce agreement, which also includes the delivery of aid in Gaza, Hamas must release at least 10 hostages each day. But these people are held across different places in Gaza, some by factions and armed groups other than Hamas. BBC analysis has shown how the groups trained together for the 7 October attacks, during which the hostages were taken. Earlier today, smoke rising from Gaza City suggested that some of those groups might not have been aware of the truce extension. Correspondent Rushdi Abu Alouf writes that communication will be key to coordinating further hostage releases, but this could prove a difficult task in light of fuel scarcity and damage to telecom infrastructure in Gaza. Follow our live page for further developments and analysis. | | | | |
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| | | | | | | | AT THE SCENE | Burlington, Vermont | | A shattered sense of safety | | Hisham Awartani was shot on Saturday in Burlington along with two fellow Palestinian-American students, Kinnan Abdalhamid and Tahseen Aliahmad. All three are expected to survive. But for Mr Awartani, who was most critically injured, the road to recovery is expected to be long. | | | | After being ambushed and shot in the spine on a US street at the weekend, Hisham Awartani called police. Then the Palestinian-American student phoned his British-born grandmother. "Granny, I've been shot," the 20-year-old said, his uncle Rich Price told the BBC. Mr Price said the attack is especially heartbreaking given the sense of safety the family previously felt in Burlington, a city of around 45,000 people. "To have something like this happen," he said, "which in our view is most likely driven by hate, it is devastating for us." |
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| | | | Beyond the headlines | | Fumes from gas flaring put millions at risk | | | | Six-year-old Jassem, who lives in Kuwait, suffers from asthma attacks, made worse by air pollution. Credit: BBC |
| | Oil and gas have made some countries in the Middle East extremely wealthy and powerful, but at a cost to their environments and population. New research suggests pollution from flaring - the burning of waste gas during oil drilling - spreads for hundreds of miles, worsening air quality and impacting people's health. | | | | |
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| | | | Something different | | Say hej | | In Sweden's Luleå, an official campaign is encouraging residents to greet each other. | | |
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| | | | And finally... | | If you are looking for inspiration in decking out your home for the festive season, check out the White House's decorations, which feature 98 Christmas trees and a gingerbread house version of the presidential mansion. |
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| | | | | | Influential with Katty Kay | | In-depth and unexpected conversations with today’s change makers. | | |
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– Sofia |
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