Celia Hatton

This is the Global News Podcast from the BBC World Service.

I'm Celia Hatton, and in the early hours of Friday, the 5th of December, these are our main stories.

Several countries have pulled out of next year's Eurovision Song Contest after it was confirmed that Israel could participate.

A prominent Palestinian militia leader and Hamas opponent has been killed in Gaza.

Members of the U.S.

Congress have reviewed classified video of a strike on an alleged drug boat which killed two shipwrecked men.

Also in this podcast, Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo sign a peace deal in Washington and... There are estimates which suggest that there are about 200 people dying every hour globally because of these type of infections.

Why a hospital in Britain is telling people not to wash their hands.

We begin with the controversy around one of the world's biggest annual television events, the Eurovision Song Contest.

Four countries have pulled out of next year's competition after organizers decided that Israel will participate, despite calls for it to be excluded because of the war in Gaza.

The boycotters are Ireland, the Netherlands, Slovenia and Spain, which is one of the event's top funders.

Eurovision is a musical extravaganza known for its glitz and glam.

But increasingly, it's becoming deeply political.

While the competition's slogan is united by music, the dispute over Israel's participation appears to be tearing it apart.

Here's Eurovision expert Dean Vulatic.

The decision by the four broadcasters came after a meeting of the organizer, the EBU, when a majority of its members agreed to tighten public voting rules but not to hold a vote on Israel's participation, meaning its entry is still welcome next year when the competition turns 70.

Natalia Gorshak is the head of the Slovenian public broadcaster, which decided to pull out.

While Israel has welcomed its continued inclusion, the 1998 Israeli winner, Dana International, denounced the four boycotting broadcasters and said their decision was violent and insulting.

Ilan Zoller is an Israeli journalist focused on Eurovision.

Janat Jalil got more details from our music correspondent Mark Savage.