Hamas releases the bodies of four Israelis
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What are the key stories covered in this episode?
This is the Global News Podcast from the BBC World Service. I'm Paul Moss and at 1400 GMT on Thursday, the 20th of February, these are our main stories. Hamas has released the bodies of four Israelis. We look at what this means for the ongoing peace process. What chance of improved relations between Ukraine and the US as President Zelensky prepares to meet America's special envoy. How fog could be used as a source of water for parched cities. Also in this podcast, the former head of Spanish football is found guilty over kissing the player Jenny Hermoso without consent. And many of those carrying out phone and email scams are themselves working under duress. We take a look.
You will literally have anywhere from hundreds to thousands of people packed into these centers and they will be held in extremely harsh conditions, particularly if they are not able to meet the goals that are set to them by their captors.
What is the significance of Hamas releasing the bodies of four Israelis?
It was a macabre display. This morning, amidst the bombed out ruins of Khan Yunus in Gaza, four black coffins were laid out on a specially constructed stage. Inside were the bodies of Israelis, ready to be returned as part of the ongoing peace deal. And behind these coffins was a large caricature of the Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. als Dracula, mit Blut, das von seinen Fangen fliegt. Die Post hat eine Begründung gemacht, wie die Hostagen gestorben sind. Der Kriegskriminal Netanyahu und sein Nazi-Armee haben sie, so sagt es, mit Missilen aus den Zionistischen Kriegsplänen getötet. Als wir diesen Podcast recordieren, haben sich die Identitäten der Körper noch nicht bestätigt.
Aber es wird gedacht, dass sie 84 Jahre alt sind, Odette Lifshitz, ein Veteranenjournalist und Friedensaktivistin. but also two children from the Bibas family, kidnapped from their home near the Gaza border on October 7th along with their mother Cherie. The previous release of living hostages has prompted celebrations in Israel.
How is the Israeli public reacting to the handover of bodies?
But today's handover has predictably been a very different affair, as I was told by Natalie Blenford, a journalist who lives in Tel Aviv.
Today the national mood is very muted, very, very sad. It's become a sort of macabre routine on a Saturday. You wake up, you switch on the news and you watch the hostages being released. But today, dead bodies in black coffins, but still in the middle of a propaganda ceremony. It's absolutely not what people were hoping for. And President Herzog just recently said, agony, pain, there are no words, in a message where he asked for forgiveness for the four slain Israeli hostages. And I think that does accurately sum up the mood. Agony, pain, there are no words. People are very, very distressed.
You mentioned the what you call propaganda effort of having these four coffins on the stage in Gaza. Have I got this right that this wasn't actually shown much on Israeli television?
Yes, that's correct. So there was a sort of decision taken not to broadcast this because as the bodies have not been formally identified by Israel. We didn't quite know, the authorities here didn't know what they were receiving. We've been told there were four bodies, but actually there was no proof of who was inside. And because in the Jewish religion there are various rituals that are followed when somebody dies, to do with the sanctification of human life and the soul and the spirit, there are sort of procedures that are followed. And I think it was thought that it would be inappropriate to show a handover ceremony where there wasn't the presence of the religious aspect involved.
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Chapters
6 chapters
1
What are the key stories covered in this episode?
0:46–1:53
2
What is the significance of Hamas releasing the bodies of four Israelis?
1:53–2:52
3
How is the Israeli public reacting to the handover of bodies?
2:52–5:18
4
What are the prospects for the Israeli-Palestinian peace process?
5:18–9:07
5
What are the dynamics between Ukraine, the US, and Russia?
9:07–14:55
6
How could fog serve as a water source for dry cities?
14:55–28:56
Speakers
9 identifiedMore from Global News Podcast
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