BBC OS Conversations: The first days of the Gaza ceasefire

The Documentary Podcast

BBC

Society & Culture, Documentary, Personal Journals

4.3 • 2.6K Ratings

🗓️ 25 January 2025

⏱️ 23 minutes

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Summary

We witness the first Israeli hostages and Palestinian prisoners being released following the signing of the ceasefire deal. More exchanges are expected over the coming weeks. Meanwhile some displaced people in Gaza have begun returning to see what is left of their communities, and convoys of lorries have started delivering humanitarian aid. We hear from both sides of the conflict. While many welcome the end to the fighting, there is recognition of the trauma caused and uncertainty about whether the ceasefire can hold. Udi in Israel says, “What needs to happen is that both peoples need to create a new narrative for the future.“ Asma, an English teacher displaced in a refugee camp in central Gaza "thank God" she's still alive. And three aid workers talk about the scale of the challenge ahead.

Transcript

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0:00.0	Hello, welcome to the documentary with me Luke Jones. In BBC OS conversations, we bring together people to share their experiences. And this time, we're going to hear from Israelis and Gazans on the first days of the ceasefire.
0:16.0	After 15 months of fighting between Israel and Hamas, which has brought so much loss and pain and destruction,
0:22.8	there appeared at last something positive to cling on to.
0:26.1	In Gaza, some of the displaced were able to return home to see what, if anything, was left of their neighborhoods
0:31.9	and the lives that they had previously had.
0:34.3	I need time to cry. I need time to silence. I need time to even relax. I don't
0:41.2	know how long this time will be, but thank God all the time that I'm still alive.
0:48.6	That was Asma, a teacher in Gaza. She's been working in a makeshift classroom in a refugee camp,
0:54.9	and we'll talk more with her later in the program as we hear from both sides of the war in today's edition. We're going to
1:01.2	begin in Israel though, which is where this conflict began of course on the 7th of October
1:05.1	2023. On that day, around 1,200 people were killed and 251 were taken hostage into Gaza by fighters from Hamas, the armed group and political movement.
1:18.2	Hamas is prescribed as a terrorist organisation by Israel, the United States and others.
1:23.3	In response to this, Israel began its attacks on Gaza, vowing to destroy Hamas.
1:28.0	Now, we're recording this edition on Friday, and as I speak, there is still progress to be made in the ceasefire deal.
1:34.2	It's due to happen in three phases.
1:36.3	Phase one takes place over six weeks, and if all goes to plan, we'll see 33 hostages returned to Israel from Gaza,
1:43.3	with around 1900 Palestinian prisoners freed by
1:46.9	Israel in exchange. For our first conversation, we wanted to bring together three Israelis
1:51.8	affected by the war. We'll hear from Rama. We'll also hear from Udi. His cousin was killed in
1:57.6	the 7th of October attack, and first, Khane. We had mixed feelings. We were very happy for the families of the girls who came back
2:05.3	from captivity. On the other hand, we had a horrific feeling, horrific feeling of seeing
2:13.5	dozens of murderers being released from the prisons and going back to our streets. It's scary.
	...

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