Families in Israel and Gaza share their stories

The Documentary Podcast

BBC

Society & Culture, Documentary, Personal Journals

4.3 • 2.6K Ratings

🗓️ 18 October 2025

⏱️ 23 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

After two years and two days of war in Gaza, Israel and Hamas have agreed the first phase of a US-brokered ceasefire. In our conversations, families in Israel and Gaza share their experiences of the conflict and their lives today. With the remaining 20 surviving Israeli hostages seized by Hamas fighters on 7 October 2023 now back with their families, we hear from husband and wife George and Yael. Their town was attacked by Hamas fighters two years ago, but Yael is hoping for a lasting peace. On the other side of the border, thousands of Gazans have been making the journey back to their homes but most already know that there will be little left. We connect Basil in Gaza with his daughter, Layan, who escaped to Egypt. She has not seen her father for more than two years but hopes to return. This episode of The Documentary, comes to you from BBC OS Conversations, bringing together people from around the world to discuss how major news stories are affecting their lives

Transcript

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0:00.0	BBC Sounds, Music, Radio, podcasts.
0:08.5	Hello, I'm Rahul Tandon.
0:10.5	Welcome to the documentary from the BBC World Service.
0:14.5	In BBC OS conversations, we bring people together to share their experiences.
0:23.8	And this time, we hear from families on either side of the border between Israel and Gaza. After two years and two days of war in Gaza, Israel and
0:33.1	Hamas agreed the first phase of a U.Skered ceasefire. The remaining 20 surviving Israeli hostages
0:40.0	seized by Hamas fighters on the 7th of October, 2023,
0:45.5	and are back with their families.
0:47.8	In return, Israel has freed some 2,000 Palestinian prisoners and detainees
0:53.2	and has withdrawn its forces to align, leaving it in control of just over 100,000 Palestinian prisoners and detainees and has withdrawn its forces to align, leaving
0:56.6	it in control of just over half the territory. As we record this program on Friday morning
1:02.1	here in London, the ceasefire continues to hold, but is fragile. And remember, this is only
1:09.3	phase one of President Trump's 20-point peace plan.
1:14.1	We go first to the city of Starrot, just a few kilometers from the northern border of the Gaza
1:19.5	Strip. It's home to George and his wife, Yael. They have two children, a newborn baby,
1:26.4	and a now three-year-old son.
1:28.9	It's a beautiful town, usually very peaceful, except for things that have to do with the war and what was before the war.
1:37.4	For 20 years, it's on and off. But aside from that, it's a very warm place, calm, people are wonderful.
1:46.2	It's also, at its closest points, less than one mile from Gaza.
1:50.4	We live on the upper floor of one of the two apartment buildings that is closest to Gaza in the whole country.
1:58.9	Our balcony and our kitchen window and our living room window
2:02.9	all face Gaza. And before the war in 2020 or 2021, Hamas posted a picture of our building
	...

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