Gaza ceasefire: Israel waits for hostage names
Newshour
BBC
4.4 • 984 Ratings
🗓️ 24 January 2025
⏱️ 48 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
As Israelis wait to find out which hostages will be released next, Gazans are returning to destroyed, unrecognisable neighbourhoods.
Hamas is expected to hand over to Israel the names of four hostages to be released on Saturday under the Gaza ceasefire deal. They will be freed in exchange for 180 Palestinian prisoners held in Israel.
Also in the programme: Donald Trump promises to declassify documents on JFK’s assassination; how climate change is affecting education; and Ed Sheeran becomes the first Western artist to perform in Bhutan.
(Photo shows a woman praying in in Tel Aviv, Israel on 19 January 2025. Credit: Abir Sultan/EPA)
Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | Hello and welcome to NewsHour live from the BBC World Service in London. I'm Rebecca Kesb. |
| 0:09.0 | And let's head first to the Middle East because within the next few hours we are expecting to hear new details on exactly which Israeli hostages will be released next as part of the Gaza ceasefire deal with Hamas. |
| 0:23.8 | It is hoped the hostages will be released tomorrow and a number of Palestinian prisoners are also due to be freed. |
| 0:31.0 | It's all happening as the ceasefire holds in Gaza, which has enabled thousands of Palestinians to return to their home neighbourhoods. |
| 0:39.0 | But as we'll hear in a moment, many of them are nothing but rubble. |
| 0:43.2 | First, let's cross live to Jerusalem to the BBC's Nick Beak, who's on the line. |
| 0:48.1 | Nick, first of all, tell us what's expected today, and are we on schedule? |
| 0:53.1 | Rebecca, we're still waiting for the names of the four hostages who Hamas say they'll release. |
| 0:59.2 | The details will be announced by Qatar, which has been acting as a mediator with Hamas. |
| 1:05.7 | We don't have specifics, but it is thought that all four of the hostages are women, both soldiers and at least |
| 1:12.5 | one civilian. And the plan is that these hostages will be freed. And then hours later, a number of |
| 1:20.0 | Palestinian prisoners, the figure being bandied about is about 180. They are currently in Israeli |
| 1:26.2 | prisons and they will be released. Now, it's worth pointing out in |
| 1:30.1 | the first exchange that took place successfully last weekend, those released from Israeli jails were |
| 1:35.0 | women and children. This time, the prisoners are in a more serious category. They include |
| 1:39.9 | some people who have been serving sentences of more than 15 years, some of them convicted for murder. |
| 1:46.0 | So, as I say, this is the outline of what we expect, but we're still waiting for the details. |
| 1:50.7 | And in terms of the ceasefire, it's nearly a week now that it's been in place. |
| 1:57.3 | It seems to be holding broadly, doesn't it? |
| 2:00.7 | Do we know much about the law and order |
| 2:02.6 | situation in the Gaza Strip? And particularly with all these aid trucks now coming in, has that |
| 2:09.2 | seen any difficulty with those coming in? You are right. It is holding. It's now the sixth day, |
... |
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