Perspective

As speculation mounts that the current four-day pause in fighting between Israel and Hamas in Gaza could soon be extended, we speak to Gilbert Achcar, professor of development studies and international relations at SOAS, University of London. He says that Western leaders – and US President Joe Biden in particular – have backed themselves into a corner with their initial unwavering support of Israel's military operation, as the sheer scale of human suffering within Gaza becomes clear.

As Hamas prepares to release a first group of hostages held for more than six weeks in Gaza, it's worth remembering that Israelis have been held hostage many times over the nation's 75-year history. In October 2011, Franco-Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit was freed by Hamas after being held in captivity for more than five years. He'd been captured during a cross-border raid. In Perspective, we spoke to the man who played a key role in negotiating his release. Veteran hostage negotiator Dr Gershon Baskin is now Middle East director at the advocacy group International Communities. He told us that, assuming the truce holds and that Israel frees Palestinian prisoners as planned, "there is a chance" that all civilian hostages being held by Hamas will be released.

Negotiators are continuing to work out the final details of an agreement that will see at least 50 hostages freed from Gaza and allow a pause in more than six weeks of relentless fighting. For more, we speak to lawyer and researcher Johann Soufi, who is also a former senior legal officer with the UN.

Surveys have fluctuated wildly in the run-up to election day, but observers believe that whichever party wins the most seats in this Wednesday's parliamentary elections in the Netherlands may need support from at least three other parties to govern. Dilan Yesilgoz, leader of the centre-right VVD party and successor to outgoing PM Mark Rutte, is hoping to cap a meteoric rise by clinching the top job. She would be the first woman to do so in the Netherlands. Born in Turkey, the 46-year-old Yesilgoz has taken a hard line on immigration. For more, we speak to Professor Joop van Holsteijn from the Institute of Political Science at Leiden University.

Despite ever gloomier warnings about the scale of the environmental crisis facing the planet, climate optimists say the best way to bring about change is to convey a positive message focused on solutions, helping people feel motivated to engage. One of those sending this message of hope is Aakash Ranison, an activist, social entrepreneur and the author of "I'm a Climate Optimist". He joined us for Perspective.

In this edition of Perspective, we take a wider look at the war in Gaza, asking whether Israel has a plan for the "day after". Can Hamas be defeated, both militarily and psychologically? And does the displacement of Palestinians constitute ethnic cleansing? FRANCE 24's Nadia Massih speaks to academic and researcher Rob Geist Pinfold from Durham University.

Hamas’s October 7 attacks on Israel ignited a debate on whether the Palestinian militant group should be called a "terrorist organisation". While the US, the EU and several other Western nations use the descriptor, the UN along with most of the international community do not. What's behind the divide, and how has the term evolved over the decades? And how has France's stance on the Israeli-Palestine conflict evolved over the years? In Perspective, we spoke to French journalist and Le Monde Diplomatique Deputy Director Alain Gresh.

A huge debate is ongoing in Nairobi as representatives from some 175 countries negotiate terms of the first ever treaty on plastic pollution. Many countries including the UK, Japan and Kenya say the aim should be to reduce plastic production while the US, Saudi Arabia and much of the plastic industry argue that the focus should be on recycling and reuse. In Perspective, we’re joined by Graham Forbes, the Greenpeace Head of Delegation to Treaty negotiations.

Israeli soldiers stormed Gaza's largest hospital on Wednesday, targeting what they believe is a major Hamas command centre located beneath the hospital complex. But compelling evidence that Hamas fighters are carrying out operations from medical facilities in Gaza remains scarce, according to Lex Takkenberg, Senior Advisor on the Question of Palestine at the Arab Renaissance for Democracy and Development based in Amman.

Angkor Wat is a sprawling historical religious site in Cambodia that draws in millions of international tourists each year. But in a new report, Amnesty International accused the Cambodian government of using the protection of the UNESCO world heritage site as a pretext for the forced displacement of some 10,000 families. We speak to Montse Ferrer, the deputy Regional Director of Research for East and Southeast Asia at Amnesty International, to better understand the situation.