The Debate

While the world watches Israel's war with Hamas and the humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza, surely anything that eases tensions is to be welcomed? So why won't Israel's government call time on attacks by Jewish settlers in the West Bank, settlers who since October 7 have stepped up their push to forcefully expel Palestinians from their land?

When is it terrorism? And when is it a mental health issue? France's interior minister is branding Saturday night's fatal stabbing of a German tourist near Paris's Eiffel Tower a "failure of psychiatric care". We ask about Gérald Darmanin's words and the profile of a 26-year-old suspect who had been detained before, treated before and who remained on a police radicalisation watchlist.

If the objective is the total destruction of Hamas, then "the war will last 10 years". That warning from France's president follows the collapse of a seven-day truce between Israel and Hamas.  After an Act I that reduced huge swathes of northern Gaza to rubble, how long will Act II last? We hear from Emmanuel Macron and the warning issued by US President Joe Biden's defence secretary: if Israel doesn’t do more to protect civilians, it risks "strategic defeat".

All evidence points to an acceleration of the planet's record-breaking heat. And so the blame game begins as the COP28 summit opens in the oil and gas-rich United Arab Emirates, between those who provide fossil fuels, those who consume them and those on the front lines of desertification and rising sea levels. Before even contemplating binding targets, will the final communiqué even include a pledge to phase out hydrocarbons?

If a second Gaza ceasefire extension holds, it will have been well over a week since the respite began for the daily pounding of the Gaza Strip. Pressure from hostages' families has forced Israel’s government to prioritise the return of loved ones above revenge for the bloodiest day in the country’s history. What has happened since the guns have gone quiet?

The planet is burning up, humanity's addiction to fossil fuels is to blame and the host of a crucial UN climate summit is the United Arab Emirates, a Gulf petromonarchy whose stated aim is a 25 percent ramping up of activity at its state oil company ADNOC.

Peace is most certainly not breaking out. Still, after seven weeks of war in Gaza, a first four-day truce has been extended to six. What to make of it? What is on the table between Israel and Hamas? Will more hostages be freed, and in exchange for how many Palestinian prisoners? We listen to what families on both sides are saying and weigh the options.

There has been a delay in the expected release of some 50 Israeli hostages. The deal is still being finalised in Qatar, where senior Hamas leadership is based. A high-ranking member of Israel's Mossad secret service is there talking to Hamas. The deal, as publicised thus far, involves 50 hostages being swapped for 150 Palestinian prisoners. Described as terrorists by Israel, they are mainly women and youngsters aged between 16 and 18. The hostages to be freed are also women and children.

We examine the deal that will bring home at least 50 hostages held by Hamas in Gaza. Those who are set to be released are women and children. The agreement includes a four-day truce and humanitarian aid for besieged Gaza residents after weeks of all-out war.

It's been one month and one day since Hamas last released hostages. Many a hope has been raised and dashed since. And until a deal is done, Israel continues its pounding of the Gaza Strip, where an estimated half of the buildings in the north are either damaged or destroyed. So what would a release look like? Hamas badly wants a truce, Israel the return of more than 200 civilians abducted on October 7. We ask about the mediators and the players.