The Take

As Israel’s war on Gaza continues, we're coming to you on Sundays with a weekly roundup. This week: The largest hospital still functioning in Gaza is ‘completely out of service’ after a raid by Israeli forces. Deadly air strikes in Lebanon threaten to shift Israel’s fight with Hezbollah. Protesters rally around the world, including inside Israel. It is day 135 of the war.

In this episode:

• Hamdah Salhut (@HamdahSalhut), Al Jazeera Correspondent
• Zeina Khodr (@ZeinaKhodrAlJaz), Al Jazeera Correspondent 
• Dr. Rik Peeperkorn, World Health Organization Representative for Occupied Palestinian Territory

Episode credits:

This episode was produced by Miranda Lin and mixed by Amy Walters, in for Malika Bilal.

Our sound designer is Alex Roldan. Our lead of audience development and engagement is Aya Elmileik and Adam Abou-Gad is our engagement producer.

Alexandra Locke is The Take’s executive producer. Ney Alvarez is Al Jazeera's head of audio.

Connect with us:

@AJEPodcasts on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, Threads and YouTube

Every Saturday, we revisit a story that’s in the news again. On Friday, Russian opposition leader Alexey Navalny died in an Arctic prison while serving 19 years behind bars. Today, we look back at his history.

This originally aired on March 26, 2021. None of the dates, titles, or other references from that time have been changed. 

Alexey Navalny is a man with many titles: Russian dissident, opposition leader, activist, investigator, lawyer. Russian President Vladimir Putin reportedly refuses to say his name. But this larger-than-life persona leaves out a crucial part of Navalny’s past — his history of nationalism.

In this episode: 

• Mansur Mirovalev (@mirovalev), Journalist
• Natalia Antonova (@NataliaAntonova), Journalist

Episode credits:

This episode was updated by Sarí el-Khalili. The original production team was Priyanka Tilve, Negin Owliaei, Alexandra Locke, Ney Alvarez, Dina Kesbeh, Amy Walters, Natalia Aldana, Stacey Samuel, and our host Malika Bilal. 

Our sound designer is Alex Roldan. Our lead of audience development and engagement is Aya Elmileik. Adam Abou-Gad is our engagement producer.

Alexandra Locke is The Take’s executive producer, and Ney Alvarez is Al Jazeera’s head of audio. 

Connect with us:

@AJEPodcasts on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, Threads and YouTube

Will Israel invade Rafah? 1.5 million Palestinians are trapped at Gaza’s southernmost point, after being pushed there during months of relentless Israeli attacks. That’s put the spotlight on Egypt, which shares a border and complicated history with Gaza.

In this episode: 

• Mirette F. Mabrouk (@mmabrouk), Middle East Institute Senior Fellow
• Youmna ElSayed (@YoumnaElSayed17), Al Jazeera Correspondent
• Reem, Family member of Palestinians trapped in Gaza

Episode credits:

This episode was produced by Miranda Lin, Ashish Malhotra and Zaina Badr with our host Malika Bilal. Khaled Soltan and Sarí el-Khalili fact-checked this episode.

Our sound designer is Alex Roldan. Joe Plourde mixed this episode. Our lead of audience development and engagement is Aya Elmileik and Adam Abou-Gad is our engagement producer.

Alexandra Locke is The Take’s executive producer. Ney Alvarez is Al Jazeera's head of audio.

Connect with us:

@AJEPodcasts on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, Threads and YouTube

Visa-free travel is on the rise in Africa, with Malawi the latest country to ease restrictions. Earlier this year, Kenya took an even bigger step, going visa-free for all visitors. The move left Kenyans asking if this will lead to more accessible travel. Travel restrictions have been labeled by some as a "new apartheid" rooted in racism. But if more countries follow suit, could that change?

In this episode: 

• Parselelo ole Kantai, Politics & Society Editor at African Arguments

Episode credits:

This episode was produced by Khaled Soltan with guest host Kevin Hirten, in for Malika Bilal. Miranda Lin fact-checked this episode.

Our sound designer is Alex Roldan. Joe Plourde mixed this episode. Our lead of audience development and engagement is Aya Elmileik and Adam Abou-Gad is our engagement producer.

Alexandra Locke is The Take’s executive producer. Ney Alvarez is Al Jazeera's head of audio.

Connect with us:

@AJEPodcasts on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, Threads and YouTube

More than 100 million fingers are expected to take a dip in purple ink across Indonesia, as voters turn out for the world’s largest single-day election. But the person who might have the most sway is someone who isn’t even on the ballot: Indonesia's current president, Joko Widodo. So how much change can Indonesians expect?

In this episode: 

• Jessica Washington (@JesWashington), Al Jazeera Asia Correspondent in Jakarta 

Episode credits:

This episode was produced by Chloe K. Li and Fahrinisa Campana with our host, Malika Bilal. Miranda Lin and Sarí el-Khalili fact-checked this episode.

Our sound designer is Alex Roldan. Joe Plourde mixed this episode. Our lead of audience development and engagement is Aya Elmileik and Adam Abou-Gad is our engagement producer.

Alexandra Locke is The Take’s executive producer. Ney Alvarez is Al Jazeera's head of audio.

Connect with us:

@AJEPodcasts on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, Threads and YouTube

Texas Governor Greg Abbott is testing how far he can go to enforce immigration on the US southern border. His policies have led to a stand-off with the Biden administration and the US Supreme Court, and that’s playing out in the small border town of Eagle Pass, Texas. So what does it mean for migrants caught between razor wire and the Rio Grande?

In this episode: 

• Heidi Zhou-Castro (@HeidiZhouCastro), Al Jazeera Correspondent

Episode credits:

This episode was produced by Sonia Bhagat and Miranda Lin with our host, Malika Bilal. Sarí el-Khalili fact-checked this episode.

Our sound designer is Alex Roldan. Our lead of audience development and engagement is Aya Elmileik and Adam Abou-Gad is our engagement producer.

Alexandra Locke is The Take’s executive producer. Ney Alvarez is Al Jazeera's head of audio.

Connect with us:

@AJEPodcasts on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, Threads and YouTube

Over 100,000 Palestinian workers are banned from entering Israel amid the ongoing War on Gaza. Now, Israeli companies are recruiting in India. What is India’s relationship with Israel four months into its war?

In this episode: 

• Arbab Ali (@arbabali_jmi), Freelance Journalist
• Clifton D’Rozario (@clifroz), National Secretary, All India Central Council of Trade Unions
• Azad Essa (@azadessa), Author, “Hostile Homelands: The New Alliance Between India and Israel”

Episode credits:

This episode was produced by Ashish Malhotra and Amy Walters with our host Natasha Del Toro. 

Our sound designer is Alex Roldan. Our lead of audience development and engagement is Aya Elmileik. Adam Abou-Gad is our engagement producer.

Alexandra Locke is The Take’s executive producer, and Ney Alvarez is Al Jazeera’s head of audio.

Connect with us:

@AJEPodcasts on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, Threads and YouTube

As Israel’s war on Gaza continues, we're coming to you on Sundays with a weekly roundup. This week: Palestinians fear further Israeli attacks on the city of Rafah as the death toll from Israel's war rose above 28,000 people. Truce negotiations appeared to have hit an impasse. A six-year-old in Gaza was confirmed dead along with those who tried to rescue her. It is day 128 of the war.

In this episode:

• Akram Al Sattari, Freelance Journalist
• Thomas White, Director of UNRWA Affairs in Gaza
• Mohammed Nazzal, Member of Hamas Political Bureau
• Luis Moreno Ocampo, Former ICC Prosecutor

Episode credits:

This episode was produced and mixed by David Enders, in for Malika Bilal.

Our sound designer is Alex Roldan. Our lead of audience development and engagement is Aya Elmileik and Adam Abou-Gad is our engagement producer.

Alexandra Locke is The Take’s executive producer. Ney Alvarez is Al Jazeera's head of audio.

Connect with us:

@AJEPodcasts on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, Threads and YouTube

Every Saturday, we revisit a story that’s in the news again. This originally aired on May 3, 2023. None of the dates, titles, or other references from that time have been changed. 

In a shocking discovery on a ranch hidden in Kenya’s Shakahola Forest, more than 100 people – including children – have been found dead in mass graves. Pastor Paul Mackenzie convinced followers of his Good News International Church that the world was ending, though he denies telling them to starve themselves to death. Could this have been stopped? And how did one man get hundreds of people to follow him down this path?

In this episode: 

• Hussein Khalid (@husskhalid), executive director of HAKI Africa

Episode credits:

This episode was updated by Negin Owliaei. The original production team was Ashish Malhotra with Chloe K Li and our host, Malika Bilal.

Our sound designer is Alex Roldan. Our lead of audience development and engagement is Aya Elmileik. Adam Abou-Gad is our engagement producer.

Alexandra Locke is The Take’s executive producer, and Ney Alvarez is Al Jazeera’s head of audio.

Connect with us:

@AJEPodcasts on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, Threads and YouTube

Nigeria will square off against the Africa Cup of Nations host, Ivory Coast, capping a tournament that’s been full of surprises. Among them: the rise of South Africa and a nail-biting match that kept football fans guessing until the final whistle. South Africa’s wins, and then loss, follow its “moral victory” on the world stage at the International Court of Justice. So, how else did politics show up on the pitch?

In this episode: 

• Sean Jacobs (@_ElevenPeople), Founder, Africa is a Country

Episode credits:

This episode was produced by Chloe K. Li and Fahrinisa Campana with our host Malika Bilal.

Our sound designer is Alex Roldan. Our lead of audience development and engagement is Aya Elmileik and Adam Abou-Gad is our engagement producer.

Alexandra Locke is The Take’s executive producer. Ney Alvarez is Al Jazeera's head of audio.

Connect with us:

@AJEPodcasts on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, Threads and YouTube