The Take

There are two objectives in phase two of Israel’s war on Gaza, according to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu: the destruction of the military and governmental capabilities of Hamas, as well as the release of the captives, some of which were seen in a Hamas video on Monday. But how will the hostages affect Israel's calculus, and how much of a priority are they?

In this episode: 

• Haggai Matar (@Ha_Matar), +972 Executive Director
• Oren Ziv (@OrenZiv_), +972 News Journalist and Photographer

Episode credits:

This episode was produced by Fahrinisa Campana, Miranda Lin and our host Natasha del Toro, in for Malika Bilal. Miranda Lin 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, and Ney Alvarez is Al Jazeera's head of audio.

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Israel’s war on Gaza is entering its second phase, and a new level of fear is descending. After more than a day of communications blackout, Palestinians assess the damage and loss.

In this episode:

• Sara Khairat (@sarakhairat), Al Jazeera Reporter
• Taghreed El-Khodary (@Taghreed1), Journalist 

For more: 

'Hearing her voice was like having my soul returned to me again' – Joy and horror as communications come back on in the Gaza Strip

Episode credits:

This episode was produced by Fahrinisa Campana, Zaina Badr, and guest host Kevin Hirten, 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, and Ney Alvarez is Al Jazeera's head of audio.

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It was after 7pm local time in Gaza on Friday when we heard that most people there lost contact with the world. Internet and phone services went down as bombardment intensified. Then, Israel's military said it was “expanding” ground operations. Despite the internet blackout, Al Jazeera is still able to broadcast to the world. So what do we know so far?

In this episode: 

• Tareq Abu Azzoum, Al Jazeera Correspondent
• Safwat al Kahlout (@safwatkahlout), Al Jazeera Journalist
• Marwan Bishara (@MarwanBishara), Al Jazeera Senior Analyst 

Episode credits:

This episode was produced by Chloe K. Li, Amy Walters and our host Natasha del Toro, 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, and Ney Alvarez is Al Jazeera's head of audio.

Connect with us:

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

Al Jazeera bureau chief Wael Dahdouh was reporting live in Gaza when he discovered an Israeli air raid had killed his wife, son, daughter, grandson, and at least eight other relatives. Today, we tell Wael’s story through the eyes of his colleagues, about facing death to report through war.

In this episode: 

• Wajd Waqfi (@Wajdwaqfi), Al Jazeera Correspondent
• Youmna ElSayed (@YoumnaElSayed17), Al Jazeera Correspondent 

Episode credits:

This episode was produced by Amy Walters, Sarí el-Khalili and our host Malika Bilal. Chloe K. Li 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, and Ney Alvarez is Al Jazeera's head of audio.

Connect with us:

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

The US and EU have assisted Ukraine in defending itself from invasion and occupation. But what does the war on Gaza mean for the war on Ukraine?

In this episode: 

• Rob McBride, Al Jazeera Correspondent 
• Zein Basravi (@virtualzein), Al Jazeera Correspondent 

Episode credits:

This episode was produced by David Enders, Sonia Bhagat and our host Malika Bilal. Chloe K. Li and Sonia Bhagat 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, and Ney Alvarez is Al Jazeera's head of audio.

Connect with us:

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An Israeli ground invasion seemed imminent almost as soon as Hamas attacked. Hundreds of thousands of Israeli troops have been mobilized. So why hasn’t it happened yet, and where does that leave the people of Gaza?

In this episode: 

• Youmna ElSayed (@YoumnaElSayed17), Al Jazeera Gaza Correspondent 
• Teresa Bo (@TeresaBo), Al Jazeera Senior Correspondent
• Zoran Kusovac (@zkusovac), Military Analyst

Episode credits:

This episode was produced by Miranda Lin, Sarí el-Khalili and our host Malika Bilal. Fahrinisa Campana and Chloe K. Li 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, and Ney Alvarez is Al Jazeera's head of audio.

Connect with us:

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

Hundreds of activists filled the domed hall of the US Capitol last week to call for an immediate ceasefire and an end to the Israeli bombardment of Gaza. In this roundtable discussion, we look at how activists are challenging mainstream narratives surrounding Palestine and Israel – both online and on the streets. What does solidarity look like for them? 

You can find this on YouTube here.

In this episode: 

• Iman Abid (@imanabid_), Director of Advocacy, US Campaign for Palestinian Rights
• Beth Miller (@bethavemiller), Political Director, Jewish Voice for Peace
• Jamiee Swift (@JaimeeSwift), Executive Director and Founder, Black Women Radicals

Episode credits:

This episode was produced by Fahrinisa Campana, Sonia Bhagat and our host Malika Bilal. Amy Walters and David Enders 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, and Ney Alvarez is Al Jazeera's head of audio.

Connect with us:

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

Social media has been one of the very few available ways for Palestinians to tell their stories, first hand, under the Israeli occupation. But, censorship and account suspensions threaten that venue. As the war on Gaza escalates, social media companies have tightened their grip further. This is mixed with rapid spread of disinformation and conflicting narratives, like those about the Al-Ahli hospital deadly blast in Gaza. So, how far is disinformation and censorship steering the conflict? 

In this episode: 

• Abdallah Ahmed, Al Jazeera Senior Investigation Producer 
• Marwa Fatafta (@marwasf), MENA Policy Manager at Access Now
• Marc Owen Jones (@marcowenjones), Associate Professor of Middle East Studies at Hamad bin Khalifa University

You can watch Al Jazeera’s investigative report on the hospital blast in Gaza here.

Episode credits:

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

Our sound designer is Alex Roldan. Tim St Clair 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, and Ney Alvarez is Al Jazeera's head of audio.

Connect with us:

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

Introducing 'Another Take' – joining you now every Saturday and Sunday, revisiting stories we’ve done that are in the news again. Today’s Another Take is from Gaza, but it’s a side we rarely see. 

This episode was originally published on February 14, 2020.

When the so-called deal of the century normalized relations between Israel and Bahrain and the UAE – in Gaza, all that felt a world away. But back in 2020, there was a moment of relief – an understanding between Israel and Hamas, the group that's run Gaza since 2007 – that gave Gazans a bit of relief. And the signs were in the strawberries. Today, we’re revisiting a story from Gaza that doesn’t usually make headlines.

In this episode: 

• Stefanie Dekker (@StefanieDekker), Al Jazeera senior correspondent
• Safwat al Kahlout, Al Jazeera Gaza producer

Episode credits:

This episode was updated by Alexandra Locke. The original production team was Priyanka Tilve, Alexandra Locke, Dina Kesbeh, Amy Walters, Ney Alvarez, Stacey Samuel, Negin Owliaei, Tom Fenton, and 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

Every Saturday and Sunday, we revisit stories we’ve done that are in the news again. 

This episode was originally published on June 14, 2021

The number of Israelis who openly refuse military service due to the occupation is low; earlier this year, four teenagers refusing together was notable. The low numbers persist despite multiple international human rights groups recognizing Israel’s treatment of Palestinians as apartheid. Now, army violence against Palestinians in the occupied West Bank is at a high not seen in years, Israel’s most far-right government yet is on the verge of taking power, and draft refuser organizations say there’s been increased interest in what’s seen by most Israelis as a radical step. We hear from two men about why they did it, and why their decision is so rare.

In this episode: 

• Evyatar Rubin, conscientious objector
• Haggai Matar (@Ha_Matar), Executive Director of +972 Magazine and former conscientious objector

Episode credits:

This episode was produced by Alexandra Locke with Chloe K. Li, and Halla Mohieddeen in for Malika Bilal. It was fact-checked by Ruby Zaman. Our production team includes Ashish Malhotra, Khaled Soltan, Zaina Badr, David Enders, Amy Walters, Sonia Bhagat, Fahrinisa Campana, Sari el-Khalili, and Malika Bilal. 

Our sound designer is Alex Roldan. This episode was mixed by Tim St Clair. 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