| | | | | | | Hello. The four-day truce between Israel and Hamas is set to be extended for two days, even though Israel has not formally confirmed the agreement yet. We have the latest on the conflict, as well as a detailed investigation into how Palestinian armed groups prepared in plain sight for their deadly October 7 assault. My colleagues in Kyiv are updating us on the war in Ukraine. They're focusing on the growing debate on whether the country should hold war-time elections. At the end of this newsletter, you’ll find a deeply moving story from the north of Pakistan. |
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| | | | Get up to speed | | • | Qatar, Hamas and US officials - including President Joe Biden - say a deal was reached to extend the four-day truce with Israel for another two days. Israel has yet to comment. Eleven more hostages have been released as part of the initial deal, with more Palestinian prisoners expected to be freed as well. More on our live page. | | • | British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has cancelled a meeting with his Greek counterpart in London at the last minute. Kyriakos Mitsotakis had called on Sunday for the return of the Elgin Marbles, a large collection of Ancient Greek sculptures held in the British Museum. | | • | The racketeering trial of Grammy-winning rapper Young Thug has begun in Georgia. Prosecutors are using the performer’s own lyrics to accuse him of being a gang leader. |
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| | Verified | | How Hamas built a force for the 7 October attack | | | | Joint military drills were held between Palestinian armed factions from 2020 onwards. Credit: Telegram |
| | The 7 October attacks on Israel shocked the world. But a BBC investigation reveals five Palestinian groups had been training together in preparation for the assault for three years. Reporters from BBC Arabic and BBC Verify have examined propaganda footage from the armed groups, along with satellite imagery and other publicly available data. Social media posts show joint military-style drills closely resembling the tactics used during the deadly attacks – from breaching Israel’s defences to taking hostages - including at a site less than 1km (0.6 miles) from the barrier with Israel. The latest was held just 25 days before the attack. As our investigation shows, Hamas and its coalition were "hiding in plain sight". | | | | • | In Israel: We’ve seen a number of families reunited over the past few days, as dozens of hostages have been released by Hamas. But for other families, the painful wait goes on, Joel Gunter reports. | | • | In Gaza: BBC Arabic’s Adnan El-Bursh reports from Khan Younis, where the weather is getting colder and displaced Palestinians are searching for blankets. Watch his video. | | • | |
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| Questions Answered | | Can Ukraine hold war-time elections? | | | | Volodymyr Zelensky was elected as Ukraine's president in 2019. Credit: EPA |
| | Ukraine had been due to hold presidential elections in March next year. But since Russia’s full-scale invasion in February 2022, elections have been prohibited under martial law. For several months, the issue has been the subject of heated political debate. 80% of respondents in a recent survey want to postpone elections for the duration of the war. | | | | Abdujalil Abdurasulov, BBC News |
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| | What's behind the debate in Ukraine? | | The discussion about Ukrainian elections is partly being pushed by US politicians ahead of the country's election in 2024, particularly by a small group within the Republican party, says Olha Aivazovska, chairwoman of the election monitoring network Opora. She says some hard-right Republicans are using the fact that Ukraine is not planning to hold elections to justify their demand to block military aid to the country. | | What could prevent elections from taking place? | | Experts agree that under the current circumstances, holding free and fair elections with a competitive political process is just not possible. Even if martial law is changed to allow elections, there are many obstacles to holding a vote. Security is the main one. A displaced population is another. Other challenges include polling facilities like schools being damaged, an outdated voter registry, restricted rights under martial law and a lack of funding. | | What's Volodymyr Zelensky's position? | | President Zelensky understands that he needs to address this growing rhetoric coming from the US. In a recent interview with Ukrainian TV, Mr Zelensky stated he "would like [to hold elections] within a year, or whenever it's required." But his ambiguous statements about the possibility of holding elections have sparked a domestic backlash. | | | | • | Drone attacks: A kindergarten in Kyiv was hit on Saturday, amid what the city’s mayor said was Russia’s biggest drone attack on the capital since the beginning of the war. All drones but one were shot down, officials said, and five people were injured. | | • | Extreme weather: Hurricane winds and heavy flooding have damaged infrastructure in Ukraine and Russia, leaving at least 2 millions people without power across the two countries, including Ukrainian regions illegally annexed by Moscow. |
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| | The big picture | | Brazil's tunnels made by giant sloths | | | | More than 1,500 “paleoburrows” have been recorded in southern and south-eastern Brazil in the last 15 years. Credit: Heinrich Theodore Frank |
| | Palaeontologists in Brazil are studying what they call megafauna paleoburrow, or, in layman’s terms: tunnels dug by giant ground sloths. And by giant, I mean sloths the size of a large car, leaving terrifying claw marks onto the rock they bored into. Scientists are still searching why these animals made such large tunnels. | | | | |
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| | | For your downtime | | Must-eat accessory | | The crisp, salty lentil snack hand-crafted to look like jewellery. | | |
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| | | | | | | | | | Influential with Katty Kay | | In-depth and unexpected conversations with today’s change makers. | | |
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– Jules
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