As Hamas prepares to release a first group of hostages it’s been holding 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 over 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 the civilian hostages being held by Hamas will be released.
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France 24
rance 24, the international news channel, broadcasts 24/7 to 521.7 million households around the world in French, Arabic, English and Spanish. The four channels have a combined weekly TV audience of 101.7 million viewers (2022 average). France 24 gives a French perspective on global affairs through a network of 160 correspondents located in nearly every country. It is available via cable, satellite, DTT, ADSL, on mobile phones, tablets and connected TVs, as well as on YouTube in four languages. Every month, France 24’s digital platforms attract 23.2 million visits and 213.1 million video views (2022 average). France 24 has some 63 million followers on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
