Global News Podcast - Netanyahu issues warning ahead of Gaza ceasefire

Episode Date: January 19, 2025

Israel's PM says his country is ready to go back to war in Gaza, if negotiators for a 2nd phase of the ceasefire deal with Hamas collapses. Also: two Iranian supreme court judges shot dead, and what is dark oxygen?

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I'm Nick Miles and in the early hours of Sunday the 19th of January these are our main stories. Just hours before an imminent ceasefire in Gaza, Benjamin Netanyahu has said Israel reserves the right to return to war if further negotiations collapse. Nigerian officials say at least 70 people have been killed after a fuel tanker crashed and exploded northwest of Abuja. Thousands of people have protested in Washington against the incoming president, Donald Trump.

He's begun a series of celebrations ahead of his second inauguration on Monday. Also in this podcast. The discovery that oxygen, which is vital for life, was being made in the dark on the sea floor confounded marine scientists when it was announced. So what else do we know about dark oxygen? We begin in the Middle East. And as we record this podcast, it is just hours before the imminent start of a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas.

It begins with a six-week pause in the fighting and a prisoner hostage exchange, the first of which is due to take place on Sunday. Under the deal, humanitarian aid will also be allowed into Gaza. Subsequent phases will include more hostage and prisoner exchanges and eventually the long-term reconstruction of Gaza. In a speech, the Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stressed that the agreed ceasefire was temporary and Israel, with the backing of the United States, reserved the right to resume the war against Hamas.

Before the next phases, we are keeping very significant assets in our hands in order to bring all the hostages home, in order to keep all the goals and objectives of the war. Both President Trump and President Biden have given full backing to Israel's right to return to combat if Israel concludes that negotiations on Phase B are futile. I greatly appreciate that. I also appreciate President Trump's decision to ensure that we will have all the weapons and ammunition that we need. If we have to return to fighting,

we will do so in new ways and we will do so with great force. Our correspondent in Jerusalem, Jonah Fisher, listened to Mr Netanyahu's speech and told me more about what stood out for him. Well, first up, it was the first time we'd seen Mr Netanyahu speak to the Israeli public since the agreement was signed off on Wednesday. I suppose the most interesting thing, which I noted, was how often he spoke about this being a temporary ceasefire, about how Israel remained prepared to go back to war, how many assets they were keeping in Gaza, and the ability to go back

and fight again with the United States backing if Israel did not feel that its objectives were being achieved. So what's important to remember about this deal that's coming into place is that it is a six-week temporary ceasefire. Some people are hoping that it would carry on longer than that but in paper that's what it is to allow hostages to be released with all the further and most important details about Gaza's future being discussed during phase one to allow phase two and phase three to take place. So here within Israel there have been members of Mr. Netanyahu's government

who have insisted that after this phase one, the war would resume again, that Israel would continue to fight in Gaza and pursue a complete victory over Hamas. And in the address, it was interesting that he was clearly in part talking to those members of his cabinet, reassuring them that this isn't the end necessarily

and that if Israel does not feel that it's working out for it after six weeks that they have the backing of the United States if they want to resume fighting again in Gaza. Jonah, one issue which is very imminent is the list of hostages from Hamas. Israel still says it hasn't received them. Yeah, there was a statement that came from the Prime Minister's office saying Hamas had yet to give them the names of those hostages that were being released. It feels to me like this is a hitch rather than a more major problem. There's a list of 33 hostages, women, children, the injured and the sick, that has been widely circulated. It seems that what Mr Netanyahu's office is

referring to in this rather angry statement is that they haven't been given the names yet of the three, we assume, women who are due to be released on the first day of the ceasefire. This is a phased release of hostages and it doesn't appear yet that those names have been given over by Hamath. Jonah Fisher in Jerusalem. So what were the thoughts of the people in Gaza and Israel as the Sunday deadline approached? From Jerusalem, John Donnison sent this report. A new dawn in Gaza and for the homeless and the hungry, finally some hope. We hope by the name of God that there won't be any violations of the ceasefire. The people are tired. We are tired from displacement, from illnesses, from starving, from fatigue.

Just a few miles up the road, but a world away, the beach in Tel Aviv. Among the joggers, it's also a moment of hope. I don't think it's a good deal, but I think we need to bring what we can. And I hope everyone will come home alive soon. I support this excellent deal. We must give here all the hostages. Yeah, it's very good. But not everyone is happy.

Two hardline right-wing ministers in Israel's government have demanded the war must restart in six weeks' time when the first phase of the deal is over. They say Israel has failed to wipe Hamas out and are unhappy at hundreds of Palestinian prisoners being freed in exchange for the hostages. But in the occupied West Bank, for the families of those prisoners, like Nasser Atayat, whose son Osama is due to be freed, there's also hope. On Sunday, there will be a special occasion

as it marks Osama's birthday, as he was born on the 19th of January, 2006. He will turn 19 and begin his 20th year of life. It will be a celebration of both the new year of his life and God willing his release. But with Gaza in ruins, Hamas still in charge and no real plan for what happens next, this ceasefire, while welcome, will be fragile. It does not mean an end to the conflict. It does not mean a long lasting peace. That report by John Donerson. Now to some other news. Officials in Nigeria say at least 70 people have been killed and more than 25 others were injured after a fuel tanker exploded in Niger

state. The vehicle is reported to have crashed and overturned. Our West Africa correspondent Nkechi Ogbona reports. The tanker was involved in an accident in the Suleja area of the state. It spilled its contents and burst into flames moments after residents began scooping the foil. Foil tanker explosions are common in Nigeria, where road transport is used to convey fuel and other highly flammable liquids. Last September, at least 48 people were killed in a similar explosion in the same Niger state, while a month later in neighbouring Jigawa state, over 150 people were killed in another full tanker explosion. Unketshi Ogbana

Iran is notorious for its tight grip on security. There are numerous different police units and paramilitary groups. So with that level of social control, how did a gunman manage to get inside the Supreme Court building in Tehran and kill two senior Iranian judges? Siavash Adilan from the BBC Persian service told me what happened. The details are still very sketchy. We don't know exactly who this person was, no name has given or what his motivation was. What has been said is that he was an infiltrator who worked within the judiciary system. So if he had infiltrated there and he was an employee of the judiciary then that would make more sense sense in terms of how he managed to get into the offices of these two judges

that he subsequently shot. The other theory that's been thrown around is given the background of these two judges who were very notorious in their persecution of political prisoners, in their involvement in the massacre of political prisoners back in the 80s, that this could be somehow linked to an assassination attempt, politically motivated by someone who was seeking revenge. Are attacks on judges, particularly those involved in anti-opposition persecutions, fairly common in Iran? Absolutely not. There has not been an assassination, a domestic assassination of such nature for decades now.

The last time that this happened was some 20, 30 odd years ago when the head of Iran's notorious Evin prison back in the 80s was shot by an opposition militant. He was involved also in the massacre of political prisoners, but nothing of this sort with this kind of motivation, this kind of background. And one imagines if it's possible now that the authorities in Tehran will want to step up security in key areas, particularly court buildings. Yes, we even heard reports that many people within the judiciary have been arrested, that they were interrogated, the authorities are trying to get to the bottom of

this. Maybe they know something more that they're not letting the public know about, but security has been stepped up around the building. Whether someone else tries to pull something off again like this is highly unlikely, but Iran is in a very different place than it was some 30 years ago. At that time, people were very afraid of, you know, their worries about setting off a cycle of violence and, you know, no one really wanted to condone assassinations. But today resentment runs so high among the public and among the opposition that some people are happily condoning this assassination, including a Iranian Nobel Peace Laureate who said that these

judges had it coming. Sivash Adlan from BBC Persian. As we record this podcast, Donald Trump is due to arrive in Washington for the build-up to his US presidential inauguration on Monday. On Saturday there was a scheduled fireworks display and a reception for Republican donors with more events planned on Sunday. But not everyone is happy of course. A coalition of protest groups took to the streets on Saturday as our correspondent Caroline Hawley reports from the US Capitol.

Eight years ago, just after President Trump was inaugurated for his first presidency, it's thought that over half a million people came to Washington to protest in one of the largest ever one day protests in the country. This time the organizers, and they're from a coalition of groups, they were hoping for 50,000, but I would say there are less than that. But many, many people, several thousand, have braved the cold to come to Washington with signs saying things like, control guns, not our bodies. No sign is big enough to list all the reasons I'm here. Immigrants make America great.

So banners that reflect their opposition to Donald Trump and the policies they fear he will bring in. And with me now are two people who have come in to Washington from Baltimore. I'm sorry, you're 17 years old. Have you been to a protest before? I have. I was back at a protest just like this in 2017, right before Trump's first inauguration. You must have been very young.

Yeah, I was nine years old. Mysh, if I can turn to you, what worries you most? I think as a daughter of an immigrant and also a black American, knowing that injustices are around us and not really having the voices of my people and my ancestors heard. Also as a mother, just really a lot of the freedoms that my daughters may not have that I've had as they go off into college and become young women. So really that concerns me. And just also just being a black person in America. So that is extremely scary right now. Why do you think he won?

It's hard to say, but I think there's a voice, a portion of America that don't feel heard and seen. And I think he speaks to them. That is the one of the things that I think we saw in this election. Really not teaching people to be a lot more compassionate and open about who people are so I think that is really what he's tapped into is a lot of fear of difference as opposed to embracing it. Thank you both so much and obviously they've come here to stand up for what they believe in. I don't think the demonstration, the rally is quite as big as the organisers may have hoped

but people really want them to have their voices heard as Donald Trump flies in today to begin celebrations ahead of his inauguration on Monday. Caroline Hawley in Washington. Scottish scientists are searching more than nine kilometres under the sea in some of the deepest ocean trenches for what's being called dark oxygen. Discovered last year between Hawaii and Mexico, this mysterious oxygen appears to be produced on the seabed without sunlight. Here's our science correspondent Victoria Gill. The discovery that oxygen, which is vital for life, was being made in the dark on the sea floor confounded marine scientists when it was announced. It's widely accepted the gas is produced by plants

in sunlight using photosynthesis. But down where sunlight can't penetrate, scientists found oxygen levels going up. The seabed they studied is covered with nodules of metal that have built up naturally over millions of years. It's these nodules that researchers say produce the gas. If they detect oxygen they'll then carry out detailed experiments to understand exactly how it's being made. Victoria Gill. Stiltacup. The Indus Valley Civilization was one of the four major civilisations of the old world. Generally renowned for its impressive town planning, excellent water management systems and also its intricate craftsmanship. Now a Chief Minister in India has offered one million dollars to anyone who can decode the mysterious symbols of the Indus script.

There's a divide in American politics between those who think democracy is in peril, and those who think it's already been subverted, hollowed out from the inside. As President Trump returns to the White House, we go through the looking glass into a world where nothing is as it seems. The coming storm from BBC Radio 4. Listen wherever you get your BBC podcasts. Three people have been killed in a Russian missile attack on the centre of the Ukrainian capital Kyiv. President Zelenskyy said civilian structures including a metro station were

damaged. Russia says it was targeting a missile factory in retaliation for Ukrainian attacks on its territory. Our Eastern Europe correspondent Sarah Rainsford is in Kyiv. This was an attack with no warning. Two explosions first and then the sirens. By daylight the destruction was clear with shattered glass all around, a business centre in ruins and cars blackened and twisted by fire. Two of the dead were found in one of them. And in the center of the street was a deep crater. A military expert inspecting fragments of metal told me they came from a Russian Iskander ballistic missile, one that flies so fast it is very hard to intercept or even sound the alarm. So in the wreckage of a dental clinic, we found a woman trying to salvage anything left intact. When I asked for her thoughts, she shrugged.

We're used to it, she said. It's the third year of war. Because this is not an escalation by Russia. It's a reminder that the deadly strikes across Ukraine have never stopped. Sarah Rainsford in Ukraine. A court in India has delivered a guilty verdict in the case of a man accused of the rape and murder of a female trainee doctor at a hospital in Kolkata. The victim's body was found inside the hospital last August. It triggered nationwide outrage and prolonged protests across the country. The man convicted Sanjay Roy, who was a volunteer with the Kolkata

police, will be sentenced on Monday. The BBC's Salman Ravi was in court. Sanjay Roy, the main accused in the rape and murder case of a trainee doctor in one of the most prestigious medical colleges of Kolkata, has been found guilty by a special designated court. The Central Bureau of Investigation that took up the investigation had submitted its final report in the case on January 11. The court which assembled today, however, reserved its judgment which has been deferred for Monday. The court has asked Sanjay Roy to be present on Monday when they pronounced the judgment. The family members of the victim, however, they are

not happy with the CBI investigations and say that there are many loopholes in the investigation and many of the witnesses they were not produced before the court for their statements to be recorded. Another point that they have raised in the investigation is that that the CBI has also failed to establish the motive behind the incident because the CBI had zeroed in on just one person Sanjay Roy as the main accused of the case. Though the principal of the college and the officer in charge of a local police station, they were also arrested on the charges of destroying the evidence from the place of occurrence.

But the CBI failed to submit a charge sheet against them in time and they got bail and they are free. So the parents they have also moved the Supreme Court seeking a fresh directive from the EPICS Court for a reinvestigation into the case. Salman Ravi in India. On Monday Peter Greste, an Australian journalist imprisoned in Egypt for his reporting for Al Jazeera English during the Arab Spring in 2011, will join a hunger strike. His motivation? To bring attention to the condition of Allah Abdel Fattah, a British-Egyptian dual national currently locked up in Egypt. A spokesperson for the

British Foreign Office said, our priority remains securing consular access to Mr. El-Fattah and his release. We continue to raise his case at the highest levels of the Egyptian government. Amal Rajan spoke to Peter Greste, now a human rights free press advocate. He first asked him why is Allah Abdul-Fattah in prison? As far as Egyptians are concerned, he's there because he broke the law, he's there because he apparently published false news, news that was damaging to national security. There's no genuine evidence of that.

It was because he reposted a Facebook message about another fellow prisoner who died while he was in prison. And as far as I'm concerned, he's there because he is, without doubt, Egypt's best known political prisoner. He was an extraordinary character who was one of the driving forces behind the Arab Spring Revolution of 2011. And quite simply, I think the Egyptian authorities are afraid of his capacity to mobilize people in a very powerful pro-democracy movement. Mason Hickson It's extraordinary to read really about what happened to you Peter because you, as I understand it, were posted to Egypt. You didn't necessarily know you were going to be in Cairo for a long

time. You found yourself in jail and this, you know, Allah was one of the first people you met there as you were heading into solitary confinement. That's right. I was thrown into solitary confinement almost immediately and Allah introduced himself as a kind of disembodied voice just outside my prison cell. He came at a time when I was really struggling with what was going on. Well you were in solitary confinement in Cairo which doesn't sound too pleasant. No, no it wasn't and I was very, very confused by what was going on. I had no real idea or understanding of what I was facing. And Allah had been in prison for some time, he'd been in and out of the system because

of his work as a pro-democracy activist. And he helped me understand the psychology of prison, he helped me understand the politics of what was taking place and he gave me a lot of the strategic tools that helped me muggle out some letters that really helped shape the campaign that I got out, that helped me get out. So quite simply, I owe my life to him. You're joining his mother with this hunger strike. Her name is Leila Suif. And I understand your plan is to do a 21-day hunger strike. Where did the thought, the idea of elevating this story to a hunger strike come to you?

It's really when I saw what Leila was doing, I've been wanting to support Allah myself for a very long time and it's been very difficult from Australia. As you can imagine, Australia doesn't have a lot of direct leverage when it comes to Egypt. And when I saw what Layla was doing, I realized that actually joining the strike, bringing my story to the narrative, helping people understand who Allah is and why this case matters was something that I could actually do. And so I realised that the only thing, the best way of doing that was to come to London to join Layla and to speak to people like yourself. Peter Greste. The Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu state in India has offered one million

dollars to anyone who can decode the mysterious symbols of Indus script. The civilization that created it, also known as the Harappan, flourished about five and a half thousand years ago but disappeared quite suddenly. If deciphered, the Indus script might help to reveal why. Nisha Yadav, a researcher at the Mumbai-based Tata Institute of Fundamental Research, is herself trying to crack the code using computer power. She told Sean Lay just how little is known about this ancient form of communication. The Indus Valley Civilisation was one of

the four major civilizations of the old world, generally renowned for its impressive town planning, excellent water management systems and also is intricate craftsmanship. But what makes this civilization unique is its most enigmatic script, which has defied decipherment. So this script, what form does it take? This script generally appears on these small objects, which are a few centimetre squares in size. And generally the script appears

on the top part of the seals. The motif is generally an animal, most often it is a unicorn. By the count of the total number of signs that we find in the script, it generally ranges from 400 to 600. Based on this, scholars generally classify the script as logosyllabic, that is a mixture

of logographic and syllabic systems. Now logographic means that each sign would stand for a complete word or idea, and syllabic means that that sign will have some phonetic element attached to it. Now why has it proved so resistant to being successfully interpreted? The texts are first of all very short and brief, okay, we do not have enough data to work on. Secondly, there is a lack of information about what language or languages these people were speaking.

Third, we do not have a bilingual or multilingual object like a Rosetta stone which can help in decipherment. So that was the stone that was able to help Egyptologists to kind of crack the code for ancient Egyptian script. Yeah, that's right. But here in the case of Indus, we do not have that kind of object. You are hoping that maybe then the use of the most modern technology of all, artificial intelligence, could finally unlock one of the oldest unsolved secrets on the planet?

Certainly it can help, but human thought will also be very crucial over here because machines alone cannot provide us all the clues. But yes, together I think we can make considerable progress. Nisha Yadav, we return to our main story and as we record this podcast, the imminent ceasefire between Israel and Hamas. The war in Gaza has proved costly for both sides. Our Middle East regional editor Mike Thompson has been looking at the loss of lives and destruction caused since the October the 7th attacks. It all began with the loss of lives and destruction caused since the October 7th attacks. It all began with the massacre of more than 1200 people, more than 800 of them civilians, when Hamas launched a massive attack on southern Israel in early October 2023.

Around 250 more were taken hostage and many have since died in captivity. Israel's strike back at Hamas in Gaza has cost far more lives, estimated at almost 47,000 by Gaza's Hamas-run health ministry, 60% of them women and children, according to the UN. Almost Gaza's entire population have been displaced, with nine out of ten left to live with little food, clean water, medicines or adequate shelter. Cindy McCain is head of the UN's World Food Programme. People are desperate. I don't think we've ever seen this.

There's over two million people in Gaza that are totally and fully dependent on food aid. There is no food available at all. We have tons of food waiting, we are ready to roll in, we can do this job, but we need complete unfettered safe access. If the ceasefire holds, Gaza will need to be rebuilt. It's estimated that this huge task will cost somewhere between 50 to 80 billion dollars. Even if that money is found, rebuilding people's shattered lives on both sides of the divide will be an even bigger job. Mike Thompson.

And that's all from us for now. But there will be a new edition of the Global News Podcast later. If you want to comment on this podcast or the topics covered in it, you can send us an email. The address is globalpodcast.bbc.co.uk. You can also find us on x at globalnewspot. This edition was mixed by Daniela Varela. The producer was Liam McShepard. The editor is Karen Martin. I'm Nick Miles. And until next time, goodbye. Goodbye. There's a divide in American politics between those who think democracy is in peril and those who think it's already been subverted, hollowed out from the inside. As President Trump returns to the White House, we go through the looking glass into a world where nothing is as it seems. The coming storm from BBC Radio 4. Listen wherever you get your BBC podcasts.