Families of Israeli Hostages: “Whatever it takes to get them back”

The politics of growing anger from desperate relatives. Israel’s crushing military response to the Hamas mass murder and kidnapping on October 7th has failed to free all the hostages. It refuses to negotiate directly with Hamas, which it calls a terrorist organisation. Our reporter Anna Foster has spent months listening to the stories of those who saw their loved ones taken by gunmen. She explains how their deep anxiety is a growing challenge for Prime Minister Netanyahu’s strategy in Gaza.

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Today’s podcast was made by Anoushka Mutanda-Dougherty and Neal Razzell. The technical producer was Hannah Montgomery. The assistant editor is Sergi Forcada Freixas and the senior news editor is Jonathan Aspinwall.