Episode description

There are an estimated 150 hostages in Gaza - all ages, all nationalities, some taken from their beds as they slept.

How does Israel even begin to contemplate ground war when so many of its people are the other side of that border?

And how do you begin to negotiate with terrorists when they've broken every rule of war with the sheer evil of their acts? We speak to an expert in hostage negotiation Rachel Briggs OBE.

Later, we discuss the SNP defection to- checks notes - the Conservative party, and we ask whether judges are going to let convicted rapists roam free because our prisons are now full. The former barrister who broke that story for the Times, Catherinke Baksi, is with us.

Editor: Tom Hughes

Senior Producer: Gabriel Radus

Producer: Laura FitzPatrick

Planning Producer: Alex Barnett

Social Media Editor: Georgia Foxwell

Video Producer: Rory Symon

You can listen to this episode on Alexa - just say "Alexa, ask Global Player to play The News Agents".