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In the Middle East, a breakthrough deal between the Israeli government and Hamas after more than six weeks of fighting means 50 Israeli hostages will be returning home during a four-day pause in the fighting in Gaza. The deal also involves the release of up to 150 Palestinians being held in Israeli jails – teenage boys and young men. Good news for the families and friends of the hostages and detainees, but it’s evidence also of a worrying use of civilians as "bargaining chips" according to Sari Bashi, programme director at Human Rights Watch, and co-founder of Gisha - an Israeli group promoting the right to freedom of movement for Palestinians in Gaza. “Hamas and Islamic Jihad hostages should all be released unconditionally,” she says, adding that the Israelis should not make delivering aid to Palestinians in Gaza conditional on the release of hostages. (Pic: Demonstration in Tel Aviv, Israel calling for release of hostages taken to Gaza; Credit: EPA)