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Noa Argamani, 26, Almog Meir Jan, 22, Andrei Kozlov, 27, and Shlomi Ziv, 41, were freed during a "high-risk, complex mission" from two separate buildings in the Nuseirat area, the Israel Defense Forces said. Hamas claims more than two hundred Palestinians were killed by Israeli attacks in the same area as the raid took place. The IDF said the released hostages were all in good health, and they were later pictured embracing family members at a medical centre near Tel Aviv.
Also on the programme: A celebration of the first colour photo of earth taken from space on the occasion of the photographer, Bill Anders’ death; and UNESCO celebrates the unique cultural importance of Italian opera.
(Photo: Almog Meir Jan, a rescued hostage embraces a loved one Credit: Israeli Army handout via REUTERS)

Israeli security forces say they've rescued four hostages from two separate locations during a special operation in Nuseirat, in central Gaza. They've been named as Noa Argamani, Almog Meir Jan, Andrey Kozlov and Shlomi Ziv. All had been abducted by Hamas from the Nova music festival on October the seventh. They're said to be in good medical condition and have been transferred to hospital. Gaza's Al-Aqsa hospital says at least fifty Palestinians - including children - were killed during the Israeli operation.

Also in the programme: The astronaut who took the ground-breaking first colour photo of Earth from space, William Anders, has died; and as UNESCO celebrates Italian opera, we listen in.
(Photo: People react outside a medical centre, after the military say four hostages rescued alive from the central Gaza Strip on Saturday, in Ramat Gan, Israel 8 June, 2024. Credit: Marko Djurica/Reuters)

The US special envoy to Sudan, Tom Perriello, warns other countries not to seek to benefit from the conflict there. Khartoum, he said, needed aid not arms.
Also in the programme: are sanctions against Russia working? And sea urchins under threat.
(Picture: Adam Hassan, who has an album with pictures of his son and father, who he said were killed by the RSF and Arab militias in the West Darfur town of Murnei in June, sits outside his makeshift shelter in Adre, Chad. Credit: Reuters)

With elections to the European Parliament underway, what's driving the expected rightward shift in the politics of many EU countries?
Also in the programme: what humpback whales can tell us about the impact of climate change on the Antarctic; and the woman who allegedly inspired the stalker character in the hit Netflix show Baby Reindeer sues the streamer for defamation.
(Image: The European Parliament prepares for broadcast of European elections results, Brussels, Belgium - 07 Jun 2024 / CREDIT: Olivier Hoslet / EPA-EFE/REX/Shutterstock)

In Normandy, world leaders reflect on the sacrifice of war and the need for peace and the few surviving veterans tell their stories.
Also on the programme: the UN in Gaza refutes Israeli claims the UN is too close to Hamas; and are Elon Musk's space dreams getting closer to reality?
(Picture: D-Day veterans in Normandy. Credit: Reuters / Tessier)

Western leaders and veterans of the Second World War are in northern France to mark 80 years since the D-Day landings -- the start of the operation to liberate northern Europe from the Nazis. We hear from the ceremonies, and from some of the survivors.
Also in the programme: more than forty people have been killed in an Israeli airstrike on a UN-run school that was sheltering displaced families – we hear from UNRWA and the Israeli Defence Forces; and we talk to one of the scientists who have discovered a new way to predict dementia, many years before symptoms appear.