Name: Hostages released in Gaza ceasefire agreement: BBC Learning English from the News
Uploaded: 2026-01-21T16:58:46.000Z
Duration: 8 min 1 s
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This is Learning English from the News, our podcast.

About the news headlines in this program.

Hostages released in Gaza ceasefire agreement.

In this program, we look at one big news story and the vocabulary in the headlines that will help you understand it.

You can find all the vocabulary and headlines from this episode, as well as a worksheet on our website, bbclearningenglish.com okay, so, Pippa, let's hear more about this story.

Israelis and Palestinians have celebrated after hostages and prisoners were exchanged.

Hamas returned all living Israeli hostages, while Israel freed almost 2,000 Palestinian prisoners and detainees.

However, the bodies of some deceased hostages are yet to be returned to Israel.

This exchange is the first phase of a plan to end the war arranged and negotiated by US President Donald Trump.

President Trump attended a summit in Sharm El Sheikh on Monday where Egypt, Qatar, Turkey and the US Signed a declaration backing a ceasefire deal aimed at ending two years of war that has left Gaza in ruins.

Our first headline is about the ceasefire.

Israeli hostages and Palestinian Detainees freed as Trump hails Historic dawn in Middle East.

And that headline again, Israeli Hostages and Palestinian Detainees freed as Trump hails Historic dawn in Middle East.

So President Trump has said this deal is a historic dawn for the Middle East.

Well, literally, dawn is when light first appears in the sky before sunrise.

So if you picture that, Trump is saying we are seeing light, a positive after a dark period, which refers to the war.

Okay, so it's the start of something new, the beginning of a new period in the region, according to Trump.

And historic here means famous or important in history.

So historic dawn means the start of a new and important period.

President Trump is saying that the release of hostages and detainees will be remembered in future as an important moment.

This reminds me of another phrase, the dawn of a new era.

And as an example, it was used to describe the fall of the Berlin Wall, which was the first step towards a reunited Germany.

We've had historic dawn, the beginning of something new and important.

For example, when astronauts landed on the moon, it was a historic dawn for humanity.

This is Learning English from the News, our podcast about the news headlines.

Today we're talking about the ceasefire agreement between Israel and Gaza.

Though there have been celebrations, there are many challenges ahead for Israel and Gaza if the ceasefire is to create lasting peace in the region.

And according to President Trump, the first phase of his 20 point peace plan is complete.

But intense and difficult negotiations and decisions are needed to continue moving forward.

Many are questioning whether the ceasefire will remain in place.

Now, our next headline is about the future of Gaza.

This comes from the Atlantic, which is a magazine in the usa.

That headline again from the Atlantic, a magazine in the usa.

Okay, so this headline says one era, meaning period of time ends in Gaza and another era begins.

Now, this expression in the headline is quite a common phrase in English, isn't it, Pippa?

The headline says an era has ended, meaning the headline says the fighting has stopped and a new era or time is beginning, though it's unclear what the future will look like because of the many challenges ahead.

So it's a phrase about the end of something and the start of a new opportunity.

This phrase generally has a feeling of optimism, the promise of a new beginning.

Let's look at other examples where we could use this phrase.

Well, we can also use the phrase one thing ends and another begins, replacing thing with chapter, which is a section of a book.

If you leave your job and start a new one, for example, you could say one chapter of your life has ended and another is beginning.

Or if you have a child, an era ends and another begins.

We've had one thing ends, another begins.

An ending creates space for something new.

For example, I can't believe you're moving to Australia.

Today we're talking about the ceasefire between Israel and Gaza.

There will be many future challenges in the region.

These include how much and how long it'll take for Israeli troops to withdraw from Gaza, the removal of weapons from Hamas, and

Hamas has previously said it would not remove its weapons unless a Palestinian state was established.

And it has rejected the idea of Gaza being ruled by any foreign government.

The next headline comes from an article about the challenges that lie ahead.

This comes from the New Statesman, which is a British magazine.

That headline again from the New Statesman, a British magazine.

Okay, so, Pippa, this headline mentions that the hostage deal was the easy part.

Well, the easy part means the part of a task or situation that is simpler, that doesn't need much effort or isn't that difficult to do.

However, it also suggests that there's another part, often the next part, which will be difficult or less manageable.

So the easy part is the simpler part of a larger challenge.

This headline is saying that the hostage deal was easy in comparison to the next stages, which will be much harder.

Just a note, the headline isn't saying the ceasefire agreement was easy to achieve, just that it was easier than the next negotiations will be.

There are many challenges ahead in the Middle East.

Well, we can use it for a range of topics in everyday speech.

So, for example, you might pass an interview to get into university, but

now you have to study hard to actually earn your degree.

We've had the easy part, the simplest part of a larger challenge.

For example, starting the company was the easy part.

That's it for this episode of Learning English from the News.

We'll be back next week with another news story.

If you want to practice what you've learnt, go to our website to see more example sentences and try our free worksheet.

It's bbclearningenglish.com and don't forget to follow us on social media.