in exchange, but officials say they too were in need of medical care. and a judge blocks elon musk�*s department of government efficiency from accessing the data of millions of americans. hello, i'm helena humphrey. by hamas last week returned home. in the last few hours, the five men received a warm welcome at the airport in bangkok — met by their families after nearly 500 days in captivity. the thai nationals were kidnapped during the hamas they'd been in an israeli hospital for medical treatment following their release. in gaza — though his

condition is still unknown. our south east asia corresponentjonathan head and sent this report. the long ordeal of these farmworkers is now over after they arrive back this morning at the bangkok main 7 airport, keeping international airport, keeping a traditional greeting to the reporters. it was then waiting reporters. it was then an emotional reunion with their families. they have been held for the past ten days in an hospital why the israeli hospital why the hell has been checked but it appears to be remarkably good, unlike of these is hostages at these is hostages fitter -|m bein- held by their 480 days being held by under the israeli thomas makin under the israeli in gaza. until bombardment in gaza. until the agreement between israel and hamas last the thai —— had no idea that government had no idea that these men were still alive,

these men. were still—alive. , ~ ~ ., had these men. were still—elive. , ~ ~ ., had been these men. were stitt—etives , ~ ~ ~ had been negotiating e -22 the start 77 77 the start using 77 77 from the start using intermediaries like iran and �*like the intermediaries like iran and �* like the release for the qatar like the release for the 31 thai nationals who were abducted in the attack. 23 were freed injust abducted in the attack. 23 were freed in just a few weeks where they have been almost no e-= j the remaining the remaining six 7 the remaining six who the remaining six who are about the remaining six who are still or believed to be still alive or believed to be alive in the last year, until last month when they heard these would be freed along thsifiefifisht,” the groups the ""'g}i>j;;{of with the first groups of israeli hostages. there is still one thai man from the northeast who was missing. in the immediate of the the immediate aftermath of the attack, thousands of thai attackfflteusehds ef thei who go to israel ear to work on the every year to work on the farms, they the backbone of farms, they are the backbone of the agricultural the israeli agricultural economy, they came here economy, they came back here about the safety but worried about the safety but many of them decided to many of them have decided to return to despite the return to israel despite the obvious risks. the salaries they can earn in israel are 7— two or 5 two or three times thah

than anything they can higher than anything they can . . here and that is still a get here and that is still a powerful draw. israel and hamas followed through with their fifth hostage and prisoner exchange on saturday since the ceasefire eli sharabi, 0had ben ami and 0r levy all appeared to be gaunt, frail and weak. they were freed in exchange for the release by israel to hospital, according to the palestinian red crescent. for the next phase of ceasefire talks. for the families of the three hostages, held for 490 days in gaza, this day was the one they'd been waiting for. amid a show of force from hamas fighters as the minibus carrying el sharabi, 0had ben ami and 0r levy arrived at the handover point, watching from their tel aviv

home, eli sharabi's family couldn't contain their excitement. translation: it's mixed feelings. i i'm happy to see him standing on two feet, been reduced to hit home. after seeing the conditions of the hostages released today, there is a renewed sense of urgency here to secure the release of all the captives from gaza as quickly as possible, and that means an extension of the ceasefire — something that is by no means guaranteed. more than 180 palestinians more than 180 palestinians

were simultaneously released were simultaneously released today under the today under the ceasefire agreement. ceasefire agreement. 70 had been convicted of serious crimes and were serving long sentences, but the long sentences, but the majority were gazans detained majority were gazans detained during the war and during the war and held without charge. held without charge. the palestinian red crescent said seven of those released were admitted to hospitals were admitted to hospitals in the west bank and gaza in the west bank and gaza after accusations they had after accusations they had been brutally treated in israeli jails. been brutally treated in israeli jails. and his legs, even as he was today, the physical trauma and his legs, even as he was being transferred from jail. being transferred from jail. some, including thabet al—haddad, were taken to gaza's european hospital. to gaza's european hospital. "i've got many problems from "i've got many problems from the beating and the torture the beating and the torture "all over my body," he says. all of the prisoners all of the prisoners suffered from hunger, beating and humiliation, suffered from hunger, even scabies. there have been many tragic there have been many tragic stories on both sides of this conflict.

for the hostages released stories on both sides

"i am very happy," he said, "to return to my wife and daughters." wrapped in the flag, enveloped by his brothers and sisters, who blessed him on his return. but the embrace he wanted — destroyed. his british wife, lianne, and teenage daughters, in wales, lianne's parents watched with contrasting emotions as their son—in—law was freed. to see the emaciated state that they've put him in — an absolute disgrace, and that was an absolute shock. we both sat and cried. we're relieved that he's home and he's alive, but itjust keeps reminding us of what we've lost

and what he's lost. but, yes, iwant to see him — give him a big hug. the only thing that keeps us going is the fact that we know eli is back. yeah. so at least there's one member of our very close family that is still alive. the family will soon travel to israel to mark what would have been lianne's 50th birthday and to reunite with eli. eli next week? around him, tell him that i i love him and tell him that he's still my brother. yossi's body. eli sharabi has returned home, but to a loss that will be hard to bear. lucy manning, bbc news. and for some more analysis

on the latest in the region, i wasjoined by mara rudman. she's a former chief of staff for the office of the special envoy for middle east peace in the us state department. i just wonder what you think the real chances are for that phase two of the ceasefire. of course, you would have heard the comments from us president donald trump with regard to turning gaza into the riviera of the middle east. prime minister netanyahu had also said during his visit in gaza that israel reserves the right to go back in at any time. what do you think this means for the prospects of a lasting peace? sure, helena. well, first, i want to put president trump's comments aside for now. i'm happy to come back to them. to solve problems or make the world or the united states better or safer or stronger.

political problems at home political problems at home because he has two very because he has two very far—right, very ideologically driven, extremist, radical — can't have enough adjectives for how far out these guys are — ministers who have been are — ministers who have been holding together his coalition, holding together his coalition, his ability to be his ability to be prime minister. prime minister. one of them left the coalition over the decision to go into the first ceasefire, into the first ceasefire, and the other has said and the other has said that he will leave if that he will leave if to use your parlance, the ceasefire progresses to its second phase. the ceasefire progresses and so prime minister netanyahu yet again, as has been the case throughout an extended period of time for prime minister netanyahu, has a choice to make netanyahu, has a choice to make between his own politics, between his own politics, his own immediate political survival, and what's in the best interests in the best interests of his country and his people. of his country and his people. and just coming back, and just coming back,

then, to that idea of then, to that idea of what donald trump had to say — what donald trump had to say — to use your parlance, saying that it is noise — even if that is the case, even if it doesn't come to fruition, do words matter? do they have an impact on a process, a delicate process, like ceasefire negotiations? sure, words matter. i am living here in the united states and seeing the impact of president trump's words and the actions of his cronies, including elon musk, who is in the white house with him far more than makes sense to any human being. and so it is noise. it is sometimes accompanied by action. in the case, though, of his statements about gaza, which were very quickly walked back by his white house press secretary, by his national security adviser, by a number of republicans in the senate who were willing to actually comment on it, it has

for all sorts of reasons in the united states almost no chance of becoming reality. the challenge is — and i think this is what you're indicating — it also further inspires those on the israeli far—right who have wanted to ethnically cleanse gaza for some period of time. it further fosters or supports their aims, and we've seen prime minister netanyahu returning from his white house visit seemingly on that path, at least for now. so, yes, his words are very dangerous. the presidency of the united states is a prime bully pulpit, and we have a bully occupying it. thousands of employees from the us agency for international development received an email early saturday morning saying that they will now be reinstated to their posts after a judge blocked us president donald trump from placing the workers on paid leave.

the reversal happened just hours before president trump's order was to go into effect. thejudge issued a "limited" temporary restraining order in response to a last—minute lawsuit filed by two unions trying to save the agency. the order will remain in place until february 14 at midnight. a us federaljudge blocked elon musk�*s department of government efficiency — also known as doge — from accessing the personal financial data of millions of americans in treasury department records. the districtjudge issued a preliminary injunction on saturday ordering musk and his team to immediately destroy any copies of records. that's after 19 state attorneys general sued the trump administration — when doge was given access to these records last week. there was no immediate comment from the white house. president trump has given mr musk a central role in his administration. it's a role with the ambition of no less than reshaping how

government works in america — and, now, we're seeing what that means in practice. the bbc�*s analysis editor ros atkins has more. elon musk has a role in the us government unlike any other. we have never, ever, ever seen anything like this before in american history. musk leads the department of government efficiency, which isn't actually a department — it's an advisory group, often referred to as doge. its job is to dismantle federal bureaucracy, which musk calls "an existential threat "to our republic. " and now that donald trump's in power, elon musk�*s work has begun. staff at the aid agency usaid were told they'd be put on leave. staff at the cia and elsewhere have been offered payments to quit. and musk�*s team is seeking to audit all government payments. president trump says musk is doing a "greatjob", but we're still learning what thatjob is. it's very unclear, but it appears that president trump has given mr musk the ability

to exercise almost any of mr trump's powers. all of this takes america into new territory, to the alarm of the democrats. before our very eyes, an unelected shadow government is conducting a hostile takeover of the

millions to go to ukraine. as bbc verify reported, the video is fake. he claimed that usaid funded bioweapon research, including covid—i9 — again, no evidence. there are other examples too. as for the work itself, musk wants to see spending details across the government. to the treasury's vast payments system. these are it systems that are very sensitive, that are typically controlled by nonpartisan career bureaucrats, and for good reason, because especially for management of the national debt of america defaulting donald trump, though, argues he promised to look

at government spending, and doge is doing just that. demolition crew, and there are multiple reports that doge but if you're looking for an official list of doge staff, so far, you won't find one. there's a broader question, too, about the law. because it's never existed before and nobody�*s ever tried of this are within the legal system that we've got. much the state spends, it's also about how much power the president has to decide this. there are laws about how policy is made and changed — they're declaring those don't apply. there are laws requiring them to spend money that's been appropriated by congress — they're refusing to comply with those.

the only thing that could make them lawful is if they're right almost absolute power. and it will end up in the supreme court, probably sooner rather than later. whether its legal or not, it's happening. and the man leading the squeeze on federal funds also leads over the past decade. businesses an advantage, but the president and his press secretary have sought to reassure. where we think there's a conflict or there's a problem, we won't let them go near it. if elon musk comes across a conflict of interest with the contracts and the funding that doge is overseeing, then elon will excuse himself from those contracts.

by elon musk and the trump administration. and if we go back to 2022, not long after elon musk had if they left theirjob. the e—mail subject was "a fork in the road", and musk claims within six months, twitter�*s headcount was down by 80%. employees received an e—mail with a similar offer and a very similar subject line. this time, it's not twitter that's reached a fork in the road, it's america. after threatening to do so earlier this week. president trump said he was bringing in the order because of south africa's new land law, which he says is violating people's rights, and also because of its international court case accusing israel of genocide. accuracy and fails to

recognise the history of apartheid. south africa's president has not yet responded to the order but earlier this week alluded to threats made by the us in a speech to the nation. we are witnessing the rise of nationalism, protectionism, the pursuit of narrow interest, and decline �* common we will not be deterred. and we will not be bullied. four british families who are suing tiktok, for the wrongful death of their children, have accused the social media platform of having "no compassion". in an interview for the upcoming sunday with laura kuennsberg programme, they say they're challenge on tiktok in 2022. here's frances read. four children who lost

their lives and whose families say should still be here. and maia walsh all died, their parents believe, circulating on tiktok in 2022. but they say proving it has been almost impossible, with the data never released. now they want one thing. but parents around the world. it's notjust in england, it's the us, it's everywhere. and we want tiktok to be forthcoming, wanting to help us. why hold back from giving us the data? how can they sleep at night? together they've now filed a wrongful death lawsuit against tiktok and its parent company, bytedance. they say its algorithms created harmful dependencies in each

child and flooded them with an endless stream of harm. ellen roome has been campaigning forjools's law you do have some days that are particularly bad, where you — it's very difficult to function. i can't stop crying, i can't move, i can't be i think we probably all have days like that. related to the harmful challenge the parents believe their children were part of have been blocked since 2020. it says it prohibits dangerous content or challenges on the platform and, in most cases, finds the content before it is even reported, and that the law requires companies to delete people's personal data. for the parents of these children, all they ever wa nted we re a nswe i’s. frances read, bbc news.

british prime minister sir keir starmer sacked his health what are reported to be a string of offensive and abusive whatsapp messages. fellow mps and councillors. 0ur political correspondent leila nathoo has more on the story — originally reported by the mail on sunday newspaper. the paper said it has had to thousands of messages e -§ him and t him and various between him and various counsellors in his region, party officials, and at least one other mp, and highlights a fear of incredibly offensive remarks and comments made towards jewish people, remarks and comments made towardsjewish people, fellow mps including the deputy prime minister, diane abbott, the first woman mp in

first black woman mp in parliament, and also some of constituents points his constituents and it points out these are incredibly out that these are incredibly offensive and he has been sacked in the paper had approached the labour party and downing street before this and they have publishingthis and they have it clear publishihgthis end they have it clear they acted as made it clear they acted as soon as they heard this soon as they heard about this and sacked him as a health minister and also suspended him from the labour party pending an investigation, so there has an investigation, so there has a statement from number been a statement from number 10, a spokesperson saying the prime minister is determined to 10, a spokesperson saying the prime the ;ter is determined to 10, a spokesperson saying the prime the highs determined to 10, a spokesperson saying the prime the high standards ed to 10, a spokesperson saying the prime the high standards of to uphold the high standards of conduct, and he will not hesitate to take action against any minister who fails to meet these standards as he has in this case. the labour party says it will investigate these comments made in this and says swift action will be it says swift action will be taken of individuals found to have breached the high standards expected of them, so parts; 2:24; f: it? ',;;r{y’w’r'u”“'” ' ;jgrt’y’w’r'u’sg” ' partyiwilliberkeen: ' partyiwilliberkeen: to hért’yhru’he’iie’eh to draw the party will be keen to draw a line on this quickly and take this action. andrew greene has

this action; andrew greene has in a statement on x eeetesised in e statementml ,, h-.- e- ,, ., he regrets eeetesised in e statementmde ,, h-.- e, ,, ., he regrets the comments 806 00:25:04