As civilians in both Gaza and Israel spend another day living and dying in fear and surrounded by hate, Ali Abbas, a young man who as a child lost 16 members of his family and both his arms in the Iraq conflict,  tells reporter Hugh Sykes his story. Ali’s story reminds us of the human beings who make up the statistics. His dignity, fortitude, and good-humoured resilience are both humbling and hopeful.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00g4g9j

Meanwhile, on Start the Week, Andrew Marr and guests explore human identity in the age of bio-science. A perfect medical humanities end to the year. Follow this link and click on ‘this week’s programme’ to listen in.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/factual/starttheweek_20081215.shtml