Generic article on Middle East crisis

ISRAEL is lightening the gloom in the Middle East by turning its deadly air strikes on Gaza into a series of humorous nightly podcasts.

The 10-minute recordings, available on iTunes, feature the best of each day's explosions, accompanied by quirky commentary from Karl Pilkington.

Palestinian militant group Hamas has responded by turning its rocket attacks on Israel and its brutal executions of alleged Israeli informants into a two-hour long audiobook, narrated by Ulrika Jonsson.