deal that could see dozens off on a deal that could see dozens off on a deal that could see dozens of the most vulnerable hostages brought home. our other main story... after a massive search for the teenagers who went missing on a camping trip to north wales, police find four bodies in an overturned car. as the chancellor prepares to deliver his autumn statement tomorrow, our political and economic editors will be here to tell us what they're expecting. and the extraordinary moment when 41 workers trapped in a collapsed tunnel in india were seen for the first time in more than a week. on bbc london... and on newsnight at 10.30, we'll go deeper behind the headlines and speak live to key players on today's big stories. plus, we take a look at tomorrow's front pages. good evening. tonight, israeland hamas

are on the cusp of what could be a critical moment in the course of the war. israel's prime minister, benjamin netanyahu, has been meeting his cabinet to vote on a proposed deal that would see hamas release dozens of israeli hostages over the next few days. they were seized at gunpoint when hamas — designated a terrorist organisation by the uk government — launched its attacks on israel on october 7th. it's thought, in return, israel would release more than 100 palestinian prisoners and there would be a four—day pause in fighting. let's get the latest from our senior international correspondent, 0rla guerin, who is in tel aviv. tonight, the talking continues at the israeli government. ministers are having their say. this deal was carefully prepared over weeks of negotiation involving mediation by qatar and egypt. it has strong backing from the united states and

there is a strong desire fear among israelis to see the hostages brought home. so, when the talking is finished in tel aviv tonight, the deal is expected to go through. after six long weeks, there is hope. here are some of those who could soon be coming home. 0riya is four and loves football and ice cream. kfir is just ten months old and recently started crawling. he is always smiling, relatives say. channa is 77. hamas killed her husband, ramey. in tel aviv tonight, campaign standing together as israel's government debated the deal. # just come home... many here would pay any price. the fear is some hostages are already dead. it has been a very long wait, but

there is a sense of hope here now. hostages are expected to be released in phases over a number of days, but the families and supporters gathered here know that most of those being held in gaza will not be included in this deal. chen almog is being held with three of her children, including her two young sons. her husband and eldest daughter were killed by hamas. her brother, henri, hopes to get his relatives back soon. he's been counting the dark days. the bad and the pain is behind. we are going to live with this pain forever but the good thing is in front of us and they will come. what is the first thing you would like to do when you are all together? first to tell them i'm sorry because it's sad and it's a shame what happened. then that i love them.

you can imagine hugs for so many days so now, when the time comes, we are going to do it. in return, gaza will get a respite from israel's assault, at least for a few days. israeli troops were still advancing today. food and fuel will be allowed in to the rubble and some palestinian women and children will be released from israeli jails. israel's prime minister got a warm reception from these troops today. benjamin netanyahu said releasing the hostages was a sacred duty but the war wouldn't stop after they were freed. tonight, there's an empty place at this table for every hostage in gaza. the israeli government hasn't voted yet but the deal

looks set to be approved. if so, the first hostages could be released on thursday or friday. the deal is fragile but, if a ceasefire lasts for four days, israeli officials have suggested it could be extended for another three to allow for the release of 30 more hostages. if there is a ceasefire, it will give palestinians in gaza a chance to take stock after weeks of intense bombardment. the latest figures we have from the hamas run health ministry are that more than 14,000 health ministry are that more than 111,000 palestinians have been killed. 0rla guerin with the latest from tel aviv. so, if a deal is agreed, it would mean the release of 50 israeli hostages, mainly women and children who'd be taken back into israel in groups of around 12 a day. israel will release three times as many palestinian prisoners — 150 of them. 0ur security correspondent,

frank gardner, is here. tell us about the palestinian prisoners who would be released. these are palestinian women and youths who at the time of their arrest were under 18. the numbers are not confirmed but some reports are not confirmed but some reports are saying around 200 mainly teenage boys, five teenage girls and around 75 women. so up to about 300 altogether for the 75 women. so up to about 300 altogetherfor the how 75 women. so up to about 300 altogether for the how were they arrested? while this has been going on in gaza, there's been rising violence in the west bank and some are believed to have been arrested in raids by israeli police and the defence forces in the west bank. and defence forces in the west bank. and the talkin: defence forces in the west bank. and the talking goes on, the families are waiting anxiously to find out if their loved ones will be returned. this is a fragile deal, if it happens. this is a fragile deal, if it happens-_ this is a fragile deal, if it ha ens. v ., , ., happens. it's nail-biting for the families because _ happens. it's nail-biting for the families because they've - happens. it's nail-biting for the families because they've been l families because they've been marched up this hill before and down

it. they've had their hopes dashed. only a few hours ago we were told by president biden by hamas and qatar, it's nearly there, and it is and yet there are still sticking points. there are minor things such as hamas requesting that israeli drones stop flying over the south. the israelis are worried that hamas will use this period to resupply, restock, rearm and basically position themselves better to assist the israeli assault, so there is plenty that can still go wrong, a misfire, firing on the escort as the hostages are brought out. a lot of worries and the deal is out yet. well, this is an unfolding story. you can follow the developments as we get them throughout the night on the bbc news website — that's bbc.co.uk/news. police searching for four teenagers who had been missing in north wales since sunday morning

have found the bodies of four boys — one was 16, two were 17 and one was 18 years old. jevon hirst, harvey owen, wilf henderson and hugo morris had travelled by car from shrewsbury to eryri national park — or snowdonia — where it's believed they were camping. police say their car was spotted this morning by a member of the public in the village of garreg. it had left the road and was upside down and partially submerged in water. from there, here's our correspondent, phil mackie. the scenery is spectacular, but the terrain can be deadly. four friends came here from shropshire for a few days away. their disappearance sparked a huge search, after their loved ones lost contact with them. we now know the boys left shrewsbury on saturday night, on the way to eryri, which is also known as snowdonia. on sunday, the boys were reported missing, and harvey owen's phone was last used around midday.

today, just before noon, police said they had found a vehicle near garreg. then, later today, they announced the news everyone dreaded. police officers attended and located a ford fiesta vehicle upside down, partially submerged in water. tragically, the bodies of four young males were recovered from within the vehicle. the families of the missing men have been informed. our thoughts are with them at this desperate time. this was where their car, a silver ford fiesta, came off the road as it bends around the large crag which dominates the landscape. at the foot of the valley down there you can see some emergency vehicles in the distance. we have seen them coming and going, and that road has actually been closed off for most of the day. up here you get a sense of the terrain, just how remote it is, how narrow the roads are, how windy they are, and we know that on sunday afternoon, the weather conditions were appalling. it was wet, it was dark, you couldn't see either of the mountains in front of us,

but that is not unusual. but nonetheless, not easy to drive in. not if you're inexperienced. the accident must have happened on sunday, and the car wasn't found until today. the news everyone feared was confirmed. jevon hirst, harvey owen, wilf henderson and hugo morris were friends who met at school and had alljust started at shrewsbury college together. tonight, it said in a statement... the boys' families have asked for privacy, devastated by news of their sons' final journey. phil mackie, bbc news, garreg. it's a big day tomorrow for the chancellor, jeremy hunt. he will reveal how he plans to revive the economy in his autumn statement. tax cuts will be on the cards for both business and workers too.

and tonight the treasury revealed that the minimum wage will be going up significantly from next april. in a moment we'll speak to our political editor, chris mason, but first our economics editor, faisal islam, is here. faisal. we are going to hear a lot about tax cuts in the next day or so. but what's the big picture? two years ago, rishi sunak as chancellor announced the freeze to income tax thresholds. the official estimate for how much it would raise? several billion a year, a chunky enough stealthy hike at a time of massive pandemic borrowing. but take a look at this. that freeze was not just extended until 2028 last year but also expanded and then, crucially, wages in cash terms shot up with inflaton. factor all that in and the policy is on course to raise a truly astonishing £50 billion per year of what economists call fiscal drag. and for context, a 1p cut to national insurance or income tax?would save £6 billion or £7 billion from that.

is that really a tax cut or is it a smaller tax rise? that'll be a key debate tomorrow. this is what is driving that, and it's quite the roller coaster. in the last months of the last labouradministration, overtwo thirds of adults were taxpayers. and the conservatives, under the now returned david cameron, made it their central priority to take people out of the tax system, successfully. if thresholds had increased with inflation, this would be the pattern. but the freeze policy is leading to this. according to forecasts, we are heading on current plans to have more taxpayers now than under gordon brown. the shadow of inflation can also be seen in low pay. a big change tonight to the minimum wage, known officially as the national living wage, it is set to rise £1 from £10112 to?£11.1m per hour from april next year. but chancellorjeremy hunt has decided the rate will also apply to 21 and 22—year—olds for the first time. the confirmed rises represent a 9.8%

increase for over—23s on last year and a 12.4% jump for workers aged 22 and 21. this protects the value from the cost of living crisis. but some will be passed on as higher prices. the chancellor is to announce dozens of policies to boost the economy. but some caution today from bank of england experts that the fall in inflation so far is the definitive turning point that will be proclaimed. joining me now is our political editor, chris mason. soa so a crucial moment for the chancellor with an election looming. absolutely, and that sets the backdrop for the politics and also the reality for millions of us day—to—day. forso the reality for millions of us day—to—day. for so many conservatives, and instinct to cut taxes, they see it as part of their dna and yet you see that chart with those giant red blocks, the reality

of those tax rises that have affected so many of the i was talking to priti patel earlier and she told me it is a pivotal moment. successive conservative governments have been known for targeting tax cuts that put more money in people's pockets and itchy and hundreds of her colleagues know that taxes shot up her colleagues know that taxes shot up and plenty will cut public services and say, hang on, have they improved by the same amount and probably conclude no. there is the cost of covid and the cost of paying the interest on our national debt, which is higher than it's been for decades. many economists point that. so perhaps little wonder that yesterday rishi sunak was fairly open himself in a speech to refer pretty much every other sentence to tax cuts, so that's what we're going to get tomorrow from the chancellor. the tricky thing is, does what he says out loud match the rhetoric of the prime minister? we can expect a cut to national insurance and an extension to the tax break for

businesses, to try and encourage them to invest, and an attempt by them to invest, and an attempt by the conservatives to get out the black marker pen and draw some political dividing lines with labour, but some of those tax cuts, i suspect, labour will say they would maintain and tractor about that black marker pen dividing line. this is the back of economic credibility, crucial as we head into an egg look desperate an election especially with the economy in a pretty slack estate. and just to say tomorrow night, reeta chakrabati will be presenting the programme from hull with all the details from the autmumn statement and how it will affect you. england's chief medical officer, professor sir chris witty, has told the covid inquiry that the first lockdown in march 2020 was imposed a bit too late, but that the government had "no good options" at the time. he said public health issues — such as loneliness, depression and the risk of aggravating poverty — meant it was important to? be cautious. here's our health editor, hugh pym.

a household name and a central figure in the battle against covid, sir chris whitty was questioned on key events in the crisis. the inquiry focussed on the early days injanuary, with the virus threat emerging. sirjonathan van—tam, deputy chief medical officer in england, had warned of a significant pandemic. sir chris had said hold on and wait for more data. i don't see what i would have done differently, at this particular point. if i had said to him, ok, what's the evidence on which this is going to be a pandemic, and lots of other things aren't, he would have said, this isjust, this feels like that to me — that is quite a narrow basis on which to make quite big decisions. by march 2020, the virus was spreading fast and lockdown loomed. sir patrick vallance, the chief scientific adviser, wanted to go earlier, but sir chris wanted to weigh things up. the risk of going too early, in which case you get

all the damages from this with actually fairly minimal impact on the epidemic, and the risk of going too late, in which case you get all the problems of the pandemic running away. now, as we will, i am sure, come on to, my view is, with the benefit of hindsight, we went a bit too late on the first wave. sir chris conceded that major sporting events which went ahead, like the cheltenham racing festival, gave the impression of normality. with hindsight, things could have been done differently. and what about the relationship between scientists and politicians? sir chris was clear that big decisions like lockdown were for ministers. i think they are clearly ones that only an elected politician within a democratic system at least can reasonably finally make. we can give advice of a technical nature as to what would happen in this situation or that one, but ultimately these are political decisions. this week is largely about leading scientists and health officials

and from next week it is the turn of key politicians from that time, including matt hancock, borisjohnson, and rishi sunak. there was a thought for them from sir chris — he said the government system underplayed natural threats like health compared to those involving national security. hugh pym, bbc news. downing street has stressed that the uk has "no doubt" about the sovereignty of the falkland islands, after argentina's new president—elect suggested it was time to "get them back." javier milei reportedly said that buenos aires had "non—negotiable sovereignty" over the falklands. in 1982, britain sent a task force to recapture the islands after argentina invaded and briefly occupied the territory. doctors have been told that they must be on high alert for measles as the number of children being vaccinated against the disease has dipped to a ten—year low. it's the first time in decades such guidance has been issued. experts say that at least 95%

of children should be double vaccinated by the age of five, but the uk falls well below that figure, atjust 84.5%. in india, dozens of workers have been trapped for more than a week now in a tunnel they were building in the himalayan foothills. part of it collapsed after a landslide and rescuers have been trying to reach them. today, for the first time, they managed to get this extraordinary footage of some of the 41 men underground. a small camera was fed through a pipe that was tunnelled in yesterday. they were able to get their first proper meal in ten days. up until then, they were surviving on smaller snacks fed through a hole. so rescuers can now see the men, and they say they are still working on different options to try to get them out safely. a review into the way lancashire police handled the disappearence of nicola bulley injanuary has criticised the release of "highly sensitive" personal information about her health, saying

it was "avoidable and unnecessary". ms bulley�*s body was found in the river wyre in february, about a month after she vanished while walking her dog. danny savage reports. for three weeks last winter, nicola bulley�*s picture was everywhere. the 45—year—old mother of two, who vanished from a lancashire river bank. her phone was found on this bench, still connected to a work conference call. her dog was off its lead nearby. police quickly declared she had somehow fallen into the water. they were right. but it was three weeks before her body was found. a report today criticised some of the police decision—making during the time she was missing. our thoughts remain with nicola's family and friends. in particular, when they released sensitive information about nicola's struggles with alcohol and the menopause. the release of nicola's personal information was unnecessary and avoidable. it would have been much better had

nicola been declared as a high risk missing person from the outset, and indeed, there was an early press conference where some misleading information was given, that said there were no issues of vulnerability around nicola, which actually probably contributed to a number of the conspiracy theories about, well, something awful must have happened, then. lancashire police has responded to the criticisms. if we ever find ourselves in that position again, i what would we do differently? you know, and, you know,| we can look at the wording. we did discuss it with nicola's family, the wording, - and they had a say in relation to the wording. _ we absolutely understand the public sentiment around the disclosure. i today's report also praised lancashire police for much of its investigative work. they had experts who predicted nearly to the exact day when nicola's body would be found in the river here, but they said her disappearance should have been treated much sooner as a critical incident, and here, where her phone was found,

should have been cordoned off at the time, and forensically examined. the role of private underwater search expert peter faulding was also criticised. nicola's family asked him for help and he provided it free of charge. i wish we could have actually at least ruled, found something to rule out if nicola was in the river. but his statements caused consternation at lancashire police, who believed they'd agreed in writing he shouldn't talk to the press. he says he didn't sign any such agreement. the report says nicola bulley�*s disappearance turned into a global social media frenzy. it needn't have done, if lancashire police had given the bigger picture shortly after she vanished. danny savage, bbc news, st michael's on wyre. the bbc has announced that the hit show top gear will not return to our screens for the foreseeable future after one of the programme's presenters, freddie flintoff, was seriously injured during a crash

while filming last december. the long—running motoring show, which is sold around the world, will now be rested. our media and arts correspondent david sillito reports. that looks very, very dangerous. top gear, and freddie flintoff... 0h, here we go. ..the car show�*s charismatic daredevil. here, dramatically running out of road. but in december of last year there was an accident at the dunsfold park track in surrey that left him with serious facial injuries. filming of the show came to an end, and even months later, freddie's injuries are still visible. however, little is known about what actually happened that day. his co—host chris harris told bbc breakfast that everyone had agreed to say nothing. he's healing, you know? it was a serious incident, i'm not going to say any more than that, and i'm so proud of the fact that team top gear kept everything quiet. even the report into the accident is not being made public. however, a wider, independent investigation into the show�*s

safety policies concluded procedures were followed. nevertheless, the uk show is being shelved — the word "rested" is the official phrase. but the original stig who worked with clarkson and co in the noughties thinks the programme may be facing more than just a little lie—down. i personally don't think it's a little rest, i think the programme has been laid to rest. i think that there's no appetite from certain quarters inside the bbc to continue with the show. i'm not happy about it from a commercial perspective, i think it's the completely wrong decision — of course, top gear has been written off in the past. the old comfy, cardigan—clad consumer show... and maryjohns has been having a spot of trouble i changing her plugs. ..was saved from cancellation whenjeremy clarkson added comedy and some terrifying risk—taking. and the show�*s international variants will continue. this is the italian approach. mamma mia!! 0h!

and this is top gear, french—style. 0h! si, si, mais... but it's the end, for now, for the uk version. the bbc has reached a financial settlement with freddie flintoff and top gear, one of the corporation's best—known programmes, is now officially "at rest" for the foreseeable future. david sillito, bbc news. football, and wales have failed to qualify for next year's european championships automatically but will get a second chance in the playoffs. a draw against turkey in cardiff brought a frustrating campaign to an end for rob page's team, with fans questioning whether he should remain as manager. from cardiff, hywel griffith reports. with a handful of hope but little expectation, fans came clutching to the idea that wales could still qualify for the euros with a win here and a loss or draw for croatia. determined to secure their side of

the deal, wales started with intent. neco williams wide the first time but three minutes later, a second invitation to shoot and wales were invitation to shoot and wales were in front. . ., invitation to shoot and wales were in front. .., ~ ., , invitation to shoot and wales were in front._ turkey - in front. neco williams! turkey failed to take _ in front. neco williams! turkey failed to take their— in front. neco williams! turkey failed to take their chances. i in front. neco williams! turkey. failed to take their chances. and they handed wales at some as well. but as they tired, wales were tested. time to hold on. perhaps a little too tightly as the referee judged ben davies' pushed to be a she” judged ben davies' pushed to be a shelf and a penalty. yusuf yazici bringing something level. —— bringing something level. —— bringing things level. johnsonism zeit... brennanjohnson thought he had put wales back ahead but was ruled offside. and so a frustrating end to a campaign that has seen wales falter too often. in the end, even a win would have not been

enough for wales is kosher secured victory and a spot in the euros so now welsh hopes were left on the play—offs and a second chance in march. play-offs and a second chance in march. ~ ., ., ., , ., march. we have done a brilliant campaign. _ march. we have done a brilliant campaign. to — march. we have done a brilliant campaign. to be _ march. we have done a brilliant campaign, to be fair. _ march. we have done a brilliant campaign, to be fair. just - march. we have done a brilliant campaign, to be fair. just come j campaign, to be fair. just come short at the end. but i think we will still do it in the play—offs. we can do it but obviously the chances — we can do it but obviously the chances are much harder for us to .et chances are much harder for us to get through. it chances are much harder for us to get through-— get through. it may require more than a little _ get through. it may require more than a little luck some _ get through. it may require more than a little luck some fans - get through. it may require more than a little luck some fans think| get through. it may require more. than a little luck some fans think a new manager might be the only way to get wales over the line. king charles is hosting his first state visit since the coronation. he has welcomed south korea's president to london with a lavish banquet at buckingham palace along with 170 guests. the three—day state visit began with a ceremony at horse guards parade, a carriage procession along the mall, before president yoon addressed members from both houses of parliament. he will meet the prime minister in downing street tomorrow to sign a new long—term agreement covering defence and technology co—operation.

time for a look at the weather, here's ben rich. some ups and downs in the weather for the next few days, temperatures on something of a roller—coaster ride and today they have been generally around the norm for this time of year, around the seasonal average although it has felt a bit chilly in some places. tomorrow will see a westerly wind bringing some much milder air into the picture, we could see 1a degrees in parts of eastern scotland in the afternoon and then fast forward to the end of the week, northerly winds developed and aberdeen at this stage are likely to be only 6 degrees at best and they will be some wintry showers around particular in the north of scotland. back to the here and now, across scotland it will turn increasingly mild overnight with mcleod, some outbreaks of rain, some rain in northern ireland and may be in northern england and north wales and further south, some clear spot on the odd mist or fog patch.

and further south, some clear spot on the odd mist orfog patch. in southern areas it will stay chilly northern area is turning much milder by the start of tomorrow morning. tomorrow, high pressure to the south, low project to the north and this frontal system and between this warm front and the cold front, a wedge warm or at least very mild air. also in that wedge of mild air, air. also in that wedge of mild air, a lot of cloud producing outbreaks of rain particularly across western and northern scotland, and windy here as well. bit patchy rain in northern ireland and northern england, north wales, the best chance of any sunshine, at least any brightness, to the east of higher ground and certainly in eastern and south—eastern england but the temperatures tomorrow, 11—14. but through tomorrow night into thursday, you have to watch this wriggling weather front because as it pushes southwards, going into thursday, that will introduce the colder air and head of that system, a lot of cloud and behind it, some spells of sunshine but we are into the colder air, some showers, some wintry overhead ground in the north and gates in northern scotland but

temperatures coming down from the north as the day wears on and for the end of the week, all of us into the end of the week, all of us into the chilly northerly winds, some wintry showers across high ground in northern scotland and it is set to stay fairly chilly as we head into the weekend. thanks, ben. and that's bbc news at ten. there's more analysis of the day's main stories on newsnight which isjust getting underway on bbc two. that is with victoria. the news continues here on bbc one, as now it's time to join our colleagues across the nations and regions for the news where you are. but from the ten team, it's goodnight.