live from london, this is bbc news. israel's military says three hostages who were mistakenly killed by its soldiers in gaza were holding a white flag. the killings have increased the pressure on the israeli government to resume negotiations with hamas. the families of the hostages have been holding a rally in tel aviv. if there is an opportunity to free hostages, we will take that opportunity, but we think the application of military force on hamas, on its leadership, is the way to help release people. luton�*s premier league football match is abandoned after its captain, tom lockyer, collapses on pitch. he is the highest ranking church official ever to stand trial

before a vatican criminal court. hello, a very warm welcome to you. the israeli army says three hostages who were mistakenly shot dead by troops in gaza had been holding a white flag. early findings from an official investigation said the men were fired on in breach of the army's rules of engagement. an israeli soldier began shooting when three shirtless men emerged from a building in the suburbs of gaza city. alon shamriz, yotam haim and samer el—talalqa were killed in shejaiya, in the north of gaza. the idf say their killing was "very tragic". an army spokesman told the bbc... in a separate development, an aljazeera journalist and cameraman, samer abudaqa, was killed on friday

in an israeli strike. from jerusalem, our security correspondent, frank gardner, sent this report. in the war zone that is gaza, israeli forces have committed a tragic error. in their effort to free hostages, they shot three of them, mistaking them for hamas fighters. the young israeli men were all their 20s, seized by hamas in their raid into israel. now, an investigation has revealed they were carrying a white flag. relatives of the more than 100 hostages still held in gaza have been gathering in tel aviv, demanding the government do more to get their loved ones out. israel's policy is to put pressure on hamas by military force, which they say isn't working. translation: there is no price for the hostages, - they must be willing to pay any price, to pay anything now. that is what i'm saying. yesterday — not now.

in gaza, another funeral — this time for a well—known palestinian cameraman who worked for the aljazeera network, killed in a drone strike. friends describe him as a veteran journalist and talented cameraman. he's a compassionate soul, he is very dedicated to bringing the coverage to the world. he had the opportunity to emigrate to belgium, to brussels, where his family is now residing. but he refused, he said gaza's story is my story. across gaza, the humanitarian situation deteriorates. aid trucks are getting in, but un workers say in many cases they are mobbed by desperate palestinians and stripped of their food. washington want israel to wrap up its operation soon. israel says it needs months more to finish the job of destroying hamas.

some of the relatives of those being held hostage delivered a statement in tel aviv. and i spoke to frank about that. i in tel aviv. and i spoke to frank about that-— about that. i think they are 'ust runnina about that. i think they are 'ust running out fl about that. i think they are 'ust running out of i about that. i think they are 'ust running out of patience i about that. i think they are just running out of patience with . about that. i think they are just| running out of patience with the israeli government policy of not negotiating, because as you rightly pointed out there in that interview with mark rhagav, mediation was what got the hostages out. you could argue about whether or not hamas were under pressure, but the fact is that it was a deal that got there as dozens of hostages out earlier. the families and relatives that we have seen protesting and gathering, holding up placards in tel aviv, are really frustrated. one of them said it is easier to get a meeting with president biden that it is with their own government. and clearly, this is bad optics for the benjamin netanyahu government, because they opted for a policy of maximum force, of putting hamas under enormous military pressure in the belief that that will either force hamas to give

up that will either force hamas to give up the hostages or that they will be able to rescue them by force. that is not happening. that is the problem. there is only one hostage they got out that way. she was freed, she was a relativelyjunior idf service woman. the others, their release was negotiated in exchange for the release of large numbers of palestinian prisoners and the influx in aid and a pause in the campaign. israel doesn't want to do that, the government doesn't want to do that pause because they fear that if they hold their military campaign, hamas will simply rebuild and then attack them again, as they did on october seven. and hamas have said they are going to do exactly that. so they are in a tight spot here but i think wiser heads are starting to prevail and the rather persistent reports of the head of mossad that israel's spy

agency is due to meet. the qatari prime minister and foreign minister somewhere in europe, to discuss possibly some kind of mediation, some kind of a deal. hamas is showing signs that it once a deal, but of course they have got a vested interest in passing the conflict because they are under enormous pressure. but let's not forget the wider context to all of this, which is that while israel's military campaign grinds on in gaza, it is levelling that area, it is killing enormous numbers of palestinian civilians every day and causing enormous suffering while they go about the business of eliminating hamas as a military force, and even thatis hamas as a military force, and even that is debatable, about whether it is ultimately achievable. fiur is ultimately achievable. our security corresponded, frank gardner, who spoke to me earlier from jerusalem.

israel's spokesperson mark regev. the idf is investigating exactly what happened. first and foremost, our hearts go out to the families of these three hostages who were tragically killed. it was obviously a combat zone. i know from that area where the three were, there had been hostile fire before, and afterwards there was also hostile fire from the area towards our forces. the whole area is a war zone. it doesn't of course justify what happened, that is why it is being investigated at the highest level by the idf. it is unacceptable. an initial report by israel's military says these deaths went against israel's rules of engagement. what are those rules of engagement? so, some of them we have to keep confidential because hamas is listening to our conversation.

and we want to keep some things from the enemy. but it's clear we don't want to kill innocents, we don't want to kill our hostages. if we find them, it's clear this was a tragic, tragic error by our forces. we have to do our own checking to make sure it doesn't re—occur. one of the problems we face is hamas don't wear uniforms, they wear civilian clothes. they are terrorists. there have been incidents in the past where supposedly surrender and then they attack our forces. it's very difficult house to house combat. you think an area is clean and someone comes out of a door or underground tunnel and can open fire on our forces. it is difficult. i am notjustifying what happened. if soldiers broke the rules of engagement, there

has to be action taken. but i'm just but i'mjust given but i'm just given the context of how these — but i'm just given the context of how these things can happen. i did my military service. anyone who has been in the army knows there's always a danger of what the experts call blue on blue, or friendly fire casualties. in this case, it's even more egregious because the victims of the tragic incident were in fact civilians. they were taken hostage by hamas. and we have to get to the bottom of what happened. we're seeing protests now, and we've had relatives of hostages here on bbc news as well expressing their frustration. it seems to be the case that getting the hostages out by force isn't working, when a temporary ceasefire did work and we saw dozens of hostages released. is it time for a change of course?

we would argue, and we believe we're correct, that we only had the release of the hostages precisely because the use of force. hamas only agreed to their release when it was desperate for a ceasefire. they didn't suddenly become humanitarians, that they will release hostages out of the goodness of their heart or respect for international humanitarian law. hamas has no respect, their whole behaviour is against the rules of armed conflict. that's who hamas is. just as they butchered israelis, they have no qualms of butchering innocents. we have seen it over and over again. hamas will only release hostages if they are under pressure, and we believe the military pressure is the way to do it. of course we understand the hostage families, one can only start to begin to understand their pain and suffering, having

a loved one held by hamas and knowing what sort of terrible, gruesome violence hamas is capable of. one feels for them. if there is an opportunity to free hostages, we will take that opportunity. that is mark rhagav, a spokesperson for the israeli government. we heard from relatives of hostages speaking earlier who express their frustrations about the way the israeli government has handled things. they say that they want their loved ones to return home. we heard from rudy chen. let's have a listen to him. his 19—year—old son itai chen was taken hostage by hamas. ~ ., itai chen was taken hostage by hamas. ~ . ., ., . g, hamas. we are demanding that the war cabinet exolain- — hamas. we are demanding that the war cabinet explain. the _ hamas. we are demanding that the war cabinet explain. the israeli _ cabinet explain. the israeli government needs to be active, they need to put an offer on the table,

including prisoners with blood on their hands, and put the best offer on the table to get the hostages back alive. i live. we don't want them back in bags. that requires to act now. we have no time. that is what my clock that i took the united states meeting says. we have no time. no time.— states meeting says. we have no time. no time. ruby chen speaking there in tel — time. no time. ruby chen speaking there in tel aviv _ time. no time. ruby chen speaking there in tel aviv earlier. _ time. no time. ruby chen speaking there in tel aviv earlier. we - time. no time. ruby chen speaking there in tel aviv earlier. we can - time. no time. ruby chen speaking there in tel aviv earlier. we can go| there in tel aviv earlier. we can go live now come to a former israeli diplomat and a former adviser to several israeli foreign ministers. thank you forjoining us here on the bbc. when you watch that statement from ruby chen, what do you make of how the israeli government is handling the situation?- how the israeli government is handling the situation? well, there

are two levels _ handling the situation? well, there are two levels of _ handling the situation? well, there are two levels of treatment - handling the situation? well, there are two levels of treatment here i are two levels of treatment here that are under scrutiny. one is the diplomatic, the government doesn't seem to think of the hostages as a priority. in fact, seem to think of the hostages as a priority. infact, president seem to think of the hostages as a priority. in fact, president biden seesit priority. in fact, president biden sees it much or as a priority. so the families have grievances with the families have grievances with the priorities that the israeli government have been displaying. the second is that they feel there is... obviously they are supported by hundreds of thousands, if not millions of israelis and their protests, but they feel that the government, the cabinet is not showing any signs of compassion, of empathy, sensitivity or seriously listening to what they have to say. instead, in the last two or three weeks, and he mentioned that before,

or indeed your reporter mentioned it, there has been negotiations on a... and they are grieving and they just ate few hours ago it was reported that another israeli hostage was pronounced dead in captivity, a young woman, an arts student. so they are saying, on balance, even with the trade—offs, no military gains would be reduced or diminished bya no military gains would be reduced or diminished by a ceasefire while we can work some kind of a negotiation. the government is being impervious. just negotiation. the government is being imervious. , , ,., impervious. just you pick you up on that, we impervious. just you pick you up on that. we heard _ impervious. just you pick you up on that, we heard from _ impervious. just you pick you up on that, we heard from mark- impervious. just you pick you up on that, we heard from mark rhagav l impervious. just you pick you up on that, we heard from mark rhagav a little earlier who seem to echo what we heard from prime minister benjamin netanyahu, which is that military campaign will continue, and that comes despite concerns indeed from president biden about the

direction of that military campaign. of course, because he is echoing the prime minister because he is spokesperson. no surprise there. he has been given a list of points to read out. , ., ., �* ., read out. understood. but are we likel to read out. understood. but are we likely to see _ read out. understood. but are we likely to see a _ read out. understood. but are we likely to see a change _ read out. understood. but are we likely to see a change in - read out. understood. but are we j likely to see a change in strategy. candy hostage families put any new pressure on this ongoing situation? the families, indeed the majority of israelis, have not gone to the streets until now but are beginning to contemplate the idea. and on the other hand, america. you saw a visit here yesterday of the national security adviserjake sutherland, security adviser jake sutherland, the security adviserjake sutherland, the secretary of state, the american secretary of state, is expected here in the next few days. and i think the americans are going to put pressure. but a dramatic change in how the war is being prosecuted, how it is managed. you will see... i

think you will see a change in the next two or three weeks, maybe less. however, there is another possibility. on the flip side, prime minister benjamin netanyahu, because he is deliberately seeking a confrontation with the us to show bravado, is going to defy us pressures, doesn't have any empathy, sympathy or sensitivity or compassion with the families or the hostages and willjust continue on, in which case you will see even greater demonstrations going on. {lilia greater demonstrations going on. ok, thank ou greater demonstrations going on. ok, thank you very much for sharing your insight as a former israeli diplomat and someone who has advised israeli foreign ministers. now it's time for a look at today's sport with chetan. 0h, oh,jane. my oh, jane. my apologies, jane. i have been called worse.

in the english premier league, there were very sombre scenes in the match between luton town and bournemouth which had to be abandoned after the luton captain collapsed at the vitality. tom lockyer fell to the ground with nobody nearby and received medical attention from both teams' medicalstaff, before being stretchered off. all players left the field, while concerned fans watched on. he was said to be alert and responsive in the tunnel. but a similar incident happened in may when he collapsed just a few minutes into luton�*s play off final win over coventry. lockyer underwent an operation for an irregular heartbeat. and of course all thoughts are with him and his family. jack grealish with the first goal in the first half after a var check. rico lewis got the second for manchester city before palace pulled one back. they were then awarded a penalty in the 95th minute. it was crystal

palace's michael leask you took it and he scored the equaliser. elsewhere in the premier league on saturday, chelsea beat sheffield united 2—0, fulham lost 3—0 to newcastle at st james's park. burnley play everton later as sean dyche returns to his old club. barcelona are back in action later away at valencia, aiming to put a difficult week behind them. they lost to royal antwerp in the champions league after being shocked by la liga leaders girona last sunday. it leaves them fourth — seven points off the top of the table. but manager xavi is unhappy with criticism coming his way. translation: a month ago, you told me i was translation: a month ago, you told me i was the — translation: a month ago, you told me i was the ferguson. _ translation: a month ago, you told me i was the ferguson. you _ translation: a month ago, you told me i was the ferguson. you said - translation: a month ago, you told me i was the ferguson. you said i - me i was the ferguson. you said i was going to be, you told me that. i am about to go crazy, so now i am out of a job? what is the reality?

where am i? you get it, stability, the club needs stability. celta vigo have beaten granada i—o. jorgen strand—larsen with the goal. athletic bilbao are in action against atletico madrid it's 2-0. sevilla take on getafe later, then barcelona are away at valencia. to cricket, and india have beaten england in a women's test match at home for the first time — after crushing the tourists in mumbai. they were set an improbable a78 to win — the highest—ever chase in women's test cricket. england were dismissed forjust 131 with only two batters reaching 20 runs. the conditions very much favouring the bowlers, with india winning this one—off test by 310 runs. england's captain did take some positives from the tour as a whole, though. india played very well obviously. we will take _ india played very well obviously. we

will take a _ india played very well obviously. we will take a lot from this tour, winning — will take a lot from this tour, winning that t20 leg. with the world cup coming up. i think we played outstanding. in terms of the t20, that is_ outstanding. in terms of the t20, that is obviously coming up in the next _ that is obviously coming up in the next year— that is obviously coming up in the next year and the one we are prepping _ next year and the one we are prepping the most four. australia's men are in a commanding position in their first test against pakistan in perth. nathan lyon took three for 66 — he's now on 499 test wickets. with pakistan bowled out for 271 on day three. the aussies will resume on sunday on 811—2, that's a lead of 300 runs. there are more details on other stories, including the condition of tom lockyer. that is all the for

thank you very much, jane. i got it right this time. there is more on the bbc news website if you want to stay across that story. angelo becciu, who a vatican court has convicted pope francis�* former adviser to five years and six months in jail for financial crimes at the end of a historic trial. angelo becciu — a who was once considered a papal contender himself — had strongly denied charges that included embezzlement and abuse of office. emily brown reports this is the most senior vatican official ever to be charged with financial crimes. the vatican court has sentenced italian cardinal angelo becciu to five years and six months injail. the 75—year—old is a former adviser to pope francis and is the most senior clergymen to face a vatican criminal court. at the heart of the trial was a 350 million euros purchase of a property in london, which used to be a harrods

warehouse, but with church money, but it incurred a huge loss and ended up costing the vatican tens of millions of euros. the trial, which began more than two years ago, has shone a light on finances and has been seen widely as a test of pope francis's form. just weeks before the trial, he gave the vatican civilian court the ability to trial cardinals and bishops were previously they were judged in the court presided by cardinals. angelo becciu and nine other defendants have strongly denied charges that included embezzlement and abuse of office. the panel of three lay judges metjust a few hours ago before retiring ahead of their verdict. this brings an end to end historic trial of a once powerful italian cardinal. the british prime minister rishi

sunak is in rome today, where he has been speaking at a political festival hosted by his right—wing italian counterpart, giorgia meloni. illegal migration is high on the political agenda in both countries, and the two leaders are expected to discuss the issue during mr sunak�*s visit. the uk prime minister spoke on about the measures he and giorgia meloni are willing to take on that issue of immigration. georgia is planning to send asylum seekers to albania to be processed and i am passing legislation so that we can send illegal migrants to rwanda. we are both determined to break the business model of these criminal gangs. applause let me say this. if that requires us to update our laws and lead an international conversation to amend post—war frameworks around asylum, then we must do that, because if we don't fix this problem now,

the boats will keep coming and more lives will be lost at sea. let's hear now from our political correspondent, damien grammaticus. why did rishi sunak go to this festival? . , ., , ., ., ., ., festival? the answer has a lot to do with political— festival? the answer has a lot to do with political leaders _ festival? the answer has a lot to do with political leaders liking - festival? the answer has a lot to do with political leaders liking to - with political leaders liking to find sort of allies on the big stage, and these two leaders have found a sort of common purpose, if you like, even though they come from slightly different political traditions. rishi sunakfrom the conservative party uk, traditional centre—right party, giorgia meloni in italy, much more from the far right, her own political background on the sort of extreme right of italian politics. since she has come to power, roughly the same time it's rishi sunak did, she has taxi a little bit more to try and soften her edges a little bit, he has been

looking for allies internationally and they bond over one particular issue, which is immigration and the need to control that. they both see themselves as countries tackling this. italy, but crosses across the mediterranean, the uk across the channel. and both pushing policies that many think push the boundaries of international law. i have to say, with that in mind, there are some significant differences. you heard rishi sunak saying that his policy is one being copied by italy, but italy pass policy is to process its own migrants in albania, the uk looking to outsource it to rwanda. aha, looking to outsource it to rwanda. a reminder of a developing story here in the uk, and that is that luton town's premier league match at bournemouth was abandoned after the team's captain tom lockyer collapsed on the pitch. luton says he is responsive and has been taken to

hospital. there is more on that and the rest of the day's news on the bbc news website. i will be back after a short break. hello there. good afternoon. well, it's cloudy, it's windy. it's really very mild across the whole of the uk as we head throughout the weekend. temperatures are well above the seasonal average. there is some sunshine around at times, notably across northern england earlier on this morning and generally towards the lea of high ground we will see some breaks in the cloud, too. that milder air is coming streaming in on a brisk south—westerly wind, really quite blustery towards these north—west facing coasts and aligned with the wind some heavy downpours of rain. and that willjust continue to pile into western scotland as we head throughout this afternoon and through the day tomorrow. it will be relentless, that rain, and the rainfall totals will start to rack up as much as 200 millimetres, perhaps, for some western slopes. there's a met office amber weather warning enforced throughout the day tomorrow, valid from argyll and bute all the way as far north as sutherland. and there could even be some landslips, most likely across the south highlands.

so the rain continues in the west. further east across eastern scotland, the moray coast will see some breaks in the clouds and breaks too across northern england and north—east wales. further south it's cloudy and it's really very mild, 12 or 13 degrees celsius pretty much across the board. that brisk south—westerly wind just continues through this evening and overnight, the rain continues to pile into western scotland. but further south, it is a mostly dry picture, but plenty of cloud, a few breaks in the cloud, perhaps, for south—east england. here, temperatures will drop to 8 or 9 degrees, but that's very mild. it's the sort of temperature that we'd normally expect to see by day at this time of year. now, sunday, a repeat performance. again, some very heavy downpours of rain into western scotland throughout the day. the rain will start to sink a little further southwards into northern ireland and perhaps north—west england as we go through the afternoon. so drying out a little across the far north of scotland, temperatures 10—14 degrees celsius and breaks in the cloud again just in the shelter of the pennines towards the east and across north—east wales.

again, perhaps for south—east england, too. as we head through sunday night and into monday, that rain clears away from much of scotland. it will push further southwards and it will start to pep up again across england and wales, particularly towards the south as we head through the day on tuesday. so some very wet weather then in the south on tuesday, the rain clears away, but there will be some showers following on behind and eventually some colder—feeling air. keep an eye on the forecast for the rest of the week. bye.

live from london. this is bbc news israel says the three hostages , who were mistakenly killed by israeli troops in gaza —— were holding a white flag when they were shot. the families of israelis still held in gaza have intensified their calls on the israeli government to resume negotiations with hamas — to try to secure their release. a spokesman for the israeli prime minister defended their approach. if there is an opportunity to free hostages, we will take that opportunity, but we think the application of military force on the hamas military machine and its leadership is the way to expedite the release of people. aljazeera — the tv news network — says one of its camera operators was killed by an israeli air strike in southern gaza. italy's prime minister georgia

meloni is hosting a four—day right—wing festival , rishi sunak and elon musk are among the guests. hello i'm. . . . rajini vaidyanathan let's go back now to our coverage of the israel—gaza war, and the reaction in israel to the news that the country's military mistakenly killed three of the hostages who were taken by hamas, during its operations there. alon shamriz, yotam high—eem and samer al talaa—kay— seen here left to right — were shot by israeli troops in ashajighuh, in the north of gaza. a spokesperson said they were misidentified as a threat — and that they were carrying a white cloth on a pole. israel says that they were fired upon, contrary to israel's rules of military engagement. here are live pictures of tel aviv where we can see hundreds of

families, friends and supporters of those being held hostage and this is hostage plaza, and they are repeating their cause for the israeli government to do more to secure the release of hostages. as you can see there, huge crowds there as they —— and earlier we heard from relatives of some of the hostages who delivered a prescient statement expressing frustration with israel's government and we heard from ruby chen, who send was the in captivity, who said it was easier for them to

get a meeting with president biden thatis get a meeting with president biden that is really cabinet, saying they demanded talks with the israeli government. lots of frustration and relatives calling for the return for talks with hamas and there have been reports that talks may resume, although when i spoke to mark ray give, a spokesperson for the israeli government he declined to comment on whether talks are likely to resume. earlier i spoke to rachel goldberg, mother of 23—year—old hersh, because the initial stated goal is by the israeli government since this war has taken place was to get rid of the threat of hamas and equally to get the hostages home, but if you

have two equal goals, the families feel that you should be given equal time to both, and right now we see that for these past many weeks we have been given 20 47 for the dimension —— diminishing of hamas threat by attacking them in gaza, but we are not given 2a — seven attempts to the hostage situation. so we do feel very frustrated and as you can imagine, or anyone can imagine, put yourself in our place, pretend this is your only son who kissed her goodbye 71 nights ago and said" i will see you tomorrow" love your. said" i will see you tomorrow" love you". i have seen the video that he's had his arm blown off, everyone is suffering horribly, he lost his

dominant arm from the elbow down, so thatis dominant arm from the elbow down, so that is terrifying for us personally, but everyone is suffering, every single hostage family is suffering like we are. rachel, do you know any more about how your son is, are getting updates? this how your son is, are getting updates?— how your son is, are getting updates? how your son is, are getting udates? a ~ ., , , updates? as you know mum because it's been widely _ updates? as you know mum because it's been widely expressed _ updates? as you know mum because it's been widely expressed in - it's been widely expressed in the press, the international red cross has not had access to any hostages nor has any other international aid organisation on earth, so none of us have any idea how any of our loved ones are many of us know there were wounded before being taken captive many were raped, many were very badly injured and all in deep anguish and despair knowing that nobody has gone in to check on them. nobody in the whole world.

the funeral has been held for one of aljazeera's camera operators who has been killed in aljazeera says samer abu daqqa was killed by an israeli drone strike on a school in khan yunis. the committee to protectjournalists says at least 64 journalists and media workers have now been killed since october when israel began its war on hamas. but some estimates put the number higher. aljazeera's managing editor mohamed moawad described his as a compassionate soul and dedicated to bringing the coverage of gaza to the world. what happened is our correspondent

and our cameraman, sam rabuka, who lost his life yesterday, went in in their duty to cover and the aftermath of an air strike on a shelter school in khan yunis. now that the situation in khan yunis now is escalating and the israeli air strikes is everywhere now around the centre of the city. they went to give voice to the voiceless. and this school because the owner was sheltered school are now even targeted by the air strikes. so they went to cover the aftermath after an air strike targeted the school. and right after they have arrived to the to the to the area, they were targeted as well by an israeli drone. however, our correspondent, who himself lost his family in this war by an israeli air strike that targeted the shelter house that they resorted to in khan yunis as well managed to walk from the area after he got injured

by the air strike. but our colleague's severe injury did not allow him to walk. so we were like for five hours trying to appeal to the world to help us co—ordinate with the idf to evacuate samira. but unfortunately, once the ambulances arrived to the area to evacuate him, he was already dead. and we knew after that, that and what appeared to be an israeli drone belongs to the idf, targeted the area, and he was secondly targeted as well while he was trying to crawl on the ground to get to a safe area. but unfortunately, he lost his life. he is a compassionate soul. he is very dedicated to bringing

the coverage to the world. he had the opportunity, by the way, to immigrate to belgium, to brussels, where his family is now residing. but he refused. he said that story is my story. "i will keep the coverage going". and you know that no international journalist was able to enter gaza to bring to the world the voice of the civilians suffering. so localjournalists in gaza are really taking the lead and making sure that the coverage continue. the israeli army said in a statement "the idf takes all operationally feasible measures to protect both civilians and journalists. the idf has never, and will never, deliberately target journalists. given the ongoing exchanges of fire, remaining in an active combat zone has inherent risks. the idf will continue to counter threats while persisting to mitigate harm to civilians."

i spoke earlier about developments with the humanitarian situation with unrwa director of communications, juliette touma. today, we mark the fourth cut in telecommunications across the gaza strip and one of the longest. it started on thursday night, so almost 48 hours ago and it continues across the gaza strip, which makes the communication between us and the teams on the ground in gaza difficult. it makes the delivery of aid, which is limited to the south, far more challenging. when you talk about the delivery of aid, how are you able to distribute what little is getting in? are you having cooperation with local forces on the ground to get the aid to where it is?

our teams are on the grounds, the largest un agency in the strip. we deliver directly to people in need, mainly in shelters where we are hosting more than 1.3 million people in mostly what has been unrwa schools. let's talk about the situation in the hospitals. i was speaking to another agency working in gaza who talked about fewer than 12 hospitals functioning. that was only partially functioning. what is the latest you can tell us on that? according to the un estimates, only one third of possibles only one third of hospitals are functioning in the gaza strip.

mostly in the south where the vast majority of the population has been forced to fully too. there is very little medical supplies and medicine, and there's also not enough medical personnel. in terms of the aid you have, how much have you received in the last few days over the rafah crossing? on average, it is 100 trucks or a little bit more every single day, which is by far not enough. this is exactly why we are looking forward to the opening of the crossing between israel and gaza. if that opens and we see a direct delivery of aid trucks into the gaza strip, that is welcome. you see that crossing point used to process everyday before the war, 500 trucks, including for the commercial sector, which is currently nonexistent in gaza.

in addition to humanitarian supplies, what is needed for gaza at the moment is also a boost of commercial and private sector supplies. you talk about that crossing, or that avenue, being potentially a lifeline. what indications are you getting it could be open for aid again? we've been calling for that crossing to open for 70 days now. it has been closed since the war began with a significant impact on people, as the siege got tighter and tighter. when i was in gaza a couple of weeks ago, every single shop we passed through was close. there was no market in gaza. even those who have some cash left cannot do anything with it. it is critical that that crossing point does open, and what is important is aid goes from that crossing point directly to gaza and not get re—routed or diverted

via the crossing point with egypt. just before we let you go, what about the situation in the north, because we were hearing the worst impacts over has been the worst impacts so far has been there and that is where aid has been difficult to reach, or harder to reach, because it is further from the rafah crossing. it is extremely difficult to reach the north. we were only able to deliver assistance to the north very scarcely. during that short lived pause primarily that we had a couple of weeks ago. and there are heavy, heavy bombardments taking place, including just recently, i am sure you have seen the video of a unrwa school that got blown up completely. no place is safe, not in the north, middle or south of the gaza strip.

if you want more undeveloped ends in the middle east you can go to the bbc news website where there is more coverage. a british teenager who was missing for six years is expected to come home later today. alex batty, who is now 17, disappeared on a family holiday to spain with his mother and grandfather in 2017. he was found on wednesday morning by a motorist who saw him walking through the rain near toulouse. a local resident said that teenager had been living nearby on and offered to three years. authorities in france that he ran away from his mother because she wanted to take them to finland. his grandmother emma who is his legal guardian, said she can't wait to see him. we have been hearing from prosecutors about alex batty�*s condition. they said he appears composed and intelligent.

they being giving details about what his life seems to have been like over the last two years. it is understood he went first to morocco with his mother and grandfather and then for the last couple of years has been in the french pyrenees, in a region popular with people who are looking for alternative lifestyles. the authorities say he seems to have been part of what they call a small spiritual community, wandering around, doing gardening, oddjobs, carrying their own solar panels. as you mentioned, his mother recently apparently said she wanted to go to finland, that seems to be the point where alex decided he wanted to return to england. back in england his legal guardian, his grandmother, has said she is relieved to hearfrom him and has also appealed for privacy as they prepare to welcome him back.

the onset of winter has created greater demand at hospitals across the uk. in scotland, figures show in the first week of december one in ten ambulances were waiting almost two hours for a space in a&e. lisa summers reports. can you squeeze my hand? do you know what's happened? pre—dawn, and this woman needs taking to hospital after a seizure. a jogger called 999 after seeing her collapse. she has not spoken at all? an hour into the shift and things are looking busy for technician aaron and paramedic david. a&e is already full, but a space managed by paramedics has been converted into a holding area for patients so that crews can get back on the road. we call that the corridor, which is basically an area we can take patients into, sort of assess them, monitor them by ambulance staff so they remain

there under their care and then when there is space in the main department they move into the care of hospital staff. the next 999 call is categorised as yellow, it's been in the system for several hours, but moments later... we have been diverted so we have now gone to a higher priority call, a one—year—old that has got breathing problems. who have we got here? charlie. it sounds all up here, but deep in his lungs sound 0k. charlie is heading to the hospital for further checks. he has developed a chest infection but is now recovering at home. ambulance service, is the patient breathing? i will stay on the line with you for as long as i can. in the control room, the picture is of scotland—wide pressures, the first test of winter. david and aaron had returned to base after seven hours on the road. another red call.

this crew here are en route to a high—priority emergency for a young baby currently having a seizure. let'sjust see what we're dealing with. theyjoin a critical care team on site. did she start to choke or anything? did she go rigid? there was a red call and we were the closest crew so we did not get a break but thankfully, by the time we got there, the baby was alert and all smiles, but we thought it's best to get her checked out at hospital. outside edinburgh royal infirmary accident and emergency, ambulances queue up. over half the ambulances on duty are now here. there are 1a ambulances outside the hospital at the moment, despite efforts to try and speed up the process by which patients can be

brought in for further treatment. you can see it does not take much for them to stack up. before last year or the year before, did you ever really...? no. there were pressures in the hospital were always manageable but now hospital demand on services, it is increasing year on year. today is exceptionally busy — the air ambulance comes in with a&e ambulances waiting outside. a big list of emergency calls and a small list of ambulance resources, and we need to balance and juggle. just because you come by ambulance it does not mean you will be seen any quicker by triage. it is coming to the end of a 12—hour shift for david and aaron, but there is no let—up in the 999 calls. lisa summers, bbc news for the first time in six

years, doctor who is part of the christmas day lineup on bbc one in the uk. and there's a new time lord taking control of the tardis. millions are expected to tune in to watch ncuti gatwa take on the role as the 15th doctor. and there'll be a global audience too, with the show coming to disney plus at the same time outside the uk. i'm the doctor. ncuti gatwa, the new doctor. an anxiety inducing role thanks to the levels of pressure and expectation. hold on tight. exactly that. it's daunting taking on a role with a lot of history, which is where my anxiety has came from. because you want to do a good job because the show lives in people's hearts, rightfully so. because it's a magical show. and it is our show. it's like, it's a british show. it's part of our family, and you don't want to let the family down. so, yeah, i was very nervous to kind of keep this beloved, sacred thing, beloved and sacred. and how often do those little moments of anxiety happen?

did they decrease as the series went on? they've never not happened, lizo! it's 20 from the moment i wake up to the moment i go to bed, it's anxiety. but i mean, people tell me that it means that i care, erm, and i do. i love the show massively and i love the role massively. and it is also hard. it's a hard role. it's a... it's a prestigious role and which means that it's complex and difficult. and so i'm just trying to do my best. hopefully, i've done that. but yeah, you're anxious to do a good job. every doctor, of course, brings in particular characteristics to the part. you seem to bring a real passion, a real energy, and if i can say so, a youthful sexiness. right? dol? cool, i think... i think, i think we've... i think we've all been, i think we've all been sexy in our own way!

yeah. i don't know. i think i've just tried to bring energy and fun. if this christmas day special is anything to go by... oh, no. what? ..there'll certainly be plenty of that with the doctor and his new companion, ruby sunday, battling singing, dancing, goblins. # here's the king. # here's the king goblin!#. no, i know! no, yeah. we're bringing a little, a little musicalflair to this christmas special. it will be seen as symbolic, the first black actor to play the lead in the show. what do you think that will mean to people? i think it means, er, that we're here. and we're not going anywhere. i mean, doctor who is a show that kind of reflects where britain is at,

in a way, at times, because it's so quintessentially british, it's been on our screens for so long. it's a bit of a mirror to where we are in society. and so i think it's showing that like, we're here and we're part of the cultural landscape and we're not going anywhere. ncuti was born in rwanda. when he was two, his family fled the country because of the civil war. first settling in edinburgh, then dunfermline. the character he's now playing has always felt a sense of displacement. did those kind of experiences help you form a connection to portraying the doctor? yes, i think i... i at many times in my life have felt a bit like an alien. a kid like me, growing up in scotland, there's been many times i've felt like an alien and so i feel like i get it. it's always a joy to get a character like that in which you're

able to draw on elements of your own life, your own upbringing, and deliver them for the character. because fundamentally, itjust comes out more truthfully. and finally, can you give us any non spoilery hints about your first series? uh... can i give any? i can't. lizo, please, don't get me in trouble now! i'm so bad with spoilers! don't do this to me! how i felt playing it was, yes, joyous and triumphant and i just loved it. quite simply loved it. ncuti gatwa, thank you so much for talking to us. thank you, lizo. we wish him the best of luck as the latest doctor. that's it for this hour, you can get all of today's news on the bbc news website and

stay with us here on bbc news. hello there. good afternoon. well, it's cloudy, it's windy. it's really very mild across the whole of the uk as we head throughout the weekend. temperatures are well above the seasonal average. there is some sunshine around at times, notably across northern england earlier on this morning and generally towards the lea of high ground we will see some breaks in the cloud, too. that milder air is coming streaming in on a brisk south—westerly wind, really quite blustery towards these north—west facing coasts and aligned with the wind some heavy downpours of rain. and that willjust continue to pile into western scotland as we head throughout this afternoon and through the day tomorrow. it will be relentless, that rain, and the rainfall totals will start to rack up as much as 200 millimetres, perhaps, for some western slopes. there's a met office amber weather warning enforced throughout the day tomorrow, valid from argyll and bute all the way as far north as sutherland.

and there could even be some landslips, most likely across the south highlands. so the rain continues in the west. further east across eastern scotland, the moray coast will see some breaks in the clouds and breaks too across northern england and north—east wales. further south it's cloudy and it's really very mild, 12 or 13 degrees celsius pretty much across the board. that brisk south—westerly wind just continues through this evening and overnight, the rain continues to pile into western scotland. but further south, it is a mostly dry picture, but plenty of cloud, a few breaks in the cloud, perhaps, for south—east england. here, temperatures will drop to 8 or 9 degrees, but that's very mild. it's the sort of temperature that we'd normally expect to see by day at this time of year. now, sunday, a repeat performance. again, some very heavy downpours of rain into western scotland throughout the day. the rain will start to sink a little further southwards into northern ireland and perhaps north—west england as we go through the afternoon. so drying out a little across the far north of scotland, temperatures 10—14 degrees celsius and breaks in the cloud again just in the shelter of the pennines towards the east and across north—east wales. again, perhaps for

south—east england, too. as we head through sunday night and into monday, that rain clears away from much of scotland. it will push further southwards and it will start to pep up again across england and wales, particularly towards the south as we head through the day on tuesday. so some very wet weather then in the south on tuesday, the rain clears away, but there will be some showers following on behind and eventually some colder—feeling air. keep an eye on the forecast for the rest of the week. bye.

live from london, this is bbc news. israel's military says three hostages who were mistakenly killed by its soldiers in gaza were holding a white flag. families of the hostages hold a rally in tel aviv, to urge the israeli government to resume negotiations with hamas. and the funeral is held for an aljazeera camera operator who was killed in gaza by an israeli air strike. the missing british boy who was found in france, six years after he went missing, is expected to travel back to the uk shortly. and luton's premier league football match at bournemouth is abandoned after their captain, tom lockyer, collapses on the pitch. and cardinal angelo becciu has been sentenced to jail for embezzlement. he's the highest ranking church

official ever to stand trial before a vatican criminal court.