live from london. this is bbc news. families of israeli hostages hold a rally in tel aviv to urge the government to do more to release them. benjamin netanyahu says military pressure will free them, but hints of possible talks. translation: continued military pressure will bring _ to the release of all the hostages and the assumption of entering negotiations is based on this pressure. without this pressure, we have nothing. the funeral is held for an aljazeera camera operator who has been killed in gaza by an israeli air strike. the missing british boy who was found in france six years after he went missing has arrived in the uk. luton�*s premier league football match at bournemouth is abandoned after their captain tom lockyer collapses on the pitch. he is in a stable condition. pop star olly alexander will represent the united kingdom at next year's eurovision song contest in sweden.

hello, i'm tanya beckett. benjamin netanyahu has said his country is in a war for its existence which it would continue, despite what he called the "heavy price" paid by israel. he was speaking after the israeli army shot dead three hostages in gaza by mistake. an israeli soldier opened fire on the men as they emerged from a building in the suburbs of gaza city, holding a white flag. an official investigation said the shots were fired in breach of the army's rules of engagement. alon shamriz, yotam haim and samer el—talaqa were killed in asha—jiga, in the north of the territory. mr netanyahu called the incident a disaster which broke his heart. he said the troops in gaza were risking their own lives as they tried to rescue hostages, and warned the military operation was necessary to force hamas to free

them, but hinted of possible talks. translation: since the tragedy occurred yesterday, _ i am haunted by one thought — what would have happened if only something would have been different? and i'm certain that this kind of thinking is something that you all share with me. we were so close to embracing them now, but unfortunately, we cannot turn back the clock. anybody who's ever been involved in combat knows that the distance between victory and disaster is ever so slim. we will draw the lessons, we will implement the lessons, and we will remain relentless in our military and diplomatic efforts to bring back all of the hostages home safely. with all the terrible sadness, let me clarify that the military pressure is necessary both for bringing back the hostages and to achieve victory. without the military operation,

we would not have been able to bring an outline that brought to the release of over 100 hostages and continued military pressure will bring to the release of all the hostages. the assumption of entering negotiations is based on this pressure. without this pressure, we have nothing. benjamin now you there, the israeli prime minister. with more on the reaction to the hostages�* deaths, here's our correspondent hugo bachega. for the families of the hostages who remain in gaza, it's an agonising wait made worse by a tragic mistake. the israeli military has given new details about how three israeli captives were shot dead by its own soldiers. yotam haim, alon shamriz and samer el—talalqa emerged shirtless from a building carrying a makeshift white flag.

one of the soldiers misidentified them as a threat and opened fired. two were killed instantly. a third, injured, returned to the building and was later killed. it's clear that we don't want to kill our hostages if we find them. it's clear that this was a tragic, tragic error by our forces and we have to do our own checking to make sure, do the maximum that it won't re—occur. for weeks, relatives and friends of the hostages have been gathering here in tel aviv in what is now known as hostages square. this place has become a symbol of the agonising wait of the families. many are angry with the government. freeing the hostages should be the main priority, they say. but their protests haven't been able to stop the israeli military offensive in gaza. the families say time is running out. translation: we must reach a deal for the release of all hostages now. i we're in a kind of russian roulette.

every day, we don't know which of the families of the hostages will get a knock on the door with horrible news. gaza, too, is mourning its dead. this was the funeral for samer abudaqa, a well—known palestinian cameraman who worked for the aljazeera network and was killed in an israeli drone strike. he's a compassionate soul. he is very dedicated to bringing the coverage to the world. - | he had the opportunity, by the way, | to emigrate to belgium, to brussels, where his family is now residing. but he refused. he said, "gaza's story is my story." in tel aviv tonight, the vigil continues. prime minister benjamin netanyahu is under pressure. israel says it needs more time to eliminate hamas and that only military force will bring back the hostages. but many here disagree. hugo bachega, bbc news, tel aviv.

hugo's in tel aviv this evening. we can ask him now but with the prime minister's comments tell us about where israel stands right now. tonya, this tragic incident has shocked the country. also of the worsening humanitarian crisis in the territory... but pressure is growing on him at home, too. he's saying that the war continues, he has indicated that talks are happening. there have been reports that his intelligence chief has had talks with the prime minister of qatar, acting as a

mediator in the crisis and negotiating the initial cease—fire. but here in tel aviv, the relatives of the hostages are furious because they say the government is not listening to them and the military strategy is failing. shortly before the prime minister spoke, another hostage was confirmed dead in gaza. there was a real sense of urgency for the families of the captives. in another sign that these negotiations are not going to be easy, hamas is saying that no talks about prisoner exchanges are going to take place unless the war in gaza stops. right, and the war— unless the war in gaza stops. right, and the war in _ unless the war in gaza stops. right, and the war in gaza _ unless the war in gaza stops. right, and the war in gaza of course - unless the war in gaza stops. right, and the war in gaza of course is - unless the war in gaza stops. right, and the war in gaza of course is in i and the war in gaza of course is in and the war in gaza of course is in a very critical phase with international pressure increasing to at least change course.— international pressure increasing to at least change course. exactly, and the prime minister _ at least change course. exactly, and the prime minister has _ at least change course. exactly, and the prime minister has been - at least change course. exactly, and the prime minister has been saying| the prime minister has been saying that the war is going to continue in the goal here is to not only guarantee the release of the hostages, but also to eliminate

hamas. there is a massive operation happening right now in gaza. one of the key targets of this military offensive is the city of khan younis in the south. this is where the israeli authorities believe the leadership of hamas is hiding, possibly in the vast network of underground tunnels. at the same time, hundreds of thousands of palestinians have been forced to flee their homes, and there is a massive humanitarian crisis in gaza right now with widespread shortages of basic supplies and the areas of the shelters have been considered saved simply cannot cope with this new wave of displaced residents. so the leadership of hamas has not yet been captured, hasn't been killed, so i think the israeli authorities are really far from a so i think the israeli authorities are really farfrom a position in which they can claim that they have eliminated hamas.— which they can claim that they have

eliminated hamas. hugo, thank you ve much eliminated hamas. hugo, thank you very much indeed. _ live now to udi goren, who isjoining us from israel. his cousin tal was kidnapped by hamas. what can you tell us about your cousin, udi? what can you tell us about your cousin. udi?— what can you tell us about your cousin, udi? actually, three days auo, we cousin, udi? actually, three days ago. we got _ cousin, udi? actually, three days ago, we got notice _ cousin, udi? actually, three days ago, we got notice that _ cousin, udi? actually, three days ago, we got notice that tal- cousin, udi? actually, three days ago, we got notice that tal has i cousin, udi? actually, three days i ago, we got notice that tal has been murdered. he is no longer going to come back to us. he is still a hostage, but he was taken hostage as a body and the idea of it has just given us the final notice —— the idf has. given us the final notice -- the idf has. �* , ., ., given us the final notice -- the idf has. , ., ., , has. i'm sorry to hear your news. what is your— has. i'm sorry to hear your news. what is your view _ has. i'm sorry to hear your news. what is your view on _ has. i'm sorry to hear your news. what is your view on what - has. i'm sorry to hear your news. i what is your view on what benjamin netanyahu said in his conference whereby he was really reinforcing the message that his military operation needed to continue? do you agree? i operation needed to continue? do you auree? ., �* ., , operation needed to continue? do you auree? .,�* ., , , ., operation needed to continue? do you airee? ., �* ., , , ., , agree? i don't, no. this is not 'ust bu in: agree? i don't, no. this is not 'ust buying time. �* agree? i don't, no. this is not 'ust buying time. we i agree? i don't, no. this is not 'ust buying time. we could i agree? i don't, no. this is not 'ust buying time. we could have h agree? i don't, no. this is notjust buying time. we could have under|

buying time. we could have under stand —— nowjust buying time. we could have understood is in the past that we went on to the first hostage deal and some of the hostages began coming home. he then we were asked to wait again for week and a half, during which we learned at least ten hostages that went into gaza alive are now dead. we know this for a fact. so, this means that when the government or the idf is telling us to wait because the military pressure is going to bring the hostages home, every day we're waiting, we're losing another hostage. waiting, we're losing another hostaue. , , hostage. sorry, please continue. aside from _ hostage. sorry, please continue. aside from that, _ hostage. sorry, please continue. aside from that, we _ hostage. sorry, please continue. aside from that, we know- hostage. sorry, please continue. aside from that, we know that i hostage. sorry, please continue. . aside from that, we know that there is now a deal on the table. we know there is talk that government can pull off a deal now. it's up to us. of course it's not easy, of course

it's a difficult negotiation, but it can be done. as long as the mantra is we need to keep on fighting, because this is the only way the hostages are coming back, that is a false statement. but hostages are coming back, that is a false statement.— hostages are coming back, that is a false statement. but the spokesman for the israeli _ false statement. but the spokesman for the israeli government _ false statement. but the spokesman for the israeli government was - for the israeli government was saying earlier that hamas is not offering the release of further hostages, and our correspondentjust hostages, and our correspondent just said hostages, and our correspondentjust said to us that a cease—fire would have to occur first before it would release hostages. there are a limited number of hostages, so once it's run out, what happens then? that's an excellent, excellent point and i would certainly beg of you to ask the question next time you interview them, what's the endgame? how is there going to be a resolution for the hundreds of thousands of displaced palestinians?

and at the same time, how are all the hostages coming back? that's the very, very good question, and i would certainly beg of you to ask the israeli spokesman how he's going to make this happen. if we keep going with this strategy, we're heading directly into a wall, because even if we go back to the negotiation table and hostages are still coming back... let's say there's about 100 430 —— i30. still coming back... let's say there's about 100 430 —— 130. if we bring back 80 or 90, the last 40 or 50 people that are going to be held there, if the only thing that is being put on the table is military pressure, then these people would be the last thing that would stand between the hamas leadership and their death, which means they would have absolutely zero motivation to give them away at any point. that's why we have to have a different

endgame. one that makes sure all hostages come back home. but endgame. one that makes sure all hostages come back home. but the is reall -- hostages come back home. but the is really -- israeli _ hostages come back home. but the is really -- israeli government - hostages come back home. but the is really -- israeli government says - hostages come back home. but the is really -- israeli government says it i really —— israeli government says it has a dual goal to eradicate hamas and also release the hostages. it says military pressure achieves both of those goals. there isn't to simply one goal to release the hostages, and that's the problem? that's absolutely a part of the problem. the problem that you're describing now is that it's not prioritised. these are two very important goals. one is to make sure israel is safe, that people can go back to living in western israel, and that there is regional order. you can call all of this eradication of hamas. i think it's a little simplistic. but we can call it that. and on the other hand, we have to return the hostages. one is very,

very urgent because we know we're losing people with every day that passes. the other one is going to take a very long time. it requires many international forces to collaborate and create a new regional order, and it's going to take months if not years. so, prioritising between the two is very, very easy. prioritising between the two is very. very easy-— very, very easy. what without re . ional very, very easy. what without regional order _ very, very easy. what without regional order look _ very, very easy. what without regional order look like -- - very, very easy. what without l regional order look like -- what regional order look like —— what would that? regional order look like -- what would that?— regional order look like -- what would that? look, i've 'ust come back from — would that? look, i've 'ust come back from three _ would that? look, i've 'ust come back from three years _ would that? look, i've just come back from three years in -- - would that? look, i've just come | back from three years in -- three back from three years in —— three daysin back from three years in —— three days in the european union, and that european union was founded after the worst calamity the world has ever known. this is the worst calamity the region has ever known, region meeting israel and palestine. this could be in the long term with the proper allies and the proper

strategic thinking, the beginning of a new future for this region. this means we would get different sponsors for gaza, we would create bridges between israel and palestine and we would start thinking about an agreement that the palestinians and is right now, we're not too sure what is the palestinian request. also, all of this being backed up by the eu, by the us, by the un, which right now has only contributed to this ongoing cycle of violence where every other year, hamas and israel fight, destroy parts of gaza, then they pour in all the money that goes back into hamas, that uses its power to use this money to rebuild its power, shoot rockets at israel, we

get blockaded. we're in this never spiral of violence, so something has to change. spiral of violence, so something has to chance. ., �* spiral of violence, so something has tochanue. ., �* ,. , spiral of violence, so something has tochanue. j ,. , to change. you've described the loss of our to change. you've described the loss of your cousin _ to change. you've described the loss of your cousin and _ to change. you've described the loss of your cousin and in _ to change. you've described the loss of your cousin and in times - to change. you've described the loss of your cousin and in times of- to change. you've described the loss of your cousin and in times of loss, i of your cousin and in times of loss, sometimes people have a sort of clarity or take a particularly strong view. are your views expressed are now shared by other members of yourfamily? yes. expressed are now shared by other members of your family? yes. first of all, i members of your family? yes. first of all. i have _ members of your family? yes. first of all, i have not _ members of your family? yes. first of all, i have not changed _ members of your family? yes. first of all, i have not changed my - members of your family? yes. first| of all, i have not changed my views. i've been saying the same exact thing for the past 15 years, knowing that this is just the ongoing cycle we're living through. many of my family members, including tal�*s immediate family, share these views. but i think that right now, it would be hard to discuss it with the general public, as we are still in an ongoing war. we're not pass this trauma, we're still living this trauma. it's nowhere near ending.

but this catastrophe would maybe make both israelis and palestinians realise that we cannot go on paying this enormous price for this unresolved conflict. really, a lot of ethnic conflicts that are long—standing were resolved after a terrible catastrophe, and i hope that one good thing that would come out of this is that we realise we cannot go on like this. if this does not change, ifeel we have completely missed the point of october the 7th. lei completely missed the point of october the 7th.— completely missed the point of october the 7th. udi goren, thank ou ve october the 7th. udi goren, thank you very much _ october the 7th. udi goren, thank you very much indeed. _ october the 7th. udi goren, thank you very much indeed. we - october the 7th. udi goren, thank you very much indeed. we regret| october the 7th. udi goren, thank - you very much indeed. we regret your loss. . ~ you very much indeed. we regret your loss. ., ~ , ., a british teenager who was missing for six years is has now arrived home. a british teenager who was missing for six years has now arrived home. 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 the teenager had been living in la bastide on and off over the past two years. french authorities said he ran away from his mother because she wanted to take him to finland. his grandmother, susan curuana, who is his legal guardian, says she can't wait to see him. lorna gordon reports. this is the secluded guest house where alex batty is thought to have lived with his grandfather for the last two years. off the beaten track, high in the foothills of the french pyrenees. it is the home and community that he left for good last week. now 17, alex disappeared while on a family holiday to spain with his mother and grandfather in 2017. neither adult have parental guardianship of the teenager. he told the authorities he'd spent the last few years on the move from country to country.

alex had left his home in the north of england to go to marbella on holiday with his mother and grandfather. it was in malaga a week later that he was last seen on the day they were due home. alex's grandmother, his legal guardian, said she'd believed he'd been taken to morocco to live with a spiritual community. the french police said he could have been there for around two years before moving to spain, and then finally coming to france and living with a travelling community in the mountains. the teenager reappeared after he was picked up by a motorist in the early hours of wednesday morning. the driver took him to the police for safety. alex told them his mum had wanted to move to finland and he had had enough of his nomadic lifestyle. he also told them that his grandfather had died around six months ago. but speaking to locals today, the bbc was told by three people that, in fact, his grandfather had been seen alive at the guest house

here where they'd been staying as recently as last week. tonight, alex batty is on his way back to england, where he will be reunited with his grandmother — the authorities left trying to piece together who he's been with, why he left and how they managed to evade the search for him for so long. lorna gordon, bbc news, in the french pyrenees. in the last few minutes, the assistant chief constable of greater manchester police matt boyle, gave a statement about alex batty�*s return. a warning — there is some flash photography. it gives me great pleasure to say alex has now made his safe return back to the uk after six years. earlier today, alex met with a family member alongside greater manchester police officers at toulouse airport before at toulouse airport before heading back to the uk. this moment was undoubtedly huge for him and his loved ones.

for him and his loved ones and we are glad that they have been able to see each other again after all this time. before being found by a member of the public close to toulouse on the evening of wednesday the 13th of december 2023, alex had been missing since 2017. we are aware the french authorities disclosed detailed information yesterday during their press conference relating to what alex may have been doing and where he has been during his years missing. been over his years missing. greater manchester police have yet to inform any formal statement from alex, and therefore we cannot comment at this time. speaking with him at a pace that feels comfortable to him will ultimately determine how this case has progressed

and whether there is a criminal investigation to ensue. our continued focus is supporting alex and his family in partnership with other local agencies to ensure that they are safe, their well—being is looked after and his reintegration with society is as easy as possible. the return of alex baqtty after he disappeared six years ago and spent at least the last couple of years in the pyrenees —— alex batty. he has now returned to the uk. it has been revealed that pop star olly alexander will represent the united kingdom at next year's eurovision song contest in sweden. the announcement was made at the final of the popular entertainment show strictly come dancing. yes, i can exclusively reveal i will be representing the uk at the eurovision song contest... cheering and applause

celebrating the fact that he's representing the uk. he was in sweden. that after 12 weeks of tangos, salsas and foxtrots, we have a new strictly champion. notjust tangos, not just tangos, of notjust tangos, of course. actors bobby brazier, ellie leach and layton williams were the show�*s youngest trio of finalists ever — but only one could get their hands on that coveted glitterball trophy. our culture reportor noor nanji has the story of the night — and a warning, her report contains spoilers.

the strictly final and the last chance for three remaining pairs to strut their stuff in the hope of glitterball glory. first up was ellie leach, the former coronation street actress and the bookies' favourite to win. she and her partner, vito, performed their paso doble routine again at the request of the judges. and the judges were impressed, giving them a score of 39 out of 40. but the pair faced stiff competition from the other finalists. the first 40 of the night went to bad education star layton williams and his dance partner nikita for their quickstep routine. the pair also returned to their argentine tango. also in the mix was eastenders actor bobby brazier, dancing with partner diane. the pair performed another tribute to bobby's late mother, jade goody, who died when he was just four. other highlights included a performance by cher.

the line—up of 2023 also came back for one more routine, but in the end, it came down to the public vote. it was ellie and vito who stole the public�*s hearts. genuinely cannot believe this. for once, you're crying more than me. so, this is for you. after a series full of twists and turns, a winner at last. noor nanji, bbc news. thank you forjoining us. my name is tanya beckett.

hello there, good evening. it's been cloudy, breezy and mild across the uk today. a lot of dry weather, but some heavy rain piling into western areas of scotland. further south, across northern england and the midlands, there has been some sunshine, a very pretty end to the day here with red skies, with sunset. the mild air coming in on the south—westerly winds, and it's really quite brisk. it's blustery towards the north—western facing coast, and that wind is driving in further rain overnight tonight across western scotland. the rainfall totals will really start to stack up. in fact, some spots, particularly for western slopes of the highlands, by the time we get to the end of the day on sunday, could see as much as 200 millimetres of rainfall. there's a met office amber weather warning in force across western scotland for heavy rain from argyll and bute stretching as far north as sutherland. there could possibly be some landslips, most likely across the south highlands and argyll. and the rain just continues overnight tonight,

it sinks a little further southwards. it's still dry for eastern scotland. a few breaks in the cloud, too, for south—east england, and here, temperatures could dip back to 8 celsius. but these are the sorts of values that we'll be seeing by day at this time of year, so another very mild start to sunday morning. and the rain isjust going to be relentless as we head through sunday across western scotland. again, just being driven in on this brisk south—westerly wind, it pushes further southwards into northern ireland and perhaps north—west england as we go through to the end of the day. some breaks in the cloud to the lea of high ground east of the pennines and across north—east wales, possibly, too, some breaks across southeast england. it's very mild still for the time of year, temperatures well above the seasonal average. but turning colder as that rain clears scotland through the day on monday. some more rain edging into western scotland, and we look towards the south on tuesday to find this weather front just moving further eastwards and it's likely to reinvigorate. so a lot of that rain pepping up — a very wet day across england

and wales through tuesday. and there could be some wintry showers further north across scotland, much of northern england staying largely dry. so, here's the outlook as we head through the week — things are still likely to change. it will turn milder again through the middle part of the week and then colder again from the north as we head towards the end of the week. a lot of uncertainty as to how far south that colder air is likely to get, so do keep an eye on the forecast. bye— bye.

this is bbc news, the headlines: families of israeli hostages hold a rally in tel aviv — to urge the government to do more to release them. benjamin netanyahu says military pressure will free them but hints of possible talks. families of the hostages hold a rally in tel aviv — to urge the israeli government to resume negotiations with hamas — but a spokesman for the israeli prime minister told the bbc military action against hamas was the best way to free them. the missing british boy who was found in france six years after he went missing, returns to the uk. pop star olly alexander will represent the united kingdom at next year's eurovision song contest in sweden. more now on the israel—gaza war. british—palestinian families have urged the government to create a visa scheme for stranded

relatives in gaza. a letter sent to foreign secretary david cameron on behalf of 80 families, calls for a scheme similar to the ukraine family scheme visa. a petition on parliament's website calling for a new visa scheme also has more than 22,700 signatories. earlier i spoke to yousef alhelou, a british palestinianjournalist and documentary film—maker who lost his sister and seven other members of his family. the eldest 17 and the youngest is only one—month—old, she was born during this war. they are still under the rubble and we are unable even to bury

them she was born during this war. even to bury them and i feel really heartbroken that civilians are being killed, including my family and it's really sad that we are in this situation. i don't know the fate of my mother, father, four brothers, two other sisters. we live in the dark due to a lack of communications and the destruction of the internet and i'm worried about them all the time. we are concerned about their safety. you said about the family members you had lost, they where in the east of gaza city. what about your mother and father? where are they? because the fighting has been particularly intense, as we know there. some of them, they managed to evacuate to the south in khan younis and rafah. but the majority, they are still in gaza city because of the intensity of the bombardment, they couldn't make it. they are being starved now. the last time i spoke to them a week ago, they said they ran out of food. there is no medicine, there is no water and it's very cold, there is no heating.

and each time they survive it is a miracle. i can't sleep, with my family here in london. it's really, you know, i was heartbroken, i was collapsed when i heard the news and i'm worried about the rest of my family. i've lost scores of my relatives in gaza, across the gaza strip. gaza has been subjected to relentless air and civilians were caught up in these hostilities. it is the world's largest open air prison and the siege, complicated their lives. so we are urging the british government as a british citizen... sojust to interrupt here for a moment, you are a british citizen and you are urging the government to open a family scheme similar to what occurred at the time russia invaded ukraine and there were two parts to that scheme, but one is that relatives of british citizens were able to come? yes, humanitarian family scheme, a humanitarian route, equivalent to the scheme that was designed for ukrainians.

i understand there are complexities, but gaza should be given this opportunity because i need my family to be with me. each time, you know, each moment i have to check my phone, i have to make some contact to make sure they are safe, so i urge the british government, the foreign office, the home office to help us bring them to safety. because britain has to play a role in portraying itself as a place of sanctuary, you know, the uk welcomes refugees from all over the world and i've got a list here. there are some countries already evacuated the relatives of citizens of different countries including portugal, australia, canada. so britain should play a role in this and this letter, we haven't received a reply from david cameron's office. you have not yet received a reply, but would you accept there are complexities associated with doing that, which perhaps were not there when ukrainians came to the uk? i understand the complexities, yes.

but gaza has been under bombardment for the past 70 years. i understand there is differences, britain evacuated its citizens from israel and gaza, they were stuck in gaza for many weeks. you know, the delay is not in our favour, there has to be something. the death is ongoing, around the clock to please, the uk government, david cameron, anybody who is able to help, please intervene. we are worried about the safety of our families. this, of course, would not address the safety of others within the gaza strip. you are now seeing perhaps a change of tone in terms of how the international community sees this conflict and we have also heard today from relatives of the hostages. what do you think the preconditions now would be for this

conflict to stop? israel says its war against gaza is to bring an end to hamas rule and to get... and to neutralise the threat from gaza? not from gaza, from hamas, sorry? yes, but we have seen for the past 70 days it has all been civilians that have been killed. i think there must be a peaceful settlement to this, a negotiation to sit on the table and to put the terms. because israel has failed to achieve its goals and we have seen civilians being killed day after day. i think the situation needs more intervening on the part of the uk. it all started from this country. i'm british, yes, but this conflict started from britain in 1917, the bill for declaration. yes, you are talking about the history 100 years ago, understood, i understand that. you are a film—maker and you have done significant amount of work in gaza. how do you see now the future of gaza, given the bombardment that

we've seen over the last 70 odd days? the future is bleak, israel has destroyed much of gaza and it will require may be at least five to ten years to rebuild gaza. because israel controls gaza air space, territorial crossings and the coastal line. so anything has to be approved by the israeli authorities. and going to gaza is not easy mission because we have fly to cairo, from cairo we go to rafah. i was the lastjournalist to comment on the beauty landmarks and historical sites of gaza and i'm working on this documentary film that will be screened worldwide. i would like generations to come to see that because that was flourishing, gaza was destroyed and what is happening in gaza is a man—made disaster. as we've been hearing, the funeral has been held for one of aljazeera's camera operators who has been killed in the south of gaza. aljazeera says samer abu daqqa

was killed by an israeli drone strike on a school in khan yunis and the network will refer the case to the international criminal court. aljazeera's managing editor mohamed moawad described his as a compassionate soul and dedicated to bringing the coverage of gaza to the world. are corresspondent and our are corresspondent and oui’ cameraman are corresspondent and our cameraman samer abudaqa, who lost his life yesterday went to cover an air strike on a shelter and school in khan younis. the situation in khan younis is escalating and the israeli air strikes is everywhere now around the centre of the city. they went to give voice to the voiceless at the school, because the schools are now

targeted by the air strikes. so they went to cover the aftermath after an air strike targeted the school and right after they arrived to the area, they were targeted as well buy in israeli drone. however, our correspondent, who himself lost his family in this war by an israeli air strike that targeted the shelter has resorted to khan younis as well, managed to walk from the area after he was injured by the air strike, but our colleague, samer abudaqa had severe injury, did not allow him to walk. so we were for five hours trying to appeal to the world to help us coordinate with the idf to

evacuate samer abudaqa. but unfortunately once the ambulances arrived to the area to evacuate him, he was already dead and we knew after that and what appear to be an israeli drone belongs to the idf targeted the area and he was targeted the area and he was 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, brussels, where his family is now residing. but he refused. he said gaza's story is my story, i will keep the coverage going. no international

journalist was able to enter gaza to bring to the world the voice of the civilians suffering. so local journalists are really taking the lead in making sure that the coverage continue. 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. carlos martinez de la serna, the programme director for the committee to protectjournalists, has been telling me about the dangers for journalists. the israel gaza war is the has been the most dangerous conflict for journalists cpa has ever documented. we've been keeping records systematically since 1992. we have documented so far more than 60 journalists killed in the conflict. and our team is looking into 100

reports ofjournalists killed, but also to convey a sense of how difficult situation for journalists on the ground, ofjournalists being victims of violence, of arrests, of not being able to communicate due to blackouts and many other issues and problems you're facing. but why are these problems so particularly acute in this conflict? the nature of the conflict, i guess, is one of the reasons. but besides all the details and all the reasons we want to point to, i think we need to change... i think we need to change the kind of framing regardless of the circumstances. journalists are civilians

need to be protected. and this is not happening in any sense in this conflict. so, what we are seeing is one of the most dangerous conflict forjournalists we've ever documented, withjournalists bearing the brunt of these attacks, most of them palestinian journalists who are the only source we have, the only witness we have on the ground to bear witness to what's happening. so it's an exceptional situation that are putting palestinian journalists in one of the most extreme situations we have ever documented. what can you tell us about the circumstances surrounding the death of the aljazeera camera operator? unfortunately, the circumstances around the killing exemplifies the challenges. so, aljazeera cameraman samer abudaqa, went just today with aljazeera correspondent to document the aftermath of a strike in southern gaza.

during that, there was a strike through a drone. according to aljazeera, it was an israeli drone that resulted in the killing of samer and other people wounded. now, let's take a pause. samer has his family in brussels, as you have already reported. all family has been killed recently. those are the people who are really bearing witness to what's happening on the ground. they were doing theirjobs and they were killed. the dangers, as you, of course, have already highlighted, is that this conflict does not get the coverage it needs. i don't think so—called western nations are understanding the impact this is having. and forjournalists — not only or palestinian journalists, butjournalists outside or in the region — the grief they feel,

how they feel abandoned and how these have huge implications for today and for the future. we are working relentless to raise this point to the us, to other countries, to anyone who might have some influence in helping protect journalists on the ground. but honestly, i don't think it's understood all the implications. ..and how untenable is the current situation for journalists on the ground and how can this cannot keep happening. the us navy says it's shot down 14 attack drones over the red sea — believed to have been launched by yemen's iran—backed houthi rebels. the defence secretary, grant shapps, said the royal navy's hms diamond destroyer also shot down a drone in the red sea, which was targetting merchant ships. targeting merchant ships. for some more analysis on this, i spoke with rear admiral dr chris parry.

he's a former royal navy warfare officer, strategic forecaster and a writer. well, the houthis are trying to intervene in the crisis in israel and gaza. they have been backed by iran because the drones are coming from iran originally. so they are trying to do their bit. as i said, it is leading to indiscriminate attacks on international shipping and quite innocent shipping as well. what has happened is the navies of the free world have intervened to say, you don't do that at sea. the world have intervened to say, you don't do that at sea.— don't do that at sea. the us and significant _ don't do that at sea. the us and significant assets _ don't do that at sea. the us and significant assets in _ don't do that at sea. the us and significant assets in the - don't do that at sea. the us and significant assets in the region, | don't do that at sea. the us and l significant assets in the region, so it is able to do that?— it is able to do that? yes, the united states _ it is able to do that? yes, the united states navy _ it is able to do that? yes, the united states navy has - it is able to do that? yes, the united states navy has a - it is able to do that? yes, the i united states navy has a carrier battle group sitting in the gulf of oman, one of its destroyers, the

carney. the friendship shot down a drone a few days ago and now hms diamond has done the same. one of the things we bear in mind is peace doesn't keep itself at sea unless you are the patrolling of the time making sure the bad guys are not actually interfering with international shipping. they will do it. as an important aspect this conflict in yemen and the role of the houthis there in the red sea that this is an important trade artery, isn't it? it is what's known as a choke point. said the straits of hormuz, one of the things i have been saying in a book for some years now, the sea is the physical equivalent of the world wide web and every now and then if you get people

interfering in these vital trade artery is it will have the same effect as having a cyber attack on the internet. what that brings closer together is most of the cables that carry the internet go under the sea. if you want to be involved in globalisation and protect the international rules —based system we have to enforce the law at sea. if i can take the analogy further, people like the houthis, the somali pirates and some of the great powers like russia and china are trying to interfere with the freedom of the season and they are like malware in your computer system. they are completely interfering with what you are trying to do. what we have to do in these situations is say, look, if we believe in the freedom of the seas, we have to protect its use for those that wish to go about, as we used to say, their lawful occasions. the reality is. _ say, their lawful occasions. the reality is. if— say, their lawful occasions. the reality is, if merchant ships feel under threat they will avoid that route and that has implications, in fact, they are already doing just that? it

fact, they are already doing 'ust that? , ., , ., fact, they are already doing 'ust that? ., , ., ., ., that? it is a similar situation to the one we _ that? it is a similar situation to the one we had _ that? it is a similar situation to the one we had with _ that? it is a similar situation to the one we had with somali - that? it is a similar situation to - the one we had with somali pirates, if you remember, a few years ago. the insurance goes up for the ships, people don't want to take the risks and that is why the warships of the free world have to intervene and protect the ships if they wish to go into harms way. but it's not going to stop. you will have seen in the black sea, ukraine has been using drones against russian ships. it is a feature of modern warfare and i think even warships are coming to terms with having to deal with this. we have been trying to analyse how much it costs to shoot these things down. if you use a missile against a drone that probably cost about $15,000, it is probably costing you $90,000 to shoot it down. but what i think the uss carney has been doing is shooting these drones down with its five inch gun, so the cost ratios are not too bad. the modern gunfire we have on warships is pretty accurate and i think more and

more you will see them used rather than missiles. nasa has released video which it says shows the strongest solar flare emitted by the sun for several years. it happened on thursday — there were reports that it caused short term disruption to radio communications here on earth for a few hours. for the first time in six years, doctor who is part of the christmas day line—up on bbc one in the uk. i will be hiding behind the sofa! and there's a new time lord taking control of the tardis. millions are expected to tune in to 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. our entertainment correspondent lizo mzimba has been speaking to the new doctor.

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. a christmas tree bought more than 100 years ago forjust 6p has been sold for £2,600 at auction. the 1920s tree, purchased from woolworths, went under the hammer in oxfordshire. hansons auctioneers called it an �*astonishing price' for the �*humblest christmas tree in the world'.

stay with us here on bbc news. hello there, part two of the weekend look similar to saturday with cloud around for many. it remains mild for mid december. there will be some wet weather continuing across the north and west of scotland, thanks to a weather front here. you and west of scotland, thanks to a weatherfront here. you can and west of scotland, thanks to a weather front here. you can see and west of scotland, thanks to a weatherfront here. you can see mild air moving in on a brisk south—westerly wind. however, this weather front will continue to bring problems across north—west scotland, heavy rainfall. it starts to weaken as it sinks southwards into more central part of the country for sunday evening. we are concerned about the north—west highlands, by the end of sunday we could be looking at 200 millimetres of rain falling in places and that is likely to lead to localised flooding and even some landslips in some sensitive areas. the amber warning the met office have enforced throughout sunday is enforce for the

north and west islands, into argyll and at the end of the day pushes into dumfries and galloway, northern ireland and into the evening probably across cumbria and north—west wales. elsewhere, cloudy brightness east of the pennines and it will make it feel more mild with temperatures at the low to mid—teens for many. the weather front begins to weaken as it moves southwards during sunday night, but it starts to reinvigorate across wales and south—west england by the end of the night and turns a bit colder for the very far north of scotland. otherwise it is a largely mild night, eight to 11 degrees. monday, a couple of weather fronts across the country. these will invigorate as they move eastwards. it starts rather cloudy for many, limited brightness and the rain taps up across northern ireland, central scotland, the midlands and wales for a time in the pushes into the north sea. furtherspots a time in the pushes into the north sea. further spots of rain and drizzle and for the time of year it will be fairly mild with temperatures low to mid—teens. a

monday into tuesday, more active weather front will bring more wet weather front will bring more wet weather for england and wales. turns briefly cold across the far north of the country. generally we are under the country. generally we are under the influence of low pressure so next week will remain fairly unsettled, rain at times and generally mild for most, but it will seem colder towards the end of the week towards northern areas. you can see that with the evidence here. generally mild for mid to late december and outbreaks of rain, little bitter brightness and there.

live from washington. this is bbc news. israel's military admits three hostages mistakenly killed by its soldiers in gaza were shot dead while holding a white cloth. families of israeli hostages protest in tel aviv — demanding the government immediately return to negotiations. benjamin netanyahu says military pressure will free them but hints at possible talks. translation: we will draw the lessons, translation: we will draw the lessons. we _ translation: we will draw the lessons, we will _ translation: we will draw the lessons, we will implement - translation: we will draw the lessons, we will implement the | lessons, we will implement the lessons, we will implement the lessons and we will remain relentless in our military and diplomatic efforts. and — two more shipping companies divert their ships away from the red sea, amid attacks suspected by houthi fighters in yemen. good to have you with us. israel is grappling with the fallout

from the killing of three hostages. the israel defence forces has admitted the men were mistakenly