for a suspension of fighting — as diplomats struggle to agree on the language of the draft resolution. american prisoners released by venezuela land back in the us. they were freed in a major prisoner swap. and as the number of migrants crossing the english channel are down by a third this year compared with last year, we have a special report from our correspondent in calais. is extraordinary to think 50 people cramming inside this flimsy thing. trying to get across to england. hello and welcome to the programme, with me, frankie mccamley. we begin with the war in gaza and the diplomatic effort to bring a pause to the fighting, with negotiations continuing for a fourth day to try to secure a unanimous un security council vote

on the suspension of hostilities in gaza. meanwhile, separate talks are understood to be continuing to arrange another exchange of hostages held by hamas, for palestinian prisoners detained in israel. egypt and qatar are thought to be trying to broker a deal and the leader of hamas, which is considered to be a terrorist organisation by the us and many other countries, ismail haniyeh, has travelled to egypt, to meet the country's intelligence chief. he's already held talks in iran, which is one of the closest supporters of hamas. israel has released footage of what it says tunnels which were dug by hamas under gaza city, in the north of the territory. it claims the structures, which cover a large area, were used as a base by hamas leaders. the fighting continues inside gaza, where the un says israel has issued evacuation orders for large areas of the southern city of khan younis. hamas says more than 20,000 people have died since israel began its military action,

which was launched after the hamas attack in israel on october the 7th, in which around 1,200 people died. we'll have more on all of those developments but first lets look at how the un security council might be able to influence events in the middle east — from new york here's nada tawfik. yet another delay as negotiations continue at the highest levels at capitol. and here at the un, diplomats have been furiously and desperately trying to reach an agreement, including the united states, which doesn't want to be in a position to cast a third veto. now, we've already seen over the last few days the resolution be modified to try to accommodate the united states' position. that's included language being toned down to call for a suspension of hostilities instead of a cessation of hostilities. but really, the key sticking point now is over

the resolution�*s proposal for a un monitoring mechanism. now, the arab group says that this is absolutely an essential component of the resolution to make sure it has impact on the ground. but washington says that there are fears that israel would lose control of the screening process with this mechanism. and so there are talks now over how to bridge that gap. and in fact, the united states asked for this latest delay so it could engage directly with egypt in talks over how a mechanism could work to the benefit of all parties. so really, the success of this resolution now hinges on those talks between the us and egypt. it is worth noting that the overwhelming majority of the council does support the resolution as it is, and the uae, which authored this resolution, says that there's just too much suffering on the ground by palestinian civilians for the council to fail to act.

let's hear now from one of the agencies which has been live now to jerusalem and our middle east correspondent yolande knell. just talk us through this tunnel network and how significant this find is. so, this was this footage that has been brought up by the israeli military. we can't independently verify yet, but they say it shows a very advanced tunnel network, which was under the heart of gaza city, and actually connected the homes of senior hamas officials in gaza, including the person thought to have masterminded the 7th of october attacks, and also came out with some shafts close to other key areas near the shifa hospital, for example. when you look at the footage here, you can see that the structures are

well built, we are told it included blast doors, that they are connected to the electricity, that there was plumbing involved as well. and hamas has a directly commented on any of this, but it has in the past boasted about having a vast underground system across the gaza strip. we have heard so much about these underground tunnels over the last weeks. when it comes to the un security council as well, that has delayed it's about yet again on this pause in fighting. why is it so hard to get an agreement to go ahead with this road? {iii to get an agreement to go ahead with this road? .., , to get an agreement to go ahead with this road? . ., , ,, to get an agreement to go ahead with this road? _, , ,, ., , ., this road? of course, the us has a veto power— this road? of course, the us has a veto power at _ this road? of course, the us has a veto power at the _ this road? of course, the us has a j veto power at the security council. it is israel's closest ally, often acts as a sort of diplomatic shield for israel at the un. so while there is on one hand so much global pressure to come out with some kind of security council resolution, the secretary—general himself has made that clear, his position is that

there should be an immediate humanitarian ceasefire, and there has been an overwhelming call for that at the un general assembly, where you have 193 member states represented, but israel is very concerned about any idea of calling for a cessation of hostilities at the moment. it says that is not something that it is prepared to go along for, it will not stop this war until hamas is completely dismantled. but it has said it will accept instead a kind of temporary truce, perhaps another week—long or two weeks long, that is what is being reported in the media here. that could see more hostages being released by hamas. 0n the request is really four, first of all, the remaining women hostages inside gaza who are held, as well as older men, those who are in firm, who are in need of urgent medical care, that they should be released first. the position of hamas has been that it will not negotiate on this basis, it will not negotiate on this basis, it

will only have more hostages released when there is a permanent ceasefire. but it is very much the effort of egypt and of qatar is the key mediators here to try to close this gap, to try to come off with some kind of some kind of at least a temporary deal, and they will perhaps try to persuade hamas that it could lead to a longer—term deal. 0k, yolande knell, injerusalem. and we will be following that very and speaking to yolande throughout the day. let's hear from sarah let's hearfrom sarah elizabeth davies from the international committee of the red cross from jerusalem. let's talk about providing aid to those that need it, and how difficult has been your team to get to those people? we've seen so many pictures of people digging through rubble to try to find their

loved ones, air strikes still continuing?— loved ones, air strikes still continuina? . ~' . ., continuing? thank you so much for havin: continuing? thank you so much for having me- — continuing? thank you so much for having me- as _ continuing? thank you so much for having me. as you _ continuing? thank you so much for having me. as you say, _ continuing? thank you so much for having me. as you say, it - continuing? thank you so much for having me. as you say, it is - continuing? thank you so much for having me. as you say, it is a - continuing? thank you so much for having me. as you say, it is a very| having me. as you say, it is a very challenging situation. what we have seen over two and a half months now is this situation just continually deteriorating. there are many challenges to being able to provide the aid. we know that aid is entering gaza. but to distribute this effectively to the civilians who are the ones most impacted is a real challenge, not only is there the rubble that spreads across roads, but our team have mentioned that there are almost traffic jams, not from cars, but from the displaced people who are flowing into southern gaza. there are people living under plastic tarps, wherever they can. being able to effectively distribute aid in the midst of active hostilities is a real security challenge, and unfortunately we do know that there

are people still in the north of gaza who are unable right now to receive that aid that they require. just as you touched on that, we are hearing from the world health organization, that is saying 0rganization, that is saying northern gaza, which you were just talking about, has been left without a working hospital. what are your team finding out on the ground? is that the case? we team finding out on the ground? is that the case?— team finding out on the ground? is that the case? we do know that the functionin: that the case? we do know that the functioning ability _ that the case? we do know that the functioning ability of— that the case? we do know that the functioning ability of the _ that the case? we do know that the functioning ability of the hospitals l functioning ability of the hospitals have continually changed. some hospitals were unable to function, they may receive a small amount of supplies. at one of the health team members i spoke to yesterday described it as the hospital and medical system being in survival mode. they are doing what they can, but some hospitals can no longer conduct surgeries, they can no longer operate on people. many hospitals have very little ability to do post—operative care, to do physical rehabilitation. the

consumables, the medical equipment thatis consumables, the medical equipment that is required is being used faster than it can be replenished. and this is really the medical system on its knees right now. it is in survival mode, providing a basic standardisation service where it can. but these are medical professionals who have been working for months now, tirelessly, without a break. many have been displaced themselves multiple times, and they are really exhausted. just themselves multiple times, and they are really exhausted.— are really exhausted. just talk to me about those _ are really exhausted. just talk to me about those people - are really exhausted. just talk to me about those people that - are really exhausted. just talk to me about those people that are l me about those people that are working for you, your team is on the ground. how do you support them, how do you make sure they are ok? they will be seeing some of the worst wounds, people that have had their lives torn apart. this wounds, people that have had their lives torn apart.— lives torn apart. as you say, this scene is that _ lives torn apart. as you say, this scene is that our _ lives torn apart. as you say, this scene is that our team _ lives torn apart. as you say, this scene is that our team and - lives torn apart. as you say, this j scene is that our team and every other civilian in gaza are seeing is almost unimaginable. they are, of

course, very close contact with our teams all the time. we do include psychological support and similar services. we are an organisation that does work in conflict areas all around the world, and unfortunately we do regularly see the worst aspects of humanity. so we do have the processes in place to support our staff, which includes international as well as local staff, many of whom have been displaced themselves, who are also worried about family members, their children, and what the future will bring. children, and what the future will brina. children, and what the future will brin. _ ., children, and what the future will brin: . ., ., , children, and what the future will brina. ., ., , , bring. 0k, sarah elizabeth davies from the international _ bring. 0k, sarah elizabeth daviesj from the international committee bring. 0k, sarah elizabeth davies i from the international committee of the red cross. really good to get you on the programme. thank you. around the world and across the uk. this is bbc news. let's look at some other stories making news. a judge will decide today whether the two 16—year—olds found guilty of murdering brianna ghey in a park in cheshire in february can be named. mrsjustice yip will hear

an application by the press, that an order banning the release of their names should be lifted. the pair have been referred to only as girl x and boy y. junior doctors in england are on strike for a second day as part of their three—day walk—out. yesterday, charities and nhs leaders warned that some patients who are well enough to be discharged could be stranded in hospital over christmas as a result of the action. the government says british sign language will be taught as a gcse in england from september 2025. it says the qualification will be open to all pupils, who will learn about 1,000 signs. the national deaf children's society says it is delighted by the recognition. you're live with bbc news.

sir keir starmer and the shadow defence secretary john healey are visiting british troops deployed near the russian border in estonia to stress labour's commitment to nato. the labour leader will also use his visit to warn that the west must not lose sight of moscow's threat to europe. he's also expected to thank british servicemen and women for their courage, integrity, loyalty and professionalism and wish them a happy christmas. the us and venezuela have exchanged prisoners, following months of negotiations. this was the moment the american contingent arrived at a military base in texas. among those freed were two members of the us special forces. in exchange, the us freed alex saab, an aide and top ally to venezuela's president nicolas maduro. he had been accused of laundering money on behalf of the maduro government, which he denies. here's president biden�*s reaction to the developments. we have no higher priority than the release of detained americans being held hostage.

in addition to that, venezuela thus far is keeping their commitment toward the democratic election. it's not over yet. they've made detailed commitments. we'll see if they hold them. but we're going to hold them accountable. the deal was also welcomed by venezuela's president nicolas maduro. translation: hopefully the way will be found - for a process of respect, equal treatment and understanding between the united states and venezuela. today, a step has been taken that will hopefully contribute to that path. let's take a look at who was involved in this prisoner exchange — and some of it makes for interesting reading. in all, ten american detainees were sent back from venezuela. but alongside them is a fugitive with the nickname fat leonard. his real name is leonard francis — he's a malaysian national — and he had originally beenjailed in the us for bribing naval officers, and overcharging the us navy for contracts,

to the tune of around $35 million. he'd fled to venezuela, after escaping house arrest in california in september 2022. he'll now be returned to the us justice system. and the standout name among the 20 venezuelans who are being sent back from the us is alex saab. he's a close associate of president maduro — and is alleged to have diverted around $350 million from food aid programmes for venezuela. he was originally arrested injune 2020 during a stopover in cape verde, before he was extradited to america. and you can find much more on this story — and the background to the often strained relations between the us and venezuela — on our website, bbc.com/news, or go via the bbc app. british and french border officials are claiming success in reducing

the number of small boats crossing the channel by more than a third this year. the uk has spent hundreds of millions of pounds to help the french stop illegal migration to england — but tens of thousands of people are still attempting the dangerous journey. andrew harding reports from calais. a cold, clear night on a beach south of calais. french police on patrol. a beefed up force looking to block small boats with migrants from setting off across the channel. so here's the inflatable. we're told its just been abandoned. in fact, you can see here where the police have already slashed it to make sure that the migrants can't use it again. we're told about 50 people were trying to get into the water just a few yards away. these are the inner tubes that they were going to use instead of life jackets. extraordinary to think. 50 people cramming

inside this flimsy thing. to try and get across to england. nearby, just before dawn, we find two families who failed to cross tonight huddled at a bus stop. the boat was broken and not going. the water was up. the waves get bigger. so you had to come back? yeah. this is 17—year—old faiza from iraq. i have no place to go. very sad? sad we have no chance. what will happen to you? i have no idea. just sitting, unsure how my life is. bad, bad, bad. you've got one of the waiting areas over behind. daytime, up the coast in calais. french police talk tactics with their british counterparts, a sign of growing cooperation.

britain is now providing france almost half a billion pounds for equipment like drones and to double the manpower to tackle the smugglers. so, is it making a difference? the results speak for themselves, says mathilde patel from the french border police. this year, the number of crossings has dropped by 35%. we have seen significant improvements in prevention of small boat launches. we've seen a reduction in the number of arriving individuals this year in this way. and overall, we are continuing to see the fruits of our labour and of our investment as these additional resources come on board throughout the next year. it is a big drop and yet in a muddy clearing near calais, the crowds keep coming — from afghanistan, from sudan, ready to risk death in the channel and ignoring warnings that britain may send them to rwanda.

it worries you, but it's not stopping you? not stopping us. still trying to go to uk but hope they don't send us to rwanda. suddenly, a rush to leave as the smugglers usher one group away for another attempted crossing. if they can sneak past the extra french police here and cross a dangerous stretch of water, england awaits, tantalizingly close. andrew harding, bbc news in northern france. the social media platform x — formerly known as twitter — suffered global outages forjust over an hour on thursday. users in the us, europe and asia were all affected — but services seemed to return to normal after around an hour. x hasn't yet said what might have caused the issue. heavy rain has caused flooding in the north east of the us —

with hundreds of thousands of homes left without power in the state of maine. some rivers rose by more than three metres, with hundreds of people forced to evacuate from their homes in newjersey. there's widespread flooding in india's south eastern tamil nadu state. at least ten people are reported to have been killed in the flooding, and accidents related to the heavy rainfall. the flow of lava from the volcano near grindavik in iceland appears to be slowing. local officials say nearby settlements now seem to be safe from any serious damage caused by the eruption. as the end of the year approaches, let's take a look back at the movies of 2023. we asked tom brook — our movie expert based in new york — to rank the best of the films released in the uk and the us over the last 12 months. here's his top ten. it's our annual tradition, our list

of the top ten films of 2023. artistically at least, 2023 did deliver in terms of the quality of films. so here's our list. you're the man who gave them the power to destroy themselves, and the world is not prepared. at number ten, 0ppenheimer. christopher nolan certainly gave us a great movie to watch and ponder, an admirable portrait of the complicated man who helped to develop the atomic bomb. i don't know if we can be trusted with such a weapon. but we have no choice. in 1941, they started rounding people up. in 1942, the deportations began. in ninth place, film—maker steve mcqueen�*s documentary 0ccupied city, which very effectively tells of the nazi efforts to remove thejewish population from amsterdam

during world war ii. and number eight, another original holocaust film — the zone of interest, from uk directorjonathan glazer, depicting the commandant of auschwitz and his wife trying to lead a perfect life while living next door to a concentration camp. in seventh place, from germany, the teacher's lounge, an intense story of an idealistic teacher who is thrown off kilter after one of her pupils is accused of stealing. it works as a very engaging thriller. at number six, barbie. film—maker greta gerwig's fresh, intelligent satire, which reminded many of us just how much fun it could be to share the act of movie—going with others. in fifth place, the holdovers — what is perhaps one of director

alexander payne's best films with a great performance from paul giamatti. it showed that families, in any shape or form, can emerge anywhere. in fourth place, killers of the flower moon, martin scorsese's epic western, showing how greed led to the murder of 0sage native americans in oklahoma in the 1920s. at age 81, scorsese is still a master of his craft. a number three, american fiction from director cord jefferson, making his first feature. look at what they publish. look at what they expect us to write. a hilarious satire on the way people respond to racist stereotypes, with a great performance from jeffrey wright. can i ask what you were in for? was it murder? you said that, not me. i am bella baxter and there - is a world to enjoy, circumnavigate.

in second place that frankenstein—inspired poor things, directed by yorgos lanthimos, in which we accompany bella baxter, played by emma stone, on a wondrous wild ride as a woman of great, uninhibited passion. are you ready? i'm going to press it. merry christmas. here we go. merry christmas. and the talking movies number one film of 2023 is all of us strangers, from british film—maker andrew haigh, starring andrew scott and paul mescal in leading roles. hello. hi. i saw you looking at me from the street. it's a moving romance, and partly a ghost story. 0ur boy's back home. our son. a film from which you can take a million and one things. you and me. together. into the world.

before we go, let's show you some pictures. children in the us state of utah might be forgiven for thinking father christmas came early this year — especially if they looked up and saw this. these are not santa's reindeer, but they are real deer, which were being airlifted for a health check. wildlife biologists capture around 1,200 of them every year, before re—releasing them back into the wild. fantastic pictures, they are. do stay with us on bbc news. hello again. the storm named by the danish weather service is still packing a punch. for some northern

areas, we are looking at gales or even severe gales, with gusts as much as 80 mph across shetland. a very windy day wherever you are. there will also be some heavy showers, some wintry on higher ground. and, of course, the continued risk of disruption. this area of low pressure as the storm, pushing off to scandinavia. we have a weather front that is sinking south, taking this cloud and patchy rain with it, and some squally showers following on behind. some of those wintry on high ground, but coming a bit lower as we go through the course of the day. so, strong winds in the north, strong winds too across northern ireland, the isle of man, northern england, the north midlands and north wales. for south wales, the south midlands, east anglia and southern areas, it is still going to be windy, just not as windy. and there is a risk of some coastal flooding, windy. and there is a risk of some coastalflooding, not windy. and there is a risk of some coastal flooding, notjust windy. and there is a risk of some coastal flooding, not just today windy. and there is a risk of some coastal flooding, notjust today but also tonight and tomorrow along parts of the coast of east anglia. so, a mild day for northern ireland, england and wales. but a cooler day

in scotland, particularly so in the north—east. through this evening and overnight we continue with wintry showers on high ground in scotland, notjust in the highlands but also the northern isles. a weatherfront pushes northwards, taking this rain with it. still cold in the far north—east. could be some ice around as well to watch out for the first thing. this is the weather front which is producing all the rain. tomorrow you can see from the isobars it is going to be windy, just not as windy as today. that mild air is trying to push up in through scotland, but not succeeding into the far north—east. we start off with a fair bit of cloud and rain around. some of that, giving way and brighter skies as we go to the course of the day, and these are our temperatures. the course of the day, and these are ourtemperatures. 0ne the course of the day, and these are our temperatures. one in lerwick, five in aberdeen, but ten in glasgow. 11 and 12 are three push further south across england, wales and northern ireland. 0vernight friday coming to saturday, we will have some transient snow clearing during saturday with a lot of rain piling into the north and west. come further south and it will be drier.

it's in pieces of cloud around and some showers. again, mild air. and as we head up towards christmas, for christmas day itself, we could well see some rain in the south, some wintry showers in the hills in the north and cooler.

this is bbc news, the headlines: as fighting continues in gaza the

isli military says it has found a tunnel network used by hamas. the un suspends a vote calling for a suspension of fighting. uefa's ban on a breakaway super league is ruled to have broken european law. and protests in argentina as the new government unveils new measures to deal with the country's struggling economy. some breaking sports news, the eu's top court has ruled that fifa and uefa's ban on a european super league broke european law. the court said the authorities were abusing their authority by refusing clubs their authority by refusing clubs the right to play in a super league.

they added a super league