the city is md from happiness, from joy, the city is md from happiness, from joy, from kids, from santer, from every celebration. —— empty. and one other headline — we'll bring you a special report about the christian community in pakistan who are still living with the devastation after attacks on their churches four months ago. hello, i'm matthew amroliwala. we start with the war in gaza where israel says they will continue with their operation, but has admitted it is "protracted" and "difficult". let me show you the live pictures. this is the scene of the israel—gaza border, where we've seen continued bombardement this weekend. an israel military spokesman said it was expanding its "ground operations in the southern

and northern parts of the strip. this is the nasser hospital in khan younis — we've seen more injured, taken there, in the past few hours. for weeks now the hospital has been overwhelmed by casualties. further north — this is the view across the israel—lebanon border. in the past hour, we've seen a thick plume of smoke as hostilities continue there. meanwhile, president biden has told the israeli prime minister, benjamin netanyahu, that there's a critical need to protect the civilian population, including those supporting aid operations. the white house said that in a phone call between the two men, joe biden also stressed the importance, of allowing civilians to move safely away from areas where there's fighting. greg mckenzie has this report. president biden told the israeli prime minister, benjamin netanyahu, that as israel continues its military campaign in gaza, there's a critical need to protect the civilian population —

including those supporting aid operations. but mr biden said that he did not ask the israeli leader for a ceasefire. i had a long talk with netanyahu today and it's a private conversation. meanwhile, in gaza, this is the new normal. drone strikes in the border town of rafah emptying the local market. 17—year—old joe filming on his phone, still clutching his bag of shopping, and calling on god for protection. israel launched its retaliatory operation after hamas fighters crossed from gaza into southern israel on the 7th of october, killing 1,200 people and taking about 240 hostages. since then, more than 20,000 people have been killed, and 53,000 injured in gaza — according to the hamas—run health ministry.

its update this weekend says another 201 people had been killed. these gazans are the latest casualties, rushing to khan yunis hospital following an israeli air strike. israel says it has arrested 200 members of the hamas and islamichhad groups in the past week, and has taken them into its territory for questioning. israel's bombardment and ground assault has displaced some 1.9 million gazans, according to un figures — over three quarters of the population. but it's hunger that cries in rafah — a city at the southern end of gaza — as thousands queue for something to eat. translation: these foods have run i out at the market so we can't find l anything to cook for the people.

perhaps today's the last day we can provide food for the people. we appeal to the nation to provide aid to these people so they don't die of hunger. as the fighting continues, there is now a real risk of famine, according to the un... ..as humanitarian aid is only trickling into the besieged coastal territory. greg mckenzie, bbc news. let's get more on the humanitarian situation. live tojersusalem — and jason lee — country director at save the children. thank you so much for being with us on the programme. everything is incredibly difficult obviously, but what is concerning you the most? the situation what is concerning you the most? tue: situation continues what is concerning you the most? tte: situation continues to deteriorate further and further. whilst the rest of the world is now approaching the celebrations for christmas, in gaza,

children are again facing death and facing starvation, being killed by diseases and not being able to access medical care. it is imperative that there is a definitive ceasefire and the ability to distribute aid, life—saving aid, to distribute aid, life—saving aid, to all areas of gaza. you to distribute aid, life-saving aid, to all areas of gaza.— to distribute aid, life-saving aid, to all areas of gaza. you know that ceasefire is — to all areas of gaza. you know that ceasefire is not _ to all areas of gaza. you know that ceasefire is not coming _ to all areas of gaza. you know that ceasefire is not coming after - to all areas of gaza. you know that ceasefire is not coming after what | ceasefire is not coming after what we saw at the united nations, another 150,000 people have been told to evacuate central area of the gaza strip. how dangerous is it to actually move once been told you have to evacuate?— actually move once been told you have to evacuate? there is no where for civilians — have to evacuate? there is no where for civilians to _ have to evacuate? there is no where for civilians to move _ have to evacuate? there is no where for civilians to move to. _ have to evacuate? there is no where for civilians to move to. many - for civilians to move to. many people who are in khan younis, had already fled their homes, to be told they are safe, and now they are not. 85% of the population have fled

their homes. they have nowhere to stay. they cannot move to rafah, there is ongoing fighting, ongoing military action, and there is nowhere for them to go to. the shelters are full. i was in rafah last week, and when you look around, you can see the streets are full of tense, people putting up whatever structures they can, in car parts, next to hospitals, there is no room, no infrastructure, no toilets, not enough food, not enough water to sustain life there. res, enough food, not enough water to sustain life there.— sustain life there. a worker described _ sustain life there. a worker described what _ sustain life there. a worker described what he - sustain life there. a worker described what he was - sustain life there. a worker i described what he was seeing sustain life there. a worker - described what he was seeing and he said children would too tired, 200, to scared to even cry. is that what you are seeing is well? t5 to scared to even cry. is that what you are seeing is well?— to scared to even cry. is that what you are seeing is well? is that what ou -- you are seeing is well? is that what you -- absolutely. _ you are seeing is well? is that what you -- absolutely. the _ you are seeing is well? is that what you -- absolutely. the situation - you are seeing is well? is that what you -- absolutely. the situation for you —— absolutely. the situation for children is deteriorating rapidly. there are many instances of children so is traumatised that they are in a

catatonic state of shock. i have seen countless times the lack of aid, of any protection for children, the lack of access to military support, forfood, water, and most critically, medical care. there's not a single functional hospital left in the north of gaza, yet hundreds of thousands of civilians that are trapped there still, and with ongoing and escalating fighting, the death toll and casualty rate, especially amongst children, will increase. and children, will increase. and children are more susceptible to explosive weapons that are used, their bodies are smaller, their bones break easier, they have less blood, which means they bleed out quicker. that is why it is imperative that there must be a ceasefire. it is the only way to protect the millions, especially children. irate protect the millions, especially children. ~ ., protect the millions, especially children. ~ . ., children. we had the resolution in the un passed — children. we had the resolution in the un passed on _ children. we had the resolution in the un passed on friday. - children. we had the resolution in the un passed on friday. in - children. we had the resolution in| the un passed on friday. in terms children. we had the resolution in i the un passed on friday. in terms of increasing humanitarian aid in the

gaza strip, has it made any difference 48—hour is on? tt is gaza strip, has it made any difference 48-hour is on? it is not enou:h. difference 48-hour is on? it is not enough- the _ difference 48-hour is on? it is not enough. the number— difference 48-hour is on? it is not enough. the number of _ difference 48-hour is on? it is not enough. the number of trucks - difference 48-hour is on? it is not enough. the number of trucks we | difference 48-hour is on? it is not. enough. the number of trucks we get in, the number of personnel we still have available, all of our operations are curtailed. humanitarians cannot move freely when there is escalating fighting. we cannot move across all areas of the gaza strip, our access to the central areas of khan younis, to the north of gaza remain blocked. there are still hundreds of gazans needing assistance. increasing the number of trucks will not keep 2.3 million people alive. there is one out of every four households facing famine. it is imperative we increase the number of trucks coming into gaza. 0n number of trucks coming into gaza. on a factual basis, where can you operate? the secretary—general was talking about the major obstacle that the israeli bombardment causes

for the distribution of aid, you have set the same thing. but where geographically are you able to actually function at the moment? there is nowhere that is safe in gaza right now. my teams are all displaced. we are working where ever we can, in rafah, in khan younis, i still have team members trapped in the north of gaza. we are unable to get any support to them and we are unable to maintain communications with them, we cannot send trucks up. it is critical that trucks go up to the north of gaza. it is critical that trucks go to the centre of gaza, and it is critical that trucks remain, being able to distribute, in the south of gaza. we cannot only distribute in areas of the south. hundreds of thousands of civilians, especially children in the north need assistance, and that means a ceasefire and unfettered access to all of us. if we have those, we can

reach the civilian populations. the trouble is. — reach the civilian populations. the trouble is, you know that list that you havejust trouble is, you know that list that you have just read trouble is, you know that list that you havejust read out, it is not going to happen. the majority of the things you have just asked for, the ceasefire, access to the north, it is not going to happen. that is the reality. we are heading into a new year, you have seen what has happened at the united nations after a week of wrangling, where it got to. as the war stretches into the new year, how bad could it still gets, do you think? irate new year, how bad could it still gets, do you think?— new year, how bad could it still gets, do you think? we need to make this a reality- — gets, do you think? we need to make this a reality. if _ gets, do you think? we need to make this a reality. if we _ gets, do you think? we need to make this a reality. if we do _ gets, do you think? we need to make this a reality. if we do not, _ gets, do you think? we need to make this a reality. if we do not, the - this a reality. if we do not, the cost of this would be the lives of 2.3 million civilians, half of them are children. the cost of the inability of the global community to actually restore the global rules —based order and the frameworks to prevent the very violations that we are witnessing will be the cost of the lives and futures of the 1.1

million children in gaza. again, we need to make this a reality. 2.3 million civilians cannot be the price of inactivity, the inability or unwillingness of the global community to reinforce international humanitarian law.— community to reinforce international humanitarian law. jason lee, we have to leave it there. _ humanitarian law. jason lee, we have to leave it there. thank _ humanitarian law. jason lee, we have to leave it there. thank you _ humanitarian law. jason lee, we have to leave it there. thank you for - to leave it there. thank you for joining us from jerusalem. let's take you know to scene live in bethlehem, the biblical birthplace ofjesus. it would normally be packed with pilgrims and tourists celebrating christmas. but this year, the streets are empty as palestinian christian leaders in the town have said they'll cancel all public festivities as a mark of solidarity with gazans living through months of bombing and fighting. 0ur correspondent shaimaa khalil is in bethlehem. on days like this, joudat and his father would have been talking about christmas preparations. not this year.

his family's stuck in northern gaza. he tries to reassure his father that he'll make it out alive and that they'll be together again. but his dad is overcome with grief. a week ago, joudat�*s grandmother was shot twice in the stomach. his aunt rushed to help her and was shot in the head. joudat�*s parents and relatives had been sheltering in the holy family church. now they've buried their loved ones there. the family blames israeli snipers for their death. the idf says it will continue its investigation. "there's still shelling around us", his father tells me. before he says goodbye, he has one last message for his son. "may god be with you, my son," he says. "take care of your sisters." the war in gaza weighs heavily on bethlehem. visitors from around the world would have been here by now. it's empty.

the city is empty from happiness, from joy, from kids, from santa, from every celebration. there is no celebration this year. we cannot be happy because, you know, we are not in another side of the world. we are like, you know, still in palestine. translation: it's so difficult. we're really struggling. look at bethlehem. it's never been this way. the atmosphere is heavy with absence. the absence of any features of celebration, the absence of tourists, of pilgrims who would normally fill this square. bethlehem is many miles away from the war in gaza, but the pain is felt deeply here. in an unusually empty nativity church, the priest tells me his city feels like a shadow of itself. 12 years here as a priest of this church. and i was born in bethlehem. and i never actually seen like this time of the year.

we have also brothers and sisters in in gaza. and this is what exactly makes it difficult also to celebrate and to have maybe music and to celebrate, to have parties usually. but because of this, what's happening, we'lljust pray for them. in manger square, a nativity scene in the rubble has replaced the giant christmas tree, a tribute to the children in gaza and a call to end their suffering. shaimaa khalil, bbc news, bethlehem. let me take you back alive to the pictures in bethlehem. you can see it is really quite fair on the streets. just to the bottom of the picture to the right, that's nativity scene in the rubble that has been depicted and created, we will show you the closer pictures earlier, but a very quiet bethlehem in the run—up to christmas. the us department of defense has

accused iran of launching the drone that damaged an oil tanker off the coast of india. the attack happened 320 kilometres southwest of veraval and caused a fire on board, which was extinguished. let's speak now to our correspondent. anbarasan ethirajan is in delhi1. the embassy saying they had nothing to do with this, but tell us the latest you are hearing.- to do with this, but tell us the latest you are hearing. what is happening _ latest you are hearing. what is happening in — latest you are hearing. what is happening in the _ latest you are hearing. what is happening in the red _ latest you are hearing. what is happening in the red sea - latest you are hearing. what is happening in the red sea in - latest you are hearing. what is| happening in the red sea in the latest you are hearing. what is - happening in the red sea in the past 48—hours has really shaken the commercial shipping operations. the us central command issued the latest update, listing the number of attempts made on tankers and other commercial ships passing through the red sea. they said two antiballistic missiles were fired, and they are regarded as the proxy of iran. four

drones were shot down by a us warship and two other ships were hit, one had a narrow head—on. however, another indian tanker was hit by a drone but not much damage or casualties. we are talking about the attack on friday. and india bound ship which one of the british maritime agency said is affiliated with a tanker carrying oil from india to saudi arabia, that came under attack. that has also shaken the confidence of the industry. the us blames iran, saying for the first time that it is directly involved in an attack, but the authorities deny it. it is still a mystery who carried it out, nobody has taken responsibility, but what is assured is how one of the busiest routes now has come under attack from these rebel groups or some others threatening the industry. that is the wider concern, _

threatening the industry. that is the wider concern, isn't - threatening the industry. that is the wider concern, isn't it? - threatening the industry. that is the wider concern, isn't it? in i the wider concern, isn't it? in terms of what the authorities are saying, what are the indian authorities saying about this? the indian authorities saying about this? tte: indian coastguard has given an update on what happened and we conclude that was the tanker that was attacked on the coast of india on friday. this ship was damaged, it got fired but it was extinguished, but it also took in water. the coastguard ship is accompanying this tanker, so it is likely to reach the port at mumbai tomorrow to assess damage and carry out any repair work, then they will decide the future course of action. then they have also deployed surveillance to make sure that the ship does not have any other threats in that particular area. have any other threats in that particulararea. it have any other threats in that particular area. it is a concern for india, it heavily relies on oil from middle east, so it is not only in the red sea and now, but spreading to other areas. people might

question how a drone far from any other country, 2000 kilometres away, can hit a target, whether it was launched from another border or ship. that is a question for experts to answer. ., ~ ship. that is a question for experts to answer. ., ,, , ., ship. that is a question for experts to answer-— ship. that is a question for experts to answer. ., ,, , ., , . ., to answer. thank you very much for that. here in the uk, the home secretary, james cleverly, has apologised forjoking about spiking drinks. the remark is alleged to have been made on the same day announced ——he announced new measures to tackle the problem. 0ur political correspondent ione wells reports. downing street held a christmas reception last monday forjournalists, ministers and political aides. it was held by chance on the same day the home secretary had promoted a raft of new government measures to tackle spiking — the act of putting alcohol or drugs in someone's drink or body without their consent. the sunday mirror alleges that james cleverly told fellow guests that the secret to a long marriage was ensuring your spouse was someone who is always mildly sedated, so she can never realise there are better men out there. it also alleges he mentioned

rohypnol — a drug commonly used to spike drinks. a spokesperson for mr cleverly said, in what was always understood as a private conversation, the home secretary made what was clearly meant to be an ironicjoke — for which he apologises. the shadow home secretary, yvette cooper, said spiking was a devastating crime, and it was unbelievable to make a joke about it. ione wells, bbc news, westminster. let's round up some of the other stories making the headlines today. bbc news has learned the uk is to send a naval warship to guyana, after venezuela renewed its claim for a disputed part of guyanese territory. the ministry of defence confirmed hms trent would take part in joint exercises after christmas. the uk's new anti—fraud champion says police and tech firms must do more to help victims of romance scams. conservative mp simon fell told the bbc romance fraud could be "really traumatic" for victims. the national fraud intelligence bureau received more than 8,000 reports of romance fraud in 2022.

millions of people are expected to be travelling today as the christmas rush continues. rail disruption is predicted, with london paddington shutting, and some other stations running reduced services. the windy weather could also cause problems, with yellow warnings in place from the met office. four months ago, the christian community in the pakistan city of jaranwala saw nearly two dozen of their churches and tens of homes ransacked by hundreds of protestors. in the aftermath, the government promised money to help rebuild. but as they prepare for christmas, many are still living with the damage and shock of the attack. 0ur pakistan correspondent, caroline davies, reports from the city. joy and christmas hats — familiar celebrations mask painful memories.

jaranwala's christians have lost much this year. simon lives in the only room left of her family home. rebuilding is slow. life in this charred space exhausting. translation: we are tired now. in this one room, there is no facility. there is no light. no water. everything is finished. we don't have anything. jaranwala's authorities told us that the amount given to families she and herfamily received 2 million rupees from the government — just over $7,000. she says that's not enough. translation: it takes a whole lifetime to build a house. - our parents saved each and every penny for the house, and now it's all burned. whatever we had, you can look at the house. it's all burned. for two million rupees, you can't rebuild this whole house.

jaranwala's authorities told us that the amount given to families was based on an assessment of the loss of each house. this is what caused that loss. hundreds gathered injaranwala after two christians were alleged to have desecrated the koran. allegations of blasphemy. it turned violent. churches, homes burnt and ransacked. four months on, the authorities say all the churches have been rebuilt. this was the... this was the church. now, this looks... this looks completely different to the last time you were here, when the walls were completely blackened. and instead, of course, it's been completely redone. more than 350 were arrested, but none have yet stood trial. do you think the police should have moved faster? this is a process flaw. the biggest stakeholder may be public, but there's one hidden,

bigger stakeholder, which has much more stakes than the people actually, and that is the police department. that's the government itself. because we want to show people that such like acts will not be tolerated in future. if we don't ensure justice in these cases, such like incidents will keep happening. prayers, thoughts on a better year. buildings are repaired but trust they tell us will take far longer. caroline davis, bbc news, jaranwala. king charles will deliver the second christmas message of his reign from a buckingham palace room decorated with a living christmas tree. natural and sustainable decorations, including hand—turned wood, dried oranges, and pine cones hang from its branches. the king is a long—term environmental campaigner so the tree will be replanted after the broadcast. from giant glowing figures in colombia to spinning projections in australia, the world's cities

are embracing christmas. have a look at some of the best sights across the world. festive symphonic music plays. some wonderful scenes around the world. that is almost from this half—hour bulletin. ijust want world. that is almost from this half—hour bulletin. i just want to show you like pictures again from

gaza on the border, hostility is continuing as israel's prime minister says the war will go on until they reach all of their objectives. president biden again emphasising the critical need to protect civilians, save the children telling this programme only a short while ago what that what they desperately need is a ceasefire and the ability to distribute aid, life—saving aid to all areas of gaza. save the children speaking to us here in the last few minutes. do stay with us on bbc news, i am back with more headlines in a moment or two. hello there. we had some heavy rain in scotland on saturday, and as a result of that there are a number of flood warnings in force across the north of the country. we have had some disruption too. for most of the uk it was a very mild day, but not for everyone. massive contrasts in northern scotland as the mild air butted up against the cold. 10 degrees in braemar, ten miles down the road

in balmoral, just 1. and with those lower temperatures across the far north and east, well, on saturday we did see some snowfall. so for some, a winter wonderland. however, since then the snow has been turning back to rain and our main concern as we get through christmas eve is the strength of the winds. they could disrupt some travel plans that you may have, so stay tuned. the winds then will pick up over the next few hours, becoming quite gusty across england and wales with outbreaks of rain here. rain could be heavy enough to cause one or two localised flooding issues across mid wales. some showery conditions across scotland and northern ireland. for most, temperatures in double figures as we start the day on sunday. cold air stilljust about clinging on across the far north—east. now, the strong winds will be affecting scotland through the day, particularly late on. they could bring some distruption here. and over to the east of the pennines, winds could gust 50—70 mph, potentially strong enough to blow over some high—sided vehicles, maybe knock down one or two trees. so there is a risk of seeing some transport disruption during the day on sunday, christmas eve, so it is worth checking conditions before heading out on anyjourneys

you may have planned. and the winds could get even stronger actually for a time during the evening across northern scotland. on into monday, christmas day, for the vast majority of the uk we are in mild air, so rather than it being a white christmas it is a grey christmas. a lot of cloud around, outbreaks of rain, quite heavy rain for a time. quite windy conditions, but colder air starts to move back into northern scotland and that could start to turn some of the rain to snow across some of the higher hills of northern scotland. so for a few of you, it could just about be a white christmas, but not for many. looking beyond that into boxing day, we get colder air moving back southwards across the uk. with that there will be a lot more in the way of sunshine, so that is one positive. it will feel quite a bit colder, mind you. and there will be some showers around, particularly across scotland. one or two for northern ireland, one or two for the north—west of both england and wales. the showers could come through wintry at times, so maybe a bit of sleet mixed in with some of these, maybe a bit of hill snow as well. bye for now.

this is bbc news. the headlines. in a phone call with the israeli prime minister, the us president has highlighted the critical need to protect the civilian population in gaza, including aid workers, as the heavy bombardment continues. joe biden told reporters that he'd not asked benjamin netanyahu for a ceasefire.

the us has accused iran of launching a drone attack that damaged an israeli—affiliated oil tanker off the coast of india. a fire on board the ship was extinguished and no casualties were reported. iran has denied any involvement. there's growing hope for an end to the nine—year war in yemen after the warring parties committed to a new ceasefire and agreed to engage in a un—led peace process. yemen has been gripped by conflict between the iran— backed houthi rebels and a saudi—led coalition supporting the government. now on bbc news, a look back at the year in sport. 2023 was a remarkable

year for sport. up here, an historic treble.