165 palestinians have been killed and 250 injured in the past 2a hours, as the israeli army strikes targets across the territory. fierce israeli tank fire and air strikes have continued in khan younis in southern gaza, which israel sees as a stronghold of hamas. residents report intense gun battles between israeli troopsand hamas fighters there. the israeli army says its troops have killed "dozens of terrorists" in gaza city. meanwhile, as israeli ground operations drive tens of thousands of people to flee — there are reports of an increased spread of diseases. and the un warns that the volume of aid reaching the territory remains "woefully inadequate". meanwhile, south africa has filed a case at the international court ofjustice alleging that israel is engaging in "genocidal acts" in gaza. the un court has confirmed the proceedings concerning alleged violations of israel's obligations under the genocide convention. the move has been welcomed

by the leader of palestinian national initiative party mustafa barghouti. and we support the decision of the south african government to take the case of genocide against palestinian people in gaza to the international court ofjustice. israel is committing three terrible war crimes against the people in gaza — the war crime of genocide, the war crime of collective punishment, and the war crime of ethnic cleansing. and it is high time to hold israel responsible and accountable in front of the international community. but israel has responded with fury. israeli foreign ministry spokesperson lior haiat says... he goes on to say...

let's go live now to jerusalem for all the latest with our middle east correspondent — yolande knell. strong words there. what more can you tell us about that response? israel has said that this lawsuit filed is baseless and actually it has led to the south africans that hamas should be blamed for the suffering of the palestinian people in gaza. this does match up to what has been seen in recent weeks, where we have had a very strong pro—palestinian stance taken by the african government. the ruling party tends to identify with the palestinian nationalist struggle and see and its own past struggled against apartheid and we have already had in recent weeks, the south africans recalling their diplomats from israel and israel recalling its ambassador. health officials in gaza _

recalling its ambassador. health officials in gaza has _ recalling its ambassador. health officials in gaza has said - recalling its ambassador. health officials in gaza has said that. officials in gaza has said that there has been more loss of life as israel presses forward with its offensive. what are you hearing about what is happening? it’s a offensive. what are you hearing about what is happening? it's a very intense fighting _ about what is happening? it's a very intense fighting going _ about what is happening? it's a very intense fighting going on _ about what is happening? it's a very intense fighting going on at - about what is happening? it's a very intense fighting going on at the - intense fighting going on at the moment particularly in khan younis in the south where one of the local hospitals is reporting people being brought in wounded and dead from air strikes. we also know there is a loud noise going on, gun battles in the street, israeli soldiers taking on hamas fighters there. there has been intense artillery fire. there has been intense bombardment in the centre of gaza over the past 24—hour. this is an area from which tens of thousands have fled, from the advance of israeli tanks. in the past 2a hours, we have been told there bid 100 people killed in the centre of gaza. that has really

overwhelmed the local hospitals. yolande knell injerusalem, thank you. eurostar services to and from london st pancras international have been cancelled due to flooding in a tunnel as festive disruption continues. at least 29 services have been cancelled so far. eurostar said it was "working hard" to ensure later trains could run, but warned of severe delays. other operators are also warning of problems due to staff sickness. aru na iyengar reports. st pancras international this morning. hundreds of passengers of all nationalities waiting to get trains to european destinations. well, at the moment, we're trying to be optimistic and hopeful that our train will still be one of the lucky ones that goes and that we still make it to paris for new year's eve. but obviously a little bit disappointed because i'm desperate but obviously a little bit disappointed. because i'm desperate to be to paris. i'm really, really desperate to be with my family on new year's.

we are not going to going home today, butjust waiting. - so we're hoping it's going to be fixed. l and if we want to book a flight, that's probably not possible. i it's all due to flooding in the thames tunnel. this affects high speed trains on the southeastern and eurostar services. hs1, which runs the line, says engineers have been working through the night, but the volume of water is unprecedented. they're advising passengers to check websites before travelling. eurostar services have already been hit this christmas. there were cancellations last week after strikes by staff in france. getting towards the end of a festive spell, which in the uk has been incredibly disruptive for travellers. something else has come to upset an awful lot of passengers and while the trains here are in some turmoil, i'm afraid it's a similar picture across large parts of britain. storm gerrit has caused havoc across the roads, rail and in the air.

scotland has seen gusts of 85 miles per hour. it's caused power cuts, fallen trees, blocking highways and flooded railway tracks. on top of this today, there's reduced services on thames link because of crew shortages. and there were speed restrictions on the west highland line due to strong winds. over the new year weekend, there's more disruption with staff shortages, meaning no services tomorrow on northern rail and expected delays on london northwestern and chiltern railways. aruna iyengarjoins us live from st pancras station. what is the situation there? it's a re bad what is the situation there? it's a pretty bad situation _ what is the situation there? it's a pretty bad situation if— what is the situation there? it's a pretty bad situation if you - what is the situation there? it�*s —. pretty bad situation if you want to travel to european destinations over this coming weekend. i have been here all morning and have seen passages in tears because they can't travel to their destination, in paris, amsterdam and brussels. 29 services are cancelled by eurostar

today. many are waiting, to see if there trains will travel from around four o'clock this afternoon. it is by no means clear if that will happen. many people affected by other services being cancelled. strong gust of winds and the storm have affected railway tracks across the uk. we have problems on the thames look line because of staff shortages. there are also problems on northern rail, which the north of england, because of staff shortages. so a great deal of destruction on the railways and on the road because of yellow warnings from the met office, which are warning of high winds and gusty conditions. so a lot of travel disruption for people trying to get around to meet their loved ones over the new year's weekend. . , . loved ones over the new year's weekend. ., , ., ., loved ones over the new year's weekend-— loved ones over the new year's weekend. ., ., ., , weekend. clearly a lot of people turnin: weekend. clearly a lot of people turning up _ weekend. clearly a lot of people turning up at — weekend. clearly a lot of people turning up at the _ weekend. clearly a lot of people turning up at the station - weekend. clearly a lot of people turning up at the station and - weekend. clearly a lot of people |

turning up at the station and just finding out about these problems then? . �* , finding out about these problems then? ., �* , ., , then? that's right. i am still seeinu , then? that's right. i am still seeing. peeple _ then? that's right. i am still seeing, people saying - then? that's right. i am still seeing, people saying they i then? that's right. i am still i seeing, people saying they had then? that's right. i am still - seeing, people saying they had no idea the trains were cancelled. 0bviously, idea the trains were cancelled. obviously, the advice from eurostar is to check before you set out today. they say they are regularly updating their website. they have apologised profusely for the delays today. many people are really very upset about this and many people i spoke to said that they haven't been given adequate information so they are still turning up now, trying to get away to those european destinations and literally, there are hundreds of people sitting in the concourse in st pancras station this morning. the concourse in st pancras station this morning-— britain's shortest—serving prime minister, liz truss, has unveiled her resignation honours list, sparking an angry backlash from some critics. her 11 nominations largely consist of political supporters and former aides. labour says the list is a slap

in the face to working people who are paying the price of the tories crashing the economy. but conservatives say she had a right to put people forward. 0ur political correspondent, shelley phelps, reports. i am resigning as leader of the conservative party. more than a year after her resignation, liz truss's honours list has finally been revealed. the 11 awards largely given to political supporters and former aides include three life peerages, one for ex—vote leave chief matthew elliott, another for businessmen and conservative donor john moynihan, and thirdly, ruth porter, a long—term adviser. there were also damehoods for the brighter and maths there were also damehoods for the writer and maths education campaigner shirley conran and the former conservative ministerjackie doyle—price. another ex—conservative minister alec shelbrooke gets a knighthood. critics have expressed dismay at the list. remember, liz truss was prime ministerfor ao—odd days. she and her conservative colleagues

pushed the economy off a cliff. families across the country are paying more on their mortgage, more in tax, more on their credit cards, as a consequence of decisions taken by liz truss. and these are rewards for failure. speaking to bbc radio 4's today programme, a former minister who served in liz truss's cabinet defended her right to put people forward. liz truss took on the most senior politicaljob in the country, of being prime minister, which is a role that comes with enormous responsibilities. she had been foreign secretary and held otherjobs beforehand. in a statement, liz truss said those she has honoured are champions of conservative values. downing street, which published the list, insists that all proper conventions were followed. and for us, our heirs and successors... this is not the first time a resignation honours list has caused controversy, and it's unlikely to be the last.

shelley phelps, bbc news. the uk government ban on xl bully dogs comes into force on sunday, meaning rescue organisations have until the end of today to rehome them. if they can't, the animals will have to be put down. rebecca ricks went to visit a centre in exeter, in southwest england, to find out how they're coping with rising numbers of the breed. he may not know it, but drax has been given a second chance. the dog was bred from two xl bullies, before he was rescued from birmingham and recently rehomed in exeter by a charity. drax was an arranged rescue, but volunteers say the situation now is worse. up until the ban came into effect, we were never asked by a council, pound, or by a vet to rescue one of these dogs, because it had been abandoned. we had not had one request before.

since october, we've had about 12. and we are just one small local volunteer—run rescue. the rspca is also seeing people starting to leave xl bullies at its centres. what we are faced with unfortunately is a deadline of new year's eve that if we haven't rehomed the xl bullies that in our care that are ready to be rehomed, we are going to be in the really unfortunate situation that they're going to have to be put to sleep. so we are working incredibly hard to ensure that those dogs being rehomed that are able to be rehomed, but we're also then seeing abandonments coming in as well. so it is very much a changing pattern from day—to—day. drax is now living with with bain, richard's other xl bully and the family are taking the ban seriously. we are lucky enough l to own our own home, so we are a big garden and secure fences and stuff. _ we did put in some extra gates to keep the dogs . away from the main gate. just to be on the safe side. and then we just stepped up our

l training with both of the boys. i the ban came after a series of dog attacks on people by xl bully type dogs. to legally keep their dogs, owners must buy a certificate of exemption, have them microchipped, insured, neutered, muzzled and on a lead outdoors. the government says it took quick and decisive action to protect the public and that it was working closely with canine experts to bring the measures forward. rebecca ricks, bbc news. the governor of the russian city of belgorod says two children were killed and several people injured as a result of a ukrainian strike on the centre of the city. a residential area is said to have been hit in the city which is about 80 kilometres, or 50 miles north of the ukrainian city of kharkiv. it comes a day after friday's massive bombardment of ukraine, the biggest of the war so far. at least 30 people were killed after 150 russian missiles and drones were launched

against cities across ukraine. the bombardment has been overwhelmingly condemned at an emergency meeting of the un security council. many countries said hitting civilian infrastructure had violated the international rules of war. live now to our reporter, zhanna bezpiatchuk, in kyiv. can you tell us about the scale of the attacks?— can you tell us about the scale of the attacks? ,.., ., ., ., . ~ the attacks? the scale of the attack that happened _ the attacks? the scale of the attack that happened the _ the attacks? the scale of the attack that happened the day _ the attacks? the scale of the attack that happened the day before, - the attacks? the scale of the attack that happened the day before, it. the attacks? the scale of the attack that happened the day before, it is| that happened the day before, it is confirmed that it was the deadliest attacks on the ukrainian capital since the beginning of the russian invasion. 16 people were killed during this attack at the storage facility in the ukrainian capital's city centre. even right now, the

works are still in progress. there are still people alive under the drapery at the other location in the capital. four districts in kyiv were affected directly by this attack. apart from these, the entire country is affected. 120 villages and cities in ukraine were damaged by different types of russian missiles and drones. in fact, types of russian missiles and drones. infact, russia types of russian missiles and drones. in fact, russia used almost all possible and available types of missiles against ukraine, including the most dangerous, the most difficult for interception, ballistic miles that missiles. just months before what happened

yesterday, far in advance, the military intelligence said it very clearly in public, it was the official statement, that if russia attacks ukraine on a massive scale during this winter, there will be retaliation and so far, the ukrainian media have reported that around 70 drones were launched against allocations in russia overnight. there is no official statement or confirmation. but the ukrainian intelligence, the ukrainian intelligence, the ukrainian media say that yes, ukraine have carried out their attacks by drones.— ukraine have carried out their attacks by drones. thank you very

much. now it's time for a look at today's sport. busy day of football and we start with a huge and we start with a huge rivalry in scotland. the old firm derby is underway at celtic park. and the hosts are ahead at the break thanks to paulo bernarndo — a powerful finish from the edge of the area from the portugese midfielder on loan from benfica. rangers started the game 5 points behind celtic, who lead the scottish premiership, but rangers do have two games in hand. luton town against chelsea is the first of six english premier league games this saturday. it's half—time at kennilworth road and the visitors are dominating — first goalfrom cole palmer in the 12th minute, with noni madueke with their second. manchester united travel to nottingham forest in the late game —

and there's four matches at 3 o'clock, including second placed aston villa hosting burnley and fourth placed manchester city hosting bottom side sheffield united. it's competitive at the top of the table, with just 6 points separating the top 5 teams. maybe the last previous seasons, it didn't happen much but this season, it's common for all the teams. all of us are struggling to get the results in a comfortable way. so that means being patient, so let's not give up, never ever. so keep going game by game. former world number one naomi 0saka is stepping up her preparations for the first tennis grand slam of the new year, the australian open, which begins in a fortnight. 0saka will be playing in brisbane next week, her opening match is against the german world number 84 tamara korpatsch. 0saka hasn't played since september 2022 and gave birth to her daughter shai five months ago. the four time grand slam champion

says becoming a mum has made her more patient, confident and ambitious: i think i consider this a second chapter. someone said there was a half—time and we are now on the second half. but i think for me, shai has affected my goals in a positive way. i think it's better to have big goals and achieve half of them then i think it's better to have big goals and achieve half of them than set little goals and surpass what you have dreamt of. i think it's better to have big dreams. the second one day international of australia's women's tour of india is underway in wankhede. batting first, the tourists got to 258 for 8 off their 50 overs — with opener phoebe litchfield top scoring with 63. elyse perry with a half century. in reply, india are 80 for 2. both the openers falling, yastika batia gone for 1a,

and smrithi mandhana out on 34. india look to level the 0di series at 1—1. you the 0di series at h. can follow all the live sport going you can follow all the live sport going on around the world on the bbc sport website. that is it for me at the moment. let s get some of the day s other news now from around the world. taiwan's three presidential election candidates have taken part in the only televised debate ahead of next month's elections. many of the questions focused on taiwan's difficult relationship with china. the frontrunner — william lai — rejected accusations he would steer the self—ruled island towards full independence. china has expelled nine military officers from its parliament — the national people's congress. they include four generals of the army's strategic missile force. it's the latest in a series of high—level restructuring moves in the military since defence minister li shangfu was abruptly sacked in october, following months of speculation about his whereabouts.

no explanation has been given for the officials' removal — but there have been reports of a corruption investigation. the finishing touches are being put to preparations for new year's eve celebrations around the world. in london, a large fireworks display will light up the thames. the 31st of december also marks 100 years since the bells of big ben were first broadcast. in 1923, bbc radio transmitted the famous bongs to the nation to herald the new year. 0ur reporter meghan 0wen is in east london where the final preparations ahead of tomorrow's fireworks display are under way. it's quite incredible to think that what we will see tomorrow evening when london's skyline is lit up in colour with the fireworks all starts here on these barges in the east of london in the east of london in the docklands.

there are thousands of shells, there are controlled firing panels, there are wires, so it's really interesting to see it all happening behind the scenes. it's a very meticulous operation and i am joined by the event director. just talk me through the numbers. how many fireworks and how long has it all taken? we have about 12,000 individual fireworks on these individual fireworks on these three barges and the london eye. the most iconic part doesn't get rigged until 6am tomorrow. we have a crew of about 30 people working over the two locations since the 27th of december. we have got over 30 tonnes of equipment to load. almost 50 kilometres of cable and wire that need to be connected

and 4,500 individual firing cues that need to be wide and tested. we are in a fairly good place at the moment. it does get pretty stressful. this is my 14th year doing london new years eve and aim certainly, the last ten or 15 minutes before the midnight moment tomorrow, i am going to be quite nervous. you can't afford to have a bad day at the office, can you? no, a blank sky at midnight is not an option. there may be people watching this who are thinking environmentally, this might not be a good idea. what are you doing to mitigate that? public perception is that people believe — public perception is that people believe that fireworks are environmentally unfriendly but that is not _ environmentally unfriendly but that is not the _ environmentally unfriendly but that is not the case. even a show of this size,

the biggest show in the country, the output is public not dissimilar to a 500 mile journey. everything we do in life has a carbon footprint and as a responsible company, we do our best to mitigate against that. we calculate the c02 output, and then we offset that on a uk tree—planting scheme. this is an event that is famously shrouded in secrecy. any clues about what to expect tomorrow? none whatsoever. all i will say is we have prepared a 12 minute programme. it is going to celebrate the diversity and everything that london has to offer. hopefully we will take on the applause at 12 minute past midnight. this barge will be sent down the thames this afternoon to the london eye which will be also loaded with fireworks. it is a meticulous operation, 4,000 musical cue ready for the event tomorrow, watching the london fireworks display.

stay with us here on bbc news. still somewhat unsettled weather as we head through the rest of this weekend, thinning rather stormy at times. we have seen some snow across scotland but the snow levels here will lift through the afternoon and become more confined to the hills of scotland but possibly some more travel disruption, heavy downpours of rain. with the risk of some coastal gales and here is that deep area as pressure. it's all moving but in improving picture across northern ireland for the rest of the day was a brightness around but heavy rain across the south—west of

england and wales. that rain stretching up into northern england and some more snow for the hills of central and northern scotland. another five to ten centimetres accumulating and of course, this could cause more disruption to those major routes. through this evening and overnight, this cold front will be pushing further eastwards across east anglia, central and southern england. gust of winds across the south coast up to 60, 60 five miles an hour. not quite as telly tonight across much of scotland and it is still mild towards the south. this new year's eve, we are likely to cease in blustery showers, hail and thunder possible. it should be dry across the east but gusty across the south coast. mild in the south, cold across much of scotland. let's look at the big night itself. so more

blustery showers blowing through. very windy with strong gusts of wind across the south coast. lots of showers on the chart here, there will also be some dry weather around. in ten years day, it is much quieter although we will eventually start to see the winds pick up across the south—west and some outbreaks of rain by the time we get to the end of the day but as you can see, there is lots of dry weather. lots of sunshine around, showers across north—west england and south of scotland. mild as you head through the start of 2024. colder into scotland and it will be rather unsettled at times.

in parts of scotland. this is bbc news, the headlines. gaza health officials say 165 palestinians have been killed in the past 24 hours as the israeli army strikes targets across the territory. the southern border town of rafah continues to see an influx of people seeking safety. an emergency meeting of the un security council has overwhelmingly condemned russia's aerial assault on ukraine on friday — the largest since the start of the war. many countries said hitting civilian infrastructure had violated the international rules of war. new year's eve travellers face major disruption as tunnel flooding under london's river thames brings eurostar cross—channel services to a halt.

in the uk more than 1,200 people from the worlds of sport, entertainment and charity have been recognised in the new year honours list. the awards are chosen by king charles. now on bbc news, the travel show — azerbaijan. i'm on a journey to explore azerbaijan. neither asia nor europe, this is a country where a colourful past and prosperous present intertwine. the price of the caviar in azerbaijan is like four times less than in the uk. filled with ancient wonders, it's a place where the natural world has shaped its history for generations. a unique country, with nine climate zones. it borders russia to the north, iran to the south, with the caspian sea on one side, and georgia and armenia

on the other.