which destroyed two ballistic missiles fired from yemen. there were no reports of casualties. several shipping firms have rerouted from the red sea after their vessels were attacked by houthi rebels in yemen, in support of palestinians in gaza.meanwhile, israel's prime minister, benjamin netanyahu, is insisting that the war in gaza will continue until all hostages have been released — and hamas has been dismantled. gaza's health ministry says that 165 people have been killed and 250 people injured in 2a hours. yolande knell reports. a giant campsite for the displaced. crammed into an ever shrinking area, tens of thousands of gazans who fled the fighting have set up makeshift tents and shacks by the egyptian border. israel says it's not restricting aid for gaza, but the un complains the amount

getting in is woefully inadequate. it's a very long and convoluted process with numerous checks before the aid actually gets into gaza, and then once the aid is in gaza it's very difficult to get aid to people. essentially we're delivering aid under fire. gaza streets have been turned into battlegrounds, as hamas fighters try to block the advance of israeli soldiers. the main focus for israel's ground troops is now the southern city of khan younis and the central urban refugee camps. translation: we arrested dozens of terrorists in a school. _ they were hiding amongst civilians, hamas and the islamicjihad. we took them to israel to continue their interrogation. large numbers of gazans have been detained by israel. the men here were picked up near their homes in the north. they claim they were beaten, stripped to their underwear, and mistreated, even burnt with cigarettes. we can't independently verify their accounts.

"they used obscene words," says this man. "they'd hold you like a dog and make you crawl, then there would be five soldiers who'd hit you alternately on the head and body." israel insists it treats detainees according to international law. for now, there's no sign that israel is lowering the intensity of its attacks on gaza. it says its aim remains to dismantle hamas. hamas says it won't give up the remaining israeli hostages it's holding unless there's a full ceasefire. and with a new year about to begin, for those living close to gaza's front—line, the suffering continues. yolande knell, bbc news, jerusalem. let's go live tojerusalem and our correspondent, shaimaa khalil. what is the latest this morning? well, the israeli prime minister has reiterated a line we have heard him say many times over the past week or

so, which is the war will last for months, it will not end any time soon. on the ground, what we are seeing is an advance of the israeli ground offensive into central gaza, affecting three main refugee camps. very congested refugee camps. people are displaced or doubly displaced. some have fled fighting from the north. as it also intensifies its bombardment of khan younis and of rafah, rafah is gaza's most densely populated city. hundreds of thousands of people have been fleeing the fighting in khan younis. that was initially the place people fled to from the fighting in the north. we have also heard from the israeli military spokesman, who tweeted in arabic, saying the artery of movement through the gaza strip from the north to the south, he

described it as a battlefield. if you think about what it means for humanitarian aid, it is that much harder and that much more complex. we have heard from the un how difficult it is to get any aid into gaza because of the complex process of inspection. when it gets into gaza, the process of safely delivering it becomes very difficult, notjust in the south but imagine trying to get into central gaza now where fighting has intensified and northern gaza where fighting has continued. this continues to be a point of contention between the un and israel. the un says it is not restricting animal aid should come in. —— as and more aid. irate restricting animal aid should come in. -- as and more aid.— in. -- as and more aid. we will be talkin: in. -- as and more aid. we will be talking about _ in. -- as and more aid. we will be talking about that _ in. -- as and more aid. we will be talking about that more _ in. -- as and more aid. we will be talking about that more in - in. -- as and more aid. we will be talking about that more in a - in. -- as and more aid. we will be talking about that more in a bit. i talking about that more in a bit. also tell us about the news of more military about red sea tensions are rising. they had container has been

targeted just last night. that rising. they had container has been targeted just last night.— targeted 'ust last night. that is to write. targeted just last night. that is to write- again. _ targeted just last night. that is to write. again, this _ targeted just last night. that is to write. again, this is _ targeted just last night. that is to write. again, this is a _ targeted just last night. that is to write. again, this is a result - targeted just last night. that is to write. again, this is a result of. write. again, this is a result of the fallout of the war in gaza. the houthis, since the beginning have announced their backing of hamas and said they will target ships in the red sea headed to israel. there is no evidence that all of the ship attacked were heading to israel. the latest is from mersk. the us military in a statement said a us warship had received a call for help from a shipping container and that they hit two ballistic missiles coming from yemen by the houthis. they control large parts of yemen and we have seen an uptake in those

attacks since october the 7th. the us is calling on more countries to join its coalition to try and control and protect maritime activities in the red sea. we have seen a number of shipping giants, including bp, who are rebooting into the cape of hope. that means it will have economic and financial impacts. that is one of the most important routes. if that is disrupted. it will have a knock—on effect on the prices, of course. will have a knock-on effect on the prices, of course.— prices, of course. later today, israel's war — prices, of course. later today, israel's war cabinet _ prices, of course. later today, israel's war cabinet will - prices, of course. later today, israel's war cabinet will be - israel's war cabinet will be meeting. live now to jason lee, occupied palestinian territory country director for the charity, save the children. he's injerusalem.

i reporters have been outlining the challenges aid agencies are facing and trying to get some aid into gaza. tell the impact it has on children, specifically. if gaza. tell the impact it has on children, specifically.- children, specifically. if the situation — children, specifically. if the situation continues - children, specifically. if the situation continues to - children, specifically. if the - situation continues to deteriorate, everything will be impacted. we are facing starvation. one out of four households are at risk of famine. there has been a complete collapse of the health system. again, we are seeing increases in diarrhoea —type diseases, patients presented with jaundice. there is no possibility to test, diagnose or treat these conditions with the cold, the rain, their 1.9 million people, 85% of the population and children exposed to elements, facing malnutrition, not having access to health care or maintaining hygiene practices. the

risk of communicable diseases and pneumonia will increase. just risk of communicable diseases and pneumonia will increase.— pneumonia will increase. just in november _ pneumonia will increase. just in november we — pneumonia will increase. just in november we saw _ pneumonia will increase. just in november we saw a _ pneumonia will increase. just in november we saw a group - pneumonia will increase. just in november we saw a group of i pneumonia will increase. just in - november we saw a group of premature babies were allowed to come to gaza into for urgent medical care. i've seen some collaborative conversation going on? yellow magnet is still not enough. it is estimated there are 50,000 in gaza who need to deliver. what hope can we have full maternal, obstetric and newborn care. what obstetric and newborn care. what ho -e do obstetric and newborn care. what hope do we _ obstetric and newborn care. what hope do we have _ obstetric and newborn care. what hope do we have the _ obstetric and newborn care. iwiegt hope do we have the patients requiring treatment for chronic conditions like cancer, kidney failure, diabetes? again, there is no single functional hospital left in the north of gaza. only nine out of the 36 hospitals are partially functional in the south. these partially functioning hospitals

cannot meet basic primary health care needs or cope with the influx of hundreds of civilians every single day, being injured by the fighting and increased military activity. figs fighting and increased military activi . r fighting and increased military activi . a ,, .,~ ., activity. as we speak, there are negotiations — activity. as we speak, there are negotiations going _ activity. as we speak, there are negotiations going on _ negotiations going on behind—the—scenes egypt, qatar and representatives of groups like hamas and groups including israel. there seems to be stalemate from both sides. what a message from those trying to find at least a middle ground here? it trying to find at least a middle ground here?— ground here? it is critical all arties ground here? it is critical all parties to — ground here? it is critical all parties to the _ ground here? it is critical all parties to the conflict - ground here? it is critical all| parties to the conflict respect ground here? it is critical all- parties to the conflict respect and adhere to obligations under international law. these obligations. it is not up to parties in the conflict to decide who they want to protect, when they want to protect and the circumstances to protect and the circumstances to protect civilians. the protection of civilians, especially children, keeping them alive and allowing

life—saving assistance to reach them, no matter who they are or where they are, it is critical we put politics aside when we put aside their supposedly military objective and focus on what needs to be done right now, which is keeping the 2.3 million people in gaza, half of them children, alive.— children, alive. thank you for “oininr children, alive. thank you for joining us- — russia has carried out more drone attacks on ukraine, with reports of explosions in zaporizhzhia, kyiv and kharkiv. twin missile strikes on central kharkiv injured at least 21 people, including two teenage boys. the strikes are in apparent retaliation for ukraine's drone attack on the russian city of belgorod yesterday, which killed at least 20 people. and in the last few minutes, reuters is reporting the govenor or belgorod has just issued a warning of more missiles heading towards residents there. the kremlin requested an urgent meeting of the un security council.

here's our russia editor, steve rosenberg. explosion. caught on dash cam, a giant explosion in the centre of belgorod. there was panic, as people ran for cover. siren wails. not everyone could. russia says at least 20 civilians were killed and more than 100 injured after a series of ukrainian strikes on the heart of the city, although the russian military claimed it had shot down most of the missiles. as emergency crews rushed to the scene, the scale of the damage became clear. billowing smoke making belgorod look more than ever like a frontline city. ukraine's border is

just 20 miles away. the local governor, vyacheslav gladkov, said these were the deadliest consequences of ukrainian shelling that his region had experienced. explosion. the attack came just a day after russia had carried out a huge wave of strikes across ukraine with missiles and with drones. at least 39 people, kyiv said, were killed. belgorod has come under attack before... ..with explosions like this one at the airport and at a power station. this kind of thing never happened before russia launched its full—scale invasion of ukraine. now, a deadly new strike on the eve of the new year holiday. russia has already hit back with new attacks of its own. steve rosenberg, bbc news, moscow.

the first eurostar service today to paris has left london, following a day of cross—channel chaos. all trains were cancelled yesterday due to flooding in tunnels under the river thames. these are some pictures that have come in to us of passengers boarding at st pancras this morning. eurostar says all services will run to and from london today, but there are warnings that there are still likely to be delays, as simonjones reports. the queues at st pancras have been building since the early hours. eurostar says it plans to run all 32 scheduled services today, but they will be packed. that means many people unable to travel yesterday will struggle to make it across the channel today, leaving new year plans in doubt. oh, my goodness, it was a whirlwind, but we all stayed calm. i was very impressed. everyone stayed pretty calm, considering. but we're happy to be here. i'm reasonably optimistic

because they told us yesterday that they're going to have two or three more trains. really happy that i'm able to go back home today, yes. - and i'm feeling much . happier than yesterday. what happened yesterdayjust looked like complete chaos. a lot of people sound like they're scrambling, trying to get where they're going. and today's a new day, so it looks like we might be good. yesterday saw cross—channel chaos. lou docherty was supposed to get to disneyland paris. i've lost my hotel, my travel, my theatre that i booked, and i kind of don't have any plans for new year's eve now. i'll probably end up spending it with my parents, or i'll end up watching a disney film to try and pretend that i'm there. it's really disappointing. this was the cause of the problem — the high speed rail line left resembling a river. pumps and tankers have finally

cleared enough waterfrom one of the two affected tunnels for trains to move again. but speed restrictions will be in place. when you have 2a hours of disruption like this, it actually takes several days to get rid of that backlog of passengers who are affected. so this is easily going to go into wednesday or thursday of next week into the new year, causing a lot of pain along the way. high speed domestic trains into kent, completely cancelled yesterday, will run, but there will be a reduced service. the festive period has certainly been challenging on the railways. at times, passengers have seemed relieved simply to be on a train that's on the move. but the warning is that delays, disruption and cancellations could continue for a number of days across several parts of the network. thameslink trains across southeast england are suffering from staff shortages, and today there will be no services on six lines on northern. add snow and wind into the mix and it could be another difficult day for getting around.

hs1, which runs the rail route between london and the channel tunnel, says it understands how frustrating the problems have been for passengers at such an important time of year. we can cross live to simon, who is outside st pancras. is everything back on track now? the aood news is everything back on track now? tia: good news is is everything back on track now? tue: good news is that is everything back on track now? tt2 good news is that trains are now once again on the move. you can see some trains behind me. eurostar services waiting for people to board than. the first train left st pancras heading towards paris just after eight o'clock this morning. it was scheduled for one minute past eight and left about ten minutes late. those on board were relieved to be finally getting on their way. people were queueing at st pancras station this morning from very early on. most people who have arrived had

a confirmed booking today because the trains will be packed. i did speak to some groups of people who turned up without confirmed bookings but were hoping to get on a train. they were booked on yesterday but got caught up in the chaos that affected around 30,000 eurostar passengers. they are simply going to throw themselves at the mercy of eurostar staff today, trying to find any space available. you have people trying to be reunited with family members. i spoke to one woman who was desperately trying to get to paris to see in the new year with her fiance. paris to see in the new year with herfiance. she paris to see in the new year with her fiance. she was unsure whether she will be able to get across. in terms of eurostar, they are apologising to passengers who have been affected. what is concerning this is caused by not one but two tunnels under the river thames flooding. not clear where all the water is coming from. that will be

part of a major investigation. for the moment, rail operators are saying the key thing is to get things under way today. a huge amount of disruption on the railway network across the uk over the past few weeks. we had problems with eurostar before christmas when there was a walk—out at eurotunnel, shutting the channel tunnel for most of one day. i think passengers having had so many problems in terms of whether blowing in and snow and wind causing delays, engineering works, also problems with infrastructure, i think it leaves some people asking whether they can really trust taking the train in the future. i think rail bosses may have some convincing in the coming days and approaching the new year in persuading people they should actually get the train other than other forms of transport. hat actually get the train other than other forms of transport.- other forms of transport. not a treat other forms of transport. not a great start _ other forms of transport. not a great start to _ other forms of transport. not a great start to the _ other forms of transport. not a great start to the edfor - other forms of transport. not a great start to the edfor there i other forms of transport. not a j great start to the edfor there is still stuck. we'll keep coming back

to you for more updates. un peacekeepers are due to finish their withdrawal from mali on sunday, after a long—running mission lasting a decade. the mission began in 2013 after an armed rebellion, but has been asked to leave by the country's ruling military government. the un mission's head said it did a lot but fell below expectations. our reporter, daniel de simone, injohannesburg. thanks so much for being with us, daniel. first remind us what led to mali asking un troops to leave? this is a very long — mali asking un troops to leave? tt 3 is a very long running story. the reason they have been asked to leave is because the military government that took power in a coup has characterised the mission as a failure, saying it has not managed to ensure security throughout the country. the whole thing is quite complicated. when the government took over, the current government in mali invited in majri mercenaries

from the wagon negri, leading to their french forces running a counterterrorism operation to pull out. —— waggoner group. last summer, when the mandate was expiring for this mission, it was not renewed. the un security council voted not to renew it because the host country, mali, was not going to support it. the deadline for the jewel was today. the past few months there has been a gradual withdrawal of un peacekeeping forces.— been a gradual withdrawal of un peacekeeping forces. where does this leave the internal _ peacekeeping forces. where does this leave the internal peacekeeping - peacekeeping forces. where does this leave the internal peacekeeping in - leave the internal peacekeeping in mali? ., ., , leave the internal peacekeeping in mali? ., , .y leave the internal peacekeeping in mali? ., , mali? that 'ihadist insurgency is ve lona mali? thatjihadist insurgency is very long running. _ mali? thatjihadist insurgency is very long running. the - mali? thatjihadist insurgency is very long running. the reason . mali? thatjihadist insurgency is very long running. the reason itj very long running. the reason it started in the first place when there was an armed rebellion involving separatist groups in the north, to groups. there are no such

groups in operation in mali. a terrible situation regarding groups affiliated with islamic state and al-qaeda. in the north of the country, there has been a peacekeeping agreement in place since 2015, which is coming under some strain. there is a risk that there is an outbreak of hostilities between separatist groups in the north and the government in mali over the next year. we only make get a sense of what impact the un mission has had no it is leaving. t5 mission has had no it is leaving. is there room for the government in mali to go across and take more help from mercenary forces and doesn't increase the role of russia in the region first?— increase the role of russia in the region first? the mali government has invited in _ region first? the mali government has invited in forces _ region first? the mali government has invited in forces from - region first? the mali government has invited in forces from russia. | has invited in forces from russia. they had pivoted away from the historic connection with france and

earlier this year, it signed a descent packed with two other west african countries, also run by governments that took power in military coups. that is niger and burkina vasell. both those countries have also seen french forces leave and even french diplomats leave over the last few months.— the last few months. thank you for 'oinin: us the last few months. thank you for joining us with _ the last few months. thank you for joining us with that _ the last few months. thank you for joining us with that update. - the last few months. thank you for joining us with that update. in - the last few months. thank you for joining us with that update. in case you have not noticed, it is december the 31st. the finishing touches are being put in place for new year's eve celebrations across the uk. edinburgh will host hogmanay, whilst more than 10,000 fireworks have been loaded on to barges on the river thames ahead of london's fireworks display. our reporter meghan owen has been behind the scenes. on new year's eve 100 years ago, big ben's bells were broadcast by the bbc for the very first time.

in recent years, their bongs signal the start of the london fireworks display. it's over in minutes, but is months in the making. planning started in august, but a small team of 22 have spent three long days on the final touches. 10,000 fireworks are loaded onto these three barges, ready to head down the thames to the london eye, where they'll be set off at midnight. we've got over 30 tonnes of equipment that gets loaded on to the barges, 50 kilometers of cable and wiring, 11,500 cues that all need to be wired in and tested, all ready for the midnight moment tomorrow. what's the pressure like? the pressure can get quite intense. this is my 14th year delivering london. it doesn't get any easier at all, but plenty of planning and we normally cope 0k. the same company looks after displays across the uk, including hogmanay celebrations in edinburgh.

preparations on the day itself are often close to the wire, with the london eye rigged just two hours before the display starts. with everything set, the sky a blank canvas, the teams will be hoping it all runs like clockwork. meghan owen, bbc news. if you are celebrating, happy new year to you. this is good news as well. a british army officer is believed to have become the fastest woman to ever complete a solo ski expedition, to the south pole. captain preet chandi or "polar preet" as she's become known, covered the 1130 kilometres in a record time ofjust over 31 days. here is a new year resolution for

you. something you don't see every day. this is the moment a meteor went flying over england in the early hours of yesterday. footage posted on social media showed what appeared to be a shooting star, which could be seen from locations including kent, london and birmingham. hello. 2023 is finishing on an unsettled note. a day of sunshine and showers today. the showers will be heavy with hail and thunder at times. the same area of low pressure as yesterday. the centre of the low, it is not that windy. stronger winds affecting the south—west and also the north—east of scotland. the legacy of the recent wet weather we have seen for a number of weeks as there are a number of flood warnings still currently enforce. today the show was initially started in the west that they will become widespread, blown along by gusty

winds in the south—west, gas up to 50 mph. the rain returned into aberdeenshire later on this afternoon. otherwise, some sunshine, is immune from seeing a downpour. some can be quite slow moving for northern ireland, north—west england and wales as well. into the midnight hour, the new year's day celebrations for hogmanay as well, we are looking at the showery conditions prevailing. longer spells in north—west england, the midlands and north wales as well. the showers continued through the remainder of the night. temperatures drifting a little lower, there may be thrust into sheltered glens in scotland. otherwise frost free with temperatures between two and six celsius. new year's day, not a bad day for getting out and about for the first day in 202a. some sunshine and a few showers. further south, the weather will deteriorate with

rain arriving. particularly wet in the south—west of england and southern wales towards the end of the day. otherwise it could day with around seven, eight. on monday night into tuesday, this area of rain will continue to push north. we might see snow across ohio's pennines, the southern uplands and grampians for a time. more rain following that in. we are likely to see further localised flooding building and as we head into tuesday. mild in the south, cooler weather in scotland. for the remainder of the week it stays unsettled. temperatures on the mild side for england and wales.

this is bbc news, the headlines. israel's prime minister benjamin netanyahu says that the country has to establish full control of gaza's border area with egypt to ensure the territory's demilitarisation. his comments come as military forces press ahead with an offensive that he says will last for many months. following a day of chaos, eurostar services resume between london and paris. today un peacekeepers complete their ten—year mission in mali, ending a staged withdrawal. and new year's eve celebrations can be seen around the uk and edinburgh

which is celebrating hogmanay. now on bbc news. this cultural life featuring margaret atwood. margaret atwood. one of the world's best—selling critically—acclaimed authors, she's published more than 60 books, and has won the booker prize, twice. the winner of the first booker prize of the 21st century, margaret atwood. cheering and applause. her stories often centre on oppression and brutality. most famously, her 1985 novel, the handmaid's tale, a dystopian vision of america, in which women are enslaved, now an emmy award—winning television series. there's an eye in your house. in this episode of this

cultural life, the radio 4 programme, she reveals her formative influences