live from washington, this is bbc news. the leaders of the us and israel speak about gaza for the first time in weeks, amid differences over the issue of a two—state solution. actor alec baldwin faces a new charge, over a fatal shooting on a movie set in 2021. he has long denied any wrong—doing. and japanjoins an elite group of nations to land on the moon. hello, i'm carl nasman. we begin the programme with a look at the future of gaza and comments between two otherwise—committed allies. us presidentjoe biden spoke with israeli prime minister benjamin netanyahu on friday. it was their first talk in nearly a month. mr biden re—affirmed washington's commitment to a two—state solution, once

the fighting in gaza had ended. mr netanyahu said this week he would not accept a palestinian state after the war. our correspondent mark lowen is injerusalem with more. netanyahu's comments are not a surprise because he has spent his entire political career opposing a palestinian state but it is about the timing. israel is under intense international pressure with almost 25,000 people killed in gaza in the offensive, according to hamas—run health ministry and this is a very public rebuttal of the biden administration, get another one. and it is being seen as israel thumbing its nose at the us and netanyahu falling back on the far right here that has propping up his government and he believes that he is staking his political survival on opposing a

palestinian state. public opinion here is increasingly fallen out of love with the prime minister. only 50% of israelis according to a recent poll believe he should stay on after conflict ends. -- 1596. he believes the majority of israeli public opinion is still opposed to the creation of a palestinian state and too traumatised to accept that after the attacks of the 7th of october. against that political backdrop, the violence in gaza shows no signs of letting up. a major israeli advance is threatening the few healthcare facilities still open in southern gaza. the palestinian red crescent is accusing israel of firing on a hospital in khan younis. the united nations is accusing the israeli military of preventing aid deliveries. the un's humanitarian agency says only 7 out of 29 planned shipments have been allowed this month. all told, israel's military campaign against hamas has destroyed or damaged more than half of gaza's buildings and laid waste to much of its infrastructure. the un has warned that the conflict risks creating a society where order has broken down and a generation of children

could lose out completely on their education and future. wyre davies has this report. the impact of israel's bombing campaign in gaza is astonishing. its aim, to completely crush hamas, has also destroyed or damaged more than half of gaza's buildings. more than 2a,000 people have been killed, says the hamas—run health ministry. the war has also laid waste to much of gaza's infrastructure and civic society. this un school, blown up by celebrating israeli troops who accused hamas of using these buildings. major universities and more than 100 schools have been damaged or destroyed. like any society, gaza's future is its children. but here, they're victims of war. and, says the un, they may lose out completely on what should be rightfully theirs.

you have today about half a million children in the primary and secondary school system. how would they go back if you cannot bring people back to their home, which have been completely destroyed? and i'm afraid that here we are taking the risk to lose a generation of children. gaza's health system, too, is broken. the world health organization says that only 13 of gaza's 36 hospitals are functional. those who need treatment often go without. translation: i was receiving regular medical treatment - for my cancer at the hospital here in gaza. but during the israeli aggression, medicaltreatments have not been provided for the past four months. since this war began, israel's unprecedented bombing of gaza's main conurbations has laid much of the territory to waste. very few areas, from north to south, have escaped without damage. israel disputes the scale

of gaza's humanitarian crisis, and says it doesn't target civilians or public infrastructure unless it's suspected of being used by armed palestinian groups. israel also rejects accusations that it's deliberately turning gaza into a wasteland so people will have no option other than to leave. israel says it wants to allow in as much aid as the agencies can distribute, and it's not trying to demolish gaza's civic structures. but with key institutions like law courts and gaza's parliament also in ruins, there's not much of a society left. wyre davies, bbc news. a short time ago my colleague helena humphrey spoke about all this with aaron david miller, senior fellow at the carnegie endowment, in washington. so what we are seeing here is that israel and the united states clearly at odds when it comes to the future of a two—state solution.

what kind of position do you think that puts a washington in in terms of support of its key ally, israel? i think there have been tensions all along, over the last several months, both the absence of sufficient humanitarian aid and the character and nature of the israeli ground campaign which the administration was and i was expecting, notjust hoping but expecting that they would be significantly altered by the end of the month or early february. i think there are strains. the last phone call the president has other than the one today, he all but hung up on netanyahu but i don't think we are talking about that. president biden is still committed to the israeli war aims. it is a race for the presidency, he does not want to leave himself open to republican attacks. by being too critical of the israeli so i suspect tensions will increase but i think they will be managed, that is

joe biden�*s style. it is not to confront, it is to accommodate with a view of trying to leverage, quietly or discreetly. what that that is going to work or not, that remains to be seen but i suspect by the middle of february. if you take it look at some of the comments coming out of the war cabinet for example we have been hearing from the far right national security minister ben—giver who says we must promote a solution to encourage the emigration of residents of gaza, so essentially, palestinians leaving the gaza strip. could these ideas take hold? it is the most extreme government in the history of israel. it is extremist, right—wing, homophobic, it isjewish supremacist in terms of these ministers but they are not members of the work cabinet and i doubt, frankly, brought in to provide some stability, other parties, i doubt the expulsion from gaza of the palestinians will become an official israeli policy. should it, i think that you would see a major confrontation.

with the biden administration it would probably go beyond anything that we have witnessed under democratic or republican administrations. i wonder to your assessment of the stability of mr netanyahu himself as prime minister because he has got some desires coming from more far right factions of his government, he has an israeli population increasingly calling for as a first priority for those hostages to be brought home. where does this leave him in his tenure? under a lot of pressure. remember, you need 61 votes. he has 64 and with an additional 12 and he is on trialfor bribery, fraud and breach of trust now three years in the running and he will testify next month. he must remain prime minister if he has any chance of beating this indictment and avoiding

jail, assuming he is convicted. so i think all politics is local and i think part of the reason he is reacting in the way that he has on the issue of the palestinian statehood is because of local pressure. but again this is israeli politics who we can expect a bumpy ride in the months of head. it it will be a ride, i am afraid, with netanyahu who is conflated to his own political interests, legal interests, with the security and the interests of the state of israel. it is a very bad time to have that kind of a leader. briefly, do you think there's any chance that essentially, netanyahu is trying to cast himself in opposition to washington, to drum up support at home? i think to a degree he will play on the issue of the statehood. i think the israelis ar in no

position to engage seriously in the question of two states or the withdrawal of israeli settlements or any of these issues. that will have to wait, should mr biden get a second term, i think serious progress might be possible because by then, i suspect you may have a new government in israel. and that i think is essentially critical for any of this to succeed. senior fellow at the carnegie endowment in washington, great to have your analysis. and one more note from the region. the us military says it's forces have conducted strikes against three houthi anti—ship missiles that were ready to attack shipping in the southern red sea. a statement by the us central command said the missiles posed an imminent threat to maritime traffic, including us naval ships. officials say they acted "in self—defence". houthi fighters began attacking ships after the conflict in the gaza strip began last october, saying they were acting in solidarity with the palestinian people.

turning now to the us presidential campaign. the race for the republican nomination will heat up next week when new hampshire voters take to the polls in the first primary of the 2024 election cycle. tuesday's republican primary will test former president donald trump's front—runner status after his landslide victory in iowa. donald trump just received the endorsement of tim scott. the endorsement of tim scott. the endorsement of tim scott. the endorsement of a south carolina senator is a potential blow to the former governor of south carolina nikki haley who is looking to establish herself as a main rival to mr trump with a strong showing in the granite state. meanwhile, florida governor ron desantis is looking past new hampshire, focusing most of his

efforts in ms haley's home state of south carolina. unique to new hampshire's election is the state's bloc of independent voters. they represent nearly a0 percent of its electorate and can vote in the republican primary. former governor nikki haley is hoping to win over these voters in her bid to gain ground on former president trump. there will be two fewer candidates in new hampshire than there were for this week's iowa caucuses. vivek ramaswamy ended his campaign as the iowa counties were still counting votes. he very quickly threw his support behind donald trump. asa hutchinson has also dropped out after receiving just 191 votes — that's just 0.2% of those cast. speaking to the bbc, the former arkansas governor said he is proud of his anti—trump campaign, but that he isn't ready to endorse another candidate — at least not yet. i could see myself down the road endorsing an alternative to donald trump so i am watching it. i have not made a decision yet. we will see how it goes.

i have helped build the republican party in arkansas. i have always expected to support the republican nominee, but this is a precarious time for the party. i think we can come out of this, but we have to move quickly away from donald trump's hold of the party to a more independent voice, a more conservative voice and a principled voice and we will see if we can do that, but that is what i will be focused on. presidentjoe biden is seeking to galvanize democratic voters on the issue of abortion. his campaign is expected to focus on reproductive rights throughout the 2024 campaign. a recent study led by the guttmacher institute says that the number of abortions in the us increased in the first ten months of 2023 — estimating that there were 878,000 abortions in the formal us health system.

factors contributing to that rise include people travelling across state lines to access the medical procedure —— (ani)abortion provided via tele—medicine and some states passing policies protecting the procedure. here in washington on friday, anti—abortion activists gathered on the snowy national mall for the annual march for life. the rally has been held every january wade ruling guaranteed abortion access nationwide. a short while ago helena humphrey spoke with our digital reporter holly honderick, who was at the rally. what was getting people out on a very cold, snowing day, what were people telling you? the weather was tough and as you mention, it is a bit tough for the pro—life, anti—abortion movement that a massive victory 18 months ago a landmark victory overturning roe v wade is a clearing the field to get to the ultimate goal which is a national abortion ban. that has not happened and things have not according to plan if you are an anti—abortion activist.

they have seen glowing political persistence in the gallup poll some 69% of americans support some access to abortion. i think they know facing the election coming up this year it will be a tough climb for them to get their movement going forward. let's talk about as an election issue. we saw a 2022 campaign launch between president biden the vice president kamala harris when it comes to abortion rights. how big do you think this will be at during this election season? we saw in 2020 most people predicted a horrible outcome for the democrats and in fact they over performed and republicans underperformed and most peaceful on both sides that i'll agree it was because of abortion but i think we are expecting a similar outcome for 2024 but for republican posters and pundits and say biden needs to be tallking about abortion every other sentence. it will get democrats engaged versus the republicans they are scared to talk about it in they know it is losing issue for them. on that point, in terms of republicans and how they are

managing it, how are they, when they can see the poles of the appetite? 0ne they can see the poles of the appetite? one person said they are getting their buts kicked. they said they are scared of activists who want to see bands starting at six weeks or earlier, but the general public doesn't want that. the earlier, but the general public doesn't want that.— earlier, but the general public doesn't want that. the phrase i kee- doesn't want that. the phrase i keep hearing — doesn't want that. the phrase i keep hearing is _ doesn't want that. the phrase i keep hearing is they _ doesn't want that. the phrase i keep hearing is they are - doesn't want that. the phrase i keep hearing is they are the . keep hearing is they are the dog that caught the car, saying that they wanted the end of roe for years, that they wanted the end of roe foryears, but that they wanted the end of roe for years, but they don't see any plan to address an electorate that remains in support of abortion rights, but to keep placating a base which wants more abortion policies. holly, thank you so much. the hollywood actor alec baldwin has been charged with involuntary manslaughter in connection with the death of halyna hutchins, the director of photography on the set of the western film rust. prosecutors had dismissed previous charges against the actor and mr baldwin has maintained he didn't pull the trigger, but an independent forensic test has concluded that it could only have happened if the trigger had

been pulled. emma vardy reports. you were in the room when the lady was shot? i was holding the gun, yeah. 0k. a rehearsal that went terribly wrong. alec baldwin had been getting ready for a scene during filming for the western movie rust in new mexico when a pistol he was holding went off, killing 42—year—old cinematographer halyna hutchins and wounding the director, joel souza. mr baldwin has always claimed he was not responsible for her death, saying he was told the gun did not contain any live rounds. i would never point a gun at anyone and pull the trigger at them, never. never. that was the training that i had, you don't point a gun at someone and pull the trigger. he was first charged over a year ago, but the charges were dismissed when new evidence emerged that the gun may have been able to be fired without the trigger being pulled. but following a new forensic report, a grand jury has now concluded he should face trial, accused of involuntary manslaughter. the movie's armourer, hannah gutierrez—reed, is also facing the same charge.

the film rust was completed in halyna hutchins' memory following her death. her family have welcomed the prospect of criminal trials, saying they've always wanted the truth about what happened that day. if convicted, alec baldwin could face up to 18 months in prison. emma vardy emma va rdy reporting emma vardy reporting there. now, in south africa, violent crime is soaring. the murder rate is now at a 20—year high. criminals are growing more aggressive and brazen by the day. many of those living in fear work in the security sector, with audacious heists of security vans commonplace. daniel de simone reports from johannesburg. a normal day in a security van carrying cash in south africa. what happens next looks extraordinary. but it's a constant criminal threat. this is a cash—in—transit robbery. vans rammed off busy roads.

guards terrorised. bombs used to access cash. explosion. cit hijackings are one of the violent crimes at crisis levels here. this guard survived a robbery. some don't. as a human being, i'm scared. but, hey, i'm going out. i might not come back, but it's life for everyone in cit. from here they dispatch, the helicopters, the back—up teams, everything. his boss says more help is needed from government. well, it's a like a terrorist group. it's been very military organised, well executed. and if you see the way that they plan these robberies, it's very difficult for our teams to stop that. although most south africans can't afford to pay for them, private security officers now outnumber their police counterparts. in the air, each day criss—crossing cities, guarding security vans down below, waiting

to respond to hijackings. 0n the ground, patrolling the streets. we are with an armed intervention team injohannesburg, and they've just heard a vehicle has been hijacked. they're following a digital tracker in the vehicle, spotting men running from the car's possible location. stop them. hey, hey! stop, stop, stop, stop! where's the car? which car? but they weren't the robbers. the chase was back on. moments later, the vehicle's found. it's a game of cat and mouse. they normally dump the vehicle. what they call it, a cool—off period to see if anyone does respond. but i think now it was literally seconds that we missed this guy. they call the police to fetch the car. thousands of new officers are being recruited. it's election year,

the most competitive since the african national congress came to power in 1994 at the end of apartheid. i've always wanted to join the police. it's more about serving the country than anything else, and just being able to help people in need. i can't wait to go out there to serve the community, to uphold the law and fight crime. murders are at a two—decade high, with over 27,000 people killed in a year and only 12% solved. 0ur murder rate is not pleasing at all. 0ur attack — sexual attack is not pleasing at all. car hijack, and all that. as the police, we think we are getting on top of things. there are things that have happened, maybe that have put us on a little bit of the back foot.

but in south africa's state of insecurity, the wave of violence will not be quickly turned back. daniel de simone, bbc news, johannesburg. let's turn to some other news from around the world. britain's prince harry has withdrawn his libel claim against the mail on sunday publisher. that's according to associated newspapers. the duke of sussex had sued over an article about his security arrangements when visiting the uk after stepping back as a senior royal. in an article on the daily mail website the paper said he had "abandoned his case" hours before a court deadline. it said the prince would be liable for the publisher's legal costs. 13 people have died in a fire in the central chinese province of henan. that's according to the official xinhua news agency. local authorities say the blaze broke out at a school dormitory on friday night. it took firefighters nearly half—an—hour to put out the flames. one person was also injured. the cause of the fire

is not yet know. all right, a case of good news, bad news forjapan�*s space agency. one the one hand, their spacecraft moon sniper successfully landed on the lunar surface. with that feat, japan becomes just the first country ever to touch down on the moon. but the uncrewed landed appears to have hit a glitch. science correspondent pallab ghosh has the story. japan's lunar landing has touched down with a soft landing but there has been a glitch. the solar panels are not working, so unless it is fixed the spacecraft will run out of power. experts say the mission has achieved 99% of its aims. this was all about precision landing. they have not confirmed the exact precision of the landing, but they are the fifth nation to land successfully on the moon and that is a huge success. flight engineers are pouring through the spacecraft�*s data

and will report next week on what went wrong. but a lot went right. they successfully tested a new advanced face recognition system to hone into its landing site. it also deployed one of its many lunar rovers, able to hop where no rover has hopped before. and another one that can literally roll back the frontiers of knowledge. it is a new way of doing space exploration and a big part of it is to bring down the costs so that we can de—risk the missions, do more of them at a faster turn around and hopefully get more science and exploration out of each one. the team at the open university are building an instrument for a future mission involving bothjapan and india, as well as the uk. japan's achievement is the start of a new rush to the moon. india got there last

year and later in 2024 there will be several us attempts and by the end of the decade there will be chinese and european missions, so it is all getting very interesting. in the 1960s and �*70s it was all nasa. # we are on the moon one day...# but now it is an international race. a small fleet of spacecraft from across the world are on their way to the moon to lay the ground for humans to return. they're going because there are minerals and resources on the moon that will be used to build launch sites for mars and beyond. and this time, the plan is to stay for the long term. phallab ghosh, bbc news. pretty amazing. in the introduction i think i said japan was the first country, but clearly the fifth country. i'm carl nasman.

thank you for watching. i'll be back in 30 minutes with a special preview of the new hampshire primary. i hope you'lljoin me. hello. i think we've seen the last of the widespread cold, frosty days. on friday, there was plenty of blue sky and wintry sunshine for many of us, as was the picture in dudley. but things are changing now. we've got milder air moving in in time for the weekend and also much windier weather. in fact, the met office have named storm isha. that's on the way, particularly late sunday into monday bringing severe gales and disruption to travel, power perhaps is likely. but let's have a look at saturday. first off, this band of rain will affect central portions of the uk, perhaps southern scotland, northern england into wales as well. there'll be some sunshine across much of the midlands, south—east england and east anglia and some brighter skies across the north—east of scotland too. temperatures around 6 or 7 in the east, but we're back into double figures towards the west — ten degrees for the likes of belfast and glasgow, for instance. later on saturday, heavier rain moves in from the west. the winds are going to pick up as well. that system sweeps its way eastwards into the early

hours of sunday, followed by more showers. it isn't going to be cold and frosty as we start sunday morning. we've got too much wind and the showers around from the word go. but let's take a look at sunday in a bit more detail because here is storm isha developing in the atlantic, sweeping its way in. just look at all these isobars across the uk between the warm front and the cold front. that's where we're going to see really strong gusts, perhaps 70 or 80 miles an hour. so for sunday, some rain initially for northern ireland sweeping into other western parts of britain. there could be a little bit of snow just across the very highest ground for scotland. still chilly air in the far north of scotland, but much milder, 12 or 13. but the real emphasis on sunday, particularly later, is going to be the strength of the wind. we've got amber warnings for storm isha across northern ireland, southern scotland, northern england, western parts of england and wales and the south—east as well. gusts 70, 80 miles an hour, enough to cause some significant disruption. big waves, i think, around the coast with this storm system as well. now heading on into monday, we've still got the brisk winds at first.

they should ease a little bit through the day, but it is going to be another really windy day with heavy showers rattling in across the north and the west. should be mostly dry, i think later on in the south, and the east, and temperatures somewhere between about six to 12 degrees for this stage — not quite as mild as sunday. but things are looking unsettled through the week ahead, often pretty windy, showery rain around at times — those temperatures much milder than they have been. bye— bye.

this is bbc news. we will have the headlines for you at the top of the hour, straight up to this programme. —— after. goat bleats donkey brays september 26th. 43 male students from a teaching college visited the city of iguala in guerrero, mexico, and went missing.