at six: the israeli special forces raid to rescue two hostages last week. tonight, fergal keane investigates what happened in the aftermath. ceasefire what happened in the aftermath. now! protestors gather outside parliament, while inside mps debate calls for a ceasefire. also tonight: tests on britain's nuclear deterrent fail again. the government insists trident still works. questions over the future of manchester united's iconic home as the club's new co—owner tells us about his plans. one of the stars of the office, actor and comedian ewen macintosh, has died at the age of 50. and what a lot of lottery luck —

the couple who've and coming up on bbc news — after his first win of 2024, another defeat for andy murray, who loses in the second round in qatar to teenagerjakub mensik. good evening. last week, israeli special forces rescued two of the hostages kidnapped by hamas — designated a terrorist organisation by the uk government — on october 7. they were being held in southern gaza in the city of rafah. there was huge relief for the families of 60—year—old fernando simon marman and 70—year—old louis har, as well as a boost for national morale. but the miltiary raid to free them reportedly left more than 70 people dead and dozens wounded. the bbc�*s special correspondent fergal keane has been hearing the stories of civilians and medics caught up in a night of fear. his piece contains distressing details.

they were rescued from here. the two israeli hostages that were kidnapped by hamas in the massacre of october 7th are now home. this is the story of the price paid by the civilians of rafah on the night of february 12. the rescue began around 1:45am. by the time the hostages were safe, more than 70 people were reported killed, a high number civilians. in this house, a doctor from medecins sans frontieres lay across her children to protect them. she has asked to remain anonymous. voice messages to colleagues afterwards convey her horror. in our home, we found pieces of human flesh.

some of the wounded were brought to an internationalfield clinic. drjaved ali from pakistan has worked here for the last two months. it was very close to the hospital. the windows and the doors were rattling. it was extremely scary. all in all, we saw more than 20 patients. a lot of women and children were trying to come and seek refuge in the hospital. it is in the stories of individualfamilies that the impact of the raiders most painfully expressed. —— that the impact of the raid is most painfully expressed. nawara al—najjar is a mum of six, and pregnant with a seventh child. she woke after being injured by an explosion.

nawara remembers happy days with abed—alrahman, 32 years old when he was killed. here, some of the couple's children in hospital on the night their dad died. 12—year—old samaya, treated for minor physical wounds but traumatised.

and 13—year—old malak, who lost her eye in the raid. israel accuses hamas of using civilians as human shields. in a statement to the bbc, the idf said it was committed to mitigating civilian harm. military lawyers advise so strikes complied with international law. commanders analyse, take into account expected military advantage and the likely collateral harm to civilians.

the war goes on. civilians like malak keep being killed. in the voice message of the msf doctor, a sense of the despair felt here. this message means nothing to a lot of people, and the memory of their father will endure for all of their lives. fergal keane, bbc news, jerusalem. mps have been debating calls for a ceasefire in gaza all afternoon. there are there a re protests there are protests outside. our deputy political editor vicki young is in the houses of parliament for us. lots of twists and turns this afternoon, explain what has been going on. afternoon, explain what has been auoin on. . ., , .,

afternoon, explain what has been uuoinon. . . , ., , going on. there certainly have been. those votes — going on. there certainly have been. those votes are _ going on. there certainly have been. those votes are about _ going on. there certainly have been. those votes are about to _ going on. there certainly have been. those votes are about to start - going on. there certainly have been. those votes are about to start any i those votes are about to start any minute now, but let's be clear about what they are not, these are not binding votes, they're not going to change uk foreign policy, what they are is a chance for mps to voice their opinions, to have a vote, but it is not binding, and something that they feel very passionate about. but also it is threatening to expose more splits in the labour party. keir starmer has had a real problem with this issue. he faced a massive rebellion, resignations before christmas because lots of his mps were not happy that he was not calling for an immediate ceasefire. today was shaping up to be really difficult for him because the only option in front of mps was going to be an smp motion calling for that ceasefire, there were lots of labour mps are saying they were going to defy their leader and vote for it. until the speaker of the house of commons intervened and said, actually, he was going to go against president, he was going to allow a vote on labour's policy as well. what might happen now, and so keir

starmer will be very thankful for this, is that his own mps are likely to rally around their own policy, it could defuse the row in his party, but there is another row because the snp and the tories are furious with the speaker. they think he has that labour out of a hole and even jeered him in the house of commons. fiz�*icki. him in the house of commons. vicki, thank yom — it is the uk's weapon of last resort, our ultimate deterrent. but for the second time in a row, a test firing of an unarmed trident missile has failed. it was supposed to have flown several thousand miles. instead, it dropped into the ocean close to the launch site. the ministry of defence insists its deterrent is still effective. here's our defence correspondentjonathan beale. it's britain's weapon of last resort. the nuclear missiles carried on these royal navy submarines meant to deter any aggressor. trident is the us—made ballistic missile on board, and this is what is supposed to happen.

but in the most recent test, it didn't get this far, itjust plopped into the ocean. and it's now the uk's second test fire fail. this test actually took place injanuary, but only now have details been revealed. the missile was launched from britain's hms vanguard off the coast of florida. it was supposed to fly about 3,700 miles and land harmlessly in the sea off west africa. instead, the unarmed test missile hit the water close to the launch site. so, what do we know about the missile itself? its us manufacturer says it has a range of more than 4,500 miles and can carry multiple nuclear warheads, each of which can be directed towards different targets. there have been 191 successful test launches, most carried out by the us, just a dozen by the uk. and the last two of those uk

tests have gone wrong. of course, when the launch is announced in advance and the defence secretary is on board, it doesn't look good. and of course, it's not good, i think, for the morale of the crew, which now goes on patrol, and morale across the submarine service, you know, to have this kind of scrutiny. malfunctions like this one in the �*80s, the early days of trident, are relatively rare. but in 2016, another uk test missile also veered off course. its last successful test was in 2012. the mod still insists the system is safe, secure, and effective. the defence secretary, who was himself on board vanguard to prove it, was watching these kinds of drills before the missile plummeted prematurely. now grant shapps is trying to reassure. he admitted an anomaly did occur, but it was event specific and there were no implications

for the reliability of the wider trident missile system. he also insisted it did not affect the uk's ability to fire its nuclear weapons. this latest malfunction won't change policy. labour, too, is committed to trident. but for the public, it might raise doubts, and britain's adversaries will have also taken note. jonathan beale, bbc news. what does the future hold for old trafford, manchester united's iconic stadium? the british billionaire sirjim ratcliffe has completed a deal to become co—owner of manchester united. he says his preference is to build a new national stadium for manchester united that can also serve the north of england. the british billionaire said it's an enormous challenge to revive the club and will take two to three seasons before they can "knock their rivals off their perch". ratcliffe's been speaking

to the bbc�*s sports editor dan roan. already one of the country's wealthiest businessmen, he is now intent on reading the a revival in manchester united. speaking for the first time since officially becoming co—owner of the club he has supported since childhood, he told me just how much supported since childhood, he told mejust how much it supported since childhood, he told me just how much it meant to supported since childhood, he told mejust how much it meant to him. it me just how much it meant to him. it is a very proud moment. i am very honoured to be in this position where i can influence the future of manchester united. of course, i would never have contemplated in my younger years, would never have contemplated in my youngeryears, but would never have contemplated in my younger years, but here we are. you do have to pinch yourself, really, because it is a sort of boyhood dream, but they never normally come true. this is the exception to the rule. it is a nice one for me. but while united _ rule. it is a nice one for me. but while united have enjoyed a recent improvement in form, 11 years have now passed since they last won the premier league. how determined are you to restore this club to its former glories?— you to restore this club to its former glories? the only reason i have not former glories? the only reason i have got involved _ former glories? the only reason i have got involved in _

former glories? the only reason i have got involved in manchesterl have got involved in manchester united is because i want to see manchester united restored to where it should be. it is notjust a light switch, it is not a new coach, it is a two, three season challenge to get the environment right. less a two, three season challenge to get the environment right.— the environment right. less than 24 hours ofter — the environment right. less than 24 hours ofter his _ the environment right. less than 24 hours after his purchase _ the environment right. less than 24 hours after his purchase of - the environment right. less than 24 hours after his purchase of a - the environment right. less than 24 hours after his purchase of a 2896 i hours after his purchase of a 28% stake in the club was confirmed, he told me he wants to make an immediate impact when it comes to the club's stadium. what is your latest thinking about old trafford, its future, the state it is in? aha, its future, the state it is in? bit tired, it is a need of refurbishment. it is about time someone built a national stadium in the north of england, rather than the north of england, rather than the south. it the north of england, rather than the south. , ~' ,, the south. it sounds like your preference — the south. it sounds like your preference is _ the south. it sounds like your preference is for _ the south. it sounds like your preference is for a new - the south. it sounds like your i preference is for a new stadium, the south. it sounds like your - preference is for a new stadium, if it can be achieved. if it preference is for a new stadium, if it can be achieved.— it can be achieved. if it can be achieved- _ it can be achieved. if it can be achieved- i— it can be achieved. if it can be achieved. i would _ it can be achieved. if it can be achieved. i would be - it can be achieved. if it can be achieved. i would be very - it can be achieved. if it can be i achieved. i would be very excited about that prospect. he achieved. i would be very excited about that prospect.— achieved. i would be very excited about that prospect. he had wanted to bu the about that prospect. he had wanted to buy the club _ about that prospect. he had wanted to buy the club outright, _ about that prospect. he had wanted to buy the club outright, but - about that prospect. he had wanted to buy the club outright, but he - about that prospect. he had wanted to buy the club outright, but he has| to buy the club outright, but he has had to settle for a minority share that sees him take control of football operations from the american glazerfamily, who put the

club up for sale after years of protests from fans over the club's debt and decline. do you understand the angerfrom the debt and decline. do you understand the anger from the fans? i understand the frustrations and the angen understand the frustrations and the anger, but where i sit today is looking forward, not looking backwards. you know, buti looking forward, not looking backwards. you know, but i would like to say to the fans is that, give us a little bit of time, try to be patient, and we will try to build manchester united back to where it should be. but manchester united back to where it should be. �* , ., , should be. but there will be worries from fans that _ should be. but there will be worries from fans that shall _ should be. but there will be worries from fans that shall remain - should be. but there will be worries from fans that shall remain in - from fans that shall remain in ultimate overall control. i cannot . ive ultimate overall control. i cannot give people _ ultimate overall control. i cannot give people assurances - ultimate overall control. i cannot give people assurances or - ultimate overall control. i cannot - give people assurances or guarantees about the future, but my personal view is that there is a good level of trust and it will work.- of trust and it will work. what of mason greenwood's _ of trust and it will work. what of mason greenwood's future - of trust and it will work. what of mason greenwood's future at. of trust and it will work. what of| mason greenwood's future at the club? the striker on loan in spain after charges against the player, including attempted rape and assault, were dropped last year. he denied all the alleged offences. irate denied all the alleged offences. we need denied all the alleged offences. - need to look at the facts, we need

to judge fairly, need to look at the facts, we need tojudge fairly, and we need to need to look at the facts, we need to judge fairly, and we need to take into consideration what the values of the club are. then we come out with a decision. 28 of the club are. then we come out with a decision.— with a decision. 28 years ago, sir alex ferguson — with a decision. 28 years ago, sir alex ferguson famously - with a decision. 28 years ago, sir alex ferguson famously vowed . with a decision. 28 years ago, sir| alex ferguson famously vowed to end liverpool's dominance. now it'sjim ratcliffe wants to do the same to them and manchester city. i am on exactly the — them and manchester city. i am on exactly the same _ them and manchester city. i am on exactly the same page _ them and manchester city. i am on exactly the same page as - them and manchester city. i am on exactly the same page as sir - them and manchester city. i am on exactly the same page as sir alex l exactly the same page as sir alex ferguson, i want to knock them all off their perch.— off their perch. how far behind are ou? a off their perch. how far behind are you? a long _ off their perch. how far behind are you? a long way — off their perch. how far behind are you? a long way behind _ off their perch. how far behind are you? a long way behind at - off their perch. how far behind are you? a long way behind at the - you? a long way behind at the moment- _ a two—year—old boy who has been missing since he fell into a river in leicester has been named by police as xielo maruziva. he fell into the river soar at aylestone on sunday. his family have thanked everyone involved in the ongoing search and said they were "heartbroken at what happened". king charles has held his first audience with the prime minister since his diagnosis of cancer earlier this month. while undergoing treatment, charles has postponed public engagements but is continuing with much of his private

work as monarch. our royal correspondent daniela relph is outside buckingham palace. asi as i say, this is breaking news. what can you tell us? it is an important moment. we have seen very little of the king in recent weeks, understandably, because of that cancer diagnosis. but buckingham palace had always said he would carry on with some duties in spite of his treatment. we have seen evidence of that in the past hour or so, when the king has held one of his regular audiences with the prime minister at rishi sunak, here at buckingham palace. cameras were allowed in to see the very beginning of that audience. we can hear a little bit of the chat between the two men. we had the king saying he had received some wonderful cards and messages, and as he put it, many had reduced him to tears. the two men had not seen each other in person since before christmas, and it was a first chance today to see the king up close and at work, the first time since his diagnosis. we also know the king

attended a privy council meeting earlier today, so all of that information together indicates he does seem to be coping well with his cancer treatment, and is able to carry out some of those core duties required of the monarch. daniela with the latest from buckingham palace, thank you. the time is 6.17. our top story this evening: mps are preparing to vote on whether to call for an immediate ceasefire in gaza. and the latest on the row between the former post office chair henry coming up on bbc news — arsenal's attempts to reach the quarterfinals of the champions league for the first time in nearly 15 years begin tonight with mikel arteta saying they go into their last 16 and against porto with full belief. it's called martha's rule, and from april, the new scheme will be rolled out in 100 hospitals in england. it will mean that seriously ill patients whose health is failing

will be granted the right to obtain an urgent second opinion about their care. it's being brought in after 13—year—old martha mills died from sepsis when doctors failed to respond to her parents' concerns. her family say martha's rule means their daughter didn't die in vain. our health correspondent sophie hutchinson reports. this was martha mills, a fun, determine 13—year—old with an appetite for life. but in 2021, she was injured when she fell off her bike and developed sepsis. doctors at king's college hospital in london failed to spot the fatal infection, and martha's parents went through the agony of watching their daughter deteriorate while their concerns were ignored. it's martha's death, i have said to people who have gone into hospital, if you are worried, if you think

something is going wrong, you should screen the wards down. because that is what i did not do, and i regret it, and they will regret it for the rest of my days. but the very existence of martha's rule says, you don't need to scream the ward down. you just need to call this number, because you've got martha's rule. so what is martha's rule? the idea is to provide families with a quick, easy way to request an urgent second opinion when they are concerned about a loved one. contact details will be put on leaflets and posters around hospitals and they will connect to critical care teams of experts, who will then come to carry out a rapid review. nhs england has funding for two thirds of hospitals providing critical care tojoin thirds of hospitals providing critical care to join the scheme, but here at the royal berkshire hospital, they have been pioneering a similar scheme for 15 years. hello. i havejust had a call from a relative... they are clear what family style that has saved lives. irate they are clear what family style that has saved lives.— they are clear what family style

that has saved lives. we often see that has saved lives. we often see that some of _ that has saved lives. we often see that some of the _ that has saved lives. we often see that some of the very, _ that has saved lives. we often see that some of the very, very - that has saved lives. we often see that some of the very, very early i that some of the very, very early signs that a patient is becoming more unwell are the most subtle, and these are the ones that the friends and family pick up. we really want to be pre—emptive. we want to act as quickly and as early as possible to give our patients the safest care we can, so it's really vital that we have those early indicators of deterioration or that something is changing. martha's parents say the pain of losing their daughter is hard to describe, and they are desperate to protect others from it. of course, i want martha's spirit to live on. i want her to have the legacy that she was very cruelly denied. if something good can come out of something so horrific, that would be a small compensation. the new scheme will be rolled out from april, and it is hoped it will eventually be extended to all eligible hospitals. sophie hutchinson, bbc news. a row between the former post office chair henry staunton and the government has taken another twist today after he released a note

that he says shows he was told to stall compensation payments to postmasters following the horizon software scandal. tonight, the civil servant at the heart of the argument has set out her own version of events. over the past two decades, hundreds were wrongly prosecuted after faulty software made it look like money was missing from their branches. our business editor simonjack is here with more. thanks, sophie. new developments in the last 40 minutes of this, a very unusual and very bitter row. at the heart of it is 75—year—old henry staunton. he is a veteran of boardrooms including legal and general, new look and wh smiths, and till last month chair of the post office, who has found himself in a bitter row with the business secretary. in an explosive interview with the sunday times, he said he was effectively told a year ago by the business department's top civil servant to stall compensation payments to the victims of the post office scandal. that claim was fiercely rejected

by kemi badenoch in the commons on monday, who called the claims a disgrace and accused him of spreading falsehoods. mr staunton claimed that when he was first appointed as chair of the post office, he was told by a senior civil servant to stall on paying compensation. there is no evidence whatsoever that this is true. today, henry staunton produced a memo he wrote and sent to himself and the post office ceo nick read right after that conversation in january last year. that note quotes the civil servant saying this: "this was not the time to tackle long term issues" and the plan should be to "hobble" to the next election. mr staunton said he took "long—term issues" to include the horizon scandal which was one of, if not the most pressing and long—running issues facing the post office. in another stinging rebuke this morning, the government said that was not the case. a statement read: "the long—standing issues around post offices finances are a matter of public record and do not include postmaster compensation which is being fully funded by the government.

henry staunton is either confused or deliberately mixing up the two issues." in the last hour, the civil servant at the centre of the row, sarah munby, has released a letter saying: it is not true that i made any instruction, either explicitly or implicitly, to mr staunton to in any way delay compensation payments. i did not. the matter was raised at prime minister's questions today. the leader of the opposition mentioned a bbc report on how a 2016 deloitte investigation into whether individual post office branch accounts could be altered remotely was stopped before it was completed, a fact that ministers in government at the time were aware of. had that investigation revealed that they could be altered, which we now know to be the case, the livelihoods of those wrongly prosecuted could have been saved. what did government ministers know about it at the time? in response, the prime minister said the investigation into what happened was ongoing.

it was actually following a landmark 2019 high court case that the previous government established a statutory inquiry, led by sir wyn williams, which is uncovering exactly what went wrong. and as that inquiry continues, hundreds of sub—postmasters continue to wait for compensation. £1 billion has been earmarked and less than £150 million has so far been paid. sophie. thank you. a man who admitted killing four members of the same family at a house in fermanagh has been sentenced to prison. he previously pled guilty to the manslaughter of denise gossett and her sun roman, manslaughter of denise gossett and hersun roman, his manslaughter of denise gossett and her sun roman, his 19—year—old sister sabrina, and her baby daughter. the actor ewen macintosh, best known for playing keith in the office, has died at the age of 50. he also appeared in miranda and little britain. our arts correspondent david sillito

looks back at his life. keith... you have left this section completely blank. you haven't done the q and a. ewen macintosh as keith in the office. and appraisal ve, a scene made special by ewen macintosh's spectacular display of... you just take one of the boxes. not at all, to some extent, very much so, don't know. what would you take? don't know. glorious indifference. question two macro.— don't know. glorious indifference. question two macro. when he landed the role, keith _ question two macro. when he landed the role, keith was _ question two macro. when he landed the role, keith wasjust _ question two macro. when he landed the role, keith wasjust a _ question two macro. when he landed the role, keith wasjust a name - the role, keith wasjust a name given to the person in the accounts department. but one day... department. but one day... one thing in the scri -t but one day... one thing in the script said. _ but one day... one thing in the script said, someone _ but one day... one thing in the script said, someone leaves . but one day... one thing in the script said, someone leaves a i script said, someone leaves a message on his answerphone. it was ewen. hello. you are through to k.

ewen. hello. you are throu~h to k. �* hello. you are through to k. and he was 'ust hello. you are through to k. and he wasjust cracking _ hello. you are through to k. and he wasjust cracking us _ hello. you are through to k. and he wasjust cracking us up. _ was just cracking us up. i will be at training all day today. suddenly— i will be at training all day today. suddenly a character was born. what are you reading? stephen merchant paid tribute today. we just started writing more and more scenes for him. he just very quickly became one of our sort of beloved characters, and also in the audience's eyes as well. after the office, there were scenes in miranda, little britain, and afterlife, again with ricky gervais, who was among those honouring an actor who could bring uncontrollable laughter by simply wielding a well timed scotch egg. laughter that was so good! ewen mcintosh, who has died at the age of 50. it's one of london's most famous landmarks. now the bt tower is set to be turned into a hotel after it was sold for £275 million.

the 600—foot tower was built in 1961 and was originally called the post office tower. it was first used to carry telecommunications signals around the country. it was opened in 1965 by the then prime minister harold wilson. on average, 4500 people a day take the special— on average, 4500 people a day take the special route... _ it even had a revolving restaurant, which took 22 minutes to fully rotate, but that was closed after a bomb exploded on the 31st floor in 1971. for almost 20 years, it was london's tallest building, until it was overtaken by the natwest tower in the city of london. now it's being turned into a hotel with great views. quite extraordinary. and finally, to one very lucky couple who thought they'd won £2.60 on the national lottery and only hours later realised they had in fact scooped a £61 million share of the euromillions jackpot.

richard and debbie nuttall from lancashire scooped the prize last month and found out while on holiday celebrating their 30th wedding anniversary. when you dream about winning the lottery, you are thinking, "i'll do this, and i'll do that, and i'll be super calm." when you actually win the lottery, you are in such a daze because the numbers are so huge. we will have nicer things, and we will do nicer things, but we will still be... still be us. ..the same people. _ we'll still be us. we'll have our friends and family around us. they will help to keep us sane. £61 million! the weather in a moment. but first... coming up this evening at nine o'clock on bbc one in wales and on the bbc news channel, bethan rhys roberts has a special programme. who will be the next first minister of wales? tonight, the two macro candidates, vaughan gething and jeremy myles, go head—to—head in front of our studio audience here in

cardiff. join us live at 9pm on bbc one wales, the bbc news channel and iplayer. time for a look at the weather. here's stav da naos. it has been quite wet today? yes, things are set to turn cold as well. a bit of a change for the end of the week. as sophie just mentioned, it has been wet. there have been issues of localised flooding, which could get worse in the next 24 hours, as we expect more wind and rain. but you will notice that the end of the week turns cold, temperatures returning closer to the seasonal norm. we lose the rain from the south—east, turning dry for many parts of england and wales overnight, but lots of blustery showers pushing into scotland and northern ireland. we start to see wet weather pushing into wales, and western england. heavy rain there during the early hours, strong, squally winds as well. chilly in the north, but stilljust holding on to the dregs of the milder air across the dregs of the milder air across the south—east. this very active, deepening area of low pressure spreading across the country could cause some issues in the south, but as it pulls away, you notice it opens the floodgates to a much

colder north—westerly wind with temperatures returning closer to the seasonal norm. a very wet start for england and wales. this band of squally and heavy rain spreads across england and wales. we could see localised flooding. and it could take time to clear through the day. it will be very windy, with gales in the south. elsewhere, bright with lots of showers rattling into northern and western areas. these will be wintry over a high ground. a blustery day wherever you are, the strongest winds in the south and east. by the end of the day, we will all be in single digits. losing the double figures we have had for nearly a couple of weeks now. thursday night promises to be a lot colder. there could be a touch of frost in places, and may be some risks of ice further north. through friday, saturday and sunday, we avoid most of the areas of low pressure. it will stay largely dry with light winds, some sunny spells, one or two showers around, and they will be wintry, particularly over the hills and western areas, with light winds. knights will be cold and we could see mist and fog as well. that's it from me. thanks, stav.

and that's bbc news at six. you can keep up with all the latest developments on bbc website.