the bbc sees evidence that staff at nasser hospital in gaza were mistreated by israeli forces and we'll bring you a special report. a ship loaded with 200 tonnes of humanitarian aid has left cyprus�*s larnaca port for gaza. our other headlines, race row. downing street called comments from a top tory donor about britain's first black female mp unacceptable. diane abbott has described the remarks by frank hester as frightening that she made him what you hate all black women and she should be shot. and the prime minister of haiti calls for stability in the country after announcing his resignation. hello, and welcome to verified live. we start with a special report from

gaza. the bbc has seen evidence that doctors, nurses and other hospital staff were detained, beaten and prevented from carrying out vital medical duties when israeli forces overran the nasser hospital in gaza last month. we've also heard accusations that some detainees were stripped and kept in stress positions for several hours. or had muzzled dogs set upon them. israel said it occupied nasser believing it was used by hamas and several released israeli hostages have said they were held there. wyre davies reports and you might find some parts of wyre�*s report distressing. not for the first time in this war, israeli soldiers have been filmed standing over stripped and kneeling detainees in gaza. but these are medical staff, detained after the israeli army overran the nasser hospital in khan yunis. most of them are still held captive. for weeks, the medics had witnessed israel's military advance closing in around their hospital. the fighting in khan younis was fierce. thousands of people who'd sought refuge in the grounds, fled under gunfire.

what should have been a place of safety was completely the opposite. one nurse was shot inside a hospital operating theatre through a window. another person shot at the main entrance. the hospital was under siege. on february the 15th, after giving warnings, israeli tanks overran the hospital. there were chaotic scenes as troops took control. patients who'd been unable to evacuate... were moved by medics from collapsing wards. israel says it found hamas weapons, also medication which they say supports accounts from israeli hostages that they were held there. in the idf�*s own footage, you can see that hospital patients had their hands zip tied, detained

outside in their beds and wheelchairs. this was when troops also detained the medical personnel, more than 50 of them forced to leave their posts and remove their surgical clothing. israel says it did so in case there were concealed weapons, and that among the 200 arrested at nasser were terrorists posing as medics. dr amira assouli had remained at nasser throughout the siege, before the israeli incursion, risking her own neck to save lives, as people were shot inside the grounds. she later witnessed what happened to her fellow doctors. | translation: it was tough for us to | see how the doctors, who had bravely stayed at the hospital despite the dangers, were stripped and beaten. their hands were tied behind them and they were left in the sun for hours. his hand broken in captivity, dr ahmed sabha is one

of the very few medics to have since been released. he shows the positions they were forced to adopt for hours, and says they were also tortured. translation: they forced us to kneel down with our eyes blindfolded. - there was a pit in the ground, and we thought they would execute us and bury us there. we said our prayers, but they were just intimidating us. israel says any abuse of detainees is against idf orders and is strictly prohibited. but crucially, according to the hospital manager who dealt with the israelis during the raid, the detention of so many of his staff left his hospital woefully short of doctors.

translation: eight doctors and 15 nurses were left - treating 250 patients. you can imagine the level of care we could give with no water or electricity in the hospital at that point. during this time, 13 patients and injured people died. the israeli army says it operated within nasser in a precise and focused manner, and says it provided equipment enabling it to function and treat patients. but with the war continuing, and at least 46 medics still detained or missing, the hospital has been closed for weeks. wyre davies, bbc news. what i can confirm as we were called to the funeral premises in hull with —— mike lets discuss some of the latest development in the middle east with anna forster and quentin somerville who were there for us. i will start with that ship of aid leaving larnaca earlier, lots of questions about what happens when it arrives, where it arrives, israeli

checks, further delays, potentially. do you have answers to any of that? this is the first time this has been attempted. at a maritime sea corridor, the cypriot maritime see corridor, the cypriot maritime see corridor where they hope once they open arms the spanish vessel which set off from your in larnaca earlier this morning gets their and off—loads its 200 tonnes of aid. plenty of other ships will follow in its wake and delivering more aid but its wake and delivering more aid but it will be challenging and first will take a long time to get there, at least two days for the ship and barge to make it across the eastern mediterranean and when they arrive in gaza, of course, the part which we think they are heading towards has been absolutely flattened in places and most of the infrastructure has gone and there is no functioning port so the charity behind this operation, world central kitchen, is, while the ship is in

the water, building a jetty using the water, building a jetty using the debris, the rocks from the destruction in gazza to create a jetty out into the mediterranean which will allow this aid to be off—loaded, off—loading the aid then presents its own challenges because distributing aid in gazza, particularly in the north, is extremely difficult with many aid groups saying because of a collapse in civil order there, since the israeli bombardment and attacks, that they will no longer deliver aid so many challenges ahead for this mission and it has onlyjust got under way but it is a critical mission with still a lot more required from gazza. mission with still a lot more required from gaza.- mission with still a lot more required from gaza. thank you. let's no required from gaza. thank you. let's go straight _ required from gaza. thank you. let's go straight to _ required from gaza. thank you. let's go straight to anna - required from gaza. thank you. let's go straight to anna forster| required from gaza. thank you. i let's go straight to anna forster on that last point. 200 tonnes of humanitarian aid on board but let's just give us a bit of the scale of the need where you are. the just give us a bit of the scale of the need where you are. the scale is hue. the need where you are. the scale is huge- that — the need where you are. the scale is huge- that barge _ the need where you are. the scale is huge. that barge that _ the need where you are. the scale is huge. that barge that quentin - the need where you are. the scale is huge. that barge that quentin was l huge. that barge that quentin was talking about their will go to the north of gazza, he mentioned civil

order there has broken down. it's believed there has been 300,000 or so people still in the north of the gaza strip and you will remember much earlier in the conflict before the ground operation began there, people being told to leave their homes and some dead and went back, some stayed and those are the people at the moment possibly in the greatest need because it is enormously difficult to get aid there. we have seen convoys be swamped, we will be killed around those convoys. as desperation drives them to try to grab what they can of them to try to grab what they can of the trucks when they come by so the north is a realfocus, particularly for this new amount of aid coming in but when you look at the south and the very southern tip, places like the very southern tip, places like the southern tip of rafer are very close to the crossing where a lot of the aid trucks coming from egypt —— at the southern tip of rafah. many people are intense, no proper homes,

food, clean water, medicalsupplies, all those enormously in short supply right now and that is one of the reasons why there has been a big push and effort, to try and achieve some kind of humanitarian ceasefire by ramadan. a lot of talk about that but ramadan has started, first couple of days and we know the sites are no closer. no agreement on the language that would be needed to try and achieve in the immediate humanitarian ceasefire to get more aid in and here in eastjerusalem where i was yesterday and talking to palestinians in the muslim quarter of the old city because as they start to try to celebrate ramadan, the holiest month in the islamic calendar, they look to see what fellow palestinians in gaza are living through and it makes it very difficult for them to celebrate what should be a special time. believe me there's nojoy. there are no ramadan celebrations. look at the streets and it's

all because of gaza. there's no desire to celebrate anything. the atmosphere is very bad. the old ramadan, whenl there was no war in gaza you would see crowded streets. and now in al aqsa, they're letting only older people in. _ they don't let young people go in. the day before yesterday, i they beat them with sticks. they wanted to go into al aqsa but they didn't let them. - why? al aqsa is for us. well, just some thoughts there from people i was speaking during east jerusalem and an interesting point there about some of these scuffles in clashes we saw on the first night of ramadan and if we look at a few days ahead on friday, it will be the first friday prayer so we know security around the al aqsa mosque

will be particularly tight with concerns of violent clashes as we've seenin concerns of violent clashes as we've seen in previous years but now is a time of war thing is particularly tense which is something being looked at from all quarters. let me show you the live pictures from the house of lords because in the next few minutes were expecting to your questions and answers from lord cameron and that session expected to start, as i say, in the next few moments. we know you'll be asked about gazza so as soon as that starts we will let you know. —— let me know we will be asked about gaza. the controversial influencer andrew tate and his brother tristan have been re arrested in romania, on an arrest warrant issued in the uk for alleged sexual offences. just an update that a warrant has

been obtained and they are looking into allegations of rain and human trafficking against the social media influencer andrew tait. —— allegations of rape. —— andrew tate. they could face extradition to the uk, andrew tate and his brother kristan. —— they could face extradition to the uk, andrew tate and his brother tristan. the rate of unemployment in the uk rose to 3.9% in the three months to january. that's up from 3.8% from the previous three months. the new labour market figures, released by the office for national statistics, also showed that more than a fifth of 16 to 64 year olds in the uk were not actively looking for work. some prisoners in england and wales could be released up to two months

early, in order to relieve overcrowding in jails. thejustice secretary, alex chalk, said the policy would only apply to certain low level offenders and would be in place for a limited period. official figures show the prison population is nearing the operational capacity. more than 900,000 people in england who did not get their measles, mumps and rubella jab as children are being invited to take part in a catch up campaign. mmr vaccine coverage is now the lowest it has been for more than a decade. the campaign has been prompted by rising numbers of measles cases in parts of england. just they few stories making headlines in the uk. —— just a few stories making headlines in the uk. you're live with bbc news. downing street has reacted to comments made about mp diane abbott. frank hester said diane abbott made him want to hate all black women and she should be shot. today she has

called the comments frightening. frank hester said comments were "rude. there have been calls for the £10 million he donated to the conservative party to be sent back to him. some people who give millions to push the parties have high public profiles. this is what the guardian says mr hester told staff at the software company built from scratch at a meeting back in 2019. the bbc has not independently verify those alleged remarks. in a statement last night, a spokesman said...

the spokesperson said this should not be taken as an admission that mr hester use the exact words quoted in the guardian. labour have given the defence short shrift. sadly i think they were unambiguously racist and sexist, clearly beyond the pale. this is notjust about rudeness, it is totally unacceptable remarks and i think anyone who reads them would come to that conclusion. labour have been joined by the liberal democrats in calling for the conservatives to return the donations of mr hester which were vast. he gave the conservatives £10 million last year. there is no sign of those donations been returned. this morning mr hester�*s defence was reiterated by a cabinet minister. the critical point here is i do not think what he was saying was a gender—based or race—based comment but it was clearly inappropriate. he has apologised and i think we need to move on from that.

former conservative chancellor kwasi kwarteng disagrees. they are clearly racist and sexist. diane was right to call it out. i do not know if they were correct because i've not heard independent corroboration. diane abbott was the first black woman to become an mp and has faced years of abuse. mr hester has tried to call her to apologise. she says she has been left frightened. ..alarming. an obe, chats with prime ministers, even a brief meeting with elon musk. now frank hester is at the centre of a political row which

shows no signs of abating. let's speak live to broadcaster and former labour adviser who joins us live in the programme. welcome to bbc news, your reaction to these alleged comments. i bbc news, your reaction to these alleged comments.— alleged comments. i think these comments _ alleged comments. i think these comments are _ alleged comments. i think these comments are absolutely - alleged comments. i think these - comments are absolutely disgusting. we have seen a coarsening in language and politics recently but i think this is absolutely crossing a line, as diane abbott said herself, this language is frightening, it is dehumanising he is talking about harm. he is talking about violence. this is the kind of language which you might expect from a thug or lout on the street, the national front far right thug. but this is someone who is at the top of the conservative party, the biggest donor. he has the ear of the prime

minister, someone is looked at the register of interest, a company owned by frank hester, rishi sunak just registered on the £16,000 for a helicopter ride so this is someone at the upper echelon of the ruling party of this country who has made comments like that and it is frightening and racist, and disgusting. taste frightening and racist, and disgusting-— frightening and racist, and disauustin. ~ ., , . disgusting. we saw in that piece 'ust now disgusting. we saw in that piece just now it _ disgusting. we saw in that piece just now it be — disgusting. we saw in that piece just now it be called _ disgusting. we saw in that piece just now it be called exactly - disgusting. we saw in that piecej just now it be called exactly that by kwasi kwarteng. calling a racist. we have also heard someone who was —— we have heard from gavin barwell which i will put on the screen right now. what do you make of a catalogue of other mps and ministers sent out saying it is wrong, unacceptable but unable to say it is racist or call it out? i unable to say it is racist or call it out? ., ., ., ,

it out? i find it extraordinary, absolutely — it out? i find it extraordinary, absolutely extraordinary. - it out? i find it extraordinary, absolutely extraordinary. he | it out? i find it extraordinary, - absolutely extraordinary. he said looking at diane abbott makes me want to hate all black women. black and women, how can any sentient being say that has nothing to do with race or gender? quite frankly, watching the parade of government ministers coming out and denying reality, and this is something which is really important, we talk a lot about misinformation and truth, there is absolutely no way you could argue that this was not racist and quite frankly people will feel really gas lit by those ministers and politicians who are out basically arguing that night as they and i'm someone from an ethnic minority background myself, i've worked in politics and it is really difficult for people from an ethnic naughty background in politics. diane abbott was the first female black politician and others have risen to very high ranks. i'm someone who appreciates how hard it is if you are an ethnic minority to

get to be top of politics and any party. i have celebrated appointments like rishi sunak and the diversity in this conservative government. where are those voices? this government celebrates its diversity. where are those voices saying that this is unacceptable? where is kenny bad are not? she is a prominent black cabinet minister and also the ministerfor prominent black cabinet minister and also the minister for women and equality. —— where is kemi badenoch? i applaud kwasi kwarteng. equality. —— where is kemi badenoch? iapplaud kwasi kwarteng. just equality. -- where is kemi badenoch? i applaud kwasi kwarteng.— i applaud kwasi kwarteng. just on the oint i applaud kwasi kwarteng. just on the point about _ i applaud kwasi kwarteng. just on the point about money. _ i applaud kwasi kwarteng. just on the point about money. no - i applaud kwasi kwarteng. just on l the point about money. no doubt in your mind it should go back? absolutely. and if this was different, if this was another political party, if this was a labour donor and labour is getting lots of donations from individuals, if the conservatives or a newspaper had dug up that a labour donor had

made comments like this there would be a hue and cry about it and every conservative would be saying they back the money. i think what so many people find so distressing is that the language is terrific and we send our solidarity to diane abbott, what a horrible situation to be in by the idea of picking and choosing when you call out racism and weaponisation of some forms of racism and then turning a blind eye when it is your own side is so damaging to public life right now. thank you forjoining us here alive on verified alive. just a postscript to what we've been talking about because bbc has contacted conservative central office asking for an interview and we have been told nobody is available. more on that story a little later. i want to return to that andrew tate story and what you are just bringing you because a line from the romanian authorities saying romania agrees to

hand over andrew tate to the uk after their own prosecutions. we've heard from a representative from andrew tate and his brother tristan saying a extradition request has been granted by a romanian court was crucial to say the romanians confirming that only comes into effect after romania's prosecution is actually completed so that the latest line coming to us on that story. now, the outgoing prime minister of haiti has called for ham break camp and stability. haiti's prime minister, ariel henry, has called for calm and a return to stability after resigning to make way for a transitional authority. he's been stuck in puerto rico, as his country wrestles with growing anarchy. us officials say he's welcome to remain on us soil. mr henry has held the unelected role since the assassination in 2021 of the country's last president. but armed groups had been calling for him to step down. news of his resignation came

during a high level meeting of caribbean countries injamaica, aimed at establishing some political stability in haiti. the political instability has left the country in chaos. with warning of widespread famine as will grant reports. on the line is our central america correspondent will grant was travelling to haiti and is closest the border. in terms of your understanding of what is actually happening in the capital, elsewhere, the security situation, give us your latest assessment. it the security situation, give us your latest assessment.— latest assessment. it remains not 'ust the latest assessment. it remains not just the security _ latest assessment. it remains not just the security situation - latest assessment. it remains not just the security situation to - latest assessment. it remains not just the security situation to be i just the security situation to be deteriorating by the hour and certainly by the day but also the huge humanitarian crisis going on and we are talking about 1.5 million people in the capital, port—au—prince, coming through the programme. there was a celebration when the announcement by ariel henry came in that people took to the streets and let off fireworks but it is a brief moment of respite, of

breathing space. it is a moment of violence and humanitarian catastrophes.— violence and humanitarian catastrophes. regarding the resignation, _ catastrophes. regarding the resignation, will _ catastrophes. regarding the resignation, will that - catastrophes. regarding the resignation, will that make | catastrophes. regarding the i resignation, will that make any catastrophes. regarding the - resignation, will that make any real difference on the ground? in resignation, will that make any real difference on the ground?— difference on the ground? in the short term _ difference on the ground? in the short term it _ difference on the ground? in the short term it makes _ difference on the ground? in the short term it makes some i difference on the ground? in the i short term it makes some difference but the gangs that are lined up for the removal step one and we can see from the diplomacy between the member states of the caribbean community and us secretary of state anthony blinking —— antony blinken, that much is clear. but what real difference can it make on the ground is regarding the depth and severity of the problem. the security, the violence, the fact gangs are attacking prisons and freeing

thousands of prisoners, attacking government buildings and molotov cocktails. 80% of the capital city is controlled and when you put all those things together it is truly a bleak situation and the resignation of one man will make relatively little difference but what i think regarding the resignation and diplomacy as it is the first step towards the creation of transitional council. . ., ., , ., council. thanks for the latest on the situation _ council. thanks for the latest on the situation in _ council. thanks for the latest on the situation in haiti. _ council. thanks for the latest on the situation in haiti. you i the situation in haiti. you reference the world food programme talking about the famine light conditions that haiti is currently facing. we will play a clip of the latest spokesman here on the programme in the next little while because confirming and repeating that warning just in your 20 minutes orso that warning just in your 20 minutes or so but that was grant there on the borders with haiti. we be in washington next year on verified

live. —— we will be in washington next here on verified live. hello there. good afternoon. well, it's been another wet start to the day with a band of heavy rain moving eastwards, particularly across england and wales. sodden ground here in herefordshire, although the rain is largely eased here. lots of low cloud, still some rather misty, murky conditions for the rest of this week. you'll notice that it is turning milder with more of a south—westerly wind. more rain to come, though. and here's the rainfall accumulation chart for the rest of the week. you can see for most of us, another 20 to 30 millimetres, but for some spots for northwest england and for western wales, as much as perhaps 70 to 80 millimetres of rain, a lot of surface water around and indeed there could be some more flooding. already. plenty of flood warnings up through the severn estuary and towards the south coast with those high spring tides yesterday and today. and here's the satellite picture showing all of that cloud.

the weather fronts gradually pushing through. the rain will eventually clear east anglia in the far south east of england. some showers following on behind a lot of low cloud. perhaps the best of the brightness today will be across north western areas of scotland, although here perhaps still a few showers and a brisk south—westerly wind dragging in that mild feeling air, 12 or 13 degrees celsius across the south of england. now, overnight tonight, we'll see further weather fronts just gradually push their way in from the west, bringing some heavy rain across north western scotland, northern ireland and down through northwest england as well. further south and east, it is drier. there'll be lots of low clouds and misty, murky conditions, still rather breezy, ten or 11 degrees celsius. it's a mild start to the day on wednesday. now, wednesday, that weatherfront stores across north west, england and west and wales, there will be some rain here to the south of the front, plenty of cloud, a few brighter skies. and that will really help to lift the temperature. sunshine and showers further north and gales blowing across the far north of scotland. but that milder air now firmly established across most of the uk. our weather front will gradually be pushing further northwards as we head through thursday. bringing some more heavy rain across perhaps parts of northern ireland, southern scotland and another rash of showers pushing eastward, some heavy and thundery, particularly out towards the west.

if we do get any brightness on thursday, temperatures across parts of east anglia could rise as high as perhaps 16 or 17 degrees celsius. there's more showers to come in. the forecast, though, as we head through friday, drier by the end of the day, the air stays mild, but still some more wet weather to come. bye— bye.

this is bbc news, the headlines: robert hur, the lawyer who investigated joe biden's handling of classified files, is facing questions in congress over his final report. the respondent in capitol hill covering the story —— we will talk to our correspondent. we have the latest on the arrest of andrew tate. remote controlled sea drones that have been taking ukraine's fight to the heart of russia's black sea fleet. the bbc�*s abdujalil abdurasulov got rare access to a secret unit that carries out such operations and sent this report from odesa. pet owners may be overpaying for subscriptions and medicines

according to the markets authority, they will launch an investigation into the