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the us is said to have authorised the transfer of billions of dollars worth of bombs and fighterjets to israel in recent days. this comes as a un backed report warns of imminent famine in gaza. shock in northern ireland following the resignation of the leader of northern ireland's democratic unionist party. sirjeffrey donaldson has been charged with rape and other historical sexual offences. he says that he will strenuously contest the charges. counter—terrorism police in london are investigating the stabbing of pouria zeraati — a presenterfor a persian—language news channel. the broadcaster has been critical of the iranian authorities — and says mr zeraati was attacked by a group. and previously unheard recordings of the soul singer marvin gaye — who died a0 years ago — have reportedly been found in belgium. the discovery includes a huge collection of documents, notebooks, stage costumes and audio cassettes.

more now on the war between israel and gaza, which is overshadowing both ramadan and easter. on good friday, fewer christian pilgrims walked the path throutherusalem's walled old city that they believe christ took to his crucifixion. from there, our international editor jeremy bowen reports. injerusalem, where tension — and worse — are normal, there is always the consolation of religion. this ramadan, many of those ending a day of prayer at the aqsa mosque were palestinian israelis, around a fifth of israel's population. israel, citing security, restricts access to jerusalem for palestinians from the occupied west bank. just down the road, palestinian christians were deep in their celebration of easter, walking to the old city from the garden of gethsemane, where they believejesus prayed on the night before

he was crucified. but in this city, sacred for christians, jews and muslims, religion and politics always mix. all the palestinian people are suffering today. they are suffering from occupation, they are suffering from apartheid, they are suffering from genocide. and today, what we are praying is to stop this disaster situation here in the land of peace and the land of palestine. and we pray that, asjesus went to the golgotha, to the calvary, walking with a cross, but after that, there was the resurrection, so we are praying to have our own resurrection today, and the resurrection of our land. religion and conflict pervadejerusalem, and six months of war in gaza have deepened every division. this is the essence ofjerusalem — religion, faith and the passion it can generate. but in this city, religion has been linked inextricably with power and with identity for centuries, for millennia.

and in more recent times, with the long conflict between palestinians and israelis. since october, reinforced and highly visible israeli security has imposed an uneasy quiet on the occupied eastern side ofjerusalem. the good friday procession along via dolorosa, where christians believejesus carried his cross, was smaller than usual without foreign pilgrims who cancelled their trips because of the war. the people ofjerusalem of all faiths are locked in a crisis as bad as any since israel's independence war in 1948. religion offers certainty and answers, but in this holy city, prayers and peace plans have not put a dent in this immutable conflict. jeremy bowen, bbc news, jerusalem. earlier, i spoke to reverend drjack

sara who is the president of the bethlehem bible college. i asked him how different jerusalem feels this easter. jerusalem is in a really difficult place now with all the political tension that has been going on almost since day one. so for palestinians injerusalem it has been difficult and during the high days, the christian holidays or muslim holidays it intensifies because everything is seen around. you want to go to pray but you see a barrage of army watching you as if you're going to do something wrong so it brings an atmosphere, heavy heart, you know, you are going to pray but at the same time you are scared because of the context that you are going to pray through and of course the disconnect that happens between the west bank and jerusalem, where most religious

and faithful people who want to pray and walk the way of the via dolorosa, the way of the cross, they cannot do it to commemorate what jesus did 2000 years ago here injerusalem. we were hearing that there were fewer people walking on good friday and also fewer people, normally you would get people from around the world who would come tojerusalem at this time of year? very true because most tourism has been cut now and you could see few coming but when you talk about over 95% of tourism that happens around easter. jerusalem during easter whether it is the western or eastern easter is a bustling city. i grew up along the via dolorosa and i used to step outside my house and i would be in the midst of thousands of the faithful who were walking from all the stations towards the holy sepulchre

and they are not there and it is empty, nobody is there. a week ago the holy of holies sepulchre, i was maybe the only one but maybe a couple of others in the vicinity and it is extremely hard. everybody is praying here on a daily basis that the war will cease. meanwhile, the dire humanitarian situation on the ground in gaza continues — earlier i heard from mey al sayegh, spokesperson for the international federation of the red cross for the middle east and north africa. i began by asking her about the logistics of getting aid into gaza. for now we are talking about six months into almost six months into the conflict. the situation in gaza is beyond catastrophic, as you have witnessed. in terms of logistics, we have witnessed a lot

of challenges to get aid in. first of all, due to the bombing, sometimes it's difficult to get the aid in and to ensure the safety and security of all the humanitarian workers. we have a lot of challenges at the getting the aid in due to the long process of checking that is taking place at the borders. it's a long one, it's a four processes of checking so the egyptian red crescent they received the aid and they sorted prioritize it and then send it to kerem shalom, karem abu salim. and then this will go four processes of checking and there are some items rejected. the truck have to go back and along like 100 kilometers and this is taking a lot of time while people in need and the needs are desperate and people are lacking the basic services they don't have for them,

like a loaf of bread, a cup of water, the main medications, they are not found there. and we have seen how this is impacting the lives of people in gaza. back to northern ireland, where politics has been thrown into turmoil following the news that the leader of the democratic unionist party, sirjeffrey donaldson, has resigned after being charged with rape and other historical sexual offences. he was arrested on thursday along with a 57—year—old woman who's been charged with aiding and abetting in connection with the alleged offences. they'll both appear in court next month. sirjeffrey is northern ireland's longest serving mp at westminster. he says he'll strenously contest the charges. earlier i spoke to dr clare rice — a political analyst specialising in northern ireland and uk politics.

he is one of our longest serving elected representatives in northern ireland. he has been the leader of the dup for the last few years and perhaps better known within the wider uk political context as the political figure that was instrumental in many ways in bringing about the restoration of the power—sharing agreement and he was head of the party when the power—sharing devolution agreement collapsed many years ago. i think it's fair to say nobody quite foresaw the end effectively of his political career as it has been over the last few years would come about in the way that it has so it has been a fairly shocking piece of news to emerge here in northern ireland and certainly one that has sent ructions through the political spectrum but i think it's important

to say at this stage at least a lot of the comments and the efforts from across the political spectrum have been around sustaining power—sharing in northern ireland and keeping the focus on devolution operating here within the region. hopefully at this stage there is not much cause for concern as to what it will do politically speaking to the dynamics of politics within northern ireland. that has been a concern, that power—sharing only got back on track a couple of months ago and now one of the key figures has resigned. and people are concerned that we potentially have another period of instability in northern ireland politics? and there are mixed views on this, i think it's important to say. there are some views who say this is an internal matter for the dup and will be relatively contained as long as there is a degree of maturity of sorts amongst the political actors that they can navigate this, it shouldn't impact in terms of devolution and stability more broadly within northern ireland. what does it mean specifically for the dup, he is

described as very much the glue that held the party together? absolutely and this was the point i was coming to, for the dup it is a massive shock for unionism and looking ahead towards the general election, it was already a very tumultuous challenge for the dup in the context of the protocol and the northern ireland windsor framework and in the aftermath, there is a lot of discontent within the dup at the decision to return to stormont, the reason for the collapse was in protest at the northern ireland protocol so there are a lot of internal ructions within the dup and there is a broad acceptance as is my understanding that the interim leader gavin robinson has been appointed to take this role but there is an opportunity for some of those more dissenting voices to start pushing and coming through to the fore within the dup, a lot

of pressure from the traditional unionist voice party on the dup as there would have been any way going into this election. voices that are heightened and are being seen particularly on social media to be using this broader set of circumstances as a type of political leader of political lever of sorts against the dup so it's setting a very difficult borderline toxic set of circumstances particularly within unionism going into this election. that for the dup will be difficult, on top of managing its internal divisions and on top of having to deal with discontent that there is in certain parts of unionism with the return to stormont so in that sense there a potential challenge to stability of the institutions going forward as a result of this but as long as the political momentum and will remains to push through these and to see the internal dynamics within one of the parties involved in power—sharing we are stable enough for the time being.

back to the situation in the netherlands. we spoke to you about a hostage situation in ede, adam burgess three hostages have been released, posting on x, formerly twitter, the dutch police have said the situation is not over. these pictures from earlier today. houses were evacuated, around 150 houses accurately, the town centre closed. local media reporting that armed officers have been deployed to a cafe called the petticoat. police have said there is no indication of a terrorist motive and we will bring you more as and when we get it. as i

say, just to sum up, three hostages now released that dutch police saying that the situation is not over yet. household bills across britain are due to increase on monday, in what some people are calling awful april. while energy prices themselves are due to fall, everything from internet charges, to water bills and council tax will be going up. 0ur cost of living correspondent colletta smith has the details. we are working out what the bills will mean next month for her family. at something hanging over us. rachel is on maternity _ at something hanging over us. rachel is on maternity leave, _ at something hanging over us. rachel is on maternity leave, price _ at something hanging over us. rachel is on maternity leave, price rises - is on maternity leave, price rises are hitting them hard. it’s

is on maternity leave, price rises are hitting them hard.— are hitting them hard. it's so pennypinching. _ are hitting them hard. it's so pennypinching, there - are hitting them hard. it's so pennypinching, there isn't. are hitting them hard. it's so pennypinching, there isn't a| are hitting them hard. it's so i pennypinching, there isn't a gap are hitting them hard. it's so - pennypinching, there isn't a gap at all in the salary of my husband and everything goes towards the house. what you could go back on, you do not happen. what you could go back on, you do not happen-— not happen. totally, and that's a sea not happen. totally, and that's a scary place _ not happen. totally, and that's a scary place to — not happen. totally, and that's a scary place to be- _ not happen. totally, and that's a scary place to be. it's _ not happen. totally, and that's a scary place to be. it's taken - not happen. totally, and that's a| scary place to be. it's taken away our reserves at such a crunch time. the energy might be coming down but other bills might be going up, council tax over £200 every month. that's a huge hit. most councils in england are increasing their rate by 5% from the 1st of april like here in southport but some in dire financial straits have been allowed to increase it by more than not. council —— scotland is freezing council tax but some areas are set for a much bigger increase. you will look by sandra bullock at the end of it. i look by sandra bullock at the end of it. ., look by sandra bullock at the end of it. . , ., ., , it. i live in a three bedroom semi detached house, _ it. i live in a three bedroom semi detached house, i _ it. i live in a three bedroom semi detached house, i pay _ it. i live in a three bedroom semi detached house, i pay roughly i it. i live in a three bedroom semi i detached house, i pay roughly £120 every— detached house, i pay roughly £120 every month. it's a big outlay out

of my— every month. it's a big outlay out of my pension. every month. it's a big outlay out of my pension-— every month. it's a big outlay out of my pension. compared to some of m friends of my pension. compared to some of my friends who _ of my pension. compared to some of my friends who live _ of my pension. compared to some of my friends who live down _ of my pension. compared to some of my friends who live down south - of my pension. compared to some of my friends who live down south we i my friends who live down south we are paying — my friends who live down south we are paying a — my friends who live down south we are paying a lot— my friends who live down south we are paying a lot more _ my friends who live down south we are paying a lot more than- my friends who live down south we are paying a lot more than our- my friends who live down south we are paying a lot more than our lastj are paying a lot more than our last house _ are paying a lot more than our last house. ~ . , ., ., i. house. whatever is going on in your council there _ house. whatever is going on in your council there will— house. whatever is going on in your council there will be _ house. whatever is going on in your council there will be discounts - house. whatever is going on in your council there will be discounts on i council there will be discounts on reductions available stop up to around 25% off if you live alone but if you have certain types of disability or if some people in your house are full—time students it's worth finding out if you qualify for a discount. and it comes to mobile and broadband charges most companies are increasing prices by around 8% from the start of april, if you are on a deal which allows for mid—contract rises. it’s on a deal which allows for mid-contract rises. it's cheeky chanauin mid-contract rises. it's cheeky changing it- — mid-contract rises. it's cheeky changing it. when _ mid-contract rises. it's cheeky changing it. when you're - mid-contract rises. it's cheeky changing it. when you're in - mid-contract rises. it's cheeky| changing it. when you're in the middle — changing it. when you're in the middle of— changing it. when you're in the middle of a fixed deal.- changing it. when you're in the middle of a fixed deal. having a mobile phone — middle of a fixed deal. having a mobile phone bill— middle of a fixed deal. having a mobile phone bill that - middle of a fixed deal. having a mobile phone bill that will- middle of a fixed deal. having a mobile phone bill that will stay | middle of a fixed deal. having a i mobile phone bill that will stay the same _ mobile phone bill that will stay the same every— mobile phone bill that will stay the same every month, _ mobile phone bill that will stay the same every month, guaranteed - mobile phone bill that will stay the | same every month, guaranteed not mobile phone bill that will stay the i same every month, guaranteed not to id same every month, guaranteed not to go up _ same every month, guaranteed not to go up as— same every month, guaranteed not to go up as a _ same every month, guaranteed not to go up as a godsend _ same every month, guaranteed not to go up as a godsend. the— same every month, guaranteed not to go up as a godsend-— go up as a godsend. the key to beatin: go up as a godsend. the key to beating this — go up as a godsend. the key to beating this to _ go up as a godsend. the key to beating this to find _ go up as a godsend. the key to beating this to find out - go up as a godsend. the key to | beating this to find out whether go up as a godsend. the key to - beating this to find out whether you are beyond the end of your contract. for a phone easy, send a text 285075

and you will get a message pinning back telling you your contract details and if you are beyond your contract are nearly there the likelihood is you could shop around for a better deal. broadband, you are much more likely to ring them or log on to your account. when it comes to water bills in england and wales, average charges are going up ljy wales, average charges are going up by an extra £28 per year as well as cutting back on usage, there are schemes to help. every water company offers a social tariff for people on lower incomes that can reduce your bills. what is on offer and who it applies to berries so it is worth finding out but in england and wales there is a scheme called water sure and that can reduce your bills if you're on certain types of benefit and you need to use lots of water for medical reasons or because you have three or more children of school age in the house. it’s have three or more children of school age in the house. it's more of a worry- — school age in the house. it's more of a worry- it's _ school age in the house. it's more of a worry. it's hard. _ school age in the house. it's more of a worry. it's hard. i'm - school age in the house. it's more of a worry. it's hard. i'm on - school age in the house. it's more of a worry. it's hard. i'm on a - of a worry. it's hard. i'm on a fixed income, _ of a worry. it's hard. i'm on a fixed income, i've _ of a worry. it's hard. i'm on a fixed income, i've been - of a worry. it's hard. i'm on a | fixed income, i've been retired of a worry. it's hard. i'm on a - fixed income, i've been retired 15

years. _ fixed income, i've been retired 15 years. the — fixed income, i've been retired 15 years, the money has got less. you can to years, the money has got less. you can go out — years, the money has got less. you can go out for— years, the money has got less. you can go out for a _ years, the money has got less. you can go out for a tea _ years, the money has got less. you can go out for a tea and cake any more _ can go out for a tea and cake any more because _ can go out for a tea and cake any more because even— can go out for a tea and cake any more because even that - can go out for a tea and cake any more because even that has - can go out for a tea and cake any. more because even that has become too expensive — more because even that has become too expensive-_ too expensive. round and round the carden. .. too expensive. round and round the garden... while _ too expensive. round and round the garden... while gas _ too expensive. round and round the garden... while gas and _ too expensive. round and round the garden... while gas and electricity l garden... while gas and electricity rices are garden... while gas and electricity prices are falling _ garden... while gas and electricity prices are falling in _ garden... while gas and electricity prices are falling in april _ garden... while gas and electricity prices are falling in april rachel. prices are falling in april rachel and herfamily expect prices are falling in april rachel and her family expect no extra cash in their pocket and so many other price increases are coming. some great advice there. he was a soul legend who helped shape the sound of the �*60s and �*70s. now, nearly a0 years after the death of marvin gaye — there's a claim that previously unheard music has been found. he lived in belgium towards the end of his life, and now a lawyer representing the people he lived with says they've found a huge collection of his belongings — including costumes and audio cassettes. earlier, i heard from the singer ruby turner — she's a massive marvin gaye fan and cites him as an influence on her music. i'm so intrigued, i really am, as an artist and a fan, someone who grew up on marvin gaye, my musical education back in the day.

i am absolutely intrigued and kind of concerned as to where this is all going. his children, this thing about this moral thing, should be handed back, should it not? i don't know how they are going to solve that little problem. it seems like quite a legal conundrum but it must be exciting to think that there are unheard recordings of his music out there to be listened to, if indeed we ever get to listen to them. i really hope we do. i heard the information last night when i was in italy, i had the information i was going to do this interview today and when i heard things had been found and to me it was almost like, you know, the art world is finding a picasso or a caravaggio, the art world would be excited and that's how i felt, my goodness, i cannot wait to hear it and that is how i felt and when i

found out there was more to it than that, et cetera, i really do hope there will be compromise and i hope the musicologists and fans like myself will get a chance to hear what he was doing back then. what an icon, an artist and yeah, i really do hope they reach a compromise and we can get to hear it. just tell us about why you love him so much, what was it about him, was it the songs, the lyrics, what was so special about him? my goodness me. everyone would say marvin gaye was special to us. that voice, that liquid gold sound, that charm and sensuality. that gentleness, that vulnerability. and as a performer, you were engaged with his work, you know? the songs stand the test of time, even now they are still being downloaded every year and now finding new stuff, we are intrigued

and we cannot wait to hear what he was doing. but as a kid, a teenager, that was the backdrop to my musical education, the soul vibe and he was part of that package of great artists. i grew up on sam cooke, otis redding, ray charles, aretha franklin, bob marley, van morrison, bob dylan, and marvin gaye is right there in the mix as far as i am concerned. in terms of influences on my life and work, the kind of music i listen to. it's hard to believe it's a0 years since he died? that's what is so interesting as to how this has been discovered. i'm curious as to why it has taken a0 years for it to come out, these archive things to be found? yes, it was devastating when we heard back then

that we had lost a soul brother in the music fraternity. it was a hard time and devastating time for his family of course and music fans and those who loved him. it is strange timing because i've been in this industry a5 years so imagine all of that time before i started doing my own thing i was listening to him and learning, we were learning from the master and he was one of them. so lovely to speak to robert ernie there about —— robbie turner. about that apparently formally missing music from soul legend marvin gaye. the uk's entry for this year's eurovision, 0lly alexander, says he will still take part in the song contest — despite calls for him to boycott it. a group called queers for palestine have written to the singer, urging him to pull out after israel

was allowed to compete. our culture reporter noor nanji reports. the countdown to eurovision started in madrid last night. the spotlight is on nine acts in particular. this year's uk representative 0lly alexander is one of them who has signed a joint statement saying they do not feel comfortable staying silent in light of the war on gaza. they express their wish for peace and an immediate and lasting ceasefire and the safe return of all hostages. they said they firmly believed in the unifying power of music and said they felt it was their duty to create and uphold the space with a strong hope that it will inspire greater compassion and empathy. the letter fell short of withdrawing from the contest, something that 0lly alexander has been under pressure to do after a50 queer artists signed an open letter urging him to boycott eurovision. in a separate post 0lly alexander said he had been speaking to some

of his fellow contestants and they have decided that by taking part they can use a platform to come together and call for peace. in response to the joint statement, eurovision organisers, the european broadcasting union, said... "we firmly believe that the eurovision song contest as a platform that should always transcend politics, promote togetherness and bring audiences together across the world." it added that it believes in the unifying power of music, summed up in its slogan, united by music. this is israel's entry, hurricane by eden golan. its name and lyrics were changed after eurovision organisers rejected her original song titled 0ctober rain which was thought to reference the hamas attacks of october 7th. it was barred for breaking rules

on political neutrality. preparations are under way for the contest in may and organisers are aware of the strength of feeling towards israel. we are planning for all sorts of scenarios and we absolutely are prepared that there will be demonstrations in the city and outside the arena. so we are planning for that and even also inside the arena. at this point all countries are competing and we have a dialogue with all delegations at this point so as of now we have 37 countries going to compete in malmo. the bbc says that 0lly alexander's comments were his own views and were not made on behalf of the bbc nor did they break the broadcaster's social media guidelines. with less than two months to go the issue does not look to be going away anytime soon. noor nanji, bbc news.

stay with us, we will bring you the latest updates on the ongoing situation in the netherlands. now it's time for a look at the weather with matt. hello. today and tomorrow brings a window of quieter weather for many, which is good news, of course, for the easter weekend. not completely dry, there will be a few showers around, but fewer of them. with a bit more sunshine, it should feel warmer for many for a time before things change as we go into monday, especially across england and wales. at the moment, the low pressure which has governed things so far, the centre is out to the west, this is where the focus for the heaviest showers are, but we have been drawing up cloud across east anglia and the south—east. this is where it's been grey so far today for some. brightening up through the rest of this afternoon. there will be a few showers around, particularly across scotland. some heavier ones out towards the west, a rumble of thunder, but through much of southern scotland, england and wales through the afternoon very few showers. more of you will spend the bulk of the day, if not all day, dry.

as i said, temperatures a little bit higher than recent days at 10 to 1a or 15 degrees. into tonight, some thundery showers across the channel islands and the south—west pushes towards ireland. a bit more of a breeze here. that will stop temperatures dropping too much. with lighter winds and clearer skies, central and eastern scotland, north—east england, this is where we could see frost to take us into sunday morning, which of course is the start of british summertime, so get ready to put the clocks forward an hour tonight. it does mean tomorrow evening the sunset will be an hour later, so some longer afternoons and evenings ahead. as for easter sunday itself, well, for many it starts bright. there will be the chance of showers first thing across ireland. more of those could be heavy and thundery, but a greyer day through central eastern england, and especially along the coast. it could be quite misty. that is drifting its way northwards into eastern scotland later. a bit more cloud through central england. a few showers elsewhere, but a lot of dry weather. the best of the weather across scotland and in the west we could see highs of 15 or 16 degrees. with easterly winds here on monday, this is where the driest, brightest weather will be, but low pressure in the south brings a return of some more widespread rain drifting northwards through the day, breaking up into showers. some of those in the south—west

could be heavy and thundery later. we will get a bit of sunshine, though. we could see temperatures at 13, 1a degrees around the london area. a cooler day in eastern scotland, north—east england with a breeze off the sea, but western scotland again in the sunshine, it could get to around 13 or 1a degrees. a quick look at some of the charts to take us into next week. if you're on an extended break, of course, with it being easter, low pressure rules the roost. don't take the weather symbols too literally. there will be rain at times, breezy as well, but it won't be desperately cold with temperatures a little bit above average. live from london. this is bbc news. the us is said to have authorised billions of dollars�* worth of arms to israel, and as the un warns of imminent

famine in gaza, our correspondent joins a us aid drop. they're just opening the hatch ready to release the aid down into gaza. there is no organised distribution system down there. there it goes. further political instability for northern ireland with the resignation of the democratic unionist party leader, sirjeffrey donaldson. he says he will strenuously contest historical sexual offence charges. power blackouts in seven regions of ukraine after a wave of russian missile strikes, the second large—scale attack in a week. hello and welcome. i'm sarah campbell. we start with the war between israel and hamas, as international pressure mounts for action to address the prospect of imminent famine among palestinians in gaza. we're following a number of developments.

the us is said to have authorised the transfer of billions of dollars�*