an aid delivery in northern gaza. as the un warns of an 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. as the shock waves are felt over the sudden resignation of the leader of the dup — we ask where jeffrey donaldson�*s departure leaves unionism in northern ireland. and — hoping for something oar—some — one of the world's most famous amateur sporting events — the oxford—cambridge boat race will soon be getting under way in london. the palestinian red crescent says five people have been killed and dozens wounded by gunfire and a stampede during an aid delivery in northern gaza. it said three of the five

killed had been shot. a video circulated by the afp news agency shows trucks moving quickly past burning debris near a distribution point. people in pre—dawn darkness then shout and scream as gunfire is heard. the red crescent said the incident happened after thousands of people gathered for the arrival of food trucks at gaza city's kuwait roundabout. the israeli military says it "has no record of the incident described." in the past 2a hours, both the uk and the us military have airdropped food supplies into gaza. our bbc middle east correspondent lucy williamson, was on the us plane. aid drops into gaza are expensive, inefficient and increasingly controversial. these ready—prepared meals from the us army are being flown more than 1,000 miles

from the us airbase in qatar. there's plenty of food just a short drive from gaza's borders, but this american aid is being flown right across the middle east. 80 crates of food on board two c—i7 transport planes, dropped into a population the un says is on the brink of famine. it's not perfect. we know that there's upwards of 2 million people who need food on the ground who are hungry, innocent civilians who didn't ask for this conflict, and we're dropping meals in the tens of thousands, but at least it's something. so does it feel like a drop in the bucket? maybe a little bit, but if you're a family on the ground who got some of this aid, it can be a life—saver. 12 people were reported to have drowned this week trying to retrieve packages from the sea, six others crushed in a stampede. what are you doing to try and mitigate those risks? literally everything we can. i know you spoke with the colonel earlier. we use a chute that falls at a slower rate to give the gazans more time to see the parachutes

and make sure they're out of the way. we also have assets overhead that clear the drop zone, so we will not drop if there are any sorts of groupings of people there. after three hours in the air, the ramp opens on gaza's devastated coastline. they've just opened the hatch, ready to release the aid down into gaza. there's no organised distribution system down there. there it goes. a drop of aid in an ocean of hunger. getting aid in this way is a last resort, but a growing number of countries are doing it. how much do these eye—catching flights relieve pressure on gaza's civilians, and how much the pressure on governments elsewhere? reports from the united states say the biden adminstration has cleared the way for the transfer of bombs and fighter planes worth

billions of dollars to israel. there have been calls for washington to reduce its military support, or to link it to changes in israel's conduct of its military campaign in gaza. in a separate development, the united nations has warned the targeting of its peacekeepers is unacceptable, after three un observers were wounded by an explosion in southern lebanon. the lebanese prime minister has condemned what he called the �*targeting' of un forces. 0ur correspondent yolande knell is injerusalem. a shell exploded near these un military observers while they were on a foot patrol in southern lebanon, along the blue line, which divides that area from the north of israel. now, unifil, the peacekeeping mission in that area, says it's investigating the cause of the blast. but this is an area where israeli forces and the lebanese armed group hezbollah regularly exchange fire. we've seen an increase in tensions in that whole area in just the past few weeks, and that has really raised fears about further escalation related to the war in gaza. now, when it comes to those reports

in the washington post and reuters about arms transfers worth billions of dollars being made from the us to israel, these are listed as 1,800 2,000lb bombs, 500 500lb bombs and 25 f—35 fighterjets. most of that already approved by the us congress. but the palestinian foreign ministry in the west bank has come out accusing the biden administration of holding contradictory positions here because, of course, the news of these weapons transfers comes at a time when we have been hearing washington raising more and more concerns about the high numbers of civilians being killed in gaza. let's speak to the political risk analyst dr andreas krieg, who is also an associate professor at the school of security studies at king's college london. what do you make of this apparent

contradiction between the pressure that us says it wants to bit on israel over the humanitarian cost of the operations in gaza and then apparently these deliveries that have been green—lighted according to the report? it begs the question as to what extent us foreign policy is mostly performative these days. there seems to be a massive gap between the rhetoric used by the biden administration in terms of being harsh towards israel, condemning the government of benjamin netanyahu, and also clamping down on the performance of that government in the gaza strip. but on the other hand we see a constant stream of weapons going into israel for the last six months, and also a very clear effort by the biden adversaries to bypass congressional oversight where they can by keeping below a particular threshold in terms of the cost of weapons being dumped in israel. then the biggest question, the biggest concern that we have now is prophecy that these particular weapon systems,

particularly the £2000 bombs that are now being released potentially for israel to use an urban combat in gaza, in combat in rafah, the us says they don't want israel to conduct it, if these bombs are not guided, it will most likely leave massive craters in the target area, and absolutely unable to differentiate between civilians and hamas terrors. in this kind of context it is concerning that these arms are being released to israel when we are just at the brink of a potential operation in rafah. in that sense what does it tell us about what the strategy is, the israeli military strategy, that they are asking for these particular weapons? the us government is also in a difficult position here, as you mentioned already in that particular report, is that we see more escalation by israel in syria, and against his brother in lebanese

territory, there is still that looming territory of escalation on the northern border, that would be an exercise of war for israel. —— an existential war. it is in that position that the us in frustration as saying, we cannot not withhold us weapons. what needs to happen is that they are making it very clear to the government of benjamin netanyahu and to the idf that the use of these weapons is not meant to be in gaza, it can be used, for example, in other non—urban combat environments, that they must not be used in urban combat environments, which is gaza. at the moment any prospect of a ceasefire seems to have gone on the back burner. tell us about the difficulties that israel will encounter if it does go ahead with an operation in rafah, and in

particular how it fights if their main problem is that people are hiding in tunnels, and how they get intelligence from down there, presumably that makes it very difficult? it is a difficult combat environment that we knew that from the beginning. they shall knew that from the beginning. most of gaza has been flattened over ground, but underground hundreds of kilometres of tunnels are still intact, hamas fighters are still hiding in there, hamas has not been successful, bringing this destruction to a smack where civilians are crammed together means inevitably we will see a massive spike of casualties. tens of thousands of civilians have already been killed. it will be severe. it cannot be done from the air, it cannot be done from the air, it cannot be done by these area effect bombs, it should be done by idf soldiers on the ground, even as will be difficult, there will be massive

casualties. israel is in a difficult position but it is a war that israel cannot win by military means only. this year, easter coincides with ramadan — and both are taking place under the shadow of the israel—hamas war. this was the scene on good friday injerusalem — with fewer christian pilgrims walking the path through the walled old city that they believe christ took to his crucifixion. live now to rev dr munther isaac. he is the pastor of the evangelical lutheran christmas church in bethlehem. tell as a little bit about how different it is this year for christians at this period? it is a very difficult for easter, given the war in gaza, and the difficulties that our siblings and friends are going through with the severity of the war and the starvation. restrictions are harder

than ever. every unit is hard to get jerusalem, but this year we have been under a strict siege in bethlehem since the war began on october seven, which left a heavy 0ctober seven, which left a heavy toll, notjust on the economy, but spiritually and psychologically on as, especially with the war that is happening in gaza. how has the church decided to manage the situation? we are trying our best to encourage the faithful, prayer and faith seem to be the only thing we have as palestinians these days. because this war has taken so much from us, especially in gaza. easter gives us the opportunity to think of the meaning, notjust of suffering, absolutely the cross obviously is the symbol of suffering and pain,

capacities are suffering with a purpose, and a suffering that we know will ultimately lead to life and light and resurrection. so we are trying to encourage the faithful, inspired by ourfaith, and by the easter story itself. tell us more about the restrictions in place at the moment, and whether people are trying to get to the places of worship, or whether they have just decided to give up on it. you need a permit from the israeli military. we still live under israeli occupation. this is one of the things that many people don't get in the west, that the israeli military control is almost everything here. to go tojerusalem from bethlehem, and jerusalem is literally 20 minutes away from where i live, there is a wall that separates bethlehem from jerusalem, and there are checkpoints. and to get through the checkpoint to jerusalem you need a permit from the military, and it is not easy to get.

i do not have that permit these days. the majority of palestinians do not have it. even in previous years it has always been difficult to get it unless you have work, or you can prove that you work with international agency. even restrictions. the roads connecting palestinian towns right now, which are also controlled by israel, have seen restrictions, and new checkpoints, blockades on some roads that we cannot drive. this has been more difficult since october seven thanit more difficult since october seven than it was before then. in terms of christians are celebrating easter, what are your plans? we are going to church. we can go to jerusalem. we can celebrate in towns and cities. usually, especially on

palm sunday and holy saturday, we have more celebrations in the streets, more celebrations with scout groups, none of that is taking place this year. our prayers and coming together as families will be the focus of this year's easter. we will try to encourage those who have loved ones still in gaza and are concerned about them by being a family away from family for them here in bethlehem. thank you for talking to us. now it's time for a look at today's sport. we're approaching fulltime in the first of 8 premier league games today newcastle united taking on west ham stjames park, the hammers came from behind to lead 2—1 at halftime. jarred bowen stretching their lead.

3-1. but 3—1. but newcastle have a penalty. they scored it would be the second penalty score of the match, it is now 3—2. 15 minutes to play there. a tight finish there. tottenham can move into the top four with a win at home to luton before villa play wolves later. the main focus will be on the relegation places though — burnley away at chelsea and sheffield united taking on fulham. nottingham forest play their first game since being docked four points for breaching premier league profitability and sustainability rules. they are appealing against that punishment. a win today at home to crystal palace could see them move out of the bottom three but the manager is confident they will stay up. 0ur message is clear. it is clear, forget about and focus on what we have to do what we have

to do is stick together, everybody at the club stick together. the back—up of our friends is going to be huge for us and starting on saturday at city ground. like forest, everton have had points deducted this season, ten reduced to six on appeal, and and are waiting for news on a second breach that could see them further punished. i think the last one jolted everyone in football. i think really, we're just waiting now. i don't think anyone has concrete proof of which way these things will go, and particularly after the first one. we have given every bit of information that we can give. so therefore we will hope that it comes to nothing. it's a big day in the bundesliga title race with leaders bayern leverkusen and second place bayern munich both in action. the champions could be 13 points adrift by the time they kick off later, they face borussia dortmund in der klassiker. despite the gap, head coach thomas tuchel has been boosted by the return of england captain harry kane and feels a game

of this magnitude can help motivate his players. their positions in the table are obviously what they are. we cannot choose them. we can obviously win this game. by the time we arrive at the stadium it will feel normal, like always. it is an emotional match and a charged match and a very important match in the bundesliga with a great rivalry in history, there is no difference there. xabi alonso�*s leverkusen get under way shortly against hoffenhiem with that chance to extend their lead at the top and add to their 38 match unbeaten streak. elsewhere rb leipzig will be looking to temporarily move in to the top four with a win over relegation threatened mainz. the women's final at the miami 0pen is to come on saturday, as elena rybakina takes on unseeded danielle collins

later. in the men's singles, gregor dimitrov followed up knocking out carlos alcaraz by beating alexander zverev to reach the final. the result also moved dimitrov up to nine in the atp rankings, securing his return to the top ten for the first time since november 2018. he'll face jannick sinner in the final. it's the second round of the women's six nations this weekend. scotland have just got under way against france in edinburgh. later, wales host grand slam champions england. ther red roses put 50 points on the them last year but the welsh are hoping to be more competitive this time round last year we showed for 30 minutes we could hold them off, but we need to continue that momentum and make it an 80 minute performance. discipline is going to be key and i think we have really got to go and work hard this weekend and leave everything at the park and no regrets, really.

and that matches taking place in bristol. still 3— to four west ham against newcastle. and that's all the sport for now. now to northern ireland, where politics have 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 additional 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. let's speak to ben lowry, editor of the belfast news letter. clearly a blow for the party. how are they handling it so far? it is difficult to find out. i do editor unionist daily newspaper, we have good contacts with dup, we were trying yesterday to phone everybody we could think of, most of the phone

calls were ringing out. there wasn't enthusiasm to talk to the press, even to the press that they speak a lot with. but we did get to talk to some people in dup. the easiest way to describe it is, they are reeling. i talked to somebody who was talking to sirjeffrey donaldson earlier in the week. when there are conspiracy theories this was all known about, even we have talked to people who have a very good sense of what has happened, there was no sense of this coming, and the fact that police arrived at sirjeffrey donaldson�*s house at six o'clock in the morning does suggest that they wanted an element of surprise.— element of surprise. everyone in shock and _ element of surprise. everyone in shock and try — element of surprise. everyone in shock and try to _ element of surprise. everyone in shock and try to come _ element of surprise. everyone in shock and try to come to - element of surprise. everyone in shock and try to come to terms i element of surprise. everyone in i shock and try to come to terms with it. there is an interim leader who has been appointed. how is gavin

robinson going to manage to deal with a party which was not particularly all united in backing the deal that then restored stormont? it is fair to say that unionism has beenin it is fair to say that unionism has been in serious confusion for quite a few years. there are a lot of things going on. remember there was a possibility as we had a very affordable, there was independence vote in scotland ten years ago. always possible to scotland leaving the uk but should be a problem for you need a seer. there were already pre—existing problems that were exacerbated by brexit. then there was this division into three, because there are other things going on. there is attitudes to matters such as same—sex relationships and so on, and abortion, and a big divide within unionists between liberals and conservatives, and this is played out into three parties, which is difficult enough for dup which

remained the biggest party. and then you have a split within the party, the huge matter of an irish sea border, an internal barrier to trade, unthinkable forthe border, an internal barrier to trade, unthinkable for the first hundred years of northern and's existence. a disagreement about whether or not to go stormont. 0n whether or not to go stormont. on top of that, you have the leader suddenly resigning. very long answer to your question, but interim leader gavin robinson, a young and intelligent man, a barrister, not even a0 yet, he has one heck of a job. in that respect how much of a blow as this to the wider unionist movement? it is a very significant blow. it is a very significant blow. i editor unionist paper, unionist morale is not great, it has not been for years. morale is not great, it has not been foryears. i morale is not great, it has not been for years. i would morale is not great, it has not been for years. iwould not morale is not great, it has not been for years. i would not make it any worse. but it is a very big blow, a shock to northern ireland, sir jeffrey donaldson a highly respected figure. it is important to concede

to talk in the present tense about that, as we have found with mp5, at least one who has gone to trial, and everyone is innocent until proven otherwise. but it is a blow for northern ireland. and it is an immense blow for unionism. you could see unionism is in something of turmoil that the conservative party is in. it is challenged by reform uk, it has liberals within it, it is facing a difficult election. but these darkest moments for parties, the conservative party went there in 1997, followed by much better moments, often followed by much better moments, so it is a blow for unionism. thank you for talking to us. it's been one of the world's best known amateur sporting events since it first took place in 1829. and now, this year's 0xford—cambridge boat race

is just about to start. let's speak to our reporter pierre—antoine denis who is live for us in london. the atmosphere is cracking. the women's race is about to start, down in putney in south—west london. the boats are now on the thames, both teams, 0xford boats are now on the thames, both teams, oxford and cambridge. 0xford women's team, this time for redemption. they need to win after last year's defeat. and several defeats in a row. it is time for oxford women's team to come back 0xford women's team to come back onto the winning streak, at least they are hoping that, and cambridge want to ensure they keep on their winning ways. the race is about to start in 20 minutes. i am here at the finish line. behind me, the chiswick bridge, later on they will dock around here... we seem to have lost our correspondence for a moment. can we get back? are you still there? you pro capital bit. there has been a lot of rain. the

river is probably quite full at the moment, doesn't that make a difference to conditions? yes it'll make a difference to the condition. both themes thought about the fact that always something happens during these races. so many things that can be unpredictable during these races. the high—level water will be a likely factor that can determine the race. even if 0xford can determine the race. even if oxford is tipped to win, at least by the bookies in the uk, cambridge will definitely be hoping that they stay on their winning streak, and ensure their superiority, at least at the minutes, over their rivals. thank you very much indeed. stay with us here on bbc news. hello.

well, the weather's a lot quieter today compared to the last few days. there's certainly more sunshine around, fewer showers, a much drier day. feeling a little bit warmer, too, in a southerly breeze. but come monday, further rain clouds on the way. indeed, the week ahead is looking quite unsettled. now, let's have a look at the satellite picture and you can see this gap of fine weather. it's not very big — rain clouds to the east, to the west, but the winds are coming in from the south, so it's that slightly warmer direction. showers have been breaking out in a few areas, though, so it's not a completely dry day, but primarily a dry day. temperatures around about 12 to 15 degrees celsius. nothing spectacular. now, tonight, there will be some rain brushing the southwest, eventually ending up in northern ireland. but for most of us, it's a clear and a calm night. a touch of frost in some northern areas and mist and fog forming, i think, around central parts of england as well, all the way down towards the south as well. now, another thing that's certainly worth mentioning is the british summertime change. so the clocks go forward at 1am.

i'll leave you to work that out. here's the forecast for tomorrow, then. so some sunshine across many western areas, but notice this bank of cloud pushing in on an easterly breeze off the north sea. it's going to be quite a chilly day on the north sea coast around east anglia, the east and west midlands and generally this part of the country often cloudy, little bits and pieces of rain. it's not going to feel quite as warm tomorrow across the east of the country. and then come monday, a weather front sweeps in. and that, of course, spells rain. exactly where this rain is going to fall is still a little questionable. it might be a little bit further north. there might be a little less of it or perhaps a little bit more. but the broad message is a rather cloudy day and certainly a chance of catching some rain, at least across this part of the uk, perhaps drier further towards the northwest. and those temperatures, again, a little disappointing for some of us. and then tuesday, wednesday into thursday, more weather systems, more weather fronts are sweeping in on the strengthening

south—westerly breeze. and take a look at this weather outlook. these weather icons pretty much a chance of encountering some rain every day next week. that's it from me. bye— bye.

this is bbc news. the headlines... israeli media are reporting on government proposals for an all—arab peacekeeping force in gaza to enable the delivery of aid.

the united nations continues to warn of imminent famine in the strip. political leaders are promising that stability in northern ireland won't be affected by the arrest and resignation of democratic unionist party leader sirjeffrey donaldson. he's charged with historical sex offences, which he denies. the un warns the targeting of its peacekeepers is unacceptable. three observers were wounded by an explosion in southern lebanon. the lebanese prime minister condemned what he called the "targeting" of un forces. israel denies any responsibility. 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. now on bbc news, the media show: pamela abdy. i love it. i love walking around the lot. she's one of the most

powerful women in hollywood, now at the helm of one of the movie industry's biggest players —