israeli prime minister benjamin netanyahu temporarily hands over power to his deputy as he undergoes surgery. i promise you that this operation that i'm undergoing tonight i will also go through very quickly and i will be back to my duties as fast as possible. king charles has attended an easter service in windsor — followed by a walkabout to greet crowds. it's his most significant public appearance since being diagnosed with cancer. with more than half the votes counted in turkey's municipal elections, the main opposition party looks set to hold key positions in major cities. hello, i'm tanya beckett. we begin in the middle east — thousands of protestors have gathered in cities across israel, to call for elections due to the government's handling of the on—going crisis in gaza. the prime minister, benjamin netanyahu, said a vote would paralyse the country and stop

efforts to beat hamas. he will undergo surgery on sunday for a hernia his doctors discovered during a routine examination. excuse me. mr netanyahu will be fully sedated during the procedure — his office says that his deputy, yariv levin will serve as acting prime minister during this time. here's mr netanyahu. my medical statement is transparent, it is known. sure, a lot of people are saying crazy things, but of course — no boundaries. my wife went to an appendectomy and people said that she spent a whole week at a villa somewhere — and ijust had the flu, people said that i was where? where was it? that i was in hospital. absolutely no boundaries to the lies. i just went through examination, and thank you to all the people asking for my well—being. and i promise you that this operation that i'm undergoing tonight i will also go through very quickly

and i will be back to my duties as fast as possible. jo floto, the bbc�*s middle east bureau chief, had this to say about the announcement. i think he was appearing tonight as an act of both reassurance and warning to his friends and critics. the reassurance that he was still vigorously in charge of his government as he prepared to hand over the reins of power to his deputy, and a warning there to those people converging on towns around israel, but particularlyjust a few kilometres away outside the israeli parliament calling for new elections and for him to step down, that those new elections would cause a paralysis in government, would hamper negotiations for the hostage release and would be welcomed first and foremost by hamas. and to them he was warning that no amount of pressure — not from the us or anywhere else — was going to prevent eventually a military assault on the southern town of rafah, where mr netanyahu believes hamas are still holding several thousand of their own malitiamen and also

where the hostages are most likely to be held as well. right. but there are people on the streets ofjerusalem protesting. absolutely. and so let's break down who those people are. some of them are groups of hostages�* families and their supporters who believe that mr netanyahu doesn't have the commitment to secure a ceasefire deal that would release their loved ones from gaza. their point of view is that it's been four months since the last deal that saw a significant release of hostages and since then very little has happened in that regard. they've been joined by other people who object to mr netanyahu on political grounds, and you'll remember last year hundreds of thousands of people were paralysing the streets of israel every weekend, protesting against mr netanyahu's planned constitutional reforms. they have now coalesced to try to get mr netanyahu to step down and call new elections. he is very unpopular in the polls

but this war is still something that most israelis think is the right thing to be doing. meanwhile, of course, he faces criticism over many aspects of the conflict in gaza but primarily the apparent lack of planning for humanitarian support. and as you mentioned, this assault on rafah, with that criticism out there, it's difficult for him to press ahead, isn't it? it's very difficult because israel's closest ally, the united states, that supplies billions of dollars�* worth of material, support and armament and intelligence to israel is insisting very clearly, very vocally, that an assault on rafah, which is this small southern town at the bottom end of the gaza strip next to the egyptian border that has been swollen by about a million displaced people, that an assault on that town without making proper provision for those civilians would cause carnage.

and on top of that, the americans and others — in particular the united nations — so that israel isn't discharging its responsibilities under the rules of war to feed properly the population of gaza. israel, for its part, accuses the united nations of being incompetent and not delivering the food that they say is there and available, but it is very clear that they're just a few miles away from northern gaza in particular where there is a scarcity of food and people are complaining bitterly about the lack of aid. that there is plenty of food to be had, even though as we've seen in the last few days in america continues to fly 2,000—mile round trips to drop things out of planes on two people who are just a 45 minute drive away from a major container port on the mediterranean coast.

meanwhile, a hamas offical says israel and hamas are "too far apart" for talks to progress — discussions over a possible new gaza ceasefire and hostage release deal are expected to resume in cairo, according to egyptian media. meanwhile, at least four people have been killed and others injured. after the israeli military carried out an air strike inside a hospital compound in central gaza. this is the moment it happened. the israeli military says it carried out the air strike on an islamichhad command centre in the courtyard of al—aqsa hospital in deir al—balah. among those injured were seven media workers, including a freelance journalist working for bbc news. and in the latest development — the reuters news agency is reporting that two civilians have been injured in israeli strikes — on the outskirts of the syrian capital, damascus. israel has carried out hundreds of strikes targeting pro—iran groups fighting alongside the forces of president bashar al—assad

in the country's 13—year civil war. but strikes have increased since israel's war with palestinian militant group hamas. king charles and queen camilla have attended the easter sunday service now to turkey, where millions of people have been voting in local elections seen as a test for recep tayyip erdogan. more than half the votes have been counted — and turkey's main opposition, chp, appears to be on course to hold key positions in major cities — including istanbul and the capital ankara, in a setback for president erdogan. the opposition�*s leading figure — istanbul's current mayor ekrem imamoglu — is on target for re—election. he's seen as the best placed opposition candidate for the presidency in 2028. with more on this we can now speak to onur erem from the bbc turkish service. right now, more than 80% of the

votes have been counted and the opposition is keeping its lead. for the first opposition is keeping its lead. er?" the first time in more than 20 years, chp is on course to win more munificent discipline —— micro—municipalities and cities in the government party, especially the biggest cities. six of the seven largest cities of turkey, they are winning in six of them. and we have seen ekrem imamoglu, the mayor of istanbul, speaking. he declared his victory and he said this is not only an important night for 30 or istanbul but for western democracies. he was talking about the recent decline in democracies and the expansion of authoritarian regimes around the world, and it is possible to change this through democracy and the people of turkey have shown this.— have shown this. what was the turn out like? i'm _

have shown this. what was the turn out like? i'm trying _ have shown this. what was the turn out like? i'm trying to _ have shown this. what was the turn out like? i'm trying to get - have shown this. what was the turn out like? i'm trying to get a - out like? i'm trying to get a picture as to how much this actually represents how the turkish people think. and also, let'sjust take represents how the turkish people think. and also, let's just take a look at some pictures now. these are coming infrom... which look at some pictures now. these are coming in from... which city is this? that is istanbul. this is the opposition rally in istanbul, which suggests that there is a great deal of excitement around these elections. of excitement around these elections-— of excitement around these elections. , , . elections. yes, there is. we will know the _ elections. yes, there is. we will know the exact _ elections. yes, there is. we will know the exact figure _ elections. yes, there is. we will know the exact figure of - know the exact figure of participation after the votes are counted, but it looks like it is around 80%. and it may be going up to 85 depending on how the other voters reacted. 50. to 85 depending on how the other voters reacted.— voters reacted. so, what is the significance? — voters reacted. so, what is the significance? of _ voters reacted. so, what is the significance? of municipal - voters reacted. so, what is the significance? of municipal or. voters reacted. so, what is the i significance? of municipal or local significance? of municipal or local elections? and what we are talking about is the opposition holding on to ankara and istanbul and extending that grip. what does that mean for the presidential elections that happen in 2028? it is

the presidential elections that happen in 2028?— the presidential elections that hauenin2028? ., happen in 2028? it is too important oints. happen in 2028? it is too important points- 0ne — happen in 2028? it is too important points- one is— happen in 2028? it is too important points. one is these _ happen in 2028? it is too important points. one is these local— happen in 2028? it is too important points. one is these local minutes i points. one is these local minutes abilities have very big budgets and abilities have very big budgets and a big impact on people's daily lives, and the opposition party controlling these posts will help them build for their presidential race in 2028. and also, this is the last term of mr erdogan, whose term is going to end in 2028. there is only one way that he can be a candidate again, and it is the opposition calling an early election. in that case, he may be a candidate again. but apart from that, this is his last term. some political commentators are suggesting that if his party get a big victory in this election, he may try to change the constitution to give him more powers and possibly extend his term. but clearly this has been his worst local election so

far and we are expecting him to make a public speech in 20 minutes, where we will be able to learn more about what he thinks of this result and possibly his next moves.- what he thinks of this result and possibly his next moves. thank you ve much possibly his next moves. thank you very much indeed. _ possibly his next moves. thank you very much indeed. an _ possibly his next moves. thank you very much indeed. an update - possibly his next moves. thank you very much indeed. an update there| possibly his next moves. thank you i very much indeed. an update there on turkey pass elections. king charles and queen camilla have attended the easter sunday service at st george's chapel in windsor. here they are leaving the chapel earlier — much to the delight of crowds who had lined up to see them. this is the king's most significant public appearance since being diagnosed with cancer. he wasn't expected to mingle, but he did — greeting well—wishers and thanking them for waiting out in the cold. the prince and princess of wales did not attend, as catherine is receiving cancer treatment. the king has continued some work since his diagnosis, but all engagements so far have taken place in private. so this attendance at the easter morning church service at st george's chapel will be seen as an encouraging sign about his health. 0ur reporter charlotte gallagher has more.

the king and queen arriving at the easter sunday service, and waves for the crowds at windsor castle. this is an annual tradition but this hasn't been a normal year for the royalfamily, with both the king of the princess of wales diagnosed with cancer. prince william and catherine weren't at the service today — they're spending the easter holidays with their three children in private. this was the last time they were all seen together in public — christmas day at sandringham. today marks the king's first significant public duty since his diagnosis last month. happy easter. would you pass on our best wishes for the princess of wales? you're very brave to stand

out here in the cold. a chance to say thank you to well—wishers. hello, how are you? many had travelled to windsor especially to see the royals. i hope you haven't got too cold standing here. happy easter, i hope you're doing well. they didn't expect to meet the king. happy easter, your majesty. keep going strong. never give in. thank you very much. he seemed in great spirits, really, he seemed very humoured and i said to him, would you give, you know, our best wishes from wales to the princess of wales, and i spoke to her majesty the queen camilla as well and, yes, it was a joyful occasion. it's hoped this could be the start of the king making a slow return to public duties. now, we're not expecting him to be immediately carrying out a full calendar of events. but we are perhaps expecting him to be seen more in public and you got a sense today that he has missed being out, meeting people, chatting, shaking hands and doing a part of the job which he obviously enjoys. lovely to see you.

this has been a difficult few months for the royalfamily, but today seemed a positive sign about the king's health and recovery. charlotte gallagher, bbc news. earlier, i spoke to robert hardman — daily mail writer and author of charles iii: the inside story. he gave me his reaction. he definitely looked glad to be back, meeting the public again. i mean, he's been doing his constitutional duties — they haven't really stopped since his diagnosis, the audiences with the prime minister and the red boxes and that kind of thing. but what he has missed is meeting the people, and that's something he's always enjoyed, and even the late queen, on easter sunday, would always expect a crowd outside st george's chapel, but she wouldn't do a walkabout. so today really was a significant moment, just the fact of him crossing the road there and shaking hands — and really shaking hands, lots of hands.

i thought it was very significant. almost as if he enjoys it, to the extent that he draws energy from it in a way. but the reality is he's been left fairly exposed from a personnel perspective? yeah, we hear this phrase slimmed—down monarchy a great deal, and it is very slimmed down at the moment. he's obviously out of action, and the princess of wales is, and the prince of wales is looking after her a lot, so what we saw today was the core supporters — there was the princess royal, for example, the duke and duchess of edinburgh, who are all stepping up. the duke of york was there as well as a sibling, because it's a family event. he won't be undertaking any public duties. but between them, led by the queen — queen camilla has been central to all of this — they will fill the gaps that have to be filled, so we have seen in recent weeks the princess royal doing many investitures, that's a key part of things,

and we're coming up to the really busy summer period. earlyjune, particularly, is going to very busy. we've the 80th anniversary of d—day, plus all the regular royal events, so i think we're going to see the monarchy need the other members of the family more than ever in the weeks ahead. we haven't heard from king charles as to when he plans to return to those public duties? king charles and his public appearance today. king charles out and about on sunday. thousands of people have taken to the streets of haiti to mark easter weekend, the first major national holiday, since the country's government collapsed. the caribbean island has been gripped by gang violence, with more than 1,500 people killed so far this year, and tens of thousands left homeless. the united nations, has described

the situation as cataclysmic. here's nomia iqbal. as haiti spirals into violence, people try to hold onto their traditions. thousands of worshippers walk through narrow, dusty roads in cap—haitien. praying for peace in a country whose capital has descended into lawlessness. in gang—controlled port—au—prince, the city is still suffering. with people fighting for basic supplies. most easter processions were cancelled. there was a rare moment ofjoy, though, as children crafted colourful kites — an easter tradition. more than 100 miles away, nun checks in with herfamily every day to make sure they're still alive. her father says there was a shooting today. everyone is ok. he tells her he feels broken, though. nun left port—au—prince because of the violence. her cousin was killed by a gang in the capital last year. i have friends.

then, after school, they decided to open a business or things like that. and after some time, either they got killed or they got robbed, so it's two ways. either you stay and you fight or you go. even though i go, i will come back because i have a plan, i have a dream. and the dream is happening in haiti. the country is now waiting to see exactly who will take on the gangs in the fight for power. a presidential transitional council is in the works and the group's main goal will be to restore order and democracy to a nation that's at a crucial turning point in history. one of the country's most powerful gang leaders, jimmy cherizier, has said he's open to a ceasefire. known as barbecue, he and his coalition controls much of the capital right now. but he wants a seat at the negotiating table. it will be hard, though, to convince many haitians to accept violent gangsters as future political leaders.

translation: when gangs attack, they're terrorising people. - and they don't have any compassion, theyjust kill. the population is dying, it's true, because it is the country that is dying. when the port is dysfunctional, the airport is dysfunctional, the hospital is dysfunctional, people will definitely die. haiti is a country with a lot of faith. but constant overlapping crises have pushed it to the brink. and with little change so far, right now hope is all people have. nomia iqbal, bbc news, haiti. romania and bulgaria have become the newest members of europe's schengen area of free movement — but only for air and sea crossings. land border controls will remain in place because of austria's opposition to the eastern european nations becoming full members of the zone. vienna fears an influx of asylum seekers if all border controls disappear.

romania's interior minister said joining schengen was an important moment for his country and its citizens. emer mccarthy has more from the newsroom. after a 13—year long wait, romania and bulgaria have officially joined the schengen area of free movement. but there is a catch. the free movement only applies to air and sea crossings. that's after austria opposed their full membership. it's concerned about an influx of asylum seekers if all border controls were to disappear. these are the scenes from sofia airport on sunday morning. it's extraordinary. what can i say? it's a special feeling. i took out my passport for nothing. it's nice to feel like a european citizen. it's very easy now at the borders. i had no problems at all. the president of the european commission, ursula von der leyen, welcomed the news. she posted on x, "this is a great success for the people of both countries.

it also benefits millions of eu citizens across europe, making the schengen area even stronger." last month, the eu's border agency said it would triple the number of its officers in bulgaria to help stem the amount of people crossing into the bloc from turkey. both bulgaria and romania hope to complete the process for full membership by the end of the year. the pope has delivered his traditional easter mass in the vatican — where he renewed his call for a ceasefire in gaza and the release of hostages being held there. here's our religion editor, aleem maqbool. when pope francis pulled out of some easter events, concerns about his health intensified. but the vatican said it was to conserve energy for today.

and that seemed to have worked. though a little out of breath, easter mass went smoothly. after which the 87—year—old went on a drive about, to greet what police estimated to be around 60,000 people who'd come to saint peter's square. events culminated with the pope's easter message. in he renewed calls for access to aid in gaza, for the return of hostages held there, and for an immediate ceasefire. he also focused on what children in gaza have been witnessing. translation: how much suffering we i see in the eyes of these children. i those children in that area of war have forgotten how to smile. with those eyes they ask us, why? why all this death? why all this destruction? war is always an absurdity and a defeat. celebrations in the holy land this year, including at the church of the holy sepulchre at the site where christians believe jesus was crucified, buried and rose from the dead, was scaled down. palestinian christians talked of an easter tinged with sadness and many foreign pilgrims stayed away. at canterbury cathedral, archbishopjustin welby did talk of foreign conflicts, but also prayed for the king and princess of wales and others he said were suffering the same way, and he talked of other struggles closer to home. whether it is the evil of people smugglers or county

at canterbury cathedral, archbishopjustin welby did talk of foreign conflicts, but also prayed for the king and princess of wales and others he said were suffering the same way, and he talked of other struggles closer to home. whether it is the evil of people smugglers or county lines in our schools, or the pain and suffering in a family riven with grief or rage or substance abuse, jesus the god man who experienced every pain and temptation is calling you and me to love in action. the archbishop talked of the easter story, giving hope of bringing light to darkness, and here at the vatican the pope ended by saying it was also a reminder of the value of every human life. aleem maqbool, bbc news, in rome.

it has been one of music sensations of the year — but some people say they have a problem with beyonce's new country album: cowboy carter. fans say five tracks are missing from the vinyl version of the record. they include some of the best—received songs — like ya ya and spaghetti. let's ta ke let's take you to istanbul where the opposition is declaring a victory, notjust in istanbul where already erdogan, the current president, lost the large city, and ankara as well five years ago. but the opposition are claiming victory in both of those cities, notjust that but in

many other cities in turkey. the implication of which is that the leader of the opposition will see his position, that he can really bid for election in four years' time in 2028. the expectation had been that if the opposition had not gained ground in these elections, erdogan may have chosen to try to change the constitution and extend for a further term. constitution and extend for a furtherterm. he constitution and extend for a further term. he has already been in powerfor ten years. but further term. he has already been in power for ten years. but it seems that the opposition has gained ground. we will keep you up—to—date here on bbc news. to stay with us. i'm tanya beckett. hello there. well, this easter weekend, the amount of sunshine we had across the uk varied quite a bit. some of us didn't have any sunshine at all. if you look at the satellite picture, you can see the thicker

cloud across parts of england and wales and the brighter skies earlier on across scotland and northern ireland — all part of a much larger rugged area of cloud shrouding many parts of europe. it's a big area of low pressure that's dominating the continent right now. and in the next few days, we are expecting a fair amount of rain. smaller areas of low pressure will come sweeping our way. and with that, outbreaks of rain and at times some strong winds. but it won't be raining all the time. there will be some fair weather in between these weather systems. so the forecast, then — through the early hours, we have some rain across the south of the uk, maybe some cracks of thunder. also, this easterly breeze drags in rain—bearing cloud into parts of northern england. so quite wet in yorkshire overnight. the temperatures early on monday — 5 in aberdeen, about 7 or 8 in the south. so no huge contrasts across the uk. so easter monday itself, then. well, rain at times, that's the headline. but there'll be some sunshine, too. i think the thickest of the cloud

with the most persistent outbreaks of rain will be across northern england — perhaps around the northwest here, merseyside, the irish sea, into eastern areas of northern ireland. either side of that, drier and brighter — i say "drier" — there will be showers breaking out across southern england. some of them could be thundery — but sunshine in between, too. the forecast for tuesday shows that weather front moving northwards, kind of fizzling away, but still damp here. and then the next weather system sweeps into southwestern areas of the uk, and then later in the day that rain will track northwards and eastwards across the uk. and here it is on wednesday. in its wake, showers are expected across the bulk of england and wales, and that easterly breeze there in the north of scotland keeping things fairly chilly. for our friends in stornoway, only 7 degrees — even colder than that in lerwick. about 7 in aberdeen. but in the south, around 15 degrees. and in fact, the south—southwesterly winds will be quite persistent across the bulk of england and wales. so the temperatures will be never that low.

but of course often rain clouds. in the north, always a little bit cooler. that's it from me. bye— bye.

this is bbc news. the headlines... tens of thousands of israeli protestors have gathered injerusalem for the largest anti—government demonstration since the start of the gaza conflict. they're demanding new elections and the release of israeli hostages by palestinians militants.

israeli prime minister, benjamin netanyahu, temporarily hands over power as he undergoes surgery. his deputy — justice minister yariv levin will temporarily fill mr neta nyahu's role. king charles has attended an easter service in windsor — followed by a walkabout to greet crowds. it's his most significant public appearance since being diagnosed with cancer. pope francis pleads for peace in his easter message. he's been meeting worshippers after easter sunday mass — as thousands gather in st peter's square. with more than half the votes counted in turkey's municipal elections, the main opposition party looks set to hold key positions in major cities. now on bbc news — trapped

in oman: episode one.