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people who know, know bdo. narrator: funding was also provided by, the freeman foundation. and by judy and peter blum kovler foundation; pursuing solutions for america's neglected needs. announcer: and now, "bbc news". ♪ >> this is bbc america. israel's prime minister strikes he fired own against the cease-fire proposal thing that he would only settle for the total t defeat of hamas. but the no crisis impacting order cities, the teams trying to tackle this growing problem. what ireland's minister says about the important role the u.s. will play in the stability of theewly returned northern ireland government.

♪ >> hello and welcome to world news america, i am katrina, is really prime minister benjamin netanyahu is rejecting a cease-fire proposal counter offer from hamas pledging to continue the offensive in the gaza strip until a victory. they plan to expand, operations pours the city of rafa near the egyptian border. half of gaza's population has a sot refuge there. in his remarks he vowed to continue the war against hamas and rejected what he said were delusional demands from the group. hamas laid out a process to release israeli hostages in several phases in exchange for palestinian as a nurse and i period of calm to allow dramatic -- boston u is a nurse and a.

period of calm. and delegation will head to cairo for peace talks and qatar. this comes as antony blinken wraps up his trip to the region where he has pledging for military and pause and says the u.s. will keep its focus on bringing israeli hostages home. >> there are clear and on starters -- there are clear non-starters, there is an agreement to be reached. we will work on that relentlessly. >> joining me now is tom, spokesperson for the israeli prime minister. thank you for joining us on bbc news. when the prime minister says there is no other solution other than total victory, does that mean a rejection of these talks agreeing to a truce to get the israeli hostages home? >> not at all.

we believe that these two goals that we have defined for the operation in gaza, after hamas dragged us into this war following the massacre which is the elimination of hamas, they are not contradictory. they go hand-in-hand. we believe that the military pressure and the heavy military pressure that we are exerting on the ground in gaza is what created the conditions for november to reach a diplomatic framework in which we saw the release of some of the hostages. we want our stolen people back. there are 136 hostages in gaza and we believe that 100 of them are still alive. we want all of them back. we will continue to hit hamas terrorists on the ground in gaza very hard as we continue to pursue the diplomatic avenue as the secretary of state antony blinken referred to. it as a nonstarter. >> to jump in because we do not

have much time. the secretary of state antony did talk today about space for negotiations to continue. how does that align with what the prime minister said? where is the space for the negotiations? >> we do not discuss the nature of these talks behind the scenes or the terms being discussed because human lives hang in the balance by the prime minister did articulate a few red lines. unacceptable for instance, we will not pull all of our forces out of gaza as part of a potential hostage deal. we will accomplish the goals of the war as we have defined them which is the release of the hostages. making sure that because it will never make terroristic threats to israel and the full elimination of hamas and organize war machine. we will achieve that. there will not be a release of thousands of terrorists in

exchange. >> what about the issues of allowing humanitarian aid in? antony blinken again saying israel has been dehumanized by the attacks and the hostages have been dehumanized but that does not give israel the license to dehumanize the people of gaza who have nothing to do with hamas. >> we are not dehumanizing the people of gaza. on the contrary the ones doing it are hamas. they are the ones doing it -- israel is taking unprecedented steps in counterterrorism and warfare. >> ok just -- >> civilian casualties, hamas is doing everything to maximize them. >> nevertheless, sorry to interrupt, never the less, more than 20,000 people -- 28,000 people have been killed, 2 million have been displaced. thousands have been injured.

we have seen the extent of the humanitarian crisis. the starvation and threat of famine. antony blinken is saying would israel be prepared to open the crossing at rafa to let aid into the north? is that something you might consider? >> we are examining these options. we have opend more border crossing for inspections. israel's mission entering gaza is to examine the trucks coming in so we can make sure that they will not pose a threat to us and do not contain any kind of ammunition as they go into the strip. we have access capacity to examine these trucks. more trucks that are coming in. the problem is if you listen carefully to what the prime minister said today that our estimation is that 60% of the aid coming in into gaza is being stolen by hamas. the backlog is not on our end or israel's end by the

organizations that are distributing this aid. we want to see more humanitarian aid as much as possible reaching the civilians in gaza. we placed no limitations on water, food supplies, medical supplies during the gaza strip since the beginning of it. >> that is a point that would be disputed by many of the aid agencies who are facing restrictions but we have to leave it there. is a spokesperson for the israeli prime minister -- that is a spokesperson for the israeli prime minister. a u.s. drone strike has killed a hezbollah leader in baghdad. it killed three people in total including a senior commander of hezbollah, the iranians supported militia. u.s. officials say they were behind attacks in u.s. bases in syria. a source from the group named the dead commander, their

commander in syria. that comes after u.s. airstrikes targeted positions in iraq and syria in response to a deadly attack on a u.s. base in jordan killed three american soldiers. pointing me is our international correspondent in baghdad -- joining me is our international correspondent in baghdad. we see this strike, what is the significance of it and the person reportedly killed? >> this is the second phase of the american response. last friday night we had 85 targets being hit in a and also in syria. those strikes were different, they were largely in areas that were remote and in many cases it seems like the american missiles hit empty buildings. there were fatalities here in iraq and 17 militia men killed. it was as i said a remote

location, high-profile targets. what happened tonight is different. this happened inside of the capital at 9:30 in the evening, three distinct explosions, they were audible from our hotel. this is a time of night when people are moving around on the streets in baghdad, cafés are open, the streets are quite busy , we managed to reach the scene fairly quickly, there was already police presence. we did approach with caution, there was an angry crowd of protesters chanting america is the greatest devil. as soon as we were saying we were surrounded by people who did not want us to be there. we were unwelcome. we were not allowed to film. they were pushing back against the camera. we had to pull back to where the security was and they were saying foreigners are responsible for this and you are foreigners. therefore you are not welcome here. there were calls from leaders of

the pro-iranian militia on social media to their supporters saying come down to the streets and show your anger. they also called to go to the heavily fortified u.s. embassy. we understand that whole area has been sealed off. this was a senior commander killed tonight. the americans he was associated with, americans have said he is responsible for the attacks in georgia at killed the three u.s. service personnel -- in jordan which killed the three u.s. service personnel. they say it was a necessary action and america would not hesitate to do so again but it would drive up the tension here, there are calls from the militia for retaliation and a comes at a time when the iraqi government has been helping to try and calm things down here. once again, they find a rack has been used as a venue for america

and ran -- iraq and iran to play out their differences in their conflict. >> thank you. deputy prime minister says the u.s. has an important role to play in the stability of the newly returned ireland government. after two years of political stalemate, restoring public trust was key to success, along with financial support from the british and irish governments. mr. martin says the u.s. is the guarantor of the good friday agreement and had a key role to play in terms of investing in northern ireland. neil martin has been meeting on capitol hill to get more humanitarian aid to gaza and restoring funding to the human agency for aid to palestinians. >> thank you for joining us on bbc news. if we can start by discussing northern ireland. i saw the institutions have been

restored. everything back up and running. do you think that will hold a bit longer this time? >> i think it is welcome. the first minister, it validates the election that took place two years ago. it is important that all of the parties in order to make politics work in northern ireland, that is the challenge, to restore trust with the public that the assembly and executive can work for the people in respect to basic services and health and education and the economy more generally. i do believe it can sustain, it is imperative that it does. i think politics has to work. >> what greater support can be british and irish governments offer if there has been a request for more funding? >> financial support is important in terms of financial support, also, the irish government providing funding for

a significant infrastructure works. >> the u.s. considers itself a guarantor of the good friday agreement. is there a specific role for the u.s.? >> president biden when he visited made some careful and wise comments. kennedy has been identifying potential new investment in northern ireland in terms of new trade. companies that could benefit by investing in northern ireland. we facilitate that endeavor. we do believe that the combination of access to the supermarket puts us in a good position and gives us more job in a more sustainable economy. >> this is the first time there has been a nationalist first minister. the first minister, does that put the likelihood of a united ireland higher up the scale? >> unnecessarily, i think it is a sign of change and i think it

is a significant moment. politics more generally is fragmented. quite a number of parties in the executive that were sent. >> if we look at the war in ukraine against russia, the e u has a package for ukraine. in absence of further funding coming from the u.s., are you concerned about ukraine's position? >> your concern and the aid package is a big relief, -- we are concerned and the aid package is a big relief. funding for the next four years. for of 5 billion -- four 5 billion to be a great as support from the european union. we do need steadfast support from washington. a majority of representatives in the house and senate support ukraine but as we know, there has been issues thrown into the mix which has allowed a clear

result. i think it has given a signal to putin and russia that america is in this for the long haul and is here to support ukraine for the long haul and for european security it is important that the u.s. gives that. >> if there is no further funding coming from the u.s., can you sufficiently support ukraine itself? >> europe will not w and perspective of ukraine, a partnership between europe and the united states is on this. >> look at the situation in the middle east, ireland and the u.s. are close allies and partners, but there is a point of contention between ireland's view of the humanitarian crisis in gaza and united states unwavering support for israel. you have been meeting people in the administration, what has been your message to them? >> what i have been saying is ireland's view of the necessary

of humanitarian cease-fire and the release of all hostages and unimpeded access to humanitarian aid is not going anywhere. i have been struck by the response is the desire to see the end of this conflict and the cessation of hostilities. nobody doubts the nature of humanitarian situation in gaza. of the people i spoke to agree that it is dire -- all of the people i spoke to agree that it is dire. we have been clear that we are still central to aid. in gaza and the west bank and jordan because of the sheer scale and services. we think people in ireland are appalled and shocked at the level of deaths and destruction and children losing their lives. putting into perspective the situation. >> ireland is one of the

countries that has continued its funding to a group after there was allegations that some of the staff were in attacks on october 7th. >> first of all, independent investigation is important. outside of the when, it gives comfort to donors -- of the u.n. , it gives comfort to donors. in terms of really challenging restoring funding. the clear message is there on that. we are talking to people on the ground, it is difficult to comprehend how humanitarian aid at scale and at pace can be delivered without unra. have to look at it in perspective of what is needed and are mechanisms to ensure that any transgressions is dealt

with. the organization's integrity is retained. >> as the international community failed when it comes to gaza -- has the international community failed when it comes to gaza? >> they have not, in my view sufficiently addressed humanitarian crisis in gaza. is doing everything they can. it is not simple. it is not straightforward. ever since the attack on october 7th and the bombardment of gaza, it is difficult for the community to find a way forward. within the context of the conflict. israel has to facilitate going in through crossings -- more aid going in through crossings. food, malnutrition, the murder of children, shopping, not good enough in terms of a lack of

supplies going in. >> that is ireland's minister of foreign affairs. >> u.s. senate republicans blocked an immigration dell to secure the border as well as aid to israel and ukraine, this is the same bill that was touted as a bipartisan agreement. this was the result of months of talks. republicans demanded border policy changes in exchange for ukraine aid. one of the issues republican candidates linked is the growing fentanyl crisis in the u.s.. over 110,000 people died of opioid overdoses last year alone. most of the fentanyl consumed is made abroad. some say mexico is the biggest source. this report from the border. >> there are no quiet nights, called out to a local bar, there is no blaze here, but as the

only available paramedics they are tackling the other crisis, fentanyl. these two men, may not have even known that they were taking it, cheap and highly addictive, mexican drug cartels cut into drugs like cocaine. the men administer narcan, it is not too late. >> this is part of daily and nightly life, part of the fabric of the city descending fast into the grip of a full-blown drug academic. -- epidemic. it is denied by the country's president. >> they say that mexico neither creates or p uses fentanyl. frontline's fear is too little, too late.

they state forensic service found a starving one in three bodies contained fentanyl. a harm reduction center say that tijuana is awash with it. >> we tested four randomly selected used syringes and each one was positive for fentanyl. >> fentanyl exists, to suggest otherwise fails to recognize the reality. we have the evidence right here and all of the overdoses are ignoring the problem, people across the country, people are dying. >> in the u.s., fentanyl is a nationwide crisis. coast to coast, border to border, u.s. cities are increasingly in its grip, the drug claim 17,000 lives in 2022. but all victims were regular drug users -- not all victims were regular drug users.

this individual was 15 when he accidentally overdosed on and felt that he was told was a prescription pill, xanax. he had no idea that it was a fentanyl laced bill. pill. it was his first time scrimmaging with drugs, one of three lives snuffed out by fentanyl. >> my son is in football, band, neither was mine. i had no idea. i think it starts at home. it starts in the school system. just, all the way around. >> are you angry at elijah? >> no. i'm not angry. i have never been angry. not even at the person who gave my son drugs. i forgave her. i am angry that it happened to me. i am angry at the situation

itself. >> el paso sits over the border, or new mexico's most dangerous -- one of new mexico's most dangerous cities. >> this cartel hitman showed me how they use tunnels to smuggle across the border. >> i asked him if he felt remorse over the deaths of u.s. teens like elijah. >> no, it is part of a chain, like guns, they send weapons south, we sent fentanyl north, everyone is responsible for how they act. >> back in tijuana, three doses of narcan and they brought one man back from the break, his dad -- friend died on the floor, his mother received devastating news. his death a footnote of the state of the u.s. and mexico

border. >> the islamic state group says it is behind a string of attacks that killed at least 30 people in pakistan on the people of the country's election. three attacks took place on the border, the first blast was in a town at an election office and at least 18 people were killed. the second explosion went off outside of the office of a party, killing at least 10 people. a senior leader of the same party nearly survived a gun attack while traveling on a road to the provincial capital. pakistan's prime minister is facing off against the son of the country's assassinated former leader. the main opposition leader was in resin for -- presison, people will come out to the polls without any fear. that is it for today.

you can find all of the day's news and you can find what we are working on at any stage on your favorite social media platforms. thank you for watching all the news america. do -- world news america. narrator: funding for this presentation of this program is provided by... man: bdo. accountants and advisors. narrator: funding was also provided by, the freeman foundation. and by judy and peter blum kovler foundation; pursuing solutions for america's neglected needs. ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ announcer: "usa today" calls it, "arguably the best bargain in streaming." that's because the free pbs app lets you watch the best of pbs anytime, anywhere.

♪ >> good evening. >> tonight, senate republicans blocked a major bipartisan security deal. we talked to joe manchin about what happens next. >> benjamin netanyahu projects a cease fire. he says complete victory is just months away. >> tensions remain high and