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>> hello, you're watching "the context" on "bbc news." >> we are going to continue to push on an urgent basis with our parents, with qatar, with egypt, to try to close this deal because we know it's in the interests of the israelis, palestinians, the region, indeed, the entire world. >> we need to take clear position and demand put an end to this war. 37,000 martyrs have died so far and thousands have been wounded in addition to this punishment policy and starvation that has been used against our brothers in gaza. >> another mr. blinken said both sides interest previously agreed this plan and are making changes it still seems the fundamental

demands of the two sides don't really seem reconcilable at the moment. ♪ >> an israel-gaza peace deal hangs in the balance at hamas proposes changes to the u.s.-backed plan for a cease-fire. also tonight, three russian warships and a submarine arrive in cuba just 90 miles off the u.s. coast. officials called the military drills nonthreatening. questions, but do the leaders have the answers? the prime minister and his rival vying for the josh space a grilling tonight on key policy issues ahead of the u.k. general election and could you go cold turkey in a digital detox? we have a special report as 10 teenagers swap their smart phones for basic de vices. we'll show you how they got only. we begin tonight, though, in the middle east.

u.s. secretary of state blinken is back in qatar has talks continue over the latest gaza cease-fire approach. he said hamas as propose a number of changes to the latest proposal. some are workable he says, some are not. he note that had mediators would work in the coming days to see if the gaps over that deal could finally be bridged. >> a deal was on the table that was individually identical to the proposal that hamas proposed on may 6. a deal that the entire world is behind, a deal israel has accepted and hamas could have answered with a single word -- yes. instead, hamas waited nearly two weeks and then proposed more changes. a number of which go beyond positions that it had previously taken and accepted. >> a senior hamas official

responded by calling mr. blinken part of the problem, not the solution and denied that hamas had requested changes tonight cease-fire proposal. the keyarts of that plan is one that president biden said involved three phases. the first phase would see an initial six weeks' cease-fire when lamas would release some of the hostages in exchange for israel releasing palestinian prisoners. a second phase would see all remaining hostages released and be latter would still be subject to further negotiation and in the third phase, the remains of andead hostages would be returned and a major reconstruction plan for gaza would commence. let's speak with our correspondent in jeers lem.

what is your thoughts on how wide the two sides? a deal is not imminent, is it? >> i don't think a deal is dead but it's not looking very healthy. there's no do you want that the americans, t qatarists, the egyptians are pushing extremely hard for this deal to go through but i think the truth is that the people who are calling the shots, basically prime minister benjamin m netanyahu and the leader of hamas in gaza don't really seem committed to what joe biden laid out a few weeks ago and the key sticking point is what happens in phase 2. so a complete withdrawal of israeli troops is what's in the plan and a permanent cease-fire. it seems like hamas is seeking

greater guarantees that that is actually going to happen. it's being reported in the israeli media that on day one they want israeli groups to withdraw from big population groups in gaza. and on day three they want israeli forces to withdraw from the main road that cuts the gaza strip in two and in exchange for that they say they will release three h hostages every three days. the israelis have signaled they are not going to accept that. netanyahu has called together israeli officials to accept what he call as rejection from hamas. >> we know hamas and israel need to be pressured to reach a

result. but at the same time hamas calling mr. blinken part of the problem and not the solution and it's hard to see with that sort of language how any progress will be made. >> yeah, mr. blinken has been in qatar today and he will be trying to get the qatar yis and the exhibitions to put pressure on hamas. there's also the issue of the lamas leaders outside of gaza and are they on the same page as the people on the ground in gaza? and also the pressure that's got to be put on the israeli side because antoni blinken assures everyone that israel has signed up to their plan. they're calling it even an israeli plan. he's saying israeli has signed on to a permanent withdrawal and

cease-fire with hamas but benjamin netanyahu hasn't given that backing and he knows if he were to do that, there are members on the coalition of his government that would pullout and it would mean fresh elections. it seems only the americans people in deep is really close. it doesn't feel that way here on the ground. >> thank you. let's talk to the executive director ofhe washington independents institute. i want to pick up on that thought from our correspondent in jeers lem saying it's only the americans at this stage who think that a deal is possible. is that how you see it? >> no, i don see it quite that way. clearly the americans wouldn't be putting this on the table if they didn't think that if sinwar said yes they had the zeiles

completely in their pocket. if sinwar says yes, i have no doubt the zaleies would consent as well. >> hamas has also asked for exchanges to this proposal. the changes, some we hear from ant any blinken are worka some are not. do we have information about the nonworkable parts or questions of that proposal? >> ultimately what hamas is trying to find out is whether they've reach the final israeli concession and anybody who's ever negotiated in the middle east before knows that this is the time to increase the pressure on hamas, not to address hamas's demands for further concessions. this is the time actually to speed up american weapons deliveries to israel and the time to sever more definitively

the relationship between rafah and sinai, which is sinwar's escape route. time to threaten the arrest and extradition of hamas's external leadership. it's the-time to raise the pressure on hamas. >> so at the same time this is as good as you're going to get. if you don't like it, the deal's off? >> and it get worse with the passage of time. >> yes, from the israeli side, benjamin netanyahu not yet publicly endorng this plan and i wonder what that speaks about the difficulties within his cabinet. does it tell us there are still significant differences of opinion within the israeli government? >> this plan was engorsed by the

war cabinet weeks ago. yes, mr. netanyahu doesn't want to have a public debate about it because he doesn't see the value in that if sinwar hasn't already endorsed it. but it wouldn't be on the table. the americans wouldn't be saying it if the israelis hadn't already endorsed it two weeks ago. >> both sides need to be pressured into reaching an agreement, you say, so both sides were counterproductive in their approach to the negotiating process. what do you understand that to mean? >> the qatarians to me are not if mt reliable third party in this. i take my cue from what the secretary of state says on this issue. >> why do you feel heir they're not rebel partners? >> the qatarians have been bending over backwards as

advocates of hamas from the beginning of all of this. i take my cue from what the secretary of state has said. if he said there's an israel proposal for which we're waiting a positive hamas response, that's good enough for me. >> robert, thank you for being with us on "the context." the executive director at the washington institute. thank you. >> thank you. >> three russian warships and a submarine have arrived in cuba, a mere 90 miles off the u.s. coast. they'll be carryingout military exercises. dube and u.s. officials have said the drills are nonthreatening but it comes as tensions are still high between the u.s. and russia over the war in ukraine. on wednesday, the russian foreign minister said moscow was

grateful for cuba on its principal position on the situation around ukraine. the russian war shims are not believed to be carrying nuclear weapons but what exactly are they doing there in cuba? we go to our correspondent. what are russian military ships and submarines doing in that location? >> in essence there are two very clear messages they're sending. the first, which is programs less surprising and to be expected is a sort of underscoring of the rhythm between moscow and havana. you mentioned the russian foreign minister's comments on cuba. so that solidifies that rhythm but of course the one that most people are focused on is the message being sent to washington.

very much a message or certainly it seems of what meddling in one's backyard can bring. that the caribbean is considered by washington successive administrations for decades and decades to be its back yard and that i think is a show of strength. you've made it clear that there isn't a military threat that the united states perceives by these military exercises. cuba pains to make that clear as well but it's happening at a very interesting moment of global hostile till. >> and while both sides say it is not a threat, does not represent a threat to the recently. it's a threat politically and diplomatically and that could be deemed itself in some cires to be a threat. >> not only are we here but you've been taking your eye off the ball when it comes to central america, the caribbean.

that we are solidifying and strengtheninrhythms in your back yard if you're going to do be doing the same in ours as references ukraine. it all as the essence of the cold war. of course, the u.s. was monitoring all of the activities by these war shims on their way to the caribbean but i think that it's underlying the relationship with havana and caracas in venezuela later in the summer is an important step from the russian perspective. >> will grant joining us from mexico city. thank you. around the world and across the u.k., you're watching "bbc news." ♪

>> now, it is election season, of course, and in france president macron has begun campaigning after he called a snap election on sunday. while that shock moved was

sparked by the dramatic victor y of the anti-immigration party. the r.n. won more than double the vogts for macron's alliance. mr. macron called on centrist parties to join forces and he also defended a decision to call the surprise vote. this is what he said. >> this is why in my view, the answer could not lie in changes of government or coalitions, which were not possible in parliament as the last few days have clearly shown. but in a disillusion, which is the only way to clarify masses. because we are at a time when our country must rise to a number of challenge and cannot be blocked by the extremeses and because it is an act of confidence in our people, in the democracy. in the public spirit. in my view in this context,

returning to the sovereign people is the only republican decision. >> let's speak to the u.k. editor for the french weekly. good to have you with us. i want to pick up on that thought that president macron is saying this is about bringing those extremes together and it will force a clear choice in french politics. will it? is this enough? >> well, look, if he hadn't done anything, on sunday night af after -- if you add both extremes, the far right and the far left. which got 50% of the french elect rat and it's been building up in the last 40 years really, gradually. little by little. it's often seen and been used as a protest vote by the french electorate especially in non-domestic election said such

as the effort u. elections. but president macron was elected two years ago. he wasn't given a majority of the national assembly. 's been very difficult for him to pass laws on which actually he was elected so he would have been obliged at some point probably before the end of the year to dissolve the parliament but instead of being oblige to do so, he seized the moment, he seized the initiative to create a sort of electric shock because, you know, only 50% of -- just about 50%, 52% of the french electorate turned out to vote in the e.u. elections. there will probably be more than 70%, perhaps 80% of french electorate that will turn out to vote on the 30th of june and the

7th of july and programs they'll ask themselves the question do i really want the far right or elements of the right and far right to run the country? it's very different from leading with your anger. in ask a very practal -- practical, very real and stark choice the french are taking and it's a bit rich to say that president macron is mad which he's actually just putting the french voters in front of their responsibility and putting the ball back in democracy. some exercise in democracy and it is also a gamble. >> it is absolutely a gamble for him because he may not go the way he wants it to but what it has done in the days since sunday when he daud snap election is throw the spotlight on some of those parties on the extreme right and extreme left.

particularly in today it's resultedded in chaos on the explain right. explain what's gone on today. >> today, the french right, the former goalists, main stream right party, the participant of schirac basically imploded. because the leader of it yesterday announced he wanted to join with the -- party, the national rally. more than half of the party opposes it and unanimously, the political if you'd like board of the party voted for its exclusion of the party and even barricaded himself for a few hours in had the headquarters in paris so they need to go and

find a spare key. half of the party doesn't want to enter into alliance with the national -- and in a way it's a recomposition of the political landscape and perhaps something that was inevitable at some point and as president macron said, we're unmasking some politicians today. >> agnes, always good to talk to you, thank you. u.k. editor for the french weekly. thank you. in the u.k., it is week three of campaigning ahead of the general election on the 40th of july. in grinsby. the leaders are being quelled. the leaders very facing questions on things like the cost of living crisis, the many. s.s. and immigration. hannah miller is in the spin

room just outside where that q&a is now back underway. we're also seeing that on the screen behind you but give us a sense about some of the key issues. this isn't a debate but about facing some very direct questions, not only from the host but also from the all of a sudden. >> yes, it's richie sunak's turn right now. 20 minutes of questions from sky news and then 25 minutes from the audience. we just heard keir storma before this. and it's pretty tricky questions, particularly around taxes and poverty. he was asked why he previously said that jeremy corbin would make a great prime minister and said that at the time he said that he was certain that the labour party wouldn't win the general election.

that was back in 2019 and he said he was saying it in the context of the campaign where he wanted his colleagues to win. about taxes. had said the labour party would not raise taxes on national -- but he said they had no plan to rse taxes. not quite the same as saying you definitely won't do it. keir storma was asked look the benefits -- which many people on the left of the labour party have wanted storma to reme. he said it won'te in their manifesto tomorrow and he said that's because he wants to be responsible with the money. the loudest applause was on an

issue of child poverty when he wasn't promising to make changes to the benefits, related to that. he still got the applause for the kind of economic responsibility about that view. >> and the prime minister has been in a funny position toy. having to reiterate that he's not going anywhere, that's the conservatives haven't given up and that was after grant talked about it bean idea of handing the opposition party a big majority in that general election. the prime minister is for a strange position of saying no, we're campaigning for every vote still. >> that, perhaps you could argue is a decision by the conservative part by grant claps to use that kind of language. because in their view that perhaps make it less likely that people will vote for the labour party. they've want to say opposition

is the way forward. but several weeksut from the end of an election campaign, he is still fighting, to be hearing that from senior people within the party is very unusual. >> hannah, thank you so much. in the middle of a noisy spin room. all of the journalists and lobbyists in that room will be trying to convince hannah and the other journalists that their candidate was the one with all the answers and clarifying anything that comes up in that q&a that is currently underway. we'll talk more to hannah and the team later on in the program. we'll show you highlights of the qxa session as well and some of the tough questions expected from the audience. we'll be back very shortly. stay with us here on "the context" on "bbc news."

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