fighting between israel and gaza could spiral into a �*full—scale war�*, says the un, after violence which has claimed at least 43 palestinian and six israeli lives. deadly exchanges of fire escalate — with hundreds of airstrikes by israel — and a mass barrage of rockets by palestinian militants. translation: they hurt citizens, police officers, burn _ houses, cars, synagogues. it's obvious we cannot accept this, and no country would accept it, and certainly not us. translation: if they want to escalate, resistance _ translation: if they want to escalate, resistance is - translation: if they want to escalate, resistance is ready. | translation: if they want to | escalate, resistance is ready. if they want to stop, the resistance is ready. if they want to move out of jerusalem, the resistance is ready.

we'll be live with our correspondents in the region, as the violence reaches a scale not seen for years. also this lunchtime: borisjohnson announces an independent inquiry into the government's handling of the covid crisis will start next spring. the uk economy shrank by 1.5% in the first three months of the year, but gathered speed in march, as lockdown restrictions eased. the mediterranean island of lampedusa once again sees an upsurge in migrants — over 2,000 have arrived in the last few days. this is the third straight day of arrivals. the question is whether this is just a temporary spike, or whether it is the start of a summer rush to europe's shores. and more funding is sought for a national memorial to emergency workers who gave their all in the pandemic. it's etched in that face and in those eyes — deep, piercing eyes, looking at the human being helpless on the ward and wondering

whether we're going to pull through. and coming up on the bbc news channel: uefa hope to confirm porto as the hosts for the all—english champions league final, with wembley expected to be overlooked. good afternoon and welcome to the bbc news at one. as attacks continue between israeli forces and palestinian militants, israel has declared a state of emergency in the central city of lod, where there's a large israeli—arab population, and where rioting has led to shops and cars being set on fire. israel has carried out a heavy bombardment of gaza, and palestinians have fired a mass barrage of rockets on tel aviv and other towns in central israel.

nearly 50 people have now died. the worst violence in years in the region comes after weeks of rising tensions over a site injerusalem that is holy to both muslims and jews. the international community is urging calm. here's caroline hawley. it is an explosion of violence on a scale not seen here for years. israeli air strikes on the gaza strip this morning. israel says it is targeting the homes and offices of leaders of the militant group hamas, but the un's middle east peace envoy says the cost of peace in gaza that was devastating and being paid by ordinary people. the air strikes followed an overnight barrage of rockets from the gaza strip. they came one after the other after the other. israel says that in the past 38 hours, palestinian

militants have fired more than 1,000 rocket and mortar shells. many were intercepted by israel's air defence system known as iron dome. but it couldn't cope with them all. here they are heading into tel aviv, israel's commercial capital, in a dead full tit—for—tat that is escalating despite international appeals for calm. many israelis spent the night in bomb shelters, but a 50—year—old woman was killed when one of the rockets hit a building. two people, a father and daughter, were also killed in the mixed jewish—arab city of lod, a state of emergency has been declared here. it follows rioting by arab residents angry at police clashing with people atjerusalem, one of israel's holy sites. police have

been sent to lod after businesses were set on fire. translation: ~ , w were set on fire. translation: , ., ., , ., translation: we must act against all those who try — translation: we must act against all those who try to _ translation: we must act against all those who try to attack _ translation: we must act against all those who try to attack israeli - those who try to attack israeli citizens or the state of israel, they hurt citizens, police officers, then houses, cars, synagogues. it is obvious we cannot accept this and no country would accept this, and certainly not us. 50 country would accept this, and certainly not us.— country would accept this, and certainly not us. so this was gaza last night. _ certainly not us. so this was gaza last night. people _ certainly not us. so this was gaza last night, people living - certainly not us. so this was gaza last night, people living in - certainly not us. so this was gaza last night, people living in this i last night, people living in this 13—storey building had been warned to evacuate, but the air strikes were relentless. the heaviest offensive since the war of 2014. and israel's defence minister has warned this is just the start. hamas, israel's defence minister has warned this isjust the start. hamas, which governs gaza, says it is prepared to fight back. translation: iii fight back. translation: , ., ., translation: if they want to escalate, translation: if they want to escalate. the _ translation: if they want to escalate, the resistance - translation: if they want to escalate, the resistance is - translation: if they want to i escalate, the resistance is ready. if they want to stop, the resistance is ready. if they want to move out ofjerusalem, the resistance is ready. this is the message we give to everyone.

ready. this is the message we give to everyone-— to everyone. tensions between israelis and _ to everyone. tensions between israelis and palestinians - to everyone. tensions between israelis and palestinians have l to everyone. tensions between - israelis and palestinians have been building for weeks. plans to evict dozens of arabs from eastjerusalem, which the palestinians want for their capital, has been one source of friction. but for palestinians in the west bank, the hardship and humiliation of living under military occupation is a constant and it has now boiled over here once again. in gaza and in israel, the casualties are mounting and every funeral creates more fury. the middle east conflict with no solution in sight is a tinderbox, several matches have now been let and the fire spreading, with no sense yet of how to put it out. caroline hawley, bbc news. 0ur middle east correspondent tom bateman is on the israel—gaza border. and we can see destruction where you

are, a very tense situation. absolutely, as you have come to me, we have literally had an air raid siren that has now finished, we are hearing rocket interceptions, i don't know if you can see the trials here, if we can have a look. this is where there was a barrage of rocket fire in the last few moments which the israeli missile interception system has shut down, we had to take a quick bit of cover as you came to us. the city of ashkelon has come under extremely heavy barrows under the —— over the last 36 hours and as we arrived here, there was another air raid siren and we spoke to the family here. you can see some of the destruction. they were at home, there is an 89—year—old woman who lives here, she was very badly wounded in the strike. her caregiver, an indian national, was killed here. and that pace during that bombardment yesterday. so israel's government has said that in response to what was seen to be one

of the biggest single strikes of recent years, it would retaliate forcefully, and then we have those very, very heavy air strikes over the gaza strip just a few miles from here first thing this morning. the israeli defence minister here has beenin israeli defence minister here has been in the city today saying that they will continue until they have a calm with gaza. i think that is being interpreted as ominous signal. thank you, tom bateman. let's speak to our correspondent rushdi abu alouf who is in gaza. what is the situation there?— alouf who is in gaza. what is the situation there? yes, as we speak, israeli incoming _ situation there? yes, as we speak, israeli incoming fire _ situation there? yes, as we speak, israeli incoming fire following - situation there? yes, as we speak, israeli incoming fire following a - israeli incoming fire following a barrage of rockets from gaza, as the militant group hamas says they have fired 50 rockets towards the city —— a city in southern israel. this is the second barrage of rockets. today. the first was about 200

rockets this morning, followed by a very heavy israeli air strike, maybe this is the heaviest air strike against gaza since 2014, the 2014 war, very shocking. angry mood in gazais war, very shocking. angry mood in gaza is the people started to see the scale of destruction, from buildings and security compounds belonging to the hamas group in gaza is being destroyed. many shocking scenes on the streets. and the exchange of fire is continuing between hamas and israel. thank you, rushdi abu alouf _ between hamas and israel. thank you, rushdi abu alouf reporting _ between hamas and israel. thank you, rushdi abu alouf reporting from - rushdi abu alouf reporting from gaza. the prime minister has announced an independent public inquiry into the government's handling of the coronavirus pandemic, beginning in the spring of next year. speaking in the house of commons, borisjohnson said �*the state has the obligation to examine it

actions' and to �*learn every lesson for the future.�* it comes as an independent panel — appointed by the world health organization — found serious failures from both the who and individiual governments in their response to the pandemic. 0ur health correspondent jim reed reports. 15 months and 152,000 deaths. this pandemic has changed notjust this country, but the whole world. when will we get a full enquiry, prime minister? will lessons be learned 7 the government confirmed today there will now be a full public inquiry into its handling of the pandemic. speaking in the house of commons, the prime minister said it would place the state's actions under the microscope. amid such tragedy, the state has an obligation to examine its actions as rigorously and as candidly as possible and to learn every lesson for the future. which is why i have always said that when the time is right, there should be

a full and independent inquiry. so, mr speaker, ican confirm today that the government will establish an independent public inquiry on a statutory basis, with full powers under the inquiries act of 2005, including the ability to compel the production of all relevant materials and take oral evidence in public, under oath. similar questions are now starting to be asked, notjust in the uk, but across the world. a report was published this morning by an independent panel appointed by the world health organization. its conclusions are damning. the who waited too long to declare an international health emergency. countries in europe and america only started acting when the hospitals started to fill up. we have identified failures at every stage. and we do believe that it could have been possible to prevent this

pandemic. scientists have long warned that other viruses and diseases will emerge in the future. to prevent those turning into another major pandemic, the report suggests some key reforms, including the creation of a new disease surveillance system which can publish data without the permission of national governments. a recommendation that countries plan and invest now, as it may be too late when the next health crisis hits. so i ask the rhetorical question, do nations really want to go through all this again? that's my answer to why i hope there will be resolve now. to address the issues that need addressing. the success of the vaccine roll—out — at least, in richer countries — means there is now some cause for optimism when it comes to covid. but today, a reminder that lessons

must be learned to prevent another destructive pandemic in the future. jim reed, bbc news. let's speak to our political correspondent iain watson — who's in westminster. is this inquiry coming quickly enough? certainly, the prime minister has been under pressure from bereaved families and from the lib dems and from labour to announce this full independent public inquiry, but it did announce it would not begin until the spring of next year. now, he also acknowledged in the house of commons this probably was not going to be soon enough for the bereaved families, but he said he could notjustify moving medical staff and advisors away from the front line fighting this pandemic into giving evidence under oath to a public inquiry. there is also a question of notjust does it start, but when does it end? he said he wanted to have the report for the conclusions within a reasonable timescale, but he also said there had been months of preparation so it is perfectly possible should he call an early election for example in 2023 that it will not have reached its conclusion by then. keir starmer is calling for

the widest possible consultation on terms of reference in conjunction with the bereaved families. thank ou ve with the bereaved families. thank you very much. — with the bereaved families. thank you very much, iain _ with the bereaved families. thank you very much, iain watson. - the uk economy shrank by 1.5% in the first three months of this year, following the lengthy lockdown overwinter. the office for national statistics says the closure of schools — and large fall in retail sales earlier in the year — dragged down economic growth. the economy is now almost 9% smaller than where it was before the pandemic. our economics correspondent andy verity reports. rishi sunak visits one of the hardest hit sectors under the post—christmas lockdown, a brewery. a drop in economic activity of 1.5% over three months would be a very worrying performance in normal times, but this is a pandemic and activity picked up in march, giving some cause for hope that we are now emerging from a second economic contraction. i emerging from a second economic contraction-— contraction. i think actually committed _ contraction. i think actually committed a's _ contraction. i think actually committed a's figures - contraction. i think actually| committed a's figures show contraction. i think actually - committed a's figures show our economy is clearly getting sunak back on track and crucially that our

plan for jobs back on track and crucially that our plan forjobs is working. now, of course, many businesses and families are still facing tough times and thatis are still facing tough times and that is why our support is continuing.— that is why our support is continuing. that is why our support is continuinu. , ., that is why our support is continuinu. , , ., ., ., continuing. his hosts also want to be ubeat continuing. his hosts also want to be upbeat about _ continuing. his hosts also want to be upbeat about the _ continuing. his hosts also want to be upbeat about the future. - continuing. his hosts also want to be upbeat about the future. but l continuing. his hosts also want to i be upbeat about the future. but they are also conscious about the lasting economic damage the lockdowns have done. we economic damage the lockdowns have done. ~ ., , . economic damage the lockdowns have done. ., , . , done. we are optimistic, but if the recovery is — done. we are optimistic, but if the recovery is rrot _ done. we are optimistic, but if the recovery is not strong, _ done. we are optimistic, but if the recovery is not strong, people - done. we are optimistic, but if the recovery is not strong, people that have had _ recovery is not strong, people that have had to — recovery is not strong, people that have had to borrow to see themselves through— have had to borrow to see themselves through might find it is getting tough — through might find it is getting tough again. it is worth mentioning we have _ tough again. it is worth mentioning we have lost 10% of our customers who closed — we have lost 10% of our customers who closed their doors for good. this chart — who closed their doors for good. this chart shows you the roller—coaster ride the economy has been on since the pandemic. a huge drop — the biggest in 300 years. then a rapid bounceback, and in the first quarter of the year, we were in the second dip. at the end of that, we were still 9% below where the economy was before the pandemic. back where we were in 2014. even before the latest lockdown, official estimates were that firms would have £180 billion less money coming in than they needed to pay their bills. that has forced many to

borrow their way through the pandemic. borrow their way through the pandemic-— pandemic. there are lots of businesses _ pandemic. there are lots of businesses who _ pandemic. there are lots of businesses who are - pandemic. there are lots of i businesses who are massively pandemic. there are lots of _ businesses who are massively weighed down by debts, by the debts they have built up during the pandemic, and i wish the government was doing more to help alleviate those debts as we called for repeatedly. also, i think government needs to do more to create thejobs of think government needs to do more to create the jobs of the future. itruiith create the jobs of the future. with construction _ create the jobs of the future. with construction surging _ create the jobs of the future. with construction surging in march driven by new work and overdue repairs, a recovery is now under way. but small and medium—sized firms have predicted to own more than 40 times what they normally would to banks —— 20. even with a surge in growth of more than 7% predicted for this year, the sustainability of the recovery will depend crucially on how those debts dealt with. how does the performance of our economy compare to other countries? gdp which means everything you produce, every haircut or bus ride or every pupil taught you can see

from the chart that there is a big hill to climb. us is almost back to it was before the pandemic but we were self in terms of our economic position than italy, germany, france and only spain is performing worse than us. with more than art recovery required in order to get back to where we wear. so essentially we're not doing well compared to countries and there is a big hill to climb. many thanks. a county courtjudgement has been registered against borisjohnson�*s name for an unpaid debt of 535 pounds. the court order was made in october, according to a database ofjudgements. the creditor and the nature of the debt are not included in the record, which was first reported by private eye magazine. downing street has been contacted for a comment. our top story this lunchtime. fighting between israel and gaza could spiral into a �*full—scale war�* says the un

— after violence which has claimed at least 43 palestinian and six israeli lives. and coming up — a surge in online shopping scams during the pandemic with people in their 20s most likely to fall victim. coming up on the bbc news channel... liverpool defender virgil van dijk will miss this summer's european championship — the tournament coming too soon in his recovery froom a serious knee injury, ruling him out of the netherlands squad. over the past few days — over 2,000 migrants have arrived on the mediterranean island of lampedusa off the coast of italy — seen as the gateway to europe. it's six years since the first group of migrants started making the crossing — and there are fears that over the hot summer months — when the waters are calmer — more could arrive in search of a better life. mark lowen reports. shadows seeking the light of europe.

after days at sea, each step on land is controlled. they risked a perilous crossing from libya, buffeted by high winds. and even though they are detained here in italy and taken to guarded camps, they are safe and alive. by day too they arrive. more migrants picked up at sea aiming for the island of lampedusa. over 2,000 landing here since the weekend. this gateway to europe is under renewed pressure, battling the pandemic while carrying the hopes of the desperate. six years since the height of europe's migrant crisis, they are still coming. in lesser numbers now, but this is the third straight day of arrivals. the question is whether this is just a temporary spike or whether it is the start of the summer rush to europe's shores. for the eu's frontier

countries like italy, migration remains an intensely political issue and for some here, the hospitable welcome has worn thin. translation: it's time to say enough, after 30 years. - i wanted the camp to be closed immediately and a naval blockade so they can't access the island. they should be helped in their own countries, not come here where the authorities spend millions on the, but let us die. through europe's outer door, into a waiting room. but with the camp full, dozens are left outside. many here will have asylum claims rejected. but it's unclear how many of those will actually be sent back. you speak some english, yes? some. okay. we can't speak to people? no, no. 0k, being told we can't speak to them migrants. speak to the migrants.

but from inside the camp, the stories came to us. i want to work. i want to feed my family, they are dying. i lost about four sisters because of hunger. the robbers come to your house, my own house in libya, and rob me. even now, i can't use this hand. what about people who would say to you that you have come in an illegal way? no problem, let them say i came in an illegal way, because they don't know what happened. so let them say that. but if they ask me, they hear my story, they would understand my pain. it's hand to mouth here but for some, this is better than what they left behind. and as long as dreams of europe remain, many more will follow in their tracks. mark lowen, bbc news, lampedusa. high—profile footballers have been among those campaigning for social media companies to do

more to stop online abuse directed at them — and now they've beenjoined by the women in football network — who say attitudes must change, the bbc has spoken to a number of female fans who have suffered sexist and racist abuse online, simply for voicing their opinion on the sport. zahid lalani reports. hello guys, welcome back to seballos tv. mellisa seballos has supported spurs for as long as she can remember. and during the pandemic, launched her own youtube channel to talk about football. but despite the widely positive reaction to her opinions on youtube and twitter, she has faced sexist and racist abuse based on her filipino heritage, and for being a woman who talks about football. things started getting racial. they were calling me a bleep, telling me i needed to go back to the philippines. i was getting sexual assault threats, death threats. people saying i needed to get hung in a zoo. we've won! amazing!

newcastle fan kendall rowan lost a job last march during lockdown and is now a full—time youtube content creator. this abuse she received has since been removed. but other comments made her obsessed about her weight and even led to threats of violence against her family. my daughter is mixed race. she's had racial abuse towards her. i've been called fat. i've got to the point where i would go to the gym five days a week. i even went to the doctors, to the point of asking for plastic surgery. i'm absolutely staggered and horrified that this is going on. social media companies need to be more accountable. and i think social media users need to be more accountable. in response, twitter says that abuse and harassment have no place on its service and it takes action when identifying accounts that violate the rules. in its commitment to ensuring the football conversation is safe for all involved. youtube says it does not tolerate harassment or trolling and that user

safety is its top priority. it says it works quickly to remove content that violates its policies. despite the negativity, kendall and mel will go on creating content and talking about the sport that they love. people say, you know, don't let the trolls win. and i think to myself, you know what, you're so right. why should i have to give up something that i love? i also have a lot of young women and young girls that message me and talk about, i didn't even expect this kind of stuff, but you know, you are an inspiration. i love seeing, you know, girls talk football. i wish i could do that. so if it weren't for them i probably would have packed this up ages ago. there was a surge in online shopping scams during the pandemic, with police figures suggesting that people in their 20s were most likely to fall victim. the reporting service action fraud has told the bbc £1.7 billion

has been lost to fraud. colletta smith reports. these people who do these things, i don't understand how they can live with themselves. i lost 20,000 of my railway pension to an allegedly christian dating site. she was absolutely devastated. now more than ever we are dependent on our phones and computers. so many strange things have happened over the last year, it seems we are all a little less suspicious of an unexpected text or e—mail arriving. and scammers have cottoned on fast. with lots more fake messages about track and trace, about vaccine booking appointments, fake qr codes and lots of fake parcel delivery notes. because when you're half expecting something, it's much easier to click on the link or make the payment, even for the most text savvy. and i do think that lots of that is social media. you know, like lots of these things on there, people saying this is what i've been doing, i've been trading and you know,

i'd got no money and now look at me. you know. and i think people get enticed into that and often these things can come with celebrity endorsements. but for priya it was a call from a bank saying her account had been hacked and she should transfer money to a new account they had set up for her. and they asked me to check the number that appeared on my mobile phone. and they asked me to check that with the back of my bank card. and it matched. so i felt like i was talking to my bank. she transferred £10,000 and then the caller hung up. i panicked and then i started crying, like quite hysterically, quite badly. and then i phoned my dad. so saving every month, trying to accumulate that takes a long time. and for someone tojust take it away, you know, in a half an hour phone call, is devastating. scammers now have more chance to pounce on younger people who can ping money fast. they are using this type of technology as part of communication, dating, contacting your gp, online banking and shopping.

this is quite normal. and i think that is why we have seen the change in the victim profile, particularly around cyber enabled fraud. in that they are somewhere between the region of 20 to 29 years of age. the pressure is on consumers to think twice to protect themselves. coletta smith, bbc news. plans for a memorial to celebrate the dedication of emergency workers during the pandemic still needs substantial funds if they are to go ahead. the series of five statues would be on display in central london — those leading the project are asking the government to help with the cost. daniela relph reports. every detail carefully sculpted. only the eyes visible on the masked face. feet covered in protective footwear. tied into ppe that will soon be discarded. the gloves being wearily peeled off. eight feet high, carved in clay ahead of its final finish,

this is how a medic will be represented on the planned cenotaph for emergency workers. she has had a 12 hour stint on the ward. she is fatigued, she is tired. she is taking off her gloves for the last time during the day and all that she has seen during the day is seen in her eyes. but also, psychologically, she's got the knowledge that she's got to do the same thing again tomorrow. and the day after and the day after. and there's no obvious let up to this dreadful treadmill that she is on. applause discharged from hospital, overwhelmed after surviving covid. nanchirira has been a nurse since 1970. as she left the royal free hospital in london, she thanked colleagues for saving her life. i am truly, truly grateful, from the bottom of my heart. thank you.

applause we took nancy to see the sculpture. would it be a fitting tribute to those like her who have given so much? it is amazing. amazing. i don't know whether i can even look up. amazing person with the eyes that are looking at me. it's representing everyone that has worked and cared for someone else. it's etched in that face and in those eyes. deep, piercing eyes. looking at the human being, helpless on the ward. and wondering whether we are going to pull through. that's what it's saying to me. a sense of what the final monument will look like. the plan is to call it a 999 cenotaph. as well as the medics, there is also a firefighter, a police officer, a coastguard and a search and rescue worker with their dog.

but it won't happen without the cash. the project is way off the £3 million it needs and those leading it now want the government to step up. this would be there for 500 plus years, and as such i would very much encourage the prime minister and the government to contribute to funding of this important historical monument. nancy may be one of the first to see it, but when it's complete, at a location in central london, it's hoped the statues will become a place for everyone to visit. to remember the work and bravery of all emergency workers. daniela relph, bbc news, west sussex. time for a look at the weather. good afternoon. another very mixed and changeable days were one minute you're in the midst of a drenching downpour and the next the sun will come out and it will feel pleasantly