welcome to bbc news. i'm david eades. our top stories: the un pleads for peace in the middle east conflict, but israel's prime minister says the military campaign on gaza will continue with full force. cheering civilian casualties continue to rise with children and the elderly among those killed and injured. previous wars between israel and hamas have ended with mediation, generally with egypt involved, now, contacts have been made but it is a difficult process. two people are killed and scores are injured, as temporary seating collapses at a crowded synagogue north ofjerusalem. india faces a shocking truth — the death from coronavirus

of up to 1,600 teachers instructed to help with last month's elections. 140 million doses short. the international covax scheme, to ensure equal access to covid—19 vaccines, is interrupted as the serious outbreak in india stops large scale exports. and fears of a covid—i9 outbreak at a hotel in rotterdam force four teams to withdraw from the opening ceremony of the eurovision song contest. hello. thanks for joining hello. thanks forjoining us here on bbc news. the israeli prime minister, benjamin netanyahu, has brushed off international appeals for an immediate ceasefire in gaza, saying it will take time to restore calm. he says the military operation

against palestinian militants will continue with full force. the un secretary general has appealed for an immediate end to the fighting but in gaza, health officials say 42 people were killed in the latest israeli bombardment — among them ten children. meanwhile, israel says hamas has launched 3,000 rockets in the last week, killing ten israelis. 0ur middle east editor jeremy bowen reports. not much is left of this street in the heart of gaza city after the heaviest israeli strikes since this war started — and the deadliest day for palestinians. they were looking for survivors. he says, "raise your voice so we can hear you — are you 0k?" not many were found alive. families escaped with children who won't forget this day. translation: when i was carrying my small boy, - he told me, "dad, i don't want to die." what more do you want from him? there is no safety in the city.

benjamin netanyahu, israel's prime minister, convened his security chiefs. a cabinet meeting did not discuss a ceasefire. 0n the way down to the gaza border are some of the communities the government here says must be saved from rockets before it will stop its attacks. israel's leaders said the same thing during the other wars with hamas. the israeli army showed off their anti—missile system, iron dome. they say it shoots down around 90% of the missiles fired out of gaza. previous wars between israel and hamas have ended with mediation, generally with egypt involved, leading to a ceasefire. now, contacts have been made but it's a difficult process because each side needs to get to the point where they can say to their people that the sacrifices — the damage, the killing — were worth it.

if israel takes this to the next level, with a ground invasion of gaza, that process gets knocked on further into the future. the 2014 war lasted for nearly two months. iron dome is one reason why israel suffers fewer casualties than gaza. another is the weight of israel's firepower. well, civilians, of course, aren't our target. they never are. but you do kill them. and any loss of life on both sides of this conflict, any loss of civilian life is tragic. but it does happen an awful lot in gaza. and i hear that. and, again, any loss of civilian life is tragic. it happens here as well. while we were there, they launched. a volley of missiles was heading out of gaza, north towards the israeli town of ashkelon. iron dome didn't stop all of them.

but this wasn't a fatal attack. in gaza, a six—year—old girl was pulled out of the rubble. her mother, two sisters, and two brothers were killed. until he saw her, her father thought he was the only one left. thank god, he said, because one day she might recapture the smiles of all his daughters. jeremy bowen, bbc news, jerusalem. temporary seating has collapsed at a crowded synagogue in an israeli settlement in the occupied west bank, killing two people and injuring nearly 170 others. gareth barlow reports. what began as a service to mark thejewish holiday of shavout became a scramble to rescue the injured.

this the moment the temporary seating collapsed, sending people plummeting to the ground. around 650 ultraorthodox worshippers were in the synagogue, which police describe as being "partially constructed". officials said organizers had been warned the building was unsafe and the event had taken place despite a lack of permits. the israeli prime minister, benjamin netanyahu, said he was praying for the injured. while a local police chief blamed negligence and promised arrests. the incident comes just weeks after 45 people were killed in a crush at an ultraorthodox festival in northern israel. two celebrations that rapidly turned into tragedies in little over two weeks. gareth barlow, bbc news. in the uk, four men have been arrested by police investigating video footage appearing to show anti—semitic language being shouted from a convoy of cars. footage on social media showed cars driving through an area of north london covered in palestinian flags, with passengers shouting offensive comments. prime minister borisjohnson

wrote on twitter: we can now speak to henrij barkey who's a senior fellow for middle east studies at the council on foreign relations. thanks

because the conditions are such that it because the conditions are such thatitis because the conditions are such that it is easier for people now to express anti—semitic feelings. but this is not new and also remember that social media makes it so much easier for people to express these kinds of ideas and feelings and it is also easier for others to pick up and to see them. if you think of the period before social media, it didn't really matter if some people would go out in west london and shout anti—semitic comments but now because of social media you're seeing in this particular case, somebody shooting a of events which became and went viral so that the police intervened. are we going to see a lot more because of social media? but it was also true that anti—semitism emerges in many different countries. it is not just england or germany or

holland today as well, it also existed in the united states, on the left and the right of the political spectrum in the united states. i am not surprised. 0nce united states. i am not surprised. once the fighting dies down is also down down but doesn't mean it will go away. i also wonder if you think also whether the impact that ripples through social media and the like suggests that there will be real challenges for other countries. 0ff be real challenges for other countries. off the back of what is going on in israel at the moment. whether that is in france, britain, or indeed in the united states. if you mean the challenge for law - the challenge for law enforcement, yes, and also down the road in terms of containing it in terms of making dues feel comfortable where they live. after all, comfortable where they live. afterall, remember, especially after all, remember, especially

in afterall, remember, especially in europe, thejewish community still lives under the effect of the holocaust. so any type of anti—semitism always brings out those fears. and so immediately both the prime ministerjohnson and the opposition leader sir keir starmer were very quick to condemn it, precisely because of this historical legacy. so it is a challenge. it of this historical legacy. so it is a challenge.— it is a challenge. it is a challenge _ it is a challenge. it is a challenge but - it is a challenge. it is a challenge but sorry - it is a challenge. it is a challenge but sorry to | challenge but sorry to interrupt you, ijust challenge but sorry to interrupt you, i just want to get one other point in and it's to get your perspective on what the biden administration can or is prepared to do beyond its initial responses and statements to try to bring this to some sort of conclusion? this is a good point. the biden administration has tried to deal with the middle east and

deal with other issues in the middle east on the back burner. but the middle east always has an ability to draw american administration into the region evenif administration into the region even if they don't want to. and now, the burden is on the biden administration to stop this. is going to be the united states and egypt that will ultimately construct a ceasefire. but in this particular case, in this particular incident, you have extremists on both sides, both on the jewish extremists on both sides, both on thejewish side, i'm not saying the israeli side, the jewish side. but also on the hamas side that contributed to that. there is a way in which governments and the israeli governments and the israeli government should be able to separate itself from its own extremists. it hasn't done it until now but this is a chance for the biden administration to push very, very hard. and you also have a government crisis, also have a government crisis, a prime minister who is really not the prime minister anymore.

so everything is complicated and that is why you need the biden administration to act. let's see if they will do that. thank you very much indeed. thank you very much indeed. thank you very much indeed. thank you forjoining us. in india, as many as 1,600 teachers have died from covid—19 after being drafted in to help run polling stations during local elections last month. their union says many begged to be released from election duty, fearing for their health as india's ferocious second wave took hold. from the state of uttar pradesh, our international correspondent 0rla guerin reports. now, they must stand alone, without their father to guide them and with their grandmother, rajvati, crushed by grief. she tells us the election killed her son, sushil kumar. he was forced to attend election training. by voting day, he was gasping for breath. that night, he was dead.

it was the very picture of a superspreader event, an election in a pandemic in uttar pradesh, a state with more than 100 million voters. critics say for prime minister narendra modi votes count more than lives. this 21—year—old says her family lost its guiding light. my father was like the god of us. he was everything for us. i can't forget him in my entire life. i love him, and my mum also.

her mother, vimlesh, is gone too. she watched her husband die. two hours later, she had a heart attack, leaving another empty space that cannot be filled. and across the state, the death toll is growing, lives not lost, relatives say, but squandered. the primary teachers' union claims 1,600 of its members died because of election duty. we've just arrived at another house where another family is in mourning. the teacher who lived here became ill when he had to go for training before polling day. by the time the election came around, he was in critical condition. he was rushed to hospital, but died a few days later. lokesh kumar left behind a five—year—old daughter and infant son. his wife, smriti, says he lived for teaching and was their sole breadwinner.

his was a death foretold like so many more here, victims of covid, but also of negligence. the teachers' union tried hard to get the election postponed, but in the end, it was powerless, like its members. 0rla guerin, bbc news, uttar pradesh, india. a terrible story there. stay with us on bbc news. still to come: why four teams competing at the eurovision song contest in rotterdam, have withdrawn from the opening ceremony.

thank you very much indeed. thank you forjoining us. this morning, an indian air force plane carrying mr gandhi's body landed in delhi. the president of india walked to the plane to solemnly witness mr gandhi's final return from the political battlefield. ireland has voted overwhelmingly in favour of gay marriage. in doing so, it's become the first country in the world to approve the change in the national referendum. it was a remarkable climax to what was surely the most extraordinary funeral ever given to a pop singer. it's been a peaceful funeral demonstration so far! - but suddenly, the police - are tear—gassing the crowd, we don't yet know why! the prelaunch ritual is well—established here. a little apprehensive. in the last hour, east timor has become the world's newest nation. it was a bloody birth for a poor country, and the challenges ahead are daunting. but for now, at least, it is time to celebrate.

this is bbc news, our main story: the un pleads for peace in the middle east conflict but israel's prime minister says the military campaign on gaza will continue with full force. the international scheme set up to ensure equal access to covid—19 vaccines is currently 140 million doses short, due to the continuing covid crisis in india. the serum institute of india is the largest single supplier to covax, but it hasn't made any of its planned shipments since the country's prime minister temporality banned exports in march. now, unicef is calling for the powerful g7 countries — the leaders of which will meet in the uk next month — to urgently share their surplus of doses. the bbc�*s global health correspondent tulip mazumdar reports. it's a global collaboration that's never been tried on this tight time scale before. the aim of the covax scheme is to ensure all people in all countries get equal access to vaccines to protect

them against covid—19. some progress is being made, but doses remain vastly unevenly distributed. and now, the pipeline providing vaccines to some of the world's poorest countries is being squeezed. as india continues its devastating battle against a raging outbreak, the country's prime minister has temporarily banned exports of covid—19 vaccines so that all doses can be used in—country. the serum institute of india was due to supply around half of the two billion vaccines for covax this year, but nothing's been shipped since march, leaving a shortfall of around 140 million doses — which is due to rise to 190 million by the end ofjune. unfortunately, we're in a situation where we just don't know when the next set of doses will materialise. our hope is things will get back on track, but of course, the situation in india is uncertain itself. and how much of a concern is that? it's certainly a huge concern,

and that's why we are calling on higher—income countries that have access to doses to start sharing those doses now. but countries are not being forthcoming with donating doses. data commissioned by unicef suggests that the rich g7 nations, as well as the eu could make a big dent in the vaccine deficit in poorer countries by donating 20% of their supplies injune, july and august. this would free up around 153 million doses. so far, france is the only country to have already shipped vaccines in view of the crisis in india, pledging half a million doses by mid—june. nations including rwanda, senegal, and here in ghana are using up some of their last remaining doses. it's very important that the global promise of solidarity for those countries that have enough vaccines distribute

and share those doses. because, unless we stop the transmission everywhere, it will be very difficult to end this pandemic, even in places where people have been completely vaccinated. new deals with different vaccine suppliers and manufacturers are already under way to try and get the covax scheme back on track, but right now, there's a gaping hole in supplies which is threatening the global plan to end this pandemic. tulip mazumdar, bbc news. in the next few hours, pubs, restaurants and entertainment venues in england will start to welcome visitors indoors as the country steadily opens up and lockdown restrictions ease. but despite the uk having one of the highest vaccinations rates in the world, some scientists remain worried about people mixing indoors and the the more transmissible indian variant. the bbc�*s science editor david shukman has been looking at the science around covid—19 transmission. the vaccine programme is making a huge difference to the risks of disease because more people are protected and because there's less chance for the virus to spread.

but it is still circulating, including the indian variant, which seems to be on the rise. this is a conceptual visualisation... this scenario could happen. a person who is infected breathes out tiny virus particles which could reach people who haven't yet had the vaccines. that is why scientists say we've got to take care. we always know that more indoor mixing probably will mean a rise in cases. let's remember, we've gotjust over a third of the uk population protected with both doses of the vaccine, so we're not there yet, so i am urging caution, but i am also saying we are still moving in a good direction generally, so we can do more indoors, we just need to do it very carefully and minimise oui’ exposure. for a while now, scientists have known that the risks are far greater indoors because if someone is infected, any virus that they breathe out will be much harderfor others to avoid, so what is the best advice? well, the first thing

is to limit the number of people who are gathering. then keep an eye on the time. long hours spent together will increase the chances of infection. also, open the windows to bring in as much fresh air as possible to dilute any virus that might be around. you can see in this animation the effects of an open window helping to disperse the virus, but some experts worry that with the indian variant, it's just the wrong moment to be gathering indoors. knowing that we have this variant that's increasing so rapidly and then opening indoor spaces and the kind of indoor mixing where everyone is quite close together having a nice time for hours, is quite risky because we know that that's where transmission is highest, so i have concerns about it for sure. and as this study shows, the virus can drift through the air like cigarette smoke, so as the lockdown is eased, it matters more than ever for people to get vaccinated as quickly as possible.

david shukman, bbc news. four teams competing at the eurovision song contest have withdrawn from sunday's opening ceremony, as a precaution against coronavirus. the delegations from malta — one of the favourites to win — and romania, have been staying at the same hotel in the dutch port of rotterdam as those from poland and iceland, which have both had a member test positive. anna holligan reports from the hague. holding a singing contest in the midst of a global pandemic was always going to be risky. iceland's quirky, 10 years, is one of the favourites to win. after a routine test, one of their team was found to have contracted the virus. the result came the day after a member of the polish delegation also tested positive. this was rafal rehearsing poland's entry, the ride, on stage, inside the rotterdam ahoy, last thursday, at which point they were all in possession of a negative test.

malta, another one of the bookie's favourites, and romania are staying at the same hotel. as a precautionary measure, they will have the more stringent pcr test and self—isolate. wave to the people over there! these two cases have occurred despite the strict covid measures in place. every country is told to remain in a bubble, as the uk's james newman, who is staying in a different hotel, explains. we have to isolate and then when we get there, we go straight to the hotel and we get tested constantly, obviously, and it is all covid—safe, social distancing and everything. and we are not allowed to leave the hotel at all, unless we go into the arena, and then we get picked up and we are not allowed to travel with anyone else, and we get separately taken there. and then, you know, in the arena it is all totally kept separate. every one of the 39 acts competing has a backup recording in case they are

unable to perform on the night. the organisers pointed out, the event is taking place with the support of the dutch government and in a statement said: but across this host nation, there's a growing concern about the wisdom or otherwise of putting on the world's biggest televised singing competition, designed to unite a continent on one stage, in a time of covid—19. and when there are now approximately 5,000 new infections recorded every day here, in the netherlands. and this second positive test is evidence eurovision is not immune. anna holligan, bbc news, in the hague. guess news, in the hague. what, as the eurovision

song guess what, as the eurovision song contest springs into action over the next few days. we will be following it for you. you can get all of the details on the website. thank you. hello. it may come as a shock to those of you who sat under sunny skies on sunday, but elsewhere, there was some severe storms, some flash flooding and also this was sent into us from one of our weather watchers, a funnel cloud, the early stages of a tornado, on the west coast of somerset. and the turbulent atmosphere which brought those conditions still with us through the next few days. more thundery downpours to come, nice in the sunshine where you've got it, but overall, rather cool and then potential for something much wetter and windier later in the week. now, out there into the start of monday, the area of low pressure that was with us on sunday moves a bit further eastwards. that allows a bit more of a north—westerly flow across the country and a subtle shift in where we will see some of the heaviest of the showers.

now, some of the showers will continue through the night into the morning. a fair bit of cloud around to start your monday, but it will be frost free, temperatures around 5—8 degrees celsius. best of the brightness will be in the west, and in fact, in western areas, it will be a drier day overall. one or two showers though in the west to begin with, but notice how they are tracking their way eastwards and, as we go into the afternoon, as temperatures rise, it's eastern parts of scotland, eastern england where we are most likely to see some severe thunderstorms, hail and potentially some gusty winds, with the risk of flash flooding in one or two spots. western areas, though, as i said, always that bit drier compared with yesterday. nice enough in the sunshine. it will be cooler where the showers occur. the showers will last into the evening, gradually fading away, for the vast majority. there will be one or two around, particularly for coastal areas as we go through the night and into tuesday morning. and with some clear skies around, perhaps cooler through the night into tuesday morning. an isolated chance of a frost for southern scotland, northern ireland, but most places will be frost—free. the details for tuesday, then — we'll begin with some sunshine, a few early mist and fog patches.

cloudier and breezier to the north of scotland, where it will be a rather cool day. a greater chance of showers in northern scotland. showers return, though, to northern ireland, wales, south—west england. this is where the heaviest will be. fewer showers in southern scotland, northern and eastern england, compared with monday. nice in the sunshine, cool out of it. that showery story continues into wednesday. shower risk pushes a bit further north. then through thursday into friday, it all depends on how quickly an area of low pressure will start to push its way in. there is the potential thursday could be dry, but this deepening area of low pressure will push in with some extensive rain and some strong winds, with gales possible in many areas. stay tuned to the forecast to keep up—to—date with that. bye for now.

this is bbc news. the headlines: palestinian officials in gaza say it's been the deadliest day since the fighting with israel began nearly a week ago, but israel's prime minister says the military campaign will continue with full force. the united nations secretary general has appealed for an immediate end to the fighting. at least two people have been killed and scores injured, as temporary seating collapsed at a crowded synagogue north ofjerusalem. police say about 650 ultra—0rthodox worshippers were inside. local officials allege the synagogue was partially constructed and the event had taken place despite a lack of permits. india is facing international criticism after the death from coronavirus of up to 1,600 teachers ordered to help with last month's elections. the indian teachers union says many begged to be released from election duty, fearing for their health, as india's ferocious second wave took hold.

now on bbc news — the week in parliament.