welcome to bbc news — i'm tim willcox. our top stories: international aid starts arriving in gaza as the damage from 11 days of fighting on both sides is assessed. gunfire but will the truce hold? palestinians throw petrol—bombs and israeli police respond with stun grenades at friday prayers injerusalem. after analysing �*excess deaths�* over the last year, the world health organization says the covid death toll could be three times higher than officialfigures. committing to keeping temperatures down — global leaders set ambitious targets ahead of the g7 summit in glasgow.

and, get your best sequins out — the final rehearsals are under way for eurovision 2021 after a pandemic enforced break. president biden has said that a two state solution is the only way to resolve the conflict between israel and the palestinians. his comments come as the first un aid convoys arrive in gaza after israel temporarily opened two border crossings. palestinian officials say reconstruction costs will run to tens of millions of dollars. (ani gaza)earlier, earlier, there were clashes between israeli police and palestinians around the al aqsa mosque in occupied eastjerusalem. violence at the holy site was one of the flashpoints that led to the 11 day conflict, which has ended with both sides claiming victory. our middle east editor

jeremy bowen reports from gaza. first light in gaza was not a new start. the conflict with israel runs deep but no air strikes and time to reflect. men from islamichhad, which fought alongside hamas, have no regrets. they paraded in khan yunis, one of gaza's towns, to bury nine men from their unit. they were killed in a strike on a tunnel on the fourth day of bombing. hamas thought the tunnels were safe. locating and hitting them from the air was a significant achievement for israel. prayer over loudspeaker. thousands came to honour the dead men. here in gaza as well as in israel, there is no sense that they have come

to the end of their fight. the bodies could only be recovered after the ceasefire. they are digging for others. high morale here will infuriate israel nationalist politicians. one said israel had surrendered to terrorism. this is a huge demonstration of support for the armed wing of hamas, the qassam brigades, and they're sending a message as well that despite the hammering they have taken from the israelis, that they are still here, they are still ready to fight and they are talking as well aboutjerusalem — that has been the theme of many of the chants here in the cemetery. and injerusalem, more violence between palestinian worshippers and israeli police at the al—aqsa mosque. the holy places in the city are charged with national as well as religious significance for israelis and palestinians.

now, the israelis are keeping a close eye on what is going on here — the whole time i have been standing here, i can hear a military drone in the air above — but i think they are pretty confident the ceasefire is going to hold. on the way down from jerusalem, i could see them packing up their iron dome anti—missile system, at least from some of the batteries, and taking it away on a lorry. now, southern israel was absolutely paralysed by the attacks, even though there was that big disparity in casualty levels, and here in gaza, there is a lot of rebuilding to do. people have lost their homes but, as well as that, the militant groups will be rebuilding their smashed—up positions, probably their tunnels and, most of all, their arsenals. in gaza, hamas claimed victory, as israel did too. the ceasefire stops the killing, until the next time.

it does not settle the conflict or even freeze it. but it has transformed gaza's streets. the people are out of hiding. a day ago, going out could get you killed. now, there is a chance to feel alive. jeremy bowen, bbc news gaza. earlier i spoke to refaat alareer who's an author and journalist in gaza. i asked him to describe the damage done to gaza's infrastructure. it's almost total destruction in so many areas of the gaza strip and outskirts of — mainly in gaza city and the outskirts. i went to visit my family today in sujaya, the eastern part of gaza city at the border, and utter devastation to — especially to infrastructure and to homes and buildings in certain areas. it is unprecedented. i'm not sure how many years this is going to be... crosstalk. so we're talking about power, are we?

we were talking about sewage plants, hospitals, schools, everything? the reports are there are about 20 schools that were damaged. we speak about more than 15 clinics that were damaged, some of them hugely damaged. the reports are there are about 20 schools that were damaged. even gaza's only covid—i9 testing centre was also damaged, largely. hopefully it's going to be back soon on track. sewage, water, fresh water, internet access, electricity lines have been damaged in so many areas... crosstalk. you see, israel says that hamas deliberately destroyed some of the power cables to make it look as if israel had done that. i mean, have you been able to find out what actually did happen there? yeah, of course. we know that the truth is always the opposite of what israel says. israel says palestinian rockets kill palestinians but also, palestinian rockets kill

israelis but also palestinian rockets can easily be intercepted by the iron dome which functions at 95%, so this cacophony of contradictions is what israel got... crosstalk. is it fair to say, though, is it fair to say that conditions in gaza are worse under hamas because hamas is using civilians as a shield to fire its rockets and that people perhaps are frightened to criticise hamas publicly? we have heard this lie for many years from israel. and it is a racist lie that palestinians want their kids killed. and when israel says this, it is trying to justify, to whitewash...

crosstalk. i'm not saying that palestinians want their children to be killed. what i'm saying is that are people in gaza reluctant to criticise hamas publicly for firing rockets out of civilian areas? hamas does not — no palestinian movement fires rockets out of civilian areas. these, again, are israeli fabrications and lies in order to justify the massacres. today, there was an american journalist who tweeted that israel lied about a particular massacre that palestinian rockets destroyed this house and he — the same journalist — said we did not see the same amount of destruction in israel from the hamas rockets, so what israel has been doing all the time is it kills palestinians and it blames palestinians for dying and tries to deflect the lies in order for people to just at least to confuse many of the people.

but however, most of the people are currently not taking the news from israel or the mainstream media. they're mainly dependent on social media — which is also cracking down on palestinian content by the way — and palestinians have done an amazing work, especially the activists and the journalists to expose israel, to show israel for what it is — a racist, apartheid regime that kills palestinians, that kills children as they slept in the safety of their homes. refaat alareer for us there. nigeria's chief of army staff, lieutenant general ibrahim attahiru, has been killed in a plane crash. nigeria's military said one of its aircraft came down near kaduna airport in the north of the country. ten other officers, including the air force crew, died in the incident, which the military said happened as the plane was trying to land in bad weather.

general attahiru was appointed to lead the nigerian military injanuary, in a shakeup intended to improve the army's ability to fight the islamist insurgency in the north. the world health organization says the number of deaths from the pandemic is as much as three times higher the current official number is around 3.4 million. but after analysing what are known as �*excess deaths�*, by comparing the number of deaths says a more realistic figure would be between six and 8 million. courtney bembridge reports. more than 3 million people worldwide have officially died from covid—i9, but the world health organization believes the true death toll is far higher. four out of ten deaths are reported globally so there is a lot of already pre—pandemic we don�*t have a good account of deaths, which is a fact of life, and every country must have good systems to track births and deaths and causes of death.

in latin america the death toll has just passed i million. most of those have been in brazil. translation: the pain of losing someone to i covid—i9 is inexplicable. i lost my father, who was a doctor, at the beginning of the year and i still cannot describe it. i think it is a mixture of anger and indignation. it is a huge void and i know that this pain is a pain that is shared by more than 430,000 families in brazil. over the past week, the eight countries with the most coronavirus deaths per head of population have all been in latin america. mexico and colombia are among them. and this is the situation in argentina after a record number of infections this week. translation: social, | economic, educational, religious and sports activities will be suspended in person. it will only be possible to circulate in the vicinity

of your home between 6pm and 6pm each day. these men are gravediggers in buenos aires. they wear bodysuits, face masks, goggles and gloves to bury coronavirus victims. translation: there are many things that can affect you. - on top of it all, we have covid, too, and that�*s unhealthy. it�*s a daily war in this place. in peru�*s capital lima, patients are being treated in hallways and the car park is full of body bags. this doctor holds a sign saying "i don�*t want to die". vaccinations in latin america lag behind much of the world. this is the world health organization on that. just 3% of latin americans have been fully vaccinated against covid—i9. and we still have a long way to go to ensure that everyone is protected. the united states has promised to send 80 million vaccine doses to other nations by the end ofjune, and says

latin america will be a priority. courtney bembridge, bbc news. let�*s get some of the day�*s other news. india�*s national airline, air india, says it has suffered a cyber attack leading to a data breach. the airline says millions of its customers around the world are affected. it says the personal and passport details, ticket information and credit card data of 4.5 million passengers have been compromised. nato has set out how it plans to support afghanistan after withdrawing 10,000 troops from the country over the coming months. secretary general, jens stoltenberg said nato would concentrate on providing advice, training, and financial support to afghan security institutions, and ensure the safe operation of kabul airport. the international olympics committee says the tokyo games will go ahead this summer, even if a state of emergency is announced. opinion polls injapan suggest

the vast majority of people are opposed to the games being held — as much as 80% in some polls. to myanmar now, where the militaryjunta regime will dissolve opposition leader aung san suu kyi�*s national league for democracy party — that�*s according to local media and the shadow government there. thejunta overthrew aung san suu kyi after november�*s elections, in which she won a landslide victory, claiming voterfraud. they have promised to hold new elections in two years, but it looks unlikely that ms suu kyi, who has been under house arrest since the military coup, would be allowed to run. kenneth roth is the executive director of human rights watch and gave me his reaction. it is important to recall that the november elections were won overwhelmingly by aung san suu kyi�*s party, the national league for democracy.

indeed, the head of the military, senior general min aung hlaing had hoped that the primary party would win enough seats that he would negotiate a deal to become the figurehead president, but the nld�*s victory was so overwhelming that the plan was scrapped. instead, thejunta launched a coup that claimed fraud that, frankly, only the generals had seen. they are not exactly known for their credibility but for their quest for power. this is now the next step. it is bad enough that they overturned the election, but they now the people of myanmar want to simply reinstate the november election results, and the junta is saying no, we will hold new elections but first, let�*s get rid of the opposition... crosstalk. the promise — well, not promise — commitment to hold new elections in two years, is it for the birds? well, let�*s put it this way,

the people of myanmar are firm that they want the november election recognised, where aung san suu kyi�*s party won overwhelmingly and the generals obviously don�*t want that, which was the reason for the coup, and they are now saying maybe in two years. but what they seem to be doing is laying the groundwork so they could hold an election, theyjust get rid of the opposition. this is not going to persuade anyone but, of course, these people are less interested in legitimacy than in power. frankly, i think this is an act of desperation because the military is overwhelmingly unpopular at home. it is facing global condemnation, an increasing number of governments are imposing sanctions. just this week, the japanese government that it would stop development assistance, the us government imposed sanctions actually on the junta itself, so the revenue it needs to pay the soldiers to keep oppressing the pro—democracy demonstrators is evaporating and so, this is an effort, i suppose, to try to move forward but frankly, it is not...

crosstalk. just briefly, we�*re not seeing those mass demonstrations any more, but is myanmar functioning, are people withholding labour? or is society back to where it was before or not? not at all. of course, the big demonstrations are reduced because more than 800 people have been shot, so it is just rational that the demonstrations are smaller, they are quicker and in the neighbourhood, and they disperse. but what you are seeing is a massive civil disobedience movement where the economy has come to a standstill and so, the military is not getting revenue at home, they are facing sanctions from abroad, they are panicking and that is what this latest move looks like, to say ok, we will hold new elections but no opposition. this is bbc news, the latest headlines: a day after the ceasefire in gaza commenced, isrealis and palestinians have been assessing the damage. but tensions are still high. after friday prayers, fresh clashes erupted at the al—aqsa mosque.

the official global death toll from the coronavirus pandemic is around 3.4 million — but the world health organization says the number of deaths from the pandemic is as much as three times higher. some of the world�*s biggest economic powers have raised their ambitions on tackling climate change. g7 environment ministers say they�*ll now aim to keep the rise in global temperatures to 1.5 degrees celsius — a much more demanding target than the 2 degrees celsius they are currently committed to. it�*ll mean they�*ll need to work much harder to cut emissions now, rather than putting things off for the future. so what action will they take? our chief environment correspondentjustin rowlatt has been taking a look. the uk is due to host a landmark international climate conference in glasgow in november. so here are the key commitments made today. first off, coal: india and many other developing

countries receive subsidies for polluting coal plants from foreign donors, including japan. today, the environment ministers of the uk, the us, canada, japan, france, italy and germany said they will stop any new funding for coal—fired power stations in poorer countries by the end of the year. now, that isn�*t a big move in itself, but they say they will eventually phase out such support for all fossil fuels. the ministers said they�*d safeguard 30% of land for nature by 2030. the idea is to give space for wildlife and to help soak up carbon emissions. and they agreed much more cash is needed to build solar and other clean technologies in fast—growing economies like india and indonesia. they restated a promise to provide $100 billion a year to help developing countries make the transition to low—carbon technologies. the meeting was hosted by the uk�*s environment minister george eustice. we�*ve been doing huge amounts of engagement with countries all around the world.

we want all of them to raise their ambition in their nationally determined contributions to reducing climate change, getting their carbon emissions down, and we want all of them, as well, to do more to recognise the value and the importance of nature and the role that nature can play in tackling climate change. todayjohn kerry, the us�*s climate envoy, called on the nations of the g20 to adopt the same commitments. now, that would include china, the whole european union and russia — and that is the point. the g7 countries are some of the biggest economies but if they can encourage the rest of the world to raise its carbon cutting game in glasgow in november, now that could be a game changer. rachel kyte is a climate action advisor to the un secretary general. i asked how significant this new agreement was. very significant. if the g7 can do this, all the pressure now goes

to other countries, what they have committed to is to stop financing coal overseas, now that puts pressure on china who remain as the major financier of coal overseas, and then by committing to really getting rid of coal from their own energy systems and making their energy systems decarbonised in the 2030s, it puts pressure on countries like australia which are still dependent for their domestic gdp on coal. i suppose cynics would say that domestic pressure is not really enough, if you are not going to get unanimity which you never are, is that the only way? i think this is actually a very good day for british diplomacy, for british climate diplomacy, there has been a lot of pressure on them to use both the g7 and the hosting of the climate talks this year to maximum effect. so this was a good day and it now leads the way into the finance ministers and the heads of state who will meet in cornwall injune, because there, rather than saying what we

won�*t do, and not financing bad things, now the g7 has to step up and provide realfinancial and technical assistance to countries so they can do the good things. many developing countries are saying that the g7, having caused this problem in the first place, has to put a substantial aid package on the table to help those countries grow green. those figures are going to be huge, aren�*t they, after a global pandemic? well, large parts are much cheaper than in action. the cost of climate impacts is climbing every day, as we see domestically and also around the world. the cost of renewable energy is plummeting as well as storage options. so this is really a smart investment for many firms in the uk, and in the g7 countries. the investment of this technology across the world is really the big story for the next decade. where are we with china? because president xi, i can�*t remember how many years ago it was, had that great leap

into green, but how far behind are they in terms of the coal—fired energy stations they are still churning out? so all eyes are on china�*s 14th five—year plan now and then the next one, in terms of how quickly they will phase out their own coal domestically. that is being argued over at the moment, we expect to see some firming up of their commitment before the next climate talks. the eurovision song contest is back. after being cancelled last year because of covid, it will go ahead on saturday night in the netherlands. anna holligan is in rotterdam, amid the sequins and sparkles. limbering up after a year in lockdown, for the chance to join an elite club. a victory at eurovision will secure them notjust a place in history, but the opportunity for their homeland to host next year�*s event. look at my glorious outfit.

which glorious outfit? what are you talking about? i feel totally ready, so i am just excited to be out on stage. i've been practising in my hotel room loads, so i'm ready to get on that stage and go for it. but how do you host the biggest singing contest on the planet during a pandemic? so, testing plays a big part in this. every 48 hours, this is where we come. journalists, artists, crew, anyone working at eurovision needs to make sure they have not caught covid. and the audience too need a negative test along with their ticket to get inside. but, despite this rigorous testing regime, there are still some concerns and some of the local hospitals have warned if there is an emergency here, they won�*t necessarily be able to help because they�*re here are your hosts for this evening... it�*s hoped the rules and protocols implemented here in rotterdam could be used as a blueprint for the global revival of live events.

now especially, a lot of people are longing for normalness, the good old days, and ifeel like our shows do give you a sense of that, and we do it under such strict regulations. which are what allow us to be here. so, who are the ones to watch in the final? my top favourite is definitely france — a beautiful french chanson about stepping out of the shadows and into the light. my second is italy. this is a real rock vibe. it is all about being with people, it�*s edgy, it�*s dirty, but it�*s also classy and sophisticated. my third favourite is probably malta. this is very much about the power of saying no. it�*s about a woman in a bar and a man wants to buy her a drink, and she�*s like, "no thank you, i�*m not your honey." covid has made eurovision�*s mission to bring people together complicated, but more coveted than ever. anna holligan, bbc news, rotterdam.

what the show, for me and the team, goodbye for now. well, friday, for many of us was an absolute write—off. blowing a gale, heavy rain, surely the weather is going to improve. and, yes, it is. the low pressure is finally moving out into the north sea. it brought some really heavy rain to wales, for example, and some ferocious gusts of wind. here�*s an example, 89mph in an exposed place in the isle of wight. more typically it was around 60mph or more, so very windy for the time of year, and of course, very wet. you can see where the low pressure is early in the morning on saturday. but for many of us, it is calming down. in fact, so much so that across parts of scotland and northern ireland, with clearing skies, there will be a touch of frost. but anyway, here�*s the important bit, saturday�*s headline — drier, brighter and less windy for all of us.

and this is what it looks like for the morning onwards. it will brighten up across many western areas right from the word go. there will be some showers around, particularly in the east of the country, maybe in the south, and there will still be a keen wind blowing out of the north—west, and it�*ll be chilly — 11 in newcastle, 14 or 15 degrees elsewhere. but you know what? we�*ll take it after that nasty friday. now, here�*s the forecast saturday night into sunday — so the skies are clearing again, it�*s going to be a chilly morning on sunday. but you can�*t miss this, the winds spinning around behind me. yep, that�*s the next area of low pressure heading our way. so here�*s the headline for sunday — you may want to look away now, here it is — rain and wind again. so, this unsettled weather continues.

here�*s the good news, across some eastern areas there will be sunshine in the morning. probably into the afternoon as well. and this weather front won�*t reach western areas until later on in the day, but the rain will be accompanied by gale force winds as well. so, not a great second half of the weekend. eventually, that weather front will sweep towards the east later on in the afternoon and into the evening hours. that low pressure is here to stay, it will park itself over us on monday and tuesday, and that means that the weather will remain unsettled into next week. so, you guessed it — showers to come, and remaining cool into next week.

this is bbc news. the headlines:

24 hours after the ceasefire came into effect in gaza, the first aid convoys have arrived after israel opened two border crossings. officials say reconstruction costs will run to tens of millions of dollars. homes and businesses. the strength of the truce has been tested. there have been violent clashes between israeli police and palestinians at jerusalem�*s al—aqsa mosque.