live from london, this is bbc news. jewish worshippers gather at the western wall injerusalem's old city for the passover blessing, amid simmering tensions. a grief—filled prayer hall, as the funeral takes place for two british—israeli sisters killed in a shooting in the occupied west bank. and at least four people killed in an avalanche in the french alps. rescuers are still searching the armancette glacier for survivors. pope francis calls on the international community to help end conflicts in ukraine, syria and elsewhere, in his easter blessing at the vatican.

hello, welcome. it has been a day of worship and a day of grief in israel and the occupied territories. tens of thousands ofjews gathered atjerusalem's western wall for passover prayers. not far away, hundreds of palestinians barricaded themselves —— what close to the al—aqsa mosque. —— walked close. and in a settlement in the west bank, the funeral took place for two british—israeli sisters, shot dead on friday. from jerusalem, lucy williamson reports. as maia and rina were brought in, the wailing of rina's teenage school friends filled the hall.

theirfather, a rabbi, bent over their bodies. the pain on his face hidden for a moment in a last embrace with his daughters. we are one, we are united. this simple, quiet family is devastated. the whole country hurts. maia was 20 years old when she died, rina was 15. their mother, still unconscious in hospital, doesn't even know yet they are dead. they were travelling from their west bank settlement to the sea of galilee for a family holiday this week when their isreli car came under fire. among the mourners today, israel's national security minister,

itamar ben—gvir, a hard—right leader who was once a member of a banned extremist group. each unique loss here pulls a deep, unresolved question about land, security and rights. funerals are the fingerprints of this conflict. contested land mapped by the graves of israelis and palestinians. tensions have risen sharply here this week, asjewish, muslim and christian religious festivals coincide. jerusalem's old city was packed today, with easter congregations and jews attending a blessing at the western wall. somejewish worshippers also walked past the al—aqsa mosque on a passover visit to the site, known tojews as temple mount. moments like this are watched carefully by security forces, activists and militant groups. the behaviour of israeli police here this week triggered anger in the region. today, the compound has so far remained peaceful, even if, beyond it, tensions remain high. lucy williamson, bbc news, jerusalem.

i'm joined now by the bbc�*s middle east correspondent, yolande knell. we were hearing in that report that of course, we see the coinciding of two very important religious festivals and that is part of the problem here, isn't it? definitely, this is an extremely _ problem here, isn't it? definitely, this is an extremely sensitive - problem here, isn't it? definitely, | this is an extremely sensitive time and officials and diplomats have been warning that that could put pressure onjerusalem's most contested holy site through this period and really could lead to an escalation in violence. that is exactly what we have seen. during the day, there was a lot of concern about what would happen because at the al—aqsa mosque, hundreds of palestinian muslims marking ramadan had barricaded themselves in the mosque. and there were fears there could be another raiding of the mosque by israeli police, as we saw last week, that had caused regional condemnation. instead, actually, what we saw where that israeli

police allowed the palestinian muslims to stay. you could see that some people were praying in the courtyard of the compound where the heavily armed police allowed hundreds ofjewish visitors to go around the site for the passover celebrations, a mass prayer that was taking place at the western wall just below that had brought thousands ofjewish worshippers into the old city. i mean, that went off in the end without incident. also at the holy sepulchre church which is quite nearby, easter sunday services happened without incident. but of course, as happened without incident. but of course. as we _ happened without incident. but of course, as we have _ happened without incident. but of course, as we have talked - happened without incident. but of course, as we have talked about | happened without incident. but of course, as we have talked about this funeral, violence elsewhere within the region. funeral, violence elsewhere within the reuion. . v funeral, violence elsewhere within the reuion. . �*, , funeral, violence elsewhere within the region-— the region. that's right. first, we saw on friday _ the region. that's right. first, we saw on friday with _ the region. that's right. first, we saw on friday with the _ the region. that's right. first, we saw on friday with the shooting l the region. that's right. first, we| saw on friday with the shooting of the two sisters as they were driving in there israeli car through the west bank. there was also a few

hours later a suspected car ramming attack in tel aviv by the beach, in which one italian tourist was killed. also, seven other people, most of them tourists, were injured. really, this was a reminder of how there is this background here of high tensions. there really has been since the beginning of the year. israel has got this new government, the most right—wing government it has ever seen. it includes far—right religious nationalist members. that is having an effect on lots of fronts. they have promised to come down with an iron fist and what they see as palestinian terrorism. and at the same time, there is a lot of concern about what policies they might have towards the al—aqsa mosque injerusalem in particular come up with palestinians worried that there might be an attempt to change long—standing rules that exist at that site, despite the repeated denials of the prime

minister that that is the case. —— in particular, with palestinians. thank you very much. at least four people have been killed in an avalanche in the french alps. it's thought the victims were hikers. the interior minister, gerald darmanin, said several more people were injured on the armancette glacier. azadeh moshiri has more. well, this is what we know about the area where the avalanche happened. it happened in southeastern france, in the french alps. the glacier itself was near the mont blanc. now, four people were killed in this glacier during the avalanche. they were part of a group, and several others were injured. the french authorities also believe that there are still several people trapped beneath the snow. now, we're about to show you a video that's been circulating on social media of the avalanche itself. it's also been verified by the french news agency afp.

now, this is the statement that french president emmanuel macron issued on twitter after the avalanche happened. he said, "we're thinking of the victims, as well as their families. our rescuers are mobilised to find those still trapped in the snow." now, no avalanche warning was actually issued that day. but this isn't the first time that this has happened. in 2014, two brothers were on a hiking trip. they were experienced mountaineers and, yet, they still died in an avalanche on that very same glacier. but for now, search—and—rescue teams are still looking for survivors. pope francis has been leading a mass at st peter's basilica in the vatican on easter sunday. the 86—year—old expressed his "deep concern" about the escalating tensions between israelis and palestinians, and called on the international community to end the war in ukraine. from vatican city, our religion editor, aleem maqbool, reports.

from the early hours, they streamed into st peter's square for easter mass. people had come from all over the world, butjust days ago, there had been doubts about whether the pope would be well enough to take part in events at all. some here told of their relief when he appeared, but there was still nervousness as to how strong he really was, after his bout of bronchitis. once the service got under way, pope francis seemed untroubled. but it was once the mass was over that he appeared most relaxed. though for the first time, he'd missed one event on good friday, he'd now successfully negotiated the rest of the toughest week in his calendar. well, there have been moments in the week during services when the pope has seemed a little breathless, a little weak, even. but every time he's been in the crowds and interacted with people, he's really appeared to be much more energized. he looked in really good health.

you know, the crowd, i'm sure, were encouraging him along, but he looked very healthy, you know, happy and doing doing his job very well. and it was great to see him in fine spirits. translation: i was very worried | when he was in hospital and i kept informed because he's so special. he wanted to fulfill all his commitments for this holy week, and to see him here, you realise how strong he is. at canterbury cathedral, in his sermon, archbishopjustin welby said easter was a reminder that light triumphs over darkness, even in seemingly intractable conflict. we do not lose heart, but we pray and we work for ukraine and russia, for israel and palestine, with the recent tragedies especially. and for the other so often forgotten struggles of our world. pope francis struck similar themes in his final public duty this holy week, in his appearance on the balcony of st peter's basilica.

but during his traditional blessing, he talked of his deep concern over events in the middle east, praying for peace in the holy city ofjerusalem and beyond. aleem maqbool, bbc news, in vatican city. here in the uk, the archbishop of canterbury used his easter sermon to address the conflict in ukraine, and the tensions in the middle east. we do not lose heart, but we pray and we work for ukraine and russia. for israel and palestine, with the recent tragedies, especially. and for the other so often forgotten struggles of our world, knowing that because of the resurrection, peace, true peace, is no aimless daydream, but a reality offered because christ was raised from the dead. king charles has attended his first easter sunday service as monarch, alongside the queen consort and other senior members of the royal family

at windsor castle. the event is a staple of the royal calendar, and took place in the isth—century st george's chapel, which is also the late-queen's final resting place. saudi and omani negotiators have joined yemen's houthi rebels in the country's capital, sana'a. they're holding talks in the houthi—controlled city on a new and potentially permanent ceasefire. saudi arabia has backed yemeni government forces against the rebels during the devastating eight—year civil war. the bbc world service's middle east editor sebastian usherjoins us from the newsroom. what are they aiming to achieve at these talks?— these talks? well, there was a temporary _ these talks? well, there was a temporary ceasefire _ these talks? well, there was a temporary ceasefire last - these talks? well, there was a temporary ceasefire last year, | these talks? well, there was a - temporary ceasefire last year, which expired in october. that helped calm the situation, that helped bring in confidence building measures. and

although it expired, there has been no realflare—up in the although it expired, there has been no real flare—up in the fighting since. so i think the very basic aim of these talks will be to ensure that another ceasefire is put in place. but i think it is more ambitious than that and that is certainly what is coming out from unnamed sources. there has been nothing official from either unnamed sources. there has been nothing officialfrom either the saudi side or the houthis on this, but i think the aim is to have at least a considerably longer ceasefire, if not a permanent ceasefire, if not a permanent ceasefire, which would be at least the start of the end of this war that has dragged on for eight years, which is in pretty much a stalemate really. this particular element of the war, the one where the houthis, who are originally from the north but came down to sana'a, took over virtually the whole country at one point and saudi led coalition fighting on behalf of the government that had been forced out came in. so i think that the hope is that with the saudi delegation there, we have already seen a symbolic photo leaked by the houthis of one of the houthi

leader shaking the hand of a member of the saudi group. that this is a very, very serious mood this time, more so than ever before, to end the conflict. and it comes as there are diplomatic moves around the region that are helping that happen. indeed, i was about to say a recent change in tone in relations between saudi arabia and iran as the backdrop, isn't it?— saudi arabia and iran as the backdrop, isn't it? exactly, that is one la er backdrop, isn't it? exactly, that is one layer of— backdrop, isn't it? exactly, that is one layer of what _ backdrop, isn't it? exactly, that is one layer of what has _ backdrop, isn't it? exactly, that is one layer of what has been - backdrop, isn't it? exactly, that is - one layer of what has been happening in yemen, perhaps the most significant in the past four years. the houthis backed by iran and the saudis back the government. the saudis back the government. the saudis have thrown everything into this walk at the iranians in a sense haven't had to come at the houthis had fought many wars in yemen before and were able innocents to resist the full force of the coalition against them, probably with or without migratory help, but there certainly has been iranian help. now with a deal that has been agreed between the saudis and the iranians to re—establish their diplomatic

ties, which is moving swiftly, it looks like that has provided the momentum for the saudis now with an omani mediation team to go to sana'a and to really thrash out a deal which can satisfy all sides and end the war. . , ., which can satisfy all sides and end the war. ,, , ., , which can satisfy all sides and end the war. ,, , . , . ~ which can satisfy all sides and end the war. ,, , ., , ., ,, i. the war. sebastian usher, thank you ve much the war. sebastian usher, thank you very much indeed. _ today marks 20 years since the fall of the regime of the late iraqi president saddam hussein. in 2003, then us president george w bush launched operation iraqi freedom with a ground invasion involving thousands of us and british troops, claiming that iraq had an arsenal of weapons of mass destruction. my colleague lucy grey spoke to balsam mustafa, a reseach fellow at warwick university, about life in baghdad during saddam hussein's rule. living under the dictatorship was very hard, and before the invasion also, there was a wave of wars and conflicts, and also the economic sanctions.

so, we were living through hardships and it felt like we were living in a big prison. and we were longing, or many of us were longing, to see saddam hussein's rule and the ba'athist regime come to an end one day, but we would never think at that moment that what would follow would be much worse, because saddam hussein's dictatorship and tyranny, for us, was the maximum level of brutality. so, just talk me through how you felt in 2003, then. we're just watching images as we talk to you of that famous statue of saddam hussein in baghdad being toppled and peoplejumping around on top of it and it being dragged through the street. how did you feel then, at that moment, when that was all going on? it was... i had mixed emotions. on one hand, i wanted

saddam hussein to be gone, and so seeing the statue, his statue being toppled after one year of being set up in baghdad was something that was really hard to comprehend. i was happy to see him gone but, at the same time, this was led by us troops and allies. it was not at the hand of iraqis, but at the hand of invaders. balsa m balsam mustafa, from warwick university. bbc analysis has found that over the past winter, one in every seven hospital beds in england was taken up by someone well enough to go home. one of those facing the wait is charlotte mills—murray. she may only have months to live, but is still in hospital many weeks after being cleared to leave. our health reporter, jim reed, has been speaking to her.

i'm stuck here, and just fighting to get home and to keep going. and i don't know how much fight i have in me. charlotte has ehlers—danlos, a condition that weakens her connective tissue. she may only have months to live. she's been filming diaries from her hospital bed. i had visitors today. i always look forward to when i get some visitors. and then what happens is the visitors leave and i'm left alone again, and that's when the reality sinks in. charlotte, who often finds it easier to use sign language, was admitted last year with infections linked to intestinal failure. in november, she was told she could go home, with care paid for by the nhs. yet another five months on, she's still stuck in hospital. so, how difficult has this been for you, charlotte? it's so wrong that we're in this

situation, you know, four, five months extra in hospital that i don't need that actually increases my risk of infections and other illnesses as well. there's been a lot of tears, a lot of hard decisions. i don't think unless you were here, you can really imagine life in a hospitalfor nine months. charlotte's case here in leeds is very complex and not representative of everyone who needs care. it does, though, illustrate a wider problem. this past winter, a record one in seven hospital beds across england has been taken up by someone well enough to go home. the government has said it's making another £1.6 billion available to speed up hospital discharge in england. often, the hold—up is because the right care in the home just isn't available. "mum, i don't know what i would do without you..." in leeds, charlotte's

family said they have faced repeated delays with her homecare, finding staff, training, equipment. so much time has been wasted, we've gone round in circles because everybody has changed what they said they would do, and the time wasting is charlotte's live. we can't get that back. and it shouldn't be like that. you know, it shouldn't be the person that's really poorly is the one that has to do it. charlotte's care board and hospital have said they are sorry for the long delay, they said the vast majority of patients return home quickly, but some complex cases take longer. charlotte's now spent nearly a year in this hospital bed, missing her birthday at home and time with her family. when you have a lot of pain and illnesses and other health problems, and then you're stuck in a bed and you can't see yourfamily easily and you can't do the normal things, you just think, if i can get home, it will be better. ijust need to get home and it will be fine.

and all i want is for people to make that happen for me. jim reed, bbc news. plans to make it more difficult for children to illegally buy e—cigarettes in england are to be laid out by the government next week. an enforcement squad will be set up to clamp down on shops selling vapes to under—18s. victoria bourne reports. with their sweet flavours and brightly—coloured packaging, there's long been concern that e—cigarettes and vapes are becoming increasingly attractive to youngsters. and despite it being illegal, government data shows nearly 10% of all under—18s in england have either tried or are regularly using the devices. but there are hopes a range of new measures set to be announced by the department for health next week could help reduce the number of young people taking up the habit. £3 million of funding will support a new team targeting rogue retailers. it will be led by trading standards

to carry out more test purchases in stores, to expose those failing to carry out age verification on customers. authorities will also have increased powers to remove illegal devices from sale. while welcoming the action, some charities have questioned whether the new measures go far enough. it's about making these products less affordable and less appealing to children. they're available for pocket money prices on every street corner, for under a fiver. this announcement on vaping is part of a broader announcement by the government, reinforcing its commitment to achieve a smoke—free 2030. but at the moment, it's ten years off—track, and that's where we really need to see far more action. current nhs guidance suggests that whilst not risk—free, vapes can be a helpful tool for adults wanting to quit smoking, and a less harmful alternative to traditional cigarettes. it's hoped these measures will help deter young people from taking up vaping,

the long—term health implications of which remain unknown. victoria bourne, bbc news. for centuries, potters in the english county staffordshire have been making ceramics for royal events — and with just a month to go until the king's coronation, they are getting ready to mark the event. liz cooper has more. the company was started by my father. we've been in business 75 years, nearly. we mainly produce china beakers, china plates, commemorative ware for celebrations. it's a special occasion, and it's an honour and a privilege to do something for the coronation and for the king. and it's a souvenir, something to keep forever, really. i'm john french, i've been a ceramic craftsman for nearly 40 years. - i decided to make for the coronation a piece that incorporates _ all the skills that i've used over the last 40 years. _ the picture here that i've

actually painted on, - this is actually the welsh guard |uniform, so i thought it's quite| good to get that transition from him l being the prince of wales to now. becoming the monarch. it's a part of history. i think that's the thing - about ceramics, it marks those special occasions in history, so it's a great chance for us| to produce these beautiful pieces. we're in middleport pottery. we are the last transfer printers in the world. and in 2010, one of his majesty the king's charities stepped in to preserve, regenerate this building, using millions of pounds of funds that were gathered. so the king really did save this pottery back then and it was so important to us, and that's why we're so grateful. so, for the coronation, we are producing a book, which is going to be a gift to give to the king himself.

that book is a transferrers decorator's book, so it's a bit like a pattern book which our decorators would have in the factory over there. each one tells a story of our unique historic patterns, where to cut them and where to place them, and it acts as a bit of a guide for them. we've been making coronation designs since 1902, with the very first piece dating back to king edward vii, king charles�*s great—great—grandfather. the pieces go right through to 1937, to the coronation that never was for king edward viii. and then, in more contemporary times, under the design stewardship of walter moorcroft, to 1953, with the coronation of queen elizabeth ii. we use a technique called tube lining. everything's made by hand. each piece takes at least a week to make, from start to finish. it's an honour, every piece of moorcroft that i work with and with the people that we work with, it's an honour. but forthe king, i mean,

that is an amazing achievement and something that i will remember for the rest of my life, really. this is bbc news, it is good to have you with us. hello there, good evening, dry, settled, really quite warm across much of the uk so far this bank holiday weekend. plenty of sunny spells around, some of the sunshine hazy at times with high cloud in the end —— in the way. but it was never going to last, it is going to turn a lot more unsettled into next week. wet, very windy at times and there will also be a drop in temperature and it will be feeling colder. overnight tonight, the band of rain across northern ireland and western scotland will start to bring in the changes, it continues to push further inwards. clear spells for a time for northern ireland, then more showers follow on behind the main weather front. showers follow on behind the main weatherfront. and underneath that cloud and the rain, a mild start to the day on monday. now, some very

typical bank holiday weather coming up typical bank holiday weather coming up tomorrow. outbreaks of rain through the morning, some of the rain might pop up what time across central and eastern areas of a good before it clears out of the coast of east anglia towards lunchtime. but a lot of showers behind weather front. some of the showers likely to line up some of the showers likely to line up in bands and they can be heavy, thundery, there could even be hale at times. blustery towards english channel coast. it won't be raining all the time, there will also be sunny spells, but also a drop in temperature through the afternoon and that cooler feeling air. and it will be quite chilly on monday night into tuesday, maybe even a touch of localised cross especially across scotland. come start the day can this depression with us through tuesday afternoon. but it is not a bad looking money, mostly dry, a few showers towards the west, the winds mmp showers towards the west, the winds ramp up towards irish sea coast. as we head through the late afternoon in particular. and we will start to see these outbreaks of rain across england and wales and eventually northern ireland. temperatures again

in the low for this time of year, ten to 13 celsius, already feeling chilly. the band of rain stretches up chilly. the band of rain stretches up into scotland, much of northern ireland through tuesday night into wednesday. wednesday windier still, localised weather warnings in force. coastal gales, you can see the squeeze on the isobars for parts of devon, cornwall and south wales. some of the showers swelling around this area of low pressure could form wintry in nature across the northern high ground. and as you can see from our outlook from the capital cities, it is really very unsettled, it is cold for this time of year, it could warm up by the weekend perhaps. goodbye.

this is bbc news. the headlines: jewish worshippers have converged on the western wall for the passover blessing injerusalem. there's a heavy security presence as officials fear violence could breakout. meanwhile the funerals have been held for two british—israeli sisters killed in a shooting in the occupied west bank on friday. they were named as 20—year—old maia and 15—year—old rina dee. at least four people have been killed in an avalanche in the french alps. it's thought the victims were hikers. the interior minister, gerald darmanin, said several more people were injured on the armancette glacier, where rescue work is ongoing.

catholic worshippers have gathered in saint peter's square in rome as pope francis presided