to feel safe on our streets. there is no place in our society for anti—semitism, and we will do everything we can to stamp it out. and where it happens, it will be met with the full force of the law. now, you were asked by one of the children just now where is the line between protesting for palestinians and supporting hamas? it's a great question. what's your answer? well, hamas is a proscribed terrorist organization. it's very clear under the law that support and glorification of hamas is illegal and those offenses are punishable with up to m years in jail. the police have that guidance. they know that. that's why i met with them specifically last week in advance of this weekend's protests to make sure they were crystal clear about what was ok and what's not ok. but it's notjust about hamas more broadly in actions that incite violence or stir up religious hatred and racial violence are also not acceptable. and that's why, as i said, there's no place in our society for that type of hatred and division, and it will be met with the full force of the law where it happens.

now, it's a fast moving situation in the middle east. is there anything you can say at all about the half dozen or so british citizens who have been taken hostage by hamas? is britain working with the us to keep safe routes open and what's our role in the humanitarian effort? yeah, it's one of the things that i've been discussing with students here today who obviously have family and friends that are impacted by this in israel. now we're doing everything we can to provide support. i know it's an anxious time for many families who will have loved ones who are impacted or missing. we're providing all the consular support through the foreign office that we can and also providing direct support to the israelis. and the humanitarian situation is one which, of course, we're concerned about, and that i've raised in all the calls and interactions i've had with other leaders from across the region, and in particular making sure that we can try and get the rafah crossing open that will ease the humanitarian situation. that's why i priorities speaking with president sisi of egypt early on last week to talk about that. and we will continue to do

everything we can to alleviate the humanitarian situation on the ground, including moving some of our royal navy assets into the region who can provide further support as required. do you worry where the end game of all of this is that it could be an open ended occupation by israel of gaza? i think israel's been very clear that hamas is the entity that's responsible for this. and what they want to do is ensure that their people are safe and that this doesn't happen again and that the the focus of their attention of self—defense is on hamas. and i think that's right. nobody wants to see regional escalation. certainly the israeli prime minister does not. when i've spoken to him, i've been speaking to other leaders around the region. all of us are united and not wanting to see regional escalation. and again, that's something that we can help with. we've already sent surveillance aircraft to the eastern mediterranean last week. they will be able to, as i said, make sure that no arms shipments, for example, are being sent to other terrorist organizations in the region. that's a practical step that we can take to help ensure that this remains contained to dealing with hamas and does not

spread more broadly in the region. the prime minister speaking there. i am nowjoined by mark gardner, chief executive of the community security trust, a charity protecting british jews from anti semitism and related threats. thank you very much forjoining us here on bbc news. let me first ask you what your reaction is to the prime minister's comments just there. i prime minister's comments “ust there. . , prime minister's comments “ust there. ., , prime minister's comments 'ust there. ., , ,. there. i was actually in the school with the prime _ there. i was actually in the school with the prime minister— there. i was actually in the school with the prime minister this - there. i was actually in the school i with the prime minister this morning and the extent to which he and the government have gone to show their support for thejewish community government have gone to show their support for the jewish community at this really difficult time, it's so commendable. they have been totally rock—solid and they have shown such solidarity following the worst massacre of dues since the holocaust.

massacre of dues since the holocaust-— massacre of dues since the holocaust. ., ., ., holocaust. the organisation has released figures _ holocaust. the organisation has released figures that _ holocaust. the organisation has released figures that shows - holocaust. the organisation has released figures that shows a i holocaust. the organisation has i released figures that shows a rise in anti—semitic acts in the uk, tell us more about those figures and what you found in the last few days. sure. basically, the number of anti—semitic incidents, so hate crime againstjews are beyond anything we've ever witnessed before. the overwhelming majority at this time, it's primarily things like children going to school and people yell, free palestine at them. it's graffiti onjewish buildings. so, last weekend, these terrible terrorist attacks on protesters last weekend changing now this weekend as we've seen bars are another part of the picture that was going to unfold after what is been reflected in the

anti—semitism. but now it's threats to kill, threats to rape, and unfortunately this is something we know happens every time there is violence in the middle east. what we have now is jotjust another cycle of that violence, we have unprecedented war because of an unprecedented war because of an unprecedented thing so it's far worse. d0 unprecedented thing so it's far worse. y ., unprecedented thing so it's far worse. ,, ~ , worse. do you think the existing laws to ensure _ worse. do you think the existing laws to ensure that _ worse. do you think the existing laws to ensure that those - laws to ensure that those responsible for such hate crimes are punished adequately? yes. responsible for such hate crimes are punished adequately?— punished adequately? yes, it's certainly adequate _ punished adequately? yes, it's certainly adequate but - punished adequately? yes, it's certainly adequate but what. punished adequately? yes, it's certainly adequate but what is| certainly adequate but what is required for the police to investigate, for the police to interrupt those activities and demonstrations and the prosecutions do notjust demonstrations and the prosecutions do not just to demonstrations and the prosecutions do notjust to curb it to occur so that the jewish community do notjust to curb it to occur so that thejewish community can take

comfort from that. and that those who are demonstrating racism... and i know that the approach is very different from what it was a few days ago, the police understand terrorism, the police know what is happening in israel. and those expressing support for that terrorism in any way, i'm sure the police will take action.— police will take action. before you io, police will take action. before you no, i 'ust police will take action. before you go. i just want — police will take action. before you go, i just want to _ police will take action. before you go, i just want to ask— police will take action. before you go, i just want to ask how - police will take action. before you go, i just want to ask how you - police will take action. before you go, i just want to ask how you are go, ijust want to ask how you are feeling at the moment and how you have been doing this last week? thank you very much indeed. i am strong and saying strong. we have over 2000 volunteers fully trained professional security. we are empowered to protect our community and play our part in what was once in a generational struggle because of what happened on the ground in israel and the number ofjews who were murdered. you are right, we are

in the position to do something about it but by and large we are very upset and it really feels like double standards when the bbc because hamas terrorists, which of course they are, when the so—called antiracism movement turns their shoulders to all of our concerns. we are kind of used to it but when it happens in this kind of circumstance we really feel the pain. it's all well and good people asking what the police are doing what the government is doing but other people in society need to step up as well. i willi is doing but other people in society need to step up as well.— need to step up as well. i will say that bbc is _ need to step up as well. i will say that bbc is reporting _ need to step up as well. i will say that bbc is reporting the - need to step up as well. i will say that bbc is reporting the story . that bbc is reporting the story according to our editorial guidelines which are publicly available. let's look at other stories across the uk. the justice secretary alex chalk is due to set out plan to deport more foreign inmates to free up space in prison. britain's prisons are overcrowded and almost running out of rooms. according to reports, the reforms could see fewer low

level offenders sent to prison, and given instead community service sentences. the true picture of a&e waiting times in wales has been seriously under—reported for a decade, according to the royal college of emergency medicine. the independent medical association has established thousands of hours are missed from monthly figures. the health minister previously claimed that wales outpeformed england. but once the missing data is taken into account, it suggests the performance in wales is worse. parliament's behaviour watchdog has recommended tory mp peter bone to be suspended for six weeks for bullying and sexual misconduct. it follows a complaint over his alleged behaviour in 2012 and 2013. the suspension will have to be voted on by the house of commons to be approved and could lead to a by election in his wellingborough seat. mr bone said the allegations were "false and untrue". staying with politics.

the scottish national party's deputy leader, keith brown, will tell his party's conference in aberdeen today that the next general election will be a "straight choice" between control by westminster and independence. the conference opened yesterday with delegates backing the party's new independence strategy. that would see the scottish government demanding that westminster gives it the powers to hold a new referendum, if the snp wins a majority of the seats in scotland at the next general election. for more on this, we can cross live to our political correspondent. nick eardley has the latest from the conference in aberdeen. 0ver over to you. 0verto you. hi. it's over to you. hi. it's a slightly strange conference, normally you come to snp conference and yes, there is a lot of debate about independence but there is also a bit of a sense that the party is in good spirits. you can maybe hear some people in good spirits behind me just now but the snp are meeting in

aberdeen in pretty difficult circumstances, i think it's fair to say that these are the toughest circumstances they have faced since they became a mass party after the independence referendum back in 2014. they still have the police probe into party funding, they had the by—election where they were trounced by labour. last week, one of the mps quit the snp and join the conservatives, going over to them. there are questions about how the party gets back on the front foot. i don't think they have really started doing that yet. humza yousaf, the leader, has his big speech tomorrow where i think we will get an idea of policy and how he wants to capture the political imagination again. that's what these conferences are about, the chance to put an agenda on show for the public. i think that is what the snp will try and do a bit more tomorrow. we just had a bit of a strange spectacle of nicola sturgeon, the former snp leader, turning up to this conference being

absolutely mobbed by the media. there's been a lot of suggestion that she has overshadowed humza yousaf�*s conference by showing up and taking interviews. she said that she is backing humza yousaf and denied overshadowing him and said that she is fully behind the plans on independence. if you stand back from this, it feels very different from this, it feels very different from snp conferences of old where there was a real sense of excitement about the place. at the moment, the snp are licking their wounds after a pretty turbulent few months and trying to figure out how to get back on track. . ~ trying to figure out how to get back on track. ., ~ , ., , . on track. thank you very much. there is [en on track. thank you very much. there is plenty more _ on track. thank you very much. there is plenty more on _ on track. thank you very much. there is plenty more on the _ on track. thank you very much. there is plenty more on the snp _ on track. thank you very much. there is plenty more on the snp conference on the bbc news website. now it's time for a look at the weather with sarah keith—lucas. hello. the second named storm of the season, storm babet is on its way later on in the week. so some wet and windy weather on the cards, but a week of two halves really in the next few days, mostly dry. we've got some frost, but some sunshine by day. it's from midweek onwards that we see the weather turning

increasingly windy with some heavy rain, too. so if we take a look at storm babet, it will be heading its way gradually in from the southwest, moving towards our shores. i think increasingly heavy rain developing from wednesday onwards and lasting particularly through thursday and friday across eastern scotland. but lots of wet weather on the cards for many of us. back to the here and now, though, today it's really quite quiet out there. we've got a lot of high cloud across much of england and wales. so fairly grey here, some sunshine for northern england, though, northern ireland and scotland, some showers across the northern ireland, temperatures somewhere between 11 to 14. so certainly on the cool side. through this evening and tonight, then we'll see that thickening cloud continuing to move in for southern and southwestern england. some splashes of rain for the channel isles, for instance, the isles of scilly as well. the breeze picking up here. but further north, we've got lighter winds and clearer skies. so the lowest temperatures will be across parts of scotland, northern england and northern ireland, where we're certainly expecting another frost to start the day tomorrow. so tuesday's weather still relatively quiet, a bit of early morning mist and fog

to clear away from central areas. and then we got some sunshine for scotland, northern ireland, eastern england, too, but cloudier skies for wales and south west england with some outbreaks of rain particularly close to the coast. temperatures 11 to perhaps 15 degrees or so for most of us. a touch up on what we're seeing out there today. and then as we move through tuesday night into wednesday, take a look at this area of low pressure moving its way in from the bay of biscay. the isobars really squeezing as well so that shows us we're going to have that windy spell of weather developing for wednesday. some outbreaks of rain initially for parts of scotland, then later for northern ireland, wales, central and southern england, too. so the winds picking up around that area of rain, 35 to 45 miles per hour, gusts of wind. so enough to cause some disruption. i think. temperatures starting to come up a little bit, so milder with the arrival of that southerly or south—westerly air flow. but let's take a look at the rainfall accumulation we're expecting between wednesday and saturday and just take a look at these colours across the east of scotland.

there could be 150 to 200 millimetres of rain, especially for parts of angus and south east grampian, so enough to cause significant disruption. keep your eyes on the latest warnings. bye bye. live from london, this is bbc news. thousands of people wait at the border between egypt and gaza. washington hopes the crossing could temporarily open on monday. the build—up of israeli troops continues near gaza

before an expected ground offensive targeting hamas. us secretary of state antony blinken returns to israel as he tries to head—off a wider regional conflict. hello, welcome to bbc news now, three hours of fast—moving news, interviews and reaction. we start with the war in the middle east, where the crossing between gaza and egypt remains closed, though washington says it hopes it can be reopened for a few hours later today, as efforts to get aid into the territory intensify. the opening of the rafah crossing would also allow some foreigners, including us citizens, to leave. at the same time, hamas and israel have denied reports that they've agreed a truce in southern gaza. these are the latest pictures from the rafah crossing showing the crowds there. we understand that un fuel trucks did make it across the border this morning.

in the past couple of hours, america's top diplomat,