and while we soughtjustice and got justice we also made mistakes. israel and hamas blame each other for the blast that killed hundreds at a gaza hospital. the white house says israel wasn't responsible. the bbc is at that hospital inside gaza, where families have been searching for relatives in the rubble. people are still collecting body pieces from underground, people are still in panic. hello, i'm ben thompson, welcome to the programme. we begin tonight as us presidentjoe biden heads home from israel after a brief visit — just eight hours long — designed as a show of support. his trip though, was overshadowed

by an explosion last night at a hospital in gaza city. the health ministry says a71 people were killed. israel and hamas are blaming each other for the blast, which has inflamed tensions and sparked protests across the region. israel says the blast was caused by a rocket misfired by the palestinian militant group islamichhad. a senior us official says it's high confidence that israel did not do it. but hamas, palestinian authorities and other countries blame israel for the explosion. the bbc is trying verify the claims from both sides. after talks with benjamin netanyahu, president biden warned israel not be consumed by rage and to learn from mistakes the us made after 9/11. israel's prime minister called biden a "true friend" and commended his "deeply moving" decision to visit israel

during a time of active war. he also said he would not block aid deliveries from egypt to gaza — where food, water and fuel are running out after nine days of total siege. we'll have the very latest on a day of diplomacy and the impact across the region, with our correspondents inside gaza, in southern israel and with the growing tensions on the israel—lebanon border. we begin, though, in gaza. the bbc is one of very few outlets with a reporter inside the strip. our correspondent is rushdi abualouf — he has been to the site of the devastated al—ahli hospital in the centre of gaza city and sent us this report. at the hospital this morning, they were collecting the dead after what looks to have been the deadliest moment in gaza of the war so far. burnt out cars after a huge fire

after last night's blast. i was talking to one of the people who witnessed what the palestinians are calling a massacre. he said they were just sitting in their garden peacefully, and suddenly, a huge explosion rocked this area and he said, "we started to collect people from all around the gaza strip who could arrive at the hospital. they came and we tried to help". he said, "we collected bodies, injured people, we evacuated people with serious injuries using motorcycles". some people were evacuated on foot, he said, from here to shifa hospital. blood—soaked mattresses lay on the ground.

doctors here say thousands were taking shelter at the hospital when it happened. "we left our home to come here", this woman says. "we thought it would be safe, but then it got bombed". people are still collecting body pieces from on the ground. people are still in panic. people are still trying to understand what happened. fear, grief and anger. translation: my message — fear, grief and anger. translation: my message to _ fear, grief and anger. translation: my message to the — fear, grief and anger. translation: my message to the world, _ fear, grief and anger. translation: my message to the world, stand - fear, grief and anger. translation: my message to the world, stand up i my message to the world, stand up for the right thing. don't be afraid of the americans. don't be afraid of the israeli air forces for that we will continue this fight until the last drop of blood. health officials saying hundreds of dead and missing, this is a moment of horror for palestinians already traumatised by this war. rushdi abualouf, bbc news, gaza city. that's the latest from gaza. the attack has sent shockwaves around the region, as us presidentjoe biden made his visit to israel. our international editorjeremy bowen is in southern israel and has

the story of the day. a car park outside the al ahli hospital became a killing ground. the arguments about who's responsible come too late for the people whose lives ended here, even with their bodies taken away. the clean—up this morning also meant collecting small pieces of flesh. god have mercy, he said, they were civilians. and mohammed al—zawahiri, a neighbour, can't unsee children with legs blown off and the bodies he helped carry. they all, he said, thought they'd be safe near a hospital. early this morning at the defense ministry in tel aviv, the military presented data it said proved israel did not attack the hospital.

instead, they said it was a malfunctioning rocket fired by palestinian islamichhad. the trajectory analysis from the barrage of rockets confirms that the rockets were fired, close proximity to the hospital. according to our intelligence, hamas checked the reports, understood it was an islamichhad rocket. that had misfired and decided to launch a global media campaign to hide what really happened. they went as far as inflating the numbers of casualties. coming to tel aviv was a gamble for president biden. he wanted to ease gaza's humanitarian catastrophe while supporting israel's war effort, perhaps an impossible circle to square with israel's leader, benjamin netanyahu. but a deal emerged from their meeting. food, water and medicine

but no fuel from egypt to gaza. for israel, more military aid and agreement that they didn't hit the hospital. and based on what i've seen, it appears as though it was done by the other team. not you. i wanted to personally come and make that clear. thank you for having me. and i'm looking forward to having a thorough discussion about where everybody goes from here. the president won't change the minds of those who insist israel attacked the hospital. joe biden�*s presence here will only deepen the conviction among palestinians and millions of other arabs that america isn't just on israel's side, but that it's also complicit in everything israel is doing in gaza, including killing civilians until the hamas attacks on israel.

president biden dreamt of transforming the middle east. the americans were negotiating with saudi arabia and israel to try to get the two countries to recognise each other. that is not on the agenda anymore. in arab capitals, there have been protests against israel. this was beirut and this is sana'a in yemen. so far, the shouting has spread, but not the fighting. keeping it that way will be a challenge. jeremy bowen, bbc news, israel. earlier i spoke tojim murray put up a talk to him about the analysis of president barton's diplomatic mission this afternoon to israel. he's, his top priority was reassuring their israelis, announcing that he was going to give them your military aid, which is what they want. they want a lot more. also agreeing with them that

that conclusion that they didn't do that conclusion that they didn't do that bombing was correct. on the other side of the ledger, president biden got israel's agreement to allow a certain amount of humanitarian supplies in from egypt into gaza. food, water, medicine, significantly, not fuel, which hospitals need for generators which they need as well to generate power to pump water. i don't know the quantities that will be allowed in. and whether or not they might percolate further north into the gaza strip or whether they will be concentrated in what israel has been calling, i think not entirely accurately a safe area in that part of the gaza strip.— of the gaza strip. what is your assessment — of the gaza strip. what is your assessment about _ of the gaza strip. what is your assessment about how - of the gaza strip. what is your| assessment about how reliable of the gaza strip. what is your - assessment about how reliable those promises are? we know a lot of that

age is massed on the border waiting to get through. we know that the rafa crossing is proving to be very difficult to reopen given that air strike we saw earlier in the week. will this aid get in, do you think? i think it certainly will. israelis have said if they thought it was going to hamas they would, as they parted, thwart delivery. so they have the power to turn the tap off when they want it. they will not want to antagonize present biden. the other being president biden wanted to do was move on to amman in jordan, a short flight on air force one to meet with some of americans main arab allies. after the blast at the hospital they very quickly decided to cancel that and the whole visit tojordan decided to cancel that and the whole visit to jordan was canceled. decided to cancel that and the whole visit tojordan was canceled. i think that is because there is a lot

of anger in arab countries about what israel is doing in general and what israel is doing in general and what specifically happened at that hospital. i think that all the data and the processes that the israelis have announced to try to put their point of view over is not something that will change many minds on the other side of the argument. i think as well president biden is so associated with israel in the minds of palestinians and arabs that america is seen as complicit and what it is that israel is doing. if you think back to 2011 there was a year or more of arab uprisings and wars and the consequences from them still reverberate. they started after one individual, a market trader in tunisia was so angry and humiliated that he set himself on

fire and eventually died. that was a spark for widespread disturbances right across the region. i think those arab leaders will be thinking, we have to echo the mood of anger on the streets about what's happening to the palestinians or you never know, something like that might happen again because the kinds of frustrations that drove those protests more than a decade ago are still very much there. our international— still very much there. our international editor - still very much there. our international editor with his assessments of a significant day of diplomacy. thank you for being with us on the programme tonight. i want to start with president biden strip and the significance. how will that be viewed in israel today? just an eight hour visit but one that is symbolically important. how will that be viewed? i symbolically important. how will that be viewed?— that be viewed? i think it's mere

resence that be viewed? i think it's mere presence in _ that be viewed? i think it's mere presence in israel— that be viewed? i think it's mere presence in israel is _ that be viewed? i think it's mere presence in israel is usually - presence in israel is usually symbolic. the fact thatjoe biden comes here in wartime, netanyahu was first to visit in wartime. that in itself is significant for them and the fact that he's promising more military aid, he's telling israel's other entities such as his brother and iran, don't take advantage of the situation. —— hezbollah. all of those things are important right now. israel is trying to build a coalition of countries behind it that fight against hamas. israel will do the fighting but it needs the support of the western leaders otherwise this will be a catastrophe. israel is both fighting a war physically against hamas and also a pr war. the fact that the most powerful man in the world comes and gives his support in such a strong way that he did today, it is really the most important thing that israel could ask for. you really the most important thing that israel could ask for.— israel could ask for. you talk about it bein: a israel could ask for. you talk about it being a pr _

israel could ask for. you talk about it being a pr trip _ israel could ask for. you talk about it being a pr trip at _ israel could ask for. you talk about it being a pr trip at all— israel could ask for. you talk about it being a pr trip at all of— israel could ask for. you talk about it being a pr trip at all of the - it being a pr trip at all of the imagery that went with it we see air force one in tel aviv. we saw her shaking hands, the press conferences throughout the day, who is the audience for this? is this the israeli people, the government there, is this the enemy as they see them or is this a symbolic visit for all of those reasons taken together? let's start with the israelis. israel always feels like it is under pressure against a national system whenever there is a war in gaza. right now we also see public opinion. it's not really for israel. maybe the world leaders support israel but on the street, public opinion, not so much. a lot of people believe what is being said about israel's actions in gaza such as the explosion at the hospital. this is crucial for israel to disprove and to get leaders likejoe biden to actually verify this evidence that's number one number

two, it is very important for israel that his brother in particular in lebanon knows that the united states is not bluffing. the fact thatjoe biden is here and the us navy is in the mediterranean ready to attack if a war with his brother should erupt, you can't underestimate how important that is. his brother is testing israel right now and so is iran. today israel felt again —— hezbollah. has its back and especially in such a crucial moment when israel is been accused of attacking a hospital, killing 500 people. attacking a hospital, killing 500 neale, ., attacking a hospital, killing 500 --eole. ., ., attacking a hospital, killing 500 --eole. ., . , attacking a hospital, killing 500 --eole. ., ., ,., people. good to have you with us on the programme _ people. good to have you with us on the programme tonight. _ people. good to have you with us on the programme tonight. for- people. good to have you with us on the programme tonight. for an - people. good to have you with us on | the programme tonight. for an editor atjewish news. thank you for your time. thank you. around the world and across the uk. this is bbc news. let's look at some other stories making news. the inquest into the death of manchester arena bomber

salman abedi has returned a conclusion of suicide. the record of inquest was published today by the judge—coroner who chaired the manchester arena inquiry. the formal conclusion recorded by the inquest was �*suicide while undertaking a terror attack that murdered 22 innocent victims and injured many others. official figures show that food prices have seen their first monthly fall in two years but fuel prices have risen sharply. milk, cheese and egg prices all fell, but petrol rose by 5.1p a litre. it means the uk's overall rate of inflation holds steady at 6.7% after three consecutive monthly falls. london's metropolitan police say that the environmental campaigner greta thunberg has been charged with a public order offence after a protest on tuesday. the force says a total of twenty—six people have been charged with obstructing the highway after being asked to move. they were bailed to appear before westminster magistrate's court in november. you're live with bbc news.

let's talk more about the fallout of the attack on a hospital in gaza yesterday. there has been claims and counterclaims from both sides for the pilots also come on a day and threatened to overshadow a visit from the us presidentjoe biden who landed in tel aviv. he was there just eight hours but seen as an symbolically important visit. let's get the thoughts of professor marco clark. a visiting professor of defence studies at king's college in london. really good to have you on the program. first of all, your assessment of president biden is visited. it was seen by some as a gamble, fly air force one into tel aviv in the middle of a war. how would you assess the success of that visit? give us a sense of the work that will have gone into getting a plane like air force one and the united states president into a war

zone. ~ , ,., y united states president into a war zone. n, , ., . united states president into a war zone. , ., ., ~ zone. absolutely frantic at work. done at short — zone. absolutely frantic at work. done at short notice, _ zone. absolutely frantic at work. done at short notice, believe - zone. absolutely frantic at work. | done at short notice, believe me. plus all the security people on the ground. it is politically pray for joe biden to do this. i can't think of any other american president in recent history who would've actually gambled to travel at short notice, whether it's a war zone or not isn't really the risk. the risk is the political rest. you can a fool of yourself and really make no difference whatsoever. he was taking a big risk. ithink it's difference whatsoever. he was taking a big risk. i think it's because he's an honourable and decent man. i think he decided that although there are some political advantage does a great down if it doesn't go well. if he's there it delays the israeli offensive another 2a hours. blinken was there, that allays the offense. it gives a bit wartime for a humanitarian response. there is now one product of this visit there is

now going to be some sort of opening of a humanitarian aid through egypt as a result of his visit. a little bit more time for hamas to prepare at a little bit more time for the world to get angry with israel because of the effect that the bombing of the gaza strip. the visit was not as successful as he would wanted to be because he didn't manage to have a summit withjordan and the palestinians. that was the second leg of the trip. the trip was only to israel and that is not a good look in general. he has achieved something by this. i applaud him for his reckless courage in trying to do it. applaud him for his reckless courage in trying to do it— in trying to do it. there was a dancer in trying to do it. there was a danger that — in trying to do it. there was a danger that this _ in trying to do it. there was a danger that this visit - in trying to do it. there was a danger that this visit could i in trying to do it. there was a i danger that this visit could have been overshadowed by that explosion at the hospital in gaza yesterday. i want to bring you that line and remind people of the breaking news we been reporting in the last few hours, in the last few minutes, a us

official telling bbc in the rest of the us has its own intelligence, they say that's in addition to israel's intelligence including communication intercepts in fact two satellite photos which they say give it a high confidence that israel did not do it. that would support the argument we've heard from president biden, what nick? yes. argument we've heard from president biden, what nick?— biden, what nick? yes, it was. i think you _ biden, what nick? yes, it was. i think you will — biden, what nick? yes, it was. i think you will hear _ biden, what nick? yes, it was. i think you will hear something i think you will hear something similarfrom british officials. i don't know that but they will be tracking the same material. i am inclined to believe it for other reasons. this is a malfunction, a missile that was not meant to go there but actually ended up having that effect. i've been spending most of the day looking at the forensic evidence. not absolutely conclusive but a fair bit of evidence that a missile broke up in the air and then there was an explosion in the ground at the hospital. would account for the fact it was so much fire involved in the explosion. like a petro ball, it had that effect

because i think it was probably missile fuel. i think if you see the pictures, the crater with a missile landed is pretty small. there is a great deal of evidence of explosions, the windows are still there, they haven't been blown out. the cars, apart from the ones besides the crater of the cars are still where they were. not move from parking places, they all went on fire. so many people out in the open and the grounds of the hospital and car that seems to of been the essence of the killer element of this, not the explosives in this missile i think the missile fuel is the fire that has caused so many casualties. and whether it because hundred, i'm still sceptical but it certainly caused a lot for that we can get away from that. this is a malfunctioning missile. on the preliminary evidence it is far more likely to have been a malfunctioning missile from palestinian islamic

jihad then the israelis. taste missile from palestinian islamic jihad then the israelis. we were lookin: at jihad then the israelis. we were looking at those _ jihad then the israelis. we were looking at those images - jihad then the israelis. we were looking at those images as - jihad then the israelis. we were looking at those images as you | looking at those images as you describe them. it is fascinating to see with that level of analysis what we can determine or not from the pictures there for the rbc verified team has been honest throughout the day. stay with us. i want to play people a clip of president biden speaking today. the big question is what happens next. where does this leave anything? particularly when it comes to a regional conflict. there was a warning from president biden today. was a warning from president biden toda . �* , , ., , was a warning from president biden toda. , ., was a warning from president biden toda. , today. let's show viewers that clip. israel is stronger _ today. let's show viewers that clip. israel is stronger than _ today. let's show viewers that clip. israel is stronger than ever. - today. let's show viewers that clip. israel is stronger than ever. my - israel is stronger than ever. my message to any state or any hostile actor, thinking about israel remains the same as it was a week ago, don't. don't, don't.— the same as it was a week ago, don't. don't, don't. president biden re don't. don't, don't. president biden pretty clear— don't. don't, don't. president biden pretty clear there, _ don't. don't, don't. president biden pretty clear there, do _ don't. don't, don't. president biden pretty clear there, do not _ don't. don't, don't. president biden pretty clear there, do not get - pretty clear there, do not get involved. i wonder whether that warning been heard and heated in some of those bad actors, as he

described them. what is your assessment of what happens next given that warning? he’s assessment of what happens next given that warning?— given that warning? he's trying to do several things _ given that warning? he's trying to do several things at _ given that warning? he's trying to do several things at once. - given that warning? he's trying to do several things at once. the - do several things at once. the problem is nobody is driving it, the crisis is not being controlled by anybody. sometime crisis are created ijy anybody. sometime crisis are created by bad actors who try to manipulate the crisis, that's what president putin does all the time. creates a crisis and tries to manipulate and stay in control. not even hamas who initiated this element of the crisis is in control. a lot of moving parts here. what president biden is trying to do is keep in the picture egypt and jordan. he wants them in an order... they are critical to what happens next in gaza. he wants to keep iran and syria and maybe even iraq out of the crisis. he wants to make sure that militias operating with iranian backing in syria and iraq don't start drifting towards lebanon, which they are now doing. he wants to keep those out of the

crisis. he wants to draw into his orbit diplomatic orbit, saudi arabia, qatar, the united arab emirates in the gulf because they have influence with different aspects and they have the resources to try to facilitate some new future for the present — palestinians, whatever that might be. he tried to keep on grouping, another out and re—engage with the gulf states, all the time hoping that governments in the time hoping that governments in the middle east are in control of their forces. the middle east are in control of theirforces. some of the middle east are in control of their forces. some of them are not. one of the biggest uncertainty is whether his brother chooses its moment to actually move to the cell, to move against northern israel —— hezbollah. even a three front war against dues at the west bank blows up. against dues at the west bank blows u, ., ~' against dues at the west bank blows u . _ ., ~' ., ., against dues at the west bank blows up. talk to me a little closer to that conflict. _ up. talk to me a little closer to that conflict. where _ up. talk to me a little closer to that conflict. where are - up. talk to me a little closer to that conflict. where are the -

that conflict. where are the potential fronts i could that conflict. where are the potentialfronts i could open up in this war? for potential fronts i could open up in this war? ., ., . potential fronts i could open up in thiswar? ., ., this war? for france for the israelis- _ this war? for france for the israelis. gaza, _ this war? for france for the israelis. gaza, they - this war? for france for the israelis. gaza, they feel - this war? for france for the l israelis. gaza, they feel they this war? for france for the - israelis. gaza, they feel they have to, northern israel, the lebanon front, the west bank, hamas is more popular in eastjerusalem than it is in gaza itself. hamas has a hold of a palestinian for the if the syrians decided this would be a good moment to take back the delay on the heights they might even try. michael, thank you for being with us. former director general at the royal united service institute. stay with us on bbc news. hello. storm babette will be lashing the uk over the next few days, but i'd also like to make the point that the weather won't be bad all the time as this storm spreads from the south. we're also expecting the skies

to clear in a few places. sunny spells and mild weather can be expected, too. but let's focus on the rain, the biggest problem from this storm. a rare red warning in force thursday into friday for specifically angus and southern parts of aberdeenshire and the met office warns of even danger to life. but let's look at the rainfall first across the whole of the uk. so, this is the rainfall accumulation as the days go by — widely 30—110 millimetres of rain, but you can see around eastern scotland and the northeast of england here potentially well in excess of 100 millimetres of rain. so, here's the forecast then through the night, the weather fronts, the rain front associated with storm babette makes its journey towards the north. after a soaking evening across southern parts of the uk, actually, the skies may clear for a time through the early hours before further showers return. it's going to be relatively mild, around 15 degrees in the south,

10 degrees in the north with the clearer skies where the weather will have been relatively clear until then. now, through the course of thursday, that rain really starts to turn very persistent across eastern scotland. it's the east southeasterly gale that develops, even severe gale, and will keep pushing the rain clouds towards eastern parts of scotland like a conveyor belt. so, the rain will be falling in the same place all the time. so, here's the amber warning, because there are other warnings in force as well for other parts of scotland. in the north, across the highlands, we could have 100 millimetres of rain or so. this overlapping red warning is for the severe gale on the coast of eastern scotland — gusts of around 70 mph. but then, there's that red warning focusing on angus and southern parts of aberdeenshire, the red warning from the met office. extensive flooding is possible. so, here's the forecast, then, for friday — still that easterly wind pushing in the rain clouds, but notice that the concentration of heavier rain will now be across more

central, southeastern and southern parts of england and actually across the north and the east of scotland. that rain should start to ease, but it may return by the time we get to saturday. take care.

welcome back. this is bbc news. the headlines. president biden leaves israel after pledging unwavering american support, 11 days after the hamas attacks, but warns israel not to act on rage.

israel and hamas blame each other for the blast that killed hundreds at a gaza hospital. the us says it has its own evidence that israel was not behind the attack. the massive loss of life triggered anger across the middle east, with protests outside the us embassy in beirut and in other cities. much more on all of those stories for you coming up a little later in the programme. but a little closer to home... here, the met office has issued a rare red weather warning for parts of eastern scotland tomorrow. forecasters are concerned that heavy rains and winds brought by storm babet could cause a risk to life. the storm is currently hitting ireland after sweeping in from the atlantic. the red warning states there is danger to life from fast—flowing or deep floodwater in aberdeen and angus. it's the first red warning for rain

issued in the uk since storm dennis in february 2020.