morning, to agree to the delivery of life—saving humanitarian assistance to civilians in gaza. the president also says evidence appears to show israel was not responsible for last night's blast at a hospital in gaza. we're on the scene. people are still in panic. people are still trying to understand what happened. but protestors in lebanon along with many in the arab world believe israel is to blame. we'll take a look at the facts. also on the programme tonight... the first monthly dip in food prices for two years — but higherfuel costs mean inflation didn't fall as expected. killed on their honeymoon in uganda, a couple from berkshire and their safari guide shot by a group said to be linked to islamic state. and landing in the uk next year — how amazon parcels could be

arriving at your home. on newsnight at 10:30pm — president biden, in israel today, says he's opened the way for humanitarian access to gaza. but is that more about easing the pain than the start of meaningful diplomacy? good evening. president biden, on a high—stakes visit for talks with israel's prime minister binyamin netanyahu in tel aviv, has secured a deal allowing aid into gaza via egypt, bringing in much—needed food, water and medicine to more than a million people. he said egypt has agreed to open the rafah crossing into the territory allowing in 20 trucks carrying aid. those needing help have fled their homes to escape israeli

bombing targeting members of hamas, a group designated as a terror organisation by the uk government and responsible for the deaths of around 1,400 people in attacks on southern israel 11 days ago. all this after the tragedy of last night's hospital blast in gaza in which hundreds of people are thought to have died. israel says it wasn't responsible, blaming a misfiring rocket from a palestinian group. president biden today agreed, saying the evidence he has seen appears to show that israel was not to blame. but many in the arab world aren't convinced and there have been protests by thousands of people across the middle east. in a moment our correspondent rushdi abu alouf reports from the scene of the hospital blast. but first here'sjeremy bowen on president biden�*s crucial diplomatic mission. a warning his report contains some very distressing images. a car park outside the al ahli

hospital became a killing ground. the arguments about who is 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 hameed, a neighbour, can't unsee children with legs blown off, and the bodies he helped to carry. they all, he said, thought they would be safe near a hospital. early this morning at the defence 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 islamicjihad. the palestinian islamic 'ihad. the

trajeaoryh palestinian islamic 'ihad. the trajectory analysis _ palestinian islamicjihad. tue: trajectory analysis from palestinian islamicjihad. tte: trajectory analysis from the barrage of rockets confirms that the rockets were fired close proximate you to the hospital. according to our intelligence, hamas checked the reports, understood it was an islamicjihad 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 cycle to square, with israel's leader benjamin netanyahu. but a deal emerged from their meeting. food, water and medicine, emerged from their meeting. food, waterand medicine, but 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.— didn't hit the hospital. based on what i have _ didn't hit the hospital. based on what i have seen, _ didn't hit the hospital. based on what i have seen, it _ didn't hit the hospital. based on what i have seen, it appears - didn't hit the hospital. based on what i have seen, it appears as| what i have seen, it appears as though it was done by the other team, and 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 discussion about where everybody goes from here.— discussion about where everybody goes from here. the president won't chan . e the goes from here. the president won't change the minds _ goes from here. the president won't change the minds of _ goes from here. the president won't change the minds of those _ goes from here. the president won't change the minds of those who - 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'tjust on israel's side but that it is also complicit in everything israel is doing in gaza, including killing civilians. untilthe 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. grief is crushing the families of gaza's dead. israel was warned byjoe biden not to be consumed by rage. while in this hospital in gaza, a father was saying goodbye to his dead children in a corridor that has been turned into a mortuary. a waiting room for the grave. jeremy bowen, bbc news, in israel. health officials tonight in gaza say a71 people were killed in the hospital blast, and our correspondent rushdi abu alouf has seen the wreckage. the al ahli hospital is right in the centre of gaza city, and a warning, you may find some of the images distressing. when i arrived at the hospital

this morning, they were collecting the dead. still collecting the dead. after what looks to have been the deadliest moment we have seen so far in gaza. there were burnt out cars after a huge fire following last night's blast. i was talking to one of the people who witnessed what the palestinians are calling a massacre. he said that they were just sitting in their garden peacefully, and suddenly a huge explosion rocked this area and he said, we collected bodies, injured people, we evacuated serious injuries using motorcycle. some people evacuated on foot, he said, from there to shifa hospital. blood—soaked mattresses lay on the ground.

as we picked our way through the devastation, and wreckage. children's backpacks and collapsed tents where people had been sleeping. doctors told us thousands were seeking shelters at the hospital when it happened. eyewitnesses said the hospital grounds were packed with people living under siege and underfire. 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 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. we will continue this fight until the last drop of blood. health officials here are saying hundreds are dead, injured and missing.

this is a moment of horror for palestinians already traumatised by this war. rushdi abualouf, bbc news, gaza city. well, america says it does appear that the hospital explosion wasn't the result of an israeli airstrike. butjoe biden acknowledged there are "a lot of people out there" who aren't so sure. ros atkins has worked with the bbc�*s verify team looking at what we know about the blast. israel has highlighted this footage, saying it shows a palestinian rocket misfiring. some weapons experts say this does look like a rocket. bbc verify examined the direction of travel of the projectile. we can't be sure where it was fired from or by whom. then we see an explosion on the ground. bbc verify has geolocated this to the al ahli hospital. we have this video, too. weapons experts tell us the size

of the fire on the ground could be caused by rocket fuel, propellant and vehicle fuel, though we can't be sure. next, this photo shows the hospital courtyard this morning. there are scorch marks and burnt out cars, but there's no significant visible damage to the buildings. bbc verify has also been examining pictures of a crater in the courtyard. as you can see, it's small. this image shows the same thing. and israel says the absence of a large crater and the lack of damage to buildings proves its weapons didn't cause this. some experts we've consulted cautiously agree. from the evidence we have right now, the israeli explanation looks to be the most plausible — that is that this was an errant rocket. there's a small crater and then some burned out cars. that's consistent with a rocket striking the parking lot and setting the cars on fire.

hamas, though, blames israel for this explosion, without providing evidence that can be independently verified. and so while bbc verify continues its investigations — as do many weapons experts — based on available evidence, it's not possible to be definitive about what caused this. ros atkins there. well, tonight the foreign office has advised against all travel to lebanon because of fears the israel/hamas conflict could spread. it has also encouraged british nationals in lebanon to leave. there are concerns the current crisis could drag in other states in the region, as our diplomatic correspondent james landale reports. demonstrations on the streets of beirut and istanbul — scenes repeated in capitals across the middle east and north africa. anger against israel spreading far and wide. it wasn't always thus.

in recent years, some arab leaders have signed deals with israel, brokered by the us, trading diplomatic relations for economic ties while ignoring the palestinians. perhaps at some cost. the region is on tenterhooks and looking to avoid a broader war. there are a lot of back channels under way trying to bring down the temperature. direct calls have taken place between tehran and riyadh, for example, but beyond that, qatar and other arab states are trying to de—escalate. take president sisi of egypt. he is desperate to avoid any fighting spilling overfrom gaza, threatening an already unstable part of his country. "egypt rejects using military force to eradicate the palestinian cause," he said. "the forced displacement of palestinians from gaza into egypt would set a concerning precedent."

and then there is iran, where there were protests, too. some fear it could escalate the crisis — certainly ministers have hinted pro—iranian militias mightjoin hamas in attacking israel. "the leaders of the resistance," the foreign minister said, "have declared they are ready for a face—to—face war with the zionist regime". but would that involve these fighters from hezbollah? iranian—backed militants — designated terrorists by the west — here training earlier this year. would they attack israel from lebanon? many analysts say a wider war is not in iran's interests but... i think the risk is that there are members of this network of iranian partners and proxies that do not have the same kind of command and control and close coordination with tehran, and could take unilateral action, that could create the kind of tensions that could then spiral out of control.

so worried about this is the united states that it has sent two aircraft carriers to the eastern mediterranean to deter hezbollah launching thousands of missiles against israel. one thing is clear — the palestinian cause is once again being championed on arab streets and israel is being denounced. and for iran, that may be escalation enough. james landale, bbc news. jeremy bowenjoins me again from southern israel. jeremy, this time last night we were chatting and it all looked a bit iffy for president biden, mahmoud abbas and other arab leaders had pulled out of a meeting and a summit with him, was it worth him getting on air force one to come to israel, do you think? i think for him he was —— it was because he did the deal, he offered

israel much more military aid and he has negotiated humanitarian access into the southern gaza strip from egypt. it remains to be seen how that will work, whether israel will demand the right to inspect cargoes as they go in, and how much goes in as they go in, and how much goes in as well. there was something else i wanted to mention, i willjust grab my laptop. the un special coordinator for the middle east peace process has been briefing the security council, he is a norwegian diplomat, and i have read it and it's well worth passing on. he told the security council speaking from doha in qatar, he said, "i fearwe are at the brink of a deep and dangerous abyss that could change the trajectory of the israeli—palestinian conflict, if not the middle east as a whole. after more than a century a conflict and a half a century of occupation, we have failed collectively to bring the parties to a just, sustainable,

political resolution." he also condemned in absolutely unequivocal terms the massacres that hamas carried out back on october the 7th but now i think it is the fallout from that and where it is going that is so concerning for him and that this spark, this spark that has sparked this massive explosion that has happened has pushed the region and pushed the conflict into a different place, a place that no one really knows much about and doesn't know where it is going and i think thatis know where it is going and i think that is what is worrying so many people. that is what is worrying so many eo - le. , , that is what is worrying so many --eole. , , ~ , that is what is worrying so many --eole. , , . , ., people. indeed. jeremy, many thanks for that, people. indeed. jeremy, many thanks for that. jeremy _ people. indeed. jeremy, many thanks for that, jeremy bowen _ people. indeed. jeremy, many thanks for that, jeremy bowen in _ people. indeed. jeremy, many thanks for that, jeremy bowen in southern i for that, jeremy bowen in southern israel. joe biden on his visit to israel today restated his administration's commitment to peace between israel and the palestinains. one area where both live and work together is eastjerusalem. under international law, it is considered a part of the west bank and therefore

palestinian territory. so it is occupied. i've been to find out what both communites think about the events of the last few days. in occupied eastjerusalem, some palestinians and jews living here prefer to keep a wide berth. but cheek byjowl, they live. to reach the western wall, a sacred site in thejewish faith, you went to the old city ofjerusalem through the damascus gate, an important cultural icon for palestinians. and in between, along al—wad street, competing narratives of who owns the ancient stones beneath their feet and beyond. hyatt ali is 78, watching events in gaza with sorrow. translation: we can't doi anything, just pray and cry. there is nothing, nothing...

god help us all. moshe knobel, who works in a synagogue on al—wad street, says he knew in his heart israel did not attack the hospital in gaza, that anti—israeli propaganda is everywhere. so it is clear in your mind what happened in gaza? with the hospital? last night? 100%. even biden that came here today said, i checked it out and it's not the israelis. so there is a lot of lies, a lot of fake news. it is much quieter here today. the palestinian shops are closed in protest over the gaza hospital blast. but the israeli defence force remains on guard. there is a tension here, with the nation at war. broken by the exuberance of youth. we came across nitai atari and his friends, all 19 years old, with their lives ahead of them,

and the pride in their nation. like, i don't hate palestinian people. i hate terrorism. it's really hard for us to live here but we're not going leave, this is our land, our home. then, as the call to prayer sounds, riyad najib appears with his son. for palestinians, the gaza blast and everything else they have endured over decades, they blame on israel. translation: yes, honestly- the feeling was pain and sadness, for what the occupation has done to us, crimes towards our people in this holy land. this is not the first crime and not the last. how old is your son? four. four years old. do you think he will grow up to know peace in this land? thank god, all of us love peace, but how many times have we just talked about peace?

the hope of peace can never be allowed to die. that is it from us here injerusalem and now it is back to sophie in london. thank you. the rest of the news now. the rate of inflation remained unchanged at 6.7% last month, despite expectations it would fall. data from the office for national statistics show the price of food fell for the first time in two years, but that fuel costs rose. here's our chief economics correspondent, dharshini david. an uplifting start to this baby sensory class. but the bills these mothers have faced have been less cheering. the steep rise in the cost of living has cast an unexpected cloud, despite rises in child benefit and maternity pay this year. i think that the maternity pay going up is a big difference. it's been a big jump in april this year, so i think that does make a big difference. but then, on the flip side, my food shopping is now

so much more expensive, it doesn't actually balance out. there would have been a time when i probably would have been able to just stay at home with anna. but now i'm obviously going to have to consider going back to work next year, which is a real shame. everything is so expensive. we do this and swimming, _ and then we haven't really got money to afford to do other classes. they may be in for a boost. it's september's inflation rate, 6.7% this time, which typically dictates the rise in working age benefits. that would affect 9 million households in the spring. but ministers will have to decide whether to go ahead, for that increase equals {4.1 billion from the treasury's coffers. some of the bite is already coming out of inflation as food prices slipped between august and september, the first monthly decline in two years, and the government's aim of halving inflation this year might get some help. energy prices, those which really ignited this crisis, are subsiding. a fall in the domestic price cap will push down the inflation figures next month.

headline inflation very likely will have a five in front of it, possibly next month. so it's, you know, it's quite likely we get to the five if not slightly below by the end of the year. the problem then is the next halving of the inflation rate. reason to cheer? it would still mean prices are substantially higher than a year ago and inflation far above the bank of england's target. interest rates may stay high for a while. dharshini david, bbc news. a couple from berkshire who were married last saturday have been killed in uganda on their honeymoon. a group alleged to be linked to the islamic state group ambushed their safari vehicle in queen elizabeth national park. their guide was also murdered. our correspondent ellie price is here. what more do we know? they had been toaether what more do we know? they had been to . ether for what more do we know? they had been together for a — what more do we know? they had been together for a decade _ what more do we know? they had been together for a decade but _ what more do we know? they had been together for a decade but only - togetherfor a decade but only married four days ago and in south

africa where celia barlow was originally from. tonight candles have been lit in a local church in the tiny village where they lived called hampstead norreys, just outside newbury in berkshire. david barlow, described as something of a pillar of the community, chair of the local cricket club and the parish council. this has been described as a terrorist attack, ugandan police are saying the killers were part of the allied democratic forces, a group with no ties to the so—called islamic state group. edu candid president, yoweri museveni, said these terrorists will pay with their wretched lives. the queen elizabeth national park, where this happened, is a well—known tourist spot for british people on safari. it is the home of the tree climbing lions, according to the tourist blurb. following the attack, the foreign office advice has changed and british tourists are being warned against all but essential travel to the park and for those people who are already in the area, the advice is to follow local

security authorities closely and where it is safe to do so, consider leaving. thank you. from next year, this is how some people in the uk may get their amazon parcels. to begin with, they'll be using the drones injust one — as yet undisclosed — location. amazon has already been using drones in parts of the united states. our business correspondent emma simpson has been to a small town in california to see how it's working. you know what it's like waiting for an online order, wondering when the van is going to turn up. but look into the distance. this one's coming by air. in the small town of lockeford, california, amazon is using drones to deliver packages to customers. and this service is coming to the uk too. jeff loves it. it's fun. i never thought i'd be getting packages delivered in my back yard. when you order it, we see it within 20 or 30 minutes. it's obviously quicker than having to run to the store

and getting the stuff. what about the noise? the noise is a little loud, but it doesn't disturb me. mission accepted. checks complete. launching. so how does it work? so now the exciting bit. we're the first to see behind the scenes at amazon's launch facility. here's a parcel going out. it can't be bigger than a shoe box, nor weigh more than 5lbs. the drone can reach customers up to three and a half miles away. the rules are strict. each flight is monitored, and there is a human eye keeping tabs on it too. a flying robot that knows exactly where to go. how does it know not to bump into anything? our sense and avoid technology will observe a threat in the sky or on the ground, make a course correction and safely find a path to deliver to customers. drones are never going to replace vans, but this is a glimpse of the future.

online deliveries in just minutes. and here, at this amazon site in seattle, a new drone is being unveiled. this is a drone coming to the uk. it's smaller, it's lighter. it travels further and most importantly, it's at least 40% quieter than our previous drone. is that safe? it's absolutely safe. it is hundreds of times safer than driving to the store. just one location to begin with. exactly how and where it can fly has still to be worked out. we'll scale slowly. we'll scale with communities, and we'll scale based on what our regulatory approvals are. amazon believes the demand is there. here in america, though, progress hasn't been quick, but it's got big ambitions, aiming for 500 million global drone deliveries by the end of the decade. emma simpson, bbc news, lockeford, california.

one of the biggest new arts venues in britain in decades has officially opened in manchester today. it's called aviva studios and it has been built on the site of the former granada tv complex in the city centre. its final cost is expected to be something like £240 million, more than twice the original estimate. our culture editor katie razzall reports. something wild is happening in the north west. this is the biggest cultural opening of a space since the opening of tate modern at the beginning of the century. a huge new venue for shows, gigs and much more. why shouldn't there be a national theatre in manchester? danny boyle is directing aviva studios' official opening show. it's inspired by the cult film the matrix, the fight between humans and intelligent machines. in free your mind, people

are enslaved by technology. hello, neo. i've been looking for you. it's a large—scale spectacle from the trainspotting and slumdog millionaire director who fell in love with theatre as a teenager after getting a job as an usher at the bolton octagon. i kind of got the bug, and we want to give the bug to anybody who comes to see this. and if the matrix can attract them into a space that they're not that familiar with, that's not part of their lives, and they get the bug, that would be a wonderful thing. the show�*s choreographer also worked with boyle on the london 2012 olympic opening ceremony. i want to see, you know, the local people being in here, notjust sitting on seats, but actually working. the more that we can create those opportunities, create those chances, we're doing ourjob. to open a big communal space like this is a joyous thing, really, beyond, obviously, yes, the expense and yeah, you could give it to hospitals instead. but there are benefits

for everybody's wellbeing in the future from these kind of spaces, i think. we've not had a lot - of opportunities up here. everything's very london based. we have a lot of travelling down l for auditions, stuff like that. l now they have to come up to us. it's great. but controversially, the final bill is likely to be around £2110 million, more than double the original estimate, mostly funded by the government and manchester city council. why has it cost so much more than the plan? the building has obviously been affected by covid. it's been affected by inflation. it's been affected by increase in materials costs. i think what i am really proud of and proud of manchester city council for doing is sticking with it. one estimate says this venue will add £1 billion to the local economy. but will aviva studios be a box office hit? katie razzall, bbc news, manchester. a rare red weather warning for unprecedented heavy rainfall

and severe wind has been issued for parts of scotland, meaning there is a risk to life. storm babet is expected to cause severe flooding tonight and tomorrow with angus and aberdeenshire especially vulnerable. parts of the republic of ireland have already been badly hit with extensive flooding after a month's worth of rain fell in around 2a hours. this footage was taken in cork earlier today after the storm swept in from the atlantic. it's the first time a red weather warning for rain has been issued in the uk since the start of 2020. time for a look at the weather. here's elizabeth rizzini. thank you, the red warning has been issued and it is the highest level of alert issued by the met office, we don't see these very often. the red warning for rain is valid from 6pm on thursday evening until midday on friday for parts of angus and southern aberdeenshire. mostly the appliance as well that is where we

will see extreme rainfall with a danger to life