israeli forces and hezbollah militants exchange fire across the southern lebanon border. israel says it's moved thousands of extra troops to the region. and back in washington after his trip to israel, president biden says he had to be very blunt about the need to relieve the suffering of palestinian civilians. hello. i'm katya adler, and we're broadcasting live from jerusalem. the british prime minister rishi sunak has landed in tel aviv, starting a two—day visit to the middle east.

mr sunak is expected to meet his israeli counterpart benjamin netanyahu and israeli president isaac herzog for what he said, on arrival here, he hoped would be productive meetings. this, after urging regional leaders to "avoid further dangerous escalation". in gaza, meanwhile, egypt has agreed to let humanitarian supplies in via the rafah crossing. an initial convoy of 20 trucks of aid are expected to enter gaza — after a deal announced by president biden — and the earliest is tomorrow. announcing the agreement, the us president warned that the aid convoys would be stopped if any supplies were confiscated by hamas, which governs gaza and is regarded as a terrorist organisation by the uk and us. we can bring you live

pictures of gaza. it isjust after 11:00 in the morning. israel's military says it hit hundreds of sites in gaza over the last 2a hours — targeting, it says, hamas infrustrauctre. with the latest, here's our correspondent wyre davies. as trucks carrying aid queue on the egyptian side of gaza's southern border, the un and international aid agencies have become increasingly alarmed at the unfolding humanitarian crisis. on a visit to israel that lasted barely a day, while reaffirming his steadfast support, joe biden also pressed the case for aid for gaza's 2.5 million palestinian citizens, many of whom are struggling to get access to food, water and medical supplies. then on the plane home, the president told reporters that a deal had been reached. egypt had agreed to let an initial 20 trucks in through the rafah crossing.

this has been a very blunt negotiation i've had, and so we want to get as many of the trucks out as possible. there's, i guess, 150 or something there, not all of them will go. the first tranche, if there's a second tranche, see how it goes. the aid will be delivered under un supervision, with the president saying it might not arrive until friday. there was also a warning that it will stop if any is taken by hamas, which had been one of israel's main concerns. we've said, and the americans have said, that there have to be safeguards in place to make sure that aid goes to the people it's supposed to go to. now, hamas are the only people in gaza with guns, and it's not like if they come to an oil tanker and say "come here," there's much that you can do about it. but there have to be arrangements in place to make sure that that doesn't happen. both israeli and palestinian officials are still blaming each other for a huge explosion at

a gaza hospital that killed almost 500 people. president biden had earlier said he believed israel's version of events. as the dead were buried, the blame game continued and tensions rise, ahead of what many assume is an inevitable israeli ground invasion of gaza. and with almost 200 hostages held by hamas inside gaza, there are concerns that direct israeli action might jeopardise their safety. their families will have taken some comfort after president biden said he'd also discussed their plight, saying he could not reveal details, but there was no higher priority than their safe return. there will be more diplomatic visits in coming days, including rishi sunak�*s today, supporting israel's right to self—defence, but also urging restraint with civilian populations when, as expected, israeli ground forces do go into gaza. wyre davies, bbc news.

joining me now is shaina low, from the norwegian refugee council. we have been talking this morning about that agreement brokered by us presidentjoe biden yesterday, getting agreement from the egyptians and the israelis to allow and a of aid into the gaza strip from the rafah crossing, so that is gaza's crossing into egypt. how important would that be, the opening of the crossing? would that be, the opening of the crossin: ? . , . , would that be, the opening of the crossin? ., , ., , ., crossing? palestinians in gaza throu . h crossing? palestinians in gaza through a _ crossing? palestinians in gaza through a humanitarian - crossing? palestinians in gaza through a humanitarian crisis. i crossing? palestinians in gaza i through a humanitarian crisis. -- crossing? palestinians in gaza - through a humanitarian crisis. -- in through a humanitarian crisis. —— in gaza are suffering. they need aid urgently, it needs to get through rafah to reach them. my understanding is the negotiations that took place yesterday and showed that took place yesterday and showed that only 20 trucks would be able to

pass through rafah. the un has reported that a minimum of 100 tracks of humanitarian assistance are needed in order to support the 2.3 million civilians, men, women and children living in gaza. it is also important to note that once that aid arrives inside of gaza, there need to be assurances that humanitarians that are working to distribute the aid throughout the gaza strip will be protected and safe from bombardment, as well as ordinary civilians who are trying to access that aid, that they will also be protected and not targeted while seeking it out. be protected and not targeted while seeking it out-— seeking it out. absolutely. i at the un is involved _ seeking it out. absolutely. i at the un is involved actually _ seeking it out. absolutely. i at the un is involved actually handing - seeking it out. absolutely. i at the | un is involved actually handing out direct aid on the ground. —— i mean, directaid on the ground. —— i mean, the un. the norwegian direct aid on the ground. —— i mean, the un. the norwegian refugee council itself that you work for, what is your role in gaza? well, we have been — what is your role in gaza? well, we have been working _ what is your role in gaza? well, we have been working in _ what is your role in gaza? well, we have been working in gaza - what is your role in gaza? well, we have been working in gaza for- what is your role in gaza? well, we have been working in gaza for 15 i have been working in gaza for 15 years. as of october the 7th, our operations in gaza had to be

suspended because we need to ensure that our 5a staff on the ground could take care of themselves and ensure that they and their families were safe. unfortunately, we have already had colleagues in gaza who have lost family members, including one member whojust a couple of have lost family members, including one member who just a couple of days ago lost her only son after an israeli air strike on the house they were staying in and rafah targeted, after their house was targeted in an israeli air strike. in terms of what we are able to do from the outside, we are able to do from the outside, we have been able to send some amounts of money to palestinians in needin amounts of money to palestinians in need in gaza, but this is only a very small window of time. that we are able to provide this type of essential service and financial assistance. 0nce essential service and financial assistance. once there is nothing left, it will do no good. but we have managed to get it to some people and they have already been using it to purchase the things they need for their families to survive.

now, you were talking about this initial convoy that is hoped to be allowed into gaza as of tomorrow, friday. allowed into gaza as of tomorrow, frida . ., _ allowed into gaza as of tomorrow, frida . ., , ., allowed into gaza as of tomorrow, frida. ., , ., ., friday. you say it is not enough. the us and _ friday. you say it is not enough. the us and israel— friday. you say it is not enough. the us and israel have - friday. you say it is not enough. the us and israel have said - friday. you say it is not enough. l the us and israel have said clearly that never mind future convoys, that this convoy will also be halted. if hamas diverts any of those humanitarian supplies coming into the gaza strip. but practically, on the gaza strip. but practically, on the ground, how can that be ensured and how can that be avoided? weill. and how can that be avoided? well, humanitarian _ and how can that be avoided? well, humanitarian organisations - and how can that be avoided? -ii humanitarian organisations such as nrc have been working on the ground in gaza for years. and we have always ensured that we don't work with hamas on projects or make contributions to hamas. all aid that we provide is heavily monitored to ensure that there is no age diversion. and we make sure that all

of our assistance complies with counterterrorism laws and that we have due diligence in place to ensure aid is not diverted —— age diversion. i know we are able to do this in part by relying on advice and experience of other ngos also in contact to ensure we are adhering to best practices and making sure aid does not get diverted.— does not get diverted. shaina low from the norwegian _ does not get diverted. shaina low from the norwegian refugee - does not get diverted. shaina low . from the norwegian refugee council, thank you for speaking to us. rishi sunak has now arrived in jerusalem, let's listen to what he had to say. good morning. i'm pleased to be here in israel at this important time. productive meetings ahead of us today, i'm looking forward to seeing the prime minister and the

president, there is much for us to do. , ,, . ~' president, there is much for us to do. , ,, w . ~' president, there is much for us to do. , ,, ., ~ ., do. rishi sunak talking about the situation in _ do. rishi sunak talking about the situation in gaza. _ do. rishi sunak talking about the situation in gaza. gaza _ do. rishi sunak talking about the situation in gaza. gaza being - do. rishi sunak talking about the situation in gaza. gaza being to l do. rishi sunak talking about the i situation in gaza. gaza being to the south of israel. let's look at israel's northern border, where there have been further cross—border exchanges of fire between israeli forces and hezbollah militants in southern lebanon. the israeli military said rockets and anti—tank missiles had been fired by hezbollah into israel and it said it has responded with tank fire and a drone strike. hezbollah is backed by iran and it said two of its fighters were killed on wednesday and another wounded in that exchange of fire with the israeli military. these border skirmishes have raised concern in israel and the wider international community that the conflict could expand and israel worries it could be facing a two front war. 0ur correspondent hugo bachega sent us the latest developments from lebanon. violence has continued along

the israeli—lebanese border, with more cross—border attacks between the israeli army and militants here in lebanon. the israeli military said it struck positions belonging to hezbollah overnight, destroying an observation post. it said this was in response after shooting attacks that were carried out by hezbollah yesterday. we had a statement from hezbollah confirming that it had carried out attacks targeting israeli positions. and the institute for the study of war, which has been monitoring the situation, said that there were 20 incidents along the border yesterday. this is double the number of incidents that were reported on tuesday. so, again, tensions are high along the border, amid fears that this conflict could escalate. hezbollah is a powerful military, social, political organisation

here in lebanon that is supported by iran, and many fear that an escalation of the violence along the border could drag lebanon into this conflict. that is hugo bachega, bbc�*s hugo bachega reporting for us from inside lebanon and talking about increased tensions, and exchange of fire between hezbollah in southern lebanon and the israeli military. we cross over to the israel—gaza border now. live now to our chief international correspondent lyse doucet, who is in southern israel. we are looking at so many things today which i would love to talk about. the aid convoy and hoped for to cross into gaza as of tomorrow. butjust to cross into gaza as of tomorrow. but just aim to cross into gaza as of tomorrow. butjust aim for the moment with these worries on israel's northern border. you know this region so well, there is so often an exchange of fire, tensions on the

israel—lebanon border. how real is this fear inside israel, this concern in the wider community that this conflict could escalate, including hezbollah militants in southern lebanon who are backed by iran? , ., , southern lebanon who are backed by iran? , . , ., ., southern lebanon who are backed by iran? , .,, ., ., ., iran? yes, as we heard from hugo, it alread is iran? yes, as we heard from hugo, it already is escalating. _ iran? yes, as we heard from hugo, it already is escalating. twice _ iran? yes, as we heard from hugo, it already is escalating. twice the - already is escalating. twice the number of attacks along that border. there is simmering tensions there as you know all of the time. and what we saw earlier this year when there were some increases in tension, there is more and more coordination between hamas which rules the gaza strip and hezbollah, both of them have very close ties to iran. and we have very close ties to iran. and we have to measure the moment notjust by what our correspondent are hearing either on the northern israeli side of the border or in southern lebanon, but by the warnings and the statements. as always in a war, there is the war on the ground and the war of words. the

iranian foreign minister was categorical that iran, people on the ground may need to take what he described as pre—emptive measures just try to make their opposition known to israel's bombardment of the gaza strip in what is expected to be a ground incursion —— to try to make. and that anger has multiplied manyfold after that devastating explosion at the hospital in gaza. i think we have been reporting since the beginning of this crisis that iran and hezbollah don't want to be drawn into this conflict, but iran in particular sees itself as the standard bearer of muslims worldwide, including palestinians, and it will feel bound to do something if the situation in the gaza strip escalates even further and there are more horrific images of gazans are suffering. and that is the fear not just of gazans are suffering. and that is the fear notjust of israelis, but every single leader in the region and the western leaders who are coming here one after the other is

worried as they are about the gaza israel war, they don't want this contagion to spread. and that fire was lit already. we saw the simmering anger in recent days in protest, that could inflame even further. �* . ., ., protest, that could inflame even further. �* ., ., further. and if we could turn for a moment from _ further. and if we could turn for a moment from that _ further. and if we could turn for a moment from that bigger - further. and if we could turn for a | moment from that bigger picture, further. and if we could turn for a - moment from that bigger picture, the worrying bigger picture, to practicalities on the ground. hope that an initial convoy of 20 trucks of aid can enter the gaza strip and much—needed aid for civilians as of tomorrow. practically, how does that work? they would enter by a crossing between gaza and egypt, but israel has had to give the 0k and it says it will stop the convoys if any of these supplies fall into hamas's hands, but hamas is notjust a militant group, it is also the governor of gaza, it opens the gates on the other side, so how does that work practically?—

work practically? yes, that is a big cuestion. work practically? yes, that is a big question- iout _ work practically? yes, that is a big question. but we _ work practically? yes, that is a big question. but we have _ work practically? yes, that is a big question. but we have to - work practically? yes, that is a big| question. but we have to underline that this is a rare glimmer of hope in the darkest of times for more than 2 million palestinians who have been under nonstop bombardment, who have more than a million being told by israel to move south. but even in the south, there has continued to be bombardment and water, food, fuel has been running out. so the news thatjoe biden did achieve what he set out to do, notjust to show very publicly his support for israel, but to get aid to the palestinians, who he underlined also suffering a great deal. and we are reminded in these most extraordinary of moments that there are very ordinary things to do. for example, joe biden himself said there are potholes on those access roads so he has sent his own special newly appointed team down to the crossing. they will work with engineers to try to fix those roads. if there is safety on the ground, safety in the air, in other words, egypt needs to be reassured that there will be no more air strikes.

there has been at least four since this crisis began. that will put its staff at risk and aid agencies at risk, then the first of those trucks can start rolling. 20 trucks in that first convoy. 0nly food and water and medicine. no fuel. the united states and israel are worried that could so easily by diverted by hamas, that the un says it is desperately needed. but as we have been hearing, 20 trucks isjust a drop in the ocean. every drop is needed, but there will need to be more. butjoe biden had that big question, he said if a second convoy goes through. so we are not sure. but even if it starts, that will at least be something important. and the united nations is on the other side, aid agencies are on the other side, aid agencies are on the other side, certain trucks belong to certain countries, there are certain aid agencies who will be doing everything possible to ensure that

the distribution is conducted in a safe way, is safe to keep the people getting the aid, distributing the aid safe and safe that it does not fall into the hands of hamas. it is a very tall— fall into the hands of hamas. it is a very tall ask- — fall into the hands of hamas. it is a very tall ask. lyse _ fall into the hands of hamas. it is a very tall ask. lyse doucet for now, on the israel—gaza border, thank you very much. special international correspondence lyse doucet. around the world and across the uk, this is bbc news. republican members of the us house of representatives have failed to elect their hard—line colleague jim jordan as speaker for a second day running. 22 republicans voted against him — two more than during his first attempt. several republicans told reporters they had been subject to a pressure campaign by supporters of mrjordan. a court in pakistan grants former

prime minister nawaz sharif bail, protecting him from arrest ahead of his expected return to the country this saturday. mr sharif had been living in voluntary exile in london until this month. he failed to appear in court in 2019, following a corruption conviction. russian president vladimir putin has been visiting beijing to attend a meeting celebrating ten years of china's belt and road initiative. mr putin has rarely left russia since his forces invaded ukraine in february last year, amid increasing isolation on the world stage. you are live with bbc news. we have been talking about rishi

sunak arriving in the region, he is in israel and wants to move on to the wider region for talks with the arab leaders, in his wider region —— in the wider region already is his secretary of state james cleverly, what are they hoping to achieve here? ., ,, . ., , g ., , here? the foreign secretary james cleverl is here? the foreign secretary james cleverly is in _ here? the foreign secretary james cleverly is in egypt _ here? the foreign secretary james cleverly is in egypt today. - here? the foreign secretary james cleverly is in egypt today. he - here? the foreign secretary james cleverly is in egypt today. he is - cleverly is in egypt today. he is holding talks with the egyptian leadership, but that's all about the aid, possibility of moving aid into gaza. the uk has been talking about already moving aid into an airfield in egypt and positioning it so it can then cross that border when it is open. so that discussion is happening there, along with james cleverly putting forward the uk's desire to try to open up border crossing in the opposite direction. so to let people get out of gaza, foreign nationals, british citizens, of whom there are quite a number trapped in gaza at the minute. so

thatis trapped in gaza at the minute. so that is one focus. in his meetings in israel, rishi sunak is meeting the president and then the prime minister. his visit, i think, primarily, the real sort of significance of it is simply the sort of statement of support for egypt. the sort of visual of that. behind that, there are the discussions in which rishi sunak says that he is showing support for israel, but also urging israel to try to do what it can to minimise civilian casualties in gaza. and then there is the question of wider region and the concerns, notjust the uk, but the other countries sharing about the possibilities of this conflict spreading and the desire to try to limit that. so what rishi sunak told parliament here yesterday it was in every conversation he has had with the

israeli leadership and others, he has spoken about that. and with the israelis, he has spoken about the need to follow international law while they carry out their operations in gaza. so that is what he says he will be discussing and i'm sure we will hear from him later after he has met the israeli prime minister. so after he has met the israeli prime minister. , ., , after he has met the israeli prime minister. , , after he has met the israeli prime minister. , ., , , ., after he has met the israeli prime minister. i, ., ., minister. so it is a very big to do list, isn't minister. so it is a very big to do list. isn't it. _ minister. so it is a very big to do list, isn't it, for— minister. so it is a very big to do list, isn't it, for the _ minister. so it is a very big to do list, isn't it, for the british - list, isn't it, for the british prime minister and british foreign secretary as well? concern for british nationals trapped inside gaza, palestinian civilians, concern for british passport holders who are amongst the hostages taken by hamas into the gaza strip after its unprecedented attack here in israel on the 7th of october. and concern, as you say, for the wider region as well. to what extent is there coordination between the different actors at the moment across the middle east, along with the foreign

secretary, the british foreign secretary, the british foreign secretary in egypt today, the un secretary—general antonio guterres, we have had other international leaders coming and going from israel and across the region? yes. leaders coming and going from israel and across the region?— and across the region? yes, there certainly is _ and across the region? yes, there certainly is coordination. - and across the region? yes, there certainly is coordination. so - certainly is coordination. so yesterday, the german chancellor 0laf scholz, he visited egypt, sorry, israel earlier, and he was then in egypt meeting the egyptian president. he was talking then or readily about the need to get that border crossing open and get supplies in —— already. as you heard from lyse doucet, at the minute, there are first a lot of logistical problems and security issues to resolve before anything will happen and even then, it is only a very limited amount of aid that is likely to go in in the first instance. so there will be discussions about trying to increase that and make more of that. that is one area where there is certainly coordination. equally, the discussions with other

leaders around the region, that is also following a similar pattern. so we have seen the us secretary of state antony blinken, he has been moving around the region talking to many different countries. i think one critical thing, though, to keep in mind here is that the biggest actors in this or the most important actors in this or the most important actors in this are perhaps not the ones that the uk and the us and germany are talking directly to, and thatis germany are talking directly to, and that is in the wider context, iran and its proxies in the region, and thatis and its proxies in the region, and that is where i think the real concern about any escalation of the conflict comes. the uk and the others are talking to countries like egypt and jordan and torquay, where they can have lines of communication, and that particularly as about that issue of hostages. we know from yesterday that the british government are saying it believes nine british citizens are still

unaccounted for so could well be being held hostage in gaza. and that is obviously an important concern and won the british foreign secretary will be addressing when he travels to turkey and qatar later. —— and it is one the british foreign secretary. -- and it is one the british foreign secreta . ., . ., secretary. thanks so much, damian grammaticas- _ secretary. thanks so much, damian grammaticas. and _ secretary. thanks so much, damian grammaticas. and of _ secretary. thanks so much, damian grammaticas. and of course, - secretary. thanks so much, damian grammaticas. and of course, when | secretary. thanks so much, damian - grammaticas. and of course, when one thinks about the trauma in israel following the unprecedented massacre by militants from gaza onto israeli soil on the 7th of october, killing 1,400 people there, that also included british nationals who were amongst the dead and missing as well. storm babet has been making its presence felt in the sense we have had some heavy rain and strong winds. and that will continue through the day. the met office have is highest level of warning the red

warning in force for angus and south aberdeenshire for heavy rain and that comes into play at 1808 and last until noon tomorrow. you can see over the next few days all of us are going to see some rain, but the heaviest will be across north east scotland and the pennines, where some parts will have in excess of 100 millilitres. as we go through the rest of today, then come at 1800 tonight and last until noon tomorrow. you can see over the next few days all of us are going to see some rain, but the heaviest will be across north east scotland and the pennines, where some parts will have in excess of 100 millilitres. as we go through the rest of today, then, the rain becomes ensconced in stores across north east scotland. we will see further into the south. for northern ireland, england and wales, it is sunshine and showers. some of those showers will be heavy and thundery, submerging to give longer spells of rain and it is going to be windy wherever you are. but the met office has an amber weather warning out for the strength of wind across north east scotland. especially close to the coast, we could have gusts of 70 mph so some large waves. and just under that, you can see another rain morning and another one across the north—east where we could

have 100 millilitres of rainfall. but it is the red warning area giving is most concern. here, we could have up to 250 millimetres of rain and extensive flooding is quite possible as indeed is further disruption. through the evening and overnight, the rain continues across the north. it is going to be windy with gales, even severe gales, across the north and east, and then it looks like a new area of low pressure will show its hand across parts of england and also wales. not going to be a cold night, though. tomorrow, this area of rain across the south east is still open to question. it might drift a bit further west quicker than we are showing here or slower so do keep in touch with the weather forecast. but the rain will ease off across scotland. and although it is still going to be very windy with coastal gales across the east coast, were not looking at the gusts of 70 mph that we are likely to see today. then as we head on into saturday, depending what happens on friday, the low pressure looks like it is going to pull off into the north sea, it will be brighter out towards the west, we will have further rain across the north of scotland and the wind will still be a feature, but it won't be as windy as it is going to

be in the next couple of days. and it is slowly as we move into stun day things start to ease further.

this is bbc news. the headlines... the british prime minister, rishi sunak, is in israel for talks about stopping the conflict spilling into the wider region and to express his solidarity with the country.

egypt has agreed it will allow humanitarian aid into gaza. israel says it won't impede those deliveries, as long as supplies do not reach hamas. israeli forces and hezbollah militants have exchanged fire across the southern lebanon border. israel says it's moved thousands of extra troops to the region. british prime minister rishi sunak is now injerusalem at the start of his two—day visit to the middle east. mrsunak is expected to meet his israeli counterpart benjamin netanyahu and israeli president isaac herzog for what he said on arrival here he hoped would be productive meetings. this, after urging regional leaders to avoid further dangerous escalation. let's hear now from rishi sunak. good morning, prime minister. good morning. i am very pleased to be able to be here. it's an important time. it's important for me to be able

to express my solidarity with the israeli people following what was a horrific terrorist attack. productive meetings ahead of us today. i'm looking forward to seeing the prime minister and president. lots of work for us to do. joining me now is lord kim darroch, former british ambassador to the united states and former national security adviser and uk permanent representative to the european union. thank you so much forjoining us. good morning. at times like these, we hear the phrase frantic diplomacy, this is not an exaggeration, right? at the moment we have the british prime minister here, the british foreign secretary in egypt, the secretary general of the united nations in egypt, wejust had joe biden here, first us president to visit israel at a time of war, the international concern is very real. it

of war, the international concern is ve real. ., of war, the international concern is ve real. , , of war, the international concern is ve real. , very real. it has to be. this is a moment _ very real. it has to be. this is a moment when _ very real. it has to be. this is a moment when literally - very real. it has to be. this is a | moment when literally anything very real. it has to be. this is a - moment when literally anything and everything can go wrong very suddenly. whether it is getting aid into the three quarters of a million people down in southern gaza who have no food, water, shelter, fuel, or trying to head off any escalation in northern israel from hezbollah. all looking further ahead to what can happen when the israeli offensive starts and how it can be insured it is... so many issues that need to be addressed immediately and there is going to be frantic diplomacy, if you want that description, going on for days more. we have talked a lot this morning about the dire humanitarian situation on the ground inside gaza because of course israel tightened

its siege on gaza since the unprecedented attack on his well on the 7th of october, leaving people two people without food, fuel, water, medicine. —— leaving people without. it has helped aid can start getting to people tomorrow, it is a wider message about controlling escalation, we have seen angry protests in support of palestinians and protests in what is going on to civilians across the arab world. it absolutely is and it is important to recognise this is far from guaranteed orfarfrom recognise this is far from guaranteed or far from a recognise this is far from guaranteed orfarfrom a done deal. if the aid that comes across appears to be getting to hamas, i think the israelis will say no more. if there is one the rafah crossing opens a kind of flood of bars and citizens

out into the sinai, i think the israeli egyptians will want to close the border. it is on a knife edge, it really is. that is why in part i think the prime minister when he talks to netanyahu will be pressing for every effort to be made for this to actually happen. president biden has opened the door, we now need to ensure they deliver and the aid gets through. ensure they deliver and the aid gets throu~h. ~ , ensure they deliver and the aid gets throu~h. , , ~ ensure they deliver and the aid gets throu~h. ~ , . ., ., through. absolutely. we heard from president biden, _ through. absolutely. we heard from president biden, he _ through. absolutely. we heard from president biden, he said, _ through. absolutely. we heard from president biden, he said, despite... he was always there showing israel the us is a staunch ally, he said he had very frank discussions about the civilian situation inside gaza with benjamin netanyahu, pressing that not all palestinians belong to hamas. when we look at the wage we are seen across the arab world, we have discussed also earlier today and we keep talking about the fact across the arab world many readers

do not want to get involved in south —— the outrage. even when we talk about iran which supports and to an extent supply is the hezbollah movement and also in southern lebanon and also hamas inside gaza, but leaders and militia groups will also feel the pressure from the population on the streets, how can that be juggled?— population on the streets, how can that be juggled? that be “uggled? what you are seeing with that be juggled? what you are seeing with the prime _ that be juggled? what you are seeing with the prime minister— that be juggled? what you are seeing with the prime minister travelling - with the prime minister travelling to turkey immediately afterwards as part of the international diplomatic effort to try to head off an escalation. the meeting between president biden and the egyptian and palestinian and jordanian leaders did not happen although i thinkjoe biden talks by telephone afterwards, but there will be a huge amount of diplomacy with a lot of countries

involved, notjust america, diplomacy with a lot of countries involved, not just america, but diplomacy with a lot of countries involved, notjust america, but also european countries, to try to get messages across to these players you have just listed to ensure escalation does not happen. even iran, no diplomatic relations for decades, but they have roots to get messages across to iran, they will be using them to warn against escalation and to say to the iranians, if escalation happens, it will not end well for you, so just back off. will not end well for you, so 'ust back off. ., back off. kim darroch, former national security _ back off. kim darroch, former national security adviser - back off. kim darroch, former national security adviser and i back off. kim darroch, former - national security adviser and former uk ambassador to the united states, thank you very much indeed. earlier we heard from sir mark lyall grant who was the representative of the uk to the united nations from 2009 to 2015 and he gave us this reaction.

it is certainly going to be a difficult visit, visiting a conflict zone always means that will be the case. but i think his messages will be obviously 100% solidarity with israel, but also showing support for british nationals in israel, but also in gaza, let alone the hostages, british hostages, in gaza as well. and he will certainly be wanting to dissuade any regional countries from getting directly involved. it is not yet clear what countries he will be visiting but i imagine he will go to perhaps to the west bank, jordan, maybe egypt, and james cleverly is visiting some countries as well separately. that will be an important message. but i think there will be some messages also around the aid because president biden's deal with israel and egypt is relatively limited, just talking about maybe 20 trucks

going through with humanitarian aid when there are something like 150 trucks lined up at the border. also nothing was said about allowing foreign nationals out of gaza. i think that is something rishi sunak will probably want to pursue, whether the rafah crossing can be used to allow foreign nationals out of gaza, something like 1,000 foreign nationals at least in gaza. work to be done on the diplomatic front, but also in private i am sure the prime minister will be looking to urge netanyahu to conduct the inevitable land incursion in a way that does not further inflame the situation and that he does so in full respect of international humanitarian law and the geneva convention. and he may also be asking the prime minister of israel, what is the day after looking like?

because at some point, even after a land incursion, the israeli troops will have to withdraw and what happens then? indeed. so many points you raise but that really is a huge question because so many in the region are looking ahead to tomorrow, but you are right, what about the day after tomorrow? israel says it wants still to go into gaza and it says to wipe out hamas. is that possible? what happens to the gaza strip after that? hamas is a militant organisation, labelled by many western governments as a terrorist organisation, but it also is the governor of the gaza strip, so who would take over in the gaza strip? the us, the uk, they are involved, but presumably you would need the buy in of arab leaders across the region as well. this is terribly complex. absolutely. these are big questions that are not

really being addressed in public at least, but in private all western governments will be considering very carefully. because even if israel achieves its stated objective, which is to wipe out hamas as a military organisation and politicalforce, and that is questionable whether that itself is achievable, even so, we still are left with a palestinian issue and what is going to happen after the conflict comes to an end? unfortunately, given the terrorist activity and the fact it is a terrorist organisation, one has to admit hamas has already achieved one of its wider objectives which is to put the palestine issue back at the centre of regional and international attention at a time when the arab neighbours of israel were seemingly losing interest in the palestinian question and beginning to normalise relations with israel.

that is now a very questionable way forward and the palestine issue has to be resolved. i was talking there to sir mark lyall grant, representative of the uk to the un from 2009 until 2015. returning to the explosion at a palestinian hospital we were talking about so much yesterday that costs are many lies. palestinian health officials say the death toll was at least 471 people —— cost so many lives. there was an explosion tuesday night. the palestinian leaders blame an israeli air strike for all of the deaths but israel military says it was not part of the aerial apartment and said the blast was caused by a failed rocket launch by the militant group palestinian islamichhad aiming their rocket at

israel —— the aerial bombardment. earlier we spoke to bbc verify looking into the situation and what they could make of it. merlyn thomas broke down what happened at the hospital blast. ever since the explosion happened at around 7pm local time on tuesday, bbc verify have been looking at images and footage that have emerged. you can see exactly here on the map exactly where the hospital is located within gaza city. here this footage shows what appears to be the courtyard car park of the hospital in flames. we have been able to establish that is exactly what it is from the shape of the buildings. aljazeera tv station was one of the only ones broadcasting live from gaza at the time, here you can see a series of bright lights in the sky. israeli air force has said there was a failed rocket launch by palestinian militant

group islamichhad. you can see a bright flash, big fireball. our verification teams have looked at the images and we can tell from skyline details such as the roofs and shape of the roofs this was the main courtyard of the hospital. another thing we have seen, looking at daylight images of what it looked like the next day. you can see quite a lot of fire damage to cars in the courtyard but most of the buildings surrounding it are less damaged and here you can see a relatively small crater. we have shown theses images to several weapons experts and while they could not come to a firm conclusion they told us if the explosion had been caused by a bomb normally used by israeli forces the crater would have been much bigger and there would have been much more damage to the buildings. another way of establishing what exactly hit and caused the explosion is by studying

misile and bomb fragments at the scene but the team on the ground and here have not been able to see any evidence. when searching for something inside the crater we showed you earlier, the logo on the vest show they are from palestinian police, explosive ordnance unit, we don't know what they have recovered. islamichhad has said it was caused by an israeli aerial bombing and they claim they have the remnants of the explosive warhead but we have not seen evidence of this yet. what is not in dispute is the very large number of casualties that occurred according to palestinian officials. mostly we think those were people sheltering in the hospital, sleeping on the grass right here. to establish the truth of exactly what happened you would need an independent investigation, but in an active war zone it is very unlikely to happen. merlyn thomas there from bbc verify talking about the explosion on

tuesday night at an overcrowded gaza hospital. across the world and across the uk, this is bbc news. you would think this is the only sandwich shop in town. queueing out of the door. not hard to see why. 50 of the door. not hard to see why. sr good. value for money, what is that? eight quite for a summit like that. in case they need convincing, the business is now officially the best, crowned the winner of the restaurant of the year award presented tojosh and his family at a star—studded eventin and his family at a star—studded event in london by top chefs. it and his family at a star-studded event in london by top chefs. it was fantastic, watching _ event in london by top chefs. it was fantastic, watching monica - event in london by top chefs. it was fantastic, watching monica and - event in london by top chefs. it ms fantastic, watching monica and prue leith on the tv when i was younger, i am only 23 now, and experience,

everyone was so welcoming and lovely. fist everyone was so welcoming and lovel . �* . ., ., , lovely. at a time when we are mainly re ”ortin lovely. at a time when we are mainly reporting closures _ lovely. at a time when we are mainly reporting closures in _ lovely. at a time when we are mainly reporting closures in the _ reporting closures in the hospitality industry, this is a refreshing change. you're live with bbc news. to other news now. the russian foreign minister has thanked north korea for its unwavering support over its war in ukraine. sergei lavrov is in pyongyang, where he has met with his north korean counterpart. last week, the us said north korea had begun shipping munitions and military equipment to russia to use in the war. live now to seoul to speak to our correspondentjean mackenzie. welcome to you, tell us the significance of this visit by sergei lavrov. . significance of this visit by sergei lavrov. . , significance of this visit by sergei lavrov. , lavrov. . he has said he is in pyongyang — lavrov. . he has said he is in pyongyang to _ lavrov. . he has said he is in pyongyang to discuss - lavrov. . he has said he is in pyongyang to discuss how. lavrov. . he has said he is in l pyongyang to discuss how they lavrov. . he has said he is in - pyongyang to discuss how they are going to implement some of the arrangements that were made between

vladimir putin and kimjong—un arrangements that were made between vladimir putin and kim jong—un when they met in russia last month. he may not have specified what the arrangements were but it is widely believed and the us believes certainly the two leaders have reached a major arms deal in which russia is going to receive artillery and ammunition from north korea to help it carry on fighting its war in ukraine. and over the last week, we have had several reports suggesting north korea has already started shipping this stuff in pretty large quantities. 0n shipping this stuff in pretty large quantities. on friday, the us released key pieces of intelligence and evidence showing 300 containers had left north korea and been shipped to the east coast of russia, then transported across the entire country and ended up in a military depot near the ukrainian border. we have seen kim jong—un meet with vladimir putin not long ago, reaffirming our gas, strengthening ties, between the two countries ——

reaffirming and strengthening. it is widel reaffirming and strengthening. it 3 widely thought the visit to pyongyang will pave the way for the russian president vladimir putin to repay the favour and come and visit kimjong—un in pyongyang himself. if you look at some of the language and the things sergei lavrov has said, clear russia was choosing to align itself with north korea at the moment, at least that it is what is doing publicly. sergei lavrov has thanked north korea for unwavering support for the war in ukraine and also come out today and criticised the us policy on north korea, saying the us policy on north korea, saying the us policy on north korea, saying the us is pursuing a dangerous policy in the region by building up alliances with japan and south korea. the more isolated these countries become, it is clear the more aligned their interests become, especially they are now both in confrontation with the us and it is thought russia is using a relationship notjust to get thought russia is using a relationship not just to get the hardware it needs but to put pressure on the us, to say to the

us, look, we have the power to be able to destabilise the security situation in northeast asia. what situation in northeast asia. what has the international _ situation in northeast asia. what has the international reaction being that the visit?— that the visit? certainly here in south korea — that the visit? certainly here in south korea and _ that the visit? certainly here in south korea and the _ that the visit? certainly here in south korea and the united - that the visit? certainly here in - south korea and the united states, they are watching this blossoming relationship with concern. there are still questions how far russia would really be prepared to go when it comes to supporting north korea, would it be prepared to transfer sensitive military technology to the north? no indication of what north korea is getting in return for the deal. there is concern about these countries growing ever more closely together because north korea stands together because north korea stands to benefit from this, hugely sanctioned at the moment, so any support, especially military support from russia, it strengthens its hand. these countries are more dangerous together than they are alone. . ~' ,. �* , alone. thank you. briefly returning

to their live — alone. thank you. briefly returning to their live shot _ alone. thank you. briefly returning to their live shot in _ alone. thank you. briefly returning to their live shot in israel - alone. thank you. briefly returning to their live shot in israel and - to their live shot in israel and particularly in gaza where we are of course following all of the developments ahead of the possibility that there may be 20 or so aid vehicles, vehicles carrying aid, allowed in via the rafah crossing tomorrow and friday. rishi sunak has a in israel holding talks with israeli leaders, also expected to visit other countries in the region. this is the skyline in gaza, the israeli military says it has hit hundreds of sites in gaza over the past 24 hours, targeting hamas infrastructure. that is it for the viewers on bbc world. netflix shares have been surging after the streaming giant said it signed up almost 9 million new subscribers in the past three months. that's way more than expected and the best quarterlyjump since the early days of the pandemic when we were all stuck at home. so, what's going on? it's mostly down to a crackdown

on people sharing their passwords and now netflix is putting up prices in several of its markets. michelle fleury has more. it has been less than six months since netflix started to crack down on password sharing and it appears to be working because it shows how it retain its current customers will new pricing options on offer including a less—expensive streaming plan with adverts helped to gain new people to stop many shareholders are excited about the new model. the streaming giant said it was a priority for the company to win over advertisers and it plans to roll out new products in the months ahead. next year members who love to binge might get served an advert saying something like, the next episode is commercialfree, made possible by such and such brand. netflix also raised the price of its basic and premium options. in the us, the uk and france. counting on committed viewers who hate adverts. the

quarter has not been without challenges, like the ongoing actors strike in america. netflix said it spent less on content this year as a result of the walk—out. asylum seekers will return to the bibby stockholm barge in dorset today. more than two months after they were evacuated when legionella bacteria was found on board. 0ur south west england correspondent jenny kumah reports. the bibby stockholm arrived injuly in portland but it has been far from plain sailing for the vessel. the aim was to be the government's fleix solution for the rising hotel been for asylum seekers, standing at £8 million a day —— flagship solution. the first man arrived in august but five days later taken off the barge to a hotel in devon. legionella bacteria was found in the water system. the latest in a long line of issues holding back the bibby stockholm. how are you feeling about going back? it

stockholm. how are you feeling about auoin back? , , ., going back? it feels scary. good to be here, going back? it feels scary. good to be here. not _ going back? it feels scary. good to be here, not on _ going back? it feels scary. good to be here, not on the _ going back? it feels scary. good to be here, not on the barge. - going back? it feels scary. good to be here, not on the barge. this - going back? it feels scary. good to l be here, not on the barge. this man was one of— be here, not on the barge. this man was one of the _ be here, not on the barge. this man was one of the 39 _ be here, not on the barge. this man was one of the 39 moved _ be here, not on the barge. this man was one of the 39 moved on - be here, not on the barge. this man was one of the 39 moved on and - be here, not on the barge. this man was one of the 39 moved on and off| was one of the 39 moved on and off again. ihlo was one of the 39 moved on and off aaain. .,. .,. he was one of the 39 moved on and off again._ he received - was one of the 39 moved on and off again._ he received a - again. no choice. he received a letter from _ again. no choice. he received a letter from the _ again. no choice. he received a letter from the home _ again. no choice. he received a letter from the home office - again. no choice. he received a| letter from the home office last week telling him he has to return. how would you say the barge compares to living here? this how would you say the barge compares to living here?— to living here? this is like heaven, the barae to living here? this is like heaven, the barge is _ to living here? this is like heaven, the barge is like _ to living here? this is like heaven, the barge is like hell. _ to living here? this is like heaven, the barge is like hell. we - to living here? this is like heaven, the barge is like hell. we were - the barge is like hell. we were feeling lonely, loneliness. here we are tied to the people, different clubs. feel like you are living in a society. clubs. feel like you are living in a socie . , ., , ., ., clubs. feel like you are living in a socie . , ., ., ., society. the people of the town are divided because _ society. the people of the town are divided because of _ society. the people of the town are divided because of this _ society. the people of the town are divided because of this and - society. the people of the town are divided because of this and we - society. the people of the town are divided because of this and we all. divided because of this and we all want _ divided because of this and we all want the — divided because of this and we all want the same thing, no to the barge — want the same thing, no to the barae. . . want the same thing, no to the bar e, ., ., , , barge. the arrival this summer s - arked barge. the arrival this summer sparked protests. _ barge. the arrival this summer sparked protests. no - barge. the arrival this summer sparked protests. no hate, - barge. the arrival this summer sparked protests. no hate, no| barge. the arrival this summer - sparked protests. no hate, no fear. campaigners _ sparked protests. no hate, no fear. campaigners took— sparked protests. no hate, no fear. campaigners took the _ sparked protests. no hate, no fear. campaigners took the home - sparked protests. no hate, no fear. campaigners took the home office | sparked protests. no hate, no fear. i campaigners took the home office to court last week arguing about needed planning permission. thejudge planning permission. the judge disagreed planning permission. thejudge disagreed and threw out the case but the fight against it continues.

human beings should be taken care of in communities not on barges, so i am deeply saddened human beings are going to be subjected to what i believe is an inhumane way of housing people. the believe is an inhumane way of housing people. believe is an inhumane way of housin: --eole. housing people. the government says sites like this — housing people. the government says sites like this barge _ housing people. the government says sites like this barge are _ housing people. the government says sites like this barge are more - sites like this barge are more affordable and better for communities as health care and catering facilities are on site. the bbc understands dozens more men from across the country are going to be moved on—board in the coming days. either there will be 400, 500 people, very small, overcrowded, if there is a single virus, single disease, everyone will be affected. since the arrival in the summer, this has mainly been an empty vessel, but this week could signal a sea change in the government's battle against the migration challenge. scotla nd scotland is bracing itself for the

arrival of storm babet with a rare red alert with the risk to life in north—eastern scotland. the worst has yet to strike packed preparations for flooding and high winds already under way. this picture shows the flood gates closed in the centre of perth and you can see how sandbags and floodgates have been put in place at one building in a nearby town. sandbags placed on the street for when they may be needed. high winds have closed some train services in scotland. there will be no services today or tomorrow between perth and aberdeen via dundee, perth and aviemore, aberdeen and kennewick, credit cancellations will also affect services between glasgow, queen street and inverness and edinburgh waverley and aberdeen and inverness. 0n the roads, so far the only major

closure is the forth road bridge. ferries have been affected, northlink ferries have cancelled savings today between aberdeen and 0rkney and shetland. pentland and 0rkney and shetland. pentland and 0rkney ferries have said they will be no savings today and into friday. the ferry serving the hebrides under the violence of the west of scotland are at heightened risk of disruption. let us look at the rest of the weather with carol kirkwood. storm babet has been making its presence felt, heavy rain and strong winds. that will continue through the day. the met office have its highest level of warning, red warning, in 4—4 angus, south aberdeenshire, heavy rain, coming into play at 6p on the night until noon tomorrow. all of us will see some rain over the next few days, heaviest in north in scotland and the pennines where some parts will have an excess of 100 millimetres. the rest of today, the rain still is

in north—east scotland, further rain in north—east scotland, further rain in the south, northern ireland wales, sunshine and showers, some of the showers will be heavy and thundery, longerspells the showers will be heavy and thundery, longer spells of rain with some merging and windy wherever you are. the met office has a number weather warning for the strength of wind in north—east scotland. especially close to the coast, gusts of 70 miles an hour, large waves, and you can see another rain morning and you can see another rain morning and another across the northeast with 100 millimetres of rainfall. it is the red warning giving us most concern and here we could have up to 250 millimetres of rain and extensive flooding quite possible. and further disruption. this evening and overnight, rain continues in the north, windy with even severe gales in the north and east, and a new area of low pressure in england and wales. not a cold night. tomorrow

this area of rain across the south—east is still open to question, it might drift further west quicker than we are showing here or slower, so keep in touch with the weather forecast, but the rain will ease in scotland. still very windy with coastal gales in the east, not looking at the gusts of 70 mph we are likely to see today. saturday, depending what happens on friday, low pressure looks like it will pull off into the north sea, brighter towards the west, further rain across the north of scotland, and the wind will still be a feature, not as windy as it will be in the next couple of days. only slowly as we move into sunday things will start to ease further.

live from london, this is bbc news. british prime minister rishi sunak is in israel for talks about stopping the conflict spilling into the wider region, and to express his support for the country. egypt agrees it will allow humanitarian aid into gaza. israel says it won't impede deliveries, as long as supplies do not reach hamas.

israeli forces and hezbollah militants exchange fire across the southern lebanon border. israel says it's moved thousands of extra troops to the region. and back in washington after his trip to israel, president biden says he had to be very blunt about the need to relieve the suffering of palestinian civilians. this is president biden as he returned last night. that's cross live note tojerusalem. katya adler, in jerusalem. british prime minister rishi sunak has arrived in israel

starting a two—day visit to the wider middle east.