hello. thank you forjoining us. i'm catherine byaruhanga. the israeli prime minister, benjamin netanyahu, has insisted that the death of the hamas leader, yahya sinwar, does not mean the end of the war in gaza. sinwar is widely believed to be behind the october 7th attacks. israeli forces say the 61—year—old died along with two other hamas members on wednesday during a ground operation in the southern city of rafah. an israeli drone captured pictures of sinwar sitting at the back of a room in a partially destroyed building before the building collapsed. the idf carried out dna testing to confirm his identity. iran's mission to the un describes sinwar as a martyr, saying the manner of his death will strengthen the spirit of resistance. the hamas leader's body is in tel aviv where people have been celebrating on the streets.

our international editor jeremy bowen sent this report. the israeli army released drone footage showing he was still fighting in his last moments. they said sinwar, on a chair at the back of the room, had thrown two grenades and, obviously wounded, tried to fend the drone off with a stick before he was killed. it had been a chance encounter and at first they didn't realise who they'd killed. then soldiers saw the dead man resembled sinwar. yahya sinwar, born in 1962, grew up in a refugee camp in gaza. he spent 22 years in israeli jails for killing four palestinians who'd collaborated with israel. so, the security services had dental records and dna to identify his body. injail, he learned hebrew, studied his enemy, and believed he'd worked out how to fight them. on 7th october last year, in a meticulously planned series of attacks, sinwar

and his men inflicted israel's worst—ever defeat... ..and a collective trauma that is still deeply felt. the killing of civilians, the hostage taking and the celebrations of their enemies recalled, for many israelis, the nazi holocaust in the second world war. prime minister netanyahu said the war would go on. today, he said, "we made clear once again what happens "to those who harm us. "we showed the world the victory of good over evil. "but the war is not over yet. "it is difficult and it is costing us dearly." israel's response, a year of war, continued this morning. around 25 palestinians were killed and dozens more wounded in the latest big raid onjabalia camp in northern gaza. israel said it bombed a hamas command centre. doctors said the casualties they saw were civilians. israel's response to the 7th

october attacks has killed at least 42,000 people in gaza. its war aims of destroying hamas and freeing hostages have not been achieved, so killing yahya sinwar is its biggest victory yet. the hamas organisation that sinwar and others built before the 7th october attacks is largely broken. left of sinwar is ismail haniyeh, hamas political leader who was assassinated injuly. israel doesn't let us into gaza to report. but this reaction in khan younis, sinwar�*s birthplace, was filmed for the bbc. translation: this war is not dependent on sinwar, - haniyeh, nor on any other leader or official. it's a war of extermination against the palestinian people, as we all know and understand. the issue is much bigger than sinwar or anyone else. translation: many leaders have been assassinated before him, - like ismail haniyeh, but someone else will always step in and the

struggle will continue. back in israel, a few people stopped to celebrate at the forensics lab where sinwar�*s body was taken. israelis are relieved and happy that their enemy has been killed, but hamas still has its hostages, is still fighting, and will get a new leader. jeremy bowen, bbc news, jerusalem. our middle east correspondent, yolande knell, had more on the political reaction to the hamas leader's death. what it's going to do, it will strengthen mr netanyahu, particularly in the polls at this point. we have seen sincejuly, really, things started to turn a corner and we had the israeli prime minister looking like he had been vindicated in taking a more hawkish approach and not giving in to the international pressure and domestic pressure for a ceasefire and hostage release deal, keeping

the fighting going in gaza. because you had first of all the head of the military wing of hamas, mohammed deif, killed injuly and then when israel turned its attention to hezbollah in lebanon, the fact there had been this cross—border fighting going on for the duration of the war in gaza between israel and hezbollah in lebanon as well, still we had a quick series of what was seen by israel as being military successes, including the assassination of the long—time hezbollah leader. on top of that, the main scalp israel really wanted, that of yahya sinwar in gaza. but this is going to be a time where a lot of attention comes to what happens next in terms of post—war plans for gaza and really underlines how there is not a clear plan for what happens next, apart from a continuing israeli military occupation there. it is clear israel still has not achieved its main war goals.

it says it wants to make sure it defeats hamas in terms of its political and military capabilities. it still remains something of a fighting force. we expect yahya sinwar will be replaced as leader, just as his predecessor who was killed at the end ofjuly, ismail haniyeh, was replaced by him as overall leader of hamas. where do things go from here? you'll knell in jerusalem there. you'll knell injerusalem there. —— yolande knell. our security correspondent, frank gardner, had more on how the death of yahya sinwar might impact on negotiations to release the israeli hostages. benjamin netanyahu went against much of public opinion and certainly against advice of the americans in defying calls for a ceasefire which would have probably brought the hostages home. he has pressed on and they feel they have got an advantage at the moment.

much now depends on what iran does and the signals coming out of iran are pretty defiant. there does not appear to be much appetite on other side for any kind of a ceasefire because i think you have to ask yourself certain questions here. does the death of yahya sinwar make it easier to bring a ceasefire? well, if israel feels they have not achieved their goals in gaza — they have not eliminated hamas and brought the hostages home — then a ceasefire is going to be unlikely. does it bring an end to the war in gaza? not immediately, no, which is very depressing for those people who have survived a year of onslaught there in gaza. and also desperately depressing for the hostage families who are still demonstrating. there are placards in tel aviv saying, "now end the sinwar," making a pun out of yahya sinwar�*s name and the sin war, you know, w—a—r.

of course, let us not forget there is full—scale war going on between israel and hezbollah in southern lebanon, not evenjust southern lebanon, in beirut and the bekaa valley. that's not going to end either immediately because hezbollah is still firing rockets into israel, still the houthis in yemen also firing missiles at israel. much depends, as i say, on what happens with iran. remember israel has vowed to retaliate against iran for the october 1st ballistic missile attack when iran launched around 180 missiles at israel in response, it said, for the killing of hassan nasrallah, their big ally in beirut killed on september 27th. so, there is a lot of still moving pieces here in the jigsaw that have not stopped moving yet. so, i'm sorry to say that i don't think the middle east generally is a calmer place

today than it was 48 hours ago. that was the bbc�*s frank gardner. tributes continue to pour in after the death of liam payne, the former member of the boy band one direction. payne fell from a hotel balcony late on wednesday. the singer rose to global stardom as part of one direction, selling 70 million records worldwide. his former bandmates have paid tribute to him, saying "the memories we shared will be treasured for ever." azadeh moshiri has more. fans had long called for a one direction reunion, but now liam payne's former bandmates are united in grief. in a statement, louis tomlinson, zayn malik, niall horan and harry styles said, "we will take some time "to grieve and process the loss of our brother "who we love dearly." it's incredible... that sense they were more than bandmates, more than friends, was echoed

in separate tributes. louis tomlinson thanked liam for being "the kind brother i'd "longed all my life for." zayn malik wrote, "i lost a brother when you left "us and can't explain to you what i'd give to just "give you a hug one last time." and harry styles said he was devastated and wrote, "the years we spent together will forever remain "among the most cherished years of my life." fans are still in disbelief. police say he fell from the third floor of the casasur hotel in buenos aires. officials say, by the time police arrived, liam payne had died of multiple traumatic injuries. # fly me to the moon...# he rose to fame as a teenager in 2010 on the x factor. we're very excited about the album. it's where he met his one direction bandmates. # you don't know you're beautiful!# together, they became a global sensation, but after six years, the boyband went on an indefinite hiatus.

# you know i love it when the music's loud...# liam, who'd already had songwriting credits under his belt, went on to pursue a solo career. but amidst the global stardom, he was open about the impact on his mental health and his struggles with addiction. the former x factorjudge sharon osbourne has now said, "we all let you down. "where was this industry when you needed them?" his friends and family have praised liam payne's talent and his kindness, in shock as his career, his life, ended so soon. harry styles' mother said simply, "he was just a boy." azadeh moshiri, bbc news. joe biden is in berlin for what will be his last visit to germany as us president. we can take you to berlin and the scene at the bellevue

palace where president biden, as you can see, is listening to the german president frank—walter steinmeier. a little early at the us president was greeted with a military guard of honour. this is being seen as a farewell visit to the us president, this will be his last visit to germany before he steps down as president. let us listen to what is happening. applause for germany, the friendship with the united states has been, is now and will always be existentially important. existential both for our security and our democracy. and yet in this friendship there

have been and always will be times of proximity and greater distance. times of agreement and times of discord. even recently, just a handful of years ago, the distance had grown so wide that we almost lost each other. but, ladies and gentlemen, throughout the ups and downs of time, there have been people who have stood by the transatlantic relations, no matter what. and chief among those people, the president, you. you stand with us, sir, because you know that what binds us is so much deeper than the news of the day, what binds us is freedom, democracy and the rule of law. what binds us

is the conviction that if liberal democracy is to have a future in this troubled world, we have to secure it together. and what binds us are the lessons from our past, sacred lessons from our past, sacred lessons that you describe so hauntingly in your letter to our beloved margaret friedland. when you were elected president, you restored your�*s hopein president, you restored your�*s hope in the transatlantic alliance, literally overnight. and then only a year later came putin's war. one putin invaded ukraine, he did notjust go after one country, he attacked the very principles of peace in europe. putin thought we would be week, he thought we would be divided. but the opposite was

true. nato was stronger and more united than ever and that is in no small part, mr president, thanks to your leadership. mr president, to have you in our most dangerous moments since the cold war, to have you and your administration on our side is no less than ahistorical stroke of good fortune. for us in europe, the past two years have shown once again america truly is the indispensable nation but it has also shown something else, nato is the indispensable alliance. so, in the months to come, i hope europeans remember america's indispensable for us and i hope americans remember

your allies are indispensable for you. we are more than just at the countries in the world. we are partners, we are friends. the choice on the 5th of november is only the choice of november is only the choice of americans to make, but we as europeans have a choice too. we have the choice to do our part, to be unwavering in our support for ukraine, to invest in our common security, to invest in our shared future, and as you have done, sir, to stand by the transatlantic alliance, no matter what. mr president, when i visited you in the oval office a year ago on the 6th of october, just a few hours before hamas brought an attack on israel, we spoke about the middle east. we spoke about ukraine and russia. but at the

end, i will never forget, ukraine and russia. but at the end, i will neverforget, at the end of our conversation, you went to your desk and handed me a speech of yours not on foreign policy but on the issue that you care most about and that you worry most about, about democracy. i quote, democracies do not have two die at the end of a rifle. you say in speech. democracies can die when people are silent, when they are willing to give away that which is most precious to them because they feel frustrated, tired, alienated. end of quote. your words, mr president, echoed deeply on our part of the world and they were even more heavily coming from the leader of the world's

oldest and most time—tested democracy. let me say this from the bottom of my heart, this time, when democracy is under strain all around the western world, you, mr president, have been a beacon of democracy. you are a beacon notjust by what you have done but by who you are. by the example of your humility, your deep connection with the lives and hopes of hard—working people, and, if you'll excuse the old—fashioned word, by your decency. decency is maybe what we are most at risk of losing. but your decency, sir, is a light that shines very far. it's certainly reached the hearts of my fellow

germans. as us president, you command the most powerful military, you lead the biggest economy in the world, but may be the most precious service to democracy, the mostjoyful and democracy, the most joyful and reassuring democracy, the mostjoyful and reassuring thing for people is to know that even this most powerful man in the world is, in the end, a fundamentally decent human being. mr president, we all know that you love your irish poets and you know them well. i have heard you quote seamus heaney from memory. i hope you allow me to end with a quote from his republic of conscience. i

quote, their inauguration, public leaders must swear to uphold unwritten law and week to atone for their presumption to atone for their presumption to hold office. the presumption to hold office. the presumption to hold office. the presumption to hold office, mr president, it seemed that you have always had a deep sense of inevitable presumption in holding office, including the highest office. in being elevated above others in a society of equals, you have transformed this presumption into a deep sense of responsibility. and you have carried that responsibility throughout your career and have now decided on the most noble tradition of american leaders since washington to let democracy run its ever—changing and uncharted course. mr

president, on the historic occasion of your visit to germany, my country recognise your decades long dedication to the transatlantic alliance. your outstanding political leadership in europe's most dangerous moment and your lasting moral example of service, sincerity and decency. it is now my great honour to pismo anew the grand cross special class of the order of merit of the federal republic of germany and for that, mr president, may i say, congratulations —— great honour to bestow on you. applause

i have to read the document, one second, in german. he speaks in german studio: the german president, frank—walter steinmeier, speaking now in german. we understand in a short while, he will be awarding president

biden the merit award, one of the highest honours of the german state. before that, you heard him in his speech celebrating the us president, saying that throughout history very few people have stood by the transatlantic relationship no matter what and he said president biden was one of them. this is the moment that them. this is the moment that the meadow has been pinned on president biden�*s lapel —— the medal. applause a little earlier the german

president said it was ahistorical stroke of good fortune that they had biden standing by the side following russia's invasion of ukraine. it looks like the president is about to speak. let us take a listen. i about to speak. let us take a listen. ., ., ., listen. i am overwhelmed not 'ust b listen. i am overwhelmed not just by the — listen. i am overwhelmed not just by the award _ listen. i am overwhelmed not just by the award but - listen. i am overwhelmed not just by the award but by - listen. i am overwhelmed not just by the award but by the l just by the award but by the words. mr president, you are a voice of conscience. i am honoured to be in your presence, for real. this award means so much to me for what it says about us. the journey we have taken, the alliance we have taken, the alliance we have strengthened, the way that we have as two separate nations whizzing together to meet our moment. i think it is fair to

say —— risen together. i think it is fair to say, although i only look like i am a0 years old, i have seen a wide sweep of history. when i was born, our countries were at war. as a young senator, i visited west berlin and i saw what it meant to live in a divided city, country and continent. and i forged a bond with how helmut schmidt, my first relationship of candour and trust, the german chancellor, and thankfully not my last. then in 1989, like millions of people around the world, i saw 70,000 brave souls gathered in leipzig, crying out for freedom. and the berlin wall

came down, 35 years ago this month. it was one of the greatest advances in human dignity in my lifetime. some feared the reunification of germany would revive hatred and rivalries. leaders of america, germany came together, a much better future. germany came together, a much betterfuture. the germany came together, a much better future. the achievement of a germany whole and free lives on, exceeding, i think, everyone's expectations. the dream of europe whole and free remains the work of our time. nor is that work more urgent than in pushing back against putin's vicious attack against ukraine. germany does have the wisdom to recognise —— german

leaders have to wisdom to recognise a turning point in history and an assault on principles upheld 75 years of peace and security in europe. germany and the united states stood together to support brave people of ukraine in their fight forfreedom, for fight for freedom, for democracy, for the fight forfreedom, for democracy, for the very survival, and i want to thank every leader across germany's government who has worked tirelessly to ensure ukraine prevails and putin fails, that nato remains strong and more united than ever. we are headed into a very difficult winter. we cannot let up. we cannot... thank you so very much. kind of

you. we are headed into a very difficult winter. we cannot let up. we must sustain our support. in my view, we must keep going until ukraine wins a just and durable peace consistent with the un charter. once again, human dignity prevails. let me close with this, the times i have lived through have taught me that history does move forward and things can get better if we determine they must. things can get better. we should never underestimate the power of democracy. never underestimate the value of alliances. germany, germany has taught us

all that changes possible and for better or for worse countries can and for better orfor worse countries can and do for better or for worse countries can and do choose their own destinies. the choices that leaders make at critical times truly matter. i want to thank the current leaders of germany and with the choice you have made when it matters most. i hope you will forgive this once, but if i forsake the great german poets, and quote an irish poet, seamus heaney. history teaches us not to hope this side of the grave but then, once—in—a—lifetime, along tidal wave ofjustice can rise up and hope and history.

the berlin wall fell, hope and history rhyme. studio: president biden at the bellevue palace in berlin, where he is visiting the country before stepping down as president in november. you're watching bbc news. and we are leaving the scene in berlin and heading to sydney in australia, where king charles and queen camilla have arrived in the country for their visit. this is the plane that touched down a while ago. it is around 8.31 in the evening in sydney, australia and this is a major visit for the king following

the revelation of his cancer diagnosis