bank, drawing international condemnation and concern. we condemnation and concern. gave an opportunity fo international we gave an opportunity for the international community, we gave an opportunity to the un to reform it completely, but actually they weren't very helpful with that. in the light of that, we have an obligation towards our people to make sure that they are protected. i will be reported live from israel where members of the knesset voted to support that measure, highly controversial measure, highly controversial measure despite international pressure. ahead of wednesday's budget, the uk's chancellor gives the nhs extra funding for new equipment to help deliver 40,000 extra appointments per week. archaeologists have discovered an ancient city hidden underground in mexico, which may help us better understand the maya civilisation.

welcome to the programme. hamas emergency officials in gaza say an israeli strike on the northern town of beit lahiya has killed at least 60 palestinians. just a warning that the pictures we are about to show do contain some graphic images of the aftermath of the attack. the strike hit a five—storey residential building. rescuers say that locals and displaced people were killed including many women and children. israel has been intensifying its offensive in northern gaza, saying it's trying to prevent hamas from regrouping there. it comes as the united nations secretary general has warned israel that its decision to ban the un agency for palestinian refugees, unrwa, from operating

in the country could have "devastating consequences" for gaza and the west bank. two laws were passed by a large majority in the israeli parliament, which will ban unrwa from carrying out any of its activities in israel, and also restricts its communication with the israeli government, which are seen as crucial in allowing aid to cross into gaza. the israeli prime minister benjamin netanyahu said unrwa workers must be held accountable for what he called their "terrorist activities" against his country. there's been widespread condemnation of the move by israel. the us says it's urged israel not to pass the law, whilst the british prime minister keir starmer said he was gravely concerned. the bbc�*s ben brown is injerusalem. yes, is in jerusalem. thank yes, is injerusalem. thank you very much. and the yes, thank you very much. and the israeli parliament the knesset passed this legislation, the two separate bills absolutely overwhelmingly last night, despite a waive of

international pressure on them not to do so. we are talking here about a un refugee agency that has been round since 1949 helping millions of palestinians in gaza, and the west bank specially. but israel says, claims that unrwa, this agency has colluded with hamas, and that some of its staff were involved in the october 7th attack, my colleague earlier was speaking to sharren haskel when we understand that unrwa's staff have participated in 7th october massacre, where many of them are activists or first family members of hamas members, where just three months ago, the head of the union, of the unrwa was appointed. knowing he is a high commander in hamas and the un hasn't done anything about it,

we had to act. i think that even in london, if an international organisation would have participated in a massacre of english people in london, i don't believe it would take more than 2a hours until the british government would kick them out of the country. the us state department has said the us has contacted israel to express its deep concern, so has the uk, but what is going to be the impact of this? the humanitarian situation as we know is desperate. well, i think that part of the problem was unrwa, when hamas has stolen more than 50% of the humanitarian goods and sold it in the market, to people who couldn't afford it, that is when the humanitarian crisis really started. we need reorganisation with real capability, with the logistics capability, like the real un agency who are looking after the disaster areas, in syria and in sudan, and with millions of people who are affected by it.

they have the logistics, they have the capabilities, they have the resources to actually provide humanitarian aid. that was a member of the israeli parliament, the knesset speaking earlier on. there is no doubt that this legislation and it takes effect in 90 days will have devastating consequences for unrwa's work in gaza, and the west bank, and in gaza, and the west bank, and in fact that is exactly what the united nations secretary—general has said it will be devastating, lots of other world leaders have condemned this move. unrwa has said that this legislation, this vote last night is a breach of international law, and we have been talk, we can talk and hearfrom sam rose whoa is the security deputy director for gaza at unrwa. we're not an intelligence operation, we have investigatory capability but we have taken immediate and strong and direct action against any allegations that we have received.

this is proven in terms of the actions that the unrwa commissioner general has taken, and the actions that have been referred to other bodies within the un. i refute any claim we do not take these actions seriously and that we have not taken action. i mean, what we have seen in this conflict over the past 13 months is all sorts of red lines crossed, in terms of the brutality that has been meted out on a civilian population here, as a result of the horrific events of the 7th october, and we call constantly and consistently for a ceasefire, the immediate and unconditional release of hostages, but i can tell you without any doubt that the plight of the civilian population inside gaza will get immeasurably worse if these bills, if and when these bills are implemented. there is absolutely no doubt about that. there are no other organisations that can pick up the bulk of what unrwa does in terms of its operations here. no—one has 13,000 staff,

75 years of knowledge, of understanding of the community here, it simply will not be possible. that was sam rose from unrwa. explain how this legislation that was passed last night by the knesset will have an impact on this key un agency? the israeli prime _ on this key un agency? tue: israeli prime minister's on this key un agency? tte: israeli prime minister's office is underlining that it says there will be three months before this takes effect and it will work in that time. it says with world partners for, to try to sort out this aid situation, but if you look at the legislation, there are two parts to it. one which basically bans unrwa in israel, and in israeli annexed territory, in eastjerusalem territory, in east jerusalem and territory, in eastjerusalem and then there is another part which bans the israeli

authorities from really having anything do with the organisation, and that is where it will have a big impact on gaza, and the west bank, under israeli military occupation, because in order to get aid into those places, in orderfor international staff to move round, that all requires co—ordination especially with the israeli military, and if you look at gaza in particular, well that is where unrwa is the biggest un agency on the ground, so we have seen during the war, that it has become the biggest distributor of aid and it is also of course running these want time shelters with so many premises in guards, turning them over to displaced people, so that is why, you know, this is really causing such a lot of alarm.- know, this is really causing such a lot of alarm. thank you very much _ such a lot of alarm. thank you very much indeed. _ there have before more israeli air strikes. the government's health ministry in lebanon says

at least 60 people have been killed in the latest air strikes, mainly in the east of the country, they hit five areas in the baalbek region. the local governor called the attacks the most violent in the area since israel escalated the conflict against hezbollah last month. the eastern bekaa valley is a stronghold of the militant group. another seven people were killed in israeli strikes on the coastal city of tyre. hezbollah has announced a new leader to take over from its long—time chief hassan nasrallah who was killed in an israeli air strike in beirut last month. he 5 naim qassem the iranian—backed group's deputy secretary general. let's speak to our middle east correspondent hugo bachega, who is in beirut. hugo, talk us through the latest israeli action in lebanon, and another large death toll overnight.-

lebanon, and another large death toll overnight. yes, it was a very _ death toll overnight. yes, it was a very violent _ death toll overnight. yes, it was a very violent night - death toll overnight. yes, it was a very violent night of l was a very violent night of israeli air strikes in the east of the country in the beqaa valley, 16 areas were hit, and those attacks happened with no warning by the israeli military, there hasn't been reaction from the israeli army, explaining those attack, what was being targeted with those air strikes last night. but the lebanese health ministry say at least 60 people were killed including two children and images that have been posted on social media show widespread destruction in some of the areas, also fires that were sparked by those air strikes, and the head of the civil defence said that those air strikes happened at the same time last night, that residential buildings were hit, and in one village, residents pleaded on social media for heavy equipment to be sent to the area to help in rescue

efforts, that gives you a sense of the desperate efforts there following the air strikes and this morning in another village,s we cue efforts continue forted five people who are still missing following the air strikes, this is an area that has been repeatedly hit by the israeli military, it is an area where hezbollah has a very strong presence, it's a strategic route connecting hezbollah to its allies in iraq and syria and also to iran, which is obviously hezbollah�*s main supporter, but as you mentioned, in the introduction the governor says the attacks last night were the most violent in his rete since the beginning of the conflict. —— region. not surprisingly, given than level of military activity in lebanon by the israeli, a lot of lebanese civilians on the move, who have been displaced, who have had to get out of their various towns and cities to try and seek safety. exactly. 1.2 million people

have been forced to flee their homes because of the conflict since the escalation of this conflict, five weeks ago, and many of these people have left the south of the country, where we have seen this massive campaign by the israeli military against hezbollah, not only with intense air strikes but also with a ground invasion so sophie ridges occupied by the israeli military, also a huge displacement of residents from the east of the country, from the east of the country, from the east of the country, from the beqaa valley and the city southern suburbs here in beirut, once hezbollah�*s beating heart here in the capital, where hezbollah is based, again now a ghost town because of those israeli air strikes, and also, a number of evacuation orders by the israeli military, so, this has obviously put a lot of pressure on the local authorities here, on the local authorities here, on public service, has exact baited —— exacerbated sectarian

divisions in this country and the authorities are saying if there is no ceasefire, and if this conflict continue, this is going to obviously put more pressure on the authorities and cities and towns across the country, having to absorb this huge waive of residents who have been displaced because of this conflict. —— wave of residents. thank you very much. back to that vote in the israeli parliament, where members voted overwhelmingly, to have nothing more to do with the un's refugee agency unrwa, which has been working with palestinian refugees since 1919 and helps millions of palestinians in gaza, and the west bank, so israel effectively cuts off all cooperation with unrwa, the un general secretary said it will have devastating consequences in terms of aid, this was a

parliamentary vote carried out in defiance of international pressure and once it went through it has caused an international outcry. we can talk more about it to a journalist who is based here in jerusalem, and just talk us through the thinking of those parliamentary members in the knesset, why with were they so keen to push this legislation through, in defiance of international calls for them not to do so?— international calls for them not to do so? hi. i think there are many _ not to do so? hi. i think there are many reasons, _ not to do so? hi. i think there are many reasons, one - not to do so? hi. i think there are many reasons, one is- not to do so? hi. i think there are many reasons, one is that this government has very successfully turned unrwa into a kind of bete noire of the entire mishandled situation in gaza, over the last many year, and i have to say in some respects unrwa has not done itself any favour, because it does appear that they accommodated hamas and have taken very lightly some of.

israel's accusations. that said, israel has provided little evidence for all of its accusations against unrwa, so we find ourselves in a situation where which unrwa has become a kind of de facto governing authority, for palestinians, notjust in gaza, also in lebanon, palestinian refugees everywhere in the west bank and jordan and it is the one refugee agency, the only one refugee agency, the only one that doesn't resettle refugee, it simply maintains them, and so israel has increasingly complained against it, and yesterday you had members of the netanyahu's government, really screeching in parliament that unrwa itself is a terror organisation. in part, i have to say, i do think in part this is a way of not addressing the prime minister, netanyahu's own responsibility neta nyahu's own responsibility for netanyahu's own responsibility for having chosen to support

hamas for many years as against the palestinian authority. fik. the palestinian authority. 0k. thank you _ the palestinian authority. 0k. thank you very _ the palestinian authority. 0k. thank you very much - the palestinian authority. 0k. thank you very much indeed. in a journalist based thank you very much indeed. i