israel's parliament votes to ban the un's palestinian refugee agency from operating in israel and the occupied west bank, drawing international condemnation and concern. hezbollah has announced that naim qassem will become its new leader, replacing hassan nasrallah, who was killed in an israeli strike last month. the covid inquiry hears from physiotherapist and experts today, with a focus on the impact of long covid. ahead of tomorrow's budget, chancellor gives the nhs extra funding for new equipment to help deliver 40,000 extra appointments per week. the covid inquiry is continuing with public hearings this week, with evidence from doctors and patients groups. this part of the inquiry is focusing on healthcare systems across the uk — and how medical staff and patients were affected. today it will hear from experts in long covid. 0ur health reporterjim reed has been following the inquiry.

it's an incredibly important issue for many people around the country. the latest statistics from april showed that roughly 2 million people in england and scotland say they are dealing with suffering with the long—term symptoms of covid, defined as symptoms that go on for longer than four weeks after your infection. big focus on that over the next couple of days. today we are hearing from nicola ritchie, a mental health psychotherapist, who works in the nhs and has been dealing with the symptoms of long covid herself. this afternoon, two experts, chris brightling and rachel evans, both professors of health at leicester university, going into some of the details on how it long covid is dealt in the health service. what have we heard about the overall objective of having this in the first place? this inquiry will go on for at least another three years. this just looks at the nhs impact and the impact on health systems and runs until november.

we've heard about subjects like the pressure on intensive care, the mental health impact on doctors and others working on the front line, and towards the end of this week it will be really important, because it will shift times likely. a look on the impact on dealing with problems that are not covid, the big increase in nhs waiting lists, how was this generated by covid and how are we going to get over that in the nhs and prevent that happening and if future pandemic? future pandemic? the overall intention the overall intention is to try to figure is to try to figure out how to ensure we are not in out how to ensure we are not in a similar situation, or if we a similar situation, or if we are, we are able to are, we are able to deal with it better? deal with it better? exactly, part of this exactly, part of this is looking at what went is looking at what went right and what went wrong right and what went wrong in the last pandemic. in the last pandemic. a lot of this is a lot of this is saying, should this saying, should this happen again, and pretty much happen again, and pretty much every scientific expert out every scientific expert out there think there will be there think there will be another pandemic at some point another pandemic at some point in the future, how can this in the future, how can this country be better prepared. country be better prepared.

the united nations secretary general has warned israel that its decision to ban unrwa from operating in israel could have devastating effects. it

operating in israel could have deva all ing effects. it operating in israel could have deva all around cts. it operating in israel could have deva all around the it operating in israel could have deva all around the world from all around the world trying to reform and change the fact that this organisation was taken over by hamas, by a terrorist organisation, understanding what will be the consequences notjust for palestinians, obviously for israel as well. when we understand that unrwa staff participated in the 7th of october massacre, many of them 0ctober massacre, many of them are activists or first family members of hamas members, where just three months ago the head of the union of the teachers of unrwa was appointed, knowingly that he is a high commander in hamas, and the united nations hasn't done anything about it. we had to act. i think that evenin 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. it took a year. we

gave an opportunity for the international community, we gave an opportunity to the united nations to reform it completely. but actually they were not very helpful with that. in light of that, we have an obligation towards our people to make sure they are protected, and things like the 7th of october massacre will never happen again.- 7th of october massacre will never happen again. those main allegations _ never happen again. those main allegations you _ never happen again. those main allegations you speak _ never happen again. those main allegations you speak to - never happen again. those main allegations you speak to were i allegations you speak to were looked into by the un and they did find some neutrality —related issues at unrwa, they determined that nine employees may have been involved in the october seven attacks, but they 0ctober seven attacks, but they didn't find evidence of what you say, the vast majority of unrwa members being affiliated with hamas. there are 13,000 unrwa employees, and israel says it has not provided evidence of another a50 members of staff being members of terrorist groups?- of staff being members of terrorist groups? this is like bu in: terrorist groups? this is like burying your— terrorist groups? this is like burying your head _ terrorist groups? this is like burying your head in - terrorist groups? this is like burying your head in the - terrorist groups? this is like l burying your head in the sand, thatis burying your head in the sand, that is what they are doing.

the united nations, in this action, has long ago lost neutrality. unrwa has broken the law of neutrality so many times. i have here a 70 page report, every page has evidence on how unrwa, unrwa workers have participated in the massacre, how the un facility which has immunity was used as a military base, as hideout for missiles, rockets and weapons, how schools have been used to shoot rockets from, clinics. you can bury your head in the sand, but we cannot do that any more. in 2005, israelalready reported to unrwa that hamas spokesperson was appointed to be the unrwa head of the school union. it took them ten years, until 2015, to actually fire him on corruption allegations. knowing that he works for unrwa, but he is also the hamas

spokesperson. you unrwa, but he is also the hamas spokesperson-_ spokesperson. you talk about bu in: spokesperson. you talk about burying your— spokesperson. you talk about burying your head _ spokesperson. you talk about burying your head in - spokesperson. you talk about burying your head in the - spokesperson. you talk about | burying your head in the sand, do you think israel's main allies, the us and uk, are burying their heads in the sand? if they had the same intelligence that you had, that implicates so many unrwa members, you say, why did the uk and the us resume funding unrwa earlier this year? look, the labour _ unrwa earlier this year? look, the labour government - unrwa earlier this year? look, the labour government has - the labour government has refunded unrwa, yes. but if you ask anybody from the british intelligence community, they will tell you that this organisation has been compromised. i have here letters from the head of the italian, a thank you note to the head of the

education centre, thanking him for giving paid leave of a week from his position as a teacher, for military training, a week before the 7th of october massacre. your intelligence community and your representatives know that the funds that are going from uk taxpayers go into the pocket of hamas commanders that are actually complicit in terrorist actions. you can ignore it, i understand, when united states ask terrorists to divert the funds to other organisations, proper organisations, like the world food organisation, unicef and the world health organization, to actually 0rganization, to actually provide that humanitarian aid to palestinians, the un refused, and tony told them not to take a dime because he does not want to shake unrwa, or to actually make sure that unrwa doesn't fall apart. he preferred unrwa, a rotten to the core organisation, instead of providing humanitarian aid to gaza children. that is the fact. and we have been facing a very difficult choice. we have

given mountains of proof for how unrwa was taken over by hamas. �* ,., , , ., hamas. i'm sorry we must move on to what — hamas. i'm sorry we must move on to what the _ hamas. i'm sorry we must move on to what the impact _ hamas. i'm sorry we must move on to what the impact of- hamas. i'm sorry we must move on to what the impact of this - on to what the impact of this will be, the us state department says that it has contacted israel to express deep concern, so has the uk. what will be the impact of this, the humanitarian situation, as we know, is desperate. i situation, as we know, is desperate-_ situation, as we know, is desperate. situation, as we know, is deserate. ~ . ., desperate. i think that part of the problem _ desperate. i think that part of the problem was _ desperate. i think that part of the problem was unrwa. - desperate. i think that part of i the problem was unrwa. when hamas has stolen more than 50% of the humanitarian goods and sold it in the market to people who could not afford it, that is when the humanitarian crisis really started. we need reorganisation, with real capability, the logistic capability, the logistic capability, like the real united nations agencies who are looking after the disaster areas in syria, sudan, and with millions of people affected by it. they have the logistics, they have the capability, they have the resources to actually

provide humanitarian aid. you have been _ provide humanitarian aid. you have been mentioning unicef, unicef have responded directly to the thought that you have that they might be able to replace unrwa, and they have said specifically, without the scale and expertise needed in gaza, no organisation can pick up gaza, no organisation can pick up the work of unrwa and continue without absolutely putting the lives of children and civilians at greater risk. they say they cannot carry out that work, nor can't other organisations in their view, without unrwa.— organisations in their view, without unrwa. well, gutierrez has sent a direct _ without unrwa. well, gutierrez has sent a direct order— without unrwa. well, gutierrez has sent a direct order not - without unrwa. well, gutierrez has sent a direct order not to . has sent a direct order not to compromise unrwa. i understand the pressure they are holding. but as a matter of fact, it is the palestinians who suffer under it. unrwa is incapable and has proven it does not have the logistic capability of doing that. it has proven that at least half of the goods were stolen by hamas and sold on the market. we have mountains of evidence for that. so, when a failed organisation did not

provide for that, we need a real organisation. if unicef right now is providing for 6 million children in sudan clean water, they can handle half a million children in gaza. i5 million children in gaza. is israel going to step in, is israel going to step in, is israel able to step in? the us has given israel a 30 day deadline to improve the flow of aid into northern gaza orface consequences. can israel be trusted with that, supplying humanitarian supplies to 650,000 children, 2 million people in gaza? i 650,000 children, 2 million people in gaza?— 650,000 children, 2 million people in gaza? i really hope the international _ people in gaza? i really hope l the international organisations step up as well and cooperates with israel, to provide unitarian aid. there are many solutions that we can find, i have written many articles about it and i have been advising with many experts on humanitarian aid as well. there are other solutions. the problem is that gutierrez has decided he does not want to

compromise this organisation. i understand his political interests, but right now there is a crisis and i hope the international community steps up international community steps up to solve it.— up to solve it. that is one of the stories _ up to solve it. that is one of the stories we _ up to solve it. that is one of the stories we are _ up to solve it. that is one of the stories we are looking . up to solve it. that is one of| the stories we are looking at on the bbc website, if you want further details. let's get more now on the uk government announcing details of its pledge to increase the number of hospital appointments and procedures in england by a0,000 per week. let's get more on the situation within the nhs with the chief executive of the nhs confederation — matthew taylor. is an important first step and it will fulfil a part of the labour manifesto in part relation to people on elective waiting lists. it's good news. just a few weeks ago there were rumours that the government was going to have to recap the number of operations that were being funded. we have taken an

important step forward. wes streeting and rachel reeves have clearly recognised the importance of investing in the nhs, but as hugh pym and jennifer said, nhs, but as hugh pym and jennifersaid, it nhs, but as hugh pym and jennifer said, it is only one step, it addresses one part of the challenge, the elected waiting lists, it is the issue the public say they care the most about, but there are challenges that mental health and community services, and primary care, and asjennifer dixon says, in the end, we are going to have to change radically the way the health service works.— radically the way the health service works. you say it is a ste in service works. you say it is a step in the — service works. you say it is a step in the right _ service works. you say it is a step in the right direction, i step in the right direction, what are the other big challenges and how would you advise the government to navigate that underdressed the very critical issue as best as they can? in very critical issue as best as they can?— they can? in terms of the announcement _ they can? in terms of the announcement today, - they can? in terms of the announcement today, i l they can? in terms of the | announcement today, i do they can? in terms of the - announcement today, i do want to say it is important that the government shows they have been listening. a few weeks ago we published a report which showed that what wes streeting had announced in terms of how he is going to increase the number of

operations, reduce waiting lists, 1521 00:14:03,030