before, to reaching a point before, to reaching a ceasefire. point before, to reaching a ceasefire. us congress receives a report stating donald trump's re—election prevented him from being convicted of trying to overthrow the 2020 result. and as strong winds are forecast to return in los angeles, nine people are charged in connection with looting. hello, i'm lucy hockings, hello, i'm lucy hockings, welcome to bbc news now, welcome to bbc news now, three hours of fast—moving three hours of fast—moving news, interviews and reaction. news, interviews and reaction. it has taken months, it has taken months, but all the signs are but all the signs are that we are now closer that we are now closer than ever to seeing than ever to seeing a ceasefire in the gaza war, a ceasefire in the gaza war, which would see an exchange which would see an exchange of israeli hostages of israeli hostages and palestinian prisoners. and palestinian prisoners. the deal is highly complex, the deal is highly complex, and is not yet fully agreed. and is not yet fully agreed. it's being brokered it's being brokered by the government of qatar, by the government of qatar, and just a short while ago, and just a short while ago, a spokesman for the foreign a spokesman for the foreign ministry gave this update. ministry gave this update.

this war should have been this war should have been over a long time ago. the humanitarian cost of the ongoing war is unbearable and continue to be unbearable for the people of gaza and the stability and security of this region and therefore we again say and call on both parties to seriously engage in the negotiations which are happening right now. and we do applaud the fact that the negotiations are taking place but we also, you

seven days later, hamas would release four additional hostages, and israel would allow displaced people in the south to return to the north, but only on foot via the coastal road. cars, animal—drawn carts, and trucks would be permitted to cross through a passage adjacent to salah al—din road, monitored by an x—ray machine operated by a qatari—egyptian technical security team. the agreement includes provisions for israeli forces to remain in the philadelphi corridor and maintain an 800—metre buffer zone along the eastern and northern borders during the first phase, which will last 42 days. israel has also agreed to release 1,000 palestinian prisoners, including approximately 190 who have been serving sentences of 15 years or more. in exchange, hamas will release 3a hostages. and negotiations for the second and third phases of the agreement would begin on the 16th day of the ceasefire.

hamas has not yet commented. there are of course some dissenting voices, for example, israel's national security minister, itamar ben gvir, from the ultra—nationalist side of israeli politics, said the deal would amount to surrender to hamas. but israel's deputy foreign minister struck a more positive tone. there is progress today. israel is deeply committed to securing the release and is working relentlessly to reach an agreement. we will soon see whether the other side is genuinely interested in reaching an agreement. i hope we will witness progress in the very near future and especially today. very near future and especially today. let's speak to rushdi, the bbc correspondent formerly based in gaza,

but is now in istanbul. we are hearing lots of different voices saying we are very close including, crucially, the qataris. but what is the latest that you are hearing from your sources? well, we understand that the meeting involving technical teams with the mediators are still going on and we are waiting for the result of this meeting which is described by a senior palestinian official as might be the final meeting before the deal is being announced. they said that now they are talking about very small details related to the implementation of the ceasefire deal. you know, there are a lot of details and maps that have been drawn and areas, technical teams who will do this, who will do that? we understand that the egyptians are heavily involved now. they are talking to some of the former

palestinian authorities, security officials who might have some roles at the rafah crossing forming some sort of a police unit in gaza that would take advantage of facilitating the movement of hundreds of thousands of people who were displaced in the beginning of this warfrom north displaced in the beginning of this war from north to south to be able to go back because part of the deal after seven days, israel should start to allow people to go back to the north. and this is very complicated issue because israel want to make sure that everybody is moving north, not any militants from hamas or other militant groups. they will be entering gaza the first day of the ceasefire and they will set up scanners for the cars, cameras on the road so that people can move after they are, you know,

checked into the other side. all eyes on doha now are waiting for the meeting to be finished and finalised and the optimism is building up. people in gaza, they have started to commit some of them, they have told me that they are thinking of starting to pack up their stuff, ready to move back to the north. stuff, ready to move back to the north-— the north. just to stay with us... the north. just to stay with us- -- yes. _ the north. just to stay with us... yes, mixed - the north. just to stay with us... yes, mixed feelings. the north. just to stay with i us... yes, mixed feelings but we are looking at live pictures from khan younis at the moment and as the talks continue we should remind people that the fighting continues in gaza where the mass run health ministry said in the past day 61 further deaths after four attacks, ongoing concerns about the delivery of humanitarian aid as well. the charity medecins sans frontieres say three key hospitals are on the verge of closure because of a lack of supplies. the health ministry says, in total, 46,645 palestinians have been killed. hamas killed about 1,200

people in the initial 0ctober seven attack. more than 250 people were taken hostage. as we look at those pictures and talk about the mixed feelings that people have in gaza, they are in desperate need of something to alleviate the suffering in gaza. in this deal that they are proposing, what will specifically help on that front in terms of the humanitarian needs there? well, oenin: humanitarian needs there? well, opening the _ humanitarian needs there? well, opening the rafah _ humanitarian needs there? well, oenin: humanitarian needs there? well, opening the _ humanitarian needs there? well, opening the rafah _ humanitarian needs there? well, opening the rafah crossing - humanitarian needs there? well, opening the rafah crossing is - opening the rafah crossing is the key issue to facilitate humanitarian needs there? well, opening the rafah crossing - humanitarian needs there? well, opening the rafah crossing is - opening the rafah crossing is the key issue to facilitate aid. a part of the deal, aid. a part of the deal, 500-700 aid. a part of the deal, 500—700 trucks will be allowed 500-700 aid. a part of the deal, 500—700 trucks will be allowed everyday into gaza. at the everyday into gaza. at the south of the tracks will go to south of the tracks will go to northern gaza including fuel northern gaza including fuel and some material to repair the and some material to repair the infrastructure, the infrastructure, the electricity, the sewage system, electricity, the sewage system, the water system. so there is a the water system. so there is a lot of, you know, details. and lot of, you know, details. and a lot of technical teams are in a lot of technical teams are in cairo now preparing for the cairo now preparing for the

deal to kick off and deal to kick off and then they will immediately start doing this. when we talk about aid, the palestinians also accuse israel of not allowing enough aid. they say what is allowed is only 20% of what is needed. that is one issue. the second issueis that is one issue. the second issue is that we have seen gangs are stealing aid. yesterday, about seven trucks, some of them were carrying

yesterday, about seven trucks, some of the be jere carrying yesterday, about seven trucks, some of the be a re carrying yesterday, about seven trucks, some of the be a very rrying yesterday, about seven trucks, some of the be a very chaotic it's going to be a very chaotic situation with the egyptians and the qataris are discussing some issue about it and talking to former officers to try to set up a police force that can facilitate and help in this. thank you so much. straight now to our correspondent in jerusalem.— to our correspondent in jerusalem. �* . ., jerusalem. ben'amin netanyahu certainlyhas_ jerusalem. benjamin netanyahu certainly has some _ jerusalem. benjamin netanyahu certainly has some strong - certainly has some strong voices within his own cabinet who are not happy with the prospect of this deal as they have seen it. we have heard yesterday from one of the far right ministers in his cabinet saying the deal would be a catastrophe and for israeli national security. today, another of those ministers, security minister, said a deal would effectively erase the war achievements that have been gained with much blood by our fighters and he called on him

tojoin him and avoid what fighters and he called on him to join him and avoid what they called israel's surrender to hamas. so clearly there are members of mr netanyahu's cabinet to have very opposed to this deal. i suppose the question at this point is are they opposed enough to try to bring down mr netanyahu's government or is this already priced in by mr netanyahu in his pursuit of this deal? he has perhaps taken the calculation that, while these two ministers may very publicly expressed the fact that they don't like the deal, they don't want anything to do with that, they may hold their nose, they may put up with it and not bring his government down. 1trier? bring his government down. very briefl , bring his government down. very briefly. how _ bring his government down. very briefly, how much _ bring his government down. very briefly, how much pressure is being put on the government at the moment by the families of the moment by the families of the hostages?— the hostages? that is a constant _ the hostages? that is a constant pressure - the hostages? that is a| constant pressure which the hostages? that is a - constant pressure which they have faced. the families of the hostages have been meeting regularly here injerusalem and elsewhere holding protest, holding demonstrations, calling

for a compensable deal that brings them all the hostages. i think it is important to point out that that there deal that we have seen that is on the table does not bring home all of the hostages that were taken by hamas in the october seven, 2023 attack. it is in the region of the 30—40, we don't even know how many of them are alive. the release of the others, perhaps as perhaps as many as 60, is being left to future phases of this deal which have yet to be thrashed out. , ., ., which have yet to be thrashed out. , . ., , which have yet to be thrashed out. , ., .,, which have yet to be thrashed out. , ., ., , ., out. great to see you. thanks so much- _ out. great to see you. thanks so much- it— out. great to see you. thanks so much. it is— out. great to see you. thanks so much. it is always - out. great to see you. thanks so much. it is always good . out. great to see you. thanks so much. it is always good to| so much. it is always good to have you with us. firstly, you're feeling right now? we keep giving we are very very close. think we could be seeing a deal being presented in the few hours or days? my a deal being presented in the few hours or days?— few hours or days? my hope would be — few hours or days? my hope would be yes. _ few hours or days? my hope would be yes. i _ few hours or days? my hope would be yes. i hope - few hours or days? my hope would be yes. i hope so. - few hours or days? my hope| would be yes. i hope so. but few hours or days? my hope i would be yes. i hope so. but i think the question is how close is close? my suspicion is that

netanyahu will not sign off on this untiljanuary 28, the inauguration of donald trump. and it will be his gift to the new president. ifear and it will be his gift to the new president. i fear that is the reality we are facing. what, at the moment, and we will return to what it means for donald trump and vice president biden at the moment as well. but what, at the moment, is the biggest obstacle, do you think? and for a president biden.— a president biden. ben'amin netanyahu fl a president biden. ben'amin netanyahu saying h a president biden. ben'amin netanyahu saying yes. h a president biden. benjamin netanyahu saying yes. and i a president biden. benjamin i netanyahu saying yes. and that is for the past six months, from what i have been hearing from what i have been hearing from both sides, that people have been aware that it was in his interests, actually, to prolong the war, to keep his main objective, the demise of hamas being the driving force because as long as the war goes on, there will be no call for accountability for what the security lapse on october

seven. so i think that is realistic. biden did not put any pressure whatsoever on him to reach a deal. i think trump will. trump sees it as it is an american�*s interest, in his own interests to get a deal and i think that pressure will be on netanyahu as a consequence. please stay with us. i have more to ask you. butjust to show you some live more to ask you. butjust