i'm caitriona perry. you're very welcome. officials in the us say they are confident that a ceasefire deal between israel and hamas will go through — despite a delay after israel accused hamas of trying to alter the terms of the agreement. israel's security minister, itamar ben—gvir, who is part of the hardline right—wing faction of the government, threatened to resign if the deal is approved, describing it as a reward for hamas. overnight, afterjubilant scenes in gaza at news of a ceasefire — which will not come into effect until sunday — israeli air strikes killed over 80 people including women and children, according to the hamas—run health ministry. our international editor, jeremy bowen, has this report from jerusalem. just a few hours after the ceasefire agreement was announced, men in northern gaza were back digging

through the rubble for the dead and wounded after an israeli strike. the ceasefire is not due to start until sunday. then they heard a small voice. boy screams. he was alive. strong enough to wave for help. his name is assad fadel khalifa. his parents, sister, aunt and uncle, we're told, were killed in the strike. he's three years old. his mouth was full of gravel and dust. he was trying to pull it out himself. we went to nablus on the west bank, the other side of the occupied palestinian territories, to try to assess the mood. israel won't let us into gaza. nablus is a palestinian city with a long history of resistance to the israeli occupation. it's a toy gun. down the street, the faces

of men killed using real guns to fight israelis, some from a militia known as the lion's den. heroic martyrs here, terrorists as far as israel is concerned. amar has a stall selling sweetcorn. translation: peace is i difficult, because you need to go back to the religion and doctrine. but we would love for the bombing to stop and for them to leave gaza, and for the prisoners to get freed, and for everyone to go back to their homes and family, because they suffered a lot in this war. may god help them. at her stall, amina is desperate for the ceasefire to work. translation: it affected us a lot here, both - financially and mentally. we, especially women, are affected by what we are seeing. the children who are dying. we hope we could help, but we can only pray. a ceasefire, if it could hold, would be a considerable and an overdue achievement.

but the sad truth is that it wouldn't end the conflict between palestinians and israelis. everything that has happened since the 7th of october attacks has made the conflict about as bitter as it's ever been. just outside nablus is the jewish settlement of kedumim, home to leaders of the settler movement. daniella weiss has lived here for 50 years. now she's working through her list of right—wing connections, trying to overturn the ceasefire deal she says is a betrayal. for me, today is. a very difficult day. what government, what prime minister, with common sense, will give back the area from where thousands of gaza people attacked us, conquered our — - parts of our country? this is treachery.

what does all this mean for israel? what does it add up to? in simple words, get. ready for another war. it's cruel. dangerous, with many casualties. _ this is what it means today. itamar ben—gvir, minister of national security, shares her views, threatening to resign if the ceasefire is ratified. it is a reckless deal, he said, that releases hundreds of murderous terrorists, allows thousands of terrorists allows thousands of terrorists back to northern gaza and erases what he called the war�*s achievements. back to northern gaza, and erases what he called the war�*s achievements. ben—gvir stalked off with supporters from his party, jewish power. ultranationalist opposition to the ceasefire is a major political problem for benjamin netanyahu. outside his office, israelis who want to bury the ceasefire deal held a fake funeral.

they want the prime minister to keep his promise to destroy hamas and rescue all the hostages. for them, negotiating a phased prisoner exchange with hamas and pulling out of gaza smells like defeat. police made some arrests. many israelis support the ceasefire. for now the anger of those who don't is cancelled out by donald trump's determination to take a diplomatic victory into the white house. but the coffins, intended to warn about the ceasefire's dangers, are also a sign to the ceasefire's supporters that it might not end the war. jeremy bowen, bbc news, jerusalem. meanwhile, aid trucks are queuing at the southern crossing into gaza, waiting for the ceasefire — expected on sunday. aid has got into gaza from a number of crossings since the war began. before, around 500 lorry loads of aid entered every day, according to the un.

but that plummeted to nine a day in the period just after the war started. and since the beginning of january it's averaged 51 truckloads a day. the ceasefire deal allows for 600 lorry loads a day. our correspondent fergal keane has been travelling with an aid convoy from jordan, which has now been stopped at the israel border. horns blare. help is coming. down along the valley, the biggest aid convoy since the war began. solidarity from the kingdom ofjordan. in two deliveries, 120 trucks on the road to gaza, from a country that is home to many palestinians. "we are carrying aid like food and medication for our brothers "in gaza," says mustapha. "this is a good deed. "we are happy to be part of this operation." we can travel with this convoy as far as the israeli border,

but since the war began, israel does not allow the foreign media to enter gaza and report independently. but our bbc colleagues, living in gaza, have been filming every day, including today — the first real moment of hope. they're waiting for today's meagre charity. little wonder that tired tempers fray when you've lived this struggle every day. the aid from jordan is the tiniest fraction of what's needed here. but it does say to the people of gaza, by your neighbour, at least, you are not forgotten. translation: | used to shop|

and go to school, and my mum used to cook for me, and when i got back she would tell me to come and eat. i dream every day about the ceasefire. i want to go home, and for my father to return to us. home — a word that holds so much in any language. a word that means dignity, for this girl, aged 16. translation: i never thought i'd be fed by a charity. - this is so unfair. if i don't get meals from here, i don't eat, so i keep coming. my life as a young girl, dreaming of studying at a university or school, playing and having fun, has been reduced to accepting hand—outs. nearly 2 million people are dependent on aid here. less than three hours�* drive away injordan, some of what they need.

but when will it arrive? the un complains of repeated israeli delays, of criminal gangs hijacking aid. the convoy we followed is still waiting to be allowed to cross into israel. fergal keane, bbc news, jordan. from gaza to sudan, ukraine and haiti — 2024 saw human rights violations at the most extreme — and horrific instances of international inaction. that's according to a new report by human rights watch. researchers documented abuses and developments across 100 countries and territories, against a backdrop of rising authoritarianism, repression and armed conflict. the bbc�*s nada tawfik sat down with human rights watch�*s executive director tirana hassan to discuss the report.

the human rights report documents 100 countries the human rights report documents 100 countries and territories in the human rights situation there but let's start with gaza because a cease—fire deal is meant to take effect on sunday. if everything goes as planned and it does, and use soft concerns that this deal will lead to a permanent cease—fire and and the bombardment, the israeli bombardment, the israeli bombardment of gaza and lead to the release of all hostages. when we are talking about long—term solutions, there has to be a reality the long-term solutions, there has to be a reali_ to be a reality the parties to this conflict _ to be a reality the parties to this conflict are _ to be a reality the parties to this conflict are actually - to be a reality the parties to this conflict are actually in l this conflict are actually in meeting their obligations under international law. the cease—fire provides a pause but within_ cease—fire provides a pause but within that pause unless there is unfettered humanitarian assistance that is going into gaza, — assistance that is going into gaza, people will continue to starve — gaza, people will continue to starve. we know from our research _ starve. we know from our research that the health facilities have been decimated. water— facilities have been decimated. water infrastructure has been destroyed, majority of the population in gaza has been

injured _ population in gaza has been injured multiple times in many of their— injured multiple times in many of their homes are not liveable. we are not talking about the sort — we are not talking about the sort of — we are not talking about the sort of humanitarian aid that we have _ sort of humanitarian aid that we have seen today, we are talking _ we have seen today, we are talking about meaningful levels of humanitarian aid and there is a long _ of humanitarian aid and there is a long history over the last apply. that double standard is not long — apply. that double standard is not long history over last 18 years _ is a long history over the last is a long history over the last 18 years _ is a long history over the last 18 years of the various limitations that have been put 18 years of the various limitations that have been put on having goods and on having goods and humanitarian assistance and and humanitarian assistance and and that needs to stop.— that needs to stop.— that needs to stop. what are that needs to stop. what are some of the _ that needs to stop. what are some of the worrying - that needs to stop. what are some of the _ that needs to stop. what are some of the worrying - that needs to stop. what are some of the worrying trends| that needs to stop. what are - some of the worrying trends you are seeing specifically in this some of the worrying trends| that needs to stop. what are - some of the worrying trends you are seeing specifically in this year's report? to year's report? to are seeing specifically in this year's report?— are seeing specifically in this year's report?— year's report? to big things stick out. — year's report? to big things stick out, one, _ year's report? to big things stick out. — year's report? to big things stick out, one, _ year's report? to big things stick out, one, we - year's report? to big things stick out, one, we are - year's report? to big things stick out, one, we - year's report? to big things stick out, one, we are - year's report? to big things i stick out, one, we are seeing year's report? to big things . stick out, one, we are seeing a year's report? to big things i stick out, one, we are seeing year's report? to big things . stick out, one, we are seeing a blatant — blatant — stick out, one, we are seeing a blatant disregard for the stick out, one, we are seeing a blatant disregard for the international norms that were international norms that were created — international norms that were created after the second world created — international norms that were created after the second world war ii — war ii — created after the second world war ii protect us from the most created after the second world war ii protect us from the most heinaus— war ii protect us from the most heinous acts. there is a sense heinous— war ii protect us from the most heinous acts. there is a sense ground — ground — heinous acts. there is a sense ground that you can pick and heinous acts. there is a sense ground that you can pick and choose — ground that you can pick and choose what human rights are choose — ground that you can pick and choose what human rights are important and where they should important and where they should apply _ apply _ important and where they should apply. that double standard is important and where they should apply. that double standard is

not only— not only— apply. that double standard is not only detrimental to the human— not only detrimental to the human rights framework, it undermines its legitimacy, but it is empowering others to actually _ it is empowering others to actually follow suit. in your re ort actually follow suit. in your report you _ actually follow suit. in your report you say _ actually follow suit. in your report you say the - actually follow suit. in your report you say the year - actually follow suit. in your| report you say the year also highlighted and often disregarded reality that liberal democracies are not always reliable champions of human rights at home or abroad and you specifically point to us presidentjoe biden saying his foreign—policy demonstrated a double standard. what do you thinkjoe biden's legacy is going to be? it thinkjoe biden's legacy is going to be?— going to be? it is a very chequered _ going to be? it is a very chequered history - going to be? it is a very chequered history and l going to be? it is a very - chequered history and legacy. i think— chequered history and legacy. i think biden came in making some very grand — think biden came in making some very grand statements that he was going to reset things when it came — was going to reset things when it came to— was going to reset things when it came to the us's standing in the world _ it came to the us's standing in the world particularly on human rights — the world particularly on human rights. the hypocrisy started well— rights. the hypocrisy started well before the gaza war. but gaza — well before the gaza war. but gaza has— well before the gaza war. but gaza has been a real blight on

the record of the biden administration. the double standards between how the us administration approached human rights _ administration approached human rights and the protection of civilians _ rights and the protection of civilians in ukraine, where they— civilians in ukraine, where they threw everything that they had, _ they threw everything that they had, the — they threw everything that they had, the diplomatic pressure, their— had, the diplomatic pressure, their role _ had, the diplomatic pressure, their role in the multilateral system _ their role in the multilateral system at the

their role in the multilateral system at that has been set. precedent that has been set. despite — precedent that has been set. despite talking about field leadership around the world, the report notes some glimmers of hope and its citizens rising up. talk to me about that. we talk a lot _ up. talk to me about that. we talk a lot about _ up. talk to me about that. we talk a lot about where states have — talk a lot about where states have failed but where states are feeling, people are rising up. they— are feeling, people are rising up. they will filled the void and — up. they will filled the void and demand their rights, there was this— and demand their rights, there was this extraordinary moment that happens in bangladesh this year where student protests turned — year where student protests turned into a mass movement that's— turned into a mass movement that's all— turned into a mass movement that's all the very repressive root — that's all the very repressive root regime actually fall and of course there is syria, there is this— of course there is syria, there is this real— of course there is syria, there is this real moment for the syrian _ is this real moment for the syrian people that is a real opportunity. this is the first time — opportunity. this is the first time we _ opportunity. this is the first time we saw after assad, the assad — time we saw after assad, the assad regime fell, that there is an— assad regime fell, that there is an opportunity now for the

syrian — is an opportunity now for the syrian people who have suffered under _ syrian people who have suffered under such repression. the}r syrian people who have suffered under such repression.— under such repression. they can so much- _ thank you so much. around the world and across the uk. this is bbc news. let's look at some other stories making news in the uk. the home secretary yvette cooper has announced a three month national review into grooming gangs. the announcement is a shift in the government's position on an issue that has become an international controversy following comments made by the billionaire elon musk. critics want the government to go further and launch a national inquiry. hospitals in england were at their busiest so far this winter last week with 96% of beds occupied. flu continues to be a concern, with just under five thousand people in hospital beds across england on average every day last week. that's lower than a week before but it's still more than three times higher than at the same time last year. the liberal democrat leader sir ed davey has called on the government to negotiate a new customs union with the eu to improve trade with europe.

in his first major speech of the year, sir ed said closer eu trade ties could help mitigate any tariffs the new us administration might impose. you're live with bbc news. with just days left in his presidency, joe biden delivered a farewell address to the nation where he spoke about his achievements while in office over the last four years. but he also warned about the dangers he believes are threatening the united states. among them he said is the concentration of technology, power and wealth. president biden said a new oligarchy is a putting democracy in peril an apparent reference to allies of donald trump such as tech moguls elon musk and peter thiel. the departing president said he's concerned about the dangers posed a rising �*tech industrial complex.�* i�*v e i�*ve been speaking about chris

harper with the ceo of a tech company and i asked to the reactions ofjoe biden. i spoke with chris harper, ceo of the software technology company zippedscript and got his reaction to biden�*s comments. i think the concerns are absolutely valid. and i think as tech leaders in the industry, we have to ensure that we�*re adhering to democratic principles, and we�*re listening to the citizens and we�*re not bending completely to governments. and when you add that balance of extreme wealth and power over so much technology that controls so much of our lives now, but when you add into that access to the president, which is whatjoe biden was referencing there, do you expect to see in the next administration, so—called big tech having an outsized influence on presidential decisions? you know, it�*s difficult to say. i can�*t be certain on that. i think big tech always has had an influence on governments, whether or not it�*s this administration or the previous administration. i think it�*s up to the leaders of the tech industry and the citizens of the countries, to to pay attention and hold

the people accountable that control these companies. and i think it�*s for the leaders like myself to make sure we�*re listening to the citizens and we�*re not doing things for governments and bending, like i said before, completely to administrations. and when you talk about holding, you know, owners and big companies accountable, how do you do that? what sort of controls would you like to see in place there, or can there even be such controls? yeah, it�*s a great question. i think there can be controls, and i think it starts once again with the leaders of the tech companies. i think, you know, what makes their companies great are the human beings that use them. so if they stray from listening to the citizens, the users and the people that use those products, i think you�*ll see people stray away from using the products. so i think it�*s critical that on some level, the people speak up on the platforms and say what they�*re uncomfortable with or say what they�*re happy with.

and i think that will always dictate the decision of the leaders of those tech organisations. now, president biden also mentioned the move away from fact checking with these some of these social media platforms. and obviously, most recently, we had an announcement from facebook, from meta that that it was going in that direction. is that also concerning for you? is that something that tech companies and platforms should have responsibility for? you know, it�*s a touchy subject for sure. ithink, you know, during the biden administration, we had people bend to the thoughts of that administration. and now we�*re seeing, you know, certain leaders bend to the thoughts of the new administration. i think a lot of, you know, people in the united states are aware of that. you know, and i think misinformation is definitely an issue, but i think it�*s something that, you know, can be mitigated, can be monitored.

and i think, you know, really out—there beliefs, you know, could be questioned, could be blocked. but, i think free speech is something that makes america a great place. so we�*ll see what happens with it. but once again, i go back to this. i think it�*s the users of the platform that can change the way the platform operates, because if there�*s no users, you know, the leaders of those platforms will change and they will go in a different direction. improving weather conditions and lighter winds across southern california are giving exhausted fire crews some respite as they continue to try and contain the fires across los angeles. the fires began more than a week ago and have killed at least 25 people. my colleague clive myrie takes a look back at the sheer devestation that has rocked la. oh, no! this is the story of an american tragedy. another sunny day in southern california is about to turn very dark.

so, i�*m sitting at home on the couch with the dogs. cheryll comes in the house and says... hey, babe, i need you to come out here right now. we have a very big problem. what? holy bleep! cheryll ku had spotted a fire in the canyon above the house she shares with husband jeffrey in a suburb of los angeles. oh, no! high winds were threatening a catastrophe and their doorbell camera captures what happened next. we discussed things that we couldn�*t leave behind. essentially, we needed to to leave as quickly as we could. sirens blare. by now, word was spreading very quickly that danger was approaching from the canyon. neighbours went banging on doors, raising the alarm. david stover was in the middle of dinner. we came out and we could see the fire, you know, from here. j

do you think they saved your life? they gave us a head start. right. you know, about five minutes. so that makes a difference. please, god. please, god, save us. save our house. five minutes — precious extra time to escape. given thatjust a few minutes later, asjeffrey and cheryll fled their home, the fire had turned into a monster, becoming one of the largest that�*s now devastated the metropolitan los angeles area — the eaton fire. eaton wasn�*t the only monster burning. there were multiple fire fronts and the authorities were struggling to cope. then a stroke of luck. hurricane—force winds that had fanned the flames died down, which meant the cavalry could now fly in. an aerial armada was pressed into service to douse

the flames, some dropping fire retardant, coloured pink to show where it�*s landed. it�*s a round—the—clock operation, flying low at night to beat the flames. while down below, thousands of men and women are standing their ground in the face of the enemy. it's an ir map of all the heats around here. but even when the flames are extinguished, danger still lurks. so, right down in this drainage, there's a few heats. it's all around us. this team of firefighters are heat spotters. theirjob, to prevent the burning you can�*t see below—ground, where the root systems of trees can smoulder and die, leading to catastrophic landslides. this crew are from oregon, part of a resolute national response to this crisis that has gripped the world.

and it�*s the stories of loss and pain that resonate. homes and livelihoods destroyed. wow. a landscape scarred. look at that. a people traumatised. the house behind me was burning. - the house on the right was burning. - the house on the left was burning. - michael haynes is a writer and when he ran out of water to save his own home, he improvised. you don't think... your logic turns off. i started peeing. you know, that's one little fire i could put out. - you peed on the fire? yeah, and i've talkedj to a few other people who did same thing. the fires fizzled out on the edge of his property. he was lucky. so many others were not. how does this community, los angeles, america, all of us, how can we better prepare for a similar catastrophe? that is a question we should all ponder. this is the most beautiful place in the world to me. j and now it'sjust gone.

just, i mean, it's gone. a little bit- of you dies with it. i don't know. you can keep up—to—date with all of the news of today on our website. everything you need to know is there. thank you for watching and i will be back shortly with more. stay with us. hello. there were winners and losers when it came to the weather story on thursday. for parts of north—west england and wales in particular, we have blue sky and sunshine, even some january warmth, with a high of 1a celsius. but it was a different story across the midlands — we had quite a lot of fog in the morning that lifted to low grey cloud. the misty conditions lingered, and for parts of hereford and worcestershire, well, temperatures only climbed just up to 4 celsius. it was also quite windy,

and there was a weak weather front bringing some outbreaks of showery rain to the north—west of scotland. but most of us under the influence of high pressure, and with light winds and that high pressure is going to stay with us for the next few days, further areas of fog could be an issue as well. that could bring poor visibility and, if it lingers, it will also impact the temperatures once again. the fog shouldn�*t be too widespread, though, on friday — it lifts quite readily, and we�*re chasing cloud amounts around, particularly for england and wales. still quite a fresh wind up into the far north and west. still outbreaks of drizzly rain from that weak weather front. but temperatures here 11—12 celsius — 7—8 perhaps a maximum across england and wales. now, as we move out of friday into saturday, still under this area of high pressure, it�*s blocking this weather front from making that much of an impression, but still the isobars squeeze together the further north and west. so, more wind, more cloud here. but for england and wales, it could be quite a cold start to saturday morning — temperatures dipping below freezing, and there

will be some fog around, and some of that fog has the potential to linger all day across central and eastern parts of england, and also parts of wales. if that happens, it will have quite an impact on the temperature. the wind out to the west breaking the cloud up. there will be some sunny spells, and again those temperatures at 10 or 11 degrees. but where the fog lingers, we once again could see a maximum ofjust 4 or 5. moving out of saturday into sunday, the wind direction changes again, and it�*s a cooler source, dragging in some cooler air from the near continent. so that means a colder day for all of us. this weather front still being kept out into the west. it is going to arrive on monday, but before that, potentially, sunday could be a cold, cloudy, murky day for many of us. until then, take care.

this is bbc news. we�*ll have the headlines for you at the top of the hour, which is straight after this programme. welcome to hardtalk. i�*m stephen sackur. in this new year, vladimir putin has plenty to worry about. donald trump is about to bring a new level of unpredictability

into us foreign policy. that could be good for russia, but maybe not. putin�*s forces are slowly advancing in ukraine, but at a staggering cost. the economic strain of war and sanctions is beginning to bite. my guest is vladimir kara—murza, the anti—putin activist, poisoned, thenjailed before being freed in a prisoner swap last year. putin can seemingly rely on the quiescence of the russian people. but for how long?

vladimir kara—murza, in washington dc, welcome to hardtalk.