♪ ♪ narrator: funding for this presentation of this program is provided by... narrator: pediatric surgeon. volunteer. topiary artist. a raymond james financial advisor tailors advice to help you live your life. life well planned.

brook: these are people who are trying to change the world. startups have this energy that energizes me. i'm thriving by helping others everyday. people who know, know bdo. narrator: funding was also provided by, the freeman foundation. and by judy and peter blum kovler foundation; pursuing solutions for america's neglected needs. announcer: and now, "bbc news". ♪ caitriona: i'm caitríona perry in washington and this is "bbc world news america." the u.s. defense secretary visits israel, announcing support. more shipping companies diverge

from using the red sea as houthi attacks continue. a major shift in the catholic church as the pope commits to blessing same-sex couples. ♪ caitriona: hello and welcome to "world news america." lloyd austin is in israel reiterating the u.s.'unshakable support for the country. he has spoken to israel about making the war in gaza more surgical and reducing harm to civilians but says he will not do date timelines or terms. he spoke beside his israeli counterpart who said israel would not control gaza in anyway following the war. the un security council is expected to vote tuesday on a resolution calling for cease-fire if the humanitarian situation in gaza continues to deteriorate.

it is unclear if the u.s. will veto that. our correspondent sent us this report from jerusalem. reporter: direct criticism of the israeli -- there was no criticism of the israeli defense force when lloyd austin gave a statement today, but gave a hint at the frustration of the high number of civilian casualties in gaza. frustration expressed by the biden administration. he said he had discussions with israeli leadership about how to reduce harm to civilians but said he had to travel to -- have not traveled israel to dictate timelines or terms, but goals and objectives they talked about transitions from major covert operations to lower intensity and more surgical operations in gaza. he also talked about the west

bank where violence has been on the rise since the october attacks by hamas. attacks by extremist settlers on palestinians must stop and said those involved must be held accountable. this has been a long-running accusation by palestinians and human rights organizations operating in the west bank, that many of those people have been able to act with impunity. he repeated the biden administration's position that the two state solution is the only solution for the israeli-palestinian conflict, which is the preferred international proposal to see the creation of an independent palestinian state living alongside israel. it is interesting he made these remarks days after president biden said members of the netanyahu government were against the two state solution and against the creation of a

palestinian state. the israeli defense minister said the war would take time, but that israel would transition to the next phase, in the north of gaza, and some residents would be allowed to return to those areas. this was the main focus of the israeli operation at the beginning of the war. entire neighborhoods have been destroyed. he said the goals are to destroy hamas and rescue hostages that remain in captivity in gaza but said israel would not control gaza in any civilian way. caitriona: as the war continues the u.s. says commercial trucks have enter the gaza strip for the first time since the war began on october 7. the u.s. state department called it a critical step to improving lives of palestinians have commercial goods in addition to humanitarian aid.

calls for cease-fire are increasing in the international immunity. the hamas led health ministry in gaza says 110 were killed in an airstrike at a refugee camp sunday and over 19,000 people in gaza have died since this conflict started. lucy williamson reports from jerusalem. reporter: they say there s nowhere safe in gaza. the children's unit at the hospital hit by a shell yesterday. doctors and parents raced -- who onc e -- once raced to get children in here are rushing to get them out. dust and panic, a children's bedroom on the second floor. >> we were sitting on the bed when something exploded in the ceiling fell on us. i could not do anything. debris fell on us and we could not do anything. i grabbed my daughter and escaped.

i do not know what happened to the others. reporter: this was a 13-year-old's bed. she was sitting here when an unexploded shell punched through the ceiling and the wall. it killed her without exploding. her leg had been amputated after a previous attack that also killed her parents. >> i lost my family she said last month, and i lost my leg. my dream is to become a doctor and treat children. reporter: strikes overnight on the refugee camps killed more than 100 people, according to hamas government officials. today a senior hamas figure pointed to growing international calls for a cease-fire and said the u.s. was responsible for deaths in gaza. >> the u.s. administration is totally responsible for what

took place with israeli occupation in gaza and the u.s. delivery without any form of accountability. reporter: america's defense achieve has been meeting israel's government today. the u.s. called short of calling for a cease-fire, but says it is keen to bring the current heavy fighting to an end. >> america's commitment to israel is unwavering and no individual, group or state should test our resolve. we will continue to provide israel with the equipment you need to defend your country, mr. prime minister, including critical munitions, air defense systems. reporter: israel's troops were reminded yesterday of the rules of war. when to fire, when to stop. orders for soldiers, questions for politicians. lucy williamson, bbc news, jerusalem. caitriona: the director of the

cia bill burns is in poland meeting the head of israel's agency and members from the qata ri government in a push to free hostages from gaza. sources tell the bbc negotiations for the release of more have not yet started between hamas and israel. i spoke to a middle east director of the international community's organization who has been involved in negotiations in this region. thank you for joining us. what difference does the accidental killing of these three israeli hostages by the israeli defense forces make to any further hostage negotiations that may take place? guest: it is a tragic event that took place and families of hostages, those who came back and those were in gaza, took to the streets immediately following -- following the killing of those three young men

. it is another notch up in raising the pressure of the public on the israeli government to make a deal with hamas and the result is what we saw today, the meeting of the head of the --, the head of the cia and qatar, taking place in warsaw. it seems is reallys for the first time in dealing with hamas may have put down a proposal for another deal for releasing additional hostages. caitriona: what would the starting point for that be? guest: if the israelis are not ready for the deal hamas, for releasing palestinian prisoners in exchange for all israeli hostages, probably what the israelis are figuring out what to do is how to get the remaining hostages, an estimated 15 young women between the age of 20 and 30. hopefully they are still alive.

and the senior citizens, the elderly, the wounded and sick hostages. hamas released videotape of three elderly men come away up in their 70's, putting psychological pressure on israel. there are 7600 prisoners in israel. amongst them are many elderly people, some serving prison terms for many years. i expect israel is proposing to hamas to release elderly hostages for elderly prisoners. something of a kind of deal with large enough numbers of prisoners being released hamas would have to say yes to it. caitriona: given your own experience of these negotiations , how likely do you think something like that would be? guest: only likely if the u.s. exerts extreme pressure on the government of qatar, which would then exert that on the hamas leadership in doha.

threatening them that if they do not comply, they can be exiled from qatar. this is the pressure we need because hamas is demanding an end to the war before they are willing to negotiate and israel is not ready to end the war with hamas in charge of gaza and it would be a victory for hamas. the only thing we can do is hope american pressure on qatar would be strong enough for them to pressure hamas to accept some type of deal. caitriona: the members of the un security council are debating a resolution, the vote pushed into tomorrow. what impact would that have? is that something that feeds into negotiations? guest: no, i think we can expect an american veto if it does not meet agreements between the u.s. and israel. secretary austen was here, the chief of staff of the american

military was here, and understandings between the government of israel and americans on how long this war can go on before it needs to move into another phase. i do not think americans would support any immediate cease-fire while hamas is still in power of gaza. caitriona: thank you for joining us with those insights. the u.s. is forming an international coalition to protect merchant shipping in the red sea after consistent attacks by iranian backed houthi rebels. called operation prosperity guardian includes bahrain, canada, france, italy, the netherlands, the seychelles, and spain. secretary austin said they will work together to address security challenges and ensure the freedom of navigation for all countries in the region. this is the route taken by around 12% of world shipping

which passes through the suez canal. several major freight companies have stopped passing through and are taking a longer around -- longer route around africa, instead. bp and evergreen are the latest to do so. lloyd austin who was in tel aviv for talks in gaza said the attacks were reckless and it was an international problem that required an international response. the who these have been launching missiles since the start of the conflict in gaza and say the attacks are intended to show solidarity with hamas which is already linked with iran. here is our correspondent with more. reporter: the threat to shipping in the red sea is very real. this was an attack by iranian backed who the fighters last month --houthi fighters last month. militia from yemen claiming

vessels owned by allies of israel were legitimate targets. so intense have attacks become, vessels hit by drones today, big shipping companies are pulling out of the red sea, sending huge vessels around southern africa instead. today the oil giant bp announced it would not send its tinkers through the seaway that links asia with europe. western allies have warships in the region and have shot down houthi drones and missiles, but lloyd austin, u.s. secretary of defense who is visiting israel, said he wanted other nations to do more to protect shipping. >> these attacks are reckless, dangerous and violate international law. we are taking action to build an international coalition to address this threat and i would remind you this is not just a u.s. issue, it is an

international problem and deserves an international response. reporter: he is right, the seaway between the suez canal in the north and the strait in the south is crucial to train -- trade and -- trade. >> so much of trade goes through the suez canal, 12% of total global trade amounts. -- volume. reporter: the impact of the war is felled outside its borders, diverting ships, damaging trade. the risks of escalation very presence. caitriona: let's talk more about what is involved. i am joined by a maritime historian at campbell university and host of a youtube channel what's going on with shipping. thanks for joining us. we have operation prosperity guardian. what does a shipping convoy like this look like?

guest: thanks for having me. it is a question of what they will do. it will probably not look like a world war ii convoy. you will not see tom hanks greyhound style convoy going through. instead, patrol vessels between the main shipping line, a narrow channel between yemen and djibouti, and pickets set up and they will run ships through the area but it will take quite a few warships. caitriona: are these shipping convoys, protection missions, do they happen frequently? guest: if you go back to the 1980's with the tinker war between iran and iraq, you saw 450 tinkers hit. it was not until late in the war when kuwait decided to re-flag their vessels to the u.s. registry that you saw the u.s. navy take an active role in

escorting vessels. the recent and vet -- example was somali piracy. u.s. warships would patrol, but then you're dealing with pirates on small boats. here you have drones, cruz missiles -- cruise missiles and ballistic missiles. caitriona: there is a high level threats in the area. is this protection going to be enough to change the minds of those big shipping companies who said they will take the long way around and avoid the red sea? guest: that is the big question. we see ships pile up in the red sea and the gulf of aden beyond ships heading around africa right now. they are waiting to see what level of security they will get

the ballistic missile this is a difficult type of missile to shoot down and few ships have that capability. if that is the threat these ships are facing, many may not decide to go this way. we are seeing an escalation. before this started it cost 0 .02% war risk insurance and during the iran-iraq war it went as high as 5%. caitriona: what is the impact of that on prices and how that is passed on to the consumer? guest: you are seeing it already. diversions on the fact companies of already started sending ships around and holding them, you'll will see a domino effect across the entire global supply chain. ships is supposed to arrive on berth, shift cargo to trucks and rail will not be there on time which means this will have an impact. oil that needs to get to europe from the persian gulf may have to go the long way around to

africa at a time when you are heading into winter in europe and we have seen the cut off of oil from russia. russian oil coming out of the baltic and black sea may have to travel all the way around africa to get to india and china for refining. you will see inflation, higher freight costs and more money the consumer will be paying. ironically for shipping firms this will be a windfall. they had lower freight rates and overcapacity and now their ships will be busy and they will be paid more. caitriona: is there a way of anticipating how long this might last? guest: no. the houthi are a unique forced. a nonstate actor who will have cut the largest supply line in the entire world from europe to asia. we have never seen anything this scale before in modern times. you have to go back to world

wars to see where supply lines like this get severed. the houthi being the nonstate actor, the genesis of the issue is what is happening in israel and gaza. until you solve that, a big issue to solve, this will keep resonating. it will be tough to get the houthi to stop shooting missiles. the only hope is the defensive nature by naval ships or striking missile sites and military placements in yemen. caitriona: thank you so much for joining us. guest: thank you. caitriona: the u.s. planning to release one more package of military aid for ukraine this month. the national security council spokesperson says there will be no --

>> very good and productive meeting. >> [indiscernible] are you confident you will get the funding you need, sir? >> yeah. don't look at the camera, just go past in that direction. please go ahead. [no audio] >> this was the airport in cannes where floodwaters left submerged after two meters of rain. torrents of rain have flushed

all kinds of things through residential streets including crocodiles. this one captured by wildlife officers after it was spotted near a petrol station. >> it is important people recognize with the amount of floodwater we have had could contain crocodiles. reporter: not just crocodiles disoriented, kayakers went to the rescue of this cold and exhausted wallaby. spotted in a flooded field. it had been searching for dry land. they managed to scoop it up and carry it to shore. a quick kiss before they say it hopped away to safety. caitriona: that was sophie reporting on the severe flooding in northern australia. pope francis says priests are

allowed to bless married same-sex couples, a huge win for lgbt people in the catholic church. blessings must not be part of regular church rituals or related to civil unions or weddings. the historic ruling does not change its stance on same-sex marriage which it opposes. a prominent american jazz wit reach who ministers to the lgbtq community told us about the significance of this development. >> i am delighted. it is something preece could not do, but now can in certain circumstances. it is a wonderful step forward. caitriona: let's check in on important news around the world. the u.s. department of transportation fines southwest airlines and unprecedented $140 million over failures that

stranded thousands of passengers, 30 times more than any previously given amount by the transportation department. aaa estimates 115.2 million americans will travel domestically over the holidays next week. the u.s., and south korea condemned north korea's latest test firing of an intercontinental ballistic missile, a violation of u.n. resolutions and a threat to its neighbors. the launch over the sea of japan monday morning is the fifth long-range test carried out by pyongyang this year. this amid rising kit -- rising tensions on the korean peninsula. apple announced it will pause the sales of its newest smart watches amid ongoing dispute over a tech feature. the international trade commission said apple violated rights to a patent that enables blood oxygen measurements made

by a medical tech company. the series 9 and ultra 2 models will stop sales in the u.s. on december 21. hollywood actor jonathan majors found guilty by a new york jury for assaulting his ex-girlfriend. grace jabbari was attacked earlier this year, suffered injuries including a broken finger. majors, who did not testify, faces up to a year in prison. the actor's lawyer argues he was the real victim of the assault. narrator: funding for this presentation of this program is provided by... narrator: financial services firm, raymond james. man: bdo. accountants and advisors. narrator: funding was also provided by, the freeman foundation. and by judy and peter blum kovler foundation; pursuing solutions for america's neglected needs.

♪ ♪ ♪ ♪

geoff:, i'm geoff bennett. -- u.s. military leaders pressure israel to scale back its assault on gaza with the civilian death toll mounting and hospital struggling to treat injuries. sundry day o'connor lies in repose at the supreme word. the women she inspired. and, judy woodruff sits