♪ ♪ narrator: funding for this presentation of this program is provided by... woman: architect. bee keeper. mentor. a raymond james financial advisor tailors advice to help you live your life. life well planned. george: actually, you don't need vision to do most things in life.

it's exciting to be part of a team driving the technology forward. i think that's the most rewarding thing. 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". ♪ >> hello. you are watching "the context" bbc news. >> i remain greatly concerned about the impact of ongoing hostilities in the humanitarian situation in gaza. the current situations are making it impossible for meaningful humanitarian operations to be conducted. >> a cease-fire stops the environment but also enables a worker to get that aid in. right now we are not even close

to that, not even a fraction of the food, water, medicine needed. >> israel is ready for another humanitarian pause and additional share minute hearing aid in order to enable the release of hostages. ♪ >> delayed, delayed, and delayed again. this time last night, the un security council was set to vote on a new resolution calling for a pause in the fighting in gaza. 24 hours later, it still has not come as negotiators desperately try to agree on wording that will avoid another u.s. veto. we will get reaction from one of the teams that have been working inside gaza about how vital a pause in fighting is for aid groups to continue their opations in the strip. also tonight, we are live in iceland, where there has been a

dramatic volcanic eruption. after having his request for more military funding blocked in washinon and brussels to president zelenskyy has told the ukrainian people he is confident they will win the war, calling for half a million more ukrainians to join the army. negotiators in the united nations security council have spent the day trying to come to agreement over the wording of a resolution calling for a humanitarian pause in fighting in gaza. they have delayed the vote multiple times in the last 24 hours to try and come to an agreement that will avoid a u.s. veto. a boat is now expected in perhaps around two hours time. the u.s. was the only country to vote against the last security council resolution calling for a cease fire. we have heard from the state department and the last hour or so. they say that you guys would welcome resolutions that support

addressing humanitarian needs of gaza but the details of any resolution matter a lot. let's take a look at the language in the resolution that the u.s. state department is referring to. first of all, there wording originally proposed by the arab states called for an urgent and sustainable cessation of hostilities to allow safe and unhindered humanitarian access. that was replaced with this, the u.s. suggested a change to the wording, replacing the call for a cessation of hostilities with instead a call for suspension of hostilities. see the difference? instead of a cease fire, a pause in the fighting. the british home secretary has been speaking to the press. he was asked whether he aeed with some of his colleagues in government that there should be an immediate cease-fire. have a listen to his response. >> u.k. government has been consistent in our message throughout this, that israel has

a right to self-defense. in discharging that right and duty to self-defense, it should do so in accordance with international law, conscious of minimizing civilian casualties. obviously, we see the images coming out of gaza, they are heartbreaking. everyone wants this to come to a speedy conclusion. but of course we have to recognize that there was a cease fire up until the seventh of october, that point at which hamas initiated a brutal mass murder, and it's important that hamas lays down its arms, doesn't commit to perpetrating another atrocity as they currently have done. maryam: our correspondent is new york keeping an eye for things for us. what does a delay like this tell us? >> it really tells us that negotiations are really intense at the moment.

we have seen numerous delays over the last two days. i can tell you, just yesterday, diplomats were 99% of the way there, close to an agreement. that just underscores how significant the language is in these resolutions in order to get an agreement. the language has to be quite particular. diplomats tell me the u.s. is being very tough on the wording in this resolution. originally, the key sticking points had been around cease fire language. we had seen that watered down to talk about instead a suspension of hostilities, although it did include a line about urgent steps to reach a sustainable cessation of hostilities. it seems there are no further concerns, more about this proposalor a u.n. mechanism to monitor aid into gaza. it shows that even though diplomats felt they were quite close, the particulars are taking quite a long time here.

we will see if this vote happens this evening or if efforts to get the united states on board and to avoid a u.s. veto means it will just be postponed yet again. maryam: thank you very much indeed for keeping us up-to-date. we will keep across is happening in the united nations. let's turn for reaction to rafah , let speak to the team lead for the united nations office f the coordination of humanitarian affairs in gaza. i know we need to talk about the situation in gaza, and we will do that momentarily, but how important would it be to the work you are doing to have a humanitarian pause in the attacking of gaza by israel to allow human aid in? >> i have one very clear message on this. it is appreciated but not needed. what is needed right now is a pause.

i pause does not provide the relief or the gaza strip to be resuscitated. it doesn't provide the people with t prospect of returning to life. it doesn't provide the children living in tents just outside where i am staying with the abilitto return to their homes and rebuild. what is needed is an end to this war. maryam: tell me about the situation right now where you are and indeed what you are hearing within gaza. >> the situation where i am is horrifying. i would say it is unimaginable but it is the reality for the people here in rafa the hundreds of thousands of people that have led, many of them 5, 6, 7 times in order to find safety. just yesterday i visited a hospital in khan yunis were a young girl was killed by a tank shell. she had already been struck and lost both of her legs. that was a pediatric ward. if a child who has had

amputations is not safe in a pediatric ward in gaza, we continue to say, and it is proven daily, there is no safe place in gaza. this cannot continue. maryam: what needs to happen now for you to continue on your work safely, and the way thatou would like to? >> every day we will wake up and carry on our work. just the other day i was on a convoy, we made it to gaza city, through active conflict, through the checkpoints. we are committed every day no matter if there is a pause, if anything else happens, we will continue to wake up and try to deliver. again my message to the world is this is not about a delivery. this is abo bringing the gaza strip back to life. that means bringing in commercial supplies. right now, if you are a mother in gaza, you cannot find a diaper for your child, cannot find formula. if you are breast-feeding, you don't have access to clean water in order to sustain rest feeding for your child.

no amount of aid can turn that around for the 2.2 million people in the gaza strip. the war simply has to end. i know i am seeing the same thing, but every day, every person i speak to, tells me that the world has to understand, these are people, 5005 hundred babies have been born in the gaza strip in the last month. imagine the prospects of life for them. i met a mother the other day whose baby was born in the streets and died becse she was unable to access medical attention. this cannot go on. we will wake up every day and continue to deliver, but the war has to end. maryam: knowing what we know, that it will be very difficult, even potentially we see the time it is taking to get even a temporary cease fire through the un security council, an end to the war at least for now is not looking particularly likely. if they were to be some sort of

humanitarian cease fire, would that help to alleviate some of the problems you have been talking about? >> a humanitarian cease fire would help us to be able to sh forward with assistance to the north where we know there are still hundreds of thousands of people, civilians in the streets. i have seen them myself, in desperate need of assistance. if we have that pause, it must be accompanied by large-scale resumption of the commercial sector. you cannot go to a pharmacy today in gaza and find sanitary pads. women do not have access to sanitary pads. humanitarian aid can do something but it is the tip of the iceberg. any steps that are taken must be comprehensive. a pause enables us to move more freely, that is critical, it is amazing if we can move forward without the threat of gunfire, amazing i we could be waived through a checkpoint instead of spending hours there. all of this would facilitate the response. but they would still not be enough. because i need so much right

now, and that has to be the combination of, first and foremost, the end of the war, second, delivery of human a terran assistance at scale, and thirdly, resumption of the commercial sector. we need cooking gas. the bakeries need to be able to run. people need to be able to access clean water. all of that has to come through, and it has to come through now. children are faced with a skin disease, respiratory disease. these are children just like any other child on the planet. i appeal to any other parent watching this on if they were to wake up every day unable to provide the basics for their child. maryam: i appreciate your time. i know it is a busy schedule to talk about what is happening where you are. it is good to talk to you. thanksnce more. >> thank you for having me. maryam: i want to talk about iran now and its involvement in the number of stories we are following in the middle east this week, particularly the

situation in the red sea. a number of major shipping companies have suspended routes through the red sea, why? because of frequent attacks on vessels by iran-backed the rebels in yemen. today, one of the world's biggest shipping companies said it would not resume routes through the red sea until it could guarantee the safety of its staff. we also heard from a houthi representative who warned any country that moves against yemen have its ships targeted in the red sea. not a great situation at all for those ships trying to get through. it is anmportant shipping route. let speak to an iran expert with the foundation for defense and democracy, a nonpartisan security think tank in washington. thank you for joining us on bbc news. explain to people watching at home why these global shipping delays matter. >> they matter great deal, whether or not the ships choose

to go through the red sea or go around the cape of good hope to get around africa. any time delay, insurance delay, will transfer the cost on to the consumer. the medium to long-term problem is about 10% to 12% of the global trade, particularly the oil trade, goes through that important artery. houthis, which are a major iran-backed proxy i'm on the southern tip of the arabian peninsula, as they show with ticket ability and intent to target vessels, are replicating pa of the security strategy you saw the islamic republic of iran develop and refine in the persian gulf and strait of hormuz against oil-based shipping for decades now. maryam: why are they doing it now? >> excellent question. the who these, since 2017, have expressed their intent to enter any kind of perspective conflict

between the israelis and hamas, or israel and lebanese hezbollah. now we have a israel-hamas conflict on our hands, and who these have a long-range strike capability as well as anti-ship weapons, brought to you by the islamic republic of iran, to strike at israel as well as the shipping. ironically, the moreuccessful israel and the international coalition have been in preventing these strikes on israeli territory, strikes of ballistic missiles, drones, who these have attempted to go after the low hanging fruit, which is the shipping that passes by their shores in the red sea. that is why they are preying on these commercial vessels today. they are bringing elements of the axis of resistance online. maryam: let's talk about spillover, escalation. is there a fear that could be something we could be looking at soon? >> there is one medium to longer-term fear, that the more

successful to who these are in the d sea based on the successes of iran in the persian gulf, strait of hormuz, another iranian proxy in a critical part of the world that has capabilities to exact maritime threat, lebanese hezbollah, may enter into the fray and fire their own missiles. we have not seen anti-ship ballistic missiles in their hands, so possibility it could spread in the maritime domain. also the potential for more ships to wait to be re-flagged or wait to see the successes of the newly formed coalition in the red sea looks like vis-a-vis the who these. the problem is the cost of these greater transportation routes in the short term will be transposed on the consumer. maryam: i have to ask you about president biden and what is happening in terms of the israel-gaza conflict. in terms of his support, what is happening there, do you think this conflict could end up

becoming quite serious for him? >> both from a policy perspective and politically i am inclined to agree with you. at worst, something that the islamic republic understands. the middle east is the foremost sponsor of terrorism. understanding how to use violence to achieve political ends. that is precisely what the escalation we have seen in the region outside of israel and gaza is precisely trying to do, to raise political cost. that is why there has been almost 80 iran-backed attacks against u.s. positions in iraq and syria, why there has been this houthi anti-ship kit abilities striking vessels, to raise the risks. commensurate with this raise a risk, less democratic party politics. the biden administration will be in a bind as the war continues into 2024. maryam: good to talk to you.

thank you very much. around the world and across the u.k., you are watching bbc news. let's take a look at other stories making headlines now. the scottish government announced a 45% ban of tax for people earning over 47,000 pounds. higher earnings will be paying more income tax. top rate just paid more by those earning 125,000 pounds will also rise to 40%. the housing secretary announces a pledge to intervene if there have been delays to housebuilding as a result of poor performance among planning teams. michael gove says he will call out local authorities that are dragging their feet, in his words, when it comes to processing housing applications. a woman and her child were left shaken but unhurt when a car veered off the road and flipped on its side right in front of them. as you can see in the video, the woman walks away caring her child.

it happened 4:00 on saturday. the woman in the car suffered cuts. an investigation is underway. you are live with me, maryam moshiri. there has been a dramatic volcano eruption in iceland which is sending lava hundreds of meters into the sky. let's take you straight to the live pictures, coming into us from southwestern iceland. the volcano continues to spew jets of molten lava from cracks in the earth. now several kilometers long. the area is able cannick and seismic hotspot not far from the capitol reykjavik. experts say the eruption could last weeks or several months. this is the moment the volcano erected. look at that. it was captured by webcam by the

icelandic broadcaster iuv. you can see the lava lighting up the night sky. these pictures were caught by an eyewitness from their phone. it almost looks like a scene from ta movie. scientists are connuing to monitor the explosion from the air and land. they had predicted this direction after detecting seismic activity over the past few weeks but didn't know when it would happen. there are warnings for residents in the i reykjavik that toxic fumes would reach the city overnight tonight. our correspondent is there for us now. bring us up-to-date with the very latest on this eruption. the pictures that i have been seeing, people around the world have been seeing, are absolutely incredible. >> this is as close as we can get to the volcano which

hopefully you can see behind me in the distance. we landed at reykjavik airport about three hours ago, started driving in this direction. after 20 minutes, the authorities stopped us and said we could not continue any further. authorities are urging anyone not to come to the area, for their safety, but also to allow scientists to assess the situation on the ground. we can smell the smoke, we can see ashes in the air, we can sometimes feel the vibrations under our feet. we can definitely hear the sound of the volcano in the distance. just to give youn idea of the situation, when we were in reykjavik, the capitol, 30 kilometers ay, we could immediately see the orange flames coming out of the volcano. that gives you an idea of just how powerful this eruption is.

maryam: we have sent you there obviously to cover this event. i know the world is watching, the pictures have been broadcast everywhere, but how do icelandic people feel about this? i know these events can be relatively common in iceland. to this degree, is this common, how are they taking it? >> really good question. i have spoken to several people that have come here to take selfies, take photos, video of the volcano, but they are a tourists. people from india, the u.k., the u.s., who thought this was an amazing view that ty didn't want to miss. i spoke to somebody from iceland, i asked are you concerned, scared? he just looked at me and said this is just a regular tuesday for people in iceland. maryam: regular tuesday? >> i know. of course it is not a regular esday.

as you can see behind me, this doesn't happen every day in iceland. but this is a country that has seen in volcanic eruption's in the past. it is home to about 30 volcanic systems, the highest number in europe. also, they had been expecting this, authorities were preparing for weeks. a nearby town was evacuated weeks ago. authorities are saying that they are fully prepared, there is no threat to life, and they are hoping that the people that live near double cana will be able to return home soon. maryam: thank you very much. tuesday night here at the bbc is curry night. differenkind of fire. let's bring in our volcanologist professor. that was a bad joke, i know. >> this is some amazing fire. maryam: the pictures are pretty

astounding. tell me more about the science hind it. these directions are fairly common but are they as big as this, the one happening in iceland all the time? >> the backdrop to this is that some of the volcanic systems in iceland are some of the best monitored in the world. we have known about the potential for there being interruption here in the past several weeks. that is because the magma, when it works its way through the crust, creates small earthquakes. in fact, a swarm of earthquakes stretched from the town in grindavik, to the north. that is why authorities chose to evacuate the town, about 4000 people evacuated. also concerns about a local powerstation, people visiting had probably seen the blue lagoon, a tourist hotspot. that is all close to where this activity is happening. maryam: is there a fear that the

lava could go any direction that you don't expect? i have heard theava flows quite fast at times. >> relatively speaking, but the key element is lava flows like a river, goes down into the lows. luckily, the abruption site is on the other of the slope away from the town of grindavik. as it currently stands where the abruption is located is in a slightly more remote area, so it doesn't immediately threaten some of the infrastructure. maryam: it looks very beautiful, the flames, colors and what have you. but there is a serious side to volcanic activity, particularly in countries that are very susceptible. >> indeed. in some ways, this eruption is on one end of the spectrum because it is not particularly explosive. we call these effusive options, fire fountains that make their way into lava flows.

they are relatively easy for humans to get away from if they can work out where they will erect from. maryam: it is not like a compay-type of explosion. >> the 2010 russian in iceland which closed european airspace for six days was a more explosive event. in some ways, depending on the type of volcanic activity, it depends on the immediate risk to people. maryam: can you name the icelandic volcano from 2010? >> [inaudible] maryam: it is not far from that. that is amazing. i want to ask you one more thing before you go. talk to me more about volcanic explosions in terms of how long they last. we have had this for i don't know how many hours. are we expecting this to carry on for days?

>> volcanic systems are highly unpredictable, even though we can monitor them and potentially work out where they will be, we cannot say how long they will go for. the volcanic system is a bit like turning the tap on and off -- maryam: thank you very much for talking to us on bbc news. thank you. i am back in a few minutes time with m 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. ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪

♪ ♪ narrator: funding for this presentation of this program is provided by... woman: architect. bee keeper. mentor. a raymond james financial advisor tailors advice to help you live your life. life well planned. george: actually, you don't need vision to do most things in life.