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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". >> i am in washington and this is bbc world news america. the u.s. says more work needs to be done before israel and hamas will agree to a temporary cease-fire and hostage deal but president biden is optimistic as the u.n. warns of imminent famine in gaza. nearly 2 million people displaced. we will ke you inside the daily lives of gaza civilians and as michigan votes in primary elections, president bid's handling of the war could impact his report in a critical battleground date.

welcome to world news america. president biden says a pause in fighting in gaza could begin as soon as monday but hamas has yet to respond to a gaza seas file -- cease-fire deal. it would include a pause in all military operations for more than a month in the exchange of palestinian prisoners held by israel for israeli hostages. negotiators are hoping to reach a cease-fire agreement that can be implemented before raman which begins on march 10. the draft framework would include a 40 day pause in all military operations. reports suggest 400 palestinian prisoners who israel says are serving sentences for terror related crimes could be exchanged for 40 female and elderly israeli hostages. under the proposed cease-fire, hospitals in gaza would be repaired while 508 trucks would enter gaza each day but benjamin netanyahu has vowed to go ahead with an assault on gaza's

southernmost city regardless of any agreement. the bbc's paul adams reports from jerusalem. paul: joe bin may be optimistic about the prospects of getting a cease-fire and hostage deal in place in the coming days, possibly by the beginning of next week, but that optimism isn't entirely reflected across the region. here in israel, certainly, there is a great deal of speculation about a deal that might be emerging, lots of talk and the israeli media about the precise mechanics of the deal, how many hostages would be released and when and how many palestinian prisoners would be released in return. discussions also about whether or not israel is willing to let palestinians move back to their homes in the northern part of the gaza strip. all of this is being talked about endlessly but the government of qatar, a key facilitator and negotiator in this process, says at the moment, it has nothing to announce. there is no deal in place, and hamas officials are saying that

their demands are still fundamentally the same, that there should be a total cessation of hostilities and an end to the war in gaza and the complete withdrawal of israeli troops. are they softening those demands in the background? we just don't know. benjamin netanyahu has called those demands delusional so we wait to see and we may have to wait for some days yet to see whether the gaps between the two sides which are still very considerable are starting to narrow. >> prime minister netanyahu responded that a deal could be imminent. here's what he said. >> from the beginning of the war, i have been leading a diplomatic campaign whose goal is to deflect the pressure to end the war prematurely and at the same time to also gain support for israel. we have significant support in this area. today, a new poll has published that 82% of the american public support israel.

it means for five citizens support israel and not hamas and this gives us another source of strength to continue the battle until total victory. >> let's speak about this with the senior resident scholar at the institute. good to have you back on bbc news. i want to start by asking you -- we are hearing on the one hand from the white house this optimism that there could be a cease-fire agreement by monday. on the other hand, we are hearing from both the israelis and negotiators on the hamas side as well saying there are too many disagreements so why do you think we are seeing this optimism from the white house? >> i'm not sure. i think it is a way of spinning that, you know, to keep the negotiations going and i do think there has been progress. i mean, i think we know that there has been some progress. you can see it from what the parties are saying in public, that they are less far apart than they were. on the other hand, they continue to publicly ask for more than the other side is willing to

give on both sides, very much more. but it is probably the case that the administration is aware of more softening on both eyes behind the scenes. otherwise, i think biden would not have said this. >> i want to ask you about those positions, about what both sides are asking. the bbc spoke earlier to the a spokesperson for prime minister netanyahu come, and she said israel's vision has not really changed. let's play a clip of what she said. >> we set clear red lines for any potential framework. we said we will not agree to pull out idf forces entirely from the gaza strip nor will we agree to the release of thousands of palestinian terrorists and exchange because that would mean giving up on total victory in a war that we did not art and did not want. >> so you know, listening to that clip, as we said, there does not seem to be that much of a change in the positions. where do you see the possibility? >> i do.

well, she says we have not changed, but she certainly does not rule out a 40 day or even longer cease-fire. she will not use the word cease-fire but she did not insist on the word truce or pause. that is a definite change because before, they were talking about, you know, a week at most d then she saying they will not release thousands of palestinian prisoners, but that doesn't mean they won't release hundreds, and before, they were saying they would not release any so there is a definite shift here. i think also when she talks about no complete pullout from gaza, there is an implication there that there could be serious pullouts from certain areas like may gaza city or wherever it might be so that some people from gaza who have been driven out of their homes by israel might be able to return and there might be reconstruction. there is a lot of change in what she just read from the older position. but that is really interesting. what about the threat from the israeli side to vowed to go

ahead with an invasion, a ground operation in the southernmost city? do you think that is meant to have an impact on negotiations? >> know. i think it is meant as a reminder that isrl considers the war incomplete until it has done whatever it was in rafa. we gather there are not operational tunnels under rafa because the egyptians as well as the israelis shut that down and sort of told hamas they would not accept that so theoretically or at least reportedly, there are not operational tunnels under rafa but i think israel will not be satisfied with the war until they have done what they want to militarily in all the urban centers of gaza. rafa is a major place and now, it is the home of more than 1,000,000.2 palestinians who have been driven from the north

and the center all the way to the egyptianorder, to rafa. the u.s. has made it very clear that they are going to have to find a way to remove those people or allow them to exit to a place that is safe and habitable before they do this, but i think they are sticking with their guns that they really will not feel the war is finished until they conduct an exercise in rafa and i think that is true. >> one more question. where do you think the u.s. stands in all of this? we heard about the growing distance between president biden and the israeli prime minister. >> the u.s. is succeeding so far in its main aim which is to stop the war from spreading beyond gaza especially into lebanon. but there are of course -- there is this increased pressure on the white house to get the israelis to wrap up this war or to stop the killing, to start reconstruction and to end the carnage. i think there are very few people left who don't think enough palestinians have been killed in this war has got to and so the white house is

putting a lot of pressure on the israelis not only to wind down the war but not to extend it into rafa at the expense of all of these people, and i think israel is coming under that -- is starting to adjust its policies to accommodate the administration. we saw that already happening in january where there were a lot fewer deaths in january than there were in december in november because the united states pressured the israelis to be more targeted, to give up on the scorched earth and blow up everything, shoot everyone that moves policies that they had, and i think there is a rear -- a real pressure for them to become more targeted and whatever they do, wind down the war, and get out. that is where the real tension is because netanyahu wants to stay in gaza, it's very clear. he has no intention for leaving for at least a year or maybe ever, as far as he is concerned. the white house wants israel to go right away. that is the big difference. >> thank you so much for joining

us. >> any time. thank you. >> the billions in gaza are still living with acute hunger and the constant fear of bombardment. the un's world food program is warng of imminent famine in northern gaza where it says no humanitarian group has been able to provide aid for more than one month. at least 1.7 million palestinians have been displaced since october. let's take stock of the military maneuvers that led to this point. the israeli defense forces began ground operations into northern gaza on october 27. a few days later, israeli troops cut a path across the middle of the territory just at the south of gaza city. during a temporary cease-fire, bulldozers created routes for tanks and troops. having cut gaza in two, the idea pushed further into gaza city where they faced a stiff resistance from hamas. the bbc has been following the daily lives of three gaza citizens from the north of the south, where civilians have been crowding into the city of rafa. our special correspondent their stories.

>> on the 143rd night of the war , eight people were reported killed here. among them, a seven-year-old girl. in an area hosting five times its normal population, israel hunts for the hamas attackers whkilled and kidnapped its citizens. and for civilians in rafa, grief follows. push from place to place, always losing. today, as talks grow of an imminent cease-fire, we follow the lives of three people across the devastated landscape of the gaza strip. he heard the bomb that killed the seven-year-old girl in rafa. but today, as every day, she was up early to start work. her mom and brother have a lung disease. they use a little of their flour to mak christmas which he sells

to buy them medicine. >> [speaking another language] >> there are different kinds of desperation. for this person, it is a quiet kind. when we first filmed her bk in november, she was taking care of nine grandchildren and her husband. >> [speaking arabic] >> with no medicine, her husband died lying on the ground in the

refugee camp. now, her days are spent hiding her fear. >> we are constantly terrified like in a movie. every night, we sleep in fear, trying to assure our children, telling them not to be scared. i am talking to you and the drone is flying above us. >> in gaza, there are the suffering. the boy holding the saline drip about his father. and there are the healers. dr. mohammed a says he only left the hospital twice since the war began months ago. >> we are working 24/7. we don't go to our homes, he ys. the are disconnected from our families. all the volunteers and medical staff stay in the same room. as far as feud -- food goes, only a few items are available

and we provide whatever we can. in another word under his care, a three-year-old, who lost his leg in a blast. adam, age nine, whose leg was amputated after becoming infected with gangrene. while be on thborder of the siege, there was talk of a cease-fire. bbc news, jerusalem. >> today, we may see the impact that the israel-gaza war could have on the presidential race. recent polling by our news partner, cbs, shows 65% of democrats across the u.s. think joe biden should encourage israel to decrease or stop its military actions in gaza and michigan's primary elections on tuesday will be a key litmus test of his wider support among democrats and among muslim and arab americans. michigan is a battleground state . its 15 electoral votes could be critical in deciding who winds the u.s. presidential in november and it also happens to have one of the largest muslim

and arab populations in the u.s. many of them are democrats who along with a lot of progressives nationwide are opposed to current u.s. policy on israel and gaza. mr. biden won the state in 2020 by 2.8 percentage points. mr. trump won the state in 2016 by 0.2 percentage points. president biden's path back to a second term in the white house could be in jeopardy if voters who previously supported the president but disagreed with his policies in the middle east sit out the election or vote for another candidate. for more on the race, i spoke with michigan democratic congresswoman, debbie. >> congresswoman, we know president biden will most likely win this primary easily in michigan, but given some of the frustration that voters have with them on a host of issues including the israel-hamas war, how competitive do you think this primary actually will be? >> look, i think i am one of the people that has urged states

such as michigan -- i worked for 30 years to have it as one of the early primary states because i think it is very important that issues are going to be the determining issues as part of the early primary states so we are talking about these issues. first of all, michigan is a purple state and we will be purple until election day so we are very competitive so every issue matters. i lived in dearborn which has the largest population of arab americans and muslims in this country. i lived there for four decades. i know this community and they are hurting. the name of their campaign was listen to miigan. they wanted to be heard. i think that they have been. i think the president has paid attention to them. i think tonight, joe biden is easily going to win this primary and we know what we have to do. it is an important constituency but there are a number of other important constituencies and every one of them matters in november. >> you said that they are

hurting. some of them have been talking about the way that they will vote today and indee one of your colleagues in congress, fellow michigan representative rashida tilly urged voters -- rashida talib urged voters to vote on committed and she was talking about this day in a clip about her own uncommitted vote. here's what she said. >> when 74% of democrats in michigan support a cease-fire yet president biden is not hearing us, this is the way we can use our democracy to say, listen. this into michigan. >> how worried are you about the implications for president biden looking ahead even to november? >> i think i have had very direct conversations with the president about what my own constituents and what former neighbors in the community i lived in for a long time feel. i think the president has heard them. he has made clear he is working for a temporary cease-fire and

we are going to have to do a great deal to work for a two state solution and get critical needed humanitarian aid to gaza. so i think he has tried to work with this community more. his staff has developed a very important relationships with the community and i think it is an issue that matters so again, i think joe biden is going to win tonight and we have got a lot of work to do between now and november to make sure he winds in the general election. we will roll up our sleeves. we know what we got to do and we are going to get it done. >> this community is calling for a permanent cease-fire, not a temporary cease-fire, and president biden, you spoke about this, you said you were asked whether it was a mistake that he had not visited the american -- arab american community on his trip to michigan and he said he will need to do that at some point down the road. do you think that is to happen really soon? >> i think it needs to happen when people are willing to be

open andave the conversation. i know that he has spoken. i will not tell you who they are. with some people that i think is very important. but right now, i gotta tell you, i have called for a cease-fire. i spend a lot of time in this community and i have protested. i have disrupted at many places and sometimes, i wonder who some of the people are. i recognize that they have got strong feelings. i will meet with anybody and i do meet with people because i think it is important we understand how they are feeling and people know that they are being heard. i think the president will do that at a time that people are willing to have a respectful conversation. >> ok, congresswoman. we spoke last in december about the fact that you have a constituency with a significant jewish community as well as the arab american and muslim community. what are the issues that voters in your constituency are saying to you matter the most to them right now.

>> so i hear a lot of different issues. quite frankly, the number one issue that is on many peoples minds that i have had a great deal about the last couple of weeks, we had record number of turnout in the election two years ago because a woman's right to make her own health care decisions was on the ballot and women thought that they had protected them and they were not going to have to worry about it and suddenly, they saw the supreme court in alabama fan in vitro fertilization. -- ban in vitro fertilization. i am one of those women who along time ago wanted to have a baby and tried. i'm not going to get into what i did but they are worried. at the farmers market this weekend, a woman i had never met came up to me and said, are they going to take away my birth control? i'm taking it for medical issues. and i think women are very concerned again and we have got to make sure that they turn out. i'm hearing about the environment as well. i hear about the border. we have got a lot of issues that people care about.

have got to turn out those union voters. joe biden walked the picket line with them and we have got to go in and make sure we do the comparison between donald trump and what he said he was going to do and did not do and what joe biden has delivered. >> really interesting conversation. then q so much, congresswoman. >> thank you. >> the u.s. and -- thank you so much, congresswoman. >> thank. >> it comes a day after france's president said the idea could not be ruled out. the pentagon confirmed on tuesday that it has no plans to send american troops to fight in ukraine and olaf scholz ruled out deploying nato ground troops in ukraine. he said there had been no change to the agreed position that no european country or nato member state would send soldiers there. that position has been echoed by a number of individual european states including spain and hungary. a spokesperson for rishi sunak

ruled out deploying troops in large numbers. in germany, fugitive member of the far left red army faction has been arrested in berlin. she had abated arrests for more than 30 years. she is wanted for armed robbery and attempted murder. the anticapitalist group, also known as the daughter might have gained -- bahder meinhof gang. >> since the 65-year-old -- she is part of wt is often called it a gang, a former radical left-wing militants that terrorized germany through the 1970's, 1980's, 1990's. for decades now, german police have been looking for her. she has been on the run, living underground with two other accomplices. she has managed to fund her

underground lifestyle with a number of quite spectacular robberies including on supermarkets, most of them in western germany, and that is really why this arrest has taken place in the first instance, but she is known primarily because of her membership of this radical militant group which was obviously very well known throughout the 1970's, 1980's, and 1990's in germany. they disbanded in 1999 and following through to the mid to thousands, she is accused with two other men of carrying out these attacks, some of which -- some of these robberies, she managed -- it is alleged up to 100,000 euros so it is an interesting case because there's lots and lots and lots of different allegations but i think the broader story is it's really a sign again of the authorities clamping down on extremism which gey speaking we talk about far right extremism but in this case, it's really the radical left that is

in the target of the officials here in germany today. >> that was damien mcginnis in berlin. one more item for you and it might be a good idea to brace yourself for this one. researchers have discovered that a tiny transparent fish known as -- can make a sound as loud as a jackhaer. the creature, which is just over one centimeter long, uses its muscles to drum out a 140 decibels rhythm on its swim bladder. in the waters close to the fish, this is as loud as a gunshot. take a listen. a lot of noise for a very small fish. remember, you can find more on all the day's news on our website, bbc.com/news. to see what we are working on,

check us out on your favorite social media site. thank you for watching world news america and do remember to stay with bbc news here and online on our website, bbc.com/news. narrator: funding for this presentation of this program is provided by... 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. ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ announcer: "usa today" calls it, "arguably the best bargain in streaming." that's because the free pbs app lets you watch the best of pbs anytime, anywhere.

wow, you get to watch all your favorite stuff. it's to die for. now you won't miss a thing. this is the way. the xfinity 10g network. made for streaming. geoff: good evening. i'm geoff bennett. amna: and i'm amna nawaz on the "newshour" tonight, congressional leaders meet president biden to negotiate a spending deal and try to avoid a government shutdown in days. geoff: michigan democrats wonder how many will vote uncommitted in the state's presidential primary tonight to protest president biden's handling of the israel-hamas war. amna: and, outrage over the alleged murder of a university student by a venezuelan migrant fans the flames of immigration politics. >> we need to pay attention to br