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and seeing where they go from there, i get to watch their personal growth, it makes my heart happy. (laughs) announcer: 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" s america. s hundreds of thousands of palestinians returned to northern gaza as part of the deal releasing some israeli hostages held by hamas. rebel forces in the democratic republic of congo say they have taken control of a major city, forcing thousands of civilians to flee. survivors of a former nazi death camp lead commemorations

remembering the millions of women, men and children killed during the holocaust. >> the cries and prayers of so many desperate women permeated my soul and haunt me to this day. ♪ carl: welcome to world news america. as tens of thousands of displaced palestinians tonight returned to northern gaza, several israeli families and hostages held by hamas learn about the fate of their loved ones. eight hostages due to be released by hamas the first phase of a cease-fire deal are dead. under the first phase, hamas is to release 33 hostages in total with israel freeing more than 1900 palestinian prisoners. seven fema hostages have already been returned -- female hostages have already been returned

alive. israel's 1100s of thousands of displaced palestinians to return to the heavily damaged northern gaza. many don't have a home to go back to. about a half million more are expected to follow. israel doesn't allow international journalists into gaza. lucy williamson working with local camera teams set as this report from jerusalem. lucy: for 15 months, home was a place gazans carried inside them. whatever else they carried, whatever they lost. today, the road home was reopened. reclaimed. remembered all made nomads of gaza's people. this journey is the one they waited to make. he was walking slowly. his granddaughter's pace. family survivors, old and young. >> i collected her father in pieces from khan younis.

thank god, i am crying from happiness. i don't want anything except to enter my land. lucy: more than half a million people were displaced from northern gaza during the war. some of those returning now fearful of what home will look like. others who don't remember it all. >> my feeling is indescribable. what am i expecting? we will see the same destruction we have seen here. there is no alternative. we are going from emptiness to emptiness. lucy: this is the home many returned to. satellite images suggest three quarters of gaza city's buildings have been damaged or destroyed. houses burned, businesses looted, relatives still buried in the rubble. hamas officials have called for 130,000 emergency tents to

shelter people returning to the north. gaza's displaced still homeless, even after coming home. the road outside once divided by military checkpoints now in place of reunions. israeli soldiers withdreplace b. the impact of this truce is taking hold, but talks on extending it into a permanent cease-fire, talks onn gaza's future have not yet begun. for gazans, the road back home is open, but the path ahead is unclear. carl: joining me now is david, a distinguished fellow at the washington institute for middle east policy. we saw those incredible images, nearly hundreds of thousands of people finally returning to northern gaza.

what will that mean given the devastation they are likely to find? david: it is hard to summarize. carl, good to be with you, good to be with the bbc. it is hard to know for sure. certainly, the devastation will lead to a lot of anger, a lot of sorrow. how that is translated operationally, we don't know yet. but, it is clear that starting next week, things are going to get more complicated with the negotiations on will there be a phase two or not? some will say what happened today, when you have a million people that go to northern gaza, it will be hard to have another round after this. so, some argue this would ensure that phase two will happen. that is a 42 day period of cease-fire in return for 33 hostages. we learned today that eight of them are dead so that means 25

alive. yet after these two weeks, i think we will see 14 will be ouout -- out on the israeli side. it is going to be a little bit like mount mckinley. it will get a steeper hill as we climb this in the coming weeks. some of the good news is baked in the cake for both sides now. i just think it will get a little more complicated for the remainder of the cease-fire. and it's in that environment that people have to make decisions about the next phase. it is no coincidence we are seeing reports about going to the white house next monday and tuesday. i don't think it's been confirmed yet. the first visit of a foreign leader if that is the case. i think netanyahu wants to make sure he's in sync with president trump about phase two. carl: that would be a

significant development, potentially the first foreign leader to visit. there has been a lot of discussion around donald trump's comments over the weekend kind of suggesting this idea of moving palestinian people to either egypt or jordan, saying he wants to clean out gaza, his words. this is obviously controversial for many. where do you see that kind of proposal leading? david: it was interesting that senator lindsey graham, the senator close to the president and close to the prime minister, questioned that this was practical. did not seem to think it was going to work. there's no doubt that moving people outside of gaza has been one of the taboos of this conflict. frankly, it has also led to more civilian deaths because the policy on all sides is don't move people outside of gaza. we have seen with mosul and other places in iraq when civilians could be moved during

conflict, there was less civilian death. here, it was an article of faith tthhat move people and that is because a lot of people's views on egypt, the muslim brotherhood, which is a real enemy of the egyptians, that they didn't want to add to those numbers. others thought that once we take them temporarily, there's nothing more permanent than temporary in the middle east. we are doing israel's work for it, so to speak. this is a tough situation. i am not sure what the president had in mind. he's right. the demolition side. it will be very hard to do reconstruction amid the ruins. this is very hard, but you are running up against long-standing taboos. arab countries who use this taboo as a reason -- because they don't want to take the people themselves because of the radical views. they say we are doing enough because of us but because we

don't trust israel. it is a minefield. carl: briefly if you don't mind, there is another cease-fire deal in lebanon that has now been extended for a few more days. do you see that holding? david: i do, because i think so long as syria has been overtaken away from the assads to a new regime, they see no overland surprises by iran. i tend to believe, i am nor optimistic. i think lebanon will work because of the new regime i i syrian --- in syria. it gives the lebanese people and the new government and the new president a chance to take the country back from hezbollah. i am hopeful. carl: thank you.

u.s. president donald trump is excited to sign four executive orders on monday all relating to the u.s. military. one tells the defense department to create a policy on transgender service members. it does not appear to be an outright ban on transgender service members, similarly to what we saw during his first administration. the second order may reinstate with back pain service members who were discharged for refusing to receive the covid vaccine. another ordered is excited to call for u.s. iron dome, might be similar to israel's short-range missile defense system. a final order is thought to relate to abolishing any diversity related practices or programs within the military. it comes as that apartment of veteran affairs announced monday it will comply with president trump's existing executive order to end diversity programs within the federal government. president trump's nominee for defense secretary arrived to the pentagon on monday on his first official day, vowing to support

the president orders. >> today, there are more executive orders coming. we fully support removing dei inside the pentagon. reinstating troops who were pushed out because of covid mandates. iron dome for america. this is happening quickly. as the secretary of defense, it is an honor to salute smartly as i did as a junior officer and now is a secretary of defense to ensure these orders are complied with. carl: the country of columbia says it is sending a plane to san diego to pick up dozens of migrants as part of a new agreement with the u.s. the deal was reached after the two countries walked to the brink of a trade war over the u.s. deportation of migrants to colombian. that started when the colombian president barred two planes bringing deported migrants. the trump administration to slap tariffs on exports to the u.s. colombia said it would retaliate

by posing tariffs on u.s. goods. the white house announced that colombia agreed to accept migrants without delay. mexico's president claudia sheinbaum says their country accepted more than 3000 deportees over the past week. a large majority of them were mexican. at least a dozen people are reported dead and hundreds more injured as rebels allegedly backed by rwanda fight to capture a key city in the eastern democratic republic of congo. the offensive by m23 forces in the northern province began last week. now, the group classified as a terrorist organization by the congolese government appears to be closing in on the capital. it is a city of about 2 million people right on the rwanda border. thousands of people have fled, some congolese troops have deserted across the border the u.n. says the rebels are using heavy artillery to shell the

city center killing people one hospital reports at least 17 people are dead and hundreds more injured. the head of the united nations peacekeeping force says he has no doubt that rwandan troops are helping the rebels that have killed three u.n. troops. governments of rwanda denies it is directly involved, though it does admit to having troops and missile systems in eastern drc. it is called for the congolese government to negotiate. earlier, congolese and rwandan troops exchanged fire. five civilians were killed. >> the situation is tense and volatile then eastern congo's biggest city. the employee three rebels claim they have seized this -- m23 rebels claim they have seized the capital but the army says they still have control of strategic areas and residents have been reporting gunfire throughout the day. this is just the latest chapter

in years of fighting which has displaced hundreds of thousands of people and many of them had been surging towards goma to try to find shelter. now they find themselves on the move yet again. the congolese government has accused ramonda of sending troops across the border to help m23. now m23 says it is fighting to protect a persecuted tutsi minority and that is a cause that rwanda supports but it says it says that is not directly involved, despite a u.n. report which says otherwise. the rwanndans are also concerned about a coalition inside. others say they are quite interested in accessing the mineral wealth of the region. this conflict has been going on for some time but this is the biggest escalation in more than a decade. in fact, there have been deadly clashes across the border, and exchange of fire between the two countries according to u.n.

sources. the president of kenya has called an emergency summit on wednesday to try to bring a resolution to this escalation. carl: here's a check of some other stories making headlines. venezuela announced it will hold parliamentary and regional elections in april. the opposition leader has called for a boycott. she says the opposition to take part in any elections until there's a proper investigation into fraud allegations in last year's presidential election. nicolas maduro won the german office but the government failed to publish results from polling stations. a group of veterans of zimbabwe's independence board has called on the president to step down, saying he has failed to stop corruption. the public criticism comes at

some of the president's political allies push for the 82-year-old to run for a fourth term. solemn ceremonies marked 80 years since the liberation of auschwitz concentration and extermination camp in poland. holocaust of ivers were joined by leaders and loyalty to mark the day -- holocaust survivors were joined by leaders and royalty to mark the day. the ceremonies began with the sound of a musical piece composed by a german jewish composer killed at auschwitz. it was the largest of the extermination camps and has become a symbol of nazi germany's genocide of 6 million jews. 1.1 million people were killed in auschwitz, one million were jews. the other victims were largely polish, roma, and soviet prisoners of war. about 50 survivors of the camp returned to lay wreaths and light candles. during the main ceremony, they recalled the horror of what took place. katia lost the events today -- watched the events today.

>> and moment of silence for all those who perished. survivors with their families alongside royals and other visiting dignitaries. all in this huge tent in the remains of auschwitz death camp, specially designed to remind everyone what it was like to arrive in crowded cattle trucks like hundreds of thousands of jews all over europe and then condemned to the gas chambers. >> that represent the children. there are very few of us left. from my town, four children survived. we are also here to proclaim and to pledge that we will never, never, ever allow history to

repeat itself. >> 80 years ago, russian and ukrainian soldiers fought side-by-side to liberate auschwitz. f putin was not invite -- vladimir putin was not invited because of his invasion of president zelenskyy's country. the europe we live in now is fractured, full of friction. >> i urge all people of goodwill, and especially i ask of the young people, be sensitive to all expressions of intolerance and resentment towards those who are different. >> the survivors' message this trumpet because of their age now, many were not able to make the journey today. like this man who now lives in london. of the 440,000 gary and jews sent to auschwitz, he was one of

the very few who survived. >> at the age of 14, my childhood has finished. you parents, can you see the smoke? that is where they are, we are all killed. they were sent to the gas chambers and their bodies were burned. >> auschwitz museum is opening a new waiting to mark today's commemoration -- wing to mark today's commemoration and what was the family home of the extermination camp's commander. he was celebrated by the nazis as the perfecter of mass extermination in gas chambers just over the other side of this wall. on this side in perfectly tended gardens, he played hide and seek with his five beloved children. underneath the family house is a tunnel into the death camps linking houses to very separate lives. when we commemorate the holocaust, it is important not to dismiss the perpetrators as

people, exotic months there's to do with us. he was a human being, a husband and a father. and the holocaust did not start with the gas chambers, it began in everyday homes with everyday hate. the kind we are seeing increasingly on social media and in politics now. that's why holocaust survivor spends so much time in schools. >> what can happen when a civilization breaks down? we have seen what it results in. >> she wants to warn them to be vigilant. >> it is better to hear from a witness than reading a sheet of information. >> there's always going to be a struggle in standing up for what's right but if it is the right thing to do, then you should go for it. >> did it make you think about discrimination today? >> yeah.

there is still racism and people that carry on these sort of beliefs today. it is horrific when you think about it. >> in auschwitz, marla was carrying a great responsibility. the only representative of all u.k. holocaust survivors at today's commemorations. >> we are here to remember, but i remember all year round every year, because i've experienced it and it's very important for me to be here. >> this year's commemoration of the liberation of auschwitz is seen as particularly significant. possibly the last big anniversary most of these eyewitnesses will be alive to remind us of what we need to remember, and warn us of what we are already in danger of forgetting. bbc news, auschwitz.

carl: many of those survivors of auschwitz now in their 80's and 90's and cannot make today's ceremony. one of those is susan pollock who lost more than 50 relatives in the holocaust, and almost herself into auschwitz when she was 13. fiona bruce went to go meet susan in portland and and she began by telling us of -- in north london and she began telling us when the nazis arrived at her home and told her family to prepare to leave. >> they said we will take you somewhere safe. tomorrow morning, we will come for you . the police came for us. we were ready. i was a little girl. we were so obedient. we got into this train full of little children. we were on top of each other and we were fearful. we were not people anymore. the fear absolutely absorbed us.

and children were dying. >> you saw that? >> i saw that. babies were dying. we realized are we going to survive? >> you had no idea where you were going. when you arrived at auschwitz, what happened then? >> when we finally arrived, there was a voice still speaking hunger gary and -- hungarian and approached us. i can remember very clearly, they would say you are younger than 15 years old. >> at auschwitz, younger children were often taken straight to the gas chambers. >> that is what kept you alive? what about your mother? >> i learned later she was sent

to the gas chamber. >> straightaway? >> she was no use. that's the reason. no use for doing any work. she was an elderly woman. heartbroken. >> what was going through your mind? there you were, you were a young child. >> my mind was not functioning. such violence. i suppose we would not have minded dying. we were not human beings anymore. we were just worse than animals. hope, all that disappeared. >> what was daily life like for you in the weeks that you were at auschwitz? >> we had to stand in front of a doctor. >> who conducted the horrific

experiments? >> naked. >> you had to stand naked? >> those who were losing weight rapidly -- gas chamber. >> looking back, what do you think about the people, the ausguardswitz that kept you in such horrific conditions? >> when freedom finally appeared, there was no revenge. we walked away and wondered how do i make a living? in this world? >> do you fear for the future? >> sadly, antisemitism has not disappeared. it is not gone. do not forget. do not forget. very important. carl: and you can find more on

today's auschwitz commemorations as well as updates on all the day's top stories on our website, bbc.com/news. you can always check out what we are working on at any time on our social media sites. thank you for watching world news america. ♪ announcer: funding for presentation of this program is provided by... announcer: 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.

geoff: good evening. i'm geoff bennett. amna: and i'm amna nawaz. on the "news hour" tonight, president trump meets with republican members of congress to move his agenda forward as he uses tough tactics against latin america. geoff: financial markets drop as a new chinese artificial intelligence start-up shakes up the industry. amna: and 80 years after the liberation of auschwitz, an