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announcer: funding for presentation of this program is provided by... nicole: at bdo i feel like a true individual, people value me for me, they care about what i want, my needs, my career path, i matter here. 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 is bbc "world news america." s the white house says the u.s. has not committed to sending u.s. troops to gaza just yet as the press secretary defense president trump's plans to take over the territory.

protesters gathered outside usaid after thousands of employees are placed on leave. as sean combs faces more claims, we speak to insiders from the record label about an alleged culture of sex and violent threats. ♪ welcome to "world news america." good to have you with us. the white house is refusing to rule out using force to push gaza's entire population out of the territory as it adds more details to president trump's plan to what he called the riviera of the middle east. on wednesday president trump's press secretary said it would be inhumane to allow gazans to stay in the territory that has been

turned into what mr. trump called a demolition site after nearly 18 months of these really strikes. many of america's closest allies to have criticized the plan with the british prime minister insisting palestinians must be allowed to return to their homes. the you and -- the un's chief's warning mr. trump against what he called ethnic cleansing. -- criticized by some members of mr. trump's own republican party, with kentucky senator rand paul posting on x, the pursuit for peace should be that of the israelis and palestinians. i thought we voted for america first. we have no business contemplating another occupation to spill our soldiers' blood. tom bateman was at the white house briefing earlier. >> go ahead. >> can you confirm the plans for

gaza, any and all palestinians who want to stay on their land will be allowed to do so? >> i can confirm the president is committed to rebuilding gaza and temporarily relocating those who are there because as i had showed do it is a demolition site. . no running water, electricity. the president wants these individuals to live in peace and he is committed with a bold new plan. go ahead. >> joining me now is our middle east correspondent. very good to have you with us this evening. the world has been getting to grips with and reacting to the proposal from the u.s. president. how is it being received in israel? >> and israel and the wider middle east i do not think it is being taken that serious.

donald trump is the world's most powerful man but one commentator said donald trump is thinking outside the box as he often does but this plan is neither viable or logical. there are those on this extreme right wing of israeli politics who welcome this plan with open arms but extremists who previously called themselves for either the forced transfer of palestinians from gaza -- they want benjamin netanyahu to adopt this as policy but most israelis , whatever their views, do not think the plan as it is set up by donald -- this plan may complicate the move from the first stage of cease-fire which has been pretty successful. the move to a second phase may be damaged by the repercussions to this donald trump plan.

on the outside of things, palestinians have completely rejected this because they reserve the right to self-determination. arab countries like jordan, egypt and saudi arabia say this is a redline in the sand that cannot be crossed. they support palestinian statehood and they know having hundreds of thousands of muslims coming into their own fragile and volatile environment might upset the situation in their own particular countries. apart from those few part right wing -- far right wing israeli palestinians nobody sees this as viable. >> it was said president trump's comments constitution denies. by lucian a lot you said phase two of the cease-fire, could this situation risk escalating tensions in the region?

>> without a doubt. it is supposed by palestinians. the more moderate secular party, the islamic factions. they say many palestinians in gaza are either refugees or descendants of refugees, people forced out of their homes after the words of 1948, 1967 or 1973. to tell these people to move on, even if they say it is temporary, it would be rejected by palestinians. it could jeopardize a cease-fire with tangible benefits. 18 israeli hostages have been released under the first phase in exchange for 500 palestinian prisoners. more aid has been sent into gaza and the border between rafah and gaza has been reopened. there is a lot to lose here.

>> thank you very much. almost the entire population of gaza has been displaced by the conflict. for those not returning the journey home is the start of a deeply uncertain future. news organizations are not allowed independent access to gaza. this report was sent from jerusalem. >> where donald trump sees a future riviera of the middle east, gazans see the beauty of what used to be here. the homes and lives they built before american weapons destroyed them, dropped by israel during 15 months of war. more than 500,000 people have returnedto their homes in gaza's northern areas since the cease-fire began. defiance, still their first response to the fantasies of a president and the realities of home. >> neither trump nor anyone else matters to me.

after he made israel destroy our houses in gaza he is telling us gaza is destroyed and we have to leave. we cleaned up the rubble, sit on it and live whether they like it or not. >> the cease-fire has met much more aid is getting into gaza. the priority has been food. the un says 2 million people are fully dependent on food aid. the lack of shelter has meant tens of thousands of new arrivals already returning to the south. life here, precarious, even in the absence of war. there are not enough tents to go around. a family used to live in a tower, razed to the ground during war. >> we are trying to build a shelter. we are worried about it raining on us. we are worried about everything. i want to stay on my land, to live and die on it, even in a

tent. >> many gazans trace their roots to places in what is now israel. refugees from the war that marked israel's creation as a state. many see gaza as a temporary shelter, determined they will one day have the right to go home. lucy williamson, bbc news, jerusalem. >> joining me now is the ceo of the muslim american advocacy group engage. good to see you on bbc news. the plan announced by donald trump yesterday for u.s. ownership of gaza has made headlines around the world. how credible do you see this plan as being? >> just like a lot of things coming out of this administration, i do not think you should be dismissed out of hand but it is deeply problematic from a legal perspective, humanitarian

perspective. at least i think it gives you the thinking of president trump and perhaps some of his advisors on capitalizing on this horrific episode of the last year and a half, possibly at the expense of the palestinians. >> if such a plan were to go ahead in any shape or form it would require cooperation from arab states. they have rejected it. jordan, egypt, we know the king of jordan will be meeting with donald trump next week. do you think there will be pressure from the president? >> yes, i think that is safe to say. jordan relies heavily on u.s. assistance to really run the country and care for its population. it is energy starved and has high unemployment and the list goes on. if donald trump is putting pressure on allies such as

canada or some european countries over greenland, he will do it to the jordanians. they will dig in. this is a very, very serious challenge to their ability to survive as a nation. they would consider this an existential proposal to them. >> i wonder if you think we could see any potential action from the international community or united nations. we have had comments from the un secretary-general saying forced displacement was tantamount to ethnic cleansing. >> i am a former state department official and worked on the un portfolio when i was there and i sigh repeatedly the un failed to uphold international law and stop ethnic cleansing. i personally do not have any faith in the international community's ability to stop

israel or donald trump, which is why i am worried. if anyone can stop donald trump it would be his closest advisors , may be some members of congress from the republican party. perhaps he will change his mind. you can tell his closest advisors were caught off guard. yes, his secretary of state appeared to support it but he knows better. he knows this is a violation of international law and the american public does not want to send troops to gaza. it is dangerous for us as a nation. the american public understands what property rights are and these are the land of the in -- land of the original inhabitantss. actual challenges and allow the cease-fire to become permanent and not allow for further annexation at a time were

countering russian annexation of ukraine. >> i am sure you heard comments today at the press conference were essentially the argument was made from the trump administration that doing the same thing over and over again and hoping for a different result is insanity -- that was the quote from caroline levitt. do you think this is out-of-the-box thinking? >> i guess it is out-of-the-box thinking if you consider ending the occupation of the palestinians to be out-of-the-box thinking, which is what various resolutions have said. yes, repeating the same thing we have tried for 75 years of supporting israeli occupation will pursue the same results. what is needed is ending the

occupation, creating a palestinian state and allowing them to live peacefully side-by-side in their own sovereign territories. >> the ceo of the muslim american advocacy group engage, thank you for being with us. the acting head of the u.s. agency for international to marco rubio said he is working to identify which usaid programs should remain running following president trump's funding trees. on his trip to guatemala set the secretary cuts were not about ending foreign aid but furthering the national interest of the united states. thousands of employees are said to be placed on leave with the exception of those involved in mission-critical functions. a post on the agency's website confirmed staff will be recalled on friday night. protesters gathered on capitol hill to protest the shutdown of usaid.

democratic senators join the protest, arguing the choice to shut it down could have a profound impact on humanitarian programs around the world. >> elon musk's effort to dismantle the agency for international development is a gift to china, russia, our adversaries around the world. you talk to american military leaders, they will tell you that aid is an essential and cost-effective part of our overall foreign policy and national security strategy. >> joining me in the studio is the president of refugees international and a former usaid official under the biden and obama administrations. i understand you were at the rally just a short while ago. who was there, what was the mood and the level of resolve? >> i think there was a high level of resolve.

there were 12 or 13 members of the u.s. congress, myself and other former usaid officials joined by a throng of what looked like several thousand people. usaid employees, usaid partner organizations, people who believe in the mission that the united states has a responsibility but also a value of trying to do good in the world. >> staff around the world from usaid and the latest developments will be placed on leave from friday. some will be coming back here to the united states. what do you think the impact of that will be? >> to look at what secretary rubio has said, he came into this department at the beginning of the administration saying, does it make america more prosperous? the way they are doing this achieves none of those things, it achieves the opposite. it is not make america more strong, prosperous to kick

20,000 people off antiretrovirals drugs. all hiv programs, it does not make us stronger to be pulling services out of refugee camps in war zones. it does not make us stronger to be shutting down things like antitrafficking programs, democracy programs, agricultural development programs. >> if the administration is making the argument this is also about efficiency, are there any programs at usaid that can be cut in your opinion? >> there are always changes in prioritization's in administrations. the usaid staff are used to that and they adapted to that. >> i want to put to you the comments we have heard, for example, from donald trump talking about elon musk -- they said it has to be corrupt. he said that without evidence. >> it is entirely without evidence.

i would even go so far as to say it is a campaign of active disinformation. the few times they have made specific assertions like programs, for example the story of a so-called $50 million shipment of condoms to gaza, it has been debunked. when they are pressed for details state struggle to find any of substance. >> i want to ask you about this agency as a tool of soft power. comments from an official saying news of the agency's dismantlement will be celebrated by dictators around the world and lamented by democrats around the world. >> i think that is spot on. one of the people that has been cheerleading what elon musk did to usaid over the weekend is the former president of russia. he knows that what usaid advances in the world, openness, freedom, democracy, prosperity,

that makes his job and pressure's job harder in the global sphere. when we withdraw usaid from the world, russia and other u.s. adversaries have a more free playing field. >> you were at the rally you mentioned were attended by democratic senators. what are your next steps, plans in terms of resisting this? >> what we need to see is some of the republicans on capitol hill who frankly know aid and spent years praising aid, who know what the agency is and it is not what is being portrayed by elon musk, the need to speak out, have the bravery to step up and speak the truth. >> jeremy, president of refugees international, a former usaid official, thank you for being with us. >> a pleasure. >> donald trump signed an executive order banning transgender girls and women from sports matching their gender identity.

the order titled keeping men out of women's sports invokes a law called title ix that -- schools withholding federal funding but allowed transgender women and girls to play on female sports teams. white house officials say it would allow the athlete to join coed or male sports teams. pres. trump: with my action this afternoon we are putting every school receiving taxpayer dollars on notice if you let men take over women's sports teams or invade your locker rooms, you will be investigated for violations of title ix and risk your federal funding. there will be no federal funding. >> a new lawsuit alleging drugging and sexual assault has been filed against the rapper sean combs as he awaits trial on sex trafficking. our correspondent has been speaking to insiders who worked with him during the 1990's about

troubling incidents they say they witnessed at his music label, bad boy records. mr. combs denies all accusations. >> sean combs became a music icon in the 1990's. >> lock-in on your dream. >> rising to>> fame through his hip-hop label, bad boy records. ♪ managing top artists. in his 20's he was making millions. >> he became a different guy. >> daniel evans worked at the label in the early days. >> my role was to oversee recording budgets. >> he said he saw combs becoming rich, powerful and threatening. >> there was one time somebody messed up something. he was so mad, he said to him if you do this again, i can hire somebody to get rid of you and they would not even know or find you. >> do you feel like anyone in

the office believed he might be capable of that? >> anything is possible. >> more than 40 people have accused chrome of drugging and assault. these photos taken from a lawsuit show him in his recording studio with a girl who alleges she was 17 when he gang raped her. >> the wall of silence has been broken and victims are coming forward. >> he is a lawyer representing dozens of alleged victims from the 1990's to present day. >> we have cases where the allegations are this happened in studios, hotels, bars, backstage , and of course we are still sifting through all of that. we intend to file multiple more cases in the next two weeks. >> behind this door is where his old recording studio used to be. it is not that far from times square.

former staff told me sean combs would often bring women here late at night. some of them said they walked in on him having sex. one even complained they were asked to get him condoms. >> it was not uncommon to fly women in from around the country to have sex with people in the studio. if they had a specialty in something, yes, they would be flown in. >> you would be asked to do that? >> yes. >> because you were the financement. >> yes. it was coming out of the budget. >> how much money was spent on these flights bring people in? >> probably thousands of dollars. >> he said one moment that has played on his mind involving his old boss in the studio. >> he is in there, having sex with this girl.

>> did not seem unusual? >> knowing what i know now, there is a lot of speculation about what state she was in. >> in a statement sean combs' legal team said he cannot dignify every publicity stunt or claim with a response. he has full confidence in the judicial process that the truth will prevail. these accusations are pure fiction. . for now he is being held here, inside one of new york's most notorious jails until his trial begins in may. >> you can listen to more on that story on a podcast available weekly on bbc sounds. let's turn to some other important news around. the world officials in the democratic republic of the congo say rwandan backed rebels had begin afresh offensive in the

east of the country two days after declaring a cease-fire. the battle for goma has left at least 2900 people dead. among them were 100 female prisoners who were burned alive during a jailbreak in goma. the new offensive became days before the presidents were due to attend a crisis summit. argentina will withdraw from the world health organization after the u.s. pulled out of the un health agency last month on donald trump's first day in office. the argentinian president ordered the move, citing deep differences between them and how who manages health issues. new technology is making it possible to unwrap badly burned scrolls from an ancient roman town. the 2000-year-old scrolls were

charged by the eruption of mount vesuvius in 79 a.d. and have been too fragile to open. a combination of x-ray imaging and ai is virtually unrolling them, revealing rows of columns and texts. more work needs to be done to make them flee legible but the team says early results look promising. you can always find more on the day's news on our website, bbc.com/news. check us out on your favorite social media site. i am in washington, d.c. thank you for 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. ♪ ♪

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♪ >> good evening. geoff bennett is away. on the news hour tonight. middle east nations reject president trump's idea to remove palestinians from gaza and take ownership of the decimated

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