hello, i'm lauren taylor. we start in the middle east, where nine people including at least four children have reportedly been killed after israeli strikes hit homes in rafah in the southern gaza strip. israeli planes and tanks pounded various parts of the territory overnight. the israeli war cabinet has been planning a large offensive against hamas in rafah, which is where an estimated 1.5 million displaced palestinians are sheltering. the us and other allies have warned israel against a full—scale assault on the city. these are live shots of a refugee camp for displaced people in rafah. one of the main un agencies responsible for getting aid to palestinians, the united nations relief and works agency, is warning that the risk of disease is increasing across gaza because of the lack of sanitation and aid. live tojerusalem and our correspondent wyre davies. what more do we know about the strikes on gaza overnight? it in

what more do we know about the strikes on gaza overnight?- strikes on gaza overnight? it in is interesting. _ strikes on gaza overnight? it in is interesting, isn't _ strikes on gaza overnight? it in is interesting, isn't it. _ strikes on gaza overnight? it in is interesting, isn't it. over- strikes on gaza overnight? it in is interesting, isn't it. over the - strikes on gaza overnight? it in is interesting, isn't it. over the last| interesting, isn't it. over the last few days, the world and the world's media attention has been focused on those exchanges of fire between israel and iran, those exchanges of fire between israeland iran, and the those exchanges of fire between israel and iran, and the potential, a week ago, for what looked like a possible regional war. those fears have been somewhat dissipated after minimal israeli response in the last couple of days. on that side of things appears to have gone away a little bit, with both governments opting to let things calm down. we have had a war in gaza now that has lasted well over six months and that continues. the latest information we have is, as you were saying, several places in gaza were hit, including the southern city of rafah, where many people were killed in reported israeli air strikes overnight. the effect of six months of war has created a desperate humanitarian crisis in gaza.

but amid the ruins of conflict, in some areas, aid is now getting through and can make the difference between surviving or dying of hunger. a flour delivery, organised by the world food programme, allowed this bakery in gaza city to reopen for the first time since the war began. translation: finally, i there is something to eat. you can go to the bakery and buy bread. just a few days ago, it was hard, we were looking for wood, flour, and you couldn't find anything to feed the children. but for most gazans, the brutal reality of war is a constant companion. at the hospital in rafah, parents and siblings consoled each other after several civilians, including children, were reported killed in overnight air strikes. israel said fighterjets and other aircraft struck dozens of terror sites. among the targets, it said, was military infrastructure, compounds and armed terrorists. the us has repeatedly urged israel

not to launch what is expected to be a major offensive in rafah. we cannot support a major military operation in rafah. we believe that a major military operation, with a large presence of a civilian population, would have terrible consequences for that population. words that seem to have little impact on benjamin netanyahu. he has repeatedly said the offensive in rafah must happen, if hamas is to be defeated and israeli hostages released. for most gazans, survival is still a daily struggle. retrieving food parcels from the sea — after an air drop — shows how chaotic the delivery of aid often is, as agencies warn of a worsening humanitarian crisis. wyre davies, bbc news, jerusalem. that has been arrayed in the occupied west bank. tell us more about that. occupied west bank. tell us more about that-— about that. really interesting, isn't it? it _ about that. really interesting, isn't it? it is _ about that. really interesting, isn't it? it is not _ about that. really interesting, isn't it? it is notjust _ about that. really interesting, isn't it? it is notjust the -

about that. really interesting, isn't it? it is notjust the focusj isn't it? it is notjust the focus on gaza. we have had attentions on the northern border, again, overnight and particularly now in the west bank, the palestinian occupied west bank, where there has been repeated clashes between israeli forces and local militants, ever since october the 7th. the latest news we have is that the israeli military military operation, and in that, ten people, including a senior politician were reported to have been killed for. for israeli soldiers were reported to have injured. about a50 people have been killed in these clashes between israelis and palestinians in the west bank, and thousands of people have been arrested. it shows just how dangerous the entire region is. the war in gaza is above and beyond thousands of people, 30,000 people plus, have been killed in gaza. there is a humanitarian crisis there as well. all the while, up in the northern border and the west bank,

there are people being killed and there are people being killed and there aren't increasing tensions as well. ., , there aren't increasing tensions as well. . , . well. thanks very much indeed. -- are increasing _ well. thanks very much indeed. -- are increasing tensions. _ iran's foreign minister has downplayed israel's involvement in the recent attack on his country describing the weapons used as more like children's toys, rather than drones. hossein amir—abdulahearn made the comments in an interview with us media. he said israeli micro—drones used in the operation had caused no deaths or damage, and dismissed it as a "desperate attempt" by israel to "make a victory out of their repeated defeats". he said iran would respond at the �*maximum level�* if israel acts against its interests. tehran's muted response to friday morning's events has raised hopes that tensions between the countries can be dampened, and a wider escalation averted. let's speak to retired brigadier general mark kimmitt in washington. thank you forjoining us. how do you judge the response that has come from iran, and infact the judge the response that has come from iran, and in fact the operation by israel, in terms of where we are

now? i by israel, in terms of where we are now? ~ ., , ., ., . ., ~ now? i think that diplomatic talk often tries to _ now? i think that diplomatic talk often tries to obscure _ now? i think that diplomatic talk often tries to obscure the - now? i think that diplomatic talk often tries to obscure the facts. | often tries to obscure the facts. the facts are that israel, no matter the size, the quantity, or the capability of the drones that attacked isfahan, in fact they got through what was meant to be a formidable iranian defence system. in many ways this was a message from israel, that even these, as the foreign minister would say, small toys, would get through the air defence systems, which is no mean feat. so i think that the situation is dampening down. it would appear to me that the war is going back into the shadows where it has been for the last a5 years, until it came out after the israelis started boasting about the targeted assassinations inside damascus, which led, in many ways, to what we have seen over the last few weeks. we are still in a situation where things have changed in a way, in

that each country has struck directly at the other. if it does go back into the shadows does it raise the risk calculus, now they have crossed that line of hitting each other directly? i crossed that line of hitting each other directly?— crossed that line of hitting each other directly? i certainly think it has. other directly? i certainly think it has- there _ other directly? i certainly think it has. there was _ other directly? i certainly think it has. there was a _ other directly? i certainly think it has. there was a protocol - other directly? i certainly think it has. there was a protocol that i other directly? i certainly think it. has. there was a protocol that says, we can fight each other through proxies but not in direct attacks of each other�*s countries. that has been breached. another real question is, what will cause, in the future, a situation where one country or the other country attacked and openly admits that they are attacking. as we have seen over the last week that can spiral very close to the situation in the middle east that goes well beyond particular aspects of both iran and israel. find goes well beyond particular aspects of both iran and israel.— of both iran and israel. and you mentioned _ of both iran and israel. and you mentioned it _ of both iran and israel. and you mentioned it was _ of both iran and israel. and you mentioned it was an _ of both iran and israel. and you mentioned it was an area - of both iran and israel. and you| mentioned it was an area where of both iran and israel. and you - mentioned it was an area where there is a nuclear facility, mentioned it was an area where there is a nuclearfacility, even if they didn't strike directly at the nuclear facility. is there a possibility that iran will either

accelerate its programme towards nuclear or move it underground? it certainly underground now. there is no chance that any targeting of the isfahan facility would have been successful, because it is hard. that's not in question. iranians have done that the decades. but also i would suggest, i don't know if iran could accelerate their programme any faster than it already is, violations of us inspectors, numerous attempts to obscure what is really happening, so i think wejust have to presume that the iranians will continue their nuclear programme until they have reached break—out. find programme until they have reached break-out. �* , ., ., ., �*, break-out. and in terms of around's fundin: of break-out. and in terms of around's funding of other _ break-out. and in terms of around's funding of other proxies, _ break-out. and in terms of around's funding of other proxies, how - break-out. and in terms of around's funding of other proxies, how much | funding of other proxies, how much do you think the current sanctions, even the new ones that have been added on, will make to changing that? , . ., , that? very little. the sanctions re . imes that? very little. the sanctions regimes with — that? very little. the sanctions regimes with iran, _ that? very little. the sanctions regimes with iran, and - that? very little. the sanctions regimes with iran, and for- that? very little. the sanctions regimes with iran, and for that | regimes with iran, and for that matter many other countries, just don't seem to be having a bite and have certainly not stopped iran from

producing the drones, that they have not only used in this fight, but have provided to russia as part of the fight in ukraine. find have provided to russia as part of the fight in ukraine.— have provided to russia as part of the fight in ukraine. and give very much forjoining _ the fight in ukraine. and give very much forjoining us. _ a base used by pro—iranian militias in iraq has been damaged by a large explosion, a day after israel's presumed strike on iran. one person was killed and eight others injured in the blast and intense fire at the kalso military base, south of the capital baghdad. this footage from the scene shows the aftermath of the explosion, which iraqi security sources have described as a "bombing" which hit weapons and vehicles. the base is used by the popular mobilization forces — an umbrella organisation linking several pro—iran militias who've recently attacked us personnel in iraq. the pentagon says it has not carried out any new strike in iraq. to the latest now on the ukraine war. a russian official says a ukrainian drone strike has killed two people in the belgorod region, which borders ukraine. the governor says a residential

building and a barn in the village of poroz were completely burned down. the governor of smolensk, just north of the belgorod region, says a ukrainian drone hit a fuel depot there overnight, setting it on fire. it comes as lawmakers in the us house of representatives have taken a big step closer to approving a much delayed $60 billion package of military aid for ukraine. the republican speaker mikejohnson is now letting a vote take place. the package includes munitions and air defence missiles desperately needed by ukraine. the vote is being closely watched in kyiv, where some officials have expressed cautious optimism that it will pass. for more on this, let's speak to former us deputy assistant secretary of state, joel rubin. thanks very much for being with us. tell us why this has been so politically controversial. it’s politically controversial. it's . reat politically controversial. it's treat to politically controversial. it's great to be _ politically controversial. it's great to be with _ politically controversial. it�*s great to be with you. it has been controversial because donald trump made it so. what donald trump has

done is undermine american national security, he has pushed the republican party in the house in particular, in this case, to oppose any aid to ukraine for months upon months upon months. it looks like he has finally relented. it looks like now we are going full passage of this bill, along with other legislation of support for israel, aid and humanitarian assistance and other items on foreign policy. but it is donald trump and the extreme right of the united states political environment that has called these delays, and as a result, because significant loss of human life of the ukrainians who are fighting to maintain, keep and protect their democracy. just maintain, keep and protect their democracy-— democracy. just looking on the mechanics _ democracy. just looking on the mechanics of _ democracy. just looking on the mechanics of it, _ democracy. just looking on the mechanics of it, that _ democracy. just looking on the mechanics of it, that is - democracy. just looking on the mechanics of it, that is quite . democracy. just looking on the | mechanics of it, that is quite an unusual procedure and the speaker's jobs in the line. talk is through in terms of our national audience will understand, why this is significant. in washington, processes policy. what we are watching right now is the most convoluted, unique set of

manoeuvres, process —wise, that i have ever seen and working in congress for over two decades as an exciter and an inside staffer as well. the bottom line is this, is that the speaker had a rule passed where democrats supported it and the rule is what allows legislation to go forwards. he got democratic support, unprecedented, because typically the majority party never asks the minority party to support it in the rule, and the rule allowed yesterday for a full vote to go forward that would allow for today's piecemeal packages of these three separate aid bills, one of which is about ukraine and israel and the indo—pacific. this will be passed individually today and we will see democrats voting and many republicans voting against ukraine eight, but because of the rug yesterday allowing all of this to go forward, when it is all said and done today, those three bills, plus the fourth on tiktok, if it passes, will be combined in one single

package and then go back to united states senate, who will then pass it and then to the president. that is because both of our chambers need to have identical legislation passed to have identical legislation passed to have a unified bill to go to the president for his signature. you mentioned _ president for his signature. you mentioned the _ president for his signature. you mentioned the impact on ukraine. president biden wanted this package about six months ago, i think. how much damage do you think it has done to the war effort for ukraine to haveit to the war effort for ukraine to have it delayed for so long? i5 to the war effort for ukraine to have it delayed for so long? is it too late? what _ have it delayed for so long? is it too late? what is _ have it delayed for so long? is it too late? what is frustrating about this is that at the end of the day, what is going to get to the present�*s desk is what is asked for six months ago, with hardly any changes, except for these tiktok issues being dealt with. so that is very thin rule and it has cost lives. it has harmed ukraine's ability to defend itself, it is undermine american national security. it is undermine the reputation with europe. it has made our system looked frail. as a result of this, when speaker, is taking a political risk because it is likely now members of his party will call

for him to be removed from the speakership, i believe that now we can restore our national security, our global reputation, but this was all unnecessary, political posturing by the far right american politicians, which is in the minority. it is worth mentioning very clearly that the rule for the overall package got nearly three quarters on the house floor, meaning that the minorities are dominating the delay game but the majority is overwhelmingly for this type of support for ukraine. i’m overwhelmingly for this type of support for ukraine.— overwhelmingly for this type of support for ukraine. i'm 'ust can ut one support for ukraine. i'm 'ust can put fl support for ukraine. i'm 'ust can put of h support for ukraine. i'm 'ust can put one one of the h support for ukraine. i'm just can put one one of the republican i support for ukraine. i'm just can i put one one of the republican said, he said he was concerned with finding foreign wars rather than secure the border. does that kind of rhetoric cut through?— rhetoric cut through? imagine that, that the speakers _ rhetoric cut through? imagine that, that the speakers are _ rhetoric cut through? imagine that, that the speakers are trying - rhetoric cut through? imagine that, that the speakers are trying to - that the speakers are trying to protect american national security. this is not how it is supposed to work. we are supposed to have bipartisan security and by parties and national security, and support

for americans. this is a throwback and what you're hearing that voice is an extremist, a partisan, someone who hates the idea of working across the aisle to protect america and advance our role in the world. thankfully the speaker saw the lights and decided that, after he had the intelligence and saw she was doing, that, if we didn't step in now, it very well could be calamitous, notjust for ukraine but for our allies and potentially for us. we were going to see strong bipartisan vote and support as a result. , ., , ., ,, bipartisan vote and support as a result. , ., , ., . , , result. joel rubin, former us deputy assistant of state, _ result. joel rubin, former us deputy assistant of state, thank _ result. joel rubin, former us deputy assistant of state, thank you - result. joel rubin, former us deputy assistant of state, thank you for - assistant of state, thank you for talking to us. now it's time to today's sport. a busy day of sport ahead — we'll start at the women's six nations, where thejuggernaut that is england are taking on ireland at twickenham — england have won three from three and are chasing a third successive grand slam... not long under way there. scotland are in italy later, they've fallen down the table after two losses in a row. jo currie spoke to me from twickenham about that game in parma to come.

scotland's six nations campaign so far has been a mixed bag. it started with that wonderful opening day victory over wales in cardiff. they followed it up with a battling performance against france, albeit ending in defeat. they went into that gaining guessing the last week full of confidence can only to walk away on the end of a a6—0 defeat. know they need to show improvement today. they have got a point to prove against italy, a team who also only have one win this year. they know they can target points. the snooker world championship is under way — with defending champion luca brecel among the names first up . the belgian is facing england's david gilbert, in his first round match at the interval— and is looking good to progress.. 6 frames to 3 up.. first to 9 wins it, in the first round. they'll resume in a few hours. judd trump begins his campaign against hossein vafaei shortly. stay up to date on the bbc sport website. manchester city were knocked out of the champions league quarter finals by real madrid this week

but can still win a double with the next step their fa cup semi final against chelsea on saturday. city lifted the fa cup last season — along with the league, and champions league titles. erling haaland and kevin de bruyne are doubts for the game at wembley later. plus city will be up against one of their former players... cole palmer... who's having a sensational season for chelsea. i said many times maybe i didn't give the minutes he deserved. he wanted the minutes. and now he has at chelsea. i am happy for him. he is a lovely guy, a shy guy. he has incredible potential. otherwise he would not be here. so, it is what it is. max verstappen has become the first driver this century to qualify on pole position for the opening five races of a formula one season. after winning the morning's sprint race at the chinese grand prix the world champion qualified fastest for sunday's main race ahead of sergio perez and fernando alonso. lewis hamilton, who was second in the sprint, was then knocked out of the first session of qualifying and will start 18th out of 20 on the grid in shanghai. nelly korda's still very much in

the mix at the chevron championship at the halfway point — she's going for a 5th tounament win in a row. the world number one is just a shot behind joint leaders im jin—hee of korea and thailand's atthaya thitikul who are on eight under. im made five birdies and no bogeys in her round of 67. thitikul, the world number 10, went one better with six birdies but dropped one shot to match the korean. korda bounced back from a double bogey on the first to shoot a 69, sit in outright third place. an update on the champions league semifinal. bustling against chelsea. chelsea are a goal up in the closing stages of that game. and that is all the sport for now. here in the uk the head of the government watchdog, the climate change committee, has heavily criticised the prime minister's approach to climate change. in an exclusive interview with the bbc chris stark said

rishi sunak has "set us back" on climate change, leaving the uk at risk of losing out to other countries. our climate editorjustin rowlatt has the story. when asked what the climate change committee does, chris stark has always said its job is to mark the government's homework on climate and he has been marking rishi sunak down in dramatic fashion. chris stark said that rishi sunak�*s predecessors, theresa may and borisjohnson, had done a good job cutting carbon. but he, when asked about a decision last autumn that was made by rishi sunak to water down targets to stop the sale of petrol and diesel cars and also to phase out gas boilers, this is what he told laura kuenssberg. i think it's set us back. so i think we have moved from a position where we were really at the forefront, pushing ahead as quickly as we could on something that i believe to be fundamental to the uk economy, fundamentally beneficial to the people living in this country, whether you care about the climate or not, and we are now in a position now where we're actually trying

to recover ground. now, mr stark was also critical of the lib dems and of labour. he said politicians across the spectrum in the uk do... he said they have what he described as a collective fear of talking about climate change. he was also, he said, very disappointed by the decision by the snp, the government in edinburgh, the scottish government, to drop a key climate carbon—cutting target this week. and this all comes as marine experts have declared a mass coral bleaching event, the fourth ever such event caused, say these marine experts, by the record high sea surface temperatures, so at a time when we're really seeing profound evidence of the impacts of climate change around the world. police in new york say a man who set himself on fire outside the manhattan court where former president donald trump's hush—money trial is being held has died.

the man doused himself in a liquid before throwing conspiracy theory pamphlets into the air. he was taken to hospital but later died. as our north america correspondent nada tawfik reports, it happened as the jury selection for mr trump's trial was completed. journalists here had just learned that jury selection had concluded slightly after 1:30 in the afternoon, when the man, later identified as a florida resident in his mid 30s, entered the park. he threw coloured pamphlets in the air, doused himself in lighter fluid and set himself on fire. and we here could see the blaze, could feel that heat. now, officials later said that he wasn't targeting any individual, any group or, in fact, this trial. their investigation is ongoing, but they believe he was a conspiracy theorist. now, they say they are going to be reviewing security protocols around this courthouse in light of the high—profile nature of this trial and whether, in fact, to close that park down to the public. but nevertheless, court resumed.

it remained on schedule. and opening statements in this trial will now begin on monday. donald trump leaving the court today again slammed this case as a hoax, as a witch hunt. he is charged with falsifying business records to hide a so—called hush money payment to the adult film star stormy daniels in order to influence the 2016 election to hide a potentially damaging sex scandal. he denies all wrongdoing and the extramarital affair. and again, opening statements will begin on monday. an app designed to reduce disruption for people travelling from the uk across the channel will not be ready in time for a new eu border scheme, according to the boss of the rail firm eurostar. under the much—delayed entry exit system, non—eu citizens will need to register fingerprints and a photo at the borderfrom october. the app is meant to replace passport stamping by allowing passengers to scan their fingerprints remotely

and prevent long queues. the world's largest digital astronomy camera has finally been built. with a whopping 3,200 megapixels, the camera can produce a thousand images per night. it'll allow scientists to study dark energy, dark matter, and the distribution of galaxies. it'll now be sent from the united states to chile, where it'll arrive in a month. the public will see its first images in 2025. taking 1000 pictures a night is wild. that is not something that is currently done by other telescopes. taking that many pictures, in addition to having them being of more than the sky, in addition to having them be able to see really far, it isjust a really having them be able to see really far, it is just a really powerful combination of being able to collect a lot of data. i like to think of it is, if you're looking for a needle in a haystack, which is essentially what you're doing when you're trying to find something cool in space, the more haystacks you have, the more likely you are to find needles. and

so we are putting together1 million haystacks and we are really confident there are going to be some pretty fun needles in there. a chess master has broken the record for the longest marathon of the game ever played. tunde onakoya, who is from nigeria, played for 58 consecutive hours in new york's times square. he is trying to raise $1 million for charity to support chess education for children — and was cheered on by supporters from the city's nigerian community. i can't process a lot of the emotions i feel right now, i don't have the right words for them, but i know we did something truly remarkable. i mean, in documented human history, no—one has ever played chess for this long, you know, 56 hours nonstop, and we just broke that record, and i think we can keep going for a few more maybe minutes or hours, so the next person finds it extremely difficult to break the new record as well.

and a reminder you can get much more on those israel iran tensions on the bbc news website, including this analysis from our chief international correspondent lyse doucet who says there's an audible sigh of relief in the region. check it out online or on the bbc news app. stay with us here on bbc news. hello. quite a chill in the air earlier on but at least that's on is quite strong. earlier on but at least that's on is quite strong-— quite strong. talking about cold weather this _ quite strong. talking about cold weather this is _ quite strong. talking about cold weather this is what _ quite strong. talking about cold weather this is what we - quite strong. talking about cold weather this is what we call - quite strong. talking about cold weather this is what we call the | weather this is what we call the anomaly map across europe, where it is blue temperatures are below the average for the time of year. central parts of europe not even making double figures. we are

feeling that chill as we see colder air arriving from the north. but at least it is high pressure, so that does mean the weather is quieter. a lot of welcome dry weather. here is the satellite picture. clouds have been building through the course of the morning and into the afternoon. some areas are still quite sunny, other areas have turned a little more overcast. temperatures i think best in the west, possibly 15 in northern ireland. but on the north sea coast, we've a chilly breeze, it's only around 9 or 10. now, temperatures may be on the down, but the pollen levels are on the up. moderate widely across some central and eastern parts of the uk and even high in the south west. now, through tonight, variable amounts of cloud. it will turn damp for a time in scotland, particularly northern and central areas. i don't think this coming night will be quite as cold as last night, but still in some spots, temperatures could drop close to freezing early in the morning, given clearer skies overnight. variable amounts of cloud tomorrow, there will be some sunshine, for sure. i think further south, that's where the best of the sun will be,

but some areas may be stuck underneath the cloud. now, interestingly, it is actually going to be a relatively warm day across western parts of northern ireland again, 18 degrees. but closer to the north sea coast in that breeze, maybe not even making 10 celsius. now, into monday, well, high pressure's still with us, but a weather front caught on that eastern edge of the high pressure means thick cloud across much of the uk. little dribs and drabs of rain. i don't think it's going to feel particularly pleasant, again, the further east you are. 10 degrees in hull. out towards the west, in belfast, around 1a celsius. is it going to warm up? well, not significantly so in the days ahead. in fact, if we look at the outlook for the week, it is going to stay generally on the chilly side with a little rain now and then.

this is bbc news. the headlines: nine people are reported to have been killed in israeli strikes in southern gaza, including four children. it comes as the un agency for palestinian refugees, unrwa, warns that the risk of disease is rising. us lawmakers have moved a step closer to approving a much delayed $60 billion package of military aid for ukraine. the republican house speaker, mikejohnson, still faces some resistance from the right of his party. the head of a uk government watchdog, the climate change committee, warns that rishi sunak has "set us back" on climate change.

chris stark says the pm has left the uk at risk of falling behind other countries. new york city police say a man has died after setting himself on fire outside the courthouse where donald trump is being tried. maxwell azzarello had recently arrived from florida. now on bbc news it's the travel show. europe by train. for generations of backpackers, interrailers — and, well, for me — it's what travel�*s all about. and in germany, the railways are booming, partly because of this — it's called the deutschlandticket. it costs me a9 euros a month and it allows me almost unlimited use of the country's regional public transport network.

it was a cost—of—living measure introduced in 2023,