the world health organization says the situation in gaza is deteriorating by the hour as israeli bombing intensifies in the south of the territory. and the united nations has warned that �*an even more hellish scenario�* could be about to unfold, for civilians there. israel is trying to destroy hamas, designated a terror organisation by the uk government. unconfirmed reports claim israeli troops may try to destroy the vast network of hamas tunnels underneath the gaza strip by flooding them with sea water. our middle east correspondent, yolande knell, reports from jerusalem. more casualties pouring into this hospital in khan younis this morning, even brought in by donkey cart. medics struggling to find space for the dozens of wounded. palestinians say more than 30 were killed in an israeli strike and shelling close to a un school which was crowded with displaced people. "they launched mortars at us at night. "we were scared and didn't sleep," cries this boy. "all night we were reading the koran." on the move once again. israel has issued evacuation orders affecting tens of thousands of palestinians as it advances on khan younis. and today, amid the intense fighting, many people who'd fled here from northern gaza headed even further south. translation: safety can only be provided by god. | there's no safe place in gaza. we were in gaza city in a place we were told would be safe. then they brought us to khan younis, and now from khan younis to rafah. one un official is accusing israel of repeating horrors from past weeks, but israel's military says it's taking time to plan more precise action in southern gaza and stop innocent people being killed. while we've been operating, we are ensuring that there is minimum harm to civilians, with soldiers on the ground going from building to building. we've been making, again, with everything we have at our... in our capabilities, every effort we can to facilitate the movement of civilians in the south in order to mitigate civilian casualties. israel says it's still fighting intense battles across the gaza strip as it attempts to topple hamas. but as it heads into khan younis, where it's believed top hamas officials may be hiding underground, it's readying for some of its toughest combat yet. live pictures from khan younis, the main hospital, crowds outside the front as israeli commanders on the ground confirming in the last, just over an hour that their forces are in the heart of khan younis, involved in fighting. so though some of the live pictures coming into us. at the start of the war almost two months ago, we spoke to dima ghanim, a pharmacy student. we spoke to her as she was leaving her house in gaza city go to khan younis. her house was bombed and destroyed. today, dima sent us this video of her street in khan younis, showing how she has packed her belongings and heading towards rafah with six members of herfamily. she sent this message to us via whatsapp. last night was insane. the bombing didn't stop even for a single minute. we were hearing gunfire and shelling on the ground, and other sounds that i have never heard before. i only heard about such things from the older generation in my family who have experienced such things in the nakba. the situation is even more chaotic. we don't know where to go. people are just furious and scared. we are all trapped in this place when bombings are nonstop, all night and all day. some places are overwhelmed with people from khan younis and from gaza. people who are leaving from rafah, leaving again into the unknown. they are leaving to build tents in the streets in this cold weather, and there is not enough food or resources for an extra i million people who are now heading to rafah, and into the unknown. i don't know if i will make it any more. we are hearing from the israeli army chief in the last few moments write news agency reporting him saying that their forces are encircling khan younis kamal they knew they were approaching from the north and east, but that giving you more a sense that the large important city in the south of the gaza strip is now encircled. that is certainly what israel's army chief is saying in the last few moments. let's speak to rebecca inglis, who's an intensive care doctor based in london and the co—founder of gaza medic voices, which has been hearing first—hand accounts from doctors in gaza. what are those doctors saying to you? figs what are those doctors saying to ou? �* , , ., what are those doctors saying to ou? ~ , , ., ., what are those doctors saying to ou? �* , , ., . . what are those doctors saying to ou? ~ , ., ., ., . you? as you have heard from the who, the situation — you? as you have heard from the who, the situation has _ you? as you have heard from the who, the situation has really _ the situation has really deteriorated markedly. at the moment there are huge numbers of casualties pouring into those hospitals, the european hospital, the other. they are being admitted with very serious wounds, blast injuries, also some problems. as a result, the hospitals are completely overwhelmed. i am 'ust auoin are completely overwhelmed. i am just going to _ are completely overwhelmed. i am just going to put— are completely overwhelmed. i am just going to put onto _ are completely overwhelmed. i am just going to put onto our screen some of the social media that i was referencing, the back—and—forth messages, just one strand and thread with you asking how things are and the replies, everything is bad, we are dying, patients on the floor, no beds, we need a ceasefire, today seven people came into the operating theatre, all needing leg amputations. on that last thoughts, you are telling our producers that the doctors have now got a low threshold for amputations. tell me why that is. in threshold for amputations. tell me why that is— why that is. in peacetime, that the doctors and _ why that is. in peacetime, that the doctors and nurses _ why that is. in peacetime, that the doctors and nurses can _ why that is. in peacetime, that the doctors and nurses can do - why that is. in peacetime, that the doctors and nurses can do what - why that is. in peacetime, that the | doctors and nurses can do what they normally would be able to, they can try and save some of these injured limbs, but when the hospital system is completely non—functional, which it is at the moment, they don't have the time and capacity and resources, so all they can do is the thing that will save, hopefully, that person's life, removing the damaged limb. at the moment, if you read on that sequence of messages, we heard of the seven cases that came in that day, every single one had bilateral amputation. both lower legs removed. including a two—year—old. so we're seeing children suffering the consequences, hopefully they go on to survive having had that surgery, but they will be suffering the consequences of this for the rest of their lives. we heard earlier that people are trying to minimise, israel is showing to minimise harm to civilians, but the flood of people coming in would suggest otherwise. we are currently getting horrendous numbers, people are lined up horrendous numbers, people are lined up on the floor, the floors are covered in blood, they are unable to do all of the rubbish and get hospital up and running normally. we haven't had any aid delivered the past 48 hours, anywhere other than the southernmost part of gaza, so these two hospitals are not getting any supplies in, so the situation is really... it has been said before but this past 48 hours really beggars belief. we but this past 48 hours really beggars belief.— but this past 48 hours really beggars belief. but this past 48 hours really be cars belief. ~ . , ,., beggars belief. we are seeing some ofthe beggars belief. we are seeing some of the footage _ beggars belief. we are seeing some of the footage that _ beggars belief. we are seeing some of the footage that you _ beggars belief. we are seeing some of the footage that you sent - beggars belief. we are seeing some of the footage that you sent us, - of the footage that you sent us, that you have receipts and some of the hospitals, some of the damage inside, you are referencing the children, just the amount of children, just the amount of children that doctors are saying. they need is so great. just tell me, in terms of the doctors as well, as they are trying to deal with all of that, so many of the hospitals have had to move elsewhere from north to south, and those doctors ending up in other hospitals in the south, able to help there? i in other hospitals in the south, able to help there?— in other hospitals in the south, able to help there? i think this is re bi able to help there? i think this is pretty big part — able to help there? i think this is pretty big part of— able to help there? i think this is pretty big part of the _ able to help there? i think this is pretty big part of the problem i able to help there? i think this is pretty big part of the problem is| pretty big part of the problem is that the moment for the health care workforce, so with this big displacement of people from north to south, a lot of the nurses and doctors are unable to access hospitals where they can offer their services. they are currently trapped in on claims surrounded by bombing, unable to get back somewhere they can provide services —— captain on claves. the nurses sent the messages about the applications, her family has been bombed, she is currently not in the hospital because she is trapped with her family and they are unable to access the hospital any more. this bombing by numbers strategy that we are seeing, where they are try to evacuate parts of khan younis and getting people to move, means a lot of the health care workforce are actually unable to go to work and provide services. likewise we have had in addition to that 264 medics who have been killed, so different health care workers killed so far in the past two months. 35 have been detained. all of these factors mean that not only that hospitals are under unprecedented pressure, the workforce itself has been severely curtailed, severely knocked back. aha, curtailed, severely knocked back. a final thought, we're running out of time, what proportion of hospitals are operational, and a word about what israeli officials always save when you put to them accounts that have come from doctors, they keep saying, you're not hearing about hamas fighters, not being told by those doctors about anything to do with that sort of narrative? it is a narrative that is produced by hamas, and at the end of a gun, so suggesting that perhaps caution all of those accounts coming from medics. what do you make of that in terms of what they say? to medics. what do you make of that in terms of what they say?— terms of what they say? to be honest, terms of what they say? to be honest. it _ terms of what they say? to be honest. it is — terms of what they say? to be honest, it is an _ terms of what they say? to be honest, it is an affront - terms of what they say? to be honest, it is an affront to - terms of what they say? to be honest, it is an affront to the l honest, it is an affront to the incredibly hard—working colleagues. incredibly ha rd—working colleagues. these incredibly hard—working colleagues. these are people that i visit every year when i go to teach in gaza. these are nurses and doctors who are beyond desperate at not being able to provide the quality of care to the patients that they want to provide. they send us photos and videos of everything going on. and i can see, i have seen through their eyes the horrors that they are facing. they are working under unimaginably terrible conditions. providing what care they can. the only solution to try and get the health care system back up and running for the 2.3 million in gaza is an immediate ceasefire.- is an immediate ceasefire. thank ou. merlyn thomas from bbc verify has been looking at the siutation of the ground for people in southern gaza, and the challenges in knowing where they can find safety. this is the kind of video we have been looking at and verifying on social media. the caption in arabic says people are fleeing the centre of khan younis. the israeli army says it's now fighting in the heart of the city and we can see women and children with their belongings on the move. and we've been looking at where people have been going. this is a satellite image of a un site on the outskirts of khan yunis, taken on the 15th of october. and this is an image from the 3rd of december. just watch this space and lookjust how much that site has changed. as you can see, tents and makeshift shelters all crammed into this one small area suddenly appear. and these appear to be spilling out into the desert surrounding the compound, too. the un says it's housing more than 30,000 people there and the site is very overcrowded. one critical factor here is where the civilians in gaza are being warned by israel about military strikes. earlier we heard this from sara bashi from human rights watch. so international law encourages warring parties to issue warnings to civilians where issuing those warnings help civilians keep themselves safe. but when you warn people to leave and there's no safe place to go to and no safe way to get there, that's not an effective warning. and under all circumstances, civilians who remain behind either because they cannot or will not leave, retain their civilian protections. giving people a qr code on social media when you've cut telecommunications, there's no electricity, and the maps themselves are confusing and error ridden. it is a crueljoke. there's nowhere to go in gaza. the israeli military says it's dropping leaflets like this one with qr codes that open what they say is a map guiding gazans to safer areas. but we know there's little or no internet coverage in gaza, so it's likely to be difficult for people to use this qr code. and if you scan that qr code, what you'll see is this. it's a map made by the israeli army, dividing gaza into hundreds of zones. if you look closer, you can see that they've numbered each of these specific areas, and they say that this map is designed for gazans to evacuate from specific places for their safety if required. but this map doesn't tell gazans which areas are safe and which are not. the idf has posted maps online, like this one from monday, telling gazans to leave specific neighborhoods and where to go. but again, with little to no internet in gaza, it could be very difficult for people to access this information. more on that later. you are watching bbc news. let's look at some other stories making the news. the uk government has suffered a defeat in the commons — its first since 2019 — over delays in compensation payments to victims of the nhs contaminated blood scandal. thousands of patients were given tainted blood products in the 1970s and �*80s, causing them to contract diseases like hiv and hepatitis. so far only a small proportion of them have been given interim payments. new guidance states trans women who have hurt or threatened women or girls will not be held in female prisons unless there are exceptional circumstances. the scottish prison service policy follows a public outcry after a rapist was sent to a women's prison. isla bryson raped two women while known as a man called adam graham. draft guidance from ofcom suggests porn users could have their faces scanned to prove their age, with extra checks for young—looking adults. the watchdog has set out a number of ways explicit sites could prevent children from viewing pornography. you're live with bbc news. britain and rwanda have signed a new treaty aimed at getting the uk government's flagship aslum policy operational, following a series of legal challenges. the planned policy, first announced in april 2022, would see some asylum seekers sent to rwanda to claim asylum there. but it hit legal setbacks and was blocked in its previous form by the uk supreme court. after signing the agreement during a visit to kigali, the home secretary james cleverly said he believed the new treaty addressed all the concerns raised by the supreme court. fundamentally the supreme court raised two issues. one was about the capacity of the rwandan judicial system. we have been working on that for over a year. we started to address that at the time of the appeal courtjudgment. the rwandans have been very, very good partners. we put both processes and structures in place which give us the reassurance of the integrity, the impartiality and professionalism of the rwandan judicial system. and also about the nonrefoulement, that is basically a technical term that says rwanda will not deport people who have been sent here. we have now got an internationally recognised, legally binding commitment from the rwandan government on those issues. that is stronger than, stronger than the relationship the unhcr has with rwanda, a relationship that has worked successfully for a number of years. our uk political correspondent rob watson is in westminster. tell us a little more in terms of what has been agreed in this new treaty, what are these significant changes? treaty, what are these significant chances? , , . ., , changes? this significant change is in this attempt _ changes? this significant change is in this attempt to _ changes? this significant change is in this attempt to make _ changes? this significant change is in this attempt to make it - in this attempt to make it absolutely clear in the treaty that nobody could be taken from the uk to rwanda and then from rwanda somehow deported back to the country that they had been fleeing. that really is the sort of most significant part of the treaty. i say that because if he go back to last month, the supreme court in this country said the principal that you could outsource the processing of asylum seekers and migrants to a third country like rwanda, haven't got a problem with that, but they didn't think rwanda in particular are safe because of this problem. of the potential of people being sent back to their home country and human rights pain violated. the treaty attempt tackle that head—on by saying it will not happen. anyone who has to leave rwanda, it would be to come back to the uk.— to come back to the uk. there are two prongs — to come back to the uk. there are two prongs to _ to come back to the uk. there are two prongs to the _ to come back to the uk. there are two prongs to the government - two prongs to the government approach, one is what has happened today in kigali, the other is new domestic legislation. we are being told that as bats coming in the next few days. is there any detail leaking out about what the potential opt outs are potentially considering?— opt outs are potentially considering? opt outs are potentially considerin: ? ., ., , considering? reason i was looking down is to my _ considering? reason i was looking down is to my phone. _ considering? reason i was looking down is to my phone. an - considering? reason i was looking down is to my phone. an e-maill considering? reason i was looking i down is to my phone. an e-mail from down is to my phone. an e—mailfrom the home office, the interior ministry, which if you don't mind i will read out the relative —— relevant line. the uk government will introduce new legislation that will introduce new legislation that will ensure individuals cannot challenge decisions to uk courts to remove them under the partnership deal or delay their removal on the grounds that rwanda is not generally a safe country. what i take from thatis a safe country. what i take from that is there will be legislation passed that will they supply human rights law in terms of taking your case to a court in the uk but will stop short of people saying, i may not be able to protest again being deported to rwanda in a uk court but i can still apply to the european court of human rights in strasbourg. thank you. natasha tsangarides is the associate director of advocacy at freedom from torture. shejoins me now. welcome. in terms of your headline thought of what we have seen play out today in kigali. we thought of what we have seen play out today in kigali.— out today in kigali. we think it is absolutely shameful _ out today in kigali. we think it is absolutely shameful that - out today in kigali. we think it is absolutely shameful that just - out today in kigali. we think it is . absolutely shameful that just weeks after the supreme court handed down after the supreme court handed down a very clearjudgment that rwanda was not safe, thatjames a very clearjudgment that rwanda was not safe, that james cleverly has got on a plane and signed a treaty. there is no amount of tinkering with this system or signing pieces of paper that are going to detract from the findings of fact that the court made, the court was extremely clear. it pored over vast amounts of evidence. expert evidence from rule of law experts to un experts. really highlighted the core human —— poor human rights record that ruben de?, extrajudicial killings, torture —— that rwanda has. they painted a picture of how dysfunctional the asylum system was with a 100% rejection rate of applicants from war zone countries like syria and afghanistan. to think that after such a damning verdict thatjames cleverly thinks he can get on a plane and get a signed piece of paper that somehow would make this situation better is just appalling. you say that but let me die then, in terms of the principle of theirs, there is nothing wrong, is there, with seeing what the objections are from the supreme court and then trying to actually address them? that is what the garment will be saying they are doing. we that is what the garment will be saying they are doing. we believe it is absolutely _ saying they are doing. we believe it is absolutely wrong _ saying they are doing. we believe it is absolutely wrong in _ saying they are doing. we believe it is absolutely wrong in principle - saying they are doing. we believe it is absolutely wrong in principle and | is absolutely wrong in principle and people up and down the country agree with us. but people up and down the country agree with us. �* ., , people up and down the country agree with us. �* . , ., , with us. but that is a different objection. _ with us. but that is a different objection. just _ with us. but that is a different objection, just think— with us. but that is a different objection, just think of - with us. but that is a different objection, just think of what i with us. but that is a different i objection, just think of what i'm asking which is in principle there is nothing wrong with listening to what a court has said in striking you down and try to make the changes that address that and reassure the court. {iii that address that and reassure the court. . ., , , that address that and reassure the court. _, , , ., that address that and reassure the court. u. , , ., ~ that address that and reassure the court. , , ., ~ ., court. of course, but to think that it is so simple. — court. of course, but to think that it is so simple, that _ court. of course, but to think that it is so simple, that suddenly - court. of course, but to think that it is so simple, that suddenly the | it is so simple, that suddenly the rwandan government is going to suddenly oblige by and its obligations that it has had for decades overnight because james cleverly has asked them to, quite astonishing. the rwandan government has been bound by and number of international obligations like the un convention for refugees, for decades, yet unfortunately its record has not proved that it has put that interaction. you record has not proved that it has put that interaction.— record has not proved that it has put that interaction. you talk about the record. — put that interaction. you talk about the record. i— put that interaction. you talk about the record, i was— put that interaction. you talk about the record, i was talking _ put that interaction. you talk about the record, i was talking to - the record, i was talking to representatives from the rwandan government, they argue they have looked after 130,000 refugees and they say they have looked after them well. it they say they have looked after them well. , ., ., well. it is in the rwandan government _ well. it is in the rwandan government because - well. it is in the rwandan government because 's i well. it is in the rwandan - government because 's interest to government because �*s interest to explain to journalists and politicians that they are treating people well. i am not based in wonder, however looking at the supreme court findings, which is the highest court of our land, that spent serious amounts of time and poured over vast amount of evidence and came to these findings of fact and came to these findings of fact and painted a picture of a dysfunctional system, and painted a picture of a dysfunctionalsystem, i and painted a picture of a dysfunctional system, i believe that that cortex will be listened to, not james cleverly and not other politicians spinning what they are trying to sell. at the end of the day this is a cash for humans deal, and people who are interested to make it work will tell you anything you want to hear. you cannot change what the findings of fact are. we have to leave it there, we are getting to the end of this half—hour of our programme, thank you. we will take a pause, back with all the latest headlines, business news, don't go away. hello. if you've had enough of the cold and you'd rather have the mild weather, well, be careful what you wish for, because we could be in for a lot of rain and some strong winds, but not in the short term. this evening, actually, the skies are going to be clearing and there's another frost on the way tonight. quite a sharp one and some fog forming, too. now, in the short term, quite thick cloud across parts of england and wales, although in the northwest here we've had some clearer skies, it's also been colder. and you can see at 5:00 pm, temperatures around freezing in aberdeen, about four degrees in the south of england. now, this evening, we're in between weather systems, one pulling away towards the east, another one advancing here from the west. in between calm conditions, clear skies and fog will form. and on top of that, also very frosty weather. in fact, in parts of scotland, in rural spots, temperatures could be minus seven, minus ten degrees celsius, and certainly a frost further south too. now, out towards the west, we're starting to see that milderair coming in. you can see the southerlies just ahead of this weather front here, which will bring rain, too. but for a time, that fog will linger tomorrow, particularly across parts of the midlands, southern england, the southeastern, where it does during the day, it could be really quite, quite raw, barely above freezing through most of the afternoon. but i think most of us should get at least some sunshine, particularly out towards the east. so more like five or six degrees. but look how much milder it is in belfast and plymouth. plymouth have double figures. so that wind and rain sweeping in. as i said, it could be a fair amount of rain over the next few days. we've already had some flooding recently in the southwest, so more rain to come and that weather system will be sweeping across the uk during the course of wednesday night through thursday as well. ahead of it there could be a little bit of wintriness across the scottish hills or the pennines too, and then really a blustery day with a spell of heavy rain, at least for a time on thursday, before things turn a little bit drier out towards the west. and you can see those temperatures recovering as well. so, a very turbulent weekend on the weather front with low pressure sweeping in and weather fronts. i don't think it's going to be raining all the time because the winds will be quite strong. so pushing those clouds along quite quickly towards the east. but if you look at the outlook, i think it's a case of rain symbols pretty much every single day for most major places. and you can see temperatures into double figures. kigali you're live with bbc news. this is bbc news, the headlines... israel intensifies its operation in the south of gaza — as the world health organization warns the situation is getting "worse by the hour". the uk home secretary — signs a treaty with rwanda ? as they try again to fulfil its promise — to send asylum seekers to the country. armed police are searching for a suspect after a woman was stabbed in aberfan, south wales. schools nearby are in lockdown as a precaution. time to act on watch thefts — tens of millions of pounds worth of luxury watches snatched from victims every year. time for a look at the business news now with tadhg enright. we are talking about china first of all. china has had its credit outlook downgraded by the ratings agency moody's — it's gone from stable to negative because of concerns about rising debt held by companies in the country's faltering property sector.