wyre davies reports from jerusalem. in the cypriot port of larnaca, they have been working around the clock. the spanish ship open arms preparing to tow a barge with 200 tonnes of food and medical aid all the way to gaza. it's a precarious, untested plan with obvious risks. translation: yes, we will tow this platform to gaza, _ where the last mile will be the most complicated operation. the disembarkation will be done on a pier that is being built right now by the world central kitchen. how the aid will be unloaded into gaza, where there is no port orfunctioning harbour, is not clear. air drops and some land deliveries are often swamped by thousands of desperate, hungry people. some aid agencies say that the plan is misguided and ineffective. the humanitarian crisis is worsening by the day. the un says there is a danger of famine, and children are already reported to be dying from malnutrition. all of this is happening because israel and hamas have been unable to agree a ceasefire that would have allowed more aid in by road through israel — still the preferred, most effective route. and the fighting continues. at least ten people were reported to have been killed today in an air strike on nuseirat refugee camp in central gaza. israel, despite growing international pressure for a truce, says its military campaign is not yet over. wyre davies, bbc news, jerusalem. meanwhile, supplies of aid continue to be dropped into gaza. these pictures were shot in gaza city, in the north of the territory. the us dropped more than 41,000 meals and more than 20,000 bottles of water. the area was where the israeli military began its operations, following the hamas attack on the 7th of october, and there have been warnings of malnutrition, and the possibility of famine there. it is estimated around 30,000 palestinians in the north of gaza. several aid organisations have reported difficulties in delivering supplies to gaza's north, and there have been reports of chaos and violence when convoys of aid have driven there, because people struggle to secure food and other essential items. aid organisations have warned that airdrops simply cannot meet the need on the ground. we'll be getting more on that a little later in the programme. earlier i spoke to president of refugees international and former head of the 0bama response to international disasters. israel could choose _ international disasters. israel could choose to _ international disasters. israel could choose to open - international disasters. israel could choose to open borderl could choose to open border crossings tomorrow which would make a seaport unnecessary. and crossings tomorrow which would make a seaport unnecessary.— a seaport unnecessary. and as for the fact a floating _ a seaport unnecessary. and as for the fact a floating port _ a seaport unnecessary. and as for the fact a floating port would - a seaport unnecessary. and as for the fact a floating port would take 60 days to be built, knowing the need it, the humanitarian need on the ground, what do you make of that time then? . , ., time then? that is time that we sim -l time then? that is time that we simply don't — time then? that is time that we simply don't have _ time then? that is time that we simply don't have in _ time then? that is time that we simply don't have in gaza. - time then? that is time that we simply don't have in gaza. we l time then? that is time that we - simply don't have in gaza. we have been saying for several months now that fanon is living and based on what has come through in the last couple of weeks, we can confidently say famine is starting —— famine famine tend to build momentum over time as the hunger degrades the physical condition of more and more people and exposes them to disease and creates a lot of starvation death as well. awaiting one or two more months once that is under way is not tenable. if they had begun this back in december when famine risk was first being predicted, it might be quite useful now, and at this point a solution that is 12 months away is not a solution that will work given the conditions there. , , , , ., ., there. despite it being a solution ou there. despite it being a solution you believe _ there. despite it being a solution you believe would _ there. despite it being a solution you believe would work, - there. despite it being a solution you believe would work, even - there. despite it being a solution - you believe would work, even though when it comes to land routes, it is particularly difficult, isn't it? the world food programme is talked about civil disorder, aid convoys being turned away. do you believe that security needs to be provided to aid groups? that that security needs to be provided to aid grows?— to aid groups? that has been a breakdown _ to aid groups? that has been a breakdown in _ to aid groups? that has been a breakdown in social— to aid groups? that has been a breakdown in social order. - to aid groups? that has been a breakdown in social order. i. to aid groups? that has been a i breakdown in social order. i think it is important to understand that is because there has been such a sustained deprivation in the north for so long. and at the supply of aid is still so in skin system and that any time an aid convoy shows at an extremely desperate people who do not know when or where the next convoy may be coming from are understandably going to be very anxious and desperate to get that aid. the solution there is to ensure aid. the solution there is to ensure a much more steady supply of aid. the israeli government has blocked many, many movement request to northern gaza by un agencies and blocked another world food programme, byjust this week, held that an israeli checkpoint for three hours before being turned around. it was then looted because the people waiting for it were quite desperate. the solution there is not to deprive this population any more, it is to flood the zone with aid so people's desperation goes down and do not need to put so much importance on any single convoy that comes up. you're watching bbc news. here, thousands of people joined a pro—palestinian rally in london. it was the tenth major demonstration in the capital since the 7th october attacks by hamas on israel. on friday, the uk government's counter—extremism commissioner, robin simcox, said "weekends in london had become a no—go zone forjews". welsh singer charlotte church also joined the pro—palestinian protesters. she spoke to the crowd at the end of the rally — showing her support for people in gaza. it's so antithetical to my sense of being jewish to support something that is so heinous and so appalling that i feel obliged to be here. here to support all the people who think that it's time that the fighting should stop. everyone knows what's going on, but our leaders are asleep. - theyjust need a double slap- on their face so they can wake up. 0ur correspondent louisa pilbeam sent this report from the us embassy in london. well, the protest has now come to an end and people have dispersed. it was a well—organised and friendly, warm atmosphere, actually, here today. and we spoke tojewish people and organisations who said that they felt welcome and they said it was important for them to be involved today and they were made to feel involved. now, there is still a police presence here, a significant police presence, and there was all day today, but there didn't seem to be any trouble. the organisers did say, though, that they feel that this event has been overpoliced. on a day like today, there are around 1500 police officers who could be involved, and they say that that's not a good thing for these events. louisa pill beam and there. —— pilbeam there. a short time ago, the met police issued a statement following today's demonstrations. they say that 2300 officers policed 11 major events across london today, including sporting matches and protests. five arrests were made during protests — one of which was for holding an offensive placard, and two were for chanting offensive slogans. the statement also said "there was no significant public order disturbance in any protests today". let's look at the red sea now. the uk's defence secretary grant shapps has posted video on his social media account of hms richmond shooting down two drones in the red sea. the incident happened last night after the royal navy frigate was attacked by iranian—backed houthi rebels. mr shapps said the uk and its allies will continue to take the action necessary to save lives and protect freedom of navigation. the us military says it has also shot down at least 28 uncrewed aerial vehicles — or drones — in the red sea between between about 4am and 8:20am local time. they added that no us or coalition navy vessels were damaged in the attack and that no commercial ships reported damage. with the details — here's david waddell. the singapore—registered propel fortune is the latest commercial ship to be targeted by the houthi movement. the bulk carrier departed india just under two weeks ago, with her automatic identification system signalling that she was not connected to israel — supposedly to deter this kind of attack from yemen. the uk maritime trade organisation said the captain reported no collateral damage to the ship and that she was bound for her next port. and that she was bound these attacks have been ongoing since october, both in the red sea and in the gulf of aden, causing many commercial ships, both freighters and passenger liners, to divert around the cape of good hope. this attack took place about 50 nautical miles south of the port of aden. here's the houthi description of what happened. translation: yemen's naval forces . and the air force carried out two l specific military operations. the first targeted the american ship propel fortune in the gulf of aden with a number of suitable naval missiles, while the second targeted a number of american destroyers at the red sea and the gulf of aden with 37 drones, and the two operations successfully achieved their goals. so the second attack was focused on us warships, which have gathered in the region in greater numbers since the red sea crisis began, led by the uss dwight d eisenhower. us central command said that us navy ships and aircraft shot down 15 unmanned aerial vehicles early in the morning. they regard this large—scale attack as an ongoing imminent threat to merchant vessels, the us navy and coalition ships in the region. that was a david waddell bear. —— there. there's been another mass kidnapping in nigeria — the third in just over a week. armed men abducted 15 students from their school in the northwestern state of sokoto in the early hours of saturday. four women were also taken. there is already a major search for the almost 300 students who were abducted by armed men on thursday. the nigerian army is leading the search for those children, who were abducted from the north west town of kuriga in kaduna state. reports say students between the ages of eight and 15 were taken, along with a teacher. the abductions have been blamed on a breakaway faction of the militant islamist group boko haram. and about 200 people were abducted in borno state on february 29. victims of kidnappings usually pay a ransom to secure their freedom. a controversial law passed in 2022 made it a crime to make ransom payments, with a potentialjail sentence of at least 15 years. but many victims feel they have no choice but to pay. 0ur west africa correspondent mayenijones has more. we don't know very much. all we know is that it happened very early this morning in an area called gada in sokoto in the north—west of nigeria. local members of the community told the bbc�*s hausa service that gunmen came into the town shooting into the air, they took a number of women, and as they were fleeing, they saw some students running into their dormitories and decided to abduct them too. this, obviously, is coming at a time of heightened tensions in the region. a search operation is under way to recover these almost 300 students that were taken from their school in kaduna on thursday. the military, the police and local hunters are combing the forest in the region trying to recover the students. in a setback for ireland's government, voters have rejected two referendums concerning the constitutional redefinition of family and women's roles. the prime minister leo varadkar described it as a "comprehensive" defeat. while the leader of sinn fein laid the blame squarely at the feet of the government. darran marshall reports from dublin. within minutes of the ballot boxes opening, it was clear ireland had said no. voters were asked to approve two amendments to the 1937 constitution, one around the definition of family and the other on care. government leaders say they respect the decision but are disappointed. as head of government and on behalf of the government, we accept responsibility for the result. it was our responsibility to convince the majority of people to vote yes, and we clearly failed to do so. i think we struggled to convince people of the necessity or the need for the referendum at all, let alone the detail and the wording. those who campaigned for a no vote say the government misjudged the mood of the electorate. these two amendments by the government were an exercise in virtue signalling. this was a government flying a flag of progressiveness while at the same time refusing to provide real bread and butter services to families who really need it. ireland has voted no to constitutional change, but already some of the political parties here say they will return to the issue after the next general election. darran marshall, bbc news, dublin castle. let's look at the us now. joe biden and donald trump are both taking their presidential election campaigns to georgia today. they'll hold rival rallies in the key swing state. at the last election, mr biden took a narrow victory there, with a majority of less than 12,000. mr trump has been indicted for allegedly pressuring officials to changethe outcome of that vote — charges he denies. 0ur north america correspondent gary 0'donoghue is in atlanta. it is great to have you. the matchup between the two has really started now. , ~ ., ., , ., now. yes. we have got these two rival rallies _ now. yes. we have got these two rival rallies within _ now. yes. we have got these two rival rallies within 60 _ now. yes. we have got these two rival rallies within 60 miles - now. yes. we have got these two rival rallies within 60 miles of- now. yes. we have got these two | rival rallies within 60 miles of one another, within an hour of one another. it is a clear indication today of the importance of georgia in at the upcoming general election built up a bearing in mind, this was the most marginal state last time around, just 0.3% joe biden won it by. it will be a key constituency come november, particularly when it comes to the african—american community, which forms 30% of voters here. are worrying signs from democrats that joe biden has been losing support in that community in the last year too. and this is not the first split screen moment for them. they have had a match up at the border. the?i had a match up at the border. they have. it had a match up at the border. they have- it is — had a match up at the border. they have. it is becoming _ had a match up at the border. they have. it is becoming a _ had a match up at the border. tue: have. it is becoming a bit had a match up at the border. tte: have. it is becoming a bit of had a match up at the border. tt21: have. it is becoming a bit of a pattern, isn't it? joe biden has certainly tried to turn that argument about immigration round. they say they got that deal done much the republic and then walked away from on the instructions of donald trump, and that is one of the things we will increasingly see, split screen moment, during this campaign. a donald trump is actually leading here in the polling by a bit, eight points in samples come a bit, eight points in samples come a bit narrower in some others. i think thatis bit narrower in some others. i think that is an indication also of the economic message or the failure of the biden team to get the economic message across. and since his state of the union speech on thursday, where by all accounts he did pretty well, according to his supporters, he was certainly motivated and fired up, he will now take that message across the country, here to georgia, and any next week he is going to some other key swing states as well, notably mitch and wisconsin where the margins and 2020 were also very narrow —— michigan. for the margins and 2020 were also very narrow -- michigan.— narrow -- michigan. for georgia for donald trump. _ narrow -- michigan. for georgia for donald trump, it _ narrow -- michigan. for georgia for donald trump, it is _ narrow -- michigan. for georgia for donald trump, it is not _ narrow -- michigan. for georgia for donald trump, it is notjust - narrow -- michigan. for georgia for donald trump, it is notjust estate i donald trump, it is notjust estate which brings to mind the election, because he has legal troubles there as well. —— notjust a state which brings to mind. as well. -- not 'ust a state which brings to mind.— as well. -- not 'ust a state which brings to mind. that is the big bump on the road — brings to mind. that is the big bump on the road for _ brings to mind. that is the big bump on the road for donald _ brings to mind. that is the big bump on the road for donald trump - brings to mind. that is the big bump on the road for donald trump in - on the road for donald trump in georgia. he is quite popularfurther republicans here, but the governor here and the secretary of state here both had run—ins with donald trump. he put candidates up against the many primaries and they won out, so there is no love lost at the top of there is no love lost at the top of the republican leadership year, but in the grass roots, particularly in the countryside and rural areas, donald trump is still very popular, and that is where it out —— that is where is holding israeli. the legal case he is facing here, racketeering charges, 13 several criminal charges to do with alleged interference in the 2020 election here. we remembered a phone call where he asked the secretary of state to find him those 11,800 votes. that is the subject of a case and may well come to trial before the election. and the other thing we know that the polling is there is a certain amount of squeamishness even amongst republican supporters about electing donald trump if he is convicted of a crime, if he becomes a felon. there are a sizeable number of republicans who are not like that at all. thank ou for who are not like that at all. thank you for that. _ who are not like that at all. thank you for that, gary _ who are not like that at all. thank you for that, gary a _ who are not like that at all. thank you for that, gary a lot _ who are not like that at all. thank you for that, gary a lot of- who are not like that at all. thank you for that, gary a lot of energy | you for that, gary a lot of energy behind you. we will have more for you throughout the night has that coverage continues in bbc news. back to our top story — a ship carrying food and medical supplies is preparing to sail to gaza from cyprus as part of an international effort to bring humanitarian aid to civilians. i am joined by bbc news correspondent quentin sommerville who is in larnaca in cyprus. it is great to have you on the programme. what is the latest where you are? the programme. what is the latest where ou are? , , , , programme. what is the latest where ouare? , ,,, , you are? the ship is still preparing to set sail- — you are? the ship is still preparing to set sail. it _ you are? the ship is still preparing to set sail. it has _ you are? the ship is still preparing to set sail. it has a _ you are? the ship is still preparing to set sail. it has a 200 _ you are? the ship is still preparing to set sail. it has a 200 tonnes - you are? the ship is still preparing to set sail. it has a 200 tonnes ofl to set sail. it has a 200 tonnes of aid, flour, rice, plenty of essentials, but also plenty of preprepared meals. we have another 24—hour is before it is expected to set sail. it has taken a lot of effort to get the operation this far but the real challenge will be when it arrives in gaza because there is no functioning port there and getting to northern gaza, the most difficult part, the most desperate part of the gaza strip will be even more challenging. distributing aid there is extremely difficult because law and has broken down and whenever any aid convoys go in there, they are swarmed by hungry people and the people there are any very desperate situation. t people there are any very desperate situation. . , people there are any very desperate situation. ., , , ~ ., situation. i have been seeking to aid grouos _ situation. i have been seeking to aid grouos this — situation. i have been seeking to aid groups this evening - situation. i have been seeking to aid groups this evening who - situation. i have been seeking to| aid groups this evening who have been saying that they feel they are still needs to be more attention on there land routes. —— there still needs to be more attention on the land routes. there are also saying that convoys are still being turned away. that convoys are still being turned awa . .,. , that convoys are still being turned awa . ., . , ., , that convoys are still being turned awa. ._ that convoys are still being turned awa. ., , , ., away. exactly as many people would sa it is a away. exactly as many people would say it is a success _ away. exactly as many people would say it is a success getting aid - away. exactly as many people would say it is a success getting aid to - say it is a success getting aid to gaza, any aid, but it is also a sign of failure that the west has had to resort to airdrops and maritime corridors when there is a very quick and effective way of getting help into gaza through tracks, and to the west, britain and others, have been pleading with israel for many months to increase the number of tracks at the two crossing points in the south of gaza. there pleas have fallen on deaf ears. that really is a very challenging situation for aid groups, but also for western governments who are continuing to press israel, but not getting anywhere. press israel, but not getting anywhere-— press israel, but not getting an here. ,, ,, ., , anywhere. quentin, the united states has said it will _ anywhere. quentin, the united states has said it will be _ anywhere. quentin, the united states has said it will be building _ anywhere. quentin, the united states has said it will be building this - has said it will be building this floating port that it helps can eventually deliver two million meals a day. what more do we know that that? 4' , ., a day. what more do we know that that? ~ , ., _, a day. what more do we know that that? 4' , ., , ., , a day. what more do we know that that? ~ , ., , , that? the keyword you 'ust use there is eventually. _ that? the keyword you 'ust use there is eventually. lh that? the keyword you 'ust use there is eventually. i think _ that? the keyword you just use there is eventually. i think that _ that? the keyword you just use there is eventually. i think that is _ that? the keyword you just use there is eventually. i think that is very - is eventually. i think that is very frustrating for palestinians, obviously, but for many aid groups trying to help the palestinians. this catastrophe is no surprise. the un says salmon in gaza is almost inevitable. it has been warning of that for many, many months —— un says famine in gaza is almost inevitable. this plan when it is operational will get 2 million meals a day, but it will take 60 days to put the floating pontoon is, the infrastructure, building special port, and no us troops will land in gaza, but1000 port, and no us troops will land in gaza, but 1000 of them will be required, this huge effort, to get that aid through a maritime corridor where, as i said earlier, it is far quicker to get it there by truck, by road through the crossings from israel and egypt.— road through the crossings from israel and egypt. road through the crossings from israel and el t. ,, ., ,, i. israel and egypt. quentin, thank you so much for— israel and egypt. quentin, thank you so much for your _ israel and egypt. quentin, thank you so much for your time _ israel and egypt. quentin, thank you so much for your time and _ israel and egypt. quentin, thank you so much for your time and for- israel and egypt. quentin, thank you so much for your time and for that i so much for your time and for that update. the famous sycamore gap tree on hadrian's wall made headlines after it was chopped down last year. but now horticulturalists from the national trust have successfully grown the first seedlings from it. harriet bradshaw reports. at a top—secret location in devon, a site of biosecurity where the national trust is protecting the legacy of the nation's most famous trees. i've been invited to witness history, hope for the future of the sycamore gap tree. a lot of people might think, "well, it's just a sycamore", you know, a sycamore, but it is a really important sycamore. the sycamore gap tree in its prime. but last september, it was chopped down. everyone seems to have a story about how they connect to the tree. some people, literally, have been proposed to underneath it. other people just saw it as a way marker on theirjourney. and yet there are signs of life. in a race against time, the national trust managed to rescue seeds from the felled tree. and now they're growing. within this mini greenhouse, within this secret greenhouse, is a tiny little seedling. and this was the first of the sycamore gap's seeds to pop up. and the team here say when they saw this growing, they knew there was hope. but raising seedlings isn't the only way the tree's legacy can be preserved. there is also another method called grafting, using living twigs. and nine of the 20 grafts are now showing signs of life. i think there's a great deal of relief. it is a race against time because, obviously, once you cut a tree down, it's physically dying straightaway. you know, there's a lot of pressure on us to actually get them growing. luckily we did. the grafting of the sycamore gap materials would have looked something like this. this method means that we've actually used the original- material from that tree, - so we've got a genetic clone. so, basically, the sycamore gap can live on? yeah, it is the same tree. when they've grown up, the national trust says it'll be the community and the nation who decide where they're planted. for now, seeds of hope protecting the legacy of the sycamore gap tree forfuture generations. harriet bradshaw, bbc news, devon. some sports news now — and the teenage british driver 0liver bearman finished in the points in his first formula 1 grand prix. the 18—year—old was brought into the ferrari in saudi arabia after the team's usual driver carlos sainz was taken ill. he'd qualified in 11th place, but manged to take the chequered flag in 7th. the race itself was won by max verstappen in a red bull. we're just a day away from the oscars and preparations are in full swing in hollywood. those are not the stars, but take out the a look at the placards, you can see who is expected by the signs around the teams next. we'll leave it up to you to decide who deserves the oscar for best pretending to be a star. and we'll have coverage of the academy awards, with special programming here on bbc news. dojoin us for that. tom brooke and peter bowes will be there. next it is the weather with ben rich. hello. sunshine amounts have varied across the uk today. some areas got stuck with a lot of clouds and outbreaks of rain, but for others the cloud did break to reveal some sunshine. that was how it looked for one of our weather watchers in shetland. on the earlier satellite picture, you can see this swirl of cloud in the centre of which lies an area of low pressure that is dominating our weather right now. it will continue to do so. and because we are on the northern flank of that low, we have an easterly wind. that wind staying pretty strong across northern areas through tonight, the wind easing further south. we will see outbreaks of rain pushing northwards, particularly across parts of england and wales. overnight lows generally between 3—9 celsius. so tomorrow, here's our area of low pressure still with us. but notice big gaps between the isobars in southern areas, so the winds here relatively light. the isobars squeezed together further north, so it will stay quite blustery. and when you're exposed to that breeze, particularly across the east coast of scotland, it is going to feel decidedly chilly. many areas will see outbreaks of rain at times, but not all the time. certainly not a huge amount of sunshine for mother's day. best chance of brightness i think will be in the far north, also for parts of south and west wales, the south—west of england, and the channel islands. the winds will be lighter than they have been today in the south. temperatures in the south, in any brightness, 12—13 celsius, but exposed to that breeze, eastern scotland, only 5—6 celsius. that breeze still with us on monday, that easterly blowing in towards, say, the eastern side of scotland. but that wind generally easing off. monday will bring a lot of cloud. there'll be some bits and pieces of rain towards the south—east of england, also northern ireland. some bright or sunny spells and again, temperatures 6—11 or maybe 12 celsius. and for tuesday, the changes really only taking place very slowly. it won't be as windy on tuesday. because of that, there could be some mist and fog patches through the morning. quite a lot of cloud, some sunny spells. i think many places will be dry. temperatures between 8—12 celsius. but the weather will change in terms of the feel of things, certainly, as we head through the middle parts of the week, because with areas of low pressure passing to the west or the north—west of us, we will develop winds from the south—west. and that will bring certainly a milder feel. from midweek onwards, temperatures getting up into the middle teens celsius, but it will often be cloudy, and there'll be some rain at times. this is bbc news, the headlines. preparations are under way to deliver aid to gaza — using a maritime corridor. two hundred tonnes of food and medical supplies will be on board a barge, towed by a charity ship. it's due to sail from cyprus. but it's not clear yet how the supplies will be safely distributed inside gaza. tens of thousands of people have marched in central london in support of gaza — the tenth major protest in the city since the october 7th attacks. the met police said five arrests were made during the protests — one for holding an offensive placard, and two for chanting offensive slogans. and new life is springing from the sycamore gap tree. seedlings from the famously felled tree are starting to grow. now on bbc news, political thinking with nick robinson.