we begin in the middle east — thousands of protestors have mr netanyahu will be fully sedated during the procedure. his office says that his deputy, yariv levin, will serve as acting prime minister during this time. here is mr netanyahu. he said he will be back to work soon anterior speaking of it earlier. my medical statement is transparent, it is known. sure, a lot of people are saying crazy things, but of course — no boundaries. my wife went to an appendectomy and people said that she spent a whole week at a villa somewhere — and ijust had the flu, people said that i was where? where was it? that i was in hospital. absolutely no boundaries to the lies. i just went through examination, and thank you to all the people asking for my well—being. and i promise you that this operation that i'm undergoing tonight i will also go through very quickly and i will be back to my duties as fast as possible. meanwhile, a hamas offical says israel and hamas are "too far apart" for talks to progress — discussions over a possible new gaza ceasefire and hostage release deal are expected to resume in cairo, according to egyptian media. meanwhile, at least four people have been killed and others injured. after the israeli military carried out an air strike inside a hospital compound in central gaza. this is the moment it happened. the israeli military says it carried out the air strike on an islamichhad command centre in the courtyard of al—aqsa hospital in deir al—balah. among those injured were seven media workers including a freelance journalist working for bbc news. let's speak to jo floto, the bbc�*s middle east bureau chief. just to come back to what benjamin netanyahu had to say earlier. not so much about his medical condition, which he was anxious to downplay, but he was certainly presenting a very robust stance on the conflict in gaza. i very robust stance on the conflict in gaza. ~' ., , very robust stance on the conflict in gaza. ~ ., , , ., in gaza. i think he was appearing toniuht as in gaza. i think he was appearing tonight as an _ in gaza. i think he was appearing tonight as an act _ in gaza. i think he was appearing tonight as an act of— in gaza. i think he was appearing tonight as an act of both - tonight as an act of both reassurance and warning to his friends and critics. the reassurance that he was still vigorously in charge of his government as he prepared to hand over the reins of power to his deputy, and a warning there to those people converging on towns around israel, but particularlyjust towns around israel, but particularly just a few kilometres away outside the israeli parliament calling for new elections and for him to step down, that there is new elections would cause a paralysis in government, would hamper negotiations for the hostage release and would be welcomed first and foremost by hamas, and to them he was warning that no amount of pressure, not from the us or anywhere else, was going to prevent eventually a military assault on the southern town of rafah, where the hostages are most likely to be held as well. but hostages are most likely to be held as well. �* ., , ., , hostages are most likely to be held as well. �* ., , .,, ., as well. but there are people on the streets of jerusalem _ as well. but there are people on the streets of jerusalem protesting. - streets of jerusalem protesting. absolutely. streets ofjerusalem protesting. absolutely. and so let's break down who those people are. some of them are groups of hostages's families and their supporters who believe that mr netanyahu does not have the commitment to secure a ceasefire dear —— deal that would release their loved ones from gaza. their point of view is that it is been four months since the last deal that saw a significant release of hostages and since then very little has happened in that regard. they have been joined has happened in that regard. they have beenjoined by other has happened in that regard. they have been joined by other people who object to mr netanyahu on political grounds, you will remember last year hundreds of thousands of people were paralysing the streets of israel every weekend protesting against mr netanyahu pass planned neta nyahu pass planned constitutional netanyahu pass planned constitutional reforms. they have now coalesced to try to get mr netanyahu to step down and call new elections. he is very unpopular in the polls but this war is still something that most israelis think is the right thing be doing. meanwhile, of course, he faces criticism over many aspects of the conflict in gaza but primarily the apparent lack of planning for humanitarian support. and as you mentioned, this assault on rafah with that criticism out there, it is difficult for him to press ahead, isn't it? it difficult for him to press ahead, isn't it? , , , . isn't it? it is very difficult because _ isn't it? it is very difficult because israel's - isn't it? it is very difficult because israel's closest l isn't it? it is very difficult - because israel's closest ally, the united states, that supplies billions of dollars worth of material support and armament and intelligence to israel is insisting very clearly, very vocally that an assault on rafah, which is this small southern town at the bottom end of the gaza strip next to the egyptian border that has been swollen by about a million displaced people, that an assault on that town without making proper provision for those civilians would cause carnage. and on top of that, the americans and others, in particular the united nations, so that israel is not discharging its responsibilities under the rules of law to feed properly the population of gaza. israel, for its part, accuses the united nations of being incompetent and not delivering the food that they say is there and available, but it is very clear that they are just a few miles away from northern gaza in particular where there is a scarcity of food and people are complaining bitterly about the lack of aid. that there is plenty of food to be had, even though as we have seenin to be had, even though as we have seen in the last few days in america continues to fly 2000 mile round trips to drop things out of planes on two people who are just a 45 minute drive away from a major container port on the mediterranean coast. . ~' , ., , container port on the mediterranean coast. . ~ , ., , . king charles and queen camilla have attended the easter sunday service at st george's chapel in windsor. here they are leaving the chapel earlier — much to the delight of crowds who had lined up to see them. this is the king's most significant public appearance since being diagnosed with cancer. he wasn't expected to mingle, but he did — greeting well—wishers and thanking them for waiting out in the cold. the prince and princess of wales did not attend, as catherine is receiving cancer treatment. the king has continued some work since his diagnosis, but all engagements so far have taken place in private. so this attendance at the easter morning church service at st george's chapel will be seen as an encouraging sign about his health. 0ur reporter charlotte gallagher has more. the king and queen arriving at the easter sunday service, and waves for the crowds at windsor castle. this is an annual tradition but this hasn't been a normal year for the royalfamily, with both the king of the princess of wales diagnosed with cancer. prince william and catherine weren't at the service today — they're spending the easter holidays with their three children in private. this was the last time they were all seen together in public — christmas day at sandringham. today marks the king's first significant public duty since his diagnosis last month. happy easter. best wishes for the princess of wales. you are very brave to stand out here in the cold. a chance to say thank you to well—wishers. hello, how are you? many had travelled to windsor especially to see the royals. i hope you haven't got too cold standing here. happy easter, i hope you're doing well. they didn't expect to meet the king. happy easter, your majesty. keep going strong. never give in. thank you very much. he seemed in great spirits, really, he seemed very humoured and i said to him, would you give, you know, our best wishes from wales to the princess of wales, and i spoke to her majesty the queen camilla as well and, yes, it was a joyful occasion. it's hoped this could be the start of the king making a slow return to public duties. now, we're not expecting him to be immediately carrying out a full calendar of events. but we are perhaps expecting him to be seen more in public and you got a sense today that he has missed being out, meeting people, chatting, shaking hands and doing a part of the job which he obviously enjoys. lovely to see you. this has been a difficult few months for the royalfamily, but today seemed a positive sign about the king's health and recovery. charlotte gallagher, bbc news. earlier, i spoke to robert hardman — daily mail writer and author of charles iii: the inside story. he gave me his reaction he definitely looked glad to be back, meeting the public again. i mean, he's been doing his constitutional duties — they haven't really stopped since his diagnosis, the audiences with the prime minister and the red boxes and that kind of thing. but what he has missed is meeting the people, and that's something he's always enjoyed, and even the late queen, on easter sunday, would always expect a crowd outside st george's chapel, but she wouldn't do a walkabout. so today was really a significant moment, just the fact of him crossing the road there and shaking hands, and really shaking hands, lots of hands. i thought it was very significant. almost as if he enjoys, it to the extent that he draws energy from it, in a way. but the reality is he's been left fairly exposed from a personnel perspective? yeah, we hear this phrase slimmed—down monarchy a great deal, and it is very slimmed down at the moment. he's obviously out of action, and the princess of wales is, and the prince of wales is looking after her a lot, so what we saw today was the core supporters — there was the princess royal, for example, the duke and duchess of edinburgh, who are all stepping up. the duke of york was there as well as a sibling, because it's a family event, he won't be undertaking any public duties. but between them, led by the queen — queen camilla has been central to all of this — they will fill the gaps that have to be filled, so we have seen in recent weeks the princess royal doing many investitures, that's a key part of things, and we're coming up to the really busy summer period. earlyjune, particularly, is going to very busy. we've the 80th anniversary of d—day, plus all the regular royal events, so i think we're going to see the monarchy need the other members of the family more than ever in the weeks ahead. we haven't heard from king charles as to when he plans to return to those public duties? no, i think you'll see a gradual, incremental move towards more events like today. i think each event will have to be edited, if you like, to ensure he's not in an enclosed, crowded space — but a lot of these things are outdoors, particularly in the summer. so events like trooping the colour, he can, and i would expect him to do his best to be on parade for an event like that. a lot of outdoor events shouldn't present too many problems, but we can't be complacent. we do know that he's still undergoing treatment, he's taking all the advice necessary from his doctors, so today's event, the very fact of him going into st george's chapel, crossing the road to shake hands with strangers, that will have been run past his medical team, and i'm sure precautions were being taken. but definitely, the direction of travel, if you look back, compared to a couple of months ago, is very optimistic. the archbishop of canterbury wished king charles and the princess of wales well in his easter sermon at canterbury cathedral. the pope also delivered his traditional easter mass in the vatican — where he renewed his call for a ceasefire in gaza and the release of hostages being held there. here's our religion editor, aleem maqbool. when pope francis pulled out of some easter events, concerns about his health intensified. but the vatican said it was to conserve energy for today. and that seems to have worked. though a little out of breath, easter mass went smoothly. after which, the 87—year—old went on a drive about to greet what police estimated to be around 60,000 people who'd come to st peter's square. events culminated with the pope's easter message. in it, he renewed calls for access to aid in gaza, for the return of hostages held there and for an immediate ceasefire. he also focused on what children in gaza have been witnessing. translation: how much suffering we i see in the eyes of these children. i those children in that area of war have forgotten how to smile. with those eyes they ask us, why? why all this death? why all this destruction? war is always an absurdity and a defeat. celebrations in the holy land this year, including at the church of the holy sepulchre at the site where christians believe jesus was crucified, buried and rose from the dead, was scaled down. palestinian christians talked of an easter tinged with sadness and many foreign pilgrims stayed away. at canterbury cathedral, archbishopjustin welby did talk of foreign conflicts, but also prayed for the king and princess of wales and others he said were suffering the same way, and he talked of other struggles closer to home. whether it is the evil of people smugglers or county lines in our schools, or the pain and suffering in a family riven with grief or rage or substance abuse, jesus the god man who experienced every pain and temptation is calling you and me to love in action. the archbishop talked of the easter story, giving hope of bringing light to darkness, and here at the vatican the pope ended by saying it was also a reminder of the value of every human life. aleem maqbool, bbc news, in rome. and now it is time for a look at today's sport with jane. there was a dramatic afternoon of english premier league football as liverpool went top of the table following a 2—1 victory over brighton at anfield. the visitors took the lead through danny welbeck afterjust two minutes, but goals from luis diaz and then a winnerfrom mohamed salah gave managerjurgen klopp's side all three points. games against brighto — when they were close, so today chasing them in the right moments, trigger the press in the right moments, so many good things for the football coach, and that's why i am really happy. i'm happy with the result as well. it's nerve—racking, sorry, for all of us, but that's the first of the last ten. let's keep going. we played well. we played against one of the best teams in the premier league, especially in this moment, it's very tough playing against this liverpool, they are a great team, great attitude, i think, in terms of the mentality, they are incredible, and we fought in the right way. in the late game, manchester city failed to break down arsenal as a highly—anticipated clash at the top of the premier league failed to live up to the hype — ending in a 0—0 draw at the etihad. it means city keep their unbeaten home run, stretching back to november, 2022 — but it also ends arsenal's eight—match winning run in the premier league. at the end, we tried — just for the fact it is not easy. we defended well, and they have a really good, top players in defence. very compact, close to georginio, so the places in the middle, it is not easy. they have a lot of support, so the divergent really well and are block, and yeah, we tried, but i recognise my team played well. you need a big performance, and defensively as well you have to be at your— defensively as well you have to be at your best. 2021, the last time they— at your best. 2021, the last time they haven't scored. that is the difficulty— they haven't scored. that is the difficulty at the level that they have _ difficulty at the level that they have and of what we have done today. to the final of the women's league cup now, where a goal from stina blackstenius gave arsenal a 1—0 victory over chelsea at molineaux, in a repeat of last year's final. chelsea manager emma hayes leaves the club at the end of the season, so her hopes of winning the quadruple ended when blackstenius scored with four minutes of extra—time remaining. play had to be stopped earlier in the game when arsenal's frida maanum collapsed off the ball and was treated by paramedics. the club later confirmed the norwegian was conscious, talking and in a stable condition. it's a record—extending seventh league cup win for arsenal. real madrid are hoping to extend their lead at the top of la liga as they take on athletic bilbao. the match kicked off around 15 minutes ago — real leading 1—0 with a rodrygo goal. meanwhile, girona beat real betis 3—2 — the visitors coming from behind twice before cristhian stuani grabbed an injury—time winner to move them a step closer to champions league qualification for the first time. to the women's six nations, where italy withstood a late fightback from ireland for a bonus—point victory in dublin. two tries from vittoria vecchini, and another from valeria fedrighi had italy ahead by 27 points to 7 midway through the second half. however, ireland came back with a nevejones try, before aura mutzzo sealed the bonus point win with a fourth for italy. katie corrigan scored to give ireland late hopes of a first six nations win in almost two years, but italy held on for victory. more details on all of those stories on the bbc sport website, but that is it for now. tanya. now to turkey, where voting in local elections has officially ended. millions of people have been going to the polls, which could see president erdogan�*s party retaking control of key cities it lost in the last vote five years ago. but partial results show that the current mayor there — ekrem imamoglu is leading against the candidate from erdogan�*s party. if imamoglou wins today, it would boost his standing as a potential rival to president erdogan in 2028. the elections are taking place against a backdrop of severe economic problems, including inflation of nearly 70%. earlier, i spoke to 0nur erem from the bbc�*s turkish service, who told me the latest right now, we can say that around 20% of the votes are counted and it looks like, especially in the major cities, the last years of economic crisis has affected the voters' decisions, and for the first time in local election history, the main opposition looks like they're getting more votes than the government party, and have more members in local councils, and also more mayors than the government party. we can say that may change because it's only 20% of the votes counted yet, but even getting a result close to the government party would be a huge success for the main opposition party, because they have been in an alliance with all the opposition in the last two elections, but this time they are standing alone and getting even more votes. right, and this election could act as a turning point concerning the political future of erdogan? yes, this is his last term — and there might be a case that the mayor of istanbul, ekrem imamoglu, if he wins tonight, he might be a potential candidate in the next election against the candidate of mr erdogan�*s party. i see, and therefore, if he on the other hand regains traction — we're talking now about istanbul and also ankara — if he regains power over those two important cities, that might propel him to try to change the constitution and extend his power? yes — previously, he has told that he wants to change the constitution, but he doesn't have enough support in the parliament yet. if a major victory happens tonight for the government party, mr erdogan may try to do this. romania and bulgaria have become the newest members of the europe's schengen area of free movement — but only for air and sea crossings. land border controls will remain in place because of austria's opposition to the eastern european nations becoming full members of the zone. vienna fears an influx of asylum seekers if all border controls disappear. romania's interior minister said joining schengen was an important moment for his country and its citizens. emer mccarthy has more from the newsroom. after a 13—year long wait, romania and bulgaria have officially joined the schengen area of free movement. but there is a catch. the free movement only applies to air and sea crossings. that's after austria opposed their full membership. it's concerned about an influx of asylum seekers if all border controls were to disappear. these are the scenes from sofia airport on sunday morning. it's extraordinary. what can i say? it's a special feeling. i took out my passport for nothing. it's nice to feel like a european citizen. it's very easy now at the borders. i had no problems at all. the president of the european commission, ursula von der leyen, welcomed the news. she posted on x, "this is a great success for the people of both countries. it also benefits millions of eu citizens across europe, making the schengen area even stronger." last month, the eu's border agency said it would triple the number of its officers in bulgaria to help stem the amount of people crossing into the bloc from turkey. both bulgaria and romania hope to complete the process for full membership by the end of the year. stay with us here on bbc news. i'm tanya beckett and it's good to have you with us. hello there. well, this easter weekend, the amount of sunshine we had across the uk varied quite a bit. some of us didn't have any sunshine at all. if you look at the satellite picture, you can see the thicker cloud across parts of england and wales and the brighter skies earlier on across scotland and northern ireland, all part of a much larger rugged area of cloud shrouding many parts of europe. it's a big area of low pressure that's dominating the continent right now. and in the next few days, we are expecting a fair amount of rain. smaller areas of low pressure will come sweeping our way. and with that, outbreaks of rain and at times some strong winds. but it won't be raining all the time. there will be some fair weather in between these weather systems. so the forecast then — through the early hours, we have some rain across the south of the uk, maybe some cracks of thunder. also, this easterly breeze drags in rain—bearing cloud into parts of northern england. so quite wet in yorkshire overnight. the temperatures early on monday, 5 in aberdeen, about 7 or 8 in the south. so no huge contrasts across the uk. so easter monday itself, then. well, rain at times, that's the headline. but there'll be some sunshine, too. i think the thickest of the cloud with the most persistent outbreaks of rain will be across northern england, perhaps around the northwest here, merseyside, the irish sea, into eastern areas of northern ireland. either side of that, drier and brighter — i say drier — there will be showers breaking out across southern england. some of them could be thundery — but sunshine in between, too. the forecast for tuesday shows that weather front moving northwards, kind of fizzling away, but still damp here. and then the next weather system sweeps into southwestern areas of the uk, and then later in the day that rain will track northwards and eastwards across the uk. and here it is on wednesday. in its wake, showers are expected across the bulk of england and wales, and that easterly breeze there in the north of scotland keeping things fairly chilly. for our friends in stornoway, only 7 degrees — even colder than that in lerwick, about 7 in aberdeen, but in the south around 15 degrees. and in fact, the south—southwesterly winds will be quite persistent across the bulk of england and wales. so the temperatures will be never that low. but of course often rain clouds in the north, always a little bit cooler. that's it from me. this is bbc news, the headlines israeli prime minister, benjamin netanyahu, will temporarily hand over power as he undergoes surgery. thejustice minister yariv levin — who is also deputy prime minister — will temporarily fill mr netanyahu's role. several journalists are among the casualties of an israeli air strike on the courtyard of a gaza hospital, which the idf said had targeted an islamic jihad command centre. king charles has attended an easter service in windsor — followed by a walkabout to greet crowds. it's his most significant public appearance since being diagnosed with cancer. pope francis pleads for peace in his easter message. he's been meeting worshippers after easter sunday mass — as thousands gather in st peter's square. now on bbc news...take me to the opera: kiri te kanawa at 80