Celebrations broke out in gaza as news of the potential breakthrough reached palestinians. But earlier in the day civilians in Eastern Rafah began to flee after the Israeli Military dropped leaflets warning them to evacuate ahead of a limited Ground Operation against hamas. 100,000 refugees have been told to move to what israel is calling an expanded humanitarian zone near khan younis, but gazans say the area is already overcrowded. Jordans King Abdullah ii is in the us on a state visit. In a meeting at the white house on monday, jordanian Officials Say the king told President Joe Biden a Ground Invasion into rafah would lead to a new massacre and risk spilling over into the wider region. In new york the un Sectetary GeneralAntonio Guterres told reporters that Israel Invading Rafah would be intolerable. Our special correspondent fergal keane has more details. They havent had reason to dance for a long time. But they havent forgotten how. Even amid uncertainty about israels position, hope springs. Across gaza, bbcjournalists captured the reaction. Of those convinced, perhaps prematurely, that a ceasefire will happen. Translation the feeling is indescribable. Were so happy were going back to our home in gaza city. Were refugees from the north and we fled here, this young man says. Were so happy theres a ceasefire. Israelis are still absorbing the news. It came late on one of this societys most important days, when across the country sirens bring the nation to a halt in memory of the dead of the holocaust. A day of reflection in a country traumatised by the hamas attack last october. Chanting tonight, on the streets of tel aviv, those who believe healing that trauma can begin with a Ceasefire Deal and the release of israels hostages. We expect the Israeli Government to take this deal, to save all the remaining hostages who are still alive. But after seven months of a war in which israels army pledged to destroy hamas, a Ceasefire Deal that fails to accomplish that risks breaking israels Wartime Coalition government. Israel will send negotiators to talks but wont stop fighting yet. Translation we examine every proposal very seriously and we review every possibility on the issue of negotiations and the return of the hostages to their homes as quickly as possible and as a central task. At the same time, we carry on with our operations in the gaza strip and will continue to do so. This morning, the people of Eastern Rafah awoke to leaflets telling them to evacuate. Many have been displaced before, but still they were told to leave everyone, no matter how old, how young or how vulnerable. To al mawasi, israel says, and other desolate places beyond rafah. The so called humanitarian zones were to be expanded. But theyve never been safe from sickness, hunger or war. This is the aftermath of raids on rafah last night. People hope these may have been some of the last air strikes if the ceasefire can be made to work. News of the hamas announcement was still hours away. Nisreen rajah, mother and refugee. For seven months, this has been the daily reality. This orphan, grieved by his relative. His family was killed during the war, she says. Even he was killed. So many here are grieving and exhausted. Late tonight, Israel AttackedEastern Rafah, where they told people to leave. Celebration had turned to fear. And the hope that tomorrow might bring peace. Fergal keane, bbc news, jerusalem. Lets bring in david hale, former us special envoy for middle east peace, former under Secretary Of State and now at the wilson centre. Thanks forjoining us on bbc news. Youve spent a considerable portion of your career in this region notwithstanding that there are still attacks happening down tonight. Are we the closest to some kind of Ceasefire Deal that weve been for some time . Thank you. The short answer is we dont know. Those of us outside this dramatic conversations dont know the details of the proposal but hamas has said that they accept and the israelis have expressed some reservations about. Whats hopeful is the israelis are sending delegation to engage and further discuss this but we have to ask the question about whether this is for real. And the fact of the matter is neither israel nor hamas has been a real hurry to arrange a ceasefire so whats changed in the last 2 48 is . Thats when the last 2 48 is . Thats when the pressure the israelis have put on hamas by the demonstration that they are finally determined to Go Into Rafah in a serious way. fin rafah in a serious way. On that, promising that yahoo has not achieved his stated goals from this switches bring back all of the hostages and eradicating hamas so has he given any indication at all that he would be prepared to stop his mission essentially until he reaches those goals . My until he reaches those goals . My understanding from the outside is the major Stumbling Block in these negotiations has been between hamass demand that the ceasefire be permanent and the israeli refusal to accept that. This goes to the heart of the question you asked, the fact of the matter is the israelis still hold out the intention of Destroying Hamas at its military capability, to Vanquish Hamas and whether or not thats achievable is no question but until now its been United States questions and objections to a Rafah Operation and humanitarian consequences of that that is held the israelis back so theres been no real incentive for hamas to agree to a ceasefire so long as israel is not proceeding. That may have changed in the last 2a hours. Have changed in the last 24 hours. ,. , hours. On that, the us role, what diplomatic hours. On that, the us role, what diplomatic wheels hours. On that, the us role, what diplomatic wheels will| hours. On that, the us role, i what diplomatic wheels will be turning tonight when we see premised on Yahoo Ordering Evacuations from Eastern Rafah and the us position that they cannot support a Ground Invasion there without some plan for civilians mike Prime Minister netanyahu. fist Prime Minister netanyahu. At the Prime Minister netanyahu. Git the end of the date israel pose no democracy, it has its own political structure for Making Decisions and the us has a great deal of influence but israelis would decide their National Interest and after 7 october they are determined as i understand add Public Opinion stands behind their leaders in never allow again to put themselves in the shadow of that kind of Terrorist Threat from hamas, hezbollah, or other erroneous proxies about the real question. While we focus on the short term, what can happen day and hour and hour to hour, its important step out and widen our lands and look at the region and the need to re establish deterrence between ourselves, israel, paralysed in the arab world and iran which is a central protagonist in this conflict. Iii is a central protagonist in this conflict. This conflict. Ifjoe biden withdraw this conflict. If joe biden withdraw support this conflict. If joe biden withdraw support and i this conflict. If joe biden withdraw support and ifl this conflict. If joe biden withdraw support and if there is a rafah invasion, what does that mean for regional stability . Stability . Its critically important stability . Its critically important that stability . Its critically important that the stability . Its critically important that the us | stability . Its critically important that the us stand by its friends when they are in a moment of peril like this. I hope that we can avoid the kind of breach. But at the end of the day again i think the israelis will make their own decisions with what they have to do. I hope we wont reach that point. Right now i think both sides seem to be manoeuvring, posturing rather than trying to reach an agreement on a ceasefire so i dont think we are out of the danger zone by any stretch. Mi danger zone by any stretch. All the while a terrible humanitarian crisis continues in that country. What will happen there if the Ceasefire Deal Talks In Cairo tomorrow night successful . Are not successful . Night successful . Are not successful . Night successful . Are not successful . ~. ,. , successful . Will have continued dire situation successful . Will have continued dire situation for successful . Will have continued dire situation for the dire situation for the palestinians in gaza. Weve had from so many leaders who have their organisations on the ground about famine, health and other factors, ground about famine, health and otherfactors, so ground about famine, health and other factors, so everyone ground about famine, health and otherfactors, so everyone is doing all they can but without a corridor that opened to egypt into gaza, and rafah is of course a major point of transit, its very difficult to see how we can really meet the needs without a ceasefire. Again, the key question is whether its a short term ceasefire to relieve the humanitarian situation and exchange of hostages and some prisoners, or whether it will lead to a longer term arrangement that can stabilise the situation and i dont see the situation and i dont see the pieces that have been put in place that would allow the latter scenario to unfold. Thanks for your thoughts as always, david hale. David hale, former us special envoy for middle east peace, former under Secretary Of State and now at the wilson center. Thanks for speaking to us on bbc news. Thanks for speaking to us on bbc newe french president Emanuel Macron welcomed new assurances from president xi jinping that china will not provide russia with weapons to use against ukraine. On his first visit to europe in five years, xi stood with macron to call for a truce in ukraine and other conflicts during the Olympic Games this summer. Macron hopes that chinas influence on moscow could push russia to end the war in eastern europe. During their talks about the israel gaza war the two leaders said they share the same goal of achieving an immediate ceasefire, the release of hostages, protecting populations and providing humanitarian aid. Our paris correspondent Hugh Schofield has more. At the end of a very long day weve had one of those Press Conferences which arent really Press Conferences diplomatic words, very difficult to get beyond the verbiage but if you listened to the content and analyse the words, you could see that they were still differences between the two sides when for example president xi talked about the ukrainian war, he talked about not war but the crisis, he said repeated his position that china is not part of the crisis and that we should not be putting all the blame on a third party, so clearly setting out the difference there between him and the europe of macron which wants to use china to rein in President Putin and on the issue of trade, the other big issue, we saw from macron language which was slightly coded to signify that europe is sticking to its guns. He said france has the most open economy in the world, the most open market in the world, but it is a sovereign and independent policy that it pursues and it will do more to defend its interests. Again, thats restating this new Macron European towards china, talking about a europe which will stand up for its interests more and more against what they see as their aggressive competition coming from beijing. For more on president xis visit to france, i spoke to anne applebaum, a journalist at the atlantic and seniorfellow at Johns Hopkins school of advanced international studies. Thanks forjoining us on bbc news. President xis visit to france, his first to europe in five years, what you think of the timing, why now . The most important thing about his visit is not that he is going to france but that he is going from france to hungary and to serbia. Increasingly, xi sees himself as part of an International Alliance of autocrats, its not a formal alliance, they dont meet anywhere or share an ideology, but he sees himself as a part of that world and he is seeking to meet with the serbian and hungarian leaders as supporters and the countries in europe that are most friendly to china. I think he is in france because the french president has made noises in the past about seeking some kind of independence from the United States and xi is interested in that, but i think the timing is intended to demonstrate that chinas policy towards europe is not what it used to be, hes not speaking to the European Union as a whole, notjust a large countries, he is speaking to people who thinks might be more friendly to his programme. Will there be any Serious Business done in france . We are in the cusp in many ways of potentially a trade war between the eu and china. The odd thing is that china could stop the trade war and china could build its relationship with europe if china puts serious pressure on russia to end the war in ukraine. If chinas desire for peace in europe was real, china would have a lot of friends in europe and i think the dynamic between china and europe would change completely. So we are waiting to find out if and when xi will ever do that but so far he shows no sign. Do you think he exerts that level of influence over President Putin in terms of his approach to ukraine . Its not so much he exerts influence but he is one of putins primary suppliers of electronics, his primary trader, china now buys russian Natural Resources and parituclarly important for russia and how its gas sales to europe have collapsed in the last couple of years, because profits are way down, so china is a very important source of economic support from russia so i imagine they would have influence over putin and whereas there is no ideological links but china would have a big say if it wanted to. Beyond that china and russia relationship, macron has said that he wants to try to influence china, leaning into the stability of the international order. Has president xi displayed any vested interest in actually wanting to do that . China is different from russia and i think the chinese dont want to see chaos and destruction and i dont think they want International Trade to break down. They are very much a beneficiary of the International Trading system as it exists now. So they may be looking for allies who will help them stay part of it and perhaps macron has sought in the past to negotiate with putin in the beginning of the war and he may be trying to negotiate with xi now and i dont think it is such a strange idea that china would want to maintain elements of the system but what china will find difficult is maintaining that system, maintaining this kind of collegial attitude towards trade and global economics, if china continues to support in effect russias destruction of ukraine. We will leave it there. Thanks forjoining us on bbc news. Thanks for oining us on bbc news. , ~ ,. , Around The World and across the uk, this is bbc news. Lets look at another story making the headlines. John swinney has promised a new chapter after taking over as the leader of the Scottish National party. He ran unopposed in the contest to succeed humza yousaf. Mr swinney is also likely to be confirmed as scotlands new First Minister this week. James cook explains. In the and it was the coronation of king john, no other candidates or contest but straight to work as snp leader. My straight to work as snp leader. My focus will be the economy, jobs, the cost of living. Itll be the National Health service, our schools and other public services, addressing the climate crisis. I look at Politics Today and i think Politics Today and i think politics is in the worst state ive ever seen it in my lengthy involvement in politics. So im here to do something about that. Hes taking on the job 20 years after he resigned having led his party through three election setbacks in westminster, holyrood and European Parliament polls. Mr swinney will become only the seventh First Minister of scotland in holyroods 25 year history. Youre live with bbc news. Thejudge overseeing Donald Trumps first criminal trial threatened to throw the former president in jail. Judgejuan merchan found mr trump in Contempt Of Court for a 10th time, saying he violated his gag order by commenti