Gbnews. Com. But now somebody who does all answers. Its does know all the answers. Its the day with polly the news of the day with polly middlehurst. Middlehurst. Jacob thank you and good evening to you. Will the top story from the jhb newsroom. Story from the jhb newsroom. Israel is warning residents living in the north of the country to stay home and lock themselves inside died, raising concerns of a possible infiltration on the ground. Israel Defence Forces say at least a dozen drones have been spotted in the region in the sky, but no evidence of any impact following the aerial alerts yet. Meanwhile, in the alerts yet. Meanwhile, in the United States , a secretary of United States, a secretary of state, Antony Blinken , is on his state, Antony Blinken, is on his way to israel to meet the israeli Prime MinisterBenjamin Netanyahu, who said the us is determined to make sure israel has all it needs to defend itself. Now, earlier, the uk itself. Now, earlier, the uk foreign secretary, whos in israel, was forced to run for cover when a siren sounded. If youre watching on tv , take youre watching on tv, take a look at these pictures which were posted on social media by the Israeli Foreign minister. The government says James Cleverlys visit there is a sign of the uks unwavering support for the country. Lets show you for the country. Lets show you live pictures at the moment of the situation in gaza, where the only power station stopped working hours ago. You can see more or less in darkness tonight, apart from the odd light and a centre of gaza lit up using, we believe , power up using, we believe, Power Generators now thought to be the only source of electricity in the city. Well, earlier on this afternoon, the un chief, Antonio Guterres , addressed the crisis guterres, addressed the crisis in gaza, saying crucial life saving supplies, including food and water, must be allowed into the strip. I am concerned about the recent exchange of fire along the blue line and recent reported attacks from southern lebanon. I appeal to all parties and those who have an influence over those parties to avoid any further escalation and spill over. I further escalation and spill over. I call for the immediate over. I call for the Immediate Release of all israeli hostages held in gaza. Civilians must be held in gaza. Civilians must be protected at all times in International Humanitarian law, must be respected and upheld. Must be respected and upheld. Meanwhile , a 26 year old meanwhile, a 26 year old british man who was working as a Security Guard at the festival in israel, which was interrupted by hamas, has been confirmed dead. Jake marlow, whos been missing since the raid on the supernova festival in the desert, died in southern israel. His mother , lisa, wrote on his mother, lisa, wrote on facebook tonight that she and her family were heartbroken after hearing the crushing news as politics and the Shadow Health secretary says labour would turn the nhs on its head if it got into power. Wes streeting argued that reform is more important than pouring money into a Health System that isnt working. He warned that the nhs faces bankruptcy unless its overhauled and he set out plans to shift its focus from hospitals to providing more care in the community. A Labour Government will take immediate to action cut waiting lists. We will provide an extra £1. 1 billion to help the nhs beat the backlog with extra clinics, the evenings and weekends providing 2 million more appointments each year. Faster treatment for patients, extra pay for staff. The first steps to cut the waiting list and beat the tory backlog. Wes streeting speaking there. Youre with gb news across the uk on tv in your car, on Digital Radio and now on your Smart Speaker by saying play gb news this is britains news channel. This is britains news channel. We kissed the foreheads and arms of the resourceful, intelligent designers. That is intelligent designers. That is how the Supreme Leader of iran praised hamass deadly terrorist attack on israel. In a speech he made yesterday. He went on to say that iran was kissing the hands of the palestinians who planned as well as planned the attack as well as these sickening statements of support. Ayatollah ali khamenei support. Ayatollah ali khamenei also used his televised statement to deny irans involvement in the assault launched on israel in recent days. Despite such claims , we days. Despite such claims, we simply cannot forget that iran is at the heart of this conflict andindeed is at the heart of this conflict and indeed played a crucial role in orchestrate rating and funding it. The relationship between iran and palestine is complex and its essentially born out of the iranian revolution in 1979. The palestine liberation organisations support for irans revolution culminated in the symbolic transition from an Israeli Embassy in tehran to a palestinian one. The appalling events of recent days compels us to examine the alliance between iran and hamas more carefully. Iran and hamas more carefully. Iran irans manipulative actions exert a powerful influence in the middle east. For instance, the middle east. For instance, the hamas attack on israel has now, according to reports, made a us brokered peace deal between saudi arabia and israel less likely. The Abraham Accords that iran doesnt like because it normalises relations between other middle Eastern States and israel. And iran has its own disagreements with saudi arabia. It has its own conflict with saudi arabia. As to who is more important in the middle east. So its hardly surprising to find irans fingerprints on a disagreement between states and to try and get its claws into it, to stop it. And we need to it, to stop it. And we need to be clear about this because the problem is the west has to recognise what the threat is , is recognise what the threat is, is what the danger is. It was what the danger is. It was george bush junior who talked of an axis of evil and there is an axis of evil that is still there. Its iran, its russia, its north korea, hamas. And this is a puppet. But theyre all fundamentally opposed to the western way of life. And want to destroy it. They dont just want to win elections. They want to destroy the western approach to life, which they disapprove of. And this is under threat, not justin and this is under threat, not just in israel, but also in ukraine, in iran and russia are two parts of this axis of evil. And we, the west , need to show and we, the west, need to show strength. Weakness is ultimately strength. Weakness is ultimately defeat. As always , i want to defeat. As always, i want to hear from you. Let me know your thoughts and mail. Margaret gbnews. Com. Im now joined by brooks newmark, writer and visiting academic at the university of oxford. Brooks, university of oxford. Brooks, first of all, thank you for coming in. Youve been very involved in ukraine and youve written an article for the catholic herald, echo , catholic herald, echo, explaining irans involvement. How can you be so certain that iran is involved . Iran is involved . Well, i think you have to look historically, hamas in their attacks in the past on israel, have been somewhat intermittent , chaotic , nothing intermittent, chaotic, nothing of this scale , all in order for of this scale, all in order for hamas to execute something of this enormity, of this scale without the Intelligence Services in israel picking it up, they needed a major state behind them. Theres no way they could have pulled this off. And i think all fingers seem to be certainly pointing to iran. Why . Because there is, as one can see on social media, there were meetings between senior hamas officials , between senior officials, between Senior Iranian revolutionary guard officials , and even to connect officials, and even to connect the dots. There were then meetings between people from the foreign Russian Foreign ministry and the Russian Military with the iranians. So theres this at the iranians. So theres this at the iranians. So theres this at the end of the day , hamas has the end of the day, hamas has been used to further the ends of two objectives. One in there is no way iran wanted saudi to sign the Abraham Accords. Why is this so important to iran . What is the risk to iran iran . What is the risk to iran of saudi arabia for signing the abraham accord . Abraham accord . Well, because then what happens is the bugbear israel , happens is the bugbear israel, which historically , ali, saudi which historically, ali, saudi has been a big funder for of the palestinian cause of hamas. And so on. That would then be removed. That then gives their big enemy, which is israel , big enemy, which is israel, which ive still never understood, because is the iranian border, of course, its nowhere near there. That that, you know, they then create an imbalance of regional power. So imbalance of regional power. S0 saudi imbalance of regional power. So saudiand imbalance of regional power. S0 saudi and iran regionally have always sort of vied for whos the most powerful. And this the most powerful. And this would enable them because they would enable them because they would then get more support from the west, particularly from the us military support and so on, to effectively be the superpower, regional superpower i and thats irans big fear because iran has been hostile to saudi arabia and indeed different branches of islam in iran, in saudi arabia, and competition over religious motives as well as everything else. And so by trying to make the relationship between saudi arabia and the west more broadly difficult , arabia and the west more broadly difficult, iran arabia and the west more broadly difficult , iran strengthens its difficult, iran strengthens its own position. Thats your basic thesis, correct . Or the flip side of that coin, they dont want saudis position to be strengthened. So the implication of that is then their position is weakened. So at the moment, you know, whod have ever imagined that, at the moment, you know, whod have ever imagined that , that, have ever imagined that, that, you know, the uae , for example, you know, the uae, for example, would have signed the Abraham Accords to have peace with israel . They did. Qatar even israel . They did. Qatar even though qatar has not signed it, certainly during the world cup, they allowed israelis into the country. So theres been this country. So theres been this rapprochement with the gulf states and israel. Well, to an extraordinary declined the ambassador from the uae for forgive me name dropping told me last year that it was easier from the uae nowadays to get israel and it was to get into israel and it was to get into israel and it was to get into israel and it was to get into london, which is not something should something we should be particularly of. But the particularly proud of. But the other of this is russia , other part of this is russia, because what seems to be happening seems to be beneficial to russia as well, because weve had announcements that funding may be diverted to israel from ukraine and therefore it takes the pressure off russia to some degree. So. The sort of russian degree. So. The sort of russian narrative on media has had a big impact on certain elements within the republican party. The republican party, the gates, congressman gates and Marjorie Taylor greene from i think its georgia. She they think its georgia. She they have been able to effectively hold the Us Government hostage because they oppose funding for ukraine. Now if youre putin, youre sort of thinking theyre let me sort of get in there somehow now. And if i can help cause some problems in the middle east with israel , who is middle east with israel, who is the uss biggest ally in the middle east, then it gives those republicans an excuse to say, well, fine, you know, even though were not going to support ukraine, we will support israel. But israel has a complex relationship with russia as well, doesnt it . So russia has interests in israel. It doesnt want to alienate the israelis too much. Well, its actually the other way round. So effectively, the russians have given israel a free hand when it comes to deaung free hand when it comes to dealing with with the effectively the new hezbollah who has been developing in syria. So whats happened over the term of this civil war in syria is theres been a new hezbollah developed. So we have hezbollah developed. So we have one in lebanon and now we have one in lebanon and now we have one emerging in syria. So what putin has effectively said is, look , i will let you have a free look, i will let you have a free hand there, but you cannot be overtly supporting ukraine in any way. And given that israels biggest interest is protecting its borders, understandably , its borders, understandably, particularly with syria , that is particularly with syria, that is effectively the deal netanyahu did. Did. And how concerned are you that at the moment the west is allowing its enemies to make the running . That we have a lot of stories telling israel not to overreact and to pull its punches in response. We have a distraction from ukraine. We have saudi arabia having pulled out of discussions on the abraham accord. Is this all going the way our enemies would want it . And what should we do to respond . To respond . And well, at the end of the day its the us. Is the day, its up to the us. Is the superpower when it comes to the west, so we can react , we can superpower when it comes to the west, so we can react, we can do what we want. Even many European Countries can do what they wish. Clearly the us leadership. But clearly the us leadership when it comes to nato is critical and unfortunately theres been very weak. Us leadership when it comes to russia , when it comes to the russia, when it comes to the palestinian issue, when it comes to iran. So just to give you an example , i think it was biden example, i think it was biden senti example, i think it was biden sent i think it was 6 billion to iran in the past few weeks. To iran in the past few weeks. And when we sent 400 million last year. So the uk has been doing this as well. The whole of doing this as well. The whole of the west has been weak in this sense. But but in a in a way to try and re engage in a positive way with iran. How have they been rewarded . Not at all. What has happenedis rewarded . Not at all. What has happened is iran has continued to undermine our allies in the middle east and has done as far as im concerned, has been responsible for orchestrating this attack by hamas on israel. And so youve got the republicans on one side not funding ukraine and no, no, its actually the majority of republicans , but enough of them. Republicans, but enough of them. But enough of the minority. The tail that the yes. The tail that wags the dog, its the thing in dog, its the same thing in israel. Its the the israel. Its the its the religious in israel religious extremists in israel that are wagging the tail, wagging the dog. But its netanyahus political differences in the us are causing a degree of weakness in the response. Yes. Brooks, thank you very much indeed. Dont forget let much indeed. Dont forget to let me thoughts. Mel. Me know your thoughts. Mel. Margaret coming up margaret gbnews. Com coming up next, be censoring the next, should we be censoring the horrific social media content from the ground in israel or do we need to face the reality of what is really going. Radio. Welcome back. Im still Jacob Rees Mogg, and this is state of the nation. Youve been getting in touch with thoughts, stephen, with your thoughts, stephen, you talk of the western way of life. Jacob, exactly is the jacob, what exactly is the western way of life . It seems to me lot in the me its changed a lot in the past years. I preferred past 30 odd years. I preferred it fellow man it when trusting your fellow man was it. And marie , if was a part of it. And marie, if we get tough on iran, we have to get of the get tough on the rest of the axis too. Weve been axis of evil, too. Weve been passive long. Well, passive for too long. Well, marie, i agree with you. Now, anyone whos glanced at social media over the last few days will no doubt have seen some of the most horrifying sights from hostages being aggressively dragged from vehicle to vehicle by armed islamists to dead bodies of innocent israelis being paraded mercilessly through the streets. The shameless and inhuman nature of the contents splashed across our Small Screens over past few Small Screens over the past few days has led the uks technology minister, michelle donelan, to call an urgent meeting with social executives to social media executives to demand the removal of hamas incurred violence spread across their platforms after concerns were raised of misleading and historic footage portrayed as the conflict. Art the current conflict. Art minister said we are taking action to stand in solidarity with israel and our jewish community. However, the violence we are witnessing is real. This is a difficult question. Should the full horror be shown so that we know the reality of what people have had to suffer . Or does that glorify violence . Im not sure i know the answer. Where do we draw the line between protecting ourselves and our children from this brutal content and making sure the general know the full general public know the full truth is what is transpiring . Well, im pleased to be joined by toby young from the free speech union. Toby, thank you speech union. Toby, thank you for joining us. Particularly as forjoining us. Particularly as i believe there have been technological difficulties. There must be some limits to free speech. Mustnt there . Free speech. Mustnt there . Yes, i think there are. Yes, i think there are. I dont think m