as fast as possible. a group ofjournalists are among the casualties of an israeli air strike close to a hospital in central gaza. the idf says it hit a command centre used by islamichhad fighters. 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. polls have closed in turkey, where president erdogan is hoping his party can regain control of key urban areas. hello.

we begin in the middle east — thousands of protestors have gathered in cities across israel, to call for elections due to the government's handling of the on—going crisis in gaza. the prime minister, benjamin netanyahu, said a vote would paralyse the country and stop efforts to beat hamas. he will go undergo surgery on sunday for a hernia his doctors discovered during a routine examination. mr netanyahu will be fully sedated during the procedure — his office says that mr netanyahu's deputy, yariv levin will serve as acting prime minister during this time. here's mr netanyahu said he'll be back to work soon. here he is speaking a bit 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 i? 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. 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. jo floto, the bbc�*s middle east bureau chief, said this about the announcement. he is a prime minister at war, it's not a good thing to go under general anaesthetic and have to hand over the reins of power, even if it's only for a short moment and only for what appears to be a relatively small in routine operation. he is looking tired, but he's been at war for six months,

and he is 7a years old, and last year he had a pacemaker fitted for a heart problem. however, i think that was one of the reasons for this press conference, reassurance that he is still vigorously in charge and in control, and there isn't anything else going on in the background, but the other reason is that tonight injerusalem just a few kilometres from where i am now is a very large and raucous protest against the prime minister organised by the families and the supporters of those who are still being held hostage inside gaza, and this time they're being joined by another group of anti—netanyahu protesters, those who took to their streets in their hundreds of thousands last year to object to his brand of constitutional reform, so in that press conference he also mentioned that anyone calling for an election here was playing into hamas�*s hands, that it would paralyse the government for months, and he was trying to make sure people knew that was not an approach

that he approved, or that they should seek. 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. 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. our 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 are 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 are 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. he's been doing his constitutional duties, they haven't really stopped since his diagnosis,

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 meetings, 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 are coming up to the really busy summer period. earlyjune, particularly, is going to very busy. we have the 80th anniversary of d—day, plus all the regular royal events, so i think we will see the monarchy need the other members of the family in the weeks ahead.

we haven't heard from king charles as to when he intends to return back to 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 is 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 cannot be complacent. we do know that he is 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,

the fact of him 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. 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 saint 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. 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. the current mayor there — ekrem imamoglu — is seen as mr erdogan�*s biggest challenger in decades. if he 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. we can say 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 are getting more votes than the government party, and have involved 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 are 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 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. that is the update on the turkish

elections, and because there have now closed. sunday should have been the day a presidential election took place in ukraine. the vote has been postponed to an unspecified date due to the conflict with russia. more than two years after the invasion — how is the war going for ukraine — and the man who would have been running for a second term — volodymyr zelensky? let's speak to charles kupchan — a senior fellow at the council on foreign relations. we have just been talking about turki and benjamin netanyahu in israel. what is the level of satisfaction with to zelensky in ukraine at the moment, giving the ongoing conflict?— ukraine at the moment, giving the ongoing conflict? zelensky has been a remarkable _ ongoing conflict? zelensky has been a remarkable wartime leader, - a remarkable wartime leader, he's got most of the country behind him, he has lost some support, because the battle to take back landover the force of the summer offensive in 2023 did not go as planned, there are some who are unhappy that he

responded election that should have taken place today. i don't think there's any question that was the right thing to do, because ukraine couldn't really hold an election when a big chunk of it is occupied by russia, nor should ukraine expend precious resources to hold an election when it is fighting for its life. so, ithink election when it is fighting for its life. so, i think zelensky is in reasonably good shape politically for the coming year, probably into next year, but the big question is, what happens on the battlefield? that is a function of whether the us congress steps forward and approves a new aid package. they are on break right now, we will get a better sense of that when they come back in about a week—and—a—half. you sense of that when they come back in about a week-and-a-half._ about a week-and-a-half. you would an ue the about a week-and-a-half. you would argue the role _ about a week-and-a-half. you would argue the role of america _ about a week-and-a-half. you would argue the role of america here - about a week-and-a-half. you would argue the role of america here is - argue the role of america here is absolutely critical? h0 argue the role of america here is absolutely critical?— absolutely critical? no question about it. the _ absolutely critical? no question about it. the eu, _ absolutely critical? no question about it. the eu, the _ absolutely critical? no question about it. the eu, the british - about it. the eu, the british government, both stepped up, providing more weapons, providing more economic assistance, but the bottom line here is that the united states has provided the lion's share

of weaponry. we have seen the battlefield shift from a mental ukraine's side to momentum in russia's side. the russians are now taking back more land, not a lot, but a village here, a town there, up in the north. they desperately need two things, one, artillery to get to the front line, to hold the line against russian offensives, and two, ed offences. we've just against russian offensives, and two, ed offences. we'vejust seen in against russian offensives, and two, ed offences. we've just seen in the last weekend, the russians are increasing their extracts against infrastructure, energy, water, cities. they need more air defence. the difficulty is even with that support, there is effectively a style meant at the moment in ukraine, isn't there?- style meant at the moment in ukraine, isn't there? nobody has come right _ ukraine, isn't there? nobody has come right out — ukraine, isn't there? nobody has come right out and _ ukraine, isn't there? nobody has come right out and said, - ukraine, isn't there? nobody has come right out and said, but - ukraine, isn't there? nobody has come right out and said, but i - ukraine, isn't there? nobody has l come right out and said, but i think ukraine now faces a future in which

it is unlikely to be able to generate the combat capability to take back the territory that russia has taken. it's about 18, i9% of ukraine, and as a consequence, there is a strategic pivot going on as we speak to fortify that front line, to build the kind of deep defences that russia built over the course of 2023 that prevented the ukrainians from breaking through during their offensive. so, even though zelensky is not coming out and saying this, even though biden is not coming out and saying this, i think what we are seeing here is ukraine focusing on defending the percent of the country is still under its control, and turning its persistence in defining that 80% of the country into a success story. that's a good way forward is, simply because they don't seem to be able to beat the russian forces on the battlefield.

time is effectively not on their side. 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 catalin predoiu 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. many of us have seagull horror stories — from having our chips nicked at the seaside, to being dive—bombed by adult birds protecting their young. but scientists say gulls should be seen not as pests but as clever, adaptable birds which are being forced into cities by the loss

of their natural spaces. here's our environment correspondent, helen briggs. seagulls showing off their flying skills on a winter's day. they may be a common sight near the coast, but, hit by bird flu and the loss of wild spaces, some populations are in trouble. i don't think people realise that the numbers, especially of our breeding gulls, have been declining. perhaps they don't take so much notice of them and realise that numbers have been dropping off. they are quite a visual species. they are in our towns and parks in urban areas and we've become very familiar with them. three common gulls and 26 black—headed gulls. in january hundreds of volunteers took part in the first national survey of winter gulls in 20 years, to get a better picture of the six main species that spend the winter here. the tide is dropping and the gulls are starting to gather. we've got black—headed gulls here, a few common gulls,

and some herring gulls. the idea of today's exercise is to count them coming in, do a census, look at population change. not everyone is a fan of seagulls. some species, such as the herring gull, are notorious for raiding bins and stealing food. here in brighton people have mixed views. i think people are very unkind and cruel to seagulls. they throw stones at them. i hate them. why do you hate them? the other day i ate a doughnut and theyjust stole it right out of my hand. they love a doughnut, you can't walk around | with food in your hand, | that's the only problem with seagulls, but other. than that they are cushty. this scientist says seagulls aren't the problem, it's us. if you think of an animal as a pest it is a negative mindset. if we think of them as intelligent creatures, thriving in an environment that we forced upon them, then that should give us a more respectful outlook of herring gull behaviour. the data from the survey will be used to draw up

new conservation plans for seagulls, with the hope that we can learn to live better alongside each other. helen briggs, bbc news, on the south coast. ijust want i just want to take you quickly to jerusalem. there are mass protests there under way, calling for the removal of benjamin netanyahu's government, and also against exemptions exempting ultraorthodox jewish men from military service. these are similar to mass protest we saw last year againstjudicial reform. stay with us here on bbc news. 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. bye— bye.

this is bbc news, the headlines... israeli prime minister benjamin netanyahu will temporarily hand over

power as he requires surgery under general anesthestic. 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 islamichhad 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. initial results in turkey's municipal elections suggest the strongest ever showing for the main opposition, chp.

now on bbc news, the sport.