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s america. s israeli forces cut off access to the rafah aid crossing. meanwhile, cease-fire talks are down to the wire. heated exchanges and donald's criminal trial as adult film star stormy daniels takes the stand. ukraine says it has foiled a russian plot to assassinate president zelenskyy. ♪ welcome to world news america. tense negotiations for a cease-fire in gaza continu delegations from israel, hamas, the u.s. and qatar and egypt are convening to consider a proposal hamas approved on monday but israel dismissed.

the stakes could not be higher as hamas warns this is israel's last chance to secure its release of the hostages in the israeli army closing in on rafah. troops seized the egypt side of the rafa delivery. it comes days after israel closed the other nearby aid crossing of kerem shalom. the white house says that is expected to open as early as wednesday. israel says is limited operation will continue until hamas forces are destroyed or the group hands over the first of the hostages. benjamin netanyahu is holding firm on his country's position. >> the entrance to rafah has two goals -- the return of our hostages and the elimination of hamas. as the war cabinet unanimously decided, the hamas proposal is far from israel's necessary requirements. israel will not allow hamas to

restore its rule and military capabilities. israel cannot accept the proposal that endangers the security of our citizens and the future of our country. sumi: for more on the latest developments, paul adams reports from jerusalem. paul: a deal may now be tantalizingly close but in rafa, israel's military pressure is relentless. today, severing gaza's last link with the outside world, the crossing point into egypt. and raising their flag, sending an unmistakable message to hamas. the noose is tightening. the sounds of approaching war echo among the displaced. hundreds of thousands of palestinians living in the sand against the egyptian border. or next to the sea.

i don't know where to say, he says. people are fleeing from rafah and i have my children with me. gazans have been on the move since yesterday morning, heating israel's latest warnings. not knowing if the coming days will bring relief or despair. >> after what we've witnessed, they said multiple times there will be a cease-fire, but we are frustrated and we have no hope. there is no big hope, only a small one. paul: in jerusalem, john and rachel have also battled with belief and fear. their son was abducted and badly injured on october 7. no sign of life until this hamas video two weeks ago. his parents now just daring to hope. >> when we heard the news that

may there's a deal, we were cautiously optimistic. and we remain cautiously optimistic. >> it is scary to have military actions going on. there are innocent civilians, including our son. we just need this to come to an end and we need the mediators on all sides and the two main parties to sit in the room and hammer this out and don't come out of the rome without a deal. paul: israel's defense minister says the rafah operation will not stop until hamas is eliminated or the hostages start to return. talks are set to continue. the successful outcome still far from guaranteed. sumi: the u.s. central command released a statement they conducted a combined humanitarian drop in northern gaza earlier today with the

royal jordanian air force. the operation dropped more than 25,000 meals ready to eat and more than 13,000 equivalent meals of jordanian food supplies. the pentagon also says it completed the construction of a pier to deliver aid to gaza. for more on the situation facing civilians and children on the ground, i spoke to unicef's senior emergency coordinator in gaza. your organization says there are 600,000 children in rafah facing difficult conditions. can you give us an idea of what life is like for them at the ment? >> that's right. i would characterize it as facing catastrophic conditions. life for the children of rafah is extremely difficult. most of them have been displaced here from other parts of the gaza strip. they may have left the combat in gaza city. they have moved and been displaced again to rafah.

rafah was account of 280 -- a town of 280,000 people which is now housing 1.3 million people. the vast majority have moved here. there's is a massive shelter problem. most people are living in tents or even under plastic sheeting. that is really tough for children. we see that in rapidly increasing disease burden. just to give you an example, acute watery diarrhea, which could kill children quite easily, is currently 20 times higher than it was at the same time last year. children have nowhere to go. they have nothing to do. they have not been in school since the start of the conflict in october last year. so, there are largely -- they are largely outdoors on the streets and in the fields. sumi: i am wondering, the children your organization, you have spoken to, what do they say to you about their concerns and

needs? hamish: so, first and foremost, not just every child you speak to, every single person i speak to, and there are a lot of people i speak to every day, they all say we need peace. that is the beginning and end of it. so, what we need is a cease-fire here. we need a comprehensive, long-lasting cease-fire. everyone is very clear about that. beyond that, what kids say is they want to go back to school. they want a structured life. they don't use that sort of terminology, but they certainly say they want to go back to school and they want some order to their life. a lot of kids -- and this is really tragic -- a lot of kids say i want my sister back or i want my mom or dad back, because all of them have suffered death within the family. either the immediate family or pretty close relatives. and they talk about the loss of

their friends as well. that's really tough to listen to when you are talking to kids. sumi: if you look at the situation on the ground, the white house has said today the kerem shalom crossing will be open as of wednesday. can you give us an idea of what the slow process of aid until now, what impact that has had on children? hamish: it has had a huge impact on children because, as you rightly say, it has been so difficult to bring supplies in. and when they do get here, it is hard to move them around. it's hard to get them to the people who need them the most. just to give you an example, to take supplies up to the north, there's only one road we can use and that has a checkpoint on it. it takes an average of four hours to get through that checkpoint. there's always a lot of problems , a loof construction.

as a result, we've had difficulty getting enough applies to the north. just to give another example, there were trucks going through but they need 900 trucks to meet the needs. that has a direct impact paid child malnutrition -- direct impact. child malnutrition is running over 18% which is the threshold for an emergency. in the south where we have better access, it is around 5% or 6%. that really shows starkly the impact it has when it is difficult to move supplies around. sumi: israel as we know has been distributing flyers to civilians with these plans to move them from rafah as they might commence with a ground operation. what did you make of israel's plans to move civilians to tented areas where they are supposedo be able to access aid? hamish: there is nowhere safe anywhere in gaza. there is nowhere for anyone to

go, especially children. they have already been moved many times. there's nowhere safe and there is nowhere that humanitarian needs can be met. there is no way there's enough health services, freshwater, sanitation's and food. what w need is for the ground invasion of rafah to not go ahead and wean a ceaseire. the children need a cease-fire. sumi: we will have to leave it there. thank you for joining us today. hamish: thank you. sumi: here in the u.s., president biden addressed the rise in anti-semitism since hamas october 7 attacks and reiterated his support of israel. he made the comments during a ceremony to mark holocaust remembrance day. >> as jews around the world still cope with the atrocities of that day and its aftermath, we have seen a ferocious surge of anti-semitism in america and

around the world. my commitment to the safety of the jewish people, the security of israel, and its right to exist as an independent jewish state ironclad even when we disagree. sumi: now to donald trump's criminal trial in new york and the third week of witness testimony. the former president came face-to-face with stormy daniels, the former adult film star at the center of the hush money case. daniels was asked about a sexual encounter she alleges she had with mr. trump in 2006. he denies the encounter happened. prosecutors have charged trump with falsifying business records to conceal a payment to miss daniels before the 2016 election. we can go to our correspondent standing by in new york. bring us up to date on today. >> stormy daniels was the most eagerly anticipated witness. as expected, it is one month -- it was one of the most contentious days in court. going from dry documents right

back to the salacious testimony about the alleged sexual encounter. as donald trump faced her as he seeks another run for the white house. in court was my colleague, madeleine. what is so striking about today is the fact we are used to seeing stormy daniel in interviews be animated and playful. despite the pressure of testifying against the former president, she really did maintain that lightheartedness. >> definitely. she seemed a little nervous. her answers were a little long-winded but we saw that character, even though she was dressed very modestly with her hair pulled back in a black t-shirt, she recounted some salacious details to the audience and for the most part kept her cool and her usual lightheartedness. nada: two that salacious testimony, the defense tried to block parts of that. how did that actually play out in court? madeline: yeah, we started the day off with trum's attorneys trying to limit what she could

testify about. by the afternoon, they were calling for a mistrial because of the details she provided about the alleged sexual encounters she had with donald trump. they argued some of the details she provided to the court were not relevant for a books and records case. the judge said he agreed with them. he said it did not warrant a mistrial but he told the court that some details would have been better left unsaid. nada: some of those details, just the fact that donald trump was posing on the bed before they had sex, that he was dressed in a satin robe. i guess you can argue that prosecutors are hing jurors see why donald trump would be so keen to not have that sex scandal reach voters ahead of the election. ultimately, this is about falsifying business records and it was done to influence the election. what did the cross-examination do to sow doubt that she was paid off? madeline: the cross-examination

was really heated. trump's attorney focused on trying to attack stormy daniels credibility. she tried to make her seem like a liar. she had point to her of making up what she was saying on the stand. daniels got a bit mortifying during the testimony -- a bit more defiant during the testimony and said no, my story is true. nada: what about the jury? you are able to see their facial expressions throughout all of this. madeline: it is hard to know what the jury made of today. they seemed very engaged. their usual notetaking and looking back and forth between daniels and whichever attorney was questioning her. it is hard to know. the facial expressions seems like they did on any other day. nada: stormy daniels will be back on the stand when court resumes on thursday. cross-examination will continue at prosecutors will be able to question her once again on redirect. sumi: thank you both so much. let's bring in faith, former

assistant u.s. attorney of the eastern district of new york. very good to see you. i want to get your take on stormy daniels testimony. faith: it is a gorgeous day in new york. we are fully recovered from a covid world and there are tourists everywhere but downtown, not on-screen is probably one of the most sordid days in american history. for an ex-president to be sitting there listening to minute details, whether used a condom, what pajamas he was wearing, what happened in that room is beyond stormy. beyond anything that defies the imagination. i think many people in this country are very glad it is not being covered live with cameras in the courtroom. having said that, absolutely, the prosecutors needed to put this in to show how important it was to keep this story, whether it is true or not, but to keep these details from the american

people right before the 2016 election. on the other hand, the defense appeared to make real inroads today in terms of ms. daniels changing her story over time. her great desire to see trump hurt. she's brought to cases against him, she has lost them. maybe her financial interest in this case, making money on this in terms of her celebrity going forward. the defense cross-examination was quite competent. the jury was listening carefully, and certainly the most high-stakes date of the trial so far. sumi: this is now the third week of witness testimony. how do you assess where this trial stands right now? faith: well, certainly, the prosecution has put the case together brick by brick. it is not fully dependent on the testimony of coming of michael cohen. the document trail, the financial trail has been introduced to this jury with painstaking care. if there are jurors who do

doubt witnesses who are not saints, not nuns, like stormy daniels or michael cohen, there will be the chance for them to say the prosecution relied more on these concerning witnesses. i think it is very much the jurors seem alert. they are taking notes. they were watching the testimony today carefully, almost like a tennis match. i think it is way too early to tell how this trial will turn out. sumi: just another question on something we also saw today. judge cannon in the classified documents case, this was expected, but you confirm she's indefinitely postponing this. what do you make of that? faith: at the moment, it heightens the importance of the new york case. i don't think this was a surprise ruling by judge cannon. she's been headed that way for some time. i think it is off to stage left, but it increases the importance here. of course, increases the importance of the judge's decision today not to declare a

mistrial based on the salacious details that came out about former president trump. president trump's team is left to make him a victim, suggesting it is incredibly undignified for an ex-president to go through this and go through more examination of the many different versions of stormy daniels' story over the years. sumi: certainly a lot more to come. thank you so much. to a developing story in the u.k. reports of long delays in airports due to an outage affecting passport e-gates at the border. heathrow airport said "our teams are supporting border forces with contingency plans to help resolve the problem and on hand to provide passenger welfare." manchester airport and gatwick airport confirmed they had been affected. the ukrainian security service says it broke up a russian plot to assassinate prisoners -- president zelenskyy. it involved the ukrainian state

guard and ukraine says they were part of a network of russian agents belonging to the fsb. james waterhouse has more. james: assassination plots against president zelenskyy are common and they have been since the full-scale invasion when russian paratroopers attempted to land in kyiv and take him out. this is an alleged blend -- plan that does stand out. you have the country's intelligence service claiming to have held two serving colonels in the country's security service which is responsible for keeping institutions, as well as senior officials safe. they are accused of planning to leak president zelenskyy and these other officials, their movements to moscow. the details of how they are protected from security guards and the addresses in which they stay. the alleged plan was for those addresses to be struck by russian missiles. but, the detail does not stop there. these colonels reportedly took

weapons from the ukrainian regions where they were serving, which included drones, mines, explosives. they allegedly took them to kyiv to carry out this attack. sumi: the u.s. announced dozens of charges against a russian national on tuesday, thought to be the mastermind of the world's largest criminal ransomware attack. the u.s. state department is offering $10 million for information leading to the arrest of the lockbit developer. the justice department says the malicious ransomware group targeted thousands of victims and stole more than $100 million. the american soldier detained in russia over the weekend has been identified as staff sergeant gordon black. he was not there on military business. russia says he was arrested on suspicion of theft and could face up to five years in prison. and separately, russia also detained another american, a private citizen, on charges of petty hooliganism. vladimir putin was inaugurated

for his fifth term in office. the russian president won more than 87% of the vote in the march election, although he faced no serious challengers. steve rosenberg attended the inauguration ceremony. steve: in russia, times change. but, the leader stays the same. ♪ vladimir putin strolled into the throne hall of russian czars. the gold, the grandeur of the grand kremlin palace matched the image he has cultivated of a modern-day russian emperor. a prudent could have -- vladimir putin could have walked this with his eyes shut. after all, he has been down this way many times before. he's the longest-serving leader in russia since dictator joseph stalin. this is vladimir putin's fifth

term in the kremlin. the oath, to serve the russian people. then, the leader who invaded ukraine accused the west of aggression. >> we are not refusing to speak to western nations. it is up to them. whether they keep trying to hold russia back and continue their aggression, and years of pressure on our country will seek a path to cooperation and peace. steve: peace, here they are not expecting that anytime soon. >> putin is standing in their way. so, they try to weaken russia by taking putin. >> win the war, and the war is serious and we are fighting. steve: you could stop it tomorrow though by calling the troops out of ukraine, no? >> of course not. we will never stop because we

are fighting for our people. steve: it is incredible think that in nearly quarter-century vladimir putin has been in power, america has been through five different presidents. britain has had seven prime ministers. mr. putin's supporters welcome the continuity, as they see it, despite the danger that comes from having one man in power for so long with so few checks and balances. but, it is not just in the kremlin where you will find president putin. 70 miles from moscow, big vladimir is watching you. western governments called russia's election a sham, but in this town, what do they think of the man who was declared the winner? >> i like him, says valentina. putin does a lot for people. our pensions are not big but they cannot fix everything in one go. >> he said 25 years. >> but we don't know who will come next if he goes.

steve: perhaps that is because potential rivals are in exile or in jail, leaving one man running russia. steve rosenberg, bbc news, moscow. sumi: just one more item before we go. the vienna philharmonic orchestra is performing a symphony by beethoven on the 200th anniversary of its acclaimed premiere. ♪ you may be well familiar with it. it is widely regarded as one of the great masterpieces of western classical music. beethoven's 9th symphony which culminates with the famous "ode to joy" was first performed in 1824 in vienna where the german composer lived for most of his life. thank you for watching world news america. you can get the latest on our website, bbc.com/news. do stay with bbc news.

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wow, you get to watch all your favorite stuff. it's to die for. now you won't miss a thing. this is the way. xfinity internet. made for streaming. amna: good evening. i'm amna nawaz. geoff bennett is on assignment. on the newshour tonight, israel and control of a border crisis as a cease-fire and hostage deal hangs in the balance.