BBC News Briefing

1 August, 2024

Andy McFarlane

Hello. A day after the death of one Hamas leader, Israel has said it killed another in an air strike two weeks ago. In the US, the Department of Defense has revealed a plea-trial agreement with three men accused of plotting the 11 September 2001 attacks. At the Olympics, there are claims of US-China geopolitics encroaching on sport. And scroll down for an emotional interview with a member of the Titan submersible's support ship.

TOP OF THE AGENDA

Hamas military chief died in strike - Israel

Mohammed Deif has dark hair and a thin moustache

Mohammed Deif was head of the Izzedine al-Qassam Brigades, the military arm of the Hamas movement. Credit: AFP

On a day when thousands have been on Tehran's streets to mourn Hamas political chief, Ismail Haniyeh, who was killed in a strike in Iran on Wednesday, Israel has announced the death of another Hamas leader. An "intelligence assessment" had confirmed the killing of Hamas military chief Mohammed Deif in a strike on a compound in the Khan Younis area of Gaza on 13 July, Israel's military said. Hamas is yet to confirm Deif's death. As one of the figures Israel considered responsible for planning the 7 October attacks that killed 1,200 people, his death is "a significant milestone", Israel’s Defence Minister Yoav Gallant said on social media. Along with freeing hostages taken by Hamas, "total victory" over the group is one of the stated aims of Israel's retaliatory action in Gaza, which the territory’s Hamas-run health ministry says has killed more than 39,000 people.

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Vow of revenge: Iran has threatened "harsh punishment" for Israel over the death of Ismail Haniyeh on its soil. Here's our analysis of how it might respond.

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The background: Read our explainer on Hamas and why it is at war with Israel. And we have more on Deif and Haniyeh and the other men at the head of the organisation.

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In Lebanon: Armed group Hezbollah has confirmed senior military commander Fuad Shukr was killed in an Israeli air strike on Tuesday. Here's Jeremy Bowen's analysis of where it all leaves the Middle East.

WORLD HEADLINES

9/11 attacks: Three of the men accused of plotting the 11 September 2001 attacks on the US have agreed a plea deal, the Department of Defense says.

UK unrest: More than 100 people have been arrested in central London after disorder following the knife attack that killed three girls in northern England spread to different parts of the country. The 17-year-old suspected of carrying out the attack has appeared in court.

Venezuela election: President Nicolas Maduro has said his party is ready to present the vote tallies from the weekend's disputed poll, after observers said it "could not be considered democratic".

Dementia risk: Treating failing eyesight and high cholesterol have been identified as additional ways to lower the risk of dementia developing, a major scientific report suggests.

Green shoots: Eight months after an outcry in the UK over the felling of the much-loved Sycamore Gap tree in northern England, national park authorities say its stump is showing signs of life.

AT THE GAMES

Paris, France

Home hero raises the roof

Leon Marchand, who has short fair hair and wears a white track suit, looks up and smiles as he wears a gold medal around his neck. In the background, fans can be seen clapping and cheering. Some hold the blue, white and red flag of France and one has the words 'allez Leon' across the middle.

Leon Marchand broke Olympic records in achieving a unique men's 200m butterfly-breaststroke double. Credit: Reuters

Ordinarily a rugby stadium, La Defense Arena has been transformed into a 15,000-capacity indoor swimming venue for the Olympics. Already hailed for generating huge noise, it reached new heights as French hero Leon Marchand won two gold medals in the same session.

Matthew Henry, BBC Sport

Tickets to see Marchand, from Toulouse, have been the hottest property in town. This, though, was something else - each of Marchand's strokes in the breaststroke leg met with huge roars of "Allez" by a crowd who had turned up with flags, horns and masks of their hero. His first victory was gripping. He trailed by almost a body length at the final turn but overhauled Hungarian Kristof Milak, regarded as the greatest butterfly racer in history, in the final strokes with the crowd on its feet.

Slow water? It might be noisy but some commentators, pundits and swimmers have called the arena's pool "slow". Matthew Henry explains what might be behind a relative lack of records.

Doping tests: The World Anti-Doping Agency says it has become "unfairly caught" in a row between the US and China, with geopolitical tensions spilling onto the Olympic stage. Here's what it's all about.

The latest: Our live page is following all the action as it unfolds.

BEYOND THE HEADLINES

The fear and false hope over Titan sub

Rory Golden has grey, thinning hair and wears a grey bodywarmer over a pale check shirt. He is in a bar setting, sitting shoulder-to-shoulder with PH Nargeolet, who has white hair and a thin beard and wears a blue polo shirt.

Rory Golden was one of the last people to see French explorer PH Nargeolet before he got into the sub. Credit: Renata Rojas

A member of the Titan submersible's support crew has told us of his distress at losing contact with the craft during its ill-fated dive to the Titanic's wreck. "We had this image in our heads of them being down there, running out of oxygen in the freezing cold, getting terribly frightened," says Rory Golden.

Read the interview

An illustration showing people hanging from piles of coins coming out of a mobile phone

SOMETHING DIFFERENT

Vibing along

Traditional financial milestones hit different for Gen-Zers.

Here's why

And finally...

Some celebrity portraits cause anger. Others raise eyebrows. But this portrait of Sam Smith envisioned as an angel, coming from the performer's personal collection, will doubtless delight the musician's fans as it joins London's National Portrait Gallery's History Makers gallery.

Medal Moments

Your daily newsletter guide to the Paris Olympics, from global highlights to heroic stories, throughout the Games.

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– Andy

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