Plus: Drone attack on power plant raises risk of Ukraine nuclear incident, and excitement builds up ahead of eclipse ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏
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| Hello. Today we're hearing from Palestinians returning to Khan Younis, after Israel withdrew troops from the city in southern Gaza. We have more updates on the war which started six months ago with the Hamas attacks of 7 October. We're also checking in on North America, which will experience a breathtaking eclipse today - weather permitting. More news is coming from Slovakia, Ibiza, and the northernmost point in Africa. | |
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TOP OF THE AGENDA | Gazans return to Khan Younis after Israel pull-out | | There's "hardly anything left" of homes in Khan Younis, a resident told the BBC. Credit: Reuters | Palestinians are returning to Khan Younis after Israel's military announced on Sunday it was reducing its soldier numbers in the southern Gaza Strip. As Gazans make their way to a city largely destroyed by six months of war, many are finding rubble where their homes were. “We came to check our house. We didn’t find anything," resident Asad Abu Ghalwa said. Still, this return gives hope to some displaced Palestinians like Muhammad al-Mughrabi, who used to live further north in Gaza City. "I dream daily of returning to my hometown," he told Rushdi Abualouf. For now, Mr al-Mughrabi is in Rafah, with more than a million Palestinians. Israel's pull-out, however, is not being seen as a sign that the war is drawing closer to an end, but rather a tactical move. The country's military and political leaders remain intent on leading a ground offensive on Rafah, which they say is necessary to dismantle Hamas. Meanwhile, in Cairo, ceasefire negotiations are continuing between Israel and Hamas.
The next steps: With or without American support, an offensive into Rafah is not imminent, reports our Middle East correspondent Hugo Bachega. You can find more analysis and pictures from Khan Younis on our live page.
Six months on: How close is Israel to eliminating Hamas? My BBC Verify colleagues report on what we know so far. Over the weekend: Israel's military says it has recovered the body of a man taken hostage and held in Gaza, before pulling out of Khan Younis. | |
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| Excitement builds ahead of eclipse | Today's the big day across a strip of land traversing North America, which will plunge into daytime darkness for a few spectacular minutes. Millions are travelling to catch a glimpse of the ring of fire. But cloudy weather may frustrate sky-gazers on parts of the eclipse path. |
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| | Mike Wendling and Emma Vardy, BBC News |
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| | At the Starry Night RV park in Fort Worth, Texas vehicles full of eclipse watchers were rolling in to set up camp ready for the big moment. Owner Lindsey Kuhn told the BBC: "It's becoming quite a big deal, people have driven here from all over ... I've been trying to explain to my daughter that it's going to get dark, she asked 'will we have to go to sleep?' We're going to be together, put on our glasses and take a selfie. Its once in a lifetime for us." |
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BEYOND THE HEADLINES | Homeless in paradise |
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| | | Chef César Nebrera is having to live in his car. Credit: BBC | Ibiza's legendary status as a party island means there is plenty of work for locals. But now soaring rents are forcing more and more of them to sleep in their cars, in tents or in spartan shared apartments. As workers from mainland Spain consider leaving, the island's economy is under threat. |
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SOMETHING DIFFERENT | From red to green | Engineers are giving a second life to communist-era apartment blocks. | |
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In History newsletter | The past comes to life through the BBC's unique audio, video and written archive, each Thursday. | |
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