Qatar is reassessing its role as a mediator between Israel and Hamas, the country's prime minister has said. Qatar has had a key role - along with Egypt and the US - in trying to secure a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas and the release of Israeli hostages. We also hear testimony from the ground in Gaza from Medical Aid for Palestinians and the experiences of an Israeli woman, Aviva Siegel who was taken hostage in October. Also on the programme: Votes are counted in the Solomon Islands amid fears that some candidates are being influenced by Beijing; and the father and daughter who found the fossilised jawbone of what's thought to be the largest marine reptile ever to swim the seas.  (Picture: Palestinian women react as they sit on the rubble of a residential building housing their apartments, following an Israeli raid in the Gaza strip Credit: REUTERS/Doaa Rouqa)

Gaza ceasefire talks: Could Qatar walk away?

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The US has accused Russia of deploying chemical weapons as a "method of warfare" in Ukraine, in violation of international laws banning their use. We speak to a Ukrainian MP who is near the frontline in Donetsk region. Also on the programme: a UN expert says the death of an 8-year-old boy in the West Bank appears to be a “war crime” after reviewing evidence gathered by the BBC; and a paediatrician tells us how a small change in interior design can make a big difference to neurodiverse people.   (Photo: Russian servicemen march to Red Square for a rehearsal for the annual military parade. Credit: EPA-EFE/REX/Shutterstock)

US accuses Russia of using chemical weapons

The BBC has carried out an investigation into the death of a Palestinian boy in the West Bank - an investigation which a UN expert says may amount to evidence of a war crime. 
 
Also in the programme: as police in Los Angeles dismantle another pro-Palestinian university encampment, we hear from the veteran US senator Bernie Sanders. Plus, how scientists reconstructed a Neanderthal woman's face. (Photo: Adam, eight, was shot in the head as he ran away from Israeli armoured vehicles. Credit: BBC)

BBC investigates West Bank killing

An Israeli deadline looms for Hamas to respond to its offer of a ceasefire in return for the release of some hostages. We hear from Israeli politician Ohad Tal who is with the National Religious Party–Religious Zionism party. Also in the programme; US senator Bernie Sanders; and Emily Blunt and Ryan Gosling on the Fall Guy (Picture: U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken meets with the families of the hostages outside of a hotel, in Tel Aviv. Credit: Reuters)

Deadline looms for Hamas to respond to offer of a ceasefire

Chaotic scenes on US university campuses after police raid a sit-in protest at Columbia University in New York making more than 100 arrests, and violence breaks out between rival demonstrators at UCLA in Los Angeles. Also in the programme: protestors in the Georgian capital Tbilisi clash with riot police as a proposed new law polarises opinion between pro EU and  pro Russian elements; could this have far wider consequences? And we reflect on the life of American novelist Paul Auster who has died. (IMAGE: CHP officers put on their gear amid clashes near an encampment (not pictured) by supporters of Palestinians in Gaza, on the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) campus, in Los Angeles, California, U.S., May 1, 2024 / CREDIT: Reuters / David Swanson)

US university Gaza protests intensify

Binyamin Natanyahu reaffirms his intention to send troops to Rafah; UN Secretary-General says such an assault would be devastating. We unpick the latest developments, including speculation about a possible ceasefire deal, with analyst Ya'akov Katz.  Also in the programme: Donald Trump is fined for contempt of court; and a Finnish cyber-criminal is jailed for trying to blackmail thousands of people with their confidential psychotherapy notes. (Photo: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on February 18, 2024. Credit: REUTERS/Ronen Zvulun//File Photo)

Gaza ceasefire talks: Could Qatar walk away?

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