BBC News Briefing

7 August, 2025

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Alex Binley

Hello. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he intends to control all of Gaza, ahead of a meeting with his security cabinet to discuss a potential military takeover. After US Health Secretary Robert F Kennedy Jr cancelled $500m (£376m) in funding for mRNA vaccine development, experts tell health and science correspondent James Gallagher about what the impact could be. And finally, watch as dozens of wild ponies take part in their annual swim in Virginia.

TOP OF THE AGENDA

Netanyahu says Israel intends to take full control of Gaza as security cabinet meets

A woman wearing a long, leopard print dress in blue and beige wears a black headscarf and carries a large yellow water container on her shoulder. She is walking along a road past a huge pile of rubble.

The Israeli military currently controls about three-quarters of Gaza. Credit: Reuters

Israel intends to take control of all of Gaza but does not "want to keep it", the country's prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, told Fox News ahead of a key meeting where ministers will decide whether to back such a move. The UN has warned the plan risks "catastrophic consequences", while the military and hostages' families say that it could endanger them. However, Israeli media has reported that Netanyahu believes his proposal is the only way to destroy Hamas and free hostages, following the breakdown of ceasefire talks. In response to the plans, Hamas warned that the "price will be high" and said that Netanyahu is willing "to sacrifice" the remaining hostages.

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YOUR QUESTIONS ANSWERED

Could RFK Jr's move to pull mRNA vaccine funding be a big miscalculation?

RFK Jr stands behind a lectern and speaks into a microphone. He has grey hair, a tanned face and blue eyes. His mouth is open because he is speaking. He is wearing a grey suit, white shirt and blue tie with a red pattern on it. Two other men can be seen standing behind him

RFK Jr has long been an outspoken vaccine sceptic. Credit: Getty Images

US Health Secretary Robert F Kennedy Jr has cancelled 22 projects - worth $500m (£376m) in funding - for mRNA vaccines being developed to tackle viruses that cause diseases such as Covid-19 and flu. Kennedy, a vaccine sceptic, announced he was pulling the funding over claims that "mRNA technology poses more risks than benefits for these respiratory viruses". So, does he have a point, or is he making a monumental miscalculation?

James Gallagher, health and science correspondent

What else has Kennedy said?

The US health secretary said he has reviewed the science on mRNA vaccines, concluding that the "data shows these vaccines fail to protect effectively against upper respiratory infections like Covid and flu". Instead, he said he would shift funding to "safer, broader vaccine platforms that remain effective even as viruses mutate".

What do experts say?

The claim that mRNA vaccines do not protect against upper respiratory infections "just isn't true", says Prof Andrew Pollard the head of the body which advises the UK government on vaccines. In the first year of vaccination during the Covid pandemic, it was estimated that the Pfizer/BioNTech mRNA vaccine alone saved nearly six million lives. Prof Adam Finn, vaccine researcher at the University of Bristol, says that while we "overhyped" mRNA vaccines during the pandemic to the exclusion of other vaccine technologies, "to swing the pendulum so far that mRNA is useless... is equally stupid".

What could the outcomes be?

Scientists fear that Kennedy's funding cut could dent confidence in current vaccines, mRNA or otherwise. They also have concerns about what the impact will be on the rest of the world, given that the US is one of the most influential countries in medical research, and what the knock-on impact on other types of mRNA technology, such as cancer vaccines or using the approach to treat rare genetic diseases, could be.

Find out more

Fact check: BBC Verify assesses Kennedy's views on health policy, some of which are not backed up by science.

InDepth: Is RFK Jr's plan to 'Make America Healthy Again' fearmongering or revolutionary?

Watch: Why the US health secretary wants American breakfast cereals to be more Canadian.

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