at 10pm... the israeli military says children are among the many dead, massacred by hamas gunmen in southern israel. tonight, the harrowing details are beginning to emerge. whole families were murdered in this small village. israel's military says it was a massacre. i'v e i've been to that place, kfar aza, a small community on the gaza wire. israeli troops only fully recaptured it this morning. for a fourth night, israeli vengeance — gaza bombarded, with the number of dead across the frontier more than 800. the un is warning of a humanitarian catastrophe.

this area was targeted heavily last night, hundreds of airstrikes destroyed many buildings in this area. tonight, we hearfrom one mother whose children were kidnapped by hamas gunmen. those barbarians took kids out of their houses and out of their beds and just kidnapped them. also on the programme... interrupted by a protestor — but the labour leader, sir keir starmer, stays on course at his party's conference and promises a decade of national renewal if labour win the next election. and, after 14 years at the helm, holly willoughby announces she is quitting itv�*s this morning. on newsnight at 10:30pm, live from jerusalem and london, we'll be speaking to israeli politicians, to a man who fears his family has been taken by hamas to gaza and a senior representative of the palestinian authority.

they're still, four days on, collecting the bodies of the dead. good evening. we're live injerusalem, where the full horror and ferocity of last saturday's attack by hamas gunmen in southern israel is becoming clear. hamas is a group designated as a terror organisation by many western governments, including the uk, and committed to israel's destruction. throughout the day, the israeli military has been recovering the bodies of whole familiies, including several children, cut down in a rural community, just a mile from the border with gaza. israeli soldiers on the scene describe it as a massacre. the body bags yet more reason,

say the israelis, for vengeance, and thousands of troops remain massed on the border with gaza tonight, ready for what could be a full—scale ground invasion. tonight, we'll hear from our correspondents right across the region. our international editor, jeremy bowen, has been to the village of kfar aza, where the bodies have today been recovered. lucy williamson has been to the area near re�*im, where hundreds were murdered at a music festival. and we'll be inside gaza itself under siege with our correspondent, rushdi abualouf. but ourfirst report tonight is withjeremy, who's live in ashkelon. thanks, clive. iwent thanks, clive. i went to kibbutz kfar aza with the israeli army earlier today. there was still shooting going on there when we

arrived and they said that they'd only fully recaptured it earlier that morning. now, what became very clear was that, because of the fact it took three days of fighting to try and get, because they did try to get the bodies earlier on, they tried to recover them from the wreckage but they couldn't because the fighting was still continuing. so, when i went there, they were recovering the bodies of civilians and making some gruesome discoveries. some viewers may find some of the content in my report disturbing. the first few days of war at this small israeli community called kfar aza are a microcosm of israel's trauma and a glimpse of what might come next. israeli troops only seized back full control of the kibbutz this morning. it's one of a series

of small israeli villages along the gaza wire. when we arrived they were still firing on houses across on the gaza side. israeli combat soldiers started their fightback here at around six o'clock on saturday evening, around 12 hours after hamas attacked. during that day, hamas carried out a massacre. decomposing hamas gunmen are still lying where they were killed. the murder of israeli civilians here was without doubt a war crime, but what about the palestinian

civilians israel is killing they cut some of the heads. it's a dreadful thing to say that it's difficult to feel it but you must remember who is the enemy and what is our mission, the justice remember who is the enemy and what is our mission, thejustice on remember who is the enemy and what is our mission, the justice on the right side and all the world needs to be behind us. fix, right side and all the world needs to be behind us.— right side and all the world needs to be behind us. �* ., ., to be behind us. a woman under cover was decapitated _ to be behind us. a woman under cover was decapitated to _ to be behind us. a woman under cover was decapitated to the _ to be behind us. a woman under cover was decapitated to the he _ to be behind us. a woman under cover was decapitated to the he said - to be behind us. a woman under cover was decapitated to the he said they i was decapitated to the he said they killed her in herfront garden. even for experienced soldiers, fighting their way back in against a determined enemy was hard going. how difficult was the fighting? you cannot imagine. _

difficult was the fighting? you cannot imagine. have - difficult was the fighting? you cannot imagine. have you - difficult was the fighting? you | cannot imagine. have you ever difficult was the fighting? you - cannot imagine. have you ever had to do anything — cannot imagine. have you ever had to do anything like _ cannot imagine. have you ever had to do anything like this _ cannot imagine. have you ever had to do anything like this before _ cannot imagine. have you ever had to do anything like this before as - cannot imagine. have you ever had to do anything like this before as a - do anything like this before as a soldier was gemma is do anything like this before as a soldier was gemm- do anything like this before as a soldier was gemma is not like this. what do you _ soldier was gemma is not like this. what do you do _ soldier was gemma is not like this. what do you do next? _ soldier was gemma is not like this. what do you do next? what - soldier was gemma is not like this. what do you do next? what does i what do you do next? what does israel do next? i what do you do next? what does israel do next?— what do you do next? what does israel do next? i don't know. i do wor .i israel do next? i don't know. i do worry- i hope _ israel do next? i don't know. i do worry. i hope that _ israel do next? i don't know. i do worry. i hope that we _ israel do next? i don't know. i do worry. i hope that we will- israel do next? i don't know. i do worry. i hope that we will go - worry. i hope that we will go inside. ., ., ., worry. i hope that we will go inside. ., .,w ., , inside. into gaza? that will be tou~h inside. into gaza? that will be tough fighting- _ inside. into gaza? that will be tough fighting. we _ inside. into gaza? that will be tough fighting. we are - inside. into gaza? that will be tough fighting. we are ready l inside. into gaza? that will be i tough fighting. we are ready for inside. into gaza? that will be - tough fighting. we are ready for it. of the bodies _ tough fighting. we are ready for it. of the bodies will _ tough fighting. we are ready for it. of the bodies will have _ tough fighting. we are ready for it. of the bodies will have to - tough fighting. we are ready for it. of the bodies will have to be - of the bodies will have to be identified. their murder was without doubt a war crime but what about the palestinian civilians israel is killing in attacks on hamas? all armies have obligations under the laws of war to protect civilian life, even in war zones. share laws of war to protect civilian life, even in war zones. are you doin: life, even in war zones. are you doing this. _ life, even in war zones. are you doing this, with _ life, even in war zones. are you doing this, with this _ life, even in war zones. are you doing this, with this level- life, even in war zones. are you doing this, with this level of- life, even in war zones. are you doing this, with this level of air| doing this, with this level of air strikes and any ground operation that might happen? we strikes and any ground operation that might happen?— strikes and any ground operation that might happen? we fight for our values and our _ that might happen? we fight for our values and our culture _ that might happen? we fight for our values and our culture all— that might happen? we fight for our values and our culture all our- that might happen? we fight for our

values and our culture all our life. . values and our culture all our life. you keep your value in the same time, and i know that we will be very aggressive and very strong, but we keep our morals and our values. we are israeli, we arejewish and it's a very difficult problem. people that stay in the battlefield suffer a lot. you can see what happened here. but we come to kill the enemy, not the civilians. in only a few days, israel has inflicted immense damage in gaza. they have cut off supplies of food, water and power and killed hundreds of civilians. palestinian suffering, israel says, is the responsibility of hamas. israel has already been accused of breaking the laws of war and that will get louder as more palestinian civilians are wounded and killed. at kfar aza israeli troops are thinking of what is next,

perhaps a ground invasion of gaza. it was tough enough for the israelis to come in to recapture this area, these small border communities. it is a different order of military challenge to cross the wire, to get into gaza, potentially to fight house to house at a time when hamas will have made its plans and will be waiting. some of these men are moving north in case war starts with hezbollah, the powerful lebanese militia backed by iran. what happened here is why israel is shaken to its core, why it insists it must break hamas and it points to the danger and uncertainty ahead. jeremy bowen, bbc news, kfar aza. israeli retribution so far has come from the sky,

with air strikes on targets in gaza, reducing already battered and poor neighbourhoods to smoking ruins. this footage released by the israeli military shows building after building reduced to rubble. palestinian health officials say the number of people killed in gaza since the weekend has now risen to at least 830, with well over 4,000 injured. getting in and out of gaza is almost impossible. the borders are sealed, but the bbc has a rare insight into the situation on the ground with our correspondent, rushdi abualouf. he's lived there his entire life and, while it's just too dangerous for him to be reporting live, he has sent us this update. we can see the scale of destruction in this neighbourhood. it's called rimal neighbourhood. it's an economic hub for gaza that has been completely targeted yesterday.

many buildings were destroyed, behind me an ii—storey building was knocked down two days ago but the destruction in this area has been targeted last night. israel has said they carried out 200 air strikes targeting hamas infrastructure. they hit many buildings, government buildings belonging to the hamas—run authority. but look at the scale of destruction in the area and how civilian homes were completely affected and some of them were completely destroyed. translation: i lost everything. my house, my shop has been destroyed completely. where do we go? we have become homeless. this gentleman just told us we have to leave the area because it seems the israelis are warning residents

of the area they should leave, they are going to target another building in the area. but look at the scale of destruction. this is happening, with israelis targeting houses, shops, ministries and mosques, everything. the whole neighbourhood was levelled to zero. this is one of the most important economic hubs for gaza. as you can see, most of the shops were damaged, houses were damaged, the infrastructure, the street. this is the street that leads to the southern part of the city and it is completely blocked. rushdi abualouf with that update. 0ur man on the ground in gaza, one of very fewjournalists 0ur man on the ground in gaza, one of very few journalists still operating there at the moment. tonight, president biden described the killings of israeli civilians by hamas as "an act of sheer evil" and pledged full us support

to israel as it responds. he said he would make sure the country received everything it needed, including more ammunition and air defence missiles. he added that the white house was ready to order extra us miltary assets here to the region, to act as a deterrent. let me say again to any country, any organisation, anyone thinking of taking advantage of this situation, i have one word — don't. don't. our hearts may be broken but our resolve is clear. jeremy bowenjoins me now from the city of ashkelon in southern israel. jeremy, what everyone is wondering, are we getting any closer to what looks like a ground offensive, in your estimation? mt;

looks like a ground offensive, in your estimation?— looks like a ground offensive, in your estimation? looks like a ground offensive, in our estimation? g , , , ., your estimation? my guess is that we are, and your estimation? my guess is that we are. and what — your estimation? my guess is that we are, and what am _ your estimation? my guess is that we are, and what am i _ your estimation? my guess is that we are, and what am i basing _ your estimation? my guess is that we are, and what am i basing that - your estimation? my guess is that we are, and what am i basing that on? . are, and what am i basing that on? first of all, the maximal goals that prime minister netanyahu has set. what he said is that not only must israel make hamas pay a terrible price for what happened, he also said that he wants to change the power equation in gaza and to send a lesson to israel's enemies that will last for more than one generation. you don't do that simply through air strikes. however, having been with the israeli army for much of the day today, i would say that they are still trying to secure the area. there was shooting, as you saw in my piece perhaps, earlier on, as we arrived at the kibbutz in southern israel where these killings have been discovered. and in this city

tonight, ashkelon, there has been a security alert because there were some gunmen on the loose. i think one of them was killed. there was a lot of concern and warnings to people to stay inside. i think they want to secure their rear before deciding to put into gaza. certainly, clive, i'd say at the moment all the indications are still pointing towards a ground offensive and a big one, too. jeremy bowen, thank you, and thank you to the rest of the team in ashkelon, southern israel. some of the first reports of saturday's attack came from eyewitnesses at a music festival in re'im in southern israel, neat the border with gaza. hamas gunmen arrived in force and killed at least 260 people there. the attackers then continued their rampage into the surrounding villages. 0ur middle east correspondent,

lucy williamson, has been to the area around re'im, to hear the testimony of people there who saw and heard the violence unfold. another warning — you may find some of her report distressing. the road that led to an open—air party, now an open—air crime scene. the path of hamas gunmen mapped by their weapons and their bodies. their target, a festival site where hundreds died. the ground zero of this multipronged attack. among the dead, the passengers of this car, gunned down as they fled. bodies and debris still line the route into this festival site. police have told us this vehicle was used by hamas militants. you can still see the ground here is covered with the remains of weapons, the uniforms they used.

days on from this attack, families all across this area are still trying to trace exactly what happened to their loved ones. four members of one family listed among the hostages kidnapped by militants. among them his nephews, 12 militants. among them his nephews, i2 and i6 militants. among them his nephews, i2 and 16 years old. the boys phoned their mother as gunmen took them from a nearby house. and then they said they heard someone breaking into the door and walking in the house. about ten minutes later i heard people speaking in arabic outside the door. the door opened and i could hear my youngest say, "don't take me, i'm too young." that was the last i heard from them. those barbarians took kids out of their houses and out of their beds and just kidnapped them. they are keeping them hostage. theirfather and his girlfriend are also missing.

this video appears to show them in the hands of militants. but the waiting is killing us. i can see my mum broken. that's the hardest part for me. i can be strong, i can lift up all my family, but it's hard to see my mum breaking. as israel continues to pound targets in gaza, hamas has threatened to begin executing hostages in response. with every strike, some see the face of israel's military might. ranana sees the faces of her children. lucy williamson, bbc news, southern israel. it is a hallmark of all the violence of recent days that youngsters and children have been victims. the bbc knows of many young people who were kidnapped by hamas. the images of boys and girls,

and babies in their mothers' arms being led away, are some of the most harrowing of this war so far. caroline hawley has that story. imagine that you know and love these children, all now hostages in gaza, and the wait, the absence of news, is torture. this is 30—year—old israeli mother shiri, on saturday morning in the hands of her captors. still in her arms, her nine—month—old baby, kfir, and her four—year—old, ariel. they were kidnapped from their kibbutz near the border with gaza. theirfather, her husband, yarden, was also taken. i really hope that she is ok, i really hope that they didn't separate the kids from her. the babies were torn out from their bed at 6am on saturday morning, on holiday, in israel. they were asleep in their beds. my feeling is that my family is over there, i don't know how they treat them and i know there is a nine—month baby that is

without his food and diapers. these are pictures of more children held hostage, shared with danish television by their mother, maayan. they are her eight—year—old and 15—year—old girls, and she had this message for them. translation: i will do anything. we will do anything to get you back. do what your hostage—takers tell you. be strong. you are heroes. the whole country is with you and everyone else who is being held hostage. everybody loves you. we don't know all of the children taken hostage but along with ariel and kfir we know of 12—year—old erez and his sister sahar, and sisters raz and aviv, who are five and three. as israeli air strikes flatten buildings in gaza nobody knows what's happening to them. and now the lives of palestinian children are also being taken and torn apart. caroline hawley, bbc news.

the young victims on both sides. what now for israel and gaza, for the men with the guns, and the civilians on both sides caught in between? they face off across a frontier marked so indelibly in blood. two seemingly irreconcilable foes, in a region where peace has long been just another casualty. that's it from us injerusalem. now, back to you, sophie, in the studio. clive, thank you. this is a war that is very close to home for many communities in britain. our religion editor aleem maqbool looks at how families here have been affected. ahmed najar is an economist in london. he tells of bad news he received from the place he grew up, gaza. one of my cousins, we just found out that he was killed on saturday, in the evening. ahmed says he's worried for the rest

of his extended family, with so many air strikes. as you can imagine, the situation there is not easy to really find out how people were killed, or whether they are under the rubble, or whether they are still alive. well, for so many people in this country, these horrors feel like they're being played out much closer than in a distant land. and even if they don't have direct ties to the victims, in many cases, it's still having an impact on daily life. with fears of a rise in anti—semitism, there's been an increase in security around a lot ofjewish schools. there's police when the peak—time was. and there's more staff generally around, all the senior leadership team were around as well. so you come into school and everyone is sort of in the same boat, everyone is just very worried and everyone isjust sort of together, trying to hope for the best.

singing. many britishjews have talked of a profound sense of connection tojews in pain, wherever they are. others really are living a nightmare. there is nothing left. nothing is left there. sharone lifshitz has heard nothing from her ill mother and peace activist father since this israeli community was attacked and burnt to the ground. she's worried about reprisals if she even shows their pictures. there is a lot of forces that try to make us feel that the others are not human. and i think we have to go back to remembering that these are humans. this is my mum, but she could be your mum, you know, and she could be anyone's mum. and i don't wish that on anyone. sharone is still clinging to the hope her parents will be returned to safety. aleem maqbool, bbc news.

the labour leader, sir keir starmer, has promised a decade of national renewalfor britain. he told the labour party conference in liverpool that if elected he would introduce reforms to the nhs, invest in education and build 1.5 million new homes. sir keir�*s speech was briefly interupted at the start by a protester who poured glitter all over him. a 28—year—old man was arrested. our political editor, chris mason, reports from liverpool. whatever you do, don't get your placard upside down. careful control of choreography, a big part of any party conference. a big part, that is, until the unexpected happens atjust the moment keir starmer was about to begin. true democracy is citizen—led. politics need an update. a protester demanding a different voting systems soon found himself on the floor and horizontal,

but still protesting. let people decide! keir starmer decided to dispense with his jacket and put up with the glitter on his shirt and in his heir. with the glitter on his shirt and in his hair. he thinks that bothers me? he doesn't know me. next, to what he had planned to say, and his big picture message. his claim — the country is in a mess, but labour can sort it out. what is broken can be repaired. what is ruin can be rebuilt. wounds do heal. this is a party that tore itself apart over anti—semitism, being condemned for being anti—jewish under the last leader, jeremy corbyn. keir starmer sought to be categoric and unequivocal about what he called the appalling events in israel and the last few days. i utterly condemn the senseless murder of men, women and children, including british citizens, in cold

blood by the terrorists of hamas. this party... applause. this party believes in the two—state solution, a palestinian state alongside a safe and secure israel. from the world stage to back here, a big part of this speech was about building more homes — 1.5 million of them in five years. speeding up planning, building on what he called the grey belt — car parks and scrubland — and building new towns. sometimes the old labour ideas are right for new times. we will get shovels in the ground, cranes in the sky and build the next generation of labour new towns. what stood out today was not just the traditional tory bashing of a labour get together. yes, he called rishi sunak one

of the shallow men and women of westminster, and said the conservatives had wrecked the economy, but there was this direct pitch to tory supporters to switch to labour. so if you are a conservative voter who despairs of this, if you look in horror at the descent of your party into the murky waters of populism and conspiracy, with no argument for economic change, if you feel our country needs a party that conserves, you canjoin it. it's this labour party. a labour party that conserves, he claimed. and he sought to snatch more political clothes the conservatives often claim as their own. we say yes to sound money, yes to cutting waste and debt, embrace the need for stability. fiscal responsibility is non—negotiable. in other words, keir starmer is trying to persuade you that

you can trust him with your money and labour with governing. we've dragged this party back to service and we can do the same for politics. i grew up working class. i felt the anxiety of a cost of living crisis before, and until your family can see the way out, i will fight for you. walk towards a decade of national renewal. britain can, britain will get its future back. thank you, conference. this was keir starmer dealing with a protester against a backdrop of horror in the middle east, attempting to present himself as an alternative prime minister. activists here are nervously confident. confident because they hope they can win. nervous because they know they have to overhaul a huge conservative majority. oh, he was great. i was quite scared, i'll be honest, at the beginning when the guy ran on and i didn't know what they were throwing at him. but he didn't get flustered by it

and just went for it. he's not promising the earth, but he is promising the change this country needs. i'm so glad that people who are looking in on the labour party. conference this week will see the keir starmer i know. - tough, gritty and in touch with the british people. . the protester had a free ride away courtesy of merseyside police, raising questions about conference security, as keir starmer hopes he has provided some answers about who he is and what he would actually do if he wins. chris mason, bbc news, liverpool. the tv presenter holly willoughby has announced that she is quitting the itv show this morning after ia years. she says she made the decision for her and herfamily. it comes just days after a man appeared in court charged in connection with an alleged plot to kidnap her. our entertainment correspondent, lizo mzimba, reports. september 2009 — holly willoughby�*s first appearance. welcome!

thank you. how do you feel? like this isn't really happening. and for much of the next ia years, it was her on—screen relationship with her co—host phillip schofield that kept daytime television viewers constantly entertained... yes! ..with a variety of guests... hang on a minute, you've just been eating salty worms... _ ..and items ranging from light—hearted challenges to scientific surprises. whoa! oh, wowee! she announced her departure on social media, saying... she didn't specify her reasons for leaving, but last week,