live from southern israel, this is bbc news. israel steps up its air strikes on gaza. the army says it hit 150 hamas targets overnight, releasing video that it says shows its tanks in gaza. translation: the ground forces entered and continued expanding| the ground force operations. infantry, engineering and artillery are accompanied by heavy gunfire. this is the scene live in gaza. our correspondent, rushdi abualouf, says it's been total chaos. a state of panic, fear and chaos. very chaotic scenes in the street. i have been driving through the city of khan younis this morning. less people, but more panic. international aid agencies say they are struggling to contact their teams inside gaza

after most communication networks were cut overnight. we are alive in southern israel. this is bbc news. let me show you some live pictures of what is happening and gaza right now. you could normally see the skyline behind me. the buildings of gaza. but the smoke that is really blotting out the skyline at the moment and the fog are making it very difficult to see what is going on there. but our cameras inside gaza can show you the scene after that night of intensifying air strikes that we have seen and heard. you can hear them going on around us all the time. in fact, we are seeing, where we are now, a position very close to the border with gaza, you can hear the explosions. we are being told, people around us, to

make sure we are wearing a protective equipment, wearing helmets and body armour because, as you can hear quite clearly around us, there is this rolling intensification of israeli fire on gaza. you can hear the sound of monitors, you can hear the sound of artillery shells. they have been going on notjust through the night but all morning as well. the israeli army has said that it struck 150 underground targets in the north of gaza overnight. in this expansion of ground operations there. hamas says that its soldiers have been battling israeli soldiers in the north and centre of the gaza strip, there is a continuing internet and phone service blackout at the moment. very difficult to have any kind of communications with people in gaza at all, which is causing huge concern for the people who have families and loved ones in there, and also, as we were hearing, for aid agencies in particular who are finding it very difficult to communicate with their teams on the ground and find out what the level of need is right now after that

night of continuing air strikes. the israeli military also says its forces that went on overnight, actually entering the gaza strip, where infantry soldiers, armoured vehicles, artillery forces. they said that they struck from the air and the sea. some pictures to show you, released by the idf this morning. this video shows what appears to be an armoured column actually advancing into gaza. their spokesperson said that they are continuing with what they describe as significant attacks from the air and sea, as well. they also talked about expanding humanitarian efforts in gaza today, as well. they promised that more supplies of food and water and medicine would arrive. we saw video from the red cross a little earlier showing a few trucks that had passed through the this morning. let's take a closer look at the worsening humanitarian situation in gaza, which is hugely problematic

for people who are living there. these are live pictures looking across the region. as we've been hearing, phone and internet services have been cut. the communication blackout has led to aid organisations raising the alarm about relief efforts inside the area — saying they're struggling to get through to their teams. you can probably hear the sound of gunfire in the background now as well. you really do get the sense standing here of how this bombardment of gaza has intensified in the last few hours. just in case you're wondering what those continuing sounds from all around me are, that is what you are hearing in the background, coming from gaza, as we are just a couple of kilometres awayjust now. to find out more about that situation in gaza and some of the difficulties that they are experiencing at the moment. i spoke to samah hadid, head of advocacy for the middle east at the norwegian refugee council, who said the situation is worsening by the day. we have lost contact with our staff on the ground in gaza, communication lines are still down.

across gaza, and we are incredibly terrified about the situation, especially after the heavy bombardment that was reported last night in gaza, and it has been said that it is on a scale never seen before. you know, as this communication blackout took place in gaza, the israeli bombardmentjust intensified, and people couldn't call for help or reach front line responders to receive emergency support. so it is incredibly worrying. and now that the israeli ground operation expands further into gaza, we are really, really concerned about the further widespread civilian bloodshed. what are the main areas of work that your staff are doing at the moment? as you say, there is a lot to do, so what are their immediate priorities right now?

well, our staff are terrified, they are under constant israeli bombardment, and it is too dangerous for them to move. they are protecting their families, they are trying to access water and food, they have had to ration water and food because aid supplies going into gaza are incredibly low. i mean, the aid going into gaza at the moment is severely inadequate, and this is why we are calling on israel to lift the siege on gaza, to allow all crossings to be open so that urgent water, food, medicine, but also fuel can enter into gaza. now, with this israeli military ground operation, we really fear about the intensification of the fighting in the conflict, we fear that it will lead to further destruction of civilian infrastructure and the loss of civilian life.

so this is why we urgently call for a ceasefire. we need allies of the israeli government, like the uk, like the us, to push urgently, urgently for a ceasefire to take place, so that we can get aid in, so that civilians can be protected and lives can be saved. that was the head of advocacy for the norwegian refugee council here in the middle east. the un general assembly voted overwhelmingly to adopt a resolution — put forward by arab countries — calling for a humanitarian truce in gaza. it's not binding, but steps up the pressure for a solution to be found to the conflict. the vote was angrily criticised by israel's ambassador to the un.

it was also criticised by the israeli foreign ambassador. they said it was vital that israel was allowed to continue to defend itself in this way. there was an amendment proposed by canada to unequivocally reject and condemn hamas. that was defeated. our correspondent, nada tawfik, reports. 120 nations from every corner of the globe adding their weight to the increasingly desperate pleas of the un and palestinians, after the un security council failed to act, and only 14 countries voting against it. while the resolution is not binding, the palestinian ambassador, riyad mansour, celebrated the outcome. today, the general assembly declared that a call to stop the war and stop it now, send assistance now, at scale, and also stop the ethnic cleansing and the killing and protect the palestinians, protect the civilians.

the resolution has divided western nations. the us, israel's staunchest ally, voted against it. and canada, the uk and several european nations abstained, wanting a direct condemnation of hamas in the text. but other europeans supported it, such as ireland, spain, france and belgium. the israeli ambassador, gilad erdan, claimed in the chamber after the vote that there was no humanitarian crisis in gaza and attacked the un's legitimacy. this organisation was founded in the wake of the holocaust for the purpose of preventing atrocities, yet the spectacle we just saw proves beyond a doubt that the un is committed, sadly, tragically, not to preventing, but ensuring further atrocities. whether action here in the general assembly changes anything is debatable. still, just blocks away from the un, hundreds of protesters wanting a ceasefire shut down grand central

terminal. another indication that calls for an end to the war are growing, as are fears that it could spread further into the region. nada tawfik, bbc news, at the united nations in new york. we are hearing the continuing sounds of firing on gaza. it is worth just showing you, as well, even though the skyline is really foggy now and even though that smoke has really blotted out a lot of what you can see, very loud explosions we have just heard, you can see they're right in the centre of the picture there was a column of smoke that is rising behind me from gaza. it really shows you that the intensification of this conflict is continuing. israel has been very clear about its different goals that it has in the conflict. one is the

destruction of hamas, the other is the security of israel and the borders. and the third is the return of the people who have been kidnapped, and are being held inside gaza. when we see scenes like this, it raises concerns for friends and family about the safety of those hostages. israel does not know for sure where they are being held. when you hear is things like this, the sound of the bombardment that continues, it raises real concerns for their safety and well—being. there have only been four hostages who have been released so far. we can hear now from the daughter of one of them. you might remember the images we saw of her mother, one of two women released in the most recent release of hostages, this week by hamas. her father is still being held hostage in gaza.

my colleague naga munchetty spoke to sharone, who's in tel aviv. well, i don't know how to feel at the moment. we are in the middle of this situation, we have 228, so the number is still rising — hostages. and it seems that there is a lot of wish to divert media attention towards the story of my mum and the story of the place, but really we are not ready to do anything else, we can't even properly mourn our dead or start believing that we can go to the next stage while there are 228 people held hostage. my mum is back, she knew about 25, she now knows that there are 228. she knows that the condition there were not as atrocious as we have imagined, but they are very, very tough. she does not believe many of them would last very long. this morning i asked her what to say, and she said that she is here, but her heart is there with the rest of the people. and we have to break the news

about more and more people she knows that are held hostage. so, yes, this is where we are. we are in the midst of this horrific situation. it is not over. and your father is being held hostage, as well. do you have any information about him and his condition? we have no news of my father whatsoever. no news. we know from my mum that he was injured, we know that his body was not found, we know that he is elderly and frail, as many other people, he is a civilian caught in this horrendous situation. many other members there are babies and children and very elderly people. they have now been underground in a really, really, really difficult situation for a long, long time. this is getting more and more desperate every day.

sharone, when you see what is happening this morning, which is being described as expanded operations by israel, and you know and you think about how hamas may react, with knowing that there are hostages being held, what do you think? i think that there... the quicker they are back, the easier it will be to negotiate any resolution for this horrific situation. in terms of citizens on the ground, there are no winners here. we have lost so much, so many of us have lost so much that i don't feel any... i am not gaining personally from the suffering of others in any way, shape, or form. i want this to be resolved, i want these people to come back. we have lost enough. and once they come back, it will be easier to find

a resolution for all sides. she was talking about the time that her mother spent as a hamas hostage inside gaza, and really reflecting on the situation for so many more families. i can show you some pictures from tel aviv this morning where many of those families, friends of loved ones who are still being kept hostage has come together in tel aviv this morning. many of them havejoined in tel aviv this morning. many of them have joined together as a group, they are really trying to make sure that the names and faces of these hostages are known to the world and people do not forget that they are there, being held hostage inside gaza. they also want the israeli prime minister and defence minister to meet with them, to tell them what is being done to try to negotiate the release of their loved ones. you will be able to hear the

sound, the repeated sound, the almost constant sound of explosions happening around here. in fact, just in the last two minutes, one which exploded almost overhead, really very much on the line between gaza and southern israel. we have been seeing, as we have been talking this morning, those continuing plumes of smoke that have been rising into the air. you can see again just over there, againjust over air. you can see again just over there, again just over the air. you can see again just over there, againjust over the perimeter there, againjust over the perimeter there into gaza, so much of the firing, we are hearing machine—gun fire, mortarfire, artillery fire fire, mortar fire, artillery fire all around fire, mortarfire, artillery fire all around us all the time. it is a real sound and a real picture of the intensification of this israeli bombardment of gaza. we will of course keep you right up to date with this developing story here on bbc news. you're watching bbc news. the body of a man suspected of killing 18 people

in the us state of maine, has been found, after a three—day manhunt. police say robert card, who was 40, died from an apparently self—inflicted gunshot wound. nomia iqbal reports from maine. for days, the killer of 18 people gunned down while on a night out was untraceable. ao—year—old army reservist robert card was being hunted by police. they searched by air, land, and sea for the man described as armed and dangerous. last night his fate was confirmed. like many people, i'm breathing a sigh of relief knowing that robert card is no longer a threat to anyone. i know there are some people, many people who share that sentiment, but i also know that his death may not bring solace to many. but now is a time to heal. he's said to have died from a self—inflicted gun wound. our work again is not done here. i was very elated tonight when i got the word from commissioner sauschuck

advising me of the revelation of what took place and that mr card is deceased and no longer a threat to our community or any other community. this city and the towns around it have been in lockdown since wednesday nights. when news came through that the suspected gunman had been found dead, one man here shouted "finally" and you could see this sense of relief on his face. he said the community could now rest easy. but card's actions leave behind a city destroyed and families with never—ending grief. arthur strout was murdered while playing pool in a bar. his wife is struggling to explain what happened to their 13—year—old daughter. maine has loose gun—control laws. she wants that changed. we're not doing better if things like this keep happening. we need, as a community, to think about these things and think about how we need to change them so the families that

are going through this — nobody else has to go through it again. another shooting now scars america, and in a state that was considered one of the safer places in the country. president biden has once again called on congress to get tougher and stricter on guns. nomia iqbal, bbc news, maine. our correspondent, shinghai nyoka, is in lewiston, and she described the sense of relief in the town now that the manhunt was over. she said please two police located robert kurt and he is dead. it is

what many people here were hoping for after these two days, 48 hours, where the city was essentially in a partial lockdown. many people were behind closed doors in their homes, businesses were shattered, and municipal buildings and a lot of the services were closed as hundreds of police officers, some of them from across state lines launched this massive manhunt. there were helicopters, there were drones in the air, there were boots on the ground. earlier on, there were divers in the river trying to search for robert card. there really was this collective sigh of relief when the city officials announced that his body had been found at about 7:45pm local time in a neighbouring town of lisbon, near a river. we have noticed that some of the businesses have started to open up again, vehicles on the road, and people arejust really

again, vehicles on the road, and people are just really relieved that this has come to an end. i think there was also an acknowledgement that the city can now move forward, but that the community is still in grief. but now that the shelter in place has been lifted, the community can start to meet and console each other in this collective grief. emergency services in kazakhstan say at least 32 people are now known to have been killed in a fire at a coal mine — the latest in a series of deadly accidents. more than 20 others are missing, while about 200 have been rescued. it's believed the fire was caused by a methane gas explosion. the mine is operated by a local unit of the luxembourg—based steelmaker, arcelormittal. an investigation has been launched into possible safety violations. we are going to catch up with all the latest sport now. we

we are going to catch up with all the latest sport now.— we are going to catch up with all the latest sport now. we will start with the rugby- — new zealand and south africa are both aiming to make history later by winning the rugby world cup for a record 4th time. the holders, south africa, are also hoping for a successive title, but not many would bet against the all blacks, given their pedigree in significant games like this one. if you look at the two teams, the all blacks have won the world cup three times, we have won it three times. this game is bigger than you world cup final. whoever wins, they will have bragging rights for the next eight years because the best team in the world, won it four times. wejust want team in the world, won it four times. we just want to make sure that we keep making our people at home proust. the vibe and the message that we get at home is very special. very special moment for everyone involved. the special. very special moment for everyone involved.— special. very special moment for everyone involved. the last couple of weeks for _ everyone involved. the last couple of weeks for both _ everyone involved. the last couple of weeks for both myself _ everyone involved. the last couple of weeks for both myself and - everyone involved. the last couple of weeks for both myself and a - everyone involved. the last couple of weeks for both myself and a lot | of weeks for both myself and a lot of weeks for both myself and a lot of other_ of weeks for both myself and a lot of other guys have been awesome experiences. i guess over the next probably— experiences. i guess over the next probably 24 or so hours, it will

start_ probably 24 or so hours, it will start to — probably 24 or so hours, it will start to hit _ probably 24 or so hours, it will start to hit home you're in a final. just mentally kind of preparing for the stage — just mentally kind of preparing for the stage that it is. that is where you want— the stage that it is. that is where you want to — the stage that it is. that is where you want to be. very excited by it and it _ you want to be. very excited by it and it will— you want to be. very excited by it and it will definitely be a huge occasion— and it will definitely be a huge occasion for us tomorrow night. the cricketers are _ occasion for us tomorrow night. tue: cricketers are also new zealand's cricketers are also in world cup action — they're taking on australia right now...(full frame gfx)australia australia batted first, setting new zealand a target of 389 in the premier league, tottenham are five points clear at the top of the table after beating crystal palace 2-1. all the goals came in the second half with a strike from son heung—min proving to be the winner at selhurst park. spurs have now won eight and drawn two of their opening 10 games. it is not an easy place to come to. the way crystal palace set up, they are really disciplined defensively. it was never going to be an open game with a lot of chances. ijust thought we handled it really well,

were really disciplined, stayed patient, waiting for opportunities, then scored two good goals. we defended when we had to, so really pleased. four more games in the premier league on saturday. chelsea take on brentford in the early kick—off, arsenal can close the gap on neighbours tottenham to two points with a win over bottom club sheffield united, struggling bournemouth and burnley face each other, while wolves welcome newcastle in the late game. newcastle midfielder sandro tonali will begin his 10—month ban from football in that game after fifa extended it worldwide. the game's world governing body said it had confirmed the request made by the italian football federation. they said the italy midfielder had breached a rule which prohibits players from placing bets on football. there is little doubt about the big game in europe today, and that's taking place in barcelona. it's the first el clasico of the sesaon — as real madrid make the trip to barca's temporary estadio olimpico home. in serie a, juventus could go top of the table with victory over verona.

in the bundesliga, leaders bayer leverkusen don't play until tomorrow — so that gives a chance for either bayern munich, at home to darmstadt, or surprise package stuttgart who face hoffenheim to go top. max verstappen topped both practice sessions for red bull on friday, with lando norris second, but seven time champion lewis hamilton was off the pace in seventh. verstappen — who is looking for a record 16th victory of the season — gave red bull a perfect start to the weekend, edging mclaren�*s lando norris byjust over a tenth of a second. charles leclerc took third for ferrari, while verstappen�*s team—mate sergio perez, urged on by his home crowd, was fourth. hamilton struggled in his mercedes with a seventh place. practice three starts later on saturday, with qualifying after that. and that's all the sport for now. you can get more on those stories including the latest from the cricket world cup, australian taking on new zealand in that. both high—flyers and the current cricket

world cup. all that on the website, we will see you later on. hello there. it is a story we have heard many times before and this october, but the unsettled theme is set to continue. yes, we are likely to see showers are longer spells of rain as we move through the weekend, and it will be quite blustery at times. so, let's take a look at the culprit. still low pressure anchored out to the west, with more of an organised frontal system pushing end to the south—west —— of an organised frontal system pushing in to the south—west later on today. that is going to bring some heavy, persistent rain and some gale force gusts of wind on the exposed course. so, the brighter colours denoting the intensity of that rainfall as it moves its way into south wales, across parts of dorset, up into the south midlands, and towards the capital by the end of the afternoon. elsewhere, it is a case of sunny spells and scattered showers. some of those showers quite persistent to the east of northern ireland and once again into eastern scotland. it is going to be a blustery afternoon as well for many of us,

with gusts of wind to 30, possibly 40 mph at times this afternoon. that easterly wind continuing to feed in the rain off the east coast of scotland. top temperatures, 10—16 at the very best. now, through the night tonight, that rain in the south—west is going to continue to drive its way steadily northwards. a blanket of cloud with it, as well, so the temperatures are going to hold up, but there will be some persistent rain moving through northern ireland, northern england, grinding to a halt across southern scotland for a time. so, on sunday, the next area of concern once again will be across eastern scotland as we continue to see this relentless conveyor belt of wet weather pushing in off the north sea. behind it, a case of sunny spells and scattered showers. most frequent showers perhaps into northern ireland and south and west facing coasts. another blustery day, gusts of winds once again to around 40, possibly 50 mph in the far north—west of scotland. temperatures just above where they should be for the time of year, but with the showers or the rain

around, fairly academic. now, as we move into next week, a little bit of a breather for the beginning of the week before yet more wet weather moves in on wednesday. and then thatjust allows the floodgates to open once again with areas of low pressure waiting in the wings. so, it is going to stay pretty unsettled as we close out october and we start the new month of november. take care.

live from southern israel, this is bbc news. israel steps up its air strikes on gaza. the army says it hit 150 hamas targets overnight, releasing video it says shows its tanks entering the territory. translation: the ground forces entered and continued expanding| the ground force operations. infantry, engineering and artillery are accompanied by heavy gunfire. this is the scene live in gaza. our correspondent there — rushdi abualouf — says it's been total chaos. a state of panic, fear and chaos. i have been driving through the city of khan younis this morning. less people, but more panic.