live from london, this is bbc news. israel's war against hamas enters a new stage with intense air bombardment and a large ground operation. prime minister netanyahu says his priorities in gaza are to destroy hamas and bring the hostages home. matthew perry, one of the stars of the hit tv show friends, is found dead at his home in los angeles. hello, i'm celia hatton. phone lines and internet connections are slowly returning to the gaza strip,

according to several palestinian news agencies. meanwhile, israeli prime minister benjamin netanyahu say his priorities in gaza are to destroy her mouth and bring hostages home. he insisted israel was doing its best to achieve both. he was speaking after meeting with families of some of the more than 200 hostages, who fear that the escalation of fighting by israel is making matters worse —— destroy hamas. at the bombardment of gaza intensifies, the prime minister said the war would be long and hard. meanwhile, the international red cross has called for an immediate de—escalation of the conflict, saying it was unacceptable that civilians had no safe place to go in gaza. this is the scene live in gaza, where the hamas—run health ministry in gaza says that 8,000 people have been killed since air—strikes were launched in response

to the killing of 1,400 israelis by hamas three weeks ago. we'll start our coverage with this update from our international editor, jeremy bowen. heavy artillery is pounding gaza constantly. the israelis say they're making the earth shake. and as residents of one of gaza city's refugee camps inspected what had happened in the night, that was how it felt. "it's like an earthquake," said al—ahmadi. "no—one�*s paying us attention. "it's an execution." many palestinians believe israel wants to force them out of gaza and they interpret it as a threat, not a warning, when israel's army tells them again to move south, from places like this. as for the israeli people, prime minister benjamin netanyahu issued a solemn warning. translation: the war -

inside the gaza strip will be difficult and long and we are prepared for it. this is our second war of independence. we will fight for the defence of the homeland. in sderot, the israeli town closest to gaza, the streets where hamas killed civilians and soldiers three weeks ago today are deserted. the danger didn't stop zila cohen and her son driving down here to bring a picnic to her daughters, who are doing their military service. they sat down in a car park not farfrom the border wire. the war, they said, was about survival — hamas had shown it wanted to force them out. you can hear the war. aren't you scared? i'm scared but if my daughter here, so i go — i go where she is. and you bring lunch? yes, to all the soldiers. you know, when you are live

side by side with people and you come to understand that you cannot trust them... so, what — what do you do? what is the answer for that? what any other nation would have done. much more that we are doing right now and, i'm assuring you, much more than we will ever do. the new phase of israel's assault started last night with dozens of air strikes. israel believes overwhelming military strength can pacify gaza. but military power alone has never brought lasting quiet, let alone peace, in this conflict's long history. israel claimed one of its strikes killed a senior hamas commander. israeli tanks and soldiers moved forward into the north of the gaza strip. gaza's visible from a hill in sderot. israel will resist pressure for a ceasefire. and there's another factor.

the more palestinians that israel kills, especially civilians, the greater the levels of anger and outrage elsewhere in the middle east among israel's friends, as well as its enemies. now, that doesn't guarantee that the war would spread but it does increase levels of anger and volatility in a part of the world that is already very fragile. israel's ground war has started. containing it here is now the biggest political and diplomatic challenge in the world. jeremy bowen, bbc news, in southern israel. in the last few hours, there are reports that internet connectivity in gaza is being restored. before that, most people in gaza had been unreachable, and the un said ambulances and civil defence teams were no longer able to locate the injured. after the communications blackout in gaza, our

correspondent rushdi abu—alouf was finally able to get through to us. he said the north of the territory surrounding gaza city was hit overnight on a scale we've never seen before. here's his report from the southern city of khan yunis. you know, communication is very, very difficult in gaza since 2a hours, as israel cut all of the communication. mobile carriers, the two main mobile carriers, are not functioning, the internet lines are not functioning, and getting information is really hard and difficult. very few people who are still having international sim cards, and they can do roaming using israeli mobile services, people who are close to the border, they still can communicate and, between time to time, they post on social media. they also, some of the local radio stations are still functioning and they were able to talk to their correspondent in the north, who described

what happened last night as the biggest ever air strike that targeted this area. he said that it was like an earthquake. we understand that the indonesian hospital was struck with an air strike yesterday. the hospital was out of service for quite a long time. like, a week ago, the hospital was out of service because of no fuel and it was evacuated. but today, the main building of the hospital was destroyed. also around shifa hospital in gaza city, there was a lot of air strikes —10—15 air strikes, according to people around shifa hospital. they are cutting most of the roads towards that hospital. communication, as i said, is extremely difficult. we are unable to verify a lot of reports about the number of people dead or injured but, as far as the health ministry was doing a press conference this afternoon, they said about 400 people were killed overnight but they said hundreds of others are missing under the collapsed building

in the north. some breaking news. it is coming to us from the afp, the news agency and they are quoting the israeli military saying that gaza civilians should move south where humanitarian efforts will be expanding. again, the israeli military saying that gaza civilians should move south along the gaza strip, where the military says humanitarian efforts will be expanding. we know that in the past few days, this is a live shot of gaza city, atjust gone past seven o'clock in the morning after a night of very heavy bombardment. there have been heavy criticisms of the israeli military that they have not

been allowing humanitarian aid in, but the military is now saying that humanitarian efforts will now be expanding and urging civilians, again, to move south. we have heard this in the past. about two weeks ago they started urging civilians to move south. they faced heavy criticism for continuing to launch air strikes on the south, even after telling civilians they would be safer there. again, the literary reiterating that call for civilians to move south. we will be tracking that news of an expanded military operation in the coming hours to allow humanitarian aid. the israeli government says 229 hostages are still being held by hamas inside gaza and the defence minister said tonight they would do everything possible to bring

them home but that it would be a very complex effort. but many of the hostages families are deeply concerned that the intensifying attacks on gaza are putting those being held in danger. the bbc�*s lucy williamson met with some of the families before they met the prime minister. she has this report from tel aviv. there are those in israel watching the bombing of a people and seeing only one single face — their child, parent, spouse, sibling. in tel aviv, they've laid a place for each of them at a shabbat table — more than 200 hostages held by hamas in gaza. theirfamilies today demanded to speak to israel's prime minister about his escalation of the war. jonathan was one of the hostages taken from the nova festival site. what would you say to prime minister netanyahu if he comes here today? you've asked him to come here.

what happens? we want him to come here, to look to my eyes and tell me, "you should trust me." to tell me, "listen, the kidnap is in first priority. "after that, you will get all the support of all the country "to kill all the hamas. " but now, first of all, our kidnapped. meeting representatives of the families tonight, mr netanyahu suggested that the heavy bombing could help bring the hostages home. the family said they'd consider releasing all israel's palestinian prisoners as a price worth paying to get their relatives back. 2a hours ago, hope was beginning to sprout here. four hostages had been released, negotiations were ongoing and there was talk of a deal to release many more. now, 2a hours later, the mood here is different. a member of the kibbutz, yaffa,

she was one of the founders of the kibbutz. one of the freed hostages told lior peri that she'd seen his father, haim, alive and well in gaza, the first news of him since he was taken captive from kibbutz nir 0z. now, it puts me in a very delicate spot, because now i have something to lose. and that's the worst thing, because i know that hamas didn't kill my father yet. 0k? and i know that now the ball is in the israeli court. air-raid siren wails. as benjamin netanyahu met families this evening, sirens cleared the memorial site. more rockets sent from gaza intercepted in the skies above tel aviv. israel says destroying hamas is about protecting its people. "protecting which people?",

families here ask. "bring their relatives home", they say. "everything else can wait." lucy williamson, bbc news, tel aviv. after the israeli prime minister met some of the families of those being held, some of them spoke about how they were feeling. we are here, as everybody knows, 2i we are here, as everybody knows, 21 days. it looks like 21 years. we have been through a long meeting with the prime minister. arthur and other people. we will very loud and clear, speaking about the situation now. we were speaking about our concern about what we feel and about our worry, about the military operation that is being done now. we are very worried about our dearest, can

we do not know if the whole military operation takes all these hostages under consideration that nobody would be injured. and of course we say that we want all of the hostages back home, all hostages, it will not be part by part, it will be all of the hostages, with any negotiation that will be with the enemy. so we were very clear about that, all the hostages will come back home, with any kind of negotiation that is done, or will be done, that we want all

back, and we don't care what they will give her that. so, thatis they will give her that. so, that is what we were very clear. prime minister was listening. he was listening to everything and he said he would do everything for that. you heard the reaction the family member said the prime minister was listening. israeli prime minister benjamin netanyahu has said winning the war against hamas in gaza is a greater priority than bringing home israeli hostages. mr netanyahu also confirmed israeli troops were inside gaza in the north and in the south. translation: again, i met with the hostages families today. my heart broke. and i reiterated that at every stage to now, and i promised we

are going to do our utmost to bring them back. you think that you can accuse our soldiers of war crimes, that is hypocrisy! we are the most moral army of the world. we are preventing any, as much as possible, in collateral damage, we do not want any innocent bystanders harmed. they are using these heinous crimes against humanity when they use their people as human shields. so many people around the world, understand

that israel is fighting on behalf of the entire humankind. 0ur allies in the western world, and in the arab world. that if we do not win, they will be next on the list of hamas. 0ur diplomatic correspondent paul adams, who's injerusalem, gave us his assessment of the israeli leaders' news conference. it circled back endlessly, didn't it, to the subject of the hostages. that is what a lot of the questions were about. benjamin netanyahu, in his opening remarks, actually made only a rather brief reference to meeting the hostages�* families. he said his heart broke talking to them, and that his military was doing everything in its power to bring them home. he, as you mentioned just now, said there was no contradiction between these two objectives of fighting hamas, trying to destroy hamas, and bringing the hostages home.

but he did say immediately after that that bringing the hostages home was, in his words, our second objective. the first, obviously being to destroy hamas. his defence minister was also asked about this and he said, and i'm quoting here, "the more we hit out at them, "we know that they will be willing to reach some kind of agreement." so, i think the message there was this relentless pressure on hamas is going to continue, that the israeli government believes that that is the way to bring hamas to some kind of negotiation about the fate of the hostages. not, as some people, including representatives of the families themselves are arguing, not to suspend israel's military operations at the moment and to devote all israel's efforts to securing some kind of hostage release. we know that there are lots of intensive discussions going on, still involving the gulf state of qatar, who would very much

like to try to orchestrate a hostage release. it is very hard, i have to say, it is very hard, particularly in light of the escalation that began about 2k hours ago to see those efforts bearing fruit. danny danon is a member of israel's knesset who sits on the israeli foreign affairs and defense committee. he gave us his reaction to hamas calling for a prisoner swap. not the first time hamas is conducting a psychological warfare and trying to confuse everybody. there were few serious negotiators in the last few days trying to broker a deal between israel and hamas, they did not go anywhere, they were playing games with the negotiators and read realise they are not serious about it. as we try to apply more pressure against hamas, we are killing more terrorists may be that will create the atmosphere for a serious negotiation and

we are determined, we are determined to bring our hostages back to israel and to limit hamas. they will not escape on that atrocity they committed three weeks ago. we have not forgotten the kidnap, we will get them, we will kill them. danny danon, a member of israel's knesset who sits on the israeli foreign affairs and defense committee let's cross over to calgary, canada and speak to muhannad ayyash, policy analyst from al—shabaka, a palestinian think tank, and professor of sociology at mount royal university. thank you forjoining us. i would like to start by asking you for your reaction to that breaking news that we mentioned a few moments ago, that is the announcement from the israeli military, that calling on gaza civilians once again to move south, into the southern part of the gaza strip, where they now say humanitarian efforts

will be expanding. what do you make of that?— make of that? thank you for havin: make of that? thank you for having me — make of that? thank you for having me this _ make of that? thank you for having me this push - make of that? thank you for having me this push has - make of that? thank you for - having me this push has nothing to do with israeli's concern for humanitarian aid or the rights of the palestinian people, their actions speak much louder than their words they are indiscriminately bombing palestinians in a genocidal operation on the gaza strip at the moment, to think they are doing this for humanitarian purposes is laughable. they have wanted from the get go is to colonise the northern half of the gaza strip, this isjust yet the northern half of the gaza strip, this is just yet another effort on their behalf to try to push palestinians out of their homes and lands from the northern parts of gaza to the southern parts of gaza, never to be able to return again. they have said that is what they wanted, president biden said they thinks that would be... , ., ., ., be... they have not said that is what they _ be... they have not said that is what they want, _ be... they have not said that is what they want, let - be... they have not said that is what they want, let me - is what they want, let me interrupt you, they said they want to eradicate acro to and

get the hostages home. to pick up get the hostages home. to pick up on you said it was genocidal, the term genocide is a very specific, very powerful word. , ,,, , word. yes it is because it is accurate- — word. yes it is because it is accurate. do _ word. yes it is because it is accurate. do you _ word. yes it is because it is accurate. do you think- word. yes it is because it is accurate. do you think it i word. yes it is because it is accurate. do you think it is| accurate. do you think it is justified? _ accurate. do you think it is justified? absolutely - accurate. do you think it is justified? absolutely it - accurate. do you think it is justified? absolutely it is, | justified? absolutely it is, look at their _ justified? absolutely it is, look at their actions - justified? absolutely it is, look at their actions i - justified? absolutely it is, look at their actions i am | justified? absolutely it is, i look at their actions i am not interested in their statements they live in a mythology right now, all the statements i have heard from the israelis are mythologies, they have no connection to reality. people across the world do not believe them and see this as a genocidal operation. when you call all palestinians in the gaza strip human animals, children of the darkness and you unleash this indiscriminate bombing of civilians, children, women, hospitals, schools, homes, according to 83% of homes, according to 83% of homes have been destroyed, this is clearly a deliberate attempt... is clearly a deliberate attempt. . ._ is clearly a deliberate attempt... is clearly a deliberate attemt... , , is clearly a deliberate attemt_.. , , ., attempt... just to push back on ou attempt... just to push back on you again. _ attempt... just to push back on you again. we _ attempt... just to push back on you again, we have _ attempt... just to push back on you again, we have to - attempt... just to push back on i you again, we have to remember this war was triggered by the

events of october seven. when i400 events of october seven. when i400 israelis were killed, israel has 229 hostages they had to think about. i understand, but the clock did not start on october seven like the israelis and the uk and bbc wants it to start, everyone with an honest bone in their body understands this is a 75—year—old structure of violence palestinians have been exposed to, none of this is new, the expulsion of palestinians from home and land has been happening for over 100 years, you cannotjust start the clock on october seven, thatis the clock on october seven, that is silly and a feeble analysis of what is actually happening. the more you push that kind of narrative and you guarantee violence will continue. the idea israel can eliminate hamas on the issues will be resolved, nobody with a serious mind actually believes that. even if they do manage to eliminate hamas they will not eliminate hamas they will not

eliminate the palestinians... the palestinian struggle for justice. i the palestinian struggle for 'ustice. ., ~' the palestinian struggle for 'ustice. ., ~ ., justice. i would like to get our justice. i would like to get your take _ justice. i would like to get your take on _ justice. i would like to get your take on this - justice. i would like to get your take on this offer- justice. i would like to get| your take on this offer that has appeared in the past 24 hours, where the hamas leadership has offered to exchange the hostages for all palestinian prisoners. do you think that is a serious offer, will that actually be under discussion, will it go anywhere? i discussion, will it go anywhere?— discussion, will it go anywhere? discussion, will it go an here? ., ~' anywhere? i do think if there is a swap _ anywhere? i do think if there is a swap of— anywhere? i do think if there is a swap of hostages - anywhere? i do think if there is a swap of hostages and - is a swap of hostages and prisoners that would be, that would work. this is not — even the israelis are saying that is not their number one priority, i do think countries like qatar, turkey others have offered to help mediate that, could easily be resolved. i strongly believe that. but, no, listening to the israeli state is like believing that donald trump is an honest politician. its constant lies, constant misinformation, that we need to

call out, let's talk about the real issue here which is the expulsion of palestinians from their homes and lands, that is their homes and lands, that is theissue their homes and lands, that is the issue and the israeli state has always wanted complete control over the entire territory. look at the policies, for decades... i'm afraid we — policies, for decades... i'm afraid we have _ policies, for decades... i'm afraid we have to _ policies, for decades... i'm afraid we have to leave it there with you because we're getting towards the end of the programme. thank you very much forjoining us and sharing your views. muhannad ayyash, policy analyst from al—shabaka, a palestinian think tank. with more on this i'm joined by my colleague said shehata from bbc arabic. we know communications have been re—established, what are you hearing from inside gaza? we had some communication and their exists some information israeli gunboats destroying part of gaza, the people going

to the hospitals, the connectivity is back which is helping the aid organisations especially the red cross and people working in the health sector to help and save people, which is a good step, and they announce they, restore connectivity for the recognised international aid organisations, the phone company in egypt announcing thatis company in egypt announcing that is willing to help to get internet connectivity from the side of egypt, all of this is helping international aid organisations to do their work there. this organisations to do their work there. �* , , ., organisations to do their work there. a , ., ., there. as i 'ust asked about and the there. as ijust asked about and the breaking _ there. as ijust asked about and the breaking news - there. as ijust asked about and the breaking news in i there. as i just asked about| and the breaking news in the past hours the israeli military is saying there will be an expanded humanitarian operation, what do you know about the aid that is ready to go in to gaza? it’s about the aid that is ready to go in to gaza?— about the aid that is ready to go in to gaza? it's good news because there _ go in to gaza? it's good news because there is _ go in to gaza? it's good news because there is talk -

go in to gaza? it's good news because there is talk going i go in to gaza? it's good news| because there is talk going on between egypt, the united states and israel about that there is pressure on the israelis to allow more, only a few aid lorries went there but you need more, so i think it is helping to ease the tension and the response of the international, but australia starting the second stage as the prime minister said commerce but in the second stage so they need to help people to move from the north to the south because he announce the north as a war zone, for their safety they should move their but it is helping israelis as he announce to destroy hamas.— helping israelis as he announce to destroy hamas. thank you for takin: us to destroy hamas. thank you for taking us through _ to destroy hamas. thank you for taking us through that. - to destroy hamas. thank you for taking us through that. from - taking us through that. from abc arabic. a brief moment on the programme. looking at the skyline of israel following a night of very heavy bombardment approaching 730 in the morning inside gaza. please stay with us, on bbc news.

hello, there. it's been a very wet night across parts of england and wales with heavy, thundery rain spreading its way northwards — that rain becoming confined to the far north of england and scotland, throughout sunday. elsewhere, we'll see sunshine and showers and winds for many. it will be blustery, especially eastern scotland. so, here it is, this troublesome area of low pressure which has brought the showers and longer spells of rain, the weather front that brought the heavy, thundery rain across southern areas, lying across scotland. we'll see some heavy rain across the far north of england, south east scotland through sunday morning. some torrential downpours here could see some localised flooding, strong, gusty east north—easterly winds with huge waves crashing up onto north sea coasts. we could see some coastal inundation as well. the rain clears away from northern ireland — scattered showers and bright spells here. england and wales, a blustery day to come with sunny spells, scattered showers — most of these showers across southern and western areas. those temperatures range from around 10—14 or 15 degrees

across the country from north to south. sunday evening, and overnight, it stays wet again across large parts of scotland, particularly eastern scotland. with those strong and gusty winds continuing, we could see further flooding issues there. northern ireland, the far south of scotland, england and wales will see a clearer night and lengthy clear spells. in fact, variable cloud, a few showers, particularly across southern and western coasts, and temperatures generally 7—10 celsius. so, monday, we start the new week off on an unsettled note. again, heavy, persistent rain for northern and eastern scotland with strong, gusty winds. southern scotland, northern ireland, england, wales, actually a better day, ithink. more sunshine around. but there will be further showers in southern and western areas — again, the odd heavy and thundery one — and temperatures 10—15 degrees. now, if we run the pressure chart on through the new week, we see a brief spell of fine weather for tuesday and then, an area of low pressure brings wet, windy weather on wednesday and there's a potential of a very deep area of low pressure hurtling in on thursday, which could bring some disruption, a chance of some gales or severe gales, so stay tuned. tuesday, at this point, doesn't look too bad.

there will be further showers around, especially across southern and western areas. maybe some more persistent rain for eastern scotland but quite a bit of dry weather around with some sunshine. slightly lighter winds, too. temperatures of 10—15 degrees. but turns more unsettled wednesday. thursday, like i showed you, we could see a spell of some stormy weather, so stay tuned to the forecast. take care.

this is bbc news, the headlines: israel's war against hamas enters a new stage, with intense air bombardment and a large ground operation. prime minister netanyahu says his priorities in gaza are to destroy hamas and bring the hostages home. matthew perry, one of the stars of the hit tv show friends, is found dead at his home in los angeles. pro—palestinian rallies have been held around the world. israel says it is recalling some of its diplomatic envoys to turkey, after president recep tayyip erdogan accused israel of war crimes during a huge pro—palestinian rally in istanbul. president erdogan said

hamas was not a terrorist organisation, a claim which this week drew angry condemnation from israel. hamas has been described as a terror group by the uk, us and other western governments. in response, israel said it would conduct a re—evaluation of relations between the two countries. demonstrations of support for palestinians have also taken place in paris, despite a ban. a french court said the march could risk disturbing public order, given the rise in anti—semitic acts in france since the beginning of the war. elsewhere in europe, people protested in cities including stockholm, copenhagen, and rome. thousands marched down the swedish capital to show their support for palestinians. here in the uk, around 300,000 pro—palestinian demonstrators gathered in london and across the country for rallies urging an end to israel's attacks in gaza. tom symonds reports.

all chant: stop bombing gaza! a protest, the organisers said, of more than 300,000 people. at one point, it stretched 1.5 miles through the streets of london. there have been many personal responses to this month's horrifying events in israel and gaza. here today, there was one central demand. what do we want? all: ceasefire! when do we want it? now! you know, when you kill- an innocent person with a bomb ora gun, ora knife, it- doesn't matter who's doing it. it's the same terrorism. in the last week, the metropolitan police has been put under pressure by the home secretary suella braverman to take a tough line on any protesters who might say — or in the case of banners, write — anything which breaches terrorism laws. as far as we can tell, protesters have generally not done that today, and the policing has been light. 0rdinary people, from towns and cities across the uk, have had to prove that they are not here supporting

terrorism, that they are here supporting human rights. but they are coming — despite that pressure, despite the outrageous statements from our government they are coming in their hundreds of thousands and they are raising the flag of palestine high and proudly. all chant: we want boycotts! there were shouts of, "from the river to the sea, "palestine will be free"... palestine will be free! ..regarded byjewish groups and israel as a threat to its existence and by the home secretary suella braverman as anti—semitic. supporters of palestine say it is a call for freedom from repression and not a threat. no action was taken today by police, who were mainly holding back in side streets. the met said there had been two arrests, linked to an assault on a police officer and racist remarks. here in cardiff and in glasgow, belfast and other cities. 0rganisers of the main demonstration say there are more to come. tom symonds, bbc news, central london.

ambassador husam zomlotis is head of the palestinian mission to the uk. he's also the former head of the plo mission to the us and strategic affairs advisor to the palestinian president. my colleague lewis vaughan jones has been asking him about the message that was sent today at the pro—palestinian protests happening across london and around the world. this is an opportunity, lewis, to thank the tens of thousands, the hundreds of thousands who flooded the streets of london today, of manchester, glasgow, cardiff, everywhere. this was a scene like never before of the british people who are renowned to side with right, not might, to always side with fairness. that is what the british people are famous for, and today, they have really delivered a loud and clear verdict that they are pro, not palestine by the way, they are pro—international law, pro—humanity, pro—justice, pro—peace. for that, we salute every one of them who came out, despite the intimidations and attempts to silence them,

to say enough is enough, ceasefire now and full and equal application of international law. that is commendable, lewis, really commendable. i spoke to a representative spokesperson for the israeli government. i put to him these protests taking place around the world and asked whether it would factor into any decision—making on the israeli side, and he said frankly, no. what is your reaction to that? it is very regrettable but he needs to learn the lesson of history. in fact, the anti—apartheid movement that ended apartheid in south africa emanated from london. it was the british people who started it, and that is why you have south africa house in trafalgar square standing there to remind everyone of the role of the people, particularly the british people. so what happened today, what happened every saturday since the beginning of the assault on gaza is such an indicator that the british people, the people of the world, in europe, in the us, in africa, in asia, everywhere, are going to continue

the pressure until israel quits its occupation, its colonisation, its besiegement and its apartheid in palestine. there has been an update from benjamin netanyahu in the last couple of hours, saying the war has entered phase two. so, the intensification of air strikes last night, increased role of ground forces. there has been an update from benjamin netanyahu in the last couple of hours, saying the war has entered phase two. lewis, everyone is hurt, shocked. israeli people, palestinian people, of course, thejewish people worldwide and the people of the world. what we needed now was a statesman, a wise man, a father who comes out and tells everybody that we will deal with this. we will actually say the hard truth. instead, what we got was a politician who was defensive, hysteric, and in fact, trying to save himself, not his own people.

it is obvious that that is not the message we needed. it is just revengeful. the message we needed... i think the israeli people need to hear the hard truth that israel needs to end its control over an entire nation that doesn't want that control. that israel has to end its occupation and this is the moment that we tell the israeli people by their leaders that the message is not what you want to hear, the message is what you should hear, and benjamin netanyahu didn't do that. my colleague lewis vaughan jones has been speaking to mark regev who's a senior adviser to the israeli prime minister and former israeli ambassador to the uk. he asked him about the families of hostages who met with prime minister netanyahu earlier saturday. they were complaining they weren't being listened to. it was a very emotional meeting and a long meeting and the prime minister heard each and every one of them, heard them out, and said what needed to be said. and without going into what was said in the meeting, i can tell you what the

position of the government is. that precisely because hamas are not humanitarians, we will only get our people released if they are under very strong pressure. and only if they feel that that pressure is constantly escalating against them. and we believe that the best way to get the hostages out is to keep that pressure up, keep the pressure on hamas, keep increasing the pressure on hamas. that's the way to get the hostages out. we saw people in various cities around the world supporting palestinians. do process like that factor in any decision—making processes? the decision-making processes? the truth is, decision-making processes? the truth is. no- _ decision—making processes? iie: truth is, no. we're fighting for our lives, country and people to live here in peace and security. those people either they are hostile to us, they don't israel, they don't like jewish people, they don't israel, they don't likejewish people, they don't think our country has a right to exist in any borders. if

those protesters had to experience what hamas inflicted on us, what would they be saying? how could you support what they did?— saying? how could you support what they did? there are plenty --eole what they did? there are plenty people are _ what they did? there are plenty people are protesting _ what they did? there are plenty people are protesting who - what they did? there are plenty people are protesting who do i people are protesting who do not support hamas, who do respect all israeli life. that is not the concern at all. they are simply complaining for improvement in the lives of palestinians. i improvement in the lives of palestinians.— palestinians. i would argue that if we _ palestinians. i would argue that if we defeat _ palestinians. i would argue that if we defeat hamas, i palestinians. i would argue i that if we defeat hamas, the people of gaza will get a government and leadership that may be a little bit more concerned about their well being because it is clear that hamas has no concern whatsoever about the people of gaza and everyone who wants to see peace and justice in the middle east, hamas has opposed historically since its founding in 1987 if i'm not mistaken, hamas has opposed any peace process. it says any arab who negotiates with anyjewish person, is a trader and they say every

jewish person is a target for terrorism and they say my country has no right to exist in any borders. these are the most violent and extreme enemies in peace. in defeating them i hope there will be room for more moderate and pragmatic voices to enter the scene. that was the senior _ voices to enter the scene. that was the senior advisor - voices to enter the scene. that was the senior advisor to - voices to enter the scene. that was the senior advisor to the israeli prime minister. live now to mexico city where we're joined by carmielarbit, non—resident senior fellow for middle east programs at the atlantic council. thank you for taking the time to speak with us. in the past hour we have released the announcement from the israeli military that they are urging civilians in gaza again to move south but for what they say will be an expanded humanitarian operation. what you make of that announcement? thank you for having me on. as

you mentioned yesterday, israel began its ground operation to destroy the military and governmental capabilities of hamas and to bring hostages home. at the same time, israel is under immense pressure from the international community, including the united states, to ensure it is taking meaningful precautions to protect civilian lives. we have seen casualties, they are already staggering and a war that is really in its early stages at this point. i would expect the israeli military operation to continue for weeks, military operation to continue forweeks, if military operation to continue for weeks, if not months, and so we will continue to see different developments as israel both manoeuvres to pursue its tactical and strategical interest on the ground while at the same time acting in a way that is responsive to international pressure. responsive to international pressure-— responsive to international ressure. ~ . , , ., pressure. we are seeing israel tried to balance _ pressure. we are seeing israel tried to balance various - tried to balance various competing concerns, aren't we?

benjamin netanyahu says they want to eradicate hamas but also want to bring the hostages home. aren't the israelis at odd with one another? how can the military move into gaza and eradicate this militant group while at the same time trying to rescue 229 people and keep them safe. is that really possible? i them safe. is that really possible?— them safe. is that really ossible? ~ ~ ., possible? i think as you know, the challenges _ possible? i think as you know, the challenges are _ the challenges are considerable. israel has a long history of recovering hostages although typically it does so through negotiations rather than recovering rescue. so the expectation is the largest number of hostages were not come through an israeli ground operation but rather through negotiations that have been ongoing with hamas. there are many theories that israel had delayed the ground operation in order to try to let those negotiations play out. but have

not been successful beyond the small number that have been released. indeed, these are very much at odds. every time there is an extract up happened in gaza, an israeli ground operation, any activity israel does now to take out tunnel where the majority of the hostages are believed to be held, will certainlyjeopardise the lives of the hostages. just looking now at a live shot, it is outside a hospital in khan younis, the south of gaza, it isjust in khan younis, the south of gaza, it is just coming in khan younis, the south of gaza, it isjust coming up to almost eight o'clock in the morning inside gaza after a night of very heavy bombardment. we are looking at a shot of one hospital, the israelis are saying, you mentioned the tunnel network, the israelis are saying that hamas headquarters is burrowed deep below another hospital in northern gaza. is that really

the challenge that the israelis are facing, how do they avoid civilian deaths, while also targeting hamas targets? the challenges — targeting hamas targets? tie: challenges israel is facing on the gaza on the ground operation and more broadly in gaza one of the primary challenges for israel is the hamas use of human shields we are hamas embeds its operations in hospitals and schools, and homes, private residences and this poses a real challenge for israel which is committed while taking up hamas at the same time says it is committed to saving civilian lives, the al sheaffer hospital you mentioned is said to be housing right now 40,000 displaced people but is also according to the israeli government, a centre, a mainstay of hamas operations. in 2006 pbs the american public

forecasting service showed a documentary in which hamas gave a tour of al sheaffer hospital and showed openly their operations there. all eyes in israel and israel are on al sheaffer, this will be a serious question for israel as they try to navigate how serious they are about degrading the capabilities of hamas while at the same time dealing with the incredible complexity of the number of civilians that are there, that are already suffering. ii civilians that are there, that are already suffering.- are already suffering. if we broaden our _ are already suffering. if we broaden our perspective, l are already suffering. if we broaden our perspective, beyond israel, beyond gaza, the pressure is really mounting, we have seen these pro— palestinian rallies around the world, we have seen quite heavy criticism of the israeli government, but also of egypt for not allowing civilians to leave. do you think this announcement that there will be announcement that there will be an expanded humanitarian operation, can we view this in any way as israel bowing to

pressure a little bit internationally? i pressure a little bit internationally? pressure a little bit internationall ? . �* , internationally? i haven't seen the announcement _ internationally? i haven't seen the announcement yet - internationally? i haven't seen the announcement yet and - internationally? i haven't seen the announcement yet and we | the announcement yet and we will have to wait to see what actually happened stop when president biden flew to israel part of the negotiations was the would—be humanitarian aid that was allowed to pass through the rough across and, ultimately 20 trucks passed through on the occasion of his visit was was such a small number, relative to the need we are seeing. at the same time, the israelis are trying to find ways to expand humanitarian assistance in a way that will not undermine their operation in gaza and they are constantly concerned about how hamas is going to misappropriate goods that are intended for civilians, whether it is fuel or water and using it for their own purposes. so this is a constant challenge for israel while at the same time israel is very cognisant of its international support. right

now israel is more support from the international community to engage in gaza and it has during past operations and it would like to preserve that as well. psych i expect to see israel... both advancing its military operation in gaza while trying to find ways to allow some form of humanitarian assistance, as the situation becomes more dire.- assistance, as the situation becomes more dire. good to get our becomes more dire. good to get your pempective- _ carmielarbit, non—resident senior fellow for middle east programs at the atlantic council. speaking to us from mexico city. speaking to us from mexico ci . ., ~ speaking to us from mexico ci . . ~ , ., speaking to us from mexico ci. . ~ speaking to us from mexico among those who can't connect with their families in gaza is scotland's first minister humza yousaf whose parents—in—law have been trapped in the territory since the attacks by hamas in israel. he reiterated his plea for a ceasefire. we haven't heard from them, obviously, since the intensity of the bombing last night.

and you can imagine how desperately worried we are. and, to be frank, we do not know whether they are alive or dead. and that is the reality — notjust facing us, clearly the reality for many people right across the world who haven't heard from their loved ones who are trapped at gaza and have been facing intense bombardment over the last three weeks. moving onto some stories making news now. a lot of people have been surprised to hear this piece of news. the us actor matthew perry, best known for playing chandler bing in the hit '90s tv sitcom friends, has died at the age of 54 at his home in his los angeles. friends, which followed the fortunes of six young friends living in new york city, aired from 1994 until 2004. its final episode was watched by 52.5 million in the us, making it the most watched tv episode of the 20005. perry was cast as the awkward chandler bing, famous

for his sarcastic one—liners. no cause of death was given, but us media reports say he appeared to have drowned in his hot tub. he battled for years with addiction to painkillers and alcohol, and attended rehabilitation clinics on multiple occasions. 17,000 soldiers and police have been deployed in the mexican city of acapulco, where many shops and residences have been looted since a powerful hurricane hit the region on wednesday. president andres manuel lopez 0brador has promised to help rebuild the city, which was devastated by hurricane 0tis. 39 people are now known to have died and ten others are missing. hundreds of thousands of people remain without power and water. the devastation is clear to see. acapulco has never

recorded a category five hurricane and this one has wreaked him along the coastline. will meet your organisation describing the storm is one of the most rapidly intensifying tropical cyclone zelia record stop only one other patricia in 2015 has exceeded it. the speed at which 0tis intensified to the government and weather forecasters by surprise. there was precious little time to issue warnings and prepare residents and tourists for its arrival. it residents and tourists for its arrival. ., , ., residents and tourists for its arrival. . , ,, ., residents and tourists for its arrival. ,, ., ., arrival. it was like a movie, it was like _ arrival. it was like a movie, it was like the _ arrival. it was like a movie, it was like the apocalypse, | arrival. it was like a movie, | it was like the apocalypse, it really is like the apocalypse. i hope acapulco recovers quickly as possible because it seems like, 90% of the buildings have been damaged. there are reports that supermarkets have been looted, the authorities say a security force of 17,000 has been

deployed across the area to maintain order, furthermore the mexican army and navy have established an air route to accelerate the distribution of humanitarian aid. acapulco is home to 800,000 people, 200,000 homes have been damaged, many destroyed. initial estimates say the cost could run to $15 billion, those repairs will have to wait.— billion, those repairs will have to wait. ~ . ., ., have to wait. we are asking for food and water, _ have to wait. we are asking for food and water, we _ have to wait. we are asking for food and water, we have - have to wait. we are asking for food and water, we have no - food and water, we have no electricity, the elliott chastity poles are down, we need food, that's what we are basically asking for.— basically asking for. many locals are _ basically asking for. many locals are also _ basically asking for. many locals are also struggling | basically asking for. many i locals are also struggling to communicate with friends and family with cell networks out of action. the immediate concern is to eat and drink. with supply chains under pressure thousands of litres of food and water supplies are being distributed, it's a monumental challenge. the former us vice president mike pence has withdrawn from the 2024

presidential race, saying "this is not my time". mr pence is the first major republican candidate to suspend his campaign in a race led by former president donald trump. he's languished in recent polls and had struggled to gain the support of republican voters. everything our country is facing, i could not sit this one out. but the bible tells us that there is a time for every purpose under heaven. and travelling across the country over the past six months, i came here to say it's become clear to me this is not my time. the colombian president, gustavo petro, says the mother of the liverpool footballer, luis diaz, has been rescued after being kidnapped. mr petro said the player's father remained in the hands of his abductors, and that the authorities were looking for him.

colombian police say the kidnappings took place in the forward's home town of barrancas, in the guajira region of northern colombia. south africa have beaten new zealand in the rugby world cup final in paris, to win a record fourth title. the defending champions, south africa, won twelve points to eleven. new zealand played much of the game one man down after captain sam cane was sent off for a head—on—head tackle in the first half. he received the first—ever red card in a world cup final. fans gathered at fan zones around south africa to celebrate the win. stay with us here on bbc news, lots more to come.

hello, there. it's been a very wet night across parts of england and wales with heavy, thundery rain spreading its way northwards — that rain becoming confined to the far north of england and scotland, throughout sunday. elsewhere, we'll see sunshine and showers and winds for many. it will be blustery, especially eastern scotland. so, here it is, this troublesome area of low pressure which has brought the showers and longer spells of rain, the weather front that brought the heavy, thundery rain across southern areas, lying across scotland. we'll see some heavy rain across the far north of england, south east scotland through sunday morning. some torrential downpours here could see some localised flooding, strong, gusty east north—easterly winds with huge waves crashing up onto north sea coasts. we could see some coastal inundation as well. the rain clears away from northern ireland — scattered showers and bright spells here. england and wales, a blustery day to come with sunny spells, scattered showers — most of these showers across southern and western areas. those temperatures range from around 10—14 or 15 degrees

across the country from north to south. sunday evening, and overnight, it stays wet again across large parts of scotland, particularly eastern scotland. with those strong and gusty winds continuing, we could see further flooding issues there. northern ireland, the far south of scotland, england and wales will see a clearer night and lengthy clear spells. in fact, variable cloud, a few showers, particularly across southern and western coasts, and temperatures generally 7—10 celsius. so, monday, we start the new week off on an unsettled note. again, heavy, persistent rain for northern and eastern scotland with strong, gusty winds. southern scotland, northern ireland, england, wales, actually a better day, ithink. more sunshine around. but there will be further showers in southern and western areas — again, the odd heavy and thundery one — and temperatures 10—15 degrees. now, if we run the pressure chart on through the new week, we see a brief spell of fine weather for tuesday and then, an area of low pressure brings wet, windy weather on wednesday and there's a potential of a very deep area of low pressure hurtling in on thursday, which could bring some disruption, a chance of some gales or severe gales, so stay tuned. tuesday, at this point, doesn't look too bad. there will be further

showers around, especially across southern and western areas. maybe some more persistent rain for eastern scotland but quite a bit of dry weather around with some sunshine. slightly lighter winds, too. temperatures of 10—15 degrees. but turns more unsettled wednesday. thursday, like i showed you, we could see a spell of some stormy weather, so stay tuned to the forecast. take care.

good morning. welcome to breakfast with ben boulos and luxmy ghopal. 0ur headlines today: a warning from israel that it's preparing for a long and difficult war as it troops continue to carry out ground operations in gaza. translation: the war inside the gaza stri will be translation: the war inside the gaza strip will be difficult _ translation: the war inside the gaza strip will be difficult and _ translation: the war inside the gaza strip will be difficult and long. we - strip will be difficult and long. we are prepared for it. this is our second war of independence. residents are told to flee south as the israeli army declares parts of gaza a battlefield. the friends star matthew perry who played chandler has died at the age of 54. he was found dead at his home in los angeles. good morning. south africa make history in paris. the springboks are rugby world champions for a record fourth time after beating new zealand in a dramatic final.