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people value me for me, they care about what i want, my needs, my career path, i matter here. announcer: funding was also provided by, the freeman foundation. and by judy and peter blum kovler foundation, pursuing solutions for america's neglected needs. announcer: and now, "bbc news" ♪ >> i'm caitríona perry in washington and this is bbc world news america. syria's state media says an israeli strike on a residential building in the capital of damascus leaves seven people dead. the mayor of beirut warns no place is safe and lebanon as israeli airstrikes continue. president biden says a hurricane expected to hit florida could be

the state's worst storm in 100 years. hello and welcome to world news america. i'm caitríona perry. we start with the continuing escalation of the situation in the middle east. syria's defense ministry announced 700 people including women and children have been killed in an israeli airstrike on a residential building in the capital of damascus. rescuers are still searching for survivors. it comes is fighting between israel and hezbollah intensifies. israel's defense forces say they have expanded the ground operation into more areas of southern lebanon and now has some 15,000 soldiers deployed in the south of the country. israel's prime minister earlier said that the israeli military

was steadily weakening hezbollah's capabilities. he also said lebanon could either choose a path of peace by standing with israel against hezbollah or a path of war. >> today, hezbollah is weaker than it has been for many, many years. the lebanese people, you stand at a significant crossroads. it is your choice. you can now take back your country, you can return it to a path of peace and prosperity. if you don't, hezbollah will continue to try to fight israel from densely populated areas at your expense. he doesn't care if lebanon is dragged into a wider war. caitriona: meanwhile, hezbollah fighters have launched more than 100 rockets toward israel's third-largest city, haifa. most of those rockets were intercepted, but some did manage to get into the port city and cause damage. the deputy leader of hezbollah said he supports a call from lebanon's parliament for a cease-fire with israel. this marks the first time that

hezbollah has called for a cease-fire without tying into a truce in gaza. the u.s. spokesperson said the remarks were not a surprise given the situation hezbollah is in. >> the world has been calling on hezbollah to stop the attacks across the border into israel. for a year, hezbollah said they would not do it unless there was a cease-fire in gaza. for a year, you had the world calling for the cease-fire, you had hezbollah refusing to agree to one. and now that hezbollah is on the back foot and is getting battered, suddenly they have changed their tune and want a hezbollah. caitriona: our correspondent is on the scene in beirut and she tells us the latest. >> once again tonight, the sound of loud explosions from israeli airstrikes are echoing around the capital. we are seeing great plumes of ack smoke on the horizon. it is worth considering how important that position is, why

that has become a normal thing that right in the heart of the lebanese capital, through the day and into the evening like this, we are seeing the momentum really increasing all the time when it comes to these airstrikes. in the south of lebanon as well, powerful strikes through the day. more than 130 targets have been hit by the israeli air force. we also know that israel have put more troops into the south of the country. benjamin netanyahu making this very strong statement earlier. he said he was speaking directly to the lebanese people. i'm not sure how many will see or understand the statement, it feels more like a message to the world. he threatened if hezbollah was not removed from this country, he said they could end up like gaza. that is a message that is concerning around the world. caitriona: so many continued calls for a diplomatic solution. part of that was a trip by the israeli defense minister to waington, d.c., the pentagon

saying today that trip has been postponed. what does that say about the u.s.'s relationship and about these hopes for a diplomatic solution? anna: i think it says a lot about the relationships that are going on in israel. and also those wider relationships as well. they have had some difficulties in the background. there was a time when benjamin netanyahu tried to fire him from that job. people came out on the streets and i was in israel at the time, so he was able to widely continue in that position. also, benjamin netanyahu likes maybe he has chosen not to giveo the defense minister permission to travel to the u.s. for that reason. some suggestion that he is trying to perhaps force president biden sand into having a conversation, which reports say he has not had in the last

couple of days because they want to pin down the response to the missile attack. israel wants to get that response going because it is a week since that sizable attack happened. again, it shows you the constant interplay going on between israel and the u.s. and really what those conversations can actually translate to on the ground here. caitriona: anna foster in beirut. amid a worsening humanitarian situation, the idf has issued an urgent evacuation order to residents living in southern beirut a short time ago. over one million people have been displaced in the country. the world food banks country director warning it will be impossible to meet the needs of so many people. it comes as israel continues its bombardmt in gaza with attacks

reported in central gaza earlier today. the hamas run health ministry says 56 have been killed in gaza in the past when he for hours. that follows heavy clashes were ordered at the dali a refugee camp in northern gaza. the idf believes they are rebuilding the stronghold in the region and wants to prevent fighters from regrouping. this is the fourth time israeli troops have returned to this area. let's talk some mo about the humanitarian situation in gaza. i'm joined by the country director. think you indeed for joining us on bbc news. you are gazan, your family are there. what is the situation like there at the moment? >> actually the situation in gaza is very bad. there is no access for health care services and no access for food or communication. what has increased the situation to be more difficult and increase the suffering in

southern gaza, there is no access for the issues of health materials. because the border is completely closed. a limited number of trucks. so suffering is increased day by day. caitriona: tell us a little bit about the health facilities that are managing to operate. rajaa: actually, they deliver care for the idp's and also in the north. we deliver care. over that 15 medical points, it

gets us through. we deliver care for more than 5000 idp's during one day. caitriona: internally displaced people. rajaa: yes. we deliver medication items. we send doctors from america and other countries for health care for people inside gaza. caitriona: if you are having difficulty getting those supplies in, how are you delivering those services? rajaa: because of the shortage of medication and items. but we coordinate with other items like the who to get some items to the south area, the south area is more difficult, but now in the north area, we succeed to send many structs -- trucks of medication and items for our health facilities in the north. caitriona: it is a year as we know since october 7. when you speak to family and

friends in gaza, you have been there recently yourself, what did they say about how they are surviving? rajaa: yes, actually i left the whole family inside gaza. i have my mom, my sister, my brother, my nephew, the whole family. and actually daily i check my phone because all that time i expected to receive a call. this call just informed me, you lost the whole family. this is what i'm living every day in every moment. because there is no safe area in gaza. every day i'm awaiting this call because the situation on the ground is very bad and critical and no place in gaza is considered safe. caitriona: so, you have come to

the u.s., to washington to meet the politicians, to meet members of the biden administration. what are you saying to them? what have they said to you? rajaa: actually, i came here for the global conference to send my message and i met congresspeople and i try to send my voice here in america. i want to send my message on the behalf of people inside gaza. we are not numbers, we are human beings. we have the right to have health services. we have the right to live in peace. we have the right to raise our kids. we have the right to educate our kids. there are no schools now. there is no university.

cease-fires are so essential. please, cease-fire now. this is my message. we need a cease-fire right now to save lives inside gaza. caitriona: ok, the country director for med global, thank you so much for coming to speak to us on bbc news. rajaa: thank you for having me, thank you so much. caitriona: take care. on monday, ceremonies were held across israel and around the world to remember the victims of the mass killings and abductions carried out by hamas on october 7. 1200 were killed and 250 were taken hostage. it is now considered the deadliest day for jewish people since the holocaust. for more on the aftermath, i spoke to a man who lost both of his parents in the october 7 attacks and he is now calling for a cease-fire. >> it can be achieved through actions.

unfortunately, the war -- the world is sending us prayers. they are thinking out us. and some are even crossing their fingers, like president bide it is time to force a dialogue and peace conference between israelis and palestinians. like has been done in the past. the u.s. has done it two or three times already in recent history. it is time to do it now and unfortunately, the world, the international community, i'm shocked about the escalation, but they are still sending

israel military aid and weapons. it is time to stop sending us tools of destruction and send us tools that will help us. most people are traumatized. we need tools to create a shared future, a shared society. and not invest in war, but invest in peace. caitriona: now tthe u.s. in president biden, hurricane milton could become one of the worst storms to hit the s. in a century. milton has been fluctuating between a category five and a category four storm, but the national hurricane center said it has doubled in size since tuesday. floridians are investigating. hundreds of flights have been canceled to and from florida. they say milton will bring a destructive storm surge in which some areas will not be survivable.

strong wind of up to 155 miles per hour, about 255 kilometers per hour, threatened to demolish communities. milton comes days after hurricane helene tore through the southeastern u.s. 220 five were killed by that natural disaster across six states. the back-to-back storms are expected to leave historic levels of damage that could take years to recover from. well, this is a time lapse we can see from the international space station as it passed overhead today. there is a delay coming from space, it seems. we can go to tampa in florida to speak to our correspondent. looking very wet and miserable they are behind you at the moment. what is the latest where you are? gordon: yes, the rains have started here ahead of milton's

arrival tomorrow. i think there is a real sense of concern here and fear about what it could bring with it. there is certainly an eerie silence in the city of tampa. a lot of people have heeded the warnings to leave. you can see the debris still around from helling a few weeks ago and it is still here and it has not been removed. the concern is the massive storm surge will just pick up all the debris and throw it around, doing even more damage. this storm surge from milton promises to be even bigger than hellion, which was seen here a few weeks ago. there was a lot of concern about what may come in the next day or so. caitriona: talk to us a little bit about the resources available in terms of people and in terms of anything the authorities might need to help the folks of tampa and florida. gordon: yes, there has been a

lot of preparation here. they have 10,000 emergency beds ready, which are primarily for responders who will try to get the community back on its feet afterward. there is a lot of concern about power being taken out and they are trying to understand who could come and get it reestablished as quickly as possible. we have seen fuel takers -- tankers to bring in extra gas because some of the gas stations have been running out or running low. there are a lot of preparations taking place ahead of milton's arrival, but none of that can account for the damage that it could bring and the fact that that really could not be prevented. caitriona: gordon, do take care of yourselves, we will talk to a little bit later perhaps. now, we can stay in tampa and talk to the democratic congresswoman kathy castor. thank you for joining us on bbc news, what have you been doing

to get ready for the impending arrival of milton? rep. castor: i'm in tampa. i have been urging all of my neighbors across the tampa bay area to safeguard their homes and belongings and evacuate immediately. i'm in an evacuation zone myself and everyone needs to move to higher ground, safer ground. caitriona: are you planning to leave shortly yourself? rep. castor: you bet i am. we are a few hours away from an epic catastrophe. we already are reeling from hurricane helene, where thousands of neighbors were flooded out of their homes by this historic storm surge generated by a hurricane that was 100 miles off the coast. the difference is hurricane helene, while at had the epic storm surge, it did not have much rain or wind and now here

comes this monster of hurricane milton that is a triple threat. storm surge worse than helene, sweeping away people's belongings that are out on the street following helene, rainfall that will generate flash flooding and hurricane force wind. caitriona: human life is paramount, but with all of you having to leave everything behind, it must be quite emotional as well. rep. castor: it is. you decide what you are going to take. i packed up my daughter's baby books and pictures, some of my keepsakes, high school yearbooks, but you can't take it all. you board up your homes with lumber, you sandbag as best as you can, but there were

thousands of neighbors who had suffered a catastrophe less than two weeks ago. they were flooded out and many people lost their lives in that storm surge. so now, this is just a disaster on top of a disaster. that is weighing on people. the only saving grace is we had a little bit more time for people to evacuate. i believe they did take it seriously. there are those who will think, i will go to the second-story and ride this out and that is a major mistake. this is going to cost lives. if anyone can hear the sound of my voice, now is the time. caitriona: you have seen plenty of hurricanes come through florida over the years. how does this and with helene so

recently, how does this compare to past years? rep. castor: we have never had a double whammy like this one. the climate crisis is fueling these rapidly intensifying hurricanes. so, you have less time to prepare. and the gulf waters are at extreme levels. it is practically like a sauna in the gulf. that is jet fuel for these storms and the problem is for homes and infrastructure that was constructed 50 years ago when the climate was different, it cannot handle, it cannot handle these types of storms with massive flooding. what the national hurricane center has just advised us is that the storm is going to grow in diameter, which means it is going to throw off more energy, wind, destruction as it comes across the west coast of florida

and it is likely to be a hurricane as it exits theast coast of florida. caitriona: the scale is almost too big to comprehend. how are the resources for the preparations? we have heard a lot of talk about funding for fema and various federal authorities. do you have everything you need? rep. castor: fema has provided extraordinary resources, first just responding to t emergency that was helene, getting emergency assistance into the pocketbooks of families who needed it, who need baby formula , medication, a place to stay. they have enough to handle the emergency response. the coast guard is in the water poised for search and rescue. the national hurricane center is functioning very well. the fight we have on our hands oftentimes in congress unnecessarily are a lot of what we call the maga republicans who

refuse to provide emergency funding to rebuild in a more resilient way, which is very smart when it comes to taxpayer dollars. for example in tampa, we are home to an air force base. they are flooding. we need to rebuild back so they don't re-flood. the coast guard station has catfish in the hangar because it flooded. we need the coast guard to be able to respond to drownings and other emergencies. they need to build back in a better and more resilient way. caitriona: all right, democratic congresswoman kathy castor joining us from florida. do stay safe, we send our best wishes to you and your community. best wishes. rep. castor: thank you. caitriona: other important news, the president won's bid for reelection in tunisia.

the landslide victory is disfigured by low over dirt -- low voter turnout after opposition leaders were unable to run due to being imprisoned over the last year. 13 states and the district of columbia are suing tiktok for failing to protect younger users. the social media company faces financial penalties and is accused of harming young people's mental health by using software.ally addictive it is a fresh lawsuit on top of a similar case filed by the u.s. justice department over tiktok's alleged faile to protect children's privacy. a man suspected by german authorities of murdering a three-year-old british girl has been cleared of charges rape and sexual abuse in an unrelated trial. he was acquitted of two accounts and three accounts of rape. suspect in they disappearance of madeleine mann.

before we go, this year's nobel prize in physics has been awarded to a british canadian computer scientist dubs the godfather of ai. he shares the honor with a professor from princeton for their discoveries and inventions that formed the foundations of machine learning and neural networks. that is it for w announcer: funding for presentation of this program is provided by... financial services firm, raymond james. announcer: funding was also provided by, the freeman foundation. and by judy and peter blum kovler foundation, pursuing solutions for america's neglected needs. ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪

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geoff: good evening. i'm geoff bennett. amna nawaz is away. on "the newshour" tonight. the already storm-battered florida gulf coast braces for impact from hurricane milton vice president emily harrison former president donald trump continue their efforts to rally support with early boat -- early voting already underway. and woman taken hostage by hamas during the october 7 attacks reflects on her traumatic experience and the prisoner swap that led to her release. >> so when i came back, i asked myself the same question like in gaza, why god send me back?