yolande knell, thank you very much. our— bank as well. yolande knell, thank you very much.nk as well. yolande knell, thank you very much. our middle east. you very much. our middle east correspondentjoining us there. our chief international correspondent lyse doucet updated me on israel's aerial bombardment of gaza. we hearfrom the israeli defence forces repeatedly now, this is the current phase of their military operation, that they will intensify, they will widen, deep in the air strikes. they say they are making progress in destroying hamas infrastructure, they are killing hamas political and military leaders. this morning, where we are, less than a mile from the gaza border, we have heard a lot of israeli artillery, heavy artillery, that has been the sound every morning since we have been here for nearly two weeks. this crisis started on october the 7th and almost nonstop israeli apartments since then. bombardment since then. we also hearing from the gaza strip, while israel says air strikes overnight targeted hamas infrastructure and cells, in gaza, the strikes hit the

yolande knell, bbc news, jerusalem. tension is building right across the gaza strip.'s been pressure in seven israel where hamas continues to fire rockets. there were aid rate siren sounding last night. there had been an attempted infiltration by hamas fighters by c close to the coast. hamas fighters by c close to the coast. earlier, i spoke to our middle east correspondent, tom bateman, who is in southern israel. well, very tense, lyse. i mean, in the last half an hour or so, we've heard outgoing artillery fire, israeli artillery fire into the gaza strip, about four or five blasts in the sort of 30 minutes since we have been here. and you were hearing from rushdi there about the very, very intense bombardment that's taking place once again across the gaza strip. now, i mean, one of the extraordinary things coming here is this is a place i've been covering conflicts over the last years. and the sense of evacuation here, i mean, this place is basically entirely emptied. and you really feel it when you get this close. the other thing that's worth saying is you can see g

yolande knell, bbc news, jerusalem. correspondent in gaza, rushdi abualouf says there have been numerous air strikes overnight, including in the territory's south, where gazans were told to evacuate to by the israeli military. rushdi filed this update. we have seen five or six air strikes around the khan younis area. two people were killed overnight. the health official said about 82 people who were killed in multiple strikes overnight and the number, they're collecting the number of air strikes and we know yesterday the largest number of people died in one day, several hundred people were killed yesterday and we will see they are not suffering only from the air strikes, but suffering from all the essential life—saving issues. water, electricity, here at the hospitals they don't have blood, they don't have saving life kits, they don't have saving life kits, they don't have fuel. and they said if we keep like this, this is the largest medical centre, serving half of the population, might be stopped very soon. there is no

yolande knell, bbc news, jerusalem.r middle east correspondent, yolande knell, who joins me from jerusalem. tell us more about the humanitarian situation, particularly the suggestion we might see increased numbers of aid trucks passing through the rafa crossing. we have heard that before, is it likely to happen soon?— heard that before, is it likely to happen soon? heard that before, is it likely to ha en soon? ~ . ., , happen soon? what we have seen so far is maybe — happen soon? what we have seen so far is maybe a _ happen soon? what we have seen so far is maybe a dozen _ happen soon? what we have seen so far is maybe a dozen committee - far is maybe a dozen committee doesn't matter dozen at the most of these lorries of food and medicine coming through the only crossing between gaza and the outside world thatis between gaza and the outside world that is not controlled israel. the white house aide overnight that it is in discussions with israel to try to improve the mechanisms so that more lorry loads of aid and go in.

yolande knell, bbc news, tel aviv.ause it is now under a complete israeli siege. the gaza strip, described as one of the most densely populated places on earth, home to some 2.3 million palestinians, the majority of whom need international aid just to survive. hamas rules gaza, but israel is in control of the airspace, the sea and it controls most of the land crossings. so how hard is it going to be, how dangerous for israel to try to get its citizens back? israel has rescued its citizens before, but not at a time like this. four hostages are already reported to be dead, killed in last night's wave of israeli air strikes in gaza. their captors reportedly killed, too. more than 130 hostages await their fate. too. more than 130 hostages await theirfate. all of too. more than 130 hostages await their fate. all of them were seized on saturday, after hamas penetrated what was supposed to be an impenetrable border. seized at gunpoint from places like kibbutz re'im, ashkelon, the site of a music festival. 0fakim, a city next

yolande knell, bbc news, tel aviv. for more on the humanitarian situation in gaza... red crescent society. for more on the humanitarian situation in gaza i talked to nibal farsakh, from the palestinian red crescent society. shejoined me earlier from ramallah in the west bank. working tirelessly around the clock to deal with casualties in the west bank and gaza strip. we have around 230 fatalities as well as 914 injuries in the gaza strip while in the west bank we have dealt with over 400 injuries across the west bank to confrontations and clashes. recently we have witnessed and cause a significant increase in the number of attacks on homes, residential buildings and towers and mosques. this has resulted in a large number of casualties including women and children. in some cases, residential buildings were struck without warning for residents to be evacuated. the humanitarian situation in the gaza strip is really degraded due to the continuing israeli air strikes as well as a large number of injuries and as we all know, they all suffer from the lack of medical supplies

yolande knell, bbc news, jerusalem.e you live inside gaza with our correspondent there, in a moment, but first live to southern israel and our chief international correspondent lyse doucet. let's talk first of all about president biden �*s visit tomorrow. what significance will that have, and how will that be seen there? hugely significant. it will go down very well here in israel. it will also go down well in the arab world. it comes after the us �*stop diplomat antony blinken made a lightning tour on a six capital in four days, seeing all the arab leaders, who can have a say and to matter when it comes to finding a way out of this crisis. he came back to israel with the message that everywhere he went, arab leaders told him, you have to find a way to protect the civilians in gaza, to get aid inside the gaza strip. antony blinken said they were working on that. it suggests that there is some optimism, that by the time president biden lands, they were able to report some progress on that front. president biden knows ver

yolande knell, bbc news, tel aviv.wen's report, israel has spent much of the day trying to regain control of those areas in the gaza strip, close to the gaza strip, where most of those hostages were taken. a lot of the military activity has centred around the town of ashkelon. anna foster has sent this report. air raid sirens. explosions. there's a huge barrage going on overhead at the moment. we have taken cover. this is... it's actually a memorial building. you can see we are all here in the... there is nick, he's got the camera. yeah, we're going to move. get down, get down. we heard all around us but didn't know we were there. when the siren started, i was talking to gilad. he had been at the music festival where more than 250 people were massacred as hamas launched its attack on saturday morning. shrapnel tore past his head. he was lucky to survive. the bullet went through here and through out here. so it went... yeah, you can see it went in and out. yeah. we got a fight or flight situation. you need to react real

here's our middle east correspondent, yolande knell.ou you may find on the images and details in her report distressing. the moment of release. after two weeks being held hostage. in a video sent out by hamas, they were handed over to representatives from the international red cross. but then yocheved, who is 85, turns, shaking the hands of a masked gunman and saying, peace. soon the women were whisked out of gaza to egypt's rafah crossing and flown to israel. as they arrived at a hospital, yocheved's daughter, was on her way from london. she spoke to the bbc. anger doesn't help at the moment. i feel very determined to move on and anger will come. hate? no. i think that is the problem, hate. we cannot afford to hate, we cannot afford to turn it into hate. what needs to be done, needs to be done. but hate is an emotion but mine after an emotional reunion, yocheved lifschitz was brought out to speak to journalists, talking about her capture and how she was held in gaza. my mum is telling the horrific stories. she is saying many, many peop

yolande knell, bbc news, tel aviv. nonresident seniorfellow at the atlantic council's eurasia center and a member of the council of foreign relations, gave us his thoughts on the developments. i'm viewing the developments with extreme pain and heartbreak because we did not see anything like that. i hate to say it, since the holocaust, a thousand, close to a thousand people were murdered in one day on a high holiday. that is called joy of torahs torah, just like yom kippur 50 years ago. a huge failure of intelligence and defense by a country that prides itself for decades of being a leader in both fields and intelligence and in defense, and horrible atrocities in which children were executed in front of their parents, women and maybe not older women raped and old people as old as 80 and 85 in wheelchairs taking hostage. i have not seen anything like that, maybe with the exception of the atrocities committed by isis against the yazidis in the middle east. and of course, the surprise of 9/11 comes to mind. but in israel p

yolande knell, bbc news, tel aviv.urn to the issue of hostages because it is feared up to 100 hostages taken by hamas and taken back into gaza and in the last little while there was a report from the reuters news agency saying that hamas officials in qatar had been looking at potential prisoner swaps. it is worth just repeating what the israeli officials have talked to reuters about because they have said that there are no negotiations under way. that is an israeli official speaking on the condition of anonymity to reuters. but certainly not giving any detail that suggests those initial reports were right. but certainly, that is an issue, the whole issue around hostages that is dominating so much of the focus in israel as they weigh up just how to respond. this, of course, is one of the responses, the military action on the ground, we have seen, of course, the build—up of israeli reservists and military on the borders. but of course a lot of strategy potentially hampered by that issue of hostages. there is disbelief in

yolande knell, bbc news, jerusalem.li defence force has said there is still continued worry of hamas militants in southern israel. let's get more from our correspondent anna foster who is in ashkelon. we've heard another barrage, the sounds of explosions in the sky here over ashkelon in southern israel. this is something that has been happening all through yesterday, through the night as well. these missiles that are being fired in large numbers from gaza, mainly being intercepted by israel's iron dome system, which catches them in the sky and actually explodes those missiles before it hits the ground. it has a success rate of more than 90%, but it doesn't catch every missile. and this apartment block in ashkelon, as you can see, was hit in the early hours of this morning, a direct hit right into the ground floor of the apartment block. you can see people's belongings, the children's toys, furniture, everything just scattered here as people were trying to escape. this morning, i'vejust been talking to a woman who lives

yolande knell, bbc news, bethlehem. i will have your headlines on the top of the hour. stay with us here on bbc news. hello. no end in sight to the turbulent conditions we have been experiencing for the last few weeks and this week we have got another named storm with us, rattling in wednesday night into thursday, widespread heavy rainfall unwelcome, and it all comes courtesy of this deepening area of low pressure, interacting with a very strong jetstream overhead, so the exact position could change, and it will dictate where the strongest of the winds will be. but at this stage it looks like it is southern parts of england and wales where we could see 50—60mph gusts inland, up to 90mph around coastal areas, even stronger over the open waters towards north—west france. and the rainfall totals totting up throughout the week, but especially for midweek onwards, the brightest colours, an indication that we could see over 100mm in northern ireland together with the risk of flooding. today, though, it is as you were in terms of quieter. sunshine and showers, some of the show

yolande knell, bbc news, jerusalem.w to southern israel and our chief international correspondent lyse doucet. there are 300,000 reservists now massed on the border but for now they wait. massed on the border but for now the wait. , ., ., , , they wait. yes, and of course this must be a — they wait. yes, and of course this must be a concern _ they wait. yes, and of course this must be a concern to _ they wait. yes, and of course this must be a concern to military - must be a concern to military commanders, to maintain a state of readiness, morale, for the troops for when they go in. they have been at that board now for many days. there had been hints that the ground incursion was about to begin when prime minister netanyahu a few days ago visited the troops, most of them reservists, asking them if they were ready. we knew about the operations, nonstop bombardment for most of the last 11 days and also reconnaissance missions into the north of gaza. whether or not this is a delay or whether they are still undergoing prepa

the bbc�*s yolande knell.ve been talking about that desperate situation and lack of aid inside the gaza strip. there had been deep pessimism among the united nations that more aid trucks could reach gaza today. now it is thought possibly that some could come in later in the day. yesterday for the first time, an initial convoy of 20 trucks entered gaza. that is since israel tightened its siege on the gaza strip. two weeks ago, following those unprecedented attacks on its soil. 0ur gaza correspondent rushdi abualouf is at one of the aid camps in southern gaza. about 2,000 families living in these tents. they are people displaced from the north, in gaza. this is, a camp has been built by the owner. this is, a camp has been built by the unrwa. i was speaking to the families here. they said they are struggling to find water. they are struggling to find food. they are struggling to find a bathroom. they said the bathroom here is a real challenge. the security, also, is a real challenge because as you know, hamas has

yolande knell, bbc news, tel aviv. on the ground is how and whether israel will undertake a ground offensive with the prime minister promising to use "enormous force," and hamas warning it could kill the more than hundred hostages left. so how might israeli forces be planning for a long large—scale operation? we have the former deputy chief of the top special forces unit in israel and he joins us live from miami. thank you for your time on newsday. as a former commando in the israeli special forces, former commando in the israeli specialforces, you have special forces, you have undertaken specialforces, you have undertaken many difficult musicians, many still classified of course but you did for example lead the assault team to rescue hostages held on a bus in the 1980s was the powder is the challenge here for israeli special forces compared to previous incidents? thank you for having me, and thank you for covering this human tragedy over the day. so what is probably not clear to the audience is that, in military affai

yolande knell, bbc news, jerusalem.e're following this afternoon, live pictures from gaza, you saw in the headlines. another strike, and you can see the flames as the plume of smoke. as you watch those pictures, we will also talked her tom bateman. i hearing anything else regarding hostages cut now, this is a source that is familiar to the discussions, telling the bbc that negotiations towards a potential release of hostages accelerating. now, i would carry that saying we've had similar alert on other occasions earlier this week. remember that for hostages of the more than 220 have been released. police have been mediated by qatar, the united states has been heavily involved in these discussions as well as the egyptians and united nations. no, to tourfrom the israeli side. that is a familiar pattern which we have seen in previous conflicts between conflicts and hamas in gaza. in those instances, where they have been a potential ceasefire negotiations, we might get information from the palestinian side, not confirmed by

yolande knell, bbc news, jerusalem.been hearing at the top of our news programmes, the top story on the humanitarian front is that the main aid agency working in the gaza strip, unrra, is warning that it the gaza strip, unrra, is warning thatitis the gaza strip, unrra, is warning that it is having to make very tough decisions about what work it continue, because it doesn't have enough fuel. lets get an assessment now of what the situation is from other aid agencies working in the gaza strip. joining me now is shaina low, from the norwegian refugee council. i'm sure all of the agencies are consulting with each other in what the un calls a humanitarian catastrophe in gaza. we have been hearing from unrra about their predicament. how difficult is it for international charities like yours? you know, since october the 7th, we really have had to suspend all of our operations inside of gaza because it simply is not safe. our staff is not safe, they are focused on getting their families and themselves to safety, making sure tha

yolande knell, bbc news, jerusalem. less than a mile from the gaza border we can see on the horizon the outlines of gaza city and throughout the day black plumes of smoke have been rising as israel continues its bombardment night and day of the territory. the united nations continues to warn that life—saving goods, food, fuel and water, are on the point of running out because of the siege of the area by israel. in the words of the united nations, gaza is on the brink of a humanitarian catastrophe. to get more on the latest, let us join ourformer get more on the latest, let us join our former gaza correspondent who get more on the latest, let us join ourformer gaza correspondent who is now injerusalem. is there any sign of an opening of that one passage in and out of gaza through egypt? there isn't at the moment, the united states saying it is working with israel and egypt to open that border but it hasn't happened yet. they have been talking about it for days. they say there is a plan in place to open it up for aid and

waking correspondent, yolande knell. up to another day 0 gaza.aking up to another day of death in gaza. the bodies piled up after the latest israeli strikes. translation: fist latest israeli strikes. translation: �* k ~ translation: at ten o'clock the a artment translation: at ten o'clock the apartment they _ translation: at ten o'clock the apartment they were _ translation: at ten o'clock the apartment they were staying - translation: at ten o'clock the apartment they were staying at l translation: at ten o'clock the i apartment they were staying at was bombed. ia people were killed. they were all females, among them a two baby and my knees, one—year—old. i don't know what to do. aerial photographs show gaza before and after israel's intense bombardment. these are neighbourhoods in the north. amid the unprecedented destruction here, thousands have been killed and hundreds and thousands are homeless. yet a top un official complaints only crumbs of aid are getting in.— aid are getting in. basic services are crumbling. _ aid are getting in. basic se

yolande knell, bbc news, jerusalem. so many fronts in this for. humanitarian, as we have been reporting but also the hostage situation. we were reporting on yesterday's release of two more hostages, two israeli women, which brings to four the number out of more than 200 hostages now being held somewhere in the gaza strip, held somewhere in the gaza strip, held by hamas and other islamic groups. some breaking news on the hostage situation. the reuters news agency, quoting the qatari prime minister is saying that they are making progress on the hostage negotiations in that the negotiations in that the negotiations are intensifying. and there is also on the reuters news agency saying that quoting an israeli official saying qatar is becoming essential to finding humanitarian solutions. saying its diplomatic efforts are crucial. qatar, the gulf state where many of hamas leaders are based, was focused on the issue of trying to get the hostages release. egypt, turkey and germany, any country which has some links to hamas is trying to address the human tr

yolande knell, bbc news, jerusalem.m the un about lack of water, like of fuel and in some places on the absolute emergency incubators and technical equipment thatis incubators and technical equipment that is actually being able to be turned on due to lack of electricity and fuel. the red cross have said the first team of medics have crossed into gaza. multiple fires were seen at the border between israel and lebanon earlier this morning, as tensions between the two nations continue. earlier our correspondent anna foster gave us this update from northern israel. this border has been incredibly active over the last couple of weeks and i wanted to show you what we've been seeing a lot of over the last few days. if you look at the ridgeline just here, this is the border between lebanon and israel and you can see smoke that's rising just over that ridge. now, it seems to be just on the lebanese side. we have seen repeated, repeated strikes every day that have been coming across the border from lebanon into israel and then is

yolande knell, bbc news, jerusalem. world health organisation's tarikjasarevich told me what aid was immediatley needed in gaza. what is needed right now is to have a sustained access to gaza to bring in bring in medical supplies, but also, as you say, clean water and fuel. hospitals cannot run without fuel and without clean water. and this is something that we have seen in many hospitals that they are using the last reserves. they are rationing the last litres of fuel they have. if you don't have a fuel, you simply don't have a light. you cannot have a surgical theatres. you cannot run incubators and other things that you need to provide life support to patients. yes, yesterday we were able to bring in four trucks of surgical and trauma material, as well as medicines for chronic diseases. but that's nearly not enough. and we need that access. we have more supplies being ready on egyptian side and we are ready to bring those in. what we really need is security guarantees that this aid can safely get in. what kind of gua

yolande knell, bbc news, jerusalem. let's get more now on the situation inside gaza.rlier to our reporter, rushdi abualouf. the latest air strike of five or six rockets destroyed a mosque, as we understand from local sources, in the south—west of gaza city. it was a huge explosion with black smoke and dust in the skies. still we can feel and smell the dust out of this building. this was the latest air strike and series of air strikes, over 500 air strikes the israeli army said this morning has targeted 500 places for a hamas militant group, in gaza they have been targeting mosques, infrastructure for hamas, but also according to local authority here 11 houses have been targeted. they said they hit the houses without warning killing many civilians. we understand that in rafah, southern gaza a funeral for 19 members of one family are about to start. hamas health officials in rafah said that they were killed by an israeli air strike and all of them from one family. the official health ministry figure about the number of people killed so far is a93 people and about 3,000

here's our middle east correspondent, yolande knell. he correspondent, yolande knell. may find some of ti her report he may find some of the images in her report distressing. the moment of release. in a video sent out by hamas, they were handed over to representatives from the international red cross. but then she turns, shaking the hands of a masked gunman and saying, peace. soon the women were whisked out of gaza to egypt's rafah crossing and flown to israel. as they arrived at hospital, her daughter, was on her way from london. she spoke to the bbc. �* ., , �* , ., bbc. anger doesn't help at the moment _ bbc. anger doesn't help at the moment i _ bbc. anger doesn't help at the moment. i feel— bbc. anger doesn't help at the moment. i feelvery _ bbc. anger doesn't help at the l moment. i feel very determined bbc. anger doesn't help at the - moment. i feel very determined to move on and anger will come. hate? no. i think that is the problem, hate. we cannot afford to hate, we cannot afford to turn it into hate. what needs to be done, nee

yolande knell, bbc news. jerusalem. small glimmers of hope in a very dark time. this story from our correspondents around the region. in a moment, we'll speak to our middle east correspondent, tom bateman who's in southern israel, but first to our gaza reporter, rushdi abu alouf who's in southern gaza. rushdi abu alouf, we know there was more intense aerial bombardment overnight. what is the situation now in the gaza strip where you are? yes, israel hit hundreds of targets, including a house nearby. this morning, two people were here injured from displaced inside the hospital. the number raised significantly in the last hour. 6500 people have been killed, including 2700 children. israel said they are targeting hamas but civilians always pay the price of this. if you look to the number of civilian women and children, they are almost half of the overall death toll number. also, the overall death toll number. also, the hamas local authority are saying that israel have destroyed over 600 houses without warning. that is why we have this huge number of civilian populat

yolande knell, bbc news, jerusalem.utenant colonel richard hecht, international spokesperson for israel's defence forces... thank you for being lighter with us. he told bbc news there is no humanitarian crisis in gaza. are you serious? i humanitarian crisis in gaza. are you serious? . , humanitarian crisis in gaza. are you serious? ., _ ., humanitarian crisis in gaza. are you serious? ., ., ., , serious? i am saying that hamas is re5ponsible. _ serious? i am saying that hamas is re5ponsible. i _ serious? i am saying that hamas is responsible, i am _ serious? i am saying that hamas is responsible, i am saying _ serious? i am saying that hamas is responsible, i am saying we - serious? i am saying that hamas is responsible, i am saying we have l responsible, i am saying we have been saying for the last days to the people in gaza city to move south. we gave them corridors of movement, there is water in the southern parts of cancer, there is still electricity and that is the situation right now on the ground. i am going to t

the programme to find out exactly what comes out of the meeting. 0ur middle east correspondent yolande knell has the latest — i should warn you her report has some distressing images. a devastating bombardment. israel promised overnight that hamas would pay the price for its unprecedented surprise attack. and in gaza, this was the result. what happened to us is complete destruction. and there are 150 people at this building. we can't live there now. but today in israel, more gunfights as israeli security forces pursued some of the armed palestinians who infiltrated a day ago here. they chased militants in a stolen car and killed them. and here, the shocking result of the earlier mass assault. the bodies of an israeli family shot dead, waiting to be taken for identification and burial. over here, you've got another one of the body bags that, disturbingly enough, you can find along the roadsides of southern israel right now. here, we're not very far from an israeli military base that was overrun by hamas militants and has since been recaptured. it's now known that among the dead, there was a 2

yolande knell, bbc news, bethlehem. awar a war with far—reaching repercussions.itizens and alljews" after a large mob shouting anti—semitic slogans stormed a dagestan airport in the majority muslim region. video footage on social media showed an angry crowd running through the airport in makhachkala seeking people arriving on a flight from tel aviv. some of the crowd ran onto the runway and surrounded aircraft there. russian news agencies say 60 people have now been arrested. the government has held an emergency cobra meeting amid fears the israel—gaza conflict has accelerated the threat of terrorism in britain. ministers have met with police and national security officials. let's get more on that from our political correspondent iain watson. thank you very much indeed. yes, a cobra meeting has been held today. it has been an emergency one. ministers have met police and government officials. let's get more from iain watson. what more do we know about that meeting? the meeting ended less than _ know about that meeting? the meeting ended less than an _ know about t

but we start our coverage with this report from our correspondent yolande knell. explosions.he heavy bombardment continues, volleys of palestinian rockets being fired from gaza. and israel is hitting back hard, saying hamas will pay the price for its surprise attack, the most deadly day the country has ever known. i'm really sorry that you have to go through this. for this man, the horror has been playing out on his family's whatsapp group. his relatives live next to gaza and on saturday his cousin hid from hamas gunmen in her home. i'm saying goodbye. she is sending this heart. and she is saying that... .."i'm not sure we're going to survive this." she did survive, but five members of the family are now missing, including her 80—year—old mother and children. they are thought to be among 100 hostages now being held in gaza. this video appears to show this boy, who is nine, being snatched. ido wants them released. just get them out of this confrontation. it is not for kids, it is not for other people. it is not for older people. i don't think there is any war ethics that were

but we begin this hour with a report from our middle east correspondent, yolande knell.r day of death in gaza. the bodies piled up after the latest israeli strikes. translation: at ten o'clock, - the apartment they were staying at was bombed. 14 people were killed. they were all females, among them a two—month—old baby and my niece, who was one year old. i don't know what to do. aerial photographs show gaza before and after israel's intense bombardment. these are neighbourhoods in the north. amid the unprecedented destruction here, thousands have been killed and hundreds of thousands are homeless. yet a top un official complaints only crumbs of aid are getting in. basic services are crumbling. medicine is running out. food and water are running out. the streets of gaza have started overflowing with sewage. gaza is on the brink of a massive health hazard and the risk of diseases are looming. israel's military says it's continuing to hit hamas targets, again, sending limited ground troops into gaza overnight. but growing calls for a pause in fighting to let in aid and the

yolande knell, bbc news, tel aviv.ise attacks is that many of its citizens have been taken hostage. perhaps as many as 130. 300,000 reservists have been drafted into the israeli military, in possible preparation for a ground offensive on gaza to try to free those hostages taken back there. questions growing about why israeli intelligence didn't know these attacks were being planned and failed to stop them. here's our security correspondent, gordon corera. a music festival in the desert that turned into a scene of slaughter. as many as 260 people are thought to have been killed here on saturday morning, and some others taken. this footage shows a hamas gunman who appears to lead away a hostage. the exact number of hostages seized across israel is unknown, but estimates put it at around 100. amongst them are thought to be ada, thought to have been taken from a kibbutz on saturday, as her son told the bbc. our understanding is that she is kidnapped. you know, we didn't identify her yet on the other side, and no—one contac

yolande knell, bbc news, jerusalem. straight is coming in.ostage negotiations, so let's head straight to our middle east correspondence. what we know is that a source close to the discussions said that the negotiations are in their words, accelerating, towards a potential agreement over a ceasefire and a deal to release hostages. that is a single line, that is all we have, it should be said we have had similar kind of alerts over the course of this week, so we should be careful how much we read into it. this diplomacy and mediation that continues. joe biden said there was no higher priority than the release of hostages. another sense that the discussions are going on, more sense that there may be more imminent, but only that line that discussions accelerating. what we've been hearing over the last 2a hours is that as far as one hamas official was concerned, delegation has been in moscow, it would have to be in exchange for a ceasefire. what does that mean? a grander mission is held off, a pause in the israeli bombardment, we simply don't know

yolande knell, bbc news, jerusalem.iddle east correspondent yolande knelljoins us now from jerusalem. yolande, explain to us why fuel isn't getting in? first of all, after those terrible attacks on the 7th of october, israel stopped fuel from going on, it closed its only commercial crossing with the gaza strip, and the fuel used to be used for the power plant in gaza which was forced to turn off. electricity was also stopped from going through to the mains supply which palestinians used to be able to buy. now all of the reserve fuel in gaza has run out but the israeli military insists it will not allow the aid which comes in to include fuel because it says in the past that has been diverted by hamas foreign military infrastructure in the gaza strip and it has said to the gaza strip and it has said to the un to get back the fuel that was stolen in the past by hamas and use it to fuel the hospitals. and there have been growing calls overnight for a humanitarian pause to end the fighting. is that likely to happen? there ar

we also heard from our correspondents lyse doucet, tom bateman and yolande knell in israel.ws. let's look at some other stories making news. ministers have set out plans to tackle the rise in shoplifting, after official figures showed a 25 % annual increase in offences in england and wales. the proposals include a police commitment to attend crime scenes, pursue more evidence and use facial recognition to target prolific offenders. a tube driver who appeared to lead a pro—palestinian chant on a london underground train has been suspended, according to tfl. footage posted online showed the chant being led over the train's speakers. it happened on saturday as about one hundred thousand protestors took part in a pro—palestinian demonstration in central london. the actress amanda abbington has withdrawn from strictly come dancing, the show has announced. the fifty one year old, who has starred in sherlock and mr selfridge, missed last week's show for medical reasons. she was expected to return next week. strictly come dancing has said that they wish her all the best for the futu

yolande knell joins us now from jerusalem. on in gaza this morning? details of what happened is that we overnight are still pretty sketchy when it comes to israel's military operation and the effect that it had on the ground stop we do know that there were more rockets fired overnight and early this morning into southern israel by alicejenny and armed factions in gaza. what you help make things clearer now is that we are hearing more and more that after that day and a half of the total blackout on communications in gaza, that the internet and telephone services are coming back. and that had led really to wanting some international human rights groups about what affects good he on the ground, aid agencies couldn't reach their staff, ambulance workers couldn't respond to emergencies and ordinary people who haven't been able to get in contact with their loved ones and check that they were still alive. the israeli leader, benjamin netanyahu, gave a televised address yesterday. we heard a little bit of it in your report a few moment

yolande knell, bbc news, jerusalem.t the names of about 200 hostages captured by hamas.. and demanded their release. some people at the event have links to those taken. for more i'm joined by our correspondent, frances read, in trafalgar square. tell me more about what was said today and what those organising it are hoping to achieve. yes. today and what those organising it are hoping to achieve.— are hoping to achieve. yes, some real emotional _ are hoping to achieve. yes, some real emotional testimony - are hoping to achieve. yes, some real emotional testimony today . are hoping to achieve. yes, some i real emotional testimony today over the course of this afternoon. thousands of people gathered in trafalgar square in london. it is starting to dissipate now. probably around 5000 people on this rally, something like that, by thejewish community. they called this rally bring them home, directly protesting against the taking of hostages from israel. the co—organiser include the jewish leadership council and the board of

we can speak to yolande knell injerusalem.oldiers, we have heard from israel's military, that include some that are already going into the gaza strip trying to look for those hostages? fine into the gaza strip trying to look for those hostages?— for those hostages? one of the soldiers killed _ for those hostages? one of the soldiers killed overnight, - for those hostages? one of the soldiers killed overnight, we i soldiers killed overnight, we understand, was on one of those small scout raids going into gaza trying to find out information about the hostages. we knew there had been small efforts like this last week. it is not the ground invasion israel is talking about. we expect that to come soon, that is what the israeli defence minister has said, this is specifically around the hostage situation. , . ., , specifically around the hostage situation. , . , ,, , specifically around the hostage situation. ,, , , situation. israel has stepped up its air strikes ahead _ situation. israel has stepped up its air strikes ahead of _ sit

yolande knell, bbc news, ashkelon.to bring you some developing news and a warning straightaway it is distressing. we are getting reports from a search and rescue service that at least 250 bodies have been removed from the site of a music festival that came under attack by hamas militants on saturday morning. this music festival was taking place in southern israel, not farfrom gaza. and on saturday morning, it came under attack. this is a road not far away from that festival. you can see the burnt out cars and there are eyewitness reports of gunfire. this is a map giving the rough layout of the area, so the area of re—im, not farfrom gaza, not farfrom their the area, so the area of re—im, not far from gaza, not far from their is where this music festival was taking place, lots of young people there, an open—air festival. place, lots of young people there, an open—airfestival. and place, lots of young people there, an open—air festival. and we have had pictures of people fleeing and running from the sound of gunfire. we

yolande knell, bbc news, jerusalem.to foreign correspondent nick beake, who gave us this update. yes, this is about seven miles from gaza, ashkelon and there has been a distinctive bars of israeli drones in the air. also the fighter pilots are going overhead. that is the situation on the ground. we just heard from the israeli officials that there will be a window, three hour window, today in which people can move from the north of gaza to the south along one specific route. yesterday, there were two routes that were opened up for a bigger window. these timings are very much slipped. that is what the israelis are saying. all the while, of course, the united nations saying this is completely unacceptable. the world health organization, for example, trying to move people from the north to the south they say is just not feasible. they say specifically when you look at 2000 people who are intensive care and in maternity units, they are moving from the north to the south, that is tantamount to a extremely strong language from

yolande knell, bbc news, jerusalem. 0ur diplomatic correspondent paul adams is injerusalem.moment but a incredible account from one of broader questions in a moment but a incredible account from one of those two hostages released overnight to day. two hostages released overnight to da . ., , two hostages released overnight to da . ., ., ., day. remarkable to hear the account of yocheved — day. remarkable to hear the account of yocheved lifschitz, _ day. remarkable to hear the account of yocheved lifschitz, a _ day. remarkable to hear the account of yocheved lifschitz, a very - day. remarkable to hear the account of yocheved lifschitz, a very feisty . of yocheved lifschitz, a very feisty woman in her 80s hasjust been through an appalling experience but talked about it so calmly and rationally. expressing the horror but also the little details about how medication and food was dealt with. about how it was like in those tunnels under the gaza strip and crucially with some very interesting words about the lack of preparation for something like this. towards the end of her remark

yolande knell, bbc news, jerusalem.spoke to her about the death of israeli soldiers over the last two weeks, which has gone up to 330. one of those soldiers, we are told, was killed on the limited mission into the gaza strip to try and find more information about the hostages held there. one of the soldiers who was killed overnight, we understand, was on one of these small scout raids going into gaza trying to find information about the hostages. we knew from last week there had been some other small efforts like this. it is not the ground invasion israel is talking about. we're expecting that to come soon, that is what the israeli defence minister has said, this is specifically around the hostage situation. we've also heard from israel that it has stepped up its air strikes ahead of that widley expected ground invasion. it says it is targeting hamas infrastructure before it goes in on the ground. we have also, of course, been talking about the suffering of palestinian civilians stuck inside the gaza strip. israel have

in the next hour — and we begin our coverage with this report by our middle east correspondent yolande knellll is rising. with the war raging on, the death toll is rising. health officials in gaza now say more than 8,000 people have been killed. but palestinian rocket fire hasn't stopped. and as it strikes by air, israel says it is also widening its ground offensive. translation: the war inside the gaza strip i will be difficult and long, and we are prepared for it. this is the second phase of the war whose goals are clear — the destruction of the military and governmental capabilities of hamas and the return of the hostages home. although a telecommunications blackout now appears to be easing, it has been hard to get news from inside gaza. but there have been more international calls to stop the fighting and protect the civilians who are suffering. i am raising alarm about the possibly catastrophic consequences of large—scale ground operations in gaza and the potential for thousands more civilians to die. continued violence is not the answer. away from gaza, young palestinians in ramallah i

yolande knell has the latest.the border, israel is ready for attack, after more than 1,400 people were killed by hamas. it says it will soon enter the gaza strip to target every one of its sites, commanders and fighters. but the offensive is likely to result in the deaths of many palestinians. gaza was pounded again overnight and many of the more than one million people, who were warned by israel to leave the north of the territory have already fled south. but, basic resources in khan yunis, a town where many have headed, are at breaking point. translation: we were in gaza and we moved i here and we are suffering. there is no fuel, no electricity, no water or anything. we are waiting for our turn forfuel. the united nations is raising alarm about the dire situation. its humanitarian 0ffice warns that hospitals now have less than one day of fuel left to run generators. antonio guterres, the un secretary general, has appealed to israel to allow rapid and unimpeded aid into the territory. he's also called on hamas to

yolande knell, bbc news, jerusalem.east correspondent yolande knelljoins us now from jerusalem. during a match about the circumstances of this release of hosta-es? during a match about the circumstances of this release of hosta-es? there during a match about the circumstances of this release of hostages? there could during a match about the circumstances of this release of hostages? there could be during a match about the circumstances of this release of hostages? there could be a during a match about the circumstances of this release of hostages? there could be a larger number of hostages released. we had heard about these two women in particular. the names were released days ago by hamas saying it was ready to set them free. then there was no more advance on it. at that time the israeli prime minister's office accused hamas of mendacious acts to try to confuse people. the family is absolutely delighted to have these two women home. they have been undergoing medical checks at a hospital in tel aviv and they have had th

yolande knell, bbc news, jerusalem. 0ur correspondent in gaza rushdi abualouf has the latest on the situationnsify overnight with about 200, 300 air strikes across the gaza strip. one third of them is in the southern part of gaza. it's considered a safe area. israel pushed the people to this part but now according to the number published by the local authority here, a third of the strikes overnight targeted the so—called safe area and about 100 people were killed overnight in the safe area, so some people are starting to return back to gaza city because they said no place is safe. just in the last half an hour, we have seen an explosion very close to this hospital. this is nasser hospital in khan younis. it's the main medical centre that's serving half of the population. they are struggling to cope with the situation. this morning they decided to shut this part of the hospital, and this part of the hospital, and they are just keeping the emergency room and operation room working. they said our mission isjust to save people's life. anybody who is not a life—threatening issue, they will not be

yolande knell, bbc news, jerusalem.e uk, the prime minister rishi sunak is expected to make a statement today to parliament about his recent visit to the middle east. we can cross over to our chief political correspondent. the prime minister over thursday and friday, he came first israel and then had meetings with arab leaders following that. ., �* , ~ meetings with arab leaders following that. . �* , . meetings with arab leaders following that. . �* , ~ , that. that's right. we saw rishi sunak's visit _ that. that's right. we saw rishi sunak's visit to _ that. that's right. we saw rishi sunak's visit to israel _ that. that's right. we saw rishi sunak's visit to israel where - that. that's right. we saw rishi sunak's visit to israel where he | that. that's right. we saw rishi - sunak's visit to israel where he met benjamin netanyahu and stated very clearly in a joint press conference, he said we want you to win and that is the uk government's position and will remain so, that it supports israel's right to self—defence b

the bbc�*s international editorjeremy bowen, earlier, i spoke to our middle east correspondent yolande knellsomething really sort of unprecedented, even in terms of the casualty numbers when you compare it to recent conflicts that we have had between israel and palestinian militants in gaza, there has rarely been such large numbers of israeli casualties. this kind of takes you back to some of the scenes we are seeing to perhaps 20 years ago, the time of the second palestinian uprising. what is kind of shocking as well in terms of how unprecedented it is, to have this large—scale integration, it seems dozens of palestinian militants from hamas have entered into southern israel and there are no pictures that are emerging on hamas social media channels which appear to show, we have not managed to verify these, live israelis, people who have been captured, and they have been taken back into the gaza strip. it is clear that hamas will seek to use these people as bargaining chips with israel, as israel plans its retaliation in gaza, what is happening, this will really complicate events. there are

yolande knell, bbc news, ashkelon. ta ke let's take you live to these live pictures from the gaza strip. live camera positions, you can see darkness has fallen. this is gaza city and the lights are on, but they are a bit sporadic. we're told electricity supplies are limited, as well as access to the internet and other humanitarian supplies which will be of growing concern to humanitarian organisations working in gaza. we have seen relative calm from this particular camera angle over the last couple of hours, but that was far from the case earlier, we are keeping across those pictures for you. 0ur correspondent anna foster has the latest developments from ashkelon, in southern israel. behind me, these flashing lights are where the road was closed off. this has been almost a staging post in the last few hours. we watched ambulances coming in and helicopters landing on the road. it looks like they were evacuating casualties out of these areas. it is dark now. it looks like the skies have been regularly lighting up in the