Civilians are not warned about impending air strikes. Theres been International Condemnation of the taking of civilian hostages. Israel says some 100 civilians and soldiers have been kidnapped. But both israel and hamas have denied reports of a possible prisoner exchange. So far in this conflict, at least 900 people have been killed in israel, and almost 700 people have been killed in gaza following Israeli Military action. Right now lets look at some pictures of gaza city. You can see it is rather dark. That is where a barrage of rocket fire has been exchanged in the past hours. Meanwhile, israels army is calling up 300,000 reservists and moving tanks close to the gaza strip in preparation for a land incursion. In a televised address on monday, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called on israels Opposition Parties to form a National Unity government and said quote air strikes in gaza are only the beginning. Translation hamas have made a mistake of historic proportions. We will exact a price that will be remembered by them and israels other enemies for decades to come. Israels allies, including the us, have released a joint statement criticising the weekends surprise strikes by hamas, saying well, lets get the latest from the ground now. 0ur International Editor jeremy bowen is in the southern israeli city of ashkelon, just 13km or about eight miles north of the gaza strip, and has this report. Inside gaza, it looks every bit as if palestinians are feeling the full force of Israeli Military power. Israel says hamas is responsible for the suffering of gazas civilians. And its retaliation for the hamas attack has only just begun. Hamas has threatened to start killing its israeli hostages. The air strikes rolled on, hour after hour. Palestinian armed groups, undeterred, kept up their own barrage of israel. 0ur bbc team was in ashkelon in southern israel, not far from the gaza border when a salvo came in. Ashkelon is so close to gaza that there is no more than a ten second warning. Israel is moving in more firepower. The next stage of the offensive against hamas looks certain to be a Ground Offensive, much bigger than other incursions since hamas took over in gaza in 2007. Lines of cars outside a Military Base on the road to gaza were parked by reservists as they reported for duty, getting ready, saying their goodbyes. Parents came to the base for a few minutes with their sons. We are praying and hope for the best. Amidst tough times now. And we are telling him to try and concentrate on his mission, without thinking too much about other friends that got injured or killed. Israels Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu broadcast to his nation. He said hamas has made a mistake of historic proportions. We will, he said, be exacting a price that we be remembered by them and other enemies for decades. And now israelis are waiting for the government and army to act. Sderot, the israeli town close to gaza littered with the debris of war felt like the essence of israels trauma, almost deserted except for forces. Hamas has rocketed sderot for years but has never before stormed in. At the centre of the hamas Killing Ground was the police station. They broke in and used it as a fire base to shoot civilians as well as soldiers. Blood from israels dead and wounded smears the walls. Even here in what is always a front line town, for israelis, this was not supposed to happen. They expected their military, backed up by the intelligence services, to protect them. And the fact that that didnt happen means recriminations about who might be responsible have already started. But at the same time there is a strong sense of National Unity, with a country under attack, about what happens next. In the places that hamas attacked Israeli Military as well as the few civilians left are jumpy, still shocked. A Ground Offensive didnt feel imminent. And in gaza, a few miles away, casualties come into the main hospital. The first few hundred of many more. It will get worse. Palestinians and israelis once more caught on the anvil of war in a conflict a century old that is as deadly it has ever been. Jeremy bowen, bbc news, ashkelon. Earlier, i spoke with jeremy bowen on his reporting, from southern israel. I asked about the skill of the crisis for the middle east and what the significance would be for the region. What the significance would be forthe region. What the significance would be for the region. Scale. The for the region. Scale. The significance for the region. Scale. The significance is for the region. Scale. The significance is that for the region. Scale. The significance is that her forthe region. Scale. Tue significance is that her mass as inflicted a grievous blow on israel. Hamas. Israel is in the process of inflicting a series of massive blows against the palestinians in gaza and in abroad because this evening, Benjamin Netanyahu, the Prime Minister, said they hadnt reached full intensity on that and they would do things that would essentially deter their enemies for generations. There are also concerns, of course, that the scale of what is happening could lead to wider trouble between israelis and palestinians elsewhere and perhaps even a wider wall. There were some incursions, very small ones, from levin on earlier on today. So a variety of worries. Lebanon. Essentially this was an unprecedented attack and they are now into new territory. Things are not following the usual routines. This is unexpected. I think everybody is very worried about what is coming down the road. Tqm. Is very worried about what is coming down the road. 0k, and jeremy come coming down the road. 0k, and jeremy come up coming down the road. 0k, and jeremy come up briefly, coming down the road. 0k, and jeremy come up briefly, Given L Jeremy come up briefly, given the sophistication of the hamas attack, israels capability to respond. What you think is a way out of this . Respond. What you think is a way out of this . Im not sure there is a way out of this . Im not sure there is a possible way out of this . Im not sure there is a possible way way out of this . Im not sure there is a possible way out i way out of this . Im not sure| there is a possible way out of this. I think the logic of what has taken over, now. Once israel does what it is planning to do, there are massive political questions about what happens to gaza, what happens to the palestinians and the israelis, and questions about the fact that there has been no political process for ten years between them. Within gaza itself, our bbc teams are reporting that power cuts and infrastructure damage have severely impacted the area. Even still, our teams have been able to get some of their reporting out to us. Bbcjournalist Rushdi Abualouf has this update from inside a building on the gaza strip. This is by far the biggest ever israeli air strikes in gaza, on this scale, in this intensity. This is the biggest. In this building, its a Seven Storey Building where 20 to 30 families, they live in this building. I could hear the screaming of the kids, they were shouting. In the background, if you can see, its totally black. Most of the Electricity Supplies in gaza are not functioning, internet is down in every corner of this city. Many of the buildings housing internal company and today they destroyed the headquarters of the Palestinian Telecommunications company, closing the problem to be bigger and the internet to be down in more areas. Talking about the humanitarian situation, gaza has been suffering for three days without electricity. The crossings, most of the crossings are closed except the rafah crossing with egypt, and it only allows people to go in and out no goods. No fuel is coming, no medicine for hospitals. The Health Ministry issued a Statement Today warning that within 48 hours the essential medical supplies are running out in the hospital. Nearby explosion and they need urgent supplies to be able to provide services to many people. I could hear in the background israeli fighter jets are still flying overhead and targeting places between time to time and it seems that this night, the palestinians in gaza have never seen before. Michael singh is the former senior director for middle east affairs at the National Security council. Hes now Managing Director at the Washington Institute and hejoined me earlier. Thank you forjoining us, michael singh. Im interested in your thoughts on why this attack wasnt anticipated. Is this the biggest ever Israeli Intelligence failure . This this the biggest ever Israeli Intelligence failure . Intelligence failure . This is one of the Intelligence Failure . This is one of the most Intelligence Failure . This is one of the most significant| one of the most significant attacks or the most significant attacks or the most significant attack on israel in its history. 800 israeli civilians died in one day. That is more than died in the course of the second intifada. Do not have had any anything of it and you have been relatively of a bad or it is quite a significant failure of the Israeli Intelligence community and security establishment. I think somewhere down the road that will be addressed in a very serious way. It isnt the focus at the moment. The focus at the moment is the operation in gaza. , moment is the operation in gaza. ,. ,. , gaza. On that, what do you think might gaza. On that, what do you think might happen gaza. On that, what do you think might happen next . I gaza. On that, what do you i think might happen next . We have heard from Benjamin Netanyahu just today that this is just the beginning, netanyahu just today that this isjust the beginning, the israeli airspace in gaza are just the beginning, saying he will do everything for the israelis held captive in gaza. What anticipate happen next . T what anticipate happen next . I think you cant underestimate, really, just how traumatic an event this was for israelis. The targeting of civilians, children taken hostage, the brutality of the attacks. And i think the australian response will be commensurate. It wont be like past Israeli Operations in gaza. I think the israelis feel that this will have to be qualitatively more significant than that and it will have to leave hamas crippled or eradicated as an organisation, which requires a prolonged operation in gaza and are probably significant ground incursion. They have 300,000 reservists now called up and they look like they will be using them. Is they look like they will be using them. They look like they will be using them. They look like they will be usinathem. ,. ,. ,. , using them. Is there a role for the us . There using them. Is there a role for the us . There is. Using them. Is there a role for the us . There is. In using them. Is there a role for the us . There is. In the the us . There is. In the immediate the us . There is. In the immediate sense the us . There is. In the. Immediate Sense Support the us . There is. In the immediate Sense Support for israel will be the white houses priority. Wherever it is in the us ss Ronald Reagan move into the eastern mediterranean, announcements about aid, military aid to israel. I think more will be forthcoming. But if this is an operation that takes weeks, when previous gaza was were just days along, they will need significant diplomatic cover from the United States and President Biden himself. There will be pressure coming from other quarters for a ceasefire and what might be considered a premature ceasefire. D0 and what might be considered a premature ceasefire. Premature ceasefire. Do you think the premature ceasefire. Do you think the conflict premature ceasefire. Do you think the conflict has premature ceasefire. Do you | think the conflict has dropped down the priority for the us administrations recently . I think it hasnt a sense. I dont think that is that anyone has but it was important, but there was a sense that there was no way to address it in a meaningful way, so it was managed, ratherthan meaningful way, so it was managed, rather than working towards solutions. If you look at the israeli policy towards gaza, it had again been trying to allow palestinian workers into israel, trying to develop a bit of a modus to head off what we have seen, to have conflict. It seems a lot of what hamas was doing was ultimately deceptive, planning is attack while engaging in those discussions with israel. The us has brokered talks here before, can it do it again . Most of the talks in the past are taken through regional intermediaries, and eventually i think there will be a role of others in the region, and already we see israel reaching out to states in the region. Right now looking mainly for support and solidarity, but with the hostages, with the Military Operation that is to come, there is no doubt that states in the region will be drawn in. I think israels hope is that the conflict itself can be isolated to gaza, but the diplomacy may end up being a wider circle of regional states. ,. ,. ,. , states. You mentioned qatar, should the states. You mentioned qatar, should the us states. You mentioned qatar, should the us take states. You mentioned qatar, should the us take a states. You mentioned qatar, should the us take a lead states. You mentioned qatar, j should the us take a lead role in those negotiations . I should the us take a lead role in those negotiations . In those negotiations . I think there is going in those negotiations . I think there is going to in those negotiations . I think there is going to be in those negotiations . I think there is going to be a in those negotiations . I think there is going to be a new in those negotiations . I think. There is going to be a new look at states like qatar and others who have on the one hand been intermediaries between hamas and israel and on the other hand played some shelter for senior hamas officials, and i think there may be a bit of getting tough with doha and some other regional states that have been a little bit lenient towards hamas. fin have been a little bit lenient towards hamas. Have been a little bit lenient towards hamas. On the issue of hostages. Towards hamas. On the issue of hostages. We towards hamas. On the issue of hostages, we have towards hamas. On the issue of hostages, we have heard towards hamas. On the issue of hostages, we have heard from i hostages, we have heard from hamas, it is threatening to execute them. The Us State Department saying there are some americans missing and unaccounted for, could be taken advantage of. Watch the us do about that situation . I shudder to think what about that situation . I shudder to think what will about that situation . I shudder to think what will happen about that situation . I shudder to think what will happen over| to think what will happen over the next few days and weeks with regards to these hostages. Hamas has already shown just its absolute brutality in the way it treated civilians in israel itself, and of course now it is holding apparently over 100 israeli civilians hostage, and ifully expect that hamas will try to use them to pressure israel as pawns essentially and may put tremendous pressure on the hostages and via the hostages on israel, as i said in the coming days and weeks. Irate on israel, as i said in the coming days and weeks. We will leave it there coming days and weeks. We will leave it there for coming days and weeks. We will leave it there for the coming days and weeks. We will leave it there for the moment. L leave it there for the moment. Thank you forjoining us. Thank you for oining us. Thank ou. We have been looking at live pictures from gaza city where during that interview we could see a number of blasts on the skyline. Those are the live pictures we have been watching throughout the programme. Around the world and across the uk, this is bbc news. Lets look at some other stories making news. In Afghanistans Herat province, recuers are searching for survivors of saturdays powerful earthquake there. It flattened nearby villages and killed more than 1000 people. Than 1,000 people. More than 500 people are missing, according to the united nations. Blocked routes and communication lines have delayed aid to the remote rural area dotted with mud brick homes. Environmental lawyer and anti vaccine activist Robert F Kenneder says hes now running for the white house as an independent. Its a reversal of his plans to run against President Biden as a democrat. The 69 year old is a member of one of the countrys most famous democratic families. Speaking in philadelphia, kennedy says he wants a new Declaration Of Independence from the media, corporations, and Major Political parties. This years Nobel Prize For Economics has gone to Claudia Goldin from the United States. The Royal Swedish Academy of sciences said the Harvard University professor had advanced the understanding of how women impact labour markets. Youre live with bbc news. The Us Defense Department has described the weekends actions by hamas as isis level savagery. In a briefing to reporters, a Senior Defense 0fficial added that the us is working to expedite israels requests for more munitions and air defense. The official added that planes have already taken off to deliver some of the support requested. Additionally, the uss Ford Strike Group is expected to arrive in the area very soon, with capabilities ranging from intelligence gathering to long range strikes. It includes the carrier, and accompanying cruisers and destroyers. The Defense Department is also working with israel and other partners to contain the conflict to gaza. Us officials also say they have not seen corroboration of iran being directly involved in the planning of saturdays attack. Mike lawler is a republican congressman from new york, and a member of the House Committee on foreign affairs. He spoke to me earlier. Congressman mike lawlor, thanks indeed forjoining us. A number of your constituents are in israel at the moment and they have been in touch with you. What do they need, what can you do for them . Do for them . Well, certainly i represent do for them . Well, certainly i represent one do for them . Well, certainly i represent one of do for them . Well, certainly i represent one of the largest l represent one of the largest jewish communities in the United States in my congressional district, the 17th District of new york, and at any given point, hundreds of my constituents are in israel, and many were there this past weekend for the holidays and they are stranded there, and so we have been in touch with many of them as well as the State Department at the white house, the embassy, and israeli officials, to try to help them through this. A lot of people are obviously concerned and fearful, given the circumstances on the ground, so we are working to try to expeditiously help people get home to safety and security. Now, we know hamas has taken a significant number of people hostage. The Us State Department has said there are some Americans Still missing and unaccounted for. What should the us be doing in that situation . ,. , , should the us be doing in that situation . Situation . Obviously we dont full et situation . Obviously we dont fully yet know situation . Obviously we dont fully yet know the situation . Obviously we dont fully yet know the extent situation . Obviously we dont fully yet know the extent of i fully yet know the extent of those being held hostage, but with hamas threatening to murder these hostages and execute them, on television, obviously the situation is perilous, and so i think the United States needs to do everything we can in cooperation with the Israeli Government to get these hostages back safely, and the bottom line is hamas is a terrorist organisation, and they have shown their true colours and the savage brutality with which they displayed Killing Hundreds and injuring thousands, and they need to be held accountable, they need to be taken out, period. And so i think the United States needs to do everything we can to support israel in this war, both in terms of military support, equipment, personnel, intelligence, funding, to help ensure israel successfully wins and defends its right to exist, and defends its right to exist, and defends its right to exist, and defends thejewish people. We have seen israel mount a blockade of the gaza strip, Launching Hundreds of missiles in there every hour. Are you concerned at all about a humanitarian crisis there . Qt humanitarian crisis there . Of course we humanitarian crisis there . Qt course we are concerned for innocent civilians anywhere they are, but in this instance, hamas has waged war, with the backing of iran, to wipe israel off the face of the earth, and i think it is imperative that israel defend itself, and that the United States support them. Unfortunately, in conflicts like this, there are going to be civilian casualties. You do your very, very best to limit that but its a reality of war, and this is a war, and it is good versus evil. There is no moral equivalency here. Some of my colleagues in congress and backin my colleagues in congress and back in new york are trying to equivocate, and blame israel for hamass terrorist attack on saturday, and that to me is just unconscionable, and has no place in our government. Let alone in the public discourse. And congressman, just speaking of you mentioned congress and the us doing everything it can come of the House Of Representatives is somewhat i suppose hamstrung at the moment, in that there is no speaker. Legislation cant be passed. The house is in recess. How big a problem is that . It how big a problem is that . It is a challenge, this is why you dont remove a speaker mid term without cause. There was no justification for this. It has obviously paralysed the house and created a constitutional crisis. The eight republicans and 208 democrats that did this for personal and political reasons were foolish. And so the house obviously needs to elect a new speaker, and we need to do so expeditiously, so that we can get back to the work of the American People and make sure that congress is fully able to execute on anything that may need to be donein anything that may need to be done in support of the state of israel. , ,. ,. , israel. Very briefly, do you think that israel. Very briefly, do you think that process israel. Very briefly, do you think that process will israel. Very briefly, do you think that process will be i think that process will be included this week and youll have a speaker back in position . It have a speaker back in position . Have a speaker back in osition . ,. ,. , position . It is hard to say. I think there position . It is hard to say. I think there will position . It is hard to say. I think there will be position . It is hard to say. I think there will be a position . It is hard to say. I think there will be a lot position . It is hard to say. I think there will be a lot of. Think there will be a lot of discussion. We are meeting tonight in the house, and the republican conference, and we will see where that conversation goes, but obviously there is a lot at stake here both domestically and internationally, and the American People expect us to govern as a House Republican majority, so we will have to get back to work very quickly, and elect a speaker. Congressman mike lawler, thank you very much forjoining us. Thank you. It you very much for oining us. Thank yonfi thank you. It is all from us for now thank you. It is all from us for now i thank you. It is all from us for now. I am thank you. It is all from us for now. I am caitriona thank you. It is all from us i for now. I am caitriona perry. We will leave you with these live pictures of the white house, lit up in blue and white as a show of support to israel. Stay with us here on bbc news. Take care. Hello again. Monday felt like another warm, summers day except, of course, it wasnt summer. No, its october. Its meant to be a lot colder than this. These blue, sunny skies sent temperatures soaring, particularly across england and wales the warmest spot, east malling in kent, 26 degrees celsius. Now, average for these cities at this time of the year is 15 or 16 degrees, so ten degrees above average. Even the temperatures we had on monday were in excess of what wed see in a typical july day, so thats why it felt like summer. Now, you can see the clear skies that we had across england and wales, but lurking out in the atlantic, weve got more rain bearing cloud around, and thats not good news for scotland, where we still have the bulk of the Flood Warnings in force across the nation. Its here where, of course, we saw torrential rain and flooding over the course of the weekend, and with more rain developing over the next few hours, thats not going to be exactly welcome rain that arrives. Further southwards, across england and wales, we keep those clear spells over the next few hours. One or two mist patches and a few fog patches developing, but its a mild start to the day on tuesday. I think the biggest concern, though, will continue to be this area of rain affecting scotland. In The Grand Scheme of things, 50 millimetres falling from this Weather Front over the mountains of western scotland isnt a huge amount, but given that weve got Flood Warnings already in force, the ground saturated after what fell over the weekend, then this rain could cause some further extra issues. It does trickle southwards, reaching Northern Ireland and the far north of england, as well, late tuesday afternoon. South of that, its very warm again. 0nce weve lost those mist and fog patches, temperatures could hit 2a degrees in the warmest spots. Now, tuesday night sees this band of rain pull away from scotland, so hopefully things will begin to improve here, to a degree. But weve got some heavier rain setting in place further southwards across england and wales, and this rain band through wednesday slowly moves across wales, the midlands, into east anglia, perhaps not reaching the far south until after dark, where it will continue to be warm, with temperatures in the low 20s. But otherwise, those temperatures coming back down closer to average levels for october. Now, heading into thursday, weve got some more rain moving overnight and into friday, affecting parts of england and wales. So rain, at times, probably best sums up the weather picture. That rain clears away into the weekend, with temperatures dropping back closer to the october averages. Tension in the middle east fuels fear over Oil Production as israels Prime Minister warns that the war has just begun. A us delegation sets the groundwork for a meeting between President Joe Biden and chinas president xijinping at the upcoming Apec Summit As Beijing tries to boost its weakened economy at home. Hello and welcome to Asia Business report. I am arunoday mukharji. Lets start with oil prices because the unfolding violence in the middle east has sent shock waves across the energy markets. Crude oil prices have been incredibly volatile on fears hostilities may escalate and destabilise the region that accounts for around a third of global oil supply. Lets try to get the latest on the numbers. The Benchmark Brent Crude flat. But it remains high since the conflict began. The price has spiked more than 4 after hamas launched the Largest Military assault on israel in decades. The bbc� s middle east correspondent in dubai explains why investors are nervous about a long drawn out war in the region. There are two key concerns. The first is even though israel is not a major player in oil supply, the worry is that if this conflict spreads to other parts of the region, especially iran, then it could have an Immediate Impact in oil prices because even though iran has been under sanctions for the last few years it been quietly providing oil to customers around the globe, and the white house
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