Transcripts For BBCNEWS BBC 20240703

Killed more than 1300 people in israel and took dozens hostage. We can show you these live pictures of gaza city right now where it is shortly after 5am in the morning. As after 5am in the morning. You can see, very dark. Shortage as you can see, very dark. A shortage of electricity and fuel in the territory. We are learning in the past few hours that a drone strike coming according to the Israeli Military, killed hamas command on saturday. Ali qadhi is the second hamas chief to have been killed in a day. Meanwhile, on the ground in gaza, thousands of civilians are on the move. Thats after israel warned over i million living in the north to move south beyond the Wadi Gaza River here an order the World Health Organization has said is a Death Sentence for those already sick and injured. The authorities in gaza say more than 2200 people have already died in retaliatory israeli bombing, including children while attempting to evacuate along a designated safe route. Earlier on saturday, israels Prime Minister visited an army post and asked troops whether they were ready for the next stage. Our correspondent Lucy Williamson reports. Every day, hamas sends rockets into israel, and waits for israels response. After last weekends attack, israel says these air strikes are just the beginning, and that People Living in the north of gaza should leave now. Gazas Salahadin Road has become a lifeline for people flowing south, a humanitarian corridor. It is supposed to be safe. Not always. A strike here yesterday killed at least 12 people. The bbc has verified the location. Women and children under five among the casualties. Israel says its investigating. Israels Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, visited the troops gathered at gazas borders today. The next stage is coming, he told them. Are you ready . The israeli army has been pounding gaza from here across the border and also from the air. Israel says it doesnt deliberately target civilians, and that this is directed at the people who do. Today, israel said it had killed the organiser of last weekends attack. Ali qadi was released from an israeli jail more than a decade ago in a Prisoner Exchange deal with hamas. Israel says it was he who planned the attacks on communities like be� eri. Gunmen arrived there last saturday, caught on a Security Camera relaxed, unhurried and well prepared. They brought everything they needed to kill and kidnap grenades, gaffer tape, plastic cable ties. Three members of the gat family are still missing. Among them, carmel and her sister in law. Their family home, shattered. It looks like indiscriminate violence, but it wasnt. This was a targeted attack. Some of the people who lived here are now thought to be just a few miles away inside gaza a different world. Be� eri has lived for years with occasional rockets or infiltrations, but destruction like this signals a different kind of vulnerability, and the build up of Israeli Forces here, a different kind of response. But what will that response mean for hostages inside gaza . I dont know the effort, i dont know the intelligence, i dont know anything. They dont tell us anything. They dont tell us afterwards. Nobody calls me to say there is negotiation for them. Frankly, nobody really knows if they are taken or not. Youre angry about that . I am very angry. There is not even a place for sad, to be sad for me. Israels soldiers are now massing at gazas borders, their weapons pointing towards both hamas and their hostages. For the army that failed to protect its people at home, how much harder will it be to protect them there . Lucy williamson, bbc news, southern israel. The United Nations says nearly a million palestinians have fled their homes in the gaza strip in the week since israel launched its Military Response to the killings and kidnappings by hamas. The entire enclave is being hit by israeli strikes from gaza city in the north to rafah in the south. The Border Crossing there with egypt has remained shut since the hamas attacks last weekend. Crowds of palestinians and foreign nationals have been gathering at the crossing after news that an Evacuation Route may temporarily open. You may find some of the images in this report now from jon donnison distressing. Outside the main hospital in rafah, ice cream trucks. The morgue is full. Some of the dead have been here for two days, this man tells us. These freezers are meant forfood, not bodies. And this is right in the south of gaza, where people are now being told to go. Hundreds of thousands are now heading in this direction. The question is, where do they go . At the border with egypt, Hundreds Of Palestinians who are lucky enough to have foreign citizenship, are hoping to get out. Among them, clutching her british passport, is maryiam. Im really in fear and every time ijust have to have the thought of me dying in a bomb in gaza. Its not a good thing. Every place i go, i run away and ijust find bombs and ifind dead people. And maybe one day i will end up like them. Its a really scary thing for me. But egypt says it wont open the crossing, even forforeign nationals, until israel agrees to allow aid in. And hamas also controls this border and has a say on who is allowed out. The nearby United Nations school is packed with those seeking shelter, but it was already at full capacity before this latest evacuation order. As palestinians, what did we do for this to happen to us . , hanan asks. She tells us she ran out of the house barefoot with nothing when israel bombed her neighbourhood, and came straight to the school. At noon today, many were praying one would think for better times. Many of those here are children, still smiling despite it all. Around half gazas population is under 18, and some are old beyond their years. Ramez is just 15. This is his fifth war. I can barely stand it, he says. And look around you at all these kids. Ask them, � do you want to live or not . � we just want to be secure, he goes on. Our dream is to live, thats all we want. Jon donnison, bbc news. We saw some of the scenes there from the gaza strip. Our correspondent Rushdi Abu Alouf is one of the very few journalists reporting from inside gaza. Hes in khan younis now, in the south of the territory, from where he sent us this update. I had to take the journey from gaza to the Southern City of khan yunis after the israeli army asked all the People Living in gaza city, where i used to live, and in the north, to go south. Im in khan yunis since yesterday and the scene i witnessed, its really tragic. People are sleeping in the public spaces. Hundreds of thousands of people are deployed to the schools. Im in the main hospital in khan yunis. Also hundreds of people are taking the hospital as a refugee. Suddenly this city has to accommodate, treat and feed 500,000 people displaced from their northern and middle area, gaza city. As the hamas officially say about 400,000 people took this Journey Yesterday And Today from khan yunis along salah al din road, then to khan yunis. More than a Million People in this city, and people, the local authority are struggling to find accommodation for the people, to find essential need. Water is running out. In the hospital here, medicine is running out. They are trying to manage very little fuel, doctors told me, are left to run the generators and very small amount of life saving kits that they have, since israel is closing all the border. Egypt until now said we cant guarantee that if you send the aid in that israel will allow it. Khan yunis is the second largest city with about 4000 people already living there and suddenly this small city had to accommodate another 600,000 people. They were struggling even before. The city was struggling because its part of the israeli blockade imposed from last saturday. After one week, without water, without electricity and without internet, this city was already exhausted by their own people and now they have to take care of about 600,000 people, over a Million People. Some of them are in the courtyard of the local hospital. I did ask someone who told me that back in 2014, his house was destroyed and he somehow managed to rebuild it and he said this time, my house was destroyed again and i had to take the hospital as a shelter. 0ur correspondent Rushdi Abu Alouf reporting from gaza. And we can show you live pictures from there right now. It is very early in the morning, about 5am, and we have updated numbers for you. A short while ago, the Palestinian Health Ministry Said 300 people, mostly children and women, were killed in gaza in the last 24 hours. Around 800 more were injured. Tensions are high in southern israel as israeli troops build up their presence ahead of that expected counter offensive. To find out more about what an Israeli Ground operation could look like, i spoke to retired Lieutenant General Mark Schwartz, who served as the us� s Security Co Ordinator to israel and the Palestinian Authority. Thank you so much forjoining us. Now, the Israeli Military, as weve been hearing, they say that the next stage is coming. Were hearing this could be some sort of invasion into gaza by land, by sea and by air. In your mind, how prepared is the Israeli Military for this kind of mission . Thanks for having me this evening, carl. Im confident that the Israeli Military, as they have stated publicly, that they are increasing their level of readiness, they are working the integration of over 350,000 now reservists into their tactical formations. They obviously are receiving additional resupply to continue the sustainment of their operations, their operation in the gaza in preparation for the Ground Offensive and, as been as youve reported and particularly your reporters that are on the ground there in gaza and down in southern israel, youve got the Combat Formations that are in their Tactical Assembly areas and doing final preparations. Those final preparations are probably a few days away, not hours away. Whats often forgotten about is the logistical sustainment thats going to be necessary, the the dealing with the really hard to assess the number of casualties that will be taking place, both by the Israeli Military but also, theres going to be casualties of the terrorists as well, you know, and more important civilians that are going to be caught in the crossfire of this assault, this ground assault, and obviously, from the sea as well, once it commences. Well, interesting, of course, to hear your Point Of View that this may not be imminent, that it could take a day or two longer. But in the meantime, what kind of defence is hamas capable of putting up . Of course, this invasion would be taking place on their own home turf. And that point is very important. So, they are on their home terrain. Theyve the ability to prepare both above the ground and, as has been reported, anywhere from 150 300 miles of underground tunnels, so that they can move without really with impunity, until such time that theyre fixed. Underground is like the intent to do the idf will do above ground but theres no more complex operation than fighting in this type of environment and, you know, youve they are doing preparations, you know, to move the civilian populace out of northern gaza. Really, thats i would think clearly, thats where they intend to initiate their ground assault. But that said, youll establish a foothold but then, the real hard work occurs where you dont have the ability to use your long range direct fire Weapons Systems and its going to be building to building, house to house, room to room fighting. And with respect to individual readiness, one of the major challenges that the idf is going to face is that with the integration of all these reservists, and while there are very capable active duty forces available, they still have the majority of the idf has not recently conducted the level of repetitions and full dress rehearsals for this kind of ground combat. Its extremely complex, and we in the United States witnessed that, obviously, in the early days of iraq and throughout the iraq war, frankly. Retired Lieutenant General Mark Schwartz and a former Us Security Co ordinator for israel and the Palestinian Authority. Thank you very much for your insights. Thank you, carl. Here in the us, the pentagon has ordered a second Aircraft Carrier group to the eastern mediterranean. According to us officials, the Uss Eisenhower is part of american efforts to deter hostile actions against israel or any efforts toward widening the war. Meanwhile, on saturday, us President Joe Biden spoke to both israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Palestinian Authority president Mahmoud Abbas in another effort to de escalate the violence. President biden also briefly addressed the violence at a National Human Rights Campaign dinner here in washington dc. In gaza, innocent palestinian families and the vast majority have nothing to do with hamas. Cheering and applause. Are being used as Human Shields yesterday, i spoke for over an hour the Family Member of those americans who are still unaccounted for on a zoom call. Theyve endured an agony of not knowing whats happened. And a short while ago i spoke to our North America correspondent Shingai Nyoka about the us response. Shingai, we heard there a bit from President Biden� s speech earlier. What more did he have to say . Well, he also added that hate doesnt go away. What hes done in the last week or so, ever since this attack on israel, is that almost every platform that hes been on, hes tried to weave in the narrative of the us support to israel into whatever the agenda was and today, he did exactly that. He wove the issue of rights into the broader discussions about his fight against islamophobia, against Anti Semitism and also against homophobia. And what was interesting, i think, was the fact that at the beginning of his address, there was a heckler who shouted, let gaza live. A ceasefire now. He didnt hear that but some of the people on the floor did. But doing what hes done over the past couple of days, which is bring up the topic of israel and gaza at almost every platform and try to shore up domestic support. Well, and it has been a busy day for President Biden a couple of different phone calls today, speaking with israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Palestinian Authority president Mahmoud Abbas. What more do we know about those prior conversations . Well, they were very important conversations, two, really, key conversations with two parties that are on either side of this conflict. The white house said that his conversation with his israeli counterpart was to reiterate that unwavering support this, as you spoke about earlier, as the pentagon announced that a second us carrier is on its way to the eastern mediterranean. With president Mahmoud Abbas, he spoke about the need to condemn hamas its something that he has reiterated over and over again with the arab states and something which many of them have failed falled short fallen short to do. And he also to both of the leaders spoke about the need to ensure that this war is conducted according to International Laws and that theres safe passage for Palestinian Civilians and this has increasingly been his emphasis, even as he expresses this unwavering support for israel. He also emphasises the point that the israelis need to ensure that there is no indiscriminate attacks on Palestinian Civilians. 0ur North America correspondent Shingai Nyoka reporting there for us. Thank you so much. Other news now, and in a referendum, australians have overwhelmingly rejected a plan to give more rights to indigenous people, and to recognise them in the constitution. Part of the plan was to create a body to advise the government on indigenous affairs, known as the voice. Australias Prime Minister says the result of the referendum would be hard to bear, but that it isnt the end of the road. From sydney, katy watson reports. It didnt take long for the results to show what had heavily been predicted a big defeat for the yes campaign. This campaign has been a heavy weight to carry, and this result will be very hard to bear. So many remarkable indigenous australians have put their Heart And Soul into this cause. Notjust over the past few weeks and months, but through decades, indeed lifetimes, of advocacy. Those who voted yes believed the voice was a way of empowering indigenous communities. For decades, australia has grappled with how best to improve inequalities faced by aboriginal and Torres Strait islander people in areas such as health, education and poverty. Weve been progressively getting into reconciliation, but its taking a long time. My feeling australia is fundamentally bigoted, cos ive got an italian background and i grew up with it so i know what its like. In this vast country, australias indigenous communities make up less than 4 of the population. Those who decided this referendum and the direction of theirfuture were non indigenous voters. Ahead of the vote, karen had resigned herself to a no. Were so used to being let down. I still have this almost high expectation that might prove my point that what australia is made of and thats made of not wanting to go forward and hold our hand. This referendum has forced australia to reflect on the legacy of colonisation, which still affects so many indigenous communities. But for many, its notjust about how australia sees itself as a nation, but how the world sees australia. The proposal may have been defeated but the conversation carries on. Katy watson, bbc news, in sydney. Lets get some of the days other news now. Poland is electing a new Parliament Today in a vote which is too close to call, but that both sides say will determine the countrys future direction. The governing right wing law and Justice Party are battling to secure a record third term in office, while the liberal opposition civic platform, led by former Prime Minister donald tusk, hope to oust them. New zealands centre right National Party is expected to begin talks later with the right wing act party to form a coalition government, after saturdays general election. Provisional results show that taken together, national and act would have a majority ofjust one seat in parliament. But around a fifth of the votes are still to be counted and the results will not be finalised until november. Millions of people in the americas have been catching a glimpse of a solar eclipse. The rare cosmic event where the moon passes between the sun and the earth has been visible in parts of the us, mexico, central and south america. Its called an annular eclipse because the moon blocks out most of the sun, leaving a thin ring, or annulus of light. There have been pictures, videos and live streams of the event posted online and social media. Returning now to our top story now, the situation in israel and gaza, and there is growing International Concern over the conflict. Tens of thousands of people gathered for pro palestinian demonstrations across the uk. Protesters filled the streets of Central London on saturday as thousands also gathered in manchester, liverpool, edinburgh and other parts of the uk. The met police said 15 people had been arrested, including one for criminal damage and two for public order offences. Here in washington dc, demonstrators rallied outside the white house in support of palestinians, where police had erected protective fencing the night before. In california, thousands also took to the streets of los angeles at a pro palestine rally. In the last few days there have been demonstrations in favour of israel and palestine in several cities around the world. And these are live pictures from australians gather for � free palestine� rally at sydneys town hall amid ongoing fighting between israel and the Palestinian Islamist group hamas. Again, those are live images coming from sydney, australia. And you can get all the latest from the situation in israel on our website, bbc. Com news, or the bbc news app. We have a live page that is constantly being updated, with news and analysis from our teams on the ground in israel, gaza, and around the world. We will leave you with some live shots from gaza. You can see a very dark skyline damage. Stay with us here on bbc news. Skyline there. Hello. Sunday will be getting off to a cold start in most places and it promises to be a rather chilly day but it wont be as windy as it was on saturday and there wont be as many showers. High pressure building its way in from the west. Notice the isobars still quite tightly packed across northern and eastern parts of scotland still quite windy here and a weak frontal system bringing cloud and some showery rain into the north of scotland. Something wintry for a time up over higher ground, although much of that will turn back to rain. Southern scotland, northern ireland, england and wales having a fine day after what will be a cold and, in places, frosty start. Long spells of sunshine. Just a few showers around the coasts. Still quite blustery in the north east of scotland but lighter winds elsewhere. Temperatures 7 degrees in lerwick, 14 for st helier. Elsewhere, generally 10 13 degrees. Now, sunday night will be another cold one. Light winds in most places. Some mist and fog patches could well develop. A little bit breezy in the south and in the north. Just the odd shower in the north of scotland and also, perhaps, in the south east of england. But in between, temperatures dropping close to or even below freezing with our area of High Pressure still with us, but low pressure trying to squeeze in from the south and also from the north. So, it is northern and southern parts that will turn a little bit windy as we go through the day on monday. In between, light winds, early mist and fog clearing, some good spells of sunshine but brisk winds in the north of scotland maybe the odd shower here. Also maybe the odd shower in southern england, where it will also turn quite windy. That strong wind also affecting the channel islands. Temperatures generally 11, 12 or 13 degrees in most places. Now, on tuesday, i think the winds will ease a little bit in the north but, conversely, theyll pick up across the south. Turning breezy across more of england and wales and some showery rain, perhaps, across the channel islands, the South West Of England but notice temperatures rising a little bit up to around 15 or 16 degrees. A sign of things to come. It is going to turn much more unsettled through midweek. Weather systems pushing up from the south. Some potentially quite heavy bursts of rain but with southerly winds, temperatures climbing easily to around 16 degrees. It could get a little warmer than that in some places but we will see some outbreaks of quite heavy rain. This is bbc news. We will have the headlines for you at the top of the hour, which is straight after this programme. Hello. Imjackie leonard, the host of the global news podcast. Today, weve teamed up with a new bbc podcast, the conflict, for a special programme, answering your questions about whats going on in israel and gaza. Werejoined by the host of the conflict, the bbc� s chief International Correspondent lyse doucet, who is in ashdod in israel, north of gaza, and also by our international editorjeremy bowen, whos injerusalem. So welcome, lyse