And work begins to remove the iconic sycamore gap tree chopped down two weeks ago in an apparent act of vandalism. And coming up on bbc news. A huge night ahead for scotland the tartan army are in spain to cheer on their side, as they bid to qualify for euro 202a. Good afternoon. The death toll in the conflict now stands at over 1,300 People Killed in gaza after another night of intense bombing by israel. It comes after 1,200 israelis were killed last weekend by hamas which is designated a Terrorist Group by many western governments, including the uk. Israel says it wont give gaza electricity, water or fuel until the hostages who were taken there by hamas are released. Its thought the group is holding about 150 people in gaza. Gaza is an enclave thats home to more than two million. Authorities there say more than 300,000 people have been displaced by the bombings. A short time ago the us Secretary Of StateAntony Blinken met the israeli Prime Minister benjamin netanyahu. He said the United States will always be by israels side. The messaue always be by israels side. The message that always be by israels side. The message that i always be by israels side. Tue message that i bring always be by israels side. Tte message that i bring to israel is this. You may be Strong Enough on your own to defend yourself, but as long as america exists you will never ever have to. We will always be there. By your side. That is the message that President Biden delivered to the Prime Minister from the moment this crisis began. Here in israel and everywhere we will reaffirm the Crystal Clear warning that President Biden issued yesterday to any adversary, state or non state thinking of taking advantage of the Current Crisis to attack israel. Dont. The United States has israels back. Hamas is i cis and just states has israels back. Hamas is i cis and just as states has israels back. Hamas is i cis and just as i states has israels back. Hamas is i cis and just as i cis states has israels back. Hamas is i cis and just as i cis is states has israels back. Hamas is i cis and just as i cis is crushed, states has israels back. Hamas is i cis and just as i cis is crushed, so i cis and just as i cis is crushed, so too will cis and just as i cis is crushed, so too will isis cis and just as i cis is crushed, so too will isis be crushed and how mass too will isis be crushed and how mass should be treated exactly the way isis mass should be treated exactly the way isis was treated and hamas should way isis was treated and hamas should be way isis was treated and hamas should be treated exactly the way isis was should be treated exactly the way isis was treated. They should be spit out isis was treated. They should be spit out from the community of nations spit out from the community of nations. No leader should meet them, no country nations. No leader should meet them, no country should harbour them and those no country should harbour them and those that no country should harbour them and those that do should be sanctioned. As we have been hearing, gaza was plunged into darkness, as its only Power Station ran out of fuel. Hospitals, where thousands of people are fighting for their lives, are now relying on generators with limited fuel left. In a minute we will hear from our middle east correspondent tom bateman injerusalem, but first our correspondent Rushdi Abualouf is in gaza city. What is the latest situation there . Yeah, very intense air strike targeting the northern, Northern Westside of gaza city, maybe we counted about ten air strikes in the last ten minutes or so, watching here from up in the roof on our building. More than 3000 israeli air strikes targeted buildings, hamas institutions, but also according to local authority here, about 30 houses. They issued some details about the number of houses destroyed. They said about 750 houses either partially destroyed or severely damaged, and that would make 300,000 people displaced in un schools. In the morning we went to the hospital and we found that people are taking hospitals as shelters. About 2000 people are sheltering in one hospital, the hospital thats already struggling to cope with the number of injuries, a limited amount of fuel left to run only the essential operations. They said we have to suspend all of the unnecessary operations, only Essential Treatment and only focus on the life saving of people. I saw a woman injured, lying on the bed, and she said she had been waiting for hours to get surgery on her leg and she was told by the doctor that she is not on the priority list, they are only focusing on saving peoples life. They are only focusing on saving peeples life they are only focusing on saving peoples life. 0k, rushdi, thank ou, peoples life. 0k, rushdi, thank you. Lets peoples life. 0k, rushdi, thank you. Lets go peoples life. 0k, rushdi, thank you. Lets go to peoples life. 0k, rushdi, thank you, lets go to tom peoples life. 0k, rushdi, thank you, lets go to tom bateman i peoples life. 0k, rushdi, thank. You, lets go to tom bateman who peoples life. 0k, rushdi, thank you, lets go to tom bateman who can talk to us now. Tom, does there seem to you a growing inevitability that they will be an Israeli GroundInvasion Of Gaza in the next few days . Invasion of gaza in the next few da s . ~ ,. , Invasion Of Gaza in the next few da s . ~ ,. , Invasion Of Gaza in the next few das . Days . Well, the Israeli Military has confirmed that days . Well, the Israeli Military has confirmed that they days . Well, the Israeli Military has confirmed that they are days . Well, the Israeli Military has confirmed that they are readying i days . Well, the Israeli Military has| confirmed that they are readying for a ground offensive. There is no question about that. When you look at the almost unprecedented nature of the size of this caller, 360,000 israeli reservists, a huge build up of forces in the area around the gaza strip which has now been effectively closed, much of that land area in the south of israel, the question is about when. Now, the israeli army were asked that this morning. They said that no decision had been made about timing and at the same moment we have Antony Blinken, the us Secretary Of State who has arrived for those talks with Prime Minister benjamin netanyahu, as you said. I think one of the most urgent priorities is going to be around the potential release of hostages, negotiations around the release of hostages, because mr blinken is due to travel tojordan. He will speak to other arab World Leaders who historically have been able to mediate between hamas and the israelis. I think the issue is the israelis. I think the issue is the scale, the intensity of the fighting now, is so great, its extremely hard to see how any realistic progress can be made on that front. , a,. ,. , ~ realistic progress can be made on that front. , 1,. ,. , ~ ,. , that front. Tom bateman, thank you, our middle east that front. Tom bateman, thank you, our middle east correspondent that front. Tom bateman, thank you, our middle east correspondent in our middle east correspondent in jerusalem. The Foreign Secretary has announced the uk will facilitate flights to help british citizens leave israel. It comes as two british based families whose relatives are among those taken hospital age by hamas, a group designated as a Terrorist Organisation by many western governments including the uk, have been giving a Press Conference here in london about their loved ones. The situation is not over. There is hostages in gaza. My mum was taken out. She was kind of disconnected from her oxygen in order to be loaded onto a motorbike or whatever it is, i dont know. This is not about who is right and who is wrong. I shouldnt sit here today, i should have ishouldnt sit here today, i should have been i shouldnt sit here today, i should have been on my way to heathrow to pick up have been on my way to heathrow to pick up my have been on my way to heathrow to pick up my mum who is coming to celebrate pick up my mum who is coming to celebrate her 75th birthday today, with her celebrate her 75th birthday today, with her family here in london. Im here with her family here in london. Im here because of pure evil. I am here because here because of pure evil. I am here because i here because of pure evil. I am here because i need to ask for help to release because i need to ask for help to release babies, kids, mothers and old people release babies, kids, mothers and old people from their captivity. The reason old people from their captivity. The reason we old people from their captivity. The reason we feel urgency is because hature reason we feel urgency is because hature will reason we feel urgency is because nature will do its course if we are not going nature will do its course if we are not going to act, if the international community, and the Humanity International community, and the humanity and the human code and the Human Humanity and the human code and the human dial humanity and the human code and the human dial wont fall into place and say stop. Human dial wont fall into place and say stop, this is outside the lines of what say stop, this is outside the lines of what is say stop, this is outside the lines of what is ok and what is not ok, they wont of what is ok and what is not ok, they wont be here for too long. My mum they wont be here for too long. My mum has they wont be here for too long. My mum has severe allergies to every kind of mum has severe allergies to every kind of dust. I know that her epipen and her kind of dust. I know that her epipen and her inhalers are at home. I can send and her inhalers are at home. I can send how and her inhalers are at home. I can send how many i want to the border, i send how many i want to the border, i dont send how many i want to the border, i dont know send how many i want to the border, i dont know if it reach or not. British based relatives there are some of those who have been taken hostage by hamas and are now thought to be in gaza. We heard earlierfrom tom tom bateman, lets get his report on the latest developments and i should say there are some distressing images from the start. This was the aftermath as israel bombed an Apartment Block in gaza just after dawn. Its a packed refugee camp to where residents say others had already fled trying to get to safety from the air raids. At least 15 people from two families were killed here, say Palestinian Health officials. They bombed without warning, says this resident. This is murder. Its huge. Everyone has to do something. My family is ok but the camp is not safe, he says. Many are wounded but the hospitals are now running on generators after israels Siege Cut The Power to gaza. Food and clean water are running out too. Israel says there will be no supplies until its hostages are freed. Rights groups are calling it an unprecedented humanitarian disaster. The bombardment of gaza has been the relentless. The army says its targeting hamas pus macintyres structure, its seniorfighters targeting hamas pus macintyres structure, its senior fighters and now its political leaders, until the group is crushed. Schools have become shelters from air strikes. The children are shocked. They are having nervous breakdowns. We adults couldnt stand on our feet either out of fear, says this mother. Meanwhile the rocket fire has continued from gaza into israel, direct hits on homes wounded five people, one critically, in one of the worst affected towns this morning. Its mayor is calling for the world to back a lengthy israeli assault on gaza. Assault on gaza. Thank you for all the Leadership Assault on gaza. Thank you for all the leadership of assault on gaza. Thank you for all the leadership of the assault on gaza. Thank you for all the leadership of the countries i assault on gaza. Thank you for all i the leadership of the countries that support israel. You need to say to netanyahu, take your time, support israel. You need to say to netanyahu, take yourtime, if support israel. You need to say to netanyahu, take your time, if you need our weapons, if you need other soldiers, we need to destroy the hamas and she had area. Ltrrulith soldiers, we need to destroy the hamas and she had area. With the reuion hamas and she had area. With the region braced hamas and she had area. With the region braced for hamas and she had area. With the region braced for even hamas and she had area. With the region braced for even further region braced for even further escalation, israels Troop Build Up goes on. Tom bateman reporting there. Lets go back to lyse doucet, our chief International Correspondent who is in sderot in southern israel close to the gaza border and as we were hearing from tom earlier, growing speculation there will be an israeli incursion into gaza as the death toll on both sides continues to rise . Yes. Into gaza as the death toll on both sides continues to rise . Yes, well, ou can sides continues to rise . Yes, well, you can hear sides continues to rise . Yes, well, you can hear the sides continues to rise . Yes, well, you can hear the sounds sides continues to rise . Yes, well, you can hear the sounds all sides continues to rise . Yes, well, you can hear the sounds all around us. We are less than a mile from the gaza border here and behind as you can see the smoke rising. That is gaza city on the horizon. There is always black smoke rising from gaza. Now you can hear the sound of israeli artillery. Its been going off all morning. There are also drones in the sky and on the roads coming in here to sderot which is one of many communities so close to the gaza border. They was a parade of huge lorries, white, unmarked, carrying provisions to the front lines, where we know israel is massing thousands of troops, a lot of armour and artillery, in preparation for this expected ground incursion, but then in the same way that hamas was so prepared for its unprecedented assault on saturday, israel knows that it will be so prepared for the retaliation. Israel is preparing to go in but hamas is waiting for them. {lilia is preparing to go in but hamas is waiting for them. Is preparing to go in but hamas is waiting for them. 0k, lyse doucet, Thank Ou Waiting for them. 0k, lyse doucet, thank you very waiting for them. 0k, lyse doucet, thank you very much, waiting for them. 0k, lyse doucet, thank you very much, our waiting for them. 0k, lyse doucet, thank you very much, our chief thank you very much, our chief International Correspondent close to the gaza border. Other news now, and the uk economy expanded slightly in august, with output growing 0. 2 according to the office for national statistics. But that follows a contraction of 0. 6 injuly. And in an exclusive interview, one of the bank of englands Interest Rate setters, dr Swati Dhingra has warned that the cost of borrowing will hit households and businesses harder in the coming months, with the young and those on lower pay worst affected. 0ur chief economics correspondent Dharshini David reports. Its full steam ahead for this cafe, but with rent hikes and soaring energy and food bills, business hasnt been a piece of cake. Just when i was about to get happy, saying we are settled, the business, were doing good, everything is going good, i can probably get a house soon, everything changed, so it all went upside down again, now we have to start from scratch, and i dont know how to keep up with it, because you can only increase your prices up to a certain amount. Gdp, or economic output, was up 0. 2 in august, but it fell in july. The monthly figures bounce round, but on average, growth has been weak, hit by The Cost Of Living and higher rates. Dr Swati Dhingra is one of nine people on the bank of englands Monetary Policy committee, who decide Borrowing Costs for millions. She voted against most rate hikes, worried they will squeeze businesses and households too far. The economys already flat lined and we think only about 20, 25 of the impact of the Interest Rate hikes have been felt through to the economy. So i think there is also, there is this worry that might mean that we are going to have to pay higher costs than we should be paying. When you are growing as slowly as we growing now, the chances of recession or not recession are going to be pretty equally balanced. It wont be great times ahead, and particularly not over the next year. And we often hear that described as, you know, Interest Rates are working, but it is not a one size fits all is it, in terms of the impact. The reason the rates have increased is because of the kinds of price increases we are seeing, which is energy and food. Those will typically impact poorer people more, and then the Interest Rates will also typically impact you