inflation remains the same at 6.7%. also this hour: a vigil in london to remember those lost in the gaza hospital blast. and still waiting for news — the london family whose mother is feared abducted by hamas. coming up on bbc news manchester united our way to st. germain jermaine. horrific blast at a hospital in gaza which is thought to have killed hundreds of people. joe biden has been trying to get some kind of aid corridorfor the people in gaza and he has been talking of the blast yesterday in the territory in which it is believed hundreds of people may have died during a blast at a hospital. we'll have the very latest from gaza, with our correspondent, rushdi abu alouf, who's been to the scene of the hospital blast. a warning some of the images in his report could be distressing. when i arrived at the hospital, they were still collecting the dead. after what looks to have been the deadliest moment we have seen so far in gaza. there were burnt out cars after a huge fire following last night's blast. i was talking to one of the people who witnessed this what they call a massacre, he said they were just sitting in their garden peacefully and suddenly a huge explosion rocked the area. he said we collected bodies, the injured people, we evacuated serious injuries, using motor kikele. cycle. some people evacuated on foot from here. blood—soaked mattresses lay on the ground. as we made our way through the devastation, wreckage. children's backpacks and collapses tents where people had been sleeping. doctors said people were seeking shelter. witnesses said the grounds were packed with people living under siege and underfair. people are still collecting body pieces from under ground, people are still in panic, people are still trying to understand what happened. fear, grief, and anger. translation: my message — fear, grief, and anger. translation: my message to — fear, grief, and anger. translation: my message to the — fear, grief, and anger. translation: my message to the world, _ fear, grief, and anger. translation: my message to the world, stand - fear, grief, and anger. translation: my message to the world, stand up i my message to the world, stand up for the right thing, don't be afraid of the americans, don't be afraid of the israeli airfors of the americans, don't be afraid of the israeli air fors we will continue this fight until the last drop of blood.— continue this fight until the last drop of blood. health officials are sa in: drop of blood. health officials are saying hundreds _ drop of blood. health officials are saying hundreds are _ drop of blood. health officials are saying hundreds are dead, - drop of blood. health officials are| saying hundreds are dead, injured and missing. this is the moment of horrorfor and missing. this is the moment of horror for palestinians, already traumatised by the war. is has maintained it is not responsible. president biden on his trip to tel aviv for talks said it appears the blast was done bythe other team". appears the blast was done bythe otherteam". but appears the blast was done bythe other team". but many in the middle east are unconvinced. joe biden said he has secured aid to gaza by egypt, bringing supplies for thousands of people. they have been fleeing their homes to escape israeli bombing, targeting hamas, a group designated as a terrorist organisation by the uk government and responsible for the deaths in israel 11 days. some details this report you may find distressing. this area became a killing ground. even with their bodies, taken away the clean—up also meant collecting small pieces of flesh. god have mercy he said, they were civilians. and mohammed, a neighbour, can't unsee children with legs blown off and the bodies he helped carry. they all, he said, thought they would be safe near a hospital. early this morning, the defence ministry in tel aviv presented data it said proved israel did not attack the hospital. instead say said it was a mall functioning rocket from islamic jihad. it functioning rocket from islamic jihad. _, , functioning rocket from islamic jihad. , , jihad. it confirms the rockets were fired close to _ jihad. it confirms the rockets were fired close to the _ jihad. it confirms the rockets were fired close to the hospital. - fired close to the hospital. according to our intelligence, hamas checked the reports and understood it was an islamichhad rocket, that had mis—fired and decided to launch a global media campaign to hide what really happened. they went as far as inflating the numbers of casualties. coming to tel aviv was a gamble for president biden. he wanted to ease gaza's humanitarian catastrophe, while supporting israel's war effort, perhaps an impossible circumstance circle to square with binyamin netanyahu. but a deal emerged from their meeting. food, water, and medicine, but no fuel from egypt to gaza. for israel, more military aid and agreement that they didn't hit the hospital.— didn't hit the hospital. based on what i have _ didn't hit the hospital. based on what i have seen _ didn't hit the hospital. based on what i have seen it _ didn't hit the hospital. based on what i have seen it appears - didn't hit the hospital. based on what i have seen it appears as l what i have seen it appears as though it was done by the other team, not you. i wanted to come and make that clear. thank you for having me and i'm looking forward to having me and i'm looking forward to having a thorough discussion about where everybody goes from here. the president won't change the minds of those who say israel attacked the hospital. joe biden�*s presence here will only deepen the conviction among palestinians and arabs that america isn'tjust on israel's side, but that it is also complicit in everything israel is doing in gaza, including killing civilians. until the hamas attacks on israel, president biden dreamt of transforming the middle east, the americans were negotiating with saudi arabia and israel to try to get the two countries to recognise each other. that is not on the agenda any more. in arab capitals there have been protests against israel. this was beirut. and this is yemen. so far, the shouting has spread, but not the fighting. keeping it that way will be a challenge. as we've been hearing, president biden says it appears the hospital blast wasn't the result of an israeli airstrike. but he acknowledged there were a "lot of people out there" who aren't so sure. caroline hawley now looks at what we do know about the explosion. ever since the explosion happened at around 7pm local time, bbc verification experts have been poring over all the images that have emerged. israel says the incident was a failed rocket launch by the palestinian group islamichhad. these pictures show what appears to be the carpark of the hospital in flames. we've been able to establish it's a courtyard with cars parked in it from the shape of the buildings. the al—jazeera television station was broadcasting live from gaza at the time. and you see a bright light in the air that looks like a rocket. now we don't know where it was fired from. but something appears to happen to it and then a few seconds later there's a flash and then an enormous fireball. our verification teams have looked at these images and can tell from the rooves, from the placing of solar panels and from some trees, that it was in the main courtyard of the hospital. now we have some images by daylight this morning — with a clearer picture emerging of the extent of the damage. here you see cars that have been burned in the fireball and here there's even an upturned vehicle. but just a few damaged tiles on a roof that experts say does not suggest a massive explosion. there is also a relatively small crater from the impact of whatever came into the courtyard area. here's that crater from a different angle. we showed these images to a number of weapons experts and while they couldn't come to a firm conclusion, several said of the incident had been caused by the type of bomb normally used by israel, the crater would have been bigger, with more damage to the buildings. in this picture, you see windows blown out but this hospital building close to the crater still standing. one way of trying to establish what hit this hospital is by studying bomb or missile fragments at the scene. but a bbc team which visited the hospital didn't find any. here's an image we found last night of men searching the crater. the logo on their vests is from the palestinian police — the explosive ordnance disposal unit — we don't know what, if anything, they recovered. the islamichhad movement said the explosion was caused by israeli aerial bombing and claimed that they have the remnants of the explosive head, but haven't yet provided any evidence. what's not in dispute is that there were mass casualties at the hospital. to establish the exact truth of what caused this, you'd need an independent investigation. but that's not going to happen in what is an active war zone. president biden also had words of caution for israel speaking in tel aviv, president biden urged caution for israel president biden urged israelis not to be consumed by their anger. he spoke of how in the wake of the 9/11 attacks, america too was enraged, but made mistakes. with israel widely expected to launch a ground invasion in the coming days, our correspondent lucy williamson has been gauging the mood among israelis. . israel is getting ready. its target — hamas. these drills include training in methods that avoid civilian casualties. but israel knows any battle in gaza will be messy. a tip today from the us president — government anger shouldn't replace the rules of war. in this area fear shows up as empty houses, empty pavements. around 50 people were killed here. the mayor says they get a thousand calls a night from residents who think they hear gunmen moving around. 18—year—old daniel said israel is now a country of grief. he lost a close friend in the attack, two months before he starts his military service. �* ,, �* months before he starts his military service. �* ,, ~ ., ., �* service. translation: nowl don't believe anything — service. translation: nowl don't believe anything any _ service. translation: nowl don't believe anything any politician - believe anything any politician says, until they put their words into action. people are afraid to leave their homes. if israel put down her weapon, the palestinians would kill us. if the palestinians put down their weapons, we could make peace with them. the israeli government _ make peace with them. the israeli government said _ make peace with them. the israeli government said protecting - make peace with them. the israeli government said protecting their. government said protecting their citizens means destroying hamas. warns of the risk of that goal are outweighed by pressure at home. this man used to cook dinner for elite, now it is for the soldiers. a far left anti—government protester, he paused his criticism to support the war. now there is a new opponent and a new national unity. we war. now there is a new opponent and a new national unity.— a new national unity. we need to choose between _ a new national unity. we need to choose between our— a new national unity. we need to choose between our kids - a new national unity. we need to choose between our kids to - a new national unity. we need to choose between our kids to theirj choose between our kids to their kids and right now.— kids and right now. what do you mean? i say _ kids and right now. what do you mean? i say the _ kids and right now. what do you mean? i say the churchill - kids and right now. what do you l mean? i say the churchill bombed berlin, he didn't _ mean? i say the churchill bombed berlin, he didn't ask _ mean? i say the churchill bombed berlin, he didn't ask to _ mean? i say the churchill bombed berlin, he didn't ask to two - mean? i say the churchill bombed berlin, he didn't ask to two to - berlin, he didn't ask to two to hitler, right, we have a war against a country, we have the right to fight them. a country, we have the right to fight them-— a country, we have the right to fiuht them. . , ., ., fight them. the families of some of the hostages _ fight them. the families of some of the hostages appealed _ fight them. the families of some of the hostages appealed to _ fight them. the families of some of the hostages appealed to president biden and said war is not the first priority. israelis caught between the trauma of their wounded nation and the trauma of whether their looved ones will survive. jeremy, words of encouragement and caution for the israelis from joe biden today, but also potentially words of hope for the people of gaza, with the possibility of aid flowing into the territory. how effective do you think the president has been today?— has been today? well, i think the resident has been today? well, i think the president took _ has been today? well, i think the president took a _ has been today? well, i think the president took a gamble - has been today? well, i think the president took a gamble coming l has been today? well, i think the - president took a gamble coming here, and he is able to go home with things to his credit, which he can then present and say, i think the trip was worth it. at the top of agenda is the fact that the humanitarian corridor appears to have a chance of working out of gaza. food, water and medicine going into the south. not fuel, which is what they need for hospital generators, pumping water, that kind of thing. also, i don't know how much will be coming in and whether it will percolate its way right up the gaza strip. i think in normal times, gaza got about 600 or 700 trucks per day of food. they won't be getting that much. israel also says that if they think any of this is going to hamas, they will thought that. that means there will probably close the gates. but yes, it is better for palestinian civilians thanit better for palestinian civilians than it was. no question about that. but longer term, than it was. no question about that. but longerterm, it's than it was. no question about that. but longer term, it's not going to end what aid workers there and the un have called a humanitarian catastrophe. i think it's going to dilute it, but it's not going to end it. , , . ~ dilute it, but it's not going to end it. , y . ~ , ., dilute it, but it's not going to end it. y . g , dilute it, but it's not going to end it. jeremy, thank you. jeremy bowen in southern — it. jeremy, thank you. jeremy bowen in southern israel. _ it. jeremy, thank you. jeremy bowen in southern israel. we _ it. jeremy, thank you. jeremy bowen in southern israel. we will— it. jeremy, thank you. jeremy bowen in southern israel. we will have - in southern israel. we will have more for you from here injerusalem in the news at ten. but now it's time to return to sophie in the studio in london. clive, thank you. the prime minister, rishi sunak, is expected to travel to israel shortly. today in the house of commons, he told mps that they should not rush tojudgement about the hospital explosion. and that british intelligence is working rapidly to analyse the evidence and establish the facts. 0ur political editor chris mason is in westminster. what more are downing street saying? publicly, sophie, there is no announcement about the prime minister's travel plans. clearly, there are lots of security considerations to weigh up and diplomatic considerations too about where they visit and when. such is the nature of the events on the ground, as we havejust the nature of the events on the ground, as we have just been seeing, that there is every chance that plans could change before any departure or indeed, after the prime minister has set off. but don't be surprised if we see him in the region tomorrow. the foreign secretary james cleverly is already heading back out there this evening. we have learnt today that we now know seven british nationals were killed in the hamas attacks on israel earlier this month. nine are missing, some feared dead, others thought to be having been taken hostage in gaza. we can expect the focus of the political visits to be on supporting british families and humanitarian support more widely and then diplomatic conversations about trying to reduce the prospect of an escalation of conflict in the region. as for the politics here, a very sombre prime minister's questions at lunchtime today, with near total agreement between keir starmer, the labour leader, and rishi sunak. the scottish national party, they are calling for a ceasefire. tonight, there are 30 labour backbenchers who have joined them in expressing that desire was that the official position of both the government and the labour front benchis the government and the labour front bench is not to call for a ceasefire and to say that israel has the right to defend itself. the prime minister and foreign secretary will be wanting to make a diplomatic effort pretty soon, given the likelihood of israeli escalation in the coming days. israeli escalation in the coming da s. israeli escalation in the coming da 5. israeli escalation in the coming da s. ., , days. our political editor chris mason, thank _ days. our political editor chris mason, thank you. _ inflation remained unchanged last month at 6.7% — despite expectations it would fall. data from the office for national statistics showed fall for two years. but fuel prices rose. 0ur chief economics correspondent, dharshini david reports. an uplifting start to this baby sensory class. but the bills these mothers have faced have been less cheering. the steep rise in the cost of living has cast an unexpected cloud, despite rises in child benefit and maternity pay this year. i think that the maternity pay going up is a big difference. it's been a big jump in april this year, so i think that does make a big difference. but then on the flip side, my food shopping is now so much more expensive, it doesn't actually balance out. there would have been a time when i probably would have been able to just stay at home with anna. but now i'm obviously going to have to consider going back to work next year, which is a real shame. everything is so expensive. we do this and swimming, and then we haven't - really got money to afford to do other classes. - they may be in for a boost. it's september's inflation rate, 6.7% this time, which typically dictates the rise in working age benefits. that would affect nine million households in the spring. but ministers will have to decide whether to go ahead, for that increase equals {4.1 billion from the treasury's coffers. some of the bite is already coming out of inflation as food prices slipped between august and september, the first monthly decline in two years, and the government's aim of halving inflation this year might get some help. energy prices, those which really ignited this crisis, are subsiding. a fall in the domestic price cap will push down the inflation figures next month. headline inflation very likely will have a five in front of it, possibly next month. so it's, you know, it's quite likely we get to the five if not slightly below by the end of the year. the problem then is the next halving of the inflation rate. reason to cheer. it would still mean prices are substantially higher than a year ago and inflation far above the bank of england's target. interest rates may stay high for a while. dharshini david, bbc news. you can find more analysis of how's today's inflation figures are affecting people if you go to bbc news 0nline, that's bbc.co.uk/news, or by using the bbc news app. in other news: a british man and his south african wife have been killed on their honeymoon in uganda — along with their guide. the vehicle they were in was attacked while they driving through the queen elizabeth national park — the country's most popular safari destination. the islamic state group have claimed responsibility for their deaths. a man who abducted a girl while he was dressed as a woman has been jailed for 20 years. 53—year—old andrew miller, who also uses the name amy george, sexually abused the girl over a 27—hour period in february at his home in the scottish borders. the environmental activist greta thunberg has been charged with breaching the public order act following a protest outside an energy conference in london. she was one of 26 people arrested yesterday in mayfair and will appear at westminster magistrates court next month. the bbc has announced it will end the long—running daytime soap doctors after 23 years, saying it has become too expensive to make. the long—running series about the doctors and patients at a busy midlands gp practice launched in 2000. the final episode will air in december next year. imagine if your amazon parcel arrived like this. well, that's what they're planning to start doing in the uk from next year. they'll use the drones in just one location to begin with. but for now, they're keeping quiet on where that actually is. amazon's drones are already in the air in several parts of america. our business correspondent, emma simpson, has been given exclusive access to see how the service works in a small town in california. you know what it's like waiting for an online order, wondering when the van is going to turn up. but look into the distance. this one's coming by air. in the small town of lockeford, california, amazon is using drones to deliver packages to customers. and this service is coming to the uk too. jeff loves it. it's fun. i never thought i'd be getting packages delivered in my back yard. when you order it, we see it within 20 or 30 minutes. it's obviously quicker than having to run to the store and getting the stuff. what about the noise? the noise is a little loud, but it doesn't disturb me. checks complete. launching. so how does it work? so now the exciting bit. we're the first to see behind the scenes at amazon's launch facility. here's a parcel going out. it can't be bigger than a shoe box, nor weigh more than five lbs. the drone can reach customers up to three and a half miles away. the rules are strict. each flight is monitored, and there is a human eye keeping tabs on it too. a flying robot that knows exactly where to go. how does it know not to bump into anything? 0ur sense and avoid technology will observe a threat in the sky or on the ground, make a course correction and safely find a path to deliver to customers. drones are never going to replace vans, but this is a glimpse of the future. 0nline deliveries in just minutes. and here, at this amazon site in seattle, a new drone is being unveiled. this is a drone coming to the uk. it's smaller, it's lighter. it travels further and most importantly, it at least 40% quieter to our previous drone. is that safe? it's absolutely safe. it is hundreds of times safer than driving to the store. just one location to begin with. exactly how and where it can fly has still to be worked out. we'll scale slowly. we'll scale with communities, and we'll scale based on what our regulatory approvals are. amazon believes the demand is there. here in america, though, progress hasn't been quick, but it's got big ambitions, aiming for 500 million global drone deliveries by the end of the decade. emma simpson, bbc news, lockeford, california. one of the biggest new arts venues in britain in decades has officially opened in manchester today. it's called aviva studios and it has been built on the site of the former granada tv complex in the city centre. it has cost something like £240 million to build — twice the original budget. but the team behind it say it'll be worth it as our arts editor katie razzall reports. something wild is happening in the north west. this is the biggest cultural opening of a space since the opening of tate modern at the beginning of the century. a huge new venue for shows, gigs and much more. why shouldn't there be a national theatre in manchester? oscar—winner danny boyle is directing aviva studios' official opening show. it's inspired by the cult film the matrix, the fight between humans and intelligent machines. in free your mind, people are enslaved by technology. hello, neo. i've been looking for you. it's a large—scale spectacle from the trainspotting and slumdog millionaire director who fell in love with theatre as a teenager after getting a job as an usher at the bolton 0ctagon. i kind of got the bug, and we want to give the bug to anybody who comes to see this. and if the matrix can attract them into a space that they're not that familiar with, that's not part of their lives, and they get the bug, that would be a wonderful thing. the show�*s choreographer also worked with boyle on the london 2012 olympic opening ceremony. i want to see, you know, the local people being in here, not just sitting on seats, but actually working. the more that we can create those opportunities, create those chances, we're doing ourjob. to open a big communal space like this is a joyous thing, really, beyond, obviously, yes, the expense and yeah, you could give it to hospitals instead. but there are benefits for everybody�*s wellbeing in the future from these kind of spaces, i think. but controversially, the final bill is likely to be around £240 million, more than double the original estimate, mostly funded by the government and manchester city council. why has it cost so much more than the plan? the building's obviously been affected by covid. it's been affected by inflation. it's been affected by increasing materials costs. i think what i am really proud of and proud of manchester city council for doing is sticking with it. we've not had a lot of opportunities up here. everything's very london based. we have a lot of travelling down for auditions, stuff like that. now they have to come up to us. it's great. one estimate says this venue will add £1 billion to the local economy. putting money into culture can bring jobs and regeneration, but will aviva studios be a box office hit? katie razzall, bbc news, manchester. time for a look at the weather. here's elizabeth rizzini. it's all about storm babet coming our way? it it's all about storm babet coming our wa ? . . , , it's all about storm babet coming ourwa ? . . , , ~ our way? it certainly is. the met office have _ our way? it certainly is. the met office have issued _ our way? it certainly is. the met office have issued their- our way? it certainly is. the met office have issued their highest| office have issued their highest level of alert, a very rare red weather warning in place for areas of eastern scotland and aberdeenshire valid from thursday evening until friday morning. there is a danger to life within that warning zone. we have been using this chart over the last couple of days, rainfall accumulation chat. you can see up to 250 millimetres of rainfall are expected. it shows the rainstorm piling into the south coast. that heavy rain is expected to move further northwards overnight, pushing eventually across northern ireland, northern england and southern scotland. there will be gales towards the south coast, that wind strengthening. it is a mild night, but temperature is not the issue at the moment. south of that main rain band, we have some heavy and thundery showers. lots of dry weather and sunny spells. the rain moves into north—east scotland as we moves into north—east scotland as we move through the morning. that wind will strengthen as a south—easterly. severe gales, gusts of 70 miles an hour. in the wind will act as a conveyor belt, piling more and more rain into that warning zone. the rain into that warning zone. the rain is set to continue as we head into the warning time period, which is from six o'clock on thursday until midday on friday. there are wider weather warning is in force. an amber warning for rain and wind warning. there could also be impacts from that wind as we go through the course of the next couple of days. the place of most concern is this zone across angus and aberdeenshire. this is where there is a danger to life. there could be some structural damage, possibly loss of power