Take a listen. The tactical raid, which means that the forces went in and then went out during the night in order to prepare the battlefield and to prepare ourselves for coming operations. Our forces are now back in israel. The activity occurred during the night and was concluded successfully without any significant event. This Development Comes as israeli Prime MinisterBenjamin Netanyahu insisted a Ground Invasion of gaza was coming following questions at home about why it had taken so long. Speaking on prime Time Television on wednesday night, he said the timing of the offensive would be reached by consensus. Heres our correspondent, tom bateman. Israels Prime Minister said in a televised speech that Israeli Forces are preparing for a Ground Invasion but did not give any clues as to the timing. Translation we are raining hellfire on hamas. We have already Killed Thousands of terrorists and this is only the beginning. Simultaneously we are preparing for a Ground Invasion. I will not elaborate on when, how, or how many. Overnight the Israeli Military said it carried out a targeted strike inside the Northern Gaza strip, it said in preparation for the next stage of combat. It said there was fighting and the soldiers exited the gaza strip afterwards. Israels bombardment of the gaza strip has continued, the un said the most intensive yet in the past 2a hours, with hundreds of people killed. The Qatari News Network Aljazeera said the family of its correspondent was killed in a strike on a refugee camp in the strip. Meanwhile, the un says its Fuel Reserves in gaza are nearly out and it has begun reducing its humanitarian operations. Hospitals are stopping all but emergency operations, with the un warning more hospitals and shelters could be forced to close. Meanwhile, the World Health Organization said that without fuel, babies in incubators who need life support will simply die, reiterating that safe and sustained access is needed, or, it says, there will be more suffering and death in gaza. To treat patients, you need electricity, for surgical theatres, for incubators, dialysis machines. So we need fuel. Fuel is also needed to desalinate the water so hospitals have clean water. Clean water is of vital importance in hospitals to keep patients safe and provide health services. Meanwhile the World Health Organization has also reiterated its call for hamas to release all of the hostages abducted from israel on humanitarian and health grounds. It warns many hostages had pre existing health conditions. There have been further calls now for a humanitarian pause in the fighting to allow more aid in. But for now, the war goes on. Tom bateman, bbc news, jerusalem. Lets now take a closer look at what the palestinian leaders are saying. Husam zomlot is the head of the Palestinian Mission to the uk and joins me now from our london newsroom. Welcome to bbc news. Thank you. After the unprecedented welcome to bbc news. Thank you. After the unprecedented assault i welcome to bbc news. Thank you. I after the unprecedented assault into Southern Israel by hamas on october the 7th, and what you would know would be an unprecedented Israeli Military response, what are you calling for israel to do now . What calling for israel to do now . What is happening calling for israel to do now . What is happening now calling for israel to do now . What is happening now has calling for israel to do now . Twat is happening now has nothing calling for israel to do now . Wiat is happening now has nothing to do with october the 7th. What is happening. With october the 7th. What is happening with october the 7th. What is haueninu. ~ ~ happening. Well, it was sparked by october the happening. Well, it was sparked by october the 7th. Happening. Well, it was sparked by october the 7th. Nothing happening. Well, it was sparked by october the 7th. Nothing justifies october the 7th. Nothing Ustifies This Mass Murder fl october the 7th. Nothing Ustifies This Mass Murder of october the 7th. Nothing jUstifies This Mass Murder of civilians. October the 7th. Nothing justifies l this mass murder of civilians. More than 6500, 2700 of them are children, nothing justifies the Carpet Bombing of entire civilian areas. Nothing justifies cutting water, food, electricity, fuel from hospitals. Nothing justifies that we still have 1000 people under rubble. People are hearing the cries of people under rubble and we have no rescue teams, they have been targeted, our medical sector is collapsing, nothing justifies this, so please let us not refer to this as being about the 7th of october, what is happening now could not be justified by any standards. Number two, we are, for an immediate ceasefire since this began. Ceasefire for these war crimes, crimes against humanity, this is such a dark moment for humanity, for all of us, for our international system. When the world fails to call for a ceasefire and we hear some western governments including the us and the uk calling for a pause. Pause for war crimes and crimes against humanity, really . We cannot enforce now, right now . And we still hear leaders like the uk Prime Minister saying israel has the right to defend itself after all that we have seen in the last 21 self defence . Is threatening the lives of 130 babies in a committee is now because they are running out of fuel in hospitals, is that self defence . Forcing 1 Million People out of their homes and then bombarding them in the south, is that the right to self defence . This is self defence . And what about the warning by the International Community that Infectious Diseases are breaking out Infectious Diseases are breaking out in gaza because of the Sewage System in gaza because of the Sewage System in the streets, because people are drinking contaminated water and sea water . This an act of self defence . All of this is war crimes in the world is watching, everyone is watching. World is watching, everyone is watchinu. , world is watching, everyone is watching world is watching, everyone is i watching. This world is watching, everyone is watching. This is watching. Nobody denies. This is a dark moment watching. Nobody denies. This is a dark moment. Well, watching. Nobody denies. This is a dark moment. Well, nobody watching. Nobody denies. This is a dark moment. Well, nobody can watching. Nobody denies. This is a l dark moment. Well, nobody can deny the darkness dark moment. Well, nobody can deny the darkness of dark moment. Well, nobody can deny the darkness of the dark moment. Well, nobody can deny the darkness of the moment dark moment. Well, nobody can deny the darkness of the moment for the darkness of the moment for palestinians. The images are there, we have been day in were reporting every day the rising death toll, what the United Nations described as a humanitarian catastrophe, but we saw yesterday at the un security council, israel underlining, that try by israel is being repeated by western leaders, saying that israel has a right to reply because it was attacked and it feels it needs to protect its citizens and protect its borders. Really . But what we just had from Netanyahu The War Criminal announcing in his televised message that he has killed hundreds of hamas fighters . Liar. Everybody in the world knows that he has Killed Thousands. World knows that he has Killed Thousands. World knows that he has killed| thousands. Of world knows that he has Killed Thousands. Of the thousands. Lets have a. Of the children thousands. Lets have a. Of the children of thousands. Lets have a. Of the children of our thousands. Lets have a. Of the children of our families, thousands. Lets have a. Of the children of our families, he thousands. Lets have a. Of the children of our families, he has children of ourfamilies, he has wiped out entire families, he has targeted hospitals, churches. So the conversation should not be about the cemetery, there is no equity between occupied an occupier and there is no equity between a non state actor like hamas and estate like israel. The world has failed yet again. And what is this talk about the right to self defence . Dont we have a right to defend ourselves . Look what is happening in the west bank. Youre youre injerusalem now, they may have the carnage by the seffa militias, more than 100 palestinians were killed. Do we have the right to defend ourselves . Should be set in the west bank waiting for these settlers to come and attack us . Should we defend ourselves or not . Lets have a conversation rather than. We understand that anger, that anger has gone around the world, there have been protests filling the streets in many cities, anger at what is happening to the palestinians, but you are a representative of the palestinian authority, what can be done with my because these are the discussions behind the scenes, as you know, israel will not accept a ceasefire, what is the best possible option now . We have heard at the un a proposal for now . We have heard at the Un A Proposalfor a pause now . We have heard at the un a proposal for a pause for now . We have heard at the Un A Proposalfor a pause for a humanitarian proposal for a pause for a humanitarian ceasefire, a proposalfor a pause for a humanitarian ceasefire, a number of pauses perhaps discussed at the eu meeting in brussels. In many capitals, many leaders are trying to find a way to ease the suffering of palestinians. What at this time is the best available option to protect the best available option to protect the civilians, to get aid to the civilians . , the civilians, to get aid to the civilians . The civilians, to get aid to the civilians . ,. ,. , civilians . Number one, immediate unconditional civilians . Number one, Immediate Unconditional Ceasefire civilians . Number one, Immediate Unconditional Ceasefire of civilians . Number one, Immediate Unconditional Ceasefire of these i unconditional ceasefire of these atrocious murderous air strikes against our people, civilians. Number two, against our people, civilians. Numbertwo, immediate and immense global operation, humanitarian operation to relieve the suffering. We have no rescue teams, people are still alive and shouting that we need humanitarian en masse from all directions to elevate this unprecedented human suffering. Number three, we need to turn this tragedy into a moment of hope for the billions of people in palestine and worldwide. I have seen the Hundreds Of Thousands of the uk calling for justice. Hundreds of thousands of the uk calling forjustice. I just look at the opinion poll this morning that 76 of the british people call for an immediate ceasefire, we need to do that. We need to focus on the root causes, turn this into a momentum for peace and end this illegality and injustice once and for all, call illegality and injustice once and forall, Call Foran Illegality and injustice once and for all, call for an International Peace conference to promote international resolutions, not negotiate them. International resolutions, not neuotiatethem. , negotiate them. Mahmoud abbas, the head of the palestinian negotiate them. Mahmoud abbas, the head of the palestinian authority, head of the palestinian authority, has spoken tojoe boutin, there was concern already for the day after, are you being asked to go in to try to run gaza when this is over, whenever that is . The to run gaza when this is over, whenever that is . To run gaza when this is over, whenever that is . The plo is the sole legitimate whenever that is . The plo is the sole legitimate representative i whenever that is . The plo is the sole legitimate representative of| sole legitimate representative of the palestinian people, and the plo as liberation in it. We will run palestine and our people in a liberated state of palestine that includes the west bank, jerusalem and gaza and we would be running a country that will once again be a bridge between civilisations and a source of stability, but not the way israel wants. We are not running a country on the corpses of our people. These commonalities have to end. This has to be of peace has to prevail but not based on a show of power by israel on the bodies of our civilians. Peace can only prevail when they recognise the legitimate birth rates of a nation that has been denied for more than 100 years. This is the moment to recognise that the only way forward is to craft a different path, to give the people hope for a different future, and i tell you, we can. I see people everywhere, i hear messages from everyone, everyone now needs one thing, that we can provide a different path. Countries like the us in the uk should be busy providing that different path right at this moment. We providing that different path right at this moment. Providing that different path right at this moment. ~ ,. ,. , at this moment. We understand your anuer at this moment. We understand your anger about at this moment. We understand your anger about the at this moment. We understand your anger about the current at this moment. We understand your anger about the current situation, i anger about the current situation, we will speak to you again and when we will speak to you again and when we want to discuss the future, will also have to discuss the protests that have been in the west bank against the palestinian authority, that you also have to think about the future. And i was a time of crisis and thank you for sharing your views on how to move forward and how to address the real needs and how to address the real needs and the suffering of the palestinians. Thank you forjoining us. Around the world and across the uk, this is bbc news. Lets take a look at some stories making the news in the uk. Accommodation costs use up almost all the average Maintenance Loan received by University Students in england says Student Housing charity unipol. In the last two years the average student rent has gone up by more than 14 while Maintenance Loans have risen by 5. 2 . The government could face a judicial review after excluding some Health Workers from a one off bonus. It was intended to recognise work carried out since the covid pandemic. But thousands of outsourced staff, such as Community Nurses and physiotherapists, wont receive it. For the first time in years the Remembrance Poppy has undergone a change. The new flowers for the Royal British legions annual appeal are entirely plastic free and can be recycled. Youre live with bbc news. The Israeli Military now says the number of people confirmed to be held hostage in gaza has now risen to 224 and could rise further. Earlier i spoke to stephen ryan, whos the Crisis Communications coordinator at the International Committee of the red cross here injerusalem. This is a highly risky operation to try to free them and that is why negotiations have been going on mediated by states like gulf state of qatar. One of the challenges of rescuing hostages, we can speak to a subterranean warfare and International Law expert, professor at the Reichmann University and she joins us now from tel aviv. Welcome to bbc news. I suppose the first thing is, that although israel seems to be gathering intelligence about where the hostages may be hell, that might be the first challenge, just exactly knowing where they are and how they are dispersed. The hostages ma not be how they are dispersed. The hostages may not be the how they are dispersed. The hostages may not be the first how they are dispersed. The hostages may not be the first challenge, i may not be the first challenge, think it is the last challenge. Hamas is a Terrorist Organisation that has deliberately decided to set p that has deliberately decided to set up its Military Infrastructure under a civilian populated area, and of Civilian Population, and schools and its tunnels and subterranean passageways crisscross the entire gaza strip and zigzag, and they include everything that would have, we possess from ammunition to a command and control centre, and all their weapons. Command and control centre, and all theirweapons. Its command and control centre, and all their weapons. Its no surprise that hamas chose to hold the hostages inside these tunnels. Hamas has integrated internal warfare as part of its strategy for almost two decades and it has p