hello, i'm lyse doucet. welcome to our coverage of the israel and gaza war with all the latest updates this hour. israel's army says it conducted a fresh ground incursion into gaza overnight to target hamas fighters. it said infantry and armoured units were accompanied by helicopter gunships as they entered eastern gaza city. anti tank—guided missile launch sites and command and control centres were hit. the army said all israeli troops exited the area with no injuries. this is the second ground incursion in as many days. the israeli prime minister benjamin netanyahu has insisted a full offensive is coming. but he said the date had yet to be determined. the main un agency in the gaza strip is again warning its humanitirian work is becoming more difficult because of a lack of fuel in the territory. unrwa says it's having to drastically limit its consumption of fuel, which is seriously affecting what aid it can provide to people in gaza. but first, let's get more on deepening humanitarian crisis in gaza, unrwa's commissioner general philippe lazzarini has been speaking. let's hearfrom him. gaza is on the brink of a massive health hazard as the risk of diseases are looming. a few days ago, i warned that we will not be able to continue our humanitarian operation if we do not get the fuel supply. my warning still stands. over the last few days, unwra has drastically limited its consumption of fuel. but this came at a cost. our team had to make a tough decision that no humanitarian workers should do. sounding and dire warning about the situation in gaza. well, earlier i spoke to unrwa spokesperson, tamara alrifai. i asked what her top priority was in using the very limited fuel supplies at their disposal. everything is a priority, because right now the question we are asking is, should we unplug incubators for premature babies in hospitals? should we stop providing fuel to the bakeries, knowing around i million people only get one piece of bread per day. should we stop pumping clean water through our desalination plants. that's the only way for people to drink water that is not contaminated. so this is the state of discussions that we have as aid workers, and it's really excruciating to have to ask ourselves these questions. is there anywhere else that you can go to get aid? are there some of the many charities working in gaza who have fuel storage? and israel says that you should get your fuel from hamas. they say hamas does have fuel stocks but they are not sharing them. we cannot talk about what others have in gaza, including hamas. but we should not be begging warring parties for fuel anyway. we are an independent un organisation that vets very strictly our venders and our beneficiaries, and we deliver our aid directly. we should have our own resources. to put us in such a squeezed place and then tell us that one party, hamas, has fuel, go and get it there, knowing what can come later if we effectively take this fuel is really disingenuous and dishonest. are there any glimmers of hope? we can imagine talks are intensifying around the clock the clock with many capitals, including amman, including the us to try and pressure israel, to find a way around this and to reassure israel that its main concern seems to be that any fuel that gets in will be diverted by hamas. is there a third way out of this in order to carry on those critical operations that you carry out there? there's not going to be a way to conduct humanitarian operations without additional fuel coming into gaza and given to unrwa. we are the largest un agency in gaza and we support bakeries, water plants, hospitals. our own trucks that bring in the supplies, that meagre trickle of aid supplies coming in from egypt, it's our trucks that bring it in and distribute it. therefore we are still addressing the israeli authorities directly but also asking friendly governments and governments who do influence or can influence israel to step in. you mentioned the us but there is also the european union, germany, the uk. we are talking and in discussions with countries that can help push the point across and we guarantee that we will take care of our own fuel and only use it for humanitarian purposes. aside from fuel, what about the food, the water, medicine that has been approved? the un has criticised that there is just not enough. but is it being stepped up? it's not being stepped up. the logistical and security conditions are very, very complex. so to give you an example. it took two weeks of shuttle diplomacy and intense political negotiations at the highest levels to get in a total of 7a trucks of aid over the last four days. in terms of context, before this current crisis, gaza used to receive 500 trucks per day of food and other supplies. 70% of people in gaza already relied on food assistance, humanitarian food assistance. imagine their situation now with i million of them in this place, 600,000 of them inside unrwa shelters where they only have access to what we can provide them with, which is at times one piece of bread per day. 7a trucks in four days is very very far from what the people of gaza need. and a unrwa spokesman on the dire situation. there's been other developments over beyond israel and gaza. let's get more on the us strikes in eastern syria overnight on facilities used by iran's revolutionary guards. officials said the strikes hit weapons and ammunition storage facilities near the border with iraq and were carried out by f—i6 fighterjets using precision munitions. in a statement the secretary of defense, lloyd austin, described them as �*precision self—defence strikes in response to a series of ongoing and mostly unsuccessful attacks against us personnel in iraq and syria by iranian—backed militia groups that began on october 17th. the pentagon said at least 16 attacks had injured more than 20 us military personnel in recent weeks. the us have in making their own preparations amidst concerns that this crisis could spiral out of control and the pentagon says they are moving around 900 troops in the region amid fears that the conflict could spread. in israel and gaza we have heard from the israeli defence forces again, saying they have carried out again, saying they have carried out a second ground incursion into the gaza strip. limited ground attacks. the idf say this helps them prepare themselves for what is still widely expected to be a much wider ground attack although that is the subject of intense discussion in the public in israel but also behind the scenes, amongst israeli political and military planners and we know they are being aided by senior us officials. live now to our correspondent wyre davies, he's in southern israel. first of all, the second night in a row that the idf has carried out these land incursions into gaza. they may have carried out them before but not told us but now they are giving details. what struck you as different about this one overnight? figs as different about this one overnight?— as different about this one overniuht? ~ , i. as different about this one overniuht? �* , ,, ., overnight? as you said, there have been two admitted _ overnight? as you said, there have been two admitted will _ overnight? as you said, there have been two admitted will incursions i overnight? as you said, there have. been two admitted will incursions by israeli troops in the last couple of nights in the first was in northern gaza and the second one you are talking about was another land incursion further towards central gaza and involves several ground troops and tanks and the idf, the army, said it was aimed at a specific set targets, hamas —related targets the central part of gaza not far from the border fence and the idf said the objective was met and the target was destroyed and there were no israeli casualties, but this is the second and savage —— consecutive night. the first night there were significant in more vehicles involved including tanks and bulldozers and the israeli government said its been part of the process of laying a path what might be to come clearing minefields close to the border and hamas positions closer to the border and also last night the israeli said they killed a senior commander, a deputy hamas commander who israel said was directly involved in preparing the attacks on october the 7th when thousands of hamas armed men broke through the fences and ended up killing moo israelis. israel is not just taking out sites and hamas targets where it can identify senior operatives, it's also in the words of israel, is neutralising them as well. �* . well. and all the time mindful in its on the mind _ well. and all the time mindful in its on the mind of— well. and all the time mindful in its on the mind of the _ well. and all the time mindful in its on the mind of the israeli - its on the mind of the israeli publics is the fate of the hostages who are being held in the gaza strip either by hamas or islamichhad. yet again to her —— today the number was revised upwards with the israeli military saying they could confirm there were 229 hostages and you've been speaking to relatives, the relatives of one of the hostages who did get out, but also to other families and the impression is that this is a growing political pressure in israel that the israeli army will have to take account of as people want the hostages to come home before there is a widening war. you are uuite before there is a widening war. 7m. are quite right. up before there is a widening war. 7m, are quite right. up at this point benjamin netanyahu's any preoccupation would have been that once israel's objective was to defeat hamas was when the ground invasion started and were almost three weeks away from the start of the war, the ground invasion has not happened in one of the considerations, as you say, is the fate of those 220 plus hostages. not all israelis, many of them british and other nationalities as well and many of them are thai workers working on some of the kibbutz when they were abducted, so there's a lot of international and domestic israeli pressure which is growing. i spoke to a woman last night, a relative of the two elderly women who were released last week and she has made it abundantly clear that she thinks benjamin netanyahu's war aims should take a back seat until hostages are released. and we heard joe biden speaking in israel last week that it was his number one priority as well. there's an awful lot of diplomatic pressure on benjamin netanyahu to think about things before he launches his full—scale invasion because it will undoubtedly have an impact on the hostages themselves. find undoubtedly have an impact on the hostages themselves.— undoubtedly have an impact on the hostages themselves. and of course there will be — hostages themselves. and of course there will be concerned _ hostages themselves. and of course there will be concerned that - hostages themselves. and of course there will be concerned that hamas, in the same way it made extensive preparations for that unprecedented attack on southern israel on october the 7th, you must have prepared for what it would know would be retaliation animal rockets could be fired into southern israel where you are now, once a bigger war gets under way even though, as you have seen, so many people have moved away from the immediate border zone. yes. from the immediate border zone. yes, there's been — from the immediate border zone. yes, there's been a — from the immediate border zone. yes, there's been a lot _ from the immediate border zone. yes, there's been a lot of _ from the immediate border zone. ye: there's been a lot of speculation about what hamas has left in the armoury but hamas has proved itself to be a sophisticated military organisation, a terrorist organisation, a terrorist organisation, according to the israelis and as americans and governments like the uk, but it was able to plan that invasion into israel on october the 7th when moo israelis were killed, but there must be preparation for what comes next and they will have expected a full israeli invasion and we know there is a network of tunnels under the gaza strip and many of those will contain weaponry and many of the weapons are fired from egress areas and many of the people who get out from gaza into israel do it through tunnels, so the reason israel says it has to go in on the ground is not because it cannot achieve everything from the air, it can weaken hamas and do damage to the infrastructure israel says it will have to go in on the ground to completely defeat hamas and that will be a very different proposition. we know what street fighting is like in gaza and many of us who have covered this war when they go in on the ground, it's a different scenario and there will be many more casualties both civilians in gaza and on the israeli side as well. civilians in gaza and on the israeli side as well-— civilians in gaza and on the israeli side as well. thank you very much for “oininu side as well. thank you very much forjoining us— side as well. thank you very much forjoining us here _ side as well. thank you very much forjoining us here with an - side as well. thank you very much forjoining us here with an update | forjoining us here with an update on the military operations of the israeli army. around the world and across the uk, you are watching bbc news. let's look at some other stories making news. an independent review finds "serious failings" were made by natwest in its treatment of nigel farage when it closed down his bank account. the report said the communication with mr farage did not follow the bank's policies, but found the closure was lawful. data released to the bbc from the government reveals there are almost 3,500 banned dogs living in england, scotland and wales under an exemption scheme. it comes as a ban on xl bullies is expected by the end of the year. a health think tank predicts that waiting lists for non—urgent treatment in england will rise by a quarter of a million, to 8 million, by next august. the report says the increase might even happen without further strikes by doctors. you're live with bbc news. we are reporting in the gaza strip in jerusalem we are reporting in the gaza strip injerusalem and beyond. as we've been reporting this morning, the us says it is carried out air overnight with precision guided missiles on basesin with precision guided missiles on bases in eastern syria which have been used by the iranian revolutionary guard. the us says it was not connected to the israel gaza front and said it did not inform israel, but in this moment of heightened tension and worry that the crisis could widen, there is certainly concern that this is part of these concentric circles. live in beirut is our world affairs editorjohn simpson. we've been speaking in recent days about the risks of a widening war which is on the minds of so many arab leaders and people across the middle east and beyond. those strikes in eastern syria, on the border with iraq, emphasise again just how the repercussions of this could spread. i just how the repercussions of this could spread-— could spread. i think what we are lookin: at could spread. i think what we are looking at in _ could spread. i think what we are looking at in those _ could spread. i think what we are looking at in those attacks - could spread. i think what we are looking at in those attacks are i looking at in those attacks are america's decision to just flick the whip a little bit as far as iran is concerned. there is a clear link between iran and hamas. we know that. the suggestion is that in most times iran actually gives hamas is its instructions in many ways, as it does with hezbollah in lebanon. so this is just, does with hezbollah in lebanon. so this isjust, i think, americans say we are not forgetting the attacks on our own bases in the last few days and we are not forgetting the wider links between hamas and his brother and iran we are here, and we are part of this and we are watching you. i suspect that that is really the basis for the attacks. plus, maybe, you know, the desire to affect the situation on the ground a bit. ~ , ~' affect the situation on the ground a bit. ~ , ~ , , bit. with every week we see these preparations _ bit. with every week we see these preparations by — bit. with every week we see these preparations by the _ bit. with every week we see these preparations by the us _ bit. with every week we see these preparations by the us being - preparations by the us being described as deterrents in the early days of the war but moving strike groups and aircraft carriers into the region and now the pentagon says it is moving around 900 personnel in the region. we heard reports in the us media saying joe biden needed to get the air defences into place, and the longer this goes on, the more concerns about the widening war and the us and others are taking these precautions. the us and others are taking these precautions-— precautions. yes. you see it's important _ precautions. yes. you see it's important for— precautions. yes. you see it's important for president - precautions. yes. you see it's| important for president ryden precautions. yes. you see it's- important for president ryden and the white house to demonstrate that it is the dominant power in this area. that regardless of what is happening on the ground, american military and diplomatic power is what still counts for the middle east. i think it is absolutely essential thatjoe biden feels it is absolutely essential for him to demonstrate this, and how do you do that? you have the aircraft carrier groups just off the coast here and you have the ability to fly air strikes, and it isjust you have the ability to fly air strikes, and it is just a way of saying, look, we are here, we are dominant, we are the powerful entity here. �* , ., dominant, we are the powerful entity here. �* ., ., here. and we spoke to our correspondent _ here. and we spoke to our correspondent who - here. and we spoke to our correspondent who is - here. and we spoke to our correspondent who is in i here. and we spoke to our - correspondent who is in northern israel, along the border with southern lebanon, and she was reporting today that the activity there, the cross—border firing there, the cross—borderfiring is getting much worse by the day. well. getting much worse by the day. well, that is a part — getting much worse by the day. well, that is a part of _ getting much worse by the day. well, that is a part of the _ getting much worse by the day. well, that is a part of the boiling _ getting much worse by the day. -ii that is a part of the boiling up of this crisis. but i think the most important thing at the moment is that nothing is happening. it is really difficult for benjamin netanyahu to launch the attack that he has been promising for a number of reasons. one is because of the lives of the hostages, still around 200 of them, as far as we know. he does not want to be accused of being the prime minister who loses those lives. for obvious, obvious reasons. but also there are other issues here. there's a lot of pressure on israel from the united states to calm it down, not to be too sudden. not to go in with too much force. that same pressure is exerted by the european union, by the british and by a number of other powers who are saying, don't go in. and it makes it rather difficult for netanyahu. it makes it difficult for him to say i'm not going to take any notice of you and i'm going to do what i want to do. so we are in a period of stasis at the moment where nothing very powerful is happening. there are these pinpricks around the place, in gaza itself, in the east of syria, which shows the situation is developing but not in the central way of an all—out attack by the israelis. way of an all-out attack by the israelis. �* , ., u, way of an all-out attack by the israelis. �* , ., . ., ., israelis. behind you we can hear the call to prayer- _ israelis. behind you we can hear the call to prayer. friday _ israelis. behind you we can hear the call to prayer. friday is _ israelis. behind you we can hear the call to prayer. friday is the - israelis. behind you we can hear the call to prayer. friday is the muslim | call to prayer. friday is the muslim day of rest traditionally, days where protests do flare and passions are ignited. early in the crisis, hezbollah called for a day of rage across the region and any sense that there have been any protests of any kind? a, there have been any protests of any kind? �* ., ., ., ., ., , kind? a huge amount of emotion, but my impression — kind? a huge amount of emotion, but my impression is _ kind? a huge amount of emotion, but my impression is that _ kind? a huge amount of emotion, but my impression is that a _ kind? a huge amount of emotion, but my impression is that a lot _ kind? a huge amount of emotion, but my impression is that a lot of - kind? a huge amount of emotion, but my impression is that a lot of that - my impression is that a lot of that emotion is nervousness, actually. fear. fearthat emotion is nervousness, actually. fear. fear that this small, badly governed, badly organised country is going to get dragged in again, and all of its many, many economic and social problems will be exacerbated and as a result, grossly exacerbated. you don't see anybody out of the streets. you don't see parades, you don't see flags, but what you do find when you talk to people is an awful lot of anxiety. john simpson, our world affairs editor, thank you very much for joining us here on bbc news. and thatis joining us here on bbc news. and that is how it is looking this hour. let me show you the live image coming from the gaza skyline. it is a day where we've heard another dire warning from unrwa, the main un agency taking care or trying to take care of palestinian civilians in the gaza strip, saying now with shortages of fuel, dangerously low, that gaza was now on the brink. he also said that the un itself was losing large numbers of its own employees, more than 50 staff members of unrwa have been killed in three weeks of war and we also heard from other charities saying they are finding it difficult to operate. this is bbc news. hello. british summertime comes to an end, as the clocks go back. and we are seeing things very autumnal, unsettled and changeable over the next few days. some heavy downpours of rain for many of us, and blustery wind at times too. low pressure is anchored to the west of us at the moment, so low pressure systems and showers rotating around the low pressure and driving it in and this area of low pressure could be a troublemaker from saturday into sunday but lets look at the rainfall accumulating in the next few days and its eastern scotland that will see the heaviest rain, perhaps a hundred millimetres by the end of saturday, falling on saturated ground so the potential for further flooding problems. today we have the ring sitting across eastern scotland, windy and the north—east and elsewhere some sunshine, particular further south—west at a scattering of showers moving through on the south—west breeze and temperatures between ten and i6 on the south—west breeze and temperatures between ten and 16 for most of us and a bit cooler across the far north of scotland in the clear air. through the evening and overnight we keep cloud and outbreaks of rain for north—east england and scotland, and further south, clear spells and mist and fog patches or central areas but heavy showers around central areas and in the irish sea coast and northern ireland as well. it will not be cold and frost date but it could be a murky start to saturday morning. mist and fog clear away from central uk and we have more cloud and rain for southern scotland and north—east england and a few showers elsewhere but more persistent heavy rain moves in from the south late in the day. some thunderstorms and heavy rain could cause localised flooding across southern england on saturday night. don't forget the clocks go back by one hour in the early hours of sunday morning so 2am becomes iam. through sunday the area of low pressure drifts north but we have the tail end of the front which will sit across eastern scotland where we could really do without even more rainfall accumulating so we could see further flooding problems on sunday and further south, sunshine but around parts of southern england and into wales where we could see the bulk of the heavy, thundery downpours and blustery winds around as well. some sunshine for the likes of eastern england and temperatures in the mid—teens, but it's notjust unsettled to the end of october but the start of november as well and plenty more showers in the forecast. goodbye for now. thing this is bbc news. the headlines... the head of the un agency for palestinian refugees says the last remaining services it's providing in gaza are collapsing as israel continues its siege and bombardment. philippe lazzarini called for urgent, meaningful and uninterrupted aid. israel says it staged another ground incursion into gaza overnight, targeting dozens of hamas targets and killing a senior commander who helped plan the october the 7th attacks. in other news, us fighterjets have struck two targets in syria which the pentagon says were used by iran's revolutionary guard. american officials say they were responding to a number