The casualties that we saw. Israel is at war. We didnt want this war. It was forced upon us. But though israel did not start this war, israel will finish it. That is the path to hell if we are in that zero sum place. Im, like, really in fear. Ijust have the thought of me dying in a bomb in gaza. How do you protect these civilians and also allow israel to respond. The way it wants to respond . This situation didnt come out of nowhere, though. Do i think the west could have done more . Yes. I think arab countries could have done more as well. Why is this happening now and what does it mean for the future of the entire middle east . This is one of the most complex and long running conflicts in human history. So how did we end up here . Hamas is an arabic acronym, its short for harakat al muqawamah al islamiyyah, meaning the Islamic Resistance movement. They are a Palestinian Islamist group dedicated to the destruction of israel. Elected to power in 2006 and fully taking control the following year, they have been ruling gaza ever since. Hamas has been proscribed as a bad Terrorist Organisation by the uk, us, and the eu, along with other countries. They say this is just 20 of the Weapons Hamas brought into israel, and it isjust a fraction of what Israeli Forces will face when they go into gaza. Gaza, also referred to as the gaza strip, is a narrow 365 Square Kilometre coastal piece of land bordered by the mediterranean, egypt, and israel. Its one of the most densely popular to territories in the world, its one of the most densely populated territories in the world, home to 2. 3 Million People. With me is daniel levy who is president of the Us Middle East project based in the us but, more importantly, he part of the Peace Negotiating Team of israel during earlier talks. What no one will tell you today is the Israeli Security establishment has been dealing with hamas for the 16 years its been in charge in gaza, whether it is ceaseless, whether it is ceasefires, prolonged periods of calm. Israel has called up over 300,000 reservists ready to move in. And the worst, the images and the realities of whats happening to the palestinians, as this is prolonged get. Because if israel has formed war cabinet i doubt that is with the attention is limited time duration. It feels like theyre setting up for something that really has longevity and therefore an expansiveness to it. The elected head of the provisional government, david ben gurion, arrives to read the proclamation of a new nation. This conflict has deep roots in history. The state of israel was declared in 1948 as a home forjews, many of whom had left europe for the middle east following the horrors of the holocaust. The refugees from memories of war scarred europe land in a country already in the grip a bitter racial strife. But this is land claimed historically by palestinian arabs as well as jews. And during the heavy fighting that followed the declaration, thousands of palestinians were forced out of their homes, never to return. Many of their descendants still live in refugee camps. To this day, palestinians refer to that event as � al nakba, arabic for � the catastrophe�. Problems did follow. From gaza, hamas has waged several wars with israel since it came to power. The most recent being in may 2021 when hundreds died during 11 days of fighting. Rym momtaz is a specialist in middle eastern politics. Is it actually possible for israel to remove the Military Threat of hamas without becoming an Army Of Occupation in gaza, which hasnt worked in the past . Israel has tried in the last 15 years to remove hamas as a at least as a military organisation. This time around they seem to have a plan that is even harder than all of their previous attempts. But it does look like a very difficult operation to pull off, especially if they have to respect International Law as they do and as the United States and other countries are reminding them to do. And if Palestinian Civilians are not going to be collectively punished for whatjust happened and what hamas did against israeli civilians. Hamas does not represent all palestinians. In the west bank, which is bordered by the dead sea and neighbours jordan and israel, palestinians are not governed by hamas, they are governed by the palestinian authority, which does recognise israels right to exist. This latest outbreak of violence is unprecedented in its scale and its ferocity. Why is that . What happened is that we tend to rely on our intelligence and maybe we give too much credit to the israeli intelligence. Israels spy agencies have a formidable reputation. Together with the military they have invested hugely in surveillance on their enemies, including a high tech border wall with gaza, which didnt work. Israeli planners failed to correctly assess the dangers on the southern border. Its been described as a failure of imagination. Major general giora eiland was Israels National Security chief. We give so much credit to the intelligence, whether it is said explicitly or not to our soldiers, the soldiers began to understand if there is a real threat, some imminent threat, then the intelligence would probably let them know in advance and if such an Early Warning is not delivered to them, it means that there is probably nothing. Israel has recently spent over 1 billion trying to secure the border with gaza. It was supposed to be one of the most advanced defensive barriers in the world. As well as high fences, barbed wire, and concrete barriers, above and below ground, there are watchtowers dotted along the whole line, they are loaded with cameras, radios, alarms, and automatic response weapons. The whole idea was that the system, known as the iron wall, was supposed to detect and suppress attacks, both above and below ground with minimal human involvement. Each time hamas develop new weapons, israel found a response using technology. This time, though, hamas attacked in a automated manner, in a coordinated manner, using both technology and brute force, both on the ground and in the air. This is footage from one of their uavs, remotely piloted drones during the surprise raid, taking out the automatic weapon on a watchtower. This happened in several locations along the border. What did you think was the main factor behind the catastrophic success of hamas� s raid on october 7 into southern israel . The biggest mistake is actually matters. Number one is the intelligence, it has all the tools and technological capabilities, for some reason either did not see the signs or did see the signs. The second thing is that if there was some Early Warning, even very low one, they have enough troops on their hands so they can tell the soldiers to sleep less and be ready. They can call some uavs and other sophisticated weapons from the general staff and to make sure that they are ready and the fact that such a decision was not made, i believe this is the biggest mistake and even bigger than the mistake of the intelligence. Hamas has had extensive training and funding from iran. This footage shows hamas� s and defence system. Using tunnels and cellars, hamas fighters. While dozens of drones, rockets, and missiles for this attack. Just as with the Yom Kippur War 50 years ago, israel was uniquely vulnerable. The attack by hamas coinciding with a religious festival of sukkot and Thejewish Holiday of simchat torah. Israeli jews were celebrating. Nobody was worrying unduly about the gaza border. That was thought to be secure. That illusion of security was evident at a Music Festival attended by young people in the desert close to the gaza border fence. It was about to become a scene of horror as hamas chased and gunned down young revellers in cold blood. Everybody started running in panic. After the guy that came to tell us, to take a phone, thats it. As israel mourns its fallen, the country is now officially at war. An Israeli Ground incursion into gaza is widely expected. This event is probably the biggest test of the state of israel ever. We must achieve a full surrender of hamas with no conditions. And here there are two different courses of action. The first one is, of course, to carry out a large scale ground operation, and to try to occupy to conquer every place in gaza, and to clean every tunnel and every building and every position. But im not sure that this is the best possible option. The best of the better course of action is to do what we began to do. And this is to remove the civilian population from the area, we already told 1. 1 Million People live in the city of gaza, and around gaza, to move to the south of gaza. Are you saying that the the priority for israels military objectives is so strong that the humanitarian concerns of the population of gaza, the non fighters, the civilian population, doesnt matter its just Collateral Damage . I am not saying it. Im saying again, on the contrary, im saying all the civilian people in gaza, number one, have to leave the northern part of gaza, as they were officially directed by the Israeli Defence forces. And if we want to be on the safer side, then everybody in the world should persuade egypt to open the border between gaza and egypt and let these people enter egypt, at least temporarily. Butjust before this attack, israel had become a divided nation. Voters had been asked to go to the polls five times in the space of less than four years. Prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu finally broke the stalemate at the end of last year, and formed a coalition with his ultranationalist and ultrareligious allies. Lchaim. Sitting at the cabinet table, hardliner itamar ben gvir, known for his uncompromising attitude to palestinians, as israeli settlements spread across the west bank. The coalition focused on an overhaul of the justice system, undermining the supreme courtjustices. Critics say this was a threat to israeli democracy. Democratiyah all chant democratiyah mass protests followed all of the country. With all this domestic turbulence, the government was distracted. Israel is largely united in its determination to end the constant threat from hamas. It now has an emergency government of national unity. Translation this is the first| meeting of the emergency unity government. Hamas thought we would collapse. We will break down hamas. Large parts of gaza are now in ruins, pummelled by israeli airstrikes as it seeks to dismantle hamas� war machine. The hamas leadership must have known that this pain and suffering was coming. The amounts were talking about more than 1 Million People that are being asked to move is more than the nakba. So what the palestinians call the catastrophe. There is generational trauma there, with multiple generations of palestinians who have been displaced. And so they are very reluctant to move. Because they think they wont ever go back to their homeland. So what is the solution . You know, that is one of the big difficulties of this situation, just how complex the situation is. You know, how do you protect the civilians, and also allow israel to respond the way it wants to respond the want it wants to respond to hamas and its attacks against it . Diplomats in europe and the us are working on this issue in particular, trying to figure out what they can broker between the israeli stated objective of decimating hamas, so it can never attack israel this way, and also protecting Palestinian Civilians. The impact of the war on ordinary people in gaza is catastrophic. You cannot ask people to move out of harms way without assisting them to do it, to go to places of their choice, where they want to be safe, and with the humanitarian aid that they need to make that journey safely. How realistic is it, do you think, to expect egypt to take in all these palestinians from gaza that israel is asking it to . Well, as you know, that is a long standing thing that egypt hasnt wanted to do for a long time, because there are concerns on the egyptian side, just as there are on the palestinian side, that the displacement would be not temporary, but would become something that is long term, and permanent. So up until now, the egyptian leadership doesnt seem to be at all open to that option, but there is a lot of pressure from the us, from the european countries, for egypt to open that border, and allow massive amounts of Palestinian Civilians to cross over. I am like, really in fear, and, like, every every time ijust have to have the thought of me, dying, in a bomb, in gaza. Like, its its not a good thing. Everyplace i go, i run away, ijust find bombs and i find dead people. And like, maybe one day i will end up like them, but its a really scary thing for me. So if this incursion goes ahead into at least part of gaza, what do you expect to happen . Either they allow enough time for a brokered solution to get enough Palestinian Civilians out, as many as possible, or they decide they have to go at one point, and do a ground invasion, that will have to be door to door, building to building, if they really want to root out hamas. If they do manage to achieve that, what do they do next with gaza . What happens next in the west bank is key. Its already been the scene of violent clashes between palestinians and israelis. Allahu akbar and also the army. At the moment, israel is saying it will clear a significant section, half the population of gaza, into another part of gaza. The west bank is not going to stay quiet. There are already in the several dozen palestinians who have been killed either by Israeli Military or armed settlers, while everyones attention has been on gaza. Does this spread Inside Israel proper . So i think we have to just be cognisant of the fact that this may be quite a different Israeli Palestinian landscape at the end of this. How achievable, do you think, israels aims are, in terms of eliminating hamas� Military Capability . I think we are even a different place to that. Because it feels, as of the moment we are talking, like the question of Who Will Run Gaza after this . What will gaza look like . Will there be a Second Mass Displacement the nakba from the palestinian collective memory of palestinians in gaza . Hamas have called for all palestinians to set up and fight israel. That hasnt happened yet. Then there is the tense border with lebanon. Gunfire. Massed on the other side of it are the forces of hezbollah, a powerful militia that has also fought wars with israel. If hezbollah decides to join in the fight this time, then israel will find itself waging two wars on two fronts. Bronwen maddox runs london based think tank Chatham House and is an expert on geopolitics. Bronwen, what are the risks that this could metastasise into something much bigger, that affects the whole region . It depends partly on iran and whether iran wants this to happen at the risk of a full on war with israel. And that is properly the single greatest risk that could spread this beyond what is happening at the moment. At the other hand, also dependent on what other countries have been looking at, and just trying to pour as much reassurance or discouragement as they can in Different Directions on hezbollah, on lebanon, and on israel itself. Lebanons border with israel, regularly patrolled by un peacekeepers, has been the location of cross border fire with hezbollah since the attacks. We are seeing a kind of engagement and firefight between israel and militant groups working and operating out of lebanon, whether its hezbollah or the other palestinian militant groups, in a way we havent seen in previous wars in gaza. And that is something to keep in mind. Weve also seen Deterrent Bombing by by deterrent strikes by israel, against syria, to make sure that another front, whether from the Golan Heights in syria Orfrom Lebanon is opened. Weve also seen the us take quite and unusual step by sending a Carrier Strike group its biggest Carrier Strike group being deployed to the eastern mediterranean. One major diplomatic casualty is the planned us brokered deal to get saudi arabia to normalise relations with israel. We have been working on Helping Israel and saudi arabia normalise their relations. This was an israeli delegation in riyadh, only last month the first of its kind, and something unimaginable not so long ago. And just days before the violence flared up, israels tourism minister, haim katz, visited riyadh for a two day trip. Its taken the spotlight of russias war against ukraine, where the countrys support has been on full display in its capital, kyiv. Translation i think many would agree with me that its a vivid failure of the us policy in the middle east. Where does russia stand on all this . Because russia, of course, is fighting a full scale war in ukraine. Absolutely delighted. I think for its own reasons although this doesnt mean they encouraged hamas to do it but it helps take the wests attention away from the ukraine complex and very possibly take away their willingness to keep supporting ukraine. Because if the us has to choose between money and support for ukraine and israel, there is no question it is israel. Do you think there is more that the west could have done to restrain, up until then, israels policies in the west bank, which are partly contributed to a lot of palestinian frustration . Do i think the west could have done more . Yes. That is quite specifically the us. I think arab countries could have done more, as well, to try to bring about some kind of deal, in the absence of good palestinian leadership, to advance this. It has been some years since they seemed really involved in this. But there is no question that israel moving its settlements forward on the west bank, taking land that would otherwise be available to be part of a palestinian state, that has made talk of an actual resolution, an agreed resolution between israel and the palestinians, extraordinarily hard, and that gets harder every year. Translation this is a war for our home. I it must end with one thing in total victory. This has kind of been presented as either israel will have to undertake a mass killing and second nakba of palestinians, or it faces a second holocaust. That is the path to hell if we are in that zero sum place. I dont see it like that. Israel is a Strong Military power. I fear that the signals that have come from western leaders who have only recognised the humanity, pain, and suffering of israelis as well they should but they failed to recognise the humanity, pain, and suffering of palestinians, which is encouraging the escalation. If this spreads from gaza, west bank, eastjerusalem, al aqsa, Inside Israel, i find it hard to believe that under those conditions you wont have external parties, the Obvious One Being hezbollah in lebanon. And by extension further out, will it bring in iran, Iraqi Militias . What needs to happen if we are not to go down a path which i think will find israel in a place that does an increase in security is not going to be generated just from within. 0k . The only way we can get into a deescalation is if you have responsible outsiders bringing a fire extinguisher, not a gas canister. I hope the images we are seeing, and how bad this could become, means that countries which have more traction with israel, especially the United States, of course, to try to walk this back. Whatever solution they come up with, time is ticking, and iran is ramping up the rhetoric. Translation in case this crime continues, i muslims and Resistance Forces will become impatient and nothing can stop them. Israel has the right and indeed the duty to defend its people from hamas and other terrorists and to prevent future attacks. What happens in the coming months will help decide if this troubled region is ever going to see a just and equitable peace between israel and the palestinians. Hello. Its still raining heavily and persistently across parts of the uk. So lets start with the Important Message and that red warning from the met office is still in force for parts of eastern scotland. It means danger to life. Its valid until 6 00 pm this evening, as is this much wider Amber Warning in eastern scotland. 100 millimetres of rain, further 100 millimetres of rain possible. In the north of scotland, this Amber Warning is valid until 10 00 pm today and you can see that rainfall here, heavy and persistent. And this has been the trouble over the last few days. Its this wind, this southeasterly Gale Force Wind thats been stuck across this part of the world. It keeps pushing in those rain clouds and dumping all of that rain in the same spot. To the south of that, its brighter, some sunny spells, but we have showers in the forecast for parts of east anglia and the south east where it will remain cloudy, damp, with heavy showers at times. So through the course of the evening and overnight, finally, that persistent rain clears to the north of scotland. The skies are clear. The winds will ease as well and the temperatures will drop. So were talking about a pretty chilly morning, quite a chilly start to sunday, three degrees in aberdeen, two in newcastle, around 5 to 9 degrees across the bulk of england and wales as well as northern ireland. So heres the weather map for sunday. That troublesome low with its persistent rain has finally shifted to the north. Itll be just to the north of scotland. Were actually in between Weather Systems on sunday. So a good deal of dry, bright weather. Im very pleased to report. In fact, the best of the weather will probably be around some of these eastern coasts. The wind will have changed direction as well, coming more out of the west, southwest. Temperatures around 12 degrees in the Lowlands Of Scotland will match that in belfast, liverpool, about 1k and around 15 or so in the southeast. And then into monday, were expecting another very rainy area of low pressure to sweep in from the south. Itll be with us into tuesday as well. And actually, there are many low pressures out in the atlantic ready to come our way. So, yes, a bit ofa break, ithink, tomorrow with some sunny spells. But overall, the Weather Pattern is looking distinctly wet and windy in the coming days. Bye bye. Live from london, this is bbc news. The first trucks since israels war on hamas began start crossing from egypt into gaza, carrying desperately needed aid. Here is a live shot looking at northern gaza, where smoke has been rising into the sky after explosions. The un chief again pushes for a humanitarian ceasefire at a Summit In Cairo aimed at ending the diasater in gaza. Live in London Police say up to a 100,000 people have taken to the streets voicing support for palestinians. And storm babet continues to sweep across the uk, with three risk to life flood warnings, and widespread travel disruption. Hello, im rajini vaidyanathan. The first aid trucks have crossed into gaza after the rafah crossing from egypt partially opened this morning throwing a lifeline to gazans. Its not known whether foreign Passport Holders and dual nationals will be allowed to leave. These latest pictures show the first trucks entering, loaded with food, water and medicine, which are desperately needed by civilians inside gaza. Its unclear how long it will remain open. Israel has agreed to let just 20 trucks through. But the un says at least 100 aid trucks are needed
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