Narrator funding for this presentation of this program is provided by. Narrator pediatric surgeon. Volunteer. Topiary artist. A Raymond JamesFinancial Advisor tailors vice to help you live your life. Life well planned. Narrator funding was also provided by, the freeman foundation. And by judy and Peter Blum Kovler foundation; pursuing solutions for americas neglected needs. Announcer and now, bbc news. Rajini hello. Im rajini vaidyanathan. You are watching the context on bbc news. I cant tell you whave any decision. We know that the death toll continues to rise in gaza, we know that. But we shouldnt rely on numbers put forward by hamas. Our goal is to completely eradicate hamass capabilities, and we will use every mean at our disposal to accomplish this. How can representatives of states explain how horrible it is that 1000 israelis were killed and not feel the same outrage when 1000 palestinians are now killed every day . Rajini the Hamas Ministry of health in gaza publishes a detailed list after more than 7000 people of the more than 7000 people it says has been killed after israels but marman began. The u. S. Government says that while significant number of people have died, it doesnt trust the figures from hamas. In the program we will also be taking a look at the Lessons Learned from the costly battle from isis battle with isis in iraq as israel prepares for the next age of its military operation in gaza. And we will check in on the diplomatic efforts underway at the United Nations and in brussels, where eu leaders have been discussing action on the israelgaza conflict. We will be live in lewiston, maine, after gunman opened fire at a Bowling Alley and a restaurant, killing 18 people and sparking a massive manhunt. Police say the suspect is still armed and dangerous. The situation in gaza is growing more desperate by the hour, with humanitarian supplies critically low and the death toll jumping by hundreds every day. The hamas controlle what it says are more than 7000 people the hamasntrolled Health Ministry published what it says are more than 7000 People Killed by the israeli strikes. These are the latest pictures which show the destruction in the gaza strip. As you can see, entire blocks of buildings have been destroyed. These satellite images show the area before the seventh of october. Just take a look at this. This is after you can see quite clearly the extent of the damage. Israels military says its Ground Forces carried out a significant incursion in gaza overnight to attack hamas positions. Its release this video showing tanks and armored bulldozers crossing the perimeter fence. Israels ime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, says his aim is to destroy hamas. A spokesman for the Israeli Defense force told the bbc that soldiers carried out the tactical rate towards central gaza to prepare the battlefield for future operations. We begin our coverage with this report from our International Editor jeremy bowen. Jeremy for hours we could hear the explosions around 10 kilometers away insrael. It was the biggest israeli raid into the gaza strip so far in this war. The army released this video instead of the battlefield being prepared presumably for the invasion of gaza that the government says is coming. These soldiers pulled back into israel sometime before dawn. In southern gaza, more rai and death in a place where israel told palestinians to go to be safe. We want to live beautiful lives, not have rockets hitting our heads. The building fell on our heads. The un says nowhere is safe in gaza, and the siege violates the laws of war. Israel has killed thousands of palestinian civilians. Just a few miles away in israel, she lives in one of the communities hamas has attacked. She has photos of some of the fence hamas killed friends hamas killed. This is me. This is one of my friend, and he was murdered. I all the time thinking what they did to them, how they suffered. Jeremy with so much loss, all families, she is furious that israels response is being question. This time we realize that after its us or them. Jeremy if it is us or them, is it ok to ignore International Humanitarian law . Im tired of it, of what the law, the International Law said. The International Law didnt prevent these murders, this brutal murder. Where was the world . People was happy about it, people celebrate. Jeremy around the gaza border, civilian volunteers are bringing home comforts to the troops. The soldiers commanders and it is a waiting game commanders say they are ready and it is a war cabinet until they are ordered into gaza the soldiers i spoke to said that the attacks were legal, morally justified, and vital for the scaredy of their families. Most of the soldier cashed security of their families. Most security of their families. Most of the soldiers were reservists. How long will it take israelis to process this natural trauma, if ever . Generions. I think something broken here. We want to protect. We dont want to fight, we dont want to kill. But if we need to do it, so here we are. Here we are. If you are truly a western person, if you believe in human rights and freedom, it is very obvious you should side with israel. Do you want to side with people who are like you . We are the same. We have the same values of freedom, free speech, women rights. Jeremy aheads complex urban warfare. When might depend on the success or failure of talks to free the hostages. Israelis get behind their soldiers, especially at times like this. Almost everybody has been in the military or has a son or daughter in uniform. Its a different thing when it comes to politicians. Taking israel to war is a new experience for the Prime Minister. Benjamin netanyahus tough talk he said hamas were dead men walking will not impress his Many Political enemies. Israelis, though, are united in their fight against hamas. But there country faces big challenges, and their leader is under crushing pressure. Jeremy bowen, bbc news, in southern israel. Rajini israels militaries raised at the number of people confirmed to 224, and said the number could rise further. So far four hostages have been released by hamas, which is designated a Terror Organization by the u. K. And many other countries. But the armed wing of hamas says as many as 50 of the hostages have been killed in israeli airstrikes. A hamas spokesperson has told the bbc that the groups attack on israel s a military operation, denying it was intending to target civilians. He was talking to our middle east correspondent. There was no command, no command to kill any civilians. Reporter you say this was a minister of russian but the result of yes, because the the areas very wide and there was clashes and competition. Reporter it is not accommodation to evaded houses i can tell you that we didnt have any intention or decision to kill the civilians. Reporter how do you justify killing people as they sleep, families . How do you justify i want to stop this i want to stop this interview. Rajini t Hamas Ministry of health in gaza has published a detailed list of more than 7000 people it says have been killed since israels bombardment of the gaza strip began. The list includes more than 6700 registered names and refers to 281 unidentified bodies. The bbc is not currently able to verify the accuracy of that document. It comes after u. S. President joe biden said on wednesday that he was sure innocents have been killed but that he had no confidence in that the numbers hamas is using for the death toll in gaza. In the last hour the White House National security spokesperson john kirby had this to say. We absolutely know that the death toll continues to rise in gaza. When we are saying is we shouldnt rely on numbers put forward by hamas and the ministry of health. Say status more than 7000. Is there any way to assess it was a pretty dramatic moment when he said we dont have any confidence. We respect that you cannot take hamas aits word, but it appears by all independent journalism that thousands of palestinians have been killed. We would not dispute that. Rajini lets hear more on that from our Diplomatic Correspondent paul adams, who is in jerusalem. You have read that list that has been released by hamas. You have seen the comments coming out of washington as well. What do you make of it all . Paul well, look, clearly hamas decided to publish this list today in an obvious right path obvious riposte to joe biden. It is worth noting that in the past, the figures released by the ministry of health and gaza have generally turned out to be pretty accurate. Yes, the ministry is part of an administration that is run by hamas. Yes, we cannot say with any certainty that hamas have not tried to media plate massage those numbers. All we can say is that the past record has shown that the officials who were in that ministry who are not necessarily hamas members have issued fairly accurate material. Youre right, were never going to be able to verify this, or it is going to be actually difficult. It is a war zone and it will continue to be a war zone for a very long time. Records and graves and homes, all traces of people, frankly, are going to be obliterated in the coming months. We will never probably get to the truth of exactly how many people have been killed. I thought john kirbys last remark was quite telling. Joe biden may say we have no confidence in the numbers, but he did not dispute that thousands upon thousands of people are being killed. Rajini indeed, the humanitarian situation in gaza remains a huge concern, paul. Ive just beeneading that martin griffiths, the u. N. Humanitarian chief, has posted an update on x, formerly twitter, saying that aid is barely trickling into gaza, and he says that the world is failing to meet the bare entitlements of a part of humanity. We have been speaking to you night after night, keeps repeating that things are getting worse, and that getting aid to people who need it remains of a challenge. Is there going to be any movement on that . Is much more aid likely to go through . Paul there is absolutely no sign of that at the moment. Convoys have gone in for the past five days, maybe, but it has been 15 trucks, 25 trucks. This is an absolutely minuscule amount of aid, barely able to change the dial in terms of what is needed. And so the situation instantly getting worse everyday. The u. N. Says it is having to limit the services that it is providing. It has not yet apparently completely run out of fuel, but it says that the stocks of fuel that it has are so low it is having to really look and see what things it can continue to run and what it has to stop doing. Every day we are seeing if you ok at the data that was published by the Health Ministry, you are seeing a chart of rising casualties, with as many as 700 People Killed a couple of days ago, around 450 killed yesterday. There is absolutely no way the u. N. And other agencies operating in gaza can remotely keep up with the pace of events and the scale of what is needed. Rajini paul in jerusalem, thank you very much for the moment. For more on that topic, we can now cross to an author who has written more than 20 books on middle east Security Issues and counterterrorism. Thank you very much for joining us on the bbc. We were saying earlier in the program that the idf conducted what they said was a targeted raid last night in gaza. You follow these issues quite closely. When you look at what happened last night, where do you see things going next in terms of the larger ground incursion . Well, i dont think that that incursion was the first one that has happened, and im certain it wont be the last. I think that the idf is preparing its list of targets, its objectives, and it will operate on a timetable that ensures the safety of its troops, the minimization of civilian casualties, and that its ultimate aim, to decimate hamass military capabilities and make sure that what happened on october 7 never occurs again, will be established for now and for the longterm. Rajini a few weeks ago, two weeks ago, just ever just after the seventh of october, everyone was inches of any an imminent largescale ground offensive from israel. Anticipating an imminent largescale ground offensive from israel but that has yet to happen. Samuel i dont think the military planners are using the timetable set forth by all the worlds news crews that are in israel at the moment. The hostages complicate matters immensely. It is the absolute imperative for the state of israel and for the nations whose citizens are also hostages that they be returned safely and quickly, and those channels are being exhausted at the moment. Israel is continuously it has provided israel with a bit of time to selectively hit military targets by the hair and make the effort on the ground a little easier, and it has also put a lot of political pressure on hamas, because the longer the captives are held prisoner, the less it is able to count on future political support, if any, from its benefactors in qatar and throughout the middle east. Rajini just reading from the Reuters News Agency that 900 additional u. S. Troops are headg to the middle east or have nearly arrived to bolster air defenses to protect u. S. Personnel amid attacks in the region by iranianaffiliated groups. That has come from the pentagon. What do you make of that . El well, what is happening in gaza, the skirmishes along israels northern front, are part of what many think was going to be a coordinated strike against israel from hamas and hezbollah. The fact that the attack happened on october 7 and a time when politically in israel things were getting quite difficult with political strife between the left and the right and those who oppose netanyahu and those who supported him, one has to assume that the timing of the attack had everything to do with the advancement of israelsaudi peace talks, peace talks that would have established a new middle east, one that would have taken the islamic argument away from hamas and the Islamic Jihad and tear on and tehran and would have rendered them obsolete. That in many ways was a point of no return for them. As they embark on this horrific attack they embarked on this horrific attack and the consequences are being felt now. Rajini thank you for sharing your perspective on the story. Samuel thank you. Rajini around the world and across the u. K. , this is bbc news. And look at other stories making the news. Constance martin and her partner, mark gordon, have pleaded not guilty to charges over the death of their two month old baby. The body was discovered in a brighton shed after a weeklong Police Search for the family. Appearing at the old bailey, the couple pleaded not guilty to manslaughter. The government is facing legal action after it excluded some Health Workers from a runof it was part of a pay deal that recognize the pressure of the covid pandemic on staff. Thousands of outsourced staff such as Community Nurses and physiotherapists will not receive it. The decision is described as an injustice. The jury in the new york fraud trial of Sam Bankmanfried was sent home after the founder of the now bankrupt Cryptocurrency Exchange ftx took the stand to testify but didnt speak. He asked to speak in private with the judge to determine what parts of his testimony are admissible. Those are the other stories we have been taking a look at. You are live with bbc news. Now lets turn to another big story, this time in the united states, where at least 18 people have been kled and 13 injured in a mass shooting. It happened in the city of lewiston in the state of maine on the east coast. Police say the gunman targeted multiple locations including a Bowling Alley and a bar and grill, and is still at large. A massive manhunt is underway for a 30yearold u. S. Army reservist whos believed to be suffering from Mental Health issues. The area was placed under lockdown with residents told to stay indoors. Our correspondent nomia iqbal is in lewiston. Bring us uptodate on the latest. Nomia in lewiston at the moment there was a lockdown in place, and basically there is an order called shelterinplace. People cant leave their homes, they are advised to stay indoors, keep safe. Businesses are closed for the day and schools there is a famous liberal arts College Shutdown as well. People are Walking Around and cycling, but generally it is so much more quietly than you would expect because police are hundreds of Police Officers are trying to find the suspect. In terms of where i am behind me is the hospital, where 13 people who were injured are being treated there. The town is pretty small. We have driven around and ive been to the locations, the Bowling Alley and the bar, four miles between them where the shooting took place. As of yet they have not found the suspect. The coast guard has confirmed to the bbc that theyre also involved in the search. Rajini nomia iqbal in lewiston with the very latest, thank you very much for the moment. As we have been discussing earlier in the program come its been more than two weeks since hamass attack in israel, and the Israeli Government says it is planning a ground offensive to destroy hamas. We still dont know when that might come, but military experts concede it is a mission fraught with challenges. Some have drawn comparisons with the operation against isis in the iraqi city of mosul in 2016, sayingt is a similarsized urban battlefield home to a similar number of civilians who it is feared could get caught up in the conflict. So, what lessons can be drawn from then . To discuss that im joined by a defense expert who has traveled extensively across the middle east and has written about this topic, and he is a fellow of the Washington Institute for near east policy. Thanks very much for joining us. You have written about this. What lessons can be learned from what happened in mosul . If youre going to try and take the entire city down to the last block, you are going to have an extraordinarily high level of civilian casualties and tremendous level of devastation. There is no way to avoid that in a dense city where the enemy is fanatical and holding hostages. Rajini in terms of the populations we are looking at, it is a similar size of population in mosul to the number of people in the southern part of gaza at least. Western mosul, where most of the fighting happened, it is about the same size of gaza city, which is where the israelis are going to be concentrating, at least the first part of their offensive. It has a similar number of people. For comparison, it took 180 days to clear west mosul, and well over half the Housing Stock in the city was destroyed. Rajini when we talk about urban warfare and some of the challenges, you have been writing about some of the things that could be challenging as the israeli fighters go doortodoor to houses. Just expla some of that. One of the things thats a real challenge in gaza, unlike other modern battlefields in cities, is that there are around 60 buildings six stories are taller or taller in gaza, which we didnt have in mosul or other places. There is a poorly understood subterranean tunnel system underneath the city that hamas has had around 15 years to develop. Rajini ok, and when you look back at how long it took for mosul to be taken from isis, what do you think can be drawn on the timescale once israel decides to begin its largescale ground offensive, and of course the Prime Minister of israel Benjamin Netanyahu says his endgame is to destroy hamas. Well, we know that if mosul fght a bit slower, we might have reduced the number of civilian casualties and the level of destruction. It is important not to rush these things the israelis seem to be taking a slower partial approach to this, meaning they will take a number of bytes at gaza city instead of staying in one major operation with no breaks. This might reduce the level of destruction and give citizens more time to get out of the area and allow the israelis to stop, think, since the area, planned new operations before they move to the next bite. Rajini another thing you talk about, tactics, timing, troop quality matters. Do you think the israelis have those three things . And how does hamas compare . Hamas is a lot more formidable opponent than the Islamic State was in mosul. They are much better armed, trained in part by the iranians lebanese hezbollah, and have been preparing for a long time. The Israeli Defense forces are more professional and wellequipped than our iraqi or syrian Partner Forces when we did places like mosul. We can expect israelis to do a lot better and in some ways take a lot of casualties because they are well protected with body armor and surgical hospitals and good tactics. Rajini thank you very much for bringing us some insight during some and drawing some parallels on what has happened in the past. We will have to leave it for this halfhour. I will be back after a short break, but do of course stay with us on the bbc, and there is narrator funding for this presentation of this program is provided by. Narrator Financial Services firm, Raymond James. Narrator funding was also provided by, the freeman foundation. And by judy and Peter Blum Kovler foundation; pursuing solutions for americas neglected needs