Israeli army has asked residents of seven different areas across the gaza strip to leave their homes and move to the city centres or take refuge in shelters in preparation for Launching Attacks against hamas targets. Witnesses told the bbc dozens of families have started leaving their homes and they were sheltering in unschools. Un were sheltering in unschools. Un schools. This all comes as israeli Prime MinisterBenjamin Netanyahu declared on saturday that israel is, quote, at war, and is promising revenge. This comes after a surprise and unprecedented attack by Palestinian Militants on israeli territory early saturday morning. Israels government says hamas launched more than 2,000 rockets into the country, killing more than 250 people and wounding over 1,100 others. Officials in the gaza strip say over 230 people have been killed and over 1,700 were injured in retaliatory strikes. The Un Security Council plans to meet about the violence in the region tomorrow. The Early Morning assault began with a barrage of rocket fire from gaza just after dawn, with explosions heard on the streets of ashkelon. Sderot, which is near gaza, is thought to have been infiltrated by militants. Fear and confusion continues to grip the region. 0ur middle east correspondent Yolande Knell filed this report, and a warning that you may find some of it upsetting. Rockets at dawn. The opening salvo in a Surprise Attack on israel by the Palestinian Militant Group hamas. Meanwhile, armed men cut through gazas perimeter fence. This was israels nightmare scenario. Hundreds of militants at large in the south of the country. And hamas released footage after it targeted this israeli tank. Militants also ran through israels heavily fortified erez crossing. Proof that this was a highly planned operation. At this overnight rave in the fields near gaza, israeli pa rty goers ran for their lives. Gilly� s boyfriend went to find her after she hid from hamas gunmen in an orchard. They were going three by three and shooting. Everywhere. From two sides. And i saw many people, like. People were dying all around. In a dramatic turn, in videos verified by the bbc, israelis were also seen taken into gaza as hostages. Israels Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, met top security officials. Translation since this morning the state of israel has been at war. Our first objective is to clear out enemy forces that infiltrated and restore the security and quiet to communities that have been attacked. The second objective, at the same time, is to exact an immense price from the enemy within the gaza strip, too. The leader of hamas, which governs gaza, watched the unfolding news from overseas. Ishmail hania promised to end israels occupation of palestinian lands. We are on the verge of a great victory and a clear conquest on the gaza front, he said. In gaza there were celebrations after stolen Israeli Military vehicles were driven in. But soon the deadly pounding by israeli warplanes began. The Israeli Military saying it was targeting hamas sites. Palestinian hospitals have been overwhelmed. After this unprecedented assault, israel is calling up military reservists. And tonight, tel aviv came under rocket fire as the fighting goes on. The question now, can it be stopped from spreading to other palestinian areas and the wider region . Live now to khaled elgindy, Senior Fellow and director of the program on palestine and Palestinian Israeli Affairs at the middle east institute. Good evening, thank you so much for taking the time. I want to begin by asking for your reaction to what we have been seeing today . Reaction to what we have been seeing today . Well, obviously, the images seeing today . Well, obviously, the images coming seeing today . Well, obviously, the images coming out seeing today . Well, obviously, the images coming out of seeing today . Well, obviously, | the images coming out of israel and gaza are quite horrifying. The news is very, very disturbing. We havent seen this level of death and destruction, really, probably ever. We are talking about hundreds killed on both sides already, in a matter of less than 2a hours. So its really quite horrifying. In terms of looking at this from a more political and technical standpoint, i think theres no doubt that this is a colossal Israeli Intelligence failure. I think its actually impossible to overstate what a massive failure it has been in terms of security and intelligence. Israels vaunted Intelligence Services, of course, are known All Over The World as being some of the best in the world. But more than that, in gaza, its one of the most heavily surveilled geographic spaces anywhere in the world. Israel has drones in the air over gaza all the time. Israel controls movement in and out of gaza. And the fact hamas could carry out an operation like this and not only breach the border fence, the border wall, but also to seemingly take over control in large pockets of israeli towns, that in and of itself, i think, israeli towns, that in and of itself, ithink, is israeli towns, that in and of itself, i think, is a sign of just how unprepared israel was with all of its military might and technology. But even more than that, i think it is a political failure. Than that, i think it is a politicalfailure. This political failure. This Netanyahu Government politicalfailure. This Netanyahu Government has touted itself as the coalition of security that will bring Israel Security that will bring Israel Security once and for all. Part of that plan was that netanyahu was building a new middle east in which arab states like saudi arabia would normalise with israel, and the palestinian issue therefore would be a thing of the past and nobody was interested in it. Obviously all of that turned out to be false, and i think there was a sense of complacency, triumphalism in israel that has been irrevocably shattered. I just want to touch on something you said with regards to how stringently controlled the gaza strip is by israeli authorities. With that in mind, and the fact that tonight netanyahu has vowed revenge, he warned palestinians there to get out. Where do they go . Precisely. 0f get out. Where do they go . Precisely. Of course, they have nowhere to go. The border is completely sealed. Frankly, even though some are taking shelter in new un facilities. In the past, you un schools and facilities have come under attack by israeli air strikes. So there really is no safe place in gaza. There nowhere for palestinians to go in gaza. And we should be quite alarmed, frankly, at the very apocalyptic Terms Netanyahu and his far right government are speaking in. They are talking about, gaza will never be the same once they are through with it. We should be very alarmed by that, because israel has the firepower, has the means to deliver on that. And if there isnt any political diplomatic constraints by the International Community, then things can get far, far worse than they already have. Can i ust ask than they already have. Can i just ask you. Than they already have. Can i just ask you, what than they already have. Can i just ask you, what does than they already have. Can i just ask you, what does this | just ask you, what does this say about the situation in gaza . That hamas would do this, cognisant of the fact that the defence and retaliation from israel would be so fierce . Right, | israel would be so fierce . Right, i mean, theres no doubt hamas had calculated that there would be an israeli response, that it would be in keeping with israels Modus Operandi of hugely disproportionate. I am sure they are anticipating that. I am sure they are anticipating also some targeting of hamass political and military leadership. Assassinations and the like. And wide destruction in gaza. So the fact they were still willing to undertake this operation, knowing full well what the costs would be, i think really speaks to a level of palestinian despair and desperation. I mean, if you listen to ismail haniyeh, he talks about events in the west bank, and this has been the deadliest year in more than two decades for palestinians in the west bank. We have seen growing provocations at the al aqsa mosque. When you have this Extremist Government in place where they are openly kind of flouting the traditional arrangements and respect for muslim holy sites injerusalem. And i think the message from hamas was, you know, its enough. It wont be palestinians alone who pay the price going forward. I think israelis had grown accustomed, and i think even the United States and the uk and others had sort of come to accept the status quo in large part, because most of the costs were borne primarily by palestinians. Now that that calculation has. I think they are going to have to look at things differently. Are going to have to look at things differently. Thank you so much for things differently. Thank you so much for sharing things differently. Thank you so much for sharing your so much for sharing your thoughts this evening. Thank ou. With me is elise labott, Contributing Editor for Politico Magazine and founder of zivvy media. Great to have your analysis. The comment there that many in the International Community had accepted, he said, a status quo when it came to israel and the situation with hamas. Your thoughts on that. I situation with hamas. Your thoughts on that. Situation with hamas. Your thoughts on that. I mean, i think thats thoughts on that. I mean, i think thats right. Thoughts on that. I mean, i think thats right. They think thats right. They thought the caledonian conflict was in a box. You have seen lone wolf attacks in the past few years. The Palestinian Conflict was in a box. They have been pretty good at keeping hamas, hezbollah� and islamichhad at bay. Israel was working towards normalisation, the abraham normalisation, the abra ham accords normalisation, the Abraham Accords with their neighbours, and israel thought, hey, our securitys going to be saved, we are going to be ok in the region. But itjust goes to show you, until there is a solution to the Palestinian Conflict, israels not going to have peace. Its not going to have peace. Its not going to have security. Right now this is all about trying to go after hamas, get those hostages, try and contain the situation from inflaming further in the north with hezbollah� , but then i think there were going to be some hard questions about the palestinians and what they do now. Netanyahu said, we are at war. But if you go into a wall, you want victory. So there will be a lot of questions after things calm down, what is the endgame . If you go into a war. Endgame . If you go into a war. ~. ,. , war. We are looking at live pictures war. We are looking at live pictures the war. We are looking at live pictures the night war. We are looking at live pictures the night of war. We are looking at live pictures the night of the i pictures the night of the situation in gaza, at a time israeli Prime MinisterBenjamin Netanyahu has promised retaliation. We are monitoring the situation there. But coming back to what you were saying, and with regards to Benjamin Netanyahu having to try and keep a steer on this situation, and as cal khaled had been saying, he has to keep control of the situation. Notjust internationally but domestically. Internationally but domesticall. ,. , domestically. That was the only real Card Netanyahu domestically. That was the only real Card Netanyahu had. Domestically. That was the only real Card Netanyahu had. He i domestically. That was the only real Card Netanyahu had. He is| real Card Netanyahu had. He is very unpopular. We have seen massive protests over the last year about the judiciary and what he� s been trying to do with the supreme court. Look, people voted him out, and then he came back in, he� s been trying to put this coalition together. But he� s always said, i� m the only person who can keep israel safe. Now it shows he can� t keep israel safe. So as we� ve been saying, this is the equivalent of the israeli 9 11, right . Ithink the equivalent of the israeli 9 11, right . I think the israelis are going to say to themselves, if Benjamin Netanyahu can� t keep us safe, who can . A real moment in israel right now. Who can . A real moment in israel right now. The situation he is faced israel right now. The situation he is faced with, israel right now. The situation he is faced with, who israel right now. The situation he is faced with, who will israel right now. The situation he is faced with, who will he l he is faced with, who will he be reaching out to tonight and leaning on for support . What kind of things will he be asking washington for in terms of support to try and bring the situation under control . And will it be there . I situation under control . And will it be there . Will it be there . I think its auoin will it be there . I think its going to will it be there . I think its going to be will it be there . I think its going to be there. Will it be there . I think its going to be there. He will it be there . I think its| going to be there. He going will it be there . I think its going to be there. He going to be looking for weapons. Ammunition. Very sophisticated weapons systems. Being able to replenish the batteries of the iron dome Missile System to ward off those lockets, and stabilise the situation. Then he is going to be looking for that Political Support from President Biden. The two have had a very difficult, tumultuous relationship, but at the end of the day, israel and Israeli Security is very important to President Biden. Looking at those live pictures, what you are now seeing is the scene in gaza city. If you take a look, cutting through the darkness, we did see explosions in that area of gaza city tonight. These are live pictures you are looking at. And remember, Prime MinisterBenjamin Netanyahu had said israel would be launching retaliatory air strikes on the gaza strip. He had warned families to try and get out of that area, but of course it is tightly controlled. You can continue to head to our live page on the website bbc. Com news as we continue to get more details on the situation on the ground there. We had heard some hostages had been released in israel. Live now to barbara starr, a longtime pentagon correspondent. Ijust want i just want to ask you about your principle and vital concerns that the United States beyond their support of israel. Everyone� s talking about the us support for israel, and that� s very true and very, very important to the us, but the National Security concerns, think of it this way. The Us Intelligence community, the thing they hate the most are surprises. They want to know what� s going on everywhere they need to worry about. And what they don� t need to worry about. They don� t want surprises. And by all accounts, this attack came as a terrible surprise, not just to the came as a terrible surprise, notjust to the israelis but to Us Intelligence and Intelligence Services around the world indeed. So i think it is very fair to say that the us is very fair to say that the us is going to want to know what exactly happened. They are likely to go back through their own cable traffic. Did they have any hints . Did they miss something . You have to think they are going to want to know all of that. The us and the allies, including many of the european allies, still have Tens Of Thousands of troops across the middle east. If trouble is afoot at the hands of iran, which many people believe was behind much of this, they are going to need to know that to keep the us troops are safe. They are going to need to know what happened, how was hamas able to do this . How were they able to organise, train and fund . How were they able to get the intelligence they needed to launch against all of these targets inside israel without anybody knowing Thatis Israel without anybody knowing that is what they were up to . That� s the kind of surprised the us doesn� t like. Because if a Terrorist Group can pull off an attack like this once, they can do it again, and they could do it against a whole different set of targets somewhere potentially in the middle east region. So there� s going to be a lot of interest, and i think it� s fair to say, a lot of effort amongst Intelligence Services, including the us and the israeli services, in getting to the bottom of what exactly transpired here. Barbara, standby, because during your analysis, police were nodding fervently. Your tho