Thats according to israels public broadcaster. And on the diplomatic front, us secretary of state, antony blinken, has called for calm and stability in the west bank, during a call with palestinian president mahmoud abbas. And, israels allies have shown their support through displays like this. Heres berlins Brandenburg Gate lit up in white and blue to show support for israel. Lets show you live pictures from gaza now. Morning is breaking there. And weve seen renewed israelis air strikes overnight. It has responded to hamas� attack with devastating air strikes including some in the last few hours. The United States is working with other governments to calm the situation and make sure the violence does not spread. Several middle eastern countries, including egypt, saudi arabia and jordan, have been in contact to coordinate efforts to contain the violence. The Un Security Council will discuss the crisis at an Emergency Meeting on sunday. Simonjones has the latest. What israel is describing as its mighty vengeance on the Palestinian Militant Group hamas. Overnight gaza has been rocked by explosions. Earlier warplanes at several buildings in the centre of the city. The Israeli Defence force has released these pet tours which they say are hamas cells been targeted. The Israeli Military trying to show they are on the front foot after being taken by surprise by the hamas attacks. The israeli Prime Minister issued this morning in a televised address. Mil issued this morning in a televised address. All of the laces televised address. All of the places hamas televised address. All of the places hamas is televised address. All of the places hamas is active televised address. All of the places hamas is active and l televised address. All of the | places hamas is active and is the city of evil, all the places hamas is hiding in, rating, we will turn them into ruins, im telling the people of gaza, get out of there now because we are about to take action everywhere with all our force. ,. ,. , force. This is how the attack by hamas force. This is how the attack by hamas began force. This is how the attack by hamas began yesterday i by hamas began yesterday morning, armed men cutting through israels Perimeter Fence accompanied by a wave of rocket attacks, hamas releasing this footage showing an israeli tank being targeted. It was a highly planned operation catching israel offguard. Israelis who had been at a rave in the Fields Near Gaza were forced to flee for their lives. They were going three x three and shooting power power, everywhere from two sides, and so many people were dying, like all around. So many people were dying, like all around all around. Israelis were seen been taken all around. Israelis were seen been taken into all around. Israelis were seen been taken into gaza all around. Israelis were seen been taken into gaza as been taken into gaza as hostages, more than 50 soldiers and civilians are believe to have been taken captive, although some have been rescued or released overnight. The leader of hamas which governs gaza has promised the two end israels occupational palestinians land. ~. ,. , palestinians land. We are on the verge palestinians land. We are on the verge of palestinians land. We are on the verge of a palestinians land. We are on the verge of a great palestinians land. We are on the verge of a great victory i the verge of a great victory and a clear conquest on the gaza front. In and a clear conquest on the gaza front. And a clear conquest on the gaza front. In the israeli city of centreright gaza front. In the israeli city of centreright which gaza front. In the israeli city of centreright which came l of centre right which came under attack a bulldozer is used to break into a Police Station where hamas were thought to be hold up. The british prime list has described the actions of hamas is cowardly and depraved, a view shared by the us president. View shared by the us resident. ,. , president. Innocent people murdered. President. Innocent people murdered, wounded, president. Innocent people | murdered, wounded, entire families taken hostage by hamas, days after israel marked holiest of days in thejewish calendar. Its unconscionable. When i spoke to Prime Minister netanyahu this morning i told him the United States stands with the people of israel in the face of these terrorist assaults. The face of these terrorist assaulte assaults. Israel says it is cuttinu assaults. Israel says it is cutting off assaults. Israel says it is cutting off the assaults. Israel says it is cutting off the supply. Cutting off the Supply Electricity Fuel and goods to gaza but last night tel aviv came under rocket attack. The escalating violence will be discussed today at an Emergency Meeting of the Un Security Council. Hamas shows no sign of pulling back, the israeli Prime Minister � s warning of a long and difficult wall. Submission eight diplomatic efforts to stabilise the largest escalation in this conflict for decades, wont be easy. Simon jones, bbc news. Live now to our North America correspondent Barbara Plett usher whos in washington. What do you think are the priorities of the Biden Administration 24 hour is on from the initial attack . The riori from the initial attack . The priority is from the initial attack . Tue priority is expressed from the initial attack . Tta priority is expressed by President Biden is to stand strong with israel, given its support at every level and he has directed his various agencies to do so from the secretary level on down to co ordinate intelligence, Military Assistance and diplomatic efforts and this was a very strong message he put out in a public statement. Another of their big concerns is that they do not want the conflict to spread beyond gaza and there has been a lot of calls have been made to countries in the region at the Foreign Minister Level but also at the level of senior officials and on down trying to convince or to get people, any country, in government with any influence to ensure or to work at the conflict not spreading, especially to lebanon on where hezbollah is situated because there is a fear there might be an attack from the israeli northern border, so they are working very hard to try to prevent a regional con conflagration off the back of this conflict with hamas in gaza. ,. , ~ this conflict with hamas in gaza. This conflict with hamas in gaza. ,. ,. , gaza. Looking ahead to the Un Security Councils gaza. Looking ahead to the Un Security Councils emergency l Security Councils Emergency Meeting, can we expect anything significant to come out of that meeting, surely this will bring in thoughts from beijing and moscow, but can we expect any consequences . Taste moscow, but can we expect any consequences . Consequences . We can expect language. Consequences . We can expect language. I consequences . We can expect language, i think, consequences . We can expect language, ithink, Calling Consequences . We can expect language, i think, calling for. Language, i think, calling for the violence to end, and for civilians to be protected and for efforts to find some sort of solution and move towards peace talks, i think all of those things members of the Security Council can agree on, i do not think we can expect to find it would be unlikely to find it would be unlikely to find any explicit condemnation of hamas, and almost certainly not in condemnation of israeli strike on gaza because of the different interests around the Security Council. In terms of whether that is going to lead to anything on the ground, i think, no, if you look at history it has not, it has really been the americans in the end who have used their influence and their leverage to bring these conflicts to an end and usually that involves telling the israelis after a few days, weeks or whatever and previous gaza wars they should start observing a ceasefire and putting pressure on them to end their bomb attack � s. But the administration i think signal pretty strongly that it was going to give israel quite a wide window to do what it felt it needed to do, given the audacious attack by hamas. And there is also the possibility out there there might even be a ground invasion. T out there there might even be a ground invasion. Ground invasion. I wonder if ou ground invasion. I wonder if you could ground invasion. I wonder if you could reflect ground invasion. I wonder if you could reflect for ground invasion. I wonder if you could reflect for us ground invasion. I wonder if you could reflect for us for. Ground invasion. I wonder if| you could reflect for us for a minute, you come with a huge amount of experience in both washington and The Middle East. The term unprecedented has been used a lot in the past 24 hour is. Is this truly unprecedented or are there are times when you look back in history that come to mind for you when reflecting on what has taken place, in the past day . It on what has taken place, In The Ast Da . , on what has taken place, in the past day . Past day . It is unprecedented in terms of past day . It is unprecedented in terms of hamas past day . It is unprecedented in terms of hamas and past day . It is unprecedented in terms of hamas and israel, have been four gaza wars fought in the past decade or more than a decade and that has involved hamas rocket attacks, firing from gaza, with increasing sophistication but they have never before carried out a ground attack, left the gaza strip and fought with the israelis and israeli towns, killed israeli civilians in israeli towns, on the ground, captured israelis and taken them hostage in that way, in that number to the gaza strip, Something Like around 50 of them hostages including civilians, including women and children, the israelis say. That is all quite new. In history, there is a precedent for an unexpected attack on israel that was almost exactly 50 years ago in 1973, during the October War In Syria and egypt moved on israel, trying to win back the territories that it occupied in 1967. And many observers believe there was at least some thought about that by hamas to launch it on that by hamas to launch it on that anniversary, because they are seeing themselves as arab nationalists confronting the approaching israel especially at a time when a number of arab countries have normalised relations with israel even though the occupation, still occupying palestinian land. Barbara, thank you, thank you for staying up to speak with us. Our North American correspondence speaking to us from washington. Live now to seattle where we joined by steven simon, who served as middle east adviser in the Obama Administration and is a professor at the Jackson School of international studies. Thank you forjoining us. A lot has been made of the apparent Intelligence Failure by the israelis. What about the United States, was this an Intelligence Failure as well by the United States . The United States . Well, for intelligence the United States . Well, for intelligence united the United States . Well, for intelligence United States i intelligence United States frequently relies on information provided by the Intelligence Services of the countries in which the United States is interested, so from a us perspective, if they were not hearing anything from the israelis, there must not be anything going on. That is precedented, that is not unprecedented at all. In a way im not surprised that we did not know, although the United States has such robust surveillance and communications interest technologies, that it is still a bit hard to see how the United States picked up nothing. The israelis, like any country, have a limit, ready to the kinds of intelligence resources they could allocate to any given target. In the context in which they have been operating as one where tensions have been especially high on the west bank, owing largely to policies undertaken by the ultra right government, coalition ruling israel now. So a disproportionate amount of intelligence resources were allocated to Ongoing Events on the west bank, and just as importantly, Personnel Resources that is soldiers who were serving in the south were diverted to the middle of the country, to help control very volatile situation in the west bank. So in a sense the israelis and United States were blind to what was going on in the israelis did not have enough people there, to stand staunch hamas invasion. It was also after the yom per holiday 70 soldiers had not returned to duty yet. Steve and i wonder returned to duty yet. Steve and i wonder if returned to duty yet. Steve and i wonder if you returned to duty yet. Steve and i wonder if you could returned to duty yet. Steve and i wonder if you could take returned to duty yet. Steve and i wonder if you could take us i i wonder if you could take us through from the us perspective the Biden Administration had been spending a lot of time trying to broker ties between saudi arabia and israel. Is that a lost cause now . Well i think it might that a lost cause now . Well i think it might be, that a lost cause now . Well i think it might be, but that a lost cause now . Well i think it might be, but i that a lost cause now . Well i think it might be, but i think| think it might be, but i think the administration will operate on the assumption that it is still salvageable, provided that the conflict between israel and palestinians in gaza can be brought to a halt sooner rather than later. And thats a very difficult sweet spot to identify for the United States because on the one hand, the israelis will be pushing United States for political cover, to get as much time as israel can possibly get to do what it thinks it needs to do in gaza, at the same time, from a us perspective the longer it goes on, the more difficult it is going to be to resuscitate the administration and its Hallmark Initiative for The Middle East which is israeli and saudi normalisation. Which is israeli and saudi normalisation. ,. , normalisation. What works when it comes to normalisation. What works when it comes to the normalisation. What works when it comes to the peace normalisation. What works when it comes to the peace process, l it comes to the peace process, looking back at your time under the Obama Administration, looking at what the Biden Administration has done, how do you think the Biden Administration should move forward now, should they change their priorities, do you think . I think changing priorities in the absence of changed Israeli Government would be, not the best use of the president s time and energy and political capital. I expect he would avoid that. One of the things the administration is hoping for is that the National Unity government will form in the coming days and weeks in israel for the purpose of battling hamas in gaza and navigating the diplomatic for lack ash fallout which in turn will enable the current Prime MinisterBenjamin Netanyahu to jettison his ultra right coalition partners. That situation is one of the United States believes it could pursue some action on behalf of the palestinians, and they have talked about this in explicit terms, within the framework of israeli, saudi normalisation. Thank you, and our guest has served in many studies and research centres. So what more do we know about the co ordinated attack by hamas . Heres our security correspondent, frank gardner. So, this map here gives you some idea of the extent of hamass infiltration across the border from gaza into southern israel. These are 17 locations where we have verified the presence of Palestinian Militants in this attack. From up in space, this is what that area of southern israel looked like today. Just look at all that smoke coming from burning buildings. If we zoom in you can see the heat spots that weve enhanced so you can see them. Now, all these cross border infiltrations by Palestinian Militants taken together with the thousands of rockets fired at israel represent a massive