After the hamas attack on israel. This is the scene live in gaza well have the latest on the escalating conflict. Hello, im lucy hockings, welcome to bbc news now, three hours of fast moving news, interviews and reaction. Israeli troops are massing near the gaza border in preparation for what could be a Ground Invasion of the territory. Such action would be in reprisal for the attacks by hamas the brutal nature of which have cast the region into turmoil. These are the Key Developments were monitoring for you this hour. Israel says that more than 12000 israelis are now known to have been killed, since hamas launched attacks on saturday. 169 of those killed were soldiers. The bbc understands 17 british nationals are dead or missing. Palestinian sources say that more than 1,055 people have been killed by israels bombardment of gaza, where entire neighbourhoods have been flattened. Israel has sealed all crossings into gaza. And were getting reports of a large number of Israeli Forces massing at the border. Both sides have accused the other of war crimes in the attacks which began on saturday. Strikes against gaza have continued this morning. This was a blast a couple of hours ago which sent black Smoke Billowing into the sky. Lets show you pictures now, that show the scale of destruction in gaza from those air strikes. These images are taken by a drone. As you can see the damage is immense with entire buildings reduced to rubble. We have seen hundreds of people in gaza terrified and exhausted seeking safety after what happened overnight in schools, if any un compounds as well. We will be taking it one of those very shortly. 0ur chief International Correspondent lyse doucet is in ashkelon in israel and she gave me an update on the situation there. We are right on the edge of what is now a closed military zone. Viewers can see behind me the israeli checkpoint. It is a military checkpoint. There has been, all morning, a lot of Military Activity here, the sound of artillery going out, firing into gaza. Gaza is about 3. 5 miles away from us. This is the main road to the gaza wire, but it is now closed, and you can hear the thud, the constant thuds this morning, we have been reporting, and as you have just heard from our correspondent, those are the sounds of artillery going into gaza, night and day. Israel has vowed to do what it takes to destroy the infrastructure of hamas. Unfortunately, it is also laying whole neighbourhoods to waste as well. Weve been seeing many Israeli Military vehicles going past, white buses carrying troops, and there has been, you cant see it from here, but the line of trees here behind it in the past few days, israelis have been massing armour. Some of it has moved down closer to the gaza border, we understand, and more is coming. There is a green highway sign that is a sign of an umbrella, a beach umbrella. This kibbutz used to be a place where tourists and israelis would come to have a nice day out at the beach. Yesterday, on the mediterranean, hamas fighters were able to get very close to it. They penetrated this border again, and there was an exchange of fire. Even now, as israel says, it has regained control of this area, they have had to admit Theyjust Cannot seal it off. Hamas have much more determination to get here. We have just had some we havejust had some pictures in from ashkelon which we can bring you. A large fire there. This is after a hamas rocket that has come over into ashkelon causing a huge amount of damage as you can see. That fire quite large. They are now having to deal with that as well. We know as lyse doucet was saying troops backed by helicopters and drones in ashkelon have been exchanging fire with militants in the area. The army, the Israeli Defence forcing three of those hamas fighters have been killed. Just to remind you, around 1500 bodies of hamas fighters have been found in israel and around the gaza strip. These pictures just coming israel and around the gaza strip. These picturesjust coming into israel and around the gaza strip. These pictures just coming into us from ashkelon that show the aftermath of a hamas rocket we think that has been fired across. As lyse doucet was saying, still a huge sense of shock at the scale of loss, loss of life and the devastation there in that part of israel. Lets bring you some other developments from around the region. 0ur correspondent nick beake has the latest developments. Siren wails. The israeli city of ashkelon. Explosion. Has been hit by a stream of rockets overnight. Many were intercepted mid flight by air defences. Theyd been fired from inside gaza, a few miles to the south. Nearby, Israeli Forces have been seizing back control and moving into communities that hamas had attacked. This is kfar aza, where soldiers say theyve uncovered atrocities including the murder of mothers and their children. They have Justjihad Machine to kill everybody. Without weapons, without nothing. Just normal citizens that want to take their breakfast, and thats all. And they kill them. Its aggressive thing to see, its very difficult to see it. But we must remember who is the enemy, and what our mission. Our mission is thejustice were in the right side and all the world needs to be behind us. Israel says those who did this will pay the heaviest price. And this is their latest response. The bombardment of gaza continues, israeli strikes hitting palestinian communities. Israels military released this footage showing its operations. It says its targeting hamas fighters. Hundreds of civilians have been killed. The air strikes have caused huge damage to homes and shops. Translation i lost everything. My house, my shop has been destroyed completely. Where do we go . We have become homeless. The israelis say hamas has brought this upon gaza. Israel is accused of breaking international law. Supplies of food, power and water into gaza have been cut off. Just to the north, across the wire, israeli troops are arriving in ever greater numbers, senior commanders warning the next stage of their response will build up to a ground operation into gaza. Translation we started the offensive from the air. J later on, we will also come from the ground. Weve been controlling the area since day two and we are on the offensive it will only intensify. The resistance the israeli troops will encounter is likely to be fierce. Hamas will be preparing to meet in advance. The prospect is of even more bloodshed in this part of the middle east. Nick beake, bbc news, tel aviv. Live now tojerusalem to speak to the bbc� s middle east correspondent yolande knell. As the death toll continues to go up and the stories that people are having to listen to, the pictures they are having to digest, the kind of collective shock and trauma that people are feeling in israel, i wonder how united were indeed divided people are about the israeli response now. We divided people are about the israeli resnonse ow divided people are about the israeli response now. We are seeing a lot of israelis coming response now. We are seeing a lot of israelis coming round response now. We are seeing a lot of israelis coming round to response now. We are seeing a lot of israelis coming round to the response now. We are seeing a lot of israelis coming round to the idea israelis coming round to the idea that there is going to be a continuing big operation going into gaza. Really israel is still reeling from what has happened. It is 75 years of the country this year. This is the deadliest attack that the country has ever seen. It cut people by surprise at a time when they were just at the end of the jewish by surprise at a time when they were just at the end of thejewish high holidays. Now if you watch israeli tv screens it is full of images of body bags. We have seen a lot of bodies being taken out of sderot where there was fierce fighting between hamas fighters who were inside a Police Station and had taken it over and Israeli Security forces. There are very moving accounts given by relatives of those who were still missing with about 150 people thought to have been taken hostage and being held now inside the gaza strip. In israel, most people still do serve in the military and so people have a lot of strong support for the military. When there is a time of crisis despite all the Political Division we have seen the country in the past year with the current Hard Line Government that has taken over, if you that people are going together again, united in their grief and you that people are going together again, united in their griefand in their desire for action, some kind of Decisive Action that people are going for against a hamas. What of Decisive Action that people are going for against a hamas. What are they hearing going for against a hamas. What are they hearing from going for against a hamas. What are they hearing from benjamin they hearing from benjamin netanyahu, what kind of rhetoric is he using . Netanyahu, what kind of rhetoric is he usin . ,. ,. ,. He using . Extremely strong rhetoric from the prime he using . Extremely strong rhetoric from the prime minister. He using . Extremely strong rhetoric from the prime minister. Promising| from the prime minister. Promising that hamas will pay the price for what has happened, saying the government is resolute. He has also compared this to what happened in the holocaust, something that resonates very deeply, this kind of language, with people in israel. I did have israelis who had been caught up in a violent saying similar things to me. At the moment everyone is still really caught up in this talk, there is this united idea that some kind of strong action needs to happen now. But people know as well from past experience that this will be, israel will also pay a great price for what is about to happen. We have had Israeli Military saying to us this is not like previous wars, this is the fifth ward in 15 years since hamas took over the gaza strip. This is going to be, it already is on a scale that has never been seen before. You will take our viewers has never been seen before. You will take our viewers live has never been seen before. You will take our viewers live to has never been seen before. You will take our viewers live to gaza has never been seen before. You will take our viewers live to gaza very take our viewers live to gaza very shortly but can you update us on what is happening in Southern Lebanon and on the border there . This is another very worrying development. We have had hezbollah firing a couple more missiles across from Southern Lebanon. Hezbollah a powerful Militant Group in lebanon that has a huge arsenal of rockets if it decided this iran backed group to get more involved in the conflict. Israel has been responding to that with shelling. In recent days we have also seen on a very small scale super Militant Groups in syria, again neighbouring israel, wanting to get involved, Firing Missiles towards israel. The real problem for israel is that this could develop into a multi front war. Of course in the occupied west bank we have also got the tension is running extremely high. The Israeli Military is to be on alert in all those different areas and it is causing a lot of international concern, this idea that they could be this wider regional conflict. Thank you. Live now to sally nabil. We know there are growing calls for a humanitarian corridor, that is happening there at the moment, the only entry point to gaza not controlled by israel is the crossing into egypt, what is happening there . The Border Crossing is still closed since it has been bombarded by israel yesterday. Israel shelled the Border Crossing from the palestinian side for three times in less than 2a hours. We understand that trucks carrying aid into gaza had to go back. There are no staff there. We dont know if the situation is going to change in the next few hours or in the next few days, but that will put even more pressure on the residents of gaza, given the current israeli siege. So they have no access to any supplies whatsoever. We also know the egyptian red crescent was already paring some medical supplies to be dispatched to the strip, but now the border has been closed we dont know what would happen to all the supplies. So far nothing to get into the strip from the egyptian side at all. We nothing to get into the strip from the egyptian side at all. The egyptian side at all. We are seeinu the egyptian side at all. We are seeing pictures the egyptian side at all. We are seeing pictures from the egyptian side at all. We are seeing pictures from yesterday| the egyptian side at all. We are l seeing pictures from yesterday of the rafah crossing, the lines of cars, the utter chaos and confusion, because we also know that areas around their had been bombed by israel in the last few days. But egypt has played a crucial role in the past as a mediator in this conflict. The arab league holding an extraordinary meeting about israel today. What are the expect . Hat today. What are the expect . Not much, all today. What are the expect . Iirrt much, all Mediation Efforts or political attempts have not succeeded in convincing the warring parties to cease fire and come back to the negotiation table. So i think that egyptian negotiators or egyptian mediators this time will be facing a very tough task when it comes to trying to mediate a ceasefire or truth between israel and the palestinians. This is why there isnt much hope for the ministerial meeting to be held today in the arab league, but it is also worth mentioning that there are worries that some of the gaza residents might find their way given the huge operation in the strip and this is a matter of great concern for egyptians here not going to the authorities but also the people. Up to now the boarders are closed and we dont know if this is a change for sinai might be some sort of extension to the gaza strip if the Military Operation is to intensify. Thank you so much for that. Good to see you. Lets take you back to gaza to the live pictures we have from there as the bombardment of the gaza strip continues and the humanitarian situation worsens by the minute, continuing to deteriorate as this kind of coming in this very crowded area continues for a fifth day following the attacks from hamas. We are now hearing acute shortages of food. The only power plant in the gaza strip is close to running out of fuel as well. A desperate and terrifying time for many people who are living in gaza right now. We will be live there shortly. Around the world and across the uk. This is bbc news. Lets look at some other stories making news. All flights have been suspended at London Luton Airport until 3pm bst after a large fire caused the partial collapse of a multistorey car park. Authorities say up to 1,500 vehicles may have been in the car park at the time. The blaze has now been extinguished. The fire service say the fire appears to be accidental. The independent Monitoring Board at Wandsworth Prison has found that a severe shortage of available staff is undermining efforts to run the jail effectively. It also found that years of underinvestment in the site had led to an unsafe environment. A Prison Spokesperson said Decisive Action had already been taken to address the issues. And a survey suggests theres a growing gap between the number of girls in england who enjoy school pe lessons, compared with boys. 59 of girls in Secondary School said they liked pe compared with 84 of boys. The charity behind the survey Youth Sport Trust say the figures should � raise alarm bells�. Youre live with bbc news. Israels Pounding Of Gaza has continued overnight, with the israeli army saying theyve struck more than 200 targets. Live now to our gaza correspondent rushdi abualouf. It is fairto it is fair to say you are looking pretty tired now. Another very noisy and frightening night for everyone there. What are you hearing from across the gaza strip . Irate there. What are you hearing from across the gaza strip . Across the gaza strip . We had to leave the roof across the gaza strip . We had to leave the roof because across the gaza strip . We had to leave the roof because shelling l across the gaza strip . We had to. Leave the roof because shelling from tanks along the border was intensifying in the last half an hour or so. Also we understand the israeli navy was engaged in firing into the sea port, the only harbour into the sea port, the only harbour in gaza, destroying most parts of this harbour. The nonstop showing since last night, it started around eight oclock in the evening last night, with focusing the air strikes in a neighbourhood called out to in the north of gaza, north west of gaza, where most of the damage overnight, many people were killed. The overall death toll now is 1055 people and a number might be increasing according to the Health Ministry because there are many people in a very difficult, severe injuries in the area. The Health Ministryjust issued a statement saying they. All nonessential medical treatment to people and they will focus only on the Life Saving Treatment for the injured people across the gaza strip, because they believe that by doing this they can extend this much is possible the amount of fuel and medical staff, medical needs to help those people. Talking about the humanitarian situation, we are into the fifth day of this war and nothing is coming into gaza, from egypt, from israel, and Electricity Supplies were cut off, internet supplies also cut off. And water supplies. Light take care. Thank you so much for updating us