Said that the goal of the operation was to � completely destroy the governing and military capabilities of hamas�. It comes a week after hamas, which is classed as a Terrorist Organisation by many western governments, killed more than 1300 people in israel and took dozens hostage. We can show you these live pictures of gaza city right now where it is shortly after 2am in the morning. In a drone strike, the Israeli Military said on saturday that it has killed a hamas commander who led part of the assault on israel. Ali qadhi is the second hamas chief to have been killed in a day. Meanwhile, on the ground in gaza, thousands of civilians are on the move. Thats after israel warned over one million living in the north to move south beyond the Wadi Gaza River here, an order the World Health Organization has said is a Death Sentence for those already sick and injured. The authorities in gaza say more than 2,200 people have already died in retaliatory israeli bombing including children while attempting to evacuate along a designated safe route. Earlier on saturday, israels Prime Minister visited an army post, and asked troops whether they were ready for the next stage. 0ur correspondent Lucy Williamson reports. Every day, hamas sends rockets into israel, and waits for israels response. After last weekends attack, israel says these air strikes are just the beginning, and that People Living in the north of gaza should leave now. Gazas Salahadin Road has become a lifeline for people flowing south, a humanitarian corridor labelled safe. Not always. A strike here yesterday killed at least 12 people. The bbc has verified the location. Women and children under five among the casualties. Israel says its investigating. Israels Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, visited the troops gathered at gazas borders today. The next stage is coming, he told them. Are you ready . The israeli army has been pounding gaza from here across the border and also from the air. Israel says it doesnt deliberately target civilians, and that this is directed at the people who do. Today, israel said it had killed the organiser of last weekends attack. Ali qadi was released from an israeli jail more than a decade ago in a Prisoner Exchange deal with hamas. Israel says it was he who planned the attacks on communities like be� eri. Gunmen arrived there last saturday, caught on a Security Camera relaxed, unhurried and well prepared. They brought everything they needed to kill and kidnap grenades, gaffertape, plastic cable ties. Three members of the gat family are still missing. Among them, carmel and her sister in law. Their family home, shattered. It looks like indiscriminate violence, but it wasnt. This was a targeted attack. Some of the people who lived here are now thought to be just a few miles away inside gaza a different world. Be� eri has lived for years with occasional rockets or infiltrations, but destruction like this signals a different kind of vulnerability, and the build up of Israeli Forces here, a different kind of response. But what will that response mean for hostages inside gaza . I dont know the effort, i dont know the intelligence, i dont know anything. They dont tell us anything. They dont tell us afterwards. Nobody calls me to say there is negotiation for them. Frankly, nobody really knows if they are taken or not. Youre angry about that . I am very angry. There is not even a place for sad, to be sad for me. Israels soldiers are now massing at gazas borders, their weapons pointing towards both hamas and their hostages. For the army that failed to protect its people at home, how much harder will it be to protect them there . Lucy williamson, bbc news, southern israel. The United Nations says nearly a million palestinians have fled their homes in the gaza strip in the week since israel launched its Military Response to the killings and kidnappings by hamas. The entire enclave is being hit by israeli strikes from gaza city in the north to rafah in the south. The Border Crossing there with egypt has remained shut since the hamas attacks last weekend. Crowds of palestinians and foreign nationals have been gathering at the crossing after news that an Evacuation Route may temporarily open. You may find some of the images in this report now from jon donnison distressing. Outside the main hospital in rafah, ice cream trucks. The morgue is full. Some of the dead have been here for two days, this man tells us. These freezers are meant forfood, not bodies. And this is right in the south of gaza, where people are now being told to evacuate to. Hundreds of thousands are now heading in this direction. The question is, where do they go . At the border with egypt, Hundreds Of Palestinians who are lucky enough to have foreign citizenship, are hoping to get out. Among them, clutching her british passport, is maryiam. Im really in fear and every time ijust have to have the thought of me dying in a bomb in gaza. Its not a good thing. Every place i go, i run away and ijust find bombs and ifind dead people. And maybe one day i will end up like them. Its a really scary thing for me. Sobbing but egypt says it wont open the crossing, even forforeign nationals, until israel agrees to allow aid in. And hamas also controls this border and has a say on who is allowed out. The nearby United Nations school is packed with those seeking shelter, but it was already at full capacity before this latest evacuation order. As palestinians, what did we do for this to happen to us . , hanan asks. She tells us she ran out of the house barefoot with nothing when israel bombed her neighbourhood, and came straight to the school. At noon today, many were praying one would think for better times. Many of those here are children, still smiling despite it all. Around half gazas population is under 18, and some are old beyond their years. Ramez is just 15. This is his fifth war. I can barely stand it, he says. And look around you at all these kids. Ask them, � do you want to live or not . � we just want to be secure, he goes on. 0ur dream is to live, thats all we want. Jon donnison, bbc news. 0ur correspondent Rushdi Abualouf is one of the very few journalists reporting from inside gaza. Hes in Khan Younis In The South of the territory from where he sent us this update. I am back here in the city of khan younis after taking the journey with Hundreds Of Thousands of palestinians who are displaced from the north and gaza city and coming all the way from Salahaldin Road into khan younis. Its been one week since israel launched the retaliation against hamas, following the deadly attack across the border. The situation, the humanitarian situation here is really at the edge of catastrophic. The city, which already had 400,000 people, has to accommodate now more thani million people, feed them, treat them and accommodate them. President biden has spoken to both israeli Prime MinisterBenjamin Netanyahu and Palestinian Authority president Mahmoud Abbas in another effort to de escalate when speaking to netanyahu, President Biden reiterated his condemnation of the attacks by hamas forces. Meanwhile in his call with president abbas, biden offered the Palestinian Authority support for humanitarian assistance to the palestinian people, particularly those in gaza. Joining me now is our North America correspondent, shingai nyoka. President joe biden has had separate phone calls with israeli Prime MinisterBenjamin Netanyahu and Palestinian Authority president Mahmoud Abbas . What more do we know about those conversations . Two very important calls with two parties on different sides of this conflict. Ata at a really important time. We understand according to the white house that President Biden really gave Prime MinisterBenjamin Netanyahu his unwavering support. And this Ground Offensive is being planned and prepared. He also updated him on the Military Support that the us has said it will give. We also know that the us has promised it will provide weapons for what it says is the speed of war but he also emphasised his concerns about the palestinians and the need to provide safe passage for the civilians. It was something he reiterated in his conversation with the Palestinian Authority president Mahmoud Abbas. He says he thinks the arab nations need to roundly condemn hamas because many have not. He also more importantly really spoke about the need to try and de escalate this conflict to ensure that other countries dont get involved in those countries he was referring to were iran and syria. What more do we know about the us citizens still in gaza, attempting to leave . The us have advised their citizens in gaza to leave as soon as possible. Because of this escalating situation. We understand some of made their way to the border with egypt and this is at the rafah crossing there. The us has advised that there is around 500 600 dual national people. There was supposed to be an opening on saturday between the hours of ten and five oclock, around five hours that they had to cross but this was closed and so many of them are still at the border trying and hoping that the opening will be available on sunday. Tensions are high in southern israel is the presence of troops builds up there. A short while ago i spoke to our defence correspondent, Jonathan Beale in ashkelon, in southern israel. Can you give us the latest from the Israeli Militaryjust now . I get the impression that Something Big is about to happen soon. Notjust the israeli Prime Minister visiting troops massing on the border with gaza this afternoon. He also spoke with the us president again tonight, joe biden. And the statement from the Israel Defense force tonight which says they are preparing for a wide range of offensive operations from air, land and sea. And this is the important bit with a significant emphasis on ground operations. And they will have to be significant if israel is to achieve its goal, its stated goal of destroying hamas. Now, when will this happen . The answer to that is we simply dont know whether its hours away, days away. But the rhetoric certainly is stepping up, suggesting something is fairly imminent. And to further complicate the situation we understand that there are many hostages being held inside gaza. Will this change any plans for an invasion by the Israeli Military . We spoke recently to the families of those with loved ones who have been taken and many of them would not want to see full scale Military Operations launched by israel and they would look for negotiations and a potential swap of prisoners. But you do not get the sense that the hostage situation, and it is in the minds of israeli politicians and commanders, that it will not dissuade their goal to destroy hamas. We dont think they will hold off for that long. To find out more about what an Israeli Ground operation could look like, i spoke to retired Lieutenant General mark schwarts, who served as the us� s security co ordinator to israel and the Palestinian Authority. The Israeli Military says The Next Stage Is Coming which is expected to be an invasion of gaza. By land, sea and air. How prepared is the Israeli Military for this kind of mission . Thanks for having me this evening. Im confident that the Israeli Military as theyve stated publicly that they are increasing their level of readiness and increasing their numbers of reservists into tactical formations. They have received help with continuing with the Ground Offensive, and as we can see from your reporters on the ground there, youve got combat formations, in their Tactical Assembly areas doing final preparations for things that a few days away. There will be logistical sustainment required for dealing with the hard to assess numbers of casualties taking place by the Israeli Military but there will also be casualties from the terrorists as well and more importantly, the civilians caught in the crossfire of this Ground Assault and from the sea as well. 0nce once it commences. Interesting to hear your Point Of View that this may not be imminent but it could take a day or two longer but in the meantime, what kind of defence is hamas capable of putting up . Its happening on their home turf. That point is very important so they are on the home terrain. Theyve had the ability to prepare above and below the ground, 150 300 miles of underground tunnels so they can move without impunity until such time as their fixed underground, but there is no more complex operation than fighting in this type of environment and they are doing preparations to move the population out of Northern Gaza. Thats where they intend to initiate their Ground Assault, i would think. That said, the real hard work occurs where you dont have the ability to use your long range direct fire Weapons Systems and it will be building to building, house to house, room to room fighting. An individual readiness, one of the major challenges that the idf will face is the integration of all these reservists. And while they are very capable they still have the majority. Its extremely complex. And we in the United States witness that in the early days of iraqi. Of iraq. The bbc has confirmed that Young Children were among those killed in an air strike on a convoy of vehicles leaving Northern Gaza on friday along a route designated by israel. The Palestinian HealthMinistry Says 70 people died. The Israeli Military says its investigating what happened. Our team at bbc verify analysed two videos of the strike on the vehicles heading towards southern gaza. Both videos have been verified these first images show a Lorry Carrying at least 30 civilians, moving south. And these are still images taken from a subsequent video from the aftermath of the strike too graphic to show in detail. The video shows men running to a lorry part of the same convoy trying to help those whove been hit. There are at least 12 visible dead bodies in the video. Paul brown from the bbc verify team has been investigating the authenticity of the gaza convoy pictures. Very graphic imagery, very disturbing but it is important to help us understand what is going on and to communicate it to our audience. Being able to verify this footage in active Conflict Areas helps us understand these major developments and weed out disinformation of which there is been an absolute flood over the past week. We tend to use Satellite Imagery and other online resources to try and get a sense of where and when an incident took place based on the footage that we are looking at. In this particular incidence, we thought there was likely to be this Salahdin Road which is a major Road Running North to south, through gaza and was one ofjust two Evacuation Routes for civilians leaving the north and heading down to the south, presumably to safety. Its a 45 kilometre road, so we scanned the route, starting from the north where figured they would have left from and tried to match details that we saw from this Satellite Imagery with those we saw in the video. In this case the layout of several buildings, some Road Markings and a sign helped us to pin down the location and we even used online tools to analyse the angle of the sun, the length of the shadows, to get an idea of when this incident took place or at least when the footage was shot and it looked around 5 30pm yesterday local time. Yeah and thats the key thing, isnt it . Its about a painstaking pr