Are continuing to flee the area ahead of an expected israeli incursion. Thousands of troops are already massed on the border with gaza. Air strikes have continued; the israelis say over a hundred military targets were hit overnight; among those killed are a Senior Commander involved in the attacks in israel last week. Hamas has continued to fire rockets into israel, towards tel aviv and other areas in the south. The World Health Organization has again called on israeli to rescind its evacuation order; the decision they said to forcing Hospital Patients to relocate would be a death sentence. A hospital in the Southern City of rafah, by the border with egypt, says its been told to evauate. A diplomatic push is continuing to try to prevent the violence from spreading. The us Secretary Of State, Antony Blinken has been in cairo , and is expected to return to israel for more talks tomorrow. It is still tense on the northern border with lebanon, with further exchanges of fire today. The israelis have set up a four Mile Buffer Zone on the border. The us is sending a second Aircraft Carrier to the eastern mediterranean. The Uss Eisenhower Willjoin the Gerald Ford Group that is already in the region as they seek to put pressure on iran and its proxy hezbollah. We start the hour with this report from nick beake. Gaza is bleeding. Its hospitals already full, deluged with more patients. These some of the youngest victims in this latest chapter of an ancient conflict thats now erupted so violently. Israeli air strikes continue to kill civilians in gaza, bringing more searches amid the rubble, often in vain. Translation dozens of families were massacred. Were beyond capacity. Were treating people in the corridors and on floors. This is a very dangerous situation. Israel says this is self defense to ensure its survival and that this aerial bombardment is a proportionate response to the atrocities hamas committed a week ago from outside gaza. From outside gaza, a glimpse of the aftermath of the israeli raids. All day we heard militaryjets heading towards their targets. Israel says its assault on gaza is onlyjust the beginning and that it will be followed by a major offensive by air, land and sea. United nations agencies say that gaza is being pushed into an abyss and that by forcing the evacuation of more than a million palestinians, it is, for the most vulnerable, a death sentence. Israel reinforced its ultimatum that civilians in the north of gaza must move to the south. It said it opened another supposedly safe corridor for three hours today. It accused hamas of blocking routes and that no residents of gaza city. Translation residents of gaza city, i call on you again. Hamas is trying to prevent your evacuation. We will allow it. Get out of gaza city and the surrounding areas for your own safety. Many gazans who have tried to seek shelter at schools run by the United Nations say getting out is impossible. They said leave towards the south, but there is no transportation. Translation they said leave towards the south, but there is no transportation. The children hug me and scream, save us, save us. Gazas border to the south i with egypt has been closed, so leaving that way has not been an option. Gazas border to the south with egypt has been closed, so leaving that way has not been an option. There are trucks full of aid waiting to go into gaza, but for now theyre going nowhere. A population of more than two million trapped as Israeli Forces say theyre on their way in. Nick beake, bbc news in southern israel. Our middle east correspondent tom bateman has been Monitoring Events for us from jerusalem he outlined the preparations being made following a meeting of the israeli war cabinet. Its hard to tell when if a piece of activity is connected if a piece of activity is connected to the potential start of a Ground Invasion, because we were seeing artillery fire, for example, even by the middle of last week. Weve seen other activity with localised incursions actually over the last sort of three days where the israelis have tried to attack rocket launching squads. And in one of those, two or three days ago, they found, they said, information that could lead them to more information or knowledge about the hostages that being held in gaza. So theres a lot going on. It doesnt always mean that it is significant when it comes to the potential timing of this Ground Invasion. Clearly, it is going to happen. We knew that from a very detailed statement from the Israeli Military last night that this huge operation of logistics to supply a front line when it begins has been amassing. And what the Israeli Military are saying this morning now is that it is now a political decision about when it starts. So that would signify that they are ready, but waiting for the green light. Ive been following some of the interviews this morning with british officials here, tom, and the numbers missing keep changing. I know the number of dead and missing in israel keeps changing. Can you explain a bit of that to us a week on why the numbers fluctuate so much . Are they are they still uncertain of who is in gaza city and who is dead and bodies not yet found . It is exactly that. I mean, its been the task of identifying the remains as they found them. I mean, a lot of that area around the gaza strip was in utter chaos. And it wasnt until, in some of the places affected by the heaviest fighting, it wasnt until well into the week that the Israeli Forces were fully gaining control. And even then you were getting sort of sporadic reports of potential gunmen on the loose or in hiding. So it was chaotic. And in terms of the number of fatalities, a large number of bodies have been taken to a Military Base where they had been going through this task of identifying remains. Now that its taken a long time and its still going on. So in terms of them understanding who is whos missing but has died who is. Whos missing but has died as opposed to who is being held in the gaza strip. You know, they havent known. Tom bfrom jerusalem. Let me show you the live pictures that i can see here. This is the view from sderot towards gaza city. You will see that another dirty plume of smoke is there on the horizon. We have seen a lot of activity in that open area. There is about a three mile open area between israel and the Built Up Areas in the strip. So, beyond that will be one of the original Refugee Camps. That was once one of the most Populated Areas in the world, the most densely Populated Areas, a large part of that was evacuated in recent days. If i shave the pictures from gaza city, you will see there are fresh explosion, as well, in the Heart Of The City in the last few minutes. Again, similar pictures that we have seen throughout the course of the day. A lot of activity on going. Let us go to ashkelon on the israel side. Chief International Correspondent lyse doucet and in southern chief International Correspondent lyse doucet. The troops have been massing on the board of the past week. The artillery and armour. We have seen it racing past when we have gone down towards sderot towards the edge of the closed military zone. There is also the nonstop bombardment, almost a sense of those massacres by hamas on saturday morning, the israeli army keeps updating us on how many targets. It is sometimes Hundreds And Thousands of targets in an ad. A few days ago, we heard that they had carried out, with the current since units, a limited raid inside Northern Gaza. They said that they were looking for signs where they were looking for signs where the hostages could be, and that also, they had been able to track down some hamas cells. Phase by phase, they are building up to what they have not said that the political order has been taken, but the military preparations are almost there. I have to say, we woke up this morning and there was rain. Whenever there are that they might. They have contemplated starting sooner, but the bad weather held them back a bit. Whether it matters a lot in war weather matters a lot in war weather matters a lot in war weather matters a lot in war. You mentioned sderot, you should our viewers have seen. We have spent the last few days there. Earlier in the week, the mayor was frustrated that some people were leaving, they said that they did not have the resources, they did not have the resources, they had nowhere to go. Now, we understand that an official evacuation to a place today in that border town, around 30,000 people. Most had gone, there were still some stragglers. Ashkelon, today, is relatively quiet. Yesterday, almost every hour, there was an Air Raid Siren going into the night. So far today, relatively quiet. There have been rockets in tel aviv, too. The . Been rockets in tel aviv, too. They have. Been rockets in tel aviv, too. They have there been rockets in tel aviv, too. They have. There is been rockets in tel aviv, too. They have. There is a been rockets in tel aviv, too. They have. There is a lot been rockets in tel aviv, too. They have. There is a lot of been rockets in tel aviv, too. They have. There is a lot of diplomacy on going. We have been watching pictures of the Secretary Of StateAntony Blinken heading around the middle east. Riyadh and then onto cairo. There is news he is coming back to israel. In terms of our timing, you would presuppose that they would be a Ground Invasion while he was in the country. Does that then suggest that perhaps tomorrow is not the day . Well, i do not think that, tomorrow is not the day . Well, i do not think that, even tomorrow is not the day . Well, i do not think that, even though tomorrow is not the day . Well, i do not think that, even though the not think that, even though the relationship is so strong, that the staunchest of allies. I think that the military has it because my own clock, whether or not Antony Blinken is here. It is interesting, christian, that he has come back. He will come back with a number of messages, i think. Will come back with a number of messages, ithink. He will come back with a number of messages, i think. He spoke to King Abdullah injordan. He was in qatar, where many of the hamas political leaders are based. He was in saudi arabia, where the saudi leadership, they are the custodian of the two holy shrines. And of course, before this happened, they seemed to be on a parfor the recognition of this happened, they seemed to be on a par for the recognition of the jewish state. Egypt always plays a role. It has a role to play in terms of the humanitarian side with all of the discussion of a possible buffer zone. I think that Antony Blinken is gathering all of those messages from the arab world, arab leaders, who are all watching so closely and with nervousness, and then, coming back to see what he hears from the israeli side, and whether or not there is some way that they can align. It is rather the jagged edges right now. We align. It is rather the Agged Edges Ritht now. ~. ,. , ~. , right now. We have been talking on the programme right now. We have been talking on the programme this right now. We have been talking on the programme this afternoon right now. We have been talking on the programme this afternoon to i right now. We have been talking on. The programme this afternoon to our colleague and friend Rushdi Abualouf who has relocated his family to khan yunis khan younis. He is a man of enormous resources struggling to find a bottle of water in a shop. We have recently heard that israel is putting the water back in Southern Gaza, that will be some relief, because, there were people who are trying to source water and agricultural places. There was no water in hospitals. To turn the water in hospitals. To turn the water back on in Southern Gaza, that is a step forward at least. That water back on in Southern Gaza, that is a step forward at least. Is a step forward at least. That is very interesting, is a step forward at least. That is very interesting, because is a step forward at least. That is very interesting, because that i is a step forward at least. That is very interesting, because that is| very interesting, because that is another piece falling into place. When israel gave that evacuation order, telling more thani million palestinians that they had 24 hour is to basically get up and go at a time when going means on roads strewn with glass and rubble, when whole streets are cement and ash, and whether bombardment is continuing. We are Hearing Reports that when you get to the south, they wonder where they can say, where is safe. The fact that the water has gone on, that must have come under huge pressure. That may signal that the south has been prepared as a possible relatively safe area. Although, the bombardment is continuing there. It sounds as though they are trying to set up, trying to divide the strip, go through it piece by piece, rather than everyone on the run up with nowhere to go. So, i think that with every hour, we are seeing slowly this puzzle being put together, even though many pieces are missing, and a lot of them still do not fit. It is good to see you, lyse doucet, thank you forjoining us on the programme. In lebanon, our middle east correspondent hugo bachega is there. It has been very lively this morning, hugo. A Buffer Set Up on the israeli side. Lots of exchange of fire. What are you hearing from the lebanese authorities about what is happening . Is happening . Yes, christian. This situation here is happening . Yes, christian. This situation here has is happening . Yes, christian. This situation here has been is happening . Yes, christian. This situation here has been very is happening . Yes, christian. This. Situation here has been very tense, i think that he could probably hear The Sound Of A March here of people with palestinian flags, and also, hezbollah flags. So, today, it has been the most intense day in terms of cross border violence between is here in lebanon and israel. Earlier today, there was the first civilian death in terms of an attack carried out by hezbollah in israel. A man in his 40s was killed. A community was hit in an attack by hezbollah. In the last hour or so, we had the idf the last hour or so, we had the idf the Israeli Military saying that they had retaliated after hezbollah carry out it another Attack Targeting Positions in northern israel. And, we had an update from hezbollah saying that they had hit an Israeli Military barracks in the kibbutz in northern israel, causing a number of casualties. We had confirmation from the Israeli Military we have not had confirmation from Israeli Military yet, but i think that it shows how tense the situation here is along the israeli lebanese border. Perhaps come as an indication of these tensions, we have had a number of different people reacting to what is happening here. Moments ago, the Israeli Defence minister said that Israeli Defence minister said that israel was not interested in engaging, in waging a war against hezbollah. We also heard comments from the Us National Security adviser who said that the Biden Administration was holding a Back Channel Conversation with iran, warning iran against escalating the situation here. Iran, obviously, has hezbollah main support. We also heard comments from the iranians are Foreign Minister who was here in lebanon yesterday. He spoke to the hezbollahs leader, saying that if the United States is interested in preventing an escalation of the conflict, it should tell israel to stop what he described as brutal attacks against civilians in gaza. I think that it shows how tense and difficult the situation has been along the israeli lebanese border. I think that the fear here is that lebanon could end up, you know, becoming a part of this conflict. Hugo bachega in southern lebanon, thank you very much for that. I am going to bring in dr eyal hulata, a former israel National Security adviser who served with the government untiljanuary 2021 this year. Hes currently a Senior Fellow at the foundation for defence of democracies based in washington. Thank you for being on the programme. Can you talk to us about the operations that we are watching on our screens south of sderot . What you think of the Israeli Military is trying to do . It seems to me that there is a repeated bombardment of there is a repeated bombardment of the area, an area before the Built Up Area of gaza city. The area, an area before the builtup area of gaza city. First, israel is mounting builtup area of