� prepare the battlefield for future operations�. But the Prime MinisterBenjamin Netanyahu had yet to be determined. Lets take a listen to what the Israeli Defence forces spokesman had to say. The tactical raid, which means that the forces went in and then went out during the night in order to prepare the battlefield and to prepare ourselves for coming operations. Our forces are now back in israel. The activity occurred during the night and was concluded successfully without any significant event. This Development Comes as israeli Prime MinisterBenjamin Netanyahu insisted a Ground Invasion of gaza was coming following questions at home about why it had taken so long. He said the timing had yet to be determined. He is under pressure and abroad over the timing of a widely anticipated Ground Attack. He said it would take place eventually but the timing would be taken by consensus. Lets take a look now at all the latest developments with this report from our middle east correspondent tom bateman. Israels Prime Minister said in a televised speech that Israeli Forces are preparing for a Ground Invasion but did not give any clues as to the timing. Translation we are raining hellfire on hamas. We have already killed thousands of terrorists and this is only the beginning. Simultaneously we are preparing for a Ground Invasion. I will not elaborate on when, how, or how many. Overnight the Israeli Military said it carried out a targeted strike inside the Northern Gaza strip, it said in preparation for the next stage of combat. It said there was fighting and the soldiers exited the gaza strip afterwards. Israels bombardment of the gaza strip has continued, the un said the most intensive yet in the past 2a hours, with hundreds of people killed. The Qatari News Network Aljazeera said the family of its correspondent was killed in a strike on a refugee camp in the strip. Meanwhile, the un says its Fuel Reserves in gaza are nearly out and it has begun reducing its humanitarian operations. Hospitals are stopping all but emergency operations, with the un warning more hospitals and shelters could be forced to close. Meanwhile, the World Health Organization said that without fuel, babies in incubators who need life support will simply die, reiterating that safe and sustained access is needed, or, it says, there will be more suffering and death in gaza. To treat patients, you need electricity, for surgical theatres, for incubators, dialysis machines. So we need fuel. Fuel is also needed to desalinate the water so hospitals have clean water. Clean water is of vital importance in hospitals to keep patients safe and provide Health Services. Meanwhile the World Health Organization has also reiterated its call for hamas to release all of the hostages abducted from israel on humanitarian and health grounds. It warns many hostages had pre existing health conditions. There have been further calls now for a humanitarian pause in the fighting to allow more aid in. But for now, the war goes on. Tom bateman, bbc news, jerusalem. Growing alarm over the deepening humanitarian crisis in the gaza strip. Also deepening concern that this crisis now the israel and gaza war could very easily spill across borders. There has already been rising tensions on the streets of many arab capitals and that is causing concern for arab leaders right across this reason you are following events closely. Right across this reason you are following events closely. Our World AffairsEditorjohn Simpson is in beirut. Lebanon has seen significant tensions along its border with israel. John simpson, thank you very much forjoining us. You have been to lebanon many times during many crises, how would you describe the mood now at this time . The crises, how would you describe the mood now at this time . Crises, how would you describe the mood now at this time . The mood is ve , ve mood now at this time . The mood is very. Very grim mood now at this time . The mood is very. Very grim here. Mood now at this time . The mood is very, very grim here, very mood now at this time . The mood is very, very grim here, very nervous i very, very grim here, very nervous indeed. All the kind of things that we are hearing about gaza, people here kind of imagine might happen in lebanon. In southern lebanon, possibly even in beirut itself. The Prime MinisterBenjamin Netanyahu has been so specific and fierce in his threats towards lebanon that people feel it must be at least one possibility that will unfold in the next few days and weeks. I was here, for instance, i have been here quite a lot over the years, and i was here in 2006 when the israeli incursion took place. A completely different, utterly different. At that time there was a kind of spirit of nationalist anger against israel invading southern lebanon. The comparison really is absolutely total now because people feel they dont have that same sort of sense of involvement over what is happening in gaza as they do, or they might, if there is trouble here. So everything depends really on what his brother will decide to do, whether it will decide to join in the attacks on israel, which is what many of their volunteers want, or whether they will try to sit this one out. figs or whether they will try to sit this one out. � , or whether they will try to sit this one out. ~ , i. ~. ,. , or whether they will try to sit this one out. � , i 4. ,. , or whether they will try to sit this one out. ~ , i. ~. ,. ,. , one out. As you know, that will be a decision not one out. As you know, that will be a Decision Notjust one out. As you know, that will be a Decision Notjust taken one out. As you know, that will be a Decision Notjust taken by one out. As you know, that will be a Decision Notjust taken by his Decision Notjust taken by his brother, but its close back, iran, which is watching the situation closely, and also the who see rebels in yemen and its allies and proxies in yemen and its allies and proxies in syria. Iran has many levers that it can use if it chooses to. Absolutely. And hezbollah is one of the major levers it possesses. You can make arguments saying it might be usefulfor iran can make arguments saying it might be useful for iran to get involved and to get hezbollah involved from the lebanese side, certainly. But a lot of people are saying it would not really be in irans interest to have an all out war on two front in this part of the world. The situation within iran itself, and the stability of the government there, is not such that it might want to loosen all the rules and start fighting a proxy war in lebanon itself. These things are easy to argue and of course they are tremendously dependent on circumstances, but at the moment thatis circumstances, but at the moment that is what the general view here is, that iran doesnt really want to unleash hezbollah totally on israel. And of course most people here, perhaps everybody here, would be really grateful if that doesnt happen. figs really grateful if that doesnt ha en. A , really grateful if that doesnt ha. En m 4. , really grateful if that doesnt hauen. R ~. , happen. As you know so well, john, thins can happen. As you know so well, john, things can so happen. As you know so well, john, things can so easily happen. As you know so well, john, things can so easily spiral happen. As you know so well, john, things can so easily spiral out happen. As you know so well, john, things can so easily spiral out of things can so easily spiral out of control, accidents and atrocities happen, regions can tumble into far greater crises. The fact there are now reports in American Media that The Americans have asked israel to delay the Ground Attack is they want to get their air defences into place to get their air defences into place to try to protect their own soldiers who are on the ground in syria, on the ground in iraq, and that seems to be another hint of the risks in this crisis. To be another hint of the risks in this crisis this crisis. Yes, absolutely. I would not this crisis. Yes, absolutely. I would not say this crisis. Yes, absolutely. I would not say that this crisis. Yes, absolutely. I would not say that that this crisis. Yes, absolutely. I would not say that that was l would not say that that was uppermost in President Biden� s mind, but it is clearly very important. We have seen incidents over the last few days in iraq affecting american bases there, but i think essentially President Biden has got the sort of totality of the situation in mind and he is really, i think, just hoping that he can persuade Benjamin Netanyahu to put off any major action in gaza pretty much indefinitely. You have got hamas negotiating apparently we are told in moderate fate about the future of the 200 or so hostages there. And it would be really quite politically dangerous for mister netanyahu, not only politically dangerous, but dangerous in all sorts of other ways, for him to stage his major invasion when the lives of 200 plus Israeli Citizens are at stake and could possibly be saved by this Drip Feed Method of release that hamas has been using. Has been using. Yes, indeed. John simson, has been using. Yes, indeed. John simpson. Our has been using. Yes, indeed. John simpson, our world has been using. Yes, indeed. John simpson, our World Affairs has been using. Yes, indeed. John simpson, our World Affairs editor, | simpson, our World Affairs editor, thank you very much forjoining us from the lebanese capital beirut. So many factors playing into this war, including what has been, and continues to be, a chorus of voices from Around The World calling for a ceasefire, a pause, humanitarian pause, to allow desperately needed aid to enter the gaza strip. The World Health Organisation hasjust published a list of medical supplies it says are urgently needed and ready to go into gaza, but the Rafah Crossing on the south of gaza from egypt has trucks piled up and only a small number have been allowed to enter. The who listing Surgical Equipment and Health Services that are needed for the hundreds of thousands of displaced people who are now trying to shelter in Southern Gaza, but are finding that no place is safe. Someone who understands well what is at stake here is sir mark lowe clock, he was the uns Undersecretary General for humanitarian affairs and the Emergency Relief Coordinator between 2017 and 2021. His successor in the job, martin griffiths, we understand has been denied a visa to visit by israel, so angry is israel now by statements made by the un Secretary General, although the Secretary General said his comments had been taken out of context. I began by asking sir mark whether this was unprecedented, to deny senior un officials a visa. Not in gaza and the occuoied officials a visa. Not in gaza and the occupied territories, officials a visa. Not in gaza and l the occupied territories, although officials a visa. Not in gaza and. The occupied territories, although i must say the syrian authorities in 2019 basically said they would not give me a visa because they were cross with what i felt i had to report to the Security Council about the Bombing Campaign day with their iranian and russian allies were conducting in civilian areas in syria. So this is something that happens from time to time and generally speaking things get normalised. Martin griffiths has, for example, be able to subsequently visit syria. I wouldnt take this too seriously. The really big issue is, how and when can we get a large scale humanitarian Relief Operation up scale humanitarian Relief Operation up and running across the Rafah Crossing Into Gaza . I up and running across the Rafah Crossing Into Gaza . Up and running across the Rafah Crossing Into Gaza . I am sure you have been crossing into gaza . I am sure you have been following crossing into gaza . I am sure you have been following this crossing into gaza . I am sure you have been following this closely. | have been following this closely. There has been a proposalfor a humanitarian pause, a humanitarian ceasefire, and none of them are getting through. What is your worst fear that if it doesnt happen . Well, as you know, gaza is not a place which produces any of its own food or any of its basic essentials, so everything has to come across either from so everything has to come across eitherfrom israel or so everything has to come across either from israel or from so everything has to come across eitherfrom Israel Orfrom egypt and there has been a blockade essentially for two and a half weeks now and everything is running out. That is what the facts provided in the clips you have just one from the last report, food, fuel, medical supplies, everything is running out. So what is needed if we are not to get to the situation where the largest loss of life comes not from the bombing and shooting at the military activity, but from the consequences of people having no food to eat or no clean water or no medical facilities, just has to be access and it is going to need to be on a large scale. Hundreds of trucks a month would be needed, dozens of trucks a day, otherwise there will be massive loss of life. You would be massive loss of life. You would be able to be massive loss of life. You would be able to imagine be massive loss of life. You would be able to imagine the be massive loss of life. You would be able to imagine the intense be able to imagine the intense negotiations behind the scene involving israel, involving no doubt the united states, going right up to the united states, going right up to the top, to the un Secretary General. What levers does the United Nations have now when even the Secretary General himself is coming under such heated criticism . Weill. Under such heated criticism . Well, es, as under such heated criticism . Well, yes. As we under such heated criticism . Well, yes. As we always under such heated criticism . Well, yes, as we always say under such heated criticism . Well, yes, as we always say in under such heated criticism . Well, yes, as we always say in the under such heated criticism . Well, yes, as we always say in the un, l under such heated criticism . Ii yes, as we always say in the un, the un has no hard power and no money, all it has is its voice and what people will allow it to do. Aid agencys only need two then, one is money, which is not a problem in this case, and the other is safe access. So i think you can see through reports of negotiations on a resolution at the Security Council and the language coming from The Americans, is the need for humanitarian access. You can see some of the public manifestations of the private diplomacy that you described there. The question is how quickly that gets translated into a large scale Relief Operation. Because until that happens, the kinds of threats of a very large scale loss of life will simply mount. �. ,. ,. , mount. Around the world and across the united kingdom, mount. Around the world and across the united kingdom, you mount. Around the world and across the united kingdom, you are mount. Around the world and across l the united kingdom, you are watching bbc news. Lets take a look at some other stories making the headlines. Emergency workers are trying to reach mexicos guerrero state after it was hit by one of the strongest hurricane ever recorded on the pacific coast. It brought communications down in the popular resorts and details of the situation there are sketchy. Access roads have been blocked by the landslide. In the us House Of Representatives has elected a new republican speaker ending three weeks of paralysis, by party infighting. Mikejohnson, a conservative ally of the former President Donald Trump was the fourth candidate put forward for the role after Kevin Mccarthy was ousted ljy republican hardliners. The Us Auto Workers Union says its reached a tentative agreement with ford to end a six week strike over pay and conditions. The deal would be the first settlement of the industrial action thats seen around <