good afternoon. winds of more than a hundred miles an hour have been battering jersey, as storm ciaran hits the channel islands and much of southern england. major incidents have been declared on the isle of wight and in hampshire. hundreds of schools are closed in southern england. in some areas people are being urged to stay indoors. the latest from the south coast in a moment, but first graham satchell on the situation injersey. storm ciaran hit the channel islands with a bang, thunder and lightning and massive hailstones. the power of the storm, remarkable. winds reached more than 100 miles an hour, ripping rooves from buildings. this terrifying moment was caught on a baby monitor. the woman grabs her baby and makes her escape. the emergency services injersey said they responded to hundreds of calls overnight. they work through horrendous conditions to clear roads and rescue people. there's been a lot of structural damage, a lot of roofs and chimneys down, trees down obviously, a lot of roads are blocked, there is a lot of debris on the roads. at first light, people ventured out to assess the damage. there are trees down all over the island. some buildings have been almost completely destroyed. the power of the wind has blown walls down. that was my car, evie�*s car, big, big tree. in some places it is a scene of utter devastation. charlie's car was parked here and it's moved over there. with the extensive damage to buildings and properties, more than a0 islanders have been evacuated to local hotels. terry and angela had a lucky escape after their chimney came through their roof and fell on them in bed. i thought it was a lot of lightning, then the next thing, everything came down on top of me. so, i suppose i was lucky because i did manage to pull my legs out. and she wasjelly, that's what my wife was like. i was shaking. jersey is still being battered. all flights and ferries have been cancelled, schools are closed. not since the great storm of 1987 have the channel islands seen something as bad as this. graham satchell, bbc news. a few minutes ago our correspodent danjohnson sent this update from one of the worst affected streets on the island. there was a huge clear up job to do here, you can see the slate that have come off the roof and damaged the cars, they are all over the roads there. this is the destruction that was caused by the high winds that was caused by the high winds that hit around midnight last night. people are telling us. they say it sounded like a tornado pulling through, you can see the tree down, even more damage to the cars. if you look up the house, look at windows, that are smashed through. that is why people had to evacuate last night and why they are now moving out whatever they can, salvaging whatever they can from their homes and considering what they do next, trying to work out where to go. because they are homeless at least temporarily, and evacuees. there is going to be a huge clear upjob to do here and a lot of repair work needed. and it's notjust this street, there are a couple of streets here where so many houses have been affected. and we know that about a0 people across jersey had to be relocated during the night, either to hotels or to community centres where they were staying. this is one of the properties that has been badly damaged on the corner. what was it like last night? awful, it was like the airjust sucked — awful, it was like the airjust sucked in _ awful, it was like the airjust sucked in and it blew out, the windows_ sucked in and it blew out, the windows blue, there is point, it felt like — windows blue, there is point, it felt like the roof actually lifted a dmpped — felt like the roof actually lifted a dropped and that's what i thought the problem was. how dropped and that's what i thought the problem was. dropped and that's what i thought the roblem was. ., ., , the problem was. how frightening was it? a bit scary. — the problem was. how frightening was it? a bit scary. i _ the problem was. how frightening was it? a bit scary, i was _ the problem was. how frightening was it? a bit scary, i was a _ the problem was. how frightening was it? a bit scary, i was a bit _ it? a bit scary, i was a bit shaken out, since we came out of the bedroom we relied the windows had gone. bedroom we relied the windows had one. �* , ., ., gone. and then this morning we have come out preperly — gone. and then this morning we have come out properly and _ gone. and then this morning we have come out properly and saw— gone. and then this morning we have come out properly and saw the - come out properly and saw the devastation.— come out properly and saw the devastation. what you do next? housin: devastation. what you do next? housing have — devastation. what you do next? housing have turned _ devastation. what you do next? housing have turned up - devastation. what you do next? housing have turned up now - devastation. what you do next? housing have turned up now so | housing have turned up now so h0pefuiiy— housing have turned up now so hopefully they will get things sorted — hopefully they will get things sorted out for us.— hopefully they will get things sorted out for us. thank you, we will let you _ sorted out for us. thank you, we will let you go — sorted out for us. thank you, we will let you go on, _ sorted out for us. thank you, we will let you go on, sorry - sorted out for us. thank you, we will let you go on, sorry to - will let you go on, sorry to interrupt. people assessing how much damage there is, what they have lost in terms of their property and their car, people checking on family members, making sure that others are safe and really trying to assess how much damage there is and what they can best do next. dan much damage there is and what they can best do next.— can best do next. dan johnson reporting- _ having hitjersey, storm ciaran has continued its path along the south coast of england. major incidents have been declared on the isle of wight and hampshire where all schools have closed for the day. some train services have been disrupted and drivers have been told to avoid coastal roads. jenny kumar reports from the cornish seaside town of bude. dramatic scenes from st ives on the north coast of cornwall to tidworth on the south coast of devon. no one escaped a pounding from the huge waves and strong winds of storm ciaran. the peak of the winds was forecast for before dawn but at the money has continued, the strong winds have and there have been reports of gusts of up to 95 mph here on the north cornwall coast. that can bind with heavy rain has caused widespread disruption. around 200 trees fell down here in cornwall. thousands of properties were left without power. high winds in the south—east blew the front window out of this bus near folkestone in kent. most transport has been disrupted everywhere. here in dover, all crossings have been cancelled. and for the person staying in this caravan in kent, a lucky escape. this tree crashed through the roof moments after he had woken up. but there has been no escape from flooding for some. at this hotel in south devon, guests had different breakfast experience when water came gushing in. it has when water came gushing in. it has been a bit of _ when water came gushing in. it has been a bit of a _ when water came gushing in. it has been a bit of a shock, _ when water came gushing in. it has been a bit of a shock, we _ when water came gushing in. it has been a bit of a shock, we walked i been a bit of a shock, we walked down the stairs this morning to find the reception was awash with sea water. a , , ., the reception was awash with sea water. a, , , ., ., the reception was awash with sea water. ,, ., ., , ., , water. massive wave, long story short, hit the — water. massive wave, long story short, hit the doors, _ water. massive wave, long story short, hit the doors, smashed . water. massive wave, long story - short, hit the doors, smashed them open _ short, hit the doors, smashed them open and _ short, hit the doors, smashed them open and they completely came off their hinges. open and they completely came off their hinges-_ open and they completely came off their hinues. .,, . , ., ,~ their hinges. people have been asked to stay away — their hinges. people have been asked to stay away from _ their hinges. people have been asked to stay away from coastal _ their hinges. people have been asked to stay away from coastal areas. - their hinges. people have been asked to stay away from coastal areas. as i to stay away from coastal areas. as winds began to ease here in the cornish coastal town of bude, people have beginning to come out. for these holiday—makers it was not quite the winter break they had envisaged. quite the winter break they had envisaued. ., , quite the winter break they had envisaged-— envisaged. harsh, very harsh, certainly wakes _ envisaged. harsh, very harsh, certainly wakes you _ envisaged. harsh, very harsh, certainly wakes you up. - envisaged. harsh, very harsh, certainly wakes you up. quite | certainly wakes you up. quite shocked to — certainly wakes you up. quite shocked to find _ certainly wakes you up. quite shocked to find it _ certainly wakes you up. quite shocked to find it as - certainly wakes you up. quite shocked to find it as stormy l certainly wakes you up. quite l shocked to find it as stormy as certainly wakes you up. quite - shocked to find it as stormy as this but we _ shocked to find it as stormy as this but we are — shocked to find it as stormy as this but we are out and about, there you no. but we are out and about, there you go it's_ but we are out and about, there you go it's really— but we are out and about, there you go. it's really fun, like it, don't we? _ go. it's really fun, like it, don't we? ., , go. it's really fun, like it, don't we? . , ., ., ., , we? the amber warning for wind has been downgraded _ we? the amber warning for wind has been downgraded for _ we? the amber warning for wind has been downgraded for this _ we? the amber warning for wind has been downgraded for this afternoon. having made its mark, storm ciaran is due to ease but heavy rain will continue which could make the job of clearing up challenging. we can speak to our correspondent duncan kennedy who's in hastings for us this lunchtime. what is the picture where you are, duncan? ~ , ., ., ., ., duncan? well, still a lot of weather pummelling — duncan? well, still a lot of weather pummelling through _ duncan? well, still a lot of weather pummelling through here. - duncan? well, still a lot of weather pummelling through here. we - duncan? well, still a lot of weather pummelling through here. we have duncan? well, still a lot of weather- pummelling through here. we have got pulses of rain and gusts of wind of something like 50 miles an hour, even 55 miles an hour. you can see what it is doing to the sea state behind me. we drove over here from southampton, about 90 miles also, lots of localised flooding all the way along the route. we saw two cars in two ditches with emergency services in attendance. lots of problems of the transport system, southern railways, south—eastern railways, a mixture of cancellations and revised timetables. ferry services also hit, no ferries out of portsmouth. we have learned in the past hour or so that dover will be opening to some services but not yet passenger services, that will come in the next few hours. also, something like 300 schools right across the south coast are closed today, just a matter of precaution. and although this is being downgraded from an amber warning, there is still a very long tail in this, a very uncomfortable afternoon for thousands of people. {lilia this, a very uncomfortable afternoon for thousands of people.— for thousands of people. 0k, thank ou, for thousands of people. 0k, thank you. dunean _ for thousands of people. 0k, thank you, duncan kennedy— for thousands of people. 0k, thank you, duncan kennedy reporting. i now, the latest on the war in gaza and we can cross to israel and join my colleague lyse ducet who is injerusalem for us this afternoon. lyse. thank you. after another night of intense bombardment and fighting in gaza, the palestinian health authority says the death toll has now risen above 9,000. israel says it's killed dozens of hamas fighters. including senior commanders. the group is considered a banned terrorist organisation by the uk government. the strikes follows a hamas attack inside israel on october 7th which saw i,a00 mainly israeli citizens killed. today more foreign nationals are hoping to use the rafah to escape the conflict in gaza, into egypt, after the un said a00 did so yesterday. 0ur middle east correspondent yolande knell has the latest. i should warn you, you may find some of the images in her report distressing. waiting to exit the war zone. for the second day, palestinians with foreign passports gathering at egypt's rafah crossing. susan's american passport is her ticket to leave but she has to say goodbye to her grandmother in gaza. right now, i'm between ice and fire. i don't know that i'm going to be able to see their family that i left behind or the friends that i left behind, people are dying, everybody is dying, nobody is safe. and injabalia, in northern gaza, that is the feeling as again rescuers scramble in the rubble after a third israeli strike in three days. families distraught. this father is missing his son. and this little boy weeps. "we did nothing wrong." 0n the ground in the north, israeli forces say they are advancing in their operation to dismantle hamas. and that they're at the gates of gaza city. translation: idf fighters continue to advance in the gaza city area - and conduct face—to—face battles with hamas terrorists and deepen the fighting. during the night, the forces fought against many terrorists who tried to ambush them. meanwhile, away from gaza, these were among the latest in hundreds of israeli army arrests since the war began. three palestinians, two children, were shot dead in raids in the occupied west bank. and a shooting attack near a settlement killed an israeli. while attention is diverted, tensions here are rising dangerously. yolande knell, bbc news, jerusalem. 0ur correspondent rushdi abualouf joins us from the crossing. —— hejoins us from khan younis in southern gaza. i know you have been following the situation at the rafah crossing, what are you hearing this morning about how the exit is proceeding?— morning about how the exit is proceeding? morning about how the exit is ”roceedin? �* :::: , ., proceeding? about 200 people more manaued proceeding? about 200 people more mana . ed to proceeding? about 200 people more managed to cross _ proceeding? about 200 people more managed to cross this _ proceeding? about 200 people more managed to cross this morning, - proceeding? about 200 people more managed to cross this morning, and | managed to cross this morning, and about 20 or so injured people. the process seems to be slow, not what the palestinians and medical officials here want. they say 30,000 people, half of them kids, are in real need for medical treatment. but the number of people allowed in is very small. but we understand that egypt will keep the border crossing open until they evacuate 7000 people, and a big number of people injured. because they are building a hospital outside the border. so the process is working but slowly. i have to say, lyse, in the last half an hour or so, there was an air strike in the so—called safe area, about ten kilometres from here where 15 people were killed and 50 people are missing and there will be under the rubble. most of them are displaced from gaza city. rushdi abualouf, thank _ displaced from gaza city. rushdi abualouf, thank you _ displaced from gaza city. rushdi abualouf, thank you very - displaced from gaza city. rushdi abualouf, thank you very much l displaced from gaza city. rushdi l abualouf, thank you very much for bringing us the latest from khan yunis in the south of gaza. among those trapped in gaza are at least 30 children thought to be among the more than 200 hostages still being held by hamas. among the youngest are two sisters from the asherfamily, kidnapped along with their mother more than three weeks ago. theirfather, yoni has been speaking to our correspondentjon donnison. # happy birthday to you...# two sisters. raz, four, and aviv, just two. a birthday sing—song for their dad earlier this summer. but the girls, along with their mother, doron, are now hostages in gaza. and he is home alone. how can you hate a child, you know? it's painful to see a child getting hurt. anywhere, in any situation. children need to be off limits. i can't hate not even the children of my so—called enemies. yoni wasn't with the girls when they were taken on october 7th. along with their mum, they'd been staying with their grandma efrat for the holidays in the nir 0z kibbutz. efrat was killed. this video posted by hamas in gaza — confirmation of a father's nightmare. my little daughter, you see a little hand here, getting covered on her right. and this is my older daughter, raz, with the pink dress. tell me what you felt when you saw that video. it's hard to describe. the only thing i can put in words that can be close is i suffer. to experience these hours, those hours, it was the definition of hell. she came with from the kindergarten with, you know, a bunch of.. inside the family home, everywhere you look are memories. ..so she gave it to me and told me, "daddy, this is for you. this is a superhero." so how has he felt seeing the hostage videos posted by hamas? it was not easy to watch, mainly because, people, humans, are captive, taken advantage by the one who kidnapped them. in a cynical and the lowest way possible in order to make some kind of psychological battle. i have two small children — mine are four and eight, you know... i mean, i can't imagine what the last three weeks have been like. i seriously considered to offer myself instead of them in order to exchange. specifically me, in exchange for my family. how can i sleep when i don't know if they are cold or hot? but all yoni can do is wait and tell their story. jon donnison, bbc news, in central israel. the unbearable pain of the families, israelis and cousins, day 27 of the punishing israel—gaza war. —— gazans. back to london. thank you very much. the bank of england has kept interest rates on hold at 5.25% for the second time as it waits to see if the rate rises of the previous two years are having enough of the desired effect on curbing inflation. 0ur chief economics correspondent, dharshini david, reports. the rates may not have changed today but the hikes over the last couple of years of being felt across the building bricks of the economy. sales of new—build homes are suffering, shaking the foundations of prosperity. suffering, shaking the foundations of prosoerity-_ suffering, shaking the foundations of prosperity. there is a correction ha enin: of prosperity. there is a correction happening and _ of prosperity. there is a correction happening and there _ of prosperity. there is a correction happening and there is _ of prosperity. there is a correction happening and there is definitely l of prosperity. there is a correction happening and there is definitely a marked slowdown at the moment within the industry without a doubt. the industry as a bellwether because once you have bought your house and the people moving in, day by carpets, they buy food from the local shops, day by petrol, they drive here, it drives the local economy. drive here, it drives the local economy-— drive here, it drives the local econom . . , . ., economy. and the structure of future house-building _ economy. and the structure of future house-building plans _ economy. and the struc