| | | | | | | Hello. Israel denies being behind a strike that killed at least hundreds in a hospital in central Gaza, where a doctor told the BBC of “total devastation”. My colleagues bring you the latest. Over the past two weeks, you’ve been reading from our correspondent in Gaza, Rushdi Abu Alouf. Today he tells us about his personal plight, as his family had to flee home for a second time in five days. |
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| | | | Get up to speed | | • | Hundreds of people have been killed in a hospital in Gaza. Israel Defence Forces deny responsibility, blaming a “failed rocket launch” from Islamic Jihad. | | • | A doctor working at the hospital, which is run by the Anglican church, told the BBC that 4,000 displaced persons were seeking refuge and spoke of scenes of ‘total devastation’. “The bombs must stop now. There can be no possible justification for this,” said Richard Sewell, one of the church's top figures in Jerusalem. | | • | Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas has cancelled his meeting with his US counterpart Joe Biden, who is flying to Israel on Wednesday. This strike is going to shift the focus of Mr Biden’s trip, writes our correspondent in DC Barbara Plett Usher. |
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| | AT THE SCENE | Khan Younis | | ‘We’re going to bomb the building next door’ | | | | Israeli airstrikes have targeted buildings in Khan Younis, where hundreds of thousands of people have arrived in recent days. Credit: Reuters | | My colleague Rushdi Abu Alouf and his family had to flee the apartment they were staying in in southern Gaza today. The owner received a call warning him of an upcoming Israeli airstrike on the building next door. | | | | Rushdi Abu Alouf, BBC News |
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| It was just before 3pm in Gaza. I was preparing to go live on BBC TV News, when I received a call from my wife – almost in tears, the kids crying in the background. They’d been told to leave the apartment. The owner of the building said someone identifying as an Israeli soldier warned him the building next door was going to be destroyed. I told her to grab the children and leave immediately. So now we are homeless again.
I’ve knocked on the door of a house near the ICRC hospital, and have asked the family inside to look after my wife and children for a few hours, so I can work out what to do next. Honestly, I don’t know what to do – it’s hard to be a reporter and trying to look after the family like this. I struggle to find water for them, I struggle to get food. We now don’t have a home. I’ve covered the previous wars in Gaza but this is the first time my family is so affected. I can cope when I’m in danger myself, but when it’s your family too, you feel guilty. |
| | | | • | The latest: We have the latest updates on what looks to be the most deadly strike of the conflict so far on a hospital in central Gaza. Follow our live coverage. | | • | Hostages: The mother of Mia Shem, held hostage in Gaza and who appeared in a Hamas video, has appealed for her immediate release along with at least 198 other hostages. |
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| Questions Answered | | Military mobilised, but what’s Israel’s next move? | | | | More than 360,000 reservists have reported for duty in Israel. Credit: Reuters |
| | Troop movements in southern Israel are suggesting an impending ground offensive in Gaza in response of the Hamas militant group’s killing of more than 1,400 on Israeli soil. But the arrival Wednesday of US President Joe Biden - keen to avoid the conflict spreading - may influence what Israel does next. | | | | Lyse Doucet, Chief International correspondent |
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| | Will Israel launch a ground offensive? | | Troop movements in southern Israel are suggesting an impending ground offensive in Gaza in response to the Hamas militant group’s killing of more than 1,400 on Israeli soil. But the arrival Wednesday of US President Joe Biden, who is keen to avoid the conflict spreading - may influence what Israel does next. | | How quickly will Israel want to act? | | Israel’s statements have suggested an attack is imminent. Keeping a mobilised army waiting too long could affect their readiness and morale. There may, or may not, be a delay. There’s been heavy rain in this region - and weather matters in war. | | What will influence its next move? | | Intense diplomacy, including the arrival of US President Joe Biden, on the need to develop a plan to get aid into Gaza and get foreign nationals out, may be staying Israel’s command. There’s also the thorny issue of foreign hostages. Once this war intensifies, Israel’s closest allies want to be sure they’ve done everything possible to protect civilians, and prevent this war from erupting into a much wider conflagration. | | | | | | |
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| | The big picture | | Going to pot? | | | | Canada's domestic recreational market is valued in the billions but companies are struggling to turn a profit. Credit: Reuters |
| | Canada remains one of the only countries in the world that allows legal and regulated access to recreational marijuana. But five years after the drug's legalisation, the country's cannabis industry is struggling for survival, writes Nadine Yousif in Toronto. One producer is diversifying into the orchid trade. | | | | |
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| | | | For your downtime | | Ancient roots | | Where to find the world's longest-lived trees | | |
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| | And finally... | | I couldn’t leave you without mentioning the pictures teased by Netflix of the last season of the Crown. The sixth instalment of the royal drama will take us back to the late 1990s, including the last days of Princess Diana's life. Our entertainment reporter Steven McIntosh hears from Australian actress Elizabeth Debicki about the "unique challenge" of playing Diana. |
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