Transcript of Israel continues bombing of Gaza as US urges protection of civilians | BBC News

Hello. You're live with BBC News. I'm Anna Foster here in Jerusalem. Israel has intensified its military operations in the south of the Gaza Strip. The IDF says it's hit more than 400 targets since a weeklong truce between Israel and Hamas collapsed in the early hours of Friday morning. Well, this is the scene live right now outside the Al-Nassr Hospital in the southern Kazakhstan City of Khan Younus, a place that many people from the north have fled to. Palestinian health officials say at least 240 people have been killed since the troops came to an end. At least seven Palestinians were killed in an Israeli attack in the early hours of Sunday near Rafei. We're also keeping an eye on what's happening further north in Gaza. This is the view live from southern Israel looking across at the Gaza skyline, which since that fighting resumed, we've seen once again, regular plumes of black and gray smoke on the horizon. In the midst of all of this, Israel has come under renewed pressure from top figures in the Biden administration in the US. The Defense Secretary, Lloyd Austin, has said that Israel is driving the civilian population into the arms of the enemy and that that would be a strategic defeat.

Well, let's start with this report on the latest from our Middle East correspondent, Hugo Beisheiger.

Hanyunis in Southern Gaza. Palestinians have been seeking safety here, now a target for Israel's attacks.

Hamas leaders are thought to be hiding in Khan Younis, and people have been told to evacuate further south. The bombing of the city was the heaviest in the war so far, residents say.

The Israelis told us that Khan Younis was a safe zone, which led us to flee here. Now even Khan Younus has become a war zone. Where are we supposed to go? Our children are stranded on the streets.

This was the scene when aid arrived in Khan Younus. A hundred lorries with humanitarian supplies entered Gaza from Egypt yesterday. Aid agencies say it's still not enough. In Israel, the agonizing wait continues for the families of the hostages who remain in Gaza. Around 140 people are still captive. Hamad says no one will be freed until there's a permanent ceasefire. In Tel Aviv last night, thousands gathered to call for the release of the hostages. Yelena Troupanov, who's 50, was freed with her mother just two days ago. Her husband, Vitali, was killed by Hamas. Their son, Sasha, remains in captivity.

I'm.

Happy and excited to stand here in front of you. I came to say thank you because without you, I wouldn't be here. And now we have to go back and get my Sasha.

The rally was interrupted by blaring sirens, warning of the risk of incoming rockets. Prime Minister Netanyahu spoke for the first time since the end of the ceasefire. He insisted military pressure was the only way to free the captives.

We will continue the war until we achieve all its goals. And it's impossible to achieve those goals without the ground operation.

From Israel's main ally, the to the States, a clear message. It cannot repeat in the south what it did in the north.

I have repeatedly made clear to Israel's leaders that protecting Palestinian civilians in Gaza is both a moral responsibility and a strategic imperative.

Talks between Israel and Hamas have collapsed. The families of the hostages hope for them to come home. In Gaza, people hope the guns will once again fall silent.

Well, earlier, Mark Regev, who is the senior adviser to the Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, spoke to the BBC about what will happen to Gaza once the Israeli government has eliminated Hamas.

So it'll be a better, better situation because Hamas has been controlling Gaza for 16 years. And not only has that been terrible and horrific for the people of Israel, but that has been very sad for the people of Gaza because what have Hamas bought the Gears trip? What have they bought the Palestinians in Gaza over the last 16 years? Poverty, bloodshed, misery. Surely the people of Gaza deserve better than this extremist regime, terror regime, that doesn't give a hoot about the well-being of the people of Gaza and is happy to sacrifice the very last gas and as long as they can advance their very, very extreme, crazy agenda. Well, our.

Middle East correspondent, Hugo Beishegar, is with me here in Jerusalem. That is a really important part of this whole story, isn't it, Hugo? What happens if and when Israel managed to remove Hamas from Gaza? What happens the day after that?

Oh, exactly. There have been discussions about the Palestinian Authority, which controls the West Bank, which is the other Palestinian territory, taking control of the situation in Gaza. It is obviously something that has been discussed not only in Israel, but also by Israel's partners, the Americans in particular. But I think now the main concern is about what is happening in Gaza right now as this Israeli offensive continues. We've been talking about the humanitarian situation in Gaza and how the situation has been desperate for the population there because there have been widespread shortages of basic supplies, humanitarian aid, the aid that is being delivered right now, the UN aid agencies have been saying that it is simply not enough to meet NASA's needs. And we've seen pictures of hospitals now completely overwhelmed by the high number of casualties following these recent attacks, having to operate with very limited resources. So yes, there is a lot of discussion about what is going to happen after and if Hamas is removed from power in Gaza, but the situation right now is very concerning.

Let's talk a little bit more about that Israeli military operation, because we've seen twice now, in the last few days, both Lloyd Austin, the US Defense Secretary, and Anthony Blinkin, the US Secretary of State, who was here a few days ago, saying publicly that Israel needed to act according to international humanitarian law. If they're saying these things in public like that, does it suggest that they think that Israel is not listening to what they're telling them behind the scenes?

Yeah, I think it's very, very interesting to see there has been a change in the tone from the statements coming from senior American officials. The US Defense Secretary said yesterday that it was a moral responsibility to protect the civilian population of Gaza, essentially suggesting that the furosity of the attacks in Gaza could drive people to support Hamas, essentially saying that you could be driving the population into your enemies' arms. I think those were his words. And the US Vice President also saying that Israel has the right to defend itself, but too many Palestinians have already been killed in Gaza. So again, I think the message has been very clear here that Israel needs to do more to protect the Palestinian population, the civilian population of Gaza as it goes ahead with this offensive, and that Israel should not repeat in the south what it did in the north. Northern Gaza was the main focus of the initial phase of the Israeli offensive. We're seeing now that most of the attacks or many of the attacks have been focused in southern areas of the Gaza Strip, especiallyin Khanyunis, which is a major city in the South.

Hundreds of thousands of people have been sheltering in Khanyunis after fleeing Northern Gaza. This is where members of the Hamas leadership are believed to be hiding. So it is a very desperate situation for the population there.