Summary

  • The situation in Gaza is "dire", with food and water running out during an Israeli siege, according to the UN's World Food Programme

  • The Palestinian enclave is relying on generators after its only power station ran out of fuel, but Israel says its blockade will not end until Israeli hostages are released

  • 50,000 pregnant women in Gaza are unable to access essential health services or even clean water, the UN says

  • At least 150 hostages were taken into Gaza during Hamas's deadly attacks at the weekend that killed 1,300 people

  • The Israeli defence chief has admitted failures in the military's duty to uphold security and protect Israeli citizens

  • Earlier, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken vowed unending American support for Israel during a visit to the country

  • More than 1,500 people have been killed in Gaza since Israel launched retaliatory air strikes

  1. Mains electricity in Gaza has gone outpublished at 13:26 British Summer Time 11 October 2023
    Breaking

    power plantImage source, Getty Images

    Mains electricity has gone out in Gaza after its sole power station ran out of fuel.

    Since Hamas's attack at the weekend, Israel has imposed a siege of Gaza, cutting its supplies of electricity, fuel, food, goods and water.

    It means people in Gaza will rely on generators for electricity - if they have the fuel to run them.

  2. The latest headlinespublished at 13:01 British Summer Time 11 October 2023

    It's 13:00 in London and 15:00 in Israel. Here are the latest top lines:

    • Authorities in Gaza say the sole power plant will soon run out of fuel as an Israeli siege continues
    • Earlier this week, Israel announced it was stopping electricity, fuel and water from crossing the border
    • More Gazans are seeking shelter in schools and hospitals as Israeli air strikes continue
    • In Israel, air raid sirens have been heard in the north and the south, with injuries reported as rockets land from Gaza
    • The Israeli military says it has massed troops at near the border with Gaza, including 300,000 reservists
    • The number killed by Hamas's weekend attacks in Israel has reached 1,200 - while more than 1,000 people have been killed by Israeli air strikes on Gaza
    • At the other end of the country, Israel has attacked Lebanese territory in response to an attack from the Hezbollah militia
  3. UK Foreign Secretary James Cleverly arrives in Israelpublished at 12:39 British Summer Time 11 October 2023
    Breaking

    James Cleverly, photographed last weekImage source, Rex Features
    Image caption,

    James Cleverly, photographed last week

    UK Foreign Secretary James Cleverly has arrived in Israel, according to the government.

    "The foreign secretary has arrived in Israel today to demonstrate the UK's unwavering solidarity with the Israeli people following Hamas’ terrorist attacks," a spokesperson said.

    "He will be meeting survivors of the attacks and senior Israeli leaders to outline UK support for Israel’s right to defend itself."

  4. More detail on Gaza casualtiespublished at 12:21 British Summer Time 11 October 2023

    As we reported earlier, the Hamas-run Health Ministry in Gaza says 1,055 people have been killed, external in the Gaza Strip and 5,184 injured since Israel began its air strikes.

    Yesterday, it said 260 children and 230 women were among those killed. It also said six medical personnel had been killed and another 15 injured, and that eight journalists had also died.

    The UN's Palestinian refugee agency says nine of its staff , externalhave been killed in Gaza since Saturday.

    The Committee for the Protection of Journalists is collating reports, external of journalists that have been killed, injured or reported missing in both Israel and Gaza - it lists seven reported dead in Gaza.

  5. Two injured by rockets in Ashkelonpublished at 12:11 British Summer Time 11 October 2023

    As we reported earlier, sirens have been sounding this morning in the southern Israeli city of Ashkelon, as rockets are fired from Gaza.

    Now emergency responders say two people have been taken to hospital - a 60-year-old male with shrapnel wounds, and a 40-year-old female.

    A few hours earlier, the MDA also said it had taken a 40-year-old man to hospital in the Sderot area with shrapnel injuries.

    Man lying on ground in Ashkelon, 10 OctImage source, Reuters
    Image caption,

    A man is pictured taking cover as sirens sound to warn of incoming rocket fire in Ashkelon yesterday

  6. Gazan mother: Where to hide when death comes from the sky?published at 12:03 British Summer Time 11 October 2023

    Hanan Razek and Mohamed Ibrahim
    BBC Arabic

    Palestinians carry belongings near their damaged house following Israeli strikes, in Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip October 11, 2023Image source, Reuters

    Nadiya is the mother of a five-year-old boy and three-month old baby in Gaza.

    She says the only way to calm the older boy, as Israeli air strikes land, is to tell him "the sound of an explosion comes a few moments after it actually happens".

    It is the kind of knowledge no five-year-old should be expected to understand, but for Nadiya, it is the best way to cope.

    On Monday night, Nadiya says she heard her neighbours running down the stairs shouting: "Evacuate! Evacuate!"

    The young mother hesitated for a couple of seconds. Then she burst into tears.

    Eventually, she left the building with her two children, but said she couldn't recognise the neighbourhood as buildings around her block had been levelled.

    She's now trying to make her way to her parents' house. But, she says: "Where can you hide when death is coming from the sky?"

  7. 'We can't call these people human'published at 11:49 British Summer Time 11 October 2023

    In Israel, Menashe and Merav Ram held a funeral yesterday for their 28-year-old son Omri, who was killed by Hamas militants at the Supernova music festival on Saturday.

    Early on Saturday, when Hamas began firing rockets into Israel, Omri called his parents, telling them of the attack.

    In a second phone call he said: "Dad, it's more serious. People are injured."

    Menashe said Omri was going to jump in the car and drive to safety. But then the connection became weak and they lost contact.

    "I felt like something was happening," Merav told the Today programme earlier. "I told Menashe something was wrong."

    Of the attackers, Menashe said: "I don't know if we can call these kinds of people humans. Humans do not do these kind of things to boys and girls that only wanted to celebrate.

    "They will not be forgiven for what they've done."

    Media caption,

    Watch: How the Supernova attack unfolded

  8. Gaza hospitals have become refugee camps, says surgeonpublished at 11:34 British Summer Time 11 October 2023

    British-Palestinian surgeon, Ghasan Abu Sitta, says the hospital where he's working in Gaza has turned into a refugee camp.

    "People are afraid and so they're bringing their families to stay in the compound of the hospital as a safe space," he told the Today programme earlier.

    The surgeon said there was a "continuous stream of wounded people", but that his Shifa hospital was already at capacity - like most other hospitals in Gaza.

    "Gaza has around 2200, 2500 beds and we've already had 4500 wounded," Abu Sitta said.

  9. Israeli military says it's hit Hezbollah site inside Lebanonpublished at 11:15 British Summer Time 11 October 2023

    More now on what's been happening at Israel's border with Lebanon.

    Israel's military says, external its aircraft attacked an observation post inside Lebanon belonging to Hezbollah. The IDF also fired at the area.

    Israel says it's in response to a fresh rocket attack by Hezbollah - which Hezbollah says was done in retaliation for Israeli killing three of its fighters in skirmishes with Israel this week.

    This is the fourth day of violence at the border.

  10. Number killed in Gaza rises to 1,055 - health ministrypublished at 10:55 British Summer Time 11 October 2023

    We've just had an update from the Palestinian health ministry - it says 1,055 people have been killed and more than 5,100 others injured since Israel's retaliatory air strikes began on Saturday.

    The Ministry of Health said earlier nearly 60% of the injured people in Gaza were women and children.

  11. Israeli workers still removing dead bodies in Sderotpublished at 10:51 British Summer Time 11 October 2023

    Workers cleaning up bodiesImage source, Reuters

    Four days after the deadly attacks launched from Gaza by Hamas, Israeli workers are still removing dead bodies from the city of Sderot.

    These images were taken near a destroyed police station where a gun battle took place.

    The death toll in Israel has reached 1,200, with more than 2,700 people injured.

    Workers picking up a dead bodyImage source, Reuters
  12. First pictures from clashes at Lebanon borderpublished at 10:47 British Summer Time 11 October 2023

    As we reported earlier, there's been more violence at Israel's border with Lebanon this morning.

    The Lebanese militia Hezbollah says it fired two missiles on an Israeli army post in response to losing three of its fighters in skirmishes with Israel this week.

    Israel is now shelling an area in southern Lebanon in response.

    Smoke rises from Dhayra village as pictured from the Lebanese town of Marwahin, southern Lebanon, October 11, 2023Image source, Reuters
    Image caption,

    Smoke rises from Dhayra village in Lebanon, one of the areas hit by Israel

  13. Israeli Air Force confirms attack on Islamic University in Gazapublished at 10:27 British Summer Time 11 October 2023

    We reported yesterday evening that part of the Islamic University in Gaza City had been destroyed by Israeli air strikes.

    The Israeli Air Force has now confirmed the strike in a post on X, external, formerly known as Twitter.

    The IAF says they attacked the university because it "serves as a major training centre for Hamas engineers," and is "an important centre of political and military power" .

    It also says Hamas used the site to produce weapons.

    Plumes of smoke emanate from the grounds of the Islamic University in Gaza City after a strike by the Israeli Air ForceImage source, Reuters
    Image caption,

    The aftermath of the attack on the Islamic University in Gaza City yesterday

  14. Sirens sounding in northern Israelpublished at 10:06 British Summer Time 11 October 2023
    Breaking

    As Israel responds to the missile fired by Hezbollah from Lebanon, sirens are now sounding in northern Israel - to warn Israelis of incoming attacks.

  15. Israel attacks areas in Lebanon in response to missilepublished at 10:01 British Summer Time 11 October 2023

    Half an hour ago, we reported that a missile had been fired from Lebanon into Israel, which Hezbollah has since said it was behind.

    Israel's military now says it is attacking Lebanese territory in response - and Lebanon's state media says two areas are being shelled.

    "The area around Dhayra is being bombarded by enemy artillery, while the area around Yarin is being hit with phosphorus shells," Lebanon's National News Agency reported. The BBC has not confirmed those details.

  16. Who are the UK nationals missing and feared dead?published at 10:00 British Summer Time 11 October 2023

    Bernard CowanImage source, Cowan family
    Image caption,

    Bernard Cowan reportedly lived "metres" from the Gaza barrier

    As we've just reported, we know there are 17 British nationals dead or missing after the Hamas attack on Israel.

    So far we've only had a few names confirmed. One of those who died was 20-year-old Nathanel Young, who attended school in north London before moving to Israel to serve in the military.

    Another was Bernard Cowan, a Scottish grandfather who grew up in Glasgow before settling in Israel with his family.

    Among those reported missing are Jake Marlowe, who was working as a security guard at a music festival, and Daniel Darlington, whose family believe he was killed.

  17. Seventeen UK nationals dead or missingpublished at 09:47 British Summer Time 11 October 2023
    Breaking

    The BBC has learned from an official UK source that after the weekend's attack by Hamas there are 17 dead or missing UK nationals, with children among them.

    The previous estimate was "more than 10" British nationals dead or missing.

  18. Missile fired from Lebanon into Israel, says IDFpublished at 09:28 British Summer Time 11 October 2023

    Away from Gaza, Israel's military says a missile has been fired from Lebanon towards an Israeli military post at the border.

    The anti-tank missile struck near the village of Arab Al-Aramshe, the IDF said, external - at the other end of the country from where Hamas has launched its attacks.

    It's not the first time violence has erupted at the Lebanon border in recent days.

    Hezbollah - which is backed by Iran, but proscribed by Israel and much of the West as a terrorist group - has fired rockets into Israel since Hamas began its assault.

  19. Inside Gaza City: A neighbourhood destroyed and queues for breadpublished at 09:13 British Summer Time 11 October 2023

    Rushdi Abu Alouf
    Reporting from Gaza City

    Rescuers stood in rubble in Gaza CityImage source, Reuters
    Image caption,

    The scene in Gaza City this morning

    There was a very dangerous escalation last night in the northern part of Gaza City.

    Hundreds of air strikes destroyed a neighbourhood, according to a local authority here. More than 50 people were killed overnight, most of them civilians.

    We are still unable to reach that area, but we have been watching from the rooftop, where overnight air strikes were non-stop.

    We saw hundreds of people walking to the south of city, which they believe is much safer, going to hospitals and schools.

    The UN is trying to accommodate 200,000 displaced people - that's about 10% of the population in the Gaza Strip.

    People are without electricity, water supplies and food. They are queuing at bakeries where they get small amounts of food. Banks are giving small amounts of money, and petrol stations small amounts of fuel.

    The minister of health said all of the medical centres and hospitals will be run out of medicine in 24 hours.