| | | | | | | Hello. It’s just a matter of hours before the 24-hour evacuation deadline Israel gave the 1.1 million residents of the north of Gaza expires. Thousands of people are fleeing their homes, and our correspondents’ dispatches, as well as the latest updates, are featured in our live page. In the meantime, the Israeli Airforce said the army has carried out “local raids” in the territory of the Gaza Strip. Defence correspondent Jonathan Beale explains how a ground invasion could unfold and how it might affect the hostages held by Hamas. Scroll down for an exploration of Northern Ireland’s marine heritage, and a look at how Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour film broke box office records before its release. |
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| | | | | | Questions Answered | | Israel’s looming invasion of Gaza | | | | The choreography necessary for a ground assault has started. Credit: EPA |
| | As Israel continues to amass troops and artillery near the border with Gaza, a ground invasion of the Hamas-controlled territory seems imminent. Here’s how the operation could unfold. | | | | Jonathan Beale, Defence correspondent |
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| | What kind of preparation has Israel undergone for a possible ground invasion? | | Israel has been getting ready for years. It's been training troops in a multi-million dollar urban warfare centre in the south, dubbed mini-Gaza. There they have learnt how to fight through a maze of tightly packed buildings and tunnels, of which Hamas is believed to have built more than 1,000. | | What types of weapons does Hamas have? | | Israel believes Hamas has around 30,000 troops. Their weapons include automatic rifles, rocket propelled grenades, rockets, anti-tank missiles as well as, according to some reports, small drones. What they do not have is armoured vehicles, tanks and artillery - unlike Israel. But the challenge for Israel will be close-quarters fighting in densely populated urban areas. | | Will an invasion help free the hostages? | | Major General Amos Gilead says while the military will need to take their fate into consideration, "if we don't do something concrete, we might find ourselves with more challenging problems". But Major General Yaakov Amidror says the hostages will not prevent any action. "We will fight Hamas to the end and we will have to find those hostages during the operation." | | | | | | |
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| AT THE SCENE | Southern Israel | | Missing peace activist’s last words to her son | | | | Vivian Silver has not been heard from since the Hamas attack Credit: BBC. | | The Be’eri kibbutz where Vivian Silver lived was one of the first targets of Hamas last Saturday, as it's right on the border. Her home was destroyed by fire, and her family has no idea if she’s dead or alive. A word of warning, the articles included in this section contain details some readers may find distressing. | | | | Jeremy Bowen, International editor |
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| Vivian is one of Israel's best-known campaigners for peace with the Palestinians. She stayed busy in her retirement, continuing her life's work as an activist, holding meetings - Yonatan said - with international supporters of her group, Women Wage Peace, only a few days before the Hamas attacks. Yonatan read me their last text messages. Vivian was typing them out from a cupboard in the house where she was hiding.
"She wrote me, 'They're inside the house, it's time to stop joking and say goodbye.'" "And I wrote back that 'I love you, Mum. I have no words, I'm with you.' "Then she writes, 'I feel you.' And then that was it, that's the last message." I asked Yonatan what Vivian would be saying now about everything that has happened. "That this is the outcome of war. Of not striving for peace, and this is what happens. "It's very overwhelming but not completely surprising. It's not sustainable to live in a state of war for so long and now it bursts. It bursts." |
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| | The big picture | | The lives of shipwreck detectives | | | | The wreck of Lochgarry sits in more than 30m (98ft) of water near the east coast of Rathlin Island. Credit: Nigel Motyer |
| | Nearly 400 sunken ships and crashed planes have been located around Northern Ireland’s shoreline so far. A team of civil servants is instructed with detecting and preserving what’s considered to be part of the country’s marine heritage. | | | | |
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| | | | For your downtime | | Taylor’s touch | | Swift’s star power turned the Eras Tour movie into gold. | | |
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| | | | | | | | | | Future Planet | | Explore the wonders of our amazing planet. | | |
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