1. Offensive: (adjective) Aggressive or attacking action; in the context, it refers to a significant military attack by the Hamas militant group.

2. Fatalities: (noun) Deaths resulting from a specific cause, in this case, referring to the number of people killed in the conflict.

3. Unprecedented: (adjective) Never done or experienced before; exceptional in this context, describing the scale and nature of the attack.

4. Pummeling: (verb) Striking repeatedly with force, often used to describe the military response from Israel against the Gaza Strip.

5. Atrocities: (noun) Extremely wicked or cruel actions; here, it refers to the severe actions suffered by the country.

6. Aircraft Carrier Group: (noun) A large naval unit consisting of an aircraft carrier and its accompanying warships; signifies a significant military support sent by the US to Israel.

7. Earthquake: (noun) A sudden and violent shaking of the ground; in this context, referring to the earthquake in Afghanistan.

8. Reservists: (noun) Members of the military who are not on active duty but can be called to service in times of need.

9. Traumatic: (adjective) Emotionally disturbing or distressing; used here to describe the impact of the conflict on Israel.

10. Consensus: (noun) General agreement; in the context, it refers to a shared understanding among Israelis about the necessity of action.

11. Barbaric: (adjective) Savagely cruel or brutal; used to describe the actions of certain militant groups.

12. Casualties: (noun) People killed or injured in a war or accident; in this context, referring to the number of people affected by the conflict.

13. Degrade: (verb) To reduce in quality or value; used in the context of undermining the capability of Hamas.

14. Hostages: (noun) People captured and held as a guarantee that certain demands will be met; in this case, Israelis taken captive.

15. Negotiations: (noun) Discussions aimed at reaching an agreement; in the context, it refers to potential diplomatic solutions to the conflict.

16. Paralysis: (noun) The state of being unable to move or take action; used to describe the political situation in Lebanon.

17. Pragmatic: (adjective) Dealing with things sensibly and realistically; used to describe elements in Israeli society advocating for a practical approach.

18. Thorny: (adjective) Complicated and difficult; used to describe the challenge of dealing with hostages.

19. Urgent: (adjective) Requiring immediate action or attention; used to describe the Security Council meeting at the UN.

20. Escalation: (noun) An increase in intensity or seriousness; often used in the context of conflicts becoming more severe.

This is the Global News Podcastfrom the BBC World Service.I’m Alex Ritzen.And in the early hours of Monday, the9 October, these are our main stories morethan 700 Israeli citizens are reported killed.Since the Hamas militant group launched ahuge offensive from Gaza on Saturday, mycountry has suffered hundreds of fatalities.This is Israel’s 911.We will not let the worldforget the atrocities our country suffered.Israel’s military responds by pummeling the Gaza Strip.Palestinians say more than 400 people have died.Everywhere you go in Gaza, you see funerals,you see deaths, you see building collapsing soyou feel that you could be next.This pump could be on top ofyour home, on top of your apartment.The US is sending support to Israel,including its most advanced aircraft carrier group.Also in this podcast, the number of confirmedvictims of Afghanistan’s latest earthquake passes a thousand.And the Welsh Museum that’s missing almost 2000 items.In the past few hours we’ve been gettingmore details about the people killed in southernIsrael on Saturday by gunmen belonging to thePalestinian militant groups Hamas and Islamic Jihad.Israeli media say that around 700 people diedin the unprecedented assault after the militants brokethrough the barrier surrounding the Gaza Strip.We now know that more than 250 ofthose killed were at a music festival.The BBC’s Joe Floto is in Jerusalem.The Zaka organization, which is a group of volunteers,they’ve recovered more than 250 bodies from the siteof that music festival and bodies still remain there.So that is a huge total of people who have been killed.But it won’t come as a shock becausewe know just how bad that attack was.And we’ve been hearing testimony from people who survivedthat attack that said the shooting carried on forhours, that there were gunmen approaching the revelers.The festival goers on both sides and they chasedthem through the countryside and into the forests andback to their cars and established roadblocks.And we’ve seen pictures today of the remains ofthose cars burnt out, shot up, and there werebodies lying in the streets in the surrounding areas.Joe Floto in Jerusalem, the Israeli government saysat least 100 people have been taken hostage.The army is still battling to regaincontrol of some areas in Gaza.Israel’s military response has intensified.Palestinian health officials say there have been more than400 deaths so far and more than 2000 injuries.Our correspondent Yoland Nell is inthe southern Israeli city of Ashkelon.You may find parts of her report upsetting.Through the day, southern Israel has seenmore gunfights as security forces have triedto track down Palestinian militants still atlarge and free hostages close to Ashkelon.There were dramatic scenes as Israeli soldierspursued gunmen from Gaza driving a stolencar and killed them on the roadside.But many are still missing, their fates unknown.There’s now huge concern for the dozensof Israelis, including women and children, believedto have been taken back to Gazaas hostages by Palestinian militant groups.Renanar lives in a kibbutz,a small community near Gaza.She said her sons were taken from their beds.I was on the phone with our youngest.I wasn’t home at the time, and allI could hear is him begging for themnot to take him because he’s too young.I’m begging you, all mothers of all places in theworld, help me find my sons and return them home.They are just kids.Israel’s military has hit the Gaza Striphard, striking more than 450 targets, whichit said were mostly associated with Hamas.Its chief spokesman, Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari,warned it would be a long campaign.The days ahead will be long and difficult.We have paid a heavy price, but wewill restore security to the people of Israel.Let me repeat, we will storesecurity to the people of Israel.Israeli Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari endingthat report by Yoland Nel earlier.I got an update on developments on theground from our correspondent John Donnison in Jerusalem.We’ve got reservists being called up in thetens of thousands, and there is a hugemovement of force towards the Gaza border.Now, given the surprise nature of this assault byHamas, I do think it could be several daysbefore we see the full weight of Israel’s response.They’re going to be drawing up plans, but Ithink it is almost inevitable that there is goingto be some sort of ground operation.And it’s for that reason that so many troopsare being pulled in from all across the country.Although we did actually meet a mother of asoldier just when I was at the airport cominginto Israel today, and she said her son hadbeen diverted to go down to the border Gaza.He’s in the military, but he’d then been toldto go back to where he’d been stationed inthe north because of fears that tensions arising upthere on the border with Lebanon, too.Is that description of the past 48 hoursbeing among the darkest in Israel’s history fair?It absolutely is.I mean, this is a traumatic moment for Israel.There’s just been nothing like it.When you look at that figure, whichis now being estimated at 700 Israeliskilled in some Israeli media outlets.I was just looking back at some of theprevious conflicts between Hamas in Gaza and Israel.The 2008 2009 conflict, 13 Israelis killed.2012, six Israelis killed.20, 14, 73 Israelis killed.We’re looking at 700 here and 100hostages taken to John donorson in Jerusalem.Israeli warplanes continued to bombard Gazain retaliation for Saturday’s attack.Video images show many buildings beingblown up and large scale destruction.Shops are closed.The streets are empty.The city is said to be like a ghost town.Health officials say more than 400people have been killed so far.Many of them civilians and Palestinians, arenow living in fear of their lives.One aid worker likened a major hospitalin Gaza City to a slaughterhouse. Dr.Hamis Alessi, who’s a consultant,said the situation was unbearable.You can hear the bombardment andthe shelling from every corner.Everywhere you go in Gaza, you see funerals,you see deaths, you see buildings collapsing.It’s just like you’re watching a movie aboutthe end of life on the earth.I haven’t slept for a second since yesterday,because you cannot just close your eyes.The kids are crying, screaming.So you feel that you could be next.I mean, this pump could be on topof your home, on top of your apartment.We got the latest from ourreporter in Gaza, brushti, Abu Aluf.It has been very intense, fighting throughout the day.Hundreds of targets were hit by the Israelis.The idea of said they have targeted 800 Hamas targets.The latest one was about, like, 100meters from our office here in downtown.It’s called the Production Bank.It’s a bank set up by Hamas.It’s a three, four story building, completely destroyed,living to the ground, closing the main streetof the Omar al Muktar Street.This is the main street in downtown Gaza.It’s completely blocked by the tiberiesof this building here in Gaza.Night always carry painful memories for the people whenthere is escalation with Israel, because usually Israel willescalate the airstrikes in Gaza as they started retaliationfor the Hamas massive attack on the border andfired thousands of rockets yesterday.Since last night, Israel have been targeting manyinstallations for Hamas buildings, banks, two or threemosques were destroyed in southern Gaza, many, manytargets for Hamas has been destroyed.When we talk about second day of this fighting,the image here today is completely different from yesterday.Yesterday we have seen people in thestreets celebrating what they said, that Hamaswas revenging from Israel for the continuousIsraeli aggression against Palestinian people.As some of the people told me in thestreet today is completely a different image today.The image of destruction everywhere, even downtown Gazawas most of the streets were blocked bybuildings knocked down by the Israelis, completely destroyed.Level to the ground tonight, Israeli drones, israelifighter jets are still flying over Gaza, andpeople are expecting another night of fighting.Rushdie Abu Aluf in Gaza, Israelicommentators are calling the events sinceSaturday their 911, their Pearl Harbor.In other words, a sense of the nationattacked in a way that has left adeep feeling of vulnerability and trauma.What’s going to be the government’s response to that?Tim Frank spoke to Danny Denon, a memberof the Knesset for the governing liquid party.There are still terrorists in our territories.We are fighting, and we are clearing the area, us,in the communities in the southern border with Gaza.And at the same time, we are preparing to launcharrow strike and it will be a painful one toteach a lesson the leadership of Hamas about the barbaricact they committed yesterday we will use all. Of our might to restore security andsafety to the people of Israel.What do you think security and safety looks like?We have to eliminate Hamas, period.It will not be easy, but that is the only solution.We left Gaza 18 years ago.You don’t have any Jewish communities in Gaza today,don’t have any so called occupation in Gaza today.And still we have seen what happened in Gaza.We feel for the people of Gaza.We have nothing against the civil and in Gaza,and we call them today to move, not tostay next to the headquarters of Hamas who aretrying to use them as human shields.We will hunt them down, we will find them,and we will hope that it will be short,but we are ready for a long operation.I can understand it’s a very simpleaspiration to get rid of Hamas.The problem is you have got a pretty powerfulmilitant organization in the Gaza Strip, which is oneof the most densely populated areas on earth.More than 2 million people in a very small stripof land saying that you want to eradicate Hamas.I just wonder what the territory of theGaza Strip is going to look like.If you get to the point where you say, right,there are no more people from Hamas inside Gaza, Imean, the place will be reduced to rubble, won’t it?That is not our intention.You are right, Gaza will not look the same,but we have no other options to be blamed.It’s Hamas and not Israel.It was an unprovoked, brutalattack against our communities.That’s why we have to take action,and we will do whatever is necessary.If they’re hiding in hospitals, weshould go into the hospital.If they’re fighting in the tunnels, we shouldfind them and kill them in the tunnels.But you are aware, of course, that when yousay that you’re just hunting Hamas and that you’reasking the civilians to move away from Hamas, itis near on impossible for those civilians of Gazato find safe harbor anywhere.I mean, your intention not to harm civilians, and yetyour desire to degrade Hamas to the point where itcannot operate, the two cannot sit together, can they?We will not get into the technical aspects, butalso in the past, we always did our bestto minimize the casualties of the civilians.Those casualties have always in the past been vast,and we will continue to do our best.And I think also in the future we willsend the messages to the people in Gaza.They still can move todifferent locations, different neighborhoods.They should not be around the Hamas militant.We know exactly where they are hiding.They also know where they are hiding, and I wouldadvise them to use the next few hours to move.I look at the end game.There is no place fora ceasefire with terrorist organization.There is no game for negotiations.Now, after what happened yesterday, I think today you havea consensus among Israelis that we have no choice.We have to do that now.May I ask what you say to those who saythat although you’re talking about consensus, the very reason thatHamas attacked when it did is because they have seenan Israel that has become divided, riven with hate.In the words of one Israeli commentator who Iis reading today, and therefore weakened because of thegovernment that your Prime Minister Binimin Netanyahu has ledand that you have had people refusing or consideringrefusing to serve because they feel such disgust atwhat this government is doing and that that iswhat has undermined Israel’s strength.That is ridiculous.First of all, don’t look for reasoning when you dealwith a terrorist organization in the same way, you cannotfind reasoning for 911 or for ISIS when you dealwith barbaric radical Muslims, don’t look for logic.Second, today we are united.You don’t have left or right oppositional coalition.We are crying, we are in pain, butalso we find the strength to fight back.That’s exactly what will happen in the next few days.Member of the Israeli Knesset, Danny Danon.Speaking to the BBC’s, Tim Franks.Any ground offensive by the army willbe made all the more difficult bythe Israeli hostages being held in Gaza.I asked our security correspondent, Frank Gardnerwhat can be done about them.This isn’t easy, because ideally, if it was justone or two probably being held in one location,israel would plan a Special Forces raid.They’re very good at this.They’ve got their syrate metcal, sort of equivalent ofDelta Force SAS to go in masked people.They do this pretty efficiently.But going into Gaza is fraught withdifficulties because almost certainly Hamas will havedistributed the hostages in several different locationsunderground, incellers, with no comms.They’ll stay offline and they will be inareas that are heavily populated, so there’s nochance of approaching quietly, on foot, undetected.Which leaves negotiations.How long did it take forIsrael to get Gilad Shalit back?He was kidnapped in 2006 ina cross border raid by Hamas.He wasn’t released till five years later,and it took the release of Israeliheld Palestinian prisoners to secure his release.So it’s going to be a really thorny one, that.And longer term, what the Netanyahu government, which isparticularly hard line, will want to do is impressupon Hamas that an action such as it isundertaken this weekend comes with such an unbearable costthat they shouldn’t do it again.And unfortunately, it’s the Palestinian people who aregoing to pay the bulk of it.I mean, the Israelis already turned off the electricity,cutting off fuel, but I think the more pragmaticelements of Israeli society will want to see inthe long run, a continuation of the search fora lasting peace solution, one that actually gives thePalestinians a functioning, contiguous state, not one that isabsolutely pockmarked with settlements.The less pragmatic elements, though, of the Netanyahugovernment might well be urging the Israeli DefenceForces to go all into Gaza.I’m glad you mentioned that, because thatis not unrelated to the hostage issue.You’re absolutely right.And I think there are signs already thatIsraeli armour is starting to move towards Gaza.This is not a silver bullet to deal with it.It may make hardliners and people like itamar, benghavir,the Security Minister, it may give them a nice,warm, fuzzy feeling that they’re striking back.It’s going to result inhorrendous casualties on both sides.You’ve got 2.3 million Palestinians in that area.Their weapons are not as powerful as the Israeli DefenseForces, but my goodness, this is going to be costly.There’s going to be a veryhigh death toll if that happens.One last question, Frank.How did Israel not see this coming?I’ve been racking my brains on this one andtalking to Israelis about it, and I think manyIsraelis are asking the same questions in quite anangry tone from their own government and military leaders.I think the answer is that there mightwell have been people pretty low down thepecking order who did see it coming.So I can only imagine that warnings thatwere given that something is brewing were ignoredfurther up the chain that somebody, ah, there’salways trouble from coming from Gaza.We’re used to it, we’ve got this.And of course, don’t forget, this took place on oneof the holiest days in the Jewish calendar day ofcelebration coming at the end of the Festival of Sakot,which comes to the end of the kind of Jewishbiblical year of reading of the Torah.And Israel’s Guard was down, if that sounds familiar.It happened 50 years ago at Yom Kippur.The BBC security correspondent, Frank Gardner.Iran has praised Hamas for carryingout the attack on Israel.President Ibrahim Raisi called on other Muslimcountries to join the conflict against Israel.The militant group Hezbollah, which is backed by Iran,launched an artillery attack into Israel from Lebanon.On Sunday morning, speaking to supporters inBeirut, a Hezbollah senior official, Hashem Safiyaddin,offered support for Hamas in Gaza.We salute all our beloved Palestinian resistance factionsin Palestine, no matter who they belong to.We tell them that the nation is with you.Our hearts, minds, souls, our history, our guns androckets, and all that we have is with youbecause we are the resistance that was founded originally. For you and for Palestine and Jerusalem.Israel returned fire, injuring several people around thetown of Kafatuba in Lebanon, from where ourMiddle East correspondent Quentin Somerville reports.The Israeli military post that sits atopa hillside overlooking the town of Kafatubaappeared undamaged by the Hezbollah attack.The Iranian backed group, which fired artillery androckets at the base and two other sites,has considerable firepower at its disposal.But this was a contained assault, a warning shot.Israel returned fire, striking olive grovesaround Kafatuba later in the day.Further strikes left several locals injured.They are being treated inhospital, the Lebanese army said.Hezbollah said today’s attack was an act ofsolidarity with Palestinians like Hamas and Iran.It is committed to Israel’s destruction.A senior official from the group said it would notremain neutral in any war and warned the United Statesand Israel to stop or face a wider regional conflict.Hezbollah is the dominant militant group in Lebanon, butthere are many in the country that oppose it.Still suffering from political paralysis.There is no president and a shattering economic crisis.Lebanon is poorly placed to face another crisis.Quentin Somerville still to come in the globalnews podcast, the real winners are the rightwing populace, and that would include the Freevoters, a relatively new party, and the AfDare the far right party very controversial?We hear about the rise ofthe right in Germany’s regional elections.Thousands of people in western Afghanistan are spending asecond night in the open after a strong earthquakeon Saturday reduced entire villages to rubble.There’s been confusion about the number of dead,with Taliban officials apologizing for an earlier assessmentthat more than 2000 people had died.The United Nations humanitarian agency says morethan 1000 have been killed and morethan 500 are still missing.Here’s the BBC’s South Asia correspondent Yogita Limai.More than a dozen villages in the Hirath provincehave been virtually flattened, an area that was earlierdotted with small, single story mud homes has beenreduced to piles of brown rubble.Zindajan district, a rural area roughly 25 miles fromHirat city, was the epicenter of the earthquake.We came home and saw there was nothing left.Everything had turned to mud.We started to dig with shovels and whatever.We had to rescue women and children fromthe rubble, one resident, Naik Mohammed, said.Villagers have been digging massgraves to bury the dead.For a people reeling under a severe crisisof hunger caused by years of war anddrought, this is another devastating blow.With winter fast approaching, thousands offamilies are now without shelter.Herat’s main hospital, stretched thin even under normalcircumstances, is struggling to treat the injured.Aid agencies are trying to help.The Taliban government says survivors urgently needfood, drinking water, medicine, clothes and tents.Yogurt Lemay sunday was not a goodday for the governing coalition of SocialDemocrats, Greens and Free Democrats.In germany in two regional elections inBavaria and Hess, all three parties didworse than at the last election.Much attention was paid to right wing populist parties.The AfD gained voters in both regions, while thefree voters who are part of the governing coalitionin Bavaria also improved their share of the vote.I asked our correspondent in Germany, DamianMcGinnis, if the populists are celebrating.I think to be honest, Alex, any of the right of centreparties are viewing today as a very good day for them.So what we’re seeing in both Hessa andBavaria is that the incumbent Conservatives are likelyable to stay in government, stay leading thegovernment with coalition partners, particularly in Hessa.The Conservatives have done extremely well, witha clear boost of almost 10%.The Conservatives who lead Bavaria, though, they’ve got aslight dip, but still it’s the largest party.But the real winners, as you say, arethe right wing populists and that would includethe free voters, a relatively new party.They’ve scored a very good result in Bavaria.They would be described ashard right populists, really.And the AfD are thefar right party, very controversial.That’s shocked a lot of people here thatin Bavaria, for example, combined the AfD voteand the free voter vote, you’re basically talkingabout almost a third of voters.So 30% of voters voted for one of those two parties.And in Hessa, where the free voters don’t dovery well, but you do have the AfD, they’vegot their best result ever and they came second.Was this thought on regional issues or is thisreally a midterm telling off for the federal government?Yeah, I think it really was votersgiving olefshalt’s national government a bashing, really.All three national governing partieshave suffered in both regions.And it’s interesting because on paper if you lookat the figures, Germany’s not doing that badly.Unemployment is very low.When you ask people in polls howthey are doing personally, economically, people saynot actually, not that badly.When you ask them though how the country is doingand how the future looks, the mood is terrible.So I think there seems to be a lack ofconfidence in the government and a nervousness about the future.And I think that’s somethingwe’ve seen in today’s results.Damien McGinnis in Germany, the National Museum ofWales has admitted it can’t find nearly 2000items, some of them thousands of years old.Last month, the National Library of Wales saidit had lost track of 1200 items.This report from Tulari Glenn Jones in Cardiff the almost2000 items missing from Amgiava Cambri, the National Museum ofWales include a small flint tool dating back to around7000 BC, a sword and an axe from the BronzeAge and a bracelet and ring from Roman times.They may only represent a smallproportion of the collection, but Dr.Kath Davis, the Director of Collectionsat the Museum is concerned.It does seem like a rather large number, andit is, but I think we also need toput that within the context of the 5.3 millionobjects that we care for at Amyva Kamri.The number of missing items came to light after aFreedom of Information request by BBC Wales, and it’s notthought that they’ve been stolen, but rather mislaid.Opposition parties in Wales have called for better careto be taken and for more money from theWelsh government to help protect national treasures.The Welsh government say the management of thecollections is up to the museum itself.To Larry Glynn.Jones in Cardiff.Now let’s return to our top story.Media reports from Israel now say an estimated700 people have been killed since Palestinian Hamasmilitants launched a huge offensive on Saturday.An official statement puts the number ofIsraelis taken hostage at more than 100.An Israeli military spokesman said that someHamas forces remained on Israeli soil nearlytwo days after the fighting began.As the military response intensifies, israeli residents arebeing evacuated from towns near the Gaza boundary.Speaking before a United Nations urgent Security Council emergencymeeting, gilad Erdan, the permanent representative of Israel tothe UN, had this response the past days havebeen devastating for each and every Israeli.Israel suffered an unprecedented attack andthe number of casualties is catastrophic.My country has suffered hundreds of fatalities.This is Israel’s 911.And Israel will do everything to bringour sons and daughters back home.We will not let the worldforget the atrocities our country suffered.The number of Palestinians killed in theviolence has also continued to climb.Health officials in Gaza say more than400 people have died so far.As Israel launches more airstrikes on the territory.The Israeli military has been warning people toleave areas it’s about to attack, but manyof the casualties are reportedly civilians.People living in Gaza, which isdensely populated, say conditions are dire.The Palestinian ambassador to the UN, RiyadhMansour, has said that there should bea peaceful solution to the conflict.This is not a time to letIsrael double down on its terrible choices.This is a time to tell Israel it needsto change course, that there is a path topeace where neither Palestinians nor Israelis are killed.The diplomatic community has been at painsto try to calm the situation.On Sunday, the US pledged moresupport for Israel, including sending itsnewest and most advanced aircraft carrier.As I heard from the BBC’s North America correspondent ShingaiNyoka in Washington, there’s been significant movement in the lastcouple of hours in relation to the US outlining thesupport that it had promised to Israel.The Pentagon has put out a statement.It says, describing this asan initial emergency military support.As you mentioned, their aircraft carriers, aswell as guided missile cruisers, guided missiledestroyers that are headed from the westernMediterranean to the eastern Mediterranean.A journey of about a thousand miles. The. US has also said that it’s going to increaseits Air Force fighter aircraft that will be goinginto bases in the Middle East where they willbe available for operations against Iran.But I think what’s significant here is that theDefense Secretary, Lloyd Austin, is saying is that theseare forces that the US maintains globally and thatthey’re being deployed there just as a deterrence posture,but clearly an escalation here.And in terms of the specific supportfor Israel, the USSA, that it willdeploy additional equipment and resources, including Munition,that is being airlifted to Israel.Some of that will be arriving today, butover the next couple of days also, there’san expectation that more consignment will arrive andcondemnation of the violence at the United Nations.Yes, the United Nations Secretary Generalearlier had expressed specifically concern aboutthe welfare of the citizens.But the UN Secretary General specifically wants ade escalation of the situation, something that’s notlikely to happen now that there are moreweapons that are being delivered to Israel.Shingai Nyoka speaking to us fromoutside the White House in Washington.And that’s all from us for now, but there’ll bea new edition of the Global News podcast later.If you want to comment on this podcast or thetopics covered in it, you can send us an email.The address is globalpodcast at BBC co UK.You can also find us on X,formerly known as Twitter at globalnewspod.This edition was mixed by DarcyO’Brie and the producer Emma Joseph.The editor is Karen Martin.I’m Alex Ritz, and until next time, goodbye