Israel Begins Ground Offensive in Gaza City

<p>Today, we discuss Israel beginning the first stages of a ground offensive into Gaza City. </p><p>Hundreds of thousands of Palestinians are expected to be ordered to evacuate and head to southern Gaza. This escalation comes as Israel continues to restrict aid into the strip, with Palestinians facing widespread malnutrition. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said he is "shortening the timelines" for seizing what he described as "the last terror strongholds" in Gaza.</p><p>Israel has also given final approval for a settlement project which would cut off the West Bank from East Jerusalem and further splinter the Occupied Palestinian Territories. The Far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich who unveiled the plans said the idea of a Palestinian state was "being erased".</p><p>Adam is joined in the studio with Panorama filmmaker Jane Corbin, who has reported extensively on the region, and Jo Floto, the BBC Middle East Bureau Chief.</p><p>You can now listen to Newscast on a smart speaker. If you want to listen, just say "Ask BBC Sounds to play Newscast”. It works on most smart speakers.

You can join our Newscast online community here: https://tinyurl.com/newscastcommunityhere</p><p>Get in touch with Newscast by emailing newscast@bbc.co.uk or send us a whatsapp on +44 0330 123 9480.</p><p>New episodes released every day. If you're in the UK, for more News and Current Affairs podcasts from the BBC, listen on BBC Sounds: https://bit.ly/3ENLcS1

Newscast brings you daily analysis of the latest political news stories from the BBC. It was presented by Adam Fleming. It was made by Jack Maclaren with Shiler Mahmoudi. The social producers were Grace Braddock and Jada Meosa John. The technical producer was Mike Regaard. The assistant editor is Chris Gray. The senior news editor is Sam Bonham</p>