STORY: Israel prepares for ground assault on Gaza as Palestinians struggle to flee
DATELINE: Oct. 16, 2023
LENGTH: 00:04:13
LOCATION: West Bank/Gaza/Jerusalem/Cairo
CATEGORY: POLITICS/MILITARY

SHOTLIST:
1. various of Israeli troops on Gaza border
2. STANDUP 1 (English): OHOOD AL-JAGHOUB, Xinhua reporter in West Bank
3. various of Israeli troops
4. various of protests in West Bank
5. various of a hospital in Gaza
6. Voice of Sanaa Kamal, Xinhua reporter in Gaza
7. STANDUP 2 (English): WANG ZHUOLUN, Xinhua correspondent in Jerusalem
8. various of bombs launched by Israeli army over Lebanon
9. STANDUP 3 (English): YANG YIRAN, Xinhua correspondent in Cairo
10. various of a meeting of the Egypt's National Security Council on Sunday
11. various of clashes between Israel and Lebanon

STORYLINE:

STANDUP 1 (English): OHOOD AL-JAGHOUB, Xinhua reporter in West Bank
"The Israeli army spokesman announced earlier on Oct. 15 that the Israeli army is fully prepared for a ground invasion of Gaza. Throughout the past nine days, there has been fear of this war becoming a regional war with more parties to be involved. Across the West Bank, there are widespread calls for demonstrations against Israeli forces and their settlers' violence, and the rising death toll."

Voice of Sanaa Kamal, Xinhua reporter in Gaza
"Medical teams completely refuse to evacuate hospitals because they believe that if any hospital accepts the evacuation requests, Israel will continue to complete the evacuation of all the other hospitals in the Gaza Strip, especially Al-Shifa Hospital, which has tens of thousands of displaced people in it. This large number of displaced people, medical staff, and patients, may be bombed by Israel. The Palestinians in the Gaza Strip are waiting for any truce between Hamas and Israel to have the opportunity to check what remains of their properties and belongings. They do not yet see signs that they will return to their normal lives, which they hope to return to shortly. They suffer from disastrous conditions because they do not have water, electricity, food, financial assistance, or even psychological assistance. In light of these difficult conditions, especially as we are approaching winter, they do not have enough clothes to wear to withstand the cold weather conditions."

STANDUP 2 (English): WANG ZHUOLUN, Xinhua correspondent in Jerusalem
"Here I am in a train station in Israel. A lot of trains in the country have been canceled since the outbreak of this round of large-scale Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Sunday marked its ninth day and witnessed escalations in the north. Rockets and an anti-tank missile were fired from Lebanon toward Israel, followed by Israeli strikes."

STANDUP 3 (English): YANG YIRAN, Xinhua correspondent in Cairo
"Egypt has offered to host a multilateral meeting to discuss the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas. Egypt is ready to exert any effort to achieve calm in Gaza and start a genuine peace process, the Egyptian presidency said in a statement on Sunday. Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman met with U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken to discuss the situation in Gaza. The Saudi Crown Prince emphasized the need to halt military operations and called for lifting the siege on Gaza to ensure the legitimate rights of the Palestinian people. Iranian foreign minister warned that an Israeli ground offensive in Gaza could lead to a broader conflict in the Middle East. During his talk with Qatar's Emir, the Iranian diplomat also urged the halt of attacks on civilians. As tension between Israel and Hezbollah escalates, Israel's defense minister stated on Sunday that Israel has no interest in war on its northern front and would maintain the situation if Hezbollah shows restraint."

Xinhua News Agency correspondents reporting from West Bank/Gaza/Jerusalem/Cairo.
(XHTV)