Israeli forces move to war footing

Security forces in southern Israel have moved to a war footing to combat a surprise attack launched by the Palestinian militant group Hamas. A barrage of rocket fire from Gaza into Israeli territory began just after dawn, with explosions on the streets of Ashkelon and Tel Aviv. Gunmen on the loose in the town of Sderot have opened fire on civilians. Unverified Palestinian reports say militants have attacked Israeli military vehicles and kidnapped several Israelis.

Also in the programme: American film director Martin Scorsese, who is now 80, on his latest picture, Killers of the Flower Moon; and Indigenous Peoples' Day in the United States, which celebrates native American history.

Joining Julian Worricker to discuss this and more are the American journalist Charlotte Kilpatrick and Oliver McTernan who is co-founder of Forward Thinking, an organisation which focusses on conflict resolution in the Middle East and North Africa.

(Picture: A rocket is launched from the coastal Gaza strip towards Israel by militants of the Ezz Al-Din Al Qassam militia, the military wing of Hamas movement, in Gaza City. Credit: MOHAMMED SABER/EPA-EFE/REX/Shutterstock)