>> within 120 dead and hundreds injured in gaza, the israeli military operation enters its fifth day with no end in sight. hello, aime jane dutton in -- i'm jane dutton in doha. shifting battle lines in iraq - kurds finding themselves under pressure from two sides as they take new territory. pro-russian separatists hit back in eastern ukraine, the president vows to destroy the forces that killed 23 soldiers.

and the children jumping mexican freight trains to get to the u.s. sh israel says it won't let up on its military effort against gaza. 221 have been killed, over 900 injured of the diplomatic efforts to end the crisis are continuing. israel's prime minister says hamas must stop firing rockets at his country first. john hendren has this report from gaza. >> reporter: israeli air strikes are redrawing the landscape on the gaza strip. as homes in hallooed sights turn to rubble. the death toll crosses a threshold. 100, and continuing to rise. >> five palestinians were killed when an israeli air strike destroyed this home in rafa,

neighbours say it came without warning. >> this is the price we have to pay to liberate the land. maybe the jews think this will destroy us. it will give us a good opportunity and encouragement to take our rights back. >> when the dust cleared from another strike, the latest trike was the rafa hospital. the walls peppered with holes. the ellerly and ill shocked. >> translation: this is the third time the hospital is hit by the israelis, we have a sign on the roof showing it's a hospital. it's forbidden under international law to bomb a hospital. >> here is an air strike where no one was killed. everyone now a member of the brigade lived here. after five warning rockets, they got out. many had not been so lucky. >> both sides are supposed to

understand it's a holy month. i hope there's no ground invasion. if there is, we'll lose a lot of people on both sides. we hope a mediator will solve this before an invasion happens. >> as palestinians carry the rising numbers of dead to the burial sites, high above is an eye in the sky, in an israeli civilians balloon, perhaps in search of new targets. the u.n.'s human rights chief says she is concerned israel could be breaking international rules of law. navy pilae said: . >> the number of casualtiesies is stretching medical staff and volunteers to the limit. >> i have never seen in my

30 years live in gaza, such a high level of intensity. there is more than one of our people killed, 700 injured, including civilians and women and children. this is - this is already fought too much after five days. what we as - the civilians - they must be respected. once again, civilians are trapped in the mid of a terrible conflict, increasing hours by hours. civilians should be respected, and people doing also a job for all the actors in the gaza strip should be able to access all the places in the gaza strip. this is very complex, and this should be improved. we are ready to scale up at a very substantial level of operation here in the gaza strip , so, yes, we will support the

health to this tribe utes to kid, treating severely injured people and we'll do more. what we did was to repair a water pipeline destroyed in the hostilities, which, alone, has 70,000 with access to water. >> the israeli prime minister is defiant. binyamin netanyahu says israel will not bow to international pressure to stop the attacks. >> no international pressure will protect us acting with all our force calling for destruction. we'll continue to attack anyone trying to hurt us. >> bernard smith is live in jerusalem. tell us about what you think this means, what binyamin netanyahu - how far he is

prepared to go. >> remember that domestically binyamin netanyahu has a lot of support. israelis feel the threat from gaza, even though most of the rockets don't touch ground. israelis see the intent that hamas as in gaza against them. so they support what binyamin netanyahu is doing, and the international criticism has been relatively mooted from israel's major allies, the u.s., britain and canada. showing their support for his rail's right to defend itself. the french said the same, they support israel's right to support itself. they have spoken about the number of civilian casualties in gaza, and the e.u., expressing

support for his rail's right to defend itself. all the way, binyamin netanyahu says he's ignoring international criticism and will fight on from israel's allies. there hasn't been a lot of criticism at the moment bernard smith - if there isn't the international pressure that the palestinians were hoping for, where does this leave the situation. what are we likely to see happen next? >> well, at the moment what is missing is some sort of natural mediator. last time around when mohamed mursi was in power in 2012, the egyptians brokered a ceasefire. then the muslim brotherhood was afailiated with hamas. abdul fatah al-sisi, the current egyptian president has no smathy

with hamas and may take comfort from the descomfort felt by hamas. therefore, there's no natural mediator. the egyptians say they have called on all sides to stop the killing. therefore, there only seems to be an ongoing military campaign. the israelis say they continue to do until the rockets are stopped being fired. that's the israelis argument. >> thank you. a magnitude 6.8 earthquake hit the japan northern coast. one person was injured, and a small tsunami was triggered, but no damage reported. the plant was not affected by the quake. the 2011 tremor killedle 19,000 -- killed 19,000 people, causing a nuclear meltdown at the facility. ukraine's president petro porashenko promised to find and destroy the pro-russian

separatist who killed 23 pro-russian soldiers. nine died in an attack on a border post. government forces gained the upper hand in the 3-month battle with separatists. last weekend they pushed pro-russian fight ors out of main strong hold. that set us back to donetsk, where they have dug in. friday's missile attack at a border post, where the troops secured in the luhansk region is a setback. dramatic footage emerged of a bridge blown up on thursday in donetsk. [ gunfire ] it was one of several bridges demolished in an effort to delay the ukranian army's advance. >> united nations refugee agency vi estimates 66,000 eastern ukranians fled from the fighting. that is expected to rise in the coming weeks as hundreds left

donetsk. ukraine's president ruled out air strikes on the city because of a large population. that has not stopped families queueing for trains going west. 31 people have been killed in suicide car bombings in kirkuk. the kird moved into kirkuk after the iraqi army abandoned its post in the face of the sunni rebellion. as the kirds take territory, they face new dangers. we have this report. >> reporter: we are 200km from the iraqi capital, but road signs mean little in the new iraq. the country is divided into kurd, sunni and shia areas. here, south of kirkuk, the lines are not clear. for kurdish forces, the road is a supply line to reach the forces further south. they do not control it. it cuts through territory under

the control of sunni armed fighters. including the self-declared is lalic state -- islamic state group. we reach this district, long disputed territory between the kurds and baghdad. for kurdish officials, this was a message from the central government in baghdad. the iraqi army may have abandoned positions during the sunni offensive. nouri al-maliki vowed to retake the land. a few days ago the iraqi army used lanes to target the neighbourhood. three missiles landed in a residential area. two people, including an 11-year-old girl were kill. >> we are afraid there'll be more air strikes. the government offered an apology, but that is not enough. >> kurdish officials, however, are confident that iraqi forces cannot return to this region. >> yes, it is a threat.

we take it seriously, but nouri al-maliki doesn't have power, and the islamic state group is between us and them. he should attack them first, and then us. >> but kurds do have other enemies on the ground. this is an ethnically and religiously mixed district. a double car bombing targetting a kurdish checkpoint close to a marketplace two weeks ago. people blamed the islamic state group for the attack. that group, and other sunni factions are controlling territory less than a kilometre from the district center. for now the kurds are holding their ground, homing to include the region in their future state. the defenses they are building cannot prevent their enemies from entering. that is because this front is also a crossing point used by civilians. closing this road would antagonise sunni arabs. the front line is an important

junction. one road leads to tikrit. the other to shia controlled baghdad. the kurds want the land, but sunnis and shias said they will not accept a divided iraq. still to come - the old and new face. the pitfalls of a housing boom in kurdistan capital.

a reminder of the top stories on al jazeera. israel says it's not letting up on the aerial offensive against

gaza. 121 people have been killed and more than 900 others injured in five days of air strikes. >> israel's army continues the build-up on the border with gaza. prime minister binyamin netanyahu says israel will not bow to international pressure to stop the attacks. 31 people have been killed in suicide car bombings near kirkuk in northern iraq, the attacks targetting a checkpoint manned by kurdish forces. most that died were fleeing elsewhere. back to the top story, the bombing of gaza. israel wants to eliminate the press of hamas. but as stefanie dekker reports, civilians pay the price this family prepares to break the ramadan fast. they have lived here for 14 years. things are different. >> as a father here, my home. i'm living in a building consisting of this. in this building, it is around

20, 21. i don't know if israelis are targetting this flat or this one, or which is over or below my flat. >> the toughest times are when it's dark, when the explosions come loud and violent in the middle of the night. >> we are in difficult times, very sad, very upset and trying to laugh for my children. to give them the hope that we will continue, we will survive. it's difficult. >> his only daughter wants to become a journalist and his oldest son can't go out as much as he'd like. the young esmae be oblivious. -- young esmae be oblivious, but they are not.

>> all of this, we are looking further, who should protect them. and the father feel he couldn't protect himself, how can he protect the family. this is from aircraft, from helicopter or f-16. all of them are killing. >> they sleep in the same room, away from the windows. they say it's better to be together through the tough times. >> i should try to smile. we should survive, we should continue our life. i don't want to plant the fear in their site. no. this is difficult days and it will be removed then it will be normal. maybe the days will be better. they'll find something. >> we have left the family home,

and it's about 10:30, and during ramadan the streets would be packed. they are deserted. it seems everyone is staying at home in fear of what the night will bring. >> turkey's presidential candidate campaigns for the popular elected head of state. prime minister recep tayyip erdogan promises to rewrite the constitution and deepen democracy. the opposition hopeful promised to keep religion out of politics. the pro-kurdish party nominated their leader to run as their candidate. changing the constitution will give greater powers to the ceremonial role as president. >> the new special envoy has been named as the united nations. he will replace lakhdar brahimi,

who resigned in may. he tried for two years to mediate an end to the syrian war, going on for three years now. >> the u.s. is holding a second day of talks with afghanistan's candidat candidates. john kerry is in kaboom. votes show ashraf ghani leads, but abdullah abdullah says the vote was rigged and he won. the u.s. wants a smooth transition of power before its troops go home. >> in north-east nigeria, attacks by boko haram left thousands homeless. violence made things worse for people living in the poorest regions of the world. we have this report, one local interfaith initiative is bringing hope. >> much needed help to some of those worst affected by boko haram's violence. the villages raised by the radical group.

they have little to survive on. taking refuge in a safer part of the state, they are assisted by an interfaith initiative. this woman fled with her two sons and husband after he survived being shot in the head four months ago. >> translation: there's no place to go back to. they killed almost all the men, took the women. we have shelter, but no money. thank god for volunteers supporting us. with minimal national assistance to the survivors. the a.p. i has been acting as a relief agency. it was started two years ago by the american university of nigeria as an attempt to reduce violence. as one of three states under emergency rules. it brings together the community leaders. there's a muslim imam and a bishop. >> without peace we can't have process. with peace we have development and coexist with people and live

in peace. at all costs. >> reporter: once a month they gather to look at ways to help. in this meeting among the topics discussed was offering scholarships and those that managed to escape boko haram's abduct of 270 schoolgirls. in houses of worship, they preached tolerance. members of the peace initiative says religion is miss used to people. the message they want to send, no matter how difficult conditions are, violence is not the answer. the focus in this class. >> people are listening to the interpretations of this, they would definitely understand that what boko haram is doing is not the right thing. >> with this being one of the poorest region, building piece

requires for and they started jobs in training programs and reached out to hundreds of uneducated youth through sports. >> it's a helping hand to communities that feel forsake ep by the government and the world to a generation facing prospects of violence. >> russia has agreed to write-off 90% of the $35 mill won debt owed by cuba. russian president signed the deal during a visit to havana. putin discussed oil exploration off cuba's north coast, a first stop for putin's 6-day tour of latin america aimed at increasing political ties. striking nurses held a mass march in peru. fake coffins were carried to symbolize what the nurses say was the peruvian efforts to kill

democracy. local media says some have been sacked for walking out. >> united states government is warning migrants they'll be sent home if they try to enter the u.s. illegally. detention centers are built to house families while immigration cases are progressed. president obama asked congress for almost $4 billion. as many as 90,000 unaccompanied chill may have entered the u.s. from central america. many jumped on to freight trains, hoping to get across the border. we met a young boy in mexico, risking everything for a new life in the united states. >> reporter: rehearsal time in a small mexican border town. a garage band of teenagers has been formed.

a 14-year-old hondan migrant is on -- honduran migrant is on his way to the united states. he hopes to join his brothers, he wants to study music of the but his parent have no money. he needs to provide for them. >> translation: i said i will work out. my dad wants a car, i said if i get to the u.s. i'll buy a car. my siblings are there. they don't help, they don't send money. >> reporter: thousands of children are trying to gross to the u.s. every migrant in town wonders when the next cargo train will depart. they are not meant for passengers, so there's no schedule or ticket. you can't travel inside. when it moves people climb up or they anning on to the ladder -- they hang on to the ladder. >> the number of small children increased over the past year. >> they are resilient.

they really have a positive attitude. i think you'll grey that they are nervous and scared. they are super strong. >> oscar spends his time among strangers, sharing his goal making it up north. he heard of the horrifying accounts. the train is controlled by drug gangs and human traffickers. >> they say gangs come to the train, and funny. if you do not give them money, they'll cut your hand off. i don't believe that. i believe in god. >> oscar has no money, but has no choice but to take the train. >> thousands are agreed. the odds are against the teenagers, this is the start of the journey. >> now to kurdistan, which has a housing crisis.

decade apartments built decades ago are being knocked down to make modern homes. >> reporter: if you haven't seen the city for a few years, you wouldn't recognise this skyline, not since the russians have been in charge has there been so much construction. new, modern looking housing popped up over the city - a rapid response to a housing crisis. into matter where you go -- no matter where you go, you are reminded of the russian past. many of the old relics are falling apart. parts of city look like this. you have ruins scattered across the fields. if you look past the blockade, the old and the grey, you start to get an idea of what the leaders want their city to look like. after years of cookie cutting housing projects, people have the option of new homes.

in their shadow many people live like this, a reminder of the old city. this man is a retired police officer and lived here for 40 years. he was cleaning and repairing guns for the soviet police force before british et got its name. now his home is making way for new development. >> it's my land. i agree that it will change, and the new houses are best for the city. it's okay with me if they give me a new apartment. i'm not afraid. it's my land, my house. >> this map lied in the house across from country beck. she'll be moving out. her home is being demolished.

>> translation: we are happy for the rich people, for the businessmen. this plus is changing. they built new buildings, but i feel the community, my neighbours and i have been forgotten. where can we go. if you go to the government they say we need to build a new town and you are just an old woman. >> reporter: soviet times were better. at least back then they were guaranteed a roof over their head. the best days are ahead. >> we are having a building boom. there's a lot of investments in the construction industry. we have internal investors, most are at our own citizens, and turkish, chinese and russian companies. >> for now, it seems the instruction spree is about profits, not people. and it's uncertain if most men and women will have a place to call home. people living in places like this want the government and developers to know there's a price for progress.

that they are not just demolishing old buildings, they are tearing down a community. . >> just remember, you can keep up to date with all the news by logging on to the website. the address aljazeera.com. . >> from the relative comfort of most american homes, spending a fortune to smuggle your kids from one vast country into another seems hard to imagine, but the conditions in el salvador, honduras and guatemala would be hard to imagine. that is the "inside story."