that's outline for now. check out our website aljazeera.com/considerthis, google+, facebook and we are on twitter. see you next time. welcome to al jazeera america. i'm del walters. these are the stories we're following you. concerned for the safety of international investigators in ukraine. gaza under fire. the death toll goes up on both sides. a medal of honor for a soldier who faced certain death in afghanistan. you're looking live right now at the white house because

we are waiting for president obama. he's expected to sfeek in a few minutes about the crisis in ukraine and the downing of malaysian flight 17, everybody on board was killed. the white house has implied that russia bears some of the blame. meanwhile, russia is pushing back at this hour challenging accusations that pro-russian separatists shot down the plane. it comes as more world leaders demand action from russia. they want the kremlin's help to gain access to the crash site for international investigators. on the ground in eastern ukraine the fighting has resumed between the government and the pro-russian rebels. we have more on how it could complicate the recovery of victims. >> reporter: a 31-member team is here on the ground waiting for the they cans step, the next step is probably going to come in the form of bodies that are now in refrigerated railway cars down by the crash site just 15 kilometers from where the main parts of this plane came down. they are waiting to leave. right now they're under separatist control. there was a european monitoring

mission that visited the bodies today. we're waiting for what the investigation team is saying will be on the move later in the day. that would be made much more difficult now because fighting has gone on notice in donetsk where this european monitoring mission is. we're hearing it probably will come here, and that's not confirmed. the prime minister of ukraine has said they're going to do everything they can to help with the investigation, and that included handing over the operations to a dutch delegation that's leading up this investigation. also, the bodies will be transferred to the netherlands once they make it to a safer spot to be transferred for dna analysis. it seems as though there's several more steps that need to happen where this identification process can go on for the victims of the this flight. >> we're waiting for the president. he'll be speaking from the white house in a short while. mike viqueira is there. mike, what exactly can we expect

to hear from the president today? >> reporter: well, del, we're eager to hear what the president exactly has to go. there's no question that the white house and president very interested in keeping the pressure on putin and russia, who in turn has to decide whether or not he's going to continue to provide political and military material support to the separatists in russia. that as well as another thing on the front burner here in the aftermath of the tragedy, and that is more sanctions on russia. will this be the moment that crystallizes european public opinion and their governments towards finally getting tough with russia. there are indications at this hour that that might be the case. we heard from the british prime minister, david cameron, talking about the need for further sanctions, talking about the need for vladimir putin to come clean. that's another thing the president will say yet again. ever since the first russiians of this tragedy came forward, the president made that appearance and subsequent calls

to world leaders around the globe including the countries most affected, all stressing the fact that the integrity of the crash site must be maintained. we heard from scott that there are indications that there is some access at any rate to recover the bodies of the victims, but there are other reports of armed separatists blocking access to the osce, u.n. representatives and other crash site investigators. del. >> mike viqueira at the white house. stand by as we await the president to speak. the united nations security council is considering a resolution today nademanding mo access to the site in ukraine. we're live in london with more on the pressure they're putting on russia. the british and australian prime ministers are quite vocal today. >> yeah, del, the australian and british prime ministers taking basically the lead in expressing the indignation felt certainly here in europe.

we see it here in the united kingdom. we had an extraordinary session in the house of commons when the prime minister david cameron sto stood up and said russia has to make sure the investigation proceeds quickly and it has to change and stop smenting the separatists in the east of ukraine. we have to start thinking, and we have to here in the eu fundamentally change our relationship with russia. he said that we would also be looking for harsher sanctions if vladimir putin doesn't back off from his support no matter the consequences to our own economy. david cameron said this is a moment in time where if we don't stand up the consequences are worse down the road. that's a clear indication towards the economy in the european union that are reluctant to get harsher sanctions. david cameron has spoken to the leaders of various countries and

in particular germany and angela merkel, and they are starting to say we may have to think about harsher sanctions. del. >> are we seeing a bit of push-back from russia? >> reporter: we are definitely. we heard in a press conference from the russian defense ministry today some retaliation and some questions of their own that they have towards the ukrainians. some things like reports of ukrainian fighter jets in the area. reports of missile systems, which are this buk system moved into the area by kiev. moscow would like answers to that. in addition to this, putin is saying that now is not the time to start getting political points over this tragedy. let's take a listen. >> translator: no one should and no one has the right to use this tragedy to achieve their own selfish political goals. these events shouldn't divide

but unite people. it's necessary that all people who suffered the situation in this region of ukraine take responsibility before their own people and the people of the countries represented by the victims of this catastrophe. >> reporter: so the russians are saying it's too early to place blame on anybody. and they take hummage at the west making their decision. nefrl nev neverless they feel the kremlin supporting the separatists created the situation and the atmosphere that brought down the plane. there will be a meeting tomorrow in brussels to talk about possible harsher sanctions. clearly, we will keep a close eye on that. phil. >> phil, thank you very much. we're waiting for president obama, and he'll be coming out shortly to address the crisis in

ukraine. we go back to the white house correspondent mike vicar ra. as the president comes out, we sit down and basically close our mouths. >> we stand at the ready. >> on the secretary of state as well today? >> translator: that's absolutely right. one of the fascinating things about the white house and the administration message is to look at the president. you recall when this first head the hit the headlines they were on the phone with val mere putin in the morning. they talked about it in the wake of the political aggression and destabilizing eastern ukraine. the president kept his schedule and gave a full 29 seconds and that was at a speech in delaware making reference to the crash. the next day a much more forceful comment when the president pointed the finger, walked right up to the edge of blaming putin and russia saying the missiles were manufactured by russia and fired from separatist-held territory. there's no way it could have

been done without the help and training of russian forces directly. over the weekend john kerry took it one step further revealing intelligence that said those weapons systems had been detected coming over the russian border and back again after the airplane came down. let's listen to john kerry. >> within the last month a major convoy of 150 vehicles including tanks, artillery, multiple rocket launchers, and armored personnel carriers all crossed over from russia into this area of ukraine, and these things were turned over to the separatists. this is one instance. they have gained proficiency in using sophisticated service-to-air missiles, and that they have shot down some 12 aircraft in the last months including two transport planes. >> reporter: so the administrati administration, del, continues to make the case to worldwide public opinion, particularly the europeans once again.

it was interesting to listen to phil's report from london. david cameron stood up and talked about the need to halt trade in the defense industry. that remark has been pointed directly or at least seen as a reflection of france's refusal to stop two warship sales to russia. those are going forward. the uk is very dependent on russia trade in the financial sector. germany in the energy sector. there's no secret that angela merkel, the chancellor of germany, is among the foremost european leaders in being reluctant to move forward on the sanctions that president obama has been talking about for months at a time. a pivotal moment here. there's no question that the administration wants to seize on this to compel vladimir putin and russia to back off and stop funding and assisting and aiding and trading and providing material benefit to the separatists, del. >> mike viqueira live at the white house. we're waiting for the president as he comes out.

we want to turn now to the events in the middle east. at least five are now dead after an israeli tank hit a hospital in gaza. the al asqa hospital is the third hospital to be hit in this latest round of fighting. earlier al jazeera talked to both sides that seemed no closer to any resolution. >> israel is not only not a peace partner but a rouge state that exists outside the law. there is no way we can come to any peace agreement with such a country unless it abandons its terrorism. >> if hamas is storing rockets in civilian areas and shooting rockets at us, we can surgically, according to international law, take out those rockets. what is the alternative? to allow them to shoot at us with impunity? you wouldn't success that israel sits back as thousands of rockets are fires on our people. the death toll in gaza now at least 548, 100 of those

deaths this weekend. israel saying two americans are among the 18 who died on that side since the beginning of the ground assault. in this case shifrin has more from gaza. >> reporter: israeli ground offense remains extremely high in this neighborhood, which is that way. we're still seeing shelling by tanks, by artillery. that's the same neighborhood that israel was shelling so hard yesterday, the same up north, northeast gaza behind my left shoulder. a lot of rockets are fired on there. israel focused a lot of bombardment there. just recently in the last hours or so just to my right, that's the mediterranean western gaza. a lot of israeli strikes there as well. the fighting is intensifying as is the humanitarian crisis. the u.n. says it needs more than $60 million urgently by tomorrow for things like bed, medicine, shelter because there is an exodus here, almost 100,000 gazians have fled nir homes fearful of the israeli bombardment, but many say they have nowhere to go. in northern gaza this morning

thousands of families filled this road looking for cover. this is only one mile from israel, and in the middle of the bombardment. this family received a phone call and leaflets dropped from israeli helicopters warning them to leave. they felt they had no choice. we left everything at home, he says. we brought just this bag, my phone, and the clothes i'm wearing. are you scared when you hear the bombs in your neighborhood? terrible sounds, bombs, she says. it's a terrible sound. we have to place to hide. as i'm talking to his son i go to my father he says and he hugs me. they have no family or friends to take them in. the only place that's willing, a u.n. school that's already overcrowded and running short of supplies. as we arrive palestinian fighters launch a barrage of rockets towards tel aviv. these kids cheer.

they tell me they hope the rockets land in the u.s. israel says it launched this war because of those rockets and because of tunnels palestinian fighters use to sneak into israel. this morning israeli soldiers blow up one tunnel but there are dozens more. they're expands the operation. this morning tanks drove right up to the border. they bombard targets in eastern gaza while air strikes decimate southern gaza. israel says it's targeting fighters, but more and more civilians are dying. an entire family was killed here as they slept. 22 people lived in this house, and all of them were killed. only a child who was 3 years old survived. the dead are also mounting in israel. as many soldiers died just yesterday, as in the previous two gaza campaigns combined. they remember 20-year-old bania as a leader, and despite the grief they ask for the opposition to continue.

>> we need to finish and clear it and give the palestinians a better view, a better life. >> despite that desire to keep fighting, u.n. secretary-general ban ki-moon and john kerry flying to cairo trying to get both sides to agree to a cease-fire. the fact is israeli forces are inside of gaza and will not leave until all of the tunnels that fighters use to get from gaza into israel are destroyed and that will take days if not week. >> that's nick shifrin in gaza right now. the white house spokesman gave the two-minute warning. mike viqueira, an awful lot on the president's plate as we await him to address the situation in ukraine. i was curious when we talked earlier about what the capitol is saying. i realize they're getting ready for the august recess, but they're noticeably quiet on this particular series of events. mike, i'm going to have to ask

you to answer that question on the backside of this. here comes the president of the united states. the president speaking on the crisis in ukraine, specifically the downing of mh17, the malaysian airliner killing all 298 people on board. here's the president. >> i want to make a brief statement about the tragedy in ukraine. before i do, though, i want to note that secretary kerry has departed for the middle east. as i said many times, israel has a right to defend itself against rocket and tunnel attacks from hamas. as a result of its operations, israel has already done significant damage to hamas' terrorist infrastructure in gaza. i've also said, however, that we have serious concerns about the rising number of palestinian civilian deaths and the loss of israeli lives. that is why it now has to be our focus and the focus of the international community to bring about a cease-fire that ends the

fighting and that can stop the deaths of innocent civilians both in gaza and in israel. so secretary kerry will meet with allies and partners. i've instructed him to push for an immediate cessation of hostilities based on a return to the november 2012 cease-fire agreement between israel and hamas in gaza. the work will not be easy. obviously, there are enormous passions involved in this and some very difficult strategic issues involved nevertheless. i've asked john to do everything he can to help facilitate a cessation in hostilities. we don't want to see any more civilians getting killed. with respect to ukraine, it's now been four days since malaysian airlines flight 17 was shot down over territory controlled by russian-backed

separatists in ukraine. over the last several days, our hearts have been absolutely broken as we have learned more about the extraordinary and beautiful lives that were lost. men, women, and children and infants who were killed so suddenly and so senselessly. our thoughts and prayers continue to be with their families around the world who are going through just unimaginable grief. i've had the opportunity to speak to a number of leaders around the world whose citizens were lost on this flight. all of them remain in a state of shock, but frankly also in a state of outrage. our immediate focus is on recovering those who were lost, investigating exactly what happened and putting forward the facts. we have to make sure that the

truth is out and that accountability exists. now, international investigators are on the ground. they have been organized. i've sent teams and other countries have sent teams. they are prepared. they are organized to conduct what should be the kinds of protocols and scouring and collecting of evidence that should follow any international incident like this. what they need right now is immediate and full access to the crash site. they need to be able to conduct a prompt and full and unimpeded as well as transparent investigation. recovery personnel have to do the solemn and sacred work of recovering the remains of those who were lost. now, ukrainian president power cheng has declared a around the

crash site. they're prepared to conduct the investigation and recover the remains of those lost. unfortunately the russian mrief backed separatists continue to block the investigation. they've repeatedly preepted international investigators from gaining full access to the wreckage as investigators approached they fired their weapons into the air. the separatists are removing evidence from the crash site, all of which begs the question what are they trying to hide? moreover, these russian-backed separatists are removing bodies from the crash site. oftentimes without the care that we would normally expect from a tragedy like this. this is an insult to those who have lost loved ones. it's the kind of behavior that has no place in the community of nations. now, russia has extraordinary influence over these

separatists. no one denies that. russia has urged them on. russia has trained them. we know that russia has armed them with military equipment and weapons including anti-aircraft weapons. key separatist leaders are russian citizens. so given its direct influence over the separatists, russia and president putin in particular has direct responsibility to compel them to cooperate with the investigation. that is the least that they can do. president putin says that he supports a full and fair investigation, and i appreciate those words but they have to be supported by actions. the burden now is on russia to insist that the separatists stop tampering with the evidence, grant investigators who are already on the ground immediate, full, and unimpeded access to the crash site. the separatists and the rushingian sponsors are

responsible for the safety of the investigators doing their work. along with our allies and partners, we will be working this issue at the united nations today. more broadly, as i've said throughout this crisis and the crisis in ukraine generally and i've said this directly to president putin as well as publicly, my preference continues to be finding a diplomatic resolution within ukraine. i believe that can still happen. that is my preference today, and it will continue to be my preference, but if russia continues to violate ukraine's sovereignty and back these separatists and they are more and more dangerous and are not just a risk to people inside the ukraine but the broader international community, then russia will only further isolate itself from the international community and the costs for russia's behavior only continue to increase. now is a time for president putin and russia to pivot away

from this tragedy that they've been taking and get serious about trying to resolve hostilities within ukraine in a way that respects ukraine's sovereignty and respects the rights of people. time is of the essence. our friends and allies need to recover those who were lost. that's the least we can do. that's the least that decency demands. families deserve to be able to lay their loved ones to rest with dignity. the world deserves to know exactly what happened, and the people of ukraine deserve to determine their own fooutth future. -- future, thanks. >> you have been listening to the president of the united states addressing the crisis in ukraine with the pro-russian separatists seen removing crash site rubble and loading the bodies into body bags. the president said what are they

trying to hide? also saying that russia controls many of those pro-russian separatists. he was specifically about a gentleman named igor the shooter on the ground and has been identified in al jazeera reports as being somebody who controls and pushes the buttons in moscow. we go to our white house correspondent mike viqueira concerning the president. the president's rhetoric is not as stepped-up as it was last week. >> reporter: if you listen carefully at the beginning of the president at the outside of remarks on ukraine anyway, there is a nuance there. he's no longer implies it was the separatists that took down the plane. he said it was the separatists that took down the plane. other than that, the president is trying to seize an initiative here making the best of a bad situation, maybe a bad way to put it. this is the moment when he can gather the world economies, the european nations to continue to put pressure on vladimir putin.

interesting he's singling out putin by name time and time again. russia and putin have direct responsibility to compel the separatists to grant access. the president put a fine point on it, del. what are they trying to hide? the president by insisting on hope and free access to maintain the integrity of that crash site is basically confident in those investigators are allowed an impartial international investigators they will find evidence that implicates the separatists and are russia. if the evidence is tampered with, the president said what do they have to hide? no news broken in terms of further sanctions. the president repeated what he's said for months about the need for vladimir putin to get in line and stop this. trying to keep the pressure on putin to allow access to the site and speaking to the europeans to get finally tough with vladimir putin and russia. >> one of the things that i think the president is pointing

out, as have the other leaders around the world, if the pro-russian separatists are responsible for shooting down the malaysian airlines flight, that's put the fox in charge of the henhouse to re iterate what the president said telling reporters what do they have to hide. >> investigators from gaining full access to the wreckage. as investigators approached, they fired their weapons in the air. they're removing evidence from the crash site, all of which begs the question, what exactly are they trying to hide? moreover, these russian-backed separatists are removing bodies from the crash site. oftentimes -- >> so, mike, back to the question i asked before the president came out. it seems washington is speaking on one page with regards to the crisis in ukraine and shooting down of mh17? >> reporter: that's absolutely right. i think you'll find support across the board, bipartisan

support for getting tough with russia. it's the europeans that have been behind the american government. we should add a caveat here. over the last several months the europeans have a lot more stake in here in terms of economy. again, the president is hoping to use this event as to galvanize world opinion against putin destabling eastern ukraine and the kiev government by supplying material and training to the separatists in eastern ukraine, del. >> i want to go back to what the president said before he addressed the issue in ukraine, that being the situation in gaza. we have 15 seconds left before we have to go, but he really was forceful in saying that he wants secretary kerry to reach a cease-fire. >> reporter: that's right. we understand that secretary kerry left very early in the morning here washington time, refuelled in ireland and is on

his way there now. the president is stressing the parameters of the cease-fire should be the 2012 cease-fire, and he wants egypt to broker that. del. >> got to let it go there. more news later. did you know a ten-second test could help your business avoid hours of delay caused by slow internet from the phone company? that's enough time to record a memo. idea for sales giveaway. return a call. sign a contract. pick a tie. take a break with mr. duck. practice up for the business trip. fly to florida. win an award. close a deal. hire an intern. and still have time to spare. check your speed. see how fast your internet can be. switch now and add voice and tv for $34.90. comcast business. built for business. could help your business didavoid hours of delaynd test caused by slow internet from the phone company?

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