>> we're here in the vortex. only on al jazeera america. israel east bombing campaign in gaza continues as a 72-hour ceasefire collapses in a number of hours. in the occupied west bank, two people are killed at palestinians protest against eel's offense innive. also ahead any world health organization says the ebola outbreak is out of control, but can be stopped. the aftermath of an ambush

in your next question. and thailand introduces female-only carriages. but will the idea take off? ♪ hello, first to gaza where a 72-hour ceasefire has failed almost before it began with both sides blaming each other for breaching the trust. the israeli army says two soldiers were killed and captured another. hamas has its own version of represents. we begin our coverage in southern gaza where at least 40 palestinians have been killed. charles stratford has our report. >> reporter: we arrive near the border around two and a half hours after the ceasefire started. already the tank shelling had begun. most of the ambulances waiting to ferry the dead and injured out could get no further,

blocked by a pile of rubble from a cater. people were walking across the land carrying the bodies on stretchers. >> translator: it looks like an earthquake has happened here. houses are completely destroyed. the bodies are decomposing in the heat. >> reporter: we pushed forward as the tanked continues firing. 14 wheel drive ambulance pushed through, but soon turned around unable to go further. >> translator: the area is completely sealed off, it is a total no-go zone. bulldozers needs to get in to try to clear the rubble. >> reporter: we stuck to the road has we moved forward. we heard reports that two people had been hit by snipers. what remained of people's homes

lined the road. one group told us not to film and as they past the saw the dead man was wearing the fatigues of a palestinian fighter. this was as far as we could go. we pushed as far forward as we can to the front line now, people are running out of the village. there are many dead bodice around. the smell is overpowering. a woman raced past us praying. we headed back to the barrier where a bulldozer tried to clear an entrance for the ambulances. families had gathered their belongings and were leaving their homes. the ceasefire was over. there was no choice but to go. >> so what has been happening in gaza for the last little while,

charles? >> well, i was about to tell you that there's an eerie silence over this area of gaza city, but it was only moments ago we started to hear the first barrages of the naval bombardment from the sea quite close to here. we're also hearing reports of ongoing operations in other areas of the strip. we hear of four people that were killed in the south which is close to where we were today in an air strike another three people killed out towards the east out -- out of gaza city. but the real concentration of what seems to be the israeli military offensive at the moment is happening in and around rafa. we hear the city has no electricity and it's very difficult to get any kind of communication whatsoever down there. and trying to contact mobile phones and so on. we also here the people have

been told they must stay in their homes by the israeli military, that they must not come out at all or they risk being shot. this is all happening in this area where we hear reports of this israeli soldier having been captured, so in this area, it's beginning now to see more israeli military action, but it sounds like a concentration at this stage of the evening is still down in the south. >> you mentioned people being advised to stay in doors, but we're seeing buildings being hit. so where do they go? and what is though plan for them overnight? >> well, this is it. over the last few days we have been talking to families and walking into neighborhoods where you'll find rooms in very small houses where there will be tens if not sometimes over a hundred people staying. these are people who's houses have been flattened in other

areas. living together, very poor conditions. very little water if any at all, very little electricity if any at all. people hunker down and there's nowhere to go. it is exhausting and as we have been reporting this news of this israeli soldier and the possible escalation of israeli military action in the south, the talk of 80,000 reservists being called up. people are very nervous, the streets are utterly deserted throughout the strip. >> charles stratford thank you very much indeed. and we can get more now on what has been happening in southern gaza.

>> translator: we have witnessed atrocities bodies of civilians, families, young men, there's destruction all over. and until this moment neither ambulances nor red cross medics have been able to reach the town. these young men are toeing a cart to enter one of the houses where we're told that a number of people were killed. we're going to accompany them in. this area underwent an israeli incursi incursion, but were faced with fierce resistance. the destruction everywhere. we were told that the israeli special forces were stationed here. there is a horrific stench coming out of this place. it's clear the situation is quite horrific. this is a horrific scene, men

have been summarily executed. it's an execution, they were summarily executed. six civilians were executed here. you see the blood all over, and the marks of the bullets on the walls. god is great. hamas has put out a statement explaining what they say happened this morning leading to the collapse of the truce. they said israeli troops advanced at 0400 gmt a fire fight began, and continued until after the truce came into force at 0500. it says israel demolished a number of homes as it searched for tunnels and deployed snipers

on the roofs. the israeli spokesman says hamas is lying. >> despite what you have just reported by hamas, which is a complete falsification and blatant lie. the israeli defense forces were participating in the ceasefire and about 90 minutes into that's fire, out comes a suicide bomber out of a tunnel, and a gunman behind him, blew himself up, killing two soldiers, and then a gun fight and in the aftermath of that, they have abducted a soldier. so we now have two dead solders in a ceasefire that was agreed upon by all parties that was brokered by the united states and the united nations. >> peter -- peter you are denying categorically israeli troops crossed your defensive line in gaza? >> i am saying that the idf were

in their positions and according to the agreement operating in order to decommission tunnels, and indeed we were abiding by the ceasefire and unfortunately, the terrorists under the cover of the humanitarian recess took full advantage of that and sacked our forces. >> they say the enemy soldiers advanced in the gaza strip at 6:30 in the morning. so the palestinian resistance repelled the infiltrating forces and engaged with clashes with them. and once again you are denying categorically that you didn't cross your defensivive line? >> i'm saying this is lie after lie after lie from the beginning of the time that they are stating to the end of the scenario they are describing,

everything they are doing from the beginning of the operation until this day is full of lies. i can tell you the idf this morning was holding its fire, sitting on its hands, hoping to de-escalate the situation. >> the ceasefire violations are a major setback for hopes of a long term trust. >> these talks were going to be hard. the chance for success of these talks rested on quiet, rested on the 72-hour ceasefire. so -- so right now we have escalation instead of ceasefire. i -- myself have a hard time envisions how these talks would work right now. because there was a logical linkage between the 72-hour

ceasefire and the attempt to make it more durable. and right now that essential first part isn't there. >> let's get more now from james bayes. what next for any kind of ceasefire? >> well, that was a very pessimistic assessment from jeffery feltman who is paid to be quite optimistic to try to come up with some sort of solution. i think the first thing we need to wait and see is exactly what the israeli response will be, and as i speak now, the israeli security cabinet is meeting. and we're thinking there will be an escalation. it looks like it will be difficult to put together again the sort of humanitarian ceasefire with the cairo talks at the end of it. it may be possible perhaps in a few days to try to go back to a plan, but if it's not that plan, then i think there are only a

couple of other alternatives. one is that the israeli military continue their operations until they are satisfied with what they have done unitarily. and then declare a unilateral ceasefire. one other option, i suspect is an option where it's not done through cairo, or at least if it is done through cairo, other players are bought into this, for example, the qatars and the turks, they were involved in getting this 72-hour pause. but maybe they could be involved in more formal talks. i think the other option, perhaps is some sort of solution done through the un security council. but again, all of those are going to be quite hard to put together given the events of the last few hours. >> james there was some talk floating around in the last few days of potentially bringing in some form of international monitoring. is that something that you think

might have traction? >> well, it's one of those things that's being discussed by various parties on various sides. we know that the palestinian authority has said it wants international protection for gaza. we know that one of the international players at that meeting last weekend in paris when they were discussing all of this, trying to put this whole idea of a 72-hour ceasefire and then talks in place, one of the players was the uk, and they said perhaps there should be some sort of international monitoring, and that is something that has been discussed by officials in the israeli foreign minister. so it is something that many people have talked about, whether it is actively being put together right now as an idea, is not clear. >> okay. thank you much indeed for that analyst. >> i want to bring you back to the captures soldier. how does that change the situation do you think on the ground? >> i think it already has

changed the situation on the ground. clearly there are conflicting accounts of what has happened. there was a claim reported this morning by a senior hamas political leader in cairo about the capture of an israeli socialed. there was then no response from the military wing of hamas. and later there was some kind of denial. we can hear the israelis being very certain at least about the fact that the solder is missing. there's no question, i think that, that this has -- well, it has destroyed the current ceasefire effort. there's no possibility that that can now be revived immediately. but we also have a tough message from the israelis, and if a soldier has been captured, i think one can only conclude, and it appears to be the evidence of what is happening on the ground, that they will tougher their position. >> we know the israeli security

cabinet is meeting at the moment. what do you think that will mean? >> it seems to me that it is inconceivable that the israelis will now agree to any kind of ceasefire proposal while the fate of this soldier is unknown. and if there's no ceasefire discussion, then i imagine that they will pursue military options as they see fit. and they were doing that anyway. over the last couple of days, we have heard the israeli prime minister talk about completing the mission. we have heard generals talk about destroying the tunnels whether or not there was a ceasefire. >> i just notice on the reuters wire coming in here, the turkish foreign minister says he is ready to help the u.s. on the priorities of the captured soldier, but there isn't be a ceasefire. >> i think that on -- looking at the israeli side, as long as the

fate of that missing soldier is uncertain there will be no discussion of a ceasefire. if true they will feel that hamas has a powerful negotiating card. and if it's untrue, then it's untrue. but it certainly doesn't build any trust that is required. >> at the moment what do you make of the kind of power they have over the situation? >> i think there is a fundamental problem with the negotiations. what happens after the ceasefire is extremely important, of course. but there's a really severe division on the arab side. we know that egypt, which is important because of its location, because of its geography is a player. we also know the region is extremely hostile to hamas. in that means it can hardly be considered an honest broker from the palestinian point of view. on the other hand the countries

which are close to hamas, qatar and turkky are completely unacceptable to israel. so there is a lot of difficulty in bringing about a ceasefire which has been hugely complicated by what has happened today. >> thank you very much indeed for your thoughts. thank you. much more to come here on the al jazeera news hour. we'll be live from the occupied west bank where there have been deadly clashes. plus daylight reveals the extent of damage from a gas explosion. and hussein bolt prepares to make his debut at the commonwealth games. ♪ the head of the world health

organization says the worth-ever ebola outbreak is out of control but can be stopped. >> reporter: struggling to cope with an epidemic that has killed at least 720 people so far. health workers treating ebola patients in hospital in sierra leone. it is a race against time. alarm is spreading in other countries. the u.s. peace corps is evacuating 340 volunteers from the area. near in nigeria where one liberian man is known to have died of the disease, authorities are struggling to deal with the situation. equipment is being installed in major international airports to screen suspected cases. >> we'll be able to [ inaudible ] the airlines to

ensure that passengers that are boarding those flights are ebola free. we're also assuring that as soon as those passengers are ready to take off, we also have lists of the manifests which we look at and we have professionals on the ground who look at the passengers especially from areas that are ebola effected. >> reporter: an outbreak in nigeria would have a huge impact across the region. some say dietary habits are helping spread the disease, and ament combination of poor education. and fear that treatment involves complete isolation is adding to the problem. >> they are very concerned with what kind of opportunities they will have to stay in contact with their families, because they know they will be isolated and they understand why, but

they -- they are of course concerned about dying alone. >> reporter: that is complicating the effort to stop the disease. the outbreak ravaging west africa is already the worst the region has seen. and both government and medical experts are bracing themselves for more bad news. let's take a closer look at how the countries infected are battling to contain the epidemic. the u.s. peace corps have pulled out hundreds of their volunteers. sierra leone has enforced a state of emergency. liberia is also in a state of emergency. schools have been shut and government put on leave. in nigeria, two people have been quarentined after having contact with a man who died last week.

i wanted to ask you what people in those areas can do to protect themselves. >> i think most of the spread of the disease has come from touching or looking after sick people in their homes. a sick relative, perhaps that has diarrhea or vomiting or feefr who stays at home, and is cared for by a mother or relative. and also attending funerals and traditional rituals around cleaning bodies can be a real source of transmission. so a big part of it is making sure that sick people go to hospital right away, and the bodies are dealt with safely. if we can address those issues the amount of transmission would decrease dramatically. >> will people know it is ebola rather than something else? >> at the moment what we're

saying is anyone with a fever, diarrhea, vomiting, muscle ache, headache, any of those systems, and there are posters around the country informing people, they should go to the nearest health facility. even at the main hospital it can be hard to make an judgment. it looks like malaria. it looks like the flu. so we're saying if you are sick don't treat people at home. come to the hospital. >> do you think this is going to turn into a worldwide problem? >> i think it's very unlikely that it will become a worldwide problem. it is really only a threat to countries that have weak health systems that might not have the infection control practices and disease surveillance systems that can knock a outbreak down. it is a threat to other neighboring countries and

countries that are like sierra leone in having some of those challenges. and that's why we have seen the disease spread to quickly through the area. >> is there enough equipment and help being given to these various countries from the international community and are they asking for it? do they need it? >> we have seen a lot more support in the last few days. when we came there wasn't much equipment. there were quick deliveries, so we looked to our hospital in london toship over supplies of aprons and gloves to make sure the hospital was well stocked. at the moment things are reasonably well stocked. there are a couple of problems, one is distributing it to the right places. if you have five or seven sick patients you get through those very quickly. you get through the supplies

incredibly quickly. and the other thing is the understanding of chlorine. people have been buying up supplies, prices in shops have doubled. people are hoarding it at home. so the hospitals are finding it harder to get ahold of it. so has the that has been a challenge for us. >> thank you very much indeed. >> thank you. and now u.s. president barack obama has voiced concern to his russian counterpart vladimir putin for their support in eastern ukraine separatists. from donetsk, barnaby phillips reports. >> reporter: the aftermath of an ambush, pictures from a ukrainian channel show all that was left of an army convoy after separatists attack. several ukrainian soldiers were killed. in donetsk, they are waiting

outside one of the few banks that is still working. this woman tells us she fears being destitute and reduced to begging. here in donetsk we're hearing many stories of people trapped by fighting. on the edge of the city and in surrounding villages. they are not able to move because they are too frightened or don't have the means to travel. this man would not show his face. his relative has been stuck in her apartment for many days as fighting rages nearby. he can't reach her. her name is maria. she is in our 80s and blind. >> translator: i cannot sleep. i cannot eat. i wake up at night. i'm always worried about maria, there is no one else who can help her here. >> reporter: phone calls are made, and arrangements made to take maria through the check point. we meet her later at the train station. she wants to travel to russia.

>> translator: i had water but no light, no electricity. i prayed. what else could i do? >> reporter: but the train to russia is full. maria will try to leave donetsk again tomorrow. meanwhile, more inspector were able to travel to the site where the malaysian airlines flight was shot down. dutch and australian forensic experts and police. they believe the remains of as many as 80 passengers could still be scattered around these fields. plenty more ahead here on al jazeera. back to school, but against the odds. students struggle to get their education on track in central african republic. and the quickest way to exit the world coming up in sport. ♪

>> i'm ali velshi, the news has become this thing where you talk to experts about people, and al jazeera has really tried to talk to people, about their stories. we are not meant to be your first choice for entertainment. we are ment to be your first choice for the news. >> now available, the new al jazeea america mobile news app. get our exclusive

in depth, reporting when you want it. a global perspective wherever you are. the major headlines in context. mashable says... you'll never miss the latest news >> they will continue looking for survivors... >> the potential for energy production is huge... >> no noise, no clutter, just real reporting. the new al jazeera america mobile app, available for your apple and android mobile device. download it now ♪ >> hello, i'm lauren taylor, you are watching the al jazeera news hour. israel is resuming attacks on palestinian fighters in gaza after the breakdown of a truce. both sides are blaming each

other for violating the ceasefire. the ministry of health in gaza says at least 1600 have been killed since the conflict began. two israeli socialeds were killed on friday, and one has been captured. the head of the world health organization, says the ebola outbreak is out of control but can be stopped. we're turning to the top story in gaza. at least two people have been killed. al jazeera's kim vinnell is live in the west bank. how unusual is it to get this scale of demonstration? >> well, palestinian factions for people to come out on the

streets, and there were certainly more than 10,000 people that took part in the protests to show anger over israeli east continuing bombardment. we just 6,000 people that turned out, 36 at least were injured by live ammunition. one person was killed a 23 year old who was shot through the heart. another 19 year old was killed neared ramallah. west of are ma la was another flash point for violence. and there were protests, and people throwing stones and fireworks, and security forces were responding with tear gas with rubber-coated bullets and live ammunition. these protests started in

cities, and quickly spread to villages, and we're hearing more than 100 people have been wounded. >> thank you very much indeed. hundreds of people turned out in london to rally in support of the people in gaza, and to try to push their go to do more to stop the bombardment. >> reporter: these are the thousands of people that turned up to protest outside of the israeli embassy. but organizers say this weekday number isn't about numbers, but about keeping up the pressure on israel. and whether the british government which is allowing the offensive in gaza to continue, they say. there is shock and anger of another failed ceasefire. >> i'm heart broken about what is happening in gaza. it's so completely inhuman, to

kill people, kill children, to have the siege where no one has water, there's no electricity, this is absolutely a war crime, more than that. it's completely inhuman. >> they have got to stop the bombing. sort out the borders, and the people of palestine have got to have a decent live. >> i have got to take to the streets because i don't know what else as an individual i can do. >> reporter: these people know one rally won't change the government's position, but this is a sustained campaign, and they are warning that opposition here is only growing. we have the director of a group that supported a two-state solution and ending the campaign. thank you for joining us. what do you make of ending the ceasefire so quickly? >> i think we're in a very bad place right now.

we had that brief window of opportunity this morning, and it was over so quickly. and with the captured israeli soldier, the israeli army are unlikely to retreat. >> there has been some talk about the possibility of being looked at by various quarters by bringing in national monitors, is that something that the israeli cabinet would go for? >> i think all options at this point have got to be on the table, but the situation we're in today with the conflict that is raging, takes the parties so far away from the possibility of any sort of ceasefire, let alone long-term peace. we have to say we have to look at everything which may result in some calm. >> how much support do you think there is for trying to step back and have another ceasefire?

>> at the moment the israeli public opinion is very much behind the situation. i think what is incredibly important is that the international community doesn't wash their hands. we could end up in a situation where everyone breathes a shy of relief if they negotiate a ceasefire, and then we go to business as usual. we have to stand up and call for urgent negotiations and a long-term ceasefire, a long-term peace to be brokered and international actors, the jewish community and palestinians around the world have to say we back that. >> if they end the blockage at what point does that become acceptable. >> i think the jewish is increasingly of the opinion that the situation has got to change. we have got to get behind a

resolution. standing up and say we support peace, we support a two-state solution. and without outside actors saying that, it's very unlikely that the parties on the ground will be able to get anywhere. >> in the past some of these represents -- 2008, 2009, they end with something enormous. at what point do you think, you know, we will have reached that big event? >> i'm not sure there will be a big event. i think it depends on how the israeli cabinet plays in the next 24 hours given that a soldier has been captured. we have seen previous examples of a soldier being taken that they will not back down in that situation. so there has to be a shift in the international opinion or

something so get a ceasefire. >> thank you. just to let you know, we're keeping an eye on the white house we're expecting president obama to come out and speak very soon. we understand he will have something to say about gaza and possibly ukraine. so we'll bring you that news conference as soon as it started. peter greste's family has described his conviction as a serious injustice. his parents spoke to journalists in the kenyan capitol of nairobi. peter greste, mohammed fahmy, and baher mohamed, given long sentenced in this june. >> we accept the integrity and independence of any country's judicial system, and administration of the law. in no way would we want to

challenge that. however, we passionately and absolutely know that a grave and very serious injustice has taken place in peter's case, and we won't shy away from professing that position as long as we can. >> in his mind and ours too, there is absolutely no way that he is going to be there for the next seven years. it's a matter of, you know, going through the appeals process and hopefully we'll get to the stage where the -- they have realized that this is a mistake. >> three al jazeera journalists have now spent 216 days in an egyptian prison. al jazeera continues to demand their release. to libya now where an explosion has destroyed the police headquarters in benghazi. the battles have spread to the

capitol triply. on friday morning, more than 100 chinese and european nationals were evacuated from the capitol. the group were picked up by a greek knave frigate. tunisia has closed its main border crossing with libya after thousands of people tried to break through. people are now being allowed to return to their homes following a string of powerful blasts that killed at least 26 people in a taiwanese city. a gas leak was reported late on thursday night at the junction of who main roads. there were several large explosions in the same area. caroline malone has more. >> reporter: one of the worst

gas accidents to hit the area. shops and homes went up in flames after several powerful explosions in taiwan's second largest city. emergency services had responded to reports of a gas leak just a few hours earlier. security cameras caught this explosion. terrified people ran out into the street. some tried to help the injured, but many lives were lost. the relatives of a firefighter who was killed came to the hospital shortly after hearing the devastating news. >> translator: six seriously injured people are being moni r monitored in intensive care. two are in surgery. >> reporter: this is what people saw in the morning. some today it looked like an earthquake hit. the force of the explosions became even clearer in the daylight. >> translator: i live nearby and i heard a loud explosion last night. i was shocked when i saw the

street here. it was a mess. >> reporter: hundreds of people have evacuated from the area. the military has sent 1400 soldiers to take part in the recovery effort. >> translator: the troops include a team of geological experts. >> reporter: the go says it is likely the explosions were caused by a gas used in manufacturing. there are a number of petrochemical economy -- companies operating in the area. nine terror suspects have been shot dead by chinese police. another man described think china's official news agency was also captured during a confrontation. a somali lawmaker has been shot dead.

police say he was assassinated outside of a mosque following friday prayers. the rebel group al-shabab have carried out similar outtacks rail travel provides a vital, but admittedly slow link between cities in thailand. it's a cheap way to travel and journeys often stretch through the night. it can be a vulnerable time for women and children traveling alone. but now they have a safe place to sit. a guarded carriage that is a no-go area for men. >> translator: i traveled on different classes before, and sometimes i'm afraid when the carriage is crowded. i can't tell who is meant to be there and who is not. but if i'm on this one, i can tell if the person is a

passenger or someone else who has just walked in. >> reporter: the new carriages were introduced after a 13-year-old disappeared while traveling with her sister last month. her body was found two days later. police say a 22-year-old railway worker has confessed to raping her while high on drugs, killing her and throwing her from the train. at the moment the punishment for rapists range from a fine to 20 years in jail. but now many are calling for the death sentence. railway officials acknowledged they needed to take some of the blame. >> translator: we are hoping we can turn this crisis into an opportunity to see what needs to be done. in terms of security, we're doing background checks and drug testing of staff. >> reporter: carriages for women and children have been tried before, but the system only

lasted a year. many people here hope that this time they are here to say. good afternoon, everybody, david shuster here at al jazeera america headquarters in new york. you are looking live at the white house briefing room where we're expecting president obama to step up at any moment now and give what is being described as a statement to the press corps. here is the president. let's listen. >> good afternoon, everybody. happy friday. i thought i would take some questions, but first let me say a few words about the economy. this morning we learned that our economy create over 200,000 ju jobs in july, that's on top of 300,000 new jobs in june, about, so we are now in a six month streak with at least 200,000 new jobs each month. that's the first time that has happened since 1997.

over the past year we have added more jobs than any year since 2006. all told our businesses have created 9.9 million new jobs over the past 53 months. that's the longest streak of private sector job creation in our history. and as we saw on wednesday, the economy grew at a strong pace in the spring. companies are investing, consumers are spending, american manufacturing, all are booming, and thanks to the decisions we have made and grit and resilience of the american people we have recovered faster and come farther from the recession than almost any other advanced country on earth. the good news is the economy clearly is getting stronger. things are getting better. our engines are revving a little bit louder. and the decisions that we make right now can sustain and keep that growth and momentum going.

unfortunately, there are a series of steps that we could be taking to maintain momentum and perhaps even accelerate it. there are steps that we could be taking that would result in more job growth, higher wages, higher incomes, more relief for middle class families, and so far, at least, in congress, we have not seen them willing or able to take those steps. i have been pushing for common sense ideas like rebuilding our infrastructure in ways that are sustained over many years, and support millions of good jobs and help businesses compete. i have been advocating on behalf of raising the minimum wage. making it easier for folks to pay off their student loans. fair pay. paid leave. all of these would help, woring families feel more stable and

secure, and all of them so far have been blocked or ignored by republicans in congress. that's why my administration keeps taking whatever actions we can take on our own to help working families. now it's good that congress was able to pass legislation to strengthen the va, and i want to thank the chairman and ranking members who were involved in that. it's good that congress was able to at least fund transportation projects for a few more months before leaving town. although it falls far short of the kind of infrastructure effort that we need that would actually accelerate the economy. but for the most part. the big ticket items, the things that would really make a difference in middle income families, those things are not getting done. we all agree with immigration that there is a problem that needs to be solved in a portion

of our southern border. and we even agree on most of the solutions, but instead of working together, instead of focusing on the 80% where there is agreement between democrats and republicans, between the administration and congress, house republicans as we speak are trying to pass the most extreme and unworkable versions of a bill that they already know is going nowhere. they can't pass the senate, and that if it were to pass the senate, i would veto it. they know it. this is a message bill that they couldn't quite pull off yesterday so they made it a little more extreme so maybe they can pull it off today just so they can check a box before leaving town for a month. now our efforts administratively so far have helped us slow the flow of child migrants trying to come to our country.

without additional resources and help from congress we're not going to have the resources we need to fully solve the problem. that means while they are out on vacation, i'm going to have to make tough choices to meet the challenge with or without congress. and yesterday even though they have been sitting on a [ technical difficulties ] >> and then when they couldn't pass a bill yesterday, they put out a statement suggesting i should act on my own, because they couldn't pass a bill. so immigration has not gotten done. a student loan bill that would help folks who have student loan

debt consolidate and refinance at lower rates, that didn't pass. the transportation bill that they did pass just gets us through the spring when we should actually be planning years in advance. states and businesses are raising the minimum wage for their workers, because this congress is failing to do so, even basic things like approving career diplomats for critical ambassadorial posts aren't getting done. last night, senate republicans for a certain period of time blocked our new ambassador to russia. it raised such an uproar that finally they went ahead and let our russian ambassador pass at a time when we are dealing every day with ukraine. they are still blocking our ambassador to sierra leone. they are blocking our ambassador

to guatemala even when they demand that we do more to stop the flow of unaccompanied children from guatemala. there are a lot of things we could be arguing about on policy, but we shouldn't be having an argument about playing career diplomats with bipartisan support in countries around the world where we have to have a presence. the bottom line is this. we have come a long way over the last five and a half years. our challenges are nowhere near as daunting as they were when i first came into offs office. but the american people demand and deserve a strong focused effort on the part of all of us, to keep moving the country forward and focus on their concerns. and the fact is, we could be much further along, and the economy could be stronger, and more jobs could be created if congress would do the job that

the people sent them here to do. and i will not stop trying to work with both parties to get things moving faster for middle class families, and those trying to get into the middle class when congress returns next month. my hope is that instead of simply trying to pass partisan message bills on party lines that don't actually solve problems, they are going to be willing to come together to at least focus on key areas where there's brood agreement. after all that we have had to overcome our congress should stop standing in the way of our country's success. so with that let me take a couple of questions. i'll start with roberta of reuters. >> reporter: i want to ask about the situation in the middle east, and why do you think israel should embrace a ceasefire in gaza when one of

its soldiers has been abducted and hamas continues to use its network of tunnels for attacks. and have you seen israel about on your call to do more to protect civilians? >> first of all i think it's important to note that we have and i have unequivocally condemned hamas and the palestinian factions that were responsible for killing two israeli soldiers and abducting a third. almost minutes after a ceasefire had been announced. and the un had condemned them as well. and, you know, i want to make sure that they are listening if they are serious about trying to resolve this situation, that soldier needs to be unconditionally released as soon as possible.

i have been very clear out there this crisis that israel has a right to defend itself. no country can tolerate missiles raining down on its cities and people having to rush to bomb shelters every 20 minutes or half hour. no country can or would tolerate tunnels being dug under their land that can be used to launch terrorist attacks. and so, you know, not only have we been in support of israel east right to defending itself, but in very concrete terms, for example, the iron dome that has intercepted rockets firing down on its cities, we have been trying to cooperate as much as we can to make sure that israel is able to protect it's a citizens. at the same time, we have also been clear that innocent civilians in gaza caught in the

cross fire have to weigh on our conscience and we have to do more to protect them. a ceasefire was one way in which we could stop the killing, to step back and to try to resolve some of the underlying issues that have been building up over quite sometime. israel committed to that 72-hour ceasefire, and it was violated, and trying to put that back together is going to be challenging, but we will continue to make those efforts and let me take this opportunity by the way to give secretary john kerry credit. he has been persistent. he has worked very hard. he has endured on many occasions really unfair criticism simply to try to get to the point where the killing stops and the underlying issues about israel's

security, but also the concerns of palestinians in gaza can be addressed. we're going to keep working towards that. it's going to take some time. i think it's going to be very hard to put a ceasefire back together again. if israelis and the international community can't feel confident that hamas can follow through on a ceasefire commitment. and -- and it's not particularly relevant whether a particular leader in hamas ordered this abduction. the point is when they sign on to a ceasefire, they are claiming to speak for all of the palestinian factions, and if they don't have control of them, and just moments after ceasefire is signed, you have israeli soldiers being killed and captured, then it's hard for the

israelis to feel confident that a ceasefire can actually be -- be honored. i'm in constant consultation with prime minister netenyahu. our national security team is in constant communication with the israeli military. i want to see everything possible done to make sure that palestinian civilians are not being killed and it is heart breaking to see what is happening here. and i think many of us recognize the delima we have. on the one hand israel has a right to defending itself and it has not to be able to get at those rockets and those tunnels. on the other hand because of the incredibly irresponsible actions of hamas to oftentimes house

these rocket launches right in the middle of civilian neighborhoods, we end up seeing people who had nothing to do with these rockets end up being hurt. part of the reason why we have been pushing so hard for a ceasefire is precisely because it's hard to reconcile israel's legitimate need to defend itself because of the certain with the civilians, and if we can pause the fighting, it's possible we may be able to arrive at a formula that spares lives and -- and also ensures israeli's security. but it's difficult, and i don't think we should pretend otherwise. bill plant? >> reporter: like that's fire you have called for diplomatic solutions not only in israel and

gaza, but also in ukraine and iraq, to very little effect so far. has the united states of america lost its influence in the world? have you lost yours? >> yeah, look this is a common theme that folks bring up. apparently people have forgotten that america as the most powerful country on earth still does not control everything around the world. and so, you know, our diplomatic efforts often take time. they often will see progress and then a step backwards. that's been true in the middle east. that's been true in europe, asia, that's the nature of -- of world affairs. it's not neat and it's not smooth, but if you look at, for am