♪ welcome to al jazeera america. i am jonathan betz in new york. here are the top stories we are following for you this half hour. now, u.n. school is hit in gaza, killing at least 10 people. some israeli soldiers start to pull out. a powerful earthquake rattle southern china. hundreds of feared dead. >> a tunnel is open in miami. many are calling it a model of public and private partnership. we begin this afternoon in gaza.

an israeli airstrike hit another u.n. school. this time, killing at least 10 people. it is the second time in two weeks a u.n. school has been attacked. this as israel says some soldiers are being redeployed amid reports its troops have greg lemond begun to pull back. nick schifrin has the latest from gaza. >> the united nations says it was about 10 or 11:00 o'clock this morning when it sizan israeli airstrike hit right outside of its schools in the south, about 30 miles down that way from here. theitsisi military isn't commenting but according to a local report, the targets were two men on a motorcycle just passing right in front of the school when this strike happened. about 10 people are dead. some 30 people wounded from this strike. the u.n. says that nine employees have now been killed, one of them in this strike, and in total, seven schools have been targeted. you have to understand these aren't schools anymore. they are actually shelters. so many people have filled these

shelters because they have fled the fighting near the border. the numbers now of the displaced are now over half a million. >> that's nearly one in three of all of gaza. the israeli military mean while continues to pull back just a little bit toward the gaza border. they were about a mile to a mile and a half in before. now, they are a little less deep. they are about to finish their mission of destroying all of the tunnels that lead from gaza to israel and they say they will respond to any kind of hamas attack or any kind of rocket attack from here by the pal stipian fighters, and clearly this u.n. school attack shows the israeli military is right on the border and contains ability still to actually strike deep into gaza. there are still diplomatic efforts to solve this crisis. they are floundering. members of hamas, members of the palestinwan authority from the west bank are all in cairo right now with egyptian officials, american official and the intermediataries that speak for hamas to the americans but the israelis are not there.

israel has really indicated it is no longer willing to discuss any kind of ceasefire for hamas and that means that even avisis and its troops pull a little back to the border, the bombing continues, shelling continues, and we have heard it all morning, both in the north behind me and of course down south, where most of the fighting is contained this morning. >> nick schifrin for us on the ground in gaza today. the israeli military is now defending that strike near the u.n. school. earlier, al jazeera's fauzi ibrahim asked if israel was targeting civilians. >> absolutely not. i think as your footage shows, the strike was on a group of terrorists. we carried out a strike on two terrorists that were on a motorcycle. we did not carry out a strike on the school. this is currently being investigated, the result. we carried out the strike against terrorists who were in the area on a motorcycle. >> are you investigating other

strikes that may also have killed innocent civilians as well? you say that the israeli army is striking certain targets. but there are, of course, the fallout that other civilians will die in those particular targets. are you investigating those strikes as well? and if so, will anyone be held accountable for killing innocent civilians? >> we are investigating. we are investigating each and every instance where civilians were caught in the midst of combat. we will be reviewing all of the incidents in order to determine what actually happened in the battleground and under what circumstances. there have been several instances where hamas have tried to pin on israel attacks from within gaza that have miss fallen and landed in the gaza strip. in the last hour we have had another barrage of rockets out of gaza. >> the statement that says that

this attack is yet another gross violation of international humanitarian law? >> we are reviewing the incidents of earlier today. we will get to the bottom of it. indeed, we are targeting terrorists that were move from one place to another. perhaps they had some ex plositches on them that caused the extra damage. we struck the terrorists. this is the situation. we do not intentionally strike u.n. facilities. we just don't do that. >> more than 1800 palestinians have been killed since fighting began 27 days ago. at least a thousand of those are civilians. unicef says about a third of those are children. 64 israeli children have been killed along with three israel ill civilians, one of whom was a thai national. each new die brings more funerals for gaza. airstrikes often kill many members of a single family. dozens of mourners gathered for the funeral of two members of the eastlam family. an airstrike killed them yesterday. in the town of rafa where that u.n. school was hit, 10 members

of another family were also killed today. a 6.5 magnitude earthquake hit china. it happened in hunan province. you are looking at video during that quake. state media says 150 are dead, more than 1400 others are hurt. it's been reported that this is the strongest quake to hit china in the past 14 years. al jazeera's adrian brown is on the phone for us. how bad is the destruction there? >> the death toll according to state media stands at 175 as of this moment. this has happened, as you point out, in a very, very rye mote region of southwestern china. it's an area that is often struck by earth kwaukz, some deadly in 2012, more than 80 people died. now, this latest jolt was felt most strongly in hunan province. this is an area of china that borders laos, vietnam and thailand.

the epicenter was age area known as lewdian county where some 300,000 people liveudian county 300,000 people live it is a mount nones area and a poor one, too. so many of the buildings are unlikely to have been quake proof. communications in this region have been badly affected and state television has shown rescuers rushing to the scene. pictures online as you point out show people being stretchered away and a lot of damaged cars and buildings. he electricity as of tonight is still cut and to be honest, probably it's going to be morning before we know how serious this is. adrian, are you getting any reports of the status of the hospitals there, how badly they have been damaged and whether they are in any condition to help the victims? >> well, we haven't had any reports of hospitals. we certainly had reports about schools or at least one school certainly being damaged badly

damaged. there was a picture of a teacher being pulled out of the rubble. the problem we have is one of logistics and geography. it is a very, very remote area. it could possibly take rescuers from some of the main regional centers up to two days to reach this area. >> that's how remote it is. every time we hear about a big earthquake in china, we think about the scheuan earthquake in 2008 in the year china hosted the olympics. i don't think this earthquake is going to be on that scale, but it's not going to be for another sort of six or seven hours or so before we get the first indication of how serious this is. >> adegreedian, you talk about the remoteness of this area. is it remote because of the cheer geographical distance or because the roads and bridges leading to this zone have been damaged? >> no. it is in normal circumstances, it is a very remote area. i have been there.

it's very mountainous. it's where you get the sort of classic images of china. it is quite a beautiful area. but, also, an area that is very, very i mpoverished indeed and i no stranger to these earthquakes. there are tremors there almost average year. this was a particularly strong one and i think, you know, the fact that so far, the death toll is dead doesn't mean to say it's not going to get higher. >> that's a concern a lot of people have at this hour. adrian broun on the phone. thank you. moving to eastern ukraine civilians are scrambling to get out of a war zone. peel are fleeing the area. fight something getting worst between ukraine and pro-russian separatists. the government has made a lot of probation in its push to retake the area. officials say they are close to cutting offer the rebel strouning hold of donetsk. in toledo, ohio, the water is

still not safe to drink and no one knows when it will be. the city's 400,000 residents have been told to turn off their taps after the wall turned toxic. for an update, joined on the phone call by al jazeera, bisi. what's the latest on the ground in ohio? >> jonathan, toledo mayor michael collins says tests show the water is improving but not safe enough to drink. he says it may actually be a while before things are back to normal here in the toledo area. in the meantime, residents are flooding stores for clean water. toledo has set up several water distribution centers across the area where residents lining up by the droves. we are at one right now. being given about a two gallon water minimum for the day. the ohio national guard there also here, they have brought in thousands of gallons of water, fema at this time is still on hold.

city officials in and state officials are waiting to see the results of another round of tests before taking further action. so as of now, this no boil, no water use alert is still in effect. >> bisi, do officials in this town seem to be surprised? we understand the source fto be the algae bloom but was there any indication this could happen? >> jonathan, the city was aware but no one knew that it would get this bad. the forecast for this year was for significant but not severe algae bloom. spaiblth there was a combination of wind, waves and current and that made things worse. the bloom, as i am sure you have seen, shows up in the waters of lake erie as glean slime. it's you know clear of when exactly someone spotted this issue growing. considering it's not even peak season there is a lot of concern over this water. >> talk about the future here what is the town and the city official telling people there to

do? how long do we expect this to last, and is there enough bottled water for all of the people there in toledo? >> right now, it doesn't appear that there is a shortage of water so that's the good news the bad news is the city isn't offering any clear timetable as to when the water can be used again. so that's right now kind of just like a wait and see situation. i can tell you that there has been a couple of reports, a couple of reports of people going to the hospital showing symptoms that include nausea, vomiting and dizziness. nothing minor reports going out of the hospitals. people are wondering how long they will have to go without taking a baths.

live. thank you. >> the outbreak continues to spread. the official death toll stands at 7209. in some places, fears of ebola are prompting anger and protests. today, marchers in liberia demanded more help with burying theded. still ahead on al jazeera america, a business yon dollar price tag. these drivers will not have to pay a toll. a new concept in fixing america's crumbling inf infrastructu infrastructure. several states bidding for new

business. what's at stake as tesla searches for a place to build battery plants.

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the new al jazeera america mobile app, available for your apple and android mobile device. download it now . >> there is fierce fighting in the two biggest cities. tripoli and benghazi have been turned into battle grounds. igniting oil tanks. teveningz 6 thousands escapins the border crossing was closed leaving them stranded. >> they all look the same, exhausted but relieved as they leave libya and cross into t tunis tunisia. this 19-year-old moroccan says it's not safe any more in tripo tripoli. tra >> translator: the missiles landed next to our house. >> reporter: so he packed his bags and left. >> translator: it's not secure in tripoli. it's chaos.

no fuel. no oil. no electricity. nothing. >> reporter: thousands chose to flee with their families as rival militias fought each other on streets of the capitol and other libyan cities. for some t took days to be able to cross as desperate families tried to use the border crossing. >> translator: the situation is dangerous. you can hear heavy gunshots. we were scared for our lives so we net to tunisia. >> after closing the border for a day, the tun easeian government re-opened it on saturday. but only partially. and only for those who have proved they are passing through tune ease i can't and not planning to stayisia and not ply government officials say it can om be a transit for those trying to leave. the restrictions meant that thousands of egyptians were stranded along the libyan side of the border for days. on saturday, a plan was agreed

with the egyptian government to start the process of evacuation. a couple of thousand a day will be allowed in to go straight to the airport like these egyptians who were lucky enough to be able to get through about it will take days. many work in oil-rich libya. only a fraction had left the country so far. as the violence escalates, they are expected to evacuate. countries like tunisia have a concern on how such an exdid you say will affect their economy and security. >> especially since egypt has closed boarders with libya and for many, this border crossing is the only route out. al jazeera, tunisia. in nepal, rain is complicating a search for a massive land slide, part of a mountain collapse friday morning. it buried a village about 75 miles east of katmandu.

eight bounds have been found. dozens remain missing. it blocked part of a major river. thousands downstream have been evacuated over fears of flooding. miami has found a way around the traffic trouble by going underground. under base ka biscayn ebay. natasha ghoname has the story. >> this is the headache inducing sound of a complex construction project before completion. the roar of machines cutting grooves into asphalt to ensure that millions of wheels have traction. we are 120 feet below biscayn ebay in the new port of miami tunnel. the county cruise ship industry and port officials consider its almost mile lifelong tube vital to the future to get people and cargo on board faster. with this tunnel so drivers won't be forced today navigate

streets to make it portside. despite the project's billion dollar price tags, people won't pay tolls because the funnel is punded through a public private partnership. it's a relatively new concept for american infrastructure projects. the first for miami and one of just a few around the country. a private company built the tunnel. over the next 30 years, miami dade county will pay $300 million to operate and maintain the structure. >> the payments are set in time so that for some reason, the costs escalate. we know that and we know our cost out 30 years. >> the county is already considering the same type of arrangement to funneled water and sewage treatment projects to the tune of $13,000,000,000. down in the tubal, builders say they are ready for anything.

they have applied lessons learned from other tunnels and miss handicaps. >> this concrete structure isn't for show. when there is a category 3 hurricane barreling, 50 ton gates will slam down, seal off the tunnel and prevent it from flooding. >> engineers say they are not only ready for floods. they are ready for fires. if there was a fire in this area, immediately, the water would come down, extinguish the fire or suffocate the fire. the fans can be reversed to speed control so we can push the smoke and pull the smoke. >> with its 44 jet fans, 91 surveillance cameras and steel gates. the tunnel is being touted as the safest in the world and now, it's open for business. natasha ghoname, miami dade county. >> a big explosion may have a big impact on general motor. the company has to find a different supplier now. gm did not disclose the type of parts being made at that plant.

but it assure customers it does have enough for now. the auto maker says it's still too early to determine what caused the explosion but an investigation is underway many are competing for the factory to build batteries for the electric cars. the auto maker is waiting to see how sweet a deal it can get. compressions have built new facilities in the city or stay offering the best incentives, tax holidays, free land, infrastructure development and other perks can cost state and local governments hundreds of millions of dollars and in a few instances, in the billions. >> public officials, you know, think that they have to offer these deals. companies will take the deals when they are offered and everyone thinks that this is unavoid voidable. >> tesla has sparked a war for

the plant. the company claims the projected 1,000 acre plant could create up to 6,500 jobs. in a letter to shareholders, testsla's ceo said we broke ground just outside reno, nevada on a site that could potentially be the location for the giga factory. state economic development officials have refused to say what incentives are being offered. but nevada assembly speaker maryland kilpatrick welcomed the plan saying any time that we can lur a new industry with a real return on our investment, that's always something we should be looking at. >> tesla is also leaving the door open for the other states to or more insentiz: according to u.s.a. today, industry experts believe the company could be looking for 300 million to $600 million until tax breaks. >> the problem is the companies also want state and local officials to compete to essentially bribe them. i mean

to put it in blunt terms, to brake them to -- bribe them to invest in a particular location. >> watch doug groups say most large companies that get these tax breaks don't need them and they would be better used by individuals and families in need. >> there have been cases where companies receive tax credits exceeding their tax liability. then they sold the kreltsdz to a third party for a profit. further reducing government's tax revenues. public officials are desperate to win these rare big deals in the name of job creation. >> the result is often deals that offer benefits up front but don't require a company to stay for the long-term a dell computer plant received more than 2 sent million dollar until subsidies from state and local agencies but dell later decided today shut it down and e licknated all of the jobs created. evergreen solar plant in massachusetts is another example. the company received about $58 million from the state. then they shut down the facility

and moved to china. in both cases, small portions of the money paid out were recouped. courtney keely, al jazeera. there is much more ahead on al jazeera including wildfires out of control in the west coast. now california's governor is goi calling for a state of emergency. stay with us. when you run a business, you can't settle for slow.

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♪ california's governor has declared a state of emergency because of a fast-moving wildfire. lightning sparked the fire near the oregon border. more than 100 people were forced to leave their homes. the deckclaration means resources can be brought in to fight the blaze, dealing with hot, dry, wendy conditions as they try to contain the flames. between the wildfire, a terrible drought in california, they could use help from mother nature. let's go to nicole mitchell. hopefully some good news. >> i could find a little depending upon where you are. it hasn't been great news as we head to the state of calf. we have a combination of the low pressure in the southeastern portion of the state and then

the monsoon, the four corners region has been getting moisture and had flash flooding. this area in a drought. the extreme drought, central and northern california. you can see we are dry there. we have large fires going from this region all the way up to oregon and washington. some of these thunderstorms have made it up northward without the moisture and then that causes the lightning that hasn't been helpful and started some fires. so you can really see where the moisture is and it's not in that northward area where we need it. this goes over the next week. not looking at a lot of rain here places getting rain, you have flash flooding concerns. temperatures haven't helped either. see the coastline for los angeles, 83 degrees. you get a little bit more interior, pres know, 97. what that does, that core of the heat dries out the registration more so that makes it tender dry for any fires that start is more of a fuelinder dry for any fires that start is more of a fuel. up and down the east coast, might see a couple of places only hang in the 70s because of

moisture. you can see where we have the stalled frontal boundary, a slow moving boundary across the region, today, tomorrow, through the mid atlantic, you can see another three inches or so more or less, depending upon exactly where you are between today and tomorrow. one good thing about this system, though, is that front pushes off. >> that's a larger scale item in our weather pattern. and that will actually help steer off this next system. so, this is tropical storm bertha. as it moves up the coastline, that front will be one thing that helps keep it off of the shore so it's not looking like a u.s. landfall. >> is good news. have to watch, rip current later into the week. this system is going to stay away from u.s. land. >> very encouraging track right there. thanks, nicole. appreciate it. this sunday afternoon, thanks for watching al jazeera america. i am jonathan betz. stay with us because "earth rise" is up next. always find us all day long online.

just head to aljazeera.com. have a great afternoon and a great sunday night. ♪