>> hello, and welcome to the news hour. these are our top stories. more attacks and more victims in gaza as israel troops enter it's final hour. air support against the islamic state. preparations in southwest china

after an earthquake killed almost 400 people. and world leaders gather in belgium to mark 100 years since britain joined world war i. it's now the final hour of what israel calls a humanitarian pause in gaza. the truce which ends at 5:00 p.m. in gaza only applies for areas where there is currently no military activity. the offensive continues in other areas with one child killed and 30 people injured during an attack on a refugee camp in northern gaza. these pictures show some of the victims currently being treated in hospital. meanwhile police in west jerusalem show a man who drove a digger into an empty bus. at least three other people were injured. well, israel's offensive stepped into a 28th day human

costs continue to rise. 64 israeli soldiers now have been killed along with three simple. ans. one who was a thai national. 1,848 palestinians have been killed and 80% of them have been civilians. more than 9,000 palestinians have been injured, and more than quarter of a million people are now in shelter. >> reporter: this area was heavily hit during the fighting with israel. it was virtually cut off for almost a week. around 20,000 people live here, large clans, big families, and you can see the utter destruction in the middle of the town, nothing left. as you walk down the main street

you see that on either side of the road there are many houses that have been destroyed. people have been trying to salvage any possessions they can from underneath the concrete. we saw one small boy with his bike, women with blankets and clothes and mattresses but now tank shelling has started up again from the israeli border, and people will be getting out of here as quickly as they can. >> a warning that medical services in gaza are on oh the brink of collapse. almost half of medical workers can't get to work because of shelling and debris. a third of hospitals have been damaged. hospitals that are up and running face a shortage of medical supplies and depend on generators as much of electric infrastructure has been destroyed. and wards are overflowing with

bodies that are able to be collected. we go to a norwegian hospital. he said that the medical situation is appalling. >> the work conditions are horrific. disposables, drugs, medical equipment, and now during the last three or four days it's been really aggravated by the almost impossible situation in our hospital and the hospital in the south where they cannot care for patients due to lack of security for ambulance and staff. the hospitals are filled up. in one hospital they have more than 40 intensive care patients they cannot evacuate. and they all lack sufficient supplies to treat them. people are dying now who need not die. to me it's a striking double

standard, and the israeli impunity towards the international humanitarian law, sanctions instruments being used against others doing similar things to populations and a very striking and very embarrassing double standard which i think should be of concern to everyone who wants to up old human rights and international humanitarian law. this cannot go on. as of yesterday 401 palestinian children had been killed by the israeli army, and over 2,000 children being wounded. where else in the world would a governmental army be allowed to perpetrate such atrocities without being sanctioned or having some political pressure from the international communi community. >> now as mentioned earlier, a man drove into a bus. we have this report. >> reporter: it all happened

very quickly. this escalat excavator crashed into the bus over here flipping it over. now as this was happening a pedestrian was caught underneath and has since died. the police were nearby. one policeman, he immediately open fired at the excavator driver and killed him. his body is in that white plastic there. tensions are running high in jerusalem with what is going on in gaza with alerts going out for any potential attacks. the police say that they're treating this as a terrorist attack. they say that the dead man is plan. >> palestinian delegates met and

hamas said that it was. >> you we need to give an unified list of demands. tomorrow we'll meet the general intelligence director to follow up on this. >> so what are the demands? they include a cease-fire with the immediate withdraw of israeli forces. the opening of border crossings s to rebuild gaza. they want israel to annul the depopulated buffer zone inside gaza's borders and reconstruction up the supervision of the unity government aided by the u.n. and donation conference to help the recovery effort. we spoke to british parliament. >> it's very hard to see what possible contribution tony blair

can make to any of this. he has been the middle east envoy since he stopped being prime minister in 2007. he has barely been to gaza and seems to promote the separation of gaza from the west bank and has made no contribution in the conflict of the past 25 days. indeed, he spent most of his time in britain and went to china during this period. if he's serious about being peace envoy, he should do the job. if he doesn't want to do t then don't do it. we're very unclear what contribution he's making. surely he should be putting all pressure, if he's serious about this, on israel to attend these talks in gaza. after all the u.n. and all the palestinian factions are there, why isn't israel there? >> six civilians have died in eastern lebanon. amid fighting between the military and sunni fight whose have crossed over from syria. 14 soldiers were killed.

others are missing. let's get the latest from jane ferguson. we know the lebanese army are trying to push back the fighters. what's going on there? >> reporter: well, that push back is continuing with shelling coming from the lebanese military. there is rocket fire being returned by those rebels. as we're hearing some sources, the rebels are still inside, but more and more are being pushed out of into the east towards the syrian border. as they're pushed out they're also going to be squeezed up against the syrian border just over that border, of course, are forces extremely hostile to these rebels with the syrian army backed by hezbollah. they may be on the run, but as things stand at the moment there are still fighters inside the

town with heavy fighting. just an update on some of the figures coming out of ou our, they're calling civilians that have been killed and being treated in hospital. an many are injured. the lebanese military have updated saying 14 soldiers have been killed and 22 are missing. some of those 22 at least are presumed kidnapped by the rebels. that's an ongoing situation at the moment as the lebanese military try to get those fighters back. other sources are saying 16 soldiers have been killed so far by the lebanese military. they are only confirming 14 at this point. activists are also saying 57 rebel fighters have been killed so far in the fighting over the last three days. >> it's obviously very fluid situation, jane, and clearly a spillover from the syrian war.

how big is the concern that these rebels will try to get a foot hold in lebanon? >> that's always been a massive concern for the lebanese authorities intensifying, engines ily, this year. the lebanese prime minister just spoke himself. he spoke to the public making a statement calling on military aid that he said that would come assistancely for equipment for the lebanese army. he called the rebel fighters terrorists and said there would be no political solution for this, and pushed for basically said that the army has the sole backing of all the political blocks of lebanon. that's largely the case at the moment. although lebanon is extremely divided on which political side factions are backing in the syrian war. right now it would appear politically most leaders of factions are backing the lebanese army in this assault.

so we're hearing very clear message that this would be basically a military operation, and there won't be any political solution to this. such fighting is likely to continue. >> jane ferguson in beirut, thank you for that. coming up here on the al jazeera news hour with an eye on china, washington hosts it's first africa leader summit. leaders escaping violence in libya while thousands remain stranded. and rory mcilroy is back on top of the world, but for how long. we'll have details coming up later. >> now iraq's prime minister has alreadied it's air force to support kurdish troops battling sunni fighters in the north. they're launching a counter offensive calling itself the islamic fate. it's fighters are close to the

mosul dam, iraq's largest, and it has taken control of a fifth oil field. and the towns which until recently were controlled by kurdish troops. we have reports. >> reporter: it may look like a traffic jam but this was a mass exodus into the open desert in iraq. civilians have to cross this bridge after they fled the latest round of fighting in their area. the islamic state militiamen have taken the control of the towns west of mosul forcing these citizens to flee to the areas under the control of kurdish fighters. >> thousand have been killed. thousands have become refugees. 40,000 have fled their homes. the town is controlled by the islamic state and it has been blown up by the is.

they're attacking. >> reporter: militant from. >> michael: s. were abli.s. were able to push forward north. they were able to regroup. we're now waiting for the president's order to attack them and wipe out the i.s. we will not let them get away. we'll kill them, wound them and arrest them. >> reporter: are the kurdish fighters strong enough to fight this onslaught. the breakaway group captured large parts in the last few months. they declared the th the caliphate. against the kurdish fighters they took control of three oil refineries. and this shows kurdistan as part of their country making it clear

where their push to the north will start. al jazeera. >> well, the director of iraqi institute for democracy and development join us now from london. good to have you on the show. the fact that sunni fighters have managed to take all of this territory, that's a big blow for the kurds, isn't it? >> well, it's no doubt that the kurds are suffering as much as the iraqis. the i.s. intends to control. now the kurds at the beginning were in the i.s. control mosul. it gave them an opportunity for these territories. but now things have changed, and

now the kurds had to confront the i.s. the i.s. as well in sierra in the direct conflict with the kurds as well. the question is can the kurds do it by themselves? their fate to do that will spark the future awaiting the area. >> the fact that baghdad has now ordered air support to help the kurdish fighters regain ground, is that a sign that the two sides are now willing to work together? >> they have decide to take hold of those areas. now the iraqi government lending support to the kurdish initiative. this is the minimum they can do. as we know very well airstrike

by itself will not change the fact online. are they in situation to change the situation in northern iraq? my guess, m my understanding without a new approach to the whole issue we will not be able to change anything. the new approach would be by having a change of government in baghdad, a government inclusive where sunni and kurds as well as other shiites consider as their representative and willing to fight for it. >> the international players say it has to be a government without nouri al-maliki as prime minister. >> absolutely. this was indicated by general dempsey in his meeting, and maliki pointed out military action by the american government will not lay a role

unless there is an inclusive government. that is a clear message that americans will not be involved an. the ira iranian army realizing now that maliki becoming a stumbling block and they're advising him to change. this is coming five days we receive how things were given in whether they'll change maliki or not. however, changing hall can i is not a solution. it's the beginning of a solution. they need to find a new leader, a new government. where they will fear this is their government and they're willing to die for it. now the sunni are not willing to fight and die for a al maliki. and near are the kurds willing to do that. they're fighting for what they

consider their national territory rather than iraqi territory. >> good to speak to you. thank you very much for joining us. from the iraqi institute for democracy and development. now thousands of people continue to flee in libya as fighting intensifies in its largest cities. many have been stuck at libya's land borders for days. thousands are egyptians. british and e.u. nationals have left on a british warship. at the crossing, we spoke with some egyptians who have escaped libya. >> reporter: these are the lucky ones after spending days at the border this family was allowed into tunisia. thousands have been stranded on the libyan side of the border. on sunday hundreds were allowed in after their government promised to send charter flights to take them back to egypt

straight from the border. mostly workers like abdullah, who left jobs in libya after life became unbearable. >> so much destruction. it's not safe any more. we fear for our lives. >> reporter: thousands of egyptians work in libya. but as the violence took over the oil rich country many opted to leave their jobs and run for their lives. >> libya's doors were open for us. most of the people you see here are college graduates with no chance to get a job back home. people are very sad to leave. >> reporter: 58-year-old hamid said he ran a state of lawlessness. when i asked him how he'll support his family of three children. >> my children are gone. we're the thousands left behind still stuck on the other side of the border.

>> reporter: there is genuine concern for the thousands of egyptians still stranded at the libyan side of the border. some for over a week. >> it's terrible for them over there. they're in the desert, in the open air with little water or food. i swear to god it's not fair. human souls are at stake. >> reporter: the saga of all these workers vividly illustrate how the violence in libya will have a ripple effect on the whole region security-wise and economically. some of the egyptian workers took the risk and saided to stay in libya for now. others wanted to leave, but didn't find a way to get to any border due to the violence. that's why these workers say they are lucky they've even got to this point. al jazeera, tunisia. >> in china 391 people are confirmed dead after sunday's

earthquake. many remain buried in the rubble and thousands of rescuers are on their way to the remote location. >> reporter: relief and rescue workers are doing what they can. but their efforts are being hampered by poor weather. communication and electricity are also down. some search teams, though, have been able to reach the edges of the quake zone. all these house has already collapsed when we arrived. there were dead bodies everywhere. there were lots of injured people. >> reporter: the epicenter is the town wher where rescuers may have to reach on foot. the people's liberation army is involved more than 2,000 soldiers are on their way to reinforce throws already in the disaster zone. it will be proved by china's who arrived on monday. the mountainous area in

southwest china is prone to earthquakes. adrian brown, al jazeera. >> a ferry of 200 passengers has capsized. three bodies have been found in the river. dozens of people have been rescued. ferry accidents are common in bangladesh. it's blamed on overcrowding and poorly designed ships. the second confirmed case of the ebola virus in the country. it's the worst-ever outbreak of the disease. nigeria is the fourth country to be affected. some african leaders will be screened for ebola before they meet with president barack obama. the african summit in washington, d.c. will focus on strengthening economic ties between the two religious. we have reports on why the u.s.

wants to invest more in the continent. >> reporter: u.s. president barack obama making the case africa matters. it's about much more than humanitarian aid. >> the importance of this for america needs to be understood. africa is one of the fasters growing copt meants in th continents in the world. >> this is the first time he's hosting a summit to tap into that potential. since 2000 china has hosted five and it's showing in the trade numbers. in two years exports and imports have jumped from $127 quintillion to $200 billion. for the u.s. the opposite. trade was $213 billion but it's dropped to $100 billion. for the next three days the summit will focus on changing that, but the president isn't going on his own charm

offensive. unlike china's leadership he won't meet one-on-one with anti-of his african counterparts. and there are no announcements of any deals to be finalized. >> they roll out all of these programs that have been developed over three years with their african counterparts. i have not seen that happen in washington. >> reporter: obama administration officials making the argument that china is just using africa for its resources. u.s. want to be partners. but some disagree with that characterization. >> china does not get its natural resources for free. if china needs to buy oil they buy our oil at international market price. if they want wood they buy wood at international market price. china doesn't take anything from us for free. >> reporter: the u.s. president said its time to compete in africa but it's clear other countries have a big head start

and one summit is unlikely to change that. >> well, it's time for the weather with richard. and typhoon is headed towards japan. >> meteorologist: that's right. it's following the tract from the previous tropical storm. we saw across the region a lot of heavy rainfall. there is the typhoon that we have at the moment spiraling around to the east of the philippines. currently we have 19 5k ph. it will weaken north wards over cooler waters, but it's going to remain a potent force particularly on japan's islands. you can see what happens. you get this enhanced flow across the china sea towards the philippine sea. as a result we're going to see

heavy showers continuing across some of the central island. this will see the bulk of the rain over the next couple of days while it enhances the flow across the region. you could see 150 to 200 kilometers here. to the north of japan we already had large rainfall totals because of the presence of atropa storm. that does move away, but we still have heavy rain across thursday and friday. we'll have heavy rain. >> thank you so much for that. half a million people in the u.s.' state of ohio are without drinking water. plus, in donets, k i'll tell you some of the stories of the most vulnerable victim of this conflict of the fighting that is closer to the city.

>> and scotland says good by to the commonwealth games. we'll look at the future that this will have. 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. go to comcastbusiness.com/ checkyourspeed if we can't offer faster speeds - or save you money - we'll give you $150. comcast business. built for business. yyyup. with xfinity internet soyour family can use all their devices at once. works anywhere in the house. even in the garage. max what's going on? we're doing a tech startup. we're streamlining an algorithm.

what's grandpa doing? hi... sssh, grandpa you don't want to be an intern forever. sorry dad, we have to get back to work, we have a deadline. we're going public! [cheering] the fastest in-home wifi for your entire family. the x-1 entertainment operating system. only from xfinity. >> welcome back. i'll remind you of the top stories on news. there have been more attacks in gaza strip despite israel's humanitarian pause. police in west jerusalem shot dead a man who drove a dig nor

an empty bus. at least three others were injured. an iraq's prime minister has ordered its air force to support kurdish troops to battle soony fighters in the north. they're launching a counter offensive after a group calling itself islamic state made more gains. back to gaza. coming under increasing international pressure. the u.n. has called it a criminal act and the u.s. as described it as disgraceful. we spoke to israeli spokesperson and said that israel was targeting islamic jihad. >> there was a specific attack on a specific terrorist target three operators from islamic jihad. now we know there appears to be collateral damage. we don't know how that happened. it wasn't our ordinance. it wasn't the ordinance that the

activist from islamic jihad was carrying with them. but it's clear 100% the school was not hit. the school was not targeted and we don't target facilities. accidents can happen, and when they do happen we regret any civilian death. but ultimately the responsibility must fall on hamas that abuse the people of gaza that it shoots its rockets out of civilian areas and turn gaza areas into a human shield. it's clear that they have a consistent pattern of behavior to brutalize gazaen civilians to deliberately put them i in harm's way. >> good to have you on the program, jafari. we often hear those kinds of lines from the israeli government, don't we, that it's the fault of hamas, that hamas it's putting civilians in harm's

way. they're the ones firing the rocket, digging the tunnels and they're the ones using them as human shields. >> that's complete nonsense. what is happening in gaza is genocidal war against the palestinian nation. this has been going on since before 1968, before the creation o--before 1948 before the creation of israel. there are so many that i would not list now. this is a policy of the zionist movement to ethnically cleanse palestine. preferbly with no palestinians in it, and if there are a few they should be subservient. remember, the zionists call us

noneg non-justs. they're put on earth specifically to serve the justs. how could you reason with such doctrines? >> these are very strong words that you're saying, obviously. i read some of what you've written. you say israeli government policy to have regular operations in gaza to massacre large numbers of the population. and you say that this will happen regardless of any reasons that the israeli government put forward like for example hamas, where we have to stop hamas from firing rockets. you say this is regular government policy. that's a very strong accuindicatioaccusation. >> well, it's not an accusation. i'm calling what they do. it's a policy called "cutting the grass." that's the article of my latest article.

this is the title of my latest article. it started in lebanon in southern beirut, and the proposal of this hitting and hitting and hitting of the civilian areas to make them--to subject gate them and make them flee or rebel against their leaders is now the current plan of the deputy of chief of staff in israel. they speak of the knesset and said in writing that they should kill, kill, and kill again, and clear gaza completely. it is not me who is saying this. i'm quoting what they write and what they say. and can be verified.

>> there has been criticism of israel's latest operation, the attack on the u.n. school, ban ki-moon said it's a criminal act. do you think the tied could be turning in terms of international support for this military operation? >> the tide is turning, but we know what will happen at the end. we wilwe've been through this before. unless americans, the government of the united states of america change its stance of complete utter report, and complete blanket diplomatic and political cover nothing will change. the americans are very fond of saying we have your back for the israelis. it's about time that the americans started to think in

humane terms stop supporting israel without the. israel must be like a mad dog, too dangerous to bother. it's been time this dog is muzzled. >> thank you so much for speaking with us. jafari, live from london. thank you. >> thank you. >> now activists say syrian government forces attack several areas near the capitol killing dozens of people. here are our reports. >> a missile slams into a suburb of damascus. the full horror of the latest government campaign to crush the

syrian rebellion caught on amateur video. this east of the capitol. according to opposition activists this was the result of an airstrike by fighter jet. many people were out in the street when it happened they try to recover the dead and wounded from another strike just minutes earlier. elsewhere more desperation after another airstrike. [ screaming ] the man who filmed this shouts, headless bodies. where is the world? where is humanity, save us. in the neighboring area more attacks.

they have killed more than a 170,000 people and displaced half the population. >> president bashar al-assad has made significant gains this year as opposition forces fight among themselves. but for the ferocity of the latest attacks demonstrate how he's trying to step up the fight. al jazeera. >> now world leaders are gathering in belgium on monday to commemorate 100 years since britain joined world war i. we have this report. >> more than 50 heads of state commemorate those who died. this was the town that first came under siege by the german troops. they have swung into belgium to avoid verification and it was

protected and the germans brought out one of their biggest guns which can fire several hundred kilograms into fortifications. it was the first time that gun was used and it was the gun that inspired poets from worl world war. the germans get to two days. they gave them this for that courage also helped the british and the french forces to russia in and fill the gap and stop the advance and the kick picture the germans expected by reaching paris from the north.

he's looking around now and he sees the compliments in syria and iraq and in libya, and of course in gaza. he said that europe must take a stronger role an as mediator and must try and solve these conflicts. >> portugal has been forced to rescue one of its biggest banks after it reported one of its worst ever loss. it was close to collapse, and that could have done serious damage to the wider economy. now to half a million people in the u.s. state of ohio are without drinking water. a toxin produced by algae in one of the great lakes has tainted the water supply for the third straight day. city officials say they're not sure when it will be safe to drink again. reports from toledo, and people

will be very sick if they drink this tap water. how are residents coping? >> reporter: well, i can tell you that it's been very difficult for a lot of people, especially those with small children, lack of water means that bathing is difficult as well as washing dishes. this has been going on, as you said, for quite a number of days, and the city has said it has water stations throughout the area for people to get free fresh water. however, there has been a limit. each family will receive one pack of water a day. i have the opportunity to speak to a mother. she's single. she's 30 years old, and she has three young children. she said this is not enough water for she and her family to survive, but some how she's managing to cope with her children in this situation. now, as i can tell you i've been here for a day almost, and panic has not exactly set in, put the concern is growing as this ban continues. back to you. >> do they know how long it's

going to be before the water supplies are safe again? >> right now that's unclear. there have been a number of tests conducted over this past weekend and they're showing good results. they're showing that the water is improving. however the mayor is saying that he's not confident enough that the water is safe to drink. he had a press conference around 3:00 this morning. saying that the water is improving. because there have been. >> apologies for that. we lost bisi in mid flow there. in toledo, up to 500,000 people cannot drink tap water. they cannot bathe or wash their dishes because of an algae tox toxin. rapid growth has stripped

it's ability to provide basic services. we go where there is a shortage of doctors. >> it's a regular busy day in rio de janeiro. they receive basic care and preventive medicine free of charge as provided by brazilian law. manager said 20,000 people rely on the clinic. >> our many goal is pre-essential, high blood pressure and basic health. >> reporter: but the challenge is not chronic disease but a chronic shortage of doctors. especially in poor urban areas and rural villages. >> in this community the doctor ratio.

>> the life expectancy for a brazilian is 73.3 years, lower than most south american countries. in some regions it's 67 years worse than in bangladesh. last year brazil began importing foreign doctors mostly from cuba. doctor gonzalez is one of 700 doctors from brazil. >> in cuba i had never seen a patient with tuberculosis before, but here i have. >> reporter: but it's controversial because here they are paid far less than brazilian colleagues. brazil pays cubans for each doctor. the physicians receive less than a third. the rest goes back to the cuban government. a thanful of cuban doctors have quit the program complaining of an unfair pay scale.

dr. gonzalez said she's sticking with the program. >> i don't care about the money. i receive 10% of what all doctors get here. my family back home also gets money and the rest. the percentage the government gets help support education and free healthcare. ultimately to meet the needs of its people brazil must provide incentives for practice where they're needed the most. >> still to come on the news hour we'll have all the sports. criticized for its pollution and weight, that's coming up after the break.

>> if you want free press in the new democracy, let the journalists live.

>> welcome back. russia has announced new military exercises for the bombers and fighter jets along the border of ukraine. fighting for the stronghold of donetsk is intensifying the droops around the city. it's most vulnerable cannot escape. >> reporter: valley tina tries to call her grandson. he used to visit all the time but she has not heard from him since the fighting started. she's one of more than 160 pensioners living in this care home on the outset of donetsk close to the front line. >> reporter: i used to be an optimistic person. i thought the war would not last

too long but now i think it is going to continue. >> reporter: eleanor owns and manages the nursing home. pensions have stopped coming through and relatives can't pay their fees so she's using her own savings to keep the place open. she's running out of money and supplies. sometimes it's all too much. >> i'm afraid. so afraid, she says, how will we survive? i was at the city morgue. i watched as they brought in our young people. it was terrifying. they are somebody's children, grandchildren or husband. and more people are arriving all the time. eleanor won't turn them away. this man is from a suburb of donetsk. as ukrainian forces close in on donetsk the fighting closes in

on the home. these are some of the most vulnerable victims of this conflict because they cannot be moved to safety. >> it is hard to offer words of comfort to some. this woman says she worked hard all her life laying roads. now she says dying alone. she doesn't know where her daughter is. many here were children during the second world war. they sing songs from the soviet era about soldiers saying good buy to their city before going off to fight. it helps them to forget the troubled times as war surrounds them once again. al jazeera. donetsk. >> now there has been a second incident, and an israeli man has been shot. let's go back to andrew simmons. tell us more about this latest incident, andrew.

>> reporter: well, this was in east jerusalem off duty soldier. he was on the sidewalk, and a gunman open fired from a motorcycle. we're not sure of this man's condition. he is apparently alive and the motorcyclist got away. the police are saying that the big search operation is underway. that's all the information we have at the moment. earlier in east jerusalem the driver of an excavator came out of an area on to a main road and crushed into a bus and effectively--he turned the bus over with the bucket on the excavator and collided with a man who later died. so one dead and then the police responded to what was going on immediately. traffic police would open fire and a number of other officers open fired and the driver of the excavator died in a hail of

bullets. his body was along side the vehicle for some considerable time afterwards while police searched the area. it was later described by jerusalem police as a terror operation. with one israeli man dead. >> obviously this is being linked to the conflict in gaza. what is the israeli government saying? >> well, there is tension on the streets obviously with what is going on in gaza. as far as the israeli government is concerned sources told al jazeera in no way will israel be entertaining the idea of joining the talks in cairo with palestinian factions also an u.s. presence there, and also an egyptian one. however, they won't be, we understand, getting information through that channels and through the israeli embassy in cairo. there is really a pursuit of a

policy whereby they want unilateral control of the situation. they don't want to engage with hamas at all, and they're trying, it would appear, to pull back somewhat after the extraordinary criticism from the u.s. and, indeed, the u.n. over their actions and attacks over the u.n. school. of course this pause has been described as a humanitarian window, not a cease-fire because they will open fire anywhere he want in any situation they consider threatening. but that pause for humanitarian reasons is due to end very soon. >> thank you very much for that update in west jerusalem. let's go to sport now. >> reporter: thank you so much. rory mcilroy will be favored as he returns to the top of world rankings.

mcilroy made a great start with the final round with three consecutive birdies. he finished the day winning this title for the first time in perfect preparation. the 25-year-old was had a spot who had been on top for 11 weeks. i wanted to move forward and put in another performance. and i've been able to do that. >> and you're with the participation at the pga championship now in doubt the 14-time major champion forced to pull out of the wgc invitational midway through his final iran. the 38-year-old suffered an occurrence of a back surgery.

australia's gold coast will be the next destination for 2018. this year's event came to a conclusion in the scottish city of glasgow on sunday. the game's praised despite ongoing events future. >> reporter: after 11 days of competition the 2014 commonwealth games have finally ended in the scottish city of glasgow. the stadium with closing ceremony. the games have a history that extend well beyond the sporting field. an event for more than 71 nations and territories that once made up the british empire. the first commonwealth games all empire games as they were originally known was held in 1930. and while there is an ongoing

debate about the game's continued relevance the athletes are in no doubt as to their value. >> so the gold medal still has "h" not sunk in. even the next morning. today i didn't know whether to believe it. >> reporter: usain bolt gave glas glasgow star quality. the world's most successful athlete. he admits he'll most likely be retired in australia in four years time but organizers say the future of the event is secure. >> there have been a lot of interesting people in these games and ultimately for 2018 i remember a lot of journalists predicting the end of an era at the gulf coast. we're already talking to cities and countries.

>> reporter: for those countries not taking part, the commonwealth games will always be something of a sporting peculiarity. but for athletes who did compete it might well be the highlight of their career. al jazeera. >> this is how the tally finished in glasgow. finishing on top with 58 gold, 59 silver and 57 bronze medals. australia finished with 49 goals. canada, scotland and india rounding out the top five. tuesday will mark the two-year count down to the next olympic games. more than 400 sailors are competing. the th host area has been

criticized for its high pollution levels and waste. >> for saling it's nice and it felt safe enough. >> reporter: serena williams has won her fourth tennis title of the season at the wta event in stanford, california. during the show she made a full recovery from recent health issues that forced her to retire from wimbledon double's match. an all-canadian final in washington was the first time two sta canadians have met in the final in a professional era. but it did not last long, though. barely an hour. and that's all your sport for now. back to you. >> thank you so much, indeed, for that. there is more news coming up for you here on al jazeera, but from the news hour team for now, bye

bye.

>> saturday. gaza, experience what it's like on the ground, first hand, as our crew gets caught in the chaos. the reality of war. shujayea: massacre at dawn. saturday, 10:30 eastern. only on al jazeera america. >> israel's invasion of gaza

continues tonight. >> we have been hearing a lot of tank shelling coming from where we are, here. >> every single one of these buildings shook violently. >> for continuing coverage of the israeli / palestinian conflict, stay with al jazeera america, your global news leader. >> israel's long struggle with palestinians has led to some surprising changes of heart. a former israeli soldier who has major reservations about the country's military joins us. hello, i'm antonio mora, welcome to "consider this," that story and much more straight ahead. >> for terror organizations around the world kidnapping is big business. >> this has become a cottage industry. >> a government report says the money is the main source of funding. >> and their pockets are lined with money from western governments. >> and corporations paying ransom in secret.