the new al jazeera america mobile app, available for your apple and android mobile device. download it now sf a 72 hour humanitarian ceasefire gets under way in gaza. israeli ground forces pull out of gaza as the truce begins. hello there, i'm laura kyle, you're watching al jazeera live from our headquarters in doha. also ahead - under suspicion - the u.s. is accused of using humanitarian work to undermine the cuban government. fighting for the rights of

australia's aboriginals - the latest push to recognise them in the constitution. so we are two hours into another ceasefire, this one three days lornings and has been -- long, and has been agreed to by palestinian factions. israeli army announced that it was pulling out its ground forces from gaza, and the israeli delegation is expected to travel to cairo for talks with palestinian factions. these are some of the live pictures out of gaza city. the truce appears to be holding, despite a burst of military activity from both sides in the minute leading up to the deadline. traffic back on the street, but gazans will be wary of the truce, seeing so many others broken during the course of this

conflict. and what exactly are the palestinian factions, including hamas's demands. they want a full israeli withdrawal from gaza, an end to the israeli and egyptian blockade of the territory. the release of hamas prisoners, and international assistance in the reconstruction of gaza. for its part, israel it demanding that gaza be demilitarized, requiring hamas to give up an arsenal of weapons, and wants a way to prevent hamas from rearming in the future. the israeli government spokesman said the truth could have been agreed to weeks ago. >> hamas has to explain why they didn't accept the same proposal three weeks ago. so many have been killed, so many suffered. the same proposal was on the table weeks ago. >> we'll go to our diplomatic

editor, james bays, in west jerusalem. we have a 72 hour humanitarian truce. we've been here before, what is to say that this one will hold? >> well, you heard mark say that it's the same proposal. it's not. it's been slightly modified and refined. it was originally a jacob shapro proposal. the u.s. -- an egyptian proposal. then others were involved. it's not just about the proposal, but the circumstances that have changed. have you the palestinian delegation. with all of the palestinian parties and factions represented in cairo, including lambic jihad and hamas. there's the israeli military no longer on the ground. when we have the ceasefire that took place on friday, the israeli military, during the

ceasefire, continued their operations destroying tunnels. now they are outside gaza, and we are hearing that israel believes that its military objectives now have been met. so different circumstances. having said all of that, the tough part really starts now, because both sides want to get something out of these negotiations in cairo. they don't want to return to the status quo. they'll be tough talks. >> if we look beyond the 72 hours, a lasting trurks the demands have been rejected by both sides. >> absolutely, and there'll be very, very tough negotiations. i am sure the plan will be to extend that 72 hours, if the 72 hours holds, and there aren't any violations to extend it, because the talks will take time. the israeli delegation has not left for cairo, they know what

has been discussed around the table even though they've not been sitting at the table because egypt is in touch with israel, as will the u.s. it's worth pointing out that when the israelis get to cairo, they don't go to the same room as the delegation, they'll be indirect talks, proximity talks with a mediator between the two. they won't sit around the table and stare eye to eye. >> and what about the israeli public, we have seen the military death toll rising. the war must have been becoming a hard sell. >> well, we have seen quite a dramatic change in the last few hours because, i think, the israeli public were listen to israeli media commentators and israeli politicians, saying israel would end it on its own terms, it would not report to hamas, that option was not going to be pursued, and now they are

going to cairo, and we'll have to gauge how the public is responding. some informant cabinet are not happy with the decision. it was a decision by the prime minister binyamin netanyahu. he didn't put it to the cabinet, there was no vote. >> okay. thank you very much for joining us there from west jerusalem. so after 29 days of israeli attacks, this is where we are at in terms of the human cost. fighting killed 64 israeli soldiers, and three civilians, one of whom is a thai national. a number of palestinian fatalities is higher. 1867 have been killed, most civilians. more than 9,500 palestinians have been injured, and a quarter of a million people are taking refuge in u.n. shelters. human rights watches accused

israeli forces of killing civilians. they have guarded the southern gaza town heavily. nicole johnson is in koouzar. >> reporter: this man took his bike to koouzar to see what was left. not much. all he found at home was some olives. >> translation: they shelled the house. we escaped. when they said there was a ceasefire from 10 to 5, i went to the house to get some things, the stuff for children. >> it's hard to imagine two weeks ago this was a quiet village surrounded by farms. now it's a wasteland. another neighbourhood in gaza has been destroyed. home and businesses under the rubble. the people living here are coming in to try to find what they can that is worth saving. >> people are weighed down by the war, with homes destroyed, there's not much they can do.

they come anyway. this man lived in hughesar. since the war started, 40 members of his extended family have been killed. >> my uncle is 160 years, and they left him bleeding. we couldn't reach him, after 10 days to get his body. the smell of the bodies, the martyrs, the rubbish, the chicken, the animals everywhere. >> in the middle of the house israel left this behind, the casing of a missile. close by another family eat in the middle of the rubble, next to their old house. >> translation: we have no services. it's humiliating. we are going to clean the area, put up a tent and stay outside our house. >> elsewhere, around 30 people were injured from an israeli air

strike. a young girl was killed, there was no ceasefire here. >> palestinian groups fired 30 rockets from gaza. for many, the priority was to get cooking fuel. without electricity there's a demand for gas. >> like most things in gaza, there's not enough to go around. >> meanwhile the united states is giving more money to israel. president obama has signed a bill to give 225 million to israel's iron dome defense system. the missile system shoots down rockets or mortars headed towards israel. >> still ahead this half hour - civilians flee fighting in northern iraq, and land right in the line of more fire. >> and we'll tell you why one u.s. health programme operating in cuba is coming under fire.

hello again. top stories on al jazeera. a 3-day humanitarian truce between israel and the palestinian facts comes into effect. a delegation to travel to cairo for talks with palestinian factions. the fighting so far has left more han 1,800 palestinians

dead. we are joined from bate han un. interesting that we couldn't get you at the top of the hour because you were stuck in traffic, trying to reach the live point. that in itself is unusual in gaza, and a sign that this ceasefire it holding. >> indeed. well, a few minutes before that 8am start to the ceasefire we heard the sound of a number of rockets, some close to the hotel we are staying at, and the thud of air strikes in the distance since 8am it's been quite and we have seen a number of people come out on to the streets. there are a number of cars on the street. people, vepdors, that's not to say life has resumed to normal. people are being careful, and

cautious. people have been stuck in their homes for days. when you consider they don't have tristy, water, and little in the way of cooking fuel, when of there's a lull in violence, there's no choice but to come out. as we have seen in past ceasefires, people are cautious. they snow the ceasefires are tramming ill and can fall apart. for now this one is holding and we are seeing more people come out. >> tell us what we can see in bate han on. we can see a building that looks almost completely destroyed. this is what people are intending to return too. >> that's right. aime in baitullah mehsud, a kilometre or so away from the crossing. i'll show you where that is. the reason this is significant is this is where a huge number of israel's ground forces were. there were a number of tank,

soldiers, and we understand that a lot of them pulled out since then, and you can see the dust in the distance of some of their heavy machinery pulling out. as you say, we have seen a lot of damage. i'll direct my camera maub over my shoulder, and this is a building that is destroyed. to drive into this location where i'm standing now, it looks as if an earthquake struck it. most of the neighbourhood rubble. destroyed. you can see people walking through it. these are people that lived around here, call the community home, and are back surveying the damage, seeing what is left of their lives, trying to salvage what is left of their lives. while the ceasefire holds for now many coming out from wherever they were sheltering and verying scenes of damage and

kahn im, and what is left of their lives. was you say, almost nothing at call. thank you very much for showing us the scene in bate happen on, as the caest ceasefire gets under way. other news. the united nations says thousands of people fleeing islamic state fighters in iraq are in need of food, water and shelter. many fled to the kurdish north. they are faced with protecting their territory and numbers of iraqis taking shelter there. >> it may look like a traffic jam. this was a mass exodus in the open desert. 40,000 civilians, had to cross this bridge after fleeing the latest round of fighting in the area. islamic state took control of the touned west of mosul, forcing the sfitians to flee co

areas under the control of peshmerga fighters. >> thousands have been killed, thousands refugees. 40,000 fled their homes. the town is it controlled by the islamic state, and the shrine has been blown up by the. >> s. they are -- is. they are killing the people. fighters from the islamic state or is were able to push north, taking territory from kurdish fighters. the kurdish militia said they were instructed to pull whack to areas where they could regroup. >> we are waiting for the president's orders to attack them. we are not going to let them get away. we'll kill them, wound them or arrest them. it remains to be seen if the kurdish fighters are strong enough to fight. >> a calafat was declared by

islamic state. in their latest offensive, against the kurdish fighters, they took control of not only several towns, but three oil refineries, and new maps published by the is shows kurdistan as part of the calafat, making it unclear where the push to the north will stop. egypt's tunisia and libya reached on agreement to evacuate egyptians fleeing the violence in libya. egypt's foreign minister went to the border to assess the situation. thaws ands have been left stranded on the borders. many others left. including filipinos working in the oil industry. we have their story. >> they are part of the 600 filipino workers repatriated from libya since july. the philippine government called

for mandatory evacuations after a worker was beheaded and a nurse gang raped a few weeks ago. >> at first there was just gunfire, now it's worse. they waited for ramadan to end. now they have jets firing rockets and missiles. >> the country has been under an overthrown group since the removal of muammar gaddafi. >> last week we raised to 4 alert level. it means repatriation and diplomat ban of overseas and philippine workers. >> reporter: a traction of the

13,000 philippinios expressed a desire to go home. the majority saying they have spent the savings abroad. >> a deteriorating situation has not stopped millions from working overseas. they say they'd rather take the risks abroad than provide for families at home. >> the philippines is among the top exporters. 10% of the country's 100 million work and remain abroad. they are the backbone of the country. >> western officials claim russia almost doubled the military presence along the ukranian border, as military exercises are held in the region. more than 400 soldiers crossed into its territory from the ukranian town. ukraine says it's close to

defeating pro-russian separatists in the east. barnaby phillips reports from a recently we taken city of slovyansk. not gunshots but the reconstruction. ukraine's army is building bridges. to get things moving, to convince people that the worst is over. put it's a big job, and many people here feel they've been left to fend for themselves, like this man, whose home and garden center business was bombed into ruins. 10 years of investment has gone. no sign of promised compensation from the government. in the town center, i'm shown where the separatists had their headquarters. they were spied on for the key government. not all have run away from slovyansk. >> translation: according to our

information there's 200 to 250 people including 50 russian specialists hiding in the surrounding forest. they are still active and threat thing to come back. this frightens people. >> in this battle cared town, the government needs to win over hearts and minds, and wants to punish those that supported the separatist rebellion. reconciling the two objectives will involve a difficult balancing act. >> in the town square they wear the ukranian national colours. soldiers mingle with the local girls. if there are separatist supporters, they are keeping a low profile. at this rally everywhere wants to suppress their loyalty to ukraine. we are leading a discussion of what should happen to people who support the separatists. >> each case needs to be treated individually. it depend if someone was armed.

some should be forced to clean the street. others sent to prison to change their minds. >> clearing up the damage from a rocket attack. as long as the war drags on, people in slovyansk will feel their town's fate is in the balance. >> bangladesh rescue teams are struggling to find 120 people missing after an overcrowded ferry capsized in bangladesh on monday. strong currents hamper rescue efforts. the low-lying tide and overcrowding is blamed. in china they continue to search for survivors in a collapsed building. earthquakes killed many and injured more than 1,000. thousands have been left homeless. two american aid workers infected with ebola are getting

an experimental drug that has not been tested for safety. a second american lift liberia for a special care facility in atlanta. nancy writebol is expected to be treated at the same hospital as kent brantly. they contracted the virus after working in a medical mission in nonrovia. >> world health organisation says 877 people have died in the latest ebola outbreak in west africa. a new report alleges that the u.s. foreign aid agency used health programs as cover for covert operations in cuba. we have this report. >> cuba has been a thorn in the side of u.s. administrations since fidel castro launched his revolution. the u.s. tried to influence what cuban people think of their government. now an investigation by the

associated press shows that the u.s. agency for international development used young people from other latin american countries to recruit activists. u.s. a.i.d. tried to use an h.i.v. workshop to gain intelligence. some of the cuban students approached said that they were disappointed by the revelation. >> translation: how would you feel if you gave sincere friendship and got this news. i have never liked being manipulated. >> reporter: the u.s. government denied the u.s. a.i.d. was involved in wrongdoing. >> there's a range of programs where the contractor was supporting the h.i.v. prevention workshop as a broader attempt to work with people about things they care about, yet independent of the government. this was a small example among many. there were community clean-ups, tree plantings, and an h.i.v.

workshop. information was provided, which was a secondary benefit on an issue people were concerned about. >> foreign recruiters were to use foreign messengers. barack obama's administration is still facing questions over another u.s. a.i.d. promote in cuba. it launched a primitive social media programme in 2009, using mobile phones. this, too, was exposed this year. >> we have become more brazen or callous frankly in the way we have gone about trying to effect policy there. it doesn't work. it simply jeopardizes our mission around the world. >> reporter: it's not the first time the u.s. used health care as a cover for secret operations. critics say they under mine the good being done by those that want to help people in need.

now, they have lived in australia for far longer than it's been a country. but currently there's no mention of aborigines in the founding document. a planned referendum would change the constitution to recognise indigenous people. andrew thomas remembers from arnhem land in the northern territory. >> reporter: it's organizers call the ghama festival the davos forum of the aboriginal world, a chance to exchange ideas relevant to indigenous australians. this ceremony, performance, art, and discussion among indigenous and nonindigenous from all walks of life. >> ghama is a name for two waters coming together and mixing. it can represent the intim nous and the non-intim nous people coming together and creating new life and learning about the knowledge. >> the festival comes as indigenous affairs are high on

the agenda. a campaign is under way to change the 100-year-old constitution. it reads as if australia was uninhabited when european settlers arrived, making no mention of aboriginal settlers, and allows laws discriminating on the basis of race. >> as an aboriginal person, the way the current constitution is written, is an element of mistrust and disrespect. i can't see reflected in there a sense of invitation and hope for us. a research um is planned to -- referendum is planned to change t. >> this is an opportunity to take the national founding document and catch it up to where we say values sits. constitutional change has broad political support, including from the current and former prime ministers. >> our country will never call itself a just and fair and decent society while we don't give full recognition to those

people that had the custody of this land thousands and thousands of years. >> constitutional change is hard to achieve. more referendums have been lost than one, including the last where the proposed australia became a republic. >> where do you want to go? >> campaigners don't want to rush. they want the wording right before putting it to the country. will australia take a step forward. lose and the division between the first people and descend ants of settlers could become more entrenched than ever. >> europe's leaders and royals attended a twilight ceremony marking the start of world war i, 100 years ago. they brought flowers, lants reasons to a military cemetery

in belgium on monday. germany ipp vided bell -- invaded belgium as part of an attack on france. 14 million died in the wore. thousands of communities were ravaged across europe. >> more news on the website aljazeera.com. >> it was one place you never forge figure you would have trouble getting water. toledo had the biggest supply of fresh water on the planet. it just wasn't drinkable. >> hello, i'm ray suarez. a metropolitan area of half a million pe t