>> welcome to the news hour for the top stories. israeli jets killed three tom hamas commanders in gaza, and civilians have also paid the price. a record settlement. bank of america is to pay nearly $17 billion over its stock in the 2008 financial crash. fear and fighting in liberia after police put

communities behind barbed wire to stop the spread of ebola. and the music of protest at concerts in support of aljazeera's journalists in prison in egypt. a funeral has been held in gaza for three hamas commanders killed in israeli airstrikes. they were all in one house when they were hit by israeli jets. all three were top figures. and in all, 26 people have died in israeli bombing since wednesday night. that brings the total number of palestinians killed in gaza since the offensive began in july to 2,075. hamas is launching rockets

at tel aviv airport. first, more from rafaf. >> this was struck close to 1 a.m. local time on wednesday morning, and you can see that the entire building has been absolutely destroyed. the neighborhood has been very much affected with homes that are uninhabitable. the neighbors heard six explosions in the early hours whenever the israeli airplanes hit the site, as well as the three hamas commanders killed. we know that seven civilians were also killed. they will be able to sell through, and saying that so far they have something to show for the war.

up to now, nothing has been made public about senior hamas jackie, are we seeing a change in the israeli strategy with the starting of high-profile hamas leaders, sending more troops into gaza? with the fighting with gaza have not, despite dropping numerous bombs, and firing numerous missiles from the sea into the gaza strip, despite killing more than 2,000 people, the --

>> i'm del walters in new york, and we're breaking away from our colleagues in doha because we want to bring you these scenes out of atlanta. dr. kent brantley will be speaking at this news conference, and that's why they're focusing on the doorway at emery university hospital. and we shared that his colleague, nancy has already been released from the hospital. and as we expect dr. brantley to arrive, it's nothing short of a miracle that these two are alive. >> what many see as a miracle, and at the same time, the story has a tinge of sadness about it. because looking at the figures, 1350 people have died from ebola in parts of africa, which

are badry affected at the moment. and here, we're about to see dr. kent -- brantley, who is a u.s. worker, and he's about to come out that door, and everybody is going to get a glimpse of him. and he has recovered from ebola, at emery hospital in atlanta and he has recovered because he has received nothing short of the finest healthcare in the world. remember, ebola is a deadly virus that cannot be cured. you cannot cure it, but it can be managed, and dr. brantley and nancy rhibald. >> there was a controversy concerning dr. brantley, concerned that they would bring the virus to the united states,

the first american on american soil to be infected. and we're watching the door because we're waiting for him to walk through. >> many americans are concerned, and i wouldn't say that it's incurable, but it's not airborne. if somebody has ebola, the virus can't travel through the air from one person to another. you can only get it if you come into contact from somebody suffering from ebola. if you come into contact with, in some way, with their bodily fluids. which is why the two aid workers fell victim to the disease because they had been working alongside of so many victims in west africa. >> that's why nancy writebol was dispatched without any fanfare without anybody knowing. >> according -- >> what we did know, her

husband, david, under observation, he has been looked after because the incubation period is 21 days, and he has been looked at very strictly, and it turns out that he doesn't have ebola either, despite coming into close contact with his wife. so what we don't know, we'll probably find out in this news conference, is where nancy is going next, and kent brantley is going next. i would be concerned that they're not going too far away. >> if you are sitting at home, it's because we're expecting dr. kent brantly, the first american to be treated with ebola virus, and he has been

treated successfully. there's a news conference at emery hospital with the team that treated him in his stay there. if you recall, he arrived on the tarmac and he walked on his own steam. and days before, he was said to have been near death. so mel experts are saying -- there is the scene of dr. brantly arriving on the tarmac, and that's what makes it so incredible. mel don't know if it was the early experimental treatment from the drug zmapp. >> zmapp is made by a company out of san diego, and it's a very much experimental product. so it has been given to kent brantly and to nancy writebol. but we're going to hear in the news conference today, that the doctors don't know where they're taking the experimental drug.

you need to have a situation where the doctors can give the drug to a certain group of people. and then to another group of people, and then they can evaluate the results. that has not happened. and all that has happened is the zmapp has been tested on animals, and now it's tested on dr. kent bratly, and nancy writebol. and now it's gone. >> there is dr. brantly in the blue shirt. and he appears to be quite well. the first american ever to be treated on american soil. and he's the first american to survive the ebola virus. that virus at the time was known, and there's another american citizen who says that he survived the ebola virus, but at the time of his survival, it was not known that

he suffered from it. >it. this is the scene from atlanta. >> i'm pleased to introduce this morning, dr. bruss rivner, mel director of emery's infectious disease unit at emery university hospital. and dr. kent brantly, serving with mel purse in liberia. dr. rivner will make a brief statement. and dr. brantly will make a brief statement. and we'll take no questions. after that, dr. rivner will take questions. we have a moderated call-in line as well. dr. rivner. >> good morning, and thank you for coming here today. i'm bruce rivner, the director of the infectious diseases unit

at emery university hospital. i lead the team of doctors, nurses, laboratory technologists, chaplains and many others who have cared for dr. brantly and mrs. writebol. two patients treated at emery university hospital for ebola disease. today i'm pleased to announce that dr. brantly is being discharged from the hospital. after a rigorous course of treatment and thorough testing, we have determined, in conjunction with the center for disease control, that dr. bratly has recovered from the ebola virus and infection, and that he can return to his family, to his community and to his life without public health concerns. the second patient, mrs. wright

bowl, was discharged this past tuesday, august 16th. the mel staff is confident that the discharge from the hospital of both of these patients poses no public health threat. the hospital is respecting mrs. writebol's wishes for privacy at this time so we will not be making any further comment about her. at emery, we're tremendously pleased with dr. brantly and mrs. writebol's recovery, and we are profoundly grateful for the opportunity to have applied our training, our care and our experience to meeting their needs. all of us who have worked with them have been impressed by their courage and

determination. their hope and faith have been an inspiration to all of us. in addition, both of the patient's families provided tremendous support throughout this treatment process. their dedication and devotion have strengthened us, as well as the patients. limited knowledge of the ebola virus, especially in our country, has created understandable anxiety and fear for some patients, persons. we understand that there are a lot of questions and concerns regarding ebola and the infection that it causes. but we cannot let our fears dictate our actions. we must all care. as grateful as we are today, our work is far from over. we are very mindful of all of those in west africa who are

still fighting for their lives against this threat, and those who are caring for them, putting their own lives in danger. it was the right decision to bring these patients back to emery for treatment. what we learned in caring for them will help advance the world's understanding of how to treat ebola virus infections, and help, hopefully, to improve survival in parts of the world where patients with this infection are treated. at emery, our mission is to heal and to advance knowledge. the team of professionals with me here today has trained for years to treat and contain the most infectious diseases in the world. we are grateful for the successful outcome in this case. but we are never going to be taking success for granted.

three other critically important partners who have helped us throughout this episode deserve recognition today. our neighbors in the centers for disease control, the food and drug administration, and the state epidemiologists of georgia and north carolina. i will be taking your questions, as mr. ballard said, but before doing so, dr. brantly has requested to make a brief statement. and as mr. ballard said, dr. brantly will not be taking any questions following his statement. so i ask that you respect his wishes and save your questions for me and for the other members of our healthcare team. thank you. >> today i'm thrilled to be

alive, to be well, and to be reunited with my family. as a mel missionary, i never imagined myself in this position. when my family and i moved to liberia last october to begin a two-year term working with samaritan's purse, ebola was not on the radar. we moved to liberia because god called us to serve the people of liberia. in march, when we got word that ebola was in guinea and had spread to liberia, we began preparing for the worst. we did not receive our first ebola patient until june. but when she arrived, we were ready. during the course of june and july, the number of ebola patients increased steadily and our amazing crew at the ella hospital took care of each patient with care and precaution, and we also took

every precaution to protect ourselves from this dreaded disease by following guidelines for safety. after taking amber and our children to the airport to return to the states on sunday morning, july 20th, i poured myself into my work even more before, transferring patients to our bigger isolation unit. training and orienting the new staff. and filling our staffing needs, three days later, on wednesday, july 23rd, i woke up feeling under the weather. and then my life took an unexpected turn as i was diagnosed with ebola virus disease. as i lay in my bed in liberia for the following nine days, getting sicker and weaker each day, i prayed that god would help me be faithful, even in my illness, and i prayed that in my life or in my death, that he

would be glorified. i did not know then, but have learned since, that there were thousands, maybe even millions of people around the world praying for me around that week and maybe even still today. and i've heard story after story of how this situation has impacted the lives of individuals around the globe, both among my friends and family, and also among complete strangers. i cannot thank you enough for your prayers and your support. but what i can tell you is that i serve a faithful god who answers prayers. expertise and the resources of the healthcare team, emery university hospital. god saved my life. a direct answer to thousands and thousands of prayers.

i amin credibly thankful to all of those involved in my care, from the first day of my illness, all the way up to today, the day of my release from emery. if i tried to thank everyone, i would undoubtedly forget many. but i would be remiss if i did not say thank you to a few. i want to thank samaritan's purse, who has taken care of me and my family as though we were their own family. thank you to the samaritan's purse, and the sim liberia community. you cared for me and administered to me during the most difficult experience of my life. and you did so with the love and mercy of jesus christ. thank you to emery university hospital, and especially to the mel staff in the isolation unit. you treated me with expertise,

yet with such tenderness and compassion. for the last three weeks, you have been my friends and my family, and so many of you have ministered to me physically, but also spiritually, which has been an important part of my recovery. i will not forget you and all you have done for me. and thank you to my family, my friends, my church family, and all who lifted me up in prayer, asking for my healing and recovery. please do not stop praying for the people of liberia and west africa and a quick end to this ebola epidemic. my dear friend, nancy writebol, on her release from the hospital wanted me to share her gratitude. as she walked out of the isolation room, all she could

say was, to god be the glory. nancy and david are now spending much-needed time together. thank you for your support throughout this whole ordeal. my family and i will now be going away for a period of time, to reconnect, decompress and continue to recover physically and emotionally. after i've recovered a little more and regained some of my strength, we'll look forward to sharing more of our story, but for now, we need some time together after more than a month apart. we appreciate having the opportunity to spend some time in private before talking to some of you who have expressed an interest in hearing more of our journey. thank you for granting us that. again, before we slip out, i want to express my deep and sincere gratitude to samaritan's purse, sim, emery, and all of the people involved in my treatment and care.

above all, i am forever thankful to god for sparing my life. and i'm glad for my attention my sickness has attracted to the plight of west africa in the midst of this epidemic. please, continue to pray for liberia and the people of west africa and encourage those in positions of leadership and influence to do everything possible to bring this ebola outbreak to an end. thank you. [ applause ] >> dr. kent brantly, perhaps with the understatement of the year. today is a miraculous day, i'm

pleased to be alive. he said ebola, when he went to liberia and west africa, was not on the radar, saying that god saved my life, his words. and he will now be, as he says, slipping away to be alone with his family and loved ones. there's going to be questions and answers following, but he also said that he wanted people to pray for the people of west africa, specifically liberia that he left behind, adding that they are still fighting the struggle, and that if his illness did anything to add to the awareness of ebola and the fact that it can be survived, then it was worth it. your thoughts? >> i thought that was a wonderful speech from a man who was clearly a deeply committed question, who believes in god and puts god in the first place in his life, a christian god. and the first words out of his mouth said it all. i think it is a miraculous day,

i'm thrilled to be alive and well and reunited with my family. he said god saved my life. and he said on july 23rd, he woke up feeling under the weather. and he went on to suffer this terrible virus, but he said that he felt converted by the fact that thousands, if not millions of people around the world have been praying for him. and we're at the point today, where we don't know how much of dr. brantly's recovery or nancy writebol's recovery is attributable to the experimental drug that they have been given. >> i don't want to lose this image, the fact that they're hugging and embracing them, and a few short weeks ago no one would have thought it was possible because ebola is highly contagious. >> look at that. three weeks ago, we saw the man in a white protection suit. and another man in a white protection suit, coming out of

a heavily protected van, so he didn't come into contact with anybody, and now, whether this was god, as he says, or whether it was the experimental drug, or whether, as i suspect, 90% of this is he just got the finest mel care in the world the people of new guinea and sierra leone, but he did. and nancy writebol, as a result of that care, ebola may not be curable, but it's manageable to the point where it burns itself out. >> this is well choreographed with the reporters staying around for the news conference, that will give dr. brantly and his wife time to slip past the gauntlet. but we want to go to copenhagen, denmark, with the

assistant professor of epidemiology at columbia university, and what does dr. brantly's recover say about the fight against ebola? >> this is important news, the fact that two americans that had the disease have effectively been cured is wonderful news, and we should all be celebrating. though we need to take it with a grain of salt. though they have been able to walk out of the hospital healthy, the ebola epidemic continues to rage on in africa, and we have to remember that not everybody has the access to care that these two lucky individuals had. and this continues to be a very serious epidemic. >> are we confident now in, in watching dr. brantly, that the zmapp sent might be successful there? >> unfortunately not. there are big challenges there. so far there are a number of people who have received zmapp,

and some of them have died. and in order to really establish whether or not this drug is effective has to be tested, which means that we have to have people who have received the drug, and look at the differences in survival between these two groups. this was a last-ditch effort to save a number of lives, and thankfully these lives were saved. but we can't determine the cause of that savior. and secondly, the drug, the maker of the drug, in san diego, they're effectively out. so the thing about the drug, in terms of the broader epidemic, it's not going to be the answer. >> doctor, thank you for being with us, and that's dr. kent brantly that you see there, and while they're celebrating in atlanta, they're not celebrating in liberia, because the ebola virus is still raging through, especially in mon rovia the capital city, the city of a million people, so

bad that they had to seal off part of the city. >> we have statistics for you, which are pretty grim. for example, 1350 people have died since the outbreak of ebola in west africa, and we have a country by country breakdown there. 576 in liberia, 396 in guinea, 374 in sierra leone, and 394 in new guinea, which is where the world health organization said believe it or not, this is one of the more manageable outbreak, with 50% recovering without the experimental drug. and that compares to 75% of the people dying in previous outbreaks. so this is more survivable, this outbreak, even without the experimental drug. but even so, very bad for the people in east africa, and a

clear demarcation of people in the west, who have access to healthcare, and those who don't. >> i want to close on an image, and that being the image of dr. brantly coming into the hospital, walking in on his own steam, to be a positive to those gathered, something that no one thought would be possible three short weeks ago. and this is dr. brantly, wrapped in the protective garments of protective gear to protecting the world from the ebola virus that so many feared. today he walked into the hospital, into the conference room to meet with reporters under his own steam, smile something saying that he is going to leave, and thanking god for the fact that today he is alive. and that may be the world's greatest understatement.