>> talk to al jazeera only on al jazeera america >> hamas commanders among the dead in gaza as the israeli airstrikes continue. in gaza, the body of another child is uncovered. aiming their rockets at israel's ben gurian airport. and also coming up, the white house reveals it tried to rescue james foley before he

was executed by islamic state. [ audio difficulties ] >> today is a miraculous day. i'm thrilled to be alive.

targeted. on wednesday, it failed, but killed his wife and two

children. he is not believed to be in the house when it was bombed but in nurse's attack in rafah, there were seven civilians in the house at the time. the israeli security forces made several attempts on the lives of these men because they were so senior in the command center of hamas. and now the government will be able to ask what has been achieved in the war, and it's significant for israel. aljazeera, rafah. >> there is a procedure to go through clothing, and in this procedure, they have to be taken to court. and they have to have justice, even if they were involved in

an assassination. >> how significant of a blow is this to the group's leadership? >> well, certainly not insignificant, but we have been hearing from people within hamas, saying that they will fight. and continue to fight and continue to resist, in their own words, "israeli aggression." but the violence we have seen here since the breakdown of the talks in cairo has been enormous. we see the airstrikes, but the death toll keeps rising. since the breakdown of the talks, 62 people have been killed. and thursday, 29 people have been killed. so again, with the presumption of the violence and the fighting, many are concerned because a number of the dead are civilians. >> and of course what does this mean for civilians? they were perhaps able to get to their homes in a few days of

respite. but now they must be hunkering down, getting ready for more escalation in fighting. >> indeed. and people on the gaza strip, people we have been speaking to for over a week, were able to have some sort of normalcy in their lives, and able to get today for their families and water for their families, and that has effectively stopped now. i was drivingthrough the streets of gaza city hours ago, and it was quiet. a different scene than a few days ago when the streets were full of people, trying to go about their normal lives. but life is far from a normal here in gaza, and people are sheltering in places they hoped they would never have to go back to, and people have had to leave their communities which have been so baddie damaged in

this bombardment and take shelter in the facilities again. the general mood on the streets is exhaustion, but again, it's one of defines, one that is in the face of israeli aggression, saying that they don't want to see an end to the hostility until a deal is reached to end the blockade. >> in gaza city, thank you. and let's get live to west jerusalem, and kimberly, hamas is defiant and the israelis too, refusing to back down, and firing a rocket at ben gurian airport. >> reporter: well, i can tell you that it has certainly had an impact in terms of a psychological impact. it has been fired, and it -- roughly 300 rockets have been fired from gaza into

southern israel, affecting the border communities on the border with gaza. in terms of the airport, it has been business as usual, no it has been stepped up security. 50,000 passengers coming in and out. and there were flight cancellations as a result of the rocket, air jordanian and egypt's air sinai. as i pointed out, they had another rocket landing very close, and as a result, there was a cancellation of international flights in and out for 24 hours. and there's also a concern in and out of israel. what effect this will have on tourism and how it will affect the country economically. >> hamas commanders inside of gaza, kimberly. what is the rational behind it? >> well, the rational definitely is one that there's a recognition that after so

many weeks of this campaign in gaza, that in fact some of the tactics are been perceived to not be working, because of some time rocket fire that's coming. on the border and in general, there's a lot of domestic pressure on israel prime minister, benjamin netanyahu. and there's a feeling that they need to target the hamas military commanders, because in the eyes of israel, they're directly responsible for those israelis that have been killed by rocket fire. now this type of operation, the new tactics, if you will, will continue, and he said that he vows to pursue and hit hamas leaders at any time. and he has always maintained that the operation will continue as long as there's quiet and security. so this is really a plan to erode hamas' control structure, but it's also to appease the public, putting the pressure on

the israeli government to stop the rocket attacks. >> thank you. in the top stories at this hour, the u.s. has launched more rockets against the islamic state group at the mosul dam. islamic state deheaded james foley, and the u.s. tried to rescue him and others in syria. eric holder has this to say about the murder. >> we have an open criminal investigation, and those who perpetrate such acts need to understand something. this justice department, this department of defense, this nation. we have long memories and our reach is very wide. we will not forget what happened. and people will be held accountable. one way or the other. >> now from washington d.c., patty, we're learning more about james foley's time in

captivity. and do we know if there was a ransom demand? >> well, it's interesting, the islamic state said before beheading him that this was retribution for the airstrikes, but we're finding out that james foley's family was contacted and they said they would get their son back if they would come up with $7 million. and the family hinted at this yesterday. on wednesday, they said that the president could have done more, and other countries have laid the groundwork. we have seen other hostages held by the islamic state released after the ransom was paid for them. but the united states will answer, and we're waiting from the state department that the policy is they do not pay ransom. they feel today encourage more kidnaps and more hostage taking of americans. but the family thinks that they should have paid the ransom.

and i'm sure that the family of steven sotloff, who is being held and threatened, wishes for the same thing. >> thank you. >> now, human rights groups are investigating the claims that the fighters have committed genocide against the azidi in iraq. hundreds have been rounded up and shot deadne dead near sinja. >> when the gunmen came to the village last friday, they ordered all of the men to the schoolyard. he's the only one of his immediate family to survive. these men are also from kocho. each from the only remaining members of their families. >> they put is in the back of two vehicles. 12 or 13 of us in each. we were taken behind the village where we could see the bodies shot before us.

they lined us up and i managed to run away. they shot me and i was hit in my leg. >> saad's uncle said that in the town of 1800, only 200 survived. he also survived the massacre. he's just 13, and the only surviving member of his family. >> five of my brothers were killed. and i saw my father killed. when i saw all of the armed people shooting, i hid under a pile of bodies and pretended i was dead. >> everyone here has been touched by tragedy. they're all from sinjar. almost everyone was on sinjar mountain. they walked down into syria and back into iraq again. but their journey isn't over. on the mountain, people were hungry and thirsty and they didn't know what would happen to them. they still don't.

this is the new sinjar mountain. thousands of people are stranded here. after what happened in their villages, they said they can never go home again. it's not just the massacres. it's the death of an entire way of life. 5,000 people are crammed into this construction sight near the border of the kurdish region in turkey. men from the surrounding arab villages supported the islamic state group and were involved in the kidnaps and killings. for more than 1,000 years, the azidi have quietly practiced their religion and kept to themselves. they thought it would keep them safe. they were wrong. northern iraq. >> still to come on aljazeera at this now's hour. hundreds show their support for jailed aljazeera journalist, and an eruption, iceland's

largest volcanic system. and ahead, we'll have the details later in the program. >> the protests in ferguson, missouri, are becoming less violent. 12 days after the shooting death of unarmed black teenager, michael brown. the protests continue on the streets, but the head of the police operation said that things have calmed down considerably in the last two days. benjamin crump, the lawyer for the family of michael brown, we'll bring you his comments later on. they have release the a phone video of the moment that another black man was shot dead by officers on tuesday. >> he has a gun out.

powell was killed in central st. louis, 5 kilometers from ferguson. he appears to have been robbing a store, he attacked them with a steak knife. the police apparently fired nine shots. now a little bit more subdued. but what's happening there now, john? >> well, it has been the second night with no shots fired by the police, and we have just learned that the governor has asked the national guard to leave, to end their stay here, which is a sign that things have calmed down. this all happened after u.s. attorney general, eric holder, came yesterday, the first african-american attorney general, and he spoke to the community and said things like he's an attorney general, but also a black man who has been

subjected to what he called unrecently police searches and stops in cars. and he said that things have things are dramatic. things heat up. and right now, things seem to be relatively calm. >> and john, the atmosphere is a little bit calmer as you say, but nevertheless, these protests really make the divisions between the black majority and the police force, and what's being done to heal these divisions been the community some. >> i lost everything that you said, but there's definitely a tension here. where mr. powell was shot on tuesday, he was accused of shoplifting from the store, and people in the neighborhood said that the issue was not

shoplifting. he was feeling disrespected by the store owner, and he had the same problem with the police when they came out. there's a lot of sympathy for the man who was shot. and you can see in the video that it's not clear that he was physically threatening the police, but he was yelling at them, saying shoot me, shoot me now. so there's a lot of tension here, and it has only worsened since this whole incident began, though the streets have become much calmer. >> john henry, thank you. if. >> two american aid workers infected with the ebola virus in liberia have been discharged from a hospital in the united states. kent brantly and his colleague were treated with the experimental drug, zmapp. >> above all, i thank god for sparing my life. and i'm glad for any attention my sickness has attracted to the plight of west africa.

please continue to pray for liberia and the people of west africa and encourage those in leadership and influence to do everything possible to bring this ebola outbreak to an end. >> 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 infections, and help, hopefully, to survive survival in parts of the world where patients with this infection are treated. >> south african is the latest country to impose bans. in place in liberia, the country at the heart of the outbreak and the capital of monrovia has a quarantine in place. and that has caused a lot of tensions on the street.

people are complaining that they can't get out to buy food or even get to work. >> the injured are rushed to hospital after the police and soldiers fire guns and teargas to disburse an angry crowd. residents in the township in monrovia are furious with the government for putting up barbed wire to stop the spread of ebola. families are separated and people are hungry. [ yelling ] >> there's nothing i can do. >> the streets are deserted, and the soldiers and police are not letting people park. regulations between residents and the government have gone from bad to worse. communications are crucial in stopping the spread of the virus, but they have been ineffective. like this one, stopping 30

patients on the run. following the unrest, the government is facing growing criticism. >> no one should be using weapons, you have clear instructions for the chain of command [ unintelligible ] and once again, i want to make it very clear. shoot to kill, anybody. >> later this month, residents of another township were angry with authorities for burying dozens of bodies of victims with ebola in their neighborhood. and soldiers were deployed. meanwhile, the death toll in guinea and nigeria is more than 1200. they require simple precautions in some of the world's poorest communities. it's proving difficult. malcolm webb, aljazeera.

>> and the irish health services is doing tests. if egypt for 236 days, the three have been falsely accused of helping the mobs. the muslim brotherhoods. he had a book in his possession which he picked up at a protest. showing support for them, hundreds of people attended a concert to raise money for his family's campaign. andrew thomas was there. >> 900 tickets sold out fast. the crowd is here not just for the big names onstage, but for the cause. supporting the family of a man all here believe was wrongly imprisoned.

peter greste was jailed for doing his job. watching rehearsals was peter's brother. peter, he thinks, knew all about this. >> the event was organized by musicians and lawyers, incredibly, what they see as a travesty of justice. a pre-court judge, and now drummer, one of the lesser known bands onstage. >> he was imprisoned for doing his job as a journalist. and something has to be done to support him and his family. people in general and lawyers in particular. >> reporter: ticket sales and donations will raise thousands

of dollars to keep the campaign fresh. >> people are embattled by the trial of the journalists. [ unintelligible ]. >> that is something that peter, in prison, appreciates. >> hundreds of thousands of other supporters from across the globe, they're being heard. >> reporter: the concert has a simple aim. fun for a cause, and the hope is that this one will have followup, just as fun. and one peter and his colleagues will be able to attend. andrew thomas, aljazeera, melbourne. >> and if you want to join in the campaign to get aljazeera's journalists released, you can join in the campaign. find out more about the campaign on our website, aljazeera.com. yemen's president has met

with members of parliament to restore stability and security in the country. the top level talks by demanded that the government resign by friday. and protests have been held. still to come on this news hour, malaysia talks about those killed when the flight was shot down. and now the new prime minister of thailand. and he says that he wants to leave the spanish capital. all of that coming up later in sports. when you run a business, you can't settle for slow.

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>> welcome back to news hour. let's update you on the top stories. tens of thousands of people attend funerals in gaza for the three hamas commanders killed by israeli airstrikes. two american aid workers infected with the ebola virus in liberia have been discharged from the hospital in the united

states. content brantly has been treated with the experimental drug, zmapp! >> and the white house said that james foley's captors, they released a video of his beheading, and he was killed because of america's involvement in iraq. thank you for speaking to us, and is the u.s. doing enough in iraq? >> well, the question exactly is what is the u.s. strategy. i think that many critics of the current administration's policy would say, what exactly are you doing, and what is the purpose, not just in iraq, but in syria, because there seems to be a lack of decisiveness and clarity. and a lack of real purpose of what's going on. the issue of the islamic state or isis didn't just crop up with james foley. but yet, there still seems to

be this reluctance, this perpetual feeling that u.s. and britain should not get back into these countries. >> the u.s. is providing white arms, mortar and ammunition directly to the kurds, but they're defending a very long border from a very long motivated enemy, equipped from arms captured when mosul. and what's the adequate response? does there need to be more arms, more equipmenter more training directly from the kurds? >> i think that the kurds need to be supportive. and that ends consequences for giving them arms, because ultimately, there's debate over the future makeup of iraq, and if the kurds are armed, it

potentially changes the balance of power from the iraqi kurds and the balance in iraq. when that debate comes to -- >> there is reason to intervene, perhaps, not just to alleviate the humanitarian situation, but to dislodge isis from the areas and consolidate control. but on the other hand, there are risks to that approach as well. >> absolutely, there are rights, but you have to have a joined up sheet for iraq and syria. yes, how do do they defend the kurdish areas, but there are other areas of iraq under threat from isis. we have seen christian communities, and other communities being devastated by them. and it's about how they decide to help and support the new iraqi government when it is formed and what shape that will be. but also, i think of all of the potential interventions that

isis can make, arming. you never know where those weapons are going to end up. we have seen this precisely with isis. they are using weapons that the united states provided to the iraqi army. and we have seen weapons move between various forces. >> right now, the ultimate fight has to be taken on by the iraqis themselves. and what can the u.s. do to support rebuilding elements of the iraqi forces along professional lines so they are able to do that? >> well, there's an immediate priority in terms of providing air cover, and i think that that might require boots on the ground, if that's what they wish to achieve. but really is lacking in each and every element of american intervention in the region is that joined up consistent

political strategy that must govern a military intervention. so there's absolutely no point in going in now and carrying out some sort of a bombing. >> you are saying that it will have a temporary effect, and what then, the u.s. airstrikes don't address the mess in syria, and is that where the focus needs to be instead, where syria, where the islamic state was able to flourish and strengthen, and if you're targeting them in iraq, you're able to go back to syria and regroup, so syria needs to be the focus? >> you can't ignore both. at one moment, the world's focus is on iraq and ignoring syria, and last week, indeed, it was on gaza and what was happening in gaza, and before that, it was libya. the trouble is, that the moment we take our eye off of one particular crisis, the other ones are still flourishing. >> just a quick response from

you, the u.s. has said that this were primary objective is to protect american personnel in erbil, and do you see that broadening? right now their objective is not to dislodge islamic state. >> it's broadening, and don't forget that they have just assisted the retaking of the mosul dam this week, and there's a response to the brutal killing of james foley and they say that they're going to get the murderers, and how are they goat do that without intelligence, and they are getting sucked in. which is exactly what some people want. they want to suck the americans back into the conflict. they sucked them into afghanistan and iraq. but the question is, not to do what islamic state would like to see the americans do, killing endless numbers of civilians, how do you have intervention with regional

support, international support. and everyone behind a single game plan, and that is syria and iraq. we have to be better at resolving the underlying conflict, as opposed to just applying military force. >> thank you so much. >> thank you. >> nominated prime minister as the successor to prime minister of pushingy. he will be voted in on august 27th. he will take the office of president the day after that vote. and he has indicated that he will maintain tight control of the government. more than a month after the shooting of the downed malaysian flight, the first bodielastbodies of the victims e returning home. so far 30 have been identified. >> at koala lampoire's airport,

they will be rehearsing to make sure that the they are conducted with precision. before a fleet of ambulances and helicopters takes the caskets to their final resting places around patient a this is a country still numbed by this loss. malaysian authorities have called for friday's ceremonies to be simple but dignified. people are being encouraged to wear dark colors, and flags are being flown at half mast. and there will be a moment of silence. dealing with the double tragedy of lost airliners, for those onboard mh370. they are still looking for it three months after it vanished. organizers are assisting in the consolation when the flight was lost.

this day will be for families dealing with grief, but it's only part of the process. >> it's not just a closure, and it's not just being able to say good-bye, but what we have to help them do is to remember the people onboard and celebrate their lives, and to be able to actually, you know, reconnect with them in a spiritual way. >> reporter: many families are still waiting for positive identification of their relative's remains from mh17. he and his family last saw their aunt the day she left to visit relatives in the netherlands, a trip from which she never returned. >> though she hasn't been identified, we're sure she will be. as far as we know, all of the victims have arrived in the netherlands, and we just have to be patient. >> after the solemnity and the pain of this official ceremony, malaysia will still have much

private grieving. >> overthrowing the thailand government, the leader of the military coup is officially the prime minister. he has been appointed by parliament, which is dominated by the army. >> reporter: from career soldier to coup leader, and now prime minister. the general has placed himself at the heart of thai politics, with little, if any room for rivals from the government level and on the streets. >> . >> today, there will be protests starting again. are we going to go back to the old days? i want to enforce the law. >> this is the kind of coup we have seen in thailand. and we have had many coups, but this time, the coup is absolute. and absolute power, and he is not delegating the authority to another technocrat like we've

seen in the past. >> in typical military fashion, the general has a strategy, a master plan for thailand, and he's working through it methodically. this is the moment when he announced the coup to the nation. >> interpreter: to reform the social structure economically and in other ways, to equality for everybody on every side, consisting of the army, the navy, the airforces, and the police, has to take control of power to administrate the country from may, 2014, onwards. >> i think in restoring the political order that we have had in thailand, especially during the cold war. his record, we have seen, he's not in the past embroiled in scandals and financial scanned as, so he's a clean man of the

strong man mold, as we have seen in the past. >> the thing is, thailand has changed enormously since the cold war. people are much more connected and know their rights and they're willing to take a stand for them. taking power makes it seem like only he is get things done. public expectations for solving the many issues in thailand, even more so since he's prime minister. aljazeera, bon cock. >> just over six weeks to go until brazil's presidential election. the official socialist candidate, died in a plane crash last week, and from the reports from brasilia, she's fast becoming a genuine challenger to the current president. >> reporter: as she fought

her way through journalists, silva is the hottest political commodity in brazil. she accepted the nomination to replace campos, who died in a plane crash last week. >> we want a brazil that's socially fair. >> she comes from a poor, working class background, and was once a maid and was illiterate until she taught herself to read at 17. she went through politics, and ran for president in 2010 and garnered nearly 20 million votes. she's appealing to voters looking for change. and resonating with many. >> interpreter: maria silva will represent us in a better way. >> reporter: perhaps the irony in this campaign is that despite the popularity that

eduardo campos had, it has thrust her to the forefront and it has made the presidential campaign more competitive. >> she motivated and stimulated and that was an important change. a lot of the undecideds have people who came out of the protest movement in 2014, and decide i'm not going to vote for anybody. but with silva in the running, they have now decided yes, we're going to vote for her. >> but silva has many challenges ahead. little experience with economic issues, and she's deeply distrusted by brazil's powerful agricultural interests. she's hoping that she can take her new found popularity all the way to the presidency. >> the search is continuing for survivors of landslides in the japanese city of hiroshima after hillsides collapsed after

heavy rain. the rescuers found a three-year-old boy found under the rubble. people are still missing after the landslides crushed their houses into. >> iceland's volcano continues to rumble, threatening to erupt. roads leading to the area have been closed. and those leading to the north have been asked to evacuate their homes. also, the airlines are worried about a possible ash cloud. last time it shut down much of europe's airspace for six days. >> all eyes are on the volcano that is hidden under ice in the vast glacier. there have been thousands of earthquakes in the region since saturday. almost 2,000 small earcs in the region in the past 48 hours alone. and combined with the evidence that magma is moving under the surface, less than 10 kilometers under the

surface, the authorities are prepared for the possibility of an eruption. but iceland is known for its volcanoes and for its seismic activity. so therefore, tourists and locals are prepared. >> . >> we're afraid of the ash. it was bad for us in 2010, and we're all a little afraid. will it come to the south or go out to sea? >> we're a little worried. since we were coming on vacation, we didn't know if we should come, but they ended up closing roads and evacuating people, and it's supposed to be safe for us, because we're not in the zone. >> fears of the possible eruption are bringing back fears of when the volcano behind us erupted in 2010. it sent a huge ash cloud up and canceled flights, affecting travelers across europe. but scientists say that if this

volcano erupts, it's not likely to cause the same level of disruption, but the size of the explosion will all depend on where the magma comes to the surface. if it comes to the surface with thick ice, there could be a big explosion, and raises a real risk of potential flash flooding as the ice is melted, and the water goes very quickly downstream. >> still to come for you on aljazeera, a professor whose mission is to swim the whole length of the river rhine, or in the name of science. and critic man in india. @j

>> welcome back. now residents of a new building project in the syrian capital had to move out. many of them found dangerously high concentrations of a chemical in their bloodstreams, found in the building's walls. >> reporter: soon after the family moved into their brand-new apartment, they began to notice a strange smell. and headaches and dizziness and sickness soon followed. blood tests found high levels of the chemical, phenol. >> western reg sick, and angry, and it has been two months now. since we signed the contract, nothing has been done, we're renting a new place and still have to pay for the old one. >> reporter: all of the residents were tested and all of them had dangerous levels of

phenol in their bodies. they conducted a test and found that most residents had high concentrations, indicating a lie level of exposure. it turns out that materials used in the walls are the problem. the families had to move out. most of the families have young children. >> we're mostly worried about our health. and we don't know what's happening to our homes. how long it will take to sort out and when can we move back in? >> all of the necessary permits were granted when the building was finished but the inspections didn't include a chemical analysis of the air quality. the inspectors said that they bought the materials on the open market. >> we are pressing charges. because of other people's mistakes, we're incurring huge losses. >> this project has six buildings in all, and two are infected so far.

they said that the problem should be fixed by next month, and the residents should eventually be compensated for their losses. >> marion, thank you, and controversy italy striker confirmed that he's leaving ac milan. the 24-year-old is likely to return to the english premier league, with liverpool saying that they paid a fee to sign him. they want to sign the premier international striker to replace suarez, who was sold to barcelona. he could make his premier against his former club. >> . confirming that maria wants to leave. di maria has lost his starting berth since the signs, and he made his intentions clear that he wants out before the transfer window closes.

the 26-year-old argentine has been linked with a move to the club's united. [ foreign dialogue ] >> interpreter: there's no difference between what i think and the club thinks. we both have the same opinion regarding di maria's situation, which is clear, because they have requested to move during the summer, and he has rejected an offer from the club. that's why we search for another plan. >> and he confirmed that the striker will be fit before the super cup. on friday, the portuguese international had a normal session with his teammates on thursday. and he had to be replaced by rodriguez at halftime during the draw due to a muscle injury. the new german women's league will take off on friday with two-time champion at home.

and they are expected to be byron's mainly rivals, and they open their campaign on saturday. six world cup winners, byron has a tough task to improve on last season. he wrapped up the title with seven games remaining with league records, for the most undefeated streak and the most wins in a row. >> the result, talking about -- it's natural. but sometimes when it's just a number, it's just a title. i desire to play better. i desire to play as good as possible. so naturally, when we win, we're happy, and when we loss, i'm worried. but i want to play good. i want to play fast and better. >> the draft for foreigners has

been held in the mumbai league at the start of the super league. to help in the rise of popularity in the traditional cricket mag nation, 150th in world ranks, and the country's national league has minimal support. this new competition is modeled after italy's crick et and will feature eight franchises. former indian crack ec star, yangui, the co-owners of a club called atlantico call cut a they must have 14 indian players, four from each franchise city, and the rest can be made up with names such as freddie lindberg and david james. two-time champion, serena williams, will face american teen, townsend in the first round of the u.s. open.

she's not feeling the pressure just yet. the five time winner replaced her tennis racket with karaoke in new york. she won the masters a week ago, and she's taking her title. >> i feel good, and i'm just looking forward to t. and i'm going to be relaxed and enjoy myself. it's super important. i hope i do it, but no pressure. >> the second seed of flushing meadows, the 2006 champion, maria sharapova completes the top five. the belgium grand prix after a summer break. hamilton and mercedes will continue their drive for the championships.

roths berg and, hamilton let him through, and caused his team's victory. rothesberg said that he has learn today something from the incident. >> it's important to move forward. and i've learned various things from that race, which i will try to adapt for the future. >> there's. more sport on the website. for all the latest, check out aljazeera.com/sport. and you can get in touch with our twitter and facebook. that's all for sports, and it's back to mariam. >> for a lot of people, trips on the river rhine would be quite a drive. but the hard way, swimming from switzerland to the netherlands.

>> this is what he has been up to for the last weeks. 1200-kilometer journey along the river rhine. >> when you see this, do you feel its worth it? >> of course its worth it, for science. >> what the adventure is really about is analyzing the water that the professor is swimming in. the team from his german university collects daily samples from the rhine, testing them as a laboratory, and here they're checking the oxygen levels. >> if it's too high or low, the oxygen will die and the fish too, so this is good for our ecological system. >> the proper analysis means using expensive equipment that costs over $130,000. they hope that what the stunt has attracted, they will be able to do the science. the professor and his team are

nearly at the end of their journey, and when it's over, they hope to find what human activity is doing to the river rhine. a few decades ago, the rhine was heavily polluted by industry, and these days, it's clean enough to fish n. but some people are bemused. >> i would say respect. he's not crazy, he's just got his mindset on it. >> the team expects to find toxic substances from farming and anti-biotics that they can't get rid. and they aim to find better ways of treating waste water. >> on the lakes and the river and the woods, people don't have clean water, and we bottle the water from nature. and my feeling is to give the water back to nature. and how we get it, in the same status. >> so in a few days, he will

arrive at the mouth of the rhine, from an extreme one. but the last lap lies ahead. >> and just to take you through our top stories on aljazeera. tens of thousands of people have attended funerals in gaza. senior hamas commanders killed by israeli airstrikes. and the white house said that it tried to save u.s. journalist, james foley. they released a video of his beheading and said that he was killed because of america's involvement in iraq. and two american aid workers infected with the ebola virus in liberia have been discharged from a hospital in the united states. they were treated with the experimental drug, zmapp. we'll have more in just a few moments time.

>> richard gibson is leaving his dairy farm in devon, england to work as a samburu cattle herder. >> this isn't going to be my usual day then; obviously. >> in an arid land where warriors fight gun battles to defend their cattle. >> he's prepared to give his life for his cows, because if they haven't got them, they've got nothing. >> he'll be faced with some unusual traditions... >> i just don't want to be circumcised today.