look at the hour's stop stories. as israeli air strikes and artillery pound gaza, militants continue their rocket fire into israel. palestinians say more than 1,300 people have been killed. israel reports 59 deaths. the u.s. and united nations are demanding more be done to protect civilians. israel's military tells cnn it's calling up 16,000 additional reservist, that's 86,000 reservists activated in a three-week old conflict. the u.s. has agreed to supply israel with more ammunition. it will come from the billion dollars stockpile the u.s. keeps in israel. international investigators say they're on the move again today outside of donetsk, heading for the crash site of malaysia airlines flight 17. heavy fighting in eastern ukraine has kept them from the wreckage for the past four days. for the third time in 28 years, argentina has defaulted on its debt. government negotiators were unable to reach a deal with a

small group of hold-out creditors. currency devaluation is now a real possibility, which could lead to disastrous inflation. palestinian authority president is appealing to u.n. skret general ban ki-moon for relief from israel's deadly military operation in gaza. he said israel's deliberate attack on civilian homes and on schools and hospitals constitute war crimes. that reference sure to strike a cord with u.n. chief ban. >> this morning, yet another united nations school, sheltering thousands of palestinian families suffered a reprehensible attack. all available evidence points to

israeli artillery as the cause. nothing is more shameful than attacking sleeping children. >> mr. abbas says israel must be held accountable and adds that he's declared all of gaza a disaster area. now as israel continues its hunt for hamas militants, we want to take you into a closer look of hamas, where it came from, what it hopes to accomplish. paula hancock has that part of the story. ♪ >> reporter: propaganda video, recruiting tool. call it what you will, but hamas wants israel and the world to see its military mite. created in 1987, its name means islamic resistance movement, formed specifically to fight the israeli occupation. but within the lawless territory of gaza, it became so much more.

>> hamas began to expand its social and economic reach to include social welfare programs, subsidies and a variety of other cultural programs for palestinians in gaza. so it played and still to this day, has a political dimension, an administrative and social dimension and of course a military one. >> reporter: april, 1994, hamas carries out its first suicide bombing in israel. a car-bomb attack in a northern city kills eight. it's just the beginning. hundreds more israeli citizens will be killed by hamas, mostly in suicide bombings. a deadly pattern that leads the u.s. and others to label hamas a terrorist group. a moment of legitimacy for hamas, 2006, winning democratic palestinian elections in a landslide victory. it is one of the first islamist groups in the world to win political office.

>> this is a new beginning for palestinian. >> it's the decision of the people. >> reporter: but the west refused to deal with a terrorist organization. experts estimate hamas has a fighting force of some 10,000. short and medium range rockets, hand-made within gaza, longer-range projectiles smuggled into the territory, the u.s. says, from iran. millions of financial aid have largely dried up since the uprising in syria. qatar now financially supports the group, according to israel. but little filters through to the civilians of gaza. throughout this, israel has tightened its hold on the territory, controlling what goes in, restricting who comes out. it is this blockade hamas wants completely lifted. a wish shared by four million palestinians and human rights groups, which israel says it cannot grant, as long as the group on the other side of the border refuses to recognize its right to exist.

paul hancocks, cnn new york. on the surface, it's a conflict between israel and hamas, but there are major geopolitical factors at play as well that extend far beyond gaza and israel. i want to talk about that with director of institute at the american university of beirut who joins me via skype right now. who else is fighting here apart from hamas and israel? >> well, you have overlapping ideology cal and political conflicts and tensions both within palestine between fatah and hamas. you have it within the egyptians, jordanians, others who want to help one side or the other. sometimes with hamas, sometimes against hamas. indirectly lined up with israel, though not exclusively obviously. and you have other players further afield. iran, turkey.

and israel has the same issue on its side. israel and the united states have a love-hate relationship in many ways. so you have a complex overlap of concentric ideology cal and political interest and conflict, and this has been going on since the 1950s. >> in terms of resolving it, if there was a resolution to this particular conflict, away from what's going on in iraq, away from the arab spring, as we described it, could that potentially resolve tensions throughout that region? >> well, i would first say it's not really that isolated. politically, emotionally, it's not isolated at all. the arab, israeli conflict has been reaffirmed as the number one issue that people care about, as a regional issue, other than their domestic jobs and things like that. but regionally, it resonates

across the region and has been instrumental in driving some of the political movements around the region. also many arab, aut kratic governments claiming to support the palestinians and fight the israelis. so it's deeply linked to issues around the region. if you resolve it peacefully it would not solve all the other problems in the region, but it would take away the single most destabilizing force that has shaped the region and distortded it for the last 65 years or so. >> so how do we get there? who is mediating? >> well, several people have tried to mediate. the egyptians now have tried to mediate in a bizarrely proisraeli proposal they put forward ten days ago, which hamas rejected and continues to reject, because it responds to israel's concerns more than the palestinian concerns.

others have tried to mediate, but they're both on good terms with hamas. the norwegians tried, the french throwing their hat in the ring briefly. the americans came as usual, completely confused and not knowing what to do. but the reality is, the united states has been the only serious mediator -- or the only sort of formal mediator between the israelis and palestinians for the last 20 years, and has achieved absolutely zero. the u.s. is a serial failure in arab-israeli mediation. this is one of the problems. you have incompetent mediators in the united states and the lack of a proficient mediator is one of the problems we have right now. >> when you talk about incompetent american mediation, are you talking about the specific people involved not having the experience in order to handle this very complex crisis, or are you saying that,

actually america hasn't engaged properly? >> neither of those fully. what i'm saying is that the united states government is so structurally committed to israel's superiority over the palestinians and the adjacent arab countries that it's structurally, legally, the u.s. has to keep israel militarily superior to any forces around it. we saw that when the senate voted 100-0 to support israel in the conflict and want to break up the palestinian government. it's so ridiculously distorted, the american position towards israel. they can do that, but that eliminates them as a credible mediator because they tend to negotiate on the basis of what israel will see as acceptable. when the americans try to challenge the israeli position and be more even-handed, they

get nowhere. >> thank you very much indeed for joining us. the past few weeks have seen vocal rallies, both for israel and the palestinians in the united states. it's a different story here in europe where anti-semitic instants have left jews concerned and frightened. jake tapper has the report on that. >> the conflict may be in the middle east, but the passions ignited are worldwide. pro-israel. pro-palestinian. pro-peace. but in europe, authorities say, protests against israel are increasingly taking on a hateful anti-semitic tone, with demonstrators upset by the actions of israel, taking out their anger on innocent jewish people in europe, ones not expressing pro-israel views, ones just living their lives. in paris, france, yush-owned businesses are vandalized, even

set on fire, following a pro-palestinian rally last week. in the uk, more than 100 incidents over the past few weeks. >> this violence against the jewish community, the synagogs, that's something very new, that reminds the jewish community of the problems that we've heard of but never lived through. >> vandalism and fears of worse may seem not as important as war-zone deaths, but anti-semitism in europe has a precedent with a body count of six million. and a surge in recent years with thousands of jews fleeing europe. the situation has gotten so dire. just last week, the foreign ministers of france, italy, and germany, in a joint statement, denounced the hateful actions. writing, attacks against people of jewish belief and synagogs, cannot be tolerated. nothing, including the dramatic

military confrontation in gaza justifies any such transgressions in europe. here in the u.s. support for israel has been strong. support of hamas made its way to this miami synagog, painted alongside swastikas. >> my wife is shaking. she woke up, she's gathering the kids and she's shaking. she feels like this 1940s all over again. >> it is yet another troubling sign of hatred spreading beyond the bombs of war. jake tapper, cnn, washington. the fighting rages on in eastern ukraine. up next, how some of the badly wounded soldiers are coping with the help of their new brides. >> is this the wedding day that you predicted, that you dreamed of? >> no. iring plumbers, carpenters and even piano tuners were just as simple? thanks to angie's list, now it is.

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at least 23 people are dead from landslides in western india. this was the scene on wednesday's torrential rains hit a village just outside mumbai. officials say more than eight peoples with injuries have been rescued. up to 170 others are feared trapped in the rubble and authorities fear the death toll may rise further. extraordinary scenes. let's bring in the weather center now. >> this occurred at 4:00 a.m. local time tuesday morning. you would imagine a lot of people sound asleep when rainfall took its toll across the region, as far as the

hillsides south of mumbai. this graphic shows you where we've been as far as rainfall deficiency over western and northern india. about 23% below the norm. two weeks ago, it was close to 50% below the norm. so the rainfall has picked up in intensity in recent days. a graphic here that does a really good job breaking down what we're talking about, with the red line indicating what is considered normal in the rainfall department. that's june 1st, the beginning of the graphic, and here's the 29th and 30th of july, the latter portion of the graphic. well below, typically speaking, below that normal line until recent weeks and really began to spike beginning the last two oro weeks. that's what led to the issues across this region. the monsoon blossoming across this region. strong thunderstorms pushing across the indian sub continent. the area around mumbai still getting heavy rainfall, this is not going to help out when you're looking at totals upward of 100-plus millimeters, nearing

200 millimeters, somewhere around six or seven inches just in the past 24 hours. typically when you bring on that much water, on a steep slope, the moisture is absorbed into the soil, and the weight takes its toll on this region and the slope eventually fails. that's precisely what happened in this village and essentially across up-river areas, some blocking and that causes further problems in that region as well. so the monsoons taking form across that region after a very quiet start to speak of for the region. here's what's happening around the western pacific, where it's been far from quiet. multiple tropical storms taking shape, one named hal ong and the second one in the next 24 hours. but hal ong has already done some damage. rainfall totals of 300 millimeters, one foot of rainfall has come down around

anderson air force base, causing torrential floods, and the storm system now moving over open water. the next couple days, no major threat, but if you're tuned in from southern japan, something worth watching because the storm is expected to become a typhoon equivalent to a category one hurricane when it approaches southern japan sometime next week. that first storm system that we talked about with the high probability is going to push in towards south korea over the next day or so and rainfall expected in that region across the korean peninsula, with the storm system, but it doesn't look like it will be much beyond that. so certainly it could get worse when it comes to tropical activity. lastly, we'll leave you with a perspective across the united states, with the southern part experiencing october-like weather. the yellow indicating 10 to 15 degrees below the norm temperature wise. should be about 20 celsius around the southern spots. typically, closer to 35 degrees, so nice conditions for the next

couple days. >> very nice. thank you very much, indeed. >> you bet. well, the conflict in eastern ukraine has been tragic on so many levels. in addition to the 298 people killed when malaysia airlines flight 17 was shot down, hundreds more soldiers and civilians have been killed in fighting there. and for the thousands of wounded, life will never be the same. kyung la reports. >> reporter: this is not the honeymoon these brides expected. exercising their groom's legs, a touch neither man can feel. >> i got shot, i foul down. >> can you feel anything in your legs right now? >> unfortunately. >> can you feel my hand? >> no. >> a para trooper in the ukrainian army is paralyzed. his roommate in this dingy

hospital room is also paralyzed, both shot on the fields of eastern ukraine earlier this month. they join an estimated 1,300 wounded ukrainian soldiers filling the military hospitals, in a country that can't afford to care for them. he needs a surgery to walk again, but he can't get it here. >> it's not sufficient. >> in ukraine? >> in backbone, yes. unfortunately. >> reporter: so this is what they did. both soldiers married their fiances in the hospital to draw attention to their predicaments. their weddings were broadcast nationally. they need to raise an estimated $100,000 each to fly them out of ukraine and get spinal surgeries. so far, they've raised 20,000. >> is this the wedding day that you predicted, that you dreamed of?

>> no. of course we dreamed of something else, they say. but this is how it turned out. >> how hard is this war on you? >> it's tough, she says. on the battlefield, there's not enough water, food, or weapons. >> there's more people injured more serious than me. >> reporter: you're fighting this war and you need a lot of support. >> yeah. >> i think the ukrainian military is broke, and i think the ukrainian military is broken. >> reporter: that's no secret among military experts. flight 17 has only focused the world's attention to what's been a brutal conflict for months. u.s. intelligence says the ukrainian government is fighting rebels backed guy russia, something russia denies. ukrainian financing, nearly empty government coffers and it's not enough. volunteers till in the gaps, donating supplies and collecting cash. >> it's almost unbelievable that the people, the ukrainian people

have to take money out of their own pocket, not taxes, but donations, to support their military. >> reporter: while ukraine has the upper hand for now against the rebels, it's a slim advantage. without western support ukraine will struggle to keep up with rebels backed by russian money, a larger fight that this soldier can't take part in. are you scared about what will happen to him in the future? no, she says. i believe he will walk again. if only you could finance a war with the hope of young love. kyung la, cnn, ukraine. still to come, celebrities take opposing sides on social media, on the israel-hamas conflict.

take opposing sides on social

>> now, celebrities are using social media to weigh in on the israel-hamas conflict. some of them have strong opinions and now are facing equally strong backlashes. >> these are oscar-winning actors, people who are respected in the film industry. >> hollywood golden couple, javier bardem and penelope cruz are no strangers to the spotlight. >> a letter in spanish newspapers, they came the most high profile celebrities to come out against israel's action in the middle east. >> joined by nearly 100 spanish

entertaine entertainers, they wrote an open letter, calling for a ceasefire and an end to the blockade of gaza. do you think it would have backlash on their careers? >> ultimately in hollywood, talent is what matters, but there are supporters and i think they looked at this and said, this is a strong opinion that's been voiced. but bardem and cruz aren't alone. other celebrities are making their opinions heard. one direction band member tweeted #free palestine. the response was swift, some of his followers, responding with deaths. a similar tweet by rihanna received a barrage of irate posts. and selena gomez said she wasn't picking sides. >> among those who criticized

gomez, comedian joan rivers outspoken in his support of israel's defense. >> talk show host bill maher tweeted, dealing with hamas is like dealing with a crazy woman who's trying to kill you. >> russell brant went to youtube with a monologue on why things should change. >> the only thing we can do is, as one, make a decision that we want peace. not to support or perpetuate violence by funding military activity on either side. >> interestingly enough, another person who's not american. >> a lot of actors do feel pressure to not voice opinions because they're afraid of what it might do to their careers. >> to speak out or not, a very personal decision in an era where even a tweet can live forever. stephanie elam, cnn, hollywood. >> you're watching cnn's special coverage. i'm max foster.

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gaza in shambles. a market, a school now hit just in, israel accused of more crimes. no place seems safe this morning. we have shocking images as both sides refuse to stop the fighting. we are live in gaza and jerusalem with the latest developments and the political fallout. breaking news this morning. minutes ago, ukraine announcing a cease-fire near the crash site of malaysia flight 17. invest