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a truce in gaza. a new 72-hour cease-fire takes effect between israel and hamas. but both sides say it's up to the other party to make it last. >> hamas has destroyed the hopes for a better future. >> let's hope that they will heed that because we are ready to keep that from our side. hamas and all the palestinian factions. >> has one man already been saved from ebola? we'll look at the experimental serum that might save the lives

of two u.s. patients stricken with the deadly disease. also ahead here, stranded. tens of thousands of russian holiday makers stranded abroad. why some are blaming western sanctions on moscow. and welcome back to cnn's special coverage. i'm natalie allen. >> and i'm errol barnett. you will be excused right now if you're having a sense of deja vu, right? >> absolutely. because a new cease-fire is under way in the middle east. >> now, the purpose of this is a humanitarian truce. it's now one hour old. it is supposed to last for 72 hours. at this moment it's just after 9:00 in the morning in israel and in gaza and the cease-fire went into effect at 8:00 a.m. local time. and even if we just listen to the sounds of gaza city, these are live pictures coming to us right now. usually there's rocket fire. usually there are drones.

sounds for the moment that there's some activity. some cars honking. some traffic. a sign that people are out and about. >> a good sound. >> but minutes before the cease-fire came into effect the israeli military announced it was withdrawing its troops from gaza and would implement this truce from defensive positions outside gaza. israel also said militants launched a barrage of missiles from gaza just before the cease-fire began. the truce was reportedly proposed by egypt and agreed upon by the israelis and all palestinian factions including hamas. that could explain why there's a sense in gaza city right now that they can go outside safely. each side, though, says the success of this cease-fire will depend on the other. >> the onus is on hamas and the other terrorist groups in gaza. will they violate this other agreement? and if they do, i think it will be clear to everyone who is responsible for the continuation of the violence. >> this cease-fire was created

mainly by the efforts of the palestinian delegation including hamas. so we are the creator of this cease-fire, and we will be as all palestinians including hamas and islamic jihad committed to that unless the israelis did not violate that. we hope that they will not violate the cease-fire this time. >> well, we have our cnn correspondents in the region closely following developments this hour. matthew chance is live for us in jerusalem. sara sidener is on the israeli side of the border with gaza, and karl penhaul is in gaza city. >> karl, let's go ahead and begin with you in gaza city. moments ago it seemed as if there were sounds of normalcy coming from where you are. bring us up to speed. how are people waking up this morning? >> yeah, there won't be any sounds of normalcy on the gaza strip for a long long time, errol, because even if the shooting stops the rebuilding at

some point will have to start. people's lives have been absolutely devastated. so there will be no return to normal anytime soon on the gaza strip. but you are right in terms of the shooting. the cease-fire now an hour old, i guess. we heard a flurry of activity before that came into effect. we heard at least four rockets going out from central gaza. hamas said that it fired at least seven. and also there was a flurry of israeli air strikes before the cease-fire started. i just want to stop just two seconds to see because i did hear just as we were coming to air two sounds down toward southern gaza. we're trying to get confirmation for what those two sounds may have been. we don't have any confirmation now. but again, some, you know -- one does have to be wary. especially in these first few minutes any sound, any bang that one hears in the distance, one is on tenterhooks to see if anything is happening. so if we do get any news that

either side is trying to break the cease-fire, we will bring that to you. but also the sound of drones overhead. that seems to be normal. the israelis carrying out their intelligence activities. but the difference this time around is that the israeli military has said that it's pulling back its troops from gaza to the israeli border and that will appease a lot of the militant factions' complaints that previous cease-fires had been lopsided. so let's see if this one holds, errol. >> now, gaza's residents have borne the majority of -- the brunt of the force of this conflict. and you're right. even if there is a pause today and for the next few weeks and months it will take a much longer time for normalcy to return there. how bad is the picture as far as electricity, running water, safe shelters that haven't been shelled for people to live? just paint that picture and give us a sense of the number of people displaced as we speak.

>> reporter: well, i believe actually right now we can bring you a picture of how bad things are. that's our colleague joe shepherd. he's out in the rubble of eastern gaza not far from the israeli border. i mean, just take a look at that picture, errol. that is how bad things are. neighborhoods of gaza have been leveled in this conflict. it is no longer there. just about getting the electricity running again or getting the water running again. it is about years and years and millions of dollars to try and put parts of gaza back together again. of course, as you rightly say, the power infrastructure's been severely damaged. power company chiefs have suggested it could take one year to get that power plant up and running again. power lines will have to be restored between israel and gaza. that is where, after all, gaza gets most of its power from. that could feasibly come a little quicker.

but certainly the humanitarian challenge huge as well. according to the united nations now, 275,000 palestinians just sleeping out in u.n. schools. many more have been absorbed into extended families. and the big question mark there, when will they be able to go home and will they have a home to go to? errol. >> yeah, and i think we saw not too long ago the spokesperson for the united nations relief works agency come to tears over the number of dead children he's seen during this conflict. you're absolutely right. whether it's psychological or infrastructure, it will be a long time before people in gaza feel any sense of normalcy. karl penhaul live for us in gaza city. natalie? >> let's get more now from the israeli side of the border. senior international correspondent sarah seedner is in ashkelon not far from gaza. and karl reported they heard two sounds in southern gaza. they can't confirm what it was. but that's what they're hearing.

and also we know that the israeli military announcing that they are moving to defensive positions outside of gaza. what are you seeing or hearing there from your vantage point? >> reporter: it's quiet here. and we've heard from the israeli military just moments ago that the cease-fire is holding according to the military spokesperson. so that's what we're hearing here. it's been, what, an hour and ten minutes since the cease-fire was supposed to be in effect. of course oftentimes both sides pound each other just before the cease-fire goes into effect. but there is a lot of hope that this one is going to hold. it is different from the last couple that we have seen. of course the ones where one side decided not to join in on the cease-fire, no one expected those to last. but the last couple where they had, for example, a 12-hour cease-fire that didn't work. there were still israeli boots on the ground. and hamas always saying if there's any combatants on our side we are going to fight.

expect there to be a fight. now israel's saying look, we have pulled our troops. they have left and are leaving gaza and we are going to keep our defensive forces up around the perimeter but not inside of gaza. that is quite significant. and that may make the difference. also, look, the destruction in gaza, the deaths, the number of deaths, more than 1,800 people needing this humanitarian respite. people hoping that this will hold far past 72 hours. but we will have to wait and see. the last agreed-upon cease-fire just a few days ago lasted an hour and a half. we haven't gotten to that point yet. and we will all be waiting to see what happens in the next 72 hours or actually in the next couple of hours. errol and natalie. >> all right. sarah sidener for us there in ashkelon. thank you. and we will continue to stay in contact with our correspondents that are in the region sxwlp and for what it's worth a bit of information into cnn that as far

as the idf is concerned as of right now the cease-fire is holding. so again, not clear if hamas has a different opinion and if what karl penhaul heard challenges that. but as far as we know, at this moment and as far as israel is saying, the cease-fire's holding for now. >> that's good news that i'm sure they'll all take. for the most part israel and the united states of course have had a close relationship, friendship for decades. >> but at times there have been some bumps along that road. has this conflict over the past few weeks caused major change in that relationship? we'll look into this after the break. also ahead here, this hour, as the ebola virus ravages parts of west africa a new serum shows signs of hope. but it won't be widely distributed anytime soon, and we'll tell you why. coming up. also, saying good-bye to a man who's had an enormous impact on american gun laws. we reflect on the life and legacy of james brady.

let's get you the latest information on this ebola outbreak. a second american stricken with the virus is flying back to the united states right now. later today nancy writebol will join fellow relief worker sxeb oela patient kent brantly for treatment at an atlanta hospital. she's expected to be here in about ten hours, midday local time. meanwhile, the nigerian doctor

who cared for a man who flew to lagos and died of ebola is now himself infected. so we have that unfortunate development. the doctor had treated patrick sawyer, the top liberian official who died last month. officials say ebola tests of a patient won't be back for a day or two, but they say it's unlikely he has the virus. >> we're very confident that our work with the federal, state, and local authorities will lead to a prompt evaluation of this patient and that we'll be able to hopefully find that there is a more common cause of fever and other symptoms that the patient has. but using an abundance of caution, we're going to work carefully with the cdc to make certain that this patient does not have the ebola virus disease. >> and you do have a lot of entities working hard to contain this. in fact, according to the world health organization there have now been at least 887 deaths from ebola, more than 1,600 cases attributed to the virus

since it began in march. you know, we show this to you each day. the numbers do keep getting bigger. most infected are in guinea where the outbreak has killed 358 people. in sierra leone the death toll now is at 273. and the virus has claimed 255 lives in liberia. there is also, as you can see here, been one death in nigeria. now, the world health organization says ebola has a fatality rate of up to 90% and there is no cure. but now there may be some hope. take a look at this. this was patient kent brantly walking under his own power into emory hospital, where he had previously been close to death. he had been treated with an experimental serum that may be working, although it's unclear if it's really credited for his improvement. our chief medical correspondent dr. sanjay gupta explains. >> reporter: last thursday dr. kent brantly thought he was going to die. it was the ninth day since he came down sick with ebola.

his condition worsening by the minute. he called his wife to say good-bye. but he also knew just hours earlier a secret, highly experimental drug called zmapp had been delivered to the clinic. the serum was delivered in subzero temperatures and with clear instructions -- allow the vials to thaw naturally before administering. it would be an agonizing eight-hour wait. when it arrived brantly told his colleague, nancy writebol, who was also sick, that she should have the first dose. but as brantly's health deteriorated and he became more desperate, he asked for writebol's now thawed medication. it was a risk. the treatment had been tried in monkeys and had seemed to work. but never before had it been tried in a human. not even to test safety. dr. kent brantly would be the first. while doctors don't often use this term, they describe what happened next as miraculous. within an hour of receiving the

medication, dr. brantly's condition seemed to make a dramatic turnaround. his breathing improved. the rash over his trunk nearly fade add way. >> i do hope that it was as impressive as being described because if it is that bodes very well for that particular product. >> reporter: by the next morning brantly was able to shower on his own before making the 6,000-mile transport to atlanta. saturday afternoon, another first. watch as brantly walks off the back of the ambulance. he became the first patient infected with the ebola virus to ever set foot in the united states, or even this part of the world. tuesday his colleague nancy writebol, who also received the zmapp serum, will joint brantly at emory university hospital. >> that was chief medical correspondent dr. sanjay gupta reporting. and a very important note here. you know, doctors are cautioning that even if the two infected americans do recover more research needs to be done before

this serum can be safely used to widely treat ebola. many people in west africa especially saying look, if there's a fix we desperately need it too but it's just not clear that this is a definitive fix yet. >> well, maybe it will be eventually because in africa the ebola virus continues to spread unchecked. in guinea, liberia, and the worst hit of all, sierra leone. cnn's david mckinsey takes us now into the most affected area and shows us what he found. >> reporter: we're on the road, driving into the worst ebola epidemic in history. it's quite extraordinary. there's hardly any cars on the road. all the shops are closed. just one or two people walking on the street. when i've been here before at this time, it would be absolutely jam packed. you could barely moved. freetown is a ghost town. the government shut down the entire country for a day. for reflection, they say.

hammering three countries, the outbreak is worst here, in sierra leone. and the world health organization says ebola is now spreading faster than they can contain it. the fear is spreading with it. for months the public's response has been dominated by denial and rumors while ebola silently kills. as the death toll mounts, they are tightening access to the roads that help spread the disease. and they're getting the word out to calm the panic. like the rest of the nation, mamadou tso stayed at home today. the elders put out the word to stay at home, and we need to respect that, he says. and we need to stop ebola. but ebola keeps spreading, affecting more people and wider areas than ever before. health officials say that at best it could take months to stop it. but there are no guarantees even of that. >> so the whole country shut

down? >> yeah. it's a national issue. the whole country. >> why do people need to pray? >> well, because of this problem we're encountering, this ebola issue. >> reporter: we've been through a series of checkpoints. each one is stricter than the last. one red cross official told us that along this road ebola is everywhere. but it's through this point, into kohun district, where it is the epicenter of this unprecedented epidemic. and it's there that the biggest battles are being fought. david mckenzie, cnn, on the road in sierra leone. >> it just says a lot about the country. that stop sign propped up by makeshift sticks from trees. you can learn more about ebola on our website including that experimental serum that we are talking about. it's all there at cnn.com. all right. but still to come for you here on cnn, japan now bracing for more heavy rain. >> yeah. they have been getting pounded.

a dangerous typhoon could be making landfall soon. they've already had one storm already. kevin zawahiri will have the latest for us. begins with arthritis pain and two pills. afternoon arrives and feeling good, but her knee pain returns... that's two more pills. the evening's event brings laughter, joy, and more pain... when jamie says... what's that like six pills today? yeah... i can take 2 aleve for all day relief. really, and... and that's it. this is kathleen... for my arthritis pain, i now choose aleve. get all day arthritis pain relief with an easy-open cap.

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in. the difference in this one, although there have been many that have failed-s that israel has announced in the past hour and a half that it is pulling its ground forces back. all right. moving on to other things we're tracking for you, in recent days parts of southern japan have been hit by just a deluge of rainfall. tropical storm nakri was the culprit. >> and now a stronger typhoon is headed for japan as well. how much more can they take? pedram jawahiri has the answers. >> data across portions of japan that has been kept since 1886, and this is among the wettest last couple of days. in fact, the wettest place on our planet has been southern japan since saturday afternoon. 40 inches of rainfall has come down in this region. 815 millimeters. that is 32 inches to be exact. it is very close to what the city of seattle in the united states gets in an entire year. they've seen just in a couple of days.

again, doubling their monthly average. historic floods here. you work your way out toward shionomisaki, 600 millimeters, about 20 inches of rainfall. kochi, japan, roughly 30,000 people in this region have been advised to evacuate just because of the threat of rivers bursting their banks. we know the region experiencing power outages. a remote area of kochi some 78 children were stranded in a summer camp because of mountain landslides that took place in that region. of course, hundreds of homes have received damage as well because of the amount of water that is on the ground. so the last thing you want to see is another disturbance beginning to come in here. and just to put all this in scale, you take a look at what's happened so far through the first four days of the month of august, already top fifth wettest portion -- or wettest month in august history for our friends across kochi, japan, and the city we talked about getting about 600 millimeters of rainfall, 20 inches, second wettest august on record. and again, 26 days left in the

month of august and you're in the top two when it comes to wet periods across this region. there is another typhoon just to your south, and this is exactly what's concerning because we know this storm system at this hour sits with winds about 165 kilometers per hour, 100 miles per hour. it's a category 2 equivalent but again the direct path of this storm system over the next few days, from thursday night into friday morning, takes it right toward southern japan. the same exact area that has seen about a meter of rainfall will once again be bracing for now a stronger storm. it will not only have stronger winds, about, say, 40 to 50 miles per hour stronger in the wind department but also talking about rainfall being tremendously heavy with this as well. so this is something that a lot of people in japan have been dealing with and now this time around it's happening in succession, which is what's going to be hard to prepare for, guys. >> they just want a break after all these storms. >> absolutely. >> thanks, pedram. britain's most famous landmarks went dark for an hour on monday night to mark 100 years since the start of world war 1. we're going to show you how

dramatic this looks. right there the iconic tower bridge is suddenly invisible against the night sky. and here outside 10 downing street one light was left on. one solitary candle to symbolize hope. and the commemoration continues today with the unveiling of this art installation around the tower of london. those ray sea of ceramic poppies, symbolizing british and colonial soldiers who died during what became known as the great war. the former white house press secretary for u.s. president ronald reagan james brady has died. >> he survived being shot in the head during a 1981 assassination attempt on president reagan. he risked his life to save the u.s. president. and the shooting left bradley -- brady, excuse me, partially paralyzed and confined to a wheelchair for the rest of his life. he later, though, became a prominent gun control advocate. brady's push for stricter firearm laws led to the brady bill, a u.s. law that requires

background checks for gun purchases. >> brady's wife reflected on her husband's story of survival in an interview a few years ago. listen to this. >> both shot by a deranged young man. both had injuries, severe brain injuries. >> jim was pronounced dead at one point. >> yes. they read his obituary on the news. and then he made a miraculous recovery. >> much in the way that gabrielle giffords has made. >> yes. >> this unbelievable recovery. >> she too there were reports, i believe, that she had not made it. >> right. >> and my heart just sank, and i thought, oh, no. but luckily, they were incorrect. you remember the other day when we heard that. so it -- >> said been there. >> yeah. been there done that. >> been there done that. >> been there know that.

>> and wish you hadn't. and we know for her it's going to be a long haul. but i know she's a fighter and she's going to do great. >> we wish her well. and james brady. people didn't think he was going to make it. they were reading his obituary. >> remember they inaccurately reported him dead the day of that assassination attempt as well p and he made a real impact with his life. >> again, he passed away at his home in virginia on monday. james brady was 73 years old.

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israel says militants did launch a barrage of missiles from gaza just before the truce began. israel also says it's withdrawing israeli troops from gaza and will implement the cease-fire from defensive positions outside gaza. a second american aid worker infected with ebola is on her way back to the united states. nancy writebol caught the virus in liberia.

she'll be treated at a hospital in atlanta along with another infected aid worker, a doctor who arrived back on the u.s. on saturday. russia says it's holding military exercises near ukraine this week. the move comes as the west accuses president vladimir putin of massing troops along the border. meantime in eastern ukraine government forces are closing in on donetsk. that is the main stronghold of pro-russian separatists there. back to the cease-fire now between israel and hamas. it has been in effect for about an hour and a half. and an israeli military spokesman tells cnn the destruction of 32 hamas tunnels is complete. senior international correspondent matthew chance is live in jerusalem. and although we've been here before, matthew, with the tunnel operation being complete, with all sides agreeing to the cease-fire, with the ground troops pulling back, maybe, just maybe this is the time there can be some peace.

>> reporter: well, that's certainly the hope, natalie. that's why both sides have been speaking in pretty positive terms about this latest cease-fire, which of course was proposed by egyptian negotiators. it's going to last for 72 hours. it's been an hour and a half now since that cease-fire was implemented. and it's been pretty peaceful throughout the whole course of that time. in the minutes before it there was what the israeli military described as a massive barrage of rockets fired from inside the gaza strip toward israel. one of those rockets actually reached as far as a town called bet zahur, near bethlehem in the palestinian west bank, striking that palestinian town. there were no injuries. but the fact that such a flurry of rockets, and the idf told me, the israeli military told me that at least 20 rockets were fired in that. that's not an exact figure. that was their estimation. it indicates that this was a last flurry of activity on the

part of the palestinian militants before they accepted and adhered to that cease-fire, which indeed they seem to have done at the moment. from the same point in time the israelis also meeting their side of the bargain as it were, withdrawing their forces to defensive positions after saying that essentially their military objectives in the gaza strip, the destruction of those tunlds, 32 of them at least, has been completed. and so it seems at the moment what's in favor of this cease-fire lasting is that both sides appear to be recognizing that not much more can be gained if anything by continuing to fight. >> yes. and thank goodness for those who so still badly need some help there. on the side of gazans. thousands have been injured. now significant is it, do you think, matthew, that -- because hamas has said before it didn't honor a cease-fire because the israeli ground troops were still

there working and they weren't going to honor the cease-fire. now hopefully they're watching these troops move out. >> yeah, that's a significant aspect of this. i mean, in the past cease-fires have failed because one of the conditions of those cease-fires insisted upon by israel is they continue to keep their troops on the ground and that they continue to carry out their destruction of tunnels. that's not the case right now. so a potential opportunity for confrontation has been removed by the fact that israeli troops have been withdrawn to defensive positions outside gaza. also on this occasion it was palestinian militant groups. their delegations in cairo, the egyptian capital, that were essentially at the heart of putting this -- putting this proposal on the table. so from a palestinian point of view this was a cease-fire that they had a key role in negotiating. so that makes it a little less likely that they're going to walk away from it without good

reason. >> well, yes. you're absolutely right about that. and again, we're all watching very closely. an hour and a half. and hopefully, this will lead to talks. and somehow some healing, however that were to take place. matthew chance for us. now over to errol. >> thanks, natalie. as matthew mentioned, egypt did broker this 72-hour humanitarian cease-fire. let's cross now to our reza sayah, who joins us live from cairo. and really, reza, this is a major test for the newly elected president abdel fattah al sisi. he of course took out mohammed morsy after he was democratically elected, of the muslim brotherhood. take us behind the scenes, bring us up to speed on how this deal was able to come forward. >> reporter: yeah, errol. and it's important to point out that this is the second shot for the egyptian government led by president abdel fattah al sisi to get a cease-fire plan right.

their first attempt back on july 14th, it failed, in large part because according to hamas, hamas wasn't consulted. hamas also accused the egyptian government of putting in that previous cease-fire plan many of israel's demands and none of hamas's demands. but in the second go-around obviously the egyptian government was much more active, speaking directly with hamas representatives, other representatives of palestinian factions. in what was indirect talks. remember, the israeli representatives as part of friday's cease-fire plan were supposed to be here. obviously, that cease-fire plan fell apart. it was the palestinians here speaking directly with the egyptian government, conveying their proposal. and eventually it was the egyptian government conveying their proposal to the israeli government. israel said yes. and this is where we are. an hour and a half into the cease-fire, and so far so good. as you mentioned, errol, a big

test for the sisi government, the first real foreign policy test. and this time a remarkable change in dynamics between the relationship with cairo and hamas a year and a half ago, november of 2012 when the last time these two sides fought, it was mohammed morsy, the former muslim brotherhood leader. much closer ties between hamas and cairo. but obviously in came president sisi. ousting mohammed morsy, labeling hamas and the muslim brotherhood a terrorist organization. a lot of mistrust between these two groups. but obviously over the past 48 hours they've been able to communicate with hamas. they've been able to communicate with israel. and that's where we stand right now. so far seemingly. although it's very early. a successful 2 1/2 hours into this cease-fire. >> very good. our reza sayah live for us in cairo. it is a great point. if mohammed morsy was in power today, considering that relationship with the muslim brotherhood and hamas, would --

so many things would be different but interesting that we're seeing this. >> well, hopefully this story moves to cairo next. where it needs to go. >> and the cease-fire holds. now, we've mentioned the u.s. being a part of this. it has consistently said it supports israel's right to defend itself. but some american officials are starting to change their tone. >> yeah. after the shelling of a u.n. school on sunday the u.s. strongly condemned the death of palestinian civilians. here's cnn's alise labid. >> reporter: the u.s. said it was appalled by the israeli shelling on the u.n. shelter that killed at least nine people and made clear its patience is running thin. >> every day the world is watching as innocent civilians are killed, as children are having shrapnel pulled out of their back. i think we can all look here and make an evolution that there's more that can be done. >> reporter: israel's ambassador to the u.s. pushds back. >> she does not know all the facts. and when she knows all the facts maybe she'll make a different statement. >> reporter: u.s. officials say

the harshest criticism of israel since the conflict began reflects a growing consensus in washington and abroad. that with civilian casualties mounting it's time for israeli operations to end. but despite the tough talk the u.s. still supplies israel with much of the weapons and ammunition used in gaza. newly revealed documents by whistleblower edward snowden reportedly detail how nsa programs assist israeli attacks against its enemies. a sharp contrast to 1990, when then president george h.w. bush backed his words with policy, cutting off $10 billion in loan guarantees to israel over then prime minister shamir's refusal to stop settlement construction. his secretary of state james baker gave israel the white house switchboard number. >> when you're serious about peace, call us. >> reporter: israel blames secretary of state john kerry for negotiating last week's cease-fire that hamas violated within hours.

officials confirm in a testy phone call afterwards with u.s. ambassador to israel dan shapiro israeli prime minister netanyahu warned, don't second-guess me again when it comes to hamas. shapiro made no apologies for the u.s. working with qatar and turkey to bring hamas to the table. >> we would never put our trust in a terrorist organization. but through the communication that's we had there was clarity about what the terms were. >> reporter: it's unclear whether israel agreed to the cease-fire because of that stinging american criticism or because its goals of the operation in gaza have already been met. either way there's cautious on the izz m m in washington that the fighting could end. s one senior u.s. official said, we've been here before. elyse labott, cnn, the state department. another part of the world where there's been fighting of course is ukraine. coming up people in the flash-point city of donetsk are living in fear and misery.

>> we're going to take you to eastern ukraine and show you the places where some families hope they can keep their children safe. also ahead, a final warning in iraq. christians flee the city of mosul after islamist fighters set a deadline. and take a look at this. a dangerous mix of rushing water and thick mud laid waste to a town in southern california. we're going to bring you details on this after the break. t from , they think salmon and energy. but the energy bp produces up here creates something else as well: jobs all over america. engineering and innovation jobs. advanced safety systems & technology. shipping and manufacturing. across the united states, bp supports more than a quarter million jobs. when we set up operation in one part of the country, people in other parts go to work. that's not a coincidence. it's one more part of our commitment to america. when i had my first migraine, i was lucky. that sounds crazy, i know. but my mom got migraines, so she knew this would help.

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welcome back. russia's tourism industry is feeling the impact of tougher sanctions imposed by western nations for russia's support of rebels in ukraine. tens of thousands of russian tourists are stranded abroad after a string of russian travel agencies failed. and now officials are trying to find a way home for more than 27,000 people. the service stopped operating on saturday is the fourth russian tour operator to collapse in three weeks due to sanctions. well, fighting in eastern ukraine may be approaching a pivotal moment. state-run media saying government forces are prepping for a massive assault on rebel-held donetsk. yeah, already government forces have reclaimed significant ground from pro-russia separatists in the past week. and as nick peyton walsh reports the people of donetsk are living in fear. >> reporter: the ukrainian army is fast moving into donetsk. sat on its outskirts.

but inside the city great disquiet reigns. shelling has pushed some underground into cellars. half-built basements in this government building. where dozens of women and children eke out a life sleeping on mattresses they carried down here. twins who find the nightly explosions scary, loud. in this dim labyrinth they believe the separatists when they tell them the ukrainian army are ukrainian-backed fascists set on attacking the ethnic russians here "they crush us, the damn americans," she says. "what are they doing? where there is war in the world they have a part. look. these little ones here." they say they can't afford to leave, have nowhere to go. "all the women of the world," she says, "raise your voice against these murderers." above ground the grief and anger

are more vivid near where a school was hit. in this small community this can change childhood's daily life for years. "they're unworthy because they're fascists," she says. "the government. why do they have to shoot innocent people?" streets torn up. ukraine's army have used a lot of artillery in their fast advance. and as rina returns to her home for the first time, it's unclear who fired the shells here that shattered her windows. "if i'd been asleep here, i would have died," she said. she was staying at her daughter's when the shells hit. here you can see the civilian cost of the heavy weaponry used by the ukrainian army to make that swift advance happen. and here also in the shattered windows damaged homes, you get a sense of quite how complex it will be for kiev to win some

locals back. here where shells landed two people were killed. quiet, intimate lives flattened into blank faces of loss. they bury their loved ones. ♪ the war is changing. separatist militants thinning on the streets. their leaders canceling public appearances. ukraine's army moving fast. but this sense of the violence entering a final phase buys no comfort when tragedy has already come and is permanent. nick paton walsh, cnn, donetsk. . we want to get you the latest information out of iraq now. much different than what we told you yesterday. because kurdish forces say they have now defended mosul's dam from an attempted takeover by isis militants. on sunday there were reports the fighters had captured the country's biggest hydroelectric dam. you see it there. gained control of several towns

and oil fields near iraq's kurdistan region. well, by taking the dam militants would not only control its electrical output, they could also use it to flood cities including not just mosul but even baghdad, some 450 kilometers down stream. >> we'll be watching that story carefully. well, the islamist fighters have been in control of the city of mosul since launching their offensive in june. and christians living there are under ever-increasing danger. as cnn's arwa damon reports, the militants have issued a new warning. >> reporter: many christians have already fled mosul when isis took over. and for those who stayed, a final deadline. leave by saturday or face three choices. convert to islam, pay shizie, something of a protection tax, or face death by the sword. property of the islamic state. with video from mosul incredibly

hard to come by, this single photograph cnn obtained speaks volumes. the agony of leaving everything behind coupled with the fear and uncertainty of the future. "isis took our luggage and went through it," this christian man who just fled says. "they took our money, our phones, cameras." a photo posted to social media shows a church in mosul up in flames. "all i care about is my daughter's safety. i am not afraid of them," another man says. "at least i got out with her." iraq's christians are only too familiar with threats, violence, and persecution. the community's older generation remembers a time when all religions lived in harmony. but the u.s.-led invasion and the sunni and shia extremists who emerged in the aftermath changed all that. since 2003 the vast majority of christians have fled the

country. cannon andrew white lived in baghdad for decades. his congregation used to number around 6,000. but more than 1,200 of them were killed in the last decade. others left the country.canon w from iraqi kurdistan, visiting with families who had already fled mosul and other areas. >> one of the things which really hurt me was when one of the christians came and said for the first time in 1,600 years we had no church in nineveh last sunday. they had lost the most important thing to them, was their worship. and that had gone. >> reporter: canon white, a british national himself,

refuses to leave iraq. he still hopes and praise that the day will return when all can live in harmony. >> i guess do you think it can be achieved for this generation? >> i don't know. that is what's really difficult. i do not know if we are living in the generation which will see that unity take place. ♪ >> reporter: arwa damon, cnn, baghdad. still to come here on cnn, in california swept away by powerful rains and trapped by the floods. >> that's just a partial image there. we're going to get you the full picture of monday's mudslides after this.

a live look for you into gaza city. it's approaching 10:00 in the morning. we are coming up on two hours into the 72-hour cease-fire. as far as israel is concerned, it is holding as of this hour. as far as hamas is concerned, they are also abiding by it as well. we're watching some of the traffic move throughout the city. but as karl penhaul told us this hour, it will be a very long

time before there's any sense of normalcy in a place that has been damaged so severely by the constant shelling. we're going to continue to cover this throughout the day. >> yes. didn't he report that it's expected to take one -- a year to restore the power plant? >> yeah. and that's just the power plant. there's sanitation. there's so many other issues that have to be reconstructed now. >> not to mention the grieving process for so many families. well, we are going to turn to california weather because we've been talking about the drought. but get a load of this in southern california. torrential rains and thick mud flowed through a small town blocking roads and trapping as many as 500 campers. i think they were kids. >> yeah. they were. ted rowlands actually shows us all the damage. >> reporter: in the san bernardino mountains east of los angeles the water and mud came so fast some had almost no time to react. >> it was a flash flood. i knew we were in the middle of it. and we only had minutes to decide to turn around. >> reporter: more than four inches of rain in less than two

hours turned roads into rivers of mud and rock. >> everything slides down, and it's just this rush of like rock and water and mud. >> reporter: rescuers had to break windows to try to get into vehicles that were swept away. about an hour east of los angeles a man died after his car was swept into a creek. >> the person was found inside the vehicle. the wcar was severely damaged. people forget than only water comes down hillsides but it brings debris with it, oftentimes large boulders and logs. >> reporter: in forest falls the mud flow is so deep it close off the only road leading to parts of forest home, an 1800-bed christian camp. third to fifth grade stranded campers slept on the floor of a diagnose hall while crude worked to clear the road. >> our campers were not nervous. there was no one who was concerned for their safety. >> reporter: to give you a sense of how much mud came flowing through here, take a look at this handicapped parking sign. it's about six feet tall.

but only about a foot or two is sticking out. >> i'll head up in front. >> reporter: dozens of cars were left covered in mud. more than 40 homes suffered damage. while the rain only lasted a couple hours, the cleanup is going to take a very long time. ted rowlands, cnn, forest falls, california. >> it will. >> and so quickly, too. >> i know. five inches in one hour. my goodness. well, say it ain't so, hawaii. this isn't fair. people in the hawaiian islands are on alert as not one but potentially two hurricanes threaten the island. >> pedram, this is rare, right? >> it is. not often do we see hurricanes impact this region. the last time was 1992, errol. and the last time before is that was 1959. only twice in recorded history have we had hurricanes impact this region. right now we have hurricane iselle category 4 about 1 now miles east of hilo. and julio bound here to eventually become hurricane

julio. and both of the models suggesting they'd be heading directly to the hawaiian islands. notice how gorgeous the symmetry, the organization of the storm system is. only about 4% of all hurricanes are organized quite like this when you're talking about the symmetry and the thunderstorm activity being tremendous around the eye wall to keep it and give it that shape, that pinwheel shape you see with storm systems. and the waves ahead of the storm incredibly sitting at 40 feet high, were 12 meters high. it is expected this storm weakens a little bit as it approaches the islands sometime thursday night into friday. that point could be a weak hurricane or a strong tropical storm. there isn't much as far as the track besides the hawaiian islands in its path. and it's fascinateing when you think of the hawaiian islands, about 64 squafr miles of land is what the islands are made up of. and the pacific ocean is about 64 million square miles of water. so .01% of the surface area of the pacific ocean are the islands and of course we have

not one but two storms headed in that direction in the coming days. this is julio again expected to strengthen as it approaches the islands later on into the weekend. this particular storm is a little ways out but it does look like it may be slightly stronger than what we have with iselle in place right now. but i want to show you this because i know errol touched on the twin storms around the world. you take a look. we have remnants of nakri still over japan. halong. tropical depression genevieve over the pacific. iselle we talked about touching hawaii in the coming days. julio. number 6 is hurricane bertha sitting east of the united states. so yes, it is as busy as it gets with rotating storms that are very strong. >> good breakdown there, pedram. appreciate it. >> yeah. we're confident that you can handle it in your reporting for us. thank you for watching this hour. i'm natalie allen. >> it's been a pleasure to be with you, natalie. and i'm errol barnett. we appreciate you watching.

live pictures of gaza city for you now. >> cnn's special coverage will continue as the truce is in its second hour. max foster will join you next from london. ♪

. hello and welcome to our viewers in the united states and around the world. i'm max foster in london. breaking news this hour. two hours into the latest middle east cease-fire and so far it does appear to be holding. israel announces it is withdrawing its ground troops from gaza. we'll bring you several live reports. plus, it had never been tested on a