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big welcome to our viewers in the u.s. and around the world. top stories for you this hour. we are now seeing the full extent of the devastation in gaza some 24 hours into a humanitarian cease-fire between israel and hamas. meanwhile leaders from both sides are in cairo today in hopes of workingous a long-term peace plan. we'll take you live to the region. plus inside the fight against ebola. cnn's david mckenzie speaks to aid workers willing to risk their thrives stop the epidemic. and patients who are beating the deadly virus. also ahead, the fall out from an attack on coalition forces in afghanistan that left a measu american general dead and more than a dozen others wounded. what could this mean for the relationship between u.s. and afghan forces? thanks for being with us. they won't be meeting face-to-face, but israeli and palestinian negotiators are in cairo today for talks aimed at cementing that cease-fire in gaza. israel says it has withdrawn its forces from gaza now that it has

destroyed the network of hamas tunnels used to launch attacks inside israel. that was its main mission, of course >> yes. and with the 72-hour cease-fire that went into effect 24 hours ago, apparently holding, many israelis say they are glad to see an end to the violence. >> we can go deeper in this campaign, but we have to consider the cost. we have to consider the price that we might pay for this. >> about time, i think. we've been in gaza for two weeks. and we've more or less had enough. >> now, many gaza residents got a chance to return to their homes to see the devastation first hand. >> and it is immense. the united nations projects that rebuilding all of it could cost between 4 and $6 billion and

take more than 10 years. our martin savidge has more. >> reporter: for the first time in weeks, fishermen in gaza tend to their nets. a sign of optimism this cease-fire might actually work. but they don't take their boats beyond the break wall in case it doesn't. when it comes to peace, palestinians have learned to hedge their bets. at u.n. schools and shelters, some begin leaving to go where isn't clear. others were more pragmatic, thinking it best to wait and see. they said there was a truce before and we left, says this man. but five minutes after we got home the air strikes started. at gaza city's main market it's busy the and the food and goods surprisingly plentiful. but the end of the violence has not brought an end to the long-term problems here. most conflict zones cash is king. credit cards don't work too well here. when you need cash you go to the atm. and they're lucky this one works.

unfortunately, most people haven't been paid in months. so there's no money for them to withdraw. there is no shortage of opinions about the war and the talks to end it. this man says a cease-fire is the right decision. no one needs war. while this woman believes hamas will negotiate concessions from israel. i am expecting a victory from the resistance. we will win this war, she says. we are preparing the festivities. in the wasteland that was shujia, this area was pounded relentlessly by israeli air strikes and artillery for days. in bet-hanun it's the same story. no homes, no schools, no mosques, nothing is left of what used to be. >> i was shocked, he says. ways imagining everything except the sight i saw. here in the ruins, residents are realizing a cease-fire was the easy part.

the hard part is what comes next. martin savidge, cnn, gaza. >> that's an incredible image there. of course, it is just past 8:00 in the morning there in gaza. that's where our karl penhaul is this morning. he joins us now live. karl, we see there the devastation is vast and extensive, but the cease-fire is holding for now at least. and that must be some comfort for civilians there. what are they telling you as they head into this second day of the truce? and how long do people think this will likely hold? >> reporter: well, rosemary, i talked to many people yesterday and saw a range of emotions. comfort wasn't one of them. i think that would be a fundamental misunderstanding of the nature of war and its aftermath. these people were going back and looking at buildings that they had built up through their hard work. they had had the good times and the bad times that any family

has in their homes. what they were going back to were piles of rubble. first of all, before they even got to any kind of emotion it was just trying to understand what was going on. one man looked at me and he said -- he was a ph.d student. he said to me, i can't understand what is going on here, he said. i can't get it into my brain. i feel like i'm in a dream. another man who was a wedding photographer stood on the top of his building. it used to be a two-story home. he said, i'm a wedding photographer. why have they attacked my home? another man just shrugged and he said, my neighbor said now that the fighting stopped, aren't you looking forward to go home? and he turned around to his friend and said, i have no home to go to. that is the emotion that is going through palestinians today. that was the emotion going through palestinians yesterday. they are a long, long way from finding comfort. the u.n. is also aware of that. and they say that the cease-fire

is only the beginning and not an end in itself. let's liston what though say. >> a cease-fire in itself is not enough. it is essential because it's life-saving. and it was needed now. but we cannot have the situation in gaza simply return to the pre-existing conditions of the blockade. this was already unsustainable before this conflict, and it will be worse because of the destruction of property, infrastructure and the loss of life that has occurred during this conflict. >> reporter: so of course it may be easier for palestinians not to have bombs and artillery falling around them and hearing rocket fire going out around the clock for sure. that must be easier than having the sounds of war around them. but the big question now on all their minds is, what comes next. rosemary? >> yes, most definitely. and karl, we have been reporting the cost of rebuilding gaza, the

u.n. estimates in the billions, up to 6 billion, perhaps. where is that money going to come from? and how long would it likely take to rebuild and return to some form of normalcy for civilians there, if that is even possible when you look at the landscape there? >> reporter: well, first of all somebody's got to get out there and do an accurate assessment. that has not been possible yet by any of the agencies, not even the palestinian representatives themselves. because you simply can't get into some of these neighborhoods. you still have to clear out with bulldozers to get a way in. some neighborhoods you can't even walk in except with great risk, clamoring over rubble. so for the next days, weeks, months, quite probably, an accurate assessment has to be done on the numbers of buildings that have been destroyed, the numbers of buildings that must be pulled down because they've been damaged in the fighting, and then the costs of rebuilding infrastructure. the united nations on the one hand has said it could take up to 30 years to rebuild just from

the damage that was caused here. and that of course is aggravated if the humanitarian situation doesn't improve in gaza in terms of open borders. because until now there have been restrictions on things like building materials and cement. of course one would say that after the last war when rebuilding efforts started, then hamas used a lot of that concrete and rebar to build their tunnels. that may be quite possible. but nonetheless there is a need for the civilians to rebuild their lives. and it could take absolutely years. i don't think anybody has really started to fathom how this is going to work yet, rosemary. >> i can understand that. many thanks to our karl penhaul reporting there live from gaza city. health owe egfficials in wev ra battling to contain this alarming ebola outbreak.

unfortunately there are possible new cases surfacing among people who have recently visited the region. a nigerian doctor was recently diagnosed with ebola. a man in saudi arabia is showing symptoms of the virus. he's not confirmed to have it yet. of course there are it those two americans currently being treated in the u.s. meantime, kenya's president represents an east african country, says more help is needed. >> we do feel like the world isn't doing enough to support us in confronting the challenges that we have, especially when we recognize that those challenges are not just kenyan challenges but are global challenges which require global effort. >> now, the military in sierra leone has deployed more than 700 medical officials to locations throughout the country. all of this to try and contain this deadly outbreak. citizens have been asked to avoid work and simply stay home. many people listening to that. i spoke with a friend from sierra leone saying she's never seen the country so deserted,

even during the war. our david mckenzie got exclusive access inside a busy ebola treatment center in the hard-hit location of kalahun. >> reporter: taking incredible care to combat an unprecedented outbreak. ebola can lead to death with just one drop of infected fluids. >> that's why we take every possible precaution to prevent that. >> reporter: already, dozens of doctors and nurses have died in this outbreak. still, dr. stefan kruger says he had to come. >> i really just think this is really needed. and there's a really big lack of resources. and at the moment, the truth is if we weren't here they'd be -- >> reporter: but here they are losing the battle. ebola has hit four countries. the number of infections continue to rise. this outbreak is out of control. in the last two weeks, they've doubled their capacity here for

confirmed ebola patients. and they're doing all they can to help those who are sick. but they're absolutely at capacity here. >> the level of effort that it is right now stop the disease? >> no. to be fair, no. and it's really difficult. because we are running behind the outbreak. we don't know where we are staying. it's really frustrating for us. because we don't have the capacity to go everywhere. >> reporter: but here they do what they can. in the high-risk zone, this woman calls out for help. she has ebola. so does her son. ebola is so deadly it's killing our citizens. it's killing our country says tena nalu. her husband and son died of the disease. 70% of con filmfirmed cases wil, too. to talk to tena we must stand a few feet away. this strict protocol protects us. the cruelty is it isolates her.

still, tena believes her 12-year-old daughter which is make it and so will she. we're feeling much better, she says. we're strong and we're going to fight. >> what happens when you actually beat this disease? >> yeah. i mean, that's the real highlight of everything that we do here. everybody comes to watch the patient come out of isolation. it really -- i think it motivates all the staff to continue doing what we're doing here. >> david mckenzie, cnn, kalahun, sierra leone. >> you heard one woman there say this outbreak is killing her country. it's sure to have an economic impact as well. because as health officials struggle to contain the outbreak, british airways is now suspending flights to liberia and sierra leone through this month of august. the airline cited what it calls quote the deteriorating public health situation in those countries. meantime, nancy writebol,

that's the second american infected with ebola, she is now receiving treatment at emory university hospital in atlanta, georgia. writebol was given an experimental serum before she left liberia where she was helping care for ebola patients. the aid group she worked for says she's still very weak but is showing signs of improvement. there's also this story of an american doctor who may have been the very first person to ever survive the ebola virus after contracting it back in 1972. you can see his story at cnn.com. for the first time since world war ii, an american general has been killed in combat overseas. after the short break we will have the very latest on that attack in afghanistan. captain obvious: i probably wouldn't stay here tonight. man: thanks, captain obvious. captain obvious: i'd get a deal for tonight with deals for tonight from hotels.com. and you might want to get that pipe fixed.

welcome back, everyone. the top u.s. military officer expressed his con dole epss after an american general was killed by an afghan soldier. >> on facebook, general martin dempsey, chairman of the joint chiefs of staff said and i'm quoting here directly, "we serve. and where we serve we are often at risk." major general harold greene was killed in the attack at a training base in afghanistan. 15 other coalition troops, including a german general, were wounded. >> now, greene is the highest-ranking american to be killed in afghanistan. brian todd has more on the attack and the fallout. >> reporter: so far, the taliban has acknowledged but not claimed responsibility for the killing

of an american general, saying in a statement, "the attack took place while the invaders' military personnel were checking the quality of the training of their afghan puppet forces." experts say the taliban will get a propaganda bounce. >> i think the taliban will certainly season this, whether this was a taliban operation or not. >> reporter: the pentagon isn't commenting on the possibility of taliban involvement, saying the afghan military and international forces are in the early stages of the investigation. pentagon officials went out of their way to say the incident would not change the relationship between u.s. and afghan forces. >> i've seen no indication that there's a degradation of trust between coalition members and their afghan counterparts. >> reporter: seth jones has advised u.s. forces in afghanistan. he says the vetting of afghan troops to make sure terrorists don't infiltrate the ranks has improved in recent years. it had, to he says, after the 2012 spike in attacks by afghan

soldiers on coalition forces. >> part of what's taking place is we are transitioning to afghan security. and for us to train them effectively, we are much closer contact. our troops are in much closer contact with afghan troops on an ongoing basis. >> reporter: those attacks, often called green on blue, have dramatically dropped since then. now jones says every afghan soldier's name and background are run through databases shared between afghan intelligence and military agencies. soldiers in some units get psychological screening, and they revisit those checks periodically throughout their careers. >> if they pop up in intelligence collection as supporting or talking to in any way the taliban or other groups, that obviously causes pretty serious concern and relook at an individual, and in some cases it's meant the arrest or the throwing out of these individuals. >> reporter: but there are gaps, jones says. some afghan units may not come back and rescreen soldiers as often as they should for signs

of corruption. >> taliban could have gotten to someone with a bribe or extortion or grievance if something was done to this person's family. >> reporter: jones says with the killing of an american general, that whole vetting process will be reassessed, maybe overhauled. and he says the two militaries may look at the possibility of never letting a rank and file afghan soldier near a top american officer ever again. brian todd, cnn, washington. a u.s. army sergeant who spent five years as a taliban prisoner will be questioned by an army investigator in the coming day. this is a new photo of bowe bergdahl we received from his attorney. the now 28-year-old has been undergoing counselling since his release in may and is back on regular duty at a base in texas. an army fact-finding investigation conducted in the months after his disappearance found that bergdahl left his post deliberately.

but there was no definitive finding of desertion. bergdahl's attorneys say he expects today's meeting to be quote interesting and productive. now, it's been a long time since we've discussed the search for mh 370. but still the search continues. and in fact it is now entering a new phase. coming up next, australian authorities make a major announcement about who will lead the mission.

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australian authorities have selected a dutch company to lead the search for mh 370. >> this emerges as a royal malaysian navys hydro graphic ship set sail for the indian ocean to help in the search. our andrew stephens has more. >> reporter: it will be five months this week since malaysia airlines flight 370 disappeared off the face of the planet. apart from some faint radar images and a series of so-called digital hand shakes, virtually nothing is known about what happened or even where it is. it's all basically still educated guesswork. now, the latest phase of the search was announced in kambra today. a private dutch company has been awarded the company for a detailed search of the new target area.

now, two vessels from fugro survey will comb a 60,000 square kilometer, that's 20,000 square mile patch of the inhospitable southern indian ocean looking for clues. they'll tow sophisticated sonar equipment which will scan the sea floor to the extent that any sizeable wreckage from 370 should be seen. but that pain-staking process could still take a full year unless there is an early breakthrough. two ships are already in the zone. they're constructing a less detailed map which will provide the new search team with key information about the topography of the sea floor. now, what we know so far is that the search zone, which starts in the north here at about a depth of 1800 meters, then slopes down to the southern end to a depth of around 4800 meters. now, what they found so far in the part they've looked at includes a giant ridge that plunges hundreds of meters to the sea floor plus underwater

volcanos. there's still another 40% of the zone that the ships haven't got to yet. for all that, though, australia's deputy prime minister warren truss said today he's still cautionly optimistic, even though authorities will now tell you there's no certainty they're even looking in the right placement five months on, and m h 370 has given up nothing of its whereabouts. that optimism we hear is still based largely on hope. andrew stephens, cnn, hong kong. we keep our focus in asia now. hundreds of thousands of people in japan are facing a potentially dangerous combination this week. >> yes. a powerful typhoon approaching and a brutal heat wave. >> meteorologist pedra joins us more on this dangerous combo. >> the heat certainly is on, has been on, has caused some fatalities across that region we haven't touched on too much because of the severity of these typhoons that have impacted areas around japan. i want to touch on what's happening with regards to these

typhoons. halong at this hour weakened a little bit. the winds have dropped to 150 kilometers per hour. it would be considered about 90, 95 miles per hour. still a strong category 1 hurricane equivalent as it sits out there about 1,000 kilometers east of taiwan or 600 miles east of taiwan. a couple of days ago this was a supertyphoon. it was category 5 equivalent. that's the good news as far as weakening. the track bad news. this region of southern japan has already seen historic rainfall in recent days. talking about 40 inches in a few spots or nearly a meter of rainfall have come down this. storm system has the potential to really exacerbate the flash flooding issue here in the next few days. landfall friday night into saturday morning. look at the cone of uncertainty. even puts tokyo in line here for severe weather as we head in through saturday morning. areas indicated in blue have the most likelihood of impact. again the winds with that point could be a strong category 1 hurricane equivalent as it approaches this region. you can see nearly 200 kilometers per hour when it comes to wind gusts.

now, temperatures we talked about record heat also taking place. portions of southern japan, right there. the town of fushiki. the temperature reached 38 degrees celsius. that is 100 degrees fahrenheit exactly. it should be closer to 86 fahrenheit for this time of year. even tokyo in the mid 90s fahrenheit or 36 degrees celsius. so the heat certainly impacting a lot of people. the kids finding a way to cool off. but we know 8600 people have been submitted to hospitals across this region, mainly reporting heat stroke-like symptoms because of the temperatures that have been consistently so warm in that region. and rosemary and errol, just want to share with you, something about tropical storm berbertha. the models now suggesting this storm system will take a long ride back across the atlantic. eventually next week after losing its tropical characteristics, our friends across portions of the u.k., maybe even france, could be impacted by a pretty powerful storm. again nontropical in nature but remnants of bertha.

so everyone getting a wrath of mother nature in recent days. >> that's incredible sustaining its strengths all across there. >> thanks, pedra. coming up, cnn's nick paton walsh caught in the middle as ukrainian forces gain ground and the rebel-held city of donetsk. >> we've heard sustaineded automatic gun fire here in central donetsk. a real sign i think the militants must be extraordinarily edgy or perhaps in the worst situation, exchanges of gun fire with the ukranian military as they are this close to the city center. after the break, the latest on the fighting and fears in eastern ukraine. plus israeli tanks rolling out of gaza as the military declares mission accomplished. coming up next for you, the demands both sides are bringing to today's peace talks in cairo. your 16-year-old daughter

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