good night. this is "nightline." >> tonight, striking the hearts of families, searching through the rubble, torn apart by deadly violence escalating between israel and hamas. >> getting my flak jacket on. all the booms in the air here. let's go. >> matt gutman on the ground in the conflict zone. and the protesters around the world taking sides. plus making history -- >> so help me >> tashara jones joining a nation of pioneers running and winning elections. now imagine a city troubled by racial injustice. >> in order to move forward, we have to have those uncomfortable

conversations about the role that race plays in policing. >> "nightline" will be right back. [sfx: thunder rumbles] [sfx: rainstorm] ♪ comfort in the extreme. ♪ the lincoln family of luxury suvs. a capsule a day visibly fades the dark spots away. new neutrogena® rapid tone repair 20 percent pure vitamin c. a serum so powerful dark spots don't stand a chance. see what i mean? neutrogena®

good evening. thank you so much for joining us. i'm linsey davis. tonight the families left picking up the piece, caught in the crossfire of a decades' long

conflict between israel and hamas. the new tensions sparking deadly consequences. here is abc's matt gutman. >> it is a grim task of looking for survivors. entire families caught in deadly violence, caught in the crossfire between israel and hamas. the worst in seven years. bringing entire buildings to the ground. israel says it targeted the house of the leader of the militant group hamas. it's unknown whether he was home at the time, but the family of riyadh was. he survived but his wife and four of his children did not. injured and bandaged, tenderly kissing his family one last time. and miraculously, his 7-year-old daughter was pulled from the rubble alive. the father and daughter now recovering side by side. in this latest round of israeli

air strikes and hamas rockets, the violence escalated with unprecedented intensity. the islamic jihad firing rockets at an unprecedented rate. in a single week over 200 palestinians have been killed, among them 61 children. over 1400 people wounded. on the israeli side, 10 killed and 300 wounded. the united states, one of israel's biggest allies now facing mounting pressure to help de-escalate. and today president biden expressing his support for a ceasefire, but israel's prime minister benjamin netanyahu insisting that the air strikes will continue. some pointing to this moment as a possible trigger. an intense dispute over the evictions of six palestinian families from homes in east jerusalem on land that a group of israelis say was lawfully purchased over 150 years ago. the case is currently wending its way through israel's court system. >> and then two events happening at the same time.

one was a significant muslim holiday, and the other was an israeli national day. >> the violent protests that followed spurring hamas to jump into the conflict. in the u.s., israel's devastating aerial barrage has largely united republicans. >> you got to stand with our alies. israel absolutely has a right to defend themselves. >> but it has divided democrats. >> israel's security is a national security issue for us there. is a respect for meeting the needs of the palestinians. but there is a palestinian power struggle, and that is about hamas. >> but do palestinians have a right to survive? do we believe that? >> i do think that the issue of human rights is and should be at the forefront of the discussion, boast domestically and internationally. and to the extent you have a large population of people who are in fact stateless, and in many ways aren't represented in the international community, i think you're going see more and more people push for this idea

of a two-state solution. and that's a good thing. >> early last week with tensions at a boiling point, hamas, which the united states designates a terrorist organization, began firing rockets into israel. israel retaliated with air strikes. israel says hamas has launched over 3300 rockets at israel. and this image capturing the moment israel's iron dome defense system intercepting the incoming rain of rockets. >> is a very effective system. but even as effective as it is, it's only 90%. so 10% of the rockets will get through. and as the numbers of rockets have increased in areas such as gaza, lebanon, syria, and the effectiveness of the range gets longer, this becomes increasingly more difficult for the israelis to defend their civilian populations. >> we visited one of those iron dome batteries. so if this battery weren't here, what would happen? >> there is no doubt there would be significantly more israeli

casualties and destruction. >> i'm going give you a sense of what those rocket blasts can do. the rocket landed 20 yards away tw floors down. now the family here was eating its sabbath meal when the siren sounded. they sprinted to their bomb shelter. they were okay. but the man across the street was killed. in the beginning of the conflict, hamas' prime target had been the tel aviv metro area, home to more than four million people. sending israelis racing for cover. one of those rockets packed with a 100-pound warhead hitting this tel aviv suburb. inside that building, residents climbing the smoke blackened stairwell to pick through their belongings. but sirens blaring, those residents scrambling out, some crying as they entered that shelter. >> you can hear the rockets pounding right now. you can hear booms, all of us squeezing into this bomb shelter right now. >> the shelter stifling about, about 30 people inside, some of them unable to control the it feeng jillian

daniel and her family have felt before. has anything changed? >> no. >> jillian, nice to meet you. >> i first met jillian back in 2012 right off the gaza border. rocket-battered ashkelon is one of the hardest hit areas in the country. the family is already so used to the sirens, and like many israelis, it has its own bomb shelter. what happens to you inside? just now i felt a jolt of adrenaline. do you still feel that? >> you try not to show it for the kids. >> is there a sense that this is going to happen again some time soon? >> yeah. >> now nine years on, as it has every few years, the drill, the siren. >> the sirens are going. we just going into the bomb shelter. >> and the hustle for cover. how much more of this can you take?

>> why? are we going give up and just -- >> i don't know. >> go. we're not going anywhere. this is our home. >> but in gaza today where palestinians still bear the brunt of the death toll, buildings obliterated, homes destroyed. 7-year-old diana was one of those tens of thousands forced to flee. diana says they started shooting and i was scared. they kept shooting and shooting and her home was damaged. i didn't know what to do. israel, aiming to destroy the hamas infrastructure, says it has targeted a one thousand plus mile network of tunnels honeycombing gaza. those air strikes hitting residential buildings as well. rescuers pouring over debris piles, looking for signs of life. and beside one of those debris piles was mohammed hadidi, wailing in anguish. he said his wife and five sons

were visiting family at this home when the bombs came. an hour later in a haze of grief, he was led into this hospital where a little miracle awaited. his son omar. israel also receiving international condemnation for an air strike that leveled a tower block housing many international news agencies, including the associated press and al jazeera. they were given just an hour to evacuate. >> the world will know less about what's going on in gaza because of what happened today. >> but netanyahu defended the move, claiming the building was being used by hamas. >> perfectly legitimate target. and i can tell you that we took every precaution to make sure that there were no civilian injuries. >> secretary of state antony blinken saying today while israel may have sent evidence through intelligence channels, he personally has seen none of it. >> i've not seen any information provided. >> over the past week, the

tension metastasizing. in jordan, hundreds of pro palestinian protesters pushing towards the israeli wash washing warning shots fired to keep them from crossing. in lebanon, protesters setting a fire and penetrating the border fence. one person killed in those clashes. >> if this continues to expand into those areas, the israelis will have to defend from multiple fronts. that could increase civilian casualties in this conflict. there has to be discussions that continue on what to do with this much broader issue. >> but before that, both sides already bracing for the next round. >> our thanks to matt for that. coming up, how one pioneering politician plans to restore trust in a city pained by racial injustice. remember when driving was fun. it was an act of freedom and inspiration.

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ready to serve. tashara jones, the history-making new mayor of st. louis, missouri, a city on the edge of change, confronting a painful history of policing and racial injustice. here is abc's zachary kiesch. >> reporter: it's 7:30 a.m., and tashara jones is preparing to make history. in just a few hours, she will become the first black woman elected mayor of st. louis. tell me how you're feeling. >> a little overwhelmed. very excited. just wow. >> reporter: her election last month part of a sea of change in missouri politics and across the

country. black women running and winning elections, championing progressive inclusive politics. waiting in the wings to see her off are these women, her sorority sisters, draped in red, the color of delta sigma theta. they're all here to witness change in motion. >> i see it as an amazing opportunity to just bring real transformational change to not just my city, across the country as well. >> i tashara o. jones -- >> reporter: jones' inauguration is a celebration. >> so help me god. >> so help me god. >> congratulations. >> reporter: for many in the city who feel seen and haerksd like their time has come. >> i'm here today because of you. because you voted, because you got involved. and because you chose to be inspired by a movement and a vision for st. louis, seeking to move our city and our region forward. >> reporter: she joins the ranks

of woman like congresswoman cori bush, the first black woman to be elected to congress from missouri. and kim gardner, the new progressive circuit attorney of st. louis. despite all the joy and anticipation, jones is taking charge in a time of enormous challenge for st. louis. the city has been battered by covid in a surge of violent crime. there have already been 71 homicides in the city in 2021. in over 20% increase from the year before. st. louis has also been rocked by protests at the city's jail over living conditions at the facility and delayed court hearings. what is the top priority here in st. louis? >> we've had an unprecedented year of crime. how do we also economically uplift people? because i believe that's the root cause of crime. >> reporter: the population in st. louis is evenly divided between white and black, but deeply segregated. in 75% of those arrested are people of color.

the city's racial makeup is pretty split, right? >> yeah. >> reporter: about 50-50 almost? >> just about. >> reporter: yet you have said that black folks in st. louis are three times more likely to live in poverty? is that true? >> yes, that is true. they are bottom in all of the good outcomes and at the top of all the bad outcomes. so we have to change that. >> reporter: those disparities laid bare to the nation in 2014 with the police shooting death of michael brown in ferguson, just ten miles from st. louis. launching a national debate on policing of black americans. and while the officer was not indicted, a department of justice investigation found there was a pattern of racial bias in the ferguson police department. since then, ferguson has elected its first black mayor and has diversified its police force. but michael brown's death was a turning point to many who were no longer willing to tolerate

the inequities of the legal injustice systems. >> what that did was wake up people to want something different from their country. >> reporter: police department in st. louis has long been seen by many black residents as engaging in racist conduct. the nonprofit injustice watchdog, the plain view project investigated public facebook posts from police officers across the country. in st. louis, they found posts by officers suggesting they looked forward to harming black lives matter protesters. several of the 22 officers involved were reprimanded or fired. the st. louis police also have another unique distinction, separate unions. one for white and one for black. >> if they can't trust each other, then how can they expect the community to trust them? in order to move forward, we have to have those uncomfortable conversations about the role that race plays in policing. >> reporter: jones is confident that despite the challenges that at times seem insurmountable, that she is the right woman for

the job. >> i come from a strong, long line of gritty women. i think that black women lead from a different place. we think of more holistic approaches to solving problems because we have to do that within our families and communities. so that prepared us for leading majority/minority communities. i'm tashara jones. i was born and raised in st. louis. >> reporter: politics is in jones' blood. she is the only child of laura and vervis jones. her father was an alderman and the city comptroller. she rose through the ranks in st. louis politics, serving in the missouri state house and then as the city's treasurer before winning the mayoral race in april of the year. your challenge will require you to transcend race. >> uh-huh. >> jimmy: right? >> ye >> are you prepared for that? >>. >> i already had to transcend race and be known as someone who is going to get the work done, someone whose word is their

bond, and someone who can work across the aisle. >> with all her success, her proudest achievement may be her 13-year-old son. >> i'm here today as the proud single mother of the most adorable 13-year-old son aidan. >> what has being a mother meant to you? and how has that changed your life? >> it totally changed my life because it happened right when i entered politics. but my faith is huge. so if god brings you to it, he'll bring you through it. >> reporter: she share atmosphere with so many other black mother, that her son will one day have a dangerous encounter with police. >> he and i were having a conversation about what the mayor is responsible for. and he found out i was responsible for the police. and then he tells me, well, that means i'm going to be safe. no. i mean, his mom shouldn't have to become the mayor in order for him to feel safe. >> reporter: as mayor jones' first day in office drew to a close, a verdict came in the drek chauvin trial. >> count one, find the defendant

guilty. count two, find the defendant, guilty. count three, find the defendant guilty. >> reporter: a new day for the country. and for st. louis. >> america is watching, and state houses and municipalities, they're starting to pass police reform. >> i stand here before you today resolved to make change, to transform our city and to transform our approach to safety. i'm ready to get to work. >> our thanks to zachary. up next, if you had the chance to own a piece of janet jackson memorabilia, would you take it? ♪ oh, it was terrible. i was totally stranded. no tp? nope, empty roll.

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auction floor of julian's. that iconic blacken semble she wore in her award winning hit "scream" sold for a whopping $125,000. kim kardashian also cashing in on the fun, buying jackson's outfit in the music video "if." a portion of the proceeds going to a charity helping vulnerable children. some prized possessions. that's "nightline." you can watch all of our full episodes on hulu. we'll see you right back here at the same time tomorrow. i'm linsey davis. thank you so much for watching. have a good night.