thursday and friday. >> brian williams joins us next. on our broadcast tonight, outrage around the world over what's happening at the scene of the airline disaster in ukraine. tonight the families begging for them to send loved ones home. and president obama calls for a cease-fire. israel's prime minister responds here on our broadcast tonight. caught on camera, the video and the choke hold that ignited a fire storm. did police in new york cause a man's death? and did first responders do enough to try to save him? and courage under fire. tonight honoring an american hero and celebrating the very best of this nation. "nightly news" begins now. good evening.

we suspect but don't know for sure that there are loved ones, crash victims, human remains still lying in a field in eastern ukraine five days after their wide-bodied jet was taken out of the sky by a surface-to-air missile. some of the bodies have been put in bags and loaded into rail cars. many people have walked through that wreckage and trampled on the evidence and people's possessions. the president today expressed his frustration, so have civilized people around the world. incredulous that a commercial air disaster is being handled or mishandled in this way. it's where we begin tonight with nbc's keir simmons in ukraine. >> reporter: train cars packed with bodies were taken away today. no one knows when they will be returned to their families. 282 discovered so far, laid on the ground in the hot sun before

finally being loaded into refrigerated rail cars, inspected by a team of dutch forensic experts who arrived this afternoon and must identify each individual. >> i have now seen the bodies. we are starting with the identification process. that's very important to the relatives. >> reporter: how long will it take, i asked. >> i don't know. >> reporter: you don't know how soon -- >> no. >> reporter: and they must work while surrounded by the pro-russian militia accused of shooting down the plane. the militia had promised to release the plane's black boxes seized friday, but tonight the handover deadline came and went. but a full four days since the crash wreckage still littered the countryside. people's bags appear to have been opened. and what cleanup there is is basic. with just a car and a bit of rope they're trying to haul some wreckage out of the water. they bring in an old fire truck and then finally the only crane around. it's a torn section of wing. >> independent international investigators.

>> reporter: amid international outrage tonight the malaysian prime minister says the rebels have agreed safe access to the site. but still tanks on the street making it far from clear when the investigation will truly begin. tonight, those black boxes have finally been handed over by the pro-russian rebels, but today here in donetsk there was sniper fire and shelling, chaos that greeted those international investigators when they arrived here this afternoon. brian. >> keir simmons back in donetsk, ukraine, starting us off tonight. thanks. the u.s. says it has hard evidence now pointing the finger of blame at russian-backed rebels including satellite images of the russian-made missile being launched from russian separatist territory. in washington today president obama confronted vladimir putin challenging him to stop russian separatists from destroying evidence at the crash site. >> given its direct influence

over the separatists, russia and president putin in particular has direct responsibility to compel them to cooperate with the investigation. that is the least that they can do. >> for his part, putin finally broke his silence saying international experts should be able to work safely at the crash site. but his propaganda machine continued to blame the ukraine government in kiev and the u.s., even saying ukrainian fighter jet was in the area when the malaysian plane was shot down. something u.s. intelligence says is not true. and far from the crash scene tonight let's remember the ongoing anguish of the families of the 298 people who perished onboard. husbands and wives, sons and daughters, a family of five including young children, scientists, students, pictures

of some of them now emerging including a mother and son who were headed for vacation who took and then posted a photo moments before takeoff. from the netherlands to malaysia to australia families are begging vladimir putin to send their loved ones home. we get our report tonight from nbc's katy tur in amsterdam. >> reporter: 17-year-old elsemiek deborst was an a-student with dreams of becoming an architect, and a love for adventure. marking all the places she'd been on a map in her room. >> and i lost her in one second. shot from the sky. and i see all kinds of people there accusing each other. >> reporter: now hans is a father without a daughter. the remains of his little girl trapped in a political tug of war. >> and my child lie there in the field. and no one can reach her. can i have my small piece, sock, t-shirt or ring. >> reporter: she was on mh-17 with her mother, stepfather and little brother heading to a vacation in malaysia.

five days since the crash and families are still waiting. memorials are withering and funerals are stalled. >> you don't care about the politics, right? >> no. >> reporter: this is not a political thing for you. >> i care about my daughter. she wanted to go start her life. and it's gone. >> reporter: for now, all he can do is wait. facebook his only way to express his sorrow and frustration. >> thank you very much, mr. putin, leaders of the separatists or the ukraine government for murdering my loved and only child. she has been shot out of the sky. regards, elsemiek's father. my life is ruined now. >> reporter: katy tur, nbc news, amsterdam. now on to the other big story we continue to follow tonight, the withering ground assault going on in gaza with the death toll there now topping 570 in addition to 27 israelis killed. there are international demands for a cease-fire, but the

barrage is showing no signs of letting up. our chief foreign correspondent richard engel is in gaza for us tonight. richard, good evening. >> reporter: good evening, brian. palestinian sources tell us that tomorrow there could be a five-hour humanitarian cease-fire. if it holds and israel hasn't confirmed it, it could potentially pave the way for a more permanent agreement. and that would be welcome by many here in gaza. these are the final moments for ten palestinian fighters, dressed in israeli uniforms this morning they ambushed and killed four israeli troops. here they are trying to sneak back into a tunnel to escape. they're fired on and killed. two militants may still be on the loose in a nearby israeli kibbutz. there's panic as the search goes on. the militants are never found. israel is finding the fight in gaza tougher than it expected. the militants better trained, streets booby-trapped.

their tunnels extensive. so israel is using its heavy weapons. artillery and air strikes pounding the densely populated gaza strip. the injured continue to arrive at gaza city's main hospital. this services hundreds of thousands of people. and it's overwhelmed. upstairs is the children's ward. this 10-year-old was so badly hurt by israeli fire she can't talk. her younger sister lies next to her. the doctor tickles her feet. maja can't feel it. she is completely paralyzed. he tries to comfort her. she doesn't know her mother and two sisters died in the blast that left her frozen in this bed. he says they can't help her here. >> our facilities here is not so sophisticated in cases like

this. >> reporter: the doctor heads to the e.r. children on gurneys seem to be everywhere. >> this is a palestinian child. guilty of the most horrible crime to be born palestinian in gaza. >> reporter: this ground offensive has lasted only a few days. already hundreds are dead and thousands wounded. and just tonight, brian, israel struck an apartment building here in gaza city when rescue workers moved into the building, the building collapsed on top of them. at least 20 people were killed. and it's just one more event that shows how important the cease-fire could be. >> our chief foreign correspondent richard engel in gaza city for us tonight. richard, thanks. in israel tonight, thousands of people crowded into the military cemetery in the seaside city offering comfort to the family of sergeant sean carmeli, a 21-year-old fought for israel but raised in the u.s.

he was one of two americans killed this weekend while serving in the idf, the israeli defense forces. last night in l.a. a candle light vigil for max steinberg, a sharp shooter in the israeli army. there are close to 2,000 americans serving right now in the israeli military. earlier today we spoke with israeli prime minister benjamin netanyahu who is under increasing fire for the civilian deaths we've seen in gaza while insisting he must defend his country from relentless rocket attacks. >> you know, at a certain point you say what choice have you got. what would you do? what would you do if american cities, where are you sitting now, brian, would be rocketed with absorbed hundreds of rockets? you know what you'd say? you'd say to your leader, a man's got to do what a man's got to do and say our country's got to do what a country's got to do. we have to defend ourselves.

we try to do it with minimum amount of force or with targeting military targets as best as we can. but we'll act to defend ourselves. no country can live like this. >> let's talk about the civilian deaths. last night our network aired scenes of the largest hospital in gaza having to turn away dead bodies at the hospital morgue. there was no more room. you've seen the widely chronicled story of the boys on the beach in gaza who were killed. how does it strike you as a father, as a human being? >> it's very saddening to see any of these civilian deaths is terribly saddening. we regret every one of them. and we don't seek to have even one civilian death. we're targeting hamas terrorists. i can tell that we opened up a hospital, humanitarian field hospital on the edge of gaza. and hamas doesn't let the people

come there. they're hiding rockets in hospitals, they're hiding arms in hospitals, they're shooting from hospitals. so they just don't care. i mean, they break every norm in the book. every rule in the book. committing triple war crimes, targeting civilians, hiding behind civilians, piling civilians in places where they'll be put in harm's way. i think to the extent there's any blame it should be laid squarely to hamas' door because these are not symmetrical conditions. >> it is the s are dying in droves, that we've seen pictures of children wandering the streets of gaza no longer with homes to return to. our president just this morning called again for a cease-fire. are you willing to talk to hamas in any form? and what are you willing to agree to when secretary kerry gets to work there? >> well, we've agreed three times, as i said, to successive cease-fires. and i think the most important initiative.

and really the only initiative is the egyptian initiative supported by the arab league, supported by the palestinian authorities, supported by israel, supported by the u.n. if hamas wants to end this, they could have supported it. i think kerry -- john kerry, will come here, and i think he should stand behind this initiative. if people want to end it, it could end. >> part of our conversation with israeli prime minister benjamin netanyahu from earlier today. in response to our conversation with the prime minister, hamas tells nbc news in a statement tonight, "it is netanyahu and his army of war criminals that have targeted and continue to target innocent and defenseless civilians. as for hamas, every single israeli killed by its fighters or its rockets except one have been soldiers in uniform, on duty, fully armed and on the battlefield." end of quote from hamas. the full version of our interview is on our website

tonight. another big story in this country tonight, a massive fire fight going on in washington state where ten wildfires are now burning out of control. more than 100 homes have been destroyed, a major effort is underway there to save more homes from going up. nbc's jacob rascon is in alta lake, washington, for us tonight. jacob, good evening. >> reporter: brian, good evening. it is the largest wildfire in washington state history. now up to 150 homes burned and climbing. tonight, the first loss of life, a 67-year-old man died trying to save his own home. on the front lines crews work to protect what is left. today, we saw for ourselves why a break in the weather doesn't mean a break in the fire fight. and it is paying off. the fire is now 2% contained. 1,700 firefighters on the ground including the air national guard and more fires on the way. and tonight as well we have thousands of evacuees that are told they will be without water and power for at least a month. brian. >> jacob rascon, alta lake,

washington state for us tonight. jacob, thanks. still ahead for us this evening, the sad and shocking

it would normally have been a routine arrest in the new york city borough of staten island. a man suspected of selling cigarettes on the streets. you'll see him in a moment as police encircle him that's when things go wrong and he was later pronounced dead. now new york's emergency services have a big problem on their hands. our report tonight from nbc's ron mott. >> i did nothing. i stood here the whole time minding my business. >> reporter: amateur video shows new york city police officers confronting 43-year-old eric garner. suspected of illegally selling

cigarettes. >> i did not sell nothing. don't touch me. [ bleep ]. >> reporter: an officer appears to apply a choke hold, a maneuver prohibited by the department. >> i can't breathe. i can't breathe. >> reporter: garner was later pronounced dead. the official cause is pending. the video sparked protest. his widow overcome by emotion during one of the rallies. the growing outrage extends to four emergency workers who also responded to the scene. witnesses say no effort was made to resuscitate garner while he lied on the sidewalk here. and bystanders took note of that as well on video. >> gentle giant. >> reporter: aisha knew garner and captured the scene. the video does not show garner being given cpr, oxygen or other treatment before he's lifted onto a stretcher. >> i had to film. i had to stand up and show this is wrong. nobody should be treated like this. nobody. >> reporter: the four ems workers have been placed on modified duty. one of the police officers had his badge and gun taken away. another assigned to desk duty. an investigation is underway.

in a statement, the police union said, not wanting to be arrested does not grant an individual the right to resist arrest. after garner was removed, the officer who applied the choking maneuver waved to the camera. >> notice the wave. >> reporter: garner's funeral is scheduled for wednesday. ron mott, nbc news, new york. and we're back in a moment with a new world record already set this summer.

the national oceanic and atmospheric administration says the global average temperature hit a new high in the month of june after setting an all-time record in the month of may. the head of climate monitoring for noaa says the pacific and indian oceans are particularly warm right now. the u.s. did not set a record, in fact it was only the 33rd hottest june on record in this country. tributes still pouring in

tonight for the late-great james garner who brought a kind of rough around the edges charm to hollywood because he was rough around the edges. an oklahoma native, a recipient of two purple hearts in combat in korea, he raced cars for fun and became an enduring and easy going leading man. able to reach us when misbehaving while even in the way back driving at highway speeds. new views just released of prince george tonight. the royal couple released two photos to mark his first birthday specifically a visit to the butterfly exhibit at the natural history museum in london, including a live one that landed on his dad's hand. the future king turns 1 tomorrow. he'll be the guest of honor at a small birthday tea party for friends and family at a kensington palace. when we come back tonight, a story of incredible heroism, a great american is honored for an extraordinary act of bravery.

at the white house today, president obama awarded the medal of honor, the 40th time he's done so in his presidency, to army sergeant ryan pitts for his extraordinary bravery in the face of near certain death during a fire fight in afghanistan holding off the taliban until help arrived. we get his story tonight from our pentagon correspondent jim miklaszewski.

>> reporter: it was july 2008, these soldiers from chosen company were manning an observation post overlooking a village in eastern afghanistan when sergeant ryan pitts says their world suddenly exploded. >> there was a burst of machine gun fire from the north and that's when kind of the valley erupted. >> reporter: more than 200 taliban fighters and at least an avalanche of gunfire and rocket propelled grenades, almost immediately a grenade blew pitts off his feet. within minutes every soldier at the outpost was either killed or critically wounded. and pitts thought he too would die. >> i thought it was my time. >> reporter: and how do you handle that? >> keep fighting. it's the only thing to do. i wasn't going to give up. >> reporter: without the use of his legs or left arm, pitts threw hand grenades and crawled to a machine gun where he single handedly kept the enemy from overrunning the outpost. nearby sergeant israel garcia lay mortally wounded. >> i just held his hand and talked to him.

>> reporter: what did garcia tell you? >> he wanted me to tell his wife and mom he loved them. >> reporter: they eventually pushed back the enemy while medevac pilots carried out a grim mission. in the end nine americans were killed, 27 wounded in one of the fiercest battles of the war. at the white house today, president obama presented pitts the medal of honor. his wife, amy, had their 1-year-old son lucas in tow. a gift of life. pitts credits it to his fellow soldiers. >> i feel very lucky to be here. there are nine guys who didn't make it home. they gave us a gift. i'm not going to waste it. >> reporter: jim miklaszewski, nbc news, the pentagon. >> with today's addition there are now 80 living recipients of the medal of honor including nine from the war in afghanistan alone. that is our broadcast on a monday night as we start off a new week. thank you for being here with us. i'm brian williams. we of course hope to see you right back here tomorrow evening. right back here tomorrow evening. good night. -- captions by vitac -- www.vitac.com

nbc bay area news starts now. we want jobs, but not at the safety of our children. >> receipt now at 6:00, big development is moving in, but at what cost? a small community is fighting to have their voices heard. >> new at 6:00 tonight, a small working class community in the south bay is taking on a big fight, battling a massive development that they say will destroy their neighborhood. lead eaers were slapped with a

lawsuit. and it finally blew up today. >> reporter: this community group is not rich and has very little resources to take on the legal fight. they have cast themselves as david versus goliath to stop it. trucks rumbling through may be the sound of the future for this working neighborhood. a company flans a huge 57 acre development which includes a manufacturing facility and a large trucking operation. an opposition neighborhood group points out the project will be build next to george main elementary school and other facilities. >> trucks, 24/7. there's n