good evening. despite the deaths of more than 680 palestinians and 34 israelis in more than two weeks of violence, neither side appears to be showing any signs of backing down. on the ground, israeli troops act up by -- backed up by drones. one city was the scene of deadly fighting this wednesday. the palestinian red crescent says it is trying to evacuate from that areae which has been pummeled by airstrikes and shelling. airstrikes hit gaza hospital which houses a hamas command

center. the medical director says all patients and staffs were evacuated following warnings from israel. a foreign worker was killed earlier in israel. deaths ofounced the five more of its soldiers, bringing the military death toll to 32. gaza.e to jesse in here's what he told us. >> today in gaza was another day of continuous bombardment. some journalists got access to the district which the residents fled on sunday in near thousands. going in behind the international committee for the red cross, there was a scene of absolute devastation. buildings had been leveled all over the place, walls blown out from apartments and from storefronts. people's belongings all across the street. people trapped

alive under the rubble. the -- in, it was an incredibly difficult situation where no truce ever really took hold. there was constant rifle tribal -- fire. as they tried to free a couple of people, an israeli shell went off and forced the crew to evacuate. it is yet another sign of what kind of devastation is being sought along israel's borders with gaza, where there is some tense guerrilla fighting going on. >> in the last couple of minutes, we've heard from the hamas leader that he is ready to accept a humanitarian truce in gaza, with conditions, namely that the blockade is lifted. just tell us what the humanitarian situation is like right now across the gaza strip. across gaza, the humanitarian situation is worsening and getting considerably more dire.

what we seen his hospitals increasingly running out of supplies. hospitals have been targeted -- saint and his hospitals increasingly running out of have seen ashat we hospitals increasingly running out of supplies. hospitals have been targeted. people situation where are already under siege and have very few supplies. the demands to end forms of israeli blockade are in craven -- are increasingly popular and absolutely essential to hamas foster the consent of the cease-fire at this point. >> that was jesse rosenfeld reporting from gaza. we spoke to the chief spokesperson of the israeli prime minister. thank you for joining us once again. un'sard the secretary-general, ban ki-moon, say that at least one palestinian child has been twoed every hour the past

days. international humanitarian law may have been violated in israel . what is israel doing to stop the killings of all these innocent people? >> we want this to be over. i would remind you that a week ago, israel accepted the cease-fire that was put on the table by the egyptians and supported the united nations and the arab league. we accepted and abided by the cease-fire. it was rejected by hamas. that subjected us all to continued fighting following that. there were a number of proposals put on the table put on by the united nations and the red cross for a humanitarian cease-fire. we accepted and honored them. once again hamas rejected those cease-fires were violated them. both israelndemned and the civilian population of gaza to a continued conflict. women, anddren, 74 the possible accusation of war crimes coming from geneva.

that's a very serious accusation. ,teps must be taken right now surely, to ensure there are no more innocent civilians? killed in that violence? >> let's be clear. israel is making a maximum effort not to see any civilian casualties in gaza. we don't want even one civilian casualty. we are above for mid -- up against a formidable foe who embeds themselves in the civilian population and uses that population as a human shield. your reporter came from a district where we had very intense fighting between our soldiers and hamas fighters. we lost all too many of our young servicemen in that conflict. but we told the people of that area please vacate. leave. there's going to be difficult combat. we have to deal with the hamas targets here there was missile production, storage, and shooting from that area.

there is a labyrinth of terror tunnels in that network. we had to deal with those tunnels. what did hamas a? hamas said don't leave. hamas ordered people to stay and what was hamas' motivation in telling people to stay in a shown zone echo hamas has it is interested in civilian casualties for its own crazy, extremist agenda. >> when we've spoken on previous occasions, you've said the goal hamas, hamas is the target. yesterday i spoke to reporters in gaza and asked if all this bloodshed and all these tragic deaths of so many civilians was making the tide turn against hamas. was this having the desired effect from israel's perspective of turning the people of gaza against hamas? i was told, no, if anything, this has strengthened the body. only people that are being blamed for the bloodshed are israel ease -- are israel ease

-- are israelis. the you think this is a sign that this is failing its main objective -- do you think this is a sign that this is failing in its main objective? >> to end the hostile rocket fire from gaza on our cities -- we've had more than 2000 rockets raining in from gaza, launched by the terrorists there on israeli cities to try to kill our people. our goal is to stop the launching of rockets and to stop the infiltration across the border through the tunnels when they try to come across to kill our people. i would like to offer a different perspective. if you walk down gaza with a "france 24" camera and ask what they think, i think every journalist will tell you that people in gaza are very limited in what they can say. hamas rules the gaza strip with a nine fist and does not tolerate criticism -- with an iron fist and does not tolerate criticism lightly.

reporters have reported that there is such -- a frustration with hamas, that it refuses to accept and arab league sponsored cease-fire proposal, that it made this conflict continue. i believe when this is over, it will be clear to everyone what hamas did to the population of gaza. they caused this war. they went all this -- they lead all this destruction. hamas initiated a conflict that no one really wanted. to the diplomatic activity behind the scenes to end the bloodshed. we all understand you can't disclose details to us, but can you give us a sense of whether or not any progress is being seen in those efforts? yesterday my prime minister, benjamin netanyahu met with the u.n. secretary-general. this evening he is meeting with the american secretary of state, john kerry. said,tely, our goal, as i

is defensive, to safeguard the people of israel, to prevent them from that offensive fire, both rocket and other from the gaza strip. if that goal of bringing about a sustained period of quiet, so they don't have to live in fear, if that can be achieved through diplomatic means, we would embrace that. in the meantime, when hamas has said no to all diplomatic options, we have to act militarily to protect our people from the rockets and from those very dangerous terror tunnels. , thank you once again for joining us on "france 24." u.s. aviation authorities today extended their ban on american flights to tel aviv by another 24 hours. that ban was implemented on tuesday after a hamas rocket struck close by ben-gurion international airport, israel's only international hub. james has been there and sent us that report -- this report.

>> usually at the end of july, these cues -- queues are full. there are few people waiting to get on board planes. 80 flights have been canceled. travelers are here. british airways is still operating in ben-gurion airport. a spokesperson for the israeli airport authority. this is what he had to say. >> i believe that the and mertens overreact. -- the americans overreact. than half are million people that came and went from israel for the last two weeks. we don't understand why they decide 12 hours after the rocket to close their flights to israel . >> there were a few chaotic scenes at the marion airport

after the first few hours that airlines announced they were -- at the ben-gurion airport after the first few hours that airlines announced they were canceling flights. >> israeli security is the best in the world. it is safe. >> i didn't sleep all night because i was so afraid that our holidays that i planned for a long time would be canceled. ,> we wanted to go to frankfurt but it is canceled. >> what were you going to do? >> we are hoping to get another flight that is reasonably priced . that is nearly impossible. >> tel aviv's ben-gurion airport is the only international airport in israel and one of the few entrance and exit points. with israeli citizens stranded in the united states or europe, this suspension of flights is a real nuisance to the israeli public. >> "france 24's" james andre

reporting. an air force jet carrying u.s. secretary of state john kerry onched down there earlier today. for the second time this week, he has been holding talks with u.n. -- with the u.n. secretary-general. he says talks -- progress has been made but there is still plenty to be done. >> there still work to be done. i'm very appreciative of secretary-general -- the secretary-general's efforts. the u.n. is wholeheartedly in this effort to see if we can get not just a cease-fire, but a sustainable process going forward. >> the u.n. secretary-general, ban ki-moon, said today that at least one palestinian child has been killed every hour during the last two days. following a vote and an emergency session, the u.n. human rights council agreed to launch an international inquiry into violations that may have been committed during israel's latest military offensive in gaza. 29 states voted in favor of that

inquiry, 17 abstained, and only one, the united states, voted against it. the high commissioner for human rights, now the play -- navi pillay, said some of these could constitute war crimes. >> shells hit the hospital in reportedly killing at least three people and wounding dozens of others, including doctors. these are just a few instances where there seems to be a strong possibility that international humanitarian law has been violated in a manner that could amount to war crimes. every one of these incidents must be properly and independently investigated. >> the u.n. high commissioner for human rights, navi pillay. a demonstration in support of

gaza has been taking place in paris this evening. the authorities authorized this demonstration after banning others, one of which went ahead anyway and descended into violence. a number of jewish-owned businesses were attacked and a number of people were arrested. in the heart of paris, joining us now, tell us where you are. what's the latest around you right now? here in the square just by the french parliament. barricaded.ve been buoyant.has been very not upbeat but positive, saying we must free palestine. slogans have included stop israel, stop the blockade, let's do everything we can to stop the aggression we are seeing in the gaza strip and israel. france'se slogans is

-- added to those slogans is france is complicit, hollande has blood on his hands. that is something the prime minister has rejected. he has said france is the first country to say there must be a cease-fire now, palestine must be a free and viable state. is inmosphere here dramatic contrast to the other demonstrations we've seen, notably in the northern suburb over the weekend and the mood here is, yes, we will defend our cause. >> we just heard from the authorities there. 14,500 participants at today's march. int's the feeling like france in general right now with regards to these recent tensions? >> you are absolutely right. there were a few hundred when we started out. it is now 14,500 demonstrators

for palestine. the mood has generally -- it is day 16 of this attack by israel on the gaza strip and on the palestinians. the mood is one of reconciliation as well with the muslim community. imam says that the media is focusing on the rioting and arrests. that does not represent the feelings of the 4 million to 5 million french muslims. they support freedom of expression. what bothers the jewish community is the slogans, such and hitler was right. we have not heard those this evening. this has been a heavily policed the menstruation. -- a heavily policed demonstration.

>> thanks for that update. let's move onto other world news now. today has been a day of national mourning in the netherlands. the country of origin of 193 of the 290 eight victims of the mh 17 air disaster -- of the 298 victims of the mh17 aor disaster -- air disaster. the planes carried 40 of the bodies of the victims. the planes were met by the dutch king and queen and other officials. the coffins were loaded onto a fleet of hearses. [trumpet plays solemn song] >> a trumpet salute to the victims of mh17.

bid farewell as the country marks a day of national mourning. 298 victims, 193 were dutch citizens. it is unclear how many bodies have been left on the crash site. so far 40 coffins have been flown to the military base. the bodies have been driven 100 kilometers away, southeast of amsterdam, where forensic experts will try to identify them. in ukraine,earlier authorities expressed their condolences to the victims of a war they had nothing to do with. ande share a common grief we can assure you that the people who are guilty of this terrorist acts will be brought to justice and punished. boxes have arrived in britain for analysis. investigators hope they will shed light on who pulled the

trigger. according to u.s. intelligence , pro-russian activists accidentally shot down the plane, but there is no prompt -- no concrete evidence that moscow provided them with the missile. >> dutch accident investigators said early on that the flight recorders from mh17 do not appear to have been tampered with. the progression rebels who control the area surrounding the crash site only handed over those two flight recorders to officials after intense international pressure. news, 47 people have been killed after a passenger plane in taiwan tried to make a crash landing. we understand from the french twopaper "le figaro" that french nationals were among the victims. it was heading to the island of -- it crash landed on another island in taiwan.

propeller of the plane had made two attempt at landing during what was a heavy thunderstorm. the injured are being treated in a nearby hospital. the airline is based in taiwan. it operates mainly short-haul and regional flights. let's get a reminder of our top stories. no end in sight. a flurry of diplomatic activity continues. so, too, does the killing. a national day of mourning. people across the netherlands honor the 193 dutch victims of the mh17 air disaster. the bodies of some of them were repatriated today. taking to the streets of paris. the authorities take no chances as a demonstration in support of gaza gets underway here in the french capital. .o reports of unrest

14,500 people are estimated to have taken part. time for a check of the top disney's news stories. markus karlsson is here. we are looking at the prospect of tougher sanctions on russia. >> russian officials say that european sanctions have had limited effect on the russian economy so far. a russian minister was quoted on wednesday saying that the current measures are peanuts in comparison with what took place during soviet times. to be preparing new sanctions over the crisis in ukraine. they will draw up a new list of .easures it is expected to be unveiled on thursday. i spoke to a consultant earlier and asked her what she is

expecting on thursday. >> we already know these are not going to be brought sanctions that have so much been talked about in recent days. these are still going to be at the level of targeted sanctions, but including various russian commercial entities. we can expect them to be in seminal sectors, defense, finance, energy. various european countries are concerned about being disproportionately hit by a political stance but that you now needs to take -- that the e.u. now needs to take and trying to disperse it across industries. >> you touched upon it, but there is this talk of level two sanctions versus level three sanctions, which would be the next step, so to speak.

what's the difference between level two and level three? level two, individual companies are targeted and named . their assets are frozen in the european union and the european union prohibits anyone from working with them. level three, we will see a broad sector of sanctions imposed, for example, on the russian financial industry in wouldl and all companies be affected, most likely for , asain activities, such as we've seen from the u.s., a ban on bank loans of -- for 90 days. -- speaking to his earlier from london. earnings season is in full swing. it is seen as a temperature gauge of where global business is heading. let's talk you through some of

the latest figures. luxury car sales drove earnings at daimler in the second quarter to 2.2 billion euros, down from 4.6 billion euros during the same period last year, but last year's figure was boosted by the one-off sale of stake in airbus. they reported a rise in sales and confirmed their four-year targets. the british drugmaker, glaxosmithkline, has cut its firm'sar forecast as the second-quarter profits were hit by currency moves and lower sales. earnings were down for more than a billion pounds last year to 654 million pounds, around 827 million euros. gsk says sales have taken a hit in china as they face a per -- corruption probe there. a 52% jump in earnings for

boeing during the second quarter. they posted a profit for the april to june period. they were lifted by increased deliver these -- deliveries of passenger jets. let's show you how the markets are faring. in europe, the main indices closed with gains. microchip maker were down. 40 trading higher by 0.16%. was also100 in london higher, but only marginally so. the frankfurt dax was higher by 2/10 of 1%. let's talk you through the american markets this hour. it is mainly positive over on , withtreet, this session the dow jones industrial average lagging a little bit behind the other two main indices, down about 0.15% this hour.

if follows -- it follows strong earnings from boeing and good figures from pepsico and apple. the nasdaq and the s&p 500 are being dragged higher, mostly because of those earnings. perhaps the geopolitical tensions over ukrgg99ññwçça7guc

06/23/14 06/23/14 >> from pacifica, this is democracy now! the time has come and everyone to dig loudly and in the name of justice against the israeli machine of killing destruction. occupation forces have broken all humanitarian and international laws and ethics. >> as the palestinian death toll tops 600 650