berlin. tonight, tentative hopes for a cease-fire after the worst upsurge in israeli-palestinian violence in four years. hamas warriors celebrating after palestinians in the gaza strip agreed to stop attacks if israel does the same. also coming up, german chancellor angela merkel presents her vision of europe's future, and she calls for a

european army. >> it would not be an army against nato. i mean, really. rather, it can serve as a useful complementary force to nato. >> in the united states, more than 40 0 people dead, hundreds still missing. no than california reeling from the deadliest wildfire in its history, and authorities are preparing to search for the victims. i'm brent goff. it's good to have you with us. we start tonight in the middle east where militant palestinian groups in the gaza strip say they will stop cross-border attacks if israel does the same. hamas supporters took to the streets after militant factions agreed conditionally to an egypt

border cease-fire. this comeses after the most serious upsurge in violence between israel and the palestinians since 2014. >> people in gaza will to a scene of destruction. this was all that was left of the tv station run by hamas. the israeli military said it was a strategic target. it gave warning that the strike was about to happen, but the attack still caused panic among local residents. >> as soon as we saw the rockets, we ran away from the house. we are civilians. we don't have weapons and rockets. s soon as we heard the shelling, we escaped. >> fear also on the israeli side of the boarded. most of hamas's rockets were intercepted by the israeli defense system, but some missiles have hit residential buildings, including this one.

a palestinian laborer was killed here. people in the city are afraid. >> we have been living here in adversity in the southern neighborhood for 11 years, through at least four rounds of warfare. the buildings are very old. the building where i live has no protection, n no protected area, no shelter, no protected staircase. >> last night's flareup of violence is the worst in more than four years and threatens to derail recent piece moves. the ununited nations and other countries in the region are urging israel and hamas to refrain from repeated exchanges of fire. as israeli tanks and troops gathther close to the gaza bord, there are signs both are willing to pull back, but for now, there

is a tense standoff. >> i'm joined now by anna ah ronheim, joioining us from tel aviv. you were at the gaza border, i understand. tell us what has been happening. >> i was along the border alll day today and d also lastt nigh. the rockets started going off around 4:30 in the afternoon and went on until 4:00 this afternoon. in that time, about 460 rockets were fired into southern israel, killing one man and wounding at least 93 people. analysts say the roads were blocked across the strip.

there is also a bus full of soldiers yesterday afternoon. apparently under the investigation now, the driver of the bus bypassed these roadblocks i was not able to get the. -- get through. >> we've heard egyptian mediators were able to get hamas to agree to a cease-fire, but what about the position of israel? >> the israelis have said that, yes, there is a cease-fire. military sources say a cease-fire was reached with hamas.

>> the question tonight t then s what would be neneeded for a significant step forward at this point? >> we were very close to seeing a long-term cease-fire agreement before the disruption, so i think we have to go back to the drawing board or both sides need to go back to the drawing board to see if the agreement that was almost ready to be signed is still relevant today after what wewe saw, but i think israel and hamas both realize there's no reason to go on right now. >> t thank you. here are some of the other stories making headlines around the world. cnn isis suing the trump administration over the revoked press credentials of one of its

reporters. the white house barred jim a costst of from press briefings after heated exchange with presidident trump last weeee cnn says the move violates the freedom of the press, which is enshrined in the u.s. constitution fans in hollywood around the world and in half -- in hollywood and around the world have been paying tribute to their hero, stanley, the -- stan lee, widely considered the mastermind of the contemporary comic book. russian opposition leader alexei navalny says he has been banned from leaving the country. in a message recorded at the moscow airport, the kremlin critic claimed he has been prevented from traveling to the european court of human rights, which is due to issue a ruling ovover his detention. he served 20 days in prison last month for organizing anti-kremlin protests.

the european union and britain have struck a draft deal of the terms of a pregnant withdrawal. british prime minister theresa may summoned cabinet ministers for one to brief them on the terms of this deal. she scheduled the crunch cabinet meeting for wednesday, but she faces stiff opposition from one of her colleagues. all right, for more on this now, i'm joined by barbara wesel in strasburg tonight and in london, birgit maas. what has been agreed to and who is doing the agreeing? >> that is a good question because nothing really has been agreed. what's on the table is the latest version of a draft agreement that could be struck. if the british side finally stuffs negotiating with itself,

sort of saying either yes or no, we have seen negotiators here in brussels from the eu side and 40 pages for several days and nights, and they have come to a point where they say this is it, we cannot go any further. now london will have to agree or say no to it, and this is about only the divorce agreement, the terms and conditions under which britain is going to leave the eu in march of next year. it concerns everything from the rights of citizens living on one or the other side to the money that britain needs to pay to, finally, the crucial and devilish question of how they will solve the ireland problem, and that is really what london now has to do with. >> that is the question, right?

will there be enough in this agreemenent to persuade the british government, and is there a solution in this agreement concerning the irish border? >> we don't know thehe details f the agreement just yet. it has not beeeen published. we know ththe minists a are porg over it right now. we have spoken with those who mostly want a clean cut from eurorope, who wantnt to be faray from europe, particularly boris johnson, whicicis the speculatioion the in g game is brbritain continues s to have a clclose relatitionship with the, something a lolot of peoplee ine british government and conservative party reaeally want to avoid. they want to be a global threat and an independent player and make their own trade agrgreemens and d they don't want to compromise over someththing li irireland because th wouldld be one reasonon whyhy britain would

stay close to europe. >> in terms of how europeans look at this, are we at a point now where it is a take it or leave a scenario as far as brussels is concerned? >> more or less because brussels has really made big concessions to the british side. at least that is the way the eu sees it because they are offering britain to stay in the union for an indefinite time period after the transition, after 2020, 2 solve the brags that irish border problem, and that, of course -- it is the core point because of course bridget will then be tied to eu rules and regulations largely and that is what the federal agreement is about, but the eu has said you wanted this, you have drawn your red lines, and

this is what we can offer within those lines. this is after months of talks. more or less, the eu has reached a point where they say this is it, take it or leave it, indeed. >> to both of you, thank you. a common defense force for a unified europe -- that is the vision german chancellor angela merkel is trying to drive home today when she addressed the european parliament in strasburg. echoing her french counterpart, president emmanuel macron, merkel urged eu leaders to reject what she called national egoism, repeating her calls for a broad-based european approach to migration. >> chancellor merkel was greeted by applause, but during herr speech, ththe atmosphere was emotionally charged.

>> i'm actually enjoying this. doesn't bother me. i also come from a parliament. >> a m major point of contention with some parliamentarians -- merkel's strong call for a true european army. >> a common european army shows the world there will never be war again among european nations, and that is nothing against nato. come on, ladies and gentlemen. it is in addition to nato. nobody wants to cut established ties. >> that raised doubts even among supporters of the plan, which has not yet produced any concrete steps. >> action counts more than words. we have to decide to work together, and then we will gradually get there, but broadvision's without putting your money where your mouth is

is pointless. >> also high on merkel's agenda, another difficult issue -- - the reform of the european asylum process. >> we have to make the effort and find common ground for sensitive issues like asylum and humanitarian responsibility. otherwise, we will never solve the migration and humananitarian issue. >> what was really tangible in the room was the deep appreciation for her leadership. a very long standing ovation was also felt like kind of a goodbye salute. >> merkel also had words for those who did not apply. >> i can see i had the nail on the head because of your protest. that's all right. >> a confident finish to a confident performance. with the clock ticking down on her term, angela has stressed she wants leadership in europe to be part of her legacy. >> some people say it was legacy

building we saw today. to talk about that here at the big table, i'm joined by cornelius adebahr with the german council of foreign relations. what was angela merkel doing today? was it an attempt at a legacy speech? >> possibly. she was invited to speak at the parliament like other leaders have been invited to speak before her. obviously, the circumstances for her and germany, part of the expectation was that she would deliver a speech outlining her expectation of europe. she has never been so good at outlining visions, but what she delivered here was unheard of before, so maybe this is something people to note of. >> where you're surprised she came out so strongly and said "i want a european army?" -- were

you surprised? >> president macron of france raised the issue. i think also the celebrations hat probably left a mark on her. she raised the army issusue and said that this would be a sign that the europeans would never fight against one another, so building an army means you overcome even the possibility of going to war again, so i think this is part of the strong symbolism. >> is that risk today of european countries going to war stronger today than it was 20 years ago? >> 20 years ago, it was thought to be near impossible. these days, with the european union becoming more of -- britain on its way out, people had not thought of the idea that the trend could be reversed, actually. maybe these days, people have a

little more doubt. i'm not saying there is reason for doubt, but the world is a little uncertain around europe. old alliances -- the transatlantic alliance is not so reliable anymore, some people are asking questions these days. >> y you say shehe was l lendinr support to emmanuel macron. could another motivating factor have been donald trump? he has been tweeting the last several days attacking macron, accusing france of trying to raise an army to fight against the united states? which we know is not what macron has set -- said. >> i was going to say, that is bonkers. it's newly one and a half years that she said in her special way we cannot always rely on our partners anymore, and in that sense, she has not given macron much when it comes to eu reforms, but she was supporting him on this particular project,

and they spent the weekend in these services, so i would bill it as something where she lends support on a case where she feels she can support him rather than difficult issues of the eurozone. >> i guess maybe in paris tonight, they are thinking something is better than nothing. cornelius, good to see you again. thank you. you are watching dw news life from berlin. still to come, apocalyptic scenes in northern california as the state faces the deadliest wildfire in its history. the death toll is set to rise, and too afraid to protest. a former nazi concentration guard pleads not guilty to hundreds of charges. he says he was forced to serve at the camp. time now for business news, and helena is standing by right over there. she has a stern warning for

italy, i understand. >> i'm not issuing it myself. it did come from the international monetary fund, saying heavy spending carries substantial risks and could create market turmoil. the comments came hours before and eu-imposed deadline. brussels rejecting rome's initial plan, which saw deficit spending a two point 4% of the country's gdp. italy has so far said it will not change its plans, arguing it must spend to boost its economy. investor concerns over the showdown have led to a rise in borrowing costs. the trade conflict with the united states is increasingly proving a problem for china. all the more important for the country is the idea of a free trade zone of its own that encompasses most of southeast asia. negotiations have been going on for years and the issue is now high on the agenda.

>> although china's economy is strictly controlled by the communist party, it is increasingly appearing as a defender of free trade. the chinese premier tried to provide fresh evidence to the idea of a free trade zone for the region. >> this will not only benefit the people of this region but also send a strong signal to the world that we stand up for free trade and push for free trade. known as the regional comprehensive economic partnership, the zone would include the 10 as a young nations as well as china, japan, india, australia, and new zealand -- include the 10sean nations. the countries involved agree t t partnership is a good thing in principle. it would not only spur trade

within the block but also drop investorors from outsidede it, t for r that to o happen, the conditions have to be right. in order to further encourage the participation of companies or investors, we need to set up rules such as intellectual property protection, ensuring free data transmission across borders and prohibiting host country demands to transfer technology. a demand clearlyy aimeded at ch. other ththorny issues include ee questions of how far tariffs should fall and what markets should be thrown open. india in particular has little desire to open the floodgates to even more chinese products. there is a lot left to negotiate, but if all goes according to plan, the free trade agreement could be signed as early as the end of 2019.

>> my favorite story of the day -- 70-year-old grandfather and pokemon go fan has gone viral after he attached 15 phones to his bicycle to catch 'em all. he first learned about the game from his grandson and has been playing it since 2016. this massive set up is when he built to catch the rarest of the virtual creatures -- one he built to catch the rarest of the virtual creatures on the streets of taiwan. set him back nearly $2000. -- nearly $5,000. back over to brent now. some terrible scenes in california. >> these wildfire situations are not getting any better. devastating wildfires raging in northern and southern california. the northern town of hair and eyes has been particularly hard hit with more thahan 40 people confirmed dead, hundreds missing.

>> the eerie aftermath of california's deadliest fires. coroner's have been searching for bodies in the destroyed town of paradise. the death toll is expected to rise. wildlife tentatively returns, but the fires are far from over. fresh blazes continue to appear as firefighters attempt to bring the blazes under control. >> nice. nice drop. >> wildfires in california are getting worse year on year. >> i've been doing this job for 31 years, and probably in the last five, maybe seven years, every year seems toto get worse. a lot of that house -- a lot of that has to do with the recent drought, thehe drought we are ststill going throughgh. that drought killed a lot of vegetation, so that vegetation is prone to burning, obviously.

>> climate change has made california extremely dry. there are high rains every year and shorter bursts mean vegetation grows quickly and then dries out. muggy weather is notot the only factor. over 8 80% of forest fires start due to human activity as opposed to, say, lightning strikes.. faulty power lines are a big culprit. california's main electricity company, pg&e, is under scrutiny. the community of malibu is nearly visible from the air. an additional factor is population pressure. what california needs most right now is rain, but there's none forecast. >> i know a lot of people are interested when their next rain event will be. we are not seeing any indication of precicipitation in the e next

week and possibly through thanksgiving. >> fire prone conditions are here to stay. californians for now can only try toto adapt to what their governor is calling the new abnormal. >> a 94 euros former nazi concentration guard has pleaded not guilty to charges of being accessory to 700 cases of murder during the third reich. the man admits to being a guard at a concentration camp from 1942 to 1944, but he claims that he was forced to serve there. as more and more years passed since the nazi genocide, this could be one of the last cases of its kind in germany. >> is faced must be pixelated under german law. he says he e s ashamed that the mistreatment of prisoners for claims he was too scared to defy orders. he was only 18 years old at the time. the prosecution does not buy

that argument. >> it's hardly credible. all the records and documents we have point to the fact that he volunteered. the nazi concentration camp system was based on employee -- employee heidi illogical -- employee in -- employing h highy ideological men. they wanted people who wanted to be there. >> one of the first nazi concentration camps built outside germany. 65,000 people were killed there, some in gas chambers. prosecutors want the defendant to prorode informamation about e inner workings of the camp. he has remained very tightlipped whwhen asked about things like systematic actcts off homicicidd

the e many different ways of murdering people. he has not saidd much h on thiss score, and that, in our view, is not at all satisfactory. because of his advanced age, he will not serve any jail time, even if he is convicted. the main goal of the trial is to find out more about the mechanisms of nazi genocide. >> you are watching dw news live from berlin. after a short break, i will be back to take you through the day. stick around for that.

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