from berlin. tonight, the israeli military hint at a possible ground invasion of gaza as airstrikes intensify. fresh strikes topple a high-rise media building in gaza. the escalation in violence has killed dozens and left entire city blocks in ruins. tonight, hamas says several of its top commanders have been killed. also coming up, heartbreak and anger as russia mourns the seven

children and two staff members who were killed in tuesday's school shooting. plus, is static fans and live music make a comeback at the brit awards. ♪ brent: popstars thrill a packed concert hall at the brit awards. is this a glimpse into a post-pandemic future? i'm brent goff. to our viewers in pbs in the united states and around the world, welcome. we begin tonight with the escalating crisis between israel and the palestinians. israeli airstrikes in gaza intensified today among hints the military is preparing for a possible ground offensive there. this footage shows an israeli

airstrike destroying the high-rise that housed a hamas affiliated tv channel. health officials in gaza say the death toll from israeli airstrikes has risen to 56, including 14 children. hamas rockets fired into israel have killed at least six people. the european union's top diplomats says violence must be halted immediately to prevent a broader conflict. washington says it is sending a special envoy to the reason in a bid -- the region in a bid to de-escalate tensions. >> and israeli tanks are en route to the gaza strip. currently, israel is still carrying out its counter attack on gaza city with an air offensive after the massive rocket attacks on tel aviv. the israeli military announced it had killed him many -- killed many hamas leaders, including the brigade commander for gaza city. and isra's defense minister did not leave much hope for an

early end to the fighting. >> our armed forces will continue striking until there is total quiet, and for a long period of time. once we achieve that, we can talk about de-escalation. there is no finishing days. hamas seemed unfazed by the heavy damage and many casualties in gaza, but for the first time since these recent hostilits began, the leader said he will take steps to diffuse the conflict. >> if israel wants to escalate, we are ready for it. if it wants to stop, we are also ready. >> despite those words, they have been firing their missiles off nonstop, at the nearby coastal city. many are wounded there too, and one soldier died when his vehicle was struck by an antitank missile. for the moment, it does not seem like the fighting will let up. brent: for more, i am joined by

captain libby weiss. it's good to have you on. we are seeing a conflict between the forces of hamas and the israelis. is this a show of disproportionate military strength that we are seeing? captain weiss think you for having me. not at all. it's importanto prode some context and the events o the last 40 hours. thisxtremely tense situation started when hamas launched rockets into our capital, into rusalem, and continued with a nonstop barrage of rockets. where the 1200 have been launched. israelis have found themselves in shelters overnight, durg the day, the situation here is extremely tense. we've had several casualties on our end, so absolutely not. are striking targets within the strip of hamas, who are responsible for what we have seen and the escalation in the past 40 hours.

brent: if we look at the numbers, 53 palestinians have been killed, including 14 children. 320 people injured in israel. seven dead, including one soldiers and a child. don't these figures speak for themselves? captain weiss: i'd first, i think any loss-of-life is tragic, and it takes away from the sense of tragedy on both sides. it's also important for me to mention that hamas is clearly targeting israeli civilians. that's the purpose of the rockets we have seen in the last 40 hours and we are being very precise, as much as possible in the reaction will -- in the rational -- we are operating. we have no desire to strike citizens in the gaza strip, in contrast to hamas. brent: right now we are still in air combat mode, but there was a

hit from the israeli military that a possible ground offensive could take place. what has to happen before we get to that point? captain weiss: well: we are of course assessing the situation. i's a dynamic situation and we are assessing it regularly. any decision would be made by the political echelon, and of course, as the military, we will be ready to respond to whatever task we are given by the political leadership. at the moment, we are focused on striking those targets within the strip and stopping hama' ability to be able to terrorize israelis. ent: you served in the conflict with hamas in 2014. did you think you would be in another conflict like that in the year 2021? >> you know, unfortunately, i am well aware of our neighbors and the nature of hamas and the organization that is running the gaza strip. i can say that as a person who

lives in this country, i want to live peacefully with my neighbors. i have no doubt there are people in the gaza strip you feel the same way. unfortunately, hamas has a very clear goal. it's not a place any of us would want to be in and want to be in now, but it is unfortunately familiar territory for us. brent: captain libby weiss, spokesperson for the israeli defense forces. we appreciate your time and insights tonight. thank you. funerals have been held for the victims of tuesday's school shooting in the russian city of because on -- of khazan. vladimir putin has reportedly ordered the national guard to draft stricter measures. hundreds of mourners gathered to pay respects to the students and staff members who were killed. memorials have sprung up in several cities across the country. police have arrested the suspected gunman, but have yet to release a possible

motive, leaving residents of the city distraught and confused. >> a carpet of flowers and emotions running high. shock mixed with anger and sadness. after the tragic shooting, locals can't believe that a heist will, like any other, has come to symbolize senseless violence. and that a former pupil carried out the deadly rampage. >> my kids go to the school. i nieces in the ninth grade. the fire service rescued her with a ladder. my son is in the fourth grade, and thank god he only goes to school in the afternoon. of course i'm shocked. i have no tears left. >> i am grieving for all the children here. i could cry. my nephew goes to school here. >> i feel like they are all my children. it is just so awful. >> school shootings are unusual

in russia. the attackers motive is still not clear. people say he was polite and unassuming, and no one in russia would have expected a killing in this city. just over one million people live in the city. tourists come here from all over russia. the city is known for being beautiful and peaceful, so the a armed police task force ended the siege. what happened inside the school is under investigation. the 19-year-old attacker was able to get in with a weapon he obtained legally. he shot dead seven children and two adults before surrendering to police. 23 people are still in hospital. the fact that the shooter was able to carry out the attack in broad daylight, using a legal weapon, has raised questions

over russia's gun laws. >> how can i send my kids back to school? i am really afraid. >> how cannk we carry on if we e always afraid? >> i definitely won't let my child go back before the end of the school year and i am already worried about next year. >> it will take a long time for khazan to get over the dreadful events. for many, the tragedy in the city has changed their lives forever. brent: here are some of the other stories now making headlines around the world. western powers have clashed with china over its treatment of the uighur muslim minority during a un-sponsored virtual meeting. the ambassador called it one of the worst human rights crises of our time, and the u.s. says it will continue speaking up until china stops "its crimes against humanity." your republicans -- republicans

in the u.s. house of representatives have voted to remove liz cheney from a top leadership position. the waimea me -- wyoming republican has been under criticism for her criticism of former u.s. president donald trump. ugandan president has been sworn in for his sixth termfter winning a controversial election. during the inauguration ceremony, police surrounded th home of the opposition leader, who called the victory a sham. police describe the measure as a normal security deployment for vips. dw news has spoken to migrants in greece, who say they live in fear of being detained by the police, despite being legally registered in the country. we have also obtained exclusive footage from inside a detention center, which is closed to journalists. we report tonight on the serious

accusations being made against greek authorities. >> resin and his friends spend their days looking for somewhere to sleep. he's from afghanistan and is registered in greece as an asylum seeker. >> even though we have papers, we have to hide. when the police catch us, they beat us and force us out. then we have nowhere to go. we have to live on the street. >> ho show -- this social worker shows us where asylum-seekers can find refuge in thessalonica he, but more and more people are hiding from the authorities. >> if the police pick you up, you are going to be subject to detention or violent pushback, so you don't want to be seen by the police at all. >> this man spent months in a

detention center. >> we had to start hunger striking, because we didn't know what or why we were here and how long it will last. >> at night, they brought this group of police and they started beating us. they started beating everyone really brutally. it was really bad, like so many people got injures. >> arbitrary detentions and holding facilities or prisons and human rights violations. the authorities tell a different story. >> the government says that pushback's are nothing but turkish propaganda and that so-called "secret detention sites" don't exist. we are on the way to a known pre-removal detention center. it is still an accessible the public eye. >> surrounded by the mountains, this official detention center is hard-to-find.

an aerial view shows a facility that can hold up to five hundred detainees, surrounded by barbed wire fencing. inside, there are reports of police violence. we obtained this exclusive footage from border monitoring violence network, an independent watchdog which documents police brutality and illegal pushback's. the video was taken inside the prison last year. monitors say the violence is six to matter. -- systematic. the greek government has not responded to our interview requests. >> these incidents shouldn't happen. it's important that the conditions of detention are worked on, collectively. but at the same time, the asylum service has been, you know, if you look at the past three years, the system has changed radically. it has strengthened itself.

>> for the refugees, there is little prospect of immediate improvement in daily life. this facility is supposedly an open camp, but a concrete wall is being built around it to keep people in. ironically, construction is being commissioned by the united nations migration agency. brent: for more now, i am joined by a dutch member of the greens european freedom alliance, the european parliament. it's good to have you onhe program. greece has been on the front lines of the migration crisis for many years. you recently traveled to a detention camp there. were you concern by what you saw? >> yes, example he -- exactly. the so-called multipurpose center is almost ready for asylum-seekers to be placed, so what you see, gradually, is that the camps that we know now with

substandard conditions are being either replaced by new centers and then surrounded by fenders -- fences with the possibility to close them completely, or the current camps are being surrounded by walls or fences. there is an ongoing dispute between the eu and greece that the commission says it should not be closed centers, because if you ask for asylum, that's no reason to be detained. but within the greek discussion, we hear there is an intention indeed to detain asylum-seekers. brent: do you get the dis senset greece is failing its obligation under international law? >> the situation has become harsher and haher, especially since the eu took a deal that means that all asylum-seekers had to stay on the greek islands in order to be

returned to turkey. these returns do not take place, as erdogan refuses to take them back, but people are stuck on the islands in camps that are overcrowded with the lack of all the services and needs that are actually obligations according to the eu rules, and indeed this detention becomes more and more harsh. what you also see is that people who are rejected, like syrian refugees, who are rejected now because they are expected to be returned, they stay there in a legal limbo, because they cannot be returned. they have a need for protection and they may even end up in detention. brent: we know that very few members of theuropean union have been willing to take in the migrants that arrive in countries, such as greece, italy and malta. is this fortress europe you mentalityinning out over a

sense of european solidarity? >> yes, this has increased more and more over the last years. we have a system in the eu that rules the distributn of asylum-seekers, but puts most of the pressuren the boer countries of the eu. other member states are not obliged to relocate, to take over asylum-ekers, and they also refused to do so. we only see a very small number of asylum-seekers being taken over from greece or italy, and especially greece, as it is the neighbor of turkey, it's actually really having the heaviest responsibility at the moment. of course, this leads to bad -- brent: ok, i think we lost the signal -- >> ok, that leads to bad

circumstances for asylum-seekers, but also leads to consistent reports of pushback's, which means actually that asylum-seekers run the risk of drowning in the aegean sea anare also refrained from access t asylum. this needs to stop and we need a better solidarity system. brent: member of the european parliament. we appreciate your time and insights tonight, thank you. >> thank you. brent: the german cabinet has approved a landmark time it built to make the country carbon neutral five years earlier than previously planned. the current climate protection law does not go far enough. angela merkel's ruling conservatives are under pressure to add teeth to their climate

policy, facing an election year challenge from the green party, and the environment is a deciding factor for many voters. >> it's as if angela merkel and her government had flunked a school exam and were given extra homework as a result. in fact, they were told to improve the law on climate protection. the environment minister is calling it a success. >> the ruling from the federal constitutional court 13 days ago was a surprise, but ultimately, a good surprise for climate protection. >> a brave face after the slap in the face from germany's highest court. it said the government's climate plan for the period after 2030 was not good enough. too heavy a burden, it ruled, was being placed on future generations. the revamped goals are more ambitious. climate neutrality for germany five years earlier than planned. transport industry and agriculture are to be

emissions neutral by 2045. previously, germany aimed to cut climate damaging gases by half. now it will be two thirds. the environmental minister thinks the government has earned a pat on the back. >> germany is at the forefront, because we have a concrete plan we are putting into law. precisely how we can get to greenhouse gas neutrality. that's a special achievement which other countries also recognize. >> younger people are demanding that these must not remain empty promises. some say government is not doing enough to avert climate disaster. >> in order to secure the younger generation's right to a future and bring the country in line with the paris agreement, germany's greenhouse gas emissions have to be reduced by

70% by 2030, and germany needs to be climate neutral by 2040. the report card for the governing parties will be issued on september 26, the day of the general election. brent: in nepal, the coronavirus lockdown in and around the capital kathmandu has been extended until the end of may. a number of covid-19 cases is skyrocketing in nepal. there are fears the country is heading for a crisis to miller to the one next door in india. >> italy -- india's deadly second wave has spread to neighboring nepal. in kathmandu, health-care workers and authorities are struggling to contain a massive surge of covid-19 cases. in the last three weeks, nepal's daily trajectory has shot up with two out of every five people tesd now returning sitive for the virus.

with hospitals filling to capacity with covid-19 patients, the country's health system has been overwhelmed by the spike. patients are scrambling to find hospital beds and oxygen for loved ones. >> nepalis' worst fears are coming true as coronavirus is pushing the health system to the brink of collapse. many hospitals are full and overstretched and communities on the border with india are unable to handle the increasing number of people who needreatment. >> the threat from covid-19 has reached the world's highest peak, as china announced on sunday it would set up a line of separation on the summit of mount everest to keep chinese climbers from catching the virus from those ascending on the nepal side.

along the 1800 kilometer open border nepal shares with india, nepal east fleeing the virus are hurrying to return home. authorities fear more covid-19 cases are on the way. brent: here are other major developments in the pandemic. india's covid-19 test dole -- death toll passed 200,000 on wednesday, but the true number might be several times higher. the catastrophic scale of the pandemic in india could have been prevented, according to a panel assembled by the united nations. the panel concluded early warning signs went unheeded. and britain will hold an inquiry into the government's handling of the pandemic. governor boris johnson says the investigation will begin next year. staying in the u.k., four thousand people, no masks, no social distancing -- it seems unthinkable, but london made it happen last night.

the 41st brit awards became the first major music event with a live audience in the u.k. capital to take place in over a year. the ceremony was part of a government program looking at bringing cultural events back without pandemic restrictions. ♪ who knew research could sound soood? the 2021 brit awards saw music triumphantly returned to the big stage aer the conavirus hius. and in front of an audience of mostly essentialorkers, this year's nominees proved they still know how it's done. ♪ >> after beinglammed for snubbing female artists in 2020, this year's breakup's saw women dominate all major categories. the pop trio little mix became history, becoming the first all-female banto take on the award for best british group.

>> it's not easy being a female in the u.k. pop industry. we have seen the misogyny, sexism, and lack of diversity. we are proud of how we have stk together, stood our ground, surrounded ourselves with strong women, and our using our voices more than ever. >> for the big winner of the night, solo artist do a lipo. two awards and a dream come true. >> last time i was up here attempting this award in 2019, i said i wanted to see more women on these stage i'm so proud that thre years later, we are seeing that happen and it is such an honor to be a part of this wave of women in music. >> britain's biggest celebration of music culminated in a performance honoring

frontline health care workers. after ur most people would like to forget, the brits were able to stage a show memorable for all the right reasons. brent: we like the sound of that. you're watching dw news. after a short break, i will be back to take us through the day. up next, they hold our hands while we get well and help us when we die. we salute the world of nursing. we will be right back. ♪

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addition of reporters -- join me every week for a new edition of reporters. >>welcome to life in paris. i am mark: -- on -- owen. >>a six-year-old boy died in a habits rocket attack on israel as violence continues to ask the light -- escalate. we have reaction and analysis to come. he wants to run again for president.