>> this is dw news, live from berlin. it is israel's most intense military operation in the occupied west bank in almost 20 years. as really forces, using drones to strike targets, and what it says is a counterterrorism crackdown. the palestinian officials described the move as an invasion. also coming up -- in france, mayors, calling for, after almost a week of violent protests that erupted after

police shot and killed a teenager in a traffic stop. and -- dw's nick connolly meets ukrainian soldiers who have been holding the front line for months, asking for more weapons and more patients in their fight to push back the russians. and australia, clearing the way for doctors to prescribe psychedelics for depression, despite the potential medical benefits not everyone thinks this will be a good trip. ♪ i'm brent goff. to our viewers watching on pbs, in the united states, and to all of you around the world, welcome. the israeli military staged a large-scale raid in the occupied west bank overnight. palestinian health officials say

at least eight palestinians have been killed, and more than a dozen injured. israel says it was targeting the command center for militant fighters, as part of what it called an extensive counterterrorism effort. reporter: israel's raid began long before dawn. a morning call to prayer, pierced by the sound of heavy gunfire. the israeli military says it launched a missile after 1 a.m. local time, and carried out drone strikes to clear the way for ground forces. some 2000 soldiers are set to be taking part in the large-scale operation. the stated goal, destroying with the army calls terrorist infrastructure. israel's military says it will not stand by while "terrorists continue to harm civilians." using the camp as a hideout. sharing images of what it says rc's explosives.

this is the palestinian perspective. palestinian health officials say dozens of people have been injured in the israeli strikes and the gun battle that followed. some of them, seriously, meaning the death toll could rise further. >> what is going on in the refugee camp is really war. there were strikes from the sky targeting the camp. we drove around in five to seven ambulances and every time we come back full with injured people. reporter: and the daylight didn't bring any calm. residents, throwing stones at israeli tanks from behind barricades. with mass militants -- masked militants firing guns in nearly deserted streets. the violence comes two weeks after another deadly military rate following a spate of militant attacks on israelis and attacks by jewish settlers on palestinian communities.

israel's foreign minister says there are no plans to expand the operation beyond this city. >> we are striking the terrorism hub with great strength. i want to emphasize, we don't ever fight with the panel's opinions -- with the palestinians. our fight is with the forces of iran in our region which is mainly with the hamas and islamic jihad. our goal is to focus only on the terrorists themselves. reporter: the palestinian prime minister however has a different take, accusing israel of an ulterior motive. >> there are dozens of injured people and they have destroyed the infrastructure and properties of innocent residents. this is an attempt to completely destroy the refugee camp and displays the residents. reporter: israel's right wing

government recently announced plans to build more than 5000 new homes in jewish settlements. in the occupied west bank. they are illegal under international law. and palestinian voices say their very existence and the military raids make peace in the region impossible. brent: our dw correspondent, in the west bank. reporter: we are standing here in what would be a busy street full of shops and restaurants in the city, just a stone throw from the military camp where the operation is taken place. we have been hearing continuous gunfire around and explosions from both sides, molotov cocktails being excluded from palestinians, throwing them towards is really vehicles. we are also healing loud sounds of is really explosions, largely teargas bombs and other bombs to

try to clear the area. just a few moments ago, we saw military vehicles that did come through here, met with rocks and molotov cocktails from the dozens if not hundreds of young men that are letting the streets here. the israeli military on the government say they are not here to take the city, they don't want to occupy the city or refugee camp, they simply want to make it in their own words no longer safe refuge for terrorist groups, and their words. -- in their words. these men are saying they are trying to defense of their city and that may not be over for some days. . the israeli military said it will do whatever it takes however long it takes to make sure they can break the networks working inside the cities refugee camp -- city's refugee camp. brent: french authorities are mobilizing some 45,000 police officers again in an effort to quell violent protests in writing -- and rioting.

this is despite a quieter night sunday with fewer people arrested. the weekend assad -- the weekend saw clashes across the country. the destruction is estimated at 20 million euros. reporter: outside paris city holds, councilmembers hold a peaceful protest against the recent unrest in france. stating a lack of solidarity and society. >> we are here to condemn the violence against property on people without any reservation. nothing can justify violence. reporter: across france, citizens gathered in front of town halls for solidarity marches. among them, the mayor of a paris suburb whose house had been attacked. his wife and child were injured while fleeing the scene. the french interior minister inspected the damage.

sunday night, there were fewer clashes. but so far, more than 3000 people have been arrested. >> the average age of those arrested is 17. but some of them who set fires or attacked politicians were age 12 or 13. i think we have to ask ourselves about their families and parents' response ability, because it's not the police or the state's problem to solve, when it 12-year-old sets -- a 12-year-old sets a school on fire. reporter: almost 300 cities and towns have experienced violent protests. president macron has invited mayors of affected areas to talk on tuesday to assess the causes of the riots. a call for an end to the violence came from the grandmother of the 17-year-old who was killed by police. brent: our dw correspondent in paris gave us the latest just a

few moments ago. reporter: there has been a significant drop in the number of violent incidents. there's is hope your now that the tide is turning. that the looting and vandalism is petering out. but the authorities here are not taking a chances. president macron says it will be a massive security presence on the ground. 45,000 police officers deployed across france again tonight. we just heard from the prime minister who said they will be in place tuesday night as well and there are curfews still in place, restrictions for public transport. many places are still holding their breath. brent: we are today the interior minister of france, and i'm quoting here, saying "it's not the police or the state's problem to solve wanted 12-year-old sets a school on fire -- when a 12-year-old sets

a school on fire." does the government have a plan to address the underlying causes of this unrest we have seen for almost a week now? >> well, i think this comment by the tough talking interior minister, i think this touches on a big problem in the poor suburbs of france. and that is not the parents, that is a lack of education, a lack of good schools. that is a fairly widespread problem in many of these poorer suburbs. french officials here are saying that president macron certainly wants a detailed assessment of the underlying causes. pay plans to reach out to mayors in the suburbs tomorrow to heal some of the divisions. what he will have a tricky challenge.

but he will. . have a tricky challenge there is no easy way to. brent: what does this mean for france's image internationally? >> i think france's image has already taken a bit of a beating. with these images around the world, i've been getting calls from friends asking me of it is safe to come to paris. president macron canceled the state visit to germany. that was not the first time we saw a -- we saw another cancellation in april. because of widespread protests over pension reforms. many venues are located in

sensitive neighborhoods that have been at the heart of some of the worst violence. we have heard security has been beefed up at those sites. i think the world to certainly watching with concern here. brent: the latest from paris tonight. thank you. here are some of the other stories making headlines around the world -- thousands of israelis have rallied outside the main international airport near tel aviv against the government's plan judicial overhaul. protesters scuffled with police after entering the terminal building. they say the government's proposed changes would undermine judges' independence. the cochair of the peace prize winning human rights group memorial has gone on trial in moscow, charged with discrediting the russian military after he criticized the war in ukraine. he faces years in prison, if convicted. an award-winning ukrainian wider and war crimes researcher has died from injuries sustained in

a russian air strike last week. you see her right there, victoria a. was wounded in the eastern city last tuesday. a russian missile hit a restaurant where she was dining, killing 12 people, including children. ukraine president zelenskyy says his troops are making process despite a difficult situation in the front line. ukraine's defense ministry says it has retaken nine square kilometers of rock -- of russian occupied territory in the east and some of the self. the counteroffensive has been slow but that may be by design, as dw's nick connolly reports. >> hide. take cover. >> a drone. the unit is threatened from the air. they can see the russians

without a pair of binoculars. this is different. they have been here for months. >> what you see is not the counteroffensive yet. you know it when you see it. for now, we are just testing them. looking for their weak spots. the full-scale offensive is still ahead of us. reporter: the slow progress, he tells me, is intentional. the russians had months to dig ditches and lay mines. ukraine is not willing to risk the casualties. >> they just tried to overwhelm us with bodies. it was just like world war ii. they would just keep coming. we would hit one and another to would follow. you down two and another four, behind -- four come up behind.

there were not even wearing helmets or body armor. all they had were there guns. reporter: many of these men have been fighting since the very first days of this one. i asked him when he last size family. >> i took my son to his first day at school. that was one time. then my wife was in hospital with appendicitis. that was my second time. the third time, i got five days off, and today, i am heading back to kyiv for my cousin's funeral. he was killed fighting near luhansk. reporter: another day, with another unit somewhere else can the region -- somewhere else in the region. these men know their life depend on every bit of training they get.

just a few days before we meet, the soldiers pushed the russian army back by almost a kilometer. it was these soldiers' very first time storming well defended enemy positions. no one spoke a word. >> i think we were all just scared. it is all about taking that first step out of the armored vehicle. after that, we were on autopilot. it all just happened. we were just relieved, when we got into their trenches. to know that we had avoided their minds and they were definitely there. god decided that it was not our time. reporter: this is a village, or what is left of it, one of a handful of places ukrainian forces have retaken in recent weeks. life is so dangerous here, it's one of the few places no one is coming back to. being out in the open visible to drones is risky.

the military van won't start. but then, we are on our way. these men are fighting a painstaking battle, one village at a time. their lives are already quite literally on the line. they tell us, they are not willing to take any more risks just to meet deadlines set by faraway allies. brent: that was nick connolly reporting peer with some experts are saying the ukrainian counteroffensive is slow. we just heard one ukrainian soldier say that it has not even begun yet. earlier i asked a military analyst at king's college london what we should make of all of this. >> good evening. it is very difficult to assess the counteroffensive given the fact that ukraine is still lacking some capabilities. and they have to conduct it

according to what the adversary is doing. they have seen that russians have built up the sophisticated defenses. the ukrainians after having lost some equipment such as the armored vehicles, a few tanks, had to readjust their tactics and operations. it is always kind of a back-and-forth, where the ukrainian armed forces are trying to retake territory but they are not in a hurry because they are trying to ensure that the equipment is not lost and they lose as little manpower as possible. brent: american-made f-16 fighter jets ukraine was promised by the west are not likely to arrive in the country until sometime this fall. could ukraine make significant progress without these planes? >> well, the f-16 multipurpose fighters will of course benefit ukraine especially because they

are capable of delivering the storm shadow missile's ukraine has received from the united kingdom besides russian air defenses don't have the f-16 signature, in comparison to what ukraine is using right now. so of course it would increase ukrainian offensive capabilities, giving them the opportunity to provide support to the groups on the ground as well as strike targets in the russian held territories such as communication centers, logistics. making it difficult for the russians and pushing them back. the ukrainians have to bridge this time before they get the f-16's and how far they will go remains to be seen. maybe this is why they are taking it very slowly in order to minimize the losses. brent: the general, the commander-in-chief of ukraine's armed forces, he now says

there's a shortage of weapons of all kinds once again. who is to blame? and how is that possible? >> well, the expenditure of ammunition is huge. and we have known from jens stoltenberg from october that indeed not only is there a shortage in ukraine but in nadal stockpiles. in terms of ammunition or equipment. defense contractors need time to produce whatever is needed. and whatever was available has been given to ukraine. that's been one of the reasons for the shortage. because ukraine doesn't have the weapon systems that are capable of fighting the ammunition that the u.s. uses. nato cannot give more ammunition than it already has without replenishing its own stockpiles. therefore it's quite difficult.

this is what russia is bidding on. -- is betting on. that they run out of things to give to ukraine and take time to produce new things to give to ukraine. brent: as always, we appreciate your time tonight. thank you. a headquarters for investigating and prosecuting russian officials, responsible for waging war against ukraine. dw's correspondent teri schultz was in the hague today, as top justice officials from europe, the u.s., and ukraine launched the effort to build cases for trying crimes of aggression. here's her report. reporter: international prosecutors want to see the kremlin pay sooner rather than later for lunch and more on ukraine. planning, initiating, and using state military forces to attack another sovereign state is a crime in itself, a crime of aggression.

that is what this international center for the prosecution of the crime of aggression is set up here in the hague to do, to eventually try russian decision-makers. the crime of aggression is easier to prove than other war crimes. but i bol bol -- but above all, the crime of aggression is what he calls an original sin. >> the commission opened the floodgates for hundreds of thousands of other international crimes including the targeted killing of civilians, sexual violence, torture, forcible displacement of civilians, including of children, looting, and many others. reporter: 20 prosecutors including four from ukraine start work today at the new center which is supported by the european union, the u.s., the international criminal court and national governments, based on the hate at aurojust -- eurojust's headquarters. intending to prosecute those individuals, including russian

president vladimir putin, for directing the war. -- who are directing the war. they say the agency will collect documents, translate, and share evidence being gathered among cooperating countries including ukraine. >> we will look at different evidence, like speeches, political speeches, we will obviously use gps maps, we will definitely use 3d scans, intercepted communication, information about the move of military services, and the operations in different countries. reporter: many of the authorities helping to get the center off the ground said this level of evidence sharing amongst so many different prosecutors is highly unusual. what they emphasized time and again is the most remarkable point about the center and the trials that are to come -- the first time in history that so much evidence is being gathered, while the crime, the war, is still being committed. brent: here are some other

stories we are following this hour -- thailand's king has opened the first session of parliament since the pro-democracy opposition thrashed military backed parties and maze elections. the progressive move forward party and allies are set to try the former government but could struggle to win support from the army dominated senate. kenya's president has lifted a six year national ban on logging despite concerns from environmental groups. the president said the decision was intended to create jobs, but environmentalists have warned, lifting the moratorium put kenya's forests in jeopardy and undermines efforts to combat climate change. scientists around the world have long pondered the potential benefits of treating mental illnesses with psychedelic drugs. but these drugs as we know are

banned in most countries which means that there is little if any real world data. that could be changed. austria the extent to become the first country to allow psychiatrists to prescribe certain substances, opening the door to what could be a medical breakthrough. ♪ reporter: a new era in mental health treatment. magic mushrooms and ecstasy, now available for prescription use in australia. psychedelic therapy offers new hope for those suffering from posttraumatic stress disorder and depression. >> you can use mdma for people who have tried all the medications for ptsd and it's not been successful, they are having difficulty with the treatment. we will use that for ptsd. psilocybin will be used for people who have been on antidepressants. the traditional medications, and they have not worked. reporter: for decades,

psychedelics were outlawed by governments and shunned in scientific communities. but now their power is being rediscovered. mdma and psilocybin can reset brain functions and break old thought patterns. but critics say australia's decision to legalize them is premature and the therapy could backfire. >> there are some individuals that do not benefit. not only don't benefit, but their symptoms get worse. there are some individuals this happens to be a good this is an expensive intervention. and we don't want to make people worse. reporter: treatments could cost upwards of 10,000 australian dollars per patient. and with the bill not covered by the state, euphoria over the breakthrough could be short-lived. brent: we will see. he is a reminder of the top story this our -- police and

officials in the occupied west bank say at least eight people have been killed in an israeli raid. is really forces launched drone strikes which set off an hours long gun battle, as part of a counterterrorism operation. you are watching dw news, after a short break, i will be back to take you through "the day." stick around. we will be right back. ♪ [captioning performed by the national captioning institute, which is responsible for its caption content and accuracy. visit ncicap.org]

anchor: welcome to live from paris. these are the headlines. defiant gatherings held outside halls across france this monday, the latest development after six nights of riots and violence after the police shooting of a teenager in a paris suburb. israelis attack a refugee camp on the west bank. the most intense attack in two decades. our team is following