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From Washington, this is VOA news. An Israeli attack kills three Hamas commanders. Calm is reported in Liberia's capital after a violent confrontation over an Ebola quarantine. I'm Ira Mellman reporting from the VOA news center.
An Israeli airstrike in the southern Gaza Strip has killed three senior Hamas commanders. All three were killed Thursday in a bombing of a four-story house in the town of Rafa, where they had led operations against the Jewish state for 20 years. Officials said the attack also killed at least three other people. The Israeli defense minister, Moshe Yaalon, said the three "were responsible for deadly attacks" against Israel, including the killing of Israeli soldiers and the 2006 kidnapping of soldier Gilad Shalit. The funeral procession for the commanders drew thousands of Palestinians into the streets of Gaza, with some firing guns into the air. A tense calm is reported in the West Point area of Liberia's capital, Monrovia, one day after riot police clashed with residents who tried to break a quarantine placed on the area in an attempt to contain the spread of Ebola. At least four people were injured Wednesday when police fired bullets and tear gas to disperse stone-throwing protesters who were upset by the sudden blockade of roads in and out of their neighborhood. A nationwide curfew is also in place in an effort to halt the spread of the virus. Liberia has been hit especially hard by the outbreak. The World Health Organization says 90 percent of new Ebola deaths reported have occurred there. Meanwhile Thursday, the United Nations public health expert charged with coordinating global efforts to fight the spread of the virus said he was heading to Liberia. Just under [250,000] 2,500 people have been infected by the virus. This is VOA news. Two American aid workers infected with the Ebola virus have recovered and left an Atlanta hospital. Bruce Ribner, the medical director of Emory University Hospital's Infectious Disease Unit, said at a news conference Thursday that Dr. Kent Brantly had fully recovered, meaning he was symptom free for at least two days with no virus in his blood system. Brantly and Nancy Writebol, who left the same hospital earlier in the week, contracted Ebola in Liberia this month. Brantly gave thanks to his doctors for treating him and God for sparing his life. "Today is a miraculous day. I am thrilled to be alive, to be well and to be reunited with my family." Nancy Writebol was released from the hospital Tuesday but had asked that her discharge remain private. Emory University Hospital's treatment of Brantly and Writebol included the experimental drug ZMapp. The U.S. Defense Secretary, Chuck Hagel, says U.S. airstrikes have helped Iraqi and Kurdish forces regain their footing in Iraq. But he says he expects Islamic State militants will regroup and stage a new offensive. The Joint Chiefs Chairman, General Martin Dempsey, says it is possible to contain the Islamic State militants, but it cannot be done permanently without going after the group in Syria. Speaking to reporters with Hagel, Dempsey said he was not predicting U.S. airstrikes in Syria, but said the problem has to be addressed diplomatically, politically and militarily by America and its regional partners. Turkey's ruling AK Party has chosen Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu as the successor to Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who is now the president-elect. Dorian Jones has more from Istanbul. Announcing the decision to senior members of the party and media, Mr. Erdogan said he consulted widely before making a decision. "What is expected of the new prime minister is to realize our dream of the new Turkey," he said, adding that Ahmet Davutoglu's hard work and ambition influenced the decision, reached on merit. He said Mr. Davutoglu "is committed to a foreign policy with a conscience and our belief is he will continue this commitment as prime minister." The governor of the central U.S. state of Missouri Thursday ordered the withdrawal of the National Guard from a town rocked by nearly two weeks of protests following the August [8th] 9th shooting death of an unarmed black teen by a white policeman. The national troops arrived in Ferguson on Monday to support police after violent clashes with protesters. Despite peaceful daytime protests, police and demonstrators that officials called "instigators" exchanged firebombs and tear gas nightly at the peak of the violence. The governor said in a written statement he was removing the National Guard because the situation in Ferguson "has greatly improved." That's the latest world news from VOA. |