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announcer: funding was also provided by, the freeman foundation. and by judy and peter blum kovler foundation, pursuing solutions for america's neglected needs. announcer: and now, "bbc news" ♪ >> i'm caitríona perry in washington and this is bbc world news america. a stark warning in hunger in gaza as antony blinken urges a boost in humanitarian aid. >> 100% of the population in gaza is that severe levels of acute food insecurity. that is the first time an entire population has been so classified. >> the u.s. defense secretary reassures ukraine and its other allies that washington won't

abandon kyiv in its fight against russia. brazil's former president bolsonaro is formally accused of falsifying his covid vaccination records. ♪ hello and welcome to world news america. i'm caitríona perry. on the program today, we will have the latt from inside gaza as the u.s. expresses deep concern over reports of looming famine. we will be in kyiv as ukraine seeks more international aid and ammunition for its fight against russia. and we will have bbc reporting from brazil as former president jair bolsonaro is formally accused over fraud of his covid vaccination records. let's start with the war in gaza. israel insists it is doing everything to flood gaza with aid after the u.s. secretary of state warned the entire

population was experiencing sere levels of acute food insecurity. in some of his strongest comments yet on the scale of the humanitarian crisis in the penta stealing and -- palestinian territory, mr. blinken has called on israel to prioritize the flow of goods into gaza. >> according to the most respected measure of these things, 100% of the population in gaza is at severe levels of acute food insecurity. that is the first time an entire population has been so classified. we also see again according to in this case the united nations 100%, the totality of the population, is in need of humanitarian assistance. >> this all comes as the u.n. human rights office has said israel's continued restrictions on getting aid in may amount to the use of starvation is a method of war, which is a war

crime. earlier today, the white house spokesperson said that the biden is deeply concerned by a report indicating imminent famine in gaza. she also said that there would be a meeting between the u.s. and israel on the situation in rafah next week. this comes as benjamin netanyahu had said there is no way to destroy hamas in rafah other than by a grand incursion. all of this as talks aimed at incurring a cease-fire deal continue in watar -- qatar. the latest development from jerusalem. >> throughout this conflict israel has suggested it is hamas which is disrupting aid distribution efforts in gaza and the israeli government has hit out at the u.n. for being too slow to distribute aid, but all of the aid agencies on the ground in gaza and you and bodies say the infrastructure is in place tdistribute aid, it is slowly down to israel

limiting the number of trucks that can get into gaza to distribute the much needed aid, which is why it is so sorely lacking and why famine is now looming in large parts of gaza. i went to a briefing with the head of the u.n.-palestinian mission who said to me that this is an entirely man-made famine, it is down to a complete failure he also appealed to the u.s. and u.k. to restore funding to the u.n. palestinian refugee mission which the two countries cut in january when israel accused that u.n. mission of employing staff who were implicit in the seventh of october attacksn israel. on the cease-fire front, those talks in qatar say the two sides are far apart, but they are cautiously optimistic that the talks are resuming, but israel's

prime minister has said he is intent on expanding the offensive into rafah and southern gaza where some 1.4 million gazans are sheltering on the ground. gazans have no time to wait for a cease-fire gen a preponderance of famine, dehydration, and desperation. >> as the international community warns of those catastrophic conditions, i've been speaking to an aid worker in rafah. she is the save the children deputy team leader for the gaza response. thanks a much for being with us on bbc news. you are in rafah at the moment. describe for us the conditions. how our children and their families living? how are they surviving and eating? >> thanks and thanks for the opportunity. the situation in rafah and the whole of gaza is absolutely extraordinary. rafah has gone from a town of about 280,000 people to now a very busy and overcrowded space of nearly 1.5 million people.

it is an extremely chaotic and very congested and overcrowded place. as you said, the situation in terms of access to food, for the whole of gaza and especially in the north, we are deeply concerned abt the children in the north of gaza where you have 250 300,000 people with very limited access to food and this is very deeply concerning. children are living in absolute fear. there is constant bombardment. there is fear of and incursion into gaza. people have nowhere to go, so this is a worrying situation. >> the israeli prime minister said today israel is determined to go into rafah and a grand operation is necessary. from what you've seen, what is that going to mean for the people in rafah? >> it is unimaginable because there are so many people living

in makeshift camps, makeshift tents along the side of the road, living in any buildings they are able to find some shelter in. the conditions are absolutely desperate, so the thought of having another mass displacement of children and families, a mass displacement of a population where nowhere is safe in gaza is extraordinary and it is terrifying. it is terrifying for children and their families and parents who are trying to think of options of where to go if there is an evacuation order or and incursion and invasion into rafah, but there is no safe space in gaza, so the options for people are extremely elicited -- limited. it is an impossible situation for people to be in. >> the entire population is at risk of famine. let's talk about the situation in northern gaza, where we have seen children dying already of starvation.

what are people doing their to try to survive at this point? >> people are desperate. in the north, very, very little aid is able to get through. the partners have been able to get small amounts of food and food assistance to the populations, but it is 250,000 people. no commercial markets are functioning. people don't have access to food. we have colleagues in our office who i work with every day whose families are still in northern gaza and they have stayed for many reasons, but they are desperate and they are eating anything they can find. they are eating animal fodder, stale food. just desperate situation for people to stay alive in the north of gaza. >> israel says it is letting some humanitarian aid in. talks are underway to a cease-fire deal.

talk to us about what is lined up at the border with gaza waiting to get in. >> we know what people need. people need access to clean water, food, medical supplies, and there are hundreds of trucks sitting in egypt at the border waiting to come across, so before the war and during the war, we need about 500 trucks to be coming into gaza and across to the rest of gaza. the number of trucks coming into gaza areetween 100 or less every day. it is drip feeding a population that is in desperate need of food, water, hygiene kits, shelter kids, anything to provide them with some protection. it is deeply frustrating for the communities we aim to serve because we know what we need to do. we knowe know how to do it, yet we are restricted in what we are able to do and it is deeply

worrying for children and their families here. >> when children and people in general are so malnourished, whenever that lp eventually does get to them, will there be long-term impacts of their systems having got to such a poor condition for those who do manage to survive? >> exactly and of course there is a ticking clock for children because there are hundreds of children who are acutely malnourished. we have 30% of all children in gaza are acutely malnourished, so those children need care immediately. they need specialty services and nutrition supplies to support them to survive. those children that do survive butter malnourished for a very long time, there are impacts on their development and brain and body in terms of how children are impacted by a lack of food, lack of adequate nutrition. it is a whole generation of children in gaza that are at risk of starvation and also the

mental health impacts of this war are really not understood yet in terms of the longer-term impacts for children. again, whatever we can do now to provide them with life-saving interventions, food and water, but also thinking about their mental health, some psychosocial support, whatever can be done for children to be able to be children in this environment. >> let's hope that aid gets to them as soon as possible. save the children deputy team leader for the gaza response. thanks for being with us. >> thanks so much. >> germany has announced a new military aid package for ukraine to the tune of 500 million euros or roughly $542 million. germany's defense minister said they will immediately begin delivering 10,000 artillery shells to ukraine. the package also includes 200 military vehicles. germany is ukraine second largest military aid donor

behind the u.s., but the u.s. has been of little help as of late as house republicans block a $60 billion aid package seen as critical to ukraine's defense. the u.s. defense secretary was in germany tuesday meeting u.s. allies and ukrainian officials. despite aid being stalled in congress, the secretary said the biden administration would continue to stand by ukraine. our berlin correspondent has this analysis. >> today ukraine's survival is in danger. america's security is at risk. they don't have a day to waste and we don't have a day to spare either. i am determined to keep ammunition and support flowing. it is a matter of survival for ukraine and a matter of honor for the united states. make no mistake, putin is

watching, the world is watching, and history is watching. >> lloyd austin trying to reassure kyiv and other allies as well. i think he also seemed to have a message for domestic audiences. he was making the audience that what happens in ukraine really matters to america's security as well. here in europe, people are talking more and more about how europe might need to become more self-sufficient in terms of defense and deterrence not just because of this $60 billion aid package being stuck in congress, but also the uncertainty surrounding u.s. election cycles. officials fear that a donald trump presidency, should the republican hopeful be reelected, could undermine the nato military alliance given the remarks mr. trump has previously made, but nations in europe, some in germany for example, have a long way to go or much

groundo make up. here in germany yesterday, they are set to meet the 2% nato defense spending target this year. >> evan farkas is the executive director director of the mccain institute. i spoke to her a little earlier. thanks for being with us. we see vladimir putin in a fifth term in office. the u.s. defense secretary said today that american security is at risk in terms of russia's war with ukraine. is that more the case now than at any time first started. >> yes, it looks like the whole defense of ukraine is hanging in the balance. we are in the greatest danger that we have ever been in

imposed by russia since the cold war ended. we need ukraine to be stronger on the battlefield and we will remain in danger and the danger will increase. >> you are in kyiv at the moment. you have met with officials. what have they said to you about their prospects for this war? >> they are clearly deeply concerned. they deeply rely on the united states for defense, for military assistance, and they are waiting to see what united states congress approves as far as the next package. maybe the amount will come down somewhat and it won't come down right away. the united states has been shown

to not be as strong of an ally. about the u.s. political dynamic and they are worried looking across the border at vladimir putinecause he is feeling very confident and thinking he is quite strong. there is a downside to that because we have seen vladimir putin over calculate, but that is the move in kyiv. a lot of concern. >> just how urgent is the situation for ukraine in terms of military supplies, ammunition, and so on. >> i don't think it is quite as urgent, meaning they are going to lose chunks of territory because the united states found $300 million in savings, so we are rushing some ammunition to ukraine. second, the europeans are really stepping up across the board, just as one example, the czech republic has put together $800 million worth of ammunition, sourcing it from countries all around the world. they say that this ammunition will be available in weeks.

the germans are makinthe right statements. assistance is uneven. some of the countries are giving a high percentage of their gdp, the baltic countries. germany needs to step up and give more and to give longer-range artillery. president macron is saying good things. there is reason to be somewhat optimistic that ukraine can hang in there and bridge this situation and ultimately time may not be on russia's side. >> you have listed out what many other countries and allies are doing for ukraine. is it a bearing for the united states when you are traveling abroad that they have not been able to deliver on the promises president widen made to president zelenskyy? >> yes, frankly it makes the united states look bad. especially when we know that there is a majority of members of congress who agree with the u.s. president and understand

that ukraine's existential fight is also actually the international order, it is also america's existential fight if ukraine loses. the fact that all these members of congress agree makes it even more absurd that the minority, this small minority in one branch of our congress is holding up the entire foreign policy of the united states. >> ok, evelyn farkas with the mccain institute, thank you for joining us from kyiv. >> thank you. >> the czech republic has taken up an initiative to source artillery shells from central europe. in a matter of weeks, they have been able to secure funding from various cntries for 300,000 artillery rounds. the goal is to buy 800,000 rounds. the prime minister said this will have a tangible impact on the front lines. >> we have a difficult situation on the front lines because of

lack of artillery munitions. we hope that this will help us and we will have enough. enough ammunition to deter our frontline. >> former brazilian president jair bolsonaro has been indicted for falsifying his covid vaccination documents. his health records say he received the vaccine in sao paulo and an investigation later found he wasn't in the city at the time. the former leader who has vowed publicly never to take the vaccine has denied the accusations. the new indictment is not the only legal action facing mr. bolsonaro. the police seized his passport while investigating his alleged efforts to overturn brazil's 2022 election results. for more, here is our south america correspondent. >> j or bolsonaro is under

investigation for a number of different things at the moment. this is just one of them. essentially the update means that police have now formally charged him for allegations of fraud, accusing him of essentially fabricating his covid vaccination records. now, why this is significant is because bolsonaro was a big covid skeptic. he sai publicly that he would never have a covid vaccine. yet some of his health records that were made public last year said that he had had a vaccine in são paulo and that would have allowed him to travel to the u.s. where visitors had to be vaccinated. he again has reiterated that he has said the covid vaccine and he feels calm and he denies having any knowledge of the certificate in tampered with.

this could potentially be a problem because he is w been formally accused of a crime. this is now one of the investigations he is facing. >> hong kong's probation parliament has passed a strict new security law that they say is necessary for stability, but critics say will further erode freedoms. the leader of hong kong says the law will guard against what it called potential sabotage. the uk foreign secretary said it will make it harder for those who live, work, and do business erosion of freedoms of speech,ng of assembly, and of the media. >> this has technically been stipulated in hong kong's constitution, the hong kong basic law. it has also been called the

article 23 legislation. the whole idea is to write in a whole piece of law locally to protect china's national security and interests, but hong kong, we saw the protests in between. in 2019 because of various issues. this time, they are finishing what they insist to cut up things like treason, sabotage, it is filled by pro-beijing legislators. >> here is our royal

correspondent. >> calming the noise of social media conspiracies or just fueling them. the first pictures of the princess of wales since her surgery out shopping at the weekend with her husband at windsor farm shop. her recovery i seems is going well, but still the rumors persist. the safety of a selfie. royal photos have been a tricky issue recently. today, prince william was in sheffield trying to shift the focus onto the more serious side of public duty. >> people think give people a house on be fixed. >> it is not taken care of very well. >> he met supporters of his project to end homelessness in six areas of the u.k. >> how are you? nice to meet you. >> he is one of the most famous people on the planet and a lot of people may say, well, well

surely a prince won't carry about an issue like homelessness or lack of access to housing because he may not have directly experienced that, but i feel that is even more impressive about him. not having that direct experience, but still understanding that so many people are suffering. >> there were also chats about the challenges faced by young families, and area the princess of wales has worked on, something her husband mentioned. >> [indiscernible] >> containing all the speculation is impossible for the team around the prince and princess of wales. the footage from the farm shop will dampen some of the more outlandish theories, but things won't feel anything like normal again until the princess of wales returns to the routine of royal duty after easter. the rumors and gossior off the agenda today replaced by a sense

of relief. that a regular royal engagement went off smoothly amid the speculation that won't quite go away. bbc news, sheffield. >> you can find all of the day's news on our announcer: funding for presentation of this program is provided by... financial services firm, raymond james. bdo. accountants and advisors. cunard is a proud supporter of public television. announcer: funding was also provided by, the freeman foundation. and by judy and peter blum kovler foundation, pursuing solutions for america's neglected needs. ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪

>> good evening. >> on the newshour tonight, and immigration ruling from the supreme court means texas police can arrest and deport migrants. >> experts warn of famine