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the u.s. has its peacekeepers will remain on the ground in lebanon despite israel urging them to leave. in the u.s., origin sees 8 -- georgia sees a record number of early voters. ♪ welcome to "world news america." we begin with a stark warning from the u.s. to israel over its conduct in gaza. in a letter leaked to the press, the u.s. has given israel 30 days to boost humanitarian aid access in gaza, or risk having some military assistance cut off. the letter, signed by u.s. secretary of state antony blinken, and u.s. secretary of defense lloyd austin, says recent actions by the israeli government including halting commercial imports, denying or impeding 90% of humanitarian movements between northern and southern gaza, are contributing to an accelerated deterioration of the conditions in gaza. the statement goes on to describe what is happening in

the territory as a "downward trajectory." it is some of the strongest language from the u.s. to its ally, calling for the end of the isolation of northern gaza. matthew miller said the u.s.'s response to israel's conduct in gaza is appropriate. >> what we have seen over the past few months is that the level of humanitarian assistance has not maintained. it has fallen 50% from its peak. the secretary thought it was appropriate to make clear to the government of israel that there are changes that they need to make again, to see that the level of assistance making it into gaza comes back up from the very low levels it is at today. we have seen israel in the past few months work with humanitarian organizations to implement a polio vaccination campaign inside gaza. we know it is possible to get humanitarian assistance into gaza. sumi: our state department

correspondent tom bateman is with us. he was at that briefing today. how significant is this letter? wendy: it is very significant. it is the harshest morning we know about so far from the americans to the government of israel over its conduct in gaza since the war began over a year ago. that matters. we have seen an increasing sense, or a repeated sense of exasperation, frustration by president biden downwards through the administration. they just have not been able to get the israelis to do what they want when it comes to the protection of civilians. they have always said that it is the intervention of president biden from the start that has improved the situation in gaza. that they did get the israelis to make changes, particularly when it came to opening gates across land, allowing more aid convoys in. the israelis say it was hamas stealing eight. but aid groups have said israel has been blocking. and now you have the clearest

way yet that the administration has set out what it thinks the israelis are doing wrong, and how it wanted to change. this comes on the back of the last two weeks, this assault in northern gaza that israel has been carrying out. where it is trying to clear out thomas, a group say it is a siege, that the north has an circled and civilians their risk t surviving if they stay. sumi: as he said, we are more than a year into the war now. what about the timing of seeing this letter -- sending this letter now? tom: it's significant that the letter sets out a 30 day deadline for the israelis to respond. in no uncertain terms, they say this has to be dramatically improved. and aid allowed in here 30 days, that takes us past the u.s. presidential election. i think that matters because with the white house is doing is giving itself the space to act. if it does want to invoke the foreign assistance act, and effectively cut off some military assistance to israel,

they will undoubted -- there will be a huge backlash, from the israelis and from republicans in washington. they are allowing them the space to do that. i put this to the spokesman, we are at the end of president biden's term. we know he is leaving office. we don't know who will replace him. if you are prime minister benjamin netanyahu, it may be in your intest to do it -- do what is asked but know in the longer term, that whatever president biden asks for now does not really matter, because the war in gaza is likely to go on longer than president biden's term in office. sumi: state department correspondent tom bateman, thank you for your reporting today. the u.n. is calling the situation in northern gaza desperate as it delivers the first food aid allowed into the area in more than two weeks. more agencies are calling for entry into the territory to deliver lifesaving aid, as fighting between israel and hamas continues caret israel says it is targeting hamas.

fighters the operation was launched in neighboring towns. hundreds of people are reported to have been killed. around 400,000 palestinians remain in the region. it comes as the first team of u.s. troops arrived in israel on monday to help boost israeli air defenses amid threats from iran. the spokesperson of the palestinian red crescent society told us more about the situion on the ground in northern gaza. >> u.n. says it has delivered the first food to the north of gaza in two weeks. it is describing the situation as desperate. what can you tell us about the siation in northern gaza in particular? >> good evening. thanks for having me. the situation north of gaza is beyond catastrophic and horrific. we are witnessing intensified attacks north of gaza where many neighborhoods have been erased to the ground. this has resulted two more human

suffering, thousands of families were forced to flee from their homes. many went to gaza city seeking shelter anywhere, even in houses that were bombed earlier and shelters that are overcrowded. many families, they still are trapped in their homes north of gaza. we are witnessing and receiving dozens of phone calls from civilians who are either asking to be evacuated safely, they do have children, sick people, elderly people, and they are trapped and surrounded. others are asking to be helped to get food as they run out of food or clean water. dozens of families who have people that are wounded need to be transported to the hospital, but unfortunately, because they are located in areas that are red zones, teams and rescue

teams can't even reach these locations. sumi: can i ask you this, of the calls you are getting of people who want to be safely evacuated, is that possible at the moment? nebal: unfortunately, this is impossible. even emergency medical services. it is impossible now in many areas in northern gaza. ambulances can't even be sent to the red zone areas. anyone who tries to reach these areas will be targeted. and we are receiving dozens of phone calls for families who do have people who are woued, some family members are under the rubble, their homes were bombed, and we could not even help. the only thing we can provide is providing some first-aid instructions to the family. and support each other. one of the calls we received, it was from a woman in north gaza, and they are a family member of their team.

their home was bombed. and two of their family members were killed. 11 others were injured. including five children and five women. some of them were critically injured. they have amputations. we had to give first-aid instructions to the woman so she can support her family members. sumi: because of a lack of medical facilities and care as you are saying. israel is saying that in the north of gaza, it is targeting hamas, to target the hamas militants in the area. what is your message to the international community as to what you think is needed most right now? nebal: emergency medical service provider and our teams are still working on the ground, trying their best to save lives. what we are witnessing is unimaginable human suffering care children, women are being

attacked, many are losing their lives. any are injured, without being able to receive emergency medical services. even those lucky enough to be ansported to the hospital, hospitals are also hardware hospitals are lacking medications and medical supplies. they are partially functional. the situation in gaza is dire. it is still worsening. it has been over a year. civilians in gaza are still enduring unimaginable and relentless suffering. they are lacking everything. they are not only being bombed and trapped, there is no safe places left for them to go. they are lacking access to food, water, electricity. we need to see an end for this. the international community must take serious measures to ensure the protection of civilians and aid workers in gaza under international and humanitarian law. sumi: in lebanon, more than 1.2

million people have been displaced, and unicef says 400,000 children have also been displaced by the conflict. the u.n. says its peacekeepers will remain in their positions in the south, despite demands by israel that they move. it comes as israel intensifies its offensive against hezbollah, with the lebanese minister reporting 41 people were killed in israeli airstrikes on monday. and then village -- in a village, 21 people were killed and another israeli strike. the u.n. test 12 of those deaths were of women and children. for more on the situation in lebanon, we can speak to our international editor, jeremy bowen. very good to see you as always. i want to start with israel's response to all of this. we have seen this letter from the u.s., requesting israel within 30 days address the humanitarian situation in gaza we have heard calls from aid groups to de-escalate the situation. what is israel's response?

jeremy: there has not been a response i have seen so far. the israelis have been pretty adamant throughout the war that what they are doing in gaza is going after hamas, going after hamas not just for punishment but to get the hostages back. that is what they do. and when civilians died, it is normally because hamas are using them as human shields. thismerican letter comes against the context of very strong evidence that in northern gaza, the israelis have been implementing something called the general's plan. the guy who came up with it said to me, essentially, what you do is use around the area, tell civilians to get out. if they don't get out, they are treated along with everybody else as a military target. those supplies will go in, and it will be as he put it to me, surrender or starve. that is the context against which this letter has been sent.

also, one of the things in the letter is a request to israel to stop any evacuation orders when there is no operational need. the only evacuation orders in recent days have been from the north to the south. a reference to what has been going on in the northern part of the gaza strip. sumi: that is a really important point. one more question, amid all of this fighting and the calls for de-escalation and the situation in northern gaza, is there any progress on efforts to de-escalate? jeremy: i would say zero. the prime minister of israel, mr. netanyahu, has quite haughtily rejected suggestions from president emmanuel macron for saying he would not go for anything unconditional and hezbollah has to be removed as a threat.

the israelis at the moment are great -- are pressing on all fronts. they are pressing forward in gaza, they are pressing in lebanon. and reports here say they have completed their preparations for their retaliatory strikes on iran for the ballistic missile attack. and that they are ready to do it when the order comes. the americans have also delivered consignment, very sophisticated antimissile defenses. because the feeling was that israel is on its own, they were not able to do what was necessary. i think we are still looking at a rapidly escalating and widening middle east war. sumi: jeremy bowen in jerusalem, thank you for that analysis. for more on the latest of elements, i spoke to the former u.s. ambassador to lebanon, jeffrey feldman. i want to tar -- want to start with this letter we saw the u.s. secretary of state and defense secretary sent israel, saying

there would be restrictions on military aid to israel and less aid to gaza is stepped up. does this letter at this point, more than a year into the conflict, have a real impact? >> i hope it has a real impact. the skepticism in your question warranted. the u.s. has said a number of times that they need to have there needs to be a different military approach to things like the incursion into rafa. and the israelis, i don't know if thehave nodded politely or not, but they certainly have not agreed to this. i find this to be a little too little, too late. i hope it has some kind of impact. the situation in northern gaza is desperate. sumi: what is the response to the israelis to say they have to continue their operations in northern gaza because of a hamas militants who are, themselves, using civilians as shields? mr. feltman: i don't think you have er heard any of the american administration people say that israel should not

continue to try to root off hama and make sure they can prevent another october 7. but the protection of civilians, the responsibilities the israelis have, has been a failure the administration has expressed frustration that the israel -- the israelis have not come up with ways to distinguish combatants from civilians. and would prevent humanitarian access for people who are in need of lifesaving assistance. sumi: i want to ask about the situation in lebanon. he served as the ambassador to lebanon. has tele's leader --hezbollah's leader has said it will target all areas of israel. a majority christian area, something we had not seen until now. do you think this is a new level in this escalating conflict between hezbollah and israel? mr. feltman: i'm deeply alarmed by what is happening between israel and hezbollah. the israelis feel that hezbollah poses an existential threat.

they are going to do what they think they need to do to eliminate that has that -- that existential threat. when you have two militaries each seeing the other as an existential threat, it is hard to imagine where this is going to stop. there were other things the deputy sick attorney general of hezbollah said today in his speech that i found interesting. he did not link a cease-fire lebanon to gaza. he didn't walk back the fact that hezbollah has said that before. the secretary-general who was assassinated by the israelis linked it to gaza. he did not do that today. it makes me wonder, is there room for a cease-fire? he talked about gaza, a cease-fire for lebanon, he did not link them. sumi: why do you think that is? mr. feltman: it makes me wonder, is there room for some kind of diplomacy? can one shift from the purely

military approach to the problem of hezbollah, to something more diplomatic? another part of his speech today alarmed me deeply. he basically threatened the lebanese. he threatened the other lebanese who may try to take advantage of the situation of hezbollah being -- facing israel in order to try to promote a stronger lebanese state. to try to fill the vacuum. that makes me wonder if hezbollah is going to doue down on attempts to control lebanon over the long-term. even though they have been degraded militarily by the israelis, politically, they will survive this israeli onslaught. in order to rebuild their capacities, they may have determined that they need to control lebanon more than they did before the israeli escalation of the recent weeks. sumi: given what you just described, what avenue do you see for some sort of resolution to this fighting? mr. feltman: i think there

should be some exploration of what his speech means in practice. he also said we will not be forced -- forcibly disarmed, we will not disarm ourselves. but is there a way now to finally take that resolution that ended the 2006 war, that has a lot of good language in it but a lot of implementation, can you take that language now and try to come up with implementing mechanisms? is there a signal tt is trying to move toward, finally, implementing that resolution into the 2006 war, but that did not a lemonade the threat to israel from hezbollah. it did not and laminate the fact that hezbollah had taken the state of lebanon hostage. i wonder. whether now is the time to turn to diplomacy and not simply rely on the israeli military. israel, when it invaded lebanon in 1982, created the conditions that led to the emergence of hezbollah.

israel is trying to solve the problem that it partially created in its invasion in 1982. i'm not sure another invasion or sustained occupation by israel will eliminate that threat that israel rightly feels. sumi: we are 21 days away from election day in the u.s. early voting has kicked off in the battleground state of georgia. election officials say the state is already on track to see a record turnout. on tuesday, a state judge mandated local election officials cannot delay or declined to certify election results. it will likely take longer to determine a winner, since george's election court ruled last month that poll workers will be required to hand count ballots. the new measures are being enforced at more than 6000 voting precincts. each state has proven to be a true swing state. out of the 5 million ballots cast in geora for the 2020 election, president joe biden narrowly beat donald trump by a slim margin of 12,000 votes.

mr. trump is in georgia where he is holding a rally, in recording a town hall event with fox news. vice president kamala harris is taking a separate sit-down interview with the same network, both of which are set to air wednesday. the rmer president defended his economic policies during an event in chicago. mr. trump: she has got no growth we are all about growth. we are going to bring companies back to our country. we are going to bring the companies back. we are going to lower taxes for companies that are going to make their product in the usa. we are going to protect those companies with strong tariffs, because i am a believer in tariffs. i'm not sure you are. i don't think you are. to me, the most beautiful word in the dictionary is tariff. sumi: vice president harris is in detroit for her own town hall with radio host as she continues to reach out to black voters. michigan is another hotly contested swing state with polls showing a 5050 chains of either

candidate coming out on top. the ukrainian military officials say russia's army is forming a unit of 3000 north korean citizens in eastern siberia. officials say the battalion is preparing to deploy to russia's region where intense cross-border fighting continues. ukraine has claimed over two dozen settlements since launching its surprise incursion in august. a white house national security council spokesperson said the u.s. is concerned by north korean soldiers in ukraine. the statement noted if the reports are true, they signal "a new level of desperation for russia." our ukraine correspondent james waterhouse sent this report. james: we have seen growing concerns among ukrainian officials over north korea's partnership with russia. there has been mounting evidence that pyongyang has supplied moscow with artillery shells and missiles which have ended up hitting ukrainian targets.

a source of the country's intelligent agency has told the bbc that they suspect russia is gathering around 3000 north korean soldiers close to its border with mongolia. porting to reports, they have been supplied -- according to reports, they have been supplied with small arms and are getting prepared to deploy in kursk region. but we have not seen any evidence to support this claim. nevertheless, the relationship between pyongyang and moscow has only deepened. clearly, this would be a notable step up in support. i think it reflects russia's need to address manpower shortages, because of the losses it has sustained. it is a proper ukraine that feels more acutely. but it is clearly a development, this relationship is developing.

i think for ukraine, there is an added element of frustration. we have never seen western boots. on the ground in ukraine ukraine has always known that because of fears of an escalation. the number 3000 is small and a battlefield since. the concern here is that could grow. in a war of confrontation when you are the smaller fighter, but is only. bad news for ukraine. sumi: let's get a look at other headlines. the u.s. department of transportation has find a german airline of $4 million for discrimination against jewish passengers. the penalty sms from an incident in may 2022 when jewish passengers were banned from a connecting flight in germany of flyers. behavior of a handful they have paid out $2 million of compensation. the company and i'd its employees discriminated against passengers. the airline disc -- the airline agreed to a settlement. footage released by south korea shows the moment north korea blew up roads connecting the countries. pyongyang had vowed to cut off the roads.

one scene shows inter-korean cooperation. north korea says it wants to separate the two countries. experts say tensions between the koreas are at their highest point in years. prague is banning organized pub crawls to reduce crowds of drunken tourists. city counselor said pub crawl's are disrupting the night. lice will be charged with enforcement. the chge will impact travel agencies. one group accuse the city of covering up the city's real issues. that is our show. thank you so much for watching "world news america." stay wh bbc news. ♪ announcer: funding for presentation of this program is provided by... financial services firm, raymond james. announcer: funding was also provided by, the freeman foundation. and by judy and peter blum kovler foundation,

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wow, you get to watch all your favorite stuff. it's to die for. now you won't miss a thing. this is the way. xfinity internet. made for streaming. ♪ geoff: good evening. i'm geoff bennett. amna nawaz is away. kamala harris test out a new campaign tactic playing clips of her opponent donald trump at her rally. israeli air strikes increasingly threaten areas once considered safe havens for lebanese civilians displaced b