♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ announcer: funding for presentation of this program is provided by...

woman: a successful business owner sells his company and restores his father's historic jazz club with his son. a raymond james financial advisor get to know you, your passions, and the way you bring people together. life well planned. brook: these are people who are trying to change the world. start-ups have this energy that energizes me. i'm thriving by helping others every day. people who know, know bdo. man: cunard is a proud supporter of public television. on a voyage with cunard, the world awaits. a world of flavor. diverse destinations. and immersive experiences. a world of leisure... and british style. all with cunard's "white-star" service.

announcer: funding was also provideby, the freeman foundation. and by judy and peter blum kovler foundation, pursuing solutions for america's neglected needs. announcer: and now, "bbc news" n washington. n this is "bbc world news america." haiti continues to spiral into chaos as gang violence rages in eight groups warn. of a potential famine. in carrying aid into gaza is delayed as ramadan begins with no cease-fire in sight. the princess of wales is apologizing over an altered photo released that has gone viral and sparked plenty of speculation. ♪ welcome to "world news america." u.s. secretary of statentony

blinken is in jamaica for an emergency meeting with regional leaders about the crisis in haiti as armed gangs terrorize much of the capital city. on sunday, the u.s. military airlifted non-essential staff from its embassy and stepped up security for those left behind. other countries are evacuating their citizens. gangs now control more than 80% of porto pawns and are demanding that removal of the president. he is in puerto rico unable to return home. the un security council urged for them to cease their disabling actions while calling on "all political actors to engage constructively in meaningful negotiations to allow the holding of free and fair legislative and presidential elections, and for storing democratic institutions as soon as possible." haiti's government extended a state of emergency until april 3. our caribbean and central america correspondent has more. will: haiti is in freefall

towards total anarchy. the past few days have seen a relentlessscalation of violence as gains roam the streets, firing on police and attacking buildings with molotov cocktails. the situation was at breaking point already. gangs bring to bullets on the international air and forcing it to shut -- shutter all flights, including one bringing the country's prime minister back from a trip to kenya. turned away, he remains stuck in puerto rico, unable to return to the nation he leads. in his absence, gangs control more than 80% of the capital. police stations are a particular target. the country's main gang leader says he is prepared to take the country to civil war unless he resigns. he didn't -- some who were managed to get in were --

11 million haitians don't have that luxury. the situation in the general hospital in port au prince is especially dire. a dead body lies next to patients waiting in vain for treatment. rapidly decomposing in the caribbean heat. except for the patient's, the hospital is abandoned. there are no doctors, they all fled last week, said this patient. we hear the explosions and gunfire outside, but we must have courage and stay here. others have no choice but to take their chances amid the violence. >> i have got three kids. i'm their mother and their father. gunman came here and stole all of our money. but when you have three mouth's to feed, what can you do? >> gangs i get -- the anxiety is killing me. what if i get shot dead? who willake care of my children then? will: regional leaders and the

u.s. secretary of state have met in jamaica for a summit, as on this evidence, haiti is perilously close to becoming a failed state. will grant, bbc news. sumi: the world food program warned people in port au prince are facing dire conditions as the security situation deteriorates. the airpt is closed and reports say the port and food source were looted. the organization reports 1.6 million people in haiti were on the brink of fame, with 362,000 haitians internally displaced by the violence. more than half of them are children, according to the international organization for migration. our correspondent is the world food program representative and haiti and told us more about the situation on the ground. the political crisis in haiti is leading to a humanitarian crisis. tell us what the situation on the ground is now forgetting to food, water, and other essentials for haitians. >> we are raising the alarm

right now. the political crisis has turned into a humanitarian crisis because people have had to shelter at home here they are not able to earn an income. food prices have increased and food is becoming more scarce on the market. this is happening after years of protracted food insecurity in haiti. this is a situation where you have 4 million people year after year food insecure, 90 have this political crisis. it just made things a lot worse. sumi: it is crisis upon crisis you are describing. if people want to leave their homes and get food and water, what does that look like? can they do so? jean-martin: yes. people will take advantage of lulls to go to the market and by what is available. water has been an issue because water production has been affected by the situation. it is unpredictable. we know it is dwindling. on friday, the main port au prince porch was attacked and

there has been looting. haiti relies on food imports for 50% of its supply and 80% of its supply in the case of rice. i'm quite worried if the situation lasts longer, the food from port au prince -- sumi: what can aid organizations like the world food program due on the ground? what access do you have? jean-martin: what we are doing now is using pre-position stocks to provide assistance to the displaced population. one of the key features of this crisis is there has been an increase in population displacement. there are 362,000 internally displaced people in haiti. many of them in port-au-prince. we are trying to deliver a hot we have been able to provide 12,000 hot meals today to the population of port-au-prince. we are also making sure the food program keeps going. what we have been able to do is shorten supply chains and directly purchase from farmers

so they bring food to the schools. we were able to reach 160,000 schoolchildren are that is quite good, considering the context we are in. sumi: do you know the u.s. secretary of state has been meeting with partners on haiti in jamaica. the u.n. has issued its concern. what does the international community need to do to address this food insecurity? jean-martin: two things. in haiti, though conflict and hunger are linked. but we need security. we need to bring back security to haitians. the current situation is untenable. violence has also affected the breadbasket of haiti. we need security, but we also need robust humanitarian support to the population. this is not a case of guns or butter. we needs purity and food in order to make a difference -- we need security and food in order to make a difference. last year, 35% funded. that makes it very hard for us

to make a difference. you need our donors to step up in order to make sure the population receives assistance. they have security, -- to have security and food, we might be able to get somewhere. this country has gone through years of mass hung. our hunger is linked to unrest, it is linked to strife, and mass migration. we can't afford to not address the underlying issues. sumi: can i ask, the violence now has been described as unprecedented. do you worry about your safety and that of your team? jean-martin: i'm very worried about my team's safety. they are sheltering in place. they have been doing a great job of working with their partners to ensure we have some assistance getting to the population. i can't get to port-au-prince. i am quite concerned. we will make sure whatever we do in haiti, we have the responsibility to deliver food to the population. we can only do it if we have

strong guarantees for the safety of staff and beneficiaries. sumi: we will have to leave it there. thank you. sounding the alarm from haiti. really important at this moment. thank you. jean-martin: thank you. sumi: the u.n. secretary general says he is appalled fighting is continuing and gaza, despite the start of the holy month of ramadan. he has repeatedly called for a cease-fire to mark ramadan, a practice observed wearing the muslim of asking -- muslim month of fasting. hamas did not meet that deadline, but an invasion has not materialized. mr. gutierrez says if it does, it would plummet the people of gaza into an even deeper circle of hell. u.s. president joe wyden said israel would be crossing a red line if followed through on its threat. over 24 hours since it was meant to depart for gaza, a ship

loaded with 200 tons of food aid and medical supplies is in a port in cyprus. esther biden announced the u.s. would build a temporary port to allow gaza to receive aid via the sea. that effort will take several weeks. quentin sommerville has the latest from that port. >> over the weekend, they were getting ships prepared. yesterday, the final security clearances came for the ship to go. we expected it to leave after that. it seems as though the problem is not this end, but on the others and gaza. there is no functioning oort in gaza -- unction import in gaza. there is nowhere for this aid to land. the charity central kitchen has hired heavy lifting equipment, is mute -- is moving boulders and is building its own jetty out into the mediterranean to

get ready to receive the aid. problem might be that the jetty may not be ready. the journey from larnaca, where i am now, to gaza, takes 15 hours. it is expected to take this boat in the barge it is towing about 50 hours, much longer. because of the cargo and the nature of the vessel. sumi: quentin sommerville their peer that comes as relations between president biden's administration and israeli prime minister netanyahu are growing strained. mr. biden underlined the need to get a's -- aid into gaza and warned against many israeli invasion. mr. netanyahu has pushed back against those comments pointing to the support he says he has among the israeli public. i talked about ties with former israeli ambassador to the west, michael oren. i want to start with the u.s. relations now. if we look at an interview that president biden gave to msnbc over the weekend, he said about

prime minister netanyahu,hat his disregard for innocent lives is "hurting israel more than helping the country." he said a ground invasion of rafah would be a redline. but he also said he would "never leave israel." what did you make of these commts? >> very hard comments. painful comments. israel is not bombing indiscriminately. every -- it has to go through a long approval process by experts, lawyers. the big criticism of israel is the army is taking too many risks and casualties in its attempts to reduce civilian casualties on the palestinian side. those remarks are hurtful and felt to be unfair. they are also dangerous. because they support those who would try to do you legitimize -- try to delegitimize israel. it sends a problematic message to hamas. if you are hamas, the head of hamas and you hear comments like

that, you think i'm ok, i have to hold on longer. go into a situation where i am using palestinians as how -- as armor. sumi: are you saying president biden's words are emboldening hamas? amb. oren: i think there was an interview -- a statement in t wall street journal, where he basically said that. he said, all i have to do is hunker down and wait for the world and the united states to impose a cease-fire. then i will emerge from the rubble, and i will declare victory. i think any situation that the united states is pressuring israel, drawing redlines, is accusing israel of acting in an illegal way, gaza will embolden hamas. is only logical. sumi: president biden has said

he does agree with israel's aim of defeating hamas. he is looking at the civilians on the ground, more than 30,000 dead. if you look at what aid organizations on the ground are saying, they are saying the territories inching towards famine, that eight has to get in in such a dire situation. is that something you understand what the president is trying to get at their? amb. oren: i do. and i know every palestinian casualty, not 30,001 casualty, is one casualty too many. that is the great challenge israel is facing in combating an enemy that is using its own population as a human shield. using gaza itself as a shield. under gaza are 450 miles of tunnels, the size of the subway system in new york. i don't think any modern army hafaced a challenge like that. i think israelis will take umbrage at the number 30,000, which is a hamas number. and it includes the terrorists

who have been killed. israel claims to have killed 13,000 terrorists. many palestinians have been killed by rockets that have fallen short. and you will get a combatant to civilian casualty rate, which is about a quarter of what the united states had in iraq and syria and afghanistan. sumi: we have seen aid organizations in the u.n. on the ground saying, there has been a mass loss of civilian life in gaza during this military as i mentioned, at the same time, the amount of 80 getting in has been far too little for the suffering of the civilian population. why is israel limiting the aid coming in? this has been e of president biden's criticisms at the moment. amb. oren: and again, israeli leaders including our president, isaac herself, the former head of the labour party, has said there is plenty of aid ready to go in. but the u.s. agencies have been unwilling to take it in.

it has compelled the israeli army to escort these convoys in. you saw what happened in that very tragic incident a week and a half ago with that convoy. no one else is willing to take the aid in. the president has talked about creating this floating dock off the shore of gaza. that was really -- that was originally an israeli proposal. we floated that in october. you will have to get the aid from the beach into gaza. not -- who is going to take that in other than the israeli army? sumi: i should say the u.n. says that aid can get in, it is israel that is limiting the number of check winds, and the inspection process has been too excessive. in the short amount of time we have left, do you think a ground operation in rafah in southern golfer -- southern gaza, do you think that is imminent?

amb. oren: i think it is imminent. we are in a war for national survival in israel. this is not a war of security or choice, or a war that we asked to happen. it would be good if the international community would at -- would ask hamas to lay down its arms and release the hostages, which it continues to hold. we have no choice but to finish this or. the major -- this war. the major effort to move the civilian populations to the greatest degree possible away from the combat area, as we have done and continue this war. sumi: thank you so much for joining us on bbc news. great to get your perspective. amb. oren: good to be with you. sumi: for the first time since it officially joined nato, the swedish flag was raised during a ceremony at the headquarters in brussels on monday. it comes as sweden and finland are taking part in the largest nato military exercise since the end of the cold war, amid warnings of a new -- of a renewed front to europe. our defense correspondent

reports from the arctic circle where part of that exercise is happening. jonathan: nato says it is able war for peace. but it is preparing for war. this is just part of its massive military exercise across europe. with its newest members, sweden and finland. no doubt as to why they joined. >> gang alone against russia is like, why take that risk when you can join nato? >> i feel a lot safer. now we have allies to depend on. jonathan: in this scenario, they have come to defend northern norway after it has been invaded. they are not calling the enemy russia, but it is a near neighbor. the aim of this exercise is to demonstrate how nato would come to the aid of an ally under attack. it is the very principle of the alliance. an attack on one is an aack on all. how likely is that?

no one is saying the threat is imminent. russia is preoccupied with its war in ukraine. but it is moscow's aggression that is sounding the alarm. >> the important thing is that it is not if they will reinforce themselves, it is how long will jonathan: you are sure russia is a threat? >> i am sure russia is the threat, and that we need to become stronger as an allied country in the upcoming five or 10 years. jonathan: it is those living closest who are most aware of the threat. the country is boosting defense spending, but also mentally preparing themselves for war. both finland and norway share a border with russia. and they have already strengthened their defenses, with a citizen army. teachers, nurses, and carpenters. they are also part-time

soldiers. these are members of norway's home guard. but it is no dad's army. most are young and ready to fight. >> in world war ii, this county was burned down. the whole county. my grandparents, everybody, they had to flee. that is my option. i would rather stay here and fight. > i look at the newspaper, but more often now than i did before. just to see if there is something that has happened. especially with russia. jonathan: for these nordic allies, it is now strength in numbers. but for russia, it is the mother of all unintended consequences. more nato on its border. jonathan beal, bbc news, the arctic circle. sumi: let' get a look at headlines now. u.s. senator bob menendez pled not guilty to obstruction chars in court monday in a new

federal indictment less than two months ahead of his corruption trial. he pled not guilty last year to taking bribes from new jersey businessmen to impede law enforcement probes they faced, and illegally acting as an agent of the egyptian government. passengers on a flight between australia and new zealand say they were told by the pilot but his instrument panel went momentarily blank, when the plane suddenly lost altitude ascending people flying upwards. 50 people on the boeing 787 dreamliner were injured. boeing is under investigation after a door plug on a different plane blew out in january. katherine princess of wales is apologizing for confusion over a family photograph, after several news agencies pulled the photo, citing concerns that the image was manipulated. it was taken by the ince william prince of wales, the first official picture of her since she had abdominal surgery. kensington palacsays it will not reissue the photo.

our royal correspondent sent this report. >> the photo that was supposed to reassure, to calm the more outlandish rumors about the princess's conditions, but its publication has done the opposite. the princess was seen with her husband, being driven from windsor. kensington palace said she had a private appointment. last night, the first of five news agencies issued dramatically worded kyl notices, withdrawing the picture of the princess and her children, due to what the agency said were inconsistencies in the image. this morning, a social media post from the princess of wales herself, where she admitted she had made cosmetic changes to the picture. she said, like many amateur photographers, i do occasionally experiment with editing. i wanted to express my apologies for any confusion the family photograph we shared yesterday caused. i hope everyone is celebrating

and had a very happy mother's day. photography is a passion for the princess of wales, reflected in some of her public engagements. over the years, she has released many of her own pictures of her children, with little fuss. but times are different now. clamor for information on her current condition remains intense. and it is -- and it has fuele the questions about the photo. >> they have misled the public by putting an image out there that was manipulated. it is going to fuel a whole load of speculation and conspiracy about kate and her health. >> it was the prince of wales who took the photo of his wife and children last week. today, alongside queen camilla, he led the royal family at the annual commonwealth day service at westminster abbey. the royal party was depleted. neither the king nor princess of wales there due to their health problems.

the king had recorded a video message that was played to the congregation. >> in recent weeks, i have been most deeply touched by your wonderfully kind and thoughtful good wishes for my health. and in return, can only continue to serve you to the best of my ability throughout the commonwealth. >> it has been a challenging few weeks for the royal family. the mood is charged. and the photo controversy has fed the debate over whether we can trust what the palace tells the public. >> i wouldn't say it is a trust issue. i have not heard that. the princess of wales is an accomplished photographer. she said she edits photographs. she might have been editing family photographs all the time for all we know. >> a photo altered by a princess. her team says she was doing what so many others do. trying to make her family look as good as possible in a picture.

daniela routh, bbc news, windsor. sumi: thank you for watching world news america. i am sumi somaskanda in washington. stay with bbc news. ♪ 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 judand peter blum kovler foundation, pursuing solutions for america's neglected needs. ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪

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. the xfinity 10g network. made for streaming. geoff: good evening. i'm geoff bennett. amna: and i'm amna nawaz, in chiapas, southern mexico. on the “newshour” tonight, we report from mexico's border with guatemala, where we meet migrants from around the world, and a smuggler helping to move them to the ited states. wht