♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ announcer: funding for presentation of this program is provided by... woman: two retiring executives turn their focus to greyhounds, giving these former race dogs a real chance to win. a raymond james financial advisor gets to know you, your purpose, and the way you give back. life well planned. george: actually, you don't need vision to do

most things in life. it's exciting to be part of a team driving the technology forward. i think that's the most rewarding thing. 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 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" ♪

sumi: i am sumi somaskanda in ♪ washington and this is "bbc world news america." medical staff in gaza being beaten and humiliated. two ships certain missions into getting more aid to the people of gaza. and gang violence groups haiti one day after the prime minister announces his intention to resign. sumi: welcome to "world news america." israel says an american citizen thought to have been held captive by hamas was killed on october 7. he also held israeli citizenship and was a soldier serving in the israeli defense forces. he is believed to have been one of six citizens held by hamas.

his family campaign for his release including in a meeting with u.s. president shows the sort of structure u.s. military plans to construct. 1000 troops will be involved in the effort, which joe biden announced in a state of the union address thursday. tom baden was envisioned as the ship departed. tom: they will be on a 30-day trip to get to shore off the coast of gaza. you can see there are some of these vessels that will be

heading out. you can see a vehicle on one of these over to my left, another one which will connect with what they call a roll-on, roll-off facility. that will enable a big cargo ship to bring containers full of aid to be collected and picked up by these vessels and brought to what will basically be a huge floating pier that will be floated and driven towards the shore of gaza. and what the officials are saying here is that the facility, once it is built, will allow them to deliver 2 million meals a day, or 2 million bottles of water per day to the population in gaza. all of this ordered by president biden and announced during his state of the union speech last week. but the political reality about this is that all of this could be done far more easily over land, and in fact in israel, 30 miles or so north of where this

may be built in the gaza strip, there is an international container port. that is why aid agency said the solution is to open up more land crossings and they've been urging israel to do so. we have seen this increasing public spat between the u.s. administration and the israelis over this entire issue, while the u.n. continues to warn a quarter of the population in gaza is at risk of famine. sumi: that was tom bateman reporting in virginia. the u.s.'s pier near gaza city -- the first ship departed the court on tuesday carrying two dozen tons of food and medicines. it was launched by the charity world central kitchen. that was founded and run by michelin star chef was andreas- -- jose andres. great to have you back on bbc news. open arms is on its way.

getting aid to people on the ground has been difficult. who is going to distribute the aid and how? jose: we have been distributing the aid. i want to remind everybody that world central kitchen has been there for weeks, months, we have more than 65 kitchens, we have been able to do 50,000 home meals a day. we are trying to build a total of at least 100 kitchens in total. we have been able to bring more than 1400 tracks into gaza to cover the needs of our kitchens. obviously more is needed. the north has been difficult to reach. it's where our true humanitarian disaster has been happening. for us, the idea of this route opening the possibility of bringing food into the beaches of gaza was because we are

trying to reach the north in anyway we could. that is why we began doing air drops next to the jordanian government with either ship of king abdullah -- with the leadership of king abdullah. what happened is the need is so huge, and when you are trying to move tracks towards the north, people that are hungry sometimes will not allow the free flow of those tracks reaching the north, and we will have to stop to don't put anybody in danger. if we bring massive quantities of food, all of a sudden people will somehow feel they have been fed already, we will bring down the need that everybody is experiencing now, the humanitarian flow will be helped and honestly with bigger quantities of food reaching every family in gaza. sumi: jose, it's an important effort, and i want to ask you about something you wrote on x

earlier, "we may fail, but the biggest failure will be not trying." what are you worried about that could happen that could get in the way of this aid being delivered? jose: well, when we began moving many weeks ago, when we had the boat and we announced our intentions to start talking to all the parties that could give us the permission and the green light, obviously to go, many things had to happen. many people had to agree, many governments and organizations had to agree. but that is the technicalities, too. we need to be building -- we don't have a port we can safely arrive. we need to be building a jerry in real time with the help of missionary that is already inside gaza, with different concrete that we are able to gather inside gaza. it is not like we can be bringing resources -- sumi: jose, can i ask you about that jetty -- jose: these are the things we

need to make sure that whatever we have we are able to be successful to bring food in the shore and to the different kitchens and people in need in gaza. sumi: can yi ask you about that jetty? have you been able to coordinate building that jetty with the israelis? jose: well, i mean, nothing inside gaza happens without israel. --is real blessing, that is the situation. we obviously asked for permission with the humanitarian arm of the israeli government, idf, and this is happening because we have their permission. there is no way we would be able to be doing this, but the palestinian authority give us permission and the mayor of gaza city us permission. everyone is on busily helping us make sure -- obviously hoping us make sure that this jetty is being built.

it is a temporary jetty, but if we are able to build it, we need to build one of around 60 meters that would allow us to be bringing in the barges we are covering right now that from there can be loaded into tracks and from there we would be able to slowly but surely bring in food into gaza. again, this is a pilot. this is a beginning. we cannot fail the people of gaza, especially right now in ramadan. that is why we took the initiative to go as quick and as fast as we could. sumi: jose, you talked about the humanitarian crisis. the u.n. says at least 576,000 people in gaza are one step away from famine. how would you describe what your team is seeing right now? jose: everybody has seen the images when sometimes they get into the different tv stations, newspapers. we all see the images. the situation is desperate. oppositely in the places the

situation is more calm, where we are slowly and surely positioning kitchens towards the north, gaza city, and we hope we will be able open kitchens in the north. yes, it's not enough food flowing, a lot of people that are desperate to use -- simile have some rice to feed their children, people that may be going days without food. that is why i'm supporting the airdrops in the north. it's essential and i'm happy world central kitchen is there next to the jordanians delivering vital and important aid to the north with meals ready to eat. the more we do right now, the better. we need to keep finding any way to make sure that this doesn't become a disaster of biblical proportions. people are hungry, and we can do something about it. we must try by always possible to reach the people, especially in the north. sumi: jose, we have about 30 seconds left. what do you need from the

international community at this point? jose: well, we need the support of everybody. i'm very happy that now the big powers, the big countries are all coming together to, it seems, building a bigger court. but the best would be to tell president bibi, please do a cease-fire, please negotiate the release of your israeli people in the hands of hamas, let's stop the killing of any more civilians, let's start finding a way to feed everybody. open other ways in the north of israel and we can stop this humanitarian crisis immediately. that is what the international community should be doing, stopping this war, releasing dawn sturgess, and giving hope to -- releasing these hostages, and giving hope to the people of gaza. civilians cannot be suffering in the way we see them suffer right now. sumi: josé and grace, great to have you back -- jose andres, great to have you back on bbc news.

the uk's demanding answers from the israeli government after a report by the bbc showed medical staff in gaza being mistreated. medical staff in gaza have told the bbc they were detained, beaten, and prevented from carrying out vital duties after a raid at the hospital last month. they have said some detainees were stripped, cap and stress positions for several hours, or had muzzled dogs set upon them. israel said it occupied the site believing it was used by hamas, and several freed israeli hostages said they were held there. you might find some parts of this report upsetting. reporter: not for the first time in this war, israeli soldiers have been filmed standing over, stripped and kneeling detainees in gaza. these are medical staff detained after the israeli army overran the hospital in khan yunis. most of them are still held captive. for weeks, the medics have witnessed israel's military

advance of in around their hospital -- closing in around their hospital. the fighting in khan yunis was fierce. thousands of people who sought refuge in the ground fled under gunfire. what should have been a place of safety was completely the opposite. one nurse was shoved inside an operating center through window. another prison shot at the main engine -- another person shot at the main entrance. the hospital was under siege. on february 15, after giving warnings, israeli tanks overran hospital. there were chaotic scenes as troops took control. patients who havd and enable to evacuate removed by medics from collapsing wards. israel said it found hamas weapons, also medication, which they say supports accounts from israeli hostages that they were

held there. in the idf's own footage commute can see that hospital patients had their hands and zip tied, detained outside in their beds and wheelchairs. this was when troops also detained the medical personnel, at least 49 of them forced to leave their posts and remove their surgical clothing. israel says it did so in case there were concealed weapons, and that among the 200 arrested were terrorists posing as medics. a doctor who remained throughout the siege, before the israeli incursion risking her own and at to save lives as people -- risking her own and act to save lives as people were shot inside the grounds. she witnessed what happened to her fellow doctors. >> it was tough for us to see how the doctors who bravely stayed at the hospital despite the dangers were stripped and beaten. their hands were tied behind

them and they were left in the sun for hours. reporter: his hand broken in captivity, this doctor is one of the very few medics to have since been released. he shows the positions they were forced to adopt for hours and says they were also tortured. >> they forced us to kneel down with our eyes blindfolded. there was a pet in the ground, and we thought they would execute us in --execute us and bury us there. we said our prayers, but they were just intimidating us. reporter: israel says any abusi detainees -- abuse of detainees is against idf orders. but according to the manager who dealt with the rate, the detention of so many of his staff left is hospital woefully short of doctors. >> 8 doctors and 15 nurses were

treating 250 patients. you can imagine the level of care we could give with no water or electricity in the hospital at that point. during this time 13 patients and injured people died. reporter: the israeli army says it operated within nasser in a precise and focused mann er, and says it provided equipment that enabled it to treat patients. but with the war continuing and more than 40 medics detained or missing, the hospital has been closed for weeks. sumi: the u.s. government is commenting on the bbc's reporting. matthew miller, state department spokesperson, was asked about it during a briefing and whether the u.s. will raise the matter with the israeli government. >> i've only seen the report, i don't know that we have raised it, but i expect that we would. it is the type of case we often raise with them to seek more

information and make clear as we always have that any detainees should be treated in strict compliance with international humanitarian law. sumi: protests have broken out in haiti's capital, port-au-prince, after allie hungry, the prime minister, agreed to resign after violence in the country. mr. henry' is currently stranded in puerto rico after being prevented from returning home by armed gangs. mr. henry plans to step down after a counsel is appointed. the council will deliberate and appoint an interim prime minister. a state department spokesperson matt miller, who you heard from earlier, commended mr. henry's decision to resign and commented on the next steps. >> we commend prime minister henry for his statesmanship for agreeing to step down as the presidential counsel is established. his decision comes at a critical point for the haitian people.

under the terms of the agreement announced yesterday can we expect members of the transitional council will be appointed in the when you for to 48 hours and they will -- 24 to 48 hours and they will appoint an interim prime minister after that. sumi: the security and humanitarian situation in the capital, port-au-prince, is fast deteriorating with the city under a month-long state of emergency. the u.n. world food program warns 1.5 million people in the capital are facing famine. it is the country's biggest humanitarian crisis since the 2010 earthquake which claimed 200,000 lives. the u.s. on monday committed an additional $33 million for humanitarian aid and 100 million dollars for an international security mission in the country expected to be led by kenya. but kenya has caused its deployment of police officers to haiti, citing the need for a new constitutional authority. to discuss all this, let's go to our central america correspondent will grant, on the border between the dominican republic and haiti.

good to see you. what are you seeing and hearing on the border? will: well, already so far we have seen the dominican authorities deport undocumented haitians back into haiti. they are not only being deported into the dire circumstances you mentioned of the worst humanitarian crisis since the earthquake in 2010, but they are being deported into a political vacuum after the resignation of prime minister allie henry, following the meetings with the u.s. state department. it was very clear that neither side saw mr. henry is any part of the transitional movement towards a new administration. in terms of what is happening here, there has been some movement perhaps with haitians who have permission to come in briefly to gather supplies. but there is nobody getting in, and that includes foreigners, one woman we met who has her

children trapped on the other side. she cannot get to them and she cannot get them out. sumi: and will, the violence continues what impact do you think the announcement of the prime minister's resignation will have? will: i mean, in the short-term it was greeted with some celebrations, but celebration does not last very long given the rest of the circumstances in haiti at the moment. this crisis goes well beyond the resignation or otherwise of one man. it was something that the gangs and particularly the gang leader had been calling for. in a sense perhaps it will embolden those gangs. they have managed to force out the prime minister with force on the streets, shoah fighting on the streets. they may be feeling -- shoah fighting on the streets. they may be feeling more emboldened and they control 80% of the capital. it is a weak pitch even though he is gone and that there may be

worse to come, although that may be hard to believe. sumi: that humanitarian crisis you mentioned -- is aid getting in? will: i mean, we have been here a short amount of time and i cannot say we have seen aid. but we have seen movement of people who live on the other side of the border to get the very basic supplies. that is what we're talking, basics. it is actually difficult picture, and one man as they were being deported said these are tough days for haiti, and he is very, very right in that statement. sumi: will grant reporting for us there. thank you so much for that update. now, the white house announced an emergency package of 300 million dollars in security assistance for ukraine. the stop gap measure will provide some of the weapons and ammunition that ukrainian troops need. the biden administration is still urging congress to pass a bipartisan national security

package that has been stalled for months. it would provide $60 billion of aid to the country. pro ukraine militia launched a series of drone attacks across seven regions in russia overnight. many of the targets were fuel depots and power stations. th re are reports of strikes in moscow. in st. petersburg there are fires on the grounds of one of the city's biggest power stations. this footage shows an alleged drone attack on a russian-armored military vehicle in a village. take a look at these, remote-controlled sea drones that had been taking the fight to the heart of the black sea fleet. they are widely used by kyiv to attack and destroy russian warships. the bbc gained a rare access to a secret unit that carries out these operations and sent this report from odesa. reporter: this is ukraine's new deadly weapon, a sea drones

it has become a major threat for washing warships -- russian warships in the black sea. it destroyed five russian military vessels since it was set up last year. they are called group 13, and they are part of ukraine's military intelligence agency. this drone model is called after a slavic war goddess. its main advantages, size and speed. when russian sailors detected these drones, it is often too late to defend their ships. >> the drone doesn't emit a lot of heat, so it is almost invisible for thermal cameras. it is made from plastic. therefore even radars struggle to see it. reporter: last month group-13 destroyed a russian warship.

its crewmembers desperately tried to stop the drones, but it is a very difficult target to hit, especially among the waves in the dark. last week they sank another russian ship. such frequent attacks already forced moscow to move its fleet away from crimea to safer ports further east. these vessels of revolutionized naval warfare a because they are relatively cheap but can destroy ships tens of hundreds of millions of dollars. ukraine cannot resist russia's attempts to dominate in the black sea. these drones can sell hundreds of kilometers thanks to its long-lasting battery and satellite connections. the war in ukraine is a war of

new technologies. innovations have helped kyiv gain advantage in the sea despite all odds. sumi: let's get a quick look at some u.s. headlines. former u.s. special counsel robert hur appeared at a congressional hearing on tuesday defending his report into president joe biden's handling of classified documents. he told congress that his escaping assessment of biden's memory was -- scathing assessment of biden's memory was accurate and fair. it did not recommend criminal charges but characterized him as a well-meaning elderly man with a poor memory. president biden and former president donald trump may clinch their respective nominations in the tuesday voting contest. hawaii is holding gop caucuses f democrats will hold contests in three republican primary states as well as the northern mariana islands. 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. ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪

at 6:00 on a. good evening, i'm geoff bennett. amna: i'm on the u.s.-mexico border. local communities divided on how to respond. geoff: tiktok's parent company could have to sell or face nationwide ban. how gang violence and political upheaval is being fueled in haiti.