 The chorus of international condemnation over Israel's genocidal war on Gaza mounts. UN agencies' rights organization and world leaders have expressed concern, although this does not seem to have any effect on Israel's impunity. A new report by the Food and Agricultural Organization says that famine is projected to occur any time between now and May 2024 in the northern parts of Gaza. UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres termed the report an appalling indictment of the conditions on the ground for civilians. He said that this is an entirely man-made disaster. Meanwhile, the United Nations Children's Fund has said that over 13,000 children had died in Gaza and many more don't even have the energy to cry. We go to Abdul for the latest from the ground. Abdul, thank you so much for joining us. A host of reports now from the FAO for the United Nations Children's Fund. Could you tell us what all of these reports are talking about the humanitarian situation in Gaza right now? Well Prashant, most of the reports prepared by the UN agencies about the humanitarian situation in Gaza have similar things, by Allah, similar things to say and those are those things that there are common points in most of them. Of course they're saying that how around 2 million plus Palestinian people who are living in Gaza who are who are basically suffering because of the war, which has been which is ongoing for more than five months now are now has been have been systematically deprived of their basic humanitarian needs like food, medicine, water and other essential commodities, which basically has led to a situation where there now we see large-scale malnutrition among the Palestinian population as per for example as per the UNRA report around half of the people in Gaza are basically at a very acute level of malnutrition they are facing and they're on the verge of they're at the risk of kind of facing famine of some soon. In a similar way UNICEF for example is saying that hundreds of thousands of Palestinian children are deprived of nutrition which ultimately leads to stunted growth if they're surviving. Of course there are reports coming that a large number of Palestinian children have died because of the lack of nutrition, lack of food and that basically the number has is increasing every day. So UNICEF report is saying that there is a danger that majority of the Palestinian children will basically face a level of starvation which will ultimately lead to a generation which basically will be stunted if they survive the war that is of course there are also reports coming that which basically measuring the level of starvation across Gaza one of the reports indicate that though the entire Gaza is under a severe in a stage in which there is a severe malnutrition acute deficiency in terms of supply of basic food and nutrition nutrition to the large number of Palestinians but particularly in the northern Gaza which has which we all remember that ever since the war began that was the first region which was evac forcefully evacuated most of the houses there are destroyed very small population which now lives there despite all the bombings and so and so forth is primarily deprived of a humanity grenade which primarily reaches Gaza through the southern borders which are there in Rafa and other places so this aid is not able to reach and northern Gaza so though the overall aid availability of aid is less all across Gaza but particularly the northern in northern Gaza the situation is quite severe and as per the the reports claim by IPC today is March 19th it seems that the fifth stage of there are five stages according to their calculation of five levels of starvation and northern Gaza is already into the fifth stage which is the highest stage of malnutrition and lack of food which are equals to famine and that's what is happening all across Gaza right Abdul in this context could you also tell us a bit about what is happening on the ground in terms of the fighting we know that attacks are continuing in Gaza we know that they've been attacked around the Al Shia for hospital as well so could you give us an update well Prashant when we are talking about the state of war in Gaza of course one can say that after the point there is hardly anything new to add the fact is every day similar story is repeated for last five and a half months that Israel is bombing Rafa Israel is bombing Khan Yunus Israel is bombing different other parts of the besieged territory and there are ground offensives going on for example Al Shifa hospital is facing Israeli ground offensive for I think if I'm not correct the fifth or sixth time since the war began on October 7 and every time Al Shifa hospital is attacked Israeli forces indiscriminately bomb the hospital premises shoot inside the hospital premises kill innocent civilians which have gone there to get treatment because of the wounds that they have been suffering because of the Israeli bombings and another war activities carried out by Israel so similar things are happening in Rafa despite the warnings repeated warnings that Rafa since it is a home of more than 1.5 million Palestinians now who have been forced out of other parts of the besieged territory living there and this is very densely populated area so any kind of bombing will lead to large-scale casualties and but Israel never listens to all those warnings does not care about them in fact and repeatedly bombs for example in the latest bombing on Tuesday more than 14 people were killed including children in one of the houses which was the target of the attack so you can understand the amount of casualties which is basically created by Israel's indiscriminate bombing inside Rafa another for example attacks on Al Shifa hospital where more than 100 people were killed on on Monday and on Tuesday so apart from that as I said I was saying before the Israel has been preventing all kinds of humanitarian aid and support to reach the affected population of course they prevent medical care they prevent the aid agencies to reach the affected people effectively creating different kinds of hurdle but at the same time they also do not allow the aid to flow into Gaza the that as per the claims made by UN agencies there is enough aid which is there available but there that all of that aid is basically blocked out of Gaza hundreds of trucks are stationed at the Rafa border at the moment with the humanitarian aid inside but they are not allowed to go in inside Rafa by the Israeli forces citing different kinds of excuses once they claim that some of the humanitarian aid has scissors and which basically can be used as left-hand weapon and hence they basically since then they have started in inspecting all the boxes which basically carry such kind of aid to Gaza they have also used the excuse of large-scale gathering for the delivery of aid so therefore they want to slow down the movement of aid so that apparently that will prevent large-scale gathering but all these things we all know are tactics used to deliberately starve Palestinians to force them to leave and if they are not leaving to kind of kill them if that's what is required so it seems that Israel has completely decided to kind of kind of take out basically attack Palestinian population the way it wants and it has and no kind of it seems that there is hardly any effective pressure created by the international community to kind of to stop to make Israel stop these kind of both the access to aid to the Palestinians and at the same time to end the war in the region thank you so much Abdul but stay back we'll come back to you for the next story our next story is from West Africa where Niger has revoked a military accord that allows US personnel to be posted in the country this was allegedly after US delegation threatened retaliation against the largest country in West Africa for its ties with Iran and Russia now question mark hangs over the three strategically crucial US military bases in the country including the world's largest drone base in the central Nigerian city of Agades just a few months ago Niger's former colonizer France was forced to remove its troops after its post coup government demanded the same the latest decision by Niger's government is the latest twist in what has been a series of massive political developments in Saku in July 2023 we go back to Abdul for details welcome back Abdul a very momentous development it would seem first French troops are forced to withdraw and now a demand similar demand made of the US but could you first take us through what are the US facilities in the region and you know what this could mean for them and what were the reasons exactly cited well Prashant the government in Niger has declared the presence of US forces in the country as illegal of course that it is not clear whether this would mean that the US forces which are there in the country around 1100 of them will have to leave the three different bases which are there in the country or there will be some other arrangement made but so far one thing is clear that this came after US delegation are leased the Niger government CNSPC Niger government kind of threatening them to not have a relationship with Russia or any in fact Iran or any other country and kind of threatening them of any of some kind of retaliation again if Niger moves towards Russia or develops relationship with Iran and so and so forth of course the Niger government did not appreciate that this kind of dictation of what Niger should do or should not do we should remember that this is the same government which basically kind of pushed the French troops to move the country and has basically been very consistent in his position that the imperialist interventions in the country in the domestic affairs of the country and its independent foreign policy will not be tolerated so as far as then as I said before there are three different kinds of bases US has in the country one of course two of them are air bases one in based is based in Nimai another one is based in aga days and and both of them are quite large built with over 100 million dollars of expenditure cost and and and every year US spends millions of dollars to kind of maintain those bases given the fact that they they considered the presence of your troops in the country in nizer essential for their global empire in so one of the bases in aga days for example is world's largest drone base the air base in Nimai is one of the largest air bases in the on the african continent the third base which was operated by which has been operated by cia for a very long time as a secret base is now of course there is an expose that it has become a public knowledge that cia operates a smaller base as well in nizer for a very long time the the governments the previous governments in nizer have used those the US military presence in in their advantage to kind of suppress use them as a threat against the domestic descent against the forces which are basically trying to try to question them and therefore but we know that ever since this new government has come which has a pan african outlook which has an anti imperialist outlook which basically claims to kind of work for independence of the nizers and its foreign policy it of course this has a different approach and it there is also a very strong popular support for whatever steps it has taken against all kinds of intervention in the country external intervention in the country including the military presence of france the earlier colonial power right and how do you think abdul this development sort of what are the implications for the larger region as a whole we are on this show we've talked about how west africa has been drastically changing since the niger coup but even before that we have mali burkina faso etc so this latest development how do you think it plays into all of that well prashant as far as the possible implications of us withdrawal from nizer is concerned there are we can see it on two level of course one is at the domestic level the government nizer government there is a new government of course which has come to power through military intervention and it has been seeking legitimacy while taking taking up popular demands popular issues which have been primarily anti imperialistic and anti colonial for example the steps taken against the presence of france given the fact that france was involved in the economic exploitation and law has a long history had a long history of human aid violations through its military in the country us does not have a different history it has a similar history as france it has basically used its military forces to not only exploit facilitate the colonial exploitation of countries resources and in collaboration with the ruling classes in the country to pressurize and consistently violate the rights of the common people in the country in niger and therefore there is a strong popular sentiment against the presence of us troops so if the nizer government takes the decision ultimately to ask the us forces to move out of the country of course that there is a possibility that this will increase the popularity of the current government in power and that that will lead to as far as the reason is concerned will lead to a greater consolidation of the efforts which most of the countries have now started taking in the region as we saw as we saw during in the last in last year how the three different governments came together in the region and basically stood against the imperialist attempts to kind of intervene and and so and so forth so that will lead to strengthening of such powers which have been standing against the colonial operation colonial hegemony in the region and that would also mean that the us will lose a very strategic position on the african continent it will also affect its grover global presence because we know how us uses military bases hundreds of military bases all across the globe to maintain its hegemony its its global empire and if they are forced to withdraw from nizer that would mean that there is a strong dent in that capacity to their hegemony capacity so if the events turn out to be similar to what happened to the french troops in nizer of course this will lead to both domestic consolidation behind the current government in nizer will lead to strong emergence of stronger regional powers which will be able to stand against all kind of bullying and colonial interventions which the african most of the african countries have been subjected to for centuries and and and in a way we can say that this is if this happens that will be good for the for the democratic movement all across the globe thank you so much abdul for those updates and that's all we have time for in today's daily debrief we'll be back with a fresh episode tomorrow meanwhile do visit our website peoplesdispatch.org follow us on all the social media platforms and if you're watching this on youtube please hit the subscribe button