Trucks carrying humanitarian aid for the Gaza Strip pass through the inspection area at the Kerem Shalom Crossing in southern Israel, Thursday, March 14, 2024. Under heavy US pressure, Israel has promised to ramp up aid to Gaza dramatically, saying last week it would open another cargo crossing and surge more trucks than ever before into the besieged enclave. But days later, there are few signs of those promises materializing and international officials say famine is fast approaching in hard-hit northern Gaza.
More trucks carrying aid are crossing the border into Gaza, and the relief group World Central Kitchen is resuming operations there, four weeks after Israeli soldiers killed seven of the group’s aid workers. Still, the situation in Gaza remains dire. And, Maori poet Tayi Tibble released a new collection of poems, “Rangikura” earlier this month to critical acclaim. Tibble talks with us about her youth, Maori identity, and what it means to connect with Indigenous groups beyond New Zealand. Also, heavy rainfall and flooding in Kenya over the weekend has killed about 100 people so far. Experts say the extreme weather is wreaking havoc across several countries in East Africa. Plus, the struggles of learning Mandarin. Listen to today’s Music Heard on Air.