also on the programme... wayne couzens, who murdered sarah everard, should never have been employed as a police officer — one of the damning findings of an independent inquiry. good evening from rochdale, where the polls have just closed and a colourful, noisy, bizarre by—election. could george galloway be the new mp for here by the morning? formula one's christian horner again denies inappropriate conduct, after a series of messages are leaked. i want to talk to you about the poison you are selling. the trade in deadly poison — we track down one man selling it online from his home in ukraine. four sprigs. and, the tv cook dave myers, one half of the hairy bikers,

has died at the age of 66. on newsnight at 1030. we will go deeper behind the headlines and speak to key players behind today's big stories. plus, we'll have the first look at tomorrow's headlines. good evening. more than 100 people are reported to have been killed in gaza as they tried to reach a convoy carrying food aid. crowds of people had gathered to get close to the lorries. israel's military told the bbc tonight that it killed a handful of people they believed were a threat. a palestinian witness told the bbc that most of those who died were run over as the aid convoy moved away. in the last hour, the un security council has been meeting behind closed doors to discuss the situation. it comes on the day that the hamas government says more than 30,000

people have been killed in the territory since this conflict began in october. israel launched a campaign to destroy hamas, which is designated a terrorist organisation by the uk government, after its gunmen attacked southern israel on seventh 0ctober, killing more than 1,200 people and taking more than 250 hostages. over 130 of them are still missing. in a moment our security correspondent frank gardner will look at who has died in gaza during this war. and our international editor jeremy bowen is here to discuss what might happen next in the conflict. first, our special correspondent fergal keane reports from jerusalem on today's events near gaza city, as food supplies were driven through the north of the territory. the hunger created by war made this tragedy. that is a fundamental fact

of what happened today. the dead and wounded were starving people, simply hoping to feed their families. translation: | am| one of the wounded. i was on al—rashid street. we were there all day in order to get food for our children, but we paid for that aid with our blood. thousands had gathered in the predawn darkness. they'd heard trucks were coming with aid. there were farmers, mechanics, our bbc cameraman, teachers, a doctor from a local hospital. an israeli drone filmed people

crowding the aid trucks. it is a striking depiction of human desperation. the military said tanks were securing the convoy to ensure aid was distributed, and blamed people in the crowd for the chaos. some began violently pushing and even trampling other gazans to death, looting the humanitarian supplies. the unfortunate incident resulted in dozens of gazans killed and injured. the army also said troops opened fire, first in the air as a warning and then at the legs of people it said posed a threat to soldiers. watch this man crawling along the ground away from the food convoy. hospitals in northern gaza say they treated many gunshot wounds. translation: after the israeli military stopped shooting, - we went back to get our aid.

this survivor was shot and run over. translation: by the time i got flour and some canned goods and took it i down from the truck, they shot at us, they shot me, and the truck driver left and ran over my leg. we go to get flour for our children. we have been eating animal feed for two months and even that ran out. what are we supposed to do? where are we supposed to go? this incident comes on a day when gaza marks a reported 30,000 deaths since the war began over four months ago. there is the dying that happens in the open and suddenly. and there is the hunger silently attacking life. in kamal adwan hospital, there

are babies with severe malnutrition. like ahmed moussa. translation: this child is suffering from severe dehydration _ due to lack of milk. his mum breast—feeds him but she hasn't eaten and there is no artificial milk. he was rescued from the rubble when he was one—month—old. he lost 2a members of his family. the girl in the red incubator died as our cameraman filmed, an already serious medical condition worsened by hunger. nearby, great struggles still for little bodies. fergal keane, bbc news, jerusalem. as we've heard, the hamas—run health authorities in gaza say more than 30,000 palestinians have been killed since israel started its military action in october. bbc verify has been examining how many of those killed

were members of hamas. here's frank gardner. bbc verify has been covering this war ever since the october 7th raid on israel. it's a war that has ravaged one of the most crowded places on earth, home to over two million people. the red areas on this map show all the parts of gaza that have been destroyed since the start of the campaign. so how has this 30,000 deaths figure been arrived at? it's based on the number of dead bodies brought to hospitals and identified. the world health organization has previously endorsed gaza's health ministry casualty figures as credible — if anything 30,000 could even be an underestimate due to bodies buried under the rubble. so let's break this down. as you can see from this graph, the vast majority of those killed have been women and children. nearly half of gaza's population is under 18. separating civilian deaths from hamas fighters is not easy.

those fighters are embedded amongst the civilian population, some are in uniform, some are not. israel has accused hamas of using gaza's civilian population as human shields. but there is no question that those civilians are suffering the brunt of israel's military operation. so, how many hamas and other militant fighters have been killed? at the start of the war, it was widely assumed hamas had around 30,000 fighters. on february 19th, hamas reportedly admitted 6,000 of theirfighters had been killed, but they later denied that. as of today, the israeli military say they have killed at least 13,000 fighters — some of whom, israel says, were as young as 16 or 17. but in the end, the most shocking thing about these 30,000 deaths is the extraordinarily high proportion of civilians killed. that's down to the combination of a densely packed residential area — from which there is no escape —

and overwhelming israeli firepower. this conflict is now the most lethal one for palestinian civilians since the creation of the state of israel. frank, thank you, our security correspondent frank gardner. violence also continues on the west bank. israeli emergency services said two israelis were shot dead there today. let's talk about where the conflict goes from here, with our international editorjeremy bowen. isreal says it doesn't have a choice, it has to destroy hamas. because of the attacks on the 7th of october. where does that assertion look today? october. where does that assertion look toda ? �* , ~ october. where does that assertion look toda ? �*, ~ . ~ ., october. where does that assertion look today?— look today? let's think back at the very beginning _ look today? let's think back at the very beginning of _ look today? let's think back at the very beginning of all _ look today? let's think back at the very beginning of all of _ look today? let's think back at the very beginning of all of this, - look today? let's think back at the very beginning of all of this, i - very beginning of all of this, i think on day one, benjamin netanyahu the prime minister said israel would deliver a mighty vengeance against its enemies, it would destroy hamas and it would cripple its capacity for taking military action or

governing. now, the israeli government and most israelis would agree with that even though many of them don't like mr netanyahu, they say that hamas uses the people as human shields and that is why so many of them are so many civilians, have been killed, but, you know, around the world israel has suffered severe reputational damage. to put it mildly, the international court ofjustice to investigating what it calls plausible allegations of genocide against israel. today, one of many comments, but the un human rights chief talked about the unprecedented level of killing and maiming of civilians by israel. he also roundly condemned what hamas had done. but a few weeks ago antony blinken, the us secretary of state, said just because israel has suffered so much means there is no license for them killing palestinian civilians in the way they have been doing. civilians in the way they have been doin:. �* ., ., ., .,

civilians in the way they have been doin:. �* ., ., . ., , doing. and all of that then, and his --rosect doing. and all of that then, and his prosrnect as — doing. and all of that then, and his prosoect as you _ doing. and all of that then, and his prospect as you are _ doing. and all of that then, and his prospect as you are asked - doing. and all of that then, and his prospect as you are asked always l prospect as you are asked always come of a ceasefire is yellow welcome a look at those scenes, those desperate scenes in gaza today. let's hope there are prospects for one. joe today. let's hope there are prospects for one. joe biden said there might _ prospects for one. joe biden said there might be _ prospects for one. joe biden said there might be won _ prospects for one. joe biden said there might be won by _ prospects for one. joe biden said there might be won by the - prospects for one. joe biden said there might be won by the end . prospects for one. joe biden said | there might be won by the end of prospects for one. joe biden said - there might be won by the end of the weekend but today, he said it's going to make it more difficult, so no, i don't see one at the moment, they are too far apart and the impact of this event will definitely make that harder and one big lesson about this all is well, there's been 100 years, more than 100 years of conflict over that land, between jews and arabs and there's never been a military solution.- been a military solution. jeremy bowen, thank— been a military solution. jeremy bowen, thank you. _ the prince of wales has carried out his first public engagement since unexpectedly pulling out of a memorial service earlier this week, where he'd been due to give a reading. prince william visited a synagogue this morning, hearing about people's experiences of anti—semitism. our royal correspondent daniela relph was there. it was planned as a joint

visit for the prince and princess of wales, but the prince was on his own as his wife continues her recovery from surgery. at a london synagogue, this group ofjewish students shared their experiences of anti—semitism. what personally do you feel when somebody does something like that? it's just constant and never ending and definitely dehumanizing. it was a powerful conversation for all involved. both catherine and i, you know, are extremely concerned about the rise of anti—semitism that you guys have talked about so eloquently this morning. and i'm just so sorry all of you here had to experience that. it has no place and it shouldn't happen. he then met renee salt, a holocaust survivor. she talked of her fears in the current climate. it's very bad at the moment, - and we hope it can only get better. is it the worst that you've known it? it's the worst since i've known it since the last war. -

during the visit, many asked prince william about his wife. we've not seen the princess of wales in public since christmas. her advisers know there is intense interest in her condition, but they are brushing off all the speculation and have reiterated that the princess is doing well. last week, prince william had a video call with red cross workers in gaza. like today, an engagement designed to highlight human suffering. as he left, there were flowers for his wife as she continues her recovery out of the public eye, in windsor. daniela ralph, bbc news. wayne couzens, who murdered sarah everard while serving with the metropolitan police, should never have been given a job as a police officer — and opportunities to stop him were missed. those are among the stark findings of a damning independent inquiry. here's our home affairs

correspondentjune kelly. he was a predatory sex offender in a police uniform. a criminal with state sanctioned powers. wayne couzens should never have been allowed to join the police and constant flawed vetting meant he was able to continue in his role despite a series of red flags. these are the stark conclusions of today's inquiry report. the metropolitan police service told the inquiry in 2022 that they would've still have recruited him if provided with the same information. i found this astonishing. without a significant overhaul, there is nothing to stop another wayne couzens operating in plain sight. the report describes how in 2004 and 2008, kent police turned down his application to join but allowed him to volunteer as a special constable. in 2011, another force, the civil nuclear constabulary, took him on, despite a recommendation that he shouldn't get through the vetting.

in 2018, he transferred to the met. an indecent exposure allegation which was on the system was missed and by 2020, he was part of the parliamentary and diplomatic protection command and was carrying a gun. what this report lays bare is the very low base that we're starting from. and so whilst those improvements have started, we have a long way to go to build the high degree of resilience and strength to reduce to an absolute minimum the threat of anybody so horrific being within policing. couzens used his police powers to falsely arrest sarah everard in 2021, accusing her of breaking covid lockdown rules. he then raped and strangled her. today, everyone was aghast at even more shocking details in a case which has become synonymous with women's safety. anyone who is not fit to wear the uniform, for whatever reason,

must be removed from policing and every effort must be made to ensure that similar people neverjoin. this report should be a watershed, but we said sarah everard's murder three years ago should be a watershed and far too little has changed. a week after sarah everard's disappearance, wayne couzens was arrested. described as a man of diverse and deviant sexual interests, he allegedly committed a very serious sexual assault against a young girl before he joined the police. at a mcdonald's drive—through in the days before he abducted sarah, he exposed himself to staff more than once. the report concludes there may be more couzens victims. he's also alleged to have had indecent images of children. the coming days will see the third anniversary of sarah everard's death. in the report, herfamily welcome its recommendations.

they say the loss of sarah pervades every part of their lives. june kelly, bbc news. in the last few minutes, the polls have closed in the rochdale by—election. the contest was caused by the death of the labour mp sir tony lloyd. results are expected in the early hours of tomorrow. our political editor chris mason is at the count, its been quite a contest chris? it really has. there have been big rows and big characters, it's been colourful, it's been angry, it's been noisy, it's been bizarre. there are two former labour mps running here, george galloway and simon danczuk. then there is the former labour candidate azhar ali, widely accused of being anti—semitic which he apologised for. mr galloway, even

his critics acknowledge he is a dexterous campaign with his rhetoric and campaigning style, and all of that in a part of the world here with a substantial muslim population, and war raging in the middle east, a big focus on gaza from mr galloway. it's been wildly unpredictable but tonight, mr galloway�*s team are sounding very confident. we will find out the result in the middle of the night. thanks, chris. essex police have told the mpjulian knight he will face no criminal action, following an investigation into allegations of serious sexual assault. the force said it had carried out thorough inquiries, and the allegations did not meet the test for bringing charges. mr knight had come forward voluntarily to be interviewed, and said he was pleased at the outcome. in a statement he said he would be taking time to consider his next steps and recover his mental health. the formula one racing boss christian horner, who heads the red bull team, has again denied allegations

of inappropriate behaviour, after a series of messages allegedly written by him were leaked. horner was cleared yesterday of inappropriate behaviour towards a female colleague, following an internal red bull investigation led by an external barrister. our sports news correspondent laura scott has been following developments. what more do we know? it was a ractice what more do we know? it was a practice session _ what more do we know? it was a practice session ahead _ what more do we know? it was a practice session ahead of- what more do we know? it was a practice session ahead of this - practice session ahead of this weekend's bahrain grand prix about 149 people involved in the sport received an anonymous e—mail containing a file of messages purporting to involve christian horner. the list of recipients included principles formula 1, team principals from the media. christian horner said, principals from the media. christian hornersaid, i principals from the media. christian horner said, i won't comment on and on the speculation but to reiterate, i have always denied the allegations. this all comes after an

independent investigation into allegations of inappropriate behaviour against warner were made by a female colleague, that culminated in the team's parent company saying the grievance had been dismissed but today red bull's main rivals mercedes and mclaren called for transparency on how that investigation had been carried out. tonight we understand key figures in the sport asked seeking clarity on this latest development is once again hoerner�*s future in the sport may hang in the balance. us president biden and donald trump are making competing trips to the american border in texas, to address the the increase in illegal border crossings from mexico. it's a crucial issue in november's presidential election, and a top concern for voters. our north america editor sarah smith reports from texas. two rival border visits from two men who will know migration will be a

top election issue. joe biden was to highlight a plan to beef up border security and close particularly busy crossing points. a plan he says was cynically sabotaged by donald trump and republicans. he cynically sabotaged by donald trump and republicans.— and republicans. he said a planned oli was and republicans. he said a planned policy was issued, _ and republicans. he said a planned policy was issued, instead - and republicans. he said a planned policy was issued, instead of - policy was issued, instead of telling members to block this, join me or i willjoin you. telling members to block this, 'oin me or i willjoin you.i me or i will 'oin you. immigration is donald me or i willjoin you. immigration is donald trump's _ me or i willjoin you. immigration is donald trump's signature - me or i willjoin you. immigrationl is donald trump's signature issue. visiting borderfortifications is donald trump's signature issue. visiting border fortifications with the texas governor, he is promising more of this if re—elected and the largest deportation ever of illegal immigrants. largest deportation ever of illegal immigrants-_ largest deportation ever of illegal immiurants. ., ,, ., , , immigrants. now the united states is bein: immigrants. now the united states is being overrun — immigrants. now the united states is being overrun by _ immigrants. now the united states is being overrun by the _ immigrants. now the united states is being overrun by the biden _ immigrants. now the united states is being overrun by the biden migrant . being overrun by the biden migrant crime, a new form of vicious violation to our country. {lin crime, a new form of vicious violation to our country. on patrol alon: the violation to our country. on patrol along the border, _ violation to our country. on patrol along the border, law _ violation to our country. on patrol| along the border, law enforcement officers like deputy constable santos constantly having to intercept and detain migrants. they say they are being overwhelmed and think this crisis needs to be tackled from the top. i’m think this crisis needs to be tackled from the top. i'm at the

bottom to _ tackled from the top. i'm at the bottom to be — tackled from the top. i'm at the bottom to be honest. the - tackled from the top. i'm at the - bottom to be honest. the president needs to give the orders to shut down the border or top or federal government to see how they will stop this because it's getting out of hand. ., this because it's getting out of hand. . ,., ., , hand. the river marks the boundary between mexico and _ hand. the river marks the boundary between mexico and america. - hand. the river marks the boundary between mexico and america. andl hand. the river marks the boundary | between mexico and america. and if the deep waters are not deterrent enough, if you meet is in you have this really long boundary fence, which is covered with razor wire but even that doesn't prevent migrants from getting through, which pretty much symbolises the problem that's now become the most divisive issue in american politics. major reforms to try and stem the flow of migrants were almost agreed in congress last month and then blocked by republicans at the behest of donald trump. democrats say republicans don't want to fix immigration before the election. for don't want to fix immigration before the election-— the election. for years they have been crying _ the election. for years they have been crying and _ the election. for years they have been crying and whining - the election. for years they have been crying and whining the - the election. for years they have been crying and whining the sky| the election. for years they have l been crying and whining the sky is falling on thief�*s issue and we had

the perfect opportunity. they felt not only their party and constituency but they felt our country. constituency but they felt our count . �* , , ., country. but this is now the starkest dividing _ country. but this is now the starkest dividing line - country. but this is now the starkest dividing line in - country. but this is now the - starkest dividing line in american politics. a 3000 kilometre long battleground over which the next presidential election will be fought. sarah smith, bbc news, eagle pass, texas. a ukrainian man selling a poison which is linked to at least 130 uk deaths has been identified by the bbc. leonid zakutenko is known to have promoted his services on a pro—suicide forum and told an undercover reporter he sends five parcels a week angus crawford has this special investigation. a parcel full of poison... it's certainly well wrapped. ..from a seller thousands of miles away. now on a kitchen table in london. yeah, that's. .. that's really hard to see something my son used to take his own life.

david's son, tom, used this same chemical from a different seller to end his life almost two—and—a—half years ago. a well—known suicide forum told him where to get it, how to use it. the authorities know about this lethal trade, but david wanted to test the system and, with a couple of clicks, was able to buy it. i still can't believe that that's happening today, given everything we know now about the number of deaths. surely firmer action needs to be taken? and this is the man selling it, leonid zakutenko. we're on our way to find him. we contacted leonid, pretending to be nervous about buying. he told us he sends five parcels a week to the uk and he'll write anything we want on the customs form.

but where's he posting it from? the answer — ukraine. there is obviously a war on, but life goes on almost as normal. and that includes for leonid zakutenko's business. we think he lives on the top floor of this block of flats. we spend days trying to find him. even as we search, we know he's still sending out the chemical. so that must be the post office. with at least five shipments a week, he must come here all the time. then we spot a man carrying parcels. inside, it's him, i'm sure. leonid zakutenko posting packets of poison around the world. i want to talk to you about the poison you're selling. you're selling poison to people around the world.

i don't sell them. what were you posting in the post office? i'm just going to put a mask on to be extra careful. back in london, we take leonid's chemical to a lab for testing. a world authority, professor amrita ahluwalia has carried out more than 180 similar tests for police and pathologists in the uk. oh, wow. so that's completely off the scale. there's no question. unequivocal. and if you ingested that, that might well kill you. if you ingested enough of it, yeah. in this box, more than enough poison to kill. we made sure it was safely disposed of. selling this chemical to vulnerable people can have consequences. this man, chef kenneth law, now

faces 14 counts of murder in canada. but in ukraine, zakutenko is still plying his deadly trade... you're lying to us. just stop lying. ..at least for now. angus crawford, bbc news, kyiv, ukraine. russia's president vladimir putin has warned western governments against considering any deployment of troops to ukraine, and accused them of trying to weaken his country. in his annual state of the nation address in moscow, he claimed his forces were advancing confidently inside ukraine, two years after the invasion. our russia editor steve rosenberg reports. it was president putin's 19th state of the nation address. and he used it to send this warning to western nations. "don't send your troops to ukraine." translation: they need to understand

once and for all that we have _ weapons, too, that can strike targets on their territory. and everything they think up and scare the world with risks a nuclear conflict and the end of civilisation. regarding russia, he pledged to reduce poverty, boost the birth rate and raise incomes. well, there is an election coming up. the kremlin clearly wanted russians to see this speech. it was shown live on billboards. even in some cinemas. although this moscow movie house wasn't exactly overflowing. putin and popcorn, not an obvious combo. this address was part campaign speech, part state of the nation, and state of the world as vladimir putin sees it, with warnings to the west and promises to his people that life here will get better if he stays in the kremlin.

as for the current wave of repression in russia and the intensifying crackdown on dissent, there was no mention of that. and the audience, russian mps and senators, had little to say about the death in prison of the country's most famous opposition leader. are you not concerned about the state of the nation or its reputation after the death of alexei navalny? who's that? i am ready to comment on the message which vladimir putin delivered but not on other issues, so thank you. the president, too, has stayed silent on mr navalny�*s death. alexei navalny is expected to be buried tomorrow at this moscow cemetery. his allies have accused the russian authorities of blocking their plans for a public memorial service for him. as for the kremlin, the choreography here sent a clear message —

that on russia's political stage, there is only room for one man. steve rosenberg, bbc news, moscow. dave myers, one half of the bbc tv cooking duo the hairy bikers, has died at the age of 66. he and his tv partner, si king, took their motorbikes round britain and the world, making shows about the food and people they encountered. dave myers was diagnosed with cancer two years ago. dave myers, who's died aged 66. time for a look at the weather. here's elizabeth rizzini. thank you. overall it's been a mild and really very wet february, particularly for parts of east anglia. here is cromer in norfolk.

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