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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" . you are watching "the context" . on bbc news. >> all this is happening thanks to you, citizens of russia. >> putin had closed the political space, had locked up political opponents, some of his political opponents had tragically died, so there was nothing free or fair about this election and the outcome was preordained. >> the kremlin could care less what the west thinks. it paints a picture of a president who enjoys overwhelming support of his people. >> and on our panel tonight,

leanne caldwell anchor for washington post live will be joining us in a moment, and leon e. aid and pr consultant. ♪ we are going to get the latest from russia in a moment. first the headlines. the white house says israel has killed a most senior hamas commander in gaza. president biden told the israeli prime minister, benjamin netanyahu, that a ground offensive in rafa where more than a one million palestinians are sheltering would be a mistake. gang violence continues in haiti. the bodies of 10 people have been found in a wealthy suburb of the capital. witnesses say they have been -- there has been an attack from armed criminals on monday.

in puerto rico, he announced his resignation undel pressure a week ago -- under pressure a week ago. his replacement has yet to be appointed. rishi sunak has insisted his party is united and the economy is turning a corner. there was a rumored lot -- plot to replace him. they called on colleagues to stop the westminster drama and stick to the plan. ♪ let's get to russia. six more years for vladimir putin after his election win. plenty of international reaction from leaders around the world. let's take a look at some. the u.s. says the election was incredibly undemocratic. obviously not free nor fair. >> meanwhile fighting continues

on the ground in gaza. the israeli military says it's taken control of the al-shifa hospital in what it called an operation to fort terrorist activity. the hospital is in the north of the strip. the israeli military said troops came under fire and that 80 people were detained and others were killed, including a senior commander of hamass -- of hamas' international security service. these are images from the raid where you can hear gunshots. witnesses described heavy exchanges of fire around the site, with thousands of displaced people sheltering there. medics are still working there on patients being treated. gaza's health ministry said israel is committing a war crime. our correspondent has more on the state of medical care in gaza and that attack on the al-shifa hospital. >> thousands are in gaza city in

this hospital continues to be functioning. the original capacity is not there, but it's better than nothing according to the palestinian health ministry, who are appealing every day that they need more aid and more help to get this hospital working again. it is essential. the al-shifa hospital itself is serving the people in gaza city. it's considered the biggest medical center in gaza. the israeli operation started at 2:00 yesterday morning. thousands of people are in the courtyard of the hospital as refugees, their homes were destroyed, they were told to leave. we saw videos of long convoys of

people leaving the hospital. using their flash -- their mobiles' lights. leaving the suburb of gaza. >> the food program says famine in gaza is imminent and expected between now and may in the north of the strip. u.n. eight agencies have been warning about catastrophic levels of hunger in gaza for weeks. children in northern gaza are already dying from malnutrition. the report also says about half of gaza's population, some 1.1 one million people, are already facing catastrophic hunger. michael f. is the u.n. special rapporteur at the office of the high commissioner on human rights. i've been speaking to him about this situation in gaza. thank you for being with us on bbc news. the u.n. foreign policy chief has said starvation's being used

as a weapon of war in gaza. do you think it is? >> it is very clear that israel has been using a campaign of starvation. it declared so october 8 and october 9, repeatedly. israeli officials declared a siege, impose a total siege, they cut off water, fuel, medical supplies. now we are seeing some humanitarian aid trickle in. not only have we heard israeli officials declare the campaign of starvation, we are seeing the effects of starvation unfold very quickly the past few months. >> this violent phase of what is a much longer running conflict obviously is not even six months old yet we are seeing children pushed into malnutrition, dozens and dozens of them dying. has this happened on such a scale or at such a speed before? >> we have never seen a civilian population made to go hungry so

quickly and so completely. what we are talking about is approximately 2.2 one million people in gaza, over half of which are children. in december, humanitarian organizations around the world raised the alarm to prevent starvation and now with new reports being released today, we are seeing the rate of malnutrition, the rate of starvation continue to accelerate. again we keep seeing the speed of starvation and the speed of malnutrition at rates we've never seen before. the rate of malnutrition for children in gaza doubled in the last month. this is something quite astounding and very concerning. >> what would it take to save the children of gaza? >> a cease fire. an immediate cease-fire. i can't be clearr. everyone knows this. people marching in the streets, humanitarian organizations

around the world. there must be a cease fire today and it must be immediate. israel is using humanitarian aid as a bargaining chip. presenting humanitarian aid as an option in its negotiations. this contravenes international obligations and moral obligations to the point that the president of the u.s. and the state of the union addressed also called upon israel to no longer use humanitarian aid as a bargaining chip. >> when you're talking about the rate of malnutrition, if there was a cease fire, if a flood wave came through, what would it take for those children, those under two were at risk of dying from starvation, how soon could you put them in a better place? >> we know that all humanitarian organizations whether it is the u.n. or international committee of the red cross or other organizations, everyone is ready to come in with food, with

medical supplies, with health personnel since almost all the hospitals have been destroyed. but what is unclear is how quickly people can get in right now. as you said if there is a cease fire today, we do not know how bad it is. what we know is the degree of damage is to a degree we have never seen before. once people can get in, once there is unfettered access and humanitarian workers feel safe, we know they will be ready to do what it takes. assessing the actual damage in terms of dollars or amounts, we don't know, but everyone is prepared and ready for the worst case scenario. and we know the minute people can enter safely to save and help the children of gaza and the palestinian people of gaza writ large, we know they will be ready to do their job. >> the aunt that -- beyond that aid, if we look at the definition of food sovereignty.

the fields, crops, fishing vessels, what conditions are they in? >> to look into the future, we have to look at the past. we have to ask, how did this happen, that if civilian population was made to starve so quickly? it's because israel has been strangling gaza for the past 17 years and restricting the influx of aid, harassing fishers and farmers in gaza. we also know that at this point, approximately 60% of agricultural land has been destroyed. but in order for people in gaza to be able to feed themselves in the future, we know they need to have access to their farm. fishers need access to the sea. that degree of food sovereignty, that sort of basic human right to be able to feed oneself and one's family whether through access to the land or the sea, we know what it takes. u.n. agencies and other international organizations are ready to help people in gaza

feed themselves and their family in the future. >> we know of course prime minister netanyahu has said he is sending a delegation to washington to discuss what can happen next and get more humanitarian aid in. we will leave it there for the moment, michael. thanks for joining us on bbc news. >> thank you very much. >> the u.s. has denounced the russian elections as neither free nor fair. the eu, the u.k., an independent observers have denounced the void as a sham after putin secured officially a fifth term without any serious challengers. the european union says russia's election took place in a highly restricted environment that was exasperated also by russia's illegal war of aggression against ukraine. the u.k. foreign secretary said putin removes his political opponents, control for media, and crowned himself the winner. this is not democracy.

an independent russian election monitors said they had never seen a presidential campaign which was still in breach of constitutional standards. mr. putin has been in power for 24 years, making him the longest-serving russian leader since joseph stalin. he changed russia's constitution in 2021 to abolish term limits setting himself up to lead russia through to at least 2030. his reelection comes just weeks after his most influential political opponent, alexei navalny, died in a russian prison. his widow has accused vladimir putin of killing her husband which the kremlin denies. at a news conference sunday celebrating his reelection, he spoke about alexei navalny for the first time since his death. he claimed he was ready to listen to deals for a prisoner swap to release alexei navalny but said what happened happened. the wife responded to those comments online, saying "what a

coward, called by last name only after he was killed." on monday large crowds gathered at moscow's red square to mark the 10 year anniversary of russia's annexation of crimea. president putin gave a short address. the bbc's russia editor steve rosenberg reports now on the display of public support for putin and on where russia goes from here. >> vladimir putin! reporter: after the landslide came the love. vladimir putin, portrayed by the kremlin as a national hero. marking 10 years since russia annexed crimea. long live russia, he cried. cue the national anthem. and some kremlin choreography, to make it look as if putin is russia and russia is putin. earlier, we saw the crowds

pouring towards red square. thousands of russians had been given free tickets for the putin event. after all, a president who claims to have won 87% of the vote needs an audience. western leaders have dismissed russia's presidential vote as neither free nor fair. a stage managed election. but the kremlin could not care less what the west thinks. it paints a picture of a president who enjoys the overwhelming support of his people. down at the russian election commission, they counted all the votes and presented all their figures. so, it is six more years of president putin. but what does that mean for russia and for the world? >> it doesn't mean anything good for russia, for ukraine, for the world. because putin will continue the experiment of war, he will

continue to suppress civil society and set his country and in this sense he becomes a full-blooded autocrat, dictator. reporter: and yet, the direction of travel for russia under vladimir putin is already clear. more confrontation abroad, and repression at home. few here seem to believe this election will bring a significant change. >> if it's the same president, she says, i don't think anything will be different. reporter: in a country that's been ruled by the same man for a quarter of a century, russians are starting to forget what change looks like. steve rosenberg, bbc news, moscow. >> earlier i spoke with nina, a russian-american author and professor of international affairs in new york. thanks for being with us. the independent russian watchdog that's bee

branded a foreign agent sent russia never before has seen a presidential campaign that it said fell so far short of constitutional standards. what is your assessment of the weekend election? >> thank you. pretty much the same. they also wrote all of it was imitation, essentially. a drunken village pretending to be something that is not. so there was a lot of effort put into pretending, for it to be legitimate. to have a great turnout, a lot of votes, 87% supposedly voted for putin. but it was really unconstitutional. there were no observers. there were three oppositional figures, so excited to participate in this sham. people were not free to express their secret ballots.

sometimes the police would check the ballots and if they did not like the results, they would throw them away and so on. it was probably the most shameful and sham election russia has ever had. russia never really had free and fair elections. but this time it really took the biscuit. >> notwithstanding the fact that the outcome was known in advance, does this embolden vladimir putin? what will his regime look like going into the future? >> i think it was emboldened. i listen to his presentation, after the election, after he -- we should not be calling them elections after whatever that process was. allowing him to serve another six years, his fifth term. it was interesting and kind of scary that he began to talk

about the goals of the six years with a special military operation with the war in ukraine saying that these are the goals, that now we see the unity of the nation, all the goals of operation are going to be achieved. that is the first time he spoke about it, starting his presidency, his new presidency with this particular message. because he is emboldened, we cannot exclude the fact that the economy will stop being part military and will become full military. the national law may be officially implemented and so on. it sounds scary and i am scared. i'm not saying it's going to happen. but it is very possible -- it is very possible that it might. >> he also in that victory speech announced a new railway line that will run from the russian city to crimea and

extend onto the crimean port city, what did you make of that? >> they have been trying to increase the amount of ways to get to crimea. that really was not surprising, because as you know, everybody knows crimea is in danger most of the time, so they need another way of getting in. he is catering to the developers and the workers, those who are going to build it, those who produce rails. it is all kind of military industrial economy. this would be the people engaged in it. it is a very big investor project. i'm not surprised. once again, all of it has thispatriotic warring overtone. let's not forget we are at war and crimea is in danger and we

are trying to make it, we as russians, trying to make it better, because that is what our land is, that is what our heritage is >> the wife of alexei navalny has vowed to continue her husband's work, with other opposition leaders in jail or in exile, what does the future of opposition to vladimir putin look like? >> it is hard to say. opposition outside of russia has really very -- has very limited influence on what happens in russia. alexei navalny himself came back because he did not want to be an oppositional leader somewhere in berlin or elsewhere in europe. but i think the opposition is important in russia. because we saw yesterday people would come and stand in lins just as -- lines just as

alexa navalny gave the last words. people did stand in line. there were thousands of people all over russia, expressing their discontent. in europe, one of the main opposition newspapers just came out with information which is not verified so i am using it only as unverified that apparently 31 million votes were for putin -- just fudged for putin, half of what they say putin won, up to 70 million votes. if half of it was not for putin, that means a silent majority of russia is really very heavily present. and that's only a matter of time it stops being silent. >> we can't verify that information here at the bbc. we will leave it there at the moment.

nina, thanks so much for joining us on bbc news. >> thank you. >> police in haiti say several gang leaders have been killed in an operation to clear roadblocks in the capital, port-au-prince. the united nations estimates 350,000 people have been displaced by the unrest there. meanwhile the first group of u.s. citizens evacuated from the country are back on american soil. our latin america and caribbean correspondent is there. thanks for joining us. a spike of violence again today and the evacuation of foreign nationals and a deteriorating humanitarian situation. what's it like on the ground at the moment? reporter: well, the situation in port-au-prince, the capital, is very severe. a spike in violence, affecting one of the safe parts of town. there were at least a dozen bodies left in the streets after

bullets flew in the neighborhood. the residents there are shaken to their core. texts -- according to texts i was receiving by people, the home of a judge was also attacked in a pretty clear message to those elite who are currently discussing the future direction and who might eventually take power. another shocking day in the capital here. in cap patient, there is a degree of calm. this is the sort of safe haven. such is the chaos in port-au-prince. it is having huge effects here in a variety of different ways. the number of people coming here looking for that security as well as the fact that things can't get in and out easily, basics like fuel and medicines and food. >> you mentioned the future direction there.

the u.s. state department it helps the traditional cancel could be in place today, what more do we know about that? reporter: that remains pretty ambitious. they've always said it would only be a matter of days from the moment the prime minister stood down -- -- was at the end of last week now? o even beforer, the crisis is sort of rolling on. the political vacuum goes on. there has been some time that there's been nobody or no institution has been able to be said to be in power in haiti, even if the traditional counsel is appointed and put in in the short-term, would they be able to affect anyone security and stability? is not something most people here believe. >> will grant in haiti, thanks for joining us. now, finally, we want to show you some incredible live

pictures from southern iceland. a volcano that erupted saturday is still spewing smoke and lava into the sky, it is the fourth eruption since december. the small town has been evacuated, but the authorities say it is safe for now. i am 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. ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪

♪ amna: good evening. i'm amna nawaz. geoff: and i'm geoff bennett. on the “newshour” tonight, russia's vladimir putin extends his presidency after securing a preordained fifth term. amna: a look at former president donald trump's violent language