Three Palestinians have been killed in an Israeli air strike on Gaza City, sources on the ground told this newsroom. The strike, which targeted a residential building, has brought the civilian death toll in the latest escalation to 47, according to local health officials. The British government has issued a carefully worded statement calling for restraint, a move that does little to mask its impotence in the face of unaccountable military power.
Documents obtained by this reporter show that UK officials were warned two days ago about the impending operation, but failed to act. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs declined to comment, but a source close to the negotiations confirmed that no diplomatic pressure had been applied beyond the usual platitudes. The dead include a woman and two children, their bodies pulled from the rubble six hours after the strike.
The Israeli Defence Forces said the target was a militant command centre, but neighbours insist there was no warning. This is a war of attrition against civilians, and the British government is a spectator with a microphone. The money, the weapons, the diplomatic cover: it all flows from the same pipeline of unaccountable power.
This reporter will continue to follow the paper trail.
