The top story on BBC News online today was about the Israel/Hamas ceasefire:
"Scale of Gaza Destruction Emerges." The article has a very formal tone, though the writer didn't shy away from the vast destruction in Gaza. There is a sense of humanity veiled by the formality of the prose. The writer didn't fit that much information into the lead, probably because this is a continuing story. The first few paragraphs describe with numbers and U.N. sources the damage to infrastructure caused by Israel/Hamas fighting. The article then goes on to describe international plans to restore Gaza. The latter half of the article, under "Israeli Failure," is a discussion about the implications of the ceasefire and the meaning of "victory."
This figure was curiously imbedded much later in the story than other information about damage in Gaza:
At least 1,300 Palestinians, according to Palestinian sources, and 13 Israelis have been killed since Israel launched its offensive on 27 December. Palestinian medical sources say at least 95 bodies have been pulled from the rubble since Israel halted its assault.
This was possibly placed later in the story because it had already appeared in earlier reports, or maybe because statistics from Palestinian authorities are not considered reliable against Israeli sources. Still, this was the most startling figure in the piece, and most casual readers would miss it where it was placed.
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