SIR - At a time when politicians are spreading inaccuracies it is important for the Press at least to get its facts right. In the report on the appeal of the Bishop of West Yorkshire you refer again to "1,176 Palestinian civilians have died...."
Firstly, there is no corroboration of this number; secondly, it is documented that Hamas have executed at least 20 Palestinians on suspicion of being spies; thirdly, Al Jazeera has analysed the casualty reports and announced that the majority of fatalities seem to be young males in the 20-30 age group – NOT women and children but in all probability fighters, and fighters are NOT civilians but combatants, even if they are guerrilla fighters and not members of a regular army.
These distinctions are important, because much emotion has been raised by spreading falsehoods.
Whilst the death of a child from shrapnel is tragic, the fact that it was shrapnel indicates that he was not being specifically targeted but was hit by debris.
It was not innocent women and children who killed over 60 Israeli soldiers and wounded many more and it was not they who dug and equipped those tunnels. So somewhere within Gaza there must be those who ARE responsible.
Rabbi Dr Walter Rothschild, Passauer Strasse 4, Berlin, Germany
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