In a potentially pivotal week in the Middle East, Bethan McKernan in Jerusalem reported on the killing of seven aid workers in Gaza after the convoy they were travelling in was repeatedly targeted by Israeli drone strikes. Emine Sinmaz profiled the aid workers, while Ruth Michaelson looked at the impact on aid getting into Gaza, where many people are already on the brink of starvation. A leaked recording obtained by the Observer’s Toby Helm revealed how Foreign Office lawyers advised the government that Israel is breaching international humanitarian law in Gaza, while the Guardian’s legal affairs correspondent Haroon Siddique reported exclusively that three former supreme court justices were among more than 600 lawyers, academics and retired senior judges to warn that the UK government was in breach of international law for continuing to sell the country weapons.
We also produced two very powerful investigations on Gaza: Chris McGreal spoke to nine doctors who have worked in the territory, who gave harrowing accounts of treating children as young as seven who appeared to have been shot by Israeli snipers – children account for more than one in three of the 33,000 people killed in the war so far. Meanwhile, Bethan McKernan and Harry Davies wrote about the Israeli military’s use of a previously undisclosed AI-powered database to identify potential targets for killing. Accounts from intelligence sources gave a rare glimpse of the systems, which at one stage identified 37,000 people as linked to militant groups – “the machine did it coldly. And that made it easier,” said one source.
In our latest expose of sexual harassment in the world of business, Kalyeena Makortoff revealed how codes of conduct are being issued to guests at corporate events to try to protect female attenders.
In 2019, Boris Johnson won a historic landslide promising to “level up” deprived parts of the UK. As we look ahead to the general election, our writers analysed ministers’ levelling up targets and found no progress had been made on half of them. Kiran Stacey charted the political evolution of the levelling up project, while Archie Bland delved into the mindset of Keir Starmer’s apparent fixation on an endorsement from Rupert Murdoch’s papers.
In a well-argued column, Nesrine Malik considered the toxicity of social media and explained the lucrative funding model that encourages conspiracy theories and abuse.
For a warm and enlightening feature, Siân Boyle took a deep dive into AuDHD, asking what it’s like to live with both autism and ADHD at the same time.
In a rare interview, Deborah Linton spoke to queen of tidy Marie Kondo, who confessed about her newfound tolerance for mess. It is part of a series of other fascinating stories about the influencers who have pivoted from their former fiercely held positions – from the financial adviser consumed by debt, to the star vegan chef who developed a taste for liver.
Sirin Kale kicked off a short series on the floods that have blighted Europe, and their connection to the wider climate crisis facing us all, with the tragic story of 15-year-old Rosa Reichel, who was swept away by the waters in Belgium.
Guardian US brought us the humbling story of Laverne Biser who, at the age of 105, has travelled to several US states and a handful of foreign countries to watch more than a dozen solar eclipses. The 8 April eclipse, slated to pass over his home in Fort Worth, Texas, could be his last one. “It’s something beautiful to see,” he said.
Our environment team has unveiled a new prize – invertebrate of the year – to highlight the underloved but vital creatures we take for granted. Amid a shortlist of 10 beautifully illustrated animals, from the swallowtail butterfly to the barrel jellyfish, the award celebrates “animals of wondrous diversity, unique niches and innovative and interesting ways of making a living on this planet,” writes Patrick Barkham in his introduction. We’re also asking for readers’ nominations – though anyone picking a politician will sadly be automatically excluded.
