Despite a declared ceasefire and the return of hostages, large-scale killing has continued in Gaza. The war has become self-perpetuating, leaving Israel morally, politically and strategically diminished.

There was a dead horse at the site of the late January Israeli airstrike on Al-Mawasi, in southern Gaza. The sight was heartbreaking; its brown body was gaunt, and the bombing certainly put an end to its suffering, the suffering of a starving horse that had been put to hard labour in the Strip. When human beings groan, their beasts of burden groan even more. All around, plumes of smoke rose from the scraps of the tents where tens of thousands of miserable displaced people had found a refuge that turned out to be false. In vain, they had believed in the cease-fire; in vain, they thought they were in a safe area. On both counts, Israel deceived them.

The images from Gaza were horrific, as always: the mangled body of a woman being carried on a stretcher; a baby with a disfigured face being ventilated manually, likely in vain;........

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