BBC World News claims on its website that it “brings global audiences impartial news.” Nothing could be further from the truth.

In its One-Minute World News update today (Sunday) reporting on the recent flare-up between Israel and Gaza, it stated that “Israel has carried out at least three new air strikes on Gaza. 17 people, including a 13 year old boy, have been killed in the attacks, which began on Friday. Israel said it targeted the leaders of a Palestinian militant group travelling in this blue car and that it was planning an attack on Israeli soil. The group has denied the claim.”

The report failed to mention that multiple Palestinian rocket attacks since Friday on Israeli population centres including Beersheba, Ashdod and Ashkelon had resulted in all schools, including Beersheba University, being closed and over one million civilians taking to their bomb shelters.

BBC News also chose not to mention that those killed were involved in launching attacks against Israel and that Zuhir Al Qaisi, who was killed in the targeted assassination, was one of the masterminds behind the deadly attack in August 2011 in which eight Israelis were killed on Highway 12, which runs along the Israel-Egypt border.

Reports that Al Qaisi was planning a similar attack led to the targeted assassination and Highway 12 has been closed to civilian traffic for fear that a terrorist cell was already on its way.

Biased news reports of this nature have unfortunately become commonplace at the BBC, which was once respected as a professional and objective commentator on world affairs.