Suspicion and scepticism is not the same as cynicism. In the UK there's a thing called the 30 year rule, and this means that after 30 years, at particular times of the year various secret papers, from the government of the time get released. And invariably, when they come out, we find that we were being lied to about all kinds of things. Not about everything, but about enough things to make it impossible ever simply to assume that we are being told the truth.

Giving the benefit of the doubt to the Israeli armed forces means that, until the facts have come out and been examined and tested, it's wrong to assume the worst. And indeed it's quite right to keep an open mind on that.

But that doesn't mean assuming that their version is the truth. Doing that would be to deny the same benefit of the doubt to those Palestinian survivors who have told reporters graphic stories of atrocities. And there are some very sceptical reporters, on papers that are in general inclined to be sympathetic to Israel, who have said some of those stories sound pretty convincing.

My gut feeling is that the truth lies somewhere between the rival pictures being painted by spin doctors for both sides. But gut feelings aren't what's needed, proper investigation is.

And in the meantime it's desperately important that the Israeli forces stop blocking rescue teams and aid getting through. There are probably still people dying under those bulldozed buildings.