Last week I visited Israel and the West Bank, to spend time with our excellent team, led by Jerusalem correspondent Bethan McKernan. It was a disturbing experience. We visited one of the destroyed kibbutzim, Nir Oz, and spoke to a survivor of the horrific Hamas attack on 7 October. Family members showed us around their burnt-out homes, even as their relatives are still held hostage. Not far distant was Gaza, clearly visible, with black smoke, explosions and gunfire, citizens trapped and terrified as Palestinian deaths mount up on an unimaginable scale. Another grim milestone was reached this week: 30,000 people in Gaza have been killed since October.

We also spent time with Israeli and Palestinian officials and journalists, in Tel Aviv and Ramallah, and visited the south Hebron hills where extremist settlers have been violently evicting Palestinians from their homes. A film about this story, No Other Land, won the documentary prize at the Berlin film festival this week; in his acceptance speech, co-director Yuval Abraham called for a ceasefire, which caused uproar in Germany. As Abraham told us: “To stand on German soil as the son of Holocaust survivors and call for a ceasefire – and then to be labelled antisemitic, is not only outrageous, it is also literally putting Jewish lives in danger.” His co-director, Basel Adra, is Palestinian.

I’ve been visiting the region since the 1990s, and I have never felt more committed to investing in Guardian reporting from the region, telling the human stories from the ground. Before my trip I revisited some of our most powerful journalism since the war began. I would encourage anyone who hasn’t already to read our Gaza diaries series in which a 35-year-old writer called Ziad recounts the constant traumas of his life in the war zone. His latest entry describes children afraid to be seen eating bread by hungry friends, and a packet of nappies on sale for $73 (£58). The destruction surrounding Ziad and all those in Gaza has also been intricately mapped by our visuals and data team: in late January they used satellite imagery and open-source evidence to show the vast scope of damage to residential and civic buildings. Our audio team has also helped us share stories from inside Gaza. In one particularly terrifying episode of Today in Focus in October, reporter Hazem Balousha spoke to Michael Safi about the rapidly deteriorating situation just as airstrikes hit nearby.

I’d also urge you to read Ghaith Abdul-Ahad’s terrific long read from Shatila, a Palestinian refugee camp in Beirut where generations have lived since 1982. Ghaith painted a harrowing picture of what life already looks like for exiled Palestinians and what it might look like for those who can never return home.

Bethan’s reporting has played an important role in helping our readers understand the horrors that took place inside the kibbutzim on 7 October. In early November we published her harrowing report from Kfar Aza, Ofakim and Sderot in which she spoke to communities still reeling in shock and trying to grasp the scale of their immense loss. Simon Hattenstone spoke, in heartbreaking detail, to B’atSheva Yahalomi, Hadas Kalderon and Renana Jacob whose children had been taken hostage. Thankfully, all five of their missing children were later released. Yahalomi’s husband, Ohad, and Ofer Kalderon remain missing.

After months of diligent work, the Guardian’s UK political editor, Pippa Crerar, shared the testimony of an alleged victim of sexual assault by a Conservative MP. The accuser claims that the party failed to properly investigate the allegations, instead putting its reputation first. Also in British politics, David Conn’s reporting on minister Michael Gove failing to declare the VIP hospitality he received from a Tory donor has led to the opening of an investigation by parliament’s standards watchdog.

Guardian Australia launched a major investigation, The wanted, led by Ben Doherty, about two men who have been indicted for allegedly playing a part in Rwanda’s 1994 genocide against the Tutsis, and who are believed to be living in Australia.

Rafael Behr wrote a moving opinion piece in light of intemperate arguments in Britain about Islamophobia and antisemitism, outlining his frustration at the toxicity and superficiality of the political debate in the UK.

An investigation by Observer reporter Jon Ungoed-Thomas revealed how “smart keys” have fuelled a new wave of car crime. Jon obtained CCTV footage showing how it took just 20 seconds for a thief to walk up to one London resident’s £40,000 car and drive away.

Èlia Borràs reported from Burkina Faso where extreme temperatures have forced architects to consider new and innovative designs to cope with more than 40-degree heat without using air-conditioning.

The question of how we protect children online was explored by Hannah Nwoko, who initially felt happy to share photos of her son on social media until she realised the extent to which it could harm him. Her testimony resonated with our readers, hundreds of whom shared their experiences in response.

Women’s Football Weekly co-host Faye Carruthers wrote a lovely piece about what it’s like to present the podcast. She recalled with delight her favourite moment so far: recording an episode just minutes after England’s historic 2022 Euros win.

We published two inspiring interviews this week. Anna Moore interviewed Kathy Kleiner, who survived an attack by the serial killer Ted Bundy in 1978. Bundy and his killings have often been grotesquely glamorised, but Kleiner’s words provided an important corrective, describing him as a “sad little man”. Meanwhile Simon Hattenstone spoke to Glynn Simmons, victim of one of the biggest miscarriages of justice in US history, who spent 48 years in prison after a wrongful conviction for murder. Simon’s words were beautifully illustrated by Scott Slusher’s portraits.

Emma Brockes’ piece on voice notes, and how her fellow generation Xers are suddenly sending them all the time, was very funny.

A new Guardian US series, Bots v Ballots, examined how artificial intelligence will affect the 2024 US election and revealed how one tech company, supported by Donald Trump’s former lawyer, is using AI to facilitate mass challenges to voter registration in swing states. Our video team also looked at how the use of AI in advertising and beyond is distorting modern beauty standards.

On a similar theme, I was moved by our interview with artist Laurie Anderson in which she confessed to being “addicted” to talking to a chatbot version of her late husband Lou Reed. Anderson’s story said a lot about how even the most fundamental parts of the human condition, such as grief, are beginning to be transformed by technology.

Finally, this week we launched the new Deeply read feature on our digital homepages, which shows the articles readers are spending a longer time with. We’re the first news organisation to do this, and we hope the tool will promote a wider range of our journalism beyond the trending topics of the day. You can find it at the bottom of the homepage next to the Most viewed table.

Cook this | Nigel Slater’s roast onions with polenta

When it comes to cooking onions, says the Observer’s resident chef, it is best to take the scenic route and take your time. Here, he bakes them for an hour before serving with a gruyère polenta and breadcrumbs.

Listen to this | Black Box

Black Box is a new six-part podcast series hosted by Today in Focus’s Michael Safi, exploring a pivotal moment in time as humanity collides with artificial intelligence. Each episode follows new characters, all of whom have been affected by this powerful new technology.

Listen to the series prologue here.

Watch this | Ukrainian Factory

A poignant glimpse into the life of Vitalii Velychurov (above), a key worker in the main bread factory of Mykolaiv, once a frontline city. Most of the city’s residents have left – including Vitalii’s wife and children – but the factory still delivers bread to the besieged population every day.

Book this | Book Club with Armistead Maupin: Tales of the City

Thursday 7 March, 8pm-9pm GMT

Next week, in a special livestreamed event, Armistead Maupin (above) will be celebrating four decades of his much-loved Tales of the City series. Centred on the unforgettable character of Anna Madrigal, and the sprawling cast of characters who live at 28 Barbary Lane in San Francisco, the series now has a 10th novel: Mona of the Manor set in the Cotswolds. Maupin will introduce this new story, and will also be answering your questions.

The Guardian’s crosswords and Wordiply are here to keep you entertained throughout the weekend.