A dispatch from Gaza City about an apartment building destroyed in this summer's war could have used a more careful edit.
The article reports: "Atef Adwan, one of 28 Hamas lawmakers elected in 2006, bought a first-floor apartment five years ago for his second wife, and spent much of the summer there with her and their two young sons, fearing the Israelis would target his home in the border town of Beit Hanoun."
The phrase "his second wife" raises more questions than it answers. Does Mr. Adwan have two wives at the same time? Or is the apartment for his sole current wife, in which case, why does the Times feel the need to mention that he had a prior marriage?
Then there is a reference to "Owda J. Abu Mathkour, the wealthy mogul who runs the Zafer contracting company." Isn't "wealthy mogul" redundant? Call the squad squad, as William Safire used to say.
Finally, there is this passage: "Ahad and Rihad Ibrahim, a young couple with a 5-year-old son and an 8-month old daughter, paid $50,00 for a seventh-floor unit June 25." Does the Times mean "$5,000"? Or "$50,000"? Or "$50.00"? Either of those three notations would mean something clear in American English. But the way the Times has it, readers are left wondering how much money was involved.