The BBC released the results of an internal probe on Monday into its controversial Gaza documentary, admitting to serious lapses in both editorial judgment and journalistic standards.
The investigation centered on Gaza: How to Survive a War Zone?, a program that was pulled from iPlayer in February after it emerged that the 13-year-old boy narrating the film was the son of senior Hamas figure Ayman Al-Yazouri, who holds the position of Deputy Minister of Agriculture in the terrorist group’s de facto government.
The review found that the documentary violated the BBC’s editorial policy on accuracy. It revealed that three staffers at Hoyo Films, the outside production company behind the program, had been aware of the narrator’s connection to Hamas leadership but never disclosed it to the BBC. Though the broadcaster was not informed of the link before the film aired, the review faulted the BBC for failing to perform adequate editorial due diligence, saying the network was not “sufficiently proactive” in vetting the material.
Responsibility for the breach was primarily placed on Hoyo Films, but the investigation also held the BBC accountable for its lack of fact-checking before broadcasting such sensitive content.
In response to the findings, BBC Director-General Tim Davie committed to tightening editorial procedures. “We are taking this seriously and will implement changes to ensure such errors are not repeated,” he stated.
Hoyo Films, for its part, said it would be reviewing and improving its internal review protocols to prevent similar mistakes in the future.
The scandal drew sharp condemnation from Israeli leaders. Deputy Foreign Minister Sharren Haskel called once again for Davie to resign, saying: “This is not an isolated incident, but part of a systemic problem. The BBC must uphold standards of fairness and accuracy. Its repeated failures only deepen mistrust and contribute to rising antisemitism.”
Haskel also cited previous controversies, such as the BBC’s coverage of the Glastonbury Festival, which she claimed included “calls for death against Israel.” She warned that persistent editorial missteps risk reinforcing institutional bias within the network.
Independent journalist David Collier added fuel to the fire, alleging that one of the film’s producers is a Palestinian activist who praised the October 7 Hamas attacks. Collier also accused the filmmakers of staging segments and pointed to conflicting details surrounding the narrator’s identity — including a November 2023 Channel 4 interview in which the boy reportedly used a different last name and misrepresented his father’s occupation.
The BBC had already issued a public apology earlier this year and confirmed that the documentary would not be made available again on any of its platforms.
{Matzav.com}