The BBC faces intense criticism after broadcasting a documentary about Gaza narrated by the son of a Hamas government minister without disclosing the connection to viewers.
The hour-long film "Gaza: How To Survive a War Zone" featured 14-year-old Abdullah Al-Yazouri as one of its central voices, who was later revealed to be the son of Ayman Alyazouri, deputy minister of agriculture in the Hamas-run government.
Critics have accused the broadcaster of failing to properly vet documentary subjects and allowing itself to be used as a propaganda platform for Hamas.
The controversy has prompted a formal complaint from Labour Against Antisemitism and sharp rebuke from former BBC executives.
The documentary, broadcast on Monday evening, aimed to portray the conflict through the eyes of three children affected by Israel's military campaign against Hamas.
Abdullah Al-Yazouri, who previously attended the British school in Gaza, served as the English-speaking narrator for the film.
The production team relied on two local Palestinian cameramen to film the children, as international journalists are not permitted entry into Gaza.
Questions have emerged about whether the production team should have been aware of Abdullah's family connections, given their status and influence in Gaza.
Investigative journalist David Collier first raised concerns about the documentary, questioning how the BBC could allow "a son of a Hamas minister walk around looking for sympathy and demonising Israel for an hour."
Abdullah's father, Ayman Alyazouri, currently holds the position of deputy minister of agriculture in the Hamas-run government, a connection that was not disclosed to viewers during the broadcast.
Social media posts appear to confirm the family connection, with Alyazouri's timeline containing several references to his son Abdullah, also known as Aboud.
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In a post from January last year, Alyazouri wrote "Aboud May God protect him" alongside a photograph of a young boy appearing to be Abdullah.
Alyazouri had previously appeared to praise Hamas "martyrs" who were allegedly involved in the murder of four Israelis in 2023.
Labour Against Antisemitism has lodged a formal complaint to the BBC about the broadcast, claiming inadequate vetting of the documentary's subjects.
Alex Hearn, from Labour Against Antisemitism, said: "This documentary appears to have been a failure of due diligence by the BBC, with Hamas propaganda promoted as reliable fact at the taxpayers' expense."
"There needs to be an urgent investigation into how this happened once again," Hearn told The Telegraph.
He further stated: "Misinformation is the story of the Israel-Hamas conflict, and this is not an isolated case. There has been a failure of news platforms to adequately scrutinise sources and a willingness to regurgitate Hamas disinformation repeatedly."
Abdullah had previously appeared in a Channel 4 news item in November 2023, discussing the impact of Israeli bombing near his home.
During the Channel 4 piece, Abdullah was accompanied by a man introduced as his father, who was later understood to be his uncle, Khalil Abu Shamala.
Shamala's relationship to Abdullah was evidenced by a 2022 Facebook post where he referred to the boy as "my nephew."
Shamala's background includes serving as the former director of Al Dameer, a non-governmental organisation that campaigns for Palestinian fighters imprisoned by Israel.
Al Dameer has been accused of maintaining links to the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP), which is designated as a terrorist organisation by the US, EU, Canada, and Israel.
A BBC spokesman defended the documentary, stating it was "produced in line with BBC editorial guidelines" and the broadcaster maintained "full editorial control."
The spokesman emphasised that the film focused on the children's own experiences of living through war, and their parents had no editorial input.
"As the BBC has previously explained, the film was edited and directed from London, as independent international journalists are not allowed into Gaza," the spokesman said.
The BBC added that the documentary provided "a rare glimpse of Gaza during the war" and included voices of Gazan civilians, "several of whom voice anti-Hamas sentiments."
from GB News https://ift.tt/a9X4g1D
The BBC faces intense criticism after broadcasting a documentary about Gaza narrated by the son of a Hamas government minister without disclosing the connection to viewers.
The hour-long film "Gaza: How To Survive a War Zone" featured 14-year-old Abdullah Al-Yazouri as one of its central voices, who was later revealed to be the son of Ayman Alyazouri, deputy minister of agriculture in the Hamas-run government.
Critics have accused the broadcaster of failing to properly vet documentary subjects and allowing itself to be used as a propaganda platform for Hamas.
The controversy has prompted a formal complaint from Labour Against Antisemitism and sharp rebuke from former BBC executives.
The documentary, broadcast on Monday evening, aimed to portray the conflict through the eyes of three children affected by Israel's military campaign against Hamas.
Abdullah Al-Yazouri, who previously attended the British school in Gaza, served as the English-speaking narrator for the film.
The production team relied on two local Palestinian cameramen to film the children, as international journalists are not permitted entry into Gaza.
Questions have emerged about whether the production team should have been aware of Abdullah's family connections, given their status and influence in Gaza.
Investigative journalist David Collier first raised concerns about the documentary, questioning how the BBC could allow "a son of a Hamas minister walk around looking for sympathy and demonising Israel for an hour."
Abdullah's father, Ayman Alyazouri, currently holds the position of deputy minister of agriculture in the Hamas-run government, a connection that was not disclosed to viewers during the broadcast.
Social media posts appear to confirm the family connection, with Alyazouri's timeline containing several references to his son Abdullah, also known as Aboud.
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In a post from January last year, Alyazouri wrote "Aboud May God protect him" alongside a photograph of a young boy appearing to be Abdullah.
Alyazouri had previously appeared to praise Hamas "martyrs" who were allegedly involved in the murder of four Israelis in 2023.
Labour Against Antisemitism has lodged a formal complaint to the BBC about the broadcast, claiming inadequate vetting of the documentary's subjects.
Alex Hearn, from Labour Against Antisemitism, said: "This documentary appears to have been a failure of due diligence by the BBC, with Hamas propaganda promoted as reliable fact at the taxpayers' expense."
"There needs to be an urgent investigation into how this happened once again," Hearn told The Telegraph.
He further stated: "Misinformation is the story of the Israel-Hamas conflict, and this is not an isolated case. There has been a failure of news platforms to adequately scrutinise sources and a willingness to regurgitate Hamas disinformation repeatedly."
Abdullah had previously appeared in a Channel 4 news item in November 2023, discussing the impact of Israeli bombing near his home.
During the Channel 4 piece, Abdullah was accompanied by a man introduced as his father, who was later understood to be his uncle, Khalil Abu Shamala.
Shamala's relationship to Abdullah was evidenced by a 2022 Facebook post where he referred to the boy as "my nephew."
Shamala's background includes serving as the former director of Al Dameer, a non-governmental organisation that campaigns for Palestinian fighters imprisoned by Israel.
Al Dameer has been accused of maintaining links to the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP), which is designated as a terrorist organisation by the US, EU, Canada, and Israel.
A BBC spokesman defended the documentary, stating it was "produced in line with BBC editorial guidelines" and the broadcaster maintained "full editorial control."
The spokesman emphasised that the film focused on the children's own experiences of living through war, and their parents had no editorial input.
"As the BBC has previously explained, the film was edited and directed from London, as independent international journalists are not allowed into Gaza," the spokesman said.
The BBC added that the documentary provided "a rare glimpse of Gaza during the war" and included voices of Gazan civilians, "several of whom voice anti-Hamas sentiments."
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