BBC Exposed: Gaza War Documentary Hid Hamas Ties of Teenage Star
British broadcaster admits ethical breach after failing to disclose that the boy featured in its Gaza documentary is the son of a senior Hamas official.
Twitter
An internal BBC report has revealed that a documentary aired by the British public broadcaster breached editorial ethics by failing to disclose a family connection between the film’s central figure and a senior Hamas official. Responsibility was attributed both to the external production company and to the BBC itself. The BBC’s Director General pledged to take steps to prevent similar incidents in the future.
The documentary in question, Gaza: How to Survive a War Zone?, featured 13-year-old Abdallah Al-Yazouri but did not disclose that his father is a high-ranking Hamas official and former Deputy Agriculture Minister in Gaza.
The BBC investigation found that several people at the production company were aware of the familial connection between the film's narrator and his father, while BBC staff were not informed. The broadcaster has since stated that the film will not be re-aired or made available on its streaming platform.
Back in February, the BBC removed the documentary from its streaming library after receiving complaints. The film, which aired during the Iron Swords war, followed the young boy's life in Gaza.
Independent journalist David Collier alleged that one of the film's producers was a pro-Palestinian activist who praised the October 7 massacre. He also claimed that significant portions of the program were staged. According to Collier, Abdallah appeared in a Channel 4 interview in November 2023 under a different surname and introduced a stranger as his father to conceal his ties to Hamas.