BBC issues apology over Gaza documentary amid calls for corporation to call Hamas a terror organisation

20 February 2025, 07:46 | Updated: 20 February 2025, 09:27

The BBC has issued a formal apology over a documentary the corporation aired on life in Gaza during the conflict with Israel.

In spite of the broadcaster's apology, Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy has told LBC she will speak to the BBC about the controversial documentary.

Gaza: How to Survive a Warzone was broadcast on Monday evening, depicting a "vivid and unflinching view of life" in Gaza, according to documentary makers.

The raw and often graphic documentary featured multiple accounts of the conflict, with the hour-long film featuring a young Palestinian in devastated Gaza who was revealed to be the grandson of one of Hamas' founders.

The BBC issued an apology on Wednesday night, claiming it “had not been informed” of the connection by the documentary’s producers before it was broadcast.

“We followed all of our usual compliance procedures in the making of this film, but we had not been informed of this information by the independent producers when we complied and then broadcast the finished film,” a spokesman said.

Investigative journalist David Collier has claimed one of the child narrators featured in the documentary, 14-year-old Abdullah, is in fact the son of a Hamas government minister and grandson of one of Hamas' founders.

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It comes as Lucy Frazer, the former as Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, called for the removal of a documentary the BBC aired on life in Gaza during the conflict with Israel.

In response to this revelation, Ms Frazer told LBC's Henry Riley the BBC failed to acknowledge Hamas is a terror organisation.

She suggested the broadcaster didn't do their due diligence and have "questions to answer" over the documentary.

On Wednesday evening, she told Henry Riley: "The BBC have put out a documentary where it's alleged that the main person in the documentary is the son of a Hamas leader, and Hamas is a terrorist organisation, and they fail to acknowledge that.

Former Culture Secretary Lucy Frazer joins Henry Riley | Watch in full

"And as you said, they've said they didn't even know that, which suggests that they didn't do their due diligence.

"And I think the BBC have some questions to answer. How did that come to pass? What processes were followed?

"Are they comfortable with the fact that that documentary is still up on iPlayer, or do they think they ought to take it down pending an investigation into this question?".

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When probed by Riley on whether the broadcaster had followed the editorial guidelines, she replied,

"If it is the case that the main person in the documentary was the son of a terrorist leader, the BBC have an obligation to say where their sources are from.

"And they didn't put that on the documentary at all. They didn't put it on even when it was pointed out to them.

"All their editorial guidelines were followed and this was just a documentary by children. And that was their initial justification.

"Now they have since changed that. But I do think that the BBC should be looking very carefully and closely into this matter."

Israel’s ambassador to the UK Tzipi Hotovely said she has written to Director General of the BBC Tim Davie seeking answers over the ‘BBC’s choice of cameraman as well as the main protagonist of the documentary’.

She posted online: “Following the release of the BBC Two documentary on Gaza, I have sent an official letter to the Director General of the BBC, Tim Davie.

“I asked for clarification on the BBC’s choice of cameraman as well as the main protagonist of the documentary, given the BBC’s supposed commitment to impartiality.

“I await his response.”

The BBC has since defended the film, admitting the organisation had "full editorial control" despite stating it had no journalistic input given the ban on international reporters in the war zone.

It added the two documentary makers behind the film were both based in London.

'Serious questions'

Speaking to LBC on Wednesday, The News Agents host Jon Sopel said the cooperation has "serious questions to answer" as he called for a "health warning" to be slapped on the doc.

He said: “News organisations are not allowed into Gaza, so it has been a nightmare for journalists to get stories out there.

“So they found these kids, full editorial control, producers based in London, with local camera crews.

“But the claim is … the son of Hamas deputy minister of agriculture was one of the kids featured in the documentary and the question is, did the BBC know this and if not why didn’t they?

“So the BBC is facing allegations of just being a Hamas mouthpiece.“I spoke to someone very senior at BBC News and he said ‘It’s current affairs, mate.’

“There is BBC News and a whole different department that might as well be another planet called current affairs."

He added: "Of course, the producers were hamstrung by the fact they didn’t have access to Gaza, but apparently, the person who found out about the Hamas link was someone who just googled it.

"If the producers haven’t done that, they have some pretty serious questions to answer."