'Shameless' for BBC to air Gaza film, says Nigel Farage - after links to Hamas uncovered

3 March 2025, 10:09 | Updated: 3 March 2025, 10:20

Nigel Farage has told LBC it was "shameless" for the BBC to have aired a recent film about life in Gaza - after it was reported to feature the son of a Hamas official.

It emerged last week that the film's child narrator was the son of Ayman Alyazouri, who has worked as Hamas' deputy minister of agriculture.

The BBC said on Thursday that the production company knew the boy’s father was a member of the Hamas government but did not tell them.

The corporation had apologised for the error, saying sorry for "serious flaws" in the making of Gaza: How to Survive a War Zone.

The corporation said some flaws were made by the production company and others were made by the BBC - but all were "unacceptable".

The documentary will not be broadcast again in its current form or return to iPlayer, the BBC confirmed.

Mr Farage told LBC's Nick Ferrari that he believes the broadcaster has a "strong anti-Israel bias" in its coverage.

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Speaking on the Gaza film on Monday morning, "The 13-year-old boy whether he was being used for propaganda purposes... we can never quite say".

Mr Farage complained that the BBC often "preaches impartiality" but does not conduct it itself.

However, he admitted that the license fee shouldn't be suspended over one programme.

But, he added there was room for a "grown up debate" about the license fee.

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'Global brand'

He went on: "The one thing that we have to remember is that the BBC is part of our global brand.

"Things like the World Service actually genuinely matter," he said.

He added he wants to see the BBC as a "representative of this country" in places where there is censorship but stated he thinks there is no need for it for things like sport or entertainment.

Police are now considering whether further action needs to be taken over the film.

A spokesperson for the Met police said on Friday: "We're aware of a BBC documentary about Gaza and we have received a number of reports raising concerns.

"Officers from the Met's Counter Terrorism Command are currently assessing whether any police action is required in relation to this matter."

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The documentary will not be broadcast again in its current form or return to iPlayer, the BBC confirmed.

"BBC News takes full responsibility for these [flaws] and the impact that these have had on the corporation's reputation," a spokesperson said.

"We apologise for this.

"Nothing is more important than the trust that our audiences have in our journalism.

"This incident has damaged that trust. While the intent of the documentary was aligned with our purpose - to tell the story of what is happening around the world, even in the most difficult and dangerous places - the processes and execution of this programme fell short of our expectations.

"Although the programme was made by an independent production company, who were commissioned to deliver a fully compliant documentary, the BBC has ultimate editorial responsibility for this programme as broadcast."