Kemi Badenoch calls for investigation into BBC Gaza documentary featuring grandson of Hamas founder
24 February 2025, 14:00 | Updated: 24 February 2025, 14:07
Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch has called for an investigation into the BBC Gaza documentary.
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Kemi Badenoch has called for an investigation into the controversial BBC Gaza documentary and has accused producers of "payment to Hamas officials".
The raw and often graphic documentary featured multiple accounts of the conflict, featuring a young Palestinian in devastated Gaza who was revealed to be the grandson of one of Hamas' founders.
She said the broadcaster's response was "defensive" amid criticism of the hour-long film.
Writing to BBC Director General Tim Davie, the Conservative leader said: "How could any programme from there be commissioned, without comprehensive work by the BBC to ensure that presenters or participants were – as far as possible – not linked to that appalling regime?"
This comes as The BBC issued an apology on the documentary last Wednesday, and removed it from iPlayer on Friday, claiming they "had not been informed" of the Hamas connection.
Badenoch added: "The BBC initially argued that the ‘documentary’ remained an ‘invaluable testament’ to the war, and kept the programme on iPlayer.
"This defensive reaction from BBC executives is profoundly troubling. It shows problems run deep.
"Surely it should have been immediately apparent that the programme was fundamentally flawed The BBC also suggested that ‘usual compliance procedures’ had been followed.
"But does filming inside Gaza not require something far beyond usual checks?"
The Conservative leader also suggested that her party could withdraw their support for the licence fee if the BBC doesn't address her concerns.
The BBC was accused of "blindly spouting propaganda" when the documentary first aired.
Badenoch continued: "There have been repeated and serious allegations of systemic and institutional bias against Israel in the BBC's coverage of the war.
"These include repeated drawing of a false equivalence between Israel and Hamas."
A spokesman for the Campaign Against Antisemitism said: "If these allegations are true then the BBC has essentially published long-form propaganda for an antisemitic genocidal terror organisation with licence-fee funds."
Speaking with LBC last Wednesday, Danny Cohen, former Director of BBC Television, told Nick Ferrari the BBC broadcast a clearly "bias" documentary.
"At an absolute minimum, audiences, license fee payers, should be aware that the son of a Hamas leader is in it," he told Nick.
"It looks, by the way Nick, [as though] the same child appeared in a Channel 4 story a few weeks ago.
"He was accompanied by a man that appears to be his father - who is clearly his father."
He also called for “full transparency” over the way in which the organisation conducts its journalism.
