The BBC has been accused of promoting « Hamas propaganda » after airing a documentary about the lives of ordinary Palestinians, which focuses on a boy whose father is a minister for the terrorist group, it is claimed.
The documentary ‘Gaza: How to Survive a Warzone’ follows Abdullah Al-Yazouri, 14, whose dad is said to be Hamas’ minister for agriculture. The corporation did not disclose this information to viewers.
The film, released on Monday, shows the conflict through the eyes of three children living in Gaza and is narrated in English by Abdullah.
Abdullah’s father is said to be Ayman Alyazouri, a senior Hamas official who is currently the minister for agriculture.
Labour Against Antisemitism has lodged a formal complaint to the national broadcaster arguing that the producers failed to adequately screen its subjects.
It is not known whether the crew knew about the boy’s Hamas links.
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.
“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, who for a time was educated in the UK, was featured in a Channel 4 news item from November 2023, discussing the impact of Israeli bombing.
In it Abdullah was accompanied by a man called Khalil Abu Shamala, who was presented as his father.
However, Shamala, appears to refer to Abdullah as “my nephew” in a 2012 Facebook post.
Shamala has appeared alongside Hamas minister Alyazouri in pictures. Shamala is believed to be the former director of a non-governmental organisation called Al Dameer. Al Dameer campaigns on behalf of Palestinian fighters jailed by Israel.
The organisation is accused of having links to the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP), which is a designated terrorist organisation in the US, the EU, Canada, and Israel.
A BBC Spokesperson said: « Gaza: How to Survive a Warzone, a documentary showing the conflict through the eyes of three children in Gaza, was produced in line with BBC editorial guidelines and the BBC had full editorial control. The film told the children’s own stories, showing viewers their direct experiences of living through a war, and the children’s parents did not have any 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 film gives audiences a rare glimpse of Gaza during the war, as well as an insight into the children’s lives, it hears the voices of other Gazan civilians, several of whom voice anti-Hamas sentiments. »
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