BBC on Monday released the findings of its internal investigation into a controversial documentary about children in Gaza, acknowledging significant journalistic shortcomings and editorial failures.
The report concluded that the program, Gaza: How to Survive a War Zone?, breached the editorial guidelines on accuracy. The documentary was removed from iPlayer in February after it was discovered that its 13-year-old narrator was the son of a senior Hamas official, Ayman Al-Yazouri, who serves as the group’s Deputy Minister of Agriculture.
According to the review, three members of the external production company, Hoyo Films, were aware of the narrator's family ties to Hamas but failed to inform the BBC. While the network was unaware of this connection at the time of broadcast, the review criticized the BBC for not being "sufficiently proactive" in its editorial checks.
The investigation assigned primary responsibility to Hoyo Films but acknowledged that the BBC also fell short in its duty to verify key facts prior to airing.
In response, BBC Director-General Tim Davie vowed to strengthen editorial oversight to prevent similar failures. “We are taking this seriously and will implement changes to ensure such errors are not repeated,” he said in a statement.
Hoyo Films also issued a response, pledging to improve its internal review processes to avoid future issues.
The fallout sparked strong criticism, particularly from Israeli officials. Deputy Foreign Minister Sharren Haskel renewed her call for Davie’s resignation, stating:
“This is not an isolated incident, but part of a systemic problem. The BBC must uphold standards of fairness and accuracy. Its repeated failures only deepen mistrust and contribute to rising antisemitism.”
Haskel also referenced previous controversies involving the BBC, including its handling of coverage during the Glastonbury Festival, where she alleges the network aired "calls for death against Israel." She warned that continued editorial lapses risk entrenching institutional bias.
Independent journalist David Collier further escalated concerns, claiming that one of the documentary's producers is a Palestinian activist who publicly celebrated the October 7 Hamas attacks. He also alleged that portions of the film were staged and noted inconsistencies in the identity presented by the child narrator in past media appearances — including an interview with Channel 4 in November 2023, where the boy reportedly used a different surname and misidentified his father.
The BBC previously issued a public apology in February and confirmed the documentary would not return to its platforms.
