BBC accused of ‘whitewashing’ Hamas propaganda following Bibas body release

The BBC has been accused of "whitewashing" Hamas propaganda following an article by its Diplomatic Correspondent about the release of slain Israeli hostages on Thursday.

In an article published on the BBC News website about the return of the bodies of Oded Lifschitz, Shiri Bibas and her two young sons, Ariel and Kfir, veteran BBC correspondent Paul Adams wrote: “Once again, there was a stage, flanked by huge posters highlighting the catastrophic consequences of Israel's military campaign in Gaza and the Palestinian determination to stay put.”

The posters, which Adams referred to as "imagery of the consequences of Israel's campaign," featured depictions of Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu as a vampire alongside slogans accusing him of being a Nazi war criminal who was responsible for the deaths of the Israeli hostages.

The propaganda sign said: “the war criminal Netanyahu and his Nazi army killed them with missiles from Zionist warplanes” and featured a ghoulish cartoon of the Israeli Prime Minister with blood dripping out of his mouth. The stage was flanked with images of white missiles spattered with red paint and the statement, “they were killed by USA bombs.”

Israeli officials have since stated that the bodies Kfir Bibas, aged ten months, and his older brother Ariel, aged four, were not the victims of an airstrike, but were instead murdered by Hamas terrorists’ “bare hands”.

A BBC newsroom source told the JC: “How a top BBC correspondent can turn huge horrifying posters of Netanyahu as a zombie Dracula peering over the hostages, and rows and rows of Israeli coffins into simply 'imagery of the consequences of Israel's campaign' is deeply worrying. Worse still, nobody batted an eyelid. Serious questions need to be answered."

Alex Hern, Director of Labour Against Antisemitism (LAAS), criticised Adams for “whitewashing” Hamas’ antisemitic propaganda. "What was depicted wasn’t a failed military campaign but medieval blood libel," Hern stated.

Meanwhile, Adams’ old posts on social media have resurfaced, prompting questions about his impartiality. In one post from October 7, 2023, he referred to the Hamas attack that day as a “mass breakout,” describing it as “audacious (and yes brutal).” The following day, he called the massacre “the day Gazans broke out of their dismal prison and exacted terrible revenge.”

On October 17, Adams accused Israel of bombing the al-Ahli hospital, a claim later contradicted by intelligence reports that linked the explosion to a failed rocket launch from within Gaza.

Adams often posts on X as news is breaking. Although his tweet about the Al-Ahli hospital remains live, he did follow it with a post stating: “The #IDF adamant that #Ahli hospital strike was misfired #PIJ missile. Detailed briefing in Tel Aviv this morning. IDF says #Hamas knew this last night but decided to blame Israel anyway and inflate death toll.”

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A BBC spokesperson defended Adams, stating: “We strongly reject this suggestion of bias. The BBC is committed to reporting the Israel-Gaza war impartially, with no agenda and to the highest standards.”

The controversy comes as the BBC removed a documentary about children living in Gaza from iPlayer after it emerged the film’s 13-year-old narrator is the son of Ayman Alyazouri, a Hamas government minister and his grandfather was allegedly one of the terror group’s founders.

The BBC initially defended the film, stating that it aimed to highlight the experiences of children in Gaza.

But, following criticism and allegations that key information about the narrator’s family ties had been withheld, the corporation removed the documentary from iPlayer on Friday and announced a review of its production.

Adams was contacted for comment.