BBC pulls Gaza documentary after narrator’s Hamas family links exposed

The BBC has removed a documentary from iPlayer after it emerged that its teenage narrator is the son of a senior Hamas official, sparking accusations that the corporation misled viewers by failing to disclose his family ties to the terrorist group.

The film has been pulled while the corporation conducts “further due diligence”, following the admission that a child featured was the son of the Deputy Minister of Agriculture in the Hamas government

The documentary, Gaza: How to Survive a Warzone, which aired on BBC Two on Monday, claimed to tell the story of the war through the eyes of ordinary Palestinian children.

However, it was later revealed that its English-speaking narrator, 13-year-old Abdullah Al-Yazouri, is the son of Ayman Al-Yazouri, a senior official in the Hamas-run Gaza government.

His family links to Hamas were not revealed to viewers, nor is it clear whether the film crew were aware of the terror connections. The allegations were based on publicly available data, including social media profiles, uncovered by activist and investigator David Collier.

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.

A spokesperson for the corporation said: “There have been continuing questions raised about the programme and in the light of these, we are conducting further due diligence with the production company that made the film. The programme will not be available on iPlayer while this is taking place.”

The BBC said that the documentary featured “important stories we think should be told - those of the experiences of children in Gaza.”

Danny Cohen, former controller of BBC One and Director of Television, accused his erstwhile employer of a “shocking failure” and causing a “major crisis for its reputation.”

“This documentary fails the most basic of programme standards. Links to the terrorist group Hamas were not disclosed.

“This is a shocking failure by the BBC and a major crisis for its reputation. The BBC's commitment to impartiality on the Israel-Hamas war lies in tatters. The BBC’s senior leadership needs to wake up now and admit the corporation has a serious problem.”