The BBC has admitted to “serious flaws in the production of a controversial documentary about children in Gaza, apologizing and removing it from its iPlayer service. The documentary, Gaza: How to Survive a War Zone, faced scrutiny after it emerged that its 13-year-old narrator was the son of a Hamas official.
In a statement, the BBC confirmed it has no plans to broadcast the programme again in its current form or return it to iPlayer. The broadcaster also acknowledged that both the independent production company, Hoyo Films, and the BBC itself had made unacceptable mistakes in the documentary’s production.
The controversy centers around a boy named Abdullah, who was revealed to be the son of Hamas’s deputy minister of agriculture. Hamas is designated as a terrorist organization by the UK and other governments. The BBC said it had asked Hoyo Films multiple times whether the boy or his family had any connections to Hamas but was not informed about the father’s position.
Hoyo Films admitted that it knew about the boy’s father’s role but had not disclosed this information. The production company also confirmed that it had paid the boy’s mother “a limited sum of money” through his sister’s bank account. However, both the BBC and Hoyo Films insist that no payments were made to Hamas members or affiliates.
The BBC’s Board met to review the issue, stating: “The subject matter of the documentary was clearly a legitimate area to explore, but nothing is more important than trust and transparency in our journalism.” The BBC also announced a full audit of the film’s expenditure, requiring financial records from Hoyo Films.
The incident has sparked debate within the media industry. More than 500 media figures, including Gary Lineker, Anita Rani, and Riz Ahmed, criticized the BBC for pulling the documentary. However, UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer, speaking at a press conference with U.S. President Donald Trump, said he was concerned about the situation and confirmed that the Secretary of State had met with BBC officials.
The controversy has raised serious questions about the BBC’s editorial oversight, with the corporation admitting the incident has damaged public trust in its journalism.
