THE BBC has removed a film on Gaza which featured the child of a Hamas official from iPlayer while the broadcaster carries out “further due diligence with the production company”.
We told how the corporation issued a statement earlier this week after it was criticised for broadcasting the film Gaza: How To Survive A War Zone, which aired on Monday on BBC Two.
The film features Abdullah Al-Yazouri (pictured below), a child narrator who speaks about what life is like in the territory amid the siege by Israel.
London-based Hoyo Films, which produced the documentary, has previously made BBC documentary Ukraine: Enemy In The Woods, which was filmed by Ukrainian soldiers amid the war with Russia.
On Friday, the BBC announced that it had removed the film from iPlayer while it carries out “further due diligence”.
In a statement on its clarifications and corrections page, the broadcaster said: “Gaza: How to Survive a Warzone features important stories we think should be told – those of the experiences of children in Gaza.
“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.
“The programme will not be available on iPlayer while this is taking place.”
The International Centre of Justice for Palestinians criticised concerns raised about the Hoyo Films documentary, and urged the BBC to “stand firm against these attempts to prevent first-hand accounts of life in Gaza from reaching audiences”.
A statement from the organisation also said: “For some, almost any Palestinian perspective appears to be deemed unacceptable.
“In this case, objections have been raised because Abdullah’s father holds a government role in Gaza’s Hamas-run administration. However, this does not negate the child’s lived experience or invalidate his testimony.”
