BBC responds to ‘Gaza: How To Survive A Warzone’ takedown backlash

The BBC has released a statement on why its documentary Gaza: How To Survive A Warzone was pulled from BBC iPlayer.

The programme explored the lives of children in Gaza during the current humanitarian crisis there. However, it was removed from iPlayer after it came to light that the 14-year-old boy who narrated it was the son of an official for Palestinian organisation Hamas.

The decision prompted over 700 artists, including Kneecap director Rich Peppiatt and Riz Ahmed, to sign a letter under the name Artists For Palestine UK condemning the BBC.

The letter reads: “We are UK-based film & TV professionals and journalists writing in support of the BBC documentary Gaza: How To Survive A War Zone, which aired on February 17 on BBC TWO and was subsequently made available on iPlayer. This film is an essential piece of journalism, offering an all-too-rare perspective on the lived experiences of Palestinian children living in unimaginable circumstances, which amplifies voices so often silenced. It deserves recognition, not politically motivated censorship.”

The letter goes on to criticise what it calls the “Racist Assumptions & Weaponisation of Identity” regarding the narrator’s background; the “disregard” of “core safeguarding principles” regarding the scrutiny based on the child; and what it describes as the BBC’s “responsibility” meeting “editorial and compliance standards”. The full letter can be read here.

Now, in its statement, the BBC said it “has identified serious flaws in the making of this programme”, some by the production company, and some by the BBC itself. Nonetheless, it says that “all of them are unacceptable” and “BBC News takes full responsibility for these and the impact that these have had on the Corporation’s reputation.” It has apologised for this.

“Nothing is more important than the trust that our audiences have in our journalism. This incident has damaged that trust. While the intent of the documentary was aligned with our purpose – to tell the story of what is happening around the world, even in the most difficult and dangerous places – the processes and execution of this programme fell short of our expectations. Although the programme was made by an independent production company, who were commissioned to deliver a fully compliant documentary, the BBC has ultimate editorial responsibility for this programme as broadcast.”

The BBC adds that it asked the production company, Hoyo Films, in writing numerous times about the potential connections the boy narrating the documentary or his family could have to Hamas. The production company confirmed that they knew his father was a Deputy Agriculture Minister in the Hamas Government. The BBC admits that it was their own failing for not discovering this before the documentary aired.

It concluded: “We have no plans to broadcast the programme again in its current form or return it to iPlayer and will make a further assessment once the work of Peter Johnston [the Director of Editorial Complaints and Reviews] is complete.”

Last month, figures from the entertainment world shared their reaction to news of a ceasefire between Israel and Palestine. On January 15, then-US president Joe Biden confirmed the deal, which took effect January 19 and will see the withdrawal of Israeli forces in Palestine, along with the release of all remaining hostages from the conflict.

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