BBC says reputation is ‘damaged’ after airing program that featured the son of a Hamas minister

One of the world’s largest media organisations says its reputation is in tatters after airing a controversial documentary featuring the son of a Hamas minister.

The BBC has made the extraordinary admission that its trust has been “damaged” after it aired a one-hour documentary that featured the son of a Hamas minister and led to the program later being stripped from its online platform.

The controversial production aired on the BBC last week called, ‘Gaza: How to Survive a Warzone’ and it led to an urgent internal review into how it was able to air after it was revealed the 13-year-old narrator Abdullah has links to Hamas.

He is the son of the deputy minister of agriculture in Gaza, Dr Ayman Al-Yazouri and is also related to one of the family members who helped found Hamas, Ibrahim Al-Yazouri.

One day you might need it. pic.twitter.com/7yGt2kBg4a

— Yousef D. Hammash (@YousefHammash) February 12, 2025

It has now been revealed that the production company Hoyo Films, led by Palestinian filmmaker Yousef Hammash and his colleague Jamie Roberts, who created the program were asked multiple times by the BBC if anyone in the documentary had links to Hamas but the film company never disclosed such information to the BBC despite knowing of the links to the terrorist group.

“One of the core questions is around the family connections of the young boy who is the narrator of the film,” the BBC said in a statement.

Abdullah Al-Yazouri is the narrator of the BBC documentary called 'Gaza: How to Survive a Warzone". Picture: BBC.

“During the production process the independent production company was asked in writing a number of times by the BBC about any potential connections he (Abdullah) and his family might have with Hamas.

“Since transmission, they have acknowledged that they knew that the boy’s father was a deputy agriculture minister in the Hamas Government; they have also acknowledged that they never told the BBC this fact.

“It was then the BBC’s own failing that we did not uncover that fact and the documentary was aired”.

This week the BBC’s departing sports broadcaster Gary Lineker and hundreds of other television industry figures hit out at the BBC for stripping the documentary from its streaming platform and said it was bowing to censorship after coming under intense scrutiny.

BBC’s veteran broadcaster Gary Lineker said the controversial documentary should not have been deleted. Picture: Getty Images

In the documentary Abdullah opens the program with emotional scenes showing the boy walking through war-torn areas in Gaza and asking viewers: “Have you ever wondered what you’d do if your world was destroyed?”

“Could you live in a tent? Raise your baby?”

The BBC said the program will not air again and an investigation will be conducted into payment made to Abdullah’s mother for him narrating the program and to ensure no members of Hamas or its affiliates were paid for any involvement into the production.

The BBC board said in a statement on Thursday: “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.

“While the board appreciates that mistakes can be made, the mistakes here are significant and damaging to the BBC.

“The board has required the executive to report back at the earliest opportunity on the outcomes of the work the director-general has commissioned.”

Originally published as BBC says reputation is ‘damaged’ after airing program that featured the son of a Hamas minister