Ofcom has issued a sanction against the BBC for breaching its broadcasting code over the documentary 'Gaza: How to Survive a Warzone'. The regulator found that the BBC failed to disclose the child narrator's father's links to Hamas, which was materially misleading.
The documentary, produced by Hoyo Films, was removed from BBC iPlayer in February after it emerged that Abdullah, the child narrator, is the son of Ayman Alyazouri, a former Hamas deputy minister of agriculture. Ofcom ruled that omitting this information could erode audience trust in a factual programme about the Israel-Gaza war.
As a result, the BBC must broadcast Ofcom's findings. In February, public figures including actor Tracy-Ann Oberman urged the BBC to pull the documentary. The BBC later admitted serious flaws and conducted an internal review, which found a breach of its editorial guidelines on accuracy.
A BBC spokesperson accepted Ofcom's decision in full, stating it aligns with the internal review's findings. The BBC will comply with the sanction once the date and wording are finalised.
