BBC pulls controversial film with Hamas ties, UK police may investigate

• The BBC has removed a documentary about the war in Gaza from its online streaming service after it emerged that the child in the film has family ties to Hamas. The BBC said the film’s production company did not inform them about the connection.
• The U.K. has designated Hamas a terrorist group, making it a criminal offense to enter into arrangements to provide financial support to such groups.
• An investigation into whether taxpayers’ money was paid to Hamas during the making of the film is underway.

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British broadcaster the BBC has been facing questions after airing a controversial documentary about the struggles of Palestinians in Gaza without disclosing that the film focuses on the teen son of a Hamas minister. Now, the U.K. police might be called on to investigate.

On Friday, Feb. 21, the network pulled “Gaza: How to Survive a Warzone” from its streaming service after independent journalist David Collier reported last week that the father of the 14-year-old boy, Abdullah Al-Yazouri, who narrated the documentary, is Ayman Al-Yazouri, deputy minister of agriculture in the Gaza Strip’s Hamas-run government.

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What is the BBC’s response to the film’s controversy?

On Thursday, Feb. 20, the BBC said it had not been informed of the family connection in advance by the film’s production company, while defending the importance of the project in a statement on Friday, Feb. 21.

“’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 program, and in the light of these, we are conducting further due diligence with the production company. The program will not be available on iPlayer while this is taking place.”

Will the Metropolitan Police investigate?

The U.K. has designated Hamas as a terrorist group, making it a criminal offense to enter into arrangements to provide financial support to such groups under the 2000 Terrorism Act.

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According to the British newspaper, The i Paper, the leader of the U.K. Conservative Party is demanding an independent inquiry to determine whether taxpayers’ money was paid to Hamas during the making of the film, which could lead to further investigation by the U.K. police. 

The BBC has not disclosed whether Hamas received any payments.