There have been complaints about the making of Gaza: How To Survive A Warzone – and about the BBC’s decision to remove it from iPlayer
Counter-terror police are looking into claims a BBC documentary on Gaza led to money being paid to Hamas.
The broadcaster’s internal review of Gaza: How To Survive A Warzone, which aired on BBC Two on Wednesday 19 February, found that the programme’s child narrator is the son of Ayman Alyazouri, Hamas’s deputy minister of agriculture.
The BBC said that Hoyo Films, the independent production company which made the documentary, told the broadcaster that the boy’s mother had been paid “a limited sum of money” for the narration.
Kemi Badenoch, the Tory leader, has demanded an independent inquiry into allegations of “potential collusion” with the terrorist group and “the possibility of payment” to Hamas officials.
The UK has designated Hamas a terrorist group and under the 2000 Terrorism Act it is a criminal offence to enter into arrangements to provide financial support to such groups.
A Metropolitan Police spokesperson said: “We’re aware of a BBC documentary about Gaza and we have received a number of reports raising concerns.
“Officers from the Met’s Counter Terrorism Command are currently assessing whether any police action is required in relation to this matter.”
Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy met BBC chairman Dr Samir Shah on Friday after saying that she wanted assurances “that no stone will be left unturned” during a review into the documentary.
A BBC spokesperson said “serious flaws in the making of this programme” had been identified.
They added: “Some of these were made by the production company and some by the BBC; all of them are unacceptable.
“BBC News takes full responsibility for these and the impact that these have had on the corporation’s reputation. We apologise 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 spokesperson said one of the core questions was around “the family connections of the young boy who is the narrator of the film” and added that the production company “was asked in writing a number of times by the BBC about any potential connections he and his family might have with Hamas”.
Insiders believe the film had a budget of around £400,000 but following the trail of money will prove difficult.
One industry figure said: “There are unlikely to be receipts that lead to Hamas. What Hamas got was more important than money, it was the chance to get its propaganda on the BBC, the world’s number-one trusted news source, a huge benefit in kind.”
After the discovery about Abdullah Al-Yazouri, who speaks about life in the territory amid the war between Israel and Hamas, the BBC added a disclaimer to the programme, and later removed it from its online catch-up service saying it had no plans to broadcast the programme again.
On Tuesday, protesters gathered outside Broadcasting House in London claiming the BBC had aired Hamas propaganda.
The BBC also faced criticism in pulling the documentary, with Gary Lineker, Anita Rani, Riz Ahmed and Miriam Margolyes among more than 500 media figures who had condemned the action.
In an open letter addressed to the BBC’s director-general Tim Davie, chairman Dr Shah and outgoing chief content officer Charlotte Moore, hundreds of TV and film professionals and journalists called the decision to remove the documentary “politically motivated censorship.”