The BBC has been accused of mis-translating words to sanitise the meaning of participants (Image: BBC / Hoyo Films / Amjad Al Fayoumi/Getty)
The has been accused of “whitewashing” the quotes of participants in its controversial after mistranslating words such as “Jihad” and “the Jews”.
It has been alleged that the bosses translated the words Yahud or Yahudy, the Arabic words for “Jew” and “Jews” to “” or “Israeli forces” on at least five occasions, according to the Telegraph.
It has also been claimed that an interview praising Yahya Sinwar, the leader recently eliminated by , saw the term for “jihad against the Jews” translated as fighting “Israeli forces.”
Alex Hearn, the co-director of Labour Against Anti-Semitism, said the mistranslation of the word Jewish to Israeli was part of a wider issue with “the ’s sympathetic coverage of Hamas”.
He said: “In so doing, the have sanitised views expressed about Sinwar, orchestrator of the Hamas massacre, and instead presented a more acceptable version for a Western audience.”
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The BBC has been criticised by both pro-Israel and pro-Gaza demonstrators since the conflict began (Image: Getty)
“It is this whitewashing that keeps viewers ill-informed about the nature of Hamas and promotes sympathy for their deadly ideology. This documentary signifies the institutional failure behind the ’s reporting of the -Hamas conflict.”
The corporation challenged the accusations, claiming that the issue had been the “subject of previous complaint findings which have ruled that the translation was an appropriate exercise of editorial judgment.”
The documentary has since been taken down from iPlayer after it was revealed that one of the prominent Gazans featured was the son of a minister.
The corporation is now under pressure if any taxpayer money was given to the terrorist organisation Hamas in the making of the film.
Conservative leader has said that if any evidence is found of money being given to Hamas, then counter-terrorist police should investigate.
She said: “We know that it is illegal to give money to terrorist organisations. Hamas is a terrorist organisation. The Met would make its operational decisions.
“I think that the certainly needs to investigate and get the evidence for what has or what hasn’t happened, and then the police can make a decision on that. But we know what is right and what is legal in our country, and giving money to terrorists is not it.”
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Gaza: How to Survive a Warzone,17-02-2025,Key Art,Abdullah,Amjad Al Fayoumi / Hoyo Films (Image: BBC / Amjad Al Fayoumi / Hoyo Films)
The documentary has been criticised for its portrayal of day-to-day life in , with claims that scenes were stage-managed by Hamas.
Political commentator Bella Wallersteiner believes that the is institutionally anti- and says that Hamas “played” the corporation.
She said: “’s removal of Gaza documentary isn’t the end – someone must be held accountable. The portrayal of a young girl without a headscarf, wearing makeup, and with 1 million followers, doesn’t reflect how Hamas treats women. was played by Hamas – unacceptable.”
Academic Andrew Fox, who has written extensively on alleged favourable reporting by on Hamas, says that if money was given to the terrorist organisation, then those responsible should be sacked.
He said: “The allegedly paid £400k of licence fee payers’ money to Hamas, so that they could broadcast propaganda on Hamas’s behalf. If true, everyone involved in the decision to commission and broadcast this needs sacking, immediately.”
The spokesperson said: “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 programme and in light of these, we are conducting further due diligence with the production company. The programme will not be available on iPlayer while this is taking place.”