The BBC stated that the documentary, Gaza: How to Survive a War Zone, was pulled from iPlayer last week after it emerged its 13-year-old narrator was the son of a Hamas official. The BBC has taken down the documentary about a teenager’s life in Gaza after sustained pressure from supporters of Israel.
According to the New Arab newspaper, the BBC initially said in a statement: “The film remains a powerful child’s eye view of the devastating consequences of the war in Gaza which we believe is an invaluable testament to their experiences, and we must meet our commitment to transparency.” But the documentary was removed after the BBC discovered that the boy’s father, Dr Ayman Alyazouri, has worked as a deputy agriculture minister in the Gaza government. In 2007, Hamas, which the UK considers a terrorist group, took over the Gaza Strip following a conflict with rival Palestinian movement Fatah.