Government calls 'urgent meeting' with BBC over controversial Gaza documentary

The government has called an "urgent meeting" with the head of the BBC over a controversial documentary about Gaza.

Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy has said she will be meeting with the chair of the corporation today to get "assurances that no stone will be left unturned" in the inquiry into the programme.

Gaza: How To Survive A Warzone has been pulled from iPlayer and will not be broadcast on channels again after it emerged that the child narrator is the son of Ayman Alyazouri, who has worked as Hamas's deputy minister of agriculture.

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In a statement, the BBC confirmed the family had been paid for the work.

The corporation said the documentary was made on commission by a company called Hoyo Films, and that Hoyo did not say the narrator had links to Hamas despite being asked and knowing it to be the case.

Ms Nandy said: "The BBC has acknowledged serious failings by them and the production company Hoyo Films.

"The public rightly holds the BBC to the highest standards of reporting and governance which is why I will be having an urgent meeting with the BBC Chair later today. I want assurances that no stone will be left unturned by the fact-finding review now commissioned by the BBC's director general.

"This review must be comprehensive, rigorous and get to the bottom of exactly what has happened in this case. It is critical for trust in the BBC that this review happens quickly, and that appropriate action is taken on its findings."

Shadow culture secretary Stuart Andrew raised concerns that public funds had "indirectly supported a terrorist organisation", and Tory leader Kemi Badenoch wrote to the BBC calling for an inquiry into "the BBC's entire pattern of systemic bias against Israel".

After the discovery about the father of 13-year-old Abdullah al Yazouri, who speaks about life in Gaza during the war between Israel and Hamas, the BBC added a disclaimer to the programme and later removed it from its online catch-up service.

In a statement released last night, a BBC spokesperson said "serious flaws" had been found in the making of the documentary.

"Some of these were made by the production company, and some by the BBC; all of them are unacceptable," they added.

"BBC News takes full responsibility for these and the impact that these have had on the corporation's reputation. We apologise for this."

It went on: "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."

Turning to Hoyo Films, the spokesperson said: "During the production process, the independent 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.

"Since transmission, they have acknowledged that they knew that the boy's father was a deputy agriculture minister in the Hamas government; they have also acknowledged that they never told the BBC this fact.

"It was then the BBC's own failing that we did not uncover that fact and the documentary was aired."

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"Hoyo Films have told us that they paid the boy's mother, via his sister's bank account, a limited sum of money for the narration.

"While Hoyo Films have assured us that no payments were made to members of Hamas or its affiliates, either directly, in kind, or as a gift, the BBC is seeking additional assurance around the budget of the programme and will undertake a full audit of expenditure.

"We are requesting the relevant financial accounts of the production company in order to do that."

The spokesperson said complaints about the programme will be expedited, and will be adjudicated by an independent reviewer.

Hoyo Films said in a statement: "We are co-operating fully with the BBC and Peter Johnston (director of editorial complaints and reviews) to help understand where mistakes have been made.

"We feel this remains an important story to tell, and that our contributors - who have no say in the war - should have their voices heard."