BBC Faces Potential Terror Probe After Admitting Paying Hamas Family Members for Gaza Documentary

The BBC is facing a potential terror probe after admitting to having paid a family member of a top figure in the Hamas terrorist organisation for a Gaza documentary.

An investigation found last month that one of the subjects in the BBC’s Gaza: How to Survive a War Zone documentary, 14-year-old Abdullah Al-Yazouri, was not an average resident of the Palestinian territory but rather a member of “Hamas royalty” and son of Hamas agricultural minister Dr Ayman Al-Yazouri, who himself is related to one of the founding members of the terrorist group.

This week, the BBC admitted to paying Al-Yazouri’s family through the production company behind the documentary, Hoyo Films, prompting calls for an investigation to determine whether public funds were given to the family members of a proscribed terror group.

On Friday, a spokesman for the Metropolitan Police told the Daily Mail: “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.”

Calling for a terror probe into the publicly-funded broadcaster, a spokesman for the Campaign Against Antisemitism said: “A national treasure has become a national embarrassment. The BBC has now admitted that licence fee funds were paid to the family of a senior Hamas official.

“It has not yet been able to rule out that further payments to Hamas were made as it continues to investigate where hundreds of thousands of pounds went. Clearly, those responsible must lose their jobs. We are among those who have reported the BBC to Counter Terrorism Policing, which is now investigating.”

Former Labour MP, Lord Ian Austin also calls for the Met to “immediately investigate” whether the BBC allowed public funds to be sent to terrorists.

“There must be an independent enquiry into how this documentary was made and if anyone is found responsible for paying or overseeing the payment of license-fee money to Hamas they should face the full force of the law,” he said.

The BBC, which has removed the documentary from its online streaming service, has admitted that there were “serious flaws” with the making of the pro-Gaza film and BBC director-general Tim Davie will face a grilling from members of parliament next week.

A spokesman for the BBC claimed that the broadcaster asked the production company that made the documentary multiple times about any potential ties of its subjects to Hamas but that it was only after it was aired that Hoyo Films acknowledged they were aware of the 14-year-old boy’s connections to the terror group.

The spokesman said: “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. 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.”

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