The BBC is at the centre of a scandal after the BBC Arabic news service described suicide attacks by the Hamas terror group, which killed dozens of civilians, as “military operations”. The language sparked sharp criticism from human rights groups and media outlets, including Camera, which accused the BBC of downplaying the group’s responsibility for terror attacks against Israelis.
According to the Daily Mail, the report is about Mohammed Deif, the Hamas military leader who was killed last month in an Israeli airstrike. Under Deif’s leadership, Hamas has carried out numerous suicide attacks against Israeli civilians since the 1990s. In particular, one of these attacks killed 80 civilians aged between 13 and 83. However, a BBC Arabic report described the attacks as “military operations.”
Camera accused the BBC of covering up for Hamas and misleading its audience. According to the group, BBC Arabic allegedly created the impression that the attacks were aimed at Israeli soldiers and not civilians. In particular, it is noted that BBC reporters often use soft language to describe the actions of Palestinian groups, despite their obvious links to terrorist attacks.
The BBC issued a statement in response to the allegations, insisting that its reporting was “clear and balanced.” The corporation stressed that it repeatedly mentioned the fact that Deif was listed as a terrorist by the US and EU, and that its audience was fully aware of his role in the murder of Israeli civilians.
Previously, Cursor wrote that three IDF soldiers were killed in the Gaza Strip during combat operations against the IDF.
