THE BBC has been blasted after medics quoted in a report alleging abuse by Israeli soldiers turned out to be Hamas supporters.
Eight Palestinian staff told of torture by the Israel Defence Forces at Nasser Hospital, Gaza.
The BBC has been blasted after medics quoted in a report alleging abuse by Israeli soldiers turned out to be Hamas supporters – pictured Dr Raba
Palestinian staff told of torture by the IDF at Nasser Hospital, Gaza – pictured Dr Al-Assouli
The report triggered outrage when it appeared on BBC – pictured Dr Sabha
The report triggered outrage when it appeared on BBC television and radio bulletins on March 12.
Foreign Secretary Lord Cameron said the contents were “very disturbing” as he demanded answers.
But six of the eight medics have posted anti-Semitic and pro-Hamas messages online for years — a fact that was not included by the BBC.
One, Dr Amira Assouli, posted: “O Lord, turn every Palestinian missile into a Zionist casualty, and turn every casualty into a thousand families that leave our homeland.”
In another the doctor, whose account of being targeted by Israeli gunfire was at the heart of the BBC coverage, said: “Lord protect our mujahideen and support them with your angels and kill the Jews.”
Dr Assouli’s Facebook account includes up to 20 posts celebrating Israelis being killed in terror attacks or making anti-Semitic remarks, according to researchers.
Another doc, Hatem Raba, wrote on Facebook: “May Allah guide the missiles of Palestine’s mujahideen.”
And he praised a terrorist who blew up a bus killing 38 Israeli civilians, including 13 children, in 1978 as a “legend” and a “martyr”.
The hospital’s general manager Atef Al-Hout — who told the BBC that IDF soldiers forced medics to kneel with hands behind their heads for hours — has also posted pro-Hamas comments.
Dr Khaled Serr, who claimed in the BBC report that IDF troops shot civilians in the hospital, previously praised Hamas strikes on Israel which killed seven civilians.
In a 2021 post on X/Twitter, he wrote: “We ask God to grant you victory.”
Also in 2021, Dr Ahmed Abu Sabha shared what appeared to be pro-Hamas song lyrics online which said: “We will avenge the heroic martyrs a million-fold.”
Two journalists who worked on the report had earlier been revealed to have liked posts celebrating attacks on Israel.
Jewish Tory MP Andrew Percy said: “There must be a full independent inquiry undertaken of the BBC’s failure to uphold impartiality on this.
General Manager Artef Al-Hout
“Their coverage is fuelling the hate on our streets.”
Lord Pickles, special envoy for post-Holocaust issues, added: “The last few weeks have shown us the BBC’s greatness is in its past and it is falling way short of the standards we expect.”
Former Attorney General Sir Michael Ellis, a Tory MP, said: “This is more evidence of an endemic anti-Israel bias at the corporation.”
The comments were found by anti-Semitism researcher David Collier and investigated by media monitoring group the Committee for Accuracy in Middle East Reporting and Analysis.
The BBC said: “We stand by our journalism.
“Those who have read our story will know the BBC has been transparent in telling audiences where and how information is corroborated and attributed, and where this has not been possible.”
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