A CAMERAMAN for a controversial BBC documentary about Gaza is said to have previously posted messages saluting the October 7 massacre.
Hatem Rawagh, who was listed as an additional cameraman on Gaza: How To Survive A Warzone, also shared videos showing off Hamas weapons.
Hatem Rawagh is said to have previously posted messages celebrating the October 7 massacre
BBCThe main narrator of the BBC’s Gaza documentary, 13-year-old Abdulla Eliyazour, is claimed to be the son of Hamas official Dr Ayman Al-Yazouri[/caption]
BBCThe documentary has now been pulled by the BBC[/caption]
Hamas deputy minister of agriculture Dr Ayman Al-Yazouri is said to be Abdulla’s father
The Committee for Accuracy in Middle East Reporting and Analysis (Camera) uncovered tweets by Mr Rawagh, according to The Telegraph.
Mr Rawagh appeared to praise the October 7 massacre in a post on X on the day of the terror attack.
He wrote: “Whoever missed Oct 6 [1973] in Egypt … Oct 7 is happening [now] in Palestine.”
The comment seemed to reference the Yom Kippur War of 1973 when Egypt and Syria attacked Israel.
Mr Rawagh also looked to applaud the killing of an Israeli soldier in Erez near the Gaza border a day later.
He shared a clip of a gunman and said: “You are going to come back to this video a million times.”
Another showed celebrations at the Omari mosque in Gaza in April 2023 after a car attack in Tel Aviv.
The vehicle ploughed into a crowd of pedestrians killing an Italian citizen and wounding several other Italian and British tourists.
Mr Rawagh penned: “A festive atmosphere in Gaza’s Omari Mosque at the moment the news about the operation in Tel Aviv arrived.”
A spokesman for Camera said: “These posts appear to be glorifying the horrific terrorist acts committed on October 7, 2023.
“Anyone who wrote them has no place working for the BBC.
“Here is yet more evidence of the editorial failings in the documentary for which the BBC must answer.”
It comes as the broadcaster decided to take down the doc from BBC iPlayer while it carries out “further due diligence with the production company”.
Earlier this week, the corporation apologised after it emerged that the film‘s child narrator is the son of Ayman Alyazouri, who has worked as Hamas’s deputy minister of agriculture.
Following the discovery about Abdullah Al-Yazouri, who speaks about what life is like in the territory amid the war between Israel and Hamas, the BBC later added a disclaimer to the programme.
What happened on October 7?
ON OCTOBER 7, 2023, Hamas launched a brutal surprise attack on Israel, marking one of the darkest days in the nation’s history.
Terrorists stormed across the border from Gaza, killing over 1,200 people — most of them civilians — and kidnapping 250 others, including women, children, and the elderly.
The coordinated assault saw heavily armed fighters infiltrate Israeli towns, kibbutzim, and military bases, unleashing indiscriminate violence.
Innocent families were slaughtered in their homes, and graphic footage of the atrocities spread across social media, leaving the world in shock.
And as well as attacking people in their homes, they stormed the Nova music peace festival – killing at least 364 people there alone.
The massacre triggered a swift and massive retaliatory response from Israel, escalating into a full-scale war.
The attack not only reignited long-standing tensions in the region but also left deep scars on both sides of the conflict, setting the stage for the 16 months of devastation that followed.
Further accusations have been made about the doc, which was initially broadcast on Monday at 9pm on BBC Two, such as claims that other children were pictured with the militant group Hamas.
On its clarifications and corrections page, the BBC said: “Gaza: How To Survive A Warzone features important stories we think should be told – those of the experiences of children in Gaza.
“There have been continuing questions raised about the programme and in light of these, we are conducting further due diligence with the production company.
“The programme will not be available on iPlayer while this is taking place.”
London-based Hoyo Films made the film after working with the BBC on the documentary Ukraine: Enemy In The Woods.
Since October 2023, when Hamas attacked Israeli civilians including a music festival, more than 48,000 Palestinians have died, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry.
The militant group is currently releasing hostages to Israel as part of a ceasefire agreement.
The Sun has contacted the BBC and Mr Rawagh for comment.
ReutersThe documentary tells the experiences of the conflict in Gaza from the perspective of children in the safe zone[/caption]
BBCThe BBC’s apology showed what new text will feature on the documentary to give clarification on Abdullah[/caption]
Abdulla also appeared on C4 in 2023 under a different name with a man who claimed to be his father, but who’s said to be his uncle, Khalil Abushammala
BBC director-general Tim DaviePA Published: [#item_custom_pubDate]
