Members of Parliament are demanding a bias inquiry be made into the BBC after it published accusations by openly antisemitic and pro-Hamas Gazan medical staff, who claimed that they had been tortured and abused by IDF soldiers, according to an exclusive by the Daily Mail published on Sunday.
The allegations aired during the documentary released by the BBC left UK Foreign Minister David Cameron demanding answers from Israel.
Six of the eight medics had repeatedly shared antisemitic slurs on social media, according to the exclusive. This, the Mail argued, "should, at the very least, have given BBC news executives pause for thought."
"Lord protect our mujahideen [jihadi fighters] and support them with your angels and kill the Jews," Al-Assouli reportedly said in a different online post.
On October 7, the day Hamas killed 1200 people and kidnapped over 250 more during a mass terror attack, documentary participant Fayez Saeed Al-Assouli posted a photo of a dead terrorist with the caption "the first martyr of our family," according to the report.
Another doctor who appeared during the documentary, Hatem Raba, wrote on Facebook: "May Allah guide the missiles of Palestine's mujahideen."
Raba also allegedly praised a terrorist who killed 38 Israelis, including 13 children, during a 1978 bus-based terror attack.
Hospital General Manager Atef Al-Hout, who claimed the IDF had forced him to kneel for hours with his hands behind his head, had openly praised Hamas.
"Jerusalem and Gaza are in the camp of resistance. May Allah guide your missiles," he reportedly wrote in 2021 after Hamas launched missiles at Israel, indiscriminately endangering the lives of Israel and Palestinian civilians.
Dr Amhed Abu Sabha, who claimed muzzled dogs had been released on him and that an IDF soldier broke his arm, reportedly posted in May 2021 that "'The Jew defiled Jerusalem, ruled with tyranny, and oppressed… O mighty Gaza, the shelling is despicable; we will avenge the heroic martyrs a million-fold."
In addition to documentary participants sharing the above views online, the Mail claimed that two journalists involved in the report liked posts celebrating attacks on Israel.
The Mail claimed that all six medics refused the opportunity to comment on the findings.
The IDF denied all the allegations aired during the documentary, stating firmly that "'any abuse of detainees is contrary to IDF orders and is strictly prohibited."
Condemning the documentary and the BBC
Jewish Tory MP Andrew Percy told The Mail, "The BBC seemingly doesn't seem to care that it keeps casually giving airtime to people who openly support the murder and assault of innocent civilians through terrorism.
"The BBC seems unable to appreciate that Hamas and their terrorist network have infiltrated every aspect of life in Gaza, even teachers and medical professionals, some of whom helped facilitate the October 7 attacks and hostage-taking.
"There must be a full independent inquiry undertaken of the BBC's failure to uphold impartiality on this issue.
"Their coverage is fuelling the hate on our streets, and it is fuelling anti-Semitism. They must be held to account."
Theresa Villiers, Tory MP for Chipping Barnet, told the source 'It is shocking our national broadcaster is seemingly basing its reports on the accounts of people who have praised terrorist violence against innocent Israeli citizens.
"The BBC purports to hold itself to high standards for the quality and impartiality of its reporting. It has fallen far short of these standards in this instance, and there needs to be a thorough investigation. Greater care needs to be taken when reporting on such divisive and emotive issues as the Gaza war."
BBC director-general Tim Davie was questioned by the Commons culture selection committee about the investigation by the Mail and potential bias in BBC media reports. He acknowledged that some social media posts had been "unnacceptable" and promised action would be taken.
The accounts were first uncovered by antisemitism researcher David Collier and investigated by the Committee for Accuracy in Middle East Reporting and Analysis (CAMERA), a media monitoring group.