Britain’s Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy has raised concerns over the BBC's decision not to dismiss any staff following the broadcast of a documentary that highlighted the suffering of Palestinian children living through Israel's devastating assault on Gaza.
Pro-Israel groups campaigned against the documentary being aired due to it featuring the son of a deputy minister in Hamas' civilian administration.
In an interview with The Times on Saturday, Lisa Nandy called for further action ahead of a review expected next week into the documentary 'Gaza: How to Survive a War Zone', which was removed from BBC iPlayer in February.
"I have been very clear that people must be held accountable for the decisions that were taken," Nandy told The Times on Saturday. She said she had asked the BBC, "Why has nobody been fired?"
“What I want is an explanation as to why not. If it is a sackable offence then obviously that should happen," she said. "But if the BBC, which is independent, considers that it is not, I think what all parliamentarians want to know is why.”
The documentary, which focused on 13-year-old Abdullah living through Israel’s military offensive on Gaza, was removed after it emerged that his father, Dr Ayman Alyazouri, had worked as a deputy agriculture minister in Gaza’s government.
Hamas, which the UK classified as a terrorist organisation in recent years, took control of the enclave in 2007 following a conflict with rival faction Fatah.
The BBC's decision to pull the film was seen by many as a response to pressure from pro-Israel groups.
However, critics have pointed out that Alyazouri’s role is technocratic, and that he previously worked for the UAE government and studied at British universities.
However, despite the ongoing push for the release of 'Gaza: How to Survive a War Zone', the British culture secretary expressed having felt "exasperated", as she called for a proper explanation from the broadcaster, stating: "I have not had that from the chair or director general yet."
A BBC spokesperson said on Saturday that the findings of the review would be released "as soon as possible" but needed to be "thorough and follow a proper process".
The review is being led by Peter Johnston, director of editorial complaints and reviews, who operates independently of BBC News and reports directly to Director General Tim Davie.
The review process has also delayed and ultimately led to the cancellation of another documentary, 'Gaza: Doctors Under Attack', which later aired on Channel 4.
The move drew further criticism from the public, with many arguing that the BBC has failed to adequately cover Israel's 21-month-long assault on Gaza, which has killed over 59,600 Palestinians, most of them women and children.
Although removed from iPlayer, 'Gaza: How to Survive a War Zone' has since been widely shared across social media platforms.
In May, UNICEF reported that over 50,000 children had been killed or injured in Gaza since October 2023.
Following Israel’s breach of the ceasefire on 18 March, at least 1,309 children were reportedly killed and 3,738 wounded.