Broadcasting giant faces fresh accusations of anti-Israel bias after internal memo on second anniversary of attack that killed over 1,200 people
The BBC has been forced to issue an apology after referring to the October 7 Hamas attacks as an “escalation” in an internal email sent to staff on the second anniversary of the massacre. The wording appeared in a message from the BBC Audiences team marking two years since the attack which killed more than 1,200 people and represented the biggest act of violence against Jews since the Second World War.
The email, distributed on Tuesday, contained a photograph of Palestinian women and children walking through rubble in Gaza rather than showing Israeli victims of the Hamas atrocities. It read: “As we reach the two-year anniversary of the escalations in the Israel-Gaza conflict, we asked UK audiences what they want and need from news coverage moving forward.”
The message sparked immediate backlash from survivors and bereaved families, reigniting long-standing accusations of anti-Israel bias within the corporation.
Adam Ma’anit, whose cousin Tsachi Idan was kidnapped from Kibbutz Nahal Oz and later murdered in captivity, condemned the broadcaster’s language. “To use that language and framing is incendiary and insulting,” Ma’anit said. That this report was circulated today of all days speaks to an institutional bias within the BBC that is shocking and distressing. Does our pain not count?”
Ma’anit’s cousin was abducted after witnessing his daughter Ma’ayan, 18, being shot dead as they tried to hold their safe room door shut against terrorists. Tsachi Idan’s body was returned to Israel in February 2025 after 510 days in captivity.
Natalie Sanandaji, who survived the Nova music festival massacre, expressed her anguish at the broadcaster’s characterisation of the attacks. “To make such a ‘mistake’ on October 7 of all days is painful for me to see as a survivor of the Nova festival,” Sanandaji said. “Once again, it feels the media is trying to downplay or erase what happened to us on October 7, what started this war: an attack on Israel by Hamas.”
She added: “I would have hoped that the media would respect our pain for just one day, the way they respect the pain of the people of Gaza all year round for the past two years.”
Danny Cohen, the former director of BBC Television, described the incident as another example of institutional bias. “This is shocking but not surprising. It is another example of the everyday, institutional bias at the BBC,” Cohen said. “To call the October 7 terrorist massacre an ‘escalation’ is deeply offensive. It is the kind of language Hamas might use.”
Cohen, who served as BBC Television director from 2013 to 2015, noted that the broadcaster’s choice to feature an image of Gaza rather than Israeli victims on this particular day demonstrated what he called the corporation’s “instinctive bias”.
An anonymous BBC staff member expressed shock at the wording. “It is shocking that such a description of a one-sided atrocity is used in, of all things, a briefing about audience expectations from the BBC,” the source said. “It demonstrates unconscious bias and terrible insensitivity towards Jewish staff.”
Following complaints from multiple staff members, the BBC issued an apology. “This internal staff email should have been worded differently, and we’re sorry for any offence caused,” a BBC spokesman said. “We are editing it and will replace the text on our intranet.”
The corporation confirmed that a junior member of staff wrote the message. According to a BBC source, the image of Gaza was selected because the email focused on current audience attitudes towards the conflict coverage. However, critics argued the imagery choice on such a significant memorial day demonstrated a fundamental lack of sensitivity.
The controversy represents the latest in a series of incidents that have damaged the BBC’s reputation for impartiality on Middle East coverage. The broadcaster has faced repeated criticism since October 7 for what many perceive as anti-Israel bias in its reporting of the conflict.
In July, media regulator Ofcom launched an investigation into a BBC Gaza documentary after the corporation breached its editorial guidelines on accuracy. The broadcaster failed to disclose that the narrator of “Gaza: How to Survive a Warzone” was the 13-year-old son of Ayman Al-Yazouri, a Hamas deputy minister of agriculture.
The documentary was removed from iPlayer in February after the family connection emerged. An internal BBC review found that while independent production company Hoyo Films bore primary responsibility, the corporation also failed to conduct sufficient due diligence before broadcast.
Peter Johnston, the BBC’s director of editorial complaints and reviews, concluded the documentary breached editorial guideline 3.3.17 on accuracy by misleading audiences. The review examined over 5,000 documents and 150 hours of filmed material from the 10-month production period.
Ofcom announced it would investigate whether the programme “materially misled the audience” under broadcasting code rules. BBC director general Tim Davie acknowledged the “significant failing” and promised reforms to prevent similar errors.
The broadcaster has faced mounting criticism over its coverage of the Israel-Hamas conflict since October 7. Critics have highlighted the BBC’s initial reluctance to describe Hamas as a terrorist organisation, despite the group’s military wing being proscribed by the United Kingdom.
In October 2023, the BBC came under fire for reporting unverified claims from the Hamas-controlled Gaza Health Ministry that Israel had bombed the Al-Ahli Baptist Hospital, resulting in 500 civilian casualties. Later intelligence assessments found the explosion resulted from a misfired rocket fired by Palestinian Islamic Jihad.
The corporation apologised in January 2024 for reporting unverified Hamas claims about Israeli forces carrying out “summary executions” of Palestinian civilians. In July, Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer and others condemned the BBC for broadcasting rap duo Bob Vylan leading Glastonbury Festival crowds in chanting “death” to the Israeli military.
The October 7 attacks saw Hamas-led terrorists kill approximately 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and kidnap 251 hostages. The assault included systematic targeting of civilians at the Nova music festival, where 364 people were murdered, and raids on kibbutzim across southern Israel.
Israel’s subsequent military campaign in Gaza has resulted in widespread destruction. The Hamas-run Gaza health ministry claims more than 58,000 Palestinians have been killed, though this figure cannot be independently verified and does not differentiate between civilians and combatants. Israel maintains it seeks to minimise civilian casualties whilst Hamas uses Gaza’s population as human shields.
Former BBC executives and Jewish staff members have described working at the corporation as increasingly difficult since October 7. Several employees have reported feeling their concerns about bias are dismissed or minimised by management.
The broadcaster maintains it remains committed to impartial reporting of the conflict. However, repeated editorial failures and the need for frequent apologies have eroded confidence amongst many viewers, particularly within the Jewish community.
Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy has previously called for inquiries into how the BBC sources its coverage of the conflict. The broadcaster faces ongoing scrutiny over whether its editorial procedures adequately ensure balanced reporting on one of the most sensitive geopolitical issues of our time.
As the BBC grapples with these controversies, questions remain about whether institutional reforms can restore trust in its Middle East coverage. For survivors like Sanandaji and bereaved families like the Idans, Tuesday’s email represents yet another painful reminder that their trauma continues to be minimised by sections of the media.
The corporation has pledged to implement stricter editorial oversight and create new leadership roles to prevent future breaches. Whether these measures will be sufficient to address the perceived bias remains to be seen.
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Image Credit:
BBC Broadcasting House — photo by Geograph / user Mike Quinn, licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0
