The BBC has been torn apart by an Israeli foreign minister after reports a child featured in a Gaza documentary is related to a Hamas official.
Deputy Foreign Minister Sharren Haskel condemned the programme which aired on the BBC as “pure Hamas propaganda”.
She said: “This is absolutely outrageous. This is pure propaganda that is being promoted by the BBC, Hamas propaganda. I mean, they surely knew about it.”
Ms Haskel told GB News: “There is not a chance that they would film children for an extended period of time without knowing who their parents are, more so the film crew and the photographers, the cameramen that they actually used.”
The minister said the most fundamental rule for the BBC is impartiality, and if it fails to follow this, then it should be investigated.
Her call for an investigation was echoed on Monday by Conservative Party leader, Kemi Badenoch.
She has written to the BBC, calling for a probe into the commissioning of the programme Gaza: How to Survive A Warzone.
Reports have claimed the programme’s child narrator, Abdullah, is the son of Ayman Alyazouri, a Hamas deputy agriculture minister.
Mrs Badenoch suggested the family link could have led to “the possibility of payment to Hamas officials”.
In a letter to BBC Director General Tim Davie, the the Conservative Party claimed executives at the corporation had initially been “defensive” amid criticism of the documentary.
She added: “The BBC also suggested that ‘usual compliance procedures’ had been followed. But does filming inside Gaza not require something far beyond usual checks?
“This is why I support calls for an independent inquiry into the documentary’s commissioning and production, which should be concluded and published in a timely way.
“Such an investigation must consider allegations of potential collusion with Hamas, and the possibility of payment to Hamas officials.”
Ms Badenoch added the probe must go much further by addressing “repeated and serious allegations of systemic and institutional bias against Israel in the BBC’s coverage of the war”.
The Tory leader also suggested she may withdraw her party’s support for the licence fee in future if the BBC does not address her concerns.
The BBC has been approached for comment. It has previously apologised after the reported Hamas link emerged and removed the programme from iPlayer. London-based Hoyo Films made the film.
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.”