Actors Riz Ahmed, Ruth Negga, Carice van Houten and Peter Mullan and directors Sally El Hosaini, Penny Woolcock, Ken Loach and Mike Leigh are among the signatories of an open letter from industry professionals and journalists calling on the BBC to reinstate the documentary Gaza: How to Survive a Warzone on iPlayer.
The letter, which has garnered more than 450 signatures in less than 24 hours, calls on the BBC’s leadership to stand by the documentary “with confidence”, saying it represents “an essential piece of journalism, offering an all-too-rare perspective on the lived experiences of Palestinian children living in unimaginable circumstances”.
The BBC pulled the Hoyo Films-produced film from its streaming service on 21 February, five days after it aired on BBC2, to allow it to further investigate some of its young contributors’ connections to Hamas.
One of the film’s protagonists, 14-year-old Abdullah Al-Yazouri, is the son of Hamas’ deputy minister of agriculture, but that association was not revealed to audiences at the point of TX. The BBC says it was not informed by producers of the family connection to the proscribed terrorist group ahead of it airing the doc.
Addressed to BBC chair Samir Shah, director general Tim Davie and director of content Charlotte Moore, the letter argues that the film “is an essential piece of journalism” offering a rare glimpse into the lives of Palestinian children and “deserves recognition, not politically motivated censorship.”
The letter’s authors have chosen to remain anonymous but say the document represents “a collective voice of all the people who sign the letter.”
Other signatories so far include actors Benedict Wong, Khalid Abdalla, India Amarteifio, Indira Virma, Juliet Stevenson, Asim Chaudhry, and Miriam Margolyes; directors Bassal Gandour, Havana Marking; and writers Ronan Bennett, Hanif Kureishi, Paul Laverty and Max Porter, as well as high-profile figures such as UK TV presenter Gary Lineker.
Leigh and Margolyes were also among the signatories of a separate open letter issued last week from more than 170 Jewish people calling for the BBC to reject complaints about the documentary.
The show of support for the film comes a week after three separate letters called for its removal from iPlayer, along with an independent inquiry into the film’s production and release, as well as further details about a hospital-set sequence in the documentary. Two of the letters were sent by former BBC director of television Danny Cohen, who wrote to Davie, Moore and BBC director of news Deborah Turness. Those letter were co-signed by a number of prominent industry figures.
On 25 February, culture secretary Lisa Nandy met with the director general to discuss the film as well as the findings of the Tim Westwood review. Nandy says she expressed “deep concern” about the film and “pressed for answers on the checks and due diligence the BBC carried out.”
Support for Hoyo Films doc
The letter calling for the documentary’s reinstatement argues that it is unfair to discredit the film because of Abdullah Al-Yazouri’s father, whom signatories claim served in a “civil service” position that is concerned with food production.
“Conflating such governance roles in Gaza with terrorism is both factually incorrect and dehumanising,” reads the letter. “This broad-brush rhetoric assumes that Palestinians holding administrative roles are inherently complicit in violence — a racist trope that denies individuals their humanity and right to share their lived experiences.”
The letter also takes issue with child safeguarding policies. It notes that last week’s letters — which demanded answers from the BBC for a series of questions about the film — “disregard core safeguarding principles by demanding intrusive scrutiny of Abdullah’s background.”
“The BBC’s duty of care to Abdullah, and all minors in conflict zones, must prioritise their safety, privacy, and dignity,” reads the document. “Publishing unverified claims about his family risks exposing him to harassment or harm, in direct violation of the BBC’s International Safeguarding Policy.”
Meanwhile, a section titled “The BBC’s Responsibility” details that if the corporation permanently removes the film, it will send a signal that Palestinian children’s stories are “only valid if their families pass arbitrary ‘purity tests’”. The letter claims that such a decision would mean “racialized smears” against Palestinians outweigh journalistic ethics and public interest, and that independent filmmakers “can be scapegoated and censored for political purposes.”
Removing the doc from iPlayer and social media sets a “dangerous precedent,” continues the letter, which condemns “the intervention of political actors, including foreign diplomats, and what this means for the future of broadcasting in this country.”
“If every documentary made in conflict zones were subjected to this level of politicised scrutiny regarding contributors, filmmaking in these areas would become virtually impossible,” it states.
Letter in full
Dear Samir Shah, Tim Davie and Charlotte Moore,
We are UK-based film & TV professionals and journalists writing in support of the BBC documentary Gaza: How to Survive a War Zone, which aired on February 17 on BBC TWO and was subsequently made available on iPlayer. This film is an essential piece of journalism, offering an all-too-rare perspective on the lived experiences of Palestinian children living in unimaginable circumstances, which amplifies voices so often silenced. It deserves recognition, not politically motivated censorship.
Racist Assumptions & Weaponisation of Identity
A campaign has sought to discredit the documentary using the father of 14-year-old Abdullah Al-Yazouri, one of the film’s child protagonists. Dr Ayman Al-Yazouri served as Gaza’s Deputy Minister of Agriculture, a civil service role concerned with food production. Conflating such governance roles in Gaza with terrorism is both factually incorrect and dehumanising. This broad-brush rhetoric assumes that Palestinians holding administrative roles are inherently complicit in violence—a racist trope that denies individuals their humanity and right to share their lived experiences.
As industry professionals who craft stories for the British public, including for the BBC, we condemn the weaponisation of a child’s identity and the racist insinuation that Palestinian narratives must be scrutinised through a lens of suspicion. We urge you to reject these tactics, protect vulnerable voices, and reaffirm your commitment to stories that hold power to account. Our screens and our society depend on it.
Child Safeguarding & Ethical Standards
The letters of complaint disregard core safeguarding principles by demanding intrusive scrutiny of Abdullah’s background. Children must not be held responsible for the actions of adults, and weaponising family associations to discredit a child’s testimony is both unethical and dangerous. The BBC’s duty of care to Abdullah, and all minors in conflict zones, must prioritise their safety, privacy, and dignity. Publishing unverified claims about his family risks exposing him to harassment or harm, in direct violation of the BBC’s International Safeguarding Policy.
Beneath this political football are children who are in the most dire circumstances of their young lives. This is what must remain at the heart of this discussion. As programme-makers, we are extremely alarmed by the intervention of partisan political actors on this issue, and what this means for the future of broadcasting in this country.
The BBC’s Responsibility
We call on you to reject attempts to have the documentary permanently removed or subjected to undue disavowals. Capitulating to such attempts to block its reinstatement on iPlayer would signal that:
Palestinian children’s stories are only valid if their families pass arbitrary “purity tests.”
–Racialised smears against Palestinians outweigh journalistic ethics and public interest.
–Independent filmmakers can be scapegoated and censored for political purposes.
The BBC is ultimately responsible for ensuring its programming meets editorial and compliance standards. Jamie Roberts and Yousef Hammash, of Hoyo Films, are experienced journalistic filmmakers who prioritised the safety of their contributors and production team.
Censorship & Intimidation
Calls to remove the documentary from iPlayer and social media set a dangerous precedent. As media professionals, we are extremely alarmed by the intervention of political actors, including foreign diplomats, and what this means for the future of broadcasting in this country.
If every documentary made in conflict zones were subjected to this level of politicised scrutiny regarding contributors, filmmaking in these areas would become virtually impossible.
Silencing a child’s firsthand account of survival in Gaza, where over 13,000 children have been killed since October 2023, is not about compliance but about erasing Palestinian suffering. The BBC must resist political pressure aimed at suppressing narratives that humanise Palestinians.
A broadcaster cannot allow bad-faith attacks to dictate its editorial decisions. Gaza: How to Survive a War Zone is an important, well-executed documentary that license-fee payers have the right to watch. The BBC should stand by it with confidence.
A version of this story first appeared on Screen’s sister site Broadcast
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