BBC Arabic journalists accused of justifying Hamas' murder spree against Israelis

The Arabic outlet of British media giant BBC is the target of heavy criticism as an investigation uncovered their journalistic staff to have made hateful statements on Twitter, appearing to justify the killing of Israeli citizens by the Hamas militant group, conducted on October 7.

As reported by The Times, the broadcaster is currently conducting an "urgent investigation" into these messages, where BBC News Arabic reporters appeared to endorse the attack by the militant group that resulted in approximately Israeli 1,300 casualties.

One journalist posted a tweet stating that "Israel's prestige is crying in the corner", while another seemed to mock a grandmother who was kidnapped into the Gaza stripe by the Hamas.

An investigation by the Committee for Accuracy in Middle East Reporting and Analysis into the matter found that, although BBC journalists have a "particular responsibility" to ensure they maintain due impartiality on social media, numerous concerning messages have been posted, shared, and liked on Twitter.

The report recalls that a senior broadcast journalist at BBC News appeared to imply that young Israelis are legitimate targets for Hamas militants because they resemble soldiers. As stated by him, [I see] In front of me on Al Jazeera, their so-called civilians are standing armed alongside the police and shooting because they basically don't have any civilians among the youth. This is what the ignorant often don't know. I am in favor of fighting them with love, yes, this is the solution", followed by a laughing emoji.

Aya Hossam, a freelance journalist previously associated with BBC News Arabic, liked a tweet that cast doubt on the civilian status of Israelis, suggesting that the term "civilians" applied to animals and pets living in Israel.

Sally Nabil, a BBC Arabic correspondent based in Egypt and the Middle East, liked tweets that supported "the Palestinian resistance taking an initiative and surprising the Israeli occupier with an operation of quality". She also liked a tweet describing Israel as "an occupation state".

A former BBC World Service staff member emphasized the importance of the BBC taking action in response to these revelations and called for an immediate investigation of all social media activities and actions by employees, both locally and internationally.

A spokesperson for Camera claimed that there have been frequent lapses in the BBC's editorial standards in its Arabic-language reporting and accused the BBC of whitewashing the practice of targeting Jewish civilians in Israel.

A BBC World Service spokeswoman stated that they are urgently investigating the matter and take allegations of breaches of editorial and social media guidelines very seriously. The journalists involved have been temporarily removed from their on-air roles while the investigation is ongoing.