Is the BBC once again peddling Palestinian propaganda?
On July 29, the British broadcaster ran a story titled, “Gaza photographer hopes digital art boom can help raise aid money.” The article, written by BBC Arab Affairs editor Sebastian Usher, highlights a widely shared photo taken during the 11-day war between the Israel Defense Forces and Gaza-based terror groups.
According to the BBC‘s description, “[Palestinian photographer] Shaban El Sousi photographed Celine as she sat in the ruins of a tower block in Gaza City.”
Clearly, the BBC is tugging at the emotional strings of its readers and, in fact, the picture need never have been if not for Hamas’ genocidal ambitions.
Indeed, all human suffering, especially that of children, is tragic. As the article frames it:
The photo of Celine holding a doll in the ruins of the tower block that was brought down by Israeli air strikes next to her family home – which was also hit – clearly struck a chord…. He [El Sousi] says that he took the photo in order to renew a sense of hope for the future.”
However, the piece conveniently omits essential context; that is, the “tower block” lying in ruin housed members of Hamas. In reality, then, the Palestinian terror group — and not Israel — is to blame for the building’s destruction because it was being used for military purposes despite its location in a populated area.
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The Hamas-controlled Hanadi Tower
In fact, a reverse image search shows that El Sousi staged his photo on the remains of the Hamas-controlled Hanadi compound (see here and here).
Had the article’s author, Sebastian Usher, performed even a modicum of due diligence, he might also have uncovered that Celine’s father had confirmed on May 20 the location at which the picture was taken to the Egyptian newspaper Al-Shorouk.
An IDF airstrike targeted the 13-story beachfront property on the evening of May 11, after Gaza-based terrorist groups fired over 600 rockets towards Israeli population centers.
According to an IDF press release, the high-rise housed “multiple military units used by Hamas, including headquarters… for military research and development, military intelligence offices and more.” A former Al Jazeera English correspondent who previously lived in the Hanadi building corroborated the IDF’s account two days later. Writing for Chinese state media, Nicole Johnston asserted that convicted terrorists released in the 2011 prisoner exchange deal with Israel were given apartments in the tower.
Related Reading: BBC Bias Alert: Justifying and Humanizing Terrorist Murderers
Moreover, Johnston on May 13 wrote that during the year that she lived in the Hanadi tower, she could “hear the police force in Gaza, which is controlled by Hamas, jogging in the street below me. They had a training ground a few blocks away,” the journalist added.
Even though Hamas’ use of civilians as human shields often goes unreported, in this case several media outlets acknowledged that the Hanadi compound was occupied by terrorists and thus a legitimate military target under international law. Following the Israeli strike, NBC News noted that the facility was “controlled by the Palestinian Hamas movement.” Forbes described it as “a well-known building in Gaza that houses members of Hamas’ leadership.”
Almost unbelievably, the BBC itself in May noted that the tower housed “an office used by the political leadership of Hamas.”
Zero Casualties Following the Strike
While Hamas and other terror groups in the Gaza Strip knowingly put civilian lives at risk, Israel goes to great lengths to avoid harming Palestinians. For example, two hours before the strike on the Hanadi tower an IDF representative contacted residents in the vicinity and told them to evacuate, despite the move having given terrorists plenty of time to escape with weapons and other equipment.
Local sources confirmed to Al Jazeera that Israel then went farther, proceeding with a preliminary “knock on the roof” tactic in which a non-lethal bomb produces a loud noise in order to warn tenants that an actual strike is imminent. Palestinian journalists have shared video footage confirming these reports. Consequently, not a single casualty was reported following the demolition of the 13-story building in Gaza City.
Related Reading: Unreported: IDF Values Life as Hamas Aims to Maximize Casualties
The predicament of children in Gaza is certainly deserving of attention, but the onus for their plight should be placed on terror groups who do not value their lives. The BBC, however, opted to present a photo of “Celine” devoid of any context, essentially pushing Palestinian propaganda aimed at shifting blame onto Israel.
More than that, what the BBC did could possibly even be classified as a form of child abuse when considering the two-year-old is now being used as a marketing tool by photographer Shaban El Sousi. After the picture went viral, El Sousi launched a million-dollar fundraising effort that focused on the toddler. He even took her to a hospital where she was photographed visiting Gazans injured during May’s conflict.
The recent Israel-Hamas war seemingly confirmed what many have long suspected about the BBC‘s coverage. For decades, the publicly-funded corporation has broadcast news and analysis overtly hostile to the Jewish state.
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