Nearly one in three of the deceased Palestinians described as “journalists” by the BBC were terrorists or linked to terror groups, it has been claimed.
Of the 180 names published over the course of the conflict by BBC Arabic, 53 had links to Hamas or other terrorist groups such as the Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ), and some took part in the October 7 attack, according to a Telegraph report.
All of the 53 were reported to have been named on death lists compiled by terrorist groups. One was Abdullah Darwish, described by BBC Arabic as “a cameraman for Al-Aqsa TV”. Darwish participated the October 7 attack as part of Hamas’ Al-Qassam Brigades.
Also listed was Yaqoub Al-Barsh, described as an executive director of Gazan radio station Namaa. Al-Barsh was said to be part of Hamas’ Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades, where he was described as a “martyr”.
Another name on the list was Rizq Abu Shakian, described by the BBC as a journalist for Palestinian news outlet Palestine Now.
He was reportedly seen in an online video wearing Hamas regalia and holding an automatic rifle, according to the report.
Twenty of those listed by BBC Arabic as “journalists” were said to have been glorified in obituaries published by terrorist groups.
Ten of the 53 “journalists” were reportedly described as such on the English language BBC.
Twelve of the names had been removed from a list of “media worker” casualties compiled by the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) after their true identities were discovered.
Danny Cohen, the former director of BBC television, said about the Telegraph’s expose that the BBC was “failing in its duties of balance and accuracy when it comes to their reporting of Israel”.
He added: “Once again, the BBC finds itself at the centre of a scandal of inaccuracy and anti-Israel bias. Given the BBC’s vast journalistic resources, this is simply not good enough.”
A BBC spokesman told the JC: “This report was last updated in August 2025 and covers the deaths of journalists over the course of the conflict, in Gaza, Lebanon and Israel, regardless of their media outlet’s political affiliations.
“The story was based on the information available at the time it was published. In light of the CPJ’s June 2026 update, we are looking at those included in the piece.”
To get more Israel news, click here to sign up for our free Israel Briefing newsletter.