During a broadcast on the BBC News channel on Wednesday, the ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas was being discussed.
“My first thoughts are for the people in Gaza,” the BBC guest said.
“Preservation of life is the number one priority, and after 15 months of genocidal assault, treating the injured, the starving, those in need of medical attention, mental health care, and the recovery of countless bodies buried under more than 42 million tonnes of rubble is absolutely essential.”
The BBC doesn’t like people mentioning the word genocide. pic.twitter.com/3GGDvBT50A
— Mukhtar (@I_amMukhtar) January 15, 2025
BBC host Matthew Amroliwala then said he did not want to “go down the avenue around genocide”.
He went on: “We know that case being brought, we know about what Israel has said disputing that. Let’s just stick on where we are today.”
Sharing a clip of the BBC exchange online, journalist Mehdi Hasan – a former anchor for MSNBC in the US – said: “Shame on the BBC.”
Amnesty International concluded in a major report, published late last year, that Israel “committed and is committing genocide” in Gaza.
The charity pointed to the disproportionate number of children killed by the Israeli military, the destruction of 63% of Gaza’s buildings – according to data from the UN Satellite Centre, the denial of aid, the targeting of civilians, and the “long cycle of impunity” in its evidence.
Israel has disputed the claim, saying that Amnesty International had altered the definition of genocide to fit what it was doing in Gaza.
Further, Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu is wanted for arrest by the International Criminal Court over alleged crimes against humanity, and the International Court of Justice has said there is a “plausible” risk that Palestinians right to be protected from genocide is being breached.
On Thursday, Netanyahu’s office said his Cabinet will not meet to approve the Gaza ceasefire deal until Hamas backs down from what it called a “last-minute crisis”.
Netanyahu’s office accused Hamas of reneging on parts of the agreement in an attempt “to extort last minute concessions”. It did not elaborate.
The Israeli Cabinet was set to ratify the deal on Thursday.
Izzat al-Rishq, a senior Hamas official, said the militant group “is committed to the ceasefire agreement, which was announced by the mediators”.
US President Joe Biden and key mediator Qatar announced the deal on Wednesday.