Footage shows aftermath of Israeli strike on tent camp in Gaza City
Palestinians in Gaza City searched for bodies and belongings after an Israeli strike on tents in the al-Rimal neighbourhood that killed at least 12 people and injured dozens, the Palestinian official news agency Wafa reported. At least 60 people have been killed by Israeli strikes across Gaza over the past 24 hours. Qatar's foreign ministry spokesperson said mediators were engaging with Israel and Hamas to build on momentum from Israel's ceasefire with Iran and work towards a truce in the Gaza Strip
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The Guardian
38 minutes ago
- The Guardian
‘Heads will roll': BBC reckons with bias accusations over Israel and Palestine coverage
When the BBC's director general, Tim Davie, held a virtual town hall meeting with staff this month, most assumed it would be dominated by disputes over pay and redundancies. When the questions came in, however, the top query to the boss was clear: why was the corporation refusing to show a long-awaited documentary about medics in Gaza? The answer most desired by staff was in relation to delays in broadcasting Gaza: Doctors Under Attack. They wanted to know why it had been shelved while an investigation took place into another documentary, Gaza: How to Survive a Warzone, which was pulled from the iPlayer earlier this year after it emerged its child narrator is the son of a Hamas official. 'The lack of transparency over these decisions is hugely concerning,' Davie was told. Another staffer asked: 'Are you aware this [delay] has negatively impacted the BBC's reputation and ability to tell Palestine stories?' A third question seen by the Guardian went further. 'I'm often confronted about the BBC being a propaganda machine and biased about Gaza,' it said. 'I love my job, but sometimes I can't tell anyone I work here for fear of arguments. What can be done about this?' It went on: 'I know I am not alone in feeling this way and believe my question will resonate with colleagues across the corporation.' Davie fielded the questions, saying no one should be falling out with friends and family members in defence of the BBC's coverage of the conflict, and admitting the editorial decisions involved in covering Gaza were 'as tough as it gets'. Since that event, the BBC has completely axed the medics documentary, causing further anger. Channel 4 announced this weekend that it would air the documentary on Wednesday night. Meanwhile, executives are braced for the findings from its internal inquiry into the making of Gaza: How to Survive a Warzone. It is expected in the coming weeks and will bring internal and external criticism from those who accuse the BBC of an anti-Israel bias. 'Deputy heads will roll,' said one industry figure closely watching the outcome. The corporation came in for renewed criticism from both sides this weekend for livestreaming a Glastonbury festival performance of the rap punk duo Bob Vylan, where chants of 'Death, death to the IDF' were heard, and opting not to livestream a performance by the band Kneecap, one of whom has been charged with a terror offence for allegedly displaying a Hezbollah flag at a gig in November. Long before that all-staff session, BBC bosses were acutely aware of the fraught atmosphere in Broadcasting House over Gaza coverage. Just weeks earlier, Davie had decided to end Gary Lineker's tenure at the BBC after the Match of the Day presenter reposted a social media video appearing to refer to Jewish people as rats – an antisemitic slur used by the Nazis. It led to accusations of an anti-Israel bias. The episode left some Jewish staff saying they felt betrayed, with one accusing their bosses of doing the 'bare minimum of damage limitation'. Some now focus on BBC Arabic. One staffer said it operated 'in its own way when it comes to the Israel-Palestinian conflict' and that contributors had been found making 'opinionated postings on social media'. Two BBC employees said the service needed to be reformed. A BBC source said BBC Arabic's journalists had 'decades of extensive knowledge and experience in covering the region' and that any mistakes made were corrected. They added that appropriate action was taken against anyone breaking the BBC's social media guidance. The former BBC director of television Danny Cohen, who has made repeated allegations of anti-Israel bias against his former employer, said there was a wider issue at the corporation. 'This left-of-centre structural bias in the BBC newsroom informs a lot of the journalism,' he said. 'Amongst younger journalists it seems to be a particular problem when it comes to anti-Israel bias.' The incidents have resulted in uncomfortable internal claims of both anti-Israel and anti-Palestinian bias. More unrest followed the corporation's decision to sever its ties with Gaza: Doctors Under Attack, stating that broadcasting it 'risked creating a perception of partiality'. It handed ownership back to its independent producer, Basement Films. Sign up to First Edition Our morning email breaks down the key stories of the day, telling you what's happening and why it matters after newsletter promotion The Guardian has been told the BBC suggested editorial changes that Basement deemed unnecessary, but the working relationship had been good during the production process. Once the investigation was launched into the production of Gaza: How to Survive a Warzone, however, the medics documentary was shelved until that was completed. This outraged its supporters inside and outside the BBC, who accuse Davie of making an unnecessary and panicked call, rather than relying on the editorial judgments of the teams involved. BBC insiders said it was right to delay the documentary because it could conceivably be affected by recommendations stemming from the investigation into a similar programme. BBC figures insisted they had been trying to find a way to publish at least parts of the medics documentary in news coverage, though the nature of those talks is disputed. Even in mid-May, Basement Films was already saying publicly that it was 'doubtful' the BBC would release the programme – a prediction that proved correct. Some supportive figures worry the saga has shown the BBC has lost confidence in producing such programmes. 'The BBC has, in my view, performed strongly in coverage of the Middle East and I do not believe it is institutionally biased,' said Roger Mosey, the former head of BBC television news. 'It has highly skilled journalists who do the very best they can in an area where access is restricted and where the actions of both sides can be heavily contested. 'That said, it is clearly a problem that the BBC has not been able to deliver satisfactory long-form TV documentaries on conditions in Gaza. The editorial complexities are real, but equally it's a subject that must be reported in current affairs films.' This is disputed by the BBC, with insiders pointing to award-winning documentaries, such as Life and Death in Gaza, and Gaza 101, as well as the podcast Finding Freedom in the Water: Gaza's Swimming Teacher. BBC figures point out internal complaints come from both directions, with two recent reports each claiming to prove bias either against Israel or Palestinians. Senior journalists say many problems stem from Israel's refusal to grant international journalists access to Gaza. 'More broadly, we strongly reject the notion – levelled from different sides of this conflict – that we are pro or anti any position,' a BBC source said. There is no let-up for the corporation. The forthcoming publication of its investigation into Gaza: How to Survive a Warzone will be followed by a 'thematic review' into its Middle East coverage. Both will ensure attention from all sides continues to focus on the corporation's approach.
The Guardian
an hour ago
- The Guardian
How Fox News helped champion Trump's attacks on Iran: ‘I agree with the president'
The US bombing of Iran last weekend prompted sober reporting from the mainstream US media, along with considered discussion of whether the US had violated international law in attacking a foreign country. Fox News, however, took a different tack, championing a war that, according to reports, it had helped convince Donald Trump to start. 'This will go down in history as one of the greatest military victories,' roared Sean Hannity, arguably Fox News's best known host, on Saturday night. After the right-wing network aired Trump's White House address which hailed the strikes as a success, Hannity continued in the same vein. 'I agree with the president,' he said. 'This is one of the most skilled, important, imperative peacekeeping, peace-through-strength-keeping operations in the last 40 years, and certainly the reign of terror in Iran, whether they know it or not, is coming to a quick end.' Hannity, who said he had spoken to Trump before going on air, then brought on Mark Levin, a conservative talkshow host who reportedly urged Trump to allow Israel to attack Iran during a private lunch in early June. Levin was not impartial. 'You're looking at a historic figure,' Levin said of Trump. 'We just kicked their ass.' His voice rising, Levin added: 'These Islamo-Nazis were building nuclear weapons to attack us too, with intercontinental ballistic missiles. Guess what? You can go to bed peacefully tonight and know that's not gonna happen. 'This mission was never going to fail under this commander in chief,' Levin said, before concluding: 'This is historic, he is historic, the United States military is historic.' It made sense that Fox News would cheer the strikes. It had spent days appearing to support the idea. On 17 June, host Brian Kilmeade pulled up a map of all the places Iran might attack – a map which included Germany, Italy and parts of the Middle East. He then showed off some photos of all the rockets Iran has, as Mark Dubowitz, from the pro-Israel thinktank Foundation for Defense of Democracies, speculated that Iran could deliver a 'nuclear payload'. 'Do you think we should help [Israel] finish the job at Fordo?' Kilmeade asked Dubowitz. 'We gotta help them finish the job,' Dubowitz said. 'Only we can slice through the concrete, slice through the mountain under which the nuclear site is buried.' Kilmeade concluded: 'President Trump's got some big decisions.' And it wasn't just Kilmeade. 'Iran wants to hold the world hostage,' a chyron blared during Jesse Watters show on 19 June. Later the chyron switched: 'An unarmed Iran would give US leverage', after Watters said 'there's risks to action and there's risks in inaction' before comparing the situation to a person undergoing 'life-saving surgery'. Trump, a known cable news watcher, was paying attention, according to the New York Times. 'The president was closely monitoring Fox News, which was airing wall-to-wall praise of Israel's military operation and featuring guests urging Mr Trump to get more involved,' the Times reported. It added that some of Trump's aides 'lamented' that Tucker Carlson, who has emerged as an anti-interventionist voice, was no longer on the network. That split between right-wing media has been stark. Many non-conservatives found themselves in the novel position of agreeing with Carlson, as he repeatedly stated in the days ahead of the attacks that the US should not get involved. On 18 June, Carlson confronted Republican senator Ted Cruz, shouting: 'You don't know anything about Iran!' in a memorable exchange. But Fox News had the president's ear, and it was awash with fawning praise after the attacks, as a series of guests, many of whom had vested interests in Iran being attacked, lined up to champion Trump. Among those was Amir Avivi, a retired Israeli general who has proposed forcibly relocating Palestinians to Egypt. 'This was an excellent opportunity to end the war which was led by president Trump and the Israeli people thank him for his leadership.' Avivi said, adding that Trump had created a 'global deterrence'. Still, in the Maga world, even the most sycophantic media organizations can never be absolutely certain of their footing. Pete Hegseth, the US defense secretary, went on a performative rant at the Pentagon on Thursday, lashing out on specific journalists he accused of not having been Pravda enough in their reporting of the strikes. 'Jennifer, you've been about the worst,' Hegseth said to Jennifer Griffin, a Fox News reporter, when she asked if the government was certain that highly enriched uranium had now been removed from Fordow. Continuing to experiment with grammar, Hegseth told Griffin she had also been: 'The one who misrepresents the most intentionally.' Could this be a rift between the administration and its most ardent supporter? No. Griffin offered a light pushback to Hegseth before agreeing with him that the Iran mission was 'absolutely' the most successful she had witnessed during her time reporting at the Pentagon. That seemed to do the trick. 'I appreciate that,' Hegseth said.
ITV News
an hour ago
- ITV News
At least 81 killed in Israeli strikes on Gaza, as Trump reiterates calls for ceasefire
US President Donald Trump has reiterated calls for a ceasefire between Hamas and Israel, as Gaza's health authorities said 81 people were killed in Israeli strikes in the past 24 hours. In a post on Truth Social on Sunday, he wrote: 'MAKE THE DEAL IN GAZA. GET THE HOSTAGES BACK!!!' It comes as an Israeli official said plans were being made for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to travel to Washington DC in the coming weeks, a sign there may be movement on a new deal. On Friday, Trump raised expectations Friday for a deal, saying there could be a ceasefire agreement within the next week. Taking questions from reporters, he said, 'We're working on Gaza and trying to get it taken care of.' Despite an eight-week ceasefire reached just as Trump was taking office earlier this year, attempts since then to bring the sides toward a new agreement have failed. Meanwhile, the Israeli military on Sunday ordered a mass evacuation of Palestinians in large swaths of northern Gaza, an early target of the war that has been severely damaged by multiple rounds of fighting. Col. Avichay Adraee, a military spokesperson, posted the order on social media. It includes multiple neighbourhoods in eastern and northern Gaza City, as well as Jabaliya refugee camp. The military will expand its escalating attacks to the city's northern section, calling for people to move southward to the Muwasi area in southern Gaza, Adraee said. Hundreds of thousands of people are in northern Gaza following their return during a ceasefire earlier this year. In Iran, at least 71 people were killed in an Israeli attack on Tehran's Evin prison, Iran's judiciary said. The attack took place on 23 June and hit several prison buildings and prompted concerns from rights groups about the safety of the inmates. Evin prison is a notorious facility where many political activists have been held. Judiciary spokesperson Asghar Jahangir posted on the office's official Mizan news agency website Sunday that those killed included staff, soldiers, prisoners and members of visiting families. Iran had not previously announced any death figures. On Sunday, Iran confirmed that top prosecutor Ali Ghanaatkar, whose prosecution of dissidents, including Nobel Peace Prize winner Narges Mohammadi, led to widespread criticism by human rights groups, had been killed in the attack and would be buried at a shrine in Qom. From Westminster to Washington DC - our political experts are across all the latest key talking points. Listen to the latest episode below...
