UN Expert Criticizes BBC Over Coverage of Detained Gaza Doctor

By Staff, Agencies

The United Nations Special Rapporteur on the occupied Palestinian territories, Francesca Albanese, has strongly criticized the BBC for broadcasting “Israeli” allegations against detained Palestinian pediatrician Dr. Hussam Abu Safiya without questioning or contextualizing the claims.

Reacting to a BBC News segment aired on Monday, Albanese described the coverage as “scandalous” after the broadcaster reported that Dr. Abu Safiya was being held over “suspected involvement in Hamas activities.”

Albanese pointed to what she described as 18 months of arbitrary detention without charge, evidence, or trial, while also citing reports from the doctor's lawyer alleging that he had been subjected to torture and had visible injuries.

She accused the BBC of amplifying unsubstantiated “Israeli” accusations instead of focusing on the physician's detention and condition, describing the coverage as representative of the broadcaster's journalism “in the time of genocide.”

Karishma Patel, a former BBC employee who resigned last October over the network's Gaza coverage, echoed the criticism, arguing that the broadcaster should stop repeating “Israeli” allegations without making clear that no supporting evidence has been presented, particularly given concerns over Abu Safiya's safety.

Nicola Perugini of the University of Edinburgh also criticized the report, arguing that it repeated the “Israeli” military's justification for attacks on hospitals and the detention of medical personnel by suggesting that healthcare facilities were used to shelter fighters, without presenting any challenge or counterargument to those claims.