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The BBC Slandered Israel — and Then Made a Lazy Correction
The BBC logo is seen at the entrance at Broadcasting House, the BBC headquarters in central London. Photo by Vuk Valcic / SOPA Images/Sipa USA via Reuters Connect
The BBC corrected its article, originally titled “Malnourished Gazan Woman Flown to Italy Dies In Hospital,” about Gaza leukemia patient Marah Salah Mahmoud Zohry (or Marah Abu Zuhri), who died after being transferred to Italy for medical treatment.
The correction was done in tandem with a statement by a BBC spokesperson on Monday, admitting that the outlet was “not initially aware” of Zohry’s aggressive leukemia condition:
We were not initially aware that Marah Abu Zuhri was being treated for leukemia. In line with usual editorial practice, we added this to the story after the Israeli authorities put the information into the public domain, in what the hospital has described as ‘a very complex clinical picture’. We have amended the original headline and tweet and added an explanatory note.
As we wrote on X:
In a statement, a BBC spokesperson acknowledged that the broadcaster was “not initially aware that Zohry was being treated for leukemia.”
Because it’s not like @BBCNews to assume that Israel is responsible for every Palestinian misfortune without bothering to verify, right?
https://t.co/Uj5gDo7wqE pic.twitter.com/YCj03xPa3p
— HonestReporting (@HonestReporting) August 19, 2025
The UK outlet initially reported that Zohry “was severely emaciated” and “suffered severe loss of weight and muscle” when she passed away in the hospital, in addition to regurgitating Italian news outlets’ reports that “she was suffering from severe malnutrition.”
However, no further investigation was conducted to verify the information, such as requesting medical reports or obtaining a statement from COGAT, which would have helped facilitate Zohry’s transfer.
The correction came after the BBC was exposed by COGAT and subsequently criticized online for not getting a proper verification of her condition before her death.
Still no correction or update from @BBCNews.
If it had been an Israeli hospital or Israeli news agencies issuing statements, you can bet BBC Verify, the corporation’s pitiful fact-checking department, would have been all over it.
But in this case? They just wouldn’t bother. https://t.co/cmotmaw4UO pic.twitter.com/w9cWKrfoF6
— HonestReporting (@HonestReporting) August 17, 2025
It’s probable to assume that verification would have been easy to obtain for the BBC. Still, it would also appear that these facts would fracture the BBC and the rest of Western media’s favorite narrative that Israel is deliberately starving Gaza.
While a minimal correction of COGAT’s statement saying she was a cancer patient was made inside the article, it failed to mention that the Israeli body offered to get Zohry evacuated even earlier for treatment. Not to mention, the BBC still managed to get it wrong on X the second time around:
The BBC had the opportunity to issue a proper correction, but they chose to omit her cause of death again. Why?
BBC’s Reputation Already Shredded
It’s routine for the BBC to come under fire for its bias while covering the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. This summer alone has witnessed several scandals:
- Earlier this month, a report that supposedly investigated two killings of little Gazan girls in November 2023, during the early days of the war, failed to provide context of the guerrilla urban warfare environment in which Hamas hides behind civilians, and uses them in combat with the IDF.
- In July, the broadcasting outlet took a documentary down from its streaming platform about the Israel-Hamas war, titled “Gaza: How to Survive A Warzone,” when the narrator was exposed as a Hamas minister’s son, without being transparent about who he was. It was also discovered that the interviewee’s language was sanitized by translating the Arabic word for “Jews” as “Israelis,” among others.
- In the same month, a Zoom call with the CEO of news, Deborah Turness, was leaked, in which Turness implored employees to make a distinction between the Hamas political wing and the military wing, even though both are declared a terror organization in the UK.
- In June, it aired an antisemitic and inciting performance by rap duo Bob Vylan, with chants of “death, death to the IDF.”
And the rest of the time? The BBC consistently takes Hamas’ word as fact, while casting doubt on Israel’s.
Yet another flub from the BBC — but it’s obvious that when it sees an opportunity to further an anti-Israel agenda, it’s happy to throw journalistic integrity out the window.
The author is a contributor to HonestReporting, a Jerusalem-based media watchdog with a focus on antisemitism and anti-Israel bias — where a version of this article first appeared.
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Netanyahu Says Israel to Begin Gaza Ceasefire Negotiations to End War, Release Hostages
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu attends the US Independence Day reception, known as the annual “Fourth of July” celebration, hosted by Newsmax, in Jerusalem, Aug. 13, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Ronen Zvulun/Pool
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Thursday that he had directed the immediate initiation of negotiations for the release of all hostages in Gaza and the conclusion of the war there on terms acceptable to Israel.
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Turkish Ports Raise New Barriers to Israel-Linked Ships, Sources Say
Turkey’s President Tayyip Erdogan speaks during a press conference with Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis (not seen) at the Presidential Palace in Ankara, Turkey, May 13, 2024. Photo: REUTERS/Umit Bektas
Turkish port authorities have begun informally requiring shipping agents to provide letters declaring that vessels are not linked to Israel and not carrying military or hazardous cargo bound for the country, according to two shipping sources.
The move is another step Turkey has taken against Israel after it last year severed trade with the country, worth $7 billion annually, over its war in Gaza with Palestinian terrorist group Hamas.
The sources said the harbor master’s office had verbally instructed port agents to provide written assurances, adding that there was no official circular on the issue.
One of the sources said the instruction applied to ports across Turkey.
The second source said vessels arriving directly from Israel or departing to Israeli ports would no longer be permitted to dock at Turkish ports, according to information provided by the port authority of the northwestern province of Kocaeli.
Turkish-flagged ships will also be prohibited from calling at Israeli ports, according to the source.
The transport ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The move could further complicate shipments to Israel in the Eastern Mediterranean. Yemen’s Iran-aligned Houthis have targeted ships in the Red Sea since 2023 in what they call an act of solidarity with Palestinians.
NATO member Turkey has fiercely criticized Israel over its attacks on Gaza and called it a genocide against the Palestinians, a charge Israel denies.
The new guarantee letters should state that vessel owners, managers, and operators have no ties to Israel, and that certain types of cargo, including explosives and radioactive materials or military equipment, are not on board en route to Israel, the second source said.
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Lebanon Says It Is Beginning Disarmament of Palestinian Factions in Refugee Camps
Lebanese President Joseph Aoun meets with Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas at the presidential palace in Baabda, Lebanon, May 21, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Mohamed Azakir
Lebanon said on Thursday it was launching the planned disarmament of Palestinian factions in refugee camps, part of a wider effort to establish a state monopoly on arms.
The planned disarmament was starting with the handover of weapons on Thursday from the Burj al-Barajneh camp in Beirut to the Lebanese army, the Lebanese prime minister’s office said.
The move is meant to mark the start of a broader disarmament effort, with additional deliveries expected in the coming weeks from Burj al-Barajneh and other camps across the country, the office said in a statement.
An official from Fatah told Reuters that the only weapons being handed over so far were illegal arms that entered the camp 24 hours ago. TV footage showed army vehicles entering the camp ahead of a handover. Reuters could not independently verify what arms were being handed over.
As part of a truce with Israel struck in November and backed by the United States, Lebanon committed to restricting arms to six specific state security forces, in a challenge to Iran-backed Shi’ite Muslim terror group Hezbollah.
The cabinet has tasked the army with drawing up a plan to establish a state monopoly on arms by the end of the year.
The initiative to disarm Palestinian factions is part of an agreement reached during a May 21 summit between Lebanese President Joseph Aoun and Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, which affirmed Lebanon‘s sovereignty and the principle that only the state should bear arms, the statement from the prime minister’s office said.
Two days later, Lebanese and Palestinian officials agreed on a timeline and mechanism for disarmament, the statement said.
Palestinian factions have long operated with relative autonomy in several of Lebanon‘s 12 refugee camps, which fall largely outside the jurisdiction of the Lebanese state. The latest handover represents the most serious bid in years to address weapons held inside the camps.