Ozzy Osbourne and celebrities slam BBC for anti-Israel bias in Gaza coverage

The uproar centers on the broadcaster’s airing of “Gaza: How to Survive a Warzone,” a documentary narrated by 14-year-old Abdullah al-Yazouri, whose father serves as Hamas’s deputy minister for agriculture—a detail undisclosed to viewers. The program, broadcast last month, triggered a firestorm of criticism, prompting BBC Director-General Tim Davie to pull it from circulation and admit to “serious flaws” in its vetting process during a grilling by MPs on Thursday, March 6, 2025.

The open letter, backed by stars like Jewish actresses Mayim Bialik and Debra Messing, accuses the BBC of undermining its foundational commitment to impartiality, as enshrined in the UK’s Royal Charter. “It is time for the BBC to acknowledge that it has a systemic problem of bias against Israel, of which this is the tip of the iceberg,” the letter asserts. Signatories argue that the broadcaster is downplaying a “true crisis” as a mere hiccup, even as its highest-paid presenter dismisses the issue outright. The controversy has spotlighted BBC Arabic, particularly its *Egypt Mean Time* program, which recently featured Dr. Gamal Salama, an Egyptian commentator who lauded the October 7, 2023, Hamas attacks—killing over 1,200 Israelis—as a “brave and courageous operation.”

Further fueling the outrage, the Committee for Accuracy in Middle East Reporting and Analysis (Camera) revealed that a retired Egyptian army general, who hailed the massacre as a “month of victory,” has appeared on BBC News Arabic nine times since the Gaza war began. Critics argue this reflects a pattern of skewed narratives, especially post-October 7. The BBC, however, deflected the accusations, with a spokesperson stating, “BBC News Arabic is committed to hearing from a range of contributors with a variety of views and perspectives from across Egypt and the wider Middle East. Throughout our coverage, our journalists routinely question and challenge the views of contributors on air, and will continue to do so robustly.” Yet, for Osbourne and his fellow signatories, such assurances ring hollow against what they see as a broadcaster veering from its duty to inform fairly.