BBC Failed to Correct False Claim Linking Journalist Anas Al-Sharif to Hamas

September 10, 2025 – Palestine –

New revelations show that the BBC ignored an internal request to correct a false claim that Al-Jazeera journalist Anas Al-Sharif had worked with Hamas before he died in Gaza. The claim, which has been repeatedly denied by Al-Jazeera, appeared in BBC coverage and was circulated on its website, live blog, and even a TikTok verification video, raising serious questions about editorial standards and the handling of sensitive information involving journalists in conflict zones.

According to Novara Media, an internal email sent on August 18 to the BBC’s “collective newsroom editorial” list urged that the language in a published article be changed. The correction proposed clarifying that the information came only from “a source,” while also noting Al-Jazeera’s denial and that BBC reporters had seen no evidence of such a link. Despite this clear recommendation, the BBC did not amend the original line, which had last been updated on August 13.

Al-Sharif was killed on August 10 in an Israeli airstrike on a tent outside al-Shifa hospital, clearly marked “PRESS.” Several other journalists were also killed in the same attack, including Al-Jazeera correspondent Mohammed Qreiqeh, photographers Ibrahim Thaher and Mohamed Nofal, freelance journalist Mohammed al-Khalidi, and cameraman Momen Aliwa. Israeli officials have justified the strike by claiming Al-Sharif had ties to Hamas, allegations amplified by unverified documents and screenshots. Al-Jazeera has firmly denied these claims.

Whistleblowers inside the BBC have described the refusal to issue a correction as a “grave editorial breach,” warning that the failure to challenge unsubstantiated allegations risks undermining trust in BBC journalism and potentially endangers other reporters. The case also reflects a broader issue in international media: how unverified claims are sometimes repeated without sufficient scrutiny, particularly in high-stakes conflict reporting where journalists themselves are targets.

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BBC Ignored Internal Request to Correct Claim Anas Al-Sharif Worked With Hamas