BBC Cuts Ties with Gaza Reporter After Antisemitic Posts Spark Outrage

The BBC has terminated its relationship with Gaza-based freelance reporter Ahmed Alagha after The Telegraph exposed his anti-Semitic social media posts, including calling Jews “devils” and “subhuman,” on May 31, 2025. Alagha, a regular contributor to BBC Arabic’s coverage of the Israel-Hamas conflict, posted on X: “As we know, the ‘Israelis’ are not human beings to begin with, rather they are not even beasts. Perhaps they belong to a race for which no description can capture the extent of their lust and sadism.” In another post, he described Jews as “the devils of the hypocrites” and labeled Israel “the embodiment of filth, the unrivalled swamp of wickedness.” Despite these remarks being revealed in April 2024, BBC Arabic continued using Alagha until public outcry forced action.

Alagha’s posts predate the current war, with a January 2023 comment praising a terrorist attack near a Jerusalem synagogue on Holocaust Memorial Day, stating, “This martyr stole my heart, he alone killed eight Zionists.” His defense of the October 7, 2023, Hamas attack, which killed 1,195 Israelis, further fuelled criticism. The BBC, long accused of anti-Israel bias and antisemitism in its Arabic service, issued a statement: “Ahmed Alagha is not a BBC member of staff or part of the BBC’s reporting team. His social media posts do not reflect the BBC’s view, and we are absolutely clear that there is no place for anti-Semitism on our services. We will not be using him as a contributor in this way again.”

Critics argue the BBC’s coverage often presents a one-sided, pro-Hamas narrative, prioritizing unverified Palestinian claims over factual reporting analysis documenting systemic bias. The broadcaster’s delayed response to Alagha’s posts reinforces perceptions of leniency toward anti-Semitic content. In response, the BBC plans to appoint an independent reviewer to investigate its Arabic channel, part of a broader review of its Middle East reporting standards, amid calls for accountability from Jewish advocacy groups like the Board of Deputies of British Jews.