BBC Stops Referring to Hamas as ‘Militants’ After Criticism

The Board of Deputies of British Jews said on Oct. 20 that the BBC had agreed to a policy change.

A pedestrian is reflected in the glass facade while walking past the BBC Headquarters at the Broadcasting House in central London on Oct. 6, 2022. Justin Tallis/AFP via Getty Images

The BBC will no longer refer to Hamas as “militants” by default after facing criticism for its coverage of the ongoing Israel–Hamas conflict.

The public broadcaster has previously refused to refer to Hamas as terrorists, instead using the terms “bomber, attacker, gunman, kidnapper, insurgent, and militant” despite the group’s attacks on Israel.

The Board of Deputies of British Jews said on Oct. 20 that the BBC had agreed to a policy change following a meeting between the board and BBC Director General Tim Davie, along with some members of his senior team.

“The BBC confirmed it was committed to continued dialogue. It also confirmed it is no longer BBC practice to call Hamas militants,” the Jewish communal organization said in a press release.

“Instead, the BBC describes the group as a proscribed terrorist organization by the [United Kingdom] government and others, or simply as Hamas,” it added.

The Epoch Times has reached out to the BBC for comment.

Meanwhile, a BBC spokesperson told Fox News that the news outlet does not “use the word terrorist without attributing it, nor do we ban words.”

“We also confirmed that for some days we had not been using ‘militant’ as a default description for Hamas, as we have been finding this a less accurate description for our audiences as the situation evolves,” the spokesperson added.

This policy change came just days after the BBC issued a statement admitting that one of its reporters was “wrong” to speculate that Israel likely bombed Al Ahli Hospital in Gaza City.

BBC Accused of ‘Taking Side’

Former Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett strongly criticized the BBC during a live interview with the broadcaster, accusing the news outlet of “taking the side” of Hamas and “lacking moral clarity.”

“From the very beginning of this interview, you are asking me about them. It seems that you care little about our side,” Mr. Bennett said in the interview. “You care only about one side, but that is the BBC way.”

Mr. Bennett also questioned the UK-based broadcaster’s use of the term “militants” when referring to Hamas in its coverage of the ongoing Israel-Hamas conflict.

“We’re fighting the war of the free world against radical Islamic barbarism, rape, head-chopping and baby-burning. It’s a war between good and evil,” he stated on X, formerly known as Twitter.

“The fact that you call these Hamas barbarians ’militants’, and that you take their word and side shames you, BBC,” he added.

An aerial picture shows the abandoned site of the weekend music festival attacked by Hamas terrorists near Kibbutz Reim in the Negev desert, in southern Israel, on Oct. 10, 2023. Jack Guez/AFP via Getty Images

The BBC had initially defended its use of language, saying the approach has been in use “for decades.” Its world affairs editor, John Simpson, said on Oct. 11 that using “terrorist” would make the report partial.

“British politicians know perfectly well why the BBC avoids the word ‘terrorist’, and over the years, plenty of them have privately agreed with it,” he wrote on X.

“Calling someone a terrorist means taking sides and ceasing to treat the situation with due impartiality. The BBC’s job is to place the facts before its audience and let them decide what they think, honestly and without ranting,” he said.

More than 1,400 people were killed and 4,834 injured in Israel since Hamas launched a surprise attack on Israel on Oct. 7. Hamas also took over 200 hostages, including U.S. citizens and other foreigners.

In retaliation, Israel has aimed its airstrikes at Hamas targets in Gaza and imposed a complete siege, cutting off the food, water, and fuel that it had voluntarily supplied into Gaza prior to the Oct. 7 attack, until Hamas frees all hostages.

The Hamas-run Gaza Health Ministry said that around 5,087 civilians have died, and over 15,273 have been injured in Gaza as of Oct. 23.  

Lily Zhou contributed to this report.