BBC accused of relying on Iran-linked terror supporter for on-the-ground account in Gaza

The Daily Telegraph accuses the BBC of relying on a journalist working for a news outlet associated with the Iranian Revolutionary Guards Corps in its reporting on the deadly melee around an aid convoy in Gaza last week.

Citing investigative journalist David Collier, the Telegraph accuses BBC Verify — the public broadcaster’s fact-checking arm — of leaning on the eyewitness account of Mahmoud Awadeyah, who it alleges works for the semi-official Iranian Tasnim news agency.

“Israelis purposefully fired at the men… they were trying to get near the trucks that had the flour,” the BBC quoted Awadeyah as saying in its coverage of the chaos around the aid convoy early Thursday. “They were fired at directly and prevented people to come near those killed.”

Hamas has claimed Israel killed over 100 Palestinians desperately attempting to reach aid trucks in Gaza City. Israel says it only fired at a small number of Palestinians who threatened troops and that most people were trampled or crushed in a stampede.

On X, Awadeyah has praised a January 2023 terrorist attack outside a synagogue in the Neve Yaakov neighborhood of Jerusalem, which killed seven Israelis, and posted a picture in which he sits for a meal with Khalil Bahtini, a senior Islamic Jihad commander who Israel killed in May.

And Awadeyah is not shy about his feelings. His social media is full of pro-terrorist messaging.

Did the BBC not 'verify' anything before using this man as a source? Here he is praising the terrorist attack on the 27 Jan 2023 which left 7 Israelis dead. 3/14 pic.twitter.com/iReQJy7AVP

— David Collier (@mishtal) March 3, 2024

The BBC responds by rejecting allegations leveled by Collier.

“We stand by our journalism,” responds the BBC. “The BBC is not allowed access into Gaza, but we use a range of accounts from eyewitnesses and cross reference these against official statements and footage, including from the IDF. The fact that someone has expressed an opinion on social media doesn’t automatically disqualify them from giving eye-witness testimony.”