The BBC’s board has issued an apology for the “significant and damaging” errors made in the production of its Gaza documentary.

The documentary was removed from BBC iPlayer on Friday, 21 February, after it was disclosed that its narrator, Abdullah al-Yazouri, was the son of Gaza Deputy Minister of Agriculture, Dr. Ayman al-Yazouri, who has a PHD from Huddersfield University.

According to a BBC spokesperson, the production company, Hoyo Films, informed the BBC that it had compensated the boy’s mother with a small payment for his narration, transferring the money through his sister’s bank account.

In a statement, Hoyo Films explained its intention to showcase voices that had not been represented on screen throughout the war, treating them with dignity and respect while highlighting the devastating effects of war on their daily lives.

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer commented that meetings had been arranged between the government and the BBC, expressing his concern about the program in question.