The BBC-shelved documentary ‘Gaza: Doctors Under Attack’ has won the BAFTA award for current affairs nearly a year after the British broadcaster refused to air it over alleged “impartiality concerns”, reigniting accusations that the BBC suppressed Palestinian voices during the Gaza war. During the BAFTA acceptance speech on May 10, the documentary’s makers openly attacked the BBC for funding the investigation and later refusing to broadcast it.
The film documents the large-scale destruction of Gaza’s healthcare system during Israel’s military offensive. It presents testimonies from Palestinian doctors and healthcare workers and alleges systematic attacks on hospitals, killings of medical staff, torture, and detention of healthcare workers by the Israeli Defence Forces (IDF). The documentary reportedly opens with footage recovered from the phone of a Palestinian medic killed during heavy Israeli gunfire, placing attacks on Gaza’s medical infrastructure at the centre of its narrative.
The film’s producers also praised Gaza journalists who risked their lives to provide footage from inside the war zone. According to reports, the documentary directly challenges long-standing Israeli claims used to justify military operations targeting hospitals in Gaza — attacks that rights organisations have repeatedly described as violations of international law.
Originally commissioned by the BBC, the documentary was scheduled for broadcast in February last year but was delayed after the broadcaster launched an internal review linked to another Gaza-related programme. In June 2025, the BBC formally decided not to air the film, claiming it could create a perception of bias inconsistent with the corporation’s editorial standards. Senior BBC executives had cited social media activity by one of the journalists and comments made during interviews as reasons for concern.
The controversy intensified after media monitoring groups accused the BBC of systematically favouring Israeli narratives while downplaying Palestinian suffering. More than 600 film and media figures, including actress Susan Sarandon, had earlier demanded the documentary’s release. The film was eventually acquired and broadcast by Channel 4 in July 2025.
Based on The Wire report