Surgeons operate amputation on 8-year-old Sila Madi, after her broken leg did not respond to treatment and had to be amputated, at Nasser Hospital in Khan Yunis, Gaza on May 26, 2025. [Getty]
UK broadcaster Channel 4 announced on Saturday that it will broadcast a feature-length documentary on Gaza’s healthcare system and Israel’s attacks on the war-torn territory’s hospitals and clinics- following the BBC’s controversial axing of the film.
Commissioned by Channel 4’sHead of News and Current Affairs Louisa Compton, the documentary follows the accounts of Palestinian health workers in Gaza- as well as unveiling various devastating attacks taking place.
The BBC initially commissioned Gaza: Doctors Under Attack, which was produced by independent production company Basement Films, over a year ago.
However, in April, production was delayed following an internal investigation into another Gaza-focused documentary, Gaza: How to Survive a War Zone.
The latter was ultimately censored, following intense pro-Israel pressure, after it emerged that the main subject- 13-year-old Abdullah Alyazouri- was the son of Ayman Alyazouri, a deputy agriculture minister in Gaza’s government.
Despite only working in a civilian governmental role, Abdullah’s father was branded as having been affiliated with Gaza’s ruling group Hamas, which is classified as a terrorist organisation by the UK.
Both documentaries were eventually not aired by the BBC – prompting critics to accuse the broadcaster of suppressing Palestinian voices and stories amid Israel’s genocidal war on Gaza that has killed over 56,000 Palestinians.
However, Channel 4 said in a statement that Gaza: Doctors Under Attack “has been fact-checked and complied by Channel 4 to ensure it meets Channel 4 editorial standards and the Ofcom Broadcasting Code.”
Channel 4’s Louisa Compton issued a separate statement, describing the documentary as a “meticulously reported and important film”, adding it contains “evidence which supports allegations of grave breaches of international law by Israeli forces that deserves to be widely seen and exemplifies Channel 4’s commitment to brave and fearless journalism.”
The film reports that all 36 major hospitals in Gaza have sustained damage or been destroyed, with healthcare workers forced to evacuate and patients left behind amid reported gunfire.
Basement Films further noted that Gaza: Doctors Under Attack is the third documentary it has produced about the Gaza conflict since 7 October.
While acknowledging the challenges of all three projects, the company described this film as the most difficult yet.
“As ever we owe everything to our Palestinian colleagues on the ground; over 200 of whom have been killed by Israel, and the doctors and medics who trusted us with their stories,” Basement Films added.
“We want to apologise to the contributors and team for the long delay and thank Channel 4 for enabling it to be seen.”
In an op-ed released by Channel 4, Compton further explained that the film “offers powerful evidence that the doctors, nurses and paramedics of Gaza have been denied the non-combatant protection that the norms of warfare usually offer them.”
She continued: “Their hospitals have become combat zones, their very operating theatres have been conscripted into the military theatre of operations.”
She warned viewers that despite the documentary being “terribly hard to watch and with testimony delivered through tears and anguish”, Compton underlined that it “presents evidence that Israel’s armed forces have deliberately dragged those offering medical aid into the frontline.”
Anger at the BBC
According to a report by MailOnline on Sunday, BBC staff members have since to be in “open revolt” over alleged editorial interference by senior executives “for political reasons.”
The outlet claims more than 300 staffers have signed an open letter addressed to BBC leadership, raising alarm over what they describe as censorship in the corporation’s reporting on Israel.
The letter reportedly criticises the BBC’s refusal to air the Gaza medics documentary, describing the decision as “political” and “nothing to do with the journalism of the film.”
Earlier in June, the BBC confirmed it would not broadcast the film, stating that “broadcasting this material risked creating a perception of partiality that would not meet the high standards that the public rightly expect of the BBC.”
The corporation did not elaborate further on what specifically led to the film being considered biased.
Basement Films strongly criticised the decision, arguing that “there is no moral or professional reason why a mistake in one film should repeatedly prevent the release of another film.”
The production company previously issued an apology to its contributors and survivors featured in the documentary, stating: “We would like to thank the doctors and contributors and survivors, and to apologise for not believing them when they said the BBC would never run a film like this. It turned out they were right.”
Gaza: Doctors Under Attack will air on Channel 4 at 10pm GMT on Wednesday, 2 July.
