A journalist who frequently appears on the BBC has described Jewish people as “devils”.
Ahmed Alagha has appeared numerous times on BBC Arabic, reporting on the ongoing Israel-Hamas conflict from Gaza since January 2024.
Most recently, he reported from near to the Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis, just moments after Israeli forces assassinated Ismail Barhoum, a senior Hamas leader.
Social media posts uncovered by The Telegraph have revealed that Alagha views Israelis as “worse than beasts”.
Most recently, he reported from near to the Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis, just moments after Israeli forces assassinated Ismail Barhoum, a senior Hamas leader
BBC Arabia
Reacting to footage online of Gaza tower blocks being bombed by the Israeli Defence Force (IDF), Alagha said Jews are the “devils of the hypocrites”.
“This is not a Hollywood film; this is what was done to these towers in Gaza City at the hands of the Israeli occupation, and it’s happening to us in Gaza,” he said.
“It [the Israeli occupation] is the embodiment of filth, the unrivalled swamp of wickedness. As for the Jews, they are the devils of the hypocrites.”
The next day he said that the Israelis are “not human beings to begin with, rather they are not even beasts”.
“Perhaps they belong to a race for which no description can capture the extent of their lust and sadism.
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“That's just one snapshot. What if we were to compile all their crimes across that entire dark/black history, from the moment of occupation up until now? It is the entity of filth, and the unrivalled swamp of wickedness.”
In another post, he reacted to a shooting at a Jerusalem synagogue which killed seven civilians on Holocaust Memorial Day in January 2023.
He shared a photo of the attack with the caption: “This martyr stole my heart, he alone killed eight Zionists.”
A BBC spokesperson said: “International journalists including the BBC are not allowed access into Gaza so we hear from a range of contributors in the region.
“Ahmed Alagha was a contributor, he is not a BBC member of staff or part of the BBC’s reporting team.
The BBC said 'his posts do not reflect the BBC’s view and we are absolutely clear that there is no place for antisemitism on our services'
GETTY/BBC“In this instance, we were unaware of the contributor’s social media activity prior to hearing from him.
“His views were not expressed on a BBC platform, his posts do not reflect the BBC’s view and we are absolutely clear that there is no place for antisemitism on our services.”
It comes as the BBC is facing accusations as being a mouthpiece for “Islamist propaganda”, after they described Muslim converts as “reverts” - a belief that everyone is born as a Muslim and those who embrace Islam are returning to their "natural state".
Tom Tugendhat, the Conservative MP and former security minister, said the use of the term - which is associated with Islamist fundamentalism - was “sectarianism” that had “no place on the BBC”.
“Calling converts ‘reverts’ is ideology, not fact,” he said. “It’s claiming we’re all ‘originally’ Muslim and those who convert are rediscovering their faith. That’s Islamist propaganda and has no place on the BBC.”