The BBC has apologized and agreed to pay a little over $37,000 to an Israeli family as part of a settlement for filming inside their home shortly after Hamas terrorists invaded it on Oct. 7, 2023, The Jewish News of London reported on Friday.
The settlement was on legal action by the Horenstein family in Nativ HaAsara near the border with Gaza over the actions of BBC senior correspondent Jeremy Bowen and his film crew several days after the Oct. 7 massacre, according to the report.
The Horensteins had fled their home during the attack in Nativ HaAsara, a small moshav situated right across from Beit Lahia in the central section of the Gaza Strip’s northern border with Israel.
Bowen entered the domicile a few days later, filming the interior, including photos of the Horenstein family, Tzeela Horenstein told The Jewish News. Hamas terrorists killed 17 people in Netiv HaAsara as part of their invasion, in which some 1,200 people were murdered and another 251 were abducted.
“Not only did terrorists break into our home and try to murder us, but then the BBC crew entered again, this time with a camera as a weapon, without permission or consent,” Tzeela Horenstein told Jewish News. “It was another intrusion into our lives. We felt that everything that was still under our control had been taken from us.”
Joaquin Floto, Middle East bureau chief for BBC News, wrote to the family in Hebrew, saying: “We wish to express our understanding of the distress you had following the filming of your home after the 7 October attack. We are of course sorry for this. Our entry into your home resulted from a good-faith mistake, as we believed consent had been given… The BBC had no intention to harm you or cause you discomfort.”
