A BBC correspondent reported from the bombed-out home of victims of the October 7 attacks without consent.
The BBC has apologised after a crew, led by senior correspondent Jeremy Bowen, filmed inside the destroyed property in Netiv HaAsara, a small village on the Gaza border, without their knowledge.
The filming took place just days after the Hamas attack on October 7.
Footage was captured inside the property, which included photographs of the children of the Horenstein family, who lived in the home.
According to reports, the broadcaster has issued an apology to the family and provided compensation of NIS 120,000 (£28,000) in a legal settlement.
Joaquin Floto, Middle East bureau chief for BBC News, issued a written apology in Hebrew, which read: ‘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.’
Speaking to Jewish News, a member of the family, Tzeela Horenstein, said: ‘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’.
She added that she had found the BBC report ‘by chance’ after they were able to escape the home by crawling through a window and running barefoot to their car.
‘We were already heartbroken, and this was yet another intrusion into our lives,’ she said.
The family reached out to the BBC, but Ori Eldar, the lawyer who represented the family in this case, said the organisation failed to apologise.
He added that had the BBC apologised initially, the case may not have reached court.
‘The media does very important work, but it must also show sensitivity, especially in areas stricken by trauma’, he told Jewish News.
A BBC spokesperson told the Daily Mail: ‘While we do not generally comment on specific legal issues we are pleased to have reached an agreement in this case.’
