BBC platforms doctor FOUR days after it’s revealed he urged Palestinians to ‘fight back’ after 7 October
search

The latest Jewish News

Read this week’s digital edition

Click Here

BBC platforms doctor FOUR days after it’s revealed he urged Palestinians to ‘fight back’ after 7 October

Dr Ghassan Abu-Sittah featured on Radio 4’s Sunday Worship alongside a mother whose son was taken hostage by Hamas

Ghassan Abu-Sittah said a vote for him would be a vote ‘against the genocide in Gaza’. Picture: inara.org/board
Ghassan Abu-Sittah said a vote for him would be a vote ‘against the genocide in Gaza’. Picture: inara.org/board

A British doctor appeared on BBC Radio 4’s Sunday Worship programme FOUR days after it was revealed he urged Palestinians to ‘fight back and die in dignity’ immediately after 7 October. 

London-based Dr Ghassan Abu-Sittah promoted a post on 8 October which claimed civilians in Gaza should fight back as they were “going to die anyway”.

It reads: “We know Israel is going to kill us anyways. We are starving, we are being besieged, we are being dispossessed, we are being displaced. We know all of this. Israel is going to kill us anyways. Israel wants us kneeling….So why not fight back and die in dignity?”

Despite this, the BBC saw fit to invite Abu-Sittah on to Radio 4’s Sunday Worship programme last week, where he was a guest alongside Rachel Goldberg, whose son Hersh was badly wounded and taken hostage by Hamas.

Screenshot: Twitter, Dr Ghassan Abu Sittah

Both Abu-Sittah and Goldberg were interviewed by presenter Edward Stourton, who describes them as two people who both have a “huge amount at stake in the way the war develops”.

Stourton introduced Abu Sittah as a ‘professor’ who “has just returned from Gaza where he was operating in the Anglican run al-Ahli hospital.”

During the interview, Abu Sittah claims he was operating as a surgeon whilst the hospital was totally “surrounded”, alluding to IDF troops, and that al-Ahli is the “only functioning hospital in the whole of Gaza city.”

He tells Stourton a recent “missile attack” had damaged the hospital, without clarifying, as has been internationally proven by overwhelming evidence, that the catastrophic explosions at al-Ahli were the result of misfired rockets launched by Palestinian Islamic Jihad.

Screenshot: Twitter/X Dr Ghassan Abu Sitta

At no point in the interview are any of Abu Sittah’s claims challenged by the presenter, who asks him how he felt about leaving his patients behind. Sounding as if he is choking back tears, Abu Sittah claims he was “overwhelmed by a sense of betrayal” and Stourton then apologises for “asking questions that appear to distress you”.

Goldberg, interviewed for less time, expresses concern for Palestinians in Gaza.  She said: “We are always devastated when innocent civilians are trapped anywhere in a war zone. We feel terrible sadness for the Gazan Palestinians.”

She goes on to express concern for all the international and Israeli civilians still held hostage by terrorists. “I should mention that the only two children who are still left there are two British citizens, two British children, one who is 10 months old and one is four years old along with their mother, Shiri.

Repost by Dr. Ghassan Abu Sitta

“When I hear the professor talk, my heart bleeds. And what I, what I hope and pray is that there was a surgeon like him when my son arrived on October 7th to Gaza with his left arm blown off, which we have a video of.”

In contrast, at no point during his interview does Abu-Sittah express any concern towards those held hostage by Hamas.

Screenshot: BBC Radio 4 Sunday Worship

Criticising the decision to feature Abu Sittah, The Campaign Against Anti-Semitism (CAAS) said his appearance “follows revelations that he urged Palestinians to “fight and die with dignity” in the wake of Hamas’ October 7 attack on Israel, as well as footage of him sobbing at the funeral of terrorist group founder Maher Al-Yamani. There also seem to be irregularities in his CV and medical qualifications.”

CAAS continued: “Surely enough incriminating material has been uncovered by now about this doctor to disqualify him from rendering opinions about the Hamas-Israel war? He is alleged to have wept while praising a terrorist leader, called for violence, and more. Is there anything that a so-called expert can say to reveal his abhorrent views and biases before the BBC and other broadcasters stop featuring him in their reports and commentary?”

A spokesperson for BBC Radio 4 refused to comment on the record.

A trauma surgeon, speaking to Jewish News on the condition of anonymity, said: “It transpires that Ghassan Abu-Sittah has never completed a higher surgical training programme in plastic and reconstructive surgery in the UK or indeed any other surgical specialty. He is not listed on the GMC (General Medical Council) specialist register for plastic and reconstructive surgery or any other surgical specialty.

“He has never been appointed to a substantive UK consultant post in plastic and reconstructive surgery or any other specialty. He masquerades as a British consultant plastic and reconstructive surgeon. Any doctor who intentionally misleads patients, and the general public about specialist surgical credentials is certainly not to be trusted.”

The BBC Radio 4 Sunday Worship interview is available here

Support your Jewish community. Support your Jewish News

Thank you for helping to make Jewish News the leading source of news and opinion for the UK Jewish community. Today we're asking for your invaluable help to continue putting our community first in everything we do.

For as little as £5 a month you can help sustain the vital work we do in celebrating and standing up for Jewish life in Britain.

Jewish News holds our community together and keeps us connected. Like a synagogue, it’s where people turn to feel part of something bigger. It also proudly shows the rest of Britain the vibrancy and rich culture of modern Jewish life.

You can make a quick and easy one-off or monthly contribution of £5, £10, £20 or any other sum you’re comfortable with.

100% of your donation will help us continue celebrating our community, in all its dynamic diversity...

Engaging

Being a community platform means so much more than producing a newspaper and website. One of our proudest roles is media partnering with our invaluable charities to amplify the outstanding work they do to help us all.

Celebrating

There’s no shortage of oys in the world but Jewish News takes every opportunity to celebrate the joys too, through projects like Night of Heroes, 40 Under 40 and other compelling countdowns that make the community kvell with pride.

Pioneering

In the first collaboration between media outlets from different faiths, Jewish News worked with British Muslim TV and Church Times to produce a list of young activists leading the way on interfaith understanding.

Campaigning

Royal Mail issued a stamp honouring Holocaust hero Sir Nicholas Winton after a Jewish News campaign attracted more than 100,000 backers. Jewish Newsalso produces special editions of the paper highlighting pressing issues including mental health and Holocaust remembrance.

Easy access

In an age when news is readily accessible, Jewish News provides high-quality content free online and offline, removing any financial barriers to connecting people.

Voice of our community to wider society

The Jewish News team regularly appears on TV, radio and on the pages of the national press to comment on stories about the Jewish community. Easy access to the paper on the streets of London also means Jewish News provides an invaluable window into the community for the country at large.

We hope you agree all this is worth preserving.

read more: