On the afternoon of December 13th the BBC News website published a report credited to James Cook and Rushdi Abualouf about an incident that had taken place earlier that day. Titled “Israel targets senior Hamas official in deadly Gaza strike”, the report opens by telling readers that:
“Israel said it killed a senior Hamas commander on Saturday in a strike on a vehicle inside Gaza.
In a joint statement, the Israeli military and security agency Shin Bet announced it had “eliminated” Raed Saad, the head of weapons production for Hamas’s military wing, the Qassam Brigades, in Gaza city.
Saad had been regarded as one of the most prominent Qassam commanders and led several brigades during Hamas’s 7 October attacks on Israeli communities east of Gaza City.”
Cook and Abualouf do not provide any information concerning Saad’s earlier career in Hamas’ ranks. As noted in a profile by Dr Michael Milshtein published earlier this year:
“Appointed in 2005 as the group’s Gaza City brigade commander, he oversaw weapons manufacturing and the buildup of the rocket arsenal Hamas used before Oct. 7 — nearly all of which was later fired or destroyed in the war.
Saad also founded Hamas’s so-called “military academy” and helped develop its combat doctrine, including urban warfare, artillery tactics and the cross-border raids used in the Oct. 7 attack on Israeli civilians and communities.”
Neither are BBC audiences told that Saad was one of the Hamas leaders who planned the October 7 attack.
“Saad established Hamas’s Gaza City Brigade, commanded it, and was involved in forming the terror group’s naval force, according to the military. He was later appointed as chief of the terror group’s operations headquarters.
During the latter role, Saad was one of the architects of the terror group’s plan to invade Israel and defeat the IDF’s Gaza Division — codenamed “Jericho’s Walls” in the army — which was ultimately activated on October 7, 2023, sparking the war in Gaza.”
Saad’s more recent efforts to rearm Hamas – in violation of the October 2025 ceasefire agreement – are also not mentioned in the BBC’s report, despite their obvious relevance.
Quoting Hamas operative Mahmoud Basel, Cook and Abualouf go on to tell readers that:
“The Hamas-run Civil Defence spokesman, Mahmoud Basal, told the BBC that four people were killed in the strike. He said multiple passers-by were also injured by the blast.
A local Hamas official in Gaza told the BBC that the strike also killed Saad’s aide and another lower-ranking official identified as Abu Imad al-Laban.”
As reported by The Long War Journal and others, Hamas in fact stated that all three of the additional people killed in the strike – including al-Laban – were Hamas operatives.
“Hamas later named Riyad al Labban, Abd al Hayy Zaqout, and Yahya al Kayali as members who were also killed in the strike. While it is unclear what roles Zaqout and Kayali held, open-source evidence suggests that Labban may have been Saad’s bodyguard.”
The BBC’s report also tells readers that:
“Saad is believed to be a member of the newly formed five-member leadership military council established since a ceasefire took hold in October.
Israel has attempted to kill him on multiple occasions.
One of the most notable attempts was during a surprise Israeli operation in Gaza City in March 2024, when Israeli forces reportedly sought to arrest or kill him. Sources at the time said Saad had been inside the targeted complex but managed to escape moments before the raid.”
Notably, Cook and Abualouf refrain from informing BBC audiences that “the targeted complex” was in fact Shifa hospital or that Saad was also the target of a June 2024 strike on the Shati area of Gaza City:
“Saad has repeatedly evaded Israeli attempts to kill or capture him. In March 2024, the Israel Defense Forces believed he had been caught in a raid on Gaza’s Shifa Hospital, but later confirmed he was not there. Three months later, he survived an Israeli airstrike on the Shati refugee camp.”
Readers may recall that BBC coverage of that March 2024 operation at Shifa hospital included promotion of the following false claim from Hamas:
“Hamas and health officials have repeatedly denied the accusation that Hamas fighters have operated inside or underneath al-Shifa and other hospitals.”
In the latter part of their report, Cook and Abualouf employ the BBC’s now standard ‘frozen in time’ presentation of casualty figures.
“The first phase of US president Donald Trump’s 20-point plan for peace in the region required the return of all 20 living and 28 dead hostages taken in the Hamas-led attack on southern Israel on 7 October 2023.
About 1,200 people were killed in the attack and more than 250 people were taken hostage.
All have been returned except for the remains of an Israeli police officer, Ran Gvili, 24, who is believed to have been killed while fighting Hamas gunmen in Kibbutz Alumim.
Since then, according to Gaza’s Hamas-run health ministry more than 70,000 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli military action.”
As ever, Cook and Abualouf fail to inform BBC audiences that the claimed 70,000 toll has not been verified or that it does not distinguish between combatants and civilians but does include natural deaths and fatalities caused by terrorist organisations in the Gaza Strip.
While the BBC is happy to promote figures provided by the Hamas terrorist organisation, it does not quote Israel’s claim to have killed 22,000 combatants as of August 2025 and no mention is made of the number of Israeli soldiers and security personnel – 476 in all – killed in and around the Gaza Strip since October 7th 2023.
Cook and Abualouf inform BBC audiences that:
“The diplomatic focus is now shifting to the next stage of President Trump’s plan which would require the disarmament of Hamas as part of what it calls the de-radicalisation and redevelopment of Gaza.”
Notably, while they have nothing to tell their readers about Hamas’ rejection of the disarmament condition – and Saad’s contribution to that stance – or how that is likely to affect the US plan, Cook and Abualouf do take care to inform BBC audiences that “prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu has repeatedly rejected calls for the establishment of a Palestinian state”.
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