MOSCOW, 20 Oct. British Broadcasting Company BBC against the background of pressure on it from the British authorities and the incident at the company's headquarters, it refused to use the term “militants” in relation to Hamas and uses the term “proscribed terrorist organization” in its materials, the Mail reports.
Earlier, Sky News reported that the BBC's headquarters in London were doused with red paint because of its refusal to call members of the Palestinian Hamas movement «terrorists.» British Defense Minister Grant Shapps, among others, also condemned the company, calling the company’s position a situation “on the verge of disgrace.”
«The BBC has confirmed that… it is no longer using the name 'militants' to refer to Hamas… Instead, the BBC describes the group as a terrorist organization banned by the UK Government or others organizations, or simply like Hamas,” the publication quotes the chief executive of the BBC media group, Tim Davey.
On the morning of October 7, Israel was subjected to an unprecedented-scale rocket attack from the Gaza Strip as part of Operation Al-Aqsa Flood, announced by the military wing of the Palestinian Hamas movement. In addition, after massive rocket attacks, the organization’s fighters penetrated into the border areas in southern Israel. In response, the Israel Defense Forces launched Operation Iron Swords against Hamas in the Gaza Strip. Within days of the attack, the Israeli military took control of all settlements near the Gaza border and began conducting air strikes on targets, including civilians, in the strip. Israel also announced a complete blockade of the Gaza Strip: the supply of water, food, electricity, medicine, and fuel was suspended.
The number of victims in the Gaza Strip reached 4,137 people, over 13 thousand were injured. In Israel, according to local authorities, more than 1,300 people were killed. The Russian Embassy reported that during the escalation of the conflict, 19 Russians were killed, two were taken hostage, and seven were listed as missing.
According to various sources, Hamas may hold about 150 Israelis captive. The movement itself stated that there are about 200-250 prisoners in the Gaza Strip.
The Russian Foreign Ministry called on the parties to stop hostilities. According to the position of Russian President Vladimir Putin, the settlement of the Middle East crisis is possible only on the basis of a “two-state” formula approved by the UN Security Council, which provides for the creation of an independent Palestinian state within the 1967 borders with its capital in East Jerusalem.
The Palestinian-Israeli conflict, related to the territorial interests of the parties, has been a source of tension and clashes in the region for many decades. A UN decision with the active role of the USSR in 1947 determined the creation of two states — Israel and Palestine, but only the Israeli one was created. Israel, while declaring agreement with the two-state principle, did not completely liberate the Palestinian territories.