Overview

• The BBC initially reported that 20-year-old Marah Abu Zohry died of malnutrition after arriving in Pisa emaciated for treatment.
• COGAT and the IDF countered that she had acute promyelocytic leukemia and succumbed to respiratory failure and cardiac arrest.
• The broadcaster amended its headline, article text, and social media posts to include the leukemia diagnosis and an editorial note.
• U.S. Ambassador Mike Huckabee and columnist Melanie Phillips seized on the correction to allege persistent anti-Israel bias at the BBC.
• The episode has renewed scrutiny of the BBC’s Gaza coverage, which has issued several high-profile corrections since October 2023 during disputes over casualty figures.