by Gordon Rayner, Telegraph
Layla Bashar al-Kloub called Palestinian killers ‘martyrs’ and prayed for TV presenter accused of Holocaust denial
A BBC Arabic reporter who wrongly described terrorists killed in Gaza as “journalists” has a history of glorifying the murder of Jewish people, The Telegraph can disclose.
Layla Bashar al-Kloub has described Israel’s Jewish population as “terrorists” and asked Allah to “strengthen” a Palestinian TV presenter who had been labelled a Holocaust denier.
She has also described Palestinians who have been killed after murdering Israelis as “martyrs”.
Last month, The Telegraph reported allegations of BBC bias after finding that 53 people it had described as “journalists” killed in Gaza had links to Hamas or other armed groups.
Some were alleged to have taken part in the Oct 7 attacks, while others had expressed support for violence against Israelis or been claimed as members by militant organisations.
The BBC responded by saying it was reviewing its coverage after the new findings.
Most of the names appeared on a list compiled by Ms al-Kloub, which was first published on the BBC Arabic website in 2023 and was updated periodically.
By the time Ms al-Kloub wrote the list, she had an established history of anti-Israeli posts on social media.