A high-profile documentary about Palestinian doctors working amid wartime conditions in Gaza — which the BBC decided not to broadcast — is now getting a global release, thanks to its acquisition by journalist Mehdi Hasan’s media startup Zeteo.

The film, Gaza: Doctors Under Attack, was produced by Basement Films and features on-the-ground testimony from healthcare workers trying to save lives amid the destruction of Gaza’s hospital system. Zeteo is releasing the documentary globally today, following months of delays and ultimately a final decision by the BBC to pull out of the project entirely.

Why Mehdi Hasan’s Zeteo backed new Gaza documentary

Zeteo, which Hasan launched in 2024 to give voice to underreported stories and independent journalism, framed the acquisition as a stand for editorial independence. “This is one of the reasons I founded Zeteo … to platform the journalistic voices that are being censored on the biggest issues of our time,” Hasan said in a statement about the documentary.

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The BBC’s reversal, it should be noted, came after what the broadcaster said was a review of a separate Gaza-related documentary. Ultimately, the BBC said airing Gaza: Doctors Under Attack would risk “creating a perception of partiality.” Basement Films noted that the BBC had initially told them the film passed editorial review — a claim the network disputes. After the BBC ultimately passed on the documentary, however, more than 600 members of the film industry (including actress Susan Sarandon and director Mike Leigh) decided to speak out via an open letter.

The BBC, that letter argued, was silencing Palestinian voices.