The BBC has been forced to apologise after referring to Hamas's October 7 attacks as an "escalation" on the second anniversary of the massacre which killed more than 1,200 people.
The wording appeared in an internal email to BBC News staff, as accusations continue of anti-Israel bias inside the broadcaster.
The email contained a picture of Palestinian women and children picking their way through rubble in Gaza instead of Israeli victims of Hamas's murderous attack in the biggest act of violence on Jews since the Second World War.
The email was part of a regular update from the BBC Audiences team, which analyses audience data and advises journalists and producers on engaging viewers and listeners.
TRENDING
Stories
Videos
Your Say
It said: "As we reach the two-year anniversary of the escalations in the Israel-Gaza conflict, we asked UK audiences what they want and need from news coverage moving forward."
The BBC received immediate backlash, criticising its downplaying of the horrors of October 7.
Adam Ma'anit, whose cousin, Tsachi Idan, was taken hostage from the Nihal Oz kibbutz and murdered in captivity, criticised the BBC.
He said: "To use that language and framing is incendiary and insulting.
Some 1,2000 people were killed in the October 7 attack, and 251 were taken hostage
|REUTERS
Latest Developments
"That this report was circulated today of all days speaks to an institutional bias within the BBC that is shocking and distressing. Does our pain not count?"
Survivor of the massacre, Natalie Sanandaji, said: "To make such a 'mistake' on October 7 of all days is painful for me to see as a survivor of the Nova festival.
"Once again, it feels the media is trying to downplay or erase what happened to us on October 7, what started this war: an attack on Israel by Hamas.
"I would have hoped that the media would respect our pain for just one day, the way they respect the pain of the people of Gaza all year round for the past two years."
The BBC were forced to apologise following several complaints from staff members.
"This internal staff email should have been worded differently, and we're sorry for any offence caused. We are editing it and will replace the text on our intranet," a spokesman said.
It is understood that a junior member of staff wrote the message.
According to a BBC source, the image of Gaza was used because the email discussed the current audience attitudes to the conflict.
The BBC previously had to pull a documentary about Gaza narrated by the son of a Hamas official
| BBCOfcom previously launched an investigation into the BBC Gaza documentary, finding the broadcaster to have been "in breach of guidelines".
The BBC breached its editorial guidelines on accuracy by failing to disclose that the narrator of a Gaza documentary was the son of a Hamas official, according to a review.
The corporation's internal investigation examined Gaza: How to Survive a Warzone, which featured a 13-year-old boy narrating about children's lives in the conflict zone.
Following news of the connection, the documentary was removed from iPlayer.
More From GB News