Channel 4 has announced it will broadcast Gaza: Doctors Under Attack on Wednesday 2nd July at 10pm.

The one-off documentary, produced by Basement Films, examines allegations that Israeli forces have repeatedly targeted hospitals and healthcare workers during the Gaza conflict in breach of international law.

The doc, which was first commissioned by the BBC, was eventually dropped by the corporation after it concluded that it could not broadcast the film while its separate investigation into the film How to Survive a Warzone was ongoing. The BBC said “We have come to the conclusion that broadcasting this material risked creating a perception of partiality that would not meet the high standards that the public rightly expect of the BBC. Impartiality is a core principle of BBC News.”

Gaza: Doctors Under Attack is billed as a forensic investigation into Israeli military attacks on hospitals in Gaza. It also examines allegations of the targeting and abuse of doctors and healthcare workers in Gaza.  Every one of Gaza’s 36 main hospitals has now been attacked or destroyed by Israel, with people forced to evacuate and healthcare workers reportedly “killed, imprisoned and tortured.”

The film was originally commissioned for the BBC but has been “fact-checked and complied” by Channel 4 to “ensure it meets Channel 4 editorial standards and the Ofcom Broadcasting Code.”

It was greenlit by Louisa Compton, Channel 4 Head of News and Current Affairs and Specialist Factual and Sport, who said: “This is a meticulously reported and important film examining evidence which supports allegations of grave breaches of international law by Israeli forces that deserves to be widely seen and exemplifies Channel 4’s commitment to brave and fearless journalism.”

In an op-ed, Compton went on to say that “We are showing this programme because we believe that, following thorough fact-checking and verification, we are presenting a duly impartial view of a subject that both divides opinion and frequently provokes dispute about what constitutes a fact.

“Channel 4 has a strong tradition of putting uncomfortable reporting in front of our audiences. In doing so, we know we will antagonise somebody somewhere sometime. But we do it because we believe it is our duty to tell important journalistic stories – especially those that aren’t being told elsewhere.”

Basement Films added: “This is the third film we have made about the assault on Gaza since October 7th at Basement Films, and whilst none of them have been easy this became by far the most difficult. As ever we owe everything to our Palestinian colleagues on the ground; over 200 of whom have been killed by Israel, and the doctors and medics who trusted us with their stories. We want to apologise to the contributors and team for the long delay, and thank Channel 4 for enabling it to be seen.”

Gaza: Doctors Under Attack was greenlit for broadcast by Channel 4 Head of News and Current Affairs and Specialist Factual and Sport, Louisa Compton, and was made by reporter Ramita Navai, executive producer Ben De Pear and director Karim Shah for Basement Films.