Language activists accuse BBC of mistranslating released Palestinian prisoner interview

A collective of language activists has accused the BBC of mistranslating an interview recorded in Arabic with a released Palestinian prisoner, so that she appeared to be praising Hamas despite never mentioning the group. 

Respond Crisis Translation said that her original quote attacking her Israeli captors for the inhumane conditions prisoners were kept under - "they imprisoned us for a month. As winter came, they cut off the electricity. We almost died from the cold weather" - was translated into English subtitles as "and no one helped us. Only Hamas cared. Those who felt our suffering, I thank them very much".

She then said "they sprayed us with pepper spray and left us to die inside the prison", which the subtitles translated as "and we love them very much", which could make it appear as if her sentiments were directed at Hamas.

"She never mentioned Hamas or a word like it," the organisation tweeted. 

"This egregious mistranslation is not just a language error; it is a racist fabrication that fans the flames of the war.

"Mistranslations such as these - intentional or not - are exacerbating the ongoing genocide of Palestinians in Gaza."